Diabolique is back with issue 19 of their truly entertaining horror magazine that makes great strides in breaking out of the doldrums of mainstream horror in favor of indie and underground. Max Weinstein ushers in the issue with another really insightful editorial and profiles many modern and contemporary masters of horror cinema. “The Old, The New, and the In Between” is a great look at the modern works of Dario Argento and Vincenzo Natali, two cinematic juggernauts that offered fans their own unique genre entries in 2013. Argento, of course gave us “Dracula,” while Natali released the very good “Haunter.” I don’t know if I’m a fan of the directors bemoaning the new generation of horror, but I do enjoy the consideration that there are some great auteurs out there, working to deliver some great genre titles, like Jason Eisener, or Ti West.
Author Archives: Felix Vasquez
The Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 7: Crossed
One thing “Claimed” proved to me once and for all. Say what you want about Rick Grimes, but when he’s pushed in to a corner, he comes out fighting, and always comes out ahead. In season two he spent his time looking for Sophia and ended up saving Hershel and Glenn’s lives from two nomads mid-season. Season four he mowed down a zombie horde with a machine gun and his son alone, and tonight not only did he avoid a group of really violent nomads, but he also evaded them without drawing attention, and managed to come out fairly unscathed. I doubt they’ll ever really know what happened to Rick and his team after tonight.
5 Things We Love, and 5 Things We Hate About “Space Jam”
I am very surprised that “Space Jam” continues to garner such a cult following, even to this day. I remember watching it for the first time back in 1996 and leaving it thinking “That kind of sucked.” Even years later, I remember it as a movie that did nothing but pander to audiences, push massive merchandise, and worked as a PR tool for Michael Jordan who’d garnered some poor fan fare after his foray in to baseball. “Space Jam” is not that good a movie.
Even in my current love for nineties nostalgia, you’d have to argue very hard for me to buy the movie on DVD or Blu-Ray. And I almost bought a bag of old pogs on online, a few days ago. In either case, Warner is hoping to cash in on fans of the first movie by creating a sequel tentatively titled “Space Jam 2.” This installment will apparently star Lebron James, in place of Michael Jordan.
1996’s “Space Jam” was a goofy movie, with a paper thin plot, and lackluster comedy obviously constructed by a committee of corporate suits, Jordan’s PR team, and some writers who built the perfect publicity machine for Air Jordan, all the while selling off some Looney Tunes crap with McDonald’s.
That said, we have our fond nostalgia for the movie, however minuscule, so here are 5 Things We Love, and 5 Things We Hate About “Space Jam.”
Pacing the Cage (2014)
The moment Max Lyons steps out of prison and enters in to the world, not only is his life on the line, but his soul is too. He’s still a very weathered prisoner who is a victim to his drug addiction, and his grasp for a normal life is hopelessly out of his reach. Lyons is one of the many poor ex-convicts hanging on by a thread, and director E.B. Hughes’ crime drama about a man fighting for his soul is a brilliant take on what is typically a tired sub-genre of dramas.
Alien Arsenal (1999)
Once again David DeCouteau and Charles Band re-invent “Laserblast” for a new audience. The wretched original is once again re-conditioned in to a teen friendly adventure in the vein of “Power Rangers,” and it’s an apparent attempt to market on the audience. The movie is silly and often makes no sense, but I do tend to miss the old days when Full Moon and Charles Band attempted to appeal to children and teenagers. Ralph and cute Tomboy Baxter are nerds in their school, both of whom spend their time riffing on science fiction and being picked on for reasons I have tough time fathoming. Truth be told, they don’t stand out really.
Spineless Classics: Robert Bloch’s “Psycho”
If you ever wanted to own your favorite books, or perhaps classic books but didn’t have the shelf space, Spineless Classics has you covered. They’ve managed to compile entire books on to one giant poster with the text from said book transformed in to a piece of art. Though the concept sounds unusual, it’s actually a very genius and entertaining idea that will surely bring in literary buffs that want some wall decoration, but lack the space for novels.
Sparks (2013)
For me, “Sparks” was an easy sell. I’m someone who loves serials, and classic pulp heroes that used their fists and fell for dames while fighting crime. Though “Sparks” is obviously an indie production, it garners the spirit of classic pulp heroes through and through. From a murder mystery, hard boiled cops, masked heroes, and the like, “Sparks” is an entertaining throwback to pulp heroes that, while flawed, is still worth a watch. If only for the great cast. Directors Todd Burrows and Christopher Folino leave no stone unturned in their ode to classic forties comic books, even featuring characters that smoke like it’s going out of style.