Spent last night reading reviews of Wii games to find ones that might be suitable for both self and the Small Person - which mainly involved shouting at the screen not every five year old girl is interested in being a Disney fucking princess!!!! - and found a couple, which have been put on the amazon wishlist (For those who are bound to ask, here are my list and Small Person's list). One of the most promising ones appears to be this. Unfortunately, due to reading about that game before going to sleep, when I woke up this morning I had this song in my head:



And now it won't shift. Woe. DAMN JOO BURT BACHARACH!!!

I wonder if we can get Tony to show it at this year's FFW? Although, to be fair, the prospect of Wrath of Khan on the big screen would have me crawling over broken glass to get there whatever else he shows...

They've found the deleted scenes from Metropolis! Sci-fi geeks rejoice! And pray Cthulhu we get a showing of it at the FFW next year...

matgb has a highly amusing post about the hypocrisy of the guy who sued the BBC for showing Jerry Springer: The Opera and upsetting his delicate religious sensibilities (related Facebook group).

Don't watch anything on YouTube which isn't allowed to be there, else you'll get got.

Creationism hits science classrooms in the UK. and we are funding it via the state school mechanism. *I* am paying for some poor kids to be taught complete bollocks as though it is fact. Amused Cynicism makes comment more eloquently than I ever could.

The Torygraph have picked their top ten ever Doctor Who episodes. No surprises that it's Ten-heavy, but perhaps surprising that it contains no Trout. And, obvs, Caves of Androzani should be #1.

James May is amazed that the BBC are upset with him for drinking a G&T, when really, they should be upset with him for putting slices of lemon in it. LIME, James, LIME!

Jeremy Thorpe says Robert Mugabe must die. I guess there's a limit to everyone's Liberalism, eh?

David Davies shows just how pro-liberty he really is. Hey ho. Is anyone actually surprised by this?

Chicky Yog imagines Gordon as a barman and finds him wanting.

The turkeys HAVE voted for Christmas: Mike at PB is right. Any PPC opposing any of the lot who voted for this is going to have a field day.

Is anyone here surprised that you can crack an Oyster card very easily? And this is the system they want to use for our one-stop-shop biometric ID Cards. Making identity theft HARDER? My arse.

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For anyone who still harboured hopes that the American remake of Life on Mars wouldn't be complete bobbins, here's a shot by shot comparison of a pivotal scene.

I have a fondness for Chief O'Brien Colm Meaney, but his Hunt is such a wussy next to Glenister... This makes me sad.

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After yesterday's Love-in with the BBC, I thought I'd balance it today with this piece on why they have got the coverage of David Davis so very wrong.

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After the FFW I always end up spending silly money on something genre related. This year I forked over £42 from my bottomless visa card to amazon for this. It arrived this morning, and it's GORGEOUS. Amazingly, it also contains only 2 films that I already own, even though my Hammer shelf is not tiny by any means.

21 films in a pretty box? I think that's value for money. Please validate this opinion and assuage my nagging sense of guilt...

Things I would like to see next year:

General Stuff:

- more merchandising Surely Forbidden Planet would pay to have a stall in the foyer? And I bet there's other retailers who would too. I'd love a T-shirt (as opposed to a polo shirt that makes you look like staff). So, yes, a dealer room of some kind.
- Cooler Passes. Previous years' passes have featured the artwork for the festival and I was disappointed that this year's didn't.
- the bar to stay open after the last film has finished. Even if it's just till 11. Would have liked to buy T Earnshaw a drink to say thank you for putting up with us.

More Sci-Fi

- Metropolis
- Dark City
- Alien
- The Blob (bababa, beware of the blob, it leaps and creeps...)
- The Time Machine
- Voyage to the Centre of the Earth
- Flash Gordon ?(Brian Blessed possible guest?)
- The Amazing Colossal Man/Shrinking Man
- any of the Original Series Trek movies, but especially Wrath of Khan
- Claude Rains version of The Invisible Man
- 50s War of the Worlds
- Creature from the Black Lagoon
- Them
- The Day the Earth Stood Still
- The Day the Earth Caught Fire
- Silent Running
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers - any of the various versions, although I like the one with Jeff Goldblum in

More black and white

- Plan 9 would be awesome, if it's gettable.
- William Castle stuff. House on Haunted Hill or The Tingler
- Universal Horrors.
- Boris Karloff Stuff. Corridors of Blood has the C Lee connection, or The Black Room or something
- The Fly, perhaps as a double bill with the remake?

Corman/Price/Poe or related films

- Comedy of Terrors would be a wet dream for me
- Masque of the Red Death
- Pit and the Pendulum
- House of Usher

Something Silent

- HPLHS Call of Cthulhu
- Lon Chaney Phantom of the Opera?
- the Cabinet of Dr Caligari?
- A Trip to the Moon?

Something old in 3D

- Vincent Price House of Wax?
- It Came From Outer Space?

I don't want to jinx any possible guests by suggesting too many, although I think Ozzy is right, Prince of Darkness might draw a couple of interesting guests... (Alice is in it, and he LOVES genre films...)

Any of you lot have any thoughts?

Sunday dawned bright and hungover, and we set out for another day of films.

Dracula (1958) dir. Terence Fisher

( here be spoilers! )

I couldn't give this anything other than 5/5


At this point there were a number of us (not me, having read spoilers) planning to hit the Grindhouse double bill, but exhaustion had hit hard, and so we went to the Love Apple and had delicious food and cocktails instead. Suitably refreshed, we went back the NMM for:

Piers Haggard and Robert Wynne-Simmons in conversation with some guy called Tim

( here be spoilers! )


Daughters of Darkness (1971) dir. Harry Kumel

( here be spoilers! )

1/5. This is why I didn't go to the Q&A session with the director afterwards ;)


Horror Express (1973) dir. Eugenio Martin

This was supposed to be a Pakistani zombie film which I was quite interested in seeing, but a problem with the print meant we were left with grabbing something out of the NMM's archive. When dear Mr Earnshaw announced what it was going to be, there was a cheer went up from the ragged crew of hardy souls who had made it to the end of the festival, and a party atmosphere permeated the Pictureville.

( here be spoilers! )

5/5, and the ropey print totally DID add to the atmosphere.

After Horror Express we retrieved a poster for pmoodie, yelled "PEASANTS!" at lots of people, made Tony Earnshaw wear the Freebie Hat of Shame, and drank lots more alcohol. The poor barman/night porter at the Waterfront Lodge must really dread this weekend every year.

Got up early and Jacob Marley pointed out to me over breakfast that my name was in the programme as one of the many people listed under This festival would not have been possible without... I was completely stunned. I later discovered from festival director Tony Earnshaw that this was for setting up the Facebook Event. I am on the same credits list as John Carpenter, FTW! This totally set the appropriate tone of geeky squee for the day.


...And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973) dir. Roy Ward Baker

( here be spoilers! )

A grin-making nostalgia trip. 5/5


The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) and Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972) dir. Robert Fuest

( here be spoilers! )

Milk advert: 5/5
The Abominable Dr. Phibes: 5/5
Dr. Phibes Rises Again: 3.5/5


matgb and burlesque_bunny turned up at this point with a very welcome coolbag full of sandwiches and crisps and sausage rolls and juice and apples. This was devoured in short order, and then we went to listen to:

Jenny Agutter in conversation with Tony Earnshaw

( here be spoilers! )


The House That Dripped Magenta Blood (1971) dir. Peter Duffel

( here be spoilers! )

Gloriously silly and perfectly paced - 4.5/5


The Thing (1982) dir. John Carpenter (with specially filmed intro)

( here be spoilers! )

Intro: 4/5
Film: 4.5/5


And then we went home, cracked open the booze, and went Tigon:

The Creeping Flesh (1973) dir. Freddie Francis

( here be spoilers! )

5/5

Mat wanted to see Braindead although unfortunately he ended up seeing Brain Dead) so we went in early and picked up passes, and then he went into the film and I went back to Brighouse to meet people. karohemd, burlesque_bunny, pmoodie and El, Daz and Sladds, Jelly and Mitch, and the lovely Jacob Marley among them.

Much of the meeting happened in The Old Ship, and I ate half of karohemd's pudding for him, then we mob-handed the 363 and sallied forth to fair Bradford whence the first film I saw was:


Black Christmas (1974) dir. Bob Clark

( here be spoilers! )

I really enjoyed this. 4/5


An American Werewolf in London (1981) dir. John Landis

I don't know what I can say about this film that hasn't been said more eloquently by more eminent folks than I. It's funny and fearsome, absurd and scary, stuffed full of joyous performances from RSC level British actors, and fully deserves its status as the towering classic of the werewolf genre.

( here be spoilers! )

Just brilliant. 5/5.


The Mist (2007) dir. Frank Darabont

I am very conflicted about this film. Each bit of it was brilliantly well done (apart perhaps from the CGI in places) and yet the whole left such a nasty taste in my mouth.

( here be spoilers! )

Really didn't like it. 2/5, and it only gets those for the quality of the design etc.