Update on "Torture the Vault Master" review.

Well I just sat through "Fear No Evil" to take my notes and.... I enjoyed the movie. Yeah, I know, I'm shocked too. I added it to the "Torture the Vault Master" poll because I hated the movie after my initial viewing so many years ago. But I guess my taste in film has dramatically changed because I liked this Godforsaken film. I'm going to give it another go tomorrow with the commentary turned on; I should start typing up my review on Wednesday, and plan on having it done and posted by this weekend.

UPDATE - 10/05/08: I am currently in the process of writing the review. Had I not been helping my parents with various home improvement / winter readiness projects, you would be reading my "Fear No Evil" review right this very second. (Sometimes sacrifices must be made.) So hopefully, you can expect to see said tardy review pop up at the Vault late Tuesday night. Stay tuned for further updates.

Sorry folks, I thought you really were going to torture me, but instead, you managed to give me an all new outlook on a film I once hated with a passion. Oh well, maybe next time the movie you pick will cause me some major pain. G'night b-movie fans!

Star Wars Fans... the not so terrible truth.

Earlier this week, my buddy Gary invited me to go to the Ross Park Zoo in Binghamton, NY for their annual "Star Wars Day." The idea of "Star Wars Day" is to have people come dressed in their fan-made costumes and meet and greet visitors to the park. Some of these guys have amazing costumes, and do this event to help bring in more biz for the zoo. Plus, they all happen to love kids and enjoy seeing a tyke's face light up when he gets to meet a stormtrooper, or a jedi, or Darth Vader.

The point of all that exposition is that I went to this event in a negative frame of mind: I was tired, it was rainy and humid, and I would have to put up with geeky Star Wars fanboys for five hours. (No offense meant by the latter comment.) With my expectations so low, I was pleasantly surprised to find that A) the day wouldn't be a total bust despite the bad weather and B) the small number of fans that showed up were really cool and down to Earth. They were not what I expected at all.

These guys and gals all have normal lives and created their costumes as a fun hobby. This isn't a way of life for them, it is just a fun distraction that allows them to share their creativity and love of George Lucas' sci-fi franchise. So please, allow me to apologize to you COOL Star Wars fans for stereotyping you.

In any case, it was a fun day and I managed to get in some training as a "handler" (i.e. a roadie for people in costume at conventions and other events) and I managed to get some decent photos of these SW-Fans in action. CLICK HERE to visit my Photobucket Album and check out the rest of the pics. (Just a side note: My buddy Gary is the Snowtrooper seen above. He was proud to be the only cannon fodder there!)

Of related interest is the website mentioned to me by two of the gents who attended the event at the zoo: www.mandalorianmercs.org. This fan group is comprised of folks whose costumes apparently did not fall within the strict guidelines of other (apparently elitist) fan groups, so they started there own and already have a good many members with some very cool suits of Mandalorian armor.

Well I'm turning in the for the night, so enjoy the pics and have a wonderful night b-movie fans. Blog ya later!

New Capsule Review: Eric Falardeau's "COMING HOME"

With the posting of this review I have managed to kill two birds with one stone: I have finally added a new review to the site and I've finally reviewed my screener copy of Eric Falardeau's "Coming Home." I first experienced Eric's unique brand of film making two years ago, when I was still writing for Rogue Cinema. Years later, his skill has naturally improved, and I find myself quite impressed with his latest short film, "Coming Home," which is essentially a mystery/revenge flick with a fairly gory outcome. Be sure to read my review for this extremely well-made indie short by clicking HERE. For more info about Eric and all of his films, visit the Out Of Nowhere Productions Myspace Page.

I have this Monday off and plan on spending a good chunk of it in front of the computer, so don't be too shocked if you see more new stuff on the site early next week. Blog ya later b-movie fans!

Looking to kill some time? Try out "Warlords: Call to Arms."

While surfing around Newgrounds.com one afternoon, I came across a little flash game called "Warlords: Call to Arms." It is a ridiculously simple and addicting game, though towards the end, it can be quite challenging (i.e. frustrating). I have yet to actually conquer all 25 lands on the map (the best I've done thus far was 22...), but I haven't given up on that quest yet.
To play the "full version" of the game (which allows you to pick from three races that are not available on the Newgrounds version), CLICK HERE. Enjoy!

I'm still here AND I have a plan!

Hello all! Just wanted to check in with a blog post and let you all know that I'm still around, though I have yet to actually add anything new to the Vault. For any of you wondering if I've given up, the answer is no. I have renewed the domain name for two more years, and have in fact been trying to come up with some new ideas for the site. Here's what I got so far:

• A monthly "GENRE WATCH" column that will allow visitors to keep up to date on all the cult and b-films that are being released on DVD and Blu-Ray. THE B-MOVIE FILM VAULT GENRE WATCH will also highlight theatrical releases that would suit fans of cult cinema like myself. I'm not sure how I'm going to do this yet and I'm not sure if I will (or how I should) archive each month's Genre Watch. I can create a webpage from scratch and update it monthly, or do a monthly post here on the Blog, or even create a section in my Forum. The latter seems to be the best route, but I'll explore all three avenues before making a final decision.

• A WANTED ON DVD page. Brian from Eccentric Cinema has one, but it is lacking quite a bit in my opinion. There are dozens of movies out there that have yet to make a digital debut, and with my upcoming Wanted List, I hope to shed some light on many oft-forgotten or unknown films that remain shackled to their VHS prisons.

• I plan on making my recent "TORTURE THE VAULT MASTER" poll a monthly thing. Right now though I have to get up the courage to watch "Fear No Evil," then write about that wretched flick.

• I'm going to attempt to accept screeners for reviewing purposes once again. I already have three films that I have to get reviewed, but once they are taken care of, I'm thinking of actively accepting/pursuing screeners from indie film makers and cult DVD companies like Blue Underground and Anchor Bay.
  

As you can see, I've got plenty of ideas. The trouble is finding enough free time to implement them. I'm hoping to take a day or two in the near future and get the ball rolling on some or all of these projects. I am only one man, and life unfortunately gets in the way a lot. Plus it does not help that I have gotten lots of new movies (DVD and Blu-Ray!) and video games. (All your base is belong to Spore!) So hang in there b-movie fans and check back again soon. If all goes well, you could expect to see some new stuff by next Tuesday. Catch ya later!

The "Torture the Vault Master" poll results are in!

ARGH! The combined results are in for the first ever "Torture the Vault Master" poll and it appears that I'll be suffering through the homo-erotic horror that is "Fear No Evil." I've watched this turkey once before and was a bit put off by this story of a young teen that finds out that A) he is the antichrist and B) likes to kiss boys in the shower. Blech!

For those who were curious, here are the exact number of votes that each film received:
The Alien Dead - 1 vote
Blood Tide - 3 votes
The Demon - 1 vote
Fear No Evil - 6 votes
House of the Dead - 3 votes
Monster Shark - 5 votes
Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys - 4 votes
Raptor - 1 vote
Ultracop 2000 - 1 vote

While I'm not exactly thrilled to reviewing "Fear No Evil," I figure I got off lucky considering how bad some of the other films listed above are. And although a mere 25 votes were cast (within a month's time mind you), I'm thinking of making "Torture the Vault Master" a permanent fixture at the Vault. I've also been brainstorming on some new ideas for the site and hope to implement them before September is through. Mum's the word for now, but I assure you that the new sections I'm planning will really help put the Vault on the map.

So stay tuned for some new updates b-movie fans and, as always, be sure to "Keep fighting the good fight for fellow b-movie lovers everywhere!"