Back To Reality....Sadly!

Well, I'm back from the B Movie Celebration and I have to tell you, being in a smaller town like Franklin, Indiana makes me really appreciate the things we DON'T have here in Detroit.

For the entire weekend, I couldn't have felt more welcomed anywhere. From the people from the Indy Film Co-op, to the management at the Artcraft Theatre and the Johnson County Historic Museum, it was like there was a competition in Franklin to see who could be the most cordial! Of all the fests I've been to, this may have been the most enjoyable and it really makes me rethink where I'm living!

Here in Detroit, most people wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire, it's just that kind of a town, and it makes me really sad returning home. Maybe it's the way I was raised, both parents from small towns and having spent most of my formative summers in small towns, I really have an affinity for small towns, and spending the weekend in Franklin just brings that all home for me. Yes, I hate being too far from all the comforts of a big city, like supermarkets and I've always said that I'd hate living in a small town, where I had to drive a hundred miles to get groceries, but to visit, there's just not a better place than any small town, but a small town that's friendly is just a little slice of heaven, and that's the experience I had in Franklin last weekend.

So, there'll be more of a write up in September's issue of Rogue Cinema, but I just wanted everyone to know, I'm back. I'm fresh, and I've got a DVD full of movies ready to go...be afraid, be very afraid!

Off To Celebrate The B Movie!

Well, I'm going to be off for the weekend, I'm off to beautiful Franklin, Indiana for the B Movie Celebration. On my agenda for the weekend, well, first, the Gala on Friday night for the obligatory meet and greet. Then the weekend will be filled with movies and events, here's a few that I plan to attend:

Sat: The New B Visions Film Festival (5 new up and coming filmmakers show their work)
The Terror Of Tiny Town (I've always wanted to see this movie!)
Make Your Own Damn Movie (Lloyd Kaufman's seminar)
One On One With Tom Savini (A great chance to hear from a living legend!)
Hell Comes To Frogtown (The name alone makes you want to see it)
Cannibal Flesh Riot (I've read about this short and can't wait to see it!)
Poultrygeist (The premiere of the new Troma movie is the bait that hooked me
into heading to the fest in the first place!)
Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove (I've got it on DVD, but won't
miss the chance to see it on the big screen)

Sun: Breakfast and a Movie (Food and a movie?!? Who'd miss that?!?)
Anatomy Of A Micocinema B Feature: Post Partum (A sort of autopsy of low budget
movies)
White Zombie (The Lugosi classic in a real theatre, who's miss that?!)
Chopping Mall (The 80s classic, I saw it once in theatres. Now, I'll relive
my glory days!)
Evil Dead (Again, saw it once in theatres in the 80s and won't miss this
opportunity!)
My Life As A B Director (Jim Wynorski talks about his career and films, a
'must see' event, for sure!)
Writers Roundtable (3 screenwriters talks about the issues and challenges of
working in low budget movies and the industry in general)
Working In The B's (3 Ohio based low budget film makers talk about their movies
and careers)
Brain Dead (Mutant amoeba controlled zombies....who wouldn't want to see that?)
Plan Nine From Outer Space: A First Hand Account (Conrad Brooks talks about
the proclaimed 'worst movie of all time' from the aspect of
actually being on set the whole time!)
Re-Animator (I'm hoping to drag my poor unsuspecting wife to this, one of my
favorite horror/comedy gore-fests! Pray for her!)
Soylent Green (I saw this in a drive in long ago and, for the life of me, I
can't remember, what's it made from again??)

Those are just a few of the things I intend to do over the weekend, so, you can expect to hear from one exhausted, but happy, Bad Movie Guy next week. So, I'm posting a new review today because I'll be travelling on Friday. If you're in the area, you should drop by...and if you see a tired looking guy, with a determined look in his blood-shot eyes, walking zombie-like from theatre to theatre...say hello to me!

Seriously, How Dumb Are You?!

Now, I'll freely admit that I don't get sports in general. The idea of competing with anyone (except myself) is really something that I never learned growing up. Maybe it was one of those things my father never taught me, or maybe I was just never too interested in all the 'team spirit' stuff. But, the thing that really has me puzzled is all this X Games stuff!

First, skateboarding isn't really a sport, it's more of a recreation. And the fact that someone decided to jump their skateboard in the air doesn't strike me as 'extreme' as much as it strikes me as 'mildly retarded'. Who was the first genius that exclaimed, 'Hey, I think I'll ride my skateboard down that railing!". That's not someone who's looking for some sport, it's someone looking for some stitches! And, that person's so-called friends shouldn't have encouraged him, friends would stop you from anything that would cause potential permanent injury!

So, this weekend, when I saw the video of the kid at the X Games falling from his skateboard onto the hard surface below, my reaction wasn't one of horror, it was more in line with laughing! Yes, I laughed, because I feel sorry for someone who has an accident for no reason at all, that's a tragedy, but someone who asks for trouble and then gets it, is just getting what he asked for, and you know what they say...be careful what you ask for, you just might get it...well, it looked to me like he got it...HARD!

Now, I'm not taking joy in someone else's injury, in fact, I wish the kid were smart enough to look down the 100 foot ramp and then back up and say 'What am I, stupid!?", that's the guy I respect, the guy with enough self-respect and that (now seemingly rare) self-preservation instinct!

So, all you 'extreme athletes' and all you 'shredders' or 'skaters' or whatever you call yourselves, keep at it, but remember, for all the little kids who think you're cool and edgy, there's the majority of us out here who are just waiting for you to take that horrific fall, just because everyone like to say, 'See, I Told You So!"

That's just my opinion.
Brian The Bad Movie Guy