Back from the Land of the Dead

Posted on by

Sequels are rarely as good as the original. There are far more Jaws 2‘s than there are Godfather 2‘s. And the farther you go down the sequel path, the more likely you are to see a mess.

That’s why I’m happy to say that George A. Romero‘s Land of the Dead is a welcome addition to his zombie series.

My favorite is still “Night of the Living Dead.” I doubt that any zombie movie will ever top NOTLD, not only because everything came together on it [the low budget, shooting in black and white, a cast of unknowns, etc.], but also because it was the first zombie movie to really get to me. These weren’t island zombies or some mummy come back to life. These were our neighbors, our friends and even our family members who were crawling out of the grave to eat us!

Land of the Dead is my second favorite of Romero‘s quartet [followed by Dawn of the Dead and then Day of the Dead]. While I generally don’t like the idea of “smart” zombies, I was intrigued by the idea that these zombies were starting to learn. I thought all of of the actors were well cast. The use of fireworks as a plot device was a cool idea. Heck, I can even go with the idea that money still has value [although that plot element to me was the weakest].

Land of the Dead is supposed to be Romero’s final zombie movie, but I wouldn’t mind see him come back for another.

“Night of the Living Dead” rates an A+
“Dawn of the Dead” [original] rates a C+
“Dawn of the Dead” [remake] rates an A
“Day of the Dead” rates a C
“Land of the Dead” rates a B

War of the Worlds and War of the Words

Posted on by

Tom Cruise has been in two battles lately. One, The War of the Worlds with Steven Spielberg; the other, The War of the Words with Brooke Shields.

Let’s start with the one that most people can get behind, The War of the Worlds. This update is a worthy successor to the classic 1953 film. And although I’ve never read the book by HG Wells, what I have read indicates that the film doesn’t veer too far from Wells‘ basic ideas.

War of the Worlds is a movie that should be seen in a crowded theater. It’s a big, explosive, exciting summer picture worthy of the Independance Day Weekend slot. Cruise does a fine job of being a jerk of a father who finds himself forced to be responsible for the lives of not only himself but also his two children.

Dakota Fanning is, as always, excellent. She is one of the finest actors working today. Tim Robbins shows up in a supporting role and pulls it off better than I would have expected since he’s playing against the type of role we usually see him play. And of course, Stephen Spielberg rules. Any quibbles I would have with this film would truly be nitpiks and War of the Worlds was too much scary fun to do that. If you haven’t seen War of the Worlds, you should. And before it comes out on dvd.

Now for Cruise’s recent War of the Words with Brooke Shields and Matt Lauer. Tom‘s been acting strange lately. In fact, it’s been the talk all over the internet and entertainment news shows. I’ve avoided discussing it here, since I figured that Tom was just in love and attributed his jumping on couches and screaming, to his infatuation to Katie Holmes and her apparent conversion to Scientology.

Yet, Tom‘s recent behavior has gone beyond what can be excused by the excitement of a new romance. When Cruise spoke out against psychiatry and the use of medicine, well, that’s his opinion and he’s entitled to it [as wrong as he may be].

But when he personally criticized Brooke Shields for her use of medication while dealing with depression and then argued with Matt Lauer while claiming that he [Cruise] knew the “history of psychiatry” when he so clearly doesn’t have a clue… to me crosses the line.

I wonder what’s up with Mr. Cruise. He used to be such a respectful, polite guy. Something has gotten a burr under his sadle.. .

Or maybe he just needs to take a “chill pill.”

“War” of the Worlds rates a B+

Twilight Zone Marathon

Posted on by

Long time ZONE readers know that one of my biggest pleasures as a kid was staying up late and watching scary movies and tv shows.

I still get a kick out ’em.

You can imagine how much I enjoy it when the Scifi channel runs it’s Twilight Zone marathon.

Starting at 11PM tomorrow night and running until 4AM on the 5th, you can tune in and watch the classic Twilight Zone episodes from the 60’s. While I doubt that many of us will last for all 29 hours, there are many episodes worth checking out, including two of my favorites.

The first, “Terror at 20,000 Feet” involves a man [played by William Shatner] who has just been released from a mental institution.

On a plane ride home he sees a creature on the wing of the plane trying to destroy the engine… but no one else sees it. He knows it’s out there, but everyone believes that he’s having another breakdown…

The second is called “To Serve Man.”

Aliens arrive on Earth and all indications are they came in peace… but do they really?

Even if you can’t watch them all [and who can?], maybe you can plan to tune in to see an old favorite or one you’ve never seen before.

I know that I will…

And for just a little while I’ll be a kid again, up on the couch hoping that someone else besides me and Bill Shatner sees the creature on the wing!

Heroes Con 2005 Report

Posted on by

Mike and I arrive in Charlotte at a little after 7PM on Thursday. While checking in to the Weston we see Hal, Matt and Kwan from the Comic Art List. Brian Stelfreeze and Cully Hamner are also in the lobby.

I call James “The James” Howell and he tells me he’ll arrive at the hotel in a few minutes. Mike and I put our things in our room. We freshen up a bit and head back down to the lobby. It’s been about 10 minutes and still no “The James.” Matt, Hal, Mike and I head back up to my room to wait for “The James” to arrive.

Matt remembered to bring me a Stallone piece that Steve McNiven did for me at MegaCon after I left. Heroes hasn’t even started and I already have a new addition to my gallery! ; ) “The James” arrives and so we head down to the lobby.

As we’re all getting ready to go out for dinner, “The James” says, “Have you all seen Batman Begins? Wasn’t it great?” Everyone has seen it and agrees… except for me.

I say that I liked the movie, but had a few problems with it. “The James” gives me a look like I just threw up in his cereal [he’s the king of giving people looks]. “What problems did you have?” he asks. So I begin to lay out a few of them. With each one “The James” looks pained and then gives me a rationalization.

As we’re walking, Brian Stelfreeze, Cully and their crew appear. We all say, “Hi” and stop to talk for a minute. Brian then says, “Have you all seen Batman Begins? Wasn’t it great?” [“The James” gives me a smug smile.] Everyone nods and says, “yeah”… everyone except for me. I say, “I liked it, but had some problems with it.” Since we’re all going out in different directions, I say that I’ll talk to him about it later.

We head over to dinner, and all through the course of the meal the discussion is Batman Begins. Everyone but “The James” agrees that I’ve brought up some valid concerns. “The James” just doesn’t see it. He’s like Tom Cruise talking about Katie Holmes when it comes to Batman Returns. We all head back to the hotel and end up talking art, comics, movies and playing a movie trivia game. “The James” is nearly unbeatable.

The next morning, I’m up early. Mike is sleeping in and coming over after the show starts, but since I’ve scored a special guest pass via John Higashi [who is arriving on Saturday], I can get in early. “The James” and I meet in the lobby and decide to pass on the $16 breakfast buffet and go for the $2.75 bagel. We hang out in the lobby and talk to different folks as they pass through. Rico comes by looking for some dish soap to wash his baby’s bottle. Casey Jones passes through and says that he’s going to have a Stallone piece for me by the end of this show! Matt and Hal come down.

Brian Stelfreeze and Cully come through. Someone brings up Batman Begins [it wasn’t me, I promise]. I tell Brian some of my concerns.  He listens and says, “You know, you’re right. I hadn’t thought of that!”  [I give “The James” a smug smile.] I say, “Overall I liked it though and expect the sequel to be even better.”

We all head over to the show. I get in James Jean’s line for Paul Singh who can’t make the show. Man, it seems that everyone wants something from James Jean. I give him Paul‘s reference and money for Paul and say that John Higashi will take the art back with him.

I stop by and say, “Hi” to Adam and Alison. I get on Rick Leonardi’s list. He says he’s going to draw Rambo. I look for Nat Jones who hasn’t arrived yet. I talk with Mike Ploog and lay the groundwork for John Higashi to get a take home commission. I get on Cliff Chiang‘s list.

I spend a lot of the day hanging out with the guys from Tsunami Studios: Gary McKee, Jason Walker, Mike Torrence and Brian Walker. I set up a watercolor Stallone piece from Gary and Jason and I agree to a future Stallone piece. I check back on Nat Jones throughout the day, but he looks to be a no show… as does Craig Hamilton.

Dinner that night is at Uno’s. There are 14 of us so we get two tables. The place is packed, but we get seated pretty quickly. I’m at the quiet table [yeah, Gary McKee is at the other one and no Beatty this year].

After dinner we head up to the Tsunami Studios room. Brian Walker gifts me a Stallone piece that he did!  We’re all laughing and talking junk when some of us discover that two of the people sitting at Gary’s table for dinner, work in the porn industry! Gary is also shocked and we’re all laughing because he didn’t know that when he shared his beef tips with the woman. Gary gets all flustered which makes everyone laugh harder.

The next morning I am awakened at 6AM by a phone call from John Higashi. He’s driven through the night [on 2 hours of sleep after a full day of work] and is ready for some breakfast. I get cleaned up and head down. John arrives and we find a Burger King for some “nourishment.” As we’re eating John maps out his strategy. He’s a day late [but NOT a dollar behind] and he writes down names and locations of artists on his “hit list.” Military invasions have been planned with less strategy and I know that Higashi is on a mission.

The show opens and I discover that Higashi hit the ground running. Literally. And carrying several bags of art. Higashi is already on several artists’ lists and he’s also picking up commissions and pages that he worked deals on before the show even started!

I see Rick Leonardi who has completed my Rambo piece! Cool! Very cool!

I meet Howard Chaykin. He is one of my comic idols. If Howard writes or draws it, I’ll buy it. Meeting Chaykin is so cool. He tells me about a new comic that he has coming out. It’s in the tradition of Peckinpaugh. It’s called Generations and sounds awesome. Chaykin also tells me about a noir comic that he’d like to do, but so far he hasn’t found a publisher. It’s a very and dark realistic story. I hope that it finds a home. Chaykin says that he’s doing head sketches for ACTOR, but we’d be better off with a home commission. I decide to wait and see if I can work out something later. Meeting Howard Chaykin has been a highlight of ANY convention I’ve ever been to.

Nat Jones arrives! I head over and talk to him. Nat says that he usually doesn’t sketch at shows, but because he knows I am a fan of his work [and maybe because it’s obvious that the piece won’t end up on ebay], and because my theme is different, he agrees to a sketch! Yeah, baby. I pick up the sketch later in the afternoon and love it. Cobra by Nat Jones.

I get word that Craig Hamilton has arrived. “The James” and I head over to his table. Craig has a piece that he completed for “The James.” It’s Snow and Big Bad Wolf and it is sooo sweet. I set up a commission with Craig, who decides to do it as a take home piece since he couldn’t get to me last year at Heroes. Craig promises it will be really nice. How could it not be, since Craig is doing it?


Gary McKee has been working all day on my Stallone watercolor piece. He opted to do Sly as The Punisher. It was cool seeing Gary work on it from concept sketch to finished piece. And I agree with Gary, Sly would have made an excellent Punisher.

I see a lot of friends including Tim Gordon [from The Tampa Comic and Toy Convention], Robert Jewell, and others. Richard “Jaws” Kiel is there. I guess it goes without saying, that he’s HUGE. As the show winds down for day two, we head back to the hotel for the Art Auction. The room is packed. Higashi bids on a few items and wins one. After the auction, Mike and I decide on pizza in the room. Normally we’d hang out with the guys again, but tonight we opt to play some poker [for fun] and watch “Tombstone.” Man, Val Kilmer owns that movie. He should have won an Oscar!!

The next morning, we check out of the room and head over to the last day of the show. The group immediately gets in Mike Ploog‘s line. Mike‘s old school. I grew up on his “Werewolf by Night,” “Frankenstein” and work for Warren. Mr. Ploog is [and has been since the con opened] drawing FREE headshots for fans. Up to this point, I’ve never asked an artist to draw Stallone when they’re sketching for free. It’s one thing to whip out Batman or Spider-Man or a character that they’ve probably drawn dozens of times. It’s a whole different can of worms to ask them to draw a real person. But this is Mike Ploog!! I decide to ask him to draw Jack Carter and I use Brian Stelfreeze‘s piece as reference. When it’s my turn, I hand over my sketchbook and reference and Mike draws me a nice little Stallone headshot! Whoo-hooo! I have Mike Ploog in my Stallone Gallery!

I check in with Casey Jones and he’s done me a great, great piece. It’s Sly from Oscar and the design on the sketch is awesome.  Casey, you are the MAN!!!

Cliff Chiang has completed his Stallone piece. It’s a really sweet piece of Rocky and Adrian. Cliff has really captured the essence of both of these characters. I absolutely love it!

Heroes has once again been a great show. I was able to hang out with my son and friends, meet artists who’ve I’ve admired and even get new artwork for my Stallone Gallery. I should have better pictures of the artists and scans of my new pieces posted within the next week.

I’m already looking forward to next year to do it all again!

AFI Ain’t Got Nothing on CJ

Posted on by
In honor of The American Film Institute‘s List of Top 100 Quotes From Films, I give you: Craig Zablo’s List of Top Ten Quotes from Films:
10.

“I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”

– Apocalypse Now
09.

“There can be only one!”

– Highlander
08.

“Send a maniac to catch a maniac.”

– Demolition Man
07.

“Game over, man! Game over!”

– Aliens
06.

“Boards don’t hit back.”

– Enter the Dragon
05.

“Have I not entertained you?”

– Gladiator
04.

“They’re coming to get you, Barbara.”

– Night of the Living Dead
03.

“You’re a big man, but you’re out of shape. With me it’s a full time job, so please sit down.”

– Get Carter

02.

“Somebody chasin’ you, Sheriff?”

– Smokey and the Bandit
01.

“What’s your mother doin’ flappin’ around in a cage?”

– Paradise Alley

Batman Begins… Mixed Feelings

Posted on by

Let me start by saying that EVERYONE that I know that’s seen Batman Begins really, really likes it. Most everyone has even gone on to say that it’s the best Batman movie yet. They usually conclude by saying how much I’m going to love it.

Well, now that I’ve seen Batman Begins, I can say that they were partly right.

I’d agree that Batman Begins is the best Batman movie yet. Unfortunately, I can’t say that I loved it. Yeah, I liked parts of it a lot, but that still leaves some parts that I didn’t. So, if you haven’t seen it yet, you might want to check the rest of this post later because it will contain some SPOILERS…

Still with me? OK… let’s start of with what worked for me.

The casting was great. Christian Bale makes a very good Batman / Bruce Wayne. Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, and Morgan Freeman were also just right for their roles. [And I had had some doubts about Caine as Alfred.]

The soundtrack was fine. The sets were more realistic and worked well for the “new” direction. And speaking of direction, Christopher Nolan did a fine job, although I would have preferred a little more clarity during the fight scenes. Yeah, I know that he was trying to show how scary it was when you didn’t know where Batman was going to be next, and man, can he move fast… still, a little of that went a long way.

Now the things that bugged me…

Bruce Wayne as a kid is such a ‘fraidy cat. It’s because little Bruce‘s afraid that they leave the opera and his parents end up killed, and wow, won’t that be something to overcome. I did like how they handled Bruce’s dad though. He was caring and adventurous and understanding. [Heck, maybe HE should have been Batman.]

So Bruce decides to travel the world and hang with low-life criminals so that he can come to understand their minds. Huh?

The Ras Al Ghul League of Shadows was a cool idea. I liked the line where he talks about destroying Rome, London, and other cities when their decadance became too great. Ok, so now this sinister secret organization is going to take down Gotham. And they’re going to do it by releasing a poison in the water supply that has to be activated by a device that they have to steal from Wayne industries?!? That’s the best plan that this group could come up with?

And to make matters worse, they have to depend on a mentally ill doctor to hire henchmen to put the stuff in the water pipes? Why not send in a group of his ninja assassins and get the job done right?

And to make matters worse, as soon as Ras throws the switch on the Microwave weapon, the water for blocks on end IMMEDIATELY evaporates? I thought that this was going to be the more REALISTIC Batman?

And before we get to Batman’s actions… I didn’t like how Bruce Wayne was played as an idiot. Yeah, I understand that Batman is playing him that way so people won’t suspect that he’s really Batman. It just doesn’t work for me. Why not give Bruce some dignity. People aren’t going to think that the billionaire playboy is Batman. You don’t have to make him come off as a drunken jerk who burns down his own house.

Now for Batman’s actions… first of all, Batman shouldn’t be flying around Gotham. Swinging on his line I can live with. And don’t give me some guff and say, “Oh, but he was gliding.” I saw the movie. He was flying. LOL!

Batman is supposed to be a hero. He is supposed to be saving lives. There he was driving that “Batmobile” around destroying overpasses, riding across roof tops, knocking debris off buildings, causing car crashes, flipping police cars. He must have caused the deaths and injuries of dozens of innocent people.

And when Batman said, “I won’t kill you, but I don’t have to save you.” Uh, Batman, you’re a hero… you’re business IS to save people… even the bad guys.

Batman is supposed to be smart. He’s the greatest detective alive. His brilliant plan to stop the train from getting to “the critical spot” where it would blow up everything was to give Gordon the keys to the Batmobile so he could get ahead of the train and blow up the tracks. That’s the PLAN?!? Meanwhile Batman “flies” up and on to the same train!?!

Huh? Did he somehow forget that Gordon is going to blow up the bridge? Hey Batman, why not just drive the Batmobile yourself and blow up the bridge? You have more experience at these things than Gordon… plus it’ll keep you OUT OF THE TRAIN!

A lot of people have been complaining about Katie Holmes‘ role. The only thing that bothered me is that she’s known Bruce since they were kids, and she had no clue he was Batman. She knew him longer than I’ve known most of my friends and I’d venture a guess that I’d recognize ANY of them in a Batman suit. Especially if they were two feet away from me and talking.

I did like the ending. Things have been set up sweetly for the sequel.

Overall, I know this review sounds really negative. You’d probably think that I hated the movie. I didn’t. I liked it. Didn’t love it, but liked it.

And my guess is that I’ll like the sequel even better.

“Batman Begins” rates a C

Shoot ‘Em Up

Posted on by
I first heard about about “Shoot ‘Em Up” a few months ago. Advance word was that it was an awesome action script filled with incredible gunplay. Not only was the script supposed to be the real deal, but there was even a stick figure animation that the writer/director created to show potential backers that he knew what he was doing.

It was recently announced that Clive Owen would be the star of “Shoot ‘Em Up.” Pretty cool choice, if you ask me. How could that get any better?

Well, Latinoreview has posted their review of the script as well as the stick figure animations that helped sell the script. Man, it does look like a wild ride!

War of the Worlds and Water

Posted on by

It’d probably take an alien invasion to stop Steven Spielberg‘s “War of the Worlds” from being a blockbuster hit.

Not even all of the negative publicity that Tom Cruise has been getting in regard to his “enthusiasm” for Katie Holmes could derail this summer crowd-pleaser. “War of the Worlds” is going to score big from opening day and who knows how long the movie will rule at the box office? I doubt that the Fantastic Four will make much of a dent, and truly, what else is coming out this summer to challenge it?

And speaking of Tom Cruise, did you happen to see or hear about the “idiot” that threw water on Cruise? At the London premiere for the “War of the Worlds” a man squirted Cruise with a water pistol disguised as a microphone. Police arrested the prankster as well as three other men who filmed the incident. The four were working on a new comedy show for British TV which targets celebrities for practical jokes. I guess the joke was on them.

Heroes and My Fortune Cookie

Posted on by

Heroes Con is one of the best conventions that you’ll find anywhere. It has just the right mix of professional artists, publishers, dealers, media celebrities and fans.

I love the show, because there’s something for everyone. In fact, for the last four years we’ve scheduled our family vacation so that we can attend the show. This year will be no different.

Another great thing about the show is that I get to meet up with friends that I don’t get to see as often as I’d like. Some of them are professionals and some are fans, but those lines blur when we’re hanging out.

Of course, another benefit of attending the show is that I always get a few new pieces for my SZ Gallery. With literally dozens of artists showing up, the anticipation is half the fun. Well, let’s hope it’s just half the fun…

…Yesterday I had lunch with John Beatty and John Higashi. We went to a Chinese buffet and my fortune cookie said: “It is sometimes better to travel hopefully than to arrive.”

Well, that surely didn’t sound good. Still, despite the fortune cookie, I’m expecting to have a blast at the show. If you’re in the area, swing by and join in the fun. And if you can’t make it, don’t worry, you can expect a full report when I return!

Kong is Still King

Posted on by

I’m really excited about Peter Jackson’s King Kong remake. In fact, until Sin City II or Sly gets a movie rolling, Kong is the movie that I’m looking forward to seeing most.

Peter Jackson has a passion to create Kong. We all [well, most of us anyway], saw what Jackson could do with his Lord of the Rings trilogy. The mind boggles to think what he’ll accomplish with Kong.

In most cases, I’d say stay away from remaking classic movies. Unless you can do it better, then what’s the point? King Kong is a classic. I doubt that it’ll be better than the original and yet, I can’t wait to see the sequel.

The original King Kong inspired more than a generation of film makers from Ray Harryhausen to Peter Jackson. Sure, we’ll be able to give our opinion of how we think Jackson’s Kong stacks up against the original, but we won’t know for years if the new Kong has the influence and impact of the first.

That won’t really matter though, if we find ourselves lost for a couple of hours on Skull Island or running through the streets of New York as King Kong once again lives!

I have no doubt that Kong is going to be a winner. If you’re not sure, then you might want to tune in to see the world premiere trailer. On Monday, June 27th from 8:59:30-9:02 PM ET all nine NBC networks [NBC, SCI FI, USA Network, Bravo, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemundo, Mun2 and Universal HD] will simultaneously run “an unprecedented motion picture preview.”

Even though I’m already sold on the movie, I’ll tune in for the trailer… and you can bet that I’ll be there the weekend that Kong opens.

Big Fan… But Don’t Like Most

Posted on by

I’m a fan of zombie movies. The funny thing is, there are probably only three that I really like… and one of those isn’t really a zombie flick.

Ok, before we go further, and to put your mind at rest, they are
1] Night of the Living Dead
2] 28 days later and
3] Dawn of the Dead [the re-make].

Yeah, I know… 28 days isn’t truly a zombie movie.

Yes, I know… it’s blasphamy to leave out the original Dawn of the Dead.

And yeah, I have seen other zombie movies.

The problem with most of them is that they simply become gore fests. They don’t have interesting characters. They focus only on how gross it is that the dead are eating the living or how cool it is when a zombie gets shot in the head.

And while it’s true that many [if not most of the] people who dig zombie movies are there simply to see the zombies eat people and get blown away, that’s not what I like about the genre.

What appeals to me is the world out of control aspect. I like seeing how the survivors come together from different backgrounds and with different ideas on what should be done next if everyone is to survive.

I’m looking forward to Land of the Dead. I hope that it’ll be more like Night than Dawn or Day. You see, a little gore goes a long way in my book.

That’s probably why I don’t like most zombie movies, but love the genre.

Food for Thought

Posted on by
Christopher Mills posted some “heavy thoughts” over on his web log. In his post, Chris talks about his struggle with being overweight. It’s pretty poweful stuff.

My buddy, John Beatty recently posted similar thoughts about his fight against weight gain and had even started a blog to track his efforts to lose weight. I posted here that I thought that was pretty bold, going public with his plan. John has since pulled the plug on his blog, but his battle to lose weight continues [and is going well].

It’s strange that Chris and I are in the same boat [although I’d venture a guess that my boat is even bigger] but that we got here by different paths. Chris says that he was skinny for the first half of his life. I was never skinny. As a little kid I was “husky” [man, I hated that word].

In high school I was in pretty good shape. I played football, lifted weights, and was a pretty good wrestler. And consequently I was in shape. I remember a couple of my coaches who were heavy. At the time I thought, “Man, why don’t they get in shape? I’ll never let myself get like that.”

Then I graduated high school and started college. I was no longer playing football or wrestling and had stopped jogging. The first year I gained a bunch of weight. At the end of the year, I started running again… and lifting weights. I got back into wrestling shape… and said “never again… never again will I get overweight.”

Yeah, right.

Once you’re married, have a job, have kids, heck, as you get older, the weight gain comes easier… as do the excuses to not eat right and exercise. Because really, that’s what it comes down to.

Eating right and exercise.

My goal is to get back into shape.

I’ll probably never make the 188lb class again, but my goal is small steps back to decent shape.

I don’t plan to talk about my progress [or lack of] much here. In fact I’m surprised that I’m even saying this much. I guess the fact that Beatty and Chris were willing to go public, made me at least “weigh in” on the subject.

At any rate, you’ll be able to tell from the pictures that I post from time to time how I’m doing. Maybe in a year or two, you’ll wonder, “Who is that normal sized guy that kinda looks like Zablo?”

Aliens… Monsters…. UFOs and a Very Big Universe

Posted on by

When I was a little kid, I used to love movies and tv shows about aliens coming to Earth.

If we were lucky, they were friendly and intelligent like Michael Rennie in The Day that the Earth Stood Still. He even looked human.

Then again, so did the aliens in the 60’s tv show The Invaders. [I haven’t seen an episode in years, and wonder how it would hold up.]

Sometimes the aliens were simply monsters out to wipe us out, like in the classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers or War of the Worlds. [And, yes, I’m really looking forward to the update by Spielberg and Cruise.]

Occasionally, there would be just one alien. And boy, were we lucky that there was only one if the alien ended up being like The Blob or The Thing.

Growing up, I not only liked movies and tv shows about aliens, but I also read and watched programs about UFOs.

I still do.

Think how cool it would be if we could find definitive proof of intelligent life in outer space. Uh… as long as they weren’t out to wipe us out.

As I get older, I stil retain that sense of wonder about life in outer space. Most likely it’s out there. It’s just that the universe is such a huge place.

Don’t believe me? Click HERE and see.

Michelle Rodriguez Gets LOST

Posted on by

Did you see the final episode of LOST?

If you did, especially if you’re a regular LOST viewer, you saw one of the all-time best cliffhanger endings ever!  And now with months to go until the new season, word is starting to leak out about what we can expect.

The great news is that Michelle Rodriguez is going to join the cast as a regular. Rodriguez appeared in the last episode [in a flashback]. I’m a big fan so adding her to one of my “Must See TV” shows is simply a bonus.