Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 8

Today's pick, "House of Wax," is on super early this morning at 6:30 A.M. on TCM.

Of course, you won't be able to watch this in its original 3D, which will make some of the scenes seem kind of silly. But personally, I'm of the opinion that every movie that's presented in 3D should, by law, include a scene involving a paddle ball.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 7

"She Freak" is basically a sleazy remake of Tod Browning's "Freaks," from the producer of "Blood Feast" and "Two Thousand Maniacs."

Which is to say, it looks pretty awesome. It's on at 11 P.M. on TCM.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 6

"George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead" is probably my least favorite of Romero's zombie pictures, mainly because while it's supposed to be a comment on the use of personal video, YouTube, and the Internet, it just feels like it was made by someone who doesn't really understand how most of that works. But still, it's a must see for any Romero, zombie, and POV horror movie completest. It's on IFC at 6:30 P.M. and 9:30 P.M.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 5

Director John Carpenter is a guest programmer on TCM tonight, introducing and talking about some of his favorite films. You can read more about it here. Of course, three of his four picks are scary flicks, and they include "The Thing From Another World," (natch), at 5 P.M.:



"It! The Terror From Beyond Space" at 6:45 P.M:



And "The Curse of Frankenstein" at 8 P.M. (But instead of the trailer for that, I'm including a favorite clip from the original "Lolita," in which Humbert, Lolita, and Mrs. Haze watch said movie at the drive-in...)

"The Curse of Frankenstein" in "Lolita"

FILMSERTS | Myspace Video

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 4

From what I can gather, the 2002 movie "Darkness," starring Anna Paquin, is pretty forgettable, but horrific pickings are kind of slim today, so it will have to do. That said, there are a few moments in the trailer that look kind of spooky. And Lena Olin is in it, and she can be great. How come she's not in more movies?

Watch it at 12:45 P.M. on IFC.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 3

No Halloween month would be complete without at least one viewing of the original "Frankenstein," now would it? It's on TCM at 6 P.M. (And you should just leave it on TCM for the rest of the night, as there are many other Tod Browning goodies being shown afterwards, including "Freaks" at 7:15 P.M., and "Mark of the Vampire" at 11:15 P.M.)

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 2

I imagine if I were a dude, the horror movie "Teeth" might be a little tough to sit through since it is, after all, about vagina dentata.

But I'm a girl, and thus found it kind of awesome and hilarious. Watch it on IFC at 7:30pm.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 1

David Fincher's "Zodiac" is a movie I didn't totally take to at first, but it has turned into something I watch almost every year (around the Fourth of July, to be exact). It's not really a scary movie, per se, and is really more about journalism than it is about the serial killer, but the fact that it has Mark Ruffalo, and some terrific San Francisco-in-the-70's scenes, and a terrific soundtrack, means it's one of those movies that just kind of...comforts me.

Yes. A movie about a serial killer who was never caught brings me comfort. And that is why October is one of my favorite months.

Watch it tonight at 11 P.M. on IFC, (and hopefully in widescreen).

The trailer's below. I can't embed one of the best moments from the film's opening, (the use of Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" is weirdly brilliant), but you can watch it here.

Are You Ready? You Better GET Ready!

Once again, for the entire month of October, I will be partaking in the great bloggy Countdown to Halloween. This will be the fifth year in a row I've participated, and that in itself is something to be celebrated, methinks!

So, starting tomorrow, be sure to check in here daily for a recommendation of something Halloweeny to watch on TV. Most of the time it will be some kind of movie, but sometimes it might be a Halloween special, or some other kind of spookiness. (And note, all air times will be PST, and sometimes local San Francisco channels might be listed.)

When Halloween stuff started showing up in stores at the beginning of September, I found that a little annoying. But I think the entire month of October is open season for all things Halloween, so from here on out, I say BRING IT.

August Round-Up - 2011

In August I took a brief trip to Las Vegas, which you can read about here. Being able to take off on a spur of the moment trip is totally awesome, let me tell you.

But there were other bits of entertainment to be had in August. So let's look back at those now, shall well?

Books Read: Six. I found "Full Dark, No Stars" by Stephen King, a collection of short stories (novellas?), a little hard to get into at first because the opening story was a slow start. But eventually it kicked in, and I got through the collection quickly, as tends to be the case with better King.

Another edition of "The Walking Dead" (Vol. 7) was followed by two memoirs about love addiction, "Love Junkie" by Rachel Resnick and "Desire" by Susan Cheever. I read an article on the subject that was kind of interesting, and then looked into some books about it, and those were at the library, so I checked 'em out, and read 'em...Unfortunately, neither were that compelling.

Jenna Jameson's "How To Make Love Like a Porn Star" seems like a natural follow-up, doesn't it? But really, it was a bit of a coincidence. I borrowed it to read in Vegas because it seemed like the perfect combo.

Finally, there was "Summer and the City" by Candace Bushnell, the second in her series about Carrie Bradshaw in her younger years. This one takes place in the early 80's, and I have to say, young Carrie Bradshaw is a lot more tolerable than later Carrie Bradshaw ended up being...

Movies Seen: Eight, with five in a theater. Click through to read my reviews of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes;" "Final Destination 5;" "Conan the Barbarian;" and "A Good Old Fashioned Orgy."

Fancy Dinners Out: Three. Two of those dinners were in Vegas, and the other was at the bar at the Big 4. (Chicken pot pie. Mmmmmmmm.)

Live Shows Seen: One! Adele at the Greek Theater. So much about this show was just pissing me off. First, it was supposed to be at the Warfield at the beginning of June, which was great. I can walk there, and I got first row balcony seats. But then her album was released, it was huge hit, and the show was moved to the Greek Theater in Berkeley. I hate the Greek Theater. It's hard to get to; it's uncomfortable; and it's too big. But fine. They were going to reserve a section for people who had reserved balcony seats, so that was good, even if it still meant we'd have to get there early and wait in line to guarantee a good spot.

Since the show was the first weekend of June, that meant my trip to New Orleans would have to end by a certain date, even though it would have been cool to be able to stay longer. So, of course when I got back to SF, the show was rescheduled because Adele got sick.

GRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Luckily, it was rescheduled for a day I was actually in town, and in the end, we had good seats, and it was a fantastic show, but man. Such rigmarole!

Here's one of my favorite moments from the evening:



Shoes Bought: Two pairs. One are this pair of vintage brocade pumps, bought on Haight Street. The other are these fake TOMS called Bob's, in blue. Sketchers pretty much ripped off the TOMS concept and released their own version, but whatever. They were cute, comfortable, and cheap!