Fool's Views (5/15 – 6/15)

He's on a roll, folks! Dig in!

Howdy, friends,

This period does cover a calendar month, but the final two weeks were spent off the grid marching around the Colorado Plateau with my best girl, and the earlier half was spent trying to get things in order before we left. As such, there wasn’t as much time for concentrated viewings what with wrestling articles into shape for the latest issue of HorrorHound or pounding out the remaining BR reviews below. Even so, there were some grand Views to be had, particularly the Jon Kitley-hosted Big-Bug-a-thon on May 24.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Fool's Views (5/5 – 5/18)

Ah, the joys of summertime...

Howdy folks!

Yeah, yeah, it’s been a while (again) and the reviews below are sporadic (again) and while I’m not entirely okay with it, I kinda gotta be okay with it because time keeps marching on and movies keep getting watched and inspiration and opportunity are fleeting and who wants to hear excuses and apologies when they showed up to hear about the flicks?

Special thanks to David Canfield for his generosity in loaning me several of the selections listed below.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Fool's Views (4/21 – 5/4)

Howdy folks,

This period represents the relative calm before the storm that was the Chicago Critics Film Festival and the avalanche of DVD/BR screeners that came my way in early May. A mixed bag with some amazing highs and lows, blockbuster to microbudget, from art-house to multiplex to ancient VHS to YouTube. Life is good.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth - we'll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Fool's Views (4/14 – 4/20)

So, how have those bee pollen supplements have been working out for you....?

Howdy, folks,

In a callback to the good ol’ days, it was Kitley’s Krypt and the Chicago Public Library that dictated the majority of this week’s viewings. Army duties and an impromptu Sunday afternoon Share the Scare session (accompanied by Film Deviant wunderkind Bryan Martinez) served up the frights, while CPL impulse checkouts handled civilian duties.

As always feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Fool's Views: 1/1 – 1/26

Look here, Doc, you gonna write these Views or aren't you???

Howdy folks,

The Doc’s office has been open, but 2014’s viddying schedule has been sporadic at best. The Year of HIDDEN HORROR has been taking up an inordinate amount of time in terms of promotion, fulfilling orders, and general merriment, but, additionally, I just haven’t been in the mood to (*gasp*) watch movies. It could have something to do with the fact that every time I settle in to catch a flick, I get distracted by A) a project left undone, B) an assignment incomplete, or C) general guilt or worry about A or B. I’m sure it’s just a phase and that things will return to their regular pace at some point, but for now, we’ll have to make do with the following 18 movies, many of which fall under the “obligatory viewing” category (promotional screeners or SAG Award nominations), although I did enjoy a few “just for fun” flicks with blood brother John Pata while he was in the neighborhood applying the finishing touches to his latest Head Trauma Production, Pity.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

FOOL'S VIEWS (11/1 - 11/24)

Howdy folks,

I suppose I have no one to blame but myself for the back half of 2013’s sluggardly pace as far as cranking out the flicks goes. There’s no denying that I’ve kept myself busy with various projects, but this has been the case every other year as well. I’ve been writing (much) longer reviews than in the past, which definitely accounts for some of the lack of time spent in front of the other screen. However, now that HIDDEN HORROR is almost out of my hands and on the brink of being in yours (or at least, within your reach – lead a horse to water and all that) and Milwaukee Rep’s production of Noises Off is up and running, I’m hoping to be able to chill out with a few more movies as the year comes to a close.  It's encouraging that I watched as many movies the last week in November as I did the rest of the month. Of course, a very relaxed Thanksgiving with the femalien and Jon Kitley’s Turkey Day had something to do with that....

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Fool's Views (8/19 – 9/8)

Howdy folks,

Another long patch of time with not as many flicks, but the Doc’s hands have not been idle, I promise. The journey toward the completion of the new book, HIDDEN HORROR, continues to move inexorably forward, which required much of my focus over the past few weeks. But the good news is that things are shaping up nicely and we should have a lovely new addition to your bookshelf sooner than later. Keep you posted!

That said, it was a pretty good stretch of flicks and we’ve done our best to give them all their moment in the sun. I’m not going to give much ink to Edgar Wright’s The World’s End because, well, frankly you can read up on it elsewhere and I’m not feeling all that inspired about or by it. (Sorry, Simon. Being loud and muggy and obnoxious does not necessarily equal laughs. Hell, I liked you more in the Star Trek sequel that I didn’t really like.)

As always, feel free to leave us your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Fool's Views (7/29 – 8/18)

Howdy folks!

Some days it's good to be the Doc...

Wow, we’re actually caught up again. Amazing what a few quick rounds of Fool’s Views Haikus will do, combined with the fact that I haven’t been turning and burning the flicks the way I have during summer months of yore. Thanks to the good folks at Shout! Factory for providing most of the thrills and chills during the three week period covered herein, although Kitley’s Krypt provided a couple highlights as well. (Razorback, Yor)

Let’s see what kind of mischief we can get up to. As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!