A MONSTER of a Blog: Page-O-Ween, TV Roundup, Gone Baby Gone - Reviewed! And Celeb Sightings! SCARY.

Darkness Falls Across The Land
The Midnite Hour Is Close At Hand
Creatures Crawl In Search Of Blood
To Terrorize Y'awl's Neighbourhood
And Whosoever Shall Be Found
Without The Soul For Getting Down
Must Stand And Face The Hounds Of Hell
And Rot Inside A Corpse's Shell
The Foulest Stench Is In The Air
The Funk Of Forty Thousand Years
And Grizzy Ghouls From Every Tomb
Are Closing In To Seal Your Doom

This is HALLOWEEN, baby.

Oh man, for the second straight weekend it was nothin' but scary good times here in Hollyweird. Last weekend I took in NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS 3-D at the El Capitan theater and joined up with a veritable Midnight Society to make the annual trek to KNOTT'S SCARY FARM. This weekend though, things again were turned up to eleven.

Firstly, Saturday night saw our third annual PAGE-O-WEEN party! Thanks to the efforts of Carlos M and his crew, it was once again THE party of the year, with Carlos' Pasadena digs swarming with all manner of ghouls and goblins eager to monster mash. This year, I donned the outfit of one of my personal heroes, Mr. JACK f'n BAUER. Yes, dammit all, I saw a Jack Bauer CTU costume kit for sale and could not resist its gravitas-infused allure. So I proudly sported a CTU-branded bullet-proof vest, ID badge, and yes, the JACK SACK of DOOM, and, if I do say so myself, I felt that I did Kiefer proud with my homage to his fabled world-savior. In any case, Page-O-Ween was once again a great mix of friends old and new. The G-Man was there in full-force as Optimus Prime, but many new recruits to the NBC Page cause were also more than meets the eye. NBCU Digital Distribution was well-represented with myself, Chris E as Super Mario, and Genevieve as Strawberry Shortcake. $#$% in a Box of SNL Digital Short fame was big this year, and other costumes of note included a 300 Spartan, Jack In the Box, Criss Angel, Bob Ross, and Princess Peach. It was cool to see so many old-school pages alongside new-to-NBC peeps, and as always it was a memorable night.

Then, the following day was my annual HALLOWEEN HORROR MOVIE MARATHON~! A small group of hardcore film freaks came out to enjoy an all-star screamfest of carefully-selected titles. I really got a kick out of all of this year's films. Okay, so BLACULA isn't exactly a cinematic masterpiece, but it's a great one to watch with a group and mercilessly mock. The opening, in which an African emmisary travels to distant Transylvania in order to persuade Count Dracula to use his vast influence to help stop the Africa slave trade ... well, let's just say it's CLASSIC. "I curse you with mine own name ... from this point forth you shall be known as ... BLACULA!" Bwahahaha ... awesome. Man, this movie was so Un-PC it's not even funny. Well, actually, it's hilarious. And then ... there was THE MONSTER SQUAD. Man, what a movie! I only wish I had seen it as a kid alongside flicks like The Goonies and 3 Ninjas. This one fits right into the 80's pantheon of kids-versus-the-forces-of-evil flicks, and is just classic geek-out moments from start to finish, courtesy of writer Shane Black of Lethal Weapon fame, who penned The Monster Squad as one of his first forays into filmed entertainment. This one is just so much fun to watch - I mean, Dracula drives a black hearse with a skul-shaped hood ornament! Basically, it's all of the classic Universal monsters versus a ragtag group of Goonies-style kids, complete with prerequisite fat kid, known as Fat Kid appropriately enough. Pure 80's movie magic, and a perfect Halloween treat. "Call me ... Horace!" And, oh yeah ... is there any line more classic than "Wolfman's got nards!" ? I think not. Finally, we watched the recent remake of DAWN OF THE DEAD, directed by Zack Snyder of 300 fame. Kickass movie, very action-packed, and some great over-the-top performances by the likes of Vhing Rames and a few others. The movie did a pretty good job of fitting in a nicely-constructed new-civilization-in-the-wake-of-Zombie-apocalypse story into the script, and there's some cool action scenes and a great feeling of nonstop foreboding and some good dark humor to boot. The direction by Snyder is spot-on, and it made me all the more curious to see what he does with Watchmen.

So overall it was a great Marathon ... complete with Opening Scare-imonies consisting of the traditional episodes of THE SIMPSONS Treehouse of Horror specials. The WALL OF HORRORS returned for another go-round, and it was a horrifically entertaining evening of blaxploitation vampires, kid monster-hunters, and yes, ZOMBIES. Thanks to G-Man, Seth, Carlos, and Fowzia for coming along for the ride! Now ... it's time to start planning the lineup for next year! Bwahahahaha ...

So, man, with all this Halloween build-up, it's once again almost feeling like the day itself is a bit anti-climactic. Ah, I remember the good old days of freezing my ass off in CT as Halloween approached, never being happy with my costumes, and being made fun of for being forced to wear seven layers of sweat shirts underneath my costume by my overprotective parents! Seriously, it is still pretty weird being in Sunny LA when it should be cold and dank and Halloween-appropriate. Oh well, I guess that's why you have to do other things to get into the right ... spirit ... (pun intended).

Oh, I've also been trying to do a lot of Halloween-themed reading to get into the proper mindset. I have had a copy of Steve Niles' 30 DAYS OF NIGHT lying around forever, so I thought I'd finally check it out before seeing the movie. I thought it was okay, but I wasn't a huge fan of the muddles artwork by Ben Templesmith and the narrative struck me as a bit bare-bones. On the other hand, I am still absolutely LOVING what has become one of my all-time favorite series, that being THE WALKING DEAD by Robert Kirkman. I mean, with each new graphic novel that is released, I find myself totally engrossed in the adventures of a band of survivors in a world overrun by flesh-eating zombies. It's hard to describe to the non-reader, but what makes the series so compelling is the excellently-defined characters - you come to know them and care about them and when they die, which many ineveitably do - it really is heart-wrenching. Kirkman drapes his tale in a feeling of unsettling unease - so even when the action dies down, as it does in this latest volume, there is always a lingering feeling of dread that keeps you turning the pages like mad. I can't emphasize enough that you need to be reading THE WALKING DEAD, even if you're not predisposed to horror, this is one of the best comics going period.

- BTW, for Page-O-Ween and Knotts Scary Farm pics, check me out on MySpace or Facebook, and see me in all my Jack Bauer-ified glory. Dammit all ...

TV STUFF:

Okay ... I'm going to have to keep these short because there's lots to cover. I'll work backwards from last night's new episodes:

HEROES:

- Last night's episode was decently entertaining, but still suffering from the same problems that have plagued the majority of the episodes thus far this season: awkward pacing, jumpy storylines, and character arcs that seem to be progressing at a snail's pace, with little in the way of payoff for antsy viewers. No Kristen Bell this week, but we returned to two of the season's weakest storylines - Claire and Hiro's ongoing adventures. Again, the Claire stuff just comes off as too B-list WB teen soap-ish. Claire at this point seems to have regressed - everyone wants to see her as, well, a hero! I want to see Claire facing down evil-doers, saving the world! Instead here she is dealing with mean cheerleaders and falling for flying emo boy. As for Hiro - he's in feudal Japan, going on all these quests, and yet we're msising all the good stuff! I think last night was the first time we saw any actual swords drawn, and it's been five episodes already. So again, there's some interesting storylines going on - but um, what about the murder mystery and the virus thing? How are those not front and center at this point? Not to mention that the show really loses momentum by, say, totally dropping the Nightmare Man storyline from last week in favor of more Claire high school drama and more scenes of Sylar and the Wonder Twins in which nothing actually happens, as they inch ever closer to Estados Unidos. And I do mean "inch." And then, Peter is STILL moping aorund with lame Irish chick ... I mean, STILL! Get him out of that stupid pub already, for the love of God. And please, have Ms. Bell fry Irish Lass asap. Talk about an annoying character. What am I liking? Well, the stuff with HRG was pretty cool - it's nice to see him veering towards the side of EVIL once agaaain. And the visions of an apocalyptic New York were cool - I just hope there is a rhyme and reason to it. So once again - mildly entertaining and diverting, but give us something to sink our teeth into already!

My Grade: B -

ALIENS IN AMERICA:

- This was a funny, well-done ep, but it may have been the weakest of the series thus far. Part of it was that the humor just felt a little bit less prominent this week, as the show took a bit of a more serious turn. The other thing was that they still need to work on fleshing out the parents. The Dad subplots were very reminiscient of a Hal subplot on Malcolm in the Middle, but Scott Paterson doesn't yet have Bryan Cranston's skill for absurdist comedy, and his character on the show is still a bit of a blank slate. Overall though, I still love the show and the dynamic between Justin and Raja is just awesome, and often hilarious.

My Grade: B+

SMALLVILLE:

- Yes! Now THAT was the Smallville I know and love. Thursday's ep was easily the best so far of the season. It had some real, actual development for Clark on his road to accepting his destiny as Superman. I loved the gift of the cape from the actress he saved, and I loked that they finally seemed to be building momentum and moving Clark forward instead of having him simply tread water. Lex was great here - I loved how they brought back Warrior Angel and referenced Lex's love for the Smallville-verse's premiere comic book series, and how it's black and white morality was somethin that Lex was trying to come to terms with as he increasingly sees his actions in shades of grey. I loved Lois Lane as crusading reporter - Erica Durance really has become one of the highlights of the show, and it's been fun to see her get into the thick of things at The Daily Planet. And, much to the benefit of the show - Lionel Luthor returned, as awesomely villainous as ever. Lionel is always a pleasure to watch and it was cool seeing the great John Glover back on the show, as he really is a kickass actor who infuses Smallville with a hefty dose of GRAVITAS. The plot was actually pretty interesting this week as well, even including a bit of meta-commentary about picky fans who complain when the show deviates from established continuity. Good stuff -- this was, dare I say it, Smallville at its best.

My Grade: A -

30 ROCK:

- 30 Rock was totally classic last week. From the "Page-Off" to Alec Baldwin's instant-classic portrayal of several members of Tracy's family in one continuous bit of hilarity, everything about Thursday's ep was simply awesome, and gut-bustingly hilarious. This was perhaps one of the best-ever episodes. Carrie Fischer was great. Tracy Morgan had me dying with his dog-fighting and "You're not my dad!" flashbacks, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. 30 Rock is kicking ass right now.

My Grade: A

THE OFFICE:

- Lo and behold - The Office goes back to half-an-hour and suddenly, it's awesome again! Finally, we got the tightly-scripted, laugh-a-minute Office of old, with tons of great humor courtesy of Dwight, Andy, and Michael. The Dwight-Andy "Oh, D!" exchange was classic, and Dwight's foray into Second Life was also pretty freaking funny. And how about Andy's futile attempts to remember the Kit-Kat bar "gimme a break" jingle? Lots of comedy gold here - welcome back, half-hour Office!

My Grade: A -

GOSSIP GIRL:

- Another great episode! I loved all of the twists and turns of Wednesday's ep, and man, the show is really starting to grow on me. I hesitate to even call it a guilty pleasure, as the whole thing is very smartly-scripted and really well-acted from top to bottom. Jenny is really starting to become one of the standout characters - she is feisty! Again, I am a bit weary of all of the co-mingling between Dan and Serena's families, but kudos to this show for raising the bar nearly every week.

My Grade: A -

BIONIC WOMAN:

- The show really started to lose me last week, as it felt like the stakes were really lowered and the intensity was really ratcheted down a notch. I quickly lost interest in Jamie's foray into the world of undercover espionage, although it was refreshing to see Michelle Ryan speak in her native British dialect. Otherwise, I am still waiting for this show to up the ante after a promising pilot.

My Grade: C+

PUSHING DAISIES:

- I continue to be a huge fan of this show nearly unconditionally. Last week was another great one, with Kristin Chenoweth getting better by the week, some interesting conflict between Ned and Chuck, and more of the awesome dialogue that makes this show so darn lovable. BTW, I realized what this show reminds me of, aside from Tim Burton movies -- anyone else get a real Tim Schafer vibe from Daisies? If you don't know, Mr. Schafer is the mastermind behind such beloved computer games as Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango, and Psychonauts. I just get that same vibe from Daisies -- the dark humor, sense of whimsy mixed with imaginative intelligence, the vibrant cast of characters, and of course the great dialogue - it all reminds me of the greatness of games like Grim Fandango. Great stuff.

My Grade: A

And now, on to movies ...

- So this past weekend, I ventured to Universal to take in a free screening of a much-anticipated film, American Gangster. Alas, the screening was totally full, so, intent on seeing a movie, we headed up to Citywalk and caught another one I'd been wanting to see - Gone Baby Gone ...

GONE BABY GONE Review:

- This is one of those movies that is filled with great performances, a number of great scenes, and a great level of intensity. But it's also a film that is so bleak, so depressing in its examination of moral grey areas and hopless urban decay ... it's one of those films where I just wasn't quite sure what to take away from it. Don't get me wrong though - Gone Baby Gone is one hell of an impressive movie in a number of respects.

The first thing that really stands out is just how good Casey Affleck is in this one. Not quite as good as in THE ASSASINATION OF JESSE JAMES, where he was, dare I say, Oscar-worthy, but Casey is quickly becoming one of the actors to watch from his generation of up-and-comers. As a young missing-persons investigator, Affleck does a great job of mixing nervous inexperience with street smarts, playing a guy who is a bit in over his head but never shows it as he unravels the mystery of a missing girl. Affleck is backed up by an outstanding supporting cast. Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris are both at their best here - especially Harris, who turns in a totally riveting performance as a morally questionable cop who has certain extreme ideas of justice. Michelle Monahagan also does a really good job as Affleck's world-weary girlfriend / partner.

One of the stars of the movie isn't a person, but a city. Boston is brought to life here, except not in the way you might expect. The way Beantown is portrayed - dirty, gritty, decaying - it's like NYC in many a 70's crime flick. But director Ben Aflleck makes an interesting point here - portraying the hardened, no-nonsense denizens of South Boston and its suburbs as a product of their city. And if you've been to those parts of Massachussets, you know he is making a pretty valid point. Going into this film though, I thought I might recognize a locale or two, but this was a Boston far removed from the beautiful city I knew as a BU student - this is the bad side of town, skid row, the slums - where people are driven to drugs and crime and vice as if the city itself was demanding it of them. Affleck spends a lot of time lingering on the scenery, and it's an effective tactic - painting a picture of a place that perhaps breeds a certain type of human being.

In the end though, while certain scenes were utterly gripping (for example, Affleck's showdown with a crime boss named Cheese in a seedy club), I at times had to wonder: "what is the point of all this?" The script in many ways just left me feeling empty - it reminded me in many ways of something like Million Dollar Baby - where the story seems to be set up to culminate in some kind of victory for the characters, only to take a downward spiral and end in an unpleasant bout of bleakness and hopelessness. It's just one of those things that makes you wonder about the story construction - without some kind of overarching conclusion or take-away, why tell this story? Sure, there are a number of running themes here - how people are the products of their environment, how justice isn't always black and white, how innocence can be corrupted by family - but I felt like this film kind of presented all of these films without necessarily having any real insights into them. Again, it just left me feeling very empty and depressed, and wondering if, without such a collection of superb actors, the movie would still hold up to the extent that it does.

Gone Baby Gone is a great directorial effort from Ben Affleck, and a movie notable for another star-making turn from younger brother Casey. Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman are in top form, and a number of scenes are brilliantly intense and impeccably staged. But is it a great movie? To me, it was not, as it just lacked that final punch that tied everything together and served as a way to ensure that the movie isn't just there for the sake of being there, but that it actually made a statement. At the end of the movie, Casey Affleck is left to make a devastating choice regarding the fate of a kidnapped girl, and both of his options are far from ideal. It's an interesting moral dillemna, but at the same time it feels like the movie has virtually no opinion on which choice is the right one. To some, that may be rewardingly complex. To me, it was more frustrating than satisfying. Still, Gone Baby Gone is worth checking out, and I look forward to more from Ben Affleck: director.

My Grade: B


Alllllllllllright boys and ghouls - I'm about out of here.

Before I go, I have to mention what an awesome day today was in terms of celeb sightings at work. In the NBC Commisary today, who did I see but the remaining members of one of the most revolutionary bands of all time. Yes, kids, I was in the presence of JOHNNY ROTTEN and THE SEX PISTOLS~!!!!!!!!!! Man, how friggin' (in the riggin') awesome is that?!?! The Pistols are actually on Leno tonight, performing Anarchy in the UK. Check it out, even if it is pretty weird and surreal to see the OG punk rockers on Leno of all places. Still ... I SAW JOHNNY ROTTEN IN PERSON! God save the Queen indeed.

Then, right here in my office, down the hall, mere feet from my desk, was none other than leader of THE GO-GO's ... Ms. BELINDA CARLISLE!!!! Holy crap! For a moment, heaven was a place on earth. Yep, we got the beat, baby.

Yes, another MONSTER EDITION of the blog ... so good ... it's SCARY.