M.R. Gott's Blog, page 3

Alien: Out of the Shadows Book Review

Ellen Ripely is back in Tim Lebbon’s Alien Out of the Shadows the first book in a brand new Alien trilogy from Titan Books.  Adding to an established and fan loved/obsessed universe it tricky, the novel has to be successful on multiple levels in order to please the passionate members of its audience.  The same ones the franchise was acquired for in the first place.  As a member of that demographic as well as a fan of Lebbon I’ll be breaking it down step by step. 

First off the Ellen Ripley of Out of the Shadows is the Ellen Ripley we all know.  This book takes place between the first and second movies and envisions Ripley’s escape pod taking a detour before the second film begins.  Tim Lebbon writes Ripley incredibly well.  He clearly understands all the elements of the complex character that Sigourney Weaver brought to life in the first three Alien films...Click either image for the full review at Ravenous Monster.

1944–2014

The Crow: Curare Graphic Novel Review at Ravenous Monster

Almost a full year since publishing The Crow: Skinning the Wolves, author James O’Barr returns to the franchise with a new tale entitled Curare.  If you didn’t think it was possible to surpass the high standard set with Skinning the Wolves, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with his new tale of anguish and pain...CLICK EITHER IMAGE FOR THE FULL REVIEW 

James Dorr reviews Dracula: Entre L’Amour et La Mort

Dracula in French?  And Canadian French to boot?  And with songs!  Yes, all that and more is available to those who enjoy a delightful shiver on seeing a bat’s silhouette on the moon, while nights are chill and days may bring more freezing rain or snow.  And it’s on DVD, “inspiré du roman de Bram Stoker, le spectacle musical Dracula:  Entre L’Amour et La Mort.”  Yes, the musical version of Dracula -- in French.  Actually produced in Quebec where it ran from January 13 to December 16 2006 (with the DVD version filmed in November that year according to the credits, although the DVD itself didn’t come out until 2008), it has since been performed as well in France and elsewhere.  Translated as “Dracula:  Between Love and Death,” it was created by Bruno Pelletier (who also plays the part of Dracula) with music by Simon Leclerc and lyrics by  Roger Tabra.

But there is a down side, it’s only available in French (and québécois to boot, as well as a few lines in Ukrainian) with -- at least in the only version of it I’ve been able to find -- no English subtitles, and as for me the title is about as far as my language skills are going take me.  So what I’ll offer here may be not so much a review as an outline of differences between it and the plot of Bram Stoker’s novel, so one can follow it just enjoying the stagecraft and music.  And I will say that, even without a translation, the music is great, the dancing and acting, the costumes and settings all great too.  For me at least -- but then I like things like les trois vampiresses (a.k.a., in the movies, the “Brides of Dracula”) done up BDSM style with Medusa-like headdresses!
Also the plot should be sufficiently familiar that it can be followed well enough without really knowing the words.  There are some variations from Stoker, though, to be aware of (the large puppet-creature that starts it off, by the way, is not a character per se but rather a sort of announcer-commentator).  It follows the conceit of, for example, Francis Ford Coppola’s movie Bram Stoker’s Draculain seeing the vampire as a Vlad Tepes extension whose wife has been lost and who discovers, 500 years later, Mina Murray as a kind of soul-descendant, thus setting up a major conflict as being between Dracula and Mina’s husband-to-be Jonathan Harker; Lucy in this version is Van Helsing’s daughter (Van Helsing, seen as very religious, has tried to keep her from the evils of the world, but she rebels with results that are not good); Renfield as a drug addict plays a more modern sort of madman; other parts are thus eliminated but the three vampire women have their roles expanded to almost an equivalent of the three Fates, at some moments standing in in a way as a kind of Greek chorus.  So one part is literal, a telling of a variant of the original novel in music, but another level is allegorical taking in the larger themes of good and evil, weakness and strength, love and pain and death, and ultimately redemption.  And it is ultimately Mina who must choose, whereas the original “Elhemina,” as the warlord Dracula’s promised bride, is the one who was cursed from the beginning and so had “turned” him.

And then there’s one thing more.  While I haven’t been able yet to find a subtitled version, I have found a blog in which much of the libretto has been translated to English on a song by song basis, though not necessarily in production order.  So for die-hards like me, one can copy the songs out (with a warning that, even as of now, it may still not be entirely complete), re-shuffle them as needed into act and scene order, and watch the show with lyrics in hand to glance at as one will.  And so I’ve provided a link below. 
However I will recommend for a first look, especially as Valentine’s Day approaches with appropriate spirituous refreshments on hand (or even if not -- hot dark chocolate is nice with whipped cream and optional sprinkles on top, and mulled cider is excellent, spiked or otherwise), don’t worry about the actual words.  You know the story.  So just sit back with a special friend, relax, and enjoy.        
http://www.allthelyrics.com/forum/fre...



James Dorr is a short story writer and poet working largely in horror and dark fantasy with occasional forays into mystery and science fiction.  His latest collection, THE TEARS OF ISIS, was released by Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing in May 2013, joining two earlier collections from Dark Regions Press, STRANGE MISTRESSES: TALES OF WONDER AND ROMANCE and DARKER LOVES: TALES OF MYSTERY AND REGRET, as well as his all-poetry, all-vampire VAMPS (A RETROSPECTIVE) from Sam’s Dot/White Cat. His own cat, Wednesday (for Wednesday Addams of the TV show THE ADDAMS FAMILY), is more a dark gray herself and spends her days (when she’s not asleep) slinking about Dorr’s fairly extensive DVD and VHS collection. 
More on Dorr can be found on his blog at http://jamesdorrwriter.wordpress.com.

The Crow Skinning the Wolves Graphic Novel Review

The Crow Skinning the Wolves is a return to the franchise by long time absent creator James O’ Barr who has moved his current incarnation from gritty urban landscapes to a Nazi Concentration camp.  Even as a longtime fan of O’Barr, I was skeptical.  Can you pull off what is essentially a supernatural revenge fantasy in the midst of one of History’s greatest tragedies?  The answer is short is yes, by handling your supernatural elements with an emotional maturity...CLICK EITHER IMAGE FOR THE ENTIRE REVIEW AT RAVENOUS MONSTER  

My interview at Mismatched Bookends

Click the image to jump over 

Ash and the Army of Darkness #1 from Simon Frost at 'Still Watching Cartoons in my Batman Boxers'

Steve Niles reboots Dynamite's long running license of Army of Darkness with art by Dennis Calero, in an intriguing Book that won me over in the end.  Initially I wasn't entirely digging the art style by Dennis Calero when I began the issue, but in 32 short pages he had definitely won me over.  He easily captures the appearance of the cast actors, with the perfect amount of detail.  Steve Niles' story picks up with the end of Army of Darkness (theatrical version) so the first few pages read like an adaptation of the film.  I was very unimpressed, but then instead of cutting away to Directed by Sam Raimi we get to see how badly Ash fucked up by not reading the words correctly.  It's a fun exercise and the panels are expertly designed, leading to a few cool surprises.  While not the greatest issue ever, this fan was won over and must apologize for doubting this book's potential.  This book's been laying around for months as I had the buyers remorse after purchasing it, feeling like a dumb fan boy.  

Free Today On Amazon

Five of my titles are Free Today through Amazon Click any link to get a free copy.  

Seduction of the Innocent by Max Allan Collins

Overview;
It's 1954, and a rabble-rousing social critic has declared war on comic books - especially the scary, gory, bloody sort published by the bad boys of the industry, EF Comics. But on the way to a Senate hearing on whether these depraved publications should be banned, the would-be censor meets a violent end of his own - leaving his opponents in hot water.  

Can Jack Starr, private eye to the funny-book industry, and his beautiful boss Maggie unravel the secret of Dr. Frederick's gruesome demise?  Or will the crackdown come, falling like an executioner's axe...?
Review;Hard Case Crime's latest book showcases Max Allan Collins, most well known  for The Road to Perdition writing an old school pulp styled detective novel that also doubles as historical fiction.  Comic Historians will recognize the title of this work is also the title of a book about the dangers of comics from the 50's that resulted in the Comics Codes Authority.  
Collins uses this set up and changes the names of the players (EC Comics becomes EF Comics, Batman becomes Crime Fighter, etc)  which is odd for a reader well aware of all these players and takes some getting used to.  The writing itself is strong and the mystery unravels perfectly.  Jack Starr is a solid detective, and the supporting players are unique and easy to keep track of.  Comic styled art by Terry Beatty appears with Chapter breaks adding to the undeniably cool feel of this book.  
Overview;As a noir, pulp and comic fan this was a fun fast paced read.  While switching the names of characters and comic publishers annoyed me at first once I got past it I found a great deal to enjoy in this book.  

Machete Maidens Unleashed!

Writer Director Mark Hartley is back after his debut of Not Quite Hollywood about the grindhouse flicks shot in Australia with one about the B features shot in The Philippines.

Edited with the same fast energy and filled with clip highlights from numerous films, Machete Maidens Unleashed is a fascinating and entertaining look at predominantly 70's grindhouse filmmaking, mostly for Roger Corman's New World Studios, covering the rise and fall of this particular shooting location.

Hartley has collected many interviews from directors, actors, producers and King Corman himself as they tell an interesting tale of low budget film production.  As a fan of B flicks I have to admit so many are crap except for a scene or two, and it is awesome to have essentially a highlight reel of 30 years worth of cheesy greatness.  Aside from the cool on-set stories from all those involved is an interesting concept that a few of the actresses bring up.  While they admit that the were used to titillate as their tops were constantly being torn off, they point out that these were the only pictures with tough female leads who rescued themselves at the time.  Taking it one step further some of these female leads were also racial minorities in roles that could have been played by an actress of any race.

I ask this as a follow up; When these women had their shirts ripped in fight scenes, should we not look at them like any other action hero Stallone, Arnold or Van Damme who constantly loose their shirts while killing truck loads of extras?

...But anyway , if you're a sucker for B Flicks like I am you can't go wrong with Machete Maidens Unleashed!

Currently Available on Netflix instant streaming.