John Hughes, February 18, 1950 - August 6, 2009

You'll never be 18 again, but you can watch it in technicolor.

I heard yesterday that John Hughes died.

I'm 42. I've never had a problem with my age and I still don't. But yesterday, when I heard that the director of those quintessential teen films was gone, my memories took on a more sepia-toned hue.

John Hughes wrote and/or directed many of my favorite films of the '80's: The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Some Kind of Wonderful, and Weird Science. His characters were fun, and smart, and often - even in the silliest of plots - honest. I know they weren't the best. They didn't have action, or special effects, or graphic sex scenes, or anything else that makes a blockbuster nowadays. But they had heart, and they had great music, and they spoke to a generation.

I didn't realize it until now, but those silly teen flicks meant a lot to that idealistic, starry-eyed, definitively '80's girl.

It's going to be a rainy weekend. I think I'll snuggle up on the couch with my family, a big bowl of popcorn, and have a John Hughes film festival.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

A little gift from my favorite Christmas movie, "Love Actually". Enjoy!

Bat Chat and Chewin' the Fat

Yesterday was... pretty good.

The kids and I woke up late. We divied up the household chores... they got a start while I made homemade biscuits and scrambled eggs for bruch. 11:00am was too late to call it breakfast.

For the past week, I'd promised them a movie after the weekly house cleaning. What was it to be? There are so many movies we've missed this summer. Something silly like Get Smart? A family-friendly adventure like Journey to the Center of the Earth? A promising sequel like Hellboy II? The mishmash of 70's memorabilia that is Mamma Mia? Nope. We opted for the newest Batman offering, The Dark Knight.

SPOILER-FREE BAT CHAT

MonkeyDude had already seen The Dark Knight at a midnight showing with his friends on Thursday and loved it. "This is the best movie of the year!" he exclaimed. "Heath Ledger redefines the Joker!"

My concern was that it would be too intense for the Alien. Let's face it. One of the things I love about the dark knight is that he's... well... dark. The Killing Joke is a masterpiece, but not for the kiddies. Of course, this girl's a big fan of relatively dark fandom material. And MonkeyDude was there to let me know if any particular part was particularly grim, so we decided it was okay.

I think she fared better than I did. I spent most of the film, instead of sitting back and just enjoying it, wondering if it was "too much." I have to admit, it really muted my enthusiasm for it. Not the film's fault. Mine. In this case, a rating of PG-13 was spot on.

Granted, I was already a bit skeptical walking in the door. I'd loved Michael Keaton's Batman in 1989 (but don't get me started on the leading lady). I've also never been that keen on Christian Bale or the last iteration, Batman Begins, depsite its inclusion of Michael Kane, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman in the supporting cast.

The Dark Knight brought back the stellar casting choices (and mercifully cast OUT Katie Holmes), while adding Heath Ledger to the mix. MonkeyDude was right. Ledger was absolutely mesmerizing as the Joker. He was psychotic and terrifying... so much so that I almost felt guilty laughing when he did something funny. How could I laugh at a gibbering sociopath? I couldn't help myself. Another brilliant young actor - gone before his time.

Aaron Eckhart also deserves props as Harvey Dent/Two-Face. His Dudley Do-Right turned to the the dark side was a heart-rending transformation. Screen veterans Michael Kane, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman, as usual, turned in wonderful, natural performances.

There was also a parade of B-list actors we recognized from television and movie favorites that surprised me: Keith Szarabajka (Angel, Star Trek, prolific voice actor), Nestor Carbonell (The Tick live action series), Eric Roberts (the kids rememberd him as the Master from the '96 Doctor Who movie with Paul McGann), and according to the credits, Anthony Michael Hall... although I can't remember seeing him in the movie. Huh.

I think I need to see this one again... sans the Alien. She and I will take in Mamma Mia next. I don't think Meryl Streep treats anyone to the disappearing pencil trick.

HELLO. I'M THE DOCTOR.

Later, at home, we turned on the latest, and last for two years, Doctor Who. The kids had seen it, but I hadn't. I know it was filled to the brim with fan-boy squee, but I loved it all the same. Yeah. I love the Doctor, and I'm not ashamed to say it.

After dinner, MonkeyDude was off to be with his friends. Kate and I putzed around the house until it was time to pick him up. Mostly here, the television stays off now. We got rid of all but the most basic cable, and TV is mostly shite. We've got enough around the house to keep us occupied.

We did do a bit of online shopping. Ordered personalized pencils for the Alien for the school year. They're Tardis blue, inscribed with - "Bad Wolf". I love my little nerd girl!

ANIMALS ON THE CHEAP

I love bargains. Today, our insurance company is treating us to a cheap day at the Minnesota Zoo. Discounted admission and chow. It's a helluva drive, but I've been looking forward to just strolling through the animules with the kidlins. I think the three of us need an outing together - especially with the work week looming on the horizon.

Suppose I'd better wake up the kidlins and get started on the day...

King Arthur vs Amazon

In March of this year, I posted a review of a touring production of Camelot starring Michael York. My comments weren't exactly favorable.

Oh, who am I kidding? If I could have, I would have stood outside the theater a la "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" screaming, "Run away! Run away!"

Back to my point. After the show... that very night as I returned from the Ordway... from Amazon I ordered a DVD copy of the 1982 Broadway version starring Richard Harris as it had been broadcast on HBO.


That was in March 2008, folks.

Over the past nine months, Amazon has notified me no less than three times that release of the DVD had been pushed back again and again. The last time, about two weeks ago, the availability date was set at February 2008. I was aggravated, but what other choice did I have?

Last week I was on Amazon doing a bit of last minute Christmas shopping. Amazon's a great place for reasonable prices on DVDs (and I'm trying to avoid shopping at Best Buy). When what to my wondering eyes should appear but... Camelot... IN STOCK.

Wha-huh?

I quickly checked my pending orders. Camelot... the very same one... was still listed in my pending orders with an availability/ship date of February 2008.

Huh.

I cancelled my original order from March 2007. Placed a brand-spanking new order for the very same DVD. And it shipped the same day. New orders being fulfilled before orders that were several months old. Perhaps it was a glitch in the system, but it sure honked me off.

Good news is that we'll FINALLY be able to show the kids a production of Camelot, with a GOOD Arthur. Nine months late, but better late than never. I know what WE'RE doing Christmas Eve!

An Evening with Sir Ian McKellen

McKellen in "King Lear", 2007 - Directed by Trevor Nunn

Sporting a shock of white hair and a generous white beard, he looked more like Gandalf than the smiling, clean-shaven man on the front cover of my program.

That is, if Gandalf was fond of wearing turquoise dress shirts with MacBeth tartan ties.

"King Lear" at the where? With WHO?

"Today at 10am on Minnesota Public Radio, an interview with Sir Ian McKellen."

The words cut through the grey, mind-fog of my morning drive. The Guthrie Theater was playing host to the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) for two productions, "King Lear" and "The Seagull" -- both starring Sir Ian McKellen. Also appearing in "King Lear" was Slyvester McCoy of "Doctor Who" fame. This was too good.

I called Avindair.

"We have to go," he said. "See if you can get tickets."

Ha!

Here There Be Scalpers

When I got to work, my first stop was the Guthrie Theater website. I was determined to get a ticket... ANY ticket... to see the show.

ANY ticket didn't seem to be within my budget. "King Lear"... according to the Guthrie... was sold out. However, "ticket agencies" aka "scalpers", had plenty. At the gut-wrenching rate of $400-$700 a seat.

Um. No.

Disappointment set in.

I went back to the Guthrie website, ready to drown my sorrows in a little theater-lover's web-based pity party, when I found the next best thing. Sir Ian would be speaking as part of the Global Voices forum. I called. I could still get two tickets -- in the second row.

Oh, yes. They would be MINE.

No, hon. It's just me and Dad.

Alex's face fell. I was a bad, bad Mom.

"Oh. I thought we were all going. But, that's okay. I understand."

Ouch.

He was still smiling, but I could see the disappointment in his eyes.

Our kids are almost as big theater and film buffs as Avindair and I are. And I would have loved to have taken them. How often does a chance like this roll around in the Twin Cities? Much less often than you would think.

For years we've had just-out-of-reach plans to visit England with the kids. We've told them tales of London, the theater, the history. Promised them the chance to meet their English relatives. But time, work or money has always stepped in the way. Seeing the RSC in Minneapolis would have been a taste of what-will-be-one-day, but it wouldn't be this time.

Worth Every Cent

The tickets for Global Voices weren't cheap, but they also didn't break the bank.

And it was worth it. Oh, was it worth it.

Avindair picked me up from work around 430pm. His eyes were dark and moody.

"Bad day?" I asked?

"Ugh," he grunted. "I don't even know if I want to go to this thing tonight. I just want to go home and relax. I'd like to see him, but I'm just feeling so damn grumpy now."

The only reason he didn't send MonkeyDude in his stead was for safety. Downtown Minneapolis streets aren't the safest at night. He didn't want MonkeyDude and I playing parking ramp Russian Roulette for the sake of some cool theater tickets.

The new Guthrie is... interesting. Parking is conveniently located across the street. (Getting out of there is NOT convenient.) I'm not a big fan of the overall architecture, but I'm a bit of a traditionalist. From my theater background, however, I could appreciate the design behind the Wurtele stage, where we'd see Sir Ian. The seats were a bit cramped, but there was great versatility for lighting, respectable accoustics, and a beautiful thrust stage.

Since we had to go early to grab our tickets, we decided to grab a quick bite at one of the Guthrie's three restaurants before the show. Trying to stay light, we each chose a soup and salad. A little pricey (what isn't, downtown?), but quite good -- and fast. By the time we'd finished our soup, Avindair was finally relaxing from his day, and glad that he'd come along.

Once we got into the theater, we found ourselves wedged between two interesting people. I sat next to an odd fellow, who I later discovered rode a fine line between theater afficianado and weird, crazy fan guy. The entire two hours, he sat scribbling in a notebook in a a script I could only assume was short hand. Previous pages contained what I thought at first might be scientific notation, but on repeated glances, seemed to be some kind of code. I won't go into his personal hygiene. Yeesh. Next to Avindair was a friendly older lady who regaled us with a few stories of her years as a freelance marketing writer. At least we had something in common!

ENOUGH with the Exposition!

So? What about Ian McKellen?

In short, he was a delight: charming, funny, modist and at times, self-effacing. Sir Tyrone Guthrie, founder of the Guthrie Theater, had been a prominent influence in the beginning of McKellen's career. He spoke of directors and actors he'd worked with, his thoughts on acting and Shakespeare, shared stories... it was fantastic. During the question period, he was gracious, patient, and throrough in his answers.


McKellen in "Coriolanus", 1963 - Directed by Tyrone Guthrie

Although the audience seemed almost embarrassed to touch on McKellen's more mainstream roles, like Gandalf and Magneto, there was one very memorable moment in the evening.

He mentioned that when preparing for a role, he likes to know where a character would keep his money. Does he have pockets? A wallet? Does he use cash?

Someone asked, "Where would Magneto keep his money?"

"I imagine with his powers he'd simply put it wherever he wanted to," McKellen replied, making the Magneto hand gesture as if levitating metal coins. "But what I would like to know," he continued, smiling, "is where Mystique keeps hers?"

I'm sure there were many in the audience, who, like ourselves, hadn't been able to get tickets to "King Lear" or "The Seagull". Sir Ian saved the best for last. He treated us to a soliloquy from "Sir Thomas More" by Henry Chettle, Thomas Dekker, Thomas Heywood, Anthony Munday & William Shakespeare. This particular passage was known to have been written by Shakespeare himself, as the British Museum has the original text in his handwriting. The piece was as relevant today as it was in Shakespeare's time. Here's a bit of it that I could find online.

Grant them removed, and grant that this your noise
Hath chid down all the majesty of England.
Imagine that you see the wretched strangers,
Their babies at their backs and their poor luggage,
Plodding to the ports and coasts for transportation,
And that you sit as kings in your desires,
Authority quite silent by your brawl,
And you in ruff of your opinions clothed;
What had you got? I’ll tell you: you had taught
How insolence and strong hand should prevail.

Sir Thomas More, Act 2 Scene 4

And yes, there was a standing ovation.


*Images from www.mckellen.com.

Sick at Heart

It's official. Bush has vetoed the child health care bill raising it by an additional $35 billion over 5 years. That bastard. It was getting too close to that phrase that strikes fear into the hearts of Republicans - socialized medicine.

Of course, it's perfectly okay to tell congress he needs an additional $150 billion in 2008 for the "War on Terror".

Over four times as much spent on killing people in other countries, rather than healing our own.

We have a fucking sick country... and I'm not talking about disease.

Speaking of sick. If you haven't seen Michael Moore's SICKO yet, please, PLEASE do.

One quote from the film continues to stick with me from the British... and I continually forget this gentleman's name and position in government. But he was explaining why the Brits moved to socialized medicine after World War II, when their country's economy was in shambles. To paraphrase, "If we had enough money to kill people, we had enough to heal them."

Amen to that. Come on, America. Put your money where your oh-so-Christian-ideals should be - helping people instead of harming them.

Color Me Wow

Trying to find the words. Mostly, when I think about last night, I just shake my head in stunned, wide-eyed silence... in a good way.

Last night was the big screen premiere of "Pray for Daylight" at the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis. Our first feature length movie, filmed in the fall of 2005, was finally getting a real debut. It was planned mostly as a big "thank you" to all of the cast and crew that graciously volunteered their time and talents, and the location owners who allowed us to invade their space for a few intense hours.

Then it grew. We decided to open up the free showing to the general public. We set ourselves up with a publicist. We duplicated DVDs, had a big movie poster made and alerted the media.

If you screen it, they will come.

After just 2 weeks of here and there promoting, 80 - 100 people were in attendance... and not just cast and crew. Family, friends, neighbors, co-workers -- and people who had no prior affiliation with our little vampire movie -- showed up.

And I think they had fun!

Before the show started, Tony got up and said a few words. One of the most important things he did was to give people permission to have an opinion and VOICE it. It sounds like a given, but it isn't. People have a tendency, when asked about someone else's creative efforts, to politely smile and nod -- even if they hated it. He asked them to be involved; express whether they liked something or not - in the moment - and I think that paid off.

As for the movie itself. Wow. Everyone who worked on it is painfully aware of all of the movie's problems. But I have to say this: it looked better, played better, sounded better and all-around *was* better than I had ever imagined it would. Sure, it has its warts. Sure there are things we would have like to have done differently or done better. But "Pray for Daylight" is now complete. If we entertained a few people for little while - brought them a few minutes of escape from day to day life - it's all worth it.

Thank you to everyone who came to the premiere and made it such a special event.
Thank you to the guys of Jagged Spiral: Conrad, Colin and Josh. "Pray for Daylight" is a melodrama - and your music brought new depth to each and every scene. (www.jaggedspiral.com)
Thank you to Sasha for Syiera's dangerous beauty and grace. With no training you made difficult martial arts moves look easy... and better than those of us *with* training. (Dammit!)
Thank you to Robin for vibrantly breathing life and vitality into our big, bad! (Oh, and thanks for getting shot, too!)
Thank you to Rob for making the movie look so "pretty" (MORE MAGENTA! MORE CHINA BALLS!) and sound so good (ADR RULES!)
Thank you to Rick for creating the vision of Eric Saveau and Cassie Banning that we've all come to love, and for bringing an earnest and believable Saveau to life.
Thank you to Teresa for fantastic fight sequences and putting the "kick" in Cassie's "ass".
Thank you to Trey for your skills as an actor, insights, humor and for sitting in a chair for three days with a nasty polyester gag in your mouth. (SPOILER ALERT)
Thank you to EVERYONE - cast, crew, generous location owners... and the families / friends who put up with our cast and crew being involved!

Most of all, thank you to Tony, our fearless leader, for being the driving force behind Stone Soup. Nothing would have happened without you.

What's next for Stone Soup? There are ideas in the works. Nothing to announce quite yet. But one thing's for certain. Stone Soup films will be back.

My Spidey Sense is Tingling

Don't ask why. The Spiderman theme song was running through my head this morning. I had to go find the lyrics to help with the sections I was singing "la, la, la" to instead of the real words.

I share them with you, gentle reader...

Spiderman, Spiderman,
Does whatever a spider can.
Spins a web, any size,
Catches thieves just like flies.
Look out! Here comes the Spiderman.

Is he strong? Listen bud—
He's got radioactive blood.
Can he swing from a thread?
Take a look overhead.
Hey there! There goes the Spiderman.

In the chill of the night,
At the scene of the crime,
Like a streak of light,
He arrives just in time!

Spiderman, Spiderman,
Friendly neighborhood Spiderman.
Wealth and fame, he's ignored—
Action is his reward.

To him,
Life is a great big bang-up—
Wherever there's a hang-up,
You'll find the Spiderman!

Skiing and a Show

Yesterday was a good day.

Made a tremendous dent in the laundry pile and got a respectable amount of sorting and putting away of stuff in the bedrooms.

When the kids came home, we'd planned to hit cheap night at the movies to see "The Astronaut Farmer". Since the next showing was still three hours away, Avindair and I went over to Pioneer Midwest in Osseo to finally get me my very own cross country ski set! I'd been renting for 1-1/2 seasons, and it was time to make the leap. We got in on their fantastic seasonal clearance sale - most items 40% off or more - and the staff was friendly and knowledgeable.

After the purchase, we had just enough time to grab a quick dinner, change into all of the new gear and hit the trails at Elm Creek Park Reserve. What a difference! Let it be known that I am not a talented cross country skier, but I am determined. With the rental skis I essentially trudged all 2.5 k. With the new, light, waxed skis, the trail was half the work with twice the fun. So worth it!

Since I didn't have to take the time for ski rental pick up and drop off, we got home with half an hour to spare before the movie. We had plenty of time to get changed, load the NerdPod into the NerdVan, and make it to the theater.

"The Astronaut Farmer", starring Billy Bob Thornton and Virginia Madsen, is one of those feel-good films you can take everyone to see. Charles Farmer, an aeronautical engineer, Air Force pilot, and space program candidate, is forced to give up his dreams of going into space to due to a tragic family event. He spends the next decade building his own rocket, and enlists the help of his wife and kids to make his dreams come true. A great, warm-hearted family film, "The Astronaut Farmer" is one of determination, inspiration, and love. The science is iffy, but it's the story that will draw you in. Want a movie that you can walk away from with a smile? "The Astronaut Farmer" is the one to see.

Not a bad day. Not a bad day, at all...

WARNING: "GHOST RIDER" SPOILERS AHEAD

"This looks like fun."

I sat back at my desk, browsing the latest movie reviews in the Star Tribune.

"Okay, definitely cheesy fun, but what the hell?"

Today was a good day. Avindair had arrived home before lunch. He'd just finished his final hours at his current, now former, writing gig. I'd been lounging and browsing the Web most of the morning, enjoying a few days off before the start of my new job.

"Wanna see a movie?"

Over the years, Avindair and I have made an occasional habit out of Friday afternoon hooky movies. Spirits were high with our recent good fortune, and we were in the mood for one of those silly, unpretentious rides through the magic of cinema -- and the kids would be at school for at least another four hours. I'd read Colin Covert's review of Ghost Rider: "... a fun little jaunt", "... sly sense of camp". Ghost Rider certainly looked as though it fit the bill.

A few minutes later, there we sat. Tickets, overpriced hot dogs, and sodas that would fill a well in a third world nation in hand. At first, we were the only ones in the theater.

"Wow! Our own private screening of a Nicholas Cage movie!"

Yes. That was sarcasm. It's true, we didn't expect much from seeing the trailers:

1. Flamey motorcycle riding
2. CGI effects
3. Gratuitous Nick Cage eyebrow raising
4. Gratuitous Sam Elliot cowboy squinting
5. Gratuitous Peter Fonda forehead gleaming

We settled in, eager to create our own Joel and the 'bots experience. Unfortunately, a few stragglers eventually filled a total of five more seats. Damn. We'd have to be content with whispered and silent giggles.

Oh, man. Did we underestimate this fetid pile of celluloid.

Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) is a carnival stunt rider who, at a tender age, unintentionally sells his soul to save the life of his dying father. As usual, that bad old Mephistopheles has a few tricks up his sleeve. Johnny wakes the next morning to find Dad in perfect health, happier than he's been in years, and on his way to do his first stunt performance of the day. At this point, Avindair and I simultaneously waved bye-bye to Daddy Blaze. Might as well have painted a target on his forehead and renamed the character "Dead Meat".

Years later, after the tragic demise of Dea... uh... I mean, Daddy Blaze, Johnny is a famous stunt rider (a la Evel Knievel). After much lip-pursing and eyebrow raising, Johnny meets up with his long-lost love, Roxanne, woodenly portrayed by the ballon-breasted Eva Mendes.

Wooden, I guess, except for her breasts... which, I believe, had their own listing in the credits. Every time Eva had a costume change, you'd see more of her heaving bosom and the delicate little cross that said, "I'm a nice girl. Really!" Either Nick Cage or the editors get brownie points for never catching Johnny's eyes trained squarely on her cleavage.

Scene 1 Eva - the plucky former-girlfriend turned TV journalist: Unbelievably tight grey dress
Scene 2 Eva - the ditched, drunken, and disappointed former-girlfriend: Low cut, black spaghetti strap dress, push-up bra
Scene 3 Eva - the concerned, curious former-girlfriend: Unbelievably tight white blouse with load-bearing top button at nipple-height, and artfully displayed peek at bra
Scene 4 Eva - the blandly determined and satanically endangered former-girlfriend: Laughably low-cut blouse and boobs pushed together... just below the afore-mentioned gold cross... cause she's really an innocent, good girl

Back to the plot.

Oh, who's kidding? There WAS no plot. Things just... sorta happened.

Eventually, Mephi gets around to making good (or bad) on Johnny's contract. Johnny is tasked with finding Mephi's juvenile deliquent son, Blackheart, and sending he and his elemental demon gang back to hell. So in truth, Ghost Rider is more like Satan's truant officer than the Devil's bounty hunter.

Through lingering CGI that is far too impressed with itself ("We paid for these effects and we're going to show them, dammit!"), uninspired cinematography, and poorly edited scenes, Johnny eventually finds his mentor, the Caretaker (Sam Elliot). Although Johnny doesn't realize it, the Caretaker is actually the former Rider, who escaped Mephi's grasp 150 years before with a contract for 1000 uncollected souls of unimaginable eeeeevil and lives on the hallowed ground of the cemetery for his protection.

Never mind the little plot gaffe of how Blackheart was able to go into a church, light candles, and threaten a priest, but couldn't step foot in a cemetery to take a piece of paper from an old cowboy.

Things happen. Elemental demon gang gets sent home. Former little wooden girlfriend gets mildly threatened by Satan's petulant goth spawn. The Caretaker has his last pyrotechnic ride. Ghost Rider saves the world and pisses off Mephi. The end.

I knew this would be a cheese-fest walking in the door. I just didn't expect it to be this bad. After all, writer / director / producer Mark Steven Johnson made Daredevil. Not an Academy Award winner, but a fun, superhero flick in the guity-pleasure genre. Then again, he also made Elektra.

Good Points:

- Sam Elliot. True, he's pretty much the same character in everything he does and this was yet another case of cookie-cutter typecasting, I couldn't imagine anyone else in the role. One of the few believable performances.
- Donal Logue. The other believable performance. I was genuinely pissed off when his character died.
- Seed of plot premise. The Ghost Rider comics didn't exactly have an established, cohesive origin story. Kid selling his soul to save dad was believable.
- I liked the plot's use of the "Penance Stare" power, even though the effect itself went on too long.
- Great scene with Johnny in jail. Actually elicited a few enthusiastic YEAH's from Avindair and me.
- Scenes between Nick and Sam were some of the best in the film; even the purely CGI "Riders" sequence near the end.

Bad Points:

- There were only two reasons for Eva Mendez to be in this film, and I think we all know what they were. I haven't seen a performance this bad since Thora Birch as the Empress Savina in "Dungeons and Dragons". PLEASE! Someone tell me this woman will never make another talkie again!
- I'm all for cleavage, but Eva's plunging neckline became ridiculous. I actually laughed out loud.
- Plot holes! Why could Blackheart be in a church but not in the cemetery? Why could the Caretaker only ride one more time and how did he know that? What happened to him at the end of the film? When Daddy Devil has millions of souls at his disposal, what would it matter if his son picked up 1000? That's a threat? What the hell made THESE particular souls so especially eeeeevil?
- Bad, bad writing. Really bad dialogue.
- Poor acting. At least most of the cast had an excuse, but Nick Cage, shame on you. The CGI Ghost Rider had more expression.

My recommendation: Only watch this film to get the bad taste of Cat Woman or The Hulk out of your mouth. Rent the DVD, get boozed up, and put away all solid objects that can be thrown. Your television will thank you.

*****

I give it a 2 out of 5.

Tootin' My Own Horn

Now that I have your attention -- no, that was not a euphemism.

As well as being a professional writer and PROLIFIC blogger (Hey, YOU! Yes, YOU! Stop laughing!), I also make movies. Well, let's say I *help* make movies.

Damn. I'm no good at tootin' my own horn. Let me try again.

I'm part of Stone Soup Films, an independent film group in the Twin Cities. We've just finished our first feature-length film, "Pray for Daylight". If you like vampires, chicks with guns, chicks with swords, chicks fighting, great original music AND a good story made by budget filmmakers with a lot of heart, see this film. We're working on distribution channels right now and hope to have it available for purchase soon.

Check out our 60-second trailer on Google Video!

While you're there, why not watch some of our earlier films that helped us gain wisdom in the ways of video production?

Steve the Vampire - Our first short and the first appearance of Cassie Banning, Vampire Hunter!

The Thing That Happened - Hate art house films? So do we! Scary clowns, insane carnival music and a poor French translation included!

Pray for Daylight: Hunter - More adventures of Cassie Banning. A great primer for the Pray for Daylight feature film.

Stone Soup Films isn't out to make a statement or change the world, we just want to be able to entertain our audience. So, if you want to forget the world for a few minutes, get a bowl of popcorn, sit back, and enjoy!