Cine ne mai dă fiori de Halloween? Dracula, un vampir creştin. Cui i-e frică de Béla din Lugoj?

Unul dintre cele mai valoroase autografe ale unei vedete nascute in Banat este cel al actorului Béla Lugosi, faimosul Dracula de la Hollywood. Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (n. 20 octombrie 1882, Lugoj – d. 16 august 1956, Los Angeles) s-a nascut la Lugoj, iar in memoria orasului copilariei sale si-a luat pseudonimul Lugosi, pe care l-a facut celebru mai apoi in America. Autograful lugojeanului se vinde astazi, la 54 de ani de la moartea sa, cu sume pornind de la 500 $. Putini stiu insa ca Lugosi, temutul vampir de mai tarziu, a debutat in primul lui rol important pe scena teatrului, in anul 1909, in rolul lui... Iisus Hristos. Am in colectie mai multe fotografii infatisandu-l in diverse ipostaze in piesa respectiva. Recent am intrat in contact cu fiul sau Lugosi Jr, care este un reputat avocat in Statele Unite si, prin amabilitatea domniei-sale, sper sa pot posta pe blog o poza interesanta a actorului care l-a intrupat cu cel mai mare succes pe temutul vampir Dracula. Nu am (inca!) in colectie un autograf al lui Béla Lugosi, cele prezentate sunt doar cateva mostre scoase la vanzare recent de colectionari din toata lumea.

Russell Simmons Shares His Insights on November 2 Election with Black Bloggers

Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons and DNC National Political Director Clyde Williams met last week with the African American online community ... including the Electronic Village. Simmons noted that he has been traveling around the country in support of President Obama and the Democratic Party. He was in Chicago yesterday ... Detroit today ... and he'll be joining with the President in Connecticut tomorrow.

Simmons' message to the Black bloggers, and through us to our readers, was simple -- The African American community needs to stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong (Cor. 16:13). The faith that we have placed in President Obama is useless without our works. Simmons says that our work in this case is simple:

1. Vote
2. Get those that are in our sphere of influence to vote

He acknowledged that there are a plethora of issues that face the African American community including implementation of the health care reform, prison reform, gay rights, poverty initiatives, unemployment and so on. Simmons understands that many in our community feel that the changes we wanted when President Obama took office in January 2009 have not happened fast enough.

The remedy is not to become apathetic. The remedy is not to let our nation go backwards to failed policies and leadership of the past. Rather we need to push forward and harder for the change that we want and need.

Simmons was quick to point out that the Tea Party movement can turn nation backwards in a heartbeat.

"Reaction to our president (by the Tea Party) is violent and scary and it could split our country. We need to stand up. We need to prioritize voting (on November 2) by our people."

DNC Political Director Clyde Williams noted that it is important for the DNC to stay connected with the African American online community as demonstrated by recent meetings with DNC Chairman Tim Kaine and President Barack Obama.

Williams pointed out that there is a clear choice to made on November 2nd when we enter the voting booth. We either want to make our President successful or we want him to fail. He noted the remarkable accomplishments of President Obama in the first 2 years of his administration. However, he also noted that the Republican Party is poised to turn our nation backwards in a number of ways.

Simmons did note that a number of hip-hop and R&B celebrities were also engaged in the work of turning out the vote. He noted that he has been encouraged by his recent visits around the country. Simmons has a sense that the so-called 'enthusiasm gap' is not as wide as it was earlier in the year.

---

Villagers, I was disappointed that the DNC didn't allow sufficient time for questions from the Black bloggers who were in attendance. I had two questions that I wanted to ask:

1. African Americans voters remain committed to President Obama and the DNC in a very tangible way. Why was an effort allowed by forces in the Democratic Party to get Florida senatorial candidate Kendrick Meek to step down?
2. The problem with the November 2 election isn't apathy of Black voters, it is the desertion of white middle class voters who stood with Obama in 2008 ... and now are fleeing to the GOP or Tea Party. What is the game plan to stop the bleeding of white middle class voters?

Those were two questions that I had on my mind. However, the forum didn't allow enough time for me or the other Black bloggers to ask questions.

What question(s) would you want to ask Russell Simmons or Clyde Williams if you had the opportunity?

Gippy Grewal – Hathyar Video

Day 31- Halloween

In the wee hours of Monday morning, after we all attended the wedding of our very own Machine, we were treated to the excellence that is Frank Darabont's zombie vision...

Some old favorites, some new unknowns... we're watching 100 movies in 31 days!

#100- The Walking Dead (TV/2010)- "Police officer Rick Grimes leads a group of survivors in a world overrun by zombies."

The Walking Dead pulled a 3.3 rating, which makes it the new ruler of cable dramas. True Blood has never garnered more than a 2.2. What does this mean? People like zombies. A lot.

This show was fantasmical. Wonderlicious. I could make up words all day, but you get the gist. Frank Darabont -the awesome writer and/or director behind such movies as The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Mist, The Blob (1988), ANOES 3, The Fly II, and The Majestic- brings us a weekly show about zombie apocalypse, and it is good. He loves horror, and apparently Stephen King, so we're in good hands.

The first season (AMC has been rumored to have green lit a 2nd season already, btu have yet to confirm) only has 6 episodes, but so what? 6 hours of eposidic, (cable) network zombie bliss is a good thing, and we will take what we can get.

You can see the time, effort, and money that went into this show. The zombies look phenomenal, the cast is great (especially the bad ass Lennie James... long live Jericho!), and it just feels right. Desolate. Creepy. Dangerous.

We can't wait for more.


That's 100/100 movies watched so far... oh shit, were done! Now we can play catch up, and get back to normal...

Day 29- Friday, Ocrtober 29th

Apparently, the theme was kid-friendly, mother approved horror movies tonight...

Some old favorites, some new unknowns... we're watching 100 movies in 31 days!
#94- It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)- An institution for the whole family, this is nearly required viewing for the Halloween season. I say nearly, because I personally think the Charlie Brown specials feel old and dated and I find them (especially this one) tough to sit through. Still, it does make you feel more Halloweenish and reminds you of your childhood (At least for we Americans that is.) And if you have kids... well then forget it, you're absolutely screwed into watching it.

I just wish they'd still show the Zinger commercials...


#95- The Monster Squad (1987)- "A group of adolescent monster movie enthusiasts form a club that meets in a treehouse in this pre-teen horror feature. When Dracula, The Mummy, Frankenstein, and The Wolfman are joined by Gill-Man in the search for a magic amulet, the boys form the Monster Squad to battle the forces of evil. The boys get unexpected help from Frankenstein when the monster grows tired of being continually bossed around by Dracula."

Continuing with the kid friendly theme, we had to watch The Monster Squad. Before this movie, I never realized that The Wolfman had nards. True story. this is an awesome little flick for people of all ages, but the kids wille at this one up for sure. I know I did back when it first came out. It did always disturb me that the virginity of a 5 year old girl saved the day in the end, but hey, I'm a bit of a prude.

Awesome fun stuff though, if you like cool kid movies like The Goonies, but with monsters. Oh, and they're planning on remaking this too. Bleh.


#96- The Lady in White (1988)-"Locked in a school closet during Halloween 1962, young Frank witnesses the ghost of a young girl and the man who murdered her years ago. Shortly afterward he finds himself stalked by the killer and is soon drawn to an old house where a mysterious Lady In White lives. As he discovers the secret of the woman he soon finds that the killer may be someone close to him. "

I remember this one scaring me half to death when I was a kid. It doesn't scare me much at all anymore, but it's still a great movie that has that Fall/Halloween feel about it. The Lady in White is a truly creepy visage herself, especially for the kiddies, but I can't listen to the song "Have you ever seen a dream walking?" anymore without thinking about a creepy child murderer. This movie jsut brings back fond memories of being a kid at this time of year, and feels right to watch so close to Halloween.

That's 96/100 movies watched so far... #100 is so close we can taste it... No more kids stuff, it's time for the seminal Halloween classics...

Day 25- Monday, October 25th

Some old favorites, some new unknowns... we're watching 100 movies in 31 days!
# 80- Cemetery Man (2004)- "The film's story concerns the beleaguered caretaker of a small Italian cemetery, who searches for love while defending the town from zombies."

Now this is an all time, hidden gem of a flick that just begs to be seen by anyone who loves horror. Rupert Everett is fantastic as Dellamorte, the lonely caretaker of a creepy cemetery where the dead seem to come to life only to torture him. From the loveable Gnaghi to the gorgeous Anna Falci, to the awesome looking zombies and the coolest visual representation of death itself that I've ever seen, this is one hell of a movie. Funny, gory, visually stunning and just fun, you need to see this movie, if not own it outright.


#81- The Dead Pit (1989)-"A renegade doctor is shot dead and entombed with his fiendish experiments in the basement of an abandoned wing of a mental hospital. Twenty years later, a mysterious woman is admitted with amnesia, and her arrival is marked by an earthquake - which cracks the seal to the Dead Pit, freeing the evil doctor to continue his work."

Okay, so it turns out that the reason that I've had this movie on VHS for the better part of 2 decades and never watched it is because it kinda sucked. It's typical cheesy 80's schlock with this one, although it does also treat us to heaps of gore as well... so maybe it doesn't totally suck, it just sucks in that 80's throwback kinda way.

I don't know, if you like typical 80's feeling b-grade horror, and don't mind bad acting, there are redeemable elements in this movie. I've seen worse. Much worse.


#82- The Maze (2010)-"Five friends break into a closed corn maze in the middle of the night and decide to play a harmless game of tag. Little do they know that a psychopathic killer has decided to play along. As they wander aimlessly through the maze the murderer follows closely behind, taunting them and watching their every move..."

This one started off fairly decent, but deteriorated more and more as it went along. In the early going, the stalk and slash aspect of the movie, while unoriginal, felt kinda fun. As it wore on though, it became slow and plodding, and instead of sticking to simple slasher convention, went the way of so many low budget horror movies and tried to become involved and clever. In the end, it all just fell flat. Maybe some people might like it, but I think that most peeps, like us, will forget about it 12 seconds after it's over.


#83- Special Dead (2006)- "When a zombie plague infects Camp Special Dude, a dude ranch for the mentally handicapped, a ragtag band of campers and counselors struggles to survive the night. Led by the indifferent, nun-chuck-wielding head counselor, Mac, and his wheelchair-bound sister Dale, the unlikely heroes fight their way off the mountain as, one by one, they're picked off and join the ranks of the walking dead. It's a campy stampede of blood, boobs and gore as some "very special" people show that they can kick some serious undead ass."

I ended up flipping a coin to decide whether to watch this movie, or Retardead. I know how awful that sounds, wanting to watch either, but my morbid curiosity forced me to this point, and I knew I couldn't watch more than one of these wrong, wrong movies... that being said, how can you not want to see a movie with a title like Special Dead, and a poster like this? Thankskilling anyone?

After watching it, I jsut dont see the point int he whole thing. Fine, you have $12 and have a penchant for making fun of retarded people, then I guess you make this movie. It's more of a Troma-like comedy than it is horror, so that must be the point. The horror is there, but only to move the retarded fighter's plot forward.

I should have known better. I apologize for giving this one a chance.


That's 83/100 movies watched so far... #100 is so close we can taste it...

Day 24- Sunday, October 24th

Some old favorites, some new unknowns... we're watching 100 movies in 31 days!
#76- When a Stranger Calls (1979)- No, this is not the shitty 2006 remake, this is the original. The good one. The one with two scenes so freaking effective and creepy that you will never babysit or get into bed again! The words "Have you checked the children?" will forever be etched into the part of my brain that makes me shit my pants. The opening sequence of this movie is one of the best ever commited to a horror film, and the last scene in the movie is almost as good as that. The middle of the movie... well, it drags a bit and feels like more of a cop drama than anything, but trust me, the rest is worth sitting through the slow stuff for.


#77- The Entity (1981)- (FULL REVIEW HERE) Seriously one of the creepiest movies I've ever seen, this is an evil spirit movie that did what Paranormal Activity is doing to theater goers now, but nearly 30 years ago.

Based on a "true" story, it's basically about a pissed off ghost that likes to beat Barbara Hershey up and rape her. The most chilling scene of all is the very last one where Barbara returns to her house after the evil entity is "gone", and it says to her "Welcome home, c*nt." I got goosebumps from just typing that. If you want a goodie that's going to scare the hell out of you, this is your movie.


#78- The Loved Ones (2010)- Having heard mixed reviews about this one, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I'm happy to say that The Loved Ones is a violent and fun little flick, that left me happy when the credits started rolling. Aussie horror, to me, tends to be pretty straightforward and nasty, and I respect that. In this one, a creepy bitch who got passed over for a prom date has a perverted little prom of her own, which includes using a hammer to make a guy piss in a cup, fixing his foot to the floor with a knife, drilling into his skull, and nearly fucking her dad... yes. Her dad.

Twisted and fun, grab a hold of this one on DVD when you get the chance.


#79- The Silence of The Lambs (1991)- Once of the greatest movies of all time, let alone horror movies, Silence of the Lambs is perfect from credit to credit. Some argue that it isn't horror at all, but I say bullshit. It's about serial killers, and most movie maniacs are just that.

If you're one of the 42 people on the planet that don't know about or haven't seen this movie, get to it. This might just be horror's finest hour, and it has the Oscar awards to prove it.


That's 79/100 movies watched so far, so we had better get back to it...

Raise Your Vote: Yes We Can!

We are 48 hours away from the November 2 elections. Each and every person who is reading this blog post needs to make a personal commitment to do two things:

1. Vote!
2. Get those in your sphere of influence to VOTE!

That's it. That's all there is to it. Either you are in favor of seeing our president succeed OR you are rallying with those who want to see him destroyed.

I choose to believe that Proud Black Voters like you and me can make the difference. As we told ourselves two years ago -- YES WE CAN!






What say u?

Old School Friday * The Manhattans

The Manhattans were a remarkable R&B group that I remember listening to during my college days. I suspect that many villagers have their own personal take on Let's Just Kiss and Say Goodbye. I know that the lyrics for this song apply to some periods of my life. How about you?





On the flip side, the lyrics of this next song by The Manhattans also resonate with many villagers.





Are there any groups making this type of music nowadays?

Day 23- Saturday, October 23rd

Some old favorites, some new unknowns... we're watching 100 movies in 31 days!

This was the night of our 3rd annual THC Halloween party, and of course we had some flicks playing in the background (at various points and to various degrees.) No words about them will be found here, because really we were all a bit too drunk to form opinions on them.

#69- Trick r' Treat (2010)- (FULL REVIEW HERE)

#70- The Exorcist (1973)

#71- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

#72- A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)- (FULL REVIEW HERE)

#73- Night of the Creeps (1986)

#74- Slither (2006)

#75- The Monster Squad (1987)


That's 75/100 movies watched so far, so we had better get back to it... and no more alcohol the rest of the way...

Day 22- Friday, October 22nd

Some old favorites, some new unknowns... we're watching 100 movies in 31 days!
#65- Suspiria (1977)- Does anything need to be said about this classic Argento movie? Well, yes, but I sincerely hope that anyone reading this already knows all about those things. To love vintage Italian horror flicks, you must check your brain at the door a bit, because let's face it; they tend to lack logic and sense and they definitely make you roll your eyes at how cheesy they can be... but... 70's/80's Euro horror was brutal, atmospheric, bloody, overtly sexual, and effective. Dario Argento, and Suspiria in particular, personifies the point I'm making. Perfectly.

Just based on Color schemes alone the film is a piece of art. Add in Argento's visual flair, some wickedly inventive and graphic death scenes, and a haunting (as always) Goblin score, and you have one of the purest, most enjoyable horror experiences you're likely to have. Plus, who doesn't like creepy witches?


#66- Inferno (1980)- (FULL REVIEW HERE) The follow up to Suspiria brings us the story of the 2nd mother of the witch coven -Mater Tenebrarum- spreading her brand of chaos throughout New York City and Rome. This movie is a bit confusing and chaotic at first glance, but once again Argento makes good on his bottom line, and delivers the atmosphere and style which make him such a great film maker.


#67- Mother of Tears (2008)- (FULL REVIEW HERE) Many, MANY people did not like Argento's last installment in his "Three Mothers" trilogy. I personally, while recognizing its flaws, couldn't help but love the hell out of it when I finally got to see it. Watching it again, it still rocks, though I can see the points of its detractors, and I wish it could have been just a little bit tighter.

The Third Mother, Mater Lachrymarum, turns Rome into an orgy of blood and... well, sex. Literal and figurative; I bring you both sides of the coin. Anywho, the movie is all kinds of gory and boob filled, and while not as "strong" as its predecessors, it gets the job done and closes the series out effectively.

Then again, you may hate it and think I'm full of shit.


#68- A Blade in the Dark (1983)- (FULL REVIEW HERE) Melodramatic, cheesy, eerie and bloody, A Blade in the Dark is a fun throwback to the yesteryear if Giallo flicks of yesteryear. I just said that twice... it happens.


Be sure to check the full reviews for the finer points, and enjoy.


That's 68/100 movies watched so far, so we had better get back to it...

Succes 2010: Benny Golson, jazz living legend

Benny Golson is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger.

While in high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Golson played with several other promising young musicians, including John Coltrane, Red Garland, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, and Red Rodney. After graduating from Howard University Golson joined Bull Moose Jackson's rhythm and blues band; Tadd Dameron, whom Golson came to consider the most important influence on his writing, was Jackson's pianist at the time.
From 1953 to 1959 Golson played with Dameron's band and then with the bands of Lionel Hampton, Johnny Hodges, Earl Bostic, Dizzy Gillespie, and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.
Golson was working with the Lionel Hampton band at the Apollo Theater in Harlem in 1956 when he learned that Clifford Brown, a noted and well-liked jazz trumpeter who had done a stint with him in Hampton's band, had died in a car accident. Golson was so moved by the event that he composed the threnody "I Remember Clifford", as a tribute to a fellow musician and friend.
Golson has composed several other jazz standards, such as "Stablemates", "Killer Joe", "Whisper Not", "Along Came Betty" and "Are You Real?", that have gone on to be performed and recorded by many musicians.
From 1959 to 1962 Golson co-led the Jazztet with Art Farmer. Golson then left jazz to concentrate on studio and orchestral work for 12 years. During this time he composed music for such television shows as Ironside, Room 222, M*A*S*H, and Mission: Impossible. During the mid-1970s Golson returned to jazz playing and recording. In 1983 he re-organized the Jazztet.
In 1995 Golson received the NEA Jazz Masters Award of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Golson made a cameo appearance in the 2004 movie The Terminal, related to his appearance in the A Great Day in Harlem photo. As of 2007, he tours regularly.
In October 2007 Golson received the Mellon Living Legend Legacy Award presented by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation at a ceremony at the Kennedy Center. Additionally, during the same month, he won the University of Pittsburgh International Academy of Jazz Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award at the university's 37th Annual Jazz Concert in the Carnegie Music Hall.
In November 2009, Benny was inducted into the International Academy of Jazz Hall of Fame during a performance at the University of Pittsburgh's annual jazz seminar and concert.

Am I Not Human? Afraid and Forgotten in Côte d’Ivoire

Soulclap to Human Rights Watch for providing a comprehensive report on the human rights abuses taking place in western Côte d’Ivoire.

Well-armed criminal gangs in western Côte d’Ivoire subject local residents to a relentless stream of abuses, including assault, robbery, and sexual violence.

The recommendations in the report fall mainly to the Ivorian authorities, who have failed to prevent or respond to the violence. These leaders should undertake patrols in hard-hit areas, investigate and prosecute crimes, and punish members of security forces who have failed to protect the population. My hope is the current Ivorian presidential elections may provide an opportunity for hope and change that impacts on the people.





Like many villagers, I have never been to the continent of Africa or the country of Côte d’Ivoire. However, I do own this blog ... and I can use this blog at least once a month to raise awareness of human rights abuses taking place around the world, including Côte d’Ivoire. My hope is that the power of public opinion will weigh down on the Côte d’Ivoire government, the United Nations and anyone else that can make a difference for the victims of this abuse. These victims are surely asking the universal question, "Am I Not Human?"

Roots of Humanity feels that each of us can fight against human rights abuses in the world. We simply need to do something. Protest. Meditate. Pray. In the case of bloggers ... we want you to blog on the 27th of each month. Just share information on behalf of our human siblings in all suffering areas who are either barred from communication by their governments, or lacking in technology to ask: Am I Not Human?

Preety Girls Shopping on Karva Chauth

Hisss... Malika Hot Movie

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Day 21- Thursday, October 21st

Some old favorites, some new unknowns... we're watching 100 movies in 31 days!
#62-#66- George Romero's Dead Films (1968-2009)- One of the legends of the horror genre gave us many great films, but none as important as his all time classic (some of them) "dead" series. they weren't all magnum zombie opus's, but love them or not, you can't ignore their relevance or genre impact.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)- What George Romero did on such a small budget, and during such a huge time of crisis in America, changed the horror genre, and movies in general, forever.

Called subversive, and viewed by many as a harsh critique of 1960's America, NOTLD struck a nerve and shocked a nation, and rightly so. In the late 60's, our country was losing it's innocence; whether it was civil rights or Vietnam, the sexual revolution or the realization that the government wasn't as pious as we had always believed, America was changing, and George Romero wanted to say something. He also wanted to make a bloody horror flick, so he ended up doing both. He was thrifty like that.

His zombie opus spoke volumes, both compelling and repulsing moviegoers, and changing what horror movies were, forever. Brutal, shockingly graphic, and terrifying, Romero kicked the status quo n the nuts, and then spat in its eye. Hell, his hero was a black guy, which was unheard of in 1968, unless you were talking about Sidney Poitier. Our black hero persevered too, surviving the zombie onslaught only to be gunned down by a posse of clueless rednecks. It doesn't get more subversive than that.

A great movie, an important movie, and an awesome horror flick, NOTLD still holds up today, and deserves a look at Halloween time. I would advise against eating roast beef while watching though. Yuck.

A+, and deservedly so.

Dawn of the Dead (1978)- Considered his greatest film by some, DOTD was Romero's tongue-in-cheek jab at the consumerism happy American public of the 1970's. It also allowed him to push the envelope even further than he had 10 years earlier, and give us more gut munching, more flesh tearing, and a really awesome exploding head gag.

A score by instrumental rock gods, Goblin, didn't hurt either. Of course, that was only in the European cut of Dawn (there were 4 cuts: Theatrical, Euro, Director's, and Extended.) Dario Argento cut the European version of the movie. Ken Foree played yet another,strong, black , non-stereotypical hero. Tom Savini got to play a blood thirsty biker as well as do the FX. Blood flowed. Zombies ate. Pants were shat. Romero made fun of Mall culture.

A good time was had by all.

A

Day of the Dead (1985)- The first of the "Dead" movies that I ever saw, Day holds a special place in my heart. Whether it's because Bub was so sympathetic and lovable, or because the gore in the third reel was so insane and awesome, this was the movie that made me hunger for all things undead.

I remember ads for this movie saying it was rated X, which in the 80's was a HUGE thing for a movie.These days, NC-17 is the naughty, kiss of death rating handed out by the MPAA, and it's really not a big deal at all. Hell, every other movie has an unrated DVD when they hit video now, which is the same damned thing. 20+ years ago though, and X or NC-17 rating screamed perversion, meant good luck finding solid distribution, and riled parents groups and the religious right up to no end.

Romero did push the boundaries with the gore on this one, making it more... wet? Messy? Dirty, sloppy and rough? All of those and more really. Combined with the vacant feel of the now mostly human devoid earth, and some interesting and unique characters, this was one hell of a good zombie flick.

A


Land of the Dead (2005)- ***DISCLAIMER*** Dear Romero purists: Please don't hurt me. Thank you. ***DISCLAIMER***

This may be my favorite movie in the series. It is not the best film of them, but for some reason I can watch this one over and over again, and it makes me happy. Then again, I'm easily pleased.

Maybe it was the late, great Dennis Hopper, or the always interesting John Leguizamo, I don't know. Maybe it was the Dead Reckoning. It all just felt very post-apocalyptic to me, and brings a smile to my face every time I watch it. Sometimes, I really love the more "Hollywood" horror movies, which this definitely felt like.


For me, A. As a movie, and in all reality, it's probably a B range movie.


Diary and Survival of the Dead- (FULL SURVIVAL REVIEW HERE) The last two installments of this great series leave me cold. Diary felt like a shaky mess to me, filled with characters who just did blatantly nonsensical things at the most inopportune times. Survival was a better film, but it was mired in an uneventful and logic defying plot.

As we said in our very brief review of Diary: "Enough with the hand held crap already. Do you really expect anyone to accept that people who are besieged by hordes of the undead are going to take the time to film it all? Really? I'm not sure what happened with this one, but this is nowhere near George Romero's finest hour. The hand held camera craze was used to poor effect here, and coupled with lame characters and poor acting, the end result was an annoying zombie mess from the master of the undead. I love you George, but you're better than this."

Survival was entertaining enough, if a bit slow and plodding, but the premise of the whole thing just frustrated me and took me out of the experience for the most part. Oh well. Can't win 'em all, can we?

Let's just skip grading these two shall we? Good. Me too.

That's 66/100 movies watched so far, so we had better get back to it... will we make 100 movies?!? Got a lot to catch up on and still watch...

Back on track...

After a long weekend of Halloween partying and wedding preparations (Machine is getting hitched in Halloween!), I finally have some time to sit and catch our countdown up.

More to come, imminently.

Raise Your Vote: Don't Let HATE Overcome HOPE!

Soulclap to the folks at Presente.org for putting this video together. If you had any doubts about voting, this video should help get rid of them.





Tuesday, November 2nd, is Election Day. One factor will determine the outcome: Who votes. Stand up to the bigotry, hatred, and divisiveness that's permeating today's political climate. Vote Tuesday, and urge everyone you know to get to the polls.

Undercovers, Starring Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Cancelled After 7 Episodes

I'm sorry to hear that Undercovers will have the same fate as Day Break -- both are network television shows cancelled before their initial 13 episodes aired.  One main difference is that I missed Taye Diggs and Day Break and so I was very happy when the network decided to run the rest of the full episodes from its first season on the Internet.  I doubt that I will miss Undercovers at all.  In fact, I doubt that I will watch the remaining episodes now that its been cancelled.

Co-stars Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw headlined the show, about two spectacular-looking undercover agents who also happened to be a married couple running a high-end catering business.  The show never got good ratings ... last night's episode only had about 5.8 million viewers.

I suspect that most of the 5.8 million viewers last night were women.  Every Black woman that I've talked with about the show loved it ... or rather loved seeing Boris Kodjoe in it!   He may not want to be viewed as a sex symbol ... but, women still see him that way.

I think that Kodjoe and Mbatha-Raw both did fine jobs.  The premise of the show was just a wee bit too much for me ... and I guess most of y'all as well.   I hope that both actors are able to rebound with other projects.

What is your favorite TV show nowadays?