Off Topic: Solomon Kane

It was a sweet coincidence to find the trailer for the movie adaption of Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane online today, as just this morning I had decided to dive into my copy of The Complete Chronicles of Conan.

Solomon Kane kicking ass

I'm not really the biggest fan of fantasy novels in general, but I love the sub genre of Sword and Sorcery, and Conan makes for the best of this genre. I've got quit a lot of his books, and I remember spending hours as a kid thrilled by them.

But when I got my hands on the 'complete chronicles' it was both awesome and daunting.

Housing the full collection of Howard's work related to Conan, the book is massive and can be a real chore to get comfortable with. For that reason I've only ever read it in short portions.

But last night I was reading one of my Lancer editions of Conan (which have the maddest covers by Frank Frazetta), when I decided to check out some of the notes and such from the Chronicle edition, and I haven't been able to put it down since.

Yes my thighs hurt from this thing resting on them, but what the heck.

So today as I was mucking around online looking for info on a new Conan movie I heard was being done, I came across this mad trailer for Solomon Kane.



Kane was one of Robert Howard's earlier characters, and though I hadn't heard much of him as a kid reading Conan, I got into the chracter when I started looking into more of Howard's work thanks to the inter-web. I particularity loved his Dark Horse comics series which was up their with their Conan run.

This movie looks pretty solid, and the review's it's gotten mention some impressive claims.

I guy in a Salem witch hunter out fit... tracking and kicking the shit out of demons and other nasties.

What's not to look forward to?

La Horde

Going crazy trying to get my bloody little hands on a copy of The Horde, a French zombie movie that looks freakin mad awesome.

If anyone has any info on where I can get it, that would be sweet.

Here's a little video segment on the film from the good people over at clevvermovies.com

Zombie Street Fighter Art

Yes... I was just as excited when writing that title, as you were when reading it.

While mucking around online this afternoon I came across the work of an artist with the tag name of Manuhell, whose awesome zombiefied Street Fighter art left me bloodied and breathless.

Ken... my fave fighter.

I love it when artists take worlds and collide them, and Street Fighting being my favorite fighting game EVER made this art even cooler.

It would be so awesome if Capcom got their hands on these drawings and decided to make new skins/ costumes for their fighters.

Cammy...even in death.

Check out the rest of the Zombie Street Fighter galley here, as well as more awesome art from Manuhell.

Night of the living word.

Over the Easter weekend the Mayfair Theater in Ottawa, which apparently is the oldest active movie theater running since 1932, had a screening of the ever beloved Night of the living dead.

While I would loved to be in attendance, having never seen the movie on the big screen... some people used the screening as an opportunity for a higher cause.

The Mayfair Theater

A protesting preacher used the movie goers time spent lined up, as a quick chance to deliver a little street sermon, during which he talked about dying... and about how his not dead... and about how he used to be a really rotten guy and deserves to be in hell.

The guy actually has a blog and he wrote up a little account of the night here, complete with a video of the whole event.

Let it be known that I'm not bashing the man's effort, as I believe every one is entitled to his or her opinion. But people also have the right to line up for a movie they want to watch on their own account, without someone telling them they're gonna go to hell for it.

"Murder, gore, bloodshed and cannibalism
only begins to describe the kind of
‘entertainment’
that was being offered"
- Protesting Preacher

On the other hand, I actually thought the whole thing made for an awesome viral marketing video. Showing that even after more than 40 years... Night of the living dead is still able able to provoke all kinds of shizz. The video that the preacher put up had a decent little intro with posters of the movie and signs reading "night of the loving dead Sold Out" and a cool title: Night of the living word.

...clever.

Even the theater manager who had a few things to say in response to the preacher's post, later realized that any publicity is good publicity.

Here is the comment that I left on the post:

First off, great job with putting the video together... I particularly like the title.

But I think sir, if you were to actually watch the movie with an open mind, you might enjoy it.

'Night of the Living dead' was intended to be two thirds a horror movie and one third social satire, showing society eating its self up.

Though the horror and gore of "Night of the living dead" would be considered very mild by some of today's standards, I can see how it would be over the top for someone who may not be accustomed to it. But even the good book at time used extreme depictions of violence to enforce some of its messages.

It might do you good to have a look at the movie, if anything it might give you a better understanding in aid of your cause, or you might see that it's just a horror movie.

What ever you do stay clear of the 25th anniversary edition... it's a bad re-edit; adding junk that steals away from the original's greatness.

I've been reading Lovecraft

Trippin' on H.P. Lovecraft