Browsed by
Category: Movies and TV

Goth Chick News: Somebody at Mattel Is Getting Fired

Goth Chick News: Somebody at Mattel Is Getting Fired

Comments 11 comments

Though this sounds like something I would plot to do to get around Black Gate Big Cheese John O’s moratorium on any of my content that isn’t family friendly, this is for real, and I’m not responsible.

You can’t spit a piece of gum these days without hitting some type of promotion for the upcoming theatrical adaptation of the musical Wicked. There is the Aldo Wicked shoe collection, the Vera Bradley Wicked cosmetic bag, Wicked makeup, perfume and coasters – and that’s just what I found doing a quick search. Considering the film about to be released is part one of two, the Hollywood promo machine is just warming up.

What all these items have in common is that they are marketed toward adults. The list of items aimed at kids is even longer, starting, of course, with dolls. However, there is one unintentional crossover item that will likely go down as the collectible of the decade.

Unfortunately, instead of getting a promotion for a level of buzz money simply can’t buy, the responsible party over at Mattel will likely be filing for unemployment before the holidays.

…

Read More Read More

Ellsworth’s Cinema of Swords: Arthur and Out

Ellsworth’s Cinema of Swords: Arthur and Out

Comments 8 comments

Tristan & Isolde (20th Century Fox, 2006)

Greetings, friends, and welcome to the last Ellsworth’s Cinema of Swords article, at least for a while.

I’ve enjoyed hanging out with you here on the regular, but circumstances have changed for Your Cheerful Editor, and my writing output must adapt to accommodate them. For a good while, I had reached an equilibrium in my writing, balanced between work for the day-job at Larian Studios, making progress on my nine-volume Musketeers Cycle of Alexandre Dumas translations, and churning into the 21st century for the Cinema of Swords review series.

But life is change: I’ve finished the Dumas translations, we’ve gone into pre-production on Larian’s next game, and perhaps most significantly, my health is not what it was, as over the last year, in addition to the other indignities of late middle age, I’ve developed late-onset asthma. And it’s hit pretty hard, diminishing my energy and forcing a decline in productivity in my side projects.

In addition to these articles for Black Gate, for a year or three I’ve been making two weekly postings over on the Substack platform, one for the Musketeers and one for Swords. I’ve had to face the fact that it isn’t sustainable and I need to get off that treadmill. So, both Substack series have been suspended, and likewise this is my last regular article for Black Gate.

…

Read More Read More

Alien Overlords, Part II

Alien Overlords, Part II

Comments 4 comments


Inseminoid (Jupiter Film Productions, 1981) and Alien: Reign of Man (Pikchure Zero Entertainment, 2017)

This is Part II of a new, 20-film marathon. The rules:

Must include aliens
Cannot take place on Earth
I haven’t seen it before
Free to stream

Inseminoid (1981) Prime

Aliens? Bug-eyed baby gravy donor, murderous spawn.

CGI heavy? Nope.

Any good? Released overseas as Horror Planet, this British film is just another of the Alien rip-offs that dominated video store shelves in the early 80s. Made for one million great British pounds, they saved about 50 quid by tacking a lengthy bit of narrated exposition to the beginning explaining how the fodder were on the planet, clumsily unearthing archeological bits and bobs. Judy (Space 1999) Geeson as the unfortunate mum is excellent and things get bloody very quickly.

…

Read More Read More

Goth Chick News: My Weekend at “The Overlook” Hotel

Goth Chick News: My Weekend at “The Overlook” Hotel

Comments 0 Comment

I have always loved The Shining.

Granted, I saw the movie first and fell in love. It was the idea of a hotel that comes to life in the desolate isolation of winter, preying on a fragile family unit – a father who was white-knuckling sobriety and dealing with the humiliation of a big comedown in his career, a codependent mother with a tattered self-esteem after years on the receiving end of spousal abuse, and a little boy coping with his dysfunctional parents as well as a supernatural talent. Cutting these three people off from the rest of the world would be a recipe for disaster of the kind that could unfortunately show up in any headline anywhere. But add in the terrors that lurk in the Overlook hotel?

For me, what’s not to love?

…

Read More Read More

What I’ve Been Watching: October 2024

What I’ve Been Watching: October 2024

Comments 2 comments

Wow. It’s been a year since I did a What I’ve Been Watching. I did do those two Ten Things I Think I Think, covering Marvel movies, but that’s it. So, let’s talk about a few things I liked.

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

Our own Goth Chick has talked about this show a couple times – including here.

This is a vampire show, running on FX. Based on a previous movie (which had a different cast). Its about a group of four vampires who live in NYC. They originally came to the New World to take over, but got sidetracked over the years. This show is both wrong, and hilariously funny. Season six is currently running, and will bring the episode total up to sixty-one.

Nandor the Destroyer is in charge, and he’s more the classic Transylvanian-style vampire. I LOVE Matt Berry in The IT Crowd (he reunites with Richard Ayoade in voicing Krapoplois), Year of the Rabbit, and Toast of London. He’s probably my favorite British actor. He makes me laugh as Laszlo. Nadja is his fellow-vampire girlfriend and equal to the two men. They all ‘look like’ vampires. Colin Robinson is an energy vampire – he feeds on negative energy and exhaustion, not blood. It’s a fantastic bit, as we’ve all unknowingly worked with energy vampires in the past. Nandor also has a nerdy little vampire-wannabe apprentice, Guillermo

They’re likable vampires, though they certainly have no compunction in killing humans. There are laughs every episode, and the dynamics of the household shift. Guillermo’s longing to be a vampire is amusing and a little sad. And it owned me when Nandor, trying to explain the origin of the Universe, had a drawing of three elephants standing on the back of a great turtle. If you don’t get that reference, we can still be friends, but you REALLY need to read some Terry Pratchett!

…

Read More Read More

Alien Overlords, Part I

Alien Overlords, Part I

Comments 5 comments


Battle in Space: The Armada Attacks (Allied Vaughn, 2021), Creature (Trans World
Entertainment, 1985), and Femalien: Cosmic Crush (Full Moon Pictures, 2020)

A new, 20-film marathon. The rules:

Must include aliens
Cannot take place on Earth
I haven’t seen it before
Free to stream

Battle in Space: The Armada Attacks (2021) Prime

Aliens? A couple of decent, bipedal bullies.

CGI heavy? Fairly — some decent, some not so decent.

Any good? I got tricked. Going by the title and poster, you would expect this to be a fun romp about a band of plucky rebels fighting against an evil alien empire, right? Wrong.

…

Read More Read More

Goth Chick News: 13 Questions for Filmmaker Jake Jarvi

Goth Chick News: 13 Questions for Filmmaker Jake Jarvi

Comments 0 Comment

If you check in here often, you know the only thing we love more than a blended adult beverage is an independent film. This one, entitled Haunt Season, came to me by way of the local paper and combines a whole lot of my favorite things: haunted attractions, Halloween, and horror, with the added bonus of being a very local endeavor.

To get you warmed up, check out the trailer…

…

Read More Read More

I Rewatched Kindred: The Embraced So You Don’t Have To

I Rewatched Kindred: The Embraced So You Don’t Have To

Comments 13 comments
This show is so old, there are hardly any images of a suitable size to share. Ah… the memories!

Good afterevenmorn!

On the 15th of this month, or thereabouts, a book of mine celebrated a publishing anniversary. I don’t really keep track of these things, though I should, so I’m very grateful to Renaissance Press (who published it) for the reminder. Human celebrates a birthday this month.

…

Read More Read More

Nine Things I Think I Think

Nine Things I Think I Think

Comments 12 comments

Clearly, the Black Gate-verse wants to know some more Things I Think I Think, since it’s been three weeks since that last time I shared that. I mean, The Bob View is certainly nerd-centric and somewhat….different. So, without further ado (and leaving out a couple numbers…)

1) I LIKE MURDER IN A SMALL TOWN

This is a brand new Fox shows, four episodes in. The lead is Kiefer Sutherland’s brother, Rossif. I recently watched him on the excellent Three Pines (a show that TOTALLY deserved a second season). I’d never guess he was Donald’s son, looking at him. But I think he’s REALLY good as a former big city, divorced dad, being sheriff in a small, waterfront town. I didn’t watch Smallville, but Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang) is the other lead. I did see her in season one of Reacher.

I really like that I can play ‘I Know that Actor’ (if you follow me on Facebook, you’ve seen that game MANY times) with the great guest stars, ala Columbo, Monk, Suits, and so many other shows I enjoy. So far, I’ve seen James Cromwell (LA Confidential), Erica Durance (a Hallmark favorite), Stana Katic (Beckett in Castle!), and Jason Gray-Stanford (Monk’s Randy Disher). My favorite new show so far.

…

Read More Read More

Goth Chick News: The Route to My Little Black Heart

Goth Chick News: The Route to My Little Black Heart

Comments 7 comments

I had to go check to discover the last time I mentioned Mr. Goth Chick here in my weekly posts was back in 2012. It isn’t that I avoid mentioning him. Instead, it has everything to do with the adage that “opposites attract” and somehow, I ended up with someone who has little to no interest in anything scary. For the entirety of spooky season Mr. Goth Chick has always been conveniently busy during any of my typical celebratory events. Though he has indulged my desire to visit cemeteries while on vacation, and has accompanied me on the occasional ghost hunt, he is more than happy to send me off with Black Gate Photog Chris Z, along with his, Mr. GC’s, heartfelt thanks.

Between us, I can tell you Mr. GC absolutely hates a jump scare, leading my mother to speculate that it was nothing short of black magic which brought us together.

But even though he loves hot temperatures and direct sunlight, Mr. GC still understands that “my time of year” must be celebrated – mostly with nights out and presents – and this year he outdid himself.

This week Universal Pictures Home Entertainment sent out a press release announcing Alfred Hitchcock: The Iconic Film Collection, which will collect six of Hitchcock’s classics on 4K Ultra HD + Digital: Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, Vertigo, North By Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds. And though this collection isn’t releasing until November 26th, it’s available now for preorder on Amazon, which is precisely what Mr. GC did especially for me.

*Sigh*
…

Read More Read More