Random Ipod songs: Tom Waits: Since I Fell for You

Eddie on "RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE"

Since it the Holidays and I haven’t been here in awhile, I thought I would review a new Christmas movie that I really liked. I think I had said once before somewhere that only foreign filmmakers have original ideas. And if I did film once again proves the point that I am correct.

This film, from 2010, is called RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE. It’s very cool, Funny, Creepy, Scary and Smart really really Smart. I rented the DVD through Netflix, of course, which is pretty much what I use to see any movie that I can’t find anywhere else. But it is also available on Video On Demand,

On Christmas Eve in Finland a corporate archeological team has unearthed Santa Claus, but this isn’t the Jolly Ole’ St Nick, we all know and love.  

After Mr. Claus has been dug up all the children in the small town seem to disappear, well all except for Pietari (Onni Tommila). The people of the village capture Santa and decide to hold him for ransom.

This is all I’m going to tell you because the movie is a lot of fun.

It does use a lot of things from the original folklore of Santa Claus, which are very clever and like I said above, really smart. Now I love movies but I usually can see some twist coming a mile away. This one threw for such a loop I smiled with joy right to the very end. It wasn’t a closed mouth smile, mind you, but a “fuck ya that was awesome smile”.

The movie is great to look at beautiful, and the location where they shot is epic. The actors were great, I love movies where you believe the characters 100%.  Actually I think the kid and the actor who played his father are actually father and son in real life. At least that’s the gist I get from looking up on IMDB.

Also as a bonus on the DVD are two awesome Rare Export shorts that were made in 2003 and 2005. WATCH THE MOVIE FIRST or else you see the spoilers of the feature film. In the shorts are the cast members from the feature, and they are still great.

Also it’s one of those movies that begs for a sequel even though it is really not needed.

Rent it for the Holidays and you won’t be disappointed

Check out the trailer below

DAY 3 Solo Drive Spartanburg, SC. to Los Angeles, CA.

** I thought I posted this awhile ago, but I only left it as a draft**

All right so this is the last entry in the solo road trip. I might have taken  a couple of extra days to write this, but my brain is still fried from the whole ordeal. 

OK here we go.

DAY 3:  790 Miles - 8/17/2011

OK so it's the 3rd and final day of my drive. I can finally get a good night sleep, in my own bed, in my own town. Not that there is anything wrong with any of the places I've traveled threw, but there is nothing better the going home.

At least my apartment in Toluca Lake, CA, will do for now.

So, like every other day I hit the road, the weather is nice, and not to hot...YET.  Oh a Starbucks,..haha must stop need my Iced Mocha.

Then the thing I need to do is get gas so I cruise along what is Rt. 40 which was part of the old & famous Rt. 66, well at least it is in this part. The crazy part about some desert cities, is that once you exit them, with their traffic, and hustle and bustle you are still in a desert. I did how ever see something cool, a water slide coming out of a building. This is the Radisson Hotel Water Park, damn I should have stayed their instead of the Haunted Hooker Motel 6. But what are you gonna do. Oh not my photo because I didn't think of taking one at the time.

Well over the hill and into the desert I go, and there is a gas station. I fill up and there is nothing around this place except desert, to the north of the gas station. But to the south makes me think him maybe I'll take a break for a few seconds.

There's an Indian Casino across the street, The ROUTE 66 HOTEL CASINO, well I have to use the bathroom anyway, so why not. It was pretty cool and pretty small casino, compared to let's say,..I don't know,..LAS VEGAS. All the machines were pretty much 1, 5, 25, 50 cent games. I must say there were more employees than customers inside. But it must be a hopping place because Melissa Ethridge has a show coming soon, so there you go.

The one game that was cool and it gave me my video game fix, was a game called  Two-Minute Warning. I have never seen this game before ever and is pretty much a Madden style video game were you pick a play to score a touchdown with only 2 minutes to play. As you make completed play that you call, you win money In the long run I broke even, but it was still cool. I think I may have actually been a quarter up, when I left.

Back in the car I grinned at my new found wealth and got the hell out of there before the tax man catches up with me.

Well I drove for hours and hours and entered Arizona and drove more hours then I started to see trees, I must be near Flagstaff. Beautiful town Flagstaff i,s the cool air and, tall pine trees, so I stopped to eat. Now I have never eaten at a Sonic Burgers, everybody raves about it so I stopped. There was only one problem, it had car service and all the outside seats were taken. The last thing I wanted to do was sit in the car and eat after driving what felt like 7 hours, so I went to the old stand by Burger King.

After relaxing for a bit, I filled up the tank and hit the road for the last time.

As I left the high altitude of Flagstaff the heat set in big time. Desert everywhere, and nothing to see for miles, except an abandoned weathers buildings here and there. By the time you hit the California border everything looks like the photo on the left.

And this photo does not do the desolate terrain any justice.

You try to imagine if anyone or anything lives out there. Without a cloud in the sky the unbearable heat and emptiness is mind boggling.

As I continued to drive the road got longer and the sun got hotter, when I found a place to stop I thought that when I got out of the car, I was sure my shadow was going to burst into flames. I bought some ice for the cooler and once more drove on. Now every tells you to not drink sugary liquids when it's hot outside, and this section of desert is the perfect example. Thank god I bought a case of water at he last stop, because you could have just kept and open faucet going into my mouth. That how quickly you dehydrate out here. While the car did have air conditioning, I refused to use it, because if for some god awful reason I break down out here I am fucked. Excuse the language, but unless you driven through here in late August you have no idea what its like.

Imagine being a tiny tiny little creature, trying to cross a teflon coated frying pan that is set on low, that's it. Because if you think about it there are mountains all around you in the distance, so it really is a sick demented gigantic frying pan.

As the sun started to slowly set, I thanked the gods above. You could actually see it setting but there was another problem. The sun was setting in the west,.. duh, and I was driving west. The sun was getting lower and lower, then, I swear to god it stopped, right in my eyes. I didn't really but it sure felt like it. Sunglasses did not help, you can't even see the raod that's how bad it is.

No shade anywhere, except when I lucky enough to drive along side an 18-wheeler, which were far and few between. I guess the truckers and myself are the only ones crazy enough to do this, but at least the truckers are getting paid.

Well I guess this is where the story comes to a close, because before I got down into Los Angeles County the driving continued on like the two paragraphs above. Between Flagstaff to Victorville is a vast empty mess.

I finally got home, took a shower and I realized that I did bring something home with me to remember the past 3 days, Sunburn on my left knee. So I cracked open a beer sat down and put my legs up and took a photo of it to share with the world, so excuse the beer can ring, but it felt really good.

So what have I learned from this experience?

1. Next time bring someone with you so you won't go insane.

2. Do not drive through the desert during the hottest time of the summer.

3. The northern route across America is much prettier to look at.


One other quick note, it sucks that gas prices have risen so much over the past 10 years, driving across the country is a wonderful thing that everyone needs to experience. Years ago maybe 15 or so, I drove cross country and if my memory serves my right it cost about $180 round trip and for a plane around $360, and for this time it cost about $600 to drive, but for a plane $420.

So it's unfortunate that it's cheaper to see this beautiful country from 10,000 feet, then to see it from where you should, on your "own" two feet.

Good night, and enjoy the veal

(9/24/2011 My left knee, at this moment has a nice tan)

DAY 2 Solo Drive Spartanburg, SC. to Los Angeles, CA.

Now I know that everyone is probably not interested on my long road trip cross country, and they could not really give a rats ass. But I would just like to share my experience whether you like it or not, but they do include Hookers and a possible paranormal experience.

Day 2: 851 Miles - 8/16/2011

So the second day of the trip was upon me, and it was a doozy.

Back o the 40 I drove, without even realizing that I was only on 5 or so hours of rest. But screw it, I still had a half a Blimpie's Best sub, and a belly full of a Venti Iced Mocha from Starbucks.

Driving during the day was quite boring, you keep flicking through the radio stations. You end up finding a song that you like, only to realize that the singer isn't talking about some girl, but he is talking about Jesus and his relationship with God. Now I have no problem with anyone's beliefs, but in the midwest it is hammered down your throat in a big way.

I guess they don't call it the bible belt for nothing.

John Nikas contacts me because he is about 9 hours behind me. He asks if I could check the Autozone in Yukon, Oklahoma, to see if they have any Quaker State 20W/50. Well I am headed that way so of course I say yes, no problem because it is a great town and when we left heading east we both almost died. Well died is a strong word, but it was pretty scary. Let's just say the throttle pin on the Healey became dislodged on the fast lane of Rt. 40. Traffic was flying by and thank god my nimble uncut finger nails were able to unscrew the nut that held the damn thing back together. I literally saw a truck wizz by so fast missing John by inches, so fast in fact that it almost blew off his shirt.

So I stop at the Autozone, in Yukon, OK on Garth Brooks Blvd, Yes I said it Garth Brooks Blvd.

Let me tell you these employees were awesome, I want to say Peter and Roxanne, at least I think Peter was his name. But when I got there they were off for the day, and it was Juan the manager. I asked Juan Marez to stock up with anything the John Nikas my need, and I was glad to hear the Juan hooked up John with some oil and water. Kudos to Autozone Yukon OK.

Well the road called again, so I took off.

You gotta love western Oklahoma, because LOVE'S Travel Center is awesome. Did I say the gas was only around $3.39 a gallon and cigarettes, yes I know they are bad, but they are only around 3.50 a pack. So shut up and shoot me, only a woman will be ever get me to quit, And that woman will be the luckiest girl on earth!!

I could see that a storm was coming in and I for-warned John, via a text, little did I know this storm was bad.

As I entered Texas the clouds built, and the rain and the lightning began. Everyone knows what lightning is, but in Texas it is big. so say the phrase everything is bigger in Texas.

As I started into Amarillo, I couldn't help but laughing to myself, and coming up with the phrase.


'When it rains in Texas you can't smell the Bull Shit"

While politically it may sound mundane, it is a fact, because when it isn't raining all you can smell is bull shit. nothing but cows and bulls shitting in a field that goes on forever.

As I kicked into Amarillo it did rain hard and the lightning was blinding, I was waiting to see a big silhouette of Godzilla looming the background., which would've been awesome. (What Movie was that, Jody help me out) Think about it, 360 degrees and the sky lights up around you, so much you end up shielding your eyes, that's how bright it is.

Well as soon as I left Texas the rain disappeared, thank god.  New Mexico was ahead of me, and the road was clear.

Motel 6 (Carlisle) Albuquerque NM.

So Albuqeurque, NM was just like any other town that I dealt with. You scout out the Motel 6's in the area and find the one that has the least issues.  I found mine in the Carlisle area of New Mexico, while it might have been creepy in of itself, I was tired.

Now when I say the least issues I mean the one where I can crash hard.

I check in, the night guy is kind of, well kind of, I don't give a shit. But I was to tired to care, and I needed sleep, and my room number was 211.

This is where it gets kind of weird.

I park the car, go up to the room, typical , because that's what you do. But that is where the strange shit hits the fan, I get into the room.and lay down, as I close m eyes, I hear the click of heels and then feels like someone sitting down on my bed. Now I have done some part time ghost hunting, but this is something I never have experienced in the past. Then I saw something that shocked me, I look up and see the mattress lifted up as if someone has just sat up from the corner of the bed.

I am a big skeptic, when it comes to things like this, but I know what I saw, Then just as I write it off again, and roll over, because well I am tired, I then I feel what can only describe as, well does anyone have a pet that will jump on you because it has to piss, or it's hungry, let's just say that is what happened.

And it scared the crap out of me. I flipped around expecting to see my roommates cat, that's how real it was.

Whatever it was I literally said out loud "Please let me sleep and I apologize for taking up your space."

I then hear outside "come on Let's go bitch, time is money", I look out the window, and it's only what I can see as  2 guys and some girl downstairs. So it was to obvious pimps and prostitute, because well it's a freakin' Tuesday night and around 3 am

CARS SAFE  I AM GOOD.

The only other thing that made me think of the room ,.. ghost and all. was when I checked out.


Check out girl: 211, huh,..Did you sleep all right?


Me: Ya I'm good


Check out girl: Really??,..Lucky for you. (laughed)

I didn't think much about until it till I hit the road.

Wait did I just have a paranormal experience in a Motel 6 in Albuquerque. is what I saw really happen. As I think about it, I saw what I saw, no questions about it, I am kinda pissed that I didn't set up the camera and hit the record button.

I then again hit the road, hoping the ghosts don't follow me.

Drive I say Drive.

Part 3 coming soon:

DAY 1 Solo Drive Spartanburg SC. to Los Angeles, CA

So as many of you know I drove the chase car for John Nikas (1953 Austin Healey) and Drive Away Cancer from Los Angeles to Spartanburg SC, last week. And while that was adventure in itself, I would like to write something about my interesting solo trip back to Los Angeles.


DAY 1: 848 Miles. - 8/15/2011

The first day on the road consisted of driving to meet John about an hour or so south of Spartanburg SC, on Rt. 26 to drop off the tools and spare parts for the Austin Healey in Columbia, SC. After that I jumped on Rt 20 west  (Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi) to Rt. 78 West to Memphis (Mississippi, Tennessee) to catch Rt. 40 West (Tennessee, Arkansas).

Rt 20 had two things that made the first leg bearable, first off I see a BLIMPIES sign, BINGO, one "Blimpies Best" to go please thank you very much.

Than I stop to get gas and the name of the station is S-Mart (Shop Smart Shop S-Mart)

Now I wonder if this name was around before 1991 when I worked on the movie "Army of Darkness" aka Evil Dead 3, that is the name of the same store that Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) worked at before he was sucked into a vortex back to the middle ages to battle demons and witches.

So now I leave with a smile on my face and hit the road, I then realize that Rt. 20 kinda goes more southern than I wanted to go, so I decide to cut up on Rt. 78, in Mississippi.

Now Rt, 78 begins as Rt 5, which is a highway full of stop lights, which sucks, but then it finally does open up. No one is on this highway except me, the stars,  and I saw a couple of shooting stars also. But this road is desolate, really really dark and kind off down right spooky. It's a 6 lane roadway and nothing there but me. I was waiting to see a Bigfoot, a Chupacabra, an alien or even a Ghostly Hitchhiker on the side of the road. Then this song comes on the radio, so a gunned it.

Finally I make it to Memphis and Rt. 40, ah civilization. I am now starting to get tired, so I sing whatever songs I can find on the radio, and believe or not on the whole trip they played nothing but Pink Floyd, The Who, The Doors, Rolling Stones, or some country song called "Remind Me", which is on constant rotation.

I finally made it into Arkansas and decided to call it a night. I went to look at a few Motel 6's around Little Rock, but you know the first area maybe iffy when you see gang bangers walking with a swagger, at 3 am. PASS. So went to the next one in town, I pull in and hear people screaming at each other and guys drinking forty's in the parking lot. hahaha PASS again.

Motel 6 in Conway, Arkansas

So I get back on the highway, check the GPS and up pops Conway, Arkansas. To which I head off to saying that I am tired and I'll stop there no matter what. I find the Motel 6 right off the highway, go to the clerk get a double bed room, for the price of a single, because they were fully booked. Well this might not be weird to me, but to some people it would have been, you see the clerk had a full size hand where his elbow should be. But he was very cool and friendly and let me know where to get anything I needed before I took off in the morning.

So after 14 or so hours on the road I got into my room, it was pretty , ehh no it wasn't, fell into an immediate deep sleep and still fully dressed.  In the morning walked to the car, didn't even realize that a Wal-Mart was right next door, and the parking lot was full already. I grabbed a Starbucks before hitting Rt. 40 and headed west.

Day 2: Coming Soon

Drive Away Cancer Coast to Coast to Coast Challenge | Stand Up To Cancer

To all my friends, I will be following my friend John, driving the back-up safety vehicle and documenting the adventure, for the first leg of the cross country trip.
We will be leaving on Monday August 8, 2011.
See the below link & any donations will be much appreciated.

Team Drive Away Cancer Coast to Coast to Coast Challenge | Stand Up To Cancer

Eddie on "THE TROLL HUNTER"

I had been jonesing to see this cool little Norwegian movie called THE TROLL HUNTER (Trolljegeren), after I heard about it last year. This unique and original fantasy horror film brings to us the idea that what if trolls really existed, but are being kept secret.

This is the story or 3 student filmmakers making a documentary about a series of mysterious bear killings and meet Hans, a supposed unlicensed bear poacher. Hans admits to them that he hunts trolls that have broken out of their territories, for the TSS (Troll Security Service). He allows them to film and follow him because, well, he’s sort of a disgruntled employee.



Ok,  this is not a perfect film, I did thoroughly enjoy it. While even being a low budget movie it is pretty epic and the CGI is quite impressive. The story does have some interesting twists, and very interesting explanations for for mundane things we see everyday. You have to see the movie to understand what I'm talking about.

First off this is a mockumentary, shot in the hand-held camera style, but it doesn’t over use this style. The shots are steady with smooth sweeping shots, that allow you to really see the trolls and the locations. Everyone complains about the hand held style, but this does not bother me as much as long as the story is interesting, which it was. All of the actors in the film are great, and natural, the locations are beautiful, and the trolls look pretty damn cool. The trolls I must say while looking kind of campy sometimes, but still look awesome, and no species ever look they same. Hans at one point goes in length to discuss the variety of trolls and their sub species.

The humor is also very funny and dry. There is a whole gag about whether or not anyone of the students is Christian, because trolls can smell Christian blood. And another one where Hans has to get a troll that lives under a bridge, so he brings out 3 goats onto the bridge to lure it out, you know like the fairy tale "Billy Goats Gruff".  That particular scene is my favorite in the movie.

So I recommend this movie, but it might not be everyones cup of tea. You should see before Hollywood remakes it, yep you heard me right, Chris Columbus’s production company, 1492, acquired the rights to this movie. Which proves my point that Hollywood has run out of original ideas.

Oh did I mention that it's subtitled, just in case you hate to read at the movies

Check out the trailer:

Eddie on "DUKE NUKEM FOREVER"

I rented DUKE NUKEM FOREVER. Most games I just rent from blockbuster, 20 bucks a month and you can keep it as long as you want. This way you won’t be disappointed when the game is horrible, and your happy that you didn’t drop 60 bucks on it.

Now Duke Nukem originally came out a PC game in 1991, and had a few versions have been released over the years. Duke iconic shooter of the 90’s was for his vulgar language, crude humor, and use of woman like objects, which in the early stages of console video games was refreshing and pretty funny.

This particular version of Duke Nukem has been in development hell since 1997, and was finally released for the XBOX 360 and PS3 consoles.

So herein lies the problems.

This game should have been released 6 years ago than it would have been awesome. What you get here is running around, and sometimes battling monsters/aliens in a way that is, well, boring.

There is the tongue and cheek humor like drinking beer, getting oral sex by girls in schoolgirl outfits, or watching yourself take a piss., but the jokes wear really thin quickly, and what you end up with is a clunky game, literally.  I think they are pushing to much for the nostalgia of the older games, but guess what it’s 2011. They could have used everything about the character, but the mechanics of the game is what needed and overhaul. The loading screens take way to long for this game, and that is something that I'm sure annoys everyone.

Graphics are well done but that doesn’t help really, sorry.

You can’t upgrade anything, and it is not as action-packed as it should have been. Shit they could have taken advantage of everything from Modern Warfare or a Fallout game, and it would have been an improvement.

So all in all DUKE NUKEM FOREVER returns to his classic style and it feels really old and I was kind of embarrassed by it. Even a kid that tries to sneak in this 17+ game will be sorely disappointed.

In regard to the Blockbuster rentals, I returned it the next morning and got something far more superior, but I will review that later. But if you want to check it out, for your own shits and giggles, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Let's just say I preferred the N64 version better .

Eddie on "Super 8"

Last night I went and saw JJ Abrams monster mash Super 8 last night with friends. And I am not going to sit here and give you spoilers or story details about this film, just my opinions of it.

I have been really excited about seeing this movie since hearing about it last year

This film has been an Internet buzz with people trying to figure out what the monster looks like. To their credit they’ve kept the monster under wraps, with great success.

You probably know the premise but I’ll tell it anyway for some of the people who live under a rock.

A group of friends making a Super 8 zombie movie, in the summer of 1979, witness a massive train crash, and then find out the crash might have not been an accident at all. After strange and unexplained things start happening the kids begin to investigate what is going on their town.

It’s a coming of age movie, a monster movie, an adventure, and a comedy, not in a slapstick comedy, but kids are kids., and works it’s best when they are just hanging out.

The first 15 minutes of the kids making their little movie is funny and sweet, it reminded me of when my friends and me used to make super 8 movies in the seventies. Well as they are shooting a scene, an epic train crash happens, literally, right in front of them. I must admit that the crash is pretty amazing piece of filmmaking, even if it is CGI. The train is one of those long cross-country trains, so cars and parts are flying around everywhere. You can actually feel the kids in peril as they run for their lives, when the shit hits the fan.

The casting of the friends is spot on, the kids get to act like kids, which is good. As a matter of fact everyone in this film is perfect.

The directing is great, the cinematography is great, the sound design, the wardrobe, the look and feel of the period is perfect, it feels like 1979. Even those lens flares made me nostalgic for that era.

A lot of people are comparing this to Goonies, but that is just a generalization. Any movie where a bunch of kids are doing anything adventurous will be compared to that.

But this is a monster movie, it is the central catalyst for what happens, and JJ Abrams keeps the suspense going throughout. A shadow here and reflection there, you never get to see the creature as a whole until about 90 minutes in.

But there is a problem, while the film was enjoyable, the last 10 or so minutes killed it for me. They try to make you feel sympathy for the monster and this may have worked, if the monster did not eat innocent people, hung up in it’s lair like sausage. If this monster is much more intelligent than humans and telepathic, means it would also have known the difference between good guys and bad guys. Now people who have seen this movie may argue with me on this. But lets be honest do good/bad people taste differently, I don’t think so. I am surprised that Spielberg let this issue slip through, I guess he was happy that Abrams was pretty much making an homage to him.

Close Encounters conspiracy - Check, ET coming of age - Check, JAWS don't show monster till end - Check

And when it comes down to it, the monster looked like something out of a “Gears of War” video game.

Also one small nit-pick Ideal Toy Company began exporting the Rubik’s cube, in 1980 from a Hungarian manufacturer so don’t have someone in 1979 say “Hey, that looks like a Rubik’s Cube”. Also I don’t think that Hunchback of Notre Dame model box is a period one at that.

What began as an awesome movie, and continued to do so throughout, just pussy-ed out at the last minute. So as a how friend Tim just mentioned, I feel the same way, I didn't hate it but I didn't love either.

To watch the actual zombie movie “The Case” the kids were making during the credits almost rectified it. But while that little film was awesome, it was just to late. (The kids actors in the film wrote and directed the film within a film on their own)

All the critics out there love this film, even the LA Weekly and the NY Post loved it. But I think they were mostly in love with the nostalgia the film invokes.

Last note if JJAbrams comes up with a story and directs that's fine, just let someone else write the story, where was Bob and Alex??

Eddie on "I SAW THE DEVIL"

The other day I watched a wicked and ultra violent thriller called “I Saw The Devil”, and it was awesome.

When Secret Agent Soo-Hyeon’s (Byung-hun Lee of The Good, the Bad, the Weird) pregnant fiancé is murdered by Serial Killer  Kyung-chul (Min-sik Choi of Oldboy), he decides to do anything to exact revenge, even if it means becoming a monster himself.

The agent’s use of a clever tracking device allows him to listen to the serial killer. Each time capturing him to exact some sort of violent revenge, only to then release him and do it again, each time more vicious then the last.

The film is directed by Jee-woon Kim, who also made some of my favorite films, which include A Tale of Two Sisters, The Good, the Bad, the Weird, and A Bittersweet Life. These films, I think, are  still available on Netflix streaming, and are also highly recommended by me.

This film is a vicious game of cat and mouse, and is not recommended for the squeamish, I was even shocked at some of the ultra graphic violence that happens and I love horror movies. I think it was the lack of remorse of the serial killer character that was more appalling.

Asian cinema constantly impresses me more and more; they have something that American cinema do not, which is originality. If producers decide to remake this it will be watered down and bland, just like when Will Smith wants to remake “Oldboy”.

This director takes you to the edge and then jumps off happily, all the way to the end. I didn’t even realize this brisk roller coaster of a film was 2 ½ hours long, it moved the quickly. From the first 5 minutes until the very end I was transfixed,

While the acts of depraved violence do occur I don’t think of this film as some sort of exploitation film. The film is more of a suspenseful thriller, where violence like this occurs.

The cinematography is beautifully shot and the story is intense and devious, with plenty of twists. The acting is amazing also; you are quickly drawn in to both worlds of the main characters, and are easily able to feel their pain and rage. There is enough stuff packed into this film to make several.

I’ll use a few key words to make sure you understand how violent this film is just as a warning, you know what screw it I’m not telling you anything. You need to watch for yourself and you can comment and tell me what you thought of it.

So for me I highly recommend it, and it is now streaming on Netflix, so you don’t have to get off your couch to go out and rent it. I DARE YOU.

Enjoy the trailer:

Eddie on SyFy's "Haunted Collector"

So I watched this new show on SyFy called “Haunted Collector”, and all I can say is what a sham.

OK here is the simple premise.

John Zaffis, a paranormal expert, travels to people’s houses at their request to do a paranormal investigation and find an object that may be the cause of the activity. It's basically “Friday the 13th – The Series” made into a reality show.

First here is a little info about John Zaffis. He comes from a short lineage of paranormal experts. The kicker is he is the nephew of none other than Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Warrens are most well known for “The Amityville Horror” investigation and best-selling novel and movie of the 1970’s.

Well it turns out that that book was pure NON-FICTION.

The Warrens would go to someone’s’ house and say that the house was haunted or possessed, make up a scary story, and then they would retain the book, movie, and media rights. That’s how they made money.

Then there’s the book “In A Dark Place”, which became the movie “A Haunting In Connecticut”. I actually pitched this book, for a possible film in the 90’s. But there was one problem Ed Warren wanted a lot of money for his story, so that ended that. Someone else made the movie in 2009, but only after Ed had died, because lets face it, Lorraine needed the money.

Here is a quick quote by Ray Garton, the author

I wrote IN A DARK PLACE: THE STORY OF A TRUE HAUNTING, in which a family had lived in a house that used to be a mortuary (allegedly...I never saw the inside of the house myself), which was, according to the Warrens, infested with demons. But the family involved, which was going through some serious problems like alcoholism and drug addiction, could *not* keep their story straight, and I became very frustrated; it's hard writing a non-fiction book when all the people involved are telling you different stories. So I went to Ed Warren and told him my problem. He told me not to worry, that the family was "crazy". I was shocked. He said, "All the people who come to us are crazy. You think *sane* people would come to us?" He knew I'd written a lot of horror novels prior to that, so he told me to just make the story up using whatever details I could incorporate into the book, and make it scary. Because I couldn't afford the attorney fees it would take to get out of the contract, I had to go through with the book, but I didn't like it. Since then, other writers who have worked with the Warrens have told me the EXACT SAME STORY, but they've done so quietly because they don't want to
make any waves with publishers.

So they are old school snake oil salesmen, they tell you what you want to here and then you pay them for it.

Now back to my views on “Haunted Collector”. Just like I wrote above about the Warrens this is pretty much the same thing. You call and say my place is haunted, and they will come over and do an investigation and tell you some object is possessed and then they take it from you, problem solved right?

In the premiere episode the team finds a gun under a house in a box. This gun looks like someone made mud pies and wrapped the gun in it. Also all the chambers of the gun are literally packed with dirt, yet the box has loose dirt in it. This is what you see when they first open the box, it’s like the mud is only attracted to the gun.

So they take the gun with them.

Then there’s the old, yet very clean, haunted typewriter on the desk against the wall. The K2/EMF detectors are going wild when the go near this, so it must be possessed. There is a pretty cool antique stove they focus on at first, you can almost see John Zaffis drooling over it, like Pavlov’s dog. But obviously he can’t take that item.

So they take the typewriter with them.

I would have liked to see them go back and do an investigation after an object has been removed. This way they can prove that they were right, but that’s to easy, because they would just tell you they were. So I just think that John Zaffis is an antiques thief, building a big collection for his museum. Ed Warren also had an Occult Museum, so again you can see another pattern.

While I do believe that there are things out there we can’t explain. But also feel that this show is complete bullshit. I’m not even sure whether or not the items they collect are planted or not.

So give it a shot if you want, just remember what I said above and you’ll see what I am talking about. I might watch it again, just to watch a bunch really stupid people who think they are experts, make consistent mistakes.

But mark my words regarding the museum, “If he builds it, they will come”. Wait he already did, dammit !!!! Why isn't his house/museum haunted?? If you have a house full of haunted items wouldn't it be a major hot spot for Gozor

Here is a brief tour of the "Museum of the Paranormal".

Eddie on "L.A. Noire"

L.A. Noire takes place in 1947 Los Angeles, a city of glamour, fame, and wealth, but also where crime, vice, and corruption are rife. The player assumes the role of Cole Phelps, a Los Angeles Police Officer who rises through the ranks of the department. He has joined the police force to "right the wrongs" he committed during the WW2 He starts off as a patrol-man, then advances to traffic detective, homicide, vice, and finally arson investigator. Each rank gives the player a partner who will help Phelps in his investigations, fights, and arrests.

I am having a pretty good time playing this game, and it looks absolutely beautiful. Pretty much this is “L.A. Confidential”, with a dash of the classic TV show “Dragnet”. And you feel like you are playing a movie more than you are playing a video game. Rockstar and Team Bondi have done excellent job creating this open world city from the past.

The in-game city has been meticulously recreated to be an accurate representation of Los Angeles in 1947, before the highways bonds swathed through the city

Visually this game is stunning and almost strangely hyper-realistic, while that might be a slight over statement, let me explain. The renderings of the in-game characters are richly detailed and are full of facial expression. And as you play you’ll start to recognize the actors that portray the game characters, literally. As I’m playing the game I’m going hey that’s the guy from “Heroes”, and then I recognize that guy, and that one, etc etc. It’s not photo-realistic but it’s still pretty damn cool if you ask me. The cut-scenes and game play graphics are seamless. The story and dialogue are strong without being to overly convoluted, and the game controls are pretty simple once you get used to them.

You have go around the city running on foot, driving cars after people and also collect clues and questions from different witnesses and suspects. You use the clues and questions to cross-reference witnesses and suspects during interrogations. It is a little confusing at first but you need to watch the expressions of the people your questioning/interrogating to judge whether there is any Truth, or Doubt, or an all out Lie to what they are saying and if you have the evidence to prove any it. So while you think one person is guilty, a piece of info will make you think otherwise. You can even use Intuition points you earn throughout the game to remove an answer, show the clues, or to ask the community (Social Club) if your online. OK everybody got that, no you don’t. This is more of a police investigative game, than it is a shoot-em-up action game.

Those of you out there that are expecting Grand Theft Auto or even Red Dead Redemption will be disappointed, because you can’t do any random acts of shooting and lawless carnage, because you are the law. You can’t just pull out a gun and shoot someone or run anyone over with a car.

Only bad things are that sometimes the investigations can be somewhat repetitive, and the other street crimes are far an few between. Also there is no multi-player gameplay, while that is not necessarily a bad thing, it would have been cool to have something like that, maybe a co-op mode.

One more thing this is Los Angeles 1947, so it is graphic, violent, racist, religiously intolerant, vulgar and brutal. Think “Black Dahlia” brutal.  It is a very mature and adult game and I’d rather see a kid playing Call of Duty than this one, plus they’d probably be bored with it anyway.

I recommend, if your not a hardcore gamer, renting it first just to test the waters, so to speak, to see if your ready to plunk down $60 for this game. If you are a gamer, you;'ll buy it no matter what, and you'll enjoy it.

A BOMB GROWS IN TOLUCA LAKE ??

To everyone who hasn't been living under a rock, on Sunday night we were made aware that our evil arch nemesis Osama Bin Laden was killed by Call of Duty: Black Ops, …I mean Special Ops in Pakistan and the Mets beat the Phillies 2-1. So on everyone’s mind has been the possibility of some sort of terrorist Taliban Jihad retaliation against us in the United States of America & can the Mets win another game ? Let's start with the story regarding the prior story of Sunday evening

So today I am watching the news and the paranoia begins..

1. Police were investigating a backpack that was found in front of the downtown criminal courts building.

2. On Monday, a Metrolink commuter train was evacuated in Riverside because a backpack had been left in a restroom.

3. In San Diego a item suspected of being a pipe bomb shut down the Coronado Bay Bridge for a time.

4. Officers with the LAX Police Department found an electronic device in the backpack of the vehicle after making a routine traffic stop near the south end of the tunnel by Imperial Highway.

5. The bomb squad responded to Alameda and 2nd streets when a suspicious package was founding a tree.

6. And one more that I know of, TOLUCA LAKE, California, that’s right folks,.. in my little old town a suspicious package was found in front of the Toluca Lake Post Office by the street side mail boxes at Riverside Drive & Mariota Ave.

da bomb?

I was driving down Riverside Drive and low and behold, the Burbank Police Dept blocked the street. For the 3 block evacuated area, no one was allowed to enter, and as the curious person I am, I pulled over to take a look. The zoom on this old Pentax, is not very good, but if you look in the middle of the photo you can see a black bag next to the mail box, that's the suspicious package.

About 10 officers were spread around the outskirts of the yellow police tape, telling people to stop and not enter the area, and to stop idiots that tried to enter, through side streets. I also noticed how some people jogging or walking their dog down Riverside Dr. were quite perplexed and some were annoyed at the police for breaking the rhythm of their daily rituals.  I just had to laugh at that.

So anyway the bomb squad walked up to the package very sl... KABOOOOM,…hahaha just kidding. Nope they slowly walked up and set up some equipment and took an x-ray photo of this black duffel bag looking package. 

After processing the film and discussing police procedures, the female member of the bomb squad walked back to the duffel bag, opened it, and slowly started looking through the bag.  The bomb squad then picked up the package and walked back to the Official Burbank Bomb Squad pick-up truck.



So while I don't know what contents of the package, it turned out obviously, not to be a bomb. And that is a relief, because if it was I wouldn't be writing this. So Pats Diner is still there, and so is Timmy Nolan's and Trader Joes.

So as the sun sets in the small little village where I live, and I must say I love this place. And it was good to see the police out there doing their duty and protecting everyone from what could have been a seriously fucked up situation.

Just a quick FYI, I wrote an earlier on my blog an article called "Is Toluca Lake Cursed?" which some of you may or may not have read. But it was quite ironic that the bomb squad was set up in the very same intersection of where the car accident happened.  Hmmmm interesting.

Does this mean there is a curse? Who knows,.. we shall only have to wait to find out,....

MWA,...MWAHA,...MWAHAHAHA,....MWAHAHAHAHAHA *cough* *cough* *cough*

GO METS,..Eddie

Eddie on "THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA"

I would like to put out there my views on any possible inception of legalized marijuana. And I haven't smoked in awhile, especially like I used to back in the day. Personally I don’t care whether or not a law is passed in the United States, in the future, to legalize this quite innocent drug. My father once told me it was a stupid drug to be illegal in the first place, and he was a cop. To quote the Big Guy “You never hear of someone running over a bunch of school kids after smoking a joint.” And as a matter of fact this is the truth, whether anyone likes it or not. The last thing you want to do after smoking a joint is getting in a car, not that you can’t you just don’t feel like it. You would rather just stay where you are and watch TV, Play video games, and eat something really awesome (aka The Munchies).

In the case with alcohol, you want to drive fast, start fights, or go somewhere, like another bar and try to get laid. In 2010 there were 32,788 drunk driving fatalities, and this just drunk driving. I couldn’t find a number for alcohol, related abuse, over consumption, fight, murder, and stuff like that. What I found is that, in total and including vehicular related deaths, it is an estimated 75,000.

In regards to Marijuana, I looked and looked, and looked and all the research says the same thing, a big ZERO. Now even if the were anti-marijuana people out there they would have planted some propaganda, stating something completely different, but I got zip.

So what is the government so scared about, this is the magic question. I think they a just afraid of the unknown. What do they get out of the deal?? How are they to control a substance that anyone can grow in their own backyard??

First off, you are never, ever, going to be able to walk into a 7-11 or liquor store and buy weed, so get that out of your head, dude. The only way to purchase it would be marijuana dispensaries, and the government would tax the shit out of it, and you would have to be a registered user. In other words like today, the government, as well as Medical Marijuana dispensaries, you would need an I.D. and they would have you in the system as a user and have a record of your purchase dates. Now some people don’t care about being on some list, but this could also affect something somewhere down the line. There could be an issue with, let’s say a job, you would never get a government job, or be a pilot, cab driver, it would be all based on the employer and their companies standards.

Now in regards to personally growing your own, that's the one thing they can’t wrap their head around. Here a great story, a close friend years ago threw some seeds in his parents, who are old school Italians, large backyard vegetable garden. Now his mom didn’t know what it was, so she watered it, and took care of it, thinking it was some vegetable. Next thing you know he’s got a 6 foot plant full of buds in the backyard, so he quickly cut it down, yea that was a good summer hahaha Now back to the blog at hand. There is no real way for the government to control anything, once it becomes legal. So many people would be growing their own that they can’t constantly check with everyone. They could put a law limiting the amount you can grow for personal use, but they would have to go door to door, just to find out who is growing what and how much. Just because your growing a potent plant in you closet and it reeks doesn’t mean you growing a forest in the basement. What are they going to do watch for high peaks in your electric bill??

Also just to let you know marijuana is illegal in the Netherlands, as it is in the rest of the world. But it is considered a soft –drug as opposed to hard-drug. So it is pretty much left alone, as are the “Coffee Shops” because they have a limit of how many plants you can have and how much one person can have on their person at any given time.

So as for now it will still be illegal, until all the old-timey religious political leaders are dead and gone. And I bet, even then, we still won’t know what the hell to do with it.

Eddie on "HULU"

Hulu or HuluPlus is online service that let’s you stream instantly TV, Movies, and Trailers. But on Hulu you can watch shows that aired 24 hours prior, on regular television. Wait… isn’t that called On-Demand. Hulu also carries movies that you can watch instantly…Wait…that’s called Netflix. And on top of that Hulu lets you watch movie trailers, ok…wait… what, you can do that anywhere on the Internet. You can also stream these movies on your Xbox and PS3, when they get that one working again,..son of a ….. That’s it…. what the hell is going on here?

Well I decided to give it a shot and try their one-week free trial to see what this was all about, and they didn’t ask for a credit card number.

T.V. Shows: You get pretty much the same as On-Demand except you get more shows and a few other channels that aren’t available there. Also during commercial breaks they throw in a quick 30-second spot for whatever. But as i see it, if you already have a DVR or cable, it’s useless.

Movies: Same exact thing as Netflix, except for one big, really big, No-No. They place commercial spots in the movie every 15 minutes or so, with no real place to put them. They just drop the commercials at a random time placement with no consideration for plot points. So you are immediately pulled out of the movie, to watch a 30 second spot for, I don’t know,,.. life insurance, or something like that. While they do have a few movies that aren’t available on Netflix, it doesn’t matter. If I wanted commercial to appear in the middle of a movie, I’d just watch T.V. Also at this point there are only a small amount of films available.

Trailers: Useless,.. Enough said, I don’t know what to say about this. There are thousands of sights online, and on consoles, to watch trailers.

Another quick note they do have things they call Clips. These are specific items such as movie scenes, T.V. scenes etc, it’s pretty much a Youtube, kind of gimmick. So what ever.

While this service is free for a limited time, they have another special offer. If you do join after the week is up you only pay $7.99 a month “For a Limited Time”,..wink,..wink,.. for the service.

All and all, this for someone who has Wifi service on their laptop and they're never at home. I personally wouldn’t use this, because I have a DVR and I already subscribe to Netflix. Also if I’m paying a fee, I do not want to see commercial littered throughout any movie, TV I don’t care about, but the movies,.. really. I think this is just the big studios trying to figure out how to jump on the streaming instantly band wagon, and if it works out in the long run, then good for them. But this is one pony that ain’t following the trail.

But who am I judge, it's only my opinion, if you want to try it, give it a shot, and leave some comments on blog to tell me what you think.

Aokigahara aka The Suicide Forest

The Aokigahara Forest ( The Sea of Trees) is the most popular site for suicides in Japan. The novel Kuroi Jukai was released in 1960 and tells the story of a woman who has a love affair with a young public prosecutor. He is blackmailed by the woman's husband, and the only escape for the lovers is a double suicide inside the dark and mysterious Aokigahara forest.  After the novel was published, people started taking their own lives there at a rate of 50 to 100 deaths a year. The authorities sweep for bodies only on an annual basis, as the forest sits at the base of Mt. Fuji and is too dense to patrol more frequently.

This area is famous for two things, the breathtaking views of Mt. Fuji and the suicides. Many people say that this place is also haunted and it is the ghosts the help the people commit suicide.There is also an absence of wildlife, in the area, which makes it even more eerie.

During the semi-regular body search, they leave plastic tape to mark where a body is found, and this tape is never removed. So within the first mile or so from the forests' entrance the area is littered with plastic tape. It is believed that leaving the corpse is left alone is very bad luck, for the yurei (ghost) of the suicide will scream through the night, and the body will move itself on its own. Since the books release, in 1960, there have been over 500 suicides in the forest, with a peak of 100 in 2003. I think the most of the suicides are based on the economic climate of Japan, and not romanticism of the book. But I am sure that the area is very serene, beautiful and yet very sad.

Call me disturbed but I would love to go there and do an investigation, and see for myself, what the forest really holds in it grasp. I am very surprised no one has yet to do this and why there isn't yet an in depth documentary on the subject.... Ding... Ding... Ding ....a bell just went of in my head. I will discuss the possibility with a few people, who know what could happen.

The sub-titled video below is very haunting and kind of sad, and the gentleman is actually a geologist. Also this is graphic and not for children.

 

 Part 1

 Part 2

IS TOLUCA LAKE CURSED??

Well this is something don’t see everyday, but it is something that occurs quite often in my neighborhood. Today while coming from Starbucks, ½ block away, I see a car flipped over, at Riverside Drive and Clybourn Ave by Patty’s Diner. I pulled over and made sure everyone was ok, then the Fire, Police, and Ambulance arrived.

So I go to Trader Joes another block away, and I am talking to one of ladies from the thrift shop on the corner. We start talking about the accident and all the other car accidents that happen on Riverside Drive, between Cahuenga Blvd and Pass Ave. She says how so many times she helping people after accidents on the street, with blankets, water and such. She tells me that it got to a point the Los Angeles Councilman Tom LaBonge, actually had a priest come out and exorcise the road., which she said was a “hoot” to watch. I said the maybe Toluca Lake is cursed, to which she laughingly replied “I wouldn’t doubt it”.

So the question is : Is Toluca Lake Cursed??

I have looked online and did some research, and I can’t find a damn thing about any kind of curse.

The only thing I could find was a story of “The Curse of Toluca Lake” but they referring to the videogame Silent Hill. I did get a kick out of the when I first was playing the game and you have to go to Toluca Lake, maybe one of the writers lives here.

Murders?? The that comes to mind was last year a businessman was murdered in his driveway, which is still unsolved, but it seems it was a hit.

A neighbor in my building once told me that there was a murder in my apartment in the 70's, but I can't verify that. But when I first moved in there was slight eerie thing that would happen, the towel would always slide off the shower curtain rod in my roommates bathroom. If you were sitting in the living room you could see it fall, no matter how it was hanging. One night I just talked out loud and said "I don't know who you are, but you can stay if you want, just don't jump out and scare the shit out of me". Yes I actually did do that, and you know what the towel never fell off the shower rod ever again, scouts honor. But my bed does shake every once and awhile but I chalk that up to an earthquake, whether I believe it is or not.

And there is a haunted house behind the Bob’s Big Boy, it seems a rental sign was on the fence of the house and a woman I spoke with said she called about the rental, and spoke with a pleasant woman who then requested she call back, when she did, another woman answered the phone, and said that her mother is still always playing jokes on her, but the mother had died a few years previously.

Toluca Lake is very close to all the studios Universal, Warner Bros, & Disney has been the home to many celebrities, past and present, such as Lon Chaney, Bob Hope, Sinatra, W.C. Fields, Bing Crosby, Andy Griffith, Doris Day, Ozzie & Harriet and two out of three Stooges. Now it’s names like Jack Black, Quentin Tarantino, Steve Carell, Gary Marshall, Henry Winkler, Denzel Washington, one of those Jonas Brothers, and a lot more.  Every once and awhile you’ll see them at the 7-11,Timmy Nolans Tavern, Bob’s Big Boy etc. But it’s the lesser-known entertainment industry folks that make this village what it is.

So If anyone know anything about a curse or haunting in the awesome little village, let me know, I am very curious to see if there is.

Sad old T.V.

Eddie on "PORTAL 2"

The original game Portal came out a few years ago, and I just didn’t get it. Now I know it had a fan base, and people raved about it. Well I decided to bypass the original completely and try the sequel called, you guessed it, “Portal 2”.

Available for the PS3, XBOX 360, PC and OS X.

VALVE has taken me by surprise with this inventive, yet simple game, just as they did with the Left 4 Dead series. Basically this is a First Person Shooter puzzle game where you use a portal gun to teleport throughout the level to solve each unique puzzle.

You awake after a few hundred years in stasis at the Aperture Science Facility and meet Wheatley played by Stephen Merchant (The Rick Gervais Show, Extras, An idiot Abroad) a nervous little paranoid self-conscious robot.  It seems the facility is in major neglect and disrepair, and Wheatley wants to help you escape. Right at the beginning you awake GLaDOS, sort of like a mean mother system robot of the facility, who is not happy you are there, and makes you solve these puzzles all the while verbally tormenting of you.

Quick side note about the voice-over work, Stephen Merchant is brilliant as Wheatley. I don’t if his dialogue was scripted or just improvisation, but it is hilarious. He seems to be so enthusiastic and having so much fun working on this game, that it fits perfectly to the character. All the dialogue throughout the game flows nicely and doesn’t seem forced, as some games do. Also great V.O. work of J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson from Spider-man) as Aperture Science CEO and Ellen McLain returning as the cruel GLaDOS.

Stephen Merchant aka Wheatle

The graphics are excellent, deep and more richly detailed than they need to be for this game. The puzzles are inventive and addictive, they are also somewhat complex, but simple, and not at all frustrating when you look around in the game. At no point did I want to pick the game console up and throw it through a window, like I do with many others. You'll have to drop through holes on one end to catapult you to other areas, launch pads to other areas, so it's kind of a inter-dimentional game. I know my words are not doing it justice. But once you are able to wrap your brain around this game you will know what I mean.

Also another thing that is great about this game is that, kids and adults can totally enjoy this game. Your not running around blowing peoples heads off and spraying blood everywhere like most games out there today, I’m talking to you Call of Duty. It also as split screen & online Co-op missions, so this will also keep you 2 kids occupied for awhile. The excellent music and especially the ending credits song "Want You Gone" by Jonathan Coulton, fit the games sarcastic tone perfectly. See the video below.


Well I have finished it yet I just had to say something and spread the word one on of the most enjoyable games out there for everyone.

Overall I give this game a 5 out of 5, it’s a blast.

Trailer

 

Want you Gone by Jonathan Coulton

Eddie on "MARWENCOL"

I’ll put it out there,. “ I Love Documentaries”. Now I must say I am a bit of a snob when it comes to them though, Some are real low budget, but that is not a bad thing. The ones that “Irk” me are the one that are not complete or they don’t grow in the long run. Some docs are big budget, look at me, types of films, that in the end are a waste of time. If I don’t feel an emotional grip to the subject in the first 10 minutes, BAM, I turn it off.

So now I must review an amazing Doc called “MARWENCOL”. I rented this film from Netflix, but it will be available soon as a streaming video. Here’s a little website that lets you know what’s coming soon, www.streamingsoon.net. You can check out all the films being available by a date. Enough said about that.

MARWENCOL is the story of Mark Hogencamp from Kingston, N.Y. Mark was severely beaten in a bar parking lot and left in a coma. When he awoke, all his past memories were erased forever, and he had to learn everything all over again. And after many months of therapy, the Medicare stopped , so he had to create his own therapy.

Mark wanted to know one thing “Who am I?”. The only way he could do this was to create his own world and stories, through dolls. The setting of these stories is a fictitious town called Marwencol, during World War II. This town and it’s characters that he created, are so richly detailed you can actually see the emotion in the photographs he takes, I shit you not. These creation live and breath through Mark, and he cherishes every one of them.

Director: Jeff Malmberg was able to capture the honesty of Mark and the fears that he feels about not knowing why the attack happened in the first place. As the film progresses you begin to learn more about Mark past, and the person he was before the brutal attack. Big kudos for Mr. Malmberg !!!

Everything begins to change for Mark when a Art Gallery in N.Y.C. finds out about his secret little world.

This is an amazing doc that left me in awe of Mark’s realization of who he was and who he now wants to be. The twists hit me hard, not in a bad way, but in the “This guy has balls” way. The photos alone are chilling, but his heart felt honesty is what drives it home.

I put the trailer up once before, but here it is once again, behold the world of "MARWENCOL".

Eddie on "FOUR LIONS"

Four Lions is the story of a group of British jihadists, and their attempt to be martyrs, by causing a terrorist attack in Britain. These group of men dream of being terrorists, but unfortunately they are also bumbling idiots.

Now I know that everyone will think that this may be a taboo subject, and even think that this may be “Too Soon”. Most films about this subject are usually serious documentaries about the Muslim ideology, and the extremists who carry out these attacks.

Christopher Morris, who wrote and directed this film, took this touchy subject and made a compelling, quick witted, well made, and  hysterical movie. If this exact story were incorporated into any other subject it would have been a so-so movie we’ve all seen before. This film does not make fun of their beliefs, just the extreme lengths that they take. A film like this could never be made in the U.S. and thank god it wasn’t. This is through and through a British black comedy, and it’s the twisted dark sense of humor that makes it work.

All I can say is I laughed my ass off. These guys are trying their hardest to do what they believe in the right thing to do, and despite the horrific attack they are planning you start to sympathize with them. Yes as ludicrous as this may sound it is true. There is one scene where Omar (Riz Ahmed, who is great) is telling his son a bedtime story about 'Simba's Jihad', it is so absurd it is actually touching. You begin to see that the people in this “Terrorist Cell” as just regular guys who are likable, and yet only human.

I recommend this movie, but be forewarned this last 10 minutes gets really dark. This is not your typical adult comedy. This movie is rated “R” for a reason. It is on streaming Netflix, so give it a shot, but remember to be open minded.

Side note: “No animals were harmed in the making of this movie”.

Eddie on "WINNEBAGO MAN"

I am going to try and review a movie that I just watched, which I found to be amazing.

The name of this movie is “Winnebago Man”.

With the advent of the Internet, all those crazy VHS tape clips have now been pulled out of the closet and put out there for all the world to see. And none are as more amazing as the ranting of the man labeled as “The Angriest Man on Earth”.

A documentary filmmaker named Ben Steinbauer, decided to see if he could find, and document this legendary man, the internet Winnebago Man, by the name of Jack Rebney.

Now, to be honest, I had heard nothing but great reviews for this film and of course I wanted to see it, like everyone else. Not to say I am picky, but I know crap film making when I see it. And if I like something I will recommend it to all my friends with a deep passion, and they are never disappointed

So I must say, I have never seen a more hysterically funny, intellectual, honest, and poignant documentary in a very long time. I watched every every second this film, I did not fast forward or step away at all. Will I did pause once to use the, shall I say,  the Latin word, "Latrine"., but lets be honest I am only human,

The great part about this documentary is watching the director trying to figure out what he is actually searching for, what is his documentary about, and what will be the outcome at the end. The other part is the legendary angry man is Jack Rebney himself, this man does not mince words.

I am not one of those reviewers to tell anything about the story, or the “trials and tribulations” of the road that are traveled. I will not tell what the outcome is, nor give away any spoilers.

All that I can say is, this is a film  YOU MUST SEE and is HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

If you get a chance to rent the actual DVD be sure to watch the extras this adds a great deal to the film and should not be missed.

Below I have added the trailer for all to see the glorious world of the WINNEBAGO MAN. (NSFW)