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CLUB
NEWS
OH HECK…JUST READ THEM ALL TV NEWS ALIAS SURPRISES COMING TREK BOSSES DEFEND THEIR FRANCHISE AND CHANGES ARE REVEALED KINGDOM CAST IS SET EVENT NEWS August 15-17 HORRORFIND August 28 Sept 1 TORCON3 September 4-6 International Comic Arts Festival Oct 31- Nov 2 CHILLER THEATRE EXPO LITERARY NEWS ELLISON CRUSADES AGAINST AOL HEINLEIN AWARD INAUGURATED THE COMICS and GRAPHIC NOVELS HOUR MOVIE NEWS MAGUIRE REBUTS SPIDEY REPORTS CAMPBELL IS HURT IN CRASH PUNISHER CAST IS NOW SET THE LAST EMPEROR OF CHEESY MONSTER MOVIES TRANSFORMING THE TRANSFORMERS UNDERWORLD STAR GETTING TOUGH WISEMAN UNVEILS BLACK CHAPTER AZKABAN IS DARKER ANIME HITS THE USA |
ACTION FIGURE NEWS COLLECTIBLES CORNER MUST SEE
MOVIES
DVD NEWS
FAREWELLS
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JULY MEETING PART 1 – ASIAN GRUE
July’s presentation on modern Japanese horror was real treat as Andrew Kent gave an enthusiastic and informative talk complete with clips of standouts of the genre. We viewed clips from TETSUO, TOKYO FIST, TOMEI, SUICIDE CIRCLE, BATTLE ROYALE, AUDITION, WILD ZERO, UZUMAKI and VIOLENT COP. Andrew spoke about modern Japanese history and how the undercurrent of nihilism is reflected in these films, some of which can also described as Cronenbergian or Lovecraftian because of their depictions of bodily metamorphosis and decay and philosophy on the nature of evil. Also, several films have manga, or comic book origins and/or tie-ins. Andrew brought in a display of the Tomei and Uzumaki mangas as well as other related DVD’s. All in all, it was a very informative and interesting presentation. Great job, Andrew! JULY MEETING PART 2 – PIZZA PARTY
JULY MEETING PART 3 – ONE DEAD – 41 TO GO
WELCOME JANET FARWELL!
WELCOME GUESTS!
A FOND FAREWELL
PASS THE HAT
OUR CONDOLENCES
FROM THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN
ICS TO THE RESCUE
FARPOINT PANEL
NEWS OF OUR AUGUST MEETING: THE BASICS (NOT THE LAST SATURDAY!)
OUR AUGUST MEETING: THE BIG HEAT – IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE
2004 – CALENDAR UPDATE
2004 – CALLING ALL MANK-STERS!
2004 – DUES UPDATE
FANEX 17 – OR IS IT FAN-ICS?
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ALIAS SURPRISES COMING
Alias co-star Greg Grunberg (Weiss) said that the ABC show's upcoming third-season premiere will contain big surprises. "I got the first script yesterday, and I absolutely freaked out," Grunberg said. "At the end of the first episode, there is something revealed to Sydney and to us that is so shocking my wife, Elizabeth, screamed when I told her. This reveal is so huge I don't know how Sydney [Jennifer Garner] will deal with it." Grunberg added that almost every major character, including Jack Bristow (Victor Garber), has gone through a life change, many of which were a result of thinking Sydney was dead. David Anders (Sark), meanwhile, told the site to expect a "David Bowie-like villain." Kevin Weisman (Marshall) added that David Bowie himself might land the role. "I know David has expressed interest in doing the show," Weisman said. "But they're trying to work it out. He's a very busy man. He's a rock star!" Grunberg added that Merrin Dungey (Francie/evil Francie) will be coming back for a few episodes. "Hopefully a bunch of episodes, but Bradley Cooper [Will] has some great opportunities coming at him, so I don't know," he said. "We're all saying 'Damn him!' because we love him so much." TREK BOSSES DEFEND THEIR FRANCHISE
AND CHANGES ARE REVEALED
KINGDOM CAST IS SET
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August 15-17 2003 HORRORFIND
3rd annual Horrorfind weekend at Hunt Valley Maryland This will be a convention of Horror movies galore, dealers room, costume ball/contest, celebrity panels and autograph sessions. Alice Cooper (yes, Alice Cooper) here LIVE at HuntValley in Maryland. Available for autographs only 4 hours each day Other honored guests include – Tony Todd from Candy man David Naughton from American Werewolf in London Bill Mosley, of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Ken Foree from Dawn of the Dead. Traci Elizabeth Lords, Dee Wallace Stone, Doug Bradley (Pinhead) and Gunnar Hansen. HorrorFind is pleased to present the Night of the Living Dead cast reunion With, Judy Odea, Russ Streiner, Kyra Schon, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman and lots more. www.horrorfind.com August 28 September 1 – TORCON3
September 4-6 - International Comic Arts Festival
October 31 thru November 2 CHILLER THEATRE EXPO
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ELLISON CRUSADES AGAINST AOL
SF author Harlan Ellison is pressing ahead with a lawsuit against America Online for copyright infringement. Ellison charges that the Internet company didn't act fast enough when a fan posted some of his stories without permission on an online forum carried by the service. America Online says it's not to blame and that it removed the stories once it was aware of them. While he is seeking money from America Online, Ellison said that the suit is more a crusade to hold Internet service providers accountable for material pirated by their users. In March 2002, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California ruled that the company wasn't liable. Ellison appealed to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Ellison's lawyers initially sought as much as $488 million from AOL, according to a court filing. But in his deposition, Ellison said he wants only "to get recompensed for the money I laid out," plus what his contributors gave and an extra $20 for each donor, the newspaper reported. HEINLEIN AWARD INAUGURATED
JEANNES BOOKSHELF… A Forest of Stars - by Kevin Anderson Five years ago humans applied alien technology to convert
a gas giant planet into a sun. However, when they destroyed the gas
giant the humans unintentionally massacred the previously unknown residents,
numerous Hydrogues. The unwittingly genocide has since led to a solar
war never seen on this scale befoe aimed at the Terran Hanseatic League
as the Hydrogues keep the pressure on their foe. The Hydrogues see
an opportunity to rid themselves of a more dangerous enemy to their existence
than the humans. They feel they can finally eradicate their ancient
foe, the Verdani, an interconnected, semi-sentient Worldforest.
THE COMICS and GRAPHIC NOVELS HOUR
“Brigadoon”- vol 1. By Nozomi Watase, published by Tokyopop. 08/26/03.
9.99
“Magic Knight Rayearth”, By CLAMP, published by tokyopop, 08/05/03,
9.99
“X-day” vol 1. By Setona Mizushiro, published by tokyopop. 08/12/03,
9.99
If any ICS members would like to share their view on a recent book that they’ve read – fiction or non-fiction, please email it attn betsy at ICSBETSPOTS@aol.com. |
MAGUIRE REBUTS SPIDEY REPORTS
Tobey Maguire, who reprises the role of Peter Parker in the upcoming sequel film SPIDER-MAN 2, gave his version of the controversial events surrounding his hiring. Maguire denied widespread reports-including articles in the Los Angeles Times, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter-that he was nearly dropped from the project after his representatives raised the issue of his bad back. "It's not true that I was fired," Maguire said. "Basically, I had some concerns, as did the studio, because the level of stunts are so much greater on the second picture than the first, and we both wanted to make sure I could do it. So we went through some tests in terms of me getting into harnesses and performing some of the stunts. We were pretty close to production. So I think things got blown out of proportion. We were three weeks out, and we were making sure-or you could say questioning-whether I was able to do it. After I did the tests, we all felt good about it, and off we went." It was reported that Maguire suffered injuries on the site of SEABISCUIT, in which he plays a horse jockey. For his part, Maguire said that he's always had a lower-back problem. "It was pre-existing," he said. "It wasn't on [Seabiscuit]. And it's just been something that has come and gone over a few years. Nothing I did on the film really hurt my back, and since [then], it's gotten a lot better." On May 11, the Times reported that Maguire was trying to get more money for the sequel. Maguire flatly denied that assertion. "That's an invention of a journalist," he said. Maguire said that he is exhausted as a result of his weight-training regimen for SPIDER-MAN 2, on top of daily shooting. "Just working 14 hours a day, and you're only getting six hours of sleep a night, and then after your workday, you've got to come home and do a workout, you get a little tired," he said. "But I'm OK. I'm just saying [that before shooting begins], I'm working out three hours a day, six days a week. Then you get on the picture, and you can't quite do that, because you just don't have the energy to, and it wouldn't be wise to [do so] anyway, because your muscles fatigue." SPIDER-MAN 2 is scheduled for a July 2, 2004, release. CAMPBELL IS HURT IN CRASH
PUNISHER CAST IS NOW SET
THE LAST EMPEROR OF CHEESY MONSTER MOVIES
TRANSFORMING THE TRANSFORMERS
UNDERWORLD STAR GETTING TOUGH
AZKABAN IS DARKER
ANIME HITS THE USA
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COLLECTIBLES CORNER -
by Gary Can't Wait for the new Lara Croft Movie Roberson 1950's SCI - FI Department Are you a fan of the 1950's
science fiction flics, such as ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN, THE BRAIN FROM
PLANET AROUS and GODZILLA ?
UNIVERSAL EXPORTS Department James Bond fans fondly remember Desmond Llewelyn as the actor who portrayed Major Boothroyd, a.k.a. Q, in 17 of the series' films. He passed away in November, 1999 - not of old age but as the result of a tragic auto accident. Fortunately, he had actually filmed what were to be his final "retirement" scenes in the series, where he hands over the reigns to John Cleese in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH. Sadly, Llewelyn missed the London premiere by a number of days... Now, Sideshow Collectibles is taking pre-orders for a 12" Q figure - complete with tweed suit and the gadget-laden attache case he presented to Bond in the movie that marked Llewelyn's 1st appearance in the series - FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. This is an export item only available on Sideshow's web site. the "TO THINK WE ACTUALLY USED TO ATTACH 'EM TO OUR BICYCLE SPOKES"
Department
the THIS DOESN'T REALLY BELONG IN A GENRE CLUB NEWSLETTER, BUT
IT'S MY COLUMN - SO THERE! Department
and finally....
And more on this subject from the Anime gal – Tokyopop has announced that they’re teaming up with Radio
Shack to make remote controlled products (presumably cars) based on Tokyopop’s
property of INITIAL D.
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August 15th FREDDY VS JASON - Rating R
Cast: Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), Ken Kirzinger (Jason Voorhees), James Callahan (Tim), Monica Keena (Lori), Jason Ritter (Will), Kelly Rowland (Kia), Lauren Lee Smith (Gibb), Premise: A group of teenagers finds themselves stuck in the middle of a battle between two forces of evil: silent stalker Jason Voorhees (Hodder) and gabby dream master Freddy Krueger (Englund), as the battle wages from Elm Street (the beginning of the film) to a climactic finale fought at Camp Crystal Lake. August 29th JEEPERS CREEPERS II - Rating R
December 15th World Premiere: THE PRINCESS BLADE:
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The Lon Chaney Collection $39.95
One of history's most amazing movie magicians, illusionist Lon Chaney will finally get the deluxe treatment on October 28th courtesy of Warner Home Video. This will be a two-disc set that includes three of his best silent classics: The Ace of Hearts, Laugh Clown Laugh and The Unknown. Each is presented in 1.33:1 full screen and newly-remixed Dolby 2.0 stereo tracks, and extras include audio commentaries by Chaney expert and makeup artist Michael F. Blake, the documentary "A Thousand Faces," and a reconstruction of the unfinished feature London After Midnight. Alias: The Complete Second Season $69.95
Battle of the Planets: The Ultimate Box Set $59.95
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes $14.95
The Incredible Hulk: The Television Series Ultimate Collection
$69.95.
More Anime, No fooling, Here is some of the hottest – JUNKERS COME HERE- Bandai Ent, released 08/19/03. 29.98, 104 minutes
KIKAIDER vol 1 - Bandai ent, released 08/05/03. 29.98, 100 minutes
HAIBANE RENMEI vol 1- Pioneer, 08/26/03. 29.98, 100 minutes. Special
Edition, 34.98
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1903 – 2003 Bob Hope was a Star of Vaudeville, a Star on Broadway, a Star
of the Golden Age of Radio, a Star of the Golden Age of Movies, a Star
of the Golden Age of Television and first in the hearts of us all. He was
“the Bee’s Knees” in the 20s, “the Cat’s Meow” in the
Buddy Ebsen
Buddy Ebsen, television icon of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, who started
his career dancing on the big screen with Shirley Temple has died. He is
best remembered for his TV roles, first as George Russel (sidekick to Davy
Crockett), then as Jed Clampett and finally as Barnaby Jones. He
was 95.
Alex Gordon, who produced low-budget exploitation movies in the
1950s and '60s, including one of the ICS’s favorite punching bags THE SHE-CREATURE,
has died.
Matt Jeffries, motion picture and television art director, has
died at age 81.
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by John Ward Several months ago, I tried to explain why I liked movies so much.
I think I did a pretty fair job of explaining that it wasn’t just about
the movies, but the movie experience. That experience includes the
theater, the people you’re with, the food, the time, even the weather,
if you’re at a drive-in. But all of that’s just the gift wrap; we
still want the present that’s inside. After all, it is about the
movies.
48 HRS. (1982) Eddie Murphy had already become well-known as a member of the Saturday Night Live comedy troupe, but his notoriety exploded into movie stardom after this film, and it can be traced to one scene: the redneck bar. Convict Murphy and his keeper, tough cop Nick Nolte, end up at a cowboy bar looking for information. Murphy bets Nolte he can get the info they need with just his street smarts and his attitude working for him. Nolte watches as this skinny little black guy proceeds to bully the entire clientele of the bar, taking it over by the sheer hurricane force of his personality. I’ve never seen anything like it. JAWS (1975) There are actually two scenes that do it for me in this film. The opening attack, in which you never see the shark but are entirely aware of where it is and what it is doing, is a milestone of tension. Whenever I hear people wondering if you can really have a scary movie without showing the scary monster, I always point to that scene. The other scene that grabs me is the nighttime scene in the Orca galley, with the three principal leads eating dinner. It starts with Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss trying to one-up one another with their various scars and injuries, then segues smoothly into a gripping monologue from Shaw about his experience on the U.S.S. Indianapolis. The three leads (including Roy Scheider) then wind up harmonizing on “Show Me the Way to Go Home.” It’s a funny, intense, but relaxing interlude, in between shark attacks. GOLDFINGER (1964) Usually regarded by fans as the best James Bond movie ever made, and in my opinion, it can be distilled to one particular scene. After being captured, Bond (Sean Connery) wakes in darkness; when the lights click on, he realizes he is strapped to a metal table. The villain Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) approaches and describes the mechanism pointing at Connery: an industrial laser. Someone switches it on and Frobe continues to talk off-handedly, while the single red beam burns its way through the table, straight toward Connery’s crotch. The tension is palpable; you can literally feel Bond’s mind working overtime, trying to come up with something, anything that will make Goldfinger turn off the laser. Stalling for time, Connery asks, “Do you expect me to talk?” and Frobe comes back with the classic reply: “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!” THE THING (1982) Science fiction? Not on your life. This was a true horror film, the same way that the original ALIEN was a haunted house film set in space. But THE THING ratcheted up the scares and shocks in a way that had rarely been seen before. It was the anti-JAWS, because it showed you everything: each manifestation of the creature was more terrifying, more disturbing than the last. The most suspenseful scene in the film didn’t really bring the monster in until the very end. I’m thinking of the scene in which Kurt Russell attempts to identify “who’s who” by checking everyone’s blood. You just know one of the scientists is the alien in disguise; it’s a matter of waiting for the truth. You squirm. And squirm some more. The truth, when it comes, does not present a sigh of relief; it simply signals an onrush of violence so chaotic, you almost wish the tension came back. DIRTY HARRY (1971) One of the best cop movies of the ‘70s, and while it wasn’t nearly as gritty or realistic as THE FRENCH CONNECTION, a film from the same year, it was just as brutal, if not more so. There is a moment midway through the film when Inspector Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) corners the killer (Andy Robinson) in the middle of a football stadium. Harry yells, “Halt!” The stadium lights come on, flooding the field. The killer stops, puts his hands up, and Harry shoots him anyway. When Harry demands the whereabouts of a kidnap victim, the killer blabbers about his rights, and what follows is a moment of torture so in-your-face, the camera cannot bear it; the point-of-view spirals up and away from the violence, ascending into the dark, leaving Eastwood and Robinson as two tiny, disappearing specks in the mist. An unbelievable shot. THE ODD COUPLE (1968) Most of the film is a two-character study of total opposites, a slob and a neat freak, hilariously played by Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. It’s all very funny, but my favorite scene is just after a depressed Lemmon’s introduction at the credits; it’s a wonderful scene of male dialogue around a poker table, a scene that actually opened the play version. Neil Simon never wrote anything funnier than the lines these men threw back and forth across the table. Many of the lines identify the characters’ personalities. (“Okay, who wants to eat? I got brown sandwiches and green sandwiches.” “What’s the green?” “It’s either very new cheese or very old meat.” “I’ll take the brown.”) It’s the best example I’ve ever seen of dialogue helping to set the scene. GETTYSBURG (1993) An adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil War novel that many thought was overly long. At nearly four hours, those critics might have had a point, but the closing scene of the first half was worth the price of admission. Jeff Daniels commands center stage as Col. Joshua Chamberlain, leader of the 20th Maine regiment, and charged with defending the far right flank of the Union line at Little Round Top. The Confederates send wave after wave of soldiers up the hill to storm the line; time and again, Daniels’ men repel the attacks. His men are exhausted, dirty, bloody, and at long last, out of ammunition. The Confederates come yet again. The men look to Daniels one last time. He stares down the hill, then simply commands his men to “fix bayonets” for a charge. It’s a simple, straightforward order; they’re out of ammo, so what else can they do? It was one of the most heroic acts of wartime bravery I’ve ever seen on film. GIANT (1956) Okay, now you’re thinking, where have all the genre pictures gone? Hey, I never said they all had to be those kinds of movies. Anyway, this film was probably at the apex of ‘50s melodrama; it contained the final film appearance of James Dean, and while he is strong in a role that ages him like no other young actor since Orson Welles in CITIZEN KANE, he has nothing to do with the scene I remember. That honor goes to a scene near the very end of the film. On their way home from a huge banquet thrown by rival Dean, millionaire Texas rancher Rock Hudson, wife Elizabeth Taylor, and assorted family members stop off at a roadside diner to eat. They watch as a poor Mexican family is refused service by the burly owner of the diner. Hudson, with his Mexican daughter-in-law sitting mortified across from him, stands up for the family, and proceeds to get beaten to a pulp, while the diner jukebox plays a rousing “Yellow Rose of Texas.” It was racial tolerance disguised as ‘50s-style pulp, and it worked. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981) This film contains the single greatest transformation scene in the history of monster movies. I still think it ranks as makeup genius Rick Baker’s crowning achievement, even though he has gone on to win several Oscars. Things happen when David Naughton becomes a werewolf that old-timers like Jack Pierce and the Westmores could only have imagined. When Pierce turned Lon Chaney Jr. into the Wolf Man, it was slow dissolves and a lot of yak hair (I think). Naughton’s change is pain personified: bones crack, feet stretch into claws, nose and mouth elongate into a nasty, fang-filled muzzle, hair rustles along the back like leaves in the wind. You can’t look away. THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001) As many club members know, the most indescribable pleasure I have had in a theater in the last few years has been Peter Jackson’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS. There is nothing more pleasurable to a book and movie lover than to see a favorite novel translated perfectly onto the screen, and that has happened not once, but twice in the last two years. I have many favorite scenes, but the one I always come back to is Gandalf’s (Ian McKellen) stand against the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dum. It is a marvel of suspense, excitement, and wonder. The righteous fury on McKellen’s face is great acting; when the unthinkable happens, the audience is left as stunned and limp as the rest of the Fellowship. I can watch this scene again and again and never get bored. DVD is a wonderful thing, isn’t it? SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND (1978) I said up front that there have been memorable movie moments in bad movies, and this is one I like to use as an example. After filming SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER and GREASE, producer Robert Stigwood thought he could do no wrong. So he made this homage to the Beatles, packed it with some of the most popular music personalities of the period (Peter Frampton, the Bee Gees), and put it up there for us all to witness. It remains one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life. But… there is one scene that really works. I can’t even remember the context (and I don’t particularly care), but hard-rock group Aerosmith shows up to cover “Come Together.” It’s a great number; don’t ask me why, because I couldn’t tell you. But it kept me from running out of the theater, screaming. Looking back on this list, I cringe when I realize the oldest scene
is from 1956. I really do like old movies. It’s just that these
were the first scenes that came to mind. So I have to go back into
my memory vaults for more, and I’m pretty sure I could come up with something
a tad… ummm… dustier. But I’ll put that off for my next column.
In the meantime, I hope these movie moments have stoked the furnaces of
your memory. If so, I wish someone would start a forum thread and
share a couple, because I’d love to hear them.
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MAY CALENDAR
MARK THESE DATES August 15-17 HORRORFIND August 23 ICS meeting – NOT
the last Saturday so make note!
August 22 -28 MARS is
closer than ever before in recorded history – check it out!
BUY OR DIE . . . . . . HALF OFF IS JUST
THE BEGINNING!
BY THE END OF THE DANCE SOME OF THE SORORITY SISTERS
WERE DEAD ON THEIR FEET
THEY'RE HERE!
THERE'S ONLY ONE THING WRONG WITH THE DAVIS BABY
. . . .
A HORROR HORDE OF CRAWL-AND-CRUSH GIANTS CLAWING
OUT OF THE EARTH FROM
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