Let’s Get Physical…Media!i

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This blog was originally titled “Physical Media’s Last Stand” but I thought it too pessimistic. And when it comes to this topic, there’s plenty of cause to feel that way. The MPAA recently revealed a staggering 50% drop in sales as the rise of Streaming services takes hold. I agree, it’s a lot easier pushing a button than getting off our butts to pop on a disc. However, anyone who’s spent 20 minutes scrolling Netflix only to finally give up in frustration knows what we like isn’t always as accessible as the modern world would have us believe.  This is especially true for horror fans like us who have a fondness for older and more obscure titles. We, in fact , have plenty of cause to continue covet physical media especially nowadays. Despite the current Blu-ray apocalypse, some of the most amazing upgrades and rare titles are being released every month – though you may need to look beyond Amazon.com to find them. There are several amazing companies out there fighting the good fight and I’d like to highlight a few I feel are worthy of support! 

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My 40 Years of Rich Koz Svengoolie Fandom

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Do you remember what you were doing on the night of Saturday, June 16, 1979? I sure do. Here in Chicagoland there was a bit of fanfare regarding a new horror host hitting the airwaves via our favorite UHF station, WFLD Channel 32. For a young monster movie fan like myself, the idea of watching them on prime time was a gift in and of itself. Having them presented along with hilarious parody songs, skits, and sound effects took it to an even higher level. Even before the big night, I recall my parents discussing the new talent at the dinner table. “Oh, you’ll probably love this Son of Svengoolie,” my mom said, looking up from the Chicago Tribune’s entertainment section. “Your father used to watch his dad back when he was on TV.”

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Paul Rudd takes on C2E2…and Wins!

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Paul Rudd C2E2 Banner

Who doesn’t love Paul Rudd? The seemingly ageless actor has been inspiring laughter for nearly two decades; long before joining the Avengers as Ant-Man. My family and I try meeting as many  MARVEL stars as we can so when C2E2 (Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo) announced Rudd as one of their featured guests it was one happy day at the Fuentes household. I immediately started working the necessary overtime while hovering over their website waiting for the tickets to go on sale. My diligence paid off and I bought ours (both photo op and autograph) just before they completely sold out. C2E2 would eventually add an additional day and I believe those were gobbled up as well. Was it worth paying more than a car payment to meet Paul Rudd? 

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Svengoolie and the Superheroes at C2E2!

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It was Friday afternoon when MeTV’s horror host sensation, Svengoolie, arrived at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2). As soon as I was alerted of this by his Producer, Jim Roche, I rushed outside to meet them. It’s rather surreal seeing Svengoolie in broad daylight but there he was; patiently waiting as Jim and his Director/cameraman, Chris Faulkner, prepared their supplies and equipment. C2E2 is always a frenetic experience for the crew and this year they were adding merchandise sales to the mix (T-shirts and posters). I’ve had a bit of experience selling Svengoolie shirts at past appearances such as Flashback Weekend and Nightmare on Chicago Street but this would be a lot more demanding. Consequently, I’d be “knighted” as temporary paid staff for his Friday signing. With Svengoolie armaments in tow, it was time to kick-off his two-day appearance at C2E2.

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“Nothing can stop the (C2E2) Juggernaut!”

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What a time for comic book fans to be alive! Just this past week, the female-driven Captain Marvel joined the billion-dollar club while SHAZAM (the original “Captain Marvel”) hit theaters in his own fabulous film. In other news, Netflix’s binge-worthy “Umbrella Academy” got renewed for a second season while the creepy, yet original Joker trailer also dropped. Perhaps the biggest news in nerdom was how presale tickets for the much-anticipated Avengers: Endgame managed to shut down movie sites unable to keep up with demand. So whenever you hear someone mention the phrase “superhero fatigue,” don’t say anything. Just casually walk away…and laugh.  Continue reading →

Jason Schoolcraft’s Killer review of “One Must Fall!”

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Before I get into the review here is how I heard about the film. Over the weekend of March 15-17 an Indie director I follow and met at HorrorHound a few years back, Brooklyn Ewing check out her films here is the link to reviews for 2 of her films ( link to reviews), she posted a little piece about a great film she saw and shared a link with the director of One Must Fall , Antonio Pantoja doing a Podcast called Indie Film Hustle w/ Alex Ferrari. It was insightful into film making and I thought it showed Antonia was a humble and grateful down to earth first-time director. I enjoyed listening to his journey to make his film. It is a great listen. After I listened to the podcast, I look up the film to see if there were any viewing in the northeast where I live or was scheduled for DVD or VOD release soon. With what info I had I looked up Antonio, found links to his FB page and movie FB page. I reach out to him on both pages the next day to A) tell him I loved the podcast and I hope he does well. B) I ask if there will be any screeners for review and if so I’d be interested and gave him web site info and my info. To my surprise, he got back to me in less than an hour. He seemed so sincere and grateful I reached out and would love to have me review the film. In less than 12 hours I had a link and he sent me a loaded press kit with the great BHTS in this review. The few times I have met or spoke with any Indie writers or directors they are grateful and very humble with the attention they and their films get. Antonio was no different. It was great to hear his story. So less than 24 hours after I heard about Antonio Pantoja I was watching his film.

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