My God I Heart This Man

Pictures -Finally

Just wanted to let everyone know that the pictures are all finally downloaded and I added some to three of the older posts.


Also, if you are into the paranormal thing, take a look at my brother's blog, Project Blue, and his review of a new documentary about some scary places in Saginaw, Michigan.

Hamilton Street Horrors

And tell him I said to write more because I get sad when he doesn't.

Trail of the Screaming Foreheads

I found this by accident on IFC when I was setting up the DVR for 'The Dead Set' last week. I remember reading a little about this but I'd forgotten about it - a quick search of Amazon found that it's not available on DVD, so I added it to my DVR. I watched part of it last weekend and then finished it up on my sick day - which took three or four attempts because I kept falling asleep.  I attribute that more to the illness than the movie - although it does kind of drag in the middle.

Screaming Forehead is a tribute film to the scifi films of the 50s - the Earth is being invaded by alien foreheads from another planet just looking for a decent place to live because well, their planet just isn't working out for them so well.....and isn't that always how these things tend to go???

The director of 'Foreheads', Larry Blamire, is behind Lost Skeleton of Cadvara - which may just be the best tribute film of this kind. Unfortunately, I don't think Foreheads is anywhere as good as "Skeleton', but it's still fun. The actors do a great job, and just like Skeleton, the appreciation and love for the genre (and the era that these films came from) shows.

Possessing a certain sense of humor helps to find a movie like this appealing. For instance, if you're a fan of certain movies where completely un-dangerous (is that even a word?) items suddenly possess a dangerous side, then you might enjoy Foreheads. For instance, if the sight of tomatoes chasing people across parking lots makes you laugh*, then alien Foreheads inching their way across the landscape will probably be your cup of tea as well.

This was fun but I'm looking forward to Larry Blamire's other films,

Dark and Stormy Night

and

The Lost Skeleton Returns Again

Both of which are available on DVD right now.

For other films of this kind, I also recommend the films of Christopher Mimh.  Last year during the Countdown to Halloween, I reviewed a couple of his films as well as Cadavra and a couple others along the same vein. You can go relive my retardedness here and here, and here, if you're so inclined.

Mama F.

* (and yes, it does, quite frankly)

Joe Hill

I stayed home sick today; and I'm barely making it through with a steady diet of juice, Harry Potter, coffee, movies about foreheads from outer space (more on that later), and this.....

tada...........

This is not a new book - it was published in October 2005. But I just bought it recently to read on the plane and finished it up today. Hands down, one of the best (if not the best) collections of short stories by a single author that I've ever read.

If you aren't already aware, Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King....although I'm pretty sure you won't see that mentioned anywhere in the introductions or on the covers of the book. I don't think he admitted a connection to his famous father until his second book Heart Shaped Box, published in 2007, came out. Which is another book I highly recommend.

The author also has a new book out, called Horns, and a comic book series called Locke and Key that is going to be made into a TV series. If I wasn't so under the weather, i could probably be bothered to look that stuff up, lol.

Young Frankenstein: The Musical

I'm off today - and  a little under the weather - but I did want to mention that we saw this in Milwaukee last night:

I'm a HUGE YF fan - it's my number three favorite movie of all time- so I was really looking forward to this. I thought they did a great job overall - and I was really impressed with the way the three main actors : Victor, Elizabeth, the Monster - managed to make the parts their own. Of course all the iconic lines are still there -  but just like Spamalot, I felt that the best parts weren't with the lines you already knew - but with the songs and the new material that the actors had to work with.

Overall, better than I expected.  I think I would have liked it regardless, but I thought the sons were great and the cast top notch.  I recommend it if you have the chance.

One Last Post Halloween Blast: Zombie Puppets, Nekkid Ladies and Double Feature Halloween Morning Slam

The last few days of October were a blast.

Thursday the 28th I was fortunate enough to see the NOLD: TPS at The Oriental.  I'm happy to report it was very well attended.  The audience responded with a well deserved standing O. 

 I took a friend who is not a fan of horror movies and has never seen any of the Romero films - and she loved it.
That, guys, is how much you ROCK.
Can't wait to see where you show up next.

Saturday I made my way over to The Times Cinema to take in what may be the definitive horror comedy, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

This film is also on my Halloween list of movies I must watch every October. Also a very well attended show.  This movie never loses its funny to me - I'll never get tired of the 'Oh Chick, Oh Chhhhhhhhhhhhhickkkkkkk!!!!!!!!' bit, and I always lose it when Costello starts calling the Frankenstein monster 'Junior'.

Then I came home for a nap, and later Papa Cash and I went back to the Times for a raunchy and randy (but fun) show by The Brew City Bombshells.  I'd wanted to see their show before but never made it - Holy Crap, the fun I've been missing.

The Bombshells come in all shapes and sizes - and all chose Halloween themed costumes and songs to strip to. Mixed with the Bombshells were performances by The Dead Man's Carnival.  For a woman whose lil black heart truly is warmed by go-go dancing from the 60's, this was a show that rocked my Halloween.


Unfortunately I can't find the gnarly cool poster they had for the Halloween show - but here's an advert featuring the upcoming Christmas show at the Times.  And believe me, girls and boys, Mama will be there.

And finally, my Halloween morning - I have a 'Must' list of films that I love and need to watch every October.  I'd already watched House on Haunted Hill earlier in the month, and Abbott and Costello the day before - so I got up early Sunday morning and managed to get in a couple before football started.

My double feature consisted of:

(which is a new addition to my list)

and

'cause it ain't Halloween if Tom Atkins isn't in there somewhere.

I thought I did fairly well for spending so much time away from home this year and being so dang busy. Other films that I usually like to watch are:

Young Frankenstein (although I am seeing the Broadway musical version tomorrow night)

Bride of the Monster or Plan 9 From Outer Space

Mad Monster Party

The Howling

and I'm sure there's others I'm forgetting right now.

So it was a pretty event filled October - if not a great one for blogging. I will be going back to my favorite blogs, however, and catching up on my favorites and am looking forward to everyone's October adventures.

And - I SWEAR TO GOD pictures really are forthcoming. I did manage to download some pictures on another computer - although mine have still not made it yet. I have completely given up on using my laptop to accomplish this anymore. Mama needs a new computer for Christmas.

AND- to all three of you who entered the contest - Guess what, I've decided to just give you all a print. Thanks for taking the time to enter.  Jinx, please post your email in the comments - I won't publish it - and the other two I'll be emailing you for your addresses.  JL, I'll need your address as well because I don't know if I have the most recent one. It'll take me a couple weeks to get them mailed out - I have a jacked up work schedule coming up - but you all should get them by the end of November.

I hope everyone had an outstanding Halloween - here's to finishing the rest of the year happy and healthy-

Mama Firefly

Day Twenty Four: Islands of Adventure:, or The Harry Potter Experience

As I said in the previous post, I'd never been to Islands of Adventure before.

I am a Harry Potter fan, and I was really looking forward to this part of the trip.  This part of the park opened last summer, and it's still very popular.


We went on Sunday and again on Monday, thinking that Monday would be the slower day - which is exactly what everyone else was thinking, apparently. We ended up not spending a lot of time there because it was so damn crowded.  Instead, we spent our day having lunch at the Mykonos cafe and watching a talking fountain mess with small children. Good times.

But we did get to see most of it on Sunday. We didn't ride the dragon rollercoaster, but we did go on the main ride - and hands down, it's the best ride I've EVER been on. Yes. Best ride EVER. Bear in mind the P. Cash did not think so - he thought it was a very well done ride, but is not a fan of rides that are simulated. This ride is part roller coaster and part simulation, and I absolutely loved it. I used to ride EVERYTHING when i was a kid, but I've found that I don't enjoy anything that goes upside down anymore or things that have really steep drops.  Yes, I've become a huge pussy. True Story.

Once the newness dies down a little, and a bit fewer people aren't making from pilgrimages all over the world - it'll be a great place to spend the day. We did manage to eat at Three Broomsticks, try some Butterbeer (yum) and do most other things but for the most part, getting around in the stores and in the streets was slow and required a good amount of patience.

We also went to the Sinbad Stunt show that day - and big hint that I'm ready to go home at this point - fireworks are going off around me, men are swinging from the rafters, water is spraying every where, and I'm sleeping. SLEEPING.

Oh HELLS no that BEEYOTCH  in the front row is not gonna sleep through MY show

I also managed to pack a couple of other scary incidences in the trip that I didn't even have to pay extra for.

I woke up once in the middle of the night and managed to get my legs over the side of the bed - I'm assuming I either needed a drink of water or to use the bathroom - but I never got any further than that. Instead, I apparently fell back asleep sitting up on the edge of the bed - and if that wasn't freaky enough, I also woke up rocking back and forth slightly.  Just my own little version of Paranormal Activity.  I couldn't get back in bed fast enough.
I also found out that our bathroom floor at the hotel was massively slippery when wet - and almost did a huge wipe out all over it after the P Cash forgot to warn me about the water all over the floor. Thankfully I caught myself and only jammed a thumb - accompanied by the rest of my vacation flashing before my eyes - one of those moments when you just know without a doubt that you've just avoided a trip to the ER.

So I managed to pack a few scares into the trip that I didn't even have to pay extra for!
And that's my last October post - but I've got about three more posts I'd like to do regarding how I spent the last couple days of the month featuring zombie puppets, burlesque, and how I packed my favorite movies of the season in.

It was an unusual October for me - I didn't do about half of the normal things I usually do for the month - but I did get to do something that I've wanted to do for at least the last ten years. I'm glad I did it and it was worth it - but I also enjoy my regular traditions and I kind of missed them - even though the tradeoff was worth it, and I think I still got enough of my usual thing to have it feel like Halloween - even if for about a day or two.

I'll also add pictures to these posts - and announce the winner of the contest.

Mama F.