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CTHULHU AND FRIENDS
John Clayton gave a presentation on one of Imaginative Literature’s
most talented writers – H. P. Lovecraft. Lovecraft was born in 1890
in Providence, RI. His father was institutionalized and died shortly
after H.P. was born, so he was raised by his mother, who was a controlling
force in his life and also, in Lovecraft’s adulthood, went mad. He
developed a rather eccentric personality - atheist, antiquarian and anglophile
with a dislike of foreigners and sea food. All of those characteristics,
coupled with a fear of inheriting his parent’s insanity, helped to develop
the Cthulhu Mythos – the legends of the Old Ones. Unlike most modern
writers, who wish to hold exclusive copyright on their work, Lovecraft
encouraged other writers to add to the Cthulhu universe, most notably August
Derleth, who created benevolent gods to counterbalance Lovecraft’s evil
ones. He passed away in 1937 due to intestinal cancer.
Lovecraft’s influences are evident even today – in The Call of the
Cthulhu role playing game, the CTHULHU 2000 anthology of modern short stories
and even as Dr. Zoidberg on Futurama.
Thanks, John, for giving us an informative and inside look into this
revered author’s life!
- #%@# DAGON! - YES, #%@# DAGON
To top off the presentation, John provided a selection of films inspired
by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. The top pick was Stuart Gordon’s
inspired DAGON, which took place on a dilapidated coastal village in Spain,
populated by fish/human hybrids. Our intrepid heroes do their best
to stay alive and finally learn the horrifying secret of the island.
OBEY THE SKELETON!
We had a chance to watch a late night treat - THE LOST SKELETON OF
CADAVRA – which was a spoof of 50’s horror/alien films. LOST SKELETON
had all of the elements of those unintentionally bad 50’s films – black
and white cinematography, Bronson Canyon, earnest actors, stilted dialogue,
excessively dramatic music, an evil scientist, a femme fatale in a catsuit,
a moral message, and, of course, a man in an obvious monster suit.
R-OW-R… 4 out 5 forest creatures recommend this one!
One aside: The skeleton was a plastic one purchased from
Ebay. It had a bolt in the top of the skull. When they took
out the bolt (it would have been a little too distracting for the camera),
the entire thing fell apart, so they had to keep the bolt and disguise
it with putty. Just something to look for, for those of you who want
to give the film a first or second view.
PIZZA NIGHT POSTPONED!
For those of you who came to the meeting in anticipation of our annual
Pizza Night in July, my apologies. While it’s easy to enjoy the fruits
of pizza night, putting it together requires the coordination of the A-Team.
Since 3/5 of the Board were not able to attend the meeting and do all of
the prep work, we decided to postpone Pizza Night until the September meeting.
So, please do your best to hold off until September 25th, when we have
a night of Pizza and Ghosts in the Movies (courtesy of Courtney Spies).
NEWS OF OUR NEXT MEETING
Our next meeting will be held on Saturday August 28th at 5:30
P.M. at the church hall behind the Perry Hall Presbyterian Church located
at 8848 BelAir Road. Take Baltimore Beltway exit 32 north on Belair Road.
Turn left onto Joppa Road. Immediately past the miniature golf course turn
left into the parking lot. If you miss it there are ample turn-around opportunities.
If you get stuck call 443-570-6455. That's Dave Willard’s cell phone. He'll
talk you in.
WHY DOES THE SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM LOOK LIKE THE LEAD SINGER FROM DURAN
DURAN?
Ah yes, the unintentional anachronism spits in the face of historical
accuracy. Although the bad-movie lover delights in such displays,
a simple oversight as a watch on a 16th century extra can destroy the serious
atmosphere of a film. On that note, Steve Vaught, fan of medieval
history, is going to present HISTORY VS. HOLLYWOOD. He will take
a look at films which accurately portray the past. So, be there on
August 28th – you might learn something before it’s done.
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August 13-15: Horrorfind,
Hunt Valley, MD.
Guests include: George Romero, Adrienne Barbeau, Jeffrey Combs
and a boat load of more celebrity guests
September 2-6: The Worldcon - Noreascon 4.
Boston, MA.
The 62nd World Science Fiction Convention.
October 15-17: Capclave 2004
Vienna, VA
October 29-31: Chiller Theatre
East Rutherford, NJ
IMAGINATIVE CINEMA COMING SOON
MUST SEE MOVIES FOR YOU!
August 6th OPEN WATER
Cast: Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, Saul Stein
Premise: Two scuba divers (Ryan, Travis) are accidentally stranded
in shark-infested waters when their tour boat leaves them behind.
August 13th ALIEN VS. PREDATOR
Cast: Lance Henriksen, Raoul Bova, Ewen Bremner, Sanaa Lathan
Premise: If you need a premise for this film, then you are in
the wrong club.
August 20th THE EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING
Cast: Stellan Skarsgard, Izabella Scorupco, James D’Arcy
Director: Renny Harlin
Premise: Young Father Merrin (Skarsgård) encounters the
demon Pazuzu for the first time while doing missionary work in post-WWII
Africa.
August 28th ANACONDAS: THE HUNT FOR THE BLOOD ORCHID
Cast: Johnny Messner, Kadee Strickland, Matthew Marsden, Morris
Chestnut
Premise: In the Bornean rainforest, scientists searching for
the life-extending Black Orchid flower run into a group of juiced-up anacondas,
bent on suffocating all those who enter their domain.
August 28th SUSPECT ZERO
Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Sir Ben Kingsley, Carrie-Ann Moss
Director: E. Elias Merhige (SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE)
Premise: Investigating a deceased serial killer, FBI agent Thomas
Mackelway (Aaron Eckhart) follows a trail of questions to a rogue former
agent (Kingsley) who independently tracks killers, including the elusive
Suspect Zero, a person responsible for hundreds of murders.
August 28th SUPERBABIES: BABY GENIUSES 2
Cast: John Voight, Scott Baio, Vanessa Angel
Premise: Infant brainiacs, led by the indomitable Kahuna, work
against the clock to prevent the evil media mogul Bill Biscane (Voight)
from deploying a satellite system that can control people's minds.
Too bad Voight couldn't somehow wedge himself into ANACONDAS instead.
farewellsfarewellsfarewells Good bye farewellsfarewellsfarewells
FAY WRAY
1907- 2004
Fay Wray, the actress best known for her role as the object
of a giant ape's desire in the 1933 film ``King Kong,'' died. She was 96.
Wray died in her Fifth Avenue apartment in New York.
As blonde-haired beauty Ann Darrow in ``King Kong,'' Wray
earned the nickname ``The Queen of Scream'' for the yelp she uttered as
she was plucked out of an Empire State Building window by the giant ape
and carried to the top of the 102-story skyscraper.
Fay made more than 100 films in her career, yet she was
forever identified with ``Kong.'' After ``King Kong,'' her popularity
declined and she made low- budget films. She retired in 1942, and reappeared
in the movies ``Queen Bee'' (1955) and ``Crime of Passion'' (1957), and
also in the television series ``The Pride of the Family.'' The show co-
starred Natalie Wood and Paul Hartman and ran from 1953 to 1955. She made
her last screen appearance in the 1980 TV movie ``Gideon's Trumpet'' with
Henry Fonda.
Jerry Goldsmith, who composed music for nearly 200 feature films
and memorable themes for several television shows, has died. Goldsmith
was nominated for 18 Academy Awards, winning in 1976 for The Omen. Other
nominations included A Patch of Blue, Planet of the Apes, Patton, Chinatown,
Under Fire, The Wind and the Lion and Basic Instinct.
He was nominated for seven Emmys, winning five for Star Trek: Voyager,
the miniseries Masada and QB VII, and the TV movies Babe and The Red Pony.
He was also nominated for numerous Grammys and Golden Globes. Goldsmith
was 75.
Georgine Darcy, who was one of the last surviving members of the cast
of Alfred Hitchcock's classic Rear Window, has died. She was 68.
Darcy's most memorable role after rear window, was as the irreverent
secretary Gypsy on the television series Harrigan and Son, starring Pat
O'Brien.
She also appeared in the films Don't Knock the Twist, Women and Bloody
Terror and The Delta Factor, and in guest roles on television's M Squad,
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse and Mannix.
ICS CALENDER –the Month in review!
August 6th OPEN WATER movie opens
August 13-15 – Horrorfind Con
August 13th ALIEN VS. PREDATOR movie opens
August 20th THE EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING movie
opens
August 27th ANACONDAS: THE HUNT FOR THE BLOOD
ORCHID, SUSPECT ZERO and SUPERBABIES: BABY GENIUSES 2 movies open
August 28 – ICS Meeting! 5:30pm
The presentation will be done this evening by Steve Vaught with
the
theme of a History VS. Hollywood night.
