Seven Gift Ideas for Writers

Hey everyone!

It's that time of year and I am so proud of myself for getting my Christmas shopping/ present making early.

So that gives me time to catch up on Scandals with Bite Book 4, my newsletter, and, of course, this blog.

A few people have been blogging gift suggestions for writers, so I may as well add in my own two cents.

I'm not going to include the obvious things, like notebooks, pens, and whatnot. Instead I will cover two other categories of gifts.

A.) Things that are Fun/ personalized.

It's an indisputable fact that professional writers often turn into caffeine-soaked workaholics. We spend countless hours at our desks, writing, revising, marketing, struggling to meet constant deadlines, etc. In this chaos and drudgery, we sometimes feel like we're losing our identity, our sense of self. Especially when we're so busy being inside out characters' heads.

I recommend gifts that pull the writer away from things writing related. What else does your writer enjoy? For me, it's heavy metal music and horror movies. These are a few things I've pinned for my "Dear Santa" List on Pinterest. It's mostly horror T-shirts and DVDs of some movies I like.

If you're shopping for me, check out Fright Rags.com

So if they're also a gamer, get them gaming stuff. If they're a gardener, gardening stuff, etc.

Another good idea is something that literally pries the writer from their desk.

Movie tickets, concert tickets, etc are all great ways to encourage your writer to get out and clear their head.

But sometimes, we writers are straining to meet a deadline, or in a good groove where the words are pouring out. In those cases, you can't get the writer away from the desk. So that brings me to the other category.

B.) Things that make the job easier.

A non-fiction book related to what we're writing. 

Research can take time. Sometimes grabbing a book is quicker. I often write regency romance, so a book on the regency would be awesome. A sci-fi writer would appreciate something on space technology, a thriller author something on psychology, etc.

A restaurant gift card.

I cannot stress enough how valuable these are. When writers are riding a deadline, dinner plans get neglected. Gift cards for some yummy place eliminates the hassle.

Another function they can serve is a figurative carrot on a stick. Every once in awhile I will reserve myself extra time for a hard core writing day. I set a goal that's two or three times my average word count and if I make it, I treat myself to Wingstop's garlic parmesan wings. If I had a gift card for wings, I'd schedule another mega write-a-thon stat.

Comfort items:

Writers spend a LOT of time at their desks. Things that make the setting more comfortable are highly prized. A few ideas: Pajama pants, fuzzy socks, slippers, or a fleece throw. 

Is their desk too cold? Get them a little space heater. Too hot? Get them a fan. Too dark? A nice lamp would be great!

Caffeine!

Remember how I mentioned that we're caffeine saturated workaholics? A gift card for a favorite coffee shop is appreciated by the coffee drinkers, a box of tea or tea leaves for the tea drinkers, or if you're one of my friends or family members: I LOVE RED BULL!!

Promo items:

These days, we have to spend money on swag and advertising to promote our work.

Places like Vista Print and Print Runner have great deals on bookmarks, pens, stickers and other fun stuff we can pass out to our readers.

Reviews:

It is harder and harder to get reviews. We are extremely grateful for every one.

Movie Review: The Exorcist (Original 1973 version)

My mom raised me on horror movies. Nightmare on Elm Street and JAWS were particular favorites. But there was one horror film that she didn't want me to watch, and that was The Exorcist. She said it was "evil" and that lightning struck the screen of the drive-in theater (I heard this happened at a lot of drive-ins across the country) and that meant that God didn't want you to watch it.

Of course this TOTALLY made me want to watch it. And when I was having a sleepover at my best friend's house, I related what mom had told me about The Exorcist. She said, "We have it." Then she asked her mom if we could watch it and she said, "Go ahead."

We were nine, I think.

I was all, "Really? After your mom got upset that my mom let you watch Freddy Krueger with us?"

We shrugged and popped it in the VCR. And we discovered that aside from the last twenty minutes, it was boring. (The terrifying crab walk scene and possibly the disgusting and disturbing crucifix masturbation scene were omitted in the edition we had) but those 20 minutes were absolutely riveting.

Still afterwards we wondered what the big freakin' deal was.

Then when I was fifteen I discovered the BOOK.

The book was excellent. That's where it's revealed that the girl was possessed by an Assyrian demon named Pazuzu (which I thought was a badass name and immediately gave it to my new kitten) not the devil. You also get a lot more insight into the characters, especially Father Karras and his mommy issues and struggle with his faith.

I've since watched the film several more times and I still maintain that the first half is boring. I think the main problem with it is that it tries to cram so many details of the book into little scene bits simultaneously with things the director felt like throwing in. If it had been streamlined into one or two character arcs instead of 10, it would have been better.

The child actress also acts way too immature for a twelve year old and her babyish voice is annoying.

That said, there is also a ton of AWESOME in this film. I love how they sneak in visuals of the demon's face in random places. I love the dynamic of the battle between physiology, psychiatry, and religion expressed in the process of diagnosing Regan's possession.

I love the makeup and special effects.

Once Regan is fully possessed the film is masterful in creating some of the most memorable, traumatizing, and pants-shittingly terrifying scenes ever.

Like this one:

So despite having trouble figuring out who was who and why I was supposed to care, I recommend THE EXORCIST to any horror fan who hasn't seen it. And I HIGHLY recommend the novel.      

In Honor of Karen Ann

An Angel That Was Taken Too Early

Five years ago, on Valentine's Day, I lost my best friend, who was also my mother, Karen Ann. 

For over a year, I was in a mindless state of grief. However, I know she absolutely hated it when I was unhappy. So after a couple years of therapy and much dedication to my writing career, I've become more functional. After all, mom wouldn't be proud of me if I remained a miserable ball of sadness. 

Still, the grief never leaves me. It's an open wound that strikes me with crippling pain. Every once in awhile, out of nowhere, I find myself crying in my car from missing her so bad. It's always worse during Christmas, which was her favorite, Mother's Day, her Birthday, and of course, Valentine's day.

She never stopped believing in Santa.

The first one I got ridiculously drunk and cried like a baby. The next few I spent curled up in bed, unable to face the day. But as I said before, Mom really hated it when I was sad. She always made extra efforts to cheer me up. We usually snuggled on the couch and watched movies. So I started honoring her memory by watching her favorite movies. One year my brothers and I had a Nightmare on Elm Street marathon. Another year I did a wacky combo of First Wive's Club, Total Recall, Terminator 2, and Ever After.

Yes, Mom had delightfully eclectic taste in movies and she passed it on to me. 

This year, movies aren't enough. It's not enough to distract myself from missing her. I wanted to do something to honor the woman who nurtured my creativity and encouraged my dreams. I wouldn't have become a successful writer if not for her. Even now, as I fight back tears, I can see mom shaking her head at me and tears coming to her own eyes because my pain is her pain. 

I want to picture her smiling, like this.

Even though I can never erase the grief from Valentine's day, I can mitigate it. I chose to release my novel WRENCHING FATE and have a fun online release party with all my friends. Then later I'm even going to try to celebrate Valentine's Day as a holiday and watch EVER AFTER with the nicest guy I know.

I'll probably still cry a little, but I'm going to do my best to make it a happy day and make my mom proud. And every book I write, I dedicate to her. I still remember when I first got her hooked on romance novels, and I hope there are books in heaven. 

Afterward, I'm going to start another book. Because she didn't get a happily ever after in real life, I'm going to create as many as I can as long as I live.

Why STRANGELAND irritated the crap out of me: A Movie Rant

Okay, I'll come out and admit that I'm twice as disappointed in this film because I'd had such high expectations. Dee Snider is awesomesauce. Even if you don't enjoy TWISTED SISTER (which I think is pretty good, but not among my favorites) One cannot help but applaud the way he takes on the U.S Senate and Tipper Gore regarding music censorship and comes out on top.

Seriously, watching this is a kajillion times better than the film.

To sum it up, Mr. Snider is an extremely intelligent guy. I'd expected an intelligent film. But alas, it was mostly infuriatingly stupid-ly unbelievable and sends messages that Snider himself argued against in real life.

Before I rant on the details, I'll quote a Summary from IMBd

" A schizophrenic sadist by the name of Captain Howdy lures teens through the internet into his painful traps. A detective starts pursuing him after he captures his daughter. Eventually they catch up with him and send him to a mental hospital. But upon his release, the townspeople don't accept the new, peaceful former Captain Howdy, and attack him. Howdy goes nuts again and in revenge starts everything all over, only worse. Can the detective stop him?..."

And I gotta admit, "Captain Howdy" which most people think is a nod to The Exorcist, but is really a 1984 Twisted Sister song about a child molester/murderer (But not in the film) is pretty damn terrifying.

Now for the rant...

1.) This movie makes pierced and tattooed people look like psychos. 

Seriously, as the villain tortures the ever-loving shit out of his victims, he spends half the film declaring that his tats and piercings are his identity and make him superior to others.

The majority of the tattooed and pierced folks I know are the among the nicest I've met and it bugs the crap out of me that someone who argued vehemently that self-expression and being different doesn't make you a bad person gave the opposite impression in his film.

Why the hell couldn't he have been the hero and the bland-looking cop been the villain?

2.) This movie also makes people who are into kink/ BDSM/ sadomasochism look bad.

I've met many people whose tastes run that way and AGAIN, the majority are nicer, and better mannered people than most "vanillas" I've met. I sang karaoke with many and did I get kidnapped and tortured? No, we sang songs and I received an education on their culture. I was also treated with more respect than I was among other groups of friends. They wouldn't so much as shake my hand without permission and protected me from drunk pervs who tried to cop a feel. 

A culture which is centered on RESPECT, MUTUAL CONSENT, and SAFETY!

The sadomasochistic villain kidnapped non-consenting victims and sewed their mouths shut before playing with them "so he could educate them and show them the glory of pain and pleasure." Hell, Pinhead and his cenobites were smarter than that. If he really wanted anyone to "understand" his lifestyle, he could have found many willing students on a fetish site ... or I dunno, that "metal" club that was full of kinksters? And they could have TALKED about each other's desires. ::Facepalm::

3.) Waaaay too many incidents that were incapable of suspension of belief.

..and now for a sub-list.

a.) The hero, a cop whose daughter is one of the victims, doesn't know how to use a computer. The film took place in 1998. Cops knew how to use computers by then. He has to have his freakin' niece point out that maybe his daughter was missing because she met someone online. Then she had to teach him how to go into the chatroom and look up the guy's profile.

b.) After looking up the guy's profile, and pretending to be a teen in the chat room, the cop automatically pegs him as the kidnapper when invited to a party.

c.) Getting an invite to a party was enough to get a house stormed by cops without a warrant or anything.

d.) However the villain gave them the wrong address (They storm in on old people having sex and almost give them heart attacks which is funny). ...BUT when the cop finds the villain's REAL lair, he goes poking around on his own, which is stupid AND illegal.

e.)  Outside of the villain's house, the cop trips over a garbage bag full of surgical needles.

 Tattooed and pierced people are very hygienic and would never dispose of their sharps that way. Hell, the villain was wearing gloves and being all sanitary with his victims, but he just tosses a bunch of bio-hazardous evidence in his backyard? What in the ever-loving fuck?

4.) The story ALMOST gets interesting, then takes a nosedive.

The villain gets busted, but since the only one of his victims died (and from a heart-attack, not from torture) he manages to get a verdict of "not guilty due to insanity" and gets out after only 4 years in a mental institution. He's "totally rehabilitated" and removed his piercings and covered his tats with makeup. 

He now dresses like a total dork and seems like a meek nerd.

...Then he moves right back into his old house in his old neighborhood, where an angry mob protests outside. 

2 cool parts about that. 

a.) The protest sign that read "We're Not Gonna Take It" made me grin.

b.) Seeing THIS GUY in the mob.

   

 You might recognize him better as THIS GUY

 And in a most delightful cinematic twist, the guy who played Freddy Krueger, a character who was murdered by an angry mob, led an angry mob and lynched the villain.

...who ended up surviving because the tree limb broke after the crowd left.

And this is where the movie really went to shit. The rain washes off the villain's makeup and then in the next scene he's magically pierced up the wazoo again and goes back to torturing people. Though I admit the sight of "Freddy" being a victim was amusing.

Anyway, the villain and the cop have a big showdown (again, stupidly alone) and that's it.

What would have been much more interesting would be if Robert Englund's (Freddy) character was a murderer and Dee Snider's character ended up redeeming himself by helping bust the guy. I know that rips off Silence of The Lambs, but hell, this movie was already doing that in other ways anyway.

Now back to other things

5.) There's just something wrong about the guy who wrote the 1984 song "Street Justice" (Which is similar to the back-story of Freddy Krueger, but clearly advocate citizens taking matters into their own hands)  playing a sexual predator/ kidnapper/ murderer who goes on a vengeful rampage after being "wronged" by vigilante justice.

In conclusion, I must ask you, Dee Snider, why the hell did you, an intelligent man who's always stood up for heavy metal, self-expression and individualism and stood against rapists, pedophiles, murderers, and our crooked legal system make a film that was not only full of logical fallacies, but appeared to denigrate your alleged values?

ARGGGGHHHHHH!!!!

  

8 Favorite Christmas Movies

Here's a list of some of my favorite Christmas movies. Most are well known, but a few are kinda obscure.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Who doesn't love hearing the tale of the little Whos of Whoville and how their loving nature made the grumpy Grinch's heart grow!

Gremlins

I don't care what anyone says, Gremlins is a Christmas movie. Gizmo is a present, there's snow and decorations, and the hero's girlfriend shares one of the worst holiday horror stories ever. There's even a tip of the hat to Charles Dickens in the Scrooge-esqe bank owner's character.

Nightmare Before Christmas

Also one of my favorite Halloween movies, this film manages to pull double duty. I love Zero's role as Rudolph when pulling Jack's sleigh.

Home Alone

A kid is accidentally left at home when his family takes a vacation to Paris. He has to fend off burglars and handle his fear of a creepy old dude in the neighborhood.

I think I love this movie so much because it came out when I was a kid and LOVED being home alone. I also enjoyed all of the booby traps and tricks he doled out to the bumbling burglars.

Santa Claus is Coming To Town

I think this film appeals the most to my inner writer. We get Santa Claus's back story. Where he came from, how he grew up, how he met Mrs. Claus, and how he became the jolly patron of presents. And the villain's name is "Burgermeister Meisterburger!!"

Frosty's Winter Wonderland

And if the previously mention film appealed to my inner writer, this one appeals to my inner romance writer. Like the Bride of Frankenstein, the children build a girlfriend for Frosty. ::sigh:: Unfortunately the parson refuses to marry them because he can only marry humans. Sounds familiar, huh?

The Christmas Tree

This made for TV low budget cartoon movie is freakin' weird, but oddly touching. A young woman gets a job as a housekeeper in an orphanage with a corrupt, evil manager. The children are so lonely they worship the tree in their yard. Eventually the kind housekeeper saves the day... and Christmas.

The whole film is on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlFtMxG6mnY

A Christmas Story

I know, no big surprise. Who doesn't love this movie? The 50's nostalgia, the leg lamp, the marauding neighbor dogs, and the eternally infamous line, "You'll shoot your eye out!"

10 "OMG You haven't Seen it?" Movies (Part 1)

Happy Weekend everyone! I figure I'm long overdue for another movie post. Movies are a big thing in my family and I have quite a collection. And whenever I talk movies with a friend, it never fails that I'll gasp, "OMG, you haven't seen ______?" 

So this will be the first of many lists. None are obscure (I'll do an obscure list sometime) and many will elicit nods of agreement from a lot of you. But I know there's plenty of you out there who haven't seen.... 

RUNNING MAN

Veeeeery loosely based on a novella by Stephen King (Richard Bachman in the opening credits) This film is the epitome of an 80's dystopyian. Full of cheese and fun action. Also, Richard Dawson plays an awesome villain.

GOTHIKA

Despite starring Halley Berry, for some reason Gothika never got the attention it deserved. Part psychological thriller with supernatural elements, this movie has you jumping and guessing every second.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS

Tim Curry's in it! Need I say more? Okay, the rest of the cast was awesome too, even Charlie Sheen. And there was definitely enough drama and comedy in it to keep me watching.




TOTAL RECALL

I usually hate sci-fi movies, but there is just something compellingly awesome about this one. The premise is a freakin' trip and a half and the heroine is a total bad-ass. And Ah-nold is well, classic Ah-nold. Special effects are done amazingly well for 1990, including an alien with 3 boobs. (Now all the men reading this will rent the movie just for that.)

Apparently a remake will be released this year. I'm intrigued and scared.

COOL RUNNINGS

This one's actually based on a true story of Jamaica's first bobsled team. Inspiring AND funny! Also, the theme song just makes ya want to dance!

A.I.

The first time I saw this movie, I was eight months pregnant and made a total ass of myself bawling in the theater. Written by Stanley Kubric and directed by Stephen Spielberg, A.I. manages to be dark and twisted, yet pull your heartstrings at the same time. It's pretty much Pinocchio with an unhappy ending. But it's done with such haunting beauty, all must see it.

REVENGE OF THE NERDS

Long before there was THE BIG BANG THEORY, there was Revenge of the Nerds... though the sequels aren't that great. The characters are excellent. I guarantee everyone will find a nerd they can relate to. :)


The Color Purple

Based on Alice Walker's amazing novel, this film is definitely on my list of "Greatest of all Time." Whoopi Goldberg stars as Celie, a woman who is oppressed by family, husband, and society yet slowly finds her strength. Have a box of tissues at hand. This one's a bigger tear-jerker than Forest Gump.

Cube

I love movies that make you go WTF? Even more, I love movies that make you think. CUBE does both. It's an ultimate mind trip. Despite major questions remaining unanswered, this one has you staring at the screen, scratching your head and thinking, "I gotta watch this with so-and-so."


Harold and Maude

This one's probably the quirkiest love story of all time. Maude should be everyone's hero. HAROLD and MAUDE will make you laugh, cry, and have a whole new outlook on life and love. I don't want to say too much about the actual story because every second is a treat. 

OMG, HUNGER GAMES!!!

So we just saw THE HUNGER GAMES yesterday. And it was AWESOME!I haven't seen a movie that good in a long time. Although, THE HELP came close. :) And these two films have something in common:
They did their best to remain faithful to the book.

Most successful books based on movies end up being successful. Which begs the question: Why do some directors/ screenwriters choose to deviate from a book? (I'm glaring at you, makers of THE QUEEN OF THE DAMNED)

The purpose of this brief post is to declare two things.

1.) Filmmakers: PLEASE FOLLOW THE BOOK!

2.)  Everyone: GO SEE THE HUNGER GAMES!!! 

Favorite Christmas Movies

It's that time of year again. Though the holidays are chaotic, one still has to make time to curl up with a cup of cocoa and watch Christmas movies. Here are some of my favorites.

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

It's Christmas and Halloween at the same time! Double WIN! 'Cuz Tim Burton's the Man!

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer:

The ultimate outcast/ underdog movie.

Santa Claus is Coming To Town:

The villain's name is the best. Say it with me: "Burgermeister Meisterburger." It never gets old!

THE CHRISTMAS TREE

A very strange, very low budget TV Christmas Special. But for some reason I love it. For some reason all I could find was the entire movie.

A CHRISTMAS STORY:

This one has to be my ultimate favorite. Every second of the movie is a delight.

What are your favorites?

16 Horror Movie Recommendations! ...and WINNER of TRINA M. LEE's giveaway!

Drummmmmrollllllll....And the winner is DON!!!! I will pass on your email to the awesome Trina Lee!

I was born and raised on horror movies and developed a taste for the macabre, the abnormal, potty humor, and cheese. If it weren't a blog post my list would be miles long. I'm trying to make this list as short as possible here, so I'm gonna break it into categories. There's only one vampire film on here...but that's 'cuz I'm saving vampire movies for their own post.

The categories:

Okay for Kids:

The Addams Family & Addams Family Values
Full of enough spookiness for the holiday, goofiness for the younguns, and inside humor for the parents, these two are classics. Also, Gomez & Morticia have the best marriage I've seen on a screen.

Seriously, it's a marriage one can only dream about.

Ghostbusters & Ghostbusters 2

Never have I seen a better PG mix of horror and comedy...and if you haven't seen these movies already, I will feel compelled to slap you.

...and damn, now I just realized I need to add Ghostbusters 2 and Addams Family Values in my "Good Movie Sequels" list...with Ghostbuster's 2 taking the #1 spot. 

BEETLEJUICE


'Cuz Tim Burton's the MAN! There was a cartoon series back in the day that was even better...alas, it's not been released yet. :( 

Damn, now I got the cartoon theme song stuck in my head.

NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS:

A Christmas and Halloween mashup... that's also an animated musical. Need I say more? Yes! Again, 'cuz Tim Burton's the MAN! I will also recommend this for the Christmas season.

We all learn the same lesson as the protagonist: Halloween kicks Christmas's ass!

Cheesetacular Craptastic:

NIGHT OF THE DEMONS.

I will now state the obvious: I have a thing for the 80's...and spooky houses. This film is the epitome of low budget 80's horror. The puns and bad acting only increased the fun. And lipstick was used in the most creative...and disturbing way possible. But, this movie broke the traditions of the time in a big way. Watch it and find out.

NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 1, 3 & 4 

I'm a complete Freddy fanatic. My mama raised me that way. :) I could write an extensive thesis on all the nifty stuff about this franchise...but since it's a blog post I'll just point you at the documentary, which is as fun as the movies. And I'll leave you with a some trivia:

1.) A LOT of big stars debuted with Elm Street: JOHNNY DEPP, Patricia Arquette and Lawrence Fishburne. ALICE COOPER also had a cameo in part 6.

One, two, Freddy's coming for you. 

RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD

This is the movie that gave zombies their iconic slogan: Braiiiiiiiins! Also, I swear half the cast of NIGHT OF THE DEMONS was in it. It was a film that had me applauding glorious cheese all the way through.

3 words: Zombie split-dogs

MONSTURD: 

Just like any writer, I appreciate sophisticated satire. But sometimes I just gotta have some potty humor. And yes, this is about a poop-monster. The sequel" RETARDEAD, was entertaining as well.

This is the very definition of  "Craptastic."

ACTUALLY SCARY Movies. 

PET SEMATARY:

Yeah, I know, a lot of you are going, "Meh, it's not that scary." This is the only actual "horror" movie that has really scared the crap out of me. I was 8 when I first saw it. It ain't so bad now on the surface. But the concept of your loved ones coming back evil and wanting to kill you still churns my insides. Also... CREEPY LITTLE KIDS!!! I absolutely LOATHE CREEPY little kids...It was probably inspired by this movie...and THE SHINING.

Don't read the book. It'll ruin The Ramones for you for the rest of your life.

DELIVERANCE:

You'll never hear banjos the same way again.

Okay... I live in Northern Idaho...and for a lot of you that automatically means I'm a redneck, unless it's just a summer home. But....

A.) I live in Coeur d'Alene, which is among the top desired locations for the rich & famous. Oprah bought 2 condos like 6 blocks away from me and Eddie Money drives by our house once in awhile in his Hummer and waves. We have a great balance of "City" and "Picturesque Outdoors"


B.) Yeah... a lot of "redneck" jokes do apply to me...but if you hunt, fish....or have low income, I'm sure they apply to you as well. :)


C.) I did Census work out in "the boonies" where "real" rednecks are to be found. North Idaho "rednecks" have great, full sets of teeth, do not speak in twangy accents (They and I sound as boring and un-exotic as sitcom stars) and do not play banjo while contemplating terrorist gang-rape.

Anyway, this movie combines many redneck stereotypes and throws in a few new ones in the most horrifying manner possible...with some gang rape.

THE EXORCIST:


Excellent book...kinda-sorta boring movie...at first. Then you see this freaky-crab-walk action and you're scarred for life. One of my stepdaughters had a tantrum like this years ago...and the nightmares still come.

Seriously, this scene is not right.

And....ANYTHING WITH CLOWNS IN IT!

This pic is from Killer Klowns From Outer Space, which is supposed to be a funny movie. I ask you, is there anything "funny" about THAT?

JUST PLAIN AWESOME:

GINGERSNAPS:


Author Trina M. Lee recommended this one to me a year ago. I gotta say: hands down, the BEST werewolf movie ever. I'm not usually into werewolves. (Not a dog person, LOL) but  this film transcended my bias. Rounded, engaging characters, good-times gore, and surprising emotional moments. This one's a keeper.

The most unbelievable thing about this movie was siblings getting along so well.

From Dusk Till Dawn


It's like a math formula: Quentin Tarantino + Robert Rodriguez + vampires = AWESOME. Everything they do together is good times. ::sigh Desperado...sigh...fans self::: Anyway: the quirky characters, the action, & the profanity makes this one a classic.

Also, it's the only movie where George Clooney is cute.  If I get raging arguments in my comments section from the Clooney-fans, I'll know some women are reading my blog. Mwah hah hah hah hah. 

ARMY OF DARKNESS

This one's an ultimate classic. It's like the PRINCESS BRIDE of horror-dom. ALL MUST SEE AND QUOTE IT ON A REGULAR BASIS. And dude, Bruce Campbell's on twitter!

We all want "some sugar" and more of Ash's "Boomstick."

ROSE RED:

In my opinion, one of the best haunted house movies EVER!!! It's really long, but totally worth it.

And Stephen King has a quick cameo...see if you can spot it.

Anyway, I could list 100s more and I'm always looking for recommendations. Please share your favorites! 

8 Good Movie Sequels

Jim Morrison + half naked Indian = Win.

I've had sequels on the brain lately. One thing that's always bothered me is: Why are so many book sequels awesome but movie sequels suck most of the time? Seriously, I do not have an answer for this. If you have a theory, please share it in the comments.

However, once in awhile a movie sequel shines. Sometimes, they're better than the original.

Here's a few:

WAYNE'S WORLD 2

The original was a blast, and the sequel did it justice. The only beef I had with it was that Cassandra was unbelievably flaky, and Christopher Walken wasn't funny or quirky like he is in most of his films. However,
the YMCA bit, and the appearances of Jim Morrison, Rip Taylor, and the "weird naked Indian" were EPIC!

TERMINATOR 2:

This is the prime example of an unheard of case. T2 was better than T1. The effects were awesome, Sarah Conner had gone from a timid waitress to a complete badass. The plot was more complex and dynamic. It was flat out excellent.

SUBSPECIES 2:

SUBSPECIES is one of my favorite vampire franchises. Done by the indie company: Full Moon Entertainment, most of the budget is dedicated to filming on site in Romania. The villain, Radu Vladislas is one of the most compelling ever and it is in this film where he grows more complex.

NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3

Wes Craven had nothing to do with part 2 so his solution for Part 3 was to pretend the former hadn't existed. It worked out awesome, brought back the heroine from part 1 and gave many now famous actors their start.

MULAN 2:

Disney's animated sequels usually fail miserably. But this one was a success. Not only did Mulan's warrior buddies each find true love (as a romance author this excites me to no end) but there was a pleasing realistic element with Mulan's struggle between her roles as wife and warrior.

HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY:

Taking off right where HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE left off, the adventure continues with even more epically hilarious twists, and you won't believe what happens to Neil Patrick Harris!

NIGHT OF THE DEMONS 2

Not enough to touch the low budget, cheesy glory of the original, but this one deserves a spot just for the good characterization. The nun with the ruler is my favorite.

KILL BILL, Vol. 2

Okay, this one almost doesn't count since it's more of a continuation than a sequel. But since Vol. 1 had so many delicious teasers, I'm putting it here because it not only delivered the promises, it surpassed them. And there is no more badass Kung-Fu master than Pai Mei and his stylish beard.

Anyone have any more good sequels?