Last year when Italian composer Fabio Frizzi made a small American tour, playing themes from some of the amazing films that he had scored over the years, to say I was bummed I didn’t make it to one of them is an understatement. But now I have something that will make up for that lost opportunity!
Chicago area fans of cult and exploitation cinema might want to make sure they don’t have plans next weekend. Of course, I’ll be out of town at Cinevent so I won’t be able to make it, which really pisses me off. But if you’re in the Chicago area, then you need to head over the Music Box Theatre when they celebrate the Grindhouse genre!
The Skyline Drive-In in Shelbyville, Indiana, which is about 30 minutes southeast of Indianpolis, has just announced their lineup for this year’s Super Monster Movie Fest. This will be there fifth year doing this, and I an proudly say that I’ve been to two out of the four so far, and am planning to be back there for this one.
We are sadden to hear of the passing of Italian actor Carlo De Mejo, who appeared in several Lucio Fulci films, such as City of the Living Dead (1980), House by the Cemetery, and Manhattan Baby. He also appeared in Luigi Cozzi’s Contamination (1980), as well as two Bruno Mattei flicks, The Other Hell (1980) and Women’s Prison Massacre (1983).
A couple of weeks ago, I posted a little piece on some book recommendations that would make amazing gifts for the holidays, or any time really. But I have two more that would not only just blow away the person you are giving them to, but also are available once again the rare hardcover editions. Sure, these are not the first printings, but unless you want to pay two or three times the cost just to say you had one of the first, then these might be a little more affordable.
Both of these books come from the brilliant mind of Stephen Thrower and are published by FAB Press, who have always created such amazing pieces of readable art. The first one Thrower’s book on Lucio Fulci, entitled Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci. This book is just amazing. Filled with incredible photos, tons of detail about the man and his films, it really is a must have for fans of Fulci and Italian horror. In the past, even a softcover edition of this book would go for $100. But now you can get a hardcover version for only $69.95 on Amazon. Click HERE.
With the holiday season approaching, we are always seeking out just the right gift for that special person in our lives. Now this may come as a bit of a surprise, but I’m a pretty big proponent of books. Yeah, I know….shocker, huh? But honestly, why buy something like a movie for this person (when chances are they might already have it!?!?!) that is just going to sit on a shelf until they get around to watching it. Okay…same could be said for a book…especially in my house. But honestly, a book will stay longer with them, by teaching them something they didn’t know before, which will allow a few different things to happen. For instances, if you get them a biography, they will learn about this particular person, be it a director or actor, which will help them appreciate and understand their work each and every time they watch one of their movies. If it is a simple film guide, it could open up a bunch of titles to them that they might not have known about yet. Or even if it is a book about the genre in general, it could open up some understanding as a whole, which always helps you appreciate it even more, getting you to think about these films possibly a little different than you had before.
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.
Since we just posted our review of Troy Howarth’s earlier book, so what better time then to make mention that his newest book is now out and ready for you to order your copy for your own collection. There are two different versions of the book, so depending on your taste and how much money you want to spend, it is up to you to decide. There will be the standard edition, where the photos will all be in black in white. But there is also a full color version, which will show off the glorious color from the stills, posters, and everything else. Obviously, I would recommend that version.
But in a rare case, it will actually be cheaper to order the book directly from the publisher than getting it from Amazon! I know that seems impossible, but check it out. For the standard black and white edition, you can get it from Amazon for $27. But if you go to Midnight Marquee, this normally $30 price tag has a special sale price of only $18! For those who really want all the glorious color photos, then instead of paying $67.50 on Amazon, you can get these from Midnight Marquee for only $45, which is $25 off their normal price of $70. So show these small press publishers that they matter and take the time and effort and order directly from them instead of going through Amazon. Everybody wins here!
Let’s face it…I spend a lot of money on books. With over 800 titles in my personal library, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t look upon my bookshelves and admire the beauty laid out upon the shelves. Like with any library, there many titles that I could easily pull out and get lost for an hour just paging through them, reading bits and pieces, taking in the glorious photos and illustrations. I’ve always considered that to be one of the joys of having a book collection. It’s like an open doorway to who knows where.
Most of the titles I have in my library are just standard reference books, filled with the knowledge that I know the author(s) spent a lot of time doing research and planning, even before they actually started putting pen to paper…or fingers to keyboard. I give a lot of credit to most authors that take the time and effort to go through all this work. I say “most authors” because I’ve run across a few other the years that need to double check some of their facts. But that is for another rant.
But there are some titles out there where the authors and publishers have gone far beyond being just a collection of opinions, facts, and photos, making it truly a work of art. Editions that can suck you in, even if it is just admiring the craftsmanship put into the book. From the design to the layout, it is an incredible journey you take once you pull it off your shelf. This physical medium is still a very important one, and one where I feel some of the beauty and charm of an actual book would be lost in the digital format. Especially the ones that seem to go above and beyond just publishing a book. They really do create a piece of art.
So I wanted to take a moment of your time to cover a few titles that I think fit into this category. I will say that some of these titles were a bit pricy when they first came out, and some go for even a higher price now. But there were a few of these that were pretty reasonably priced and are still accessible. Sure, they can still be a bit expensive, but we are talking about art here, right? And usually, at least in my experience, these kind of books never lose their value, In fact, the value tends to rise over the years. So if when you’re trying to justify the cost, think of it of an investment…that you can actually learn something from!
Thank you to the publishers for taking the time, the chance, the effort, and the money to put out such incredible books.
Later on this evening, I will be heading into Chicago for a midnight screening of Lucio Fulci’s The Beyond, thanks to not only the Music Box but also Grindhouse Releasing for all of their hard work they have done on this. But why drive the hour+ long drive into the city to see a movie that I’ve already seen twice on the big screen at this same theater, not to mention having seen it upon its original release back in the ’80s (although in a highly cut version, under the re-titling of Seven Doors of Death)? Because of many reasons.
First and foremost, The Beyond is one of my favorite movies, so having the chance to see this on the big screen is one that I’m going to take advantage of whenever I can. Also it is to show support. Support to folks at Grindhouse Releasing for all of their hard work that they do in preserving this amazing films. And support to the Music Box Theatre for continuing to screen these kind of films. If we don’t support this kind of work, then they are going to wonder why bother and stop them.
And the most important reason….YOU GET TO SEE A LUCIO FULCI CLASSIC ON THE BIG SCREEN!!!!
So…we’ll see you there, right?
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