The Amazing Colossal World of Mr. B.I.G. – An Autobiographical Journy – Book Review

The Amazing Colossal World of Mr. B.I.G. – An Autobiographical Journey
By Bert I. Gordon
Published by CreateSpace Publishing, 2009. 258 pages.

Flat out, this has to be one of the worst autobiography that I’ve ever read, and one of the most disappointing ones. Let me start off by saying that I am HUGE fan of Bert I. Gordon and his films. I loved his movies when I was younger and still can find entertainment in them today. No matter how cheesy they might seem today, they are always fun to watch. So I was very excited when he told me a few years ago that he was working on writing his autobiography and that McFarland was gong to be putting it out. But it was a few years later when I see that it had finally come out, but that it was self-published. That should have been a clue, but I eagerly ordered it right away and dove right into it when it got here.

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Peter Cushing Autobiography Reviews

Peter Cushing: An Autobiography and Past Forgetting
By Peter Cushing
Published by Midnight Marquee, 1999. 256 pages.

Peter Cushing is probably one of the most famous British actors known for his horror roles, primarily due to his work with Hammer Films. Though he played in countless other types of genres, he loved to give his fans what they wanted. Turning the spotlight of Hammer’s Frankenstein films from the creature, Cushing made the doctor himself the real monster, always giving 110% to his role, making his character and the films unforgettable.

These books cover his life, his start in pictures, and his work with Hammer Films. This book combines the two autobiographies that Cushing wrote and published, the first one An Autobiography in 1986 and the second one Past Forgetting in 1988. The second book was done due to many people asking him why he didn’t talk a lot about his film work, especially his work with Hammer Films.

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Turkey Day Approaches

November 11, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Turkey Day Marathon | Leave a comment

Now that Halloween is over, there is something even scarier lurking on the horizon. Something so horrible, that it is rumored to rip the will to live right from your soul. No, I’m not talking about the Christmas shopping season, but Turkey Day! For the last 12 years, on the day after Thanksgiving, while many are out there fighting one another for to save a few $$ for the upcoming commercial holiday, a few of us brave souls take on something even more terrifying…the Cinematic Turkey! But this is one feast where gluttony is not only approved, but mandatory!

Each year now, we have traversed through an array of cinematic shipwrecks, usually getting through seven features, that most would shake their hand at and not waste their time. But for us, we revel in these miss-fires of film making, at least for the day. Continue reading →

Bone Tomahawk Soundtrack Review

November 10, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Reviews: Soundtrack and tagged Bone Tomahawk, Soundtrack Review | Leave a comment

Bone Tomahawk
Released by Lakeshore Records
10 Tracks with a total running time of 20 minutes.
Music by Jeff Herriott and S. Craig Zahler.

This is a strange one. Running only 20 minutes long, this film must not have much music during its running time. But what we do have are long, slow, steady notes, drawn out. Most of the tracks are like this. No real melody or anything, but these single notes played over and over again. Some of the tracks are slightly different from one another, but very close to the same.

According to the composer Herriott, the director “wanted to use instruments that existed during the time period of the narrative, so that meant no electronic sounds.” I have to say that is a cool idea, but it just seems like they didn’t do much with that idea. The last track, a song called Four Doomed Men Ride Out, doesn’t seem to fit the feel of the rest of the soundtrack at all, and really is a head-scratcher.

For only being 20 minutes long, it is a shame that we didn’t get more of a developed audio landscape here.

Mystery Photo 11-9

November 9, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Mystery Photo and tagged Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake, Mystery Photo | Leave a comment

I knew our last one was going to be a tough one, but that didn’t stop a few from sending in the correct answer. The shot was from the 1959 film The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake. Now with a title like that, doesn’t it make you want to see it? While the movie might not live up to that awesome title, I still think it is a great little film and worth seeing. Kudos to Hoby Abernathy, Doug Lamoreux, and Gavin Schmitt for sending in the correct title. Well done, Gents!

For this week’s photo, we’re going with another black and white film, and another one that probably doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Nothing scary in this picture, unless you start to imagine what might be behind those doors!!! Please remember not to post your answer here, but send us an email at jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good luck!

Gunnar Hansen – Rest in Peace

November 8, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Rest in Peace and tagged Chain Saw Confidential, Gunnar Hansen, Texas Chain Saw Massacre | Leave a comment

Earlier this year, when Christopher Lee passed away, he was really the last of the great horror icons from my generation. Along with Peter Cushing and Vincent Price, playing updated versions of Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, and a variety of other different monsters, these were the famous actors known for their horror roles that I grew up on. The next generation grew up on the likes of Freddy Kruger, Michael Myers, and of course, Leatherface.

Gunnar Hansen was the first one to wear the human skin mask, chase dumb kids who wandered on his property, and dance with the chain saw. And no one did with such style as Hansen. He showed us fans, that Leatherface was much more than a huge brute with a deadly saw, but a disturbed and troubled young man, with some obvious social issues. But this came out in Hansen’s performance, which is even more incredible when you know what these poor actors went through to get this film actually made.

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Charles Herbert – Rest in Peace

November 8, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Rest in Peace and tagged Charles Herbert | 1 Comment

Another name that might not bring up immediate memories, but one look at his childhood face, and you’ll remember him. Herbert was a child actor who appeared as David Hedison’s son in the 1958 film The Fly, forever searching for the white-headed fly. He would also appear in William Castle’s 13 Ghosts, The Colossus of New York, The Monster that Challenged the World, and appearing in such TV shows as Outer Limits, One Step Beyond, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, plus plenty of other regular TV and movie appearances. But like a lot of child actors during that time, they were taken advantage of, both by the system and usually by their parents. After appearing in over 50 movies and TV series, once he quit acting, he had less than $2000 to his name. Struggling with addiction for most of his life, Herbert was finally able to turn his life around and appeared at quite a few movie conventions, getting to meet his fans.

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Tales of Halloween Soundtrack Review

November 7, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Reviews: Soundtrack and tagged Aleph Records, Lalo Schifrin, Tales of Halloween | Leave a comment

Tales of Halloween
Released by Aleph Records
15 Tracks with a total running time of 65 min.
Music by Lalo Schifrin and others

This soundtrack is for an anthology film, where the soundtrack is an anthology as well. With many different composers working on the different segments in the movie, we get a wide range of musical styles, moods, and dark and twisted feelings! The opening track and Main Title to the score was done by Academy Award winning composer Lalo Schifrin, and it probably the best track in the set. Nothing against the rest, but it is really good. The rest of the tracks really hit the gambit, hitting many different sounds and styles. For instance, the track Sweet Tooth starts out being a very slow, quiet, and very creepy piece of music, very slow in its approach. But then about halfway through, the volume picks up, with loud slashing notes, raising the tension level, before then quietly seeping back down to the original tone. Nicely done.

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Support the Cause!

November 3, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Misc. Ramblings and tagged Between the Eyes, Empire Pictures, Hammer Films, Revenant, Robert Cappelletto | Leave a comment

I know that it seems these days everyone is asking for money for some project they are working on. I’m sure there are more than a few that are just either just schemes to get your money, or by people that might be better off looking into another line of work. But I also would like to think that there are a few that are honest endeavors, just need a little extra cash to help them get it going. So why should we give money to some of these people, when we are working our own butts off in the real world? Why don’t they do the same? Well, maybe because some of these people ARE working their butts off in the real world, but are working EVEN MORE to try and get a passion project created. And not only created, but for other people to enjoy them.

Over the last month, I think I have contributed to four different causes. Which in the last year, I think that would bring the total number for the year to about…four. But why these? The answer is simple and is really the main reason why any of us should support these, or any kind of these projects….because I BELIEVE in them. And showing support by giving a few $$ is not only a way to help these people get their project going, but also showing them that they are a creative force worth investing in, maybe even validating their decisions for what they are doing and why. Having people believe you and your talent is the best fuel and motivation any artist (of any type) could hope for (at least for me it is). And a little financial boost to a project shows that you believe in that person(s) talent for a particular project, or in general.

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Mystery Photo 11-2

November 2, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Mystery Photo and tagged Lizard in a Woman's Skin, Lucio Fulci, Mystery Photo | Leave a comment

I figured our last photo would spark a bit of interests, especially those out there with a fondness of Italian cinema. That shot was of course of the lovely Florinda Bolkan in Lucio Fulci’s A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin. This an incredible film that Fulci made quite a few years before he would be known for all his gore films. If you haven’t seen it, I would strongly suggest you check it out. Kudos out to the following for sending in the correct answer: Hoby Abernathy, Mike Baronas, Kuba Haczek, Troy Howarth, Bryan Martinez, Gavin Schmitt, and William Wilson.

Now on to this week’s photo. Might be pretty easy, or it just might have you stumped. Make sure you take a good look at it. I think it is going to be one of those that if you’ve seen the movie, then you’ll remember it. Or maybe you’ll remember seeing it but can’t remember the title….I hate when that happens. But none the less, take a good look and send me your guess to jon@kitleyskrypt.com. Good luck.