#tim cronin

[spilladabalia]

Monster Magnet - Nod Scene

[mappingthemoon]

Movies/TV Watched 2024

Asteroid City (Wes Anderson, 2023)

Nomadland (Chloé Zhao, 2020)

Cordelia (Adrian Shergold, 2019)

The Piano (Jane Campion, 1993)*

Malcolm X (Spike Lee, 1992)*

Avatar (James Cameron, 2009)

Child’s Play (Tom Holland, 1988)*

Train (Gideon Raff, 2008)

Silent Hill (Christophe Gans, 2006)

Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV (PBS American Masters) (Amanda Kim, 2023)

Past Lives (Celine Song, 2023)

Basic Instinct [Director’s Cut] (Paul Verhoeven, 1992)*

In Cold Blood (Richard Brooks, 1967)

What Lies Beneath (Robert Zemeckis, 2000)

Fellini Satyricon (Federico Fellini, 1969)

Significant Other (Dan Berk, Robert Olsen; 2022)

The Mimic (Huh Jung, 2017)

Extinction (Miguel Ángel Vivas, 2015)

The Visit (M. Night Shyamalan, 2015)

The Hole in the Ground (Lee Cronin, 2019)

Batman (Tim Burton, 1989)

Cronos (Guillermo del Toro, 1993)

Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, 2013)

Our Flag Means Death [szn 2] (2023)

Wes Craven Presents: They (Robert Harmon, 2002)

Carnival of Souls (Herk Harvey, 1962)

Leviathan (George P. Cosmatos, 1989)

Rick and Morty [szn 5] (2021)

Dark Skies (Scott Stewart, 2013)

Insidious: Chapter 2 (James Wan, 2013)*?

Insidious: Chapter 3 (Leigh Whannell, 2015)

Insidious: The Last Key (Adam Robitel, 2018)

Insidious: The Red Door (Patrick Wilson, 2023)

American Graffiti (George Lucas, 1973)*?

The Pope’s Exorcist (Julius Avery, 2023)

Independence Day (Roland Emmerich, 1996)*

Men in Black (Barry Sonnenfeld, 1997)*

The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)*

Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2023)

Angels & Insects (Philip Haas, 1995)*?

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (Eli Craig, 2010)

The Purge (James DeMonaco, 2013)

4/20 Massacre (Dylan Reynolds, 2018)

The Fast and the Furious (Rob Cohen, 2001)

Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal (PBS American Experience) (Jamila Ephron, 2024)

Beetlejuice (Tim Burton, 1988)*

The Signal (William Eubank, 2014)

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Tim Burton, 2024)

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (Stephen Hillenburg, Mark Osborne; 2004)

Felix the Cat: The Movie (Tibor Hernádi, 1988)

Speak No Evil (James Watkins, 2024)

Kwaidan (Masaki Kobayashi, 1964)*?

The Portrait of a Lady (Jane Campion, 1996)

Sisters with Transistors (Lisa Rovner, 2020)

Holy Smoke! (Jane Campion, 1999)

Shock Treatment (Jim Sharman, 1981)*

Space: The Longest Goodbye (Ido Mizrahy, 2023)

House of Wax (Jaume Collet-Serra, 2005)

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Bill Melendez, 1979)*

Wojnarowicz: F**k You F*ggot F**ker (Chris McKim, 2020)

Longlegs (Osgood Perkins, 2024)

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Joel Coen, 2000)*

Tess (Roman Polanski, 1979)

Barbarian (Zach Cregger, 2022)

Home Alone (Chris Columbus, 1990)*

Jennifer’s Body (Karyn Kusama, 2009)

Rick and Morty [szn 6] (2022)

The Seeding (Barnaby Clay, 2024)

Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton, 1990)*

Beatles ’64 (David Tedeschi, 2024)

Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara (Erin Lee Carr, 2024)

Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure (Richard Williams, 1977)*

Rick and Morty [szn 7] (2023)

Five Nights at Freddy’s (Emma Tammi, 2023)

Immaculate (Michael Mohan, 2024)

Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told (P. Frank Williams, 2024)

The Booksellers (D. W. Young, 2019)*

His House (Remi Weekes, 2020)

Time Cut (Hannah MacPherson, 2024)

Don’t Move (Adam Schindler, Brian Netto; 2024)

Carry-On (Jaume Collet-Serra, 2024)

Subservience (S. K. Dale, 2024)

The Muppet Christmas Carol (Brian Henson, 1992)*

May December (Todd Haynes, 2023)

Horse Girl (Jeff Baena, 2020)

Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)*

Movies/TV watched 2024; asterisks * are rewatches, asterisks w/question marks *? are rewatches I couldn’t remember having seen before but had a vague sense of familiarity and/or I found evidence of watching elsewhere in my archive. Struck titles were unfinished (I absolutely loved the book In Cold Blood but dozed off a bunch during the movie; Under the Skin seemed promising but I had to turn it off because I could NOT emotionally deal with the baby on the beach.)

This year I treated myself to some old weird nostalgia movies on VHS (YouTube or Internet Archive links provided when available). We have a decent collection of thrifted DVDs and we borrow a lot of movies from the library. Occasionally I’ll sign up for a month of a streaming service if there’s something ~exclusive~ we want to watch, and then we’ll end up watching whatever horror garbage is offered. Honestly, I think “meh, it was okay” was my main reaction to a lot of the movies I watched this year? Kind of a bummer.

Favorites in 2024: BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE!!!!! I just loved everything about it :D I thought it was aesthetically the right amount of Tim Burton without being *too much* Tim Burton, ya know? (Love movie environments that feel like a dark ride!) Beetlejuice is a forever favorite, one of my earliest “crushes” (proving that I have absolutely never had good taste in men & that as early as age 4 I yearned for a witty dirtbag prankster to show up and “promptly whisk [me] off from [my] ordinary life into wacky adventures in the land of the dead” [description from the box set of the animated series, yikes lmao; my other fave beginning around this time was Doctor Who lol, obvious underlying theme is obvious]). ANYway, BJ BJ was also the first movie we saw in theatres post-covid! Not necessarily due to covid-related concerns, but just like, idk, being busy and frugal homebodies. And I guess since more theatres are offering restaurant food nowadays, they’re making it more difficult to sneak food in (no bags allowed), booooo.

Other faves: Asteroid City (I’m not usually a Wes Anderson person but this was visually stunning), His House, Poor Things. The Seeding was pretty wild, if heavy-handed. Tho I kind of thought *everything* about male/female relationships in horror movies I saw this year was getting pretty heavy-handed :/ Sisters with Transistors was a cool documentary about women (Delia Derbyshire, Daphne Oram, Wendy Carlos, Pauline Oliveros, et al.) in the early days of electronic music, dreamily narrated by Laurie Anderson (*heart-eyes*). Beatles ’64 was surprisingly okay! I *really* appreciated the interviews with people who were young Beatlemaniacs back in the ‘60s, hearing (mostly) women talk about how the Beatles represented a new way of being masculine, how liking the Beatles could provide a sense of agency for women navigating their own desires, etc. That was a cool perspective which I do not personally encounter very often in the Beatles cinematic universe. (For background: My two most recent long-term relationships have been with indie musicians who just happen to be extremely obsessed with the Beatles, so I’ve spent the past 17+ years absorbing deep dives about how great they are, and while I like many of their songs and Understand Their Position of Importance in the History of Pop/Rock/Human Culture, I just do not give a fuuuck on a personal level. But I do still begrudgingly respect my partner’s interest enough to occasionally watch a Beatles documentary with him.)

[kwebtv]

The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling - BBC One - November 9, 1997 - December 7, 1997

Historical (5 episodes)

Running Time: 60 minutes

Stars:

John Sessions as Henry Fielding

Benjamin Whitrow as Squire Allworthy

Brian Blessed as Squire Western

Max Beesley as Tom Jones

Samantha Morton as Sophia Western

Frances de la Tour as Aunt Western

Ron Cook as Mr Partridge

Richard Ridings as Reverend Thwackum

Christopher Fulford as Mr. Square

Michael Cronin as Dr. Blifil

Sylvester McCoy as Mr Dowling

James D'Arcy as Blifil

Peter Capaldi as Lord Fellamar

Michelle Fairley as Mrs Fitzpatrick

Lindsay Duncan as Lady Bellaston

Kathy Burke as Honour

Brian Pettifer as Parson Supple

Camille Coduri as Jenny Jones

Celia Imrie as Mrs. Miller

Kelly Reilly as Nancy Miller

Matt Bardock as Jack Nightingale

Sara Kestelman as Mrs. Wilkins

Tessa Peake-Jones as Bridget Allworthy

Doreene Blackstock as Abigail

Richard O'Callaghan as Mr. Fitzpatrick

Roger Lloyd Pack as Anderson

Brian Hibbard as George Seagrim

Con O'Neill as Captain Blifil

Rachel Scorgie as Molly Seagrim

Jane Danson as Betty Seagrim

Alexei Sayle as Puppeteer

Neil Dudgeon as Puppeteer's Assistant

Paul Barber as Adderley

Julian Firth as Northerton

Rupert Holliday-Evans as Lord Connaught

Amy Marston as Susan

Norman Lovett as Mr. Follett

June Whitfield as Mrs. Whitfield

Tim Healy as Mr. Nightingale Sr.

[neegaadeek]

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 7.19

Beer Birthdays

Adrian Tierney-Jones

Five Favorite Birthdays

Benedict Cumberbatch; English actor (1976)

Edgar Degas; French artist (1834)

Anthony Edwards; actor (1962)

Max Fleischer; animator (1883)

Brian May; rock guitarist (1947)

Famous Birthdays

Yael Abecassis; Israeli model and actress (1967)

Muhammad al-Bukhari; Persian scholar (810)

Marianna Auenbrugger; Austrian composer (1759)

Paule Baillargeon; Canadian actress and director (1945)

Theo Barker; English historian (1923)

Buster Benton; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1932)

Heinrich Christian Boie; German author and poet (1744)

Lizzie Borden; accused murderer (1860)

Vicki Carr; singer (1941)

Allen Collins; guitarist and songwriter (1952)

Samuel Colt; inventor (1814)

Mark Crispin; computer scientist (1956)

A.J. Cronin; writer (1896)

Friedrich Dessauer; German physicist and philosopher (1881)

Atom Egoyan; Egyptian-Canadian director (1960)

Michael Fekete; Hungarian-Israeli mathematician (1886)

Thomas Gabriel Fischer; Swiss musician (1963)

André Forcier; Canadian director and screenwriter (1947)

Helen Gallagher; actress, singer, and dancer (1926)

Keith Godchaux; rock keyboardist (1948)

Alan Gorrie; Scottish singer-songwriter (1946)

Kevin Haskins; English drummer and songwriter (1960)

Joseph Hansen; author and poet (1923)

Samuel John Hazo; author (1928)

Pat Hingle; actor (1924)

Florence Foster Jenkins; soprano (1868)

Richard Jordan; actor (1938)

Gottfried Keller; Swiss author and poet (1819)

Aleksandr Khinchin; Russian mathematician (1894)

Lisa Lampanelli; comedian (1961)

Bernie Leadon; guitarist and songwriter (1947)

Robert Mann; violinist, composer, and conductor (1920)

John Martin; English artist (1789)

Charles Horace Mayo; surgeon, clinic founder (1865)

George McGovern; politician (1922)

Tim McIntire; actor and singer (1944)

Freddy Moore; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1950)

Ilie Nastase; tennis player (1946)

Alice Dunbar Nelson; African-American poet (1875)

Garth Nix; Australian writer (1963)

Jim Norton; comedian (1968)

Mark O'Donnell; playwright (1954)

Steve O'Donnell; screenwriter and producer (1954)

Jayne Anne Phillips; writer (1952)

Edward Charles Pickering; astronomer and physicist (1846)

Martin Powell; English keyboard player and songwriter (1973)

Arthur Rankin Jr.; animation director, producer (1924)

Tom Raworth; English poet (1938)

Miltos Sachtouris; Greek poet (1919)

Campbell Scott; actor (1961)

Elizabeth Spencer; writer (1921)

Percy Le Baron Spencer; microwave inventor (1894)

Sue Thompson; singer (1925)

Rosalyn Sussman Yalow; physicist (1921)

[ulkaralakbarova]

A transfer student at a rough high school tries joining the cheer-leading squad and finds that she not only has to face off against the head cheerleader, but also against her former school in preparation for a cheer-off competition. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Britney: Hayden Panettiere Camille: Solange Brad Warner: Jake McDorman Pam Allen: Kiersten Warren Winnie: Emme Rylan Jesse: Gustavo Carr Kirresha: Giovonnie Samuels Leti: Francia Raísa Amber: Cindy Chiu Sierra: Jessica Nicole Fife Brianna: Danielle Savre Rihanna: Rihanna Pacific Vista Cheerleader: Michelle Maniscalco Tyson: Gary LeRoi Gray Tim Allen: Eric Bruskotter JoJo Wright: JoJo Wright PV Teacher: Debra Sullivan Security Guard: Steven West Mrs. Webster: Conni Marie Brazelton Student DJ: Wilke Itzin Swin Cash: Swin Cash Local Reporter: Teresa Strasser Pacific Vista Cheerleader: Sean Van der Wilt Pacific Vista Cheerleader: Blake Angiers Pacific Vista Cheerleader: Bowd J. Beal Pacific Vista Cheerleader: Casey Marlow Pacific Vista Cheerleader: Jordan Johnson Pacific Vista Cheerleader: Griffin Myers Pacific Vista Cheerleader: Whitney Lefler Pacific Vista Cheerleader: Caity Lotz Pacific Vista Cheerleader: Tarah Paige Pacific Vista Cheerleader: Shannon Stotz Pacific Vista Cheerleader: Betsey Lawrey Crenshaw Heights Cheerleader: Noreen Juliano Crenshaw Heights Cheerleader: Erin Yvonne Crenshaw Heights Cheerleader: Kevin Wilson Crenshaw Heights Cheerleader: Marty Dew Crenshaw Heights Cheerleader: Monica Soto Crenshaw Heights Cheerleader: Marquita Scott Crenshaw Heights Cheerleader: Alexiss Sanchez Crenshaw Heights Cheerleader: Dominique Domingo Crenshaw Heights Cheerleader: Terrance Harrison Crenshaw Heights Cheerleader: Alexandria Kaye Crenshaw Heights Cheerleader: Sal Davila Crenshaw Heights Cheerleader: John Cronin Crenshaw Heights Cheerleader: Chester Jackson Crenshaw Heights Spotter: Jonathan Rios Crenshaw Heights Spotter: Shaun T Crenshaw Heights Spotter: Trever Love Film Crew: Director: Steve Rash Executive Producer: Armyan Bernstein Executive Producer: Zanne Devine Executive Producer: Charlie Lyons Producer: David Roessell Director of Photography: Victor J. Kemper Editor: Danny Saphire Line Producer: Jon Kuyper First Assistant Director: Jerram A. Swartz Second Assistant Director: Sonia Bhalla Casting: Roger Mussenden Casting: Pamela Lynn Thomas Choreographer: Tony Gonzales Choreographer: Eric Little Choreographer: Tanisha Scott Choreographer: Richmond Talauega Choreographer: Anthony Talauega Stunt Coordinator: Cole S. McKay Music Supervisor: Paul Stewart Music Supervisor: Paul DiFranco Set Decoration: David Pirinelli Sound Mixer: David Kirschner Sound Mixer: Glenn Berkovitz Costume Designer: Shawn Barton Costume Supervisor: Anthony Franco Makeup Department Head: June Brickman Assistant Makeup Artist: Tonie Keyton Assistant Makeup Artist: Deborah Merle Hair Department Head: Lisa Meyers Assistant Hairstylist: Fay Kelly Second Second Assistant Director: Annette Hobday Supervising Sound Editor: Trip Brock Dialogue Editor: Stewart Nelson Sound Effects Editor: Steven Avila Sound Effects Editor: Peter D. Lago Music Editor: Tony Dimito Writer: Alyson Fouse Stand In: Michelle Shore Movie Reviews: Kiarra3130: **This movie brings two female specimen together to make the ultimate cheering squad. It strays from tradition and makes something new and rules out the cliche of _”white girls” V. “black girls”_. It is a movie worth watching.** Andre Gonzales: Nice comeback on this movie compared to the 2nd movie. Almost as good as the 1st one. I didn’t like it at first till she was forced to go to a new school. Better comedy and a way better storyline in this one.

[ajoytobeheld]

Kindle A Flame In Her Heart

December 8th, 2010

Download a brand new Los Campesinos! Christmas Song, Kindle A Flame In Her Heart, for free.

“HARK!” the herald angels sing, “the boy’s a cherub, let him be”. And you harmonised more beautifully than they could. At 8 years old I played the role of Gabriel dressed head to toe, in white denim though with less optimistic foresight.

Your lips land lightly, like Robin Redbreast’s feet in the snow, I hold you tightly like your halo’s lined with mistletoe. Thawing my heart like morning frost, falling under my feet. Oh silent night, oh lonely week

Merry Christmas I wish you were here Merry Christmas Maybe 5, 10, 15, 20 years.

Kindle a flame in her heart, kindle a flame. You’ve got to untie me from these bows, wrap your arms around me like swaddling clothes.

On the sixteenth day I opened up the window, found a lump of coal and rammed it down my stupid, greedy throat. On the seventeenth you came around, my tiny teeth had been ground down, but then you turned them back to smiles with just one kiss, now listen to this…

Produced, recorded and mixed by Tom Campesinos!. Trumpet by Tim Cronin. Mastered by Joe Burns. Many thanks to Tim and Joe for their help on this track

[paulisded]

The Ledge #581: 2013

Generally speaking, when I do shows devoted to years of the past I go way back. Like, at the bare minimum 25 years, and as far back as 50 years. Looking at my shows from 2013, though, I decided tonight I'd do something a little different. Let's go through some of my favorite records from only ten years ago.

While I am one that believes there's great rock and roll released each and every years (despite what many of my fellow oldsters proclaim), 2013 was even better than usual. There's all sorts of lofi indie power pop from the likes of Mind Spiders, Bad Sports, and Fidlar. There's the discovery of a wonderful up and coming songwriter named Lydia Loveless. There's the second release by the reformed Superchunk (my favorite record of the year).

And, of course, there's also the return of The Replacements. Yes, this happened due to a tragedy, as Slim Dunlap had suffered a stroke the previous year. But what a joy to hear Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson quickly recording a handful of their favorite oldies. Even better was the Songs For Slim singles series which saw all kinds of Slim's friends recording their favorite Dunalp tunes.

As for this week's edition of "52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks", I once again have a band I wasn't acquainted with before. The Vamps are a UK band that formed in 2012, and over the next few years their first two records went gold in their home country. 2013 saw an EP called Can We Dance that included the live cover of "Teenage Kicks" that opens tonight's show. And like always, I must again plead with y'all for more versions of "Teenage Kicks". If you are a musician, or have any contact with artists that could record their own take on the classic, please contact me!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. The Vamps - Teenage Kicks (Live)

2. The Replacements - I'm Not Sayin'

3. The Replacements - Lost Highway

4. Chris Mars - Radio Hook Word Hit

5. The Minus 5 Feat. Curtiss A - Rockin Here Tonight

6. The Young Fresh Fellows - Loud Loud Loud Loud Guitars

7. Grant Hart - So Far from Heaven

8. Two Cow Garage - The Little Prince and Johnny Toxic

9. Hickoids - If Drinkin Don't Kill Me, Kill Me

10. CTMF Wild Billy Chyldish - The Second Generation Punks

11. Tommy Keene - Have You Seen My Baby? (Flamin' Groovies)

12. Tim Timebomb - Honor Is All We Know

13. Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders - Small Town Rock Ain't Dead

14. Wooden Shjips - Back To Land

15. Obits - Taste The Diff

16. The Night Marchers - Loud Dumb and Mean

17. FIDLAR - Cheap Beer

18. Warm Soda - Jeanie Loves Pop

19. Lydia Loveless - Boy Crazy

20. Bleached - Looking for a Fight

21. Shannon And The Clams - Rip VanWinkle

22. The Hillbilly Moon Explosion - Motorhead Girl

23. The Men - Half Angel Half Light

24. Mind SpidersInside You

25. Bad Sports - Wahed Up

26. The Dirtbombs - Crazy For You

27. Thee Oh Sees - Toe Cutter - Thumb Buster

28. Ty Segall - You're The Doctor

29. Mikal Cronin - Am I Wrong

30. Kid Congo & the Pink Monkey Birds - Killer Diller

31. The Connection - Wrong Side of 25

32. Shocked Minds - Kalamazoo

33. The Tall Boys - The Man Who Walked On The Moon

34. Terry Malts - Two Faces

35. Telekinesis - Empathetic People

36. Superchunk -FOH

[goalhofer]

2023 Chicago White Sox Players By Nationality

American: 24 (Tim Anderson; Jr., Elvis Andrus, Tanner Banks, Andrew Benintendi, Aaron Bummer, Dylan Cease, Mike Clevinger, Garrett Crochet, Declan Cronin, Matt Foster, Roman González, Yasmani Grandal, Michael Kopech, Jimmy Lambert, Sammy Peralta, Zach Remillard, Jesse Scholtens, Bryan Shaw, Gavin Sheets, Trayce Thompson, Dany Toussaint; Jr., Andrew Vaughn & Bernardo Zavala) Venezuelan: 3 (Elvis Andrus, Edgar Navarro & Carlos Pérez) Cuban: 3 (Oscar Colás, Yoán Moncada & Luis Robert; Jr.) Dominican: 2 (Eloy Jiménez & Gregory Santos) Haitian: 1 (Dany Toussaint; Jr.) Australian: 1 (Liam Hendriks)

[nbalovers]

Shams: Damian Lillard has no interest in the Clippers or Celtics Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps New ESPN sto... #usa #uk

[movienation]

The Three Songs of "Insidious: The Red Door"

The first tune that grabs your attention in this horror film, directed by and starring Patrick Wilson, is a re-recorded Kevin Cronin cover of REO Speedwagon’s “Roll with the Changes.” The second is a peculiar little flourish playing on the turntable of our nightmares, this ditty by ditty dynamo Tiny Tim. And then there’s the one you have to stay through the closing credits to get to, the one…

[praphit]

Evil Dead Rise: ... but how fat is yo mama?

How much do you trust your gut?

There are certain people who should never trust their gut. In fact, it would benefit them, and everyone around them, if they do the exact opposite of everything their gut leads them to do. Then, there are others who can arrive at a casino, kiss their cards at the blackjack table, and stack winnings all night, you know??

I saw the trailer for "Evil Dead Rise", 

and my gut was like "Meh. Looks generic. Not for me. I'll catch it when it streams... maybe" BUT, MY gut isn't ALWAYS right (a good 90% ;), and it was, at that time, full of beer, so...

Plus, things change when you don't have to pay (which I didn't), and I do have a soft spot for a pretty smile.

Let's do this:

First of all, if some of you diehard "Evil Dead" fans are looking for nostalgia, you won't find much here.

This movie mostly takes place in an apartment, in the city, and not in a cabin. There's no Ash, 

so not as much charm to grace the scenes.

And I'd say, a lot less goofy than any of the other stories told in this franchise.

That could be good or bad for you. Idk.

We've still got The Book of the Dead though!

I'd like to chastise these people for not knowing by now that this book should be left alone, but... any of us would probably do the same thing, right??

We'd find it - "Huh.... kinda looks like that Book of the Dead people have been talking about.Can't be though, right?? That's not real. Actually looks kinda cool."

We'd see that it's made of human flesh and locked tight by sharp teeth - 

"Oh, cool."

We'd prick our fingers on those teeth, and accidentally open this book - 

"Ouch, but kinda cool."

We'd flip through it, thinking it can't be THAT bad, as someone near us says something about having a bad feeling about this - "Yeah, me too, but still kinda cool, right?? I don't believe in any of that stuff. oh, look at this. Let's say these spooky, Latin words out loud."

*spookiness happens*

"Oh, bleep, it IS that bad. Oops. "

That's pretty much what happens here (again). This time it's a family who opens the book. They're living in the city, in a dark apartment.

I mean DARK. The light that they do have seems to be mood setting for a seance, not happy family time. This is before any dark spirits even show up. If I may pause to offer y'all some advice - Be sure not to have your home looking like a place demons would want to hang out.

I would say that every home should have a cross somewhere in it; even if you don't believe in its power: not just a cross, but some Aquafina labeled "Holy Water," or at the very least a picture of Tim Tebow, just to make any demons think twice before entering.

The shit goes down pretty quickly, and the movie has a solid pace of horror and suspense. Don't ask me why nobody seems to live on any other floors in this apartment complex, or why no one thinks to call the cops (not that they could help, but...). There ain't no tenants walking the halls, or yelling about this family being too loud. Nobody at the front desk. Not even any delivery people wandering about. A perfect place to live if you're a drug dealer or murderer; no one around to ask questions. It's pretty much this family and a couple of neighbors being witnesses to bloody screams, loud banging, and demonic possession taking place in the hallway.

Though if you peeked out of your door and saw this woman (Alyssa Sutherland), 

covered in blood. And then, saw a bunch of mutilated bodies in the hall, with some of those mutilated bodies chanting "DEAD BEFORE DAWN!"... perhaps you'd keep to yourself as well. Just put on some noise-cancelling headphones and mind yo own business.

On a technical level, there's a lot to love about this movie:

Lee Cronin was doing his thang in the director's chair. He made all of the gore and blood a delight to watch.

(ok, so maybe a lil nostalgia :)

This movie is very creepy, so big props to him.

These actors are also good. Not like Oscar-winning good :) It's not like we'll hear "And the winner for best actress goes to Alyssa Sutherland (who carried this film btw) for playing a possessed mother, trying to kill her kids." BUT, a lot of these actors have to play "normal people" and then turn around and play possessed people, and that takes some skills to be believable; especially with the younger actors. If you're a fan of gore, look no further! 

There's something that happens at the end of this movie that is artfully terrifying and still kinda fun.  Sam Raimi points for sure!

All of that being said, my gut wasn't too far off.

FOR ME, at least. My gut is for me. Honestly, I missed Ash. I missed a character with his... whatever the hell you can call it. Je ne sais quoi :) All of these characters are bland to me. But, more than that, this movie was kinda hopeless. Now, that's on me. One can't expect to find hope in a movie called "Evil Dead Rise". Fair point, but I guess I was looking for some good vs evil or some "there's still a chance" vs evil. Where are the angelic forces to balance things out? No priests around sensing any disturbances? I'm just looking for ONE person  with some sort of faith. No? Just seemed like TEAM GOOD is dropping the ball here.

Come to think of it, there IS  a priest in this movie (his audio), but his message is pretty much "Well, ya f*cked up, didn't you? Y'all doomed." What kind of priest gives sermons of despair?!

Some might say, "That's the franchise. Praphit, you just don't get it." You know what?? - you're right, and I don't want to. I'm good. i'm afraid that if I end up "getting it" that someone looking like "Mama Smiley" will show up and drag me away.

It's ok not to get things.

Just not for me. If you can say out loud "I just want pure gruesome killing and gore that leaves a taste of unholiness in my mouth for days to come.", then have I got a movie for you. You should probably sit with that declaration for a while :) but afterwards, quickly run to the theaters to see this movie, and declare it your film of the year.

I like demonic possessed killings as much as the next person, but mix it up.

You know that comedian who's known for telling dirty jokes?? I like them too, but I like a lil blend: some knock-knock jokes, some relational humor, and maybe some comments about how fat somebody's mama is.... and then get back to the dirty. I'm cool with that. You can't just give me a river of perversion though :) BUT, some people like that. Some people want to bathe in that river. To each their own, I suppose.

Two grades:

Grade B for you soulless gore-lovers out there, and a generous C,  for the rest of us God-fearing people in the audience :)

There was so much blood at the end of this movie that I couldn't tell the characters apart. They were just red people (I have to admit, I like that :) But, so much gross action was happening in the movie that it literally spilled over into reality. Someone vomited right outside of the theater doors.I don’t know if it was due to the movie or if someone couldn’t hold their liquor, but still...

So much of the demonic, that I craved purity when I walked out. Like being dehydrated on a hot Summer day, longing for water. I needed something pure to cling to. I could see that some others who were walking out needed comfort as well. It was a Saturday, but I bet some of them sped off to church. It was weird, because I felt a glowing appreciation for the blood-soaked art that I just watched (I mean that. A lot of cool parts!), and yet I felt so unclean. All I wanted to do was go home, take a shower, and snuggle up next to my picture of Tim Tebow.

[vetteldixon]

mildly interesting tidbit: tim wright (who’d been promoted at the end of 2019) was brought back to engineer nico h’s first race filling in for checo at silverstone. but they switched back to chris on comms for silverstone 2

[labete-du-gevaudan]

I’m once more looking for book and podcast suggestions since I burn through them so quickly at work. 

Last time I asked here, I was introduced to my current favorite author, M.R. Carey, and my favorite book, The Girl With All The Gifts.

I have 7 audible credits because I just listen to the same books over and over again.

For nonfiction, I really enjoy history and memoirs of interesting or lesser known sorts of things. Like cults, betrayals, mysteries, interesting topics that you wouldn't think to learn about, etc. Ex of things I loved: And The Sea Will Tell by Vincent Bugliosi, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty, and Raven by Tim Reiterman.

For fiction stuff: I’ve mostly been into things that are like post apocalyptic like The Passage by Justin Cronin. But I also enjoy things like the Redwall series by Brian Jacques and The End of the Day by Claire North.

As for Podcasts, I’m really more picky. I prefer nonfiction ones that don’t have banter and it’s just telling me facts about things. True Crime is easiest to find. Like @morbidology. I also enjoy Parcast’s podcasts, Crimelapse, and Dateline. But I also like interesting history and memoir type things.

Feel free to suggest anything!

[1000-year-old-virgin]

Books I’ve Read In 2017

I’ve always regretted not keeping track of all the novels I’ve read throughout my life so as of 2017 I started keeping track of the books I read for the year. I know some of these books have multiple covers so I decided to post images of the covers that I’ve read.

1) Tim Lebbon - Berserk

2) Justin Cronin - The City Of Mirrors

3) Jennifer Roberson - The Wild Road

4) Evie Wyld - All The Birds, Singing

5) Stephen King - Joyland

6) Stephen King - The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

7) Audrey Niffenegger - Ghostly

8) Stephen King - Lisey Story

9) Stephen King - The Bazaar Of Bad Dreams

10) China Mieville - The Last Days Of New Paris

11) Joyce Carol Oates - The Doll-Master And Other Tales Of Terror 

12) Stephen King - Full Dark, No Stars

13) Laurell K. Hamilton - Crimson Death

14) Gene Wolfe - An Evil Guest

15) Laurell K. Hamilton, Yasmine Galenorn, Marjorie M. Liu, Sharon Shinn - Never After

16) John Connolly - Night Music: Nocturnes Volume Two 

17) Stephen King - Gerald's Game

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 7.19

Beer Birthdays

Adrian Tierney-Jones

Five Favorite Birthdays

Benedict Cumberbatch; English actor (1976)

Edgar Degas; French artist (1834)

Anthony Edwards; actor (1962)

Max Fleischer; animator (1883)

Brian May; rock guitarist (1947)

Famous Birthdays

Yael Abecassis; Israeli model and actress (1967)

Muhammad al-Bukhari; Persian scholar (810)

Marianna Auenbrugger; Austrian composer (1759)

Paule Baillargeon; Canadian actress and director (1945)

Theo Barker; English historian (1923)

Buster Benton; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1932)

Heinrich Christian Boie; German author and poet (1744)

Lizzie Borden; accused murderer (1860)

Vicki Carr; singer (1941)

Allen Collins; guitarist and songwriter (1952)

Samuel Colt; inventor (1814)

Mark Crispin; computer scientist (1956)

A.J. Cronin; writer (1896)

Friedrich Dessauer; German physicist and philosopher (1881)

Atom Egoyan; Egyptian-Canadian director (1960)

Michael Fekete; Hungarian-Israeli mathematician (1886)

Thomas Gabriel Fischer; Swiss musician (1963)

André Forcier; Canadian director and screenwriter (1947)

Helen Gallagher; actress, singer, and dancer (1926)

Keith Godchaux; rock keyboardist (1948)

Alan Gorrie; Scottish singer-songwriter (1946)

Kevin Haskins; English drummer and songwriter (1960)

Joseph Hansen; author and poet (1923)

Samuel John Hazo; author (1928)

Pat Hingle; actor (1924)

Florence Foster Jenkins; soprano (1868)

Richard Jordan; actor (1938)

Gottfried Keller; Swiss author and poet (1819)

Aleksandr Khinchin; Russian mathematician (1894)

Lisa Lampanelli; comedian (1961)

Bernie Leadon; guitarist and songwriter (1947)

Robert Mann; violinist, composer, and conductor (1920)

John Martin; English artist (1789)

Charles Horace Mayo; surgeon, clinic founder (1865)

George McGovern; politician (1922)

Tim McIntire; actor and singer (1944)

Freddy Moore; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1950)

Ilie Nastase; tennis player (1946)

Alice Dunbar Nelson; African-American poet (1875)

Garth Nix; Australian writer (1963)

Jim Norton; comedian (1968)

Mark O'Donnell; playwright (1954)

Steve O'Donnell; screenwriter and producer (1954)

Jayne Anne Phillips; writer (1952)

Edward Charles Pickering; astronomer and physicist (1846)

Martin Powell; English keyboard player and songwriter (1973)

Arthur Rankin Jr.; animation director, producer (1924)

Tom Raworth; English poet (1938)

Miltos Sachtouris; Greek poet (1919)

Campbell Scott; actor (1961)

Elizabeth Spencer; writer (1921)

Percy Le Baron Spencer; microwave inventor (1894)

Sue Thompson; singer (1925)

Rosalyn Sussman Yalow; physicist (1921)