BOO!

Hey People. Sorry- no jammin' tunes for you today. Fav Music Fri is being preempted by Halloween! I love costumes, and I really love scary movies and stories-- fictional and true ones! Some of the very scariest movies ever-- to me-- involve blurring that line between sanity and insanity, and ghosts. (Is it any wonder that's what the YA trilogy I'm working on deals with?)

Check out some of my favorite scary movies-- These vids are cool because there are people talking about why the movies are so good, then showing a tiny clip.

This first one-- "The Sentinel" is from 1979. I've seen it about 3 times, and the clip they show in this vid is the one that has stuck with me all these years. Worth checking out. SUPER CREEPY!



Basically, after the unsuspecting "super model" moves into her new apartment and socializes with some of her very weird neighbors she discovers no one has lived in the building for years, and they're actually all ghosts of psychos and killers. Oh- plus there are a bunch of the "damned" wandering around because the door to hell in the lobby is leaking. (bites nails)

This next one is from the early nineties I think-- Jacob's ladder. The entire movie you're wondering if the main character is nuts and being tormented by his delusions-- or if there's something supernatural going on. I really like scary movies that aren't just gory but really are suspenseful and keep you guessing.



Another thing that really separates good scary movies from bad is atmosphere. You can't beat "The Shining" for setting. This one kind of has it all and still holds up today.



That whole "crazy" theme is viscerally scary to me-- both in terms of wondering if you yourself are going nuts-- and that queasy discovery that whoever you're talking to or whatever-- is actually batshit crazy. There's a moment when you realize it-- and a million butterflies explode in your stomach and you wonder why the hell this person has zero'd in on YOU. EEEP!

Ghost stuff-- also unendingly creepy. I've had a few ghostly encounters and my sceptic side and cosmic side are constantly duking it out. If anyone has any scary stories about ghostly experiences-- TELL ME!

This is one of my very favorite scary movies ever! "The Others" deals with that idea of reality being, well, relative. Is what you're experiencing "real?" Isn't that the essential question when it comes to our sanity? I love the shift in paradigms within this movie. Awesome storytelling, and absolutely chilling!



So-- what are your favorite scary movies? Why? Is there a certain scene or aspect of it that sends your fright meter off the charts? Tell! Tell!

Fight Club - Where is my Mind

Hubby and I watched "Fight Club" again last night. This came out twelve years ago, and, despite Brad Pitt at the peak of his physical hotness, it kind of bombed.

This flick was one of the most underestimated, misunderstood movies to ever go into wide release I think. The buzz on it was basically-- "Brad Pitt!" and "Guys beating the crap out of each other for no reason!" This movie would be over the head of most people that kind of pitch would appeal to, so, epic fail.

It was a hopeless case however. If they'd tried selling it as the literate, completely disturbing, provocative, intelligent, mind-bender it was-- well, this is "Mericuh" folks-- It still would have bombed.

Even twelve years later it feels fresh and original, and seeing it in this post 9/11 world made it even more chilling.

The movie was a faithful adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's first book, and it came out before he was a big name. All his stuff is twisted, and he doesn't do hero's-- he does anti hero's. I've slogged my way through a couple of his other books, a literary forced march of sorts. His work isn't approachable because it's all so warped and disturbing, but he's got some stuff to say, and it's important work I think. Women especially have a problem with it because I think many of us are in denial about how primal men really are.

Anyway-- the movie is totally worth it. Brad Pitt is so beyond BradPitt, Ed Norton is amazing, and the final scene featuring this cool Pixies tune is classic.

~**Twilight**~

Yes, it's a two-fer, and yeah-- I totally stole the sparkle-rific ~*~'s from blog buddy Courtney. I should also just go ahead and lead with the disclaimer that this post will in no way approach the level of thoroughness, or awesomeness, of her post about this movie, but I'm going to go ahead and put a little Sue-sauce on it anyway.

OK, first let me say I was plenty embarrassed to pick up the first Twilight book, and my shame grew with each subsequent volume. By the time the final book came out, I was practically standing outside Borders trying to shove a twenty into some poor woman's hand like a heroin addict, "Seriously man, I need to score. Just go in and buy it for me. I can't show my face in there again, not buying another Twilight book."

I went into Twilight wanting to find out more about YA (young adult-- a genre for you non- writery types. Think sections of the bookstore.) I didn't really know what it was, but had a feeling it was more juvenile than my stuff. Wrong-- kind of. When I read these books I was elated! I TOTALLY got them. The writing isn't that impressive, but you don't have to be a literary mastermind if you understand what makes a reader invest in your characters, and how to work a story, reveals, playing with the different kinds of tension, etc. They were total page turners and I so got why.

My novels are a lot more edgy, and hopefully the writing is a lot better (yeah, I know, kind of sound like an ass there, but oh-wells), but I think I hit a lot of the same notes. Anyway, these books made me zero in on who exactly I am writing for (have been, unwittingly, for quite a while now), and for that I'll always be a fan.

OK-- The movie--- first of all I did not find any of the dudes in this movie hot at all really, which is probably a very healthy thing since the only one my age would have been Bella's dad, and he's not enough of a smart-ass to pull that mustache off, and, just not my type. RPATTZ (otherwise known as Edward) was very pretty, but a little too pretty (and young) for me. Also, I'm fairly certain we wear the exact same shade of lipstick. The kid who played Jacob was cool, and I can't wait to see how they hottie him up in future movies. Tons of potential hottness there. If I was forced to choose a guy from the cast, and had a time machine, I guess the guy who played James (the tracker) came close, except that he's blond, and the world seems to love blonds enough for both of us. But he was roughed-up enough at least. Yeah, I like the dirt-ball thing, as long as we're talking fictional boyfriends only.

The sparkles, as reported around the 'nets, were laughably disappointing. I've heard a lot of KS bashing, but I have to say, I didn't think she was that bad. I actually think it's the role not as much as her. Bella is Bella after all. Did anyone notice Esme is the same actress who starred in that series that was on for like 3 episodes called "The Ex List"-- and on the show, her character's name was Bella??? Anyway, have also heard about Carlisle's hotness factor, and I gotta say, I just wasn't feelin' it. He had too much of a Tom Cruise thing going on, and TC creeps me out big time, also his hair looked fake blond. Sorry girls, but picture a young, fake blond, Tom Cruisery Grandpa Munster and you've pretty much got Carlisle Cullen.

Loved Alice. Rosalie-- blech. Emmett-- meh. Alice's "mate"-- Jasper?-- the blond guy? ---My favorite! Every single time he appeared onscreen I broke into a fit of muffled snickers. The director must have kept saying, open your eyes wider-- WIDER!" Either that or they just had him smoke like 3 bongs then take about five hits of speed.

Actually there were lots and lots of times I found myself snickering, but I'm still glad I went to see it, and am glad it's so huge, because weather you like her books or not, Stephanie Meyer has broken the "Harry Potter" stranglehold, and all these girls have been introduced to the awesomeness of books. Yay- maybe more room on the shelves of some of us, writery types!

One of the funniest things I've read on twitter lately was this guy (kid) in Ca-- "If all those teenage girls like those Mormon vampires so much, they're going to love my Presbyterian Frankenstein!"

All I can say is if all these gals are going so ballistic over sexually repressed Edward, their heads will explode if they ever find out about my existential angst ridden, adrenalin junkie, smart-assed, heart breakingly beautiful and effed-up ghost. Go team ghost!
(Once you go ghost...well... you're haunted.)

SON OF RAMBOW

So was I at the premiere of Twilight tonight with probably every girl in town? -- No people, no I was not. I prefer to attend that movie-palooza with the other members of my tribe. (Yep-- all the black eyeliner wearing, cigarette butt flicking, school skipping girls. Hey, someone has to be on their team.)

But I did still catch an awesome flick. If you like/d Wes Anderson, Michael Gondry (I should ad an "-ish stuff" to their each of their names since neither of them actually had anything to do with this project, but...), Pop Rocks, The 80's, "Stand By Me", "The Secret Lives Of Alter Boys", and possibly Bart Simpson--- You'll love "Son of Rambow".
Rentable at your local vid store / netflix.

When I saw there was some weird ad at the end of the trailer I almost aborted mission for another link, but those sparking things are so effing rad they make me want to learn to board just so i can get some. Check them out!

Take A Great Fall

So what did I wind-up doing on my big day of screwing-off?

Piles of mangled cars kept me from venturing very far from home (physically) (freezing rain), but this movie took me to distant, strange horizons.

It's probably the most trippy, moving, and visually beautiful movie I've seen in a very long time. There's a part near the end that you writery types will fall hard for-- where the contract between character, writer, and reader is nearly and tragically broken.

It also revolves around a beautiful, broken, dark haired boy that reminds me a lot of Dave (from my novel), naturally making me fall even more deeply in love with him.

If you liked Mirror Mask, Pan's Labyrinth, The Never Ending Story, or Barracka-- See "The Fall". (It's out on DVD)