David Dubrow's Blog, page 32

The Slaughtered Bird Movie Review: Atmo HorroX

I reviewed Pat Tremblay’s movie Atmo HorroX, premiering tonight at Fantasy Fest, at The Slaughtered Bird:

Does comparing Pat Tremblay’s Atmo HorroX to John Boorman’s classic Zardoz elevate one, diminish the other, or condemn both? Both films are psychedelic, trippy, and include protagonists that wander around in outlandish costumes that show rather more skin than most of us would like to see. Both are infused with timely messages, expressed through grotesquerie.

Is it worth a watch? Click to find out!

The Slaughtered Bird Book Review: The Black Room Manuscripts Volume 2

I reviewed the short story anthology The Black Room Manuscripts Volume 2 at The Slaughtered Bird:

Lacking an organizing theme, the anthology encompasses a broad variety of horror motifs, from zombie apocalypse to dead man’s perspectives to Cthulhuesque beasts beneath the earth. Quality also ranges far and wide: some tales were merely banal descriptions of brutality placed under the endlessly-redefined rubric of horror, while others brought scares, revulsion, and pathos in brief, self-contained narratives: the essence of a good horror short.

Click the link to see if it’s worth your time and attention.

Soul Searching, Responsibility, and Terrorism

In the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris; San Bernadino; Orlando (note that Wikipedia refers to the attack as a “shooting,” which proves my upcoming point); Nice; and too many more to mention, there’s been a tendency for some of us to declare, “Humanity is doomed,” or “People are awful,” or something very similar. When rioters destroyed sections of Baltimore, Maryland, President Obama said that the entire country had to do some “soul searching.” He also claimed that the entire country had to do some soul searching when Omar Mateen, a Muslim extremist, murdered 49 people in Orlando.

People aren’t awful. When a Muslim extremist murders people, humanity isn’t doomed. There’s nothing wrong with us. However, there is something catastrophically wrong with extremist Muslims. Distributing blame for an evil act among the victims, the victims’ families, and the millions and millions of people who had nothing to do with the act is not just despicable, but thoughtless and dishonest. We don’t need to search our souls when we’re attacked by Islamic terrorists.

Personal responsibility isn’t like chewing gum: you can’t just hand it around. Individuals are responsible for individual acts. Blaming everyone for what individuals do is a deliberate attempt to shift the responsibility for evil acts away from a protected class. Muslim extremists appear to be a protected class, which is fascinating because Muslim extremists are to blame for virtually every terrorist attack the West has experienced in the last two decades. Why should our intellectual and moral betters seek to diffuse blame for the actions of Muslim extremists? It’s a question I could answer in some detail, but to do so would excite terrible outrage. Do some soul searching; you’ll figure it out.

Blaming humanity for the actions of individuals needs to stop; it encourages evil.

The other commonly-bleated bromide to be quashed is the notion that every religion is to blame when a Muslim extremist murders people in the name of Islam. These bleats are most often grunted from people who do not practice any religion, haven’t studied Islam (let alone any of the other faiths they distribute blame across), and have no interest in doing either. When confronted with the terrible truth that Presbyterians aren’t flying airplanes into buildings or shooting people in nightclubs for Jesus, they invariably respond with invective or false comparison between Muslim extremists and evangelical Christians. Imagine going through life thinking that you have as much to fear in a crowded airport from a Jehovah’s Witness with a Watchtower pamphlet as a man with a bomb strapped to his chest, screaming “Allahu Akbar!” Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism aren’t the same as radical Islam, and blaming other faiths for what radical Islamists do is a sickening, thoughtless, and stupid exercise. It’s how anti-theists virtue-signal, telling the world how much more intelligent, moral, and sophisticated they are than God-botherers. After all, you don’t find anti-theists committing acts of terrorism these days, do you? It’s only the religious types who do it.

Radical Islam and the extremists who act on it are to blame for Muslim terror attacks. Not the rest of us. It takes courage in our PC-soaked culture to stand up and say, “I know who did it and why.” When you identify an enemy, the next natural, expected step is to defeat that enemy, which takes even more courage. By claiming the national need for soul searching, you have made everyone the enemy. How can you fight everyone? Do you see the inherent, deliberate futility of the diffused responsibility idea? If everyone’s responsible, no one is. And if no one is responsible, you don’t have to do anything about it.

You may not believe that the West is at war with radical Islam. You may believe, despite having done absolutely no research on the subject whatsoever (be honest), that people who murder innocents in the name of Allah are hijacking an otherwise peaceful faith. You may also believe that all religions are at fault when Muslim extremists commit acts of terrorism. It’s unfortunate that facts haven’t made a dent in your consciousness, and even more unfortunate that you vote for people laboring under similar misapprehensions, but that can’t be helped; there are still braver, smarter, and stronger people than you who will uphold the Enlightenment values so intrinsic to Western civilization. But if you believe that everyone you meet is responsible for what Muslim extremists do, because we’re all part of humanity and humanity is doomed, you definitely have some of that vaunted soul searching to do.

We Need to Talk About the New Ghostbusters Movie

I saw the original Ghostbusters in the theater as a teenager and loved it, the way most kids did. Watching it wasn’t a defining moment of childhood or anything like that, but I found the movie imaginative, scary, and funny. My favorite parts, I remember, were the short bits discussing ancient civilizations, the portal to another dimension/time in the fridge, and the EPA guy Peck getting splattered with marshmallow fluff. Science versus magic, with the fate of the world in the balance: great stuff.

The less said about the sequel, the better.

When I learned that a reboot/remake/reimagining of Ghostbusters was in the works, I knew that it would probably be awful. Hollywood tends to sacrifice imagination for cash, embodied in unnecessary remakes like this one. Once it was announced that this reboot would include an all-female cast of Ghostbusters, everyone with the dimmest awareness of current events knew that it would definitely be awful, because the only reason to switch the cast’s sex was to pay homage to a social justice/grrrl power/21st century feminist agenda. Sony was turning a loved franchise into a message film. Message films, particularly message films made today, are entirely unwatchable.

Fans of the original (referred to near-universally as “fanboys,” with as much contempt as can be invested in such a term) weren’t upset that women would be in the cast; rather, they were justifiably angry that the entire theme of the franchise was altered, and not for the better. Yet another beloved thing had become politicized and ruined by social justice warriors.

Love me or you’re a sexist misogynist Neanderthal hater basement dweller.

In reply the filmmakers, beholden to a social justice message rather than a desire to entertain, hurled invective at the potential audience, calling anyone who didn’t enthusiastically embrace their message film sexist, misogynistic Neanderthals and haters. That’s not the reaction of a studio attempting to put as many butts into movie seats as possible; it’s the reaction of a social justice warrior faced with the appalling notion that someone disagrees with her/him/xer. Remember, social justice warriors hate you simply for disagreeing with them. Your difference of opinion is hate.

The movie has just been released, so let’s take a look at the reviews. One could assume from the 76% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes that the awful trailers didn’t do the movie proper justice. Here’s a representative sample of reviews from major media outlets:

Steven Rea of the Philadelphia Inquirer liked it , and headlined his review with, “Sorry haters, but it’s really funny.” He also said of it, “Girl power and ghoul power – it’s a winning combination.” So it’s clear that his review was heavily influenced by the social justice message, of which he approves. Go grrrl power, and all you sexist, misogynistic Neanderthal haters are WRONG.
MTV’s Amy Nicholson characterized the movie as “a middle finger to the screaming brobabiez”. Not that Amy Nicholson is to be taken seriously by anyone with intellectual heft, but she’s exposed herself as a social justice warrior out to make a point, not a film critic honestly reviewing a movie. How else are we supposed to take this statement: “Still, the big CG sequences are less captivating than simply watching the four ladies kick it with a pizza.” Nicholson doesn’t even like movies like this. If you prefer watching movies about women eating pizza, why review Ghostbusters? To stick it to the sexist, misogynistic Neanderthal brobabiez, that’s why. (You need to create terms like “brobabiez” when your loathing of people who disagree with you is so fundamental that “fanboys” just doesn’t cut it. Half-wits like Nicholson find invective to be their favorite rhetorical outlet.)
Salon’s Andrew O’Hehir said in his review , “Feig’s ‘Ghostbusters’ is a goofy, free-floating romp with an anarchic spirit of its own, a fresh set of scares and laffs and a moderate dose of girl power that is unlikely to seem confrontational to anyone beyond the most confirmed basement-dwelling Gamergate troll.” Noticing a pattern?
We’ll round out our roundup of reviews with Justin Chang at the Los Angeles Times: “After months of being trashed online by some of the nastier basement dwellers in the fanboy universe, Sony’s female-powered “Ghostbusters” update certainly represents progress of a sort, if not necessarily the kind its makers were aiming for.” You’re not just a sexist, misogynistic Neanderthal brobaby for not wanting Sony to transform the Ghostbusters franchise into social justice message fiction, but you’re also a nasty basement dweller. Chang also says, “Forced to choose between another viewing of one of Ivan Reitman’s two ‘Ghostbusters’ movies or Paul Feig’s feminist reboot, I’d opt for the latter in a heartbeat[.]”

These aren’t reviews. They’re hate-letters to anyone who disagrees with the transformation of entertainment into message fiction. Doesn’t this put a stake in the heart of the notion that these film critics are pure arbiters of quality, more qualified than you to determine what’s good from what isn’t? Why should you take their word on anything? They’ve shifted from movie reviewers to political activists, and should be treated (contemned) as such.

Obviously, the controversy surrounding the movie (wholly instigated by decisions the studio made to promote a message rather than put together an entertaining film) needs to be acknowledged in a review. It would be silly not to. However, this was not the way to broach the subject. Just as the movie’s main focus is the social justice message of grrrl power, the reviews’ main focus is supporting that message. Do you really think these reviewers liked the movie on its merits? It’s long past time we turned our backs to these haranguing, tiresome show business disasters and the faux-reviewers who promote them.

No, Sony: we don’t dislike the new Ghostbusters because there are women in the cast. We dislike it because you’ve politicized the franchise. You’ve turned it into something it wasn’t meant to be, and you did a horrible job of it.

Scenes from a Vacation: Dinosaur World

The school year in Florida starts in early August (!), so we squeezed in a couple of days of fun for our little boy before the summer ended. One of the places we went to was Dinosaur World.

If you’re the least bit interested in dinosaurs, you must visit Dinosaur World at least once. This was our second visit, and while it’s not likely we’ll go back for another couple of years, it was still a lot of fun. Before you go, however, consider the following:

Burns and Bugs: Bring sunscreen and, if you’re going between the months of March and September, bug spray. Put them on before you get to the park. While there’s a great deal of shade from trees, you’re still going to be doing a lot of walking (I mean a lot), so you won’t regret protection from sunburn and bug bites. The Dinosaur World gift shop sells bracelets that apparently ward off mosquitoes and the like, but you can’t go wrong with a Deet-rich spray. Wouldn’t be a bad idea to wear a hat, too.
Hydrate: Bring lots of water, especially if you visit in the spring or summer. Despite the shade, the heat and humidity are oppressive in that part of Florida. We brought a backpack with bottles of ice water which helped a great deal because we perspired about as much as we drank. There are some soda machines scattered about the park if you can’t or won’t bring your own water.
Grub: Bring snacks and/or a lunch. There’s no food for sale at Dinosaur World. No hot dog stands, no snack bar, no restaurant. There is a Pringles machine outside of the gift shop, but that (probably) won’t keep you going through a day’s visit. (No, I’ve never seen a Pringles machine before or since.) If you do eat lunch at the park, watch out for the squirrels: they’re pretty aggressive, and some of them look like they have some kind of scabies-like affliction. It sounds funny to warn someone about squirrels, but do you want to get bit or scratched by a rabid-looking rodent with ratty little teeth? You can leave the park and come back later that day if you want to eat somewhere else.
Schedule Your Visit: Not everything starts at the same time. The park opens at 9:00 AM, but the fossil dig doesn’t open until 10:30 and the dino gem excavation doesn’t open until 11:00. Both are worth the money: at the fossil dig, you get a sifter and a tray, and you go to a sand trough that has fossils you dig for (you can keep three fossils). If you do the dino gem excavation, go for the emerald bag: it’s tremendous fun to pan for rocks and you end up with some very neat little stones like rose quartz and amethyst.
So What’s There, Anyway: The park itself has numerous life-sized statues of dinosaurs like Pachycephalosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Rex, to name just a few. Some are sculpted in little scenes, like smaller dinos feeding on a larger dinosaur, and other such things. You can pose with/touch very few of the dinosaur statues; most of them are behind ropes. There’s also a decent-sized playground, a few interactive exhibits, and a museum to cool off in.
Merch: If nothing else, go to the gift shop. It’s immense, and…just go.

Dinosaur World is one of those places you have to try hard to not have a good time in, particularly with a small child. Just be mindful of the heat, humidity, and hit to your wallet.

Friday Odds and Ends: Iron (Wo)Man and Whatever Happened to the Friday Links?

Love me or you are a racist. Love me. LOVE ME, DAMN YOU!

Brian Michael Bendis, a writer at Marvel Comics, has this to say about changing the Iron Man character from Tony Stark to an African-American teenager:

Some of the comments online, I don’t think people even realize how racist they sound. I’m not saying if you criticize you’re a racist, but if someone writes, “Why do we need Riri Williams we already have Miles?” that’s a weird thing to say. They’re individuals just like Captain America and Cyclops are individuals. All I can do is state my case for the character, and maybe they’ll realize over time that that’s not the most progressive thinking.

…

I think what’s most important is that the character is created in an organic setting. We never had a meeting saying, “We need to create this character.” It’s inspired by the world around me and not seeing that represented enough in popular culture.

He displays a tactic commonly used by half-wits in argumentation: say you’re not doing something even while you’re doing it. Bendis, and by extension Marvel Comics, is calling you a racist if you don’t wholeheartedly embrace the significant alteration of a favorite fictional character to fulfill an undefinable quota. You must love what they’re doing or you’re not progressive enough.

You can’t just read and enjoy comic books: you must embrace the progressiveness of the message behind them, or you’re racist. It’s quite similar to the chatter about the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot: you’re a sexist Neanderthal if you don’t stand up and cheer the execrable movie trailers foisted upon YouTube.

Have you had enough yet? Aren’t you sick of being preached to by moral imbeciles who not only don’t share your values, but hold you in contempt? How much more of your money, time, and attention are you going to give to non-essential companies staffed by loudmouths who consider you backwards and stupid?

In other news, I’ve canceled the Friday Links feature; regular readers of this site will have already noticed. The Friday Links take quite some time to compile and put together, and I get no more hits from the Friday Links posts than I do my own pieces. I’ve also noticed that a minuscule few of the subjects featured in the Friday Links noticed being linked to, with even fewer acknowledging it in any fashion whatsoever. Three of my favorite sites, Nev Murray’s Confessions of a Reviewer!!, Sean Eaton’s R’lyeh Tribune, and From Zombos’ Closet are still regular reads for me, as they should be for anyone who appreciates good, frequent, original content.

The Slaughtered Bird Movie Review: Model Hunger

I reviewed the horror movie Model Hunger for The Slaughtered Bird:

Low budget doesn’t have to mean low quality. A good screenplay, a compelling plot, or a fine performance can elevate even a micro-budgeted movie into art.

Model Hunger features three legendary scream queens: Debbie Rochon in her directorial debut, with Lynn Lowry and Tiffany Shepis as the top-billed stars. Does all this talent combine into a must-see movie? Click to find out!

Happy Independence Day 2016!

Before long we’ll be going to the annual Independence Day Parade a town nearby puts on; despite the brutal Florida heat and humidity, it’s something we look forward to every year. Particularly my little boy, who can’t wait for the candies and beads that are typically tossed to the crowd from parade floats. With America’s birthday in mind, I have a few loosely-connected thoughts to share.

The more I read about the Framers of the Constitution, the lengthy discussions they had in public writings and private colloquy, the arguments, the close votes and the political maneuverings, not to mention the fact that after having founded a country they worked like no person has ever done to deny power for themselves as individuals, the more admiration I have for them. These were brave, learned, and moral men, the likes of which we have rarely seen in the whole of human history.
Anyone who says in public or private that he’s uncomfortable with too many outward displays of patriotism isn’t worth having in your life. We all know at least one person like that; it’s time to let that person go.
It’s disquieting that so many of our public figures, including politicians, don’t understand what “American exceptionalism” actually means. It’s not a chest-beating expression of superiority. Rather, it’s an acknowledgement of the exceptional nature of America’s founding. Prior to it, the vast majority of humanity was born into tyranny, all but guaranteed to live a life of drudgery or ease depending solely on accident of birth. With the Declaration of Independence from England, combined with the U.S. Constitution, the inalienable, innate rights of all human beings were codified, and a country of free people was founded. This had never happened before, and is hence exceptional.

Do yourself a favor and read the Declaration of Independence today. It’s a short document, but when you look at it as an educated adult, with fresh eyes and an appreciation for what it says about humanity, you cannot help but feel awe and respect.

Happy Independence Day!

A Few Thoughts on Brexit

Unless there’s likely to be a significant and immediate impact on my country, I don’t like to comment on other countries’ politics. One of the thousands of things I don’t miss since quitting Facebook is the fatuous, ill-informed political pontification, typically coming from my friends overseas (sorry guys, but no matter how much you might think you know about genre fiction, you know less than nothing about America’s politics, history, and values). So I live the golden rule. Still, I do want to say a few things about Brexit.

Turn Those Machines Back On: I’ve learned that millions want a do over on the vote to leave the EU. Well, to quote president Barack Obama’s gracious words, “I won.”  Votes have consequences.
Hitler=You: It’s interesting to see that so many ordinary, average people who voted their consciences and want what they think is best for their country are being called racists, nationalists, and bigots . That’s the go-to claim made by a certain type of half-wit who can’t bear it when you disagree with him. I myself was called a Nazi by Ginger Nuts of Horror’s site owner Jim Mcleod for expressing, in my own space, opinions that millions and millions and millions of other people share, so I’m familiar with the tactic. That sort of name-calling only succeeds if you let it.
The Merkel/Obama Effect: Even the most casual observer would have to conclude that one of the tipping points toward the Brexit vote was Angela Merkel’s throwing open Germany’s (and thence all of Europe’s) borders to Syrian refugees. Funny that this time the Germans were the canaries in the coal mine, but in this case it was a self-inflicted injury. Another last-minute boost for Brexit came from the aforementioned American president, who warned Britons what would happen if they crossed his will. UKIP’s Nigel Farage said of this, “A lot of people in Britain said, ‘How dare the American president come here and tell us what to do?’” How, indeed.

As always, I wish my friends across the pond the best of success, and pray that they get everything they want. As a proud citizen of the first Brexit back in 1776, I can only say that I’m glad everything worked out so well for us.

The Slaughtered Bird Book Review: Year’s Best Hardcore Horror Volume 1

At The Slaughtered Bird, I reviewed Comet Press’s anthology Year’s Best Hardcore Horror Volume 1:

Taking the title at face value rather than a product of the editors’ preferences is a disquieting proposition, but we’ll go with it. There’s a great deal to be learned about the horror genre as it stands today from this collection, some of it good, some of it dismaying.

With an intro like that, the review has to be good. Click to read it!