ICFLM Day 1

The first day of the It Came From Lake Michigan Film Festival was pretty eventful. Being on a Friday, it seemed a bit slow, but you always expect that on a weekday, people are working and the fun doesn't really being until Saturday.

That being said, it was a great Friday, things started off pretty well, people started tricking in around 11:30am and it all got rolling. I had the chance to see a great new indie movie, Brain Dead (more on that in the future), caught up with Duane, the fearless editor of Rogue Cinema and Nic Brown (who happens to be one of the hardest working guys out there, I've barely seen him, and when I do, he's generally doing an interview with someone!), and had the chance to meet and greet a ton of great people...don't ask me to name them all, I'm still on a bit of a 'jet lag' even if it is only one hour earlier than I'm used to.

Today, Duane, Nic and I will hold a roundtable for other journalists and filmmakers about movie reviewing, but before that I'll have the chance to see Uwe Boll's new movie Postal (which I've been looking forward to for a while now!), then it'll be movie, movie, movie for me. I'm hoping to see Attack Of The Baby Doll, Psycho Ward, and a few more today, then attend the festival award this afternoon.

So, if you're in town take a minute to head down to the Tommy Thompson Center on the Wisconsin State Fair Grounds and check it out, if not then keep you eyes peeled here or at RogueCinema.com for more details!

Oh, one last thing, I had the chance to meet and chat with Carole Barrowman, the sister of John Barrowman, who plays Capt. Jack Harkness on Torchwood and Doctor Who, she recently visited the set of both shows and had some really cool insights from behind the scenes of both shows and the industry in Great Britian in general. She was great and the presentation was very cool. And, if you've never heard of either of these great sci-fi shows, then grab your cable guide, find BBC America, and do a search and record them, they're both super and worth your time!

Check in with you later,
Brian The Bad Movie Guy

Deep Within The New TV Season

Alright, I've had a week or so to digest and take a look at the things that interested me, so I thought I'd share with all of you my thoughts about the new fall TV season!

First, let me just say, up front, I didn't like the Bionic Woman in the 70s, I sure as hell am not interested in the update! I get it, she's a hot chick and it's super hero stuff, but, I just can't force myself to be interested in this show...I tried, but found myself contemplating my fingernails and wondering what was for dinner before the first two minutes had passed! So, NO the the Bionic Woman.

Heroes seems to have taken a left turn and jumped the shark this year. I watched the first two episodes and just find myself confused. What country are we in, Haiti, India, the U.S.? And what time period are we in?? So, after just two episodes, I have to admit, the fun is gone and it's over for me. I was looking forward to some more about the older heroes this year and seeing where the story went now, but the show is just taking way too long to get to the point, so after only two episodes, ya lost me!

The shows I have enjoyed this season are the old staples (for me), My Name Is Earl while not as funny as it was last year, is still one of the funniest shows on TV. The Office is funnier than it's ever been this year! I enjoy the new show The Big Bang Theory, but then, any show that has a Green Lantern joke just speaks to the geek inside my soul, so I'm not sure if it's for everyone, but I like it.

Curb Your Enthusiasm is just as good as it ever was, and, if you were a fan of Seinfeld and you're not watching Curb...buddy, you're missing it!

Dexter on Showtime, is probably the best show of the year. Strong writing, great acting and, without a doubt, the darkest show out there. A serial killer who only kills bad guys, and now he's being torn between normal life and his life as a killer...this could be a better season than the first one!

Also, Torchwood on BBC America, if you loved the X Files, then you'll love Torchwood. While it's technically a Doctor Who spin-off, Torchwood is definitely aimed at an older crowd, with plenty of aliens and overall strangeness, Torchwood deserves to be seen by a wide audience...just pray that the U.S. networks don't decide to 'Americanize' is...that would absolutely not work!

Well, those are just a few of the shows I've checked out so far, oh, of course there's Law And Order, SVU, that's been just as good this year as last, but then, as a Law And Order junkie, maybe I just needed my fix after the long summer break!

If you'd like to add to my list, or tell me about a great show I'm missing, drop me a line at brian@badmovieguy.com, and please in the subject line put TV SHOWS, so I won't delete you as spam!

Thanks,
Brian The Bad Movie Guy