ZOMBIELAND,how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

..." Nut up or Shut up!"

or so the movie tag line states.

This is pretty much the anthem of Rueben Fleischer's Zombieland.

http://www.zombieland.com/

I won't spoil the plot,but come on..if you're gonna see a movie the words "Zombie" and "Land" in the title,you pretty much know what your in for.

In short,The U.S.(maybe the world) is overtaken by zombies.We follow the travels of Tallahassee(Woody Harrelson),Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg),and sisters Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) as they set out on their cross country jaunt that begins back East and heads out to the West coast(which holds the promise of a zombie-free life).And with all trips ,it's not the final destination that's important but what happens on the way there.In the case of this film ,killing zombies is the short order or the day...ALL DAY,EVERYDAY!

I LOVED this film!!!

I enjoyed this film(heck, I'm gonna call it a "flick",cuz movies that are just plain fun...are not "films", they are "Flicks").It's an enjoyable "flick" on so many levels. It's funny ,scary,and(dare I say) heartwarming. In the vein of Guy Davis' graphic novel ,"Zombies That Ate The World "and Edgar Wright's "Shaun of The Dead" this flick takes a tongue in cheek perspective on the zombie genre (oooh "genre"...that's a pretty hoity toity word for a "flick" grandpa!..."Shut up!!!")

Harrelson is in fine form,probably his best performance in a loooong time .Yes folks,"White Men" can jump.shoot,slash and decapitate some zombie tukis.Stone is great as the elder grifter here,alluring and funny! Breslin is in her funniest role since "Little Miss Sunshine" just as adorable but this time brandishing an automatic rifle. Stand out performance goes to Eisenburg.

Seen as the "Poor Man's Michael Cera",Eisenburg may just break out of that moniker.As our narrator for this journey ,he brings forth a boy next door/everyman likability.Cera's doppelganger ,no more!

The exchanges between him and Harrelson are what one would see if Clint Eastwood and a young Woody Allen did a zombie movie.

So...if you're like me (old,bald,500 lbs, alarmingly good-looking with impeccable movie taste) your zombie loving butt will venture out into your local multiplex and enjoy the hell out of this flick.

'til next time America...."Nut up or Shut up!"

What a Guy (Davis) !!!

Okay...so ever since I could remember,I've been a Batman Guy.When I was a kid for Halloween I would dress up as Batman (Every year,All year)..even as an Adult circa 1990 for Halloween, I was Michael Keaton Batman.(how old am I again?)

Then came my obsession with everything Hellboy.(I could speak volumes on why I love lil' Anung Um Rama..but there is not enough space here..maybe some other time) Sure...I've cheated on the Dark Knight and the Harbinger of Doomsday,through out the years ...but i always came back to them.Along with my obsession with Hellboy came my obsession of the B.P.R.D.(The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense).Mike Mignola (creator of Hellboy) entrusted his creation of the B.P.R.D. to John Arcudi and an artist i had barely knew,Guy Davis. I loved the stories..but LOVED the artwork even more.

Over the years I would admire Davis' line work and could not wait for the next B.P.R.D. installment so that i could salivate over the artwork(stunning colors added by the wonderful Dave Stewart...btw,he's waaaaaay more talented than that Eurythimics dude who shares his namesake) 30 days was a long time to wait...so i sought out more of Guy's work and stumbled upon The Zombies That Ate The World.Stellar!
Guy also contributed animated comics to Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy 2 DVD's.

I'm not an original art kinda guy(nor independently wealthy or I would be an original art guy)
but had the opportunity purchase a page an a commission and i do not regret it one bit .They are amongst my most treasured possessions(the kind that you would never sell).
I would now and again peruse Guy's website http://www.guydavisartworks.com/

and i saw this character of his called The Marquis."Meh" I thought to myself...cool ,but i don't get the hat thingy and all. So I passed it up (no ,I pretty much ignored it...I'm such a dumb-ass) Then I saw that Dark Horse Comics was re releasing The Marquis: Inferno in Trade Paperback book form.http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/15-859/The-Marquis-Inferno-TPB I figured that I would give it a chance( one of the smartest things I've done).

I LOVE THE MARQUIS!!!! There I said it! It's not only the story and the stunning artwork, it's the subject matter and MONSTERS!!! Gorgeous! Guy is one of few artists in my opinion that can draw awesome and honest to goodness scary monsters( the kind that nightmares are made out of )

So... Batman,Hellboy,please make room for your brother, Le Marquis ...for he is here to stay!!!

Do yourself a favor and pick this up..you will not regret it!

And if you don't ...Le Marquis will be looking to exorcise your inner demon with his bad ass pistols and sabre!

Vampire -Con 2009

It is the middle of August,…Summer’s flame ever so slowly diminishes .It is here in the City of Angels as the sun sets over the town known for its’ tinsel, the dead and undead congregate. Angels were welcome indeed, only if they checked their wings and halos in the coat room. This is the setting for the inaugural. Vampire –Con 2009. http://www.vampire-con.com/brood/For 3 days they convened, for a blood lust that for years had been suppressed….now they have been outted…and loving it!!!
With the advent of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight,HBO’s True Blood, and Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s The Strain, the love for Vampires has resurrected.
Vampires and all that entail its’ resurgence into the popular culture had a place to flaunt its fangs.
The Convention began with a two day film festival at The New Beverly Cinema(from The Lost Boys to The Hunger) that attracted all the creatures of the night (Most notably Rose McGowan ,a Vamp in her own right).
The third and final day brought a change in venue , The Henry Fonda Theatre.
It was here that fangs (amongst other things) were flaunted.
The theatre was filled with an array of vendors to sell their wares. From Axes (custom gothic guitars),custom coffins to potions…a myriad of books and specialty items were there for purchase also .The convention also offered scheduled panels that discussed various topics all with the common theme of Vampirism. The highlight of the day was the crowning a The Vampire-Con’s Vampirella 2009.The online voting for the event’s Queen of The Damned was narrowed down to two worthy Vamps .A winner was chosen, Nela Swan (photo above)to a delight of the crowd.
As Twilight approached …the event ended with a classy ,wonderful ,and dare I say sexy Vampirella Ball .All of those who were there to partake in this Danse Macabre, partied into the wee hours to bring an unfortunate end to a fun filled weekend.
What made The Vampire-Con enjoyable was that the organizers have total respect for the genre and have the vision to see that the vampire culture needs to take its rightful place in the sun(so to speak).The convention paid homage to all forms of the vampire culture from Nosferatu ,Bela Lugosi to the aforementioned Twilight. Vampires and their need to celebrate will not take a stake to the heart anytime soon. .I for one hope that The Vampire-Con resurrects itself next year...this is one Daywalker that is looking forward to it.
A gran muchisimas gracias to the lovely Dee Dee Debartlo of Harper/Collins for the donation of The Strain novels and the equally lovely Wendi Mirabella for organizing this event!

Thank you Ladies!!!

Guillermo:The Vampire Slayer

Today comes this news

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118006649.html?categoryid=14&cs=1&ref=ssp

Could it be?

del Toro first pitched The Strain to FOX as a TV series ...but FOX wanted it to be a comedy(True Story)...anyone remember George Hamilton in Love At First Bite or Eddie Murphy's Vampire in Brooklyn? How did those vampire comedies work out?*crickets*...Lost Boys,maybe.

It could work...The Strain TV bible is out there...and Noxon sure knows her bloodsuckers.

Are there too many vampire projects out there already?

Probably...

Maybe Noxon & Co. can put a little "BITE" (pun totally intended) into the competition.

I for one, would LOVE to see it...

Casting choices anyone?

Drop me a line...

Insane for The Strain

Well, after months of anticipation.

A Coast to Coast World Premiere Book Launch.

Rave Reviews...(Worldwide rave reviews, mind you)

New York Times Top Ten Bestseller.(come on now...was there any doubt)

I have finally finished reading The Strain...Yay!!!

Again those who know me know that I am not a reader.

The extent of my reading are books that have a lot of pretty pictures

with tons of "Pows" and "Booms" and "Zowies"

Guillermo told me that I would "effing love this book"(his words,kinda) and...........

damn it, he was right(I hate when that happens)

As my buddy Parker put it...it's CSI :Vampires.

The story is fresh .The characters are (excuse the pun) fully fleshed out.

Another aspect I liked about this book was that the chapters were broken down into settings ,so that it puts the reader in the mood and sets them up for the story to unfold.

The pacing and beats are all there and keep the reader interested.

For those who know Guillermo,there are little easter eggs or "winks" to people and things that he likes.

I liked that aspect of the book too,it made it more personal.

The CSI parts of the book were not too techie(is that a word.?...if it isn't ,it is now)

but at the same time the descriptions were not dumbed down.One could fully understand what was being explained.

The gore is unforgiving...and I LOVE it! These Vampires don't *sparkle*(there's a t-shirt)

"The Strain-These Vampires don't Sparkle ,Mother Effer!!!"

I won't go into the plot or spoil stuff for you boys and girls...you're just gonna have to pick up the book ...and shame on you for not having the book already (Gary points his finger at you and shakes it in DISAPPROVAL.Shake.Shake.Shake.)

okay here's a spoiler...are you ready?

(SPOILER)

(shhhhh...Darth Vader is Luke Skywalkers's Father)

(END Of SPOILER)

(now you can't say I never gave you anything)

Twilight?...PUUUULEASE!

Vampire Academy?...."oh no you didnit, girlfriend!!!"

Rice's Lestat can Suck It!!!(oh yeah ,I went there)

Go buy the book.

Read it.

Tell your friends about it.

Have them buy it.(you don't want the swine flu on you copy)

Heck ,even better ...buy the 14 hour unabridged audio book version,Narrated by the one,the only, Ron Perlman.(also available on itunes)

all B.S.aside...it's a great read.

400 pages of F.U.N.

F.angtastic. U.nrelenting....N.octurnal?.something or the other(i can't think of anything that starts with "N")...oh yeah,N.ut-shrinking ,wet your underoos vampire gore!!!

Let me know what y'all think.

ENJOY!!!

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