Another obit, this time to Circuit City, who today announced they’re giving up the good fight and liquidating the rest of their stores. Sad day for me… since moving back to Ohio from L.A., I’ve been frequenting CC far more than Best Buy, just because they offer some cool stuff the competition doesn’t (like the Archos 5 player). I’m in the market for another DVD storage unit, which I was about to buy for $10 cheaper at Best Buy anyway. Guess I’ll hold off until the bloodbath begins.
Sad days, especially for the 30k employees who will be collecting unemployment soon…
Just heard the jolly good news that HOWARD THE DUCK is making its U.S. DVD debut on March 10 (click the link above to preorder from Amazon.com). The much-maligned George Lucas production has been a no-show on DVD for 11 long years! Read the rest of this entry »
Sumbitch. As I was sitting here blogging this afternoon, I happened to open my iPhone Facebook app and saw that Famous Monsters of Filmland founder Forrest J. Ackerman passed on yesterday. I’m bummed. Needless to say, I grew up reading that magazine and it inspired me to not only make movies, but even publish my own magazine years later. Dude, you will be missed.
November 5th, 2008
|
Comments Off on R.I.P. Michael Crichton
Posted by J.R. Bookwalter under Announcements, Movies, Seen & Heard
Well that’s a bummer… first the death of America as we know it last night and now author/director Michael Crichton is dead at the age of 66.
Though I’ve never read a Crichton book since The Andromeda Strain as a kid, the guy directed two of my favorite childhood flicks, COMA (1978) and WESTWORLD (1973). And yeah, I totally dug the original THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN movie as well as his later cinematic contributions like TWISTER (co-written with his then-wife, SLEDGE HAMMER! actress Anne-Marie Martin!) and JURASSIC PARK (which was based on his book of the same name).
Just a quick reminder that the Akron Screams! event is starting tonight at 7 pm, with a DEAD NEXT DOOR reunion on Saturday at 6:30 pm followed by a big-screen showing of the movie at 10 pm to wrap up the show. Akron Screams! is taking place at the Akron Civic Theatre in downtown Akron, 182 S. Main St.
For those who aren’t in the know, Rudy Ray was a raunchy ’60s & ’70s-era comic (known as “king of the party records” back in his day) with a style more rude and explicit than his more-popular peers like Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor. Despite his cult status, he was featured more recently in popular rap tunes from Big Daddy Kane and 2 Live Crew. Read the rest of this entry »
Quick update to let folks know that THE DEAD NEXT DOOR will be closing out the forthcoming Akron Screams! festival, where I will also be appearing as a guest (and Tempe will have a table pimping our goods, too).
Akron Screams is a 2-day event, October 31 and November 1, 2008 in downtown Akron, Ohio at the landmark Akron Civic Theatre. Movies, live bands and cool vendors… if that sounds like fun, then head over to the Akron Screams MySpace page for more information.
The Akron Civic is a great old theatre and an awesome place to see THE DEAD NEXT DOOR up on the big screen. Hope to see you there!
Just a quick note to let folks know that a flick I produced back in 1992 for NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD co-writer John A. Russo is making its DVD debut on August 5.
MIDNIGHT 2: SEX, DEATH & VIDEOTAPE is a Tempe co-production with Russo’s Market Square Productions. Yours truly produced, shot and edited this flick, which was shot during production of my own OZONE, and it features a number of past Tempe staples, including Matthew Jason Walsh (KINGDOM OF THE VAMPIRE), Jo Norcia (MAXIMUM IMPACT) and Lori Scarlett (OZONE). Read the rest of this entry »