A. Heathen

Christian, I got all them Piranha books too.

Beautiful Stories for Ugly People, Gregory (ub!) and the rest.

I hope everyone's got Rick Veitch's "Rare Bit Fiends" ?

This is going to be super.

I hope we get The Demon Doctor ...

Are you saying he's being wilfully pessimistic in the hope that he won't be disappointed ?

Well if the unthinkable happens, you know where to find all you need to improve on the first attempt. And remember - "James Bond".

And somewhere in the distance, Karen Berger sheds a single tear of sorrow.

That's a tear of hypocrisy and lies.

Kejoxen, the only definite, clear, undisputed fact about this case is that an ENTIRELY INNOCENT MAN was shot and killed by the police. You can dress it up all you like, it's still wrong.

Latest news says his visa had expired.

Obviously this is the wrong man, and serious errors of judgement occurred by professionals supposed to protect us, but what is right and wrong is impossible to gauge unless you have the full facts.

Clive Barker films mostly sit in the lineage between the dysmorphia of Cronenberg and the increase in counter-culture. There are also similarities with 80s films having the stylised "cult anti-hero" of Freddie Krueger.

Hellraiser films are preferable when they avoid the latter.

Interesting (as the Haunting remake and Scream 2 were on TV last night) that the remake culture of the 80s (Coppolla's Dracula, Branagh's Frankenstein) mutated into a post-modern tongue in cheek version in the 90s and 2000s (Haunting, House on Haunted Hill, Thirteen Ghosts).

I know Craven did not start post-modernism in film, but he defined it for horror.

"Look we are scaring you"

became

"Look THIS IS HOW we are scaring you".

I think it's a more organic development out of the public psyche than can be manipulated by CIA/government in Hollywood.

The black hole decade of the Nineties that you refer to was a difficult one for horror films, but actually did more to legitimise the genre. Film-makers moved away from stereotypical horrors Xenophobia (50s), Science (60s), Supernatural (70s), Slashers and Biology (80s) into more diverse factions. Of course, from the Thirties onward, we've had remakes, so I'll discount them here.

(Although the early 90s saw a bunch of romaticised remakes of the classics.)

But the nineties saw both darker fantasy and more stylised/realistic versions of the stalker genre, with Candyman at one extreme and the eventual release of Henry - Portrait of a Serial Killer and American Psycho at the other.

There was also an increase in horror staples such as gore and shock being used in "mainstream" films - NB Seven, and the work of Tarantino & Rodriguez.

Then there was Wes Craven's post-modernism. Not what I'd call horror, but definitely aimed at the deconstructionist view of movies that we internerds now take for granted (and which annoys the fuck out of me).

Thankfully the Pre-Millennial Tension came to nothing, except the faux-religious horror genre which culminated in Constanteen.

And then we got the Blair Witch Project, which finally dropped the cliched camera work of most 60s-90s horror - and replaced it with new cliches.

Actually I think the films you are looking for to prove your point are not horror, but action adventure. Horror is more likely to subvert the "safe" agendas that your "they" would want. Nuclear families as dangerous threats (Texas Chainsaw Massacre & Rob Zombie's pair). Military/government fuck ups (28 Days Later, Romero's zombies). Arabs as our friends (The Mummy).

That sort of thing.

Incidentally, TV shows like The X Files and Millennium did a fair bit for engendering antiGovernmental neuroses and they still ended up voting Bush in twice.

Here's a site you might find useful.

http://www.tabula-rasa.info/DarkAges/Timeline3.html

I am afraid so.

No chance of engaging in debate when certain behaviour is allowed and then threads are closed when people (with reason) start laying in to said person.

I miss the old debate of the WEF - idiots deleted, threads continued.

Even the BBC London message board has no loonies these days.

If you think this discussion is full of people with only part of the story trying to justify/condemn something they know little about, you should see this one:

http://www.millarworld.net/index.php?showtopic=51851

Let us not forget that the minor arcana also have to be filled.

Courtesy of Josh:

"The Wands could be cigarettes,

the Cups, bar glasses containing bar drinks,

pentacles could maybe be pentagrams on various buildings or floors,

and I don't know what about swords, maybe a different weapon for each card, certainly including HB favorites like crowbars, shotguns, maybe the Ace of Winchesters could be the Ace of Swords...."

I'd go further and suggest the court cards

Cigarettes = bad for John = enemies: TBWNN aka "Not the Shadow Dog", Rosacarnis, King of the Vampires.

Drinks = make it easier for John = family & friends: Gemma, Cheryl, Brendan.

Pentacles = magicians: Josh Wright, Clarice, Map.

Weapons = Harry Cooper & guns, SW Manor & whips & chains, Thomas & coat-hangers, Ace of Winchesters of course.

lets play a little game. i'll write a text message and prepare to send it with my thumb on the send button, you stand five feet away and try and stop me.

 

Now who's using opinon instead of fact?

How do you know what his text message says ?

Huh?

Well? How do you know ?

From All the Rage

"Tim Bradstreet was selected as one of the artists who’se work will be showcased in the upcoming 2005 Spectrum Exhibition. The Spectrum exhibition celebrates the best fantasy, adventure, science fiction, and genre artwork each year in publishing.

The exhibit is scheduled to run from September 7th to October 1st 2005 at the Museum of American Illustration located at 123 East 63rd Street in New York.

This Has A “I’ll Take That Punisher Print” Factor Of Ten Out Of Ten "

Why has everyone suddenly forgotten that the film was called "Constanteen" ?

Please, go and edit your posts accordingly.

Or perhaps he should be on the "reversed" side of The Magician ?

* except of course in the Vertigo universe there are loads !

To be temperate is to show moderation and self-restraint. In a world full of enticing indulgences, it is often necessary to find the middle ground. Sensible, maybe, but also a bit boring? The energy of Temperance may seem unexciting on the surface, but it is the calm of a hurricane's eye. All around are swirling winds, but in the center is a still point that brings everything into balance.

In readings, Temperance can represent a need for moderation, especially when extreme cards are present (such as the Knights). This card can also indicate a need for balance. In conflict situations, Temperance suggests that compromise and cooperation are vital. Look for any opportunity to bring opposing parties together. In fact, to temper can mean to modify by adding a new component. By combining and recombining, we come up with the ideal mixture or solution. Temperance is the card of good health in all areas - physical, mental and emotional. When illness or dis-ease is a concern, Temperance holds out the promise of vitality and well-being.

See also the Fool's Journey.

It'll be a dead heat !

The case for Nergal:

The Hanged Man is one of the most mysterious cards in the tarot deck. It is simple, but complex. It attracts, but also disturbs. It contradicts itself in countless ways. The Hanged Man is unsettling because it symbolizes the action of paradox in our lives. A paradox is something that appears contradictory, and yet is true. The Hanged Man presents to us certain truths, but they are hidden in their opposites.

 

The main lesson of the Hanged Man is that we "control" by letting go - we "win" by surrendering. The figure on Card 12 has made the ultimate surrender - to die on the cross of his own travails - yet he shines with the glory of divine understanding. He has sacrificed himself, but he emerges the victor. The Hanged Man also tells us that we can "move forward" by standing still. By suspending time, we can have all the time in the world.

 

In readings, the Hanged Man reminds us that the best approach to a problem is not always the most obvious. When we most want to force our will on someone, that is when we should release. When we most want to have our own way, that is when we should sacrifice. When we most want to act, that is when we should wait. The irony is that by making these contradictory moves, we find what we are looking for.

Also, this card has links with The Fool and The Magician.

no "other" this time

Carol Smillie !

I dunno about God appearing. What about The Demon Constantine?

What do you reckon?

What about Slag ?