Category Archives: Review

Books, Review, Writing

The Exorcist Book Review

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INTRODUCTION
The Exorcist is one of those iconic movies that no matter when you were born, you probably heard about it. The movie was so intense for the time period that it is claimed it sent people reeling from the cinema in droves, which is believable, given no audience prior to had seen such atrocious scenes laid out before them. Night of the Living Dead was one such film of its timeframe in 1968, but by 1973, the film landscape had changed so vastly that Night of the Living Dead just seemed tame in comparison. Still to this day, few movies with more balls have been made. Can you imagine forced pedo-sapphic incest happening on screen today? Nope and this is why this film is still considered legendary. Having first seen this film in the 90’s, I thought it was tame. I honestly hate anything religious, especially religious horror, because the idea of possession is so mentally absurd, that I can’t suspend my disbelief to believe it is happening. Unlike Freddy, which we know isn’t believed by idiots, we can easily suspend disbelief. Regardless, I decided all these years later to give the book a go and this is my thoughts on Blatty’s iconic novel.

SYNOPSIS
A young Hollywood actress’ daughter becomes “possessed” by a “demon” and you guessed it, an exorcism happens.

CHARACTERS
The only thing less developed then the 12 year old lead in this book is the supporting cast. Most are just there with nothing overly interesting about them. Karras and Lt. Kinderman are the only interesting characters in this novel as with the movies.

PROSE
It’s alright, but it isn’t better than most New York Times bestselling books out there. Blatty had his moments, but it isn’t overly painful to read like Game of Thrones is, either.

SUBTEXT/THEMES
Thematically the book deals with mental illness, religion, belief and other “fun” concepts, but subtext is pretty non-existent, minus one Youtuber who pointed out that the movie had great subtext for sexual abuse. Sadly, while I agree with it, the point of view and how this book is written, along with how the movie goes, pretty much refutes that. Blattly himself even said he didn’t intend for it that way. So, sadly, possession in both the movie and book are quit literal.

CONCULSION
Hardly the worse book I’ve ever read, but it seems more like a parody of the movie. I mean, Regan is a dork, red head kid and the iconic scenes of the movie don’t register the same in the book, they seem weird and don’t fit. Calling the kids rags, is laughable and a horrible nickname. Everything people love about the movie, in this book, seems more mocking in tone, which was clearly not the intent. Mind you this book is 40 years old, along with the movie, but the movie, while I loathe it, holds up better. If you really want to give it a go, feel free to, but otherwise, much like how the book was received prior to a lucky chance appearance by Blattly on a talk show in the 1970’s which catapulted it to fame, I think it is better ignored.

3 out of 5

Books, Review, Uncategorized

Halloween Movie Novelization Book Review

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INTRODUCTION
When I was a child, almost all movies had a novelization. Why? Most likely because Hollywood wanted to make more money and much like a McDonald’s Happy Meal toy, this was one more worthless item to shill to kids or fans of popular novels. Sadly, the novelization was almost always terrible prose, aimed at the lowest common denominator and forgotten about with glee, shortly after you bought it. Remember the heyday of these is pre-DVD, when extras weren’t as easy to come by via VHS and some audiences were clamoring for more of these favorite flicks, so you cannot really blame anyone for giving them a gander, as they weren’t all terrible, but they weren’t very good, either. My reason for buying these as a child, they often could give more insight into scenes that were cut from the movie, as well as hopefully develop characters past the confines of the movie, whilst giving us more depth in general as well. Few ever lived up to that, that is until Halloween 2018, went retro and made a novelization for its movie and that is one reason for me to buy it, as I am waiting for the DVD or a Double feature of this and the original 1978 classic to finally see it. So is this little gem worth it?

SYNOPSIS
Jason Micheal is accidentally released back into Haddonfield on the eve of his transfer, exactly 40 years to the day of the babysitter murders. Laurie, estranged from her family, finally gets a chance to end her nightmare that started back in 1978. Who will rise victorious? (Hint: it’s Hollywood, it’s almost never the bad guy.)

PROSE
Finally, a novelization that does prose well. Holy shit! Not only is this guy hyper competent, but he adds a bit too much description. There is very little errors within this book, minus like one that you can discover for yourself should you read this. Not only is the description spot on, but the word use makes this one of the smartest novelizations ever. Mea Cupla for instance, is Latin. That is high brow for this type of book and I am very happy to see such. It also adds a bit of physics and quoting of Nietzsche. If all this sounds right up your alley, you will love this.

CHARACTERS
They’re developed enough, but not really in a memorable or you will care sort of way. Most the cast is simply there.

SUBTEXT/THEME
Not much, but they occasionally add a tiny insight when it comes to evil in the word and like I said, it’s a novelization.

CONCLUSION
While this book is sadly just relaying the movie with no real additions via different scenes or extrapolation to the world that is Haddonfield, the myth of Michael or developing the characters more, it still one of the better efforts that a novelization has ever undertaken, even if it lacks suspense, has kills which are weak and is longer than it should be. Overall, I think this and the movie are going to be worth your time.

3 ½ out of 5

Movies, Review

The Man Who Invented Christmas Move Review

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INTRODUCTION
     I have always loved A Christmas Carol. It was one of my favorite Dickens tales and one of my top ten books of all time. It is the original Christmas tale, not counting the story of Jesus or Santa Clause himself.
The movie is a basic concept about Charles Dickens being down on his luck and really needing a bestselling book. Which of us don’t, though? The rest of the movie is a search for inspiration and the struggle against writers block, combined with a weird rendition of the novel itself, don’t in bits and pieces, sewn throughout.

STORY
     There isn’t a real story here. At least not a very interesting one, anyways. Writer needs inspiration, writer finds inspiration, and writer publishes. Most of us that are writers go through this on a day to day basis, so it makes me really wonder who this is for. Is it for writers, creators, family or Victorian era England aficionados?

     I loved all the little Easter eggs to the Dickens other works,such as the orphanage that a young Charles Dickens was forced to labor in, when his after was arrested, leaving Charles stranded, the inspiration for Oliver Twist. I love the meeting with a Constable, named David Copperfield. The language coming directly from the world around Charles Dickens and the fun, but most likely, overly exaggerated way he worked.

T     he problem is, who is going to care if Charles Dickens is going to finish A Christmas Carol? What happens if he doesn’t publish it, besides being in debt?

     Nothing in this film is really of the essence and none of it is really going to draw us into the story and watch this for over an hour. Thankfully the screenplay was well written, so at the very least, we didn’t fall asleep during the middle of it.

ACTING
     The acting is superb. Not a single bad actor in the lot and all did a very good job at their individual roles. The two break away performances belong to Scrooge himself, slicing at Dickens with his acerbic wit and Dickens himself. An honorable mention goes to the character of the young Irish house maid, whose emotional investment in Charles Dickens book is the desire of every writer to have and also the soul of every single one of us when we finish a good book.

VISUALS
     Beautiful lighting, fantastic sets, it really looked like the embodiment of the area that we’re accustomed to seeing. The CGI is on point and I think it will hold up in the years to come.

CONCLUSION
     This movie is probably not for everyone. If you’re a Dicken’s buff, a fan of his work or a writer yourself, then you’ll absolutely will appreciate this the most. Even if you’re not a fan, it is decent enough to hold your attention for the duration of the movie. It is hardly a terrible movie, but to be honest, it is one that I don’t think we really needed, either. Regardless, it is a rousing Christmas romp that isn’t a horrible way to spend a night with the wife and kids, if you’re looking for family fare.

3 ½ out of 5 stars.

kageoween, Review, TV Shows

Kageoween: Scream TV Series Review

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INTRODUCTION
     I have always loved Scream. I first saw it at about 10 years old, picking up a VHS copy at the local CVS to watch. I’ve seen them all. When MTV said it was going to do a series, I was filled with dread. MTV was never known for quality, it produced low rent TV shows with mostly mediocre music stars, whilst real music was mostly forgotten about. The last time MTV was even relevant, Kurt Cobain was still alive and Headbanger’s Ball was still on the air. I wondered what would become of my beloved series, one that inspired a lot in my first novel, including this gem of a scene from the original unedited manuscript.

I closed my eyes as I laid back and tried to not focus on the eerie silence when the phone rang and nearly sent me flying to the ceiling, like a scared cat getting its tail stepped on. “Hello.” I said into the receiver. All I could hear was heavy breathing on the other end. “Hello” I said more hurried and with a little annoyance in my voice. A voice came to life on the other that sounded deep and scratchy. “What’s your favorite scary movie?” It said to me. “Listen fucker” I cursed at him. “I saw that god-damned movie too, so leave me the fuck alone.” -Excerpt from 13 by Kage

     So was my fear founded? We will find out.

STORY
     Same basic premise as the movies, teenagers being stalked by Ghostface and dying off one by one until the big finale.
The first season had an additional backstory to this Ghostface, seeming like an homage to classic flicks of yore, where the killer had some weird backstory, but it works right up until the end, when obvious killer is obvious. Still, that was always one the charms of the series.

STYLE
     I hated the mask at first, but as the series progressed, I cared less about it and went with it. Lighting is good, albeit, typical of Hollywood teen shows and movies, but it works. While the style doesn’t have a Scream feel, the rest makes up for it.

ACTING
     It is a horror show and an MTV show. No one will be winning too many awards, if any at all, but it is fine and passable. The actors do very well in developing the characters, along with the writing, to give us characters to care about. MTV is really showing they can do a series and have it work, they just cannot get their shit behind the scenes working to keep going with more seasons.

WRITING
     The writing is very much in the same vain as Scream. Maybe closer to part three, but the overtones of Kevin Williamson are still there and it hits all the right beats, making me satisfied that this isn’t some scheme to capitalize off the name rights alone. It takes care to pay homage to the film whose name it bears and takes care not to fuck with the formula too much, while being interesting. The teens are characters we can continue to care about and want to see a resolution with, which is nice, given most of the character is movies serve only for use to like the killer. Not here though, it is about the story. Fantastic and much appreciated from my perspective.

CONCLUSION
     For something I had zero hopes for going into it and really thought I would come away pissed off, I was surprised that it was actually really good. It isn’t flawless, but the nitpicking isn’t really relevant to me. I enjoyed it as I enjoyed the original flick as a child and that is all that I can ask for.

     I can’t really believe I am going to praise MTV but this series deserves its rating. I also hope we will get a third season, and they resolve what storylines they need too as well as the rumor of the original ghost mask making a return.

I give it 4 stars out of 5

Books, Review

Ghostly: Book Review

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     This is going to be one of my shortest reviews. Ghostly, the anthology is a collection of older writers and modern writers. Most the stories are excellent, but Audrey’s is where i’m perplexed by its consideration for inclusion.

     You may know her from the movie based on her book The Time Traveler’s Wife as opposed to horror, although, she has a few credits in that genre.

     The books central theme is ghost. Although the cover would make you think it was cats, especially since her story and Edgar Allen Poe’s The Black Cat are both printed in this. The art on the cover is beautiful and the book is bound with sturdy binding. The text and pages are bright and easy to read.

     Each story has a introduction blurb to the story you’re about to read and all stories are a great inclusion into this set.

     The problem I’m trying to figure out, as stated above, is the reason for the inclusion of her story. Out of all the stories, this one is by far the most amateurish of them all. It lacks suspense, character, story and most of all, everything is told, as opposed to show. This wouldn’t be a bad thing if this collection was like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark but it isn’t. It seems like the only reason to bother with this anthology was to publish this one story of hers. I cannot see any other reason she needed to put this together. I would presume that she had a lot of emotion invested into that story and as such, she wanted it published somehow and this was the only way to get it to the reader, editor be damned!

     Interestingly enough, the story still works, albeit, with extremely poor prose and structure, but I can only imagine how much more powerful the climax might of been had she attempted to build up suspense, instead of this awkward telling which ultimately leads to a let down and cliched ending.

     Had this just been an anthology with works that influenced her style that had introductions and maybe even scholarly notes about each individual work, it would of been a fantastic book. As it stands, it just an unnecessary collection using work of other authors to push her own into the spotlight and that is one of the saddest take away besides the list of notable authors who go second billing to herself.

     I give the collection 3 out of 5 stars.You won’t be saddened for having spent your money, since almost every story is excellent, but you’ll scratch your head as to why this book even needed to be made in the first place.

Non-fiction, Review, Uncategorized

Cult of Personality

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Today’s topic of interest is the cult of personality, also known as the celebrity fetish. While America isn’t unique in its love of other people business, it does it best and with typical American swagger. This isn’t an indictment of the country, but rather the throngs of “human” beings that worship other people for what they themselves will never be able to accomplish, which is apparently “greatness.”

There is a quote I’ve always been fond of and it comes straight outta 1985: If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. Spoken by a Doc Brown, in Back to the Future. Penned from the hands of writers, through the mouth of an actor and forever ingrained into the public consciousness.Writers are the modern day philosophers, but rather than stand on a podium, we have a plethora of ways to let out some of the pithiest aphorisms of our day. The privacy challenged (Celebrity for the Layman) are no different from anyone else, in fact, I mean to prove it within the confines of this blog.

What is a Celebrity?

I want to have a look at basic definitions. It’s integral to understand what it is we’re dealing with, before we dissect it to its root.
1
: The state of being celebrated : fame
2
: A famous or celebrated person

The definition of celebrated is as follows

: Widely known and often referred to

These are too fucking vague. Allow me to rewrite a definition that better encompasses what people seem to think about celebrities.

Celebrity (U.S. Edition)

1. Anyone who is of interest to the public for doing what they themselves wish they could do, but for whatever reason, are unable to do.
2. Idolatry
3. A person who is in the “Public Eye.”

4. Someone who is considered, by the worshiper, far more “fascinating” than the person from whom the worship occurs.

5. A person who is ill-equipped to be a role model for the nation’s youth.

6. A built up fantasy from the primitive mind

7. “Hero.”

8. “God.”

9. Pinnacle of perfection

10. Someone who ignites religious fervor.

11. A Flawed HUMAN.

This is what the term has seemingly evolved into and it’s come to mean by today’s standards.

I’m taking a position here that we’re all celebrities. Not even the 15 minutes of fame, but rather in a much more realistic way. Allow me to express now, how the United States seems to see celebrity.

Let’s start out with a small anecdote to give background into my train of thought.When I was a child, I met a few “celebrities.” Not by my own desire, but because I was usually dragged along or in the wrong place, wrong time. Given the choice, I don’t bother with most of them. The list is quite paltry and meaningless to me. Some off the top of my head, Sam Kennison, A Celtics basketball player, Ted Kennedy, and a few musicians. Quite frankly, as a child, I didn’t understand who I was meeting, why I was meeting them and who the hell they were. I’ve managed to maintain this worldview well into my adult years and quite frankly, I still don’t get it. Not a single one of these people have done a single thing that you are incapable of. In fact, I know so.

One of my problems with the term is how fucking vague the definition is. I’ve been searching for something that goes a bit deeper than it does. I’ve found nothing, so allow me to make some arguments as to the needed change and why we should take a step back as to what celebrity is and isn’t.

If you refer to the definition above, it’s a celebrated person. Celebration is straightforward. How many people are celebrated every day? We celebrate people every day. Loved one, friends, ancestors, children and even the beautiful woman that makes one hell of a cup of coffee. We celebrate these people on a lesser scale, though and not a massive scale. Yet, I would venture to say they are no less celebrities than the superstar.

Now I want to bring light to the part of celebrated that is even vaguer than the definition. “Widely known.” What does this mean, does it have to be state wide, nationwide or worldwide? There are people in my city that have followings. They are known, but you might not considered them a celebrity. Is celebrity, then, only people who are known by a certain sect of people or do you have to be known even by people who detest you or indifferent to you?

The president should be considered a celebrity, he fits the known by loved, hated and indifferent. That just might be nationwide, though. Other countries have presidents you might not even know of. Maybe they don’t cause a ruckus that sends them through the internet or newspapers. They run their country efficiently and retire when their term is up, like ninjas, you never knew they were there.

Here is one other thing to really get to the crux of the matter when it comes to celebrity and that is “Public Eye.”

What does this mean? Aren’t we all in the public eye? A famous character one said the “How to we first begin to covet?”
The answer, of course, is that we covet what we see every day.

A little aside here. I was bullied in middle school, everyday, from 6th to 9th grade. Four years of brutal harassment that would have made a lesser man break down and lash out. I didn’t. I kept going, despite my detestment of school and outright loathing of those who would attack me, verbally or sometimes, violently. I’m not an angel, I fought back with fist and words, myself. One day, after being told by the principal that I was being called something horrible, which I won’t repeat here, but it was slanderous, she refused to express which students were saying such, due to fear of recourse. In other words, I having my name sullied was far less important than what I might do, such as sue the school. After all, the football team needed New jerseys, didn’t they? She had knowledge of slander and I had no recourse. Sound familiar? Apparently being in school made me a “celebrity.”

Sounds familiar, right? I’m aloud to scrutinize someone like Glen Beck, which I have, to the point of what would be considered slander and he has little to no recourse.

The government isn’t allowed to interject on freedom of speech, so most of this is covered as freedom of expression. When all it is, is the principal protecting the bullies and blaming the victim.

To add another bit of fact into the mix, some places, such as the state I live in, allowed for anyone to take a picture of you, your kids, friends, relatives, etc. Their only recourse was that if it was done enough, perhaps they could get a restraining order. Sounds a lot like, well, celebrities.

When celebrities have no more rights afforded to them than the “Commoner” then why are protecting slander? Why can I take pictures of them with their kids and make a profit off of it?

Not everything is open to the public unless you make it so. Yet a person’s sex life can be when they’re in the “public eye.” Even when the details of which have no bearing on their ability to do a job well done.

High School never ends. When they say high school prepares us for life, they don’t kid around. Not with knowledge, but with the typical assholes we’re going to have to deal with the rest of our lives.

When someone goes to a WWE event, which is televised, they can become a meme just like anyone else. A child. Let that sink in. They are not a celebrity by anyone standards, but apparently being in the public eye makes him/her open to scrutiny, I guess. I hope the kid doesn’t have a “deviant” sexuality, such as homosexuality, because the public has a right to know.

I’m not asking for special rights for anyone, in fact, quite the opposite. I’m asking for this to extend to anyone and everyone. If privacy is for a privileged few, those are special rights and it’s something I’ve always been against, baring few instances.

Some people can take the abuse. I’ve run for office and loved every second of it. Nothing like being so squeaky clean they have to lob fallacies and other bullshit at you, in an attempt to discredit you. Yet not everyone is like me and should not be subjected to it. No one really ask for it, they accept it as part of the job they desire to get into. Yet, once more going back to the definition, celebrity is someone who is regarded in their field as a go to person. This is encompasses even less people than the vague definition above, which means a person is only a celebrity when they become a master in their field, which I think, is a much more appropriate definition, since mastery of one’s craft, career or field is a lot more appropriate for such a status. Kids should not be celebrities, regardless of what they’re doing.

I know this is a long piece, so if you stuck with it so far, thanks, but to paraphrase a famous song from the 60’s. Human respect is disintegrating and this whole crazy world is so fucking frustrating.

I personally think something should be done and if I can add something, I’m going to do so.