tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.comments2024-03-12T15:02:45.193-04:00The Kind of Face You Hatebill r.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comBlogger6949125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-28544651567637313012023-01-12T19:51:36.506-05:002023-01-12T19:51:36.506-05:00Good write up. I’ve heard Lamsley’s name here and ...Good write up. I’ve heard Lamsley’s name here and there but only recently really got into him.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-22334804781102604732022-12-09T22:14:19.947-05:002022-12-09T22:14:19.947-05:00I've just started House of Leaves on the recom...I've just started House of Leaves on the recommendation of a friend and am so glad to have found this post. I've read and taught Infinite Jest many times and I want to be sympathetic to HOL, but it's so derivative of IJ. I'm glad I'm not the only one noticing. There are so many positive reviews, but I assume they're not comparing it to a masterpiece. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-67554248737998222662022-10-30T22:22:18.536-04:002022-10-30T22:22:18.536-04:00There is no need to make personal remarks about Ru...There is no need to make personal remarks about Russell in your review. I doubt you knew the man and your words suggest you are not the subtle writer that he is. So were the personal remarks just padding to fill out the screen, or some sort of venting?<br /> I think you almost hit the mark on the connection to Stevenson's "Jekyll & Hyde," but the connection is much more explicit, and therefore more believable, in the second of Russell's Latinate-titled stories, the marvelous and extremely horrifying "Sagittarius." which actually alludes to Stevenson's novel briefly. Perhaps you will review that sometime---maybe without the personal remarks.Starwardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-88188928421006676372022-07-23T15:31:04.024-04:002022-07-23T15:31:04.024-04:00Thanks for posting this again. My favorite is stil...Thanks for posting this again. My favorite is still Flawless. The way he shut down the Log Cabins. Still haunted by the story his partner told of him saying “I’ve been thinking I could start drinking again “Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-49288581460701775252022-04-17T00:24:12.808-04:002022-04-17T00:24:12.808-04:00Bill, after AntiChrist's prologue I wanted to ...Bill, after AntiChrist's prologue I wanted to treat you like He did She at film's end, but from then on I was too busy holding it together to consider your just deserves.<br /><br />Besides, once, I get these blood-fattened ticks off the back of my hand, I need to continue with the services taking place in the dying bushes outside my shack, AKA Satan's Church.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17380719981656082729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-50155325086072848522022-02-18T02:37:15.065-05:002022-02-18T02:37:15.065-05:00I was permanently suspended from Twitter in a humo...I was permanently suspended from Twitter in a humor accident (there was a tweet about that study that showed that older, overweight people are most apt to be superspreaders, and I thought it would funny if I tweeted "Well, if that's the case you'd better give me my goddamned vaccine right now before I kill you all" and this was interpreted as a threat of violence, repeated appeals were to no avail), so this is the only venue in which I can respond to your tweet on Spider Kiss that according to Ellison himself, that character was based on Jerry Lee Lewis, not Elvis.<br /><br />You know, something I think would be right up your alley, the horror novels of Thomas M. Disch, all of them set in his home state of Minnesota, and each named after a different profession: The Businessman, The M.D., The Priest and The Sub (as in substitute teacher). The Priest in particular dealt with sexual abuse in the Catholic Church years and years before it became a public issue. (At one point a character repeats a joke, said to be in common circulation in church circles, Q:How do you make a nun pregnant? A: Dress her up as an altar boy.) I was frankly amazed it was never reprinted after the scandal became worldwide, but the last years of Disch's life were a rolling disaster, and he might not have been a position to maintain his career.Robert Fiorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06357467040644448167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-47986285025714711252022-01-14T01:19:38.016-05:002022-01-14T01:19:38.016-05:00I just finished reading The Bingo Master, and it w...I just finished reading The Bingo Master, and it was lingering in my head a bit, and I was looking for some takes on it, so thanks for this.Saranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-44744541940416039732021-12-19T09:47:37.925-05:002021-12-19T09:47:37.925-05:00roast mules = use mortalsroast mules = use mortalsDavid Frank DeLucahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09309581159511571746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-53335119778726530702021-11-24T19:08:07.290-05:002021-11-24T19:08:07.290-05:00Aickman was a fantastic writer and, I agree that &...Aickman was a fantastic writer and, I agree that 'The Inner Room' is one of his best stories. Just out of curiosity, what do you make of his politics? I ask because from certain comments in his stories and the afterwords about them, I have the impression that he was somewhat sympathetic to fascism?JNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02564326237179786587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-84839012871306370192021-10-10T14:09:03.405-04:002021-10-10T14:09:03.405-04:00Thank you, sir.Thank you, sir.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-76935419521522440842021-10-08T21:57:27.190-04:002021-10-08T21:57:27.190-04:00Nice piece, an appreciation of TL for all the righ...Nice piece, an appreciation of TL for all the right reasons, well selected excerpts. Thanks.Paul Chadwickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01185294142750163408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-51465548648279763802021-09-17T23:51:07.336-04:002021-09-17T23:51:07.336-04:00Points missed about “The Bingo Master.” - Rose Odu...Points missed about “The Bingo Master.” - Rose Odum is a parody of Flannery O’Connor. “The Bingo Master” is, in turn, a parody of her story “Good Country People.”<br /><br />“ ‘What’s a Flannery O’Conner!?’ they cried, as they clutched their Stephen King novels. “Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-38050174537313202022021-09-03T20:54:36.085-04:002021-09-03T20:54:36.085-04:00Loved your piece on WestlakeLoved your piece on WestlakeC F Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01877849479142945007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-62860716540175776992021-08-08T09:16:13.342-04:002021-08-08T09:16:13.342-04:00You're welcome, thanks for reading!You're welcome, thanks for reading!bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-42352481535130504622021-08-01T05:35:31.923-04:002021-08-01T05:35:31.923-04:00Thank you for wasting two hours out of my life, th...Thank you for wasting two hours out of my life, that movie suckedRonniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08307062740887599844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-37959027087652962852021-07-31T18:01:57.923-04:002021-07-31T18:01:57.923-04:00Bill, thanks for wasting two hours out of my life....Bill, thanks for wasting two hours out of my life. After reading your article I figured this must be some gem I had missed all these years. That movie was boring and tedious and lacking any quality I would associate with a good movie. Also, you referred to a scene that was terrifying, I can honestly say I have no idea which scene you were talking about because there was nothing even remotely scary in that movie. Please stay away from doing movie reviews. Ronniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08307062740887599844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-5020012691745944672021-07-31T18:01:54.516-04:002021-07-31T18:01:54.516-04:00Bill, thanks for wasting two hours out of my life....Bill, thanks for wasting two hours out of my life. After reading your article I figured this must be some gem I had missed all these years. That movie was boring and tedious and lacking any quality I would associate with a good movie. Also, you referred to a scene that was terrifying, I can honestly say I have no idea which scene you were talking about because there was nothing even remotely scary in that movie. Please stay away from doing movie reviews. Ronniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08307062740887599844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-52389849322747817562021-07-29T09:37:02.501-04:002021-07-29T09:37:02.501-04:00So, I read your EXORCIST piece at the Bulwark, and...So, I read your EXORCIST piece at the Bulwark, and, as a result, watched EXORCIST III again last night. (I hadn't seen it since I saw it in the theaters when it first came out.) I didn't remember much about it, other than being disappointed in it. <br /><br />Well, after watching it again, I am reminded of why I was - and still am - so disappointed by it. It was, in my view, a middling effort at best - though, yes, head and shoulders above the terrible EXORCIST II. <br /><br />I find that the power of the original film lies very much in place - as in, this one girl, in one room, is the locus of evil in the world of the characters we meet. Going to that room is like literally jumping into Hell. Many of what I consider the most effective horror films use a sense of place, or calmly advancing evil, to great effect. The steady tread of Michael Myers in HALLOWEEN. Again, the slow-but-unavoidable advance of "it" in IT FOLLOWS. The palpable sense of dread entombed in buildings in THE HAUNTING, or THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE. Even the classic movie zombie, slowly shuffling along, embodies this. You can run and run and run, but, in the end you just can't get away from the slowly, steadily advancing danger. <br /><br />EXORCIST III is a very busy movie, and the jumping around from location to location, to me, undercuts any dread it might generate. It becomes just another jittery murder mystery, but one with a supernatural angle to it. And, though I do love Brad Dourif, I found him to be both miscast and overused here. By this point, he was already well established as being a go-to "crazy actor. Therefore, it is not at all surprising or particularly chilling to see him, you know, ACTING CRAZY. I couldn't help but think that it might have been much more effective to have cast an actor against type for his role. I mean, think about slight, slightly goofy Arnold Stang, say, in that role. He wouldn't have been what you'd expect, and thus might well have been a lot creepier as a confident, creepy killer. <br /><br />(As an aside, and for context: I consider the work that Jason Miller did in the original film to be some of THE BEST acting EVER captured on film. He was astounding, and extremely believable. But here, I was just kind of embarrassed that he had to be involved in such a shoddy knock-off effort.) <br /><br />All the lightning bolts and special effects piled on at the end also made me really appreciate how restrained the original was in the use of special effects. It relied on mood and tone to scare - not generic BANG! POW! effects. <br /><br />On the other hand, I agree with you that the moments of levity in the picture work well, and seem natural, which is a minor miracle given how often such scenes utterly fail in horror movies. However, the shot of the statue of Christ opening its eyes in shock was also very funny - which was not what was intended, I assume. And they showed the shot twice! <br /><br />Anyway, despite being disappointed all over again, thanks for prodding me to revisit this film. I'm almost always willing to give something a second chance. <br /><br />Max M.<br />OregonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-37311456465385516422021-07-22T02:57:02.187-04:002021-07-22T02:57:02.187-04:00Horror that literalizes some psychosis is always p...Horror that literalizes some psychosis is always particularly resonate to me and I don’t think I have seen that approach taken with intrusive thoughts the way you did here. I dig it, man. <br /><br />Also “ The experience was very painful, and not exactly brief. It seemed to her very loud, but was in fact very quiet.” Just brutal. But great. KNB_Organanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-46310355305678239342021-06-07T10:53:19.503-04:002021-06-07T10:53:19.503-04:00Just one of the things I didn't have room for....Just one of the things I didn't have room for. But yes he did, and the book includes his original script and Roddenberry's rewrite. In my opinion the episode used all the best stuff from both versions.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-40783423301183726852021-06-05T14:25:56.020-04:002021-06-05T14:25:56.020-04:00Nothing on "The City on the Edge of Forever&q...Nothing on "The City on the Edge of Forever" eh. I recall there was some controversy over how much of it was Ellison and what was changed. I think he wrote a book about it with the script and notes and so on.Patrick Wahlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15408356855300575520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-17978960748789224992021-05-06T19:39:51.680-04:002021-05-06T19:39:51.680-04:00The weird thing about the Mara Wilson comment is t...The weird thing about the Mara Wilson comment is that the emotional depth of a Wes Anderson move isn't exactly hidden away. Margot, with the disassociated affect of the chronically depressed, telling her brother that they will "just have to be secretly in love and leave it at that". I mean it's pretty in your face. Which leads me to believe that Mara Wilson must really, really like handsome men.Lil' Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10042281513080963968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-17573075182002226662021-05-02T06:08:30.555-04:002021-05-02T06:08:30.555-04:00Well said.Well said.Andrew LHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04147822916863402703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-26441679938648873852021-05-01T04:14:28.464-04:002021-05-01T04:14:28.464-04:00She's a good actress and all but I just don...She's a good actress and all but I just don't like her that much. I prefer Nicole Kidman who is much sweeter. Libra women tend to be cruel(Naomi Watts is Libra)and jealous of Gemini women(Nicole is Gemini) and I don't like MOST of them. The only Libra women I like are both my cousins cause they're the only ones I know who are not jerks to me(I'm Gemini too).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-10625000182976056112021-04-27T07:59:42.594-04:002021-04-27T07:59:42.594-04:00You might enjoy "The Prisoner's Friend&qu...You might enjoy "The Prisoner's Friend" by "Peter Drake" of Hexham Northumberland. It was produced as both a play and a short novel. You can find a nice review here: https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/6991337.wills-legacy/John Darkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06011602709286438022noreply@blogger.com