DARK STAR: H.R. GIGER'S WORLD
(Documentary 2014)

Available on AMAZON Prime:
https://amzn.to/2Yqq4s0

This is a wonderful documentary for any fan of H.R. GIGER, the artist who brought the world the ALIEN and a host of other works in painting and sculpture –– all simultaneously dark, horrific, fantastic, arousing, and beautiful.

In DARK STAR a close friend of Giger's, Stanislav Grof (psychiatrist/author), said the artist once told him, "I don't paint these kinds of images because I indulge in it, but because they scare me so much.  When I put it on canvas I have some sense of command or getting control over it.  It's healing for me."

And this is what I truly enjoyed about DARK STAR –– this insight.  Like Giger himself, DARK STAR is not a documentary in a conventional sense, but more of a visit into Giger's private world in the final months of his life.  We get to see all the cluttered nooks and crannies of his home in Switzerland and are simply allowed to sit with the icon in quiet moments interspersed with his amazing art and his few but poignant words.  We also get to see his vulnerable side and his pain as he talks about the suicide (by gunshot in 1975) of the love of his life, Swiss stage actress and model, LI TOBLER.

Having been with Li for some 9 years, she appears in much of Giger's earlier art, especially the famous LI series.  Nevill Drury, who interviewed Giger in 1985 (Shadowzone # 5) is quoted, observing that:

"Li is the prototype for the many ethereal women in his paintings who peer forth from the torment of snakes, needles and stifling bone prisons – to a world beyond. Giger painted Li's body several times with an airbrush and there are several photographs of her posing naked – like a woman of mystery struggling to emerge from the nightmare that has possessed her soul".

Although it is sad to see Giger in a state of greatly deteriorated health, I highly recommend DARK STAR: H.R. GIGER'S WORLD to all fans of fantastic and macabre art.  The man was a true icon and will continue to influence and inspire for decades to come, and beyond.

Enjoy the DARK STAR trailer here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnRSzZ7WHKU

ON THE SET of "ALIEN" from "DARK STAR"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INzDh18qP-Q&t=37s

Learn more about LI TOBLER here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Tobler

ENJOY SOME H.R. GIGER ART

The H.R. Giger Museum in Gruyeres, Switzerland showcases the largest collection of the artist's work on permanent public display, encompassing his paintings, sculptures, furniture and film designs, dating from the early 1960's till the present day. The top floor of the museum houses Giger’s own art collection. Located in the adjoining wing of the museum complex, above the Giger Museum Bar, is the H.R. Giger Museum Gallery where, for the benefit of museum visitors, Giger exhibits the work of other artists on a regular basis.

Learn more about the H.R. GIGER MUSEUM on their official website here:
http://www.hrgigermuseum.com/index2.php

Be sure to check out the links below to the H.R. GIGER MUSEUM BAR.

It's extremely cool, to say the least.
A lot of great pics, including 

The Opening Celebration:

http://www.hrgiger.com/barmuseum_opening.htm

The Design And Construction Of The Bar:

http://www.hrgiger.com/barconstruction.htm

H.R. GIGER MUSEUM BAR Official Home Page:

http://www.hrgiger.com/barmuseum.htm

Also be sure to check out pics of the...

GIGER TOKYO BAR:

http://www.hrgiger.com/tokyo.htm

And the CHUR GIGER BAR: 

http://www.hrgiger.com/barchur.htm

Please Visit Texas POEtrope
www.poetrope.com

 

Always Great Things!

H.R. GIGER, the man himself.

Be sure to check out the link below to the H.R. GIGER MUSEUM BAR.  It is super cool, to say the least.  A lot of great pics, including 

The Opening Celebration:

http://www.hrgiger.com/barmuseum_opening.htm

The Design And Construction Of The Bar:

http://www.hrgiger.com/barconstruction.htm

H.R. GIGER MUSEUM BAR Official Home Page:

http://www.hrgiger.com/barmuseum.htm

Also be sure to check out pics of the...

GIGER TOKYO BAR:

http://www.hrgiger.com/tokyo.htm

And the CHUR GIGER BAR: 

http://www.hrgiger.com/barchur.htm

The H.R. Giger Museum in Gruyeres, Switzerland showcases the largest collection of the artist's work on permanent public display, encompassing his paintings, sculptures, furniture and film designs, dating from the early 1960's till the present day. The top floor of the museum houses Giger’s own art collection. Located in the adjoining wing of the museum complex, above the Giger Museum Bar, is the H.R. Giger Museum Gallery where, for the benefit of museum visitors, Giger exhibits the work of other artists on a regular basis.

Learn more about the H.R. GIGER MUSEUM on their official website here:
http://www.hrgigermuseum.com/index2.php

ALL NEW from Feast Frenzy @ The Horror Food Network!

AND THIS IS A VERY SPECIAL ONE –– A VERY BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY GREAT FRIEND TINA on the 24th!

I dedicate this hearty dish to the birthday girl Vitina Molgaard! I call it the VITINA-VORTEX-TANGO SOUP! I name it that because it's a dive-in and go-for-it whirl of taste with a popper pepper. Start simple (that's only a start), like Vitina. Get a proper (large microwavable) bowl. Then pour in one can of Campbell's Chicken & Rice soup and add one can of spring water. Next add one can of organic tri-bean blend (pinto, black, and kidney beans). Then add one 14oz can of "no-salt-added" diced tomatoes (don't strain). Then add one can of "no-salt-added" cut green beans (don't strain). Then add one "strained" can of 10oz 98% fat-free white chicken breast in water (did I mention strained?). Dice and add quantity to taste of fresh green onions all the way down to chives. Then spice to taste with oregano, basil, paprika, and freshly ground black pepper. Heat covered in microwave for 9 minutes. Dish into a lovely bowl and sprinkle with parmesan cheese, a few sliced black olives, and a pepperoncini for the Tango spice and that ultimate Vitina kick-in-the-balls! Add a cold side of 40-calorie multi-grain bread with light Omega-3 butter sprinkled with garlic powder and basil and serve! Outrageously delicious and super healthy! HAPPY BIRTHDAY VITINA!

CHAOS ON THE BRIDGE (Documentary 2014 – Netflix Streaming)

Wow, what a (fascinating) horror!  This documentary presented and hosted by Captain Kirk himself, WILLIAM SHATNER, exposes the colossal nightmare that creating, getting to pilot, writing & re-writing, and sustaining STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION (1987-1994) was during its first 3 years.  Financially backed by Paramount Television's Syndication Department, and creatively by original STAR TREK creator –– a then 20 year has-been –– GENE RODDENBERRY, THE NEXT GENERATION was an explosive collision of massive egos and mania from the word go.  No one much liked or trusted anyone else, from the lowliest writer to the Paramount studio heads –– and plenty of heads did roll.  Within the first two seasons as many as 30 writers came and went for various reasons; plenty were fired and some just walked out pulling their own hair out.

STAR TREK fan or not, I recommend this doc (a taut 59 minutes) to anyone with an interest in behind-the-scenes film and television drama creation...or even just plain crazy, real life drama.  Sometimes I really don't understand how any film or television survives the over-complicated quagmire of creative egos and corporate idiocy that constantly threatens to undermine the final product.  Makes me think –– terrified –– that any future films I've dreamed to make will be impossible.

Enjoy the trailer here: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSg3wj3KbVg

From 9.11.15 –– Back with another Feast Frenzy @ The Horror Food Network!

I call this one So Easy, But Soooooo Good Green-Bean Chicken & Rice Soup.  Take a can of Campbell's Chicken & Rice soup and add an Orson Welles leftovers-helping of the brown rice (simmered with cut green beans, diced tomatoes, and chopped cilantro, spiced with garlic and Tabasco) I made for my meal a few days ago.  Add a healthy dusting of ground black pepper and hot crushed red pepper.  Makes an amazing taste upgrade and also turns a thin soup into a hearty meal.  Then, on the side, add a fresh salad: chopped spinach & kale, mixed with red onions, baby carrots, white mushrooms, and black olives, then sprinkled with parmesan cheese.  The dressing is extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Yum!

THE BIG BLOODY BOOK OF VIOLENCE: THE SMART PERSON'S GUIDE FOR SURVIVING DANGEROUS TIMES

Well, this book is certainly suited for our modern world, and looks quite interesting.  I love the sensational title.  Check it out on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/oy7vqma

Amazon.com Description:

Self-defense is far more than fighting skills; it's a lifestyle choice, a more enlightened way of looking at and moving through the world. Topics include:

* Making sense of senseless violence
* Riots and crowd safety
* Terrorism
* Domestic violence
* Gangs
* Home invasions
* Conquering impossible odds
* Creating witnesses
* Guns
* Overcoming talisman thinking
* Interacting with law enforcement
* And much, much more...

Violent encounters are rarely what you'd think. Oftentimes they last mere seconds yet have consequences that can linger for a lifetime. The best confrontations are those you can avoid, but preparation and training can get you through those times when you must fight for your life and failure is not an option. In this book Kane and Wilder teach you how.

"This is an insider's bible to violence, what it is, how to spot it and how to avoid it." - Becky Blanton, TED Global speaker, journalist

INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE (2016) –– FIRST LOOK! 

Films on my "guilty pleasures" list include most of director Roland Emmerich's epic disaster films, such as INDEPENDENCE DAY, DAY AFTER TOMORROW, and 2012.  It seems I can't ever get enough of watching the world be raped and destroyed, thus I regularly forgive Mr. Emmerich for any flaws in plot, characters, or story simply because the guy is the best at taking out the planet and the human race with explosive and cataclysmic elegance (that was a poetic way of saying "amazing special FX").  Now it seems I have a new end of the world to look forward to in the summer of 2016, INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE.

The Synopsis:
Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens' advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.

Emmerich promises ID: RESURGENCE will be far more spectacular than the first film.  I hope so.  I've been aching to see the world destroyed in new high-fashion, for a while now.

Enjoy this First Look at ID: RESURGENCE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPvMmTDk_Wo

TEN DAYS IN A MAD-HOUSE 
By Nellie Bly

I picked up this fascinating book on Amazon yesterday for just .99¢ (Kindle Edition).  Well worth the price.  I had never known anything about this story, which sounds compelling and possibly quite disturbing.  Check it out!
 

On Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/qztprsx

Amazon Synopsis:

In 1887, Nellie Bly accepted an assignment from publisher Joseph Pulitzer of the New York World and went undercover at the lunatic asylum on Blackwell Island, America’s first municipal mental hospital. Calling herself “Nellie Brown,” she was able to convince policemen, a judge, and a series of doctors of her madness with a few well-practiced facial expressions of derangement. 

At the institution, Bly discovered the stuff of nightmares. Mentally ill patients were fed rotten, inedible food; violently abused by a brutal, uncaring staff; and misdiagnosed, mistreated, or generally ignored by the doctors and so-called mental health experts entrusted with their care. To her horror, Bly encountered sane patients who had been committed on the barest of pretenses and came to the shocking realization that, while the Blackwell Island asylum was remarkably easy to get into, it was nearly impossible to leave.

ALSO NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!
 
Reputed to be in theaters as of November 11th (and starring Caroline Barry & Christopher  Lambert), I have yet to track it down.  I need to check the art houses.  But enjoy the trailer below!

Watch the trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P3Tz3tLX90 
 

 

This could be interesting.  Learn more here:
http://tinyurl.com/nw326ym

SOAKED IN BLEACH (Documentary 2015 – Netflix  Streaming)

Just over 20 years after the event, this new documentary about the complications and mysteries that still shroud NIRVANA's songwriter/guitarist KURT COBAIN's alleged suicide offers up some compelling evidence to support that Cobain's death was actually a homicide.  Or, if not an out-and-out murder, there is certainly a strong argument for foul play and some very, very poor police work.

Focusing on new interviews with Tom Grant (a former police detective-turned-private investigator hired by Cobain's wife, Courtney Love), re-enactments are overlapped with actual phone recordings of Grant talking to Courtney Love, as well as others.  Grant quickly realized that Love did nothing but erupt with red flags every time she opened her mouth about her (at the time, presumably missing) husband Cobain.  I, myself, have never thought too highly of Courtney Love, and these original phone recordings only serve to show what a stoned boneheaded lunatic she is.  I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her.  She's so obviously a compulsive liar, it's almost a joke to even consider she's anything but guilty for many things if not everything.  Not to mention Cobain was in the beginning process of divorcing Love and having her taken out of his will, and if this all came to pass Courtney Love stood to receive only a very small settlement because of a pre-nuptial agreement.

What is most compelling –– and the facts that no one seems to dispute –– is that Cobain's autopsy toxicology report showed he had nearly three times the lethal amount of heroin in his system than even the hardest core junkie could endure.  That being said, and knowing that injecting even a regular dose of heroin will incapacitate a person almost immediately, it's not only amazing that Cobain could get all that heroin into his body without help, but also that he would never have been able to pick up a shotgun, aim it, and blow his own head off.  But that's still not all that just doesn't add up.

I highly recommend this doc to all fans of NIRVANA and Kurt Cobain.

Watch the trailer here: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw5gD15xfW0

All this THE KRAYS (see below) and SPANDAU BALLET stuff has gotten me back on a New-Romantic kick. My fav New-Romantic band was ABC. Anyone remember them? This song is from their first album. The lyrics are outstanding and speak my heart. Well, my broken heart. Enjoy.  Truest line in the whole song is: The stars collide if you decide.  That pretty much explains my lowly place in every relationship I've ever had.

Listen tearfully to the heartbreak song here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfph3043yZU

ALL OF MY HEART
Once upon a time when we were friends
I gave you my heart, the story ends
No happy ever after, now we're friends

Wish upon a star if that might help
The stars collide if you decide
Wish upon a star if that might help

What's it like to have loved and to lose her touch?
What's it like to have loved and to lose that much?

Well I hope and I pray that maybe someday
You'll walk in the room with my heart
Add and subtract but as a matter of fact
Now that you're gone I still want you back
Remembering, surrendering
Remembering that part
All of my heart

Spilling up pink silk and coffee lace
You hook me up, I rendevouz at your place
Your lipstick and your lip gloss seals my fate

Sentimental powers might help you now
But skip the hearts and flowers, skip the ivory towers
You'll be disappointed and I'll lose a friend

No I won't be told there's a crock of gold at the end of the rainbow
Or that pleasure and pain, sunshine and rain might make this love grow

But I hope and I pray that maybe someday
You'll walk in the room with my heart
Add and subtract but as a matter of fact
Now that you're gone I still want you back
Remembering, surrendering
The kindest cut's the cruelest part
All of my heart

Yes I hope and I pray that maybe someday
You'll walk in the room with my heart
And I shrug and I say that maybe today
You'll come home soon
Surrendering, remembering
Surrendering that part

All of my heart
All of my heart
All of my heart
All of my heart

All of my, all of my heart
All of my heart
All of my heart
All of my heart