10-31-03: Thirteen for Halloween
diy librarian is celebrating Halloween with the first ever diy librarian guest post! Enjoy!
For diy librarian's Halloween edition, I volunteered to help out and come up with a list of shockers that may have slipped under the radar of folks looking for a scary movie to settle down with for Halloween. This list is by no means definitive, as there are still literally thousands of horror movies I haven't seen, but these are just a few (well, 13) suggestions for movies that just might frighten up your day. I tried for movies that are something a little different and off the "classic" horror movie path, so no Exorcist, Psycho, or Halloween here. More importantly, these are simply movies I like, and aren't ranked based on any kind of objective critical judgment. (Actually they aren't ranked at all. They're in no particular order.) However, I already suspect that I might not have very good taste. Enjoy...or not, moo hoo ha ha!!!
The Grapes of Death (a.k.a. Les Raisins De La Mort)
1978. Dir. Jean Rollin.
Deadly pesticides turn French vineyard workers into diseased, rotting, homicidal zombies. Avoid Rollin's Zombie Lake like the plague, though.
The Brood
1979. Dir. David Cronenberg.
David Cronenberg is better known for his later, more accomplished films, but this one made the list because it messed me up the first time I saw it. Rage babies, meat tenderizers, eeep! No wonder children creep me out.
Who Saw Her Die (a.k.a. Chi l'Ha Vista Morire?)
1972. Dir. Aldo Lado.
One-shot James Bond George Lazenby (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) plays a sculptor whose young daughter is murdered while visiting him in Venice. George and his estranged wife (Anita Strindberg) reunite to find the killer. A pretty decent Italian thriller (giallo), enhanced by an extraordinary Ennio Morricone score. Somebody release the soundtrack to this one!
Kairo (a.k.a. Pulse, or Circuit)
2001. Dir. Kiyoshi Kurasawa.
The more I think about it, the less sense this film makes. There's a lot of thematic/message stuff going on here that doesn't necessarily make for a coherent plot. A man commits suicide after looking at a web site called "The Forbidden Room," then there are rooms sealed with red tape, then people start vanishing? It's all held together with beautiful cinematography and a truly eerie score, both of which make for a great, creepy atmosphere. Oh yeah, I almost forgot--the movie also features arguably the most computer illiterate young person in the history of cinema--"Hold on, I have to take notes. You say 'right click' on the 'mouse'...?"
Dog Soldiers
2002. Dir. Neil Marshall.
I rented this on one of my "bad movie binges" thinking that it looked awful from the description and the pictures on the back of the box. Thankfully, I was wrong. Here's the high concept--think Aliens, but replace "distant space colony" with "Scottish woodlands" and "aliens" with "werewolves" and you kind of get the idea.
Junk
1999. Dir. Atsushi Muroga.
After a jewelry store robbery, a group of thieves awaits a rendezvous with their gangster buyers at an abandoned army base. But the base isn't exactly abandoned after all! This one is kind of like Lucio Fulci's Zombie if John Woo had directed it, so what's not to like. (A lot of people recommend Ryuhei Kitamura's Versus over this one. In my opinion Versus overstays its welcome a bit, but if you like Junk, it's at least worth a look.)
May
2002. Dir. Lucky McKee.
Angela Bettis plays May, a young woman who never developed any social skills because a lazy eye isolated her during her upbringing. Even though she's corrected the lazy eye, her outcast childhood constantly haunts her as she searches for the perfect friend. May's struggles at meeting people actually made me uncomfortable for about the first 30 minutes of the film, but when May starts making a friend, shocking fun ensues.
The Conqueror Worm (a.k.a. Matthew Hopkins: Witchfinder General)
1969. Dir. Michael Reeves.
Matthew Hopkins (Vincent Price) abuses his power during the brutal 17th century witch hunts, prompting soldier Richard Marshall (Ian Ogilvy) to seek revenge. (This isn't the best summary, but I don't want to give too much away.) It's been a while since I've seen this (though I did catch the end of it on AMC about six months ago), but if you can track it down (it's not on DVD yet) it's well worth it.
Dellamorte, Dellamore (a.k.a. Cemetery Man)
1994. Dir. Michele Soavi.
My poster for this film reads "Guns and Babes and Zombies, Oh My!" But that's just part of the appeal as Rupert Everett plays a gravekeeper who can't seem to keep the dead from coming back. Then he falls in love. By turns creepy, funny, and strange, I just can't wait for this to come out on (Region 1) DVD!
Phantasm
1979. Dir. Don Coscarelli.
Not necessarily "under the radar," this is probably the first horror film I watched as a kid and Angus Scrimm as the Tall Man haunted my nightmares for days. I picked it up on DVD a few months ago, and I see now that it's quite cheesy, but there are still a lot of great scenes (the silver spike ball, Tall Man hoisting the coffin alone). Also, the overacting little Leif Garrett-looking kid cracks me up.
Black Christmas
1974. Dir. Bob Clark.
This is the Christmas movie that's perfect for Halloween and the only traditional "slasher" film on the list. (Oddly, Bob Clark also directed A Christmas Story.) A psychopath terrorizes sorority sisters at a small college in this atmospheric entry. Margot Kidder (Lois Lane from the Superman movies) steals the show as an asthmatic student who is always drunk.
Audition
1999. Dir. Takashi Miike.
Prolific Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike never shies away from the shocking and walks a tightrope over taboo. With this film he tells the story of a "romance" gone awry, as a widowed television producer holds an audition for a part in a fake movie in order to find a new bride. WARNING--This one is for people who have really strong stomachs. Personally, I love gory, over the top films, but in a few places even I found this one a touch revolting.
Deep Red (a.k.a. Profondo Rosso)
1975. Dir. Dario Argento.
Okay, this is another that isn't exactly "under the radar," but I would have been remiss to leave off Dario Argento. A jazz musician is drawn into a deadly hunt when he witnesses the sadistic murder of a psychic. The diy librarian hasn't actually seen this one all the way through, but every time I so much as whistle the music box theme, it creeps her out. On top of that, it boasts a great score by horrorfunkprogsters Goblin.
-by William
In honor of the pending celebration, I give you...a Spanish pumpkin! I told you I got weird when armed with a digital camera.
10-30-03: Simpsons: Fair and Balanced
After seeing what a Fox News lawsuit did for Al Franken's book sales, Fox got to thinking... Fox nearly sued itself over 'Simpsons' parody: Matt Groening.
10-29-03: Read Comics in Public
Do it at work. Do it on the bus. Do it today. Then report back.
That's the screed at the top of Read Comics in Public (.net). Insightful commentary on comics, an RSS feed, and a recent article on comics in libraries. What's not to like? [thanks, W]
10-24-03: The Comic Pimp strikes again!
The Comic Pimp hits the mark again with part two of his comics and libraries feature.
I've got quite a few music-related thoughts today. Is it the cold weather blowing in? Something I ate? Who knows?
Item No. 1: Music Wants to Be Free
- Fingertips is "an intelligent guide to free and legal music on the web". I like the concept, and there's some good stuff there, but I wish it were a little more eclectic and a little less, as we would say in Pittsburgh, WYEP. [found via The Shifted Librarian]
- Song Storm is a playlist contest for non-RIAA songs.[found via Lessig Blog]
Item No. 2: Internet Radio - Radio in general seems to have gone down the toilet, now that most stations are owned by the same company and play the same 10 songs over and over. But I can hear some great music on internet radio. Listen up, record industry: listening to internet radio, where I might actually hear a song I haven't heard before, has actually prompted me to buy CDs. I know, it sounds crazy, using radio as a promotional tool! I listen regularly to WFMU, a veritable definition of eclectic, and, yes, to the aforementioned WYEP. There is no substitute for a good DJ (sorry, random button).
Item No. 3: DIY Radio - There is a radio show that broadcasts occasionally from our living room, tentatively called "What Were They Thinking?" Unfortunately, right now our range is somewhat limited--we broadcast only to our stereo speakers. Our neighbors might be able to hear us (sorry!) but that's about it.
Item No. 4: Vinyl - We are not talking about pants or car seats, here. Nope, remember records? A friend suggests a link to Jerry's Records in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. I personally own a few records, but no record player. The records are packed away, and the outer sleeves are hanging on the wall. Which is weirder, listening to vinyl or hanging it on your wall? I searched long and hard, but finally found a copy of the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers, with the zipper intact, for a price I was willing to pay (under $15).
Item No. 5: Top Ten Lists - Top one movie about music geeks: High Fidelity. I don't care what you say, making lists is fun. Here are a few:
- Stephen Grant lists his 10 favorite artists in his most recent
column. Not only is he one of the most intelligent voices writing about comics
today, he has impeccable musical taste:
1. Karlheinz Stockhausen. 2. Can. 3. Phil Ochs. 4. Elvis Costello. 5. Dave Alvin. 6. Iannis Xenakis. 7. Diamanda Galas. 8. The Kinks (pre-'72). 9. Holly And The Italians. 10. Dwight Yoakam. Ask me tomorrow, and you'll probably get a mostly different list.
Ooh, I want to see tomorrow's list! - And now, the first ever DIY librarian top 10 list (drum roll, please--or maybe
play that Orlando Magic entrance music). Today's theme is Kill Bill, and we count down the top 10 songs that would work in the
"Uma Thurman chops everyone up with a samurai sword" scene. The song Tarantino
used in the movie ("Nobody But Me" by the Human Beinz), of course, works beautifully--if it didn't, we wouldn't even be
having this conversation. Mad props to W for helping to compile this list. And
now...
- Coup (23 Skidoo)
- Bang a Gong (T. Rex)
- Halleluhwah (Can)
- Little Suzie Singer (Music to Chew Gum By) (The Frost)
- Let's Have a Party (Wanda Jackson)
- If You Can Beat Me Rockin' (You Can Have My Chair) (Laura Lee)
- Epic (Faith No More)
- Land of 1,000 Dances (Wilson Pickett)
- Hanky Panky (Tommy James & the Shondells)
- Your Squaw is on the Warpath (Loretta Lynn)
Over the decades, the number of books squeezed onto the shelves has only increased, and today the Temareses estimate they have nearly 35,000 hardcovers and paperbacks. They are so much a part of the house that they seem architectural, as if the floor-to-ceiling volumes prop up the roof. The house is fragrant with them and they brush your shoulder as you squeeze past shelves in the narrow back hallway. (Hooked on Books, Newsday.com) [found via LISNews.com]
Our house is kind of like this, only with a combination of CDs, DVDs, books, and comic books. Comic books are generally not the best architectural building blocks and thus are often seen resting on top of other media, or piled in laundry baskets. However, there are now three bookcases in the bedroom dedicated to comics in book format (no, I'm not getting into the graphic novels/trade paperbacks/whatever you want to call them debate right now, sorry). CDs hold a prominent spot in the living room, and DVDs are a growing presence. Books reside wherever there is space, except in the kitchen, where the primary collection is newspapers, and the bathroom, AKA the periodicals room. Hmm, you could almost think of the house as consisting of the audiovisual room (living room), two rooms of stacks (bedroom and office), a periodicals collection (bathroom), and the coffee shop (kitchen), where we keep our newspapers and ready reference. Oh, and the local history archives (the basement).
10-20-03: The 2003 Ig Nobel Awards
For those who have not yet stumbled across the Ig Nobel Awards, they are awarded for research that "first makes people LAUGH, then makes them THINK." My favorite from this year's batch of winners is John Trinkaus, whose work is summarized in "Trinkaus -- An Informal Look", Annals of Improbable Research, vol. 9, no.3.
For a full appreciation of John Trinkaus’s body of work, one must go to the library and read the original reports in their full detail. For those who have yet to enjoy that experience, this article is a quick, and rather haphazard, sampling of what to expect.
The index on the first page is fun in and of itself:
Sport shoes, color preference for -- 51
"Stuff", personal -- 78
Supermarket checkout, counting of items at -- 43, 59, 84
Now go to the library and check it out!
I've been enjoying the new Comic Pimp column on Comic Book Resources. In his latest column, the Comic Pimp teams up with a library assistant (and librarian-to-be) to talk about how to get comics into libraries.
10-20-03: How to... Use a Library
Funny stuff from The Guardian:
Of course, many libraries now have free internet access, which is useful for looking up things online, such as the library opening times.
[found via Library Stuff]
Seems like I've been posting a lot of obituaries of late. Wrestling legend Stu Hart died yesterday at the age of 88.
10-16-03: Librarian Wrestling Federation
Not really. But if there were a Librarian Wrestling Federation, I would like to be the Mick Foley of librarians. Sadly, I'm probably not big enough to be anything more than the Spike Dudley of librarians. Oh well, better than nothing, I guess. Get the tables!! From the reference room!
Seriously, though, in response to the "Librarian Wrestling Federation" post:
Caveat Lector makes some good points. I'm always curious, though, if other professions don't have these kinds of issues as well. Sure, I don't see any electrician's associations speaking out against do-it-yourself wiring books, but I have heard advertisements and public service announcements encouraging people to have their wiring done professionally. Sure, you can do it yourself (I of all people should advocate that!), but going to a professional (librarian, electrician, doctor, belly dancer, whatever) usually ensures that you get professional work. If you're really into DIY, maybe you can do just as well. But chances are, the professional can do the task more efficiently--not only because they are professionally trained (whether by graduate education, apprenticeship, or whatever) but because they do it all the time.
If this kind of thing really takes off, maybe ALA will have to change the slogan for National Library Card Sign Up Month to "Get Your Irises Scanned @ Your Library". Let's hope not. Not that I really like carrying around a wallet full of little plastic cards, but biometric security isn't foolproof either, and I'd rather not have the FBI come around to libraries looking for the DNA samples of "suspected terrorists" who have been looking for porn and IRS forms on library computers. Plus, think of the black market in contact lenses that would surely spring up. (What? You haven't seen Barb Wire yet?)
Some people go on vacation and take pictures of their kids. Some take pictures of cathedrals and palaces. Some videotape paintings in art museums. I take pictures of libraries and vegetables.
The Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid wasn't the biggest, or the most colorful, or the most exotic botanical garden I've ever been to. But it did have the most different kinds of eggplants I've ever seen. The other day I gave you a library, today it's vegetables.
10-14-03: you know you're a geek when...
... you and a friend create the Comic Book Periodic Table of the Elements. Note there is nothing wrong with being a geek--and this is an intriguing way of cataloging your comic book collection. [found via Neat New Stuff]
In Madrid, I came across this sculpture at the Casa de América. By the Madrid artist Alicia Martín, Biografías is both a sculpture and an interesting piece of library marketing. The artist uses the idea that the building couldn't possibly hold all the information contained in those books.
All content on this website, unless otherwise noted, was created by Tara Murray and is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
