NEWS

Wednesday, May 28th , 2008
I haven't been posting any news updates on this page because all the text I used to put here I'm now putting in on the same page as that week's strip. It's just my way of forcing myself to get this website reformated into an RSS feed or something.

Monday, February 25th , 2007
Year of the Dog came out in 2007, and my guess is that it didn’t even create a blip on your radar. I blame the mega-movie complexes. They have sixteen screens, but fill four of them with the same highly-advertised movie for three weeks. Meanwhile, the lower budgeted films are given only a half-day slot for just one week before they vanish. You can miss a lot of interesting films that way! And this is one of those interesting films, sort of. I enjoy films that don’t talk down to their audiences, and films that stick to one tone throughout the entire film. Sometimes, that tone may be a low-key dry humor that will make you smirk more often than laugh, like this movie. I give it a five because it’s a decent movie. It’s entertaining in its own subdued-yet-tightly-wound-up way. It has no bad points. On the other hand, it doesn’t have any big explosions.

I'm thinking about a major revamp to this website. I think the news section here should be in a blog. I'm also thinking that my secondary comments about the film might be overkill. And I'm also thinking I like them and maybe I need to add them to the bottom of the pages of all my past reviews, like I've been doing the last couple of months to my new reviews.

Thursday, February 14th , 2007
I just had to rent Eulogy. In fact, I’ll rent any movie that has a Viking Funeral in it. When I was a kid, I always enjoyed watching Viking films, especially the ones with Viking funerals. I now have a personal attachment to Viking funerals. Whenever we asked Grandma how she wanted to be laid to rest, she always said that she wanted a Viking funeral. I’m sure she never guessed that our family would actually manage to do just that! I think that one of these days, I’m going to draw a comic of the whole thing, complete with a homemade Viking ship, remote-control boat, flares, and Disney figurines wearing sombreros. It will be a good story. I also enjoyed the story in this film about a family full of narcissists going through the motions of a funeral. Normally, it would have ranked just average, but that Viking funeral forced me to add another point to its score.

Thursday, February 7th , 2007
I love getting fan mail. This week a fan named Brok sent me a list of his top ten favorite movies. He hoped I’d seen a few of them and that I would do a review on all of them eventually. I had missed two of the movies on his list, so I added them to my must-see list. I’d already seen the other eight, and I remembered having drawn a movie review of one of them. However, in checking my online archives, it appears that it was never posted. I’m going to remedy that now.

My initial impression of 28 Days Later was not that great. Sure, it used some shocking elements, like having the zombies not “dead” and thus capable of running at people at top speed rather than slowly stumbling around. But those high-speed zombies were featured back in the ‘80s with The Return of the Living Dead. And contamination as a theme was done even earlier in the ‘70s with Rabid. So, it did not strike this old gore-hound as anything new. Yet, the film did something I didn’t anticipate; it reinvigorated the genre and then a fresh crop of zombie films came to the market. So, I’m going to eat crow and add a few points to what has become a renewed staple for horror fans. It also means that I need to draw a review of the sequel 28 Weeks Later.

Wednesday, January 15th , 2007
The Holiday is aptly titled. As soon as you start watching it, your brain goes on a holiday. Filled with slightly neurotic and humorous behavior by our female leads, a mild amount of conflict is gently set up to pull at the heartstrings, but not too harshly. You might even think the film is as completely inoffensive and light hearted as a movie can get, with wonderful actors being a treat for the eyes (add one point for that). But you would be wrong. Deep in the heart of this movie, I see some British- and American-bashing going on. For example, take the reactions the women have upon discovering their boyfriends are seeing other women. While the Brit remains his friend and pines away for him for three years, the Yank immediately throws the guy out--and punches him in the nose, twice! That’s one point for the Yank. Then, there are their interactions with other people. The Brit goes out and makes friends with everyone in the neighborhood; the Yank bonks the first drunk who says hello. One point to the Brit for being a good girl. Okay, one point to the Yank for being a bad girl. So, because you may be entertained by the little back-and-forth slurs made on each country, add another point there, too. But the movie ends with absolutely no resolution to anything. There is just a party going on. Okay, so that’s a comment on how life should be, but you’re still left wondering how the movie was really supposed to end (minus one point for that).

Wednesday, January 9th , 2007
I usually enjoy watching movies in which men are in drag--you know, like “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”. These men do a good job portraying themselves as women. But that doesn’t mean anything when what you are faced with is a tasteless movie whose purpose is to comment snidely on every weakness of both sexes. It was brutal to watch. Perhaps if you like movies that have no redeeming value to them (other than their mindless cruelty), then "Girls will be Girls" might be just the flick for you. I can only say that I felt very uncomfortable watching this film because of the self-loathing of women it conveys. It’s a bit of an unfair message to deliver from a film that doesn’t have a single real woman in the whole production. Wait! There might have been a female extra in the café  scene. Oh god! Don’t tell me I have to watch this thing again!

Tuesday, December 27th , 2007
While I enjoyed the dialog of the film Death Proof a great deal, I also enjoyed all of its small hidden details. There were the blatantly obvious posters of past exploitation films, and the not-so-obvious props and backgrounds from those movies. All of those t-shirts and jewelry from the '70s sent me on a flashback to my high school summers and the 7-11 across the street from Edmond’s High School, where they sold all that stuff. That flashback got me thinking about the actor Kurt Russell. I practically grew up with Kurt Russell. Back when he was a child star, I was an even younger child. I can't think of a better actor to be cast as stuntman Mike for this film. My reminiscing about pop culture clutter and good ol' Kurt Russell was my inspiration for this strip.

Tuesday, December 4th , 2007
The closest theater to where I lived was the Lynn Twin. Called the Lynn Twin because it was located in Lynnwood, Washington, it featured not one, but two theaters. And as you might have guessed, both theaters had double features. The Lynn Twin was just within walking distance of our house. It was a long walk, and a fun one, too, if I took it with my brothers. And it was practically a point of honor to see about sneaking into another movie after finishing the movie we were watching. That is how I ended up watching films I would have never paid to see, or been allowed to see. As the 70s came to an end, the Lynn Twin tried to keep up with the sudden onslaught of mega-complexes and cable television by dividing their two screens into four, thus becoming Lynn Four Theater. With smaller screens and dwindling attendance, the owners were not particularly picky about the quality of movies they showed. And, oh my god, the movies were terrible. It was the beginning of the end. I was back home from college during a vacation break one afternoon, watching Showtime on the television when a preview for a movie I had seen at the Lynn Twin popped on the tube. Suddenly, I had an urge to visit the Lynn Four to see what might be playing. There was rented chain link fence around the parking lot, and the doors were all boarded up. I heard a rumor later that there had been some sort of closing ceremony for the place, some sort of blowout, and that I’d just missed it by a few weeks. It might as well have been a few years. The place was dead.

Watching Planet Terror was like sitting in the Lynn Twin all over again. The horrible quality of the film as it hit the second run theaters and the over-the-top storylines of films that were out there just to appeal to the lowest common denominator of sensationalism, all but made me feel that sensation of the sticky floors in my neighborhood theater. So, I can’t help but give this film a few extra points just for taking me back to a place and time that held so many good memories for me.

Check out these links:
http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=19470
and
http://cinematreasures.org/theater/11477

Monday, November 19th , 2007
I have been asked why I did not review any horror movies during the month of October, what with it being the spooky month and all. Well, I was freaking busy is why. It was common sense to take on as much work as possible before my end of the year slow down occurred. It might surprise you to learn that the contracting for illustration, and custom witty cartoons takes a nosedive during the holidays. Even as we speak I just put to bed my last custom Christmas card project. One of these days I hope to live solely on the residuals of my daily and weekly comics, but they are currently far from the bulk on my daily projects as far as income earners are concerned. But, you will be happy to hear that I did spend a great deal of October getting caught up on watching one of favorite types of films: the Zombie movie. I greatly enjoyed watching the Aussie created film: Undead. I consider myself an old veteran of gore movies. It’s always a question of whether or not the film will be nothing but rehashed ideas or something new. Undead was wonderfully fun as not only did rehashed old ideas, but did so with obviously mocking humor. That irreverence along with some surprising twists will make watching this movie a pleasure for any zombie movie fan.

Monday, November 15th , 2007
Foreign Correspondents I believe folks should be honest about their nepotism. Hey, if you don’t and encourage your friends just who is left? I think it’s covert nepotism which people despise, not the glad-handed old boy network so many of us has come to value. It’s in that warm cordial spirit that I watched and now recommend my good friend and buddy Mark Tapio Kine’s first feature which he both wrote and directed, Foreign Correspondents. Mark is someone I bumped into on the Internet some years ago. And while we might not be able to pick each other out in a crowded room, we do enjoy the odd written exchange. Which is a good segue into his movie as it is about people who meet via written exchange. But their social awkwardness is far more interesting.

Be sure to check out Mark Tapio Kine’s List of 9. It’s at http://www.cassavafilms.com  where you can learn about his other movies and projects.

Monday, November 5th , 2007
The Usual Suspects is one of those wonderful thrillers that goes a step further than providing a wide variety of twists and turns to the plot. Sure, many of the standard story devices are used, but effectively. You don’t feel like your going over old over-used scenarios. And, just as your all settled down with the pattern of delivery, you get the last clue, which throws everything on its head. And while the reveal is just as old of a trick as everything else, it’s done in such an inspired manner that you think the writers invented it just for this film. 

Monday, October 8th , 2007
Lost in Translation is a wonderful film that touched on one of my own personal experiences. I traveled to Japan and lived there for a year as a foreign exchange student. My goal was to experience a culture completely different from my own. I was shocked to find that I was not nearly as adaptive to my new circumstance as I’d hoped. I suffered from culture shock, not just for days but also for months. The experience of being knocked loose from my cultural footing was bizarre, a little liberating – and very frightening. For me, this film caught the essence of that experience perfectly. But I could not give the film a ten. I took one point off because there will be those who won’t be able to relate to the film in the same way I do. My freshly-remembered profound traveling experience left me with a strong a desire to share the experience vicariously through the film. And when other audience members don’t, what should be a small disappointment is felt more keenly.

Monday, Sept 17th , 2007
I have always enjoyed Kung-Fu movies like The House of Flying DaggersThe House of Flying Daggers, especially when they show a real effort to present beautiful backgrounds. The cinema photographer has taken full advantage of the lavish landscapes to create memorable scenes. There’s a fair amount of photoplay with all the weapons flying about. The combination of backdrops, special effects, and martial arts action left me content with the content of the film. To find a solid storyline was more than I expected. And while it was not epic, it did take one step past the usual.

Wednesday, Sept 5th , 2007
I was lucky to be in Orange County when I saw 2 Days in Paris. Lucky in that I was able to go with my sister Brenda and her movie buddy Garrett. Brenda’s husband Mike is not fond of movies with subtitles, and this film flips back and forth between French and English. Having half of the characters not understanding what the other half is saying is, well, half the fun. I seldom get a chance to see a film with my sister. The last time I can recall is when we went to see Dracula in 1980. Anyway, it’s my habit to draw movie reviews when I’m on a plane trip. Unfortunately, the notes I took on the rapid and amusing dialog were stowed in the unreachable overhead compartment. While this review might lack the slew of quotes I was planning on using, it still carries the tone of my movie-going experience. I only hope that I don’t have to wait another 27 years to see a film with my sister.

Tues, August 28st , 2007
With a title like Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death, you instinctually know that you are going to be watching a b-movie that will not take itself seriously. Personally, I prefer those awful b-movies that show that there was at least an attempt to make a credible film. So, I cannot say that I was overly pleased to watch a film whose content is merely some writer's mental spew of feminist angst vs. male chauvinist angst. I couldn't escape the feeling that the jokes might have been funny a decade earlier. But listening to them two decades after this film's release was nothing less than brutal. It was very much like listening to a class of thirty (or forty) second-graders sing, "I'm a Little Tea Spout," as each child takes a turn to sing a solo part, while you are stuck somewhere with no easy exit–like on a plane. Kudos to the cinematographer who went out of his way to make sure that every shot echoed the vast array of potential framing mistakes any amateur would commit. The skill with which the producers were able to pull all sense of life out of the story was impressive as well.
Why, oh why, do I let such outrageously presented movie titles suck me in? Let me declare like so many who have gone before me, "Beware the Avocado Jungle of Death!"

Monday, August 13st , 2007
I believe The Covenant misses its target audience. I mean, just how many rich overly privileged kids attending prep school are there? And while the movie lamely tries to get girls interested in the storyline, the sham is quickly set aside as this testosterone festival revs up. What does appeal to teenage boys? How about nearly naked girls with tattoos, joy riding and messing with the cops? There is nothing “girly” about the magic the boys possess. Forget that the title of Covenant has the word Coven in it. Forget also that the word “witch” is avoided like the plague. Even the word “Warlock” is completely off-limits. A lot of things are off-limits with this movie. Like developing all of the supposedly main characters. One of the four special sons of Ipswich is so completely ignored I had to strain to remember if he said anything in any of the scenes in which he appeared. Maybe those scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. Still, if you enjoy watching actors get thrown around by invisible wires and cables, this might be just the film for you. I took off a point because of the overly obvious set up for a sequel and the aftertaste that left me wondering if this was some sort of marketing tool for a video game.

Tuesday, July 31st , 2007
My sister Becca gave me her Wild Zero DVD to watch back when we were visiting her and the rest of the family in Denver a few months ago. She wanted to know our opinion of it. Now, I love watching old b-movies, and would-be b-movies. I even have a taste for them. Tell me the film has zombies in it and I will flush two hours of my life away enjoying what the more cultured among us might refer to as celluloid crappola. And while I might have watched it because I was duty bound, it still held my interest, the same way a car accident unfolding in front of you holds your interest. And just like a witness to a car accident, I feel obliged to stick around and report what I saw to the authorities. This little zombie fest overplayed many areas of the plot to the point of being kitch. And, as is the case with many b-movies, it left vast areas of plot to die in the desert. The film could have used some more editing, maybe with an axe. Whether the kitch factor it fully embraced will overcome its glaring shortcomings will remain to be seen. It is a fairly new film after all. But, the fact that it made it to the USA via DVD seven years after its conception shows that it might be growing some legs. If you ever get invited to a party in which there is a contest to bring an obscure bad movie, then you just might win with this puppy.

Tuesday, July 24th , 2007
My first reaction to What the #&*! Do We Know!? was one of resignation. I was sure that I would be watching two hours of pseudo new age bullshit. Surely these talking heads were going to bore me into the next realm of existence. My discomfort was initially accented by the spliced in storyline that served as a vehicle for providing examples of a few revelations. But I let myself listen, I soon became brainwashed by these experts in their field. As I questioned some of the principles of the universe I’ve come to accept, my Star Trek fantasies fantasies appeared less half cocked. And the storyline involved me just as planned. You must see this film. It will change your life. One of us. One of us.

Monday, July 16th , 2007
I was just a toddler when The Monkees first aired on prime time television. I don’t think it was the type of show my parents watched, so I can’t claim to have been a fan then. When the show aired as a Saturday morning show a few years later, I did become a fan. Of course, I thought Speed Racer was cool too. This did not stop me years later from dragging my sweet understanding wife to a reunion concert of The Monkees at The Puyallup Fair. We both enjoyed the show a great deal. I was fairly excited to view Head. But, like so many fans before me, I was left feeling alienated by it. I didn’t want to watch something that deconstructed their phony television personas. I fell in love with their phony television world and watching the film felt like getting a Dear John letter 30 years late. Go ahead and watch the film if you feel like an excursion into yesteryear to find some odd writing and a couple of surprising cameos. But, don’t expect to feel the love like you did when you were a kid.

Monday, July 9th , 2007
I saw Spiderman III months ago. You’re probably wondering why I’ve waited so long to post this review.  Well, I just felt like drawing some other reviews first. And maybe my desire to draw other reviews should be taken as a factor as part of this review. This strip follows a theme I’ve developed with all my Spiderman reviews. You can check out my review for Spiderman and Spiderman II in The Comic Critic.com archives. And, if you are curious about my good friend Don in Yakima, you can read a comic I drew about one of our college adventures during a 24 hour cartoon marathons called Spawns of Insomnia.

Monday, June 25th , 2007
Lucky Number Slevin follows the master-clue reveal formula. Lots of little clues are thrown past the viewer in quick succession. In well-honed movies these clues are not obvious, just one of several elements occurring flashing across the screen at any given time. And there is one clue that is more important than the rest. This clue ties all the other clues together and finally everything comes together. The task of the film until the final master-clue is revealed is to keep the viewer off balance by fast and rapid changes of events and plot twists. You would think that predictability is the death of of such a movie, but you would be wrong.  If the movie has any chops, the revealing of the master-clue only urges the viewer to go back and rewatch the film.

Tuesday, June 5th , 2007
I loved so many things about The DaVinci Code, most of which had absolutely nothing to do with the movie. There were all this issues and non-issues surrounding the film. Was it going to live up to the world wide sensational book? Was the Pope going to personally ban it from being shown in Italy? Was the haircut (which I didn’t think was that bad) Tom Hanks or the director’s idea? Are there really secret societies that have remained hidden for centuries? And is faith based on historical fact or in a simple belief that there might be something more? Oops. I’m sorry. I actually touched on an actual theme of the movie there. It was wonderfully fun to watch the struggle between hype and hyperbole, almost as much fun as watching the film itself. The atmosphere that surrounds a movie when the public sees it is such a rare thing. Often it’s forgotten in just a few short years. Sure the movie goes on and will live and will be enjoyed for decades, but that initial experience can be lost. When I can, that experience is something I like to capture in my strips.


Thursday, May 17th , 2007
I know it sounds a bit trite to mention over a decade later just how Jurassic Park revolutionized movie special effects with its combination of CGI and live action animatronics. It redefined the “Dinosaur” genre. Now I can only watch my old dinosaur movies with the same nostalgia I have in riding a big wheel. Now, I feel like I’m just to grown up to sit in the child sized seat anymore. And then there are all those wonderful cultural snippets that have been parodied to no end. Like the “Objects in rear view mirror might appear farther away than they actually are.” or the “Flashlight beam in the eye” scene. All of them now iconic.  Any movie that has such a profound effect on the movie industry and our pop culture deserves all the kudos that it receives.

Oh, and I have a new blog going for my business. It features this strip and a few other projects I'm working on. Check it out at http://www.markmonlux.blogspot.com.

Monday, May 14th , 2007
Normally I try to not to provide any spoilers to a film. It’s fine to provide a premise but giving a spoiler might prevent someone from seeing a very worthwhile film. In the case of the movie Shopgirl the premise is the classic tale of a woman choosing an older man over a younger man, and the spoilers are the very stereotypical actions one would associate with the story. But, what makes the film entertaining is the Aesop’s Fable way the story is described. It makes no illusions about hiding the direction of the predictable story. The fun is in the unfolding. Once you know that, you can spend your time looking for all sorts of things in the film. I’m almost willing to give it another point for the effort. It’s a perfect date movie for married couples who want to spend the night at home unwinding their brain and call it an early night.

Tuesday, May 1st , 2007
I promised one of my fans that I would do a review of Seconds. With the patience of a saint the fan waited as the movie worked its way up my too watch list. And then waited months after my viewing for me to put pen to paper and draw a review.  Finally, another email from my stouthearted fan reminded me to draw the review.  The email came as a bit of a shock because I spent so many of my spare moments thinking of how I would draw this review, that I’d convinced myself I’d already completed the project. I had to flip through all my sketchbooks to convince myself otherwise.

The reason I was mulling over the review so much was because I wanted to do both the film and Rock Hudson credit. And that is a hard thing to do, especially when the film is not a pleasant thing to watch. I could blame it all on television censors and how they screwed up my first viewing of the film back before I was a teenager by their heavy handed editing. Watching it the second time with all the scenes intact made it far more comprehensible, but not any more pleasant. But, the fact is that the director wanted the viewer to feel uneasy, confused and tense through the film. Kudos to him because he succeeded. My final word of warning to the would be viewer is to consider this film a roller coaster ride, one your not completely enjoying because there’s a tightness in the stomach from that chilidog you ate five minutes ago. You weren’t queasy until the first plunge, but now you’re starting to have concerns.

Wednesday, April 25th , 2007
I know that Slither is rehashing some very old formulas. But, it’s done in such an offhand manner that it’s completely comfortable. Like sitting down with an old friend for drinks. Yeah, you know the guy. You’ve known him for years. He tells the same jokes and stories. But, you enjoy hearing him spin them in new ways, or at least try to. You can tease him and be completely at ease that he won’t take it the wrong way. What is nice about this particular friend, is how he talks reminds you about all the good times you had with other friends. So, while I could go into the specifics of how I added a point for the deer attack, or subtracted a point because a bed magically became a sofa, I’ll just be honest and say how much the old horror nut inside enjoyed the film.

Last week I received emails from fans chastising my on my review of Me and You and Everyone We Know. There are some folks out there who really loved this film. But, I checked my review score against my unique rating system and the score still remains the same. But I thought I would tell 100% of my fans that at least, well, nearly, 1% of you wrote to say the film was one of your favorites.

Tuesday, April 17th , 2007
Me and You and Everyone We Know is one of those movies, that when your finished watching it you say to yourself, "What the hell was that?" Then you look over at the person you watched the film with and you ask them, "What the hell was that?" True, we all appreciate the so-bizarre-it's-funny film. And sometimes we get stuck in a so-bizarre-it's-not-funny film. But there are times when you just step through the looking glass and find yourself in a so-bizarre-it's-bizarre film. Okay, maybe its not that bizarre, but it sure got dipped in the weird bucket. Earlier today I was told that this film was being featured at the local Silver Platters as one of the Employee Picks. And I have to wonder if that high prestige was bestowed on it because someone saw something just a bit more interesting in it than I did, or if it was an inside joke on the customers.

Friday, March 30th , 2007
I enjoyed watching The Last Mimzy. Who doesn’t enjoy watching kids discovering something new and interesting? All the better if what they discover is something nobody has ever seen before. Add to that a scared babysitter and a slightly confused teacher, and the interest of Homeland Security and you have some okay entertainment. I almost gave it another point for being shot locally and enjoyed recognizing all the locations, minor errors or omissions. What type of omission? Well, the word ‘island’ is the first one that comes to mind. But, I’m sticking with a rating of five, which is just okay. Sure it has laughter, and tears and social messages about as subtle as a truck backing over your foot, but it did not tread on any dangerous ground that might have pushed it into something excellent. In the end it turns out to be a highly budgeted after school special.

Wednesday, March 21st , 2007
The Ice Harvest went pretty unnoticed in 2005 when so many other films with big political statements where splashing across the headlines. But, some very fine writing and performances when into very entertaining piece of suspense. Besides the wonderful task of guessing who is back-stabbing who, and who, if anybody, will get out of town alive, you also have very subtle and layered messages of what it means to betray and be betrayed. The dark humor is wonderfully consistent through the film. I believe it was overlooked and underrated. It might not get up in your face, or blare at you with comfortable clichés, but it does deliver a very engaging thriller. And if you don’t think that this film is not describing Dante’s Inferno’s ninth circle, then I would like to point out that there is a character in the film whose name is Renata, which is a pretty weird name, unless you remember that the second region of the ninth circle is named after the Trojan prince Antenora. Thus, if you shuffle some of those letters around you can spell Renata. Just a coincidence? I don’ think so. Next you will be telling me that Wichita, Kansas isn’t really hell.

Tuesday, March 13th , 2007
I really enjoyed watching Birthday Girl. Not just because I enjoy watching Nicole Kidmann (who plays Nadia), which I do. She likes to work on a range of projects and I enjoy that. I liked watching this movie because you need a fairly good actor to stand up against Nicole Kidmann’s on screen charm. Ben Chapman (John) is able to do just that. His role truly carries the film along and keeps you intrigued as to what exactly he will do. So, while the premise is all fairly simple, the conclusion is not foreseeable. And that’s what makes this a fun thriller. Oh, and the whole bondage fetish thing is just a perk.

Monday, March 5th , 2007
You might be asking, Why are you giving The Giant Gila Monster a rating of five? And I would like to respond by saying that I like to rate movies by their genre as much as possible. And when you compare this teenage b-movie with other cold war induced movies which substitute giant bugs, or whatnot, in lieu of special effects, it’s not that bad. Oh, sure the spicing between H-scale models and real life lack sophistication. But, it’s completely in sync with what can only be considered a G rated script. Yes, this is a horror movie for the youngsters to enjoy. And for that I give it a five. Why, with any luck it will lull the kids to sleep just in time for you to enjoy something a bit gristly.

Many thanks to you guys for sending me in all those great name suggestions for my online store. I received well over thirty and had a tough time choosing amongst the finalist. But, I think we have a winner with PoobahSchlock! I’ll be building the store over the next few days. In the meantime I will keep the Monlux Stuff store open. Thanks for the feedback!

Wednesday, February 28th , 2007
Since I have started this strip I have been repeatedly asked by my fans to do a review for Galaxy Quest. I was tempted to give Galaxy Quest a nine. I’m still tempted. It’s parody look at famous televisions shows, the stars of those shows, and the fans of those shows, all working under an unbelievable what if scenario is a complete hoot. More than anything else it’s a fun movie. You don’t watch it to become culturally enlightened or to do any soul searching. You just watch it to have a blast. And I’m still trying to decide whether or not that is a good thing or a bad thing. So, I took one point off there just to be on the safe side. The other point I took off because of what I thought was one weakly played scene. Still, it’s hard to take away any points for from a movie that provides such flat out amusement. If you haven’t seen Galaxy Quest, then I highly suggest it as your next viewing pleasure. It’s a rock solid eight, and maybe higher if you don’t have a high horse.

On a different note, I have opened up an online shop to sell swag for The Comic Critic, my other strip The Return of Stickman and other designs I have stored around the place. The shop is in its infancy and I’m going to upgrade it in the next week or so. But, before I do that I was trying to think of a different name for the shop other than Monlux Stuff. If you have an idea, suggestion, brainstorm, or creative stroke of genius as to what I should call it, please let me know before next Friday. Several of you have been after me to get a book out, and I’m working on it. Meanwhile, check out the swag at Monlux Stuff.

Tuesday, February 13th , 2007
I think the first time I saw The Third Man was when I was around eight years old. That would have been around 1970. I loved watching the afternoon movies on television. I saw a ton of old films that way. Why television feels the need to cram the airwaves with horrible reality shows and people yelling and screaming profanities at each other, when there is a treasure trove of old films like this they could be supplying I will never know. Over the years I've had a chance to see this film a few more times. The director, Carol Reed, might be remembered for the success of his film Oliver because it was one of his last few films. But, his earlier work, and especially this one, shows his understanding and control in making a Noir film. He did a lot for the British cinema, and this film did a lot to capture a historic moment in time in post-war Vienna. There is so much talent going across the screen that I'm sure that I will enjoy viewing it again in another twenty or so years. Why do I rate it a nine instead of a ten? Because, when I was eight it confused me. I didn't know what a plot was back then. Or that it could jump around like a mole poking its head out of a hole at a penny arcade. My little mind, which thought Speed Racer was high art, was trying to nail it down and my hammer kept missing, repeatedly. So, I'm taking off one point for the pre-pubescent angst it caused me.

Monday, February 5th , 2007
I was tempted to give Clay Pigeons something more than a six. But, I was in a bad mood. I wasn't in a bad mood over the film. It was more than nicely done. The level of suspense and tension and emotional chaos of the main character was great. All the actors did a nice job. And the rest of it was all low key and relaxed. I was in a bad mood because it's Monday and I wanted to get this strip done on Sunday. But, instead I spent the afternoon watching the Superbowl. Just to give you an idea of how little I really care about football, five minutes prior to the game I had no idea who was playing. But, I watched it. Because the only way you can see all the of the new commercials is by watching all of the damn game. And other than one clever commercial at the beginning, the rest of the commercials left me luke warm. So, maybe it's the commercials of the Superbowl I should be giving a six to rather than this movie. But, I don't review commercials I review (sort of) movies. So there you go, Clay Pigeons gets a six. And I rather feel guilty about giving this movie a low score than feel guilty about eating nothing yesterday but nachos. Don't even get me started on the dreams I had. It was like I had a bad cable connection.

Wednesday , January 31st 2007
I was so close to giving Pan's Labyright a ten. But, I was swayed by my wife's argument that it was a guy's movie. Her argument was that I, and the crowd in the theater, did not do more than wince as skulls were caved, bodies shot, and limbs hacked, but the moment a woman puts a knife into a guy's mouth (and don't think that symbolism escaped any of us) the entire audience gasped. And while there can be movies out there that are violent and still a ten, it was this gasp from the audience which sealed Pan's Labyrinth's fate as a guy's film. But, I'm still arguing with myself on the score. Still, a nine is a very solid score and you should check this film out on the big screen while it's still playing. Be warned. This story of a little girl's trip into fairyland is a wee bit violent.

Monday , January 22nd 2007
Not every movie with a Gay and Lesbian theme can achieve high critical heights. Some of them can only strive to be better than average by having the viewer examine situations they don't normally consider. And when you start going over old ground the material can become boring. So writers look for way to add a little seasoning to what would otherwise be a bland recipe. The ghost of Cary Grant was more than enough to hook me into viewing A Touch of Pink. Parts of it are quite funny. I only wish the rest of it could have been as amusing. Still, if you want to see Kyle Maclachlan's version of Cary Grant wearing a pith helmet and sitting on an elephant carved out of ice, this is the movie for you.

Tuesday, January 16th 2007
This is one of those films that did not last long in the theater, if the theater in your neighborhood even carried it. Anthology movies are not for everyone, and when they go experimental with technique and storyline, they often don't hit the mark. And sometimes that dark doesn't even hit the board but embeds itself into some poor bystanders shoulder. Now, I'm not saying that Four Rooms is bad. No, there are films that are far, far worse than this one. But, it's not the greatest film made, or even a cousin to the greatest film made. It's more of a friend of a second cousin once removed to a fairly decent picture. The reason I liked it was because it was fun to be surprised at how many stars appear in it. It's worth knowing for the following bar bet, "Name the film in which both Madonna and Bruce Willis" appeared. Still, you know you're in for a bumpy ride when one of the best moments is when a dead hooker is found inside a mattress.

Wednesday, January 3rd 2007
You hear about movies that are truly terrible to watch. But, you watch them just the same out of a sick fascination. The sound quality on Attack of the Giant Leeches was terrible. The cinematography is so poor, that even a well-lit room looks dark. Sure I make fun of the costume. It is iconically awful, representing the whole level of production: low. Now, if the actors had been folks who didn't have a clue, or if the grip had dropped the mike into a shot or two, we could allow some forgiveness for the film being amateurishly sloppy. But, you don't see any of that. The truth is this film looks like it came out a sweatshop meat grinder. Keep that shotgun handy. You might want to put yourself out of misery.

Thursday, December 28th 2006
There is a story behind my seeing Doom. I was supposed to go see The Fog with my friend John. But, when I got to the theater my friend John was not in the lobby. I didn't want to see the film without him and figured he was tied up with work or something and we would catch it later. So, I went home. John calls me a few hours later. He had been at the theater, but was waiting for me over in the seats. He didn't want to see the movie without me either, so his solution was to see a different movie. That movie was Doom. And he had a good time. I mention all of this because, if ever there was a movie that a guy would be okay with watching by himself, it's Doom. It could be that the filmmakers managed to capture that involvement so unique to men, that of looking at something, enjoying it, and not caring anything about it at all, other than we wouldn't mind seeing just a little big more of it. So, how did I end up seeing Doom? It was something to watch with the wife the day after Christmas when there was absolutely nothing on television. I'd thought I would be watching it alone, but my sweetheart yuletide spirit was depleted. I guess you can only see so many elves in so many days without developing as small desire to see blood.

Tuesday, December 19th 2006
I completely understand that the director's choice to keep rewinding scenes was to bring home the retrospective aspect of comparing the viewer's memory of college with the college scenes being reminisced. But, I just can't help finding it annoying as all hell. If the goal of the director was to gather up all the worst memories of college and stick them on film, then he might have come close. That is if the worst memories you have about college is hedonistic parties and quickly forgotten sexual partners. Just what college is this anyway? Don't these people ever learn anything? The Rules of Attraction is one of those not so hidden sub-meaning titles that I thought might be cute. But, in the end I found it just as annoying as the film treatment.

Tuesday, December 12th 2006
I enjoy watching films from Bollywood. And there is some pretty good stuff out there. But, there is a fairly strong possibility that you are going to encounter a lot of impromptu dance and music numbers, which may, or more likely not, have anything to do with the plot of the film. I heard that there was a movie out there that covered a bunch of Indian love songs. I thought that it might be interesting to see how they strong them together. And it was, but not enough for me to see the film as something other than a hideously long music video. Still, if you enjoy Indian love songs, you can't go to wrong watching Mujhse Dosti Karoge.

Monday, December 4th 2006
Some of us feel a bit blah during the holidays. A good cure for the winter doldrums is to watch a Happy-Feel-Good movie. Something that wakens us up to the fact that life is a wonderful thing that should be lived fully and not just filed away one day at a time. Stranger than Fiction is just such a movie. Of course our hero is slatted to die, but that's okay. He is a tax auditor after all.

Monday, November 27th 2006
I like movies that make you think. But, I'm not intellectual enough to take a movie in which all of your participation is taken up by thinking. Intellectual amusement can only take the night festivities so far. You have to toss in a little bit of slapstick, or something other than soul crushing irony. Unless you're completely in the mood for that sort of thing it can be a bit of a downer. The Thirteen Conversations About One Thing in this film are about happiness. So, right away you know that your mind is going to get played with. This film does a pretty good job of showing a glimmer of hope in what otherwise would be a moody piece. I was going to let it go at a five, but the damn film has been making me think about it. So, it rates at least a six.

Sunday, November 19th 2006
The movie Being John Malkovich was a pretty big success. And after noticing that the writer for that film (Charlie Kaufman) also wrote the screenplays for Adaptation, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I was curious to see if there were any films he wrote for which I did not hear about. Thus, I located Human Nature. This is a wonderfully funny film that slid past the main movie blockbuster theater crowd. And if you live in a town that only has one theater, it would have easily been passed over for other movies that came out at the same time. All because it is fairly clever and never lowers itself to connecting the dots for the audience. You have to respect that, especially if the humor is with connecting the dots, which in this case it is.

Monday, November 13th 2006
Earlier today I was speaking with my friend John about this movie review. He was intrigued about how anyone would get the bright idea of doing a noir styled movie set in a high school and played out by teenagers. He asked me how I learned about the film. It took me a while to remember. Was it because it received notice as some film festivals? No. Was it because I read about it online someplace? No. I finally remember that a fan of the Comic Critic suggested this wonderful sleeper to me.

Monday, November 6th 2006
I want to thank everyone who wrote in this week with what they thought my rating of The Prestige would be. The majority of folks guessed that it would be an 8. Many thought that I left a subliminal clue of eight birds in the fifth panel. I made a note to myself, "Add more subliminals." A few guess I was adding careful detail because I enjoyed the movie more. And, while I was tempted to give this movie an eight, but in the end I decided to notch it down to a very solid and impressive seven. The extra detail was because I tend to add more detail when I'm watching television while doing the strip and the commercials are boring. I also received suggestions for adjectives to use as well. They were magical, mystical and mystifying. I think I will go with mystical as mystifying might cause a few folks to wonder if it should really be a six.

Wednesday, November 1st 2006
Several of you have placed in requests that I do a review of The Prestige. Well, you're in luck. I went to see the film last weekend and was quite pleased with experience. I've left the rating of my review off this week. Don't worry; it's on the artwork I send out to my distributors. What I'm curious is if you can tell how I rated it by how I drew it. So, send in your guess at my rating. And, if you saw the film, let me know your rating. Results next week.

Special thanks to Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum over at OverdueMedia. The book review I did for The Unshelved Book Club brought in several new subscribers. It also brought in a very pleasant note from the author of The Tomb, F. Paul Wilson. Bill and Gene were kind enough to send me a complimentary print. Thanks Guys!

Monday, October 16th 2006
Back when I was a kid there was a sudden flurry of WWI airplane themed movies. I saw a lot of them in the theaters. Boy, I sure loved those movies. They were full of dogfights, explosions and guys going down in flames. I remember walking home with my brothers afterwards, and for years I would draw airplane battles during study class. So, I just had to see Flyboys at the theater too. The characters didn't pull me in at all, but that's not why I went. I was looking for the same fun I had when I was a kid. But, by watching those movies I became a bit of an expert on WWI planes. And I happen to know that the only solid red airplane belonged to the Red Baron. So, this film had a bit of an arcade film, as nearly every single enemy plane in the sky was solid red. That little detail put me off just a bit.

Monday, October 16th 2006
I might be dating myself a little by admitting that I actually caught You'll Like My Mother in a theater. If it helps make me sound younger, I was all of ten years old, and my little brother Stan was nine. Vietnam was still hot in everyone's memories, and The Waltons was still going strong on television.   I'm pretty sure Stan and I did not buy a ticket, as we were more into action adventure movies than thrillers. More than likely we saw something else earlier then snuck into another theater to get the most bang for our buck. I wish I could remember what that earlier film was, but the vision of Patty Duke's breast has knocked it clean out of my memory. Maybe Stan will remember, after all, he hadn't hit puberty yet.

Wednesday, September 27th 2006
If you hurry. You might still be able to catch The Illusionist at the theaters. There is another magician themed film coming out in a week called The Prestige and I'm sure that soon The Illusionist will be a memory in the movie mall. Should you miss this film in the theater, which is my personal preference in watching any movie, and then you definitely need to take it in once it hits the DVD market. The Illusionist is a good movie. It has secrets, thrills, a chase, love, and just a touch of humor. It's worth a rental at the very least.

Wednesday, September 27th 2006
Hollywoodland is a pretty good movie. But, before I rate it, I have to admit two biases I have.

1. I tend to rate a movie higher if I see it in the theater.

That's not to say that a bad movie is made even better by being on the big screen. Just the opposite. It will sink right off my rating chart for spoiling the experience for me. But, most movies tend to have a little quality and thought behind them, and for those, the extra twenty feet does wonders.

2. I feel cheated if I don't see any animals in a film.

I'm not saying that the animal has to be a main character, or even an item of humor. It should just be there. You expect to see actors, costumes and sets when watching a film. I don't know about you, but when I see a brightly lit set and there is not a lamp in the room, I wonder, "Where is that light coming from?" So, if there is a film showing a person's apartment or something I expect to see a cat or at least an empty aquarium in the background. In short, I believe living props should be used in a film to complete the illusion that this is a world and not just a stage we're watching.

So, when you figure that I rate this movie an eight, well, that's a pretty good rating considering my quirks balance each other out.

Oh, if you're into blogging or have some friends who will only blog. Then have them check out the myspace blog for The Comic Critic at http://blog.myspace.com/thecomiccritic

Wednesday, September 13th 2006
What's that thing they call it when something sticks around in your head and doesn't let go? Oh, yeah, memorable. Just like barbeque ribs and potato salad, this film sticks around. When you have good acting, talented writing, an interesting premise, a clever soundtrack, and little subtle touches of funny, well, you have a damn good movie. Okay, some of the funny might not come off, so I take one point off for that. But, this film is so loaded with plus points it's hard not to give it its fair due. It's even more enjoyable if you're like me and used to look forward to seeing on television Jacques-Yves Cousteau's undersea adventures. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou pays homage to that wonderful time in this quirky tribute. One of my must see recommendations.

Monday, August 21st 2006
I wonder if this little horror movie might not have been ahead of its time. Parents is a wonderful story of a little boy who finds a growing suspicion that all is not right in the world, especially with his Parents. This dark boyhood view is chillingly set in an Ozzie and Harriet background. Are you too young to catch that reference? Okay, how about a Leave it to Beaver meets the Twighlight Zone. There are no special effects, just a strong story line that will keep you intrigued all the way through. Meanwhile, there are little snarky pokes at the cracks in the porcelain perfection so many of us have of the 50's. It's a wonderful, creepy, forgotten film that should be place on your must watch list.

I enjoy listening to people who don't hold anything back. Well, that's not entirely true. Let me revise that to, I enjoy listening to snarky people who don't hold anything back. But, uncensored snarkiness is hard to judge. Thankfully it can be easily classified by age:
Under 20: Witty
Under 30: Jerk
Under 40: Asshole
Over 40: Curmudgeon .
I have no idea how old the webmaster of http://www.mudpiglet.com is, but, there is no denying the snarky meter goes off the charts with his little rants. I particularly like his In Prison assessment of bad tattoos.

Monday, August 21st 2006
Some of you might remember Brendan Mackey. He starred in Nine Dead Gay Guys and wrote to me after finding my strip reviewing the movie. He mentioned at the time a documentary he worked on called Touching the Void. He did a great job in the movie. There are lots of stories about men surviving regardless of insurmountable odds. Usually, Hollywood gives them a nice treatment by through in a love interest, or wavy flashbacks. This however is a documentary. With nothing altered, just the straight recounting of the circumstances, the actions and the thoughts of the men who when through a harrowing experience. And, while that might sound dull, it's pretty riveting stuff. And, it's well worth viewing if you want to watch something as true as film produce.

Monday, August 7th 2006
I have to admit, I was a bit thrown by the concept of The Brothers Grimm being con artists. You knew from right there that the writers were not going to play it straight. My anticipation level was raised and then abused by being presented with some well-worn movie cliques. It was spiced up with childhood fairy tales that were twisted and seasoned with dark and creepy before being served. If you ever read the original Brother Grimm stories before they were homogenized, dark and creepy was par for the course. In that was this film was a wonderful homage. I found the film fairly entertaining because my little rule book of plus and minus points received a heavy work out. In the end the positive points outnumbered the negative points. My final analysis would be that it was far from perfect but still plenty of fun.

Monday, July 31st 2006
I enjoy getting fan letters. Especially ones that suggest of movie for me to review. Sometimes I have never heard of the film before. And other times it's not only a movie that I know, but the fan relays a definite opinion about the film. Such is the case of this little note ( I've reduced my fan's name down to his/her initials RRA, but just for fun let's refer to him as Ryan.) :

From: RRA
To: markmonlux@comcast.net
Subject: review suggestion
Date: Tuesday, 11 July, 2006 06:09:43 PM

Hi Mark,
I would like to suggest a review of the move "Ladyhawke"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089457
It is pretty freaking awful. About a knight that turns into a wolf and his babe that turns into a hawk, but always at opposite times. Also as comedy relief it has Ferris Bueller .  The knight's mortal enemy is a pope that is also in love with the bird.
Thanks,
RRA

Ryan did a great job in providing me with a link to where I could locate a synopsis, release date, cast list, etc for the movie in question. And he did another good job by hinting at two possible gags for me to use in the strip. But, Ryan made a terrible mistake. He slammed a movie for which I have an indefensible, sentimental soft spot.

Ryan obviously took me for a high sophisticated cartoonist. An urban cool cat who spends his free time making snarky comments when I'm not too busy counting my money. He had no idea that I helped form a Dungeon and Dragons club at my college, or that for several years (yes, years) I spent my weekends dressing up in a medieval costume, going to SCA ( Society for Creative Anachronism ) events. And on the whole being a full out medieval geek with the personal name of Trenor the Lost. And I'm sure he didn't know that when Ladyhawke was released in the theaters, it was just as I was jumping into all of this stuff. I got to see it with all my brand new medieval geeky friends. We had a grand old time being snarky about which bits of costume or armor was period (that is to say, historically accurate).

Monday, July 24th 2006
It Came From Under the Sea is a classic Cold War era horror movie. The formula used in it was used a dozen times over. Radiation is to blame. Something big starts to eat people. Scientists and the military are brought in. There is an odd love triangle. And most important, there's a good fifteen minutes of footage that is complete unnecessary to the film. In the best case, such as this film, it's footage of the military doing stuff. In the worst case it can be tourism footage of Amsterdam. It Came From Under the Sea is also a step beyond the ordinary because when the monster is revealed, even though it's cheesy, it's image becomes embedded as a cultural icon. Seeing the monster attack the Golden Gate Bridge for no other reason than it's there is an absolute riot. Actually, the whole film is a riot and is just as good now as it was back in the day when it was released to mixed reviews.

Monday, July17th 2006
I love going to the movies, especially when it's with a friend or member of the family. So, I jumped at a chance to go see a film with my parents. We thought it would be a hoot to see cars. I still remember the very first movie they took me, it was Disney's The Jungle Book. Now, there are not a whole lot of similarities between The Jungle Book and Cars. Other than I bet a lot of kids are going to see it with their parents, just like me.

Monday, July10th 2006
Let's look at the poor unappreciated dentist. With a profession showing one of the highest suicide ratings around, you have to wonder why anyone bothers to enter into a field where everybody hates visiting you. I know why. It's because they want to help people. So, when a dentist is picked as the hero, you just know that one good thing about him is going to be the one thing that leads him into misadventure. Such is the case in the movie Novocaine. It's a peculiar and odd Noir film. I like that it took chances in breaking perceptions.

Speaking about taking chances. You will remember last week that I had a subscriber who, after I received a nasty email from, I blacklisted, only to have them write back claiming a friend accessed their account and sent the email. I said I would let the readers decide his fate. I loved all the email I got, and I posted the results and some of the email at http://198.173.235.195/ tcc_polling01.html Have fun checking it out. And thanks for writing in.

Monday, July 3rd 2006
A lot of folks ask me why I continue to do reviews of older movies and not just new releases. It's because a great movie is timeless, and there are a lot of really great movies out there. Dead Man is one of these. If your lucky enough to have an art house theater in your town, you might have seen this flick. Otherwise, it's tough luck hombre. I see my job as digging around through the shelves of the ever-expanding video library that's out there and giving you my two cents on the rare finds and also the fodder. Dead Man is certainly the former and not the later.

Earlier this week I received an email from a subscriber to this list demanding that they be removed from this list or they would sue for sexual harassment, demoralizing a minor, spamming without a license and other naughty things. Being ever vigilant to limit the readership to those only interested in cinematic vice, I removed the address, and the rigged it to be blacklisted. I sent an email back to the offendee informing them of my quick action to change their list status. I then received another email back from the attendee. In it I was informed that an unscrupulous friend had logged into the account and sent out the first email charging the buggery, mental harm and other infractions. The subscriber then asked to be back on the list. My dilemma is this: Should a place an address that has been problematic back on the list? Or should throw this lone unhappy fan to the wolves and keep the address blacklisted? I have decided to let you, my readers decide. Send your "Thumbs Up" or "Thumbs Down" to my email address of markmonlux@comcast.net and I will let you all know the fan's fate next week.

Here are a few words from the fan on his own behalf:

I really like comic critic it is hilarious and the person who sent that e-mail was not me it was a (so-called) friend he's a complete w••••r and I have a few practical jokes in mind for him please give me the thumbs up!!!!

Monday, June 19th 2006
The problem with trying to hunt down that spectacular foreign film, which everybody missed, is that you have to watch a bunch of regular foreign films everybody missed in the process. Since this film was based on actual events I thought to give it a try. Of course we all know that actual events in movies often means that a world war is condensed to two hours. In this case the long love affair of two gay men in Argentina received the extra canning treatment of being in the focused scenario of a notorious heist gone wrong. Still, the filmmakers do an excellent job of making the movie feel longer than it is. Plenty of guns and bullets for the guys. And for the girls, plenty of...hmm, maybe Burnt Money is a guy movie after all. I wonder just how big is the target audience of bi-curious Argentinean action flick.

Monday, May 29th 2006
Have you ever gone to a movie that everybody told you was absolutely outstanding, it even won lots of awards, but you heretically did not think it was God's gift to film? That is what happened to me and March of the Penguins. Yeah, I thought it was pretty good. But, it's how I think all documentaries should be. A realistic look of just how nature behaves and the challenges faced in this part of the world. Solid information on a species presented with a clean and level hand as possible. That should be a standard folks. Perhaps too many people have come to believe that the Crocodile Hunter is a real animal documentary. Anyway, I wanted to have fun with this instant icon.

Wednesday, May 17th 2006
I don't like giving away the endings to movies in my reviews. Okay, some films have transparent plots you can read right in the title. Others you have to dig a bit deeper. I really enjoyed Signs movie when it came out. Of course, I have a soft spot for anything even vaguely sci-fi. And there is nothing wrong with adding a surprising twist. Now, I did this review because a fan asked me to and because I was really in the mood to review something a little creepy. Anyway, after watching Signs I want you to take another look at the movie review and see if I gave anything away.

Monday, May 10th 2006
I was on an airplane when I got the idea for this week's movie review. I was thinking about the next family gathering where my siblings and I would compare to see which of us is getting greyest the fastest. Then I saw a little bit of ice on the window and suddenly I remember the lot of us going to see Ice Pirates when it first came out. I had a terrific time. Maybe it was because I was hanging with my siblings and we really didn't care if the movie was particularly good or not. Maybe I was in the mood for some asinine sophomoric humor. In any case, I was tempted to give this movie a higher rating while writing up the review. But, with a cold eye the flick was pretty much an FFF (Fancy Fart Feature). Still, you might want to rate it higher, but I recommend you would have to watch it with a bunch of close friends who are more in the mood for fun than art.

Monday, May 1st 2006
I'm always intrigued by animation, from the traditional cartoon to the computerized realistic rendering common in today's films. I was especially intrigued by the work of Ray Harryhausen. His experimental work would often lead to a whole new school of animation. The film Mirror Mask is groundbreaking, not in that it is using animation, but in how it is using animation. Combining video, stills, traditional, stop animation and advance cgi programming. It is marvelous to look at while being perfect for this story of a very introspective girl. If you enjoy the odd, unusual and fantastic, this film will be a big hit.

Monday, April 24th 2006
In my search for a romance movie that did not star Melonie Griffith, I took a look back in time and found another leading lady who dominated the romance movie market, Audrey Hepburn. I like the outrageous party scenes that are shown in Breakfast at Tiffany's. If you compare those scenes to any of the party scenes you see current hip-hop films you would can see they have practically identical elements. Trendy music, booze, elicit smoking, reckless behavior, and the latest fashions on display. The feathers might change, but the mating dance remains the same. Retro look aside, the story still holds up and is on my list of required viewing.

Monday, April 17th 2006
This week we take a look at another Romance story. And we all know that love has to conquer many things in order for a relationship to survive. This story is filled with lots of interesting red herrings, which distract the viewer from the real obstacle of age difference between our two lovers. But, the distractions are a lot of fun. When I saw that Prime was going to be my in-flight viewing on one of my recent trips, I groaned. I had a complete bias that this film would be another in flight horror experience. But, I was pleasantly surprised.

Monday, April 10th 2006
I know I promised you romance this month, and Voyage to the Planet of the Prehistoric Women is not a romance. It is however a prime example of how America loves a well butchered movie. You would think that Americans would love a 1962 groundbreaking special effects movie that dealt with man adventuring into the stars. Except that it was cold war 1962 and the film was a Russian masterpiece called Planet Burga. What red blooded American would soil his soul by watching a Russian version of science fiction. Yet Roger Corman of B-movie fame saw the possibilities for this flick. He bought it, add subtitles to suit his storyline, and inserted footage of Mamie Van Doren gallivanting in and around the beach with a bunch of "talented" starlets, and Walla, he had a new movie perfect for red-blooded Americans to enjoy. In fact, he got good mileage out of Planet Burga, as Voyage to the Planet of the Prehistoric Women was the second movie he made from the footage. The first was Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet.

Last week I experimented with leaving a rating off the comic. Yet, this sparked protest. Or, at least several comments about my being forgetful. This week there is a rating, but it will be far less prominent. Your feedback is always appreciated.

Monday, April 3rd 2006
Sleepless, that should be me right now. I'm up to my eyes with work. Which is happy thing for a freelancer. So, I should be up to all hours working. But, I have a cold. And colds demand rest. Otherwise they turn around and get real nasty on you. I'm not comparing the movie Sleepless in Seattle to a bad cold. But, there were a couple of scenes involving tissue paper. And you might want to have some handy in case sad little boys dealing with the loss of their mother push you over the edge. Part of the reason I like the movie is because I am very familiar with Seattle, and I liked figuring out all the areas where they shot the various scenes. You will never guess where that beach is where they go for a quick boat ride. Oh, I have been to the top of the Empire State Building too. Anyway, I will be over my cold and it will soon be forgotten. Unlike this movie, which really touched a nerve, because once you see it you keep going back to some scenes in your head.

I went to the Emerald City Comicon this last weekend. It was a lot of fun and I got to see a lot of my friends in their booths. Who knows? Maybe next year I will have a product of my own to pitch. Any suggestions on possible book Titles? Forgotten Films, Sticky Floors, or just plain The Comic Critic, Volume 1?

Monday, March 27th 2006
Okay, I am a sucker for movies taken from Graphic Novels. When V for Vendetta was written, it was when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister and there was strong anti-gay sediment in the political air. The novel was written in response to that. It's extremely interesting to see how much of this novel, and this movie still is relative with today's current events.

Last week I asked for fans to send in their recommendations for Romance movies. Many thanks. I have a great list now. And, no, this movie does not fall into the category of Romance.

Sunday, March 19th 2006
It has been brought to my attention that I have not been reviewing Romance Movies. Well, I have to fix that. And I am open to suggestions. However, please keep in mind what exactly defines a romance movie. Some would say that it's opposites attracting. I tend to think that that the story's primary story should be "the expression of love one holds for another". A secondary point would be the film driving the audiences emotions to a high point. And a thin line is drawn at this point between Romance and Tearjerker.   So, if you can think of a movie where the primary story does not fall into one of the other categories of Drama, Comedy, Action, Sci-Fi or Horror, then please send in your suggestions. Meanwhile, this week's cartoon is about a fun little Romantic-Comedy called Kate & Leopold.

Monday, March 13th 2006
Every now and then you want to see a movie that you know will not be taxing your mind. And sometimes you want that movie to be filled with guys shooting bullets at each other. You want a little cat and mouse, a few tense moments, and maybe a slight hint of morality. But, mainly you want bullets flying, guys cussing and the odd man getting wounded in the leg. In short, you want a western. But, horses and period settings are expensive while your modern city with its metro busses is not. So, what are you going to do? Tape off 16 Blocks and film yourself a guy's movie.

Monday, March 6th 2006
One of my wonderful fans complained that all the movies I reviewed were either seven or eights. He made the argument that I never do a bad review. Well, that's not true. The fact is, it is incredibly easy to do a bad review. And there is lots of horrible stuff out there. I went dipping into the archives to show him a few examples. One of those examples wasn't posted in the archives. I could have sworn I sent this movie out to you folks last year. But, maybe I didn't. I'm sure you will let me know one way or the other. Anyway, it's in the online archives now.

It makes sense that Lee Majors, fresh off the success of the hit television series The Six Million Dollar Man would make an action movie. The timing would be perfect. But he ended up in The Norseman, one of the most painful cinematic experiences to date. A move so bad it's best left forgotten. Thankfully, Lee Major's career wasn't so completely forgotten. But, it did take a few punches for being in this stinker.

Monday, February 27th 2006
I had some fun putting this movie review together. One of the things I always wanted to do when I was a kid and never had a chance was to visit Disneyland. And the one thing I wanted to do more than anything else was to go on The Pirates of the Caribbean amusement ride. I was such a sucker for pirates when I was a kid. I think my dad and I watched every pirate movie ever made together. And had fate ever had my dad and me together on that ride I think I would have been in childhood Nirvana. On in my teen years I still felt the attraction, but only because I heard that behind the ride was a great place to sneak away and make out. I don't know whom I would have made out with, some Musketeer or something. But, the odds visiting happening seemed even more distant. My adolescent Nirvana was more on the level of hoping to make it out of math class in one mental piece. And just what does my pre-pubescent childhood have to do with a bunch of cursed living dead pirates on the silver screen? Jeez,   just everything!

On Saturday I attended the Cartoonist's Northwest annual Toonie Awards. Peter Bagge received this year's Toonie. The evening was a lot of fun. I got to see a lot of my friends and when I met other cartoonists I admired, I babbled like a complete idiot. I came away with some great material I'm going to use on my other comic, The Return of Stickman.

Monday, February 19th 2006
I read the entire Chronicles of Narnia when I was eleven or twelve. I thought they were really neat books. Any religious propaganda hidden between the lines was totally lost on me. I just liked the whimsy of it all. So, I was very pleased to see that whimsy as the primary focus in the production of the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. And I was also pleased to see that the film was not merchandised to death. Though, I think Ice Queen bed sheets would have been a great seller as a novelty gift.

Monday, February 13th 2006
I have a few Iranian pen pals. One of them is my good friend Mojgan who works as a midwife at a clinic. She is a divorced mother with two tall boys. She and I have sending email to each other for years. Not so long ago she sent me a list of Iranian movies. It turns out that I reviewed A Taste of Cherry last year. But, it doesn't look like I sent it out or posted it on the online archive. So, I thought I would send it out this week. I have to wonder if Bush's domestic spying program is monitoring my correspondence with an Iranian divorcee. If so, I can only hope that they, whoever "they" are, find it within their duties to watch A Taste of Cherry.

Tuesday, February 7th 2006
I love movies that do not fit the mold. Certainly, Primer breaks out as an example onto itself. I almost felt like rewatching it immediately after viewing it. I say almost because I was very fearful of the prospect that I would still not be able to keep up with it 100% the second time round. I can only take so much of an intellectual bruising in one night. Not for the faint of heart, or gray matter.

Monday, January 29th 2006
Last week I reviewed Underworld. Which, by the way, is one of my young niece's favorite movies. Well, Island of Terror was one of my favorite childhood movies. And I am sure that in another 30 years it will still be one of my favorites. I guess I will have to wait 30 years to see if my cute niece still feels affectionate about Underworld. And maybe because it has a sequel, it will still be one of her top favorites. It's too bad there was no sequel to Island of Terror. Now, onto the topic of the sequel Underworld Evolution. I went and saw this film with my good friend John Draper, who did not see the original. So, before the film started I gave him a quick primer on the first movie. So did the guy who sat behind us. As it turned out the primer was not necessary as there was a bit of an explanation at the beginning of the movie and a ton of scenes from the first film inserted. The producers loved using old scenes so much that they even used the technique on earlier scenes from the movie. That could be seen as a negative, on the plus side, they found lots of stuff to blow up.

I love movies that do not fit the mold. Certainly, Primer breaks out as an example onto itself. I almost felt like rewatching it immediately after viewing it. I say almost because I was very fearful of the prospect that I would still not be able to keep up with it 100% the second time round. I can only take so much of an intellectual bruising in one night. Not for the faint of heart, or gray matter.

The Tacoma News tribune's article Drawing Power article went online lastweek. The result was my daily hit rate jumping from 4,000 to over 5,000. I also picked up a few new subscribers since then and now have over 700. Those I polled did not read the article, but some did want a link to it. So feel free to click away guys http://www.thenewstribune.com/soundlife/story/5482415p-4940560c.html
Special thanks to Bill Hutchens who wrote the article. Hey, lead story, above the fold and everything.

Tuesday, January 24 th 2006
I saw Underworld Evolutions last week. As I was drawing up the review for it I realized I did not review the earlier film Underworld. So, I thought I would provide a primer here for all ofyou who didn't get a chance to see the first film. Now you will be completely prepared to take in the sequelOn Sunday, January 22 nd 2006, Mark Monlux and his webcomic The Comic Critic was broadly featured in a lead article of the Sound Life section of The Tacoma News Tribune. The result was that my website page hit total for Monday topped 5,000.

The Comic Critic also receive an nomination to receive the Online Comic Toonie Award from Cartoonists Northwest. Peter Bagge, Kevin Boze and Liriel McMahon also received nominations. We will all have to wait till the awards banquet on February 25 th to find out who receives The Toonie.

Monday, January 16th 2006
I first saw Island of Terror when I was a little kid. Back then any film starring Peter Cushing received my Good Housing Seal of Approval. It was a reoccurring staple of television viewing. The bloopers were all familiar, as was my siblings all trying to gross each other out by imitating the sucking noises. Watching it is like talking to an old family friend. So, why hasn't this film been remade like every other childhood treasure? Well, time will tell won't it?

Monday, January 9th 2006
My father was a gymnast. He also was a couch for gymnastics. He managed to instill a love of sports in everyone in the family, except me. However, I do have a deep appreciation for what athletes do and their commitment to their sport. And it was not been dulled by being dragged to countless baseball, football, wrestling or track and field events in my numerous sibling participated. We all loved watching the Olympics. Our entire family made time for it. So, our eyes were glued to the screen as events unfolded. I was appalled and sickened. To me the Olympics are a beautiful thing. All countries putting aside all differences to watch these fine athletes perform. It was pure and consecrated. I never thought about the political aspects of the hostage taking or the following massacre. At the time, and I was just a naive boy, it was the defilement of the Olympic event which struck me as the higher crime. In Munich, I feel Steven Speilberg is trying to take me back to my old naive self, and if not answer some of the many questions I had, at least try to open me the bigger picture.

Monday, January 2nd 2006
I'm a big fan of the Harry Potter books, and the movies too. And, whenever I'm a fan of something I will start my evaluation at10 rather than 5. And then I will start subtracting and adding. Okay, this might not be entirely fair, but I don't care. It's the type of thing fans do. I will let people know that I'm a fan, just so that they can adjust their interpretation of my interpretation. Folks do this anyway, so no harm, no foul. And while I know it's a bit late, I do suggest you go and see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in the theater while you still can. It looks great big. And unless your big screen television is a monster, go to the theater.

Monday, December 19th 2005
There are some movies you just have to see on the big screen, and this is one of them. I mean, when you shell out the dough to see a 35-foot gorilla, that gorilla should be at least 25 feet tall. And what a wonderful romp it is to see it too. You can see that this film was made with love. And sometimes that means a few things don't hit the cutting room floor that should. The roller coaster can be a bit wearing at times, but that's why you go to the park in the first place right? This remake of King Kong, just like the original, will leave the audience amazed at the special effects. And if the folks back then could forgive the fidgeting hair caused by the animator's fingers, then you guys can forgive the overindulgence of the plethora of CGI creepy crawling bent on swallowing up our heroes.

Wednesday, December 14th 2005
Into each holiday season a very violent movie must fall. No, I'm not talking about King Kong. Though it's next on my must-see list. This week I'm talking about Aeon Flux. I think it's a Hollywood requirement that at least once a year an actress dresses up in tight black leather and jumps around on the screen. Thank you Santa.

Monday, December 5th 2005
My good friend Don in Yakima and I used to watch 8mm films of Spider-man and the Hulk. I have no idea where he got them. And they were a riot to watch. Growing up, The Incredible Hulk was a regular weekly feature on our television. We all liked watching the Big Green Guy pop out. Boy was he pissed off. Even if the special effect were super cheesy the sentiment was in the right place. Nice guy pushed too far has his raging Id take on the world. Oh yeah, I could relate. So, I was part of a large semi-interested fan base. I say semi, because even I wanted rush right out to see it, events conspired, other films called, and I finally saw it on DVD. Which was okay because I messed around with for some time checking out those special features. By then though, the majority of the reviews were in, and it was not a smash. I was all set to give it a really poor review, but something happened. I kept putting the DVD in the machine. You just can't help watching being chased around by tanks and helicopters and him getting ticked off and smashing them. It's okay stuff. It holds the same appeal as those old 8mm of Don's, which I would gladly sit down and watch again.

Monday, November 28th 2005
My thanksgiving involved a long road trip to my Aunt Christine's house. She recently moved into a new house and when I wasn't busy hanging pictures or digging a new flower bed I sat down and drew this review of Frida. If you enjoy learning about artists and their lives, then this movie would be fun.

Tuesday, November 22st 2005
Some of you might not be familiar with the term "Sleeper". A sleeper is a film, a really great film, which for some reason or the other is overlooked at the box office. Maybe there was a blockbuster out that week, or maybe the mainstream theaters did not want to take a chance on it because they didn't think it fit a popular formula. And theaters wonder why they aren't pulling in viewers lately. Folks these days don't want to spend money on formulas. They want something challenging. I bet you were expecting me to review some sort of Thanksgiving formula movie this week. There's a long list of such movies. Instead I am going to review a sleeper I saw on the big screen, Broken Flowers. Yes, I know Jim Jarmusch directs it, and that I panned one of his other films. That doesn't matter, what matters is that I loved this film. I'm thankful I got to see it the theater. Right now it's scheduled for release on DVD January 3 rd of 2006. It's my sincerest hope that this sleeper will be awaken through a well deserved Oscar nomination and hit the big screens again. If not, well, please don't overlook the DVD.

Friday, November 18th 2005
Some of you might say, "Mark, you say very little about the film. What you're really describing is an awful date." And I would have to agree, but only a little bit. True, the date was awful. It was one of those experiences that, now that I am in a deeply committed relationship, makes me horrified at the mere prospect of ever dating again. But, if you sat me down in a dark room and Stranger than Paradise came on the screen, I do believe I would be equally as horrified.

The Return of Stickman strip is a lot of fun. So far over a dozen artists have submitted strips. Nine of them have been posted and the rest are waiting their turn in the cue. With over two weeks worth on standby I can easly post the ones that will be needed during Thanksgiving when I will be on the road, like half of America, visiting with relatives. I also fixed the art submission page as my email link was not working before. Now it is. Woo Hoo!

Sunday, November 13th 2005
Going to the movies is all about the suspension of disbelief. That's how we can look at a 100-foot gorilla and spaceships filled with killer clowns and allow ourselves to say, "Okay, I can accept that." But, sometimes you want a movie to be tight. You want the logic to be tight. You want the plot holes, if there are any, to be small. And sometimes it's just hard to do that when there are so many of them scattered about lot buckshot in a duck. You can't just chop down hard and chew, you have to be ginger in chewing or you will crack a tooth. That's how I felt anyway when I was watching Derailed.

Monday, November 7th 2005
I just want to say that you don't have to go and see this movie on opening day, with about have the enlisted men and women of your local military base in attendance, but it doesn't hurt. Audience participation is one of the reasons I go to the theater. I'm not talking about folks who talk through the film and yell out for the girl to "Look out!" no, I'm talking about the sudden gasp, the big laugh, and the odd man out who snorts when he catches an inside joke which nobody else got. Anyway, the audience had me wanting to push this film up a few notches. I resisted however, and gave it an eight. Hey! Eight is still a high and respectable evaluation. I say take in jarhead if you have a chance.

Wednesday, November 2nd 2005
While I was watching Two Days in the Valley it suddenly dawned on me that this film was ten years old. In my mind I still thought of this as a new movie. I think that type of mental presence speaks a lot about the movie. A few new movies that have just left the theater are already several years old in my head. But, not this flick. So, maybe you have been putting off watching this because you still think it's new too. Or maybe you're saving it for yourself like a private little gift. Well, when you open it, you wont be disappointed.

Monday, October 31st 2005 - Halloween
After a year of living abroad where I was horribly deprived of movies, I found that I could not get enough of them upon my return. I went to the theater as often as I could. It was on one of these excursions that I saw Ghost Story. Four huge actors from my father's generation made the perfect cast for what I would later come to see as one of the most classic telling of a ghastly ghost. I so strongly wanted to give this a ten. But, I found that my bias was telling. Even back then there was part of the film that made absolutely no sense to me. So, one point off for that, and one point off for my blind love of it. Do place this on your too watch list. It's a good viewing any time of year, not just Halloween.

Wednesday, October 19th 2005
When I think of the movie Willard I am transported back to a simpler time, a time when our biggest worries were what animal was going to go nuts next. Oh, for those bell bottom days at the Lynn-Twin (A theater that had two, count them two movie screens.) I remember all the news articles that follow the movie. Everybody was talking about rats popping up out of toilets and invading homes. It was hardly living in fear though. Today fear is marketed to the public in a big way. Fear this, fear that, guess what you can fear this week. Maybe the folks who put together this remake thought that they could market nostalgic fear.

Monday, October 17th 2005
After many request from several fans, I posted the website The Return of Stickman. I sent out invitations to subscribers of The Comic Critic and word has traveled fast. I already have three guest artists and one guest writer.

Wednesday, October 12th 2005
We are halfway through the month of October. And I have been resisting going out and buying candy for Halloween. Thinking about snacks got me thinking about this movie, Jeepers Creepers. A teen horror flick, with time given to both character and creepy-thing development. That extra effort along with a quick pace gave this movie legs at the box office. I loved the homage to the TV movie Duel. But, not even that can save the points cut for the obligatory slow walk along a dark hallway scene.

Monday, September 26th 2005
While the local Mall and Costco might think it's December and have already placed out their Christmas decorations, we all know that it is really October. And every little kid knows what that means, Halloween! With ghosts, ghouls and goblins a plenty. Not to mention the candy. In the spirit of Halloween (and not freaking Christmas) I will be presenting a wide variety of reviews for those movies containing the creepy and the crawly.   And, to ease you in, I can think of no better film than Shaun of the Dead.

Monday, September 26th 2005
I have two bonuses for you this week. The first is a complete list of movies about food that all my fans sent in. The list can be found at the bottom of Eat Drink, Man Woman. The second bonus is a posting of a real story cartoon I pulled from one of my sketchbooks. I present, for your entertainment Moose of Terror!

Monday, September 19th 2005
Everyone has a group of movies they enjoy watching. Some folks like watching horror films, and others like romantic comedies. Among these common classifications such as Action, Thriller, Mystery, Slapstick, etc. I think there is an overlooked category: Food. I love going into a film which has food supported so heavily, that it is nearly an actor in its own right. Here is a list of movies whose entire theme is, or very nearly is, food:

Eat Drink, Man Woman
Tortilla Soup
Mystic Pizza
Tampopo
Big Night
Babette's Feast
Bread and Tulips

I am willing to hear from you folks on what other movies I should add to this list. I will even accept movies in which the food is not a leading character, but is incorporated into the title or theme. Such as:

Omar and Kumar Visit White Castle
White Castle
Diner
My Dinner with Andre
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover
Eating Raul

Monday, September 12th 2005
W This strip reviewing J.S.A. is a historic first. It is the first sneak peak at a movie through a screening DVD. This is a big step for me. Why, before you know it I will be receiving my own swag directly, rather than borrowing it, as was this case. Anyway,   I got to see the film in its entirety before any additions modifications were done for a big general release.   I love it when I can do that. I remember the first time I was able to see a test screening. In fact, that gives me an idea for my next strip. Meanwhile I encourage all those movie promoters out there to send me your swag.
W Many of you are hankering to see the remaining pages of the comic I produced during Spawns of Insomnia. Well, you will have to be patient a while longer as the judges are still reviewing all the comics.

Tuesday, September 6th 2005
WI first saw Alien when I was living in Japan. There was one movie theater in town, which only played movies mid-day, and seldom-on weekends. This was to encourage the students to stay home and study and not spend time in the theaters. So, it was lonely and dark in the theater when I saw this flick. And when I walked out of the theater the brightness of the day along the colorful and ever cheerful vegetables stands was such was a stark contrast to the film my mind was swirling. Enough so that a nice old lady asked me, "Little brother, are you feeling well?"
WFor me, Alien will always be the first movie that leapt from horror movie to the upgrade of terror movie. And it will always be a personal classic to me.
WI spent a bit of this weekend participating in Spawns of Insomnia, where the goal was to do 24 comic pages in 24 hours. Yikes! To see the result check out this link to Spawns 2005.

Sunday, August 21st 2005
W This week you are going to experience The Comic Critic in glorious color. So feel spoiled and privileged. Working in color has lots of benefits as well as a few drawbacks. The benefits are that the movie going in-crowd of generation X, Y and Z will do doubt be dazzled by the stunning Technicolor of this strip and want to pass it to ALL of their friends. The downside will be a few technical flubs will be called out on the table. In this case it is the spew. Yes, yes, I know that the zombie alien spew in Bad Taste was a weird looking blue, but that was my background color, so I took artistic license and turned it green. I think green is a wonderful color for zombie alien spew. And while I am tempted to establish an online poll to readers to see which they would prefer, blue or green, deadlines call me away. Send your zombie alien spew letters to markmonlux@comcast.net and let me know your thoughts

Sunday, August 14th 2005
W Our guest writer this week is John Schmelzer, sort of. I met John through the Graphic Artists Guild, of which his is now the glorious national president. John is a fantastic illustrator, who is many, many years my senior. We talk regularly on the phone. I took the script from this strip directly from a chunk of our conversation where John was giving me his insight on Once Upon A Time in Mexico. So, in a way, he kinda wrote it.

Sunday, July 31st 2005
WOur guest writer this week is Susan Mathews. Susan runs a graphic design shop called Stillwater Studios in Stillwater New York. I met her ages ago at a Graphic Artists Guild convention. I have lost count of the number sushi restaurants and bars that we have visited together. I have always enjoyed her humor and loved her witty remarks on our fellow patrons, the world, and of course, movies. She wrote this script for me some time ago and I have to thank her patience as I finally got around to drawing it up, and also for taking the time to do a review for The Comic Critic. Thanks Susan!

Sunday, July 10th 2005
WThis oldie was filmed in 1964 with the title Voodoo Bloodbath. But, it went unreleased until 1971 when it was retitled as I Eat Your Skin and ran as a double billing with I Drink Your Blood. So, be warned those of you who are looking for man-eating zombies: There is no eating of flesh in this movie. Rampaging zombies for sure. And some home ground special effects, which were a standard of the day. Wait till the end of the movie when you see what happens when someone leaves the microwave on.

Sunday, July 3rd 2005
WIn 1950's Hollywood the giant bug movie was a metaphor of how cold war tension was affecting American society. Now that we live in a post cold war world giant bug movies have moved into one of two categories: Campy or Slapstick. The makers of Eight Legged Freaks had a difficult time making up their mind between the two. I had no idea that giant spiders giggled, but the special effect vocals which sound like a muffled Gremlins soundtrack give these eight legged man eating pranksters a little rascals feeling. Great fun to watch with friends while trying to keep a body count.

Sunday, June 27th 2005
WMy dad and I would stay up late on Friday nights watching the horror movie double feature on television. Often I would fall asleep as we entered into the second feature. I used to think it was because I was a morning person and not an evening person. But after going back and rewatching some of these films, I can see why the network scheduled them at midnight. If it wasn't for those loud car ad commercials I might have fallen asleep even faster. The week's feature is a blast from the past: The Screaming Skull. Oooooo! So scary! They guaranteed free burial if you dead of fright during the film. As you can imagine, that guarantee was never cashed

Sunday, June 5th 2005
WThis week's guest reviewer is Donna Barr. She is reviewing Girls will be Girls. You can learn more about Donna in this interview. I met Donna years and years ago. If you live in the Northwest and go to any fun event, lik