HORRORFIND WEEKEND
First of all, I'm not on my home computer. I am having technical/financial problems and my telephone line isn't presently giving me a dial tone. Looks like I'm going to have to get someone to come by and rip up the wall to fix the line. Yippee.
Also, if someone who knows Brian Keene sees this, tell him I saw John Skipp on the elevator on my way out of the hotel yesterday and he said, "This was the best vibe of any convention I've ever been to." Kudos to another job well done, Brian! Horrorfind is a great con. An excellent melding of genre film and fiction.
So, it was really great to see everybody and I'm already anxious to get back next year. At least the WHC will be held in NYC for 2k5, so there's that to look forward to. Since I won't have to spend money for travel, maybe I'll actually be able to buy some stuff.
Finished Matt Warner's The Organ Donor this weekend too. A really great book. Takes one of the most overused genre contrivances (possessed body parts), and really turns the tale on its heels. Highly recommended. Now, on to finish The Straw Men, and Keene's The Rising.
The convention weekend itself was pretty fun. Me and my girl lost our asses in Atlantic City Thursday night, got a little lost after a misty ferry ride down to Baltimore the next day, and made it out to the con a bit late. We caught the last panel of the night with a talent roster the likes of Doug Clegg, Jack Ketchum, John Skipp, Tim Lebbon ... hard to remember all else who was there, but to see so many gifted authors all sitting at the same table was a friggin' hoot.
Sorry to my friends whose readings and panels I missed, but I'm so glad I made it anyhow. It was great to see you all. And a thanks to Linda Addisson who bitch slapped me around a bit on issues of self doubt and apathy without making me feel like a shit heel.
Anyhow, fun was had, adventures were taken, drinks were drunk.
Can't wait for next year!
--
ps: caught AVP after our return home yesterday. The script is about as insipid as you can get -- scientists ask mountain guides "what's that" in reference to tunnels of ribs cages at an abandoned whaling station, and another scientist goes on to tell us one of the Predator contraptions is "metric. That means it's a system based on the number ten." Or something like that. I'm really not sure why this script saw fit to illuminate that redundancy, but it either shows ignorance on the part of the writer, or an attempt to educate an ignorant audience. If, indeed, it is the latter, and you are a person who doesn't know what the metric system is, then, well, you need to shut off and give up all forms of visual/auditory entertainment and get your ass back into the fifth grade and try again, ya moron.
All in all a reasonably entertaining romp though, as long as you're not looking for a real mind bender. Which is a shame because the original Alien, and even Predator to some degree, are both smart movies. I wouldn't say rush out at all costs to see this movie or you're going to die, but it's one of those things that could have been soooo much worse.
pps: I hope to have these technical problems worked out soon, and much to my regret I probably won't have access to the internet before the Republican convention. I missed posting during the Dems Con, but what are you going to do. Sometimes things get confounded, and all you can do is just suck down whatever you're being fed. I do feel pretty charged up after the con though, and some things are going to be put into motion.
Be back in a few more weeks.
Also, if someone who knows Brian Keene sees this, tell him I saw John Skipp on the elevator on my way out of the hotel yesterday and he said, "This was the best vibe of any convention I've ever been to." Kudos to another job well done, Brian! Horrorfind is a great con. An excellent melding of genre film and fiction.
So, it was really great to see everybody and I'm already anxious to get back next year. At least the WHC will be held in NYC for 2k5, so there's that to look forward to. Since I won't have to spend money for travel, maybe I'll actually be able to buy some stuff.
Finished Matt Warner's The Organ Donor this weekend too. A really great book. Takes one of the most overused genre contrivances (possessed body parts), and really turns the tale on its heels. Highly recommended. Now, on to finish The Straw Men, and Keene's The Rising.
The convention weekend itself was pretty fun. Me and my girl lost our asses in Atlantic City Thursday night, got a little lost after a misty ferry ride down to Baltimore the next day, and made it out to the con a bit late. We caught the last panel of the night with a talent roster the likes of Doug Clegg, Jack Ketchum, John Skipp, Tim Lebbon ... hard to remember all else who was there, but to see so many gifted authors all sitting at the same table was a friggin' hoot.
Sorry to my friends whose readings and panels I missed, but I'm so glad I made it anyhow. It was great to see you all. And a thanks to Linda Addisson who bitch slapped me around a bit on issues of self doubt and apathy without making me feel like a shit heel.
Anyhow, fun was had, adventures were taken, drinks were drunk.
Can't wait for next year!
--
ps: caught AVP after our return home yesterday. The script is about as insipid as you can get -- scientists ask mountain guides "what's that" in reference to tunnels of ribs cages at an abandoned whaling station, and another scientist goes on to tell us one of the Predator contraptions is "metric. That means it's a system based on the number ten." Or something like that. I'm really not sure why this script saw fit to illuminate that redundancy, but it either shows ignorance on the part of the writer, or an attempt to educate an ignorant audience. If, indeed, it is the latter, and you are a person who doesn't know what the metric system is, then, well, you need to shut off and give up all forms of visual/auditory entertainment and get your ass back into the fifth grade and try again, ya moron.
All in all a reasonably entertaining romp though, as long as you're not looking for a real mind bender. Which is a shame because the original Alien, and even Predator to some degree, are both smart movies. I wouldn't say rush out at all costs to see this movie or you're going to die, but it's one of those things that could have been soooo much worse.
pps: I hope to have these technical problems worked out soon, and much to my regret I probably won't have access to the internet before the Republican convention. I missed posting during the Dems Con, but what are you going to do. Sometimes things get confounded, and all you can do is just suck down whatever you're being fed. I do feel pretty charged up after the con though, and some things are going to be put into motion.
Be back in a few more weeks.
