PHANTOMS

A cool night breeze
Flows through the trees
Be still my heart
Hold off my unease

Dont be frightened tis but a phantom
An imagined state
There is no one else here
No hounds at the gate

I hold onto my collar,
As I quicken my pace
No mere suspicion
Has taken its place

Leaves fall around my ankles
I hold fast on my need
As I make for the path
At even greater speed

I must get out
Leave this wretched Park
For the Phantoms live on
When you're alone
In the Dark.

Acceptable in the 80's

I liked Hungry Hungry Hippos.

Back in the eighties it was like crack for a 5 year old.

I mean come on... the game was all about addiction!

How many marbles can I gobble up!? I bet I can get more marbles than any of yah.

The techniques you employed in the game were intense. You had to become one with the marbles and find your inner hippo.

Feed me.

Only the clueless would say it was a game of chance. I was unbeaten for two whole weeks back in 1984. 

Often wondered what happened with those hippos though.

I mean there they were, unassuming primary color types. Lizzie Hippo, Henry Hippo, Homer Hippo and Harry Hippo.

They must have had serious identity problems. I mean Lizzy changed her name to Happy, and sometimes the hippos changed there colors.

Maybe it was the whole addiction thing.

They were all attending Marbles anonymous and then Bam, one day some asshole brings in a whole bag of marbles and before you can say "Its a race, its a chase, hurry up and feed their face" -- years of hard painful work... put out to pasture.

No wonder they kept changing there names.

I did some research though, and I don't know about the newest version...

I mean the Pink Sweetie Potamus? Pickya Bottomas -nah- Bottomless Potomus and Picky Potomus... and - for the love of god- a Green Veggie Potamus? 

These Hippos are seriously in denial.

Cows... natures Comedian's...

SlapDash PR try to figure out a commercial for "Nature's Tofu".

Written by Jason Woodford
Produced by Heather Brown
Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Canada

What is a cult film anyways? : The Student Memorandum - Part One

Warning: The content of these posts contain sections of a student dissertation; expect high language - low humor and  general confusion. Still, its also a good excuse to talk about films I like...

so hell -- why not?

Cult n. system of worship; devotion to some person, thing (Collins English Dictionary).

In order to fully understand the term “cult” in regards to media texts, specifically of cinema and television, I will apply theories to help define and raise points over what a cult text is, who defines them and how they effect our society. I have chosen to apply the theories of Auterism, Genre and Audience to help understand this term better. I will be exploring movies that have been referred to as cult texts in the media, but even so, the canon of films that I choose, may be open to debate. I have also conducted two interviews with people involved with “cult” texts. Paul Higgins, the Crowd Assistant Director on Star Wars Episode One (1999), and Michael Jayston who played the Valeyard in the Dr Who series Trial of a Time Lord. I questioned them on what it was like being involved with such texts.

I will begin with Genre Theory as a starting block for this dissertation. Genre theory centres on the study of collections of media texts that carry the same set of stylistics, structure or audience expectations. Systems of expectations provide the viewers with a means of understanding or recognizing the text. Although I do not believe “cult” is a genre in itself (they can be in different genres) an understanding of this theory, may highlight similarities between cult films from different genres and see if some genres appear more prolific than others.

In genre study it is also important to take into account the historical aspect. Although there are archetypal stories, genres are continually being re-classified in the search of something fresh to keep the audience interested, whilst at the same time not making it too different and alienating the potential audience. I will look at the birth of sub-genres and the trends that have surfaced in particular decades. I will be looking at these trends, from the B-movies in the 50’s (Plan 9 from Outer Space, 1959) to Slasher movies in the early 80’s (Halloween (1978), Friday the 13^th(1980), Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)). Identifying those films that have been deemed cult films, I hope they will provide a useful insight into how these cult texts were defined. I will also look at the prolific genres of Horror and Science Fiction as genre’s that seem to generate a large amount of cult viewing, regardless of apparent quality. The elite term “Cult Classic” will also be explored in regards to films such as Casablanca (1942) to Taxi Driver (1976). 

Insert caption about unfortunate Bogey here.

The birth of New Hollywood in the mid to late 70’s with films like Taxi Driver, Star Wars (1977) and Jaws (1975) from emerging young directors. I will also discuss in relation to how these films defined genre’s and, in the case of Star Wars, provided the New Hollywood model – to make as much money as possible. Finally, I will have a look at the cult movies of the last decade, and explore genre study through the actual production of the films itself, such as the proliferation of low-budget “cult” movies such as Clerks (1993) and The Blair Witch Project (1999). 

So if films in certain genre’s or trends are not cult movies, what makes certain films, in a genre, stand out as cult films? The next chapter will apply Auter theory, in order to explore the ideas whether an individual influence can make a film a cult film. 

In retrospect:

Since then we have also had micro movies made good standards like Paranormal Activity (2009). But with an incredibly flooded market for movies these days... perhaps attaining cult status is the best (and possibly only way) for an independent to make it in todays market of social media and all to easy access to movies of all description. Genre, satisfying audiences expectations, seems to be the best way to make money period. Just ask Hollywood.

If Hollywood were a person... and had good references.

The Trials and Tribulations of Earnest Schwibblesnit

 THE BEARD SONG

Should I shave or should it grow,

If It stays there will be trouble

If it goes there will be Stubble,

So what I really want to know…

Should I shave or should it grow…

Well the Devil may Care

The Full Moon shines over days of yore

Stranger comes to town

Never been here before.

The People warn him not to go up there

The castle is the Vampires lair.

"Well the Devil may care" It is heard he said

If I don’t live for today I might just well be dead

Jab me with your weapon, Man

You don't fill me with dread.

The hooves clattered on into the silent night

The driver stops at the gates

Forces him out into the twilight

"Now your on your own" He murmurs from above

Leaving a trail of dust in his rush

"Well the Devil may care" It is heard he said

If I don’t live for today I might just well be dead

Jab me with your weapon, Man

You don't fill me with dread.

He goes to knock at the door, 

but it creaks open wide

Slowly he goes to the darkness inside

Something dark in the corner, 

What was that?

Something hovers above, 

Was it a bat?

There's something coming, 

What could it be?

"Greetings Friend, 

I am Christopher Lee"

"Well the Devil may care" 

It is heard he said

If I don’t live for today 

I might just well be dead

Jab me with your weapon, Man

You don't fill me with dread.

From the corners of the room

Beautiful women wake from their tomb

"Welcome stranger, to my humble abode

Come sit down - lighten the load"

"Well the Devil may care" It is heard he said

If I don’t live for today I might just well be dead

Jab me with your weapon, Man

You don't fill me with dread.

"We're about to have dinner, would you care for a bite?"

The sex goddesses came closer to the light

We're having Steak tonight…

Fangs slid from the strangers mouth

Lee leapt and stabbed all in one

Pinned on the wall the stranger begun

"Well the Devil may Care" Its heard he said

If I ever catch you alive, you'll be better off dead

Jab me with your weapon, Man

For I welcome the Undead.