Stomp!

Couple of interesting Godzilla things:

Henshin!Online has translated a long interview between Godzilla director Masaki Tezuka and writer Wataru Mimura. Most of the interview is about the Japanese film industry from the 1970s on, but there's some interesting stuff about Godzilla too:
"MIMURA: But including my script, what do you think of the film?
TEZUKA: Reflecting on MEGAGUIRUS, what I wanted to do was to provide a scientific background to the story. I needed clear scientific reasons. It is impossible to create a Black Hole Gun, Godzilla himself is totally unrealistic, but I needed them for the story, therefore I thought providing scientific rationales were all the more important.
MIMURA: I see.
TEZUKA: So this I time [for GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA], my staff researched both robot computer technology and DNA engineering for Mechagodzilla. I paid so much attention to this part of the story.
MIMURA: So you think, even for a fantasy film, some amount of reality is necessary and the story should be based on the scientific fact. You cannot accept a totally unrealistic subject.
TEZUKA: No I can't. I think a scientific background contributes to maintain a steady storyline. Speaking of a steady storyline, if the capital had not been Osaka [in GXM] MECHAGODZILLA could have been a sequel to MEGAGUIRUS, as you said to me before. [laughs] Kiriko would have been in the new film. When you told me that I should have used Megaguirus again, I thought it was a good idea."
***
At DVDtalk they have a review of ADV's new "Destroy All Monters" release. It's a bare bones DVD of the movie with bad dubbing, no chapter stops and no extras. But it comes with the soundtrack.
The movie is quite enjoyable, but the poor print and many digital artifacts makes this movie a rental.

Mamatas on mainstream horror

Nick Mamatas dissects mainstream horror.
The mainstream of horror fiction of the past five years:
makes the following statements as regards class, gender, race, urbanization and pets:

...

creates a sense of identification by displaying the thoughts of the POV character in increasingly annoying italics

offers a protagonist demographically slightly better off, whiter, and more suburban than than stereotypical drug store/Wal-Mart (as opposed to bookstore) book buyers

...who consumes name-brand products, especially Pepsi

...and who, while looking in mirrors, contemplates either a recently-broken nose or a widening ass

Writing interview

So Maud Newton has started her series of interviews with writers about writing, called "Making Book." Her first interview is with Salah Abdoh, whose 1999 book "The Poet Game" stirred up interest after Sept. 11 because of its look at Islamic fundamentalist terrorists. Maud asks some good questions, and in at least one place, the question is more interesting than the answer. It's definitely worth checking out and I'm looking forward to see what she's got lined up in the future.

Hunting giant squid babies

The New Yorker writes about a giant squid hunter!
Steve O’Shea, a marine biologist from New Zealand, is one of the hunters—but his approach is radically different. He is not trying to find a mature giant squid; rather, he is scouring the ocean for a baby, called a paralarva, which he can grow in captivity. A paralarva is often the size of a cricket.
“Squid, you see, hatch thousands of babies,” O’Shea told me recently, when I called him at his office at the Earth and Oceanic Sciences Research Institute, at the Auckland University of Technology. “Most of these will get eaten up by larger predators, but during periods of spawning the sea should be filled with an absolutely fantastic amount of these miniature organisms. And, unlike the adults, they shouldn’t be able to dart away as easily.”

That annoying First Amendment technicality

This story is outrageous. Apparently, there is a New Mexico principal out there who is condemning students and teachers for producing articles critical of the government. He's destroyed poetry and tore down art from walls. Then he proudly read his own poetry during a ceremony in which a flag was raised and praised himself for his actions.
And it gets worse! He fires the teachers, won't rehire the art teachers and he won't release their records so the teachers can get new jobs. Is this man insane?
Here's another Web site about it:
A cloud of silence, censorship and fear hangs over the RRHS school district. A once-vibrant student literacy and critical-speaking/critical-thinking initiative has been crushed. In May, 2003, the RRHS Military Liaison and the Principal triumphantly raised a flag on school grounds and read out a poem telling critics of war policy to "shut your faces". Principal Gary Tripp told local press that this was "a high point" of his principalship.
You can donate to help the teacher fight Principal Gary Tripp.
I'm hoping this is a somewhat isolated incident. But there's been so much of this kind of crap going around, I begin to wonder.
Then there was this case a few months ago about an art school in San Francisco that freaked out when a student wrote a violent story.
I wonder, do Americans just not support free speech anymore? I mean, I know over the years many, many people never understood the concept. But it seems like this kind of censorship is more and more accepted. I hope not. I hope it's a couple of isolated incidents that will fall away in time.

Axl Rose v. Buckethead

I'm way, way behind on this, but apparently Axl Rose slagged Buckethead in a press release he wrote back at the end of March. Basically, he blames all his problems on the bucketed one:
During his tenure with the band Buckethead has been inconsistent and erratic in both his behavior and commitment - despite being under contract - creating uncertainty and confusion and making it virtually impossible to move forward with recording, rehearsals and live plans with confidence.
Later, he goes on to say that Buckethead was just in Guns N Roses to get a deal with Sanctuary Records.
Now, I'm not one to question the words of Axl, and certainly, Buckethead is a little on the odd side. I've even heard he needs a chicken coop in the studio to do his guitar solos.
But here's the thing, which of these two musicians has taken more than a decade to get an album? Which one has alienated most of his friends and fellow musicians? If you're not sure, let me point you to the discography of Axl and Buckethead. (For godsakes, Bucket has 2 albums out this year! And that's not counting the other band names he's appeared under.) I'm just saying is all.

Girly-man elf boy

At In Search of Pith, JeremyT reviews his weekend and gives a fun review of Troy:
The Trojans were pretty damn hampered by Paris. In the original text, you've got Aphrodite saving Paris's ass constantly, so you can have a little sympathy for him. In the movie, he's a philandering twit who deserves to have the shit kicked out of him. He's a coward, and he's played by that poncy stupid elf, which means every woman in the theatre coos at the very sight of him. I'm kind of hoping at this point he suffers some kind of debilitating injury and never acts again. I'm tired of listening to all the sub-30s women in the theatre have little orgasms when he pulls the string on a bow. There's some weird Freudian shit going on there or something.
And by the way, "Troy" has a tomato next to it on Rotten Tomatoes front page, yet it has a 59 percent rating, which means it should be a little green splatter. Why is that? Could it have anything to do with "Troy" being the feature sponsor today? No, I refuse to believe it.

New blog

John Joseph Adams, slush reader for Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine, has a blog called THE SLUSH GOD Speaketh... He's only got a few entries up so far, but he's already got star-studded posts about Harlan Ellison, Bruce Sterling and how he got the job at F&SF. It just reminds me that I have to update my blog roll soon.
(Link found at Write Hemisphere.)

Aleister Crowley in the Desert

Here's an excerpt about Aleister Crowley in the Desert from the book "The Place of Enchantment: British Occultism and the Culture of the Modern" by Alex Owen.
(Link found at wood s lot via scribbling woman.)

Maud Newton does author interviews

Maud Newton has announced that she will bedoing interviews with writers on their writing habits. I can't wait. I love to read this stuff.
Learning of a writer's methods and preoccupations makes me feel I'm that much closer to solving the puzzle of inspiration, not only in the case of that one writer, but in the world. After all, as Anita Brookner has said, "Great writers are the saints for the godless."
I remember Joyce Carol Oates making fun of this sort of thing. She asked how it could make any difference what kind of pen she uses? It probably doesn't, but for other writers or wannabe writers, this can be interesting stuff. It can also make a writer look at one's own habits and consider what works best.
In the end, though, I just find it entertaining.

The Incredibles

A trailer is up for Pixar's new movie, The Incredibles and it looks good. It seems to be a humorous film about a group of superheroes. I immediately recognized Samuel Jackson's voice as "Frozone." This looks really good.

Monsters in movie court

The Washington Post has an odd little article called Monster Films: Bringing Out the Beast in Us. (Unfortunately, you'll probably have to register to see it.) It's set up as Movie Court, with the prosecution, Ann Hornaday, arguing that with all the horrible images of brutality and torture we see on the news every day, there's no need for monster movies to cater to our darker side.
For the defense, Stephen Hunter makes the argument that monster films appeal to the child in more imaginative people, like himself.
I still like it when things get blown up, squished, smashed, mashed, creamed, fragmentized, atomized, liquefied, pureed and mulched. For destruction I hold with those who favor the carnivore, but the alien is also nice and would suffice.
While I'm not sure his argument entirely answers Hornaday, I certainly agree with what he's saying.
When the screechy mandibular chompers of "Them," with their hunger for sugar and human flesh, come out to play, or when the Giant Squid the size of the USS Forrestal squashes the Golden Gate to a sodden swizzle stick, it's a hoot. See, that's one of the most profound joys of the movies -- the subversive pleasure of seeing what society tells us is bad and wondering: Gee, why does it make me feel so good?
I'm going to start looking at Hunter's reviews more often. (And I'm going to ignore Hornaday, who doesn't seem to get horror at all.)

Auction for Charles Grant with lots of cool stuff

Following orders from Nick Mamatas and my own belief that it's a good cause, here's the press release for a Horror Writers Association auction to benefit Charles Grant:

***

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2004

Contact Information:
Horror Writers Association
Nicholas Kaufmann,
Trustee
(718) 855-0970
nkaufmann@nyc.rr.com
www.horror.org



AUTHORS RALLY TO HELP ONE OF THEIR OWN

The Horror Writers Association holds auction
to benefit stricken author


NEW YORK, MAY 13. The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is holding a benefit auction for legendary author and editor Charles L. Grant, who has been hospitalized indefinitely with severe cardio-pulmonary disease and emphysema. Mr. Grant, whose body of work spans five decades, faces a tremendous burden on his health and substantial health-related expenses.

In response to this dire situation, the HWA called for contributions to a benefit auction for Mr. Grant. Although HWA is not a charitable organization and contributions could not be considered charitable donations, this didn’t stop a flood of concerned writers, editors and publishers from contributing to this cause.

Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Neil Gaiman, Peter Straub, Clive Barker and nearly fifty other accomplished authors have confirmed contributions to the event. Publishers such as Leisure Books, Earthling Publications and Night Shade Books have also contributed.

“The response has been amazing,” said Joe Nassise, president of the Horror Writers Association. “The absolute generosity of everyone involved has been truly overwhelming.”

This two-part fundraiser, being held in conjunction with the HWA’s annual Bram Stoker Awards Banquet weekend, is the first of its kind for the organization. One component of the fundraiser is a high-profile auction to be held on eBay beginning May 23 and running until June 5, the evening of the awards. Bidders can find all auction items by searching the eBay User ID “bookwyrm55.”

The second component is a silent auction to be held on June 4-6 at the HWA annual meeting in New York City where the Bram Stoker Awards will be presented.

THE HORROR WRITERS ASSOCIATION (HWA) is a worldwide organization of writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting dark literature and the interests of those who write it. HWA was formed in the late 1980's with the help of many of the field's greats, including Dean Koontz, Robert McCammon, and Joe Lansdale. Today, with over 1,000 members around the globe, it is the oldest and most respected professional organization devoted to the genre.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Nicholas Kaufmann at nkaufmann@nyc.rr.com

***

And if you can't do the auction, you could still donate to help Grant at this Web site.

You must read this

"The Voluntary State" is one of the best science fiction stories I've read in a long time. The author, Christopher Rowe has an interview here and a bibliography here and a blog here. You can also discuss the story here.
It's just more proof of how good Sci Fiction is. At least the SciFi Channel will be able to say it's done one good thing during its existence.
It's also proof of how great reading all these blogs is. I've seen this story mentioned in a whole bunch of places, all of them ecstatic for the story. It intrigued me enough to seek it out. I'm glad I did.

Godzilla stomps box office

Do you know what was the biggest box office hit, per screen, this past weekend? That's right Godzilla, the uncut Japanese film playing in two theaters, in New York and San Francisco. It earned $38,030. Per screen, that beats out Van Helsing and the other tripe out in the multiplexes. Now, hopefully it gets a wider release.

Snakehead fish update

A snakehead fish has been found in Northern Virginia. It's only a matter of time now, they'll be taking over the whole eastern seaboard, and of course, crawling underfoot looking for new prey.

Giant monster movie news

A few months back, you might remember I linked to a trailer for Dragon Wars, or D-Wars as it seems to be called in some places. Well, there's more scenes from the movie up at this site. The monsters are still looking pretty impressive. The scenes show the dragons, giant snakes and armed dinosaurs stomping through the streets of a modern city (including blowing up a building with an AT&T sign prominently shown, gotta pay for it somehow). This is exciting stuff, although I'm still worried the story and acting will be as bad as "Reptilian," the totally awful first film from this company.
***
And in other giant monster movie news, I was reading a rumor that John Sayles would be writing the screenplay for Jurassic Park IV, but I can't find anything to confirm that. In fact, most sites say William Monahan, a new writer, is writing the script. Also rumored to be part of the film is Keira Knightley.
Sayles is working on a political satire, however, that will star Chris Cooper and be out before the 2004 presidential elections.

New Nintendo stuff

Apparently, Nintendo is planning some big changes, most importantly a new GameBoy that includes wifi. There's also a new Zelda game coming and some other goodies, plus hints about a new home system to replace the GameCube. Video games have been losing my interest over the last year or so, but this still sounds pretty neat.
(Thanks to Charles for the link.)

Remembering William Burroughs

Marianne Faithfull talks about William Burroughs and her connections with him. Apparently, she is starring in a new production of The Black Rider, which was written by a collaboration of Burroughs, Tom Waits and Robert Wilson. I think the album is great (and I think that review is totally wrong, though the review of the song Briar and the Rose is better), and it's great to hear Burroughs sing "'Taint no Sin":
"'Taint no sin to take of your skin and dance around in your bones." I didn't know that it was Burroughs' last work.
(Link found at Bookslut.)

New magazines

So Wildside Press will be publishing three new magazines this year. The first, H.P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror, is already out and I have to get a copy. At the very least, it's got a Ramsey Campbell interview, so I know there's something I'll enjoy. The other two magazines are Adventure Tales and Underworlds. Adventure Tales appears to be a reprint magazine, bringing work of pulp authors back into print. It'll be interesting to see what selections they make. Underworlds is "the unique magazine of noir-influenced suspense, crime, and supernatural fiction."