"Re-Animator" DVD Review (1997 Issue / 2012 Issue)

PREFACE:

This is the fourth installment of a series of DVD reviews of motion pictures adapted from stories written by H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937).


THE MOVIE:


BASIS:

Lovecraft's short story "Herbert West-Reanimator" was written between June 1921 and July 1922 for serialization in "Home Brew"- an amateur magazine. It was Lovecraft's first mention of Miskatonic University and is also the first written story that refers to "zombies" as scientifically reanimated corpses having an cannibalistic, uncontrollable, animal-like demeanor.

PRODUCTION:

In 1984, Director Stuart Gordon & writer Dennis Paoli wanted, at first, to adapt the HPL story "Dagon" for a filmed adaptation but changed their minds before production. This would be the two's first of many successful Lovecraft movie adaptations.

The movie that was made would be a hit in 1985 and the beginning of a resurgence of interest in the works of H.P. Lovecraft which continues to grow today.


STORY:

The story revolves around Miskatonic University new genius student Herbert West (played by Jeffrey Combs), his friend Daniel Cain (Bruce Abbott) utilizing Wests' newly developed 're-agent' serum that brings the dead back to life. The results, shall we say, are not what West had expected.

                                               Dr. Herbwert West (L) & Daniel Cain (R).

Barbara Crampton plays Megan Halsey, Cains girlfriend and daughter of the Medical Schools Dean- Alan Halsey. The evil Dr. Carl Hill, played with great talent, is the late David Gale - Wests teacher and megalomaniac antagonist.

            Barbara Crampton as Megan Halsey.

                                                                                             Dr. Carl Hill & Dean Alan Halsey.
As West & Cain experiment with the serum, the incredible violence and Hills attempt of theft of the re-agent - results in Hill's murder by decapitation ( and resulting reanimation) by West himself. The crazy, over-the-top gore, violence and black humor only increases from that point to a crescendo of ridiculous proportions in blood, body parts & zombies!

This films mood can be summed up in a single line of dialogue from the climactic ending:        


WEST:(to the talking severed head of Dr.Hill):

"Who's going to believe a talking head? Get a job in a side show!"

DVD REVIEWS:
                                                                             

Re-Animator Review 1st Issue DVD (1997) - Elite Entertainment

Elite Entertainments 1997 DVD Cover Artwork.

This is the first time that Re-Animator was issued on DVD. The print of from Elite Entertainments own laser disc print from earlier years. The picture is well rendered and presented in the 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio with Digital Mono Sound and a running time of 86 minutes.

Special Features:

Digitally remastered Unrated Edition.

Two full-running Audio Commentary Tracks (1)- Stuart Gordon , (2) - Brian Yuzna & Cast.

Over 20 minutes of additional "R-Rated" scenes; including never before seen "Dream Sequence".

Theatrical Trailer & Television Spots.

"Re-Animator" DVD Review (2012 Issue)

Image Entertainments 2012 DVD Cover artwork.

This print is a lot clearer than the 1997 issued DVD's, although they used the same source materials. The sound is greatly improved with it being remastered in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. The aspect ratio is still 1.85:1, however it is enhanced for 16x9 televisions.

Special Features:

Audio Commentary by Director Stuart Gordon

Audio Commentary by Producer Brian Yuzna and actors Bruce Abbott, Jeffrey Combs, Barbara                                                                                                     Crampton & Robert Sampson.

Interview with Director Stuart Gordon and Producer Brian Yuzna.

Interview with Writer Dennis Paoli.

Interview with Composer Richard Band.

Music Discussion with Composer Richard Band.

Interview with Fangoria Magazine editor Tony Timpone.

Deleted & Extended Scenes.

Theatrical trailer.

Television spots.

Re-Animator IS THE horror movie that NO self respecting horror buff should be without or AT LEAST watched!

Do I recommend "Re-Animator"? Does a bear shit in the woods?

-Nash

"From Beyond" DVD Review (US & German DVD's!)

PREFACE

This is the third in my series of DVD reviews of movie adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft stories. This time around, I'll be taking a look at two versions of "From Beyond". First up is the "official" U.S. "Unrated Directors Cut" from 2007 & secondly a look at the German issued Dragon Entertainment release in 2000.

"H.P. Lovecraft's From Beyond" U.S. Unrated Directors Cut Review - MGM 2007

MGM 2007 DVD Cover Art.

THE MOVIE

This 1986 film adaptation is the second one done by Lovecraft masters Stuart Gordon & Dennis Paoli, the first being 1985's highly inventive "Re-Animator".  The two maestros would continue to collaborate for many years adapting Lovecraft stories with great success.

Effectively, this can be considered a sequel to Lovecraft's short story "From Beyond" written in 1920 as the short story is visually adapted in the pre-credits sequence! So, really, everything after the opening credits is what happened after the original story ended! As a Lovecraft fan, I don't really look at it that way though but it is an interesting idea to consider!

This movie has what Lovecraft fans have come to expect by 1986: gore, slime, tentacles, body horror elements and crazed scientists tampering which things they shouldn't. 

The story is simple: Crawford Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs) and Dr. Edward Pretorious ( Ted Sorel) have worked to create a machine dubbed "the resonator". The resonator is capable of generating waves that stimulate dormant senses within the human brain that allows a subject "to see" and interact with all of the other-worldly dimensions that surround us unseen every moment.

Pretorious, driven by his own obsessions with sensual pleasures, tests the machine and is consumed by something from beyond as Tillinghast disables the resonator with an ax. Arrested for Pretorious's murder and placed into an asylum, a young psychiatrist Katherine McMicheals (Barbara Crampton) and police officer Bubba Brownlee (Ken Foree) work to re-create the experiment to prove Tillinghast is telling the truth regarding Pretorious' death.

The ensuing madness & mayhem involves a transfigured Pretorious, now a resident of the other dimensions, attempting to bring the two worlds together and unleash an unimaginable horror. 

Dr. Pretorious in one of his transfigured flesh forms.

Pretorious demonstrating that "it's just a body"!

Tillinghast & McMicheals look on in horror.

The infamous "Resonator".

One restored deleted scene. The notorious "eat the brain through the eye socket" shot!

The US Unrated Directors Cut runs 86 minutes with all of the deleted scenes in place. The DVD features are Audio Commentary by Stuart Gordon & Cast; Directors Perspective featurette; The Editing Room: Lost and Found; Interview with the musical composer & more.

It's presented in 1.85:1 Widescreen and only with Dolby Surround. The disc is coded for Region 1.

This is the version to get on DVD, but I read about the new Blu-Ray disc and it seems to have upped the ante regarding extras and audio/video resolution.That's a whole other blog right there!

"H.P. Lovecraft's From Beyond" - Dragon Entertainment Issue (Germany) -2000

German DVD Front Cover.

THE MOVIE:

The DVD is actually the US Theatrical Version and is cut by several minutes despite the packaging listing the running time as 86 minutes. The DVD quality is of a restored quality, but not as good as the US Edition. It does have 5.1 Surround Sound, but in German only. Original English language track is 2.0. It is, however, presented in 1.85:1 Widescreen and the animated DVD Menus are incredible!

This disc is coded Region 0 - capable of being played anywhere in the world.

What makes this version so awesome is the artwork, the slip sleeve, the booklet and the interior artwork. It's amazing! 

Interior DVD Case outer artwork.

Interior DVD Case inner Artwork & Booklet.

Again, I would recommend this film, not to just Lovecraft fans, but to horror fans as well. Newer fans will may not enjoy all of the practical effects, but that's what gives these 80's horror films an edge in the gore factor, in my opinion!

Go & watch this film! I love it!

"The Whisperer in Darkness" DVD Review

"The Whisperer in Darkness" DVD Review

Title card for the movie.

This time around, The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society chose a more ambitious story to adapt: "The Whisperer in Darkness". The original story was written in 1931 so the film makers, Andrew Leman, Sean Branney & David Robinson, decided to keep the motif going from their first Lovecraft adaptation "The Call of Cthulhu" (written in the 20's & filmed as a film from the 20's)  by making the film in the style of a 1930's era motion picture. 

This time around, although still in black & white, the film has sound. What a difference it makes!

Lovecraft fans will really enjoy this film, even though it does stray a little from the source material.

Mysterious people, cultists, strange rituals, spacetime portals, monsters, aliens, brains surgically removed and integrated into machinery...this Lovecraft film has a it all! Armed with what comes across as a larger budget, the HPLHS has created a visually stunning piece of horror story telling. The visual effects in some cases are CGI, but are animated in such a way as they blend into the 1930's aesthetic seamlessly. 

THE DVD

2011 DVD 2 Disc Set Cover.

The 2 disc deluxe DVD is packed with features. The film, also filmed in "Mythoscope", now has a 5.1 surround musical score that is just wonderful. The feature itself runs in at 104 minutes long. The action and creepy suspension is built in a steady pace leading to one of the more shocking moments in Lovecraft's stories.

A second DVD contains two and a half hours of featurettes showcasing the monsters, miniatures, make-up and other optical effects; deleted & extended scenes...plus some surprises!

As with their first release "The Call of Cthulhu", actor Matt Foyer returns to play the main character, Albert WIlmarth- a folklorist from Miskatonic University. He's a fine actor and has cemented his place in Lovecraftian films right next to others such as Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator, From Beyond, The Dunwich Horror) & Ezra Godden (Dagon, Dreams in the Witch House). Barry Lynch is also a credit to this film. His performance is both chilling and creepily delightful in it's execution.

Protagonist Albert N. Wilmarth.

I won't go into detail, as most of you reading this are probably familiar with Lovecraft's work, regarding the plot of the film itself. However, a short synopsis will suffice the curious and the Lovecraft noobs.

Miskatonic University folklore expert, Albert Wilmarth receives reports of strange body parts being discovered along the banks of recently flooded rivers. Mysterious letters, sent from Henry Akeley in Vermont regarding creatures in the mountains.

Wilmarth goes to investigate these reports and ultimately discovers an ages old co-operative of hellish creatures and local residents whose motives are horrific in their implications.

I highly recommend watching "The Whisperer in Darkness" to any Lovecraft fan and any casual watcher of horror films in general. Again, if you're expecting a mega-millions movie, you'll be disappointed. However, this film as a stand alone piece of a visual representation of Lovecraft's work cannot be ignored for any reason.

Go read the original story, then watch the movie! 

"The Call of Cthulhu" DVD Review

"The Call of Cthulhu" DVD Review

Title card from the film set in the 1920's aesthetics.

PREFACE:

"The Call of Cthulhu" is a short story written by horror/fantasy writer H.P. Lovecraft in 1926. This story is the main element in his "Cthulhu Mythos" arc of writing during his lifetime.

Film makers since that time, have deemed that the story is 'unfilmable' because of the way that Lovecraft wrote his stories. No one had ever even tried to adapt it to the big screen because of this reason.

Then along came Sean Branney & Andrew Leman, founders of the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. They believed that it could be adapted, but the approach would be non-conventional in nature. They overcame many of the technical issues of adapting the work by filming their screenplay in the style of films during the period in which Lovecraft himself would have been alive & written the story. Thus the movie is in black & white, silent and employs stop-motion animation (a la "King Kong"). In this manner they were able to stay true to the core material and present a movie made by Lovecraft fans for Lovecraft fans.

So, this film isn't for everyone. Being a member of the HPLHS myself and being very familiar with the written work, I can say that it is by far, the most accurate adaptation of any of Lovecraft's work.

Now, I will say that it is by far not the best or most successful (Re-Animator, From Beyond, etc).

THE MOVIE:

The movie was adapted for filming by Sean Branney and is quite faithful to Lovecraft's source material. The movie comes in at 47 minutes, so the narrative is very compact and moves swiftly. This is accomplished by the use of montages, flashbacks & the odd "dialogue card or inter-title card" a la 1920's silent era films. The music is very well done and captures the mood of the film in a very unique way. The film was shot in glorious "Mythoscope" to boot!

This isn't a big budget picture, but the way it's presented is nothing short of a Lovecraft lovers dream.

I'm not going to go into great detail regarding the plot here as there is already voluminous information regarding readily available across the web. It will be  suffice to say that one mans journey into piecing together a maddening cosmic truth leads to an incredible conclusion.

The movie itself was an official selection of the Slamdance Film Festival, the Grand Prize Winner of the Avignon Film Festival and won the Audience Award for Best Film at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival.

The 2005 DVD cover (Front & Rear).

THE DVD

The animated menus are pretty cool with in-jokes galore in certain areas. Some features include the official movie trailer, a "Behind the Scenes" segment chocked full of some of the funniest anecdotes I've seen in quite a while. (The HPLHS motto is "Ludo Fore Putavimus" which means "We thought it would be fun"). A replica prop newspaper can be printed out through Adobe Acrobat, some deleted material and inter-titles in 24 languages!

Lovecraft reading will rejoice in seeing this story on screen and done with such passion and accuracy.

If you are interested Lovecraft, then get this film! If you've never watched a silent-era film, then it takes a few minutes to get used to actually "watching" a movie!!

                   Cthulhu rises from the sea.

Next, I'll review HPLHS Motion Pictures second Lovecraft adaptation (and far superior film) of the monster laden "The Whisperer in Darkness"!

For more information please visit www.cthulhulives.com                      

"Hobo with a Shotgun" Collectors Edition Blu-Ray Review

"Hobo with a Shotgun" 

Released on May 6th, 2011 

Directed by Jason Eisener

PREFACE:

Man, I love the old exploitation films of the 70's! As a kid, I saw such films as "Shaft", "Super Ninjas",  "Dolemite", "Blacula", & "Blackenstein" on late night local TV channels. The action was over exaggerated, the acting was campy & there was plenty of run & gun action. 

This style of film making has made a come back thru such efforts as "Planet Terror", "Machete", "Machete Kills" & "Death Proof". 

"Hobo with a Shotgun", just like "Machete", began as a fake trailer for a Grindhouse competition. The response was good enough that an entire movie was made on the premise. 

THE MOVIE:

Rutger Hauer as the "Hobo".

Man, Rutger Hauer, owns this movie! I was impressed as a young movie goer when I first saw him in "Blade Runner". He takes this role and runs with it. This movie is not intended to make a statement regarding the homeless nor is it pretentious to even try to. This movie is pure horror/action and it's fun to watch. It reminds me of a mix of "Falling Down" (1993; Mike Douglas) & "Planet Terror"

 (2007;Rose McGowen). 

A solitary Hobo (Hauer) rides the rails into "Scum Town" to try & make himself a new life. He finds out quickly that the town is nothing but a cesspool of crime, corruption and degradation. The atrocities he witnesses are simply to give the viewer something to hate- stereo-typically; a pedophile, prostitution, robberies, murders, etc. The Hobo tries to raise money for a lawnmower in a local pawn shop for $49.99. Having no luck, he has to degrade himself for a videographer (a la "Bum Fights") to gain the money to buy it.

When he enters the pawn shop to buy the lawnmower, masked thugs are in the process of robbing the place; threatening to kill a mother & her infant child. The Hobo makes the choice- a lawnmower for $49.99 or a pump shotgun for $49.99. The Hobo, fed up with all of what he has seen & endured, grabs the shotgun & kills the criminals.

Afterwards, the Hobo goes on a vigilante killing spree. He begins killing every criminal he comes across, usually with a smart ass comment before dispatching the evil-doer.

Of course, any splatter film wouldn't be complete without outrageous villains - so we have the evil towns leader "The Drake", his two sons "Slick" & "Ivan" as antagonists. However, the movies best villains are the two henchmen employed by Drake known as "The Plague".

Garbed in armor and having unique weapons, the Plague captures the Hobo to be taken to The Drake for execution. These two guys are weird, cool, unemotional and a little on the supernatural side. I mean one shot, as the Hobo is in the lair of the Plague, he sees the two fighting off some sort of tentacled creature in another room. I mean, it's never explained or has any relevance to the story at all. But the tentacled creature obviously wasn't something natural! Weird, but I like it!

The movie is a kind of throw back that is cool and fun to watch. A revenge story told within outrageous parameters. I'd recommend this movie to fans of the genre, that's for sure.

"The Plague"

THE DVD:

The Blu-ray itself comes with a lot of special features that are sure to please movie buffs. I was impressed with the packaging as well. The artwork is also in the 70's exploitation style and is stylized to reflect the films aesthetic.

So, being the strange-movie guru that I am, I give this film a great recommendation.

Till next time-------- Later.

Cannibal Holocaust DVD Review (Grindhouse 2-Disc Special Edition)

CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST DVD / MOVIE REVIEW

Grindhouse 25th Aniversary 2 Disc Special Edition Cover Art.

PREFACE:

OK, after many, many years of reading about this film (and many, many years of avoiding it)- I finally bought Grindhouse Releasing's 25th Anniversary Edition 2 disc set, one of only 11,111 DVD's released. 

I'm no stranger to Italian gore films, as I've enjoyed such fare as Dario Argento (Tenebrae, Deep Red), Lucio Fulci (Zombie, The Beyond), Mario Bava (Twitch of the Death Nerve), Umberto Lenzi (Make Them Die Slowly), & Luigi Cozzi (Contamination). 

I've kinda of avoided the whole 1980's Italian cannibal genre because I really wasn't fond of the sexual content of such films. I don't like the way those Italian horror films chose to show violence against women. That's just the line I draw. 

After much debate with my horror friends, I decided to give it a chance and watch the granddaddy of the Italian cannibal films - "Cannibal Holocaust". This film spawned numerous imitators and is considered, even by today's standards, as truly horrific in content - bordering on the obscene in it's graphic depiction of the subject matter.

After viewing it, I can tell you that it does, indeed, live up to and greatly surpasses it's reputation.

PLOT:

 An anthropologist, Harold Monroe (played by Robert Kerman) goes to the deepest jungles of the Amazon in search of a missing documentary team of young filmmakers. After witnessing several atrocities of the various tribes, he finds the remains of the crew.  He is able to negotiate with the leader of the "Tree People" for the film canisters belonging to the missing documentary crew.

After viewing the "lost footage", we discover that the documentary crew were cruel, sadistic people willing to do anything to obtain the shots they wanted. The cannibal tribe turned on them, killed them & ate them.

There are scenes of tribal rape & torture, gang rape of a native girl by the film crew, the actual killing of several animals, be-headings, genital mutilations, an impalement of grotesque proportions  and, of course, graphic cannibalism.

THE MOVIE ITSELF:

When "Cannibal Holocaust" was released in 1980, the director was arrested and charged with several crimes. He actually had to prove that no actors were killed during the production of the film because the scenes were so realistically portrayed! Of course, he was not prosecuted after the actors had all been accounted for.

The film does, however, show the actual killing of several animals- the most revolting was a large river turtle that the missing crew would cook and eat. These scenes are un-nerving as the camera does not pan away for reaction shots, it focuses strictly and closely to the graphic deaths of the animals.

The rape scenes are horrific and repulsive and leaves very little to the imagination as to the brutality of the acts. The deaths of the missing film crew are especially graphic and I can see how some might think that the deaths were real. 

The infamous impalement scene.

I think it's realism comes from the fact that it's a "movie within a movie", shot documentary style. The missing film crew as they were portrayed to the audience were totally unsympathetic and unworthy of any concern an audience member might have had for them if they were of innocent character. Oh no, these characters were despicable, sleazy, low life criminals. Their deaths were no surprise, but the depictions of their deaths are what is haunting.

Here's my observation regarding the films construction: By setting up the viewer to see actual animal deaths on screen, the viewers mind is prepared to take whatever happens next as being real as well. This is why I think the deaths depicted later in the film are so powerful to a viewer on such a guttural level.

However, the film has great cinematography, music and a well-organized narrative. The film used real Amazonian natives to play the three tribes depicted in the film: the Yanomamo and the Shamatari and the Yacumo. 

I'm not usually shocked or repulsed by horror films- but this one did the trick for me. I almost grimaced throughout the entire run and actually was repulsed by several scenes in the movie. I can see and understand how the film was banned & censored in several countries.

The Special Edition was restored and  presented uncut, as the director had intended. 

If cannibalism & sadism is your idea of horror, then "Cannibal Holocaust" is for you. If you like being repulsed and having to turn away from the realistic depiction of graphic violence - "Cannibal Holocaust" has it in spades.

Would I recommend it? That depends. I waited 30 years to watch it. Now that I have- I probably will never watch it again. Not because it's a bad horror movie, but because it's too good of a horror movie. It portrayed violence, gore & taboo subjects in an all to real manner - that truly horrified & repulsed me. If that's the goal of a horror movie, then "Cannibal Holocaust" is one you would want to see.

One viewing was enough for me. 

If you want to know more regarding this film, you should go directly to the source:

http://www.cannibalholocaust.net/ 

Other films in this genre include: "Cannibal Ferox", "Jungle Holocaust" and Eli Roth's upcoming "Green Inferno". 

Dragon*Con 2014!

NOTE:  I'm sorry it's taken me so long to blog and catch up on things, however I've had several health problems/hospital admissions/sicknesses that have kept me from being able to attend any of the filming of TWD this year.Hopefully, I'll be good to go by next filming season. If this weekend was a test, then I should be ok by then.

DRAGON*CON 2014

Well, another year and another Dragon*Con notch on the belt. This time, I had the opportunity to stay for 3 days (Thanks to good friend, D. Melton!) and the number of people attending were up again this year. On Saturday, the talk was up around 75,000 to 80,000 people, however that's not an official estimate.

This years guest list was pretty good (as far as my interests go):

Peter Weller (RoboCop; Star Trek Into Darkness)
Colin Baker (6th Doctor Who)
Stephen Collins (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
Gil Gerard (Buck Rogers)
Terry Gilliam (Monty Python; Zero Theorum)
James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy & Dawn of the Dead 2004 writer)
Grant Imahara (Mythbusters; Star Trek Conitnues)
Walter Koenig (Chekov- Star Trek)
Lloyd Kaufman (Troma)
John Ratzenberger (Cheers; The Empire Strikes Back)
Jeri Ryan (Star Trek: Voyager)
Tom Savini (FX Master)
Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Dana Snyder ( Voice of "Master Shake")
Karl Urban (Star Trek 2009; Dr. McCoy)
Garrett Wang (Star Trek: Voyager)


To name just a few of the great guests there this year! Many more guests, artists & creative types and nuts in general were out in full force!

RIGHT DOWN TO IT!

OK, most of you know I'm old & therefore, "old school".. I grew up in a different fandom setting than today's ultra-chic, esoteric fan-based commercialized trappings, so take what I'm about to say with that in mind.

I know that things change & change is good. However, things have changed so drastically within the last 20 years within the convention world that's it's almost unrecognizable. That would be good if the change wasn't directly centered upon commercialism instead of simply the love of the genres. Hey, I completely understand that people gotta make a living, but to me, this is getting really crazy.

Everyone is out to make a buck on anything they can regarding gullible fans and their willingness to pay anything to get whatever hokey crap is being peddled as popular at the moment. Money is the motivator & it gets the nerds motivated, that's for damn sure. As soon as the established TV & movie industry realized the untapped potential of this, the gloves were off! What was once an exclusive niche for genre fans to meet, discuss, see and greet the stars of their favorite shows & movies (& allowed them to make some cash as well) has turned into a great, big moving advertisement that one PAYS to go and experience.

Now, that's not to say that socialization doesn't occur at cons anymore, it certainly does, however the medium in which it has taken on has a completely different connotation to it as compared to days gone by. LARP (Live Action Role Play) has boomed over the past few years and, for some, takes the place of actual social interactivity. Some of it is, in fact, purposed for that exact reason. What happened to talking to people? It's being replaced by the anonymity of behind a furry mask as to create a barrier for the wearer to not feel responsible for any awkward social interactions that a they may encounter under "normal" circumstances.

Hey, you do your thing & I'll do mine is what I've always said, but we don't have that luxury any longer when the tide totally turns against those of us who have moderate interests in genre subjects. It's we who have to modify our way of interacting or be lost to the tide of steam-punk furries posing with total strangers like they're being pumped in the arse just to try & gain "convention notoriety".

That's another aspect of Cons that has crept into the scene, I call it "Convention Notoriety". It's the propensity for certain costumed convention goers to gain as much "popularity" as possibly by posing & taking pictures with every single person that they possibly can. Some of these folks will do anything to get attention. Although nudity is strictly prohibited, I'm here to tell you that line is regularly crossed and is more often "hovered around" by the female con-goers. Again, it's your thing- do what you wanna do. I would point out that this is probably why there are hardly any kids attending conventions nowadays (6-17 years of age). Just my opinion....the parents need a way to escape their reality and what better way than to put on a mask, leave the kids with a sitter & go partying with other people wearing an Oscar the Grouch costume, huh?

 I, for one, make a special note to the change in dealers & dealers rooms. I mean, come on, each year with increasing veracity the people of the convention are literally herded into, around & back out of the dealers room exactly like cattle. If you stop for one second, you better be buying something or there'll be someone telling you to keep it moving! Plus, the dealers rooms are filled with things that really aren't that collectible- just expensive!

 The experience of being herded like cattle was off-putting enough. DC has far outgrown the venues it currently employs. It needs to change venues or expand, which has an opposite effect on patrons trying to get to where they're going in time to participate in whatever event they wish to attend.

I know, I know...too preachy. Anyway, my way of fandom is on the way out (if it's not gone already) and the next generation has firmly settled itself into the center throne.

One last thing...while my daughter & I were waiting on the ground floor elevators at the Hilton, a middle-aged man was harassing a couple of older women who were handicapped. This was in a crowd of about 20 people all dressed as superheroes. As the bully went back to the women for a second round- I told him "That's enough! Leave them alone. I'm not scared of you, so be quiet & leave them alone."

He smarted off to me and began yelling at me. When he saw that I actually was not scared and was willing to stand my ground. He ran off. Here's what pissed me off about the entire thing: during this 5 -7 minute ordeal; NOT ONE of these "superheroes" even bothered to help the two women or even acknowledge what was happening around them. They want to dress the part, play the part, but when it comes down to HELPING someone else- well, that's too much.

 My 11 year old daughter who witnessed this entire event beamed with pride at me. I told her to never let someone else be victimized in your presence.

So, in her eyes, who's the real superhero now, nerds?

-Nash