#Oliver Craven

[white-cat-of-doom]

An assorted set of photos from Cast 16 of the Oasis of the Seas' full opening weekend.

Jasmine Eales as Rumpleteazer is one happy Cat.

Sophie Morelle Cox as Sillabub is also cheerful.

Nat Sweeney adds sparkle to his spectacle.

Naomi Tower as Tantomile and Sammy Herbert as Coricopat share some downtime.

Memories from Harry Planck as Rum Tum Tugger.

A pyramid of Kitties.

Performance photo source.

Off-stage, Connor McGrane shares his Asparagus.

A familiar hallway photo from Oliver Craven as Plato.

02/03 November 2024.

[cryptidvoidwritings]

CATS Oasis of the Seas - Cast 16 (all first cast) - otherwise known as The Skimblebutt Clip. November 14, 2024

4/6

[esqueletosgays]

THE BREED (2006)

Director: Nicholas Mastandrea Cinematography: Giulio Biccari

[rebootgrimm]

For the ArtFight 2024 preparation thing I’m gonna do the prompt of “What is in your OCs inventories”. This is excluding Byte, Angel, and Spider-Bow. Angel and Byte are just floating mushrooms, nowhere to put stuff. Spider-Bow just… has no pockets lmao. Alright under cut it goes

Reboot

Something Angel made her

A cool rock

A book she “borrowed” from their ex about plants

Some of the things Byte made in case they’re useful for later

Ace

An absurd amount of stim toys

A glow up heart thing that Diamond made

Molly

Phone

Earbuds (wired)

Tiny notebook

Pen

Dan

Dimensional teleporter

Realm locator

Bloodlings

Flashlight

Business card (for one of the doctors at Lunar Hospital)

Zaria

Trinkets (from the birds)

Coin pouches

Craven

The garlic inside their body

It’s technically its organs but

eh

Melanie

She doesn’t really… have anything

She’s an SCP (non-canon as of now)

She can summon melons at will though

Olive

As a nurse xey doesn’t really carry stuff with xem

Xey has a necklace though. it’s on xem does that count

Diamond

Probably some spare small parts like nuts, bolts, & screws from time messing with technology in Parts & Services

Also some trash that kids left that its yet to throw away (if it’s during daycare time)

Something Ace made

[sinceileftyoublog]

Evanston Folk Fest Saturday: 9/7, Dawes Park

Sierra Ferrell

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Every musician I watched on Saturday at the Evanston Folk Fest grappled with, directly or indirectly, what folk music means in 2024. I knew going in, given the prestige of the musical lineup and speakers in the interview tent, that the festival would not be one that casts off "folk" as a mere aesthetic, visual or instrumental. Indeed, even if many of the booked musicians didn't fit the general schema of the folk genre, they abided by its most important tenet: music not just by the people but for the people, independent of level of expertise.

From left to right: Oliver Bates Craven, Ferrell, Matty Meyer, Geoff Saunders, & Joshua Rilko

Headlining the night was Sierra Ferrell, a singer-songwriter from West Virginia whose unique mix of bluegrass and Latin-influenced arrangements (and, yes, wild outfits) have allowed her to garner steadily increasing crossover appeal beyond her initial viral rise. Earlier this year, she released her fourth studio album Trail of Flowers (Rounder), which managed to widen the spectrum of her sound while emphasizing--let alone not losing--her idiosyncrasies. On standout fiddle jam "I Could Drive You Crazy"--Ferrell's proclaimed greatest relationship skill--you can hear crowd chatter from a show she did on a previous New Year's Eve. Such noise was almost perfectly replicated on Saturday, as Ferrell's band (multi-instrumentalist Oliver Bates Craven, mandolinist Joshua Rilko, bassist Geoff Saunders, drummer Matty Meyer) led off with the song's melody to welcome her onto the stage. As she waltzed on, revealing her poofy pink dress and feathered-and-flowered hair, done up like an Appalachian Björk, her fans did indeed hoot and holler.

Ferrell

Likewise, no matter the studio sheen of Trail of Flowers (or "Fox Hunt" being thumping enough to soundtrack an NFL cut to commercial), live, its songs fit seamlessly into a set that seemed intimate despite the large crowd. Album opener "American Dreaming" has found a second life as a song to be played near the end of the show, a crowd singalong due to its catchy melody and commonly felt story of a person unable to sit still. For touring musician Ferrell, who started out as train-hopping, van-dwelling, busking nomad, the only difference now is she can better afford nightly lodging. When performing, her unmistakably raspy voice takes even sharper twists and turns: During "Chittlin' Cookin' Time in Cheatham County", she occupied the shrillness of Joanna Newsom, flutters of Josephine Foster, and barroom gurgle of Tom Waits from moment to moment. Later, during Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee", but in the style of its most famous iteration by Janis Joplin, you half-expected Ferrell to do a Joplin impression. She has the skills, but instead, she made it her own, a true folk singer who can sing a song from the collective consciousness, but not showy enough to discourage others from joining in.

Rilko

Craven, Meyer, Farrell, & Saunders

Craven, Meyer, Farrell, Saunders, & Rilko

Hiss Golden Messenger

Hiss Golden Messenger

Midway through his solo set, Hiss Golden Messenger's MC Taylor let the crowd know he was going to do a cover of a folk song. "I was a folklorist in my former life, so I feel qualified to play it," he quipped. The song was Grateful Dead's "Bertha", and it received such rapturous applause that Taylor joked he should have led off with it. First, Taylor's always qualified to play Dead songs. His venerable band has been interpolating "Franklin's Tower" into Lateness of Dancers bop "Lucia" for years, and he's beginning to release live recordings on his Bandcamp page at the pace of a certain band that was oft-bootlegged. More importantly, though, at this point, Hiss Golden Messenger has developed a catalog of contemporary folk classics. As soon as Taylor came on stage, introduced by Evanston mayor Daniel Biss, an eager crowd member requested "Sanctuary", to which a chuffed Taylor requested patience, replying, "We'll get there!" As Hiss Golden Messenger studio songs and full-band performances expand in length and sound, they always sound good stripped down, too, from newer tunes like "Shinbone" to favorites like "Biloxi". Of course, it's the biggest treat to hear songs from acoustic masterpiece Bad Debt, an album he'll play in full next month at SPACE. Taylor gave the Evanston Folk Fest crowd a preview of what's to come with "Balthazar's Song", a tune that could make you melt on the coldest day of the year.

Hiss Golden Messenger

Hiss Golden Messenger

Mayor of Evanston, Daniel Biss

Willi Carlisle

And then there was the artist who, perhaps expectedly, most reckoned with the idea of what folk music means, Arkansas-based singer-songwriter Willi Carlisle. Sure, some of it was tongue-in-cheek, asking what an upper-middle-class Chicago suburb was doing deciding what constitutes a folk festival, but for the most part, Carlisle framed folk music as being in constant battle with that which represents an existential threat to, well, regular folks: capitalism, empire, and the patriarchy. Carlisle is a captivating storyteller and musician, reciting his poetry at a breakneck pace and ad-libbing, too, switching between banjo, fiddle, guitar, and a capella. I'm glad he's released a taste of what his shows are like with Tales From Critterland (Signature Sounds), which features three of the many songs he played on Saturday, plus their proper introductions: "The Arrangements", inspired by and dedicated to his and all bad fathers, "Critterland", which came from his attempt to live in an intentional community, and Steve Goodman's "The Ballad of Penny Evans". It was that last one that was the song of the day on Saturday, perfect for time and place. Let's acknowledge the elephant in the room: Goodman's best known in Chicago for writing the song that plays at Wrigley Field after the Cubs win. The crowd at Evanston Folk Fest was likely more familiar than is the average Chicagoan with Goodman's penchant for writing incredibly moving and righteous songs, but for those who weren't, Carlisle's show-stopping version of Goodman's anti-Vietnam War ballad surely gave them the chills. On Tales From Critterland, Carlisle explains how Goodman lifted the melody from a song about slavery, sung from the point of view of the slaveowner, repurposing a great melody for a song with complete opposite levels of morality, an exercise in the evolution of songs. On Saturday, Carlisle simply dedicated his performance to all the Palestinians murdered by a despotic Israeli government. It was a moment that most spoke to folk music's true power, that of "This machine kills fascists" protest, an ability to foresee unfortunately everlasting societal ills, and a dare to hope for a better world.

Carlisle

[davidtennantgenderenvy]

ROLES I WANT DAVID TENNANT TO PLAY IN MUSICALS: THE MASTERLIST

Okay so I've divided this into three categories, which you shall see below!

Roles I Think David Could/Should Play NOW:

Charlie Guiteau in Assassins

someone in Brigadoon bc it would be funny

The Emcee in Cabaret

Ryuk in Death Note

The Man In The Chair in The Drowsy Chaperone

The Dysquith Family in A Gentleman's Guide to Love And Murder

Herbie in Gypsy

Hades in Hadestown

Frollo in Hunchback of Notre Dame (okay give him like five years)

The Baker in Into The Woods

Lord Chancellor in Iolanthe

Albin or Georges in La Cage Aux Folles (either one as long as the other is played by Michael Sheen)

Trunchbull in Matilda OKAY HEAR ME OUT (he could also do Mr Wormwood)

Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady

Fagin in Oliver

Tateh in Ragtime

Riff Raff OR Frank N Furter in Rocky Horror

Shakespeare in Something Rotten

Squidward in SpongeBob (im so serious)

Sweeney Todd (utterly delusional but I need it to happen)

The Wizard in Wicked

Roles I Think David Would Have Nailed When He Was Younger

The Balladeer in Assassins

anyone in Cats please it would be so funny (especially Munkustrap)

Connor Murphy in Dear Evan Hansen (like Campbell era come ON)

Motel in Fiddler on the Roof

Marvin in Falsettos (he MIGHT get away with that now not sure)

Monty in Gentleman's Guide

J.P. Finch in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying

Molina in Kiss of the Spider Woman

Emmet in Legally Blonde

Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors

Edgar Allan Poe in Nevermore

Leo Frank in Parade

Narrator/Cat in the Hat in Seussical

Georg in She Loves Me

any character Christian Borle played in Spamalot

Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd

Roles David Quite Doesn't Have The Instrument For But I Would Watch Him Do Them Anyway Bc He Would Act The Hell Out Of Them:

Any Elder in The Book of Mormon (Younger)

Robert in Bridges of Madison County

Bobby in Company (Younger)

Jervis in Daddy Long Legs (Younger)

Lucheni in Elisabeth (Younger)

or death. Rudolph too tbh

Bruce Bechdel in Fun Home

Edward Rochester in Jane Eyre

Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde (younger)

Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar (younger)

Javert in Les Miserables

Christian in Moulin Rouge (Younger)

Pierre in Great Comet (this one actually kills me bc he and Phileas are so similar)

OR ANATOLE HOLY CRAP

Gabe in Next to Normal (Younger)

Erik in Phantom of the Opera

Mark Cohen in Rent (younger)

Noel Gruber or Ricky Potts in Ride the Cyclone (younger)

Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden

Joe/Josephine in Some Like It Hot

BURRS IN THE WILD PARTY OH I WISH THIS WERE REALISTIC IT WOULD BE SO GOOD

GOD this is long please spill the opinions so this was worth it

[allthecanadianpolitics]

One year after the British Columbia government introduced a new compensation model for family physicians, a B.C. family medicine practitioner says she is already seeing positive changes.

Dr. Robin Craven, a family physician in Oliver, B.C., told CBC News that changes to the payment model have alleviated some of the longstanding pressures on the province's health-care system, including a shortage of family doctors.  

"I think [with] what the B.C. government has done…we are attracting physicians from other provinces," she said.

Craven, an internationally trained doctor with a medical degree from St. George's University in Grenada, said the shift in billing practices has been a game-changer.

"You spend eight years in school ... you want to be able to pay your loan, but you want to be able to have a little comfort. And you can definitely do that in B.C. on this new contract," she added.  [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[goldenspirits]

Saltburn (2023), Parasite (2019), and the Rich.

'When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich.' — Rousseau

I'm writing this post becuase I feel most people misinterpret these movies, and how I don't consider either of them to be an 'Eat the rich' movie.

I'm starting with this quote because I often feel like people remove it from its original context, and I feel like putting it back there may make it regain some of its meaning.

Spoiler warning for: Saltburn (2023), Parasite (2019), Glass Onion (2022), The People Under The Stairs (1991).

The rich may get metaphorically or literally eaten in both Saltburn and Parasite, as someone from a 'lower' class gets rid of them and takes their place in the hierarchy, but I feel like when people celebrate these movies they are essentially forgetting that the systems that made these people 'lower class' or 'middle class' do begin with are still in place. [re: Coco's Feel-Good Oppression]

I believe 'The Rich' are inherently something bad, because the Rich can only exist with exploitation, I don't believe every single rich person realizes this is what's happening, and it's almost impossible to become Rich with just honest work, that's why I believe meritocracy is a lie.

In both of these movies, people go up the social ladder. And now what? They have become the rich. (Although in Parasite the protagonists go back down the social ladder. Put a pin on that*) Essentially nothing has changed, the rich just have new names and new faces now. These aren't stories to celebrate. Such as, for example, Glass Onion was, in a way.

In Glass Onion you feel like justice is being served and that an actual change in the system might happen, although capitalism still exists in-universe, Helen Brand finally got compensated financially for the work of her sister, Andi, who got massively screwed over. While in Parasite and Saltburn you just see average people become the oppressors, in a grotesque way. This doesn't necessarily make them Bad Movies and it's really interesting to see how the rich aren't necessarily intrinsically bad people with bad intentions, anyone could be the Rich, they are people, privileged people, people in a position of power, but people, and anyone could become like them under specific circumstances.

Pin*: In Parasite I think it's also very interesting how the protagonists go back down the social ladder way easily than they went up. But I'm not sure how to expand on that. But, I feel like Middle Class people often think of themselves as between rich and poor when they are actually much closer to Poor and Homelessness than they realize.

I feel like in both Parasite and Saltburn we see people commiting acts of violence to become rich but in a way they are also being class traitors, seen in Saltburn as Oliver backstabs Farleigh and in Parasite when the Kim Family literally tries to murder a maid. As for a contrast in Glass Onion we do not see Helen screw over any fellow middle-class people. I feel like part of the horror both in Parasite and Saltburn come from said greed from the protagonists, they don't just want to go up in life, they are slowly becoming perpetrators of the violence that was enacted on them.

In a way, that is to say, in both Parasite and Saltburn the people have nothing to eat, so the rich have not been effectively eaten.

That begs the question of "What would characterize an Eat The Rich movie?"

The People Under the Stairs is a 1991 movie, directed by Wes Craven, the same director as Nightmare on Elm Street, and it's a movie that's not as popular as the other three on the list but bear with me here.

In the movie we follow a black protagonist, nicknamed Fool, his family is being evicted, he lives in the ghetto, so he and a man named Leroy plan to commit crimes to be able to afford cancer treatment for Fool's mother.

In that, they discover in one of the houses, a bunch of people in a basement. (This was actually based on a true story.) The owners of the house being very obviously rich, so the movie continues with Fool befriending the owners' daughter, Alice, although being born in a rich family, she is heavily abused by them and is a kind-hearted person.

At the end of the movie, when our antagonists, Mommy and Daddy, are defeated, we actually see their wealth be redistributed to the community. Oh, did I mention Mommy and Daddy were also the landlords that were evicting Fool's family?

At the end of the movie, the entire community of the Ghetto is together to get the justice they deserve for being mistreated by the landlords for so many years, and I think ultimately that's what makes an 'Eat The Rich' movie for me, the poor people of this Ghetto were getting this justice, not an individual family or just some guy named Oliver Quick, but everyone who was mistreated by the landlords, in this particular instance.

I wish I could compare this in a meaningful way to Glass Onion in which one individual, once again, is getting all the justice, but still feels more 'Eat The Rich' than Saltburn or Parasite, and I think it's because ultimately we don't see Helen as a person corrupted by greed.

That's not to say Saltburn or Parasite are bad movies, once again, but they are not feel-good movies, hell, both of them are horror, and I love both of them and how they explore class dynamics, but I think they fall short in being an 'Eat The Rich' movie.

This is, of course, just some of my ramblings that got way longer than I expected. So I don't have much of a neat conclusion aside from "People often misinterpret media" or "People often try to market ideologies in a way that waters them down" but hopefully you already know that. And thank you for reading :]

[gatofresaaa]

the thing about saltburn is that we all shame oliver for what he’s done, but we’d probably do the same if we could. when has a person in love not done everything in their power to keep the object of their affection interested in them? when has a heartbroken person not craven violence after being rejected? when has a lonely person not lied to make ourselves look better? when have we been truly calm and collected?

we’re emotional beings driven by impulse and the desire to be loved that would exploit the rich on the first opportunity we get. we feel deeply and destroy in the name of love and success.

[flickynightdarkness]

If my DC/Batman OCs have headcanon voices, what would they sound like?

Benjamin Williams - K1B0 (Danganronpa) [VA - Lucien Dodge]

Hallow Crane - Vulture (Spectacular Spider Man) [VA - Robert Englund]

Meredith Miranda - Maud Pie (My Little Pony) [VA - Ingrid Nilson]

Yuki Blossoms - Tiff (Kirby - Right Back At Ya) [VA - Kerry Williams]

Marcus Todd - Raphael (2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) [VA - Sean Astin] or Red Hood (Injustice 2) [VA - Cameron Bowen]

Lauren Crane - Lilith Clawthorne (Owl House) [VA - Cissy Jones] or Loona (Helluva Boss) [VA - Erica Lindbeck]

Laurent Crane - Scarecrow (Arkham Knight Version) [VA - John Noble]

Trace Dent - Vaggie (Hazbin Hotel) [VA - Stephanie Beatriz]

Coona Walker - Sody Pop (Chikn Nuggit) [VA - Dawn M. Bennett]

Evelyn Wesker - Sage (Sonic Forces) [VA - Ryan Bartley]

Ember Lynns - Toga Himiko (My Hero Academia) [VA - Leah Clark] or Panty Anarchy (Panty and Stocking) [VA - Jamie Marchi]

Torch Lynns - Firefly (Arkham version) [VA - Crispin Freeman]

Cheryl - TSA! Amy [VA - Eileen Montgomery]

Topher Blackfire - Valentino (Hazbin Hotel) [VA - Joel Perez] or Hunter (Owl House) [VA - Zeno Robinson]

Oliver Miranda - Iscream (Chikn Nuggit) [VA - Nate Charpentier] or Cubot (Sonic) [VA - Wally Wingert]

Misty Miranda - Cream the Rabbit (Sonic) [VA - Rebecca Honig]

Spook - Collector (Owl House) [VA - Fryda Wolff]

Myers Miranda - Dr Facilier [Princess and The Frog [VA - Keith David]

Lunar Crane - Lumalee (Super Mario Bros Movie) [VA - Juliet Jelenic]

Leader Scorch - Father (Kids Next Door) [VA - Maurice LaMarche]

Harrison, Misty and Carrie - Delightful Children from Down the Lane (Kids Next Door) [VAs - Dee Bradley Baker(H) and Cree Summer(M and C)]

Craven Crane - Scarecrow (Arkham Asylum) [VA - Dino Andrade]

Clove Miranda - Stella (Helluva Boss) [VA - Georgina Leahy]

Fangs Langstrom - Cream the Rabbit (Sonic) [VA - Rebecca Honig]

Kaleb Langstrom - Thorax (My Little Pony) [VA - Kyle Rideout]

Kraig Jones - Goliath (Gargoyles) [VA - Keith David]

Tootsie Jingles - Fizzarolli (Helluva Boss) [VA - Alex Brightman]

Blade Quinzel - Secret History Tails [VA - Mick Lauer]

Harriet Miranda - Odalia Blight (Owl House) [VA - Rachael McFarlane]

[krispyweiss]

With Knockout Performance, Sierra Ferrell Ruins NPR’s Tiny Desk for Everyone Else

Rarely has the small studio audience around NPR’s Tiny Desk made such a big sound. But it’s just as rare for an outsized talent like Sierra Ferrell to drop in and knock a four-song set from D.C. to California.

Backed by a four piece band - drummer Matty Meyer, bassist Geoff Saunders, Oliver Bates Craven on fiddle and electric guitar and Josh Rilko on mandolin and acoustic guitar - and playing fiddle and guitar herself, Ferrell traced the broad outlines of American music with just four songs.

Though she had flowers strewn across her eyes, a couple of face piercings and tattoos enough for the whole band, it’s the voice that makes Ferrell stand out from the Americana crowd. Well, that and the composition, the lyrics and her ability to play multiple instruments.

But that voice - both ever-present and emanating from the deep past; expressive and full of joy and pain - illuminates such songs as “I Could Drive You Crazy” and “Dollar Bill Bar.” The former is an old-time fiddle tune; the latter modern folk-rock; both of them find Ferrell telling potential suitors to protect themselves from their fancy.

As with the preceding, Ferrell made no effort to recreate her studio recordings on the following “In Dreams” and “American Dreaming,” instead presenting versions unique to her Tiny Desk Concert.

And it’s pretty much Ferrell’s Tiny Desk now, as whomever follows has an impossible standard to meet.

8/16/24

[white-cat-of-doom]

A pair of highlights from this past opening weekend in Cast 16 of the Oasis of the Seas.

Alice Rimmer as Cassandra, Michael Herrington as Alonzo, Adam Hearn as Pouncival, Megan Little as Victoria, and Sammy Herbert as Coricopat.

Opening night Jellicle Ball footage from Oliver Craven as Plato.

18 and 19 October 2024.

[cryptidvoidwritings]

I am a week back from my time on Oasis of the Seas, where I tried to be a brazen cruise goer who doesn't actually care about the show and just films the whole thing but failed so I have 3 photos and a handful of clips.

Clips to come.

Easily visible faces: Nat Sweeney as Mistoffelees, Helen Turner as Demeter, Sammy Herbert as Coricopat, Adam Hearn as Pouncival, Elise O'Connell as Baby Griz, and Oliver Craven as Plato. Jasmine Eales as Rumpelteazer has the umbrella later to be used during Skimbleshanks in the way of her face :( Charlotte Reavey as Bombalurina, Anthony Lafornara as Munkustrap, Matthew Tratch as Tumblebrutus, and Megan Little as Victoria.

Michael Herrington as Alonzo, with background Anthony Lafornara as Munkustrap and Emma Brynn Cooper as Jennyanydots during The Rum Tum Tugger.

[heartintact]

♡ for a smutty, angsty or christmassy short starter based on your wishlist! specify the vibe that you want or that will be up to me! i’ll come to you to ask who you prefer from the following list:

atlas dixon. 24 - 27, he/him, straight (asa germann fc).

belinda yeoh. 22 - 26, she/her, bisexual (havana rose liu fc). 

charlotte cunningham. 32 - 36, she/her, lesbian (sarah snook fc). 

delilah bates. 26 - 29, she/her, bisexual (victoria pedretti fc). 

denver oakley. 26-30, he/him, straight (logan lerman fc).

erik landvik. 43 - 46, he/him, straight (alexander skarsgård fc). 

gemma harmon. 26 - 29, she/her, bisexual (jaz sinclair fc).

hudson gere. 24 - 28, he/him, straight (jacob elordi fc). 

joana sampaio. 23 - 26, she/her, lesbian (alba baptista fc).

jonah mei. 26 - 29, he/him, bisexual (derek luh fc).

juno faulkner. 23- 27, she/her, bisexual (maddie phillips fc).

kieran henley. 34 - 38, he/him, bisexual (oliver jackson-cohen fc). 

lucia oliveira. 25 - 29, she/her, bisexual (camila mendes fc). 

maude seong. 23 - 26, she/her, bisexual (london thor fc).

naomi ryde. 28 - 32, she/her, bisexual (willa fitzgerald fc).

nathan craven. 27 - 31, he/him, bisexual (joe keery fc).

phoebe devine. 22 - 25, she/her, bisexual (lizze broadway fc).

theon lindgren. 30 - 34, he/him, bisexual (bill skarsgård fc).

[twistedtummies2]

The Price May Be Right - Number 19

Welcome to “The Price May Be Right!” I’m counting down My Top 31 Favorite Vincent Price Performances & Appearances! The countdown will cover movies, TV productions, and many more forms of media. Today’s choice might be a bit confusing. I give you two performances for the price of one, with Number 19: Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.”

The names of Vincent Price and Edgar Allan Poe are practically synonymous, at least in cinematic circles. While Price made many, MANY movies in his long and storied career, arguably the ones for which he became best well-known were the special movies produced by AIP for what is now referred to colloquially as “The Corman-Poe Cycle.” This was a series of eight films, all directed by Roger Corman for the company, which were based – some more loosely than others – on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Vincent was the nominal star for seven of the pictures within the octology. The only one which DIDN’T feature Price was the third film of the bunch, “The Premature Burial.”

Most of the movies in the series were treated as more or less straightforward horror films of the time. However, the one exception was the movie inspired by the great author’s most famous “Poe-m” (I am so sorry), “The Raven.” The original poem is easily one of Poe’s greatest pieces of work, telling in short verse the story of a lonely man, mourning the loss of his beloved wife, Lenore. He receives a visit from a mysterious raven, which turns out to be a supernatural harbinger of doom and despair. It’s a tragic, ambiguous, deeply perturbing poem, and still a classic to this day. Corman’s 1963 movie interpretation, however, eschews much of the pathos, as the film is actually a horror-comedy, with emphasis on the latter half of that equation. In essence, the picture is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek spoof of all the others in the eight-part series, which is sort of a clever idea. In the film, Price plays the main protagonist: Dr. Craven, a physician and ex-sorceror who, like the narrator in the poem, has seemingly lost his precious Lenore. Also like in the poem, he is visited by a talking raven…but this is about where all similarities cease, for the raven turns out to be a fellow dark wizard, by the name of Dr. Bedlo. He reveals to Craven that Lenore is apparently still alive, and in the grasp of their shared nemesis, the evil Dr. Scarabus. The two magicians thus set out on a quest to confront Scarabus, so Bedlo can get revenge on him for past humiliations, while Craven ascertains if his wife is, indeed, still breathing…and if so, what she is doing with the evil wizard. Much like “House of the Long Shadows” would do many years later, the film acts as something of a “Who’s Who?” of classic Gothic horror pictures. Not only does Price play the lead role, but the perpetually-drunk Bedlo is played by Peter Lorre, while the redoubtable Boris Karloff tackles the part of the slimy Scarabus. Future Joker and star of “The Shining,” Jack Nicholson, also appears in an early role, playing the part of the romantic interest for Craven’s daughter, who is played by the much-less-famous (but no less talented) Olive Sturgess. It’s more fun than frightening on the whole. Price’s Craven is an interesting protagonist for the story: despite being very gifted in magical arts, and coming from a long line of distinguished warlocks, he’s a very mild-mannered individual, most of the time. The film gives him a story arc of essentially growing more of a spine, as he learns to fight more fiercely against the injustices around him, and accepts his destined place in the world: an atypical hero’s journey.

All this is well and good, and the movie is definitely worth checking out, if only for the novelty of the adventure and its stellar cast. However, this was not the only time Price would tackle Poe’s Raven onscreen. Many years later, Price would get a chance to theatrically perform a reading of the original poem for a Halloween Special during the 1980s. Unfortunately, I cannot remember what the name of the special was, nor the exact year it came out: I actually tried to look it up, since I DID learn that information…but I can no longer find the source, and I sadly never wrote it down, dummy that I am. Whoops. Whatever else is in the special in question, however, it’s hard to believe much could top Price performing Poe’s greatest poem the way it was always meant to be performed.

In my opinion, Price’s reading of The Raven is the definitive interpretation of the poem. He brings the right amount of melodrama and emotion to the work, giving the Narrator a sense of both decadence and dismalness befitting the story as it happens. From his tragic nostalgia to his wonder at the appearance of the talking bird and even to his moments of desperation and spooky loss, he runs the whole gamut of the poem’s emotional breadth with marvelous aplomb. Others, such as Christopher Lee and James Earl Jones, have done masterful interpretations and readings of the poem in their own rights…but for me, Price is the eternal voice of Edgar Allan Poe’s work, and no single take on the poem has ever matched his reading for me. Bottom line: whether it’s the movie or the poem, when I think of “The Raven,” I think of Vincent Price. End of story. Tomorrow, the countdown continues with Number 18!

[mediamixs]

The Breed remake: what you need to know

The Breed is an upcoming horror film directed by brothers Nathan and Griff Furst, who are also producing the movie through their production company Curmudgeon Films. The film is a reimagining of the cult classic of the same name, originally produced by Wes Craven and directed by Nicholas Mastandrea. The story follows an eclectic group on a mission to search for abandoned dogs on a remote island, but their expedition soon turns into a terrifying ordeal. Grace Caroline Currey, known for her roles in "Fall" and "Shazam: Fury of the Gods," will lead the cast as Violet, a rebellious character at the center of the story. Page Kennedy, who recently appeared in "The Meg 2: The Trench," has joined the cast in the role of Farmer John, a country-rapper who brings comedic relief to the film. The movie is a co-production and financing venture for Daro Film Distribution, which also holds the international rights to the film. The Furst brothers, Nathan and Griff, have a history of collaborating on various projects. Griff Furst has directed several films, including "30 Days to Die" and "Starve," and has produced numerous movies under his Curmudgeon Films banner, such as "You Might be the Killer" and the "Tales from the Hood" franchise.

The main differences between the original 2006 horror film The Breed and the upcoming remake are:

The remake is being described as an "unconventional reimagining" of the original Wes Craven-produced cult classic, rather than a direct remake. This suggests the new version will take a different approach to the story.

The original film was directed by Nicholas Mastandrea, while the remake is being directed by brothers Nathan and Griff Furst.The Furst brothers have a mixed track record with horror/creature features, though their 2018 film "Nightmare Shark" was one of their better-received efforts.

The lead role of Violet will be played by Grace Caroline Currey, known for her roles in "Fall" and "Shazam: Fury of the Gods". This is a change from the original cast which included Michelle Rodriguez, Oliver Hudson, and Taryn Manning.

The new version is described as blending elements of suspense, terror, and humor, potentially taking a different tone compared to the original.

The remake is a co-production and financing venture between Curmudgeon Films (the Furst brothers' production company) and Daro Film Distribution, which also holds the international rights.

So in summary, the remake is aiming to put a fresh spin on the original cult classic, with new directors, a new lead actress, and potentially a different overall tone and approach to the material.