Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
A Twitter Pioneer
Meet the first man to be suspended by MLB for tweeting during a game. Well, technically it was during a game, but it wasn't like he was tweeting while he was working during a game. Ozzie had been ejected from the game before he started to tweet.According to MLB rules, all social media messages must stop 30 minutes prior to the first pitch, and they can resume after the game at the individual club's discretion. Getting ejected is not an exemption from the rules.
MLB senior vice president of baseball operations Peter Woodfork confirmed Thursday that Major League Baseball has not had to deal with a player, coach or manager sending out social media messages while a game was still in play, and there was no standard policy on how to discipline the action.
Not that I condone the actions of Ozzie Guillen, or any other player, coach or manager for tweeting during gameplay, but once ejected from the game, one cannot go back out onto the field of play until after the game is over, so why can't regular non-game activities be resumed? I'm not looking for a lengthy explanation. Just thinking out loud. Or rather writing it for all the world to see, if they so desire.
I think the suspension, in regards to the tweeting, had more to do with the content rather than the timing. It's a little like the government fail safe of imprisonment for tax evasion and other similar nitpicky charges. Yes, you've done a bunch of things that they don't like, but none of it can stick with the current rules, so let's throw something vague out there and hang things on that. It worked against Barry Bonds, Rod Blagojevich and Al Capone. Granted, they aren't exactly the most likable characters, but neither is Ozzie, according to many out there.
Ozzie will serve his suspension tonight and Saturday, against the Orioles.
Congratulations, Ozzie! You are truly a Twitter pioneer.
Card Spotlight: 4-29-11
1971 Topps #156 - Bart JohnsonPhotographer: "OK Bart. I want you to lean forward and try to scratch your left knee with your right arm, but pretend that your knee is stretched out in front of you."
Bart: "Uhhhhhh, what?"
Photographer: "Great! Keep that facial expression! It works with the fake scratching pose!"
Bart: "OK..."
Photographer: "This is great, but there's something missing. I know! Pretend that you recognize me."
Bart: "Of course I know you. You're the photographer that's been taking my picture since I got to the bigs in 1969."
Photographer: "OK, Bart! I want you to keep that pose. Keep that expression on your face. Now pretend that you know me and start waving hi with your left hand."
Bart: "But I do know you."
Photographer: "Pretend that you know me and wave hi."
Bart: "But I..."
Photographer: "Wasn't that breakup something last year? Totally unexpected."
Bart: "What breakup are you talking about?"
Photographer: "Keep waving, Bart! What breakup, he says. Paul's talking about letting Linda in the band. If that happens, do you know where I'll be?"
Bart: "No. Where?"
Photographer: "I'll be out of this lousy gig and on the road taking important pictures of the band that will be bigger than the Beatles. That's where."
Bart: "Bigger than the...?"
Photographer: "Oh yeah. Much bigger! Those three were holding him back. And I'm gonna cash in on it. Linda's a good friend of mine. You'll see."
Bart: "Who'll take my picture next year?"
Photographer: "Who am I, the Question Man? I don't know. Some schmo. This isn't where the money is. Baseball is for kids. No one past puberty cares. Music is where the money is."
Bart: "I like baseball."
Photographer: "You sure do kid. Keep wavin'."
But the joke was on the photographer. His casual acquaintance with the Eastman family did nothing to get him into the inner circle of the great band known as Wings. He was shamed and turned to the bottle. Unable to face the ballplayers the next spring, the photographer quit his profession. He hitchhiked to Alaska, where he fell in love with a caribou. Dejected from forbidden love, he wandered the United States for most of the seventies. Eventually, he settled into a homeless community underneath the Queen City Parkway bridge in Gainesville, Florida.
Bart settled into a comfortable role with the White Sox as a scout, after his pitching days were through.
The music industry has suffered many setbacks and can no longer be considered the cash cow that it once was.
Paul ended the greatest band of the seventies after an arrest in Japan. He currently roams the world, playing impromptu performances, while trying to avoid the one legged woman.
The Question Man died in 1962, along with Percy Dovetonsils.
Some "schmo" did take Bart's picture and his hair was second only to Oscar Gamble.
Baseball is no longer just for kids, nor has it really ever been.
Photographers have a hand in some of our greatest baseball cards.
Bart Johnson is a really nice guy.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
2011 Topps Attax
For the third year in a row, Topps has come out with an Attax game. This time the game has more of a baseball focus, rather than a general game that crosses all sports. Not that it really matters for anyone above the desired demographic. For most kids, this could be a fun game and it might actually be slightly more than just a glorified game of war. For most adults, this is just another set to collect, albeit a slightly different set than the rest.This year, the cards are slightly different than the previous two years. The design is changed up a bit and the corners are rounded. By sampling the rules, there appears to be interesting things that can effect the game play by using the mascot and stadium cards. I'm not interested in actually playing this game, but I'm sure there are people out there who are. For those who are, this should prove to be an interesting twist.
The White Sox have ten cards in this set.
1 - Adam Dunn
9 - Alex Rios
11 - Alexei Ramirez
42 - Carlos Quentin
90 - Gordon Beckham
115 - John Danks
127 - Juan Pierre
169 - Paul Konerko
231 - Southpaw
256 - U.S. Cellular Field
There's enough changes in this game that it should bring in some more players. The design is better than in the two previous games. It's an interesting set for the collector and should be a fun way to spend your time, if you play the game.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Four From Number 5
A direct message from my Twitter account appeared in my e-mail last week. It seemed innocent enough. It was a message from Matthew from Number 5 Type Collection asking if my mailing address was the same as before. Since I've been in the same location for the majority of my life, I answered yes.
Yesterday, a bubble mailer showed up in my mailbox from Matthew. It was a nice bright spot. I'm in the last gasps of a nasty sinus infection that has been plaguing me for the past few weeks. The infection is finally gone, but I still have to wait for the rest of my body to notice and settle down. The good thing is that my strength and clarity are back where they should be. The bad thing is that I've neglected a lot the past few weeks and it was even a struggle to keep on autopilot.
The day had been filled with intermittent but heavy downpour rain and my backyard suffered the most.
Yeah. I can probably skip the trips to Lake Catherine in Antioch this year because I have a lake of my own now! With even more rain expected (it's lightly raining as I write this), I might as well release a few perch and bluegill in the yard and build a boat. There's already a deck to attach it to.
Anyway, back to the bubble mailer. Matthew has always been a big supporter of this blog and has sent out some great packages in the past. I always look out for #5 cards to set aside, but I don't run into many, I'm afraid. I do keep my eyes peeled though. I feel compelled to contribute to one of the most unique collections of cards on the internet!
I'm never sure what to expect from Matthew. His collection takes him to some interesting places and I am always surprised as what shows up. There were four cards in the mailer. I had to look up each one.
First up there were three cards from the same set.
1977 Bob Parker Hall of Fame
3 - Luke Appling
14 - Eddie Collins
41 - Edd Roush
The card stock reminds me a bit of rice paper, but I'm probably wrong on that. Appling and Collins are pictured in their White Sox attire. Roush is listed as being on the White Sox, in addition to the Reds and Giants, during his long career, but is pictured in a Reds uniform.
These cards were big, nearly taking up the entire space inside the #000 bubble mailer. The cards were released in three series between 1977 and 1981. The first series in 1977, the second in 1980 and the third in 1981. All three cards are from the first series.
This by itself would have made my day, but there was one more card yet to be discovered. Disappeared into the recesses of the mailer and almost obscured by the three larger cards was something that I initially overlooked. It's a good thing I always check because tucked away at the very bottom was a tiny hand cut card.
Here's the back.
It looked very familiar to me, but I couldn't place it. This card had one distinguishing feature that should have made identification a snap. Eddie Collins was listed as the White Sox manager. This would narrow the search down to between 1924 and 1927. Eddie was only manager through part of 1924 through 1926. I looked through my SCD catalog at the likely suspects and struck out. I messaged Matthew back and asked if he could shed some light on identifying this card. He thought it might be a W590.
I overlooked this set in my initial searching. I had failed to look at multiple year releases. It was a simple mistake but one that could have made the search easier. There was an Eddie Collins in the set, but the team designation wasn't identified. I took to the web with this new lead and initially came up empty.
A stroke of luck brought me to a discussion board, where people were trying to come up with a definitive checklist. There were pictures of some of the cards, but they were mostly the handful that I had already seen. The lack of design on the card was discouraging easy identification since many card of this era looked very similar. The examples of W590 cards looked the part, but without visual verification, I couldn't know for sure.
Then a tiny break appeared. Someone had the Collins card. There was no picture, but the poster did reprint the text that appeared at the bottom of his card: EDDIE COLLINS Manager of Chicago White Sox.
This was enough to make a 99% accurate assumption that this was indeed a W590 card. I have no clue about reported reprints of this set, but the hand cut appearance would lead me to believe that this is a genuine original. I will treat it as such, until proven wrong.
So... this means that I have a new oldest White Sox card in my collection!
From what I've been able to gather, there were two confirmed print runs of this set. One in 1925 and one in 1931. There has been speculation about a 1928 print run, due to a notation of a player being on Boston, who was only on that team in 1928, but that card has not shown up. It was the conclusion of the posters there that the team designation may have been recorded wrong.
Backed with this message board sleuthing, I can safely say that this card was printed in 1925, assuming it is an original. This beats my previous oldest card by eight years.
Thanks, Matthew! I always have an adventure ahead of me when a package of yours arrives and this was certainly no exception. Thank you for the cards and for the experience associated with it.
Yesterday, a bubble mailer showed up in my mailbox from Matthew. It was a nice bright spot. I'm in the last gasps of a nasty sinus infection that has been plaguing me for the past few weeks. The infection is finally gone, but I still have to wait for the rest of my body to notice and settle down. The good thing is that my strength and clarity are back where they should be. The bad thing is that I've neglected a lot the past few weeks and it was even a struggle to keep on autopilot.
The day had been filled with intermittent but heavy downpour rain and my backyard suffered the most.
Yeah. I can probably skip the trips to Lake Catherine in Antioch this year because I have a lake of my own now! With even more rain expected (it's lightly raining as I write this), I might as well release a few perch and bluegill in the yard and build a boat. There's already a deck to attach it to.Anyway, back to the bubble mailer. Matthew has always been a big supporter of this blog and has sent out some great packages in the past. I always look out for #5 cards to set aside, but I don't run into many, I'm afraid. I do keep my eyes peeled though. I feel compelled to contribute to one of the most unique collections of cards on the internet!
I'm never sure what to expect from Matthew. His collection takes him to some interesting places and I am always surprised as what shows up. There were four cards in the mailer. I had to look up each one.
First up there were three cards from the same set.
1977 Bob Parker Hall of Fame3 - Luke Appling
14 - Eddie Collins
41 - Edd Roush
The card stock reminds me a bit of rice paper, but I'm probably wrong on that. Appling and Collins are pictured in their White Sox attire. Roush is listed as being on the White Sox, in addition to the Reds and Giants, during his long career, but is pictured in a Reds uniform.
These cards were big, nearly taking up the entire space inside the #000 bubble mailer. The cards were released in three series between 1977 and 1981. The first series in 1977, the second in 1980 and the third in 1981. All three cards are from the first series.
This by itself would have made my day, but there was one more card yet to be discovered. Disappeared into the recesses of the mailer and almost obscured by the three larger cards was something that I initially overlooked. It's a good thing I always check because tucked away at the very bottom was a tiny hand cut card.
Here's the back.
It looked very familiar to me, but I couldn't place it. This card had one distinguishing feature that should have made identification a snap. Eddie Collins was listed as the White Sox manager. This would narrow the search down to between 1924 and 1927. Eddie was only manager through part of 1924 through 1926. I looked through my SCD catalog at the likely suspects and struck out. I messaged Matthew back and asked if he could shed some light on identifying this card. He thought it might be a W590.I overlooked this set in my initial searching. I had failed to look at multiple year releases. It was a simple mistake but one that could have made the search easier. There was an Eddie Collins in the set, but the team designation wasn't identified. I took to the web with this new lead and initially came up empty.
A stroke of luck brought me to a discussion board, where people were trying to come up with a definitive checklist. There were pictures of some of the cards, but they were mostly the handful that I had already seen. The lack of design on the card was discouraging easy identification since many card of this era looked very similar. The examples of W590 cards looked the part, but without visual verification, I couldn't know for sure.
Then a tiny break appeared. Someone had the Collins card. There was no picture, but the poster did reprint the text that appeared at the bottom of his card: EDDIE COLLINS Manager of Chicago White Sox.
This was enough to make a 99% accurate assumption that this was indeed a W590 card. I have no clue about reported reprints of this set, but the hand cut appearance would lead me to believe that this is a genuine original. I will treat it as such, until proven wrong.
So... this means that I have a new oldest White Sox card in my collection!
From what I've been able to gather, there were two confirmed print runs of this set. One in 1925 and one in 1931. There has been speculation about a 1928 print run, due to a notation of a player being on Boston, who was only on that team in 1928, but that card has not shown up. It was the conclusion of the posters there that the team designation may have been recorded wrong.
Backed with this message board sleuthing, I can safely say that this card was printed in 1925, assuming it is an original. This beats my previous oldest card by eight years.
Thanks, Matthew! I always have an adventure ahead of me when a package of yours arrives and this was certainly no exception. Thank you for the cards and for the experience associated with it.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
1924 Diaz Cigarettes
This set is one of the most unique pre-WWII card sets. The entire set consists of pitchers. That is rare all by itself, for a card set of this time period, but what escalates the set further is that it was made in Havana, Cuba.Some of the pitchers depicted in the set never made it into the majors, but the majority did. These black and white cards were printed on semi-gloss cardboard stock. A banner at the top proclaims the team affiliation. The example of Red Faber is difficult to discern the top banner because the background color is so similar to the banner color. The banner at the bottom lists the name (no nicknames) and position.
The set, as it is known to exist, is made up of 136 cards. 136 have been accounted for, over the years, but examples of each are rare. In some cases, only one example of a card is known to exist. This makes keeping a pictorial record of each card next to impossible. The number of cards that the White Sox are known to have is currently at eight cards.
10 – Urban Faber
13 – Hollis Thurston
33 – Gorham Leverett
50 – Ted Lyons
94 – Mike Cvengros
101 – Ted Blankenship
109 – Joubert Davenport
123 – Charles Robertson
Surprisingly, all eight players have made it to the majors and have played for the White Sox at some point in their careers. Some fans will know the players better by their nicknames; Red Faber, Sloppy Thurston and Dixie Leverett. Joubert Davenport went by his middle name, Lum.
Mike Cvengros played for three years with the White Sox, but he also played for the Giants and Pirates and finished his MLB career with the crosstown Cubs. He finished his playing career in 1938 with the Class D Abbeville A's in the Evangeline League. Ted Blankenship played nine seasons in the majors, all with the White Sox. Charlie Robertson threw the first perfect game in White Sox history.
This is a very good representation of pitchers of this era for the White Sox in this set. Good luck tracking these down!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Cards That Never Were By Tim D: Part 3
Here's another round of Cards That Never Were by Tim D! The descriptions are in Tim D's own words.
1971 Topps - George Foster
I thought George Foster should have gotten his own rookie card in 1971.
1971 Topps - Tony LaRussa
Former White Sox manager, Tony LaRussa had a whopping 123 plate appearances (PA) with the Oakland Athletics in 1970. They made a 1970 card for him (1969 = 8 PA), and a 1972 card with the Braves (1971 = 16 PA, 8 w/Oakland and 8 w/Atlanta). Thought it was funny they never made a 1971 card... here it is. Too bad he didn't play as well as he managed teams.
1974 Topps - Robin Yount
Rockin' Robin Yount. Hated, but respected him. I thought he was born near Champaign, IL. Would have loved to see him on the Sox. "We must never have another motorcycle in camp" - Manager Dutch Schnell "Bang The Drum Slowly"
1975 Topps - Gary Carter
Gary Carter - 1975 card. Expos should have figured out Barry Foote was not the answer and brought Gary up a lot earlier.
Tim, these look fantastic, as usual! Thanks, as always, for sharing!
1971 Topps - George Foster
1971 Topps - Tony LaRussa
1974 Topps - Robin Yount
1975 Topps - Gary CarterTim, these look fantastic, as usual! Thanks, as always, for sharing!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
A Special Thanks To Eric
Back in September 2010, I was researching a player named Billy Sullivan Jr. for my White Sox Vintage project. I came across a treasure trove of information about Billy Jr. on this site about Crosley Field. Billy had played in the majors with a number of teams, mostly in the Midwest, and even participated in the 1940 World Series when he was with the Detroit Tigers.
His father played for the White Sox for thirteen years. Billy Sr. was the first in a long line of great defensive catchers for the Sox and was part of the 1906 World Champions.
Billy Jr. played for both the White Sox and the Detroit Tigers, like his father did. He stretched out his career, sporadically, from 1931 until his last MLB appearance in 1947, for the Pirates.
Like I mentioned earlier, the Crosley Field website had a treasure trove of information about Billy Sullivan Jr. on it, mostly because of the Cincinnati Reds connection. Billy Jr. played with the Reds in 1935.
Eric Bowyer unearthed boxes and boxes of pictures, letters, documents and other personal effects of Billy Sullivan Jr. The website documents in great detail, the condition of the items found in Billy's storage shed. Some of it isn't pretty, but what was salvaged from the shed turned out to be amazing.
Earlier this month, Eric contacted me about obtaining a few pieces of memorabilia for my collection. On Saturday afternoon, an envelope arrived in the mail with a letter, two photographs and a surprise.
The first photo shows the contents of a box from the sorting. There is a newspaper clipping, front and center, about Billy Jr.'s going to Navy, the bottom of a photo of Billy Jr. in his White Sox uniform, and an assortment of other papers.
The other photograph shows letters and documents spread across a table. Scattered among the papers are a few of Billy Sr.'s 1961 Fleer baseball cards.
That was just the appetizer. The real treat came next! Three different canceled checks, each with a big, bold and clear signature of Billy Sullivan Jr.
Simply amazing!
Thank you, Eric! I can't begin to thank you enough for your generosity! These checks are a wonderful addition to my White Sox collection.
His father played for the White Sox for thirteen years. Billy Sr. was the first in a long line of great defensive catchers for the Sox and was part of the 1906 World Champions.
Billy Jr. played for both the White Sox and the Detroit Tigers, like his father did. He stretched out his career, sporadically, from 1931 until his last MLB appearance in 1947, for the Pirates.
Like I mentioned earlier, the Crosley Field website had a treasure trove of information about Billy Sullivan Jr. on it, mostly because of the Cincinnati Reds connection. Billy Jr. played with the Reds in 1935.
Eric Bowyer unearthed boxes and boxes of pictures, letters, documents and other personal effects of Billy Sullivan Jr. The website documents in great detail, the condition of the items found in Billy's storage shed. Some of it isn't pretty, but what was salvaged from the shed turned out to be amazing.
Earlier this month, Eric contacted me about obtaining a few pieces of memorabilia for my collection. On Saturday afternoon, an envelope arrived in the mail with a letter, two photographs and a surprise.
The first photo shows the contents of a box from the sorting. There is a newspaper clipping, front and center, about Billy Jr.'s going to Navy, the bottom of a photo of Billy Jr. in his White Sox uniform, and an assortment of other papers.
The other photograph shows letters and documents spread across a table. Scattered among the papers are a few of Billy Sr.'s 1961 Fleer baseball cards.That was just the appetizer. The real treat came next! Three different canceled checks, each with a big, bold and clear signature of Billy Sullivan Jr.
Simply amazing!Thank you, Eric! I can't begin to thank you enough for your generosity! These checks are a wonderful addition to my White Sox collection.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Card Spotlight: 4-22-11
1993 Topps Gold #790 - George BellI've been battling a nasty sinus infection this week, so I've been doing the absolute minimum on the blog. Let's call it "keeping up appearances, while doing the least amount of work possible". When I think of that statement, I think of George Bell.
I'm not saying that he wasn't a great hitter, but he only showed it occasionally after 1987. He made a career and a reputation out of one fluke year where he went homer crazy and rode those coattails until it forced his last team to bench him during the playoffs.
I'm not trying to be negative about George Bell. If anything, his ascent, peak and decline proves that he was a clean player, and that is OK in my book. By the time Bell came to the White Sox, he was a shell of his former self. He was still good for a thrill or two, but any sort of consistency was long gone. A knee injury helped quicken his exit.
His 1992 season, his first with the Sox, was decent, but why anyone voted for George for MVP is beyond my reasoning. His productivity was slightly better than his one year with the Cubs. By 1993, his numbers weren't holding up. It was the worst year for Bell in over a decade and his worst since he became a full time player. His natural decline and injury in 1993, sadly helped define the 1993 team. It was good, but not nearly good enough. Both Bell and the White Sox retooled for the 1994 season. George retired and the Sox crafted themselves into one of the best teams of 1994, before the strike.
Again, I'm not trying to be negative, but I'm not feeling great, so I think I have a tendency to skew more towards the negative. I was very excited when George Bell was traded to the White Sox. I was happy to see Sammy Sosa leave the White Sox, at the time, and I was sad to see Ken Patterson go. Sosa was a free swinger who struck out a lot and seemed to struggle to get to double digits in home runs. His stolen bases and triples were drastically down from 1990. It seemed that he was on the downswing of his career. Someone must have really given Sammy a great pep talk between the 1992 and 1993 Cubs seasons because the light bulb finally went off in his head. Somebody must have brought in Tony Robbins or Les Brown to talk to Sammy after the 1997 season because something really seemed to click after that.
But I digress. This is supposed to be about George Bell. You really can't talk about George Bell's time on the White Sox without touching a little bit on Sosa. It's a rule or something. George Bell was a good guy, a great teammate and a pretty good practical joker. Like a lot of star players that come to the White Sox, he unfortunately came to Chicago's South Side at the twilight of his career. It's happened plenty of times before and I'm sure it will happen again. Look at Rob Dibble, John Kruk, Ken Griffey Jr., the Alomar brothers, etc... I would even lump Omar Vizquel in there, despite his age defying play.
What started out as a short and sweet spotlight turned into a rambling of sorts. If I lost you... sorry about that. Blame it on the sinuses.
30 Day Horror Challenge: Day 30
There are many horror films that I would consider to be favorites. Many of them are already on this list. Others didn't make the list for whatever reason. One film that does deserve a special mention is Incubus from 1965. It is a horror film that stars William Shatner and does demonstrate what a good actor he can be, when not being campy. To create an other-worldly feeling for the film, the movie is done entirely in the universal language of Esperanto. The director forbid any dubbing for foreign markets and the movie was considered to be lost for many years. In 2001, a restored print was made from a vault find with French subtitles. There was really no place on this list for it, but I think everyone should see the film once.
As for my favorite horror film... everything was pointed in one direction. There are many movies that I revisit regularly, but only one tops the list indefinitely. It is a film that I consider to be as close to perfection as a horror movie can become. All the elements fell into place and a juggernaut was eventually launched. There have been a few that have come close to this film and a few times it has been almost equaled, but never surpassed.
Halloween (1978)
What made Halloween so frightening was that there was no rational explanation for Michael Myers behavior. He was a good kid who one day decided to kill his sister, while his parents were at a party. There was no reason for the killing. It just happened. The thing that I both liked and disliked about the remake was the back story for Michael's behavior. It took away the mystery and made the character a little less scary.
A thousand and one movies have imitated Halloween, but there is no substitute for the original 1978 film. It's such a simplistic story, but that simple story makes the impact of what's on the screen stand out and excel past the basic plot.
The actors chosen to portray each character was right on the money. I can't imagine anyone else playing Dr. Loomis than Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis was absolute perfection as Laurie Strode. The actors playing the kids and teenagers felt genuine and natural. That goes a long way.
No one will ever duplicate the gait of Nick Castle as the Shape. Every nuance, every gesture, was brilliant. He was able to convey a childlike curiosity, a soulless killer and a frightened man who needs to hide behind a mask, all rolled into one. The choices he made defined the character of Michael Myers and everyone since has failed to imitate him in precisely the same way.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the film is the original score by director John Carpenter. It is now a staple of every Halloween celebration, but without it, this film would not have the same feeling of uneasiness to it. It is the most important element in the film. It ties everything together and makes it work.
I can respect the original line of Halloween films because it is the only set of films to have a precise timeline for each movie. Characters age properly and everything that came before is acknowledged in some way, up until H2O. Even that stuck to the timeline fairly well. The sixth installment could have been better and the bootlegged "Producer's Cut" is proof of that. Sequels aside, this is the best film in the entire Halloween line and everything begins here. Watch often and have fun with it.
As for my favorite horror film... everything was pointed in one direction. There are many movies that I revisit regularly, but only one tops the list indefinitely. It is a film that I consider to be as close to perfection as a horror movie can become. All the elements fell into place and a juggernaut was eventually launched. There have been a few that have come close to this film and a few times it has been almost equaled, but never surpassed.
Your favorite horror film of all time.
Halloween (1978)What made Halloween so frightening was that there was no rational explanation for Michael Myers behavior. He was a good kid who one day decided to kill his sister, while his parents were at a party. There was no reason for the killing. It just happened. The thing that I both liked and disliked about the remake was the back story for Michael's behavior. It took away the mystery and made the character a little less scary.
A thousand and one movies have imitated Halloween, but there is no substitute for the original 1978 film. It's such a simplistic story, but that simple story makes the impact of what's on the screen stand out and excel past the basic plot.
The actors chosen to portray each character was right on the money. I can't imagine anyone else playing Dr. Loomis than Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis was absolute perfection as Laurie Strode. The actors playing the kids and teenagers felt genuine and natural. That goes a long way.
No one will ever duplicate the gait of Nick Castle as the Shape. Every nuance, every gesture, was brilliant. He was able to convey a childlike curiosity, a soulless killer and a frightened man who needs to hide behind a mask, all rolled into one. The choices he made defined the character of Michael Myers and everyone since has failed to imitate him in precisely the same way.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the film is the original score by director John Carpenter. It is now a staple of every Halloween celebration, but without it, this film would not have the same feeling of uneasiness to it. It is the most important element in the film. It ties everything together and makes it work.
I can respect the original line of Halloween films because it is the only set of films to have a precise timeline for each movie. Characters age properly and everything that came before is acknowledged in some way, up until H2O. Even that stuck to the timeline fairly well. The sixth installment could have been better and the bootlegged "Producer's Cut" is proof of that. Sequels aside, this is the best film in the entire Halloween line and everything begins here. Watch often and have fun with it.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
30 Day Horror Challenge: Day 29
There are very few horror films where I can honestly say that I can't find something to like. Cheesiness, bad acting, suspect story and fake effects are trademarks of horror films without much of a budget. When done correctly, it can enhance the movie. Not every movie can be a well crafted extravaganza... and that's OK. Part of the charm of some movies is getting it done against all odds. You can see the love and care that was obviously put into making the film and sometimes that's enough to overlook the flaws. Then there are films that exist for absolutely no good reason.
April Fool's Day (2008)
Strike one, this is a remake. Strike two, plastic actors that detract from the story. Strike three, the movie is just a cash grab with no redeeming value. You're out!
The original 1986 movie wasn't the greatest, but it has its charms. This was a great opportunity to improve on the original, which was not popular. Instead of improving on the original, they took the ending and tacked it onto a completely different story. Uh, no thanks.
The original had stuck up characters, but they were also revealed to have a little depth to them. This film only has pretty people trying to get by on their looks. It doesn't work for the movie and makes me want to boycott anything else that the cast does in the future. Only Scout Taylor-Compton makes a case for herself and it's only a slightly more convincing case than the rest of the cast.
This was a direct to DVD movie that only exists to make a quick buck on unsuspecting horror fans. Horror film fans can usually smell BS a mile away. I can see the lack of care put into this project from thousands of miles away. This is a waste of space on the movie shelf. It's not bad enough to be considered good and it's certainly not good enough to watch.
Your least favorite horror film of all time.
April Fool's Day (2008)Strike one, this is a remake. Strike two, plastic actors that detract from the story. Strike three, the movie is just a cash grab with no redeeming value. You're out!
The original 1986 movie wasn't the greatest, but it has its charms. This was a great opportunity to improve on the original, which was not popular. Instead of improving on the original, they took the ending and tacked it onto a completely different story. Uh, no thanks.
The original had stuck up characters, but they were also revealed to have a little depth to them. This film only has pretty people trying to get by on their looks. It doesn't work for the movie and makes me want to boycott anything else that the cast does in the future. Only Scout Taylor-Compton makes a case for herself and it's only a slightly more convincing case than the rest of the cast.
This was a direct to DVD movie that only exists to make a quick buck on unsuspecting horror fans. Horror film fans can usually smell BS a mile away. I can see the lack of care put into this project from thousands of miles away. This is a waste of space on the movie shelf. It's not bad enough to be considered good and it's certainly not good enough to watch.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
30 Day Horror Challenge: Day 28
I have watched hundreds of horror films in my time. Horror movies can be made on the cheap. That is why there are so many of them out there. This means that a lot of them slip under the radar. This is one of the reasons why I loved old school video stores. I could spend hours in the horror section soaking up all the oddities. Even if a film was bad, it was still entertaining. Sometimes, you could find some gems that would have remained hidden if it wasn't for a mom & pop video store.
Blood Diner (1987)
This film is preposterous. Even so, it's deliciously fun! I remember watching the trailer over and over again when the short lived "Cable Video Store" was on our old cable system. Basically, it was an early version of pay-per-view. The trailer looked entertaining and when I finally saw it a few years later, Blood Diner lived up to everything I had imagined it to be.
Two boys are left alone when their mother goes to the store to buy maxi pads. During the mother's absence, their Uncle Anwar stops by for a short visit, while on the run from the police. He had just committed a massacre and the boys watch as their uncle is gunned down by police.
Fast forward twenty years later and the boys dig up their uncle from the cemetery, where they find his brain and eyeballs perfectly preserved. They plop their uncle, who they can hear talking, into a jar. The uncle instructs them to prepare a blood buffet to bring about an Lumerian goddess named Sheetar. The brothers kill immoral women, stitching body parts together to resurrect Sheetar, while feeding the rest to their customers at a health food diner. The goal is to have a blood buffet, where a virgin girl will be sacrificed and eaten.
During the quest to bring Sheetar to life, there are many over the top kills. One memorable scene includes shoving a freshly battered naked girl's head into a deep fryer. After her head becomes a gigantic breaded ball, she runs around panicking, while her muffled screams fill the air. She meets her doom not by the deep fryer, but by a broom. Did I mention the wrestling matches? Yes. This could quite possibly be the greatest movie ever made.
Your favorite horror film that no one’s ever heard of.
Blood Diner (1987)This film is preposterous. Even so, it's deliciously fun! I remember watching the trailer over and over again when the short lived "Cable Video Store" was on our old cable system. Basically, it was an early version of pay-per-view. The trailer looked entertaining and when I finally saw it a few years later, Blood Diner lived up to everything I had imagined it to be.
Two boys are left alone when their mother goes to the store to buy maxi pads. During the mother's absence, their Uncle Anwar stops by for a short visit, while on the run from the police. He had just committed a massacre and the boys watch as their uncle is gunned down by police.
Fast forward twenty years later and the boys dig up their uncle from the cemetery, where they find his brain and eyeballs perfectly preserved. They plop their uncle, who they can hear talking, into a jar. The uncle instructs them to prepare a blood buffet to bring about an Lumerian goddess named Sheetar. The brothers kill immoral women, stitching body parts together to resurrect Sheetar, while feeding the rest to their customers at a health food diner. The goal is to have a blood buffet, where a virgin girl will be sacrificed and eaten.
During the quest to bring Sheetar to life, there are many over the top kills. One memorable scene includes shoving a freshly battered naked girl's head into a deep fryer. After her head becomes a gigantic breaded ball, she runs around panicking, while her muffled screams fill the air. She meets her doom not by the deep fryer, but by a broom. Did I mention the wrestling matches? Yes. This could quite possibly be the greatest movie ever made.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
30 Day Horror Challenge: Day 27
There are countless films that could qualify for this category. My first instincts told me to go with movies like "Slaughter High", where the teens are played by people in their thirties and forties. Even films like "Popcorn", "Curtains", "Pieces" and "Hell High" have their place in my guilty pleasures list. Most of the Troma releases could easily fit into here, like "Redneck Zombies" and "Rabid Grannies". One movie trumps them all.
Sleepaway Camp (1983)
I hear snickers when I say that I like this film. It came at the height of the 80s slasher craze. I can sit through almost any slasher flick, but this exceeded my expectations. For many years, I was oblivious to the ending because I had avoided this film. When the box set came out on DVD, I picked it up, expecting a few laughs. I hadn't heard anything about the films, except that they were kinda cheesy.
The two sequels are a bit cheesy, but still good. The original has the feel of a vintage slasher film. The setup is pretty basic. Kids are in the woods and there's a killer on the loose. The ending is one of the most original I have seen in a horror film. It's a genuine surprise and nothing, before 1983, like it was seen in a horror film, to my knowledge.
Your favorite guilty pleasure.
Sleepaway Camp (1983)I hear snickers when I say that I like this film. It came at the height of the 80s slasher craze. I can sit through almost any slasher flick, but this exceeded my expectations. For many years, I was oblivious to the ending because I had avoided this film. When the box set came out on DVD, I picked it up, expecting a few laughs. I hadn't heard anything about the films, except that they were kinda cheesy.
The two sequels are a bit cheesy, but still good. The original has the feel of a vintage slasher film. The setup is pretty basic. Kids are in the woods and there's a killer on the loose. The ending is one of the most original I have seen in a horror film. It's a genuine surprise and nothing, before 1983, like it was seen in a horror film, to my knowledge.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Trades: Thrice
I've been busy with non-blog related projects and real life lately, so I've gotten behind in posting about trades. I'm going to do something that I rarely do, write about multiple trades in a single post.
I like to give everyone their own post because I appreciate the time and effort that people go through to look through my want list (or just set aside cards for me without looking) and I enjoy each and every package that shows up at my mailbox. If someone took the time to send me something, I think it's only fair to write about it.
I've fallen behind, in posting and returning trades. This should be the first step towards fixing that.
The first package came from Andy, a Cubs fan that has relocated to Texas. I talk to so many people because of this blog that it didn't dawn on me that Andy had contacted me a year ago about a trade. Andy's trade package included cards from the 80s up to 2009. It contained many pesky singles that have eluded me.
Thanks, Andy! I did find one card from Andy's want list that he sent. I am looking through my other boxes to see if I can find some more. It's a little harder to find some cards because I recently revamped my boxes and put cards into teams, since I deal with more team and player collectors. Something should be sent out very shortly.
Next, I received a package from John from The Pursuit Of 80's(ness). John is always generous with White Sox cards and this time was no exception. His preferred method of trading is the blind trade. I do get a lot of doubles this way, but there are always some cool surprises and I have never been disappointed by a trade from John. I found a lot of cards that were keepers including gold cards, purple chrome cards and a 7-11 disc of Frank Thomas, to name just a few.
Thanks, John! I have some Red Sox cards to send your way shortly.
Finally, I received a package from Rhubarb Runner of “é rayhahn, rayhahn”. There was a Juan Uribe jersey card, both sides of the UD Documentary White Sox playoff appearance, 2011 Opening Day cards and a few other assorted goodies. Perhaps the most interesting were a pair of game-worn Allen & Ginter cards. I had never seen these cards out of the protective frame. They are surprisingly rigid and plastic feeling.
Thanks, Rhubarb Runner! I've learned something new today. I'll look through your want lists and see if I can match anything.
OK, I think I'm all caught up with posting. Now to concentrate on return packages.
I like to give everyone their own post because I appreciate the time and effort that people go through to look through my want list (or just set aside cards for me without looking) and I enjoy each and every package that shows up at my mailbox. If someone took the time to send me something, I think it's only fair to write about it.
I've fallen behind, in posting and returning trades. This should be the first step towards fixing that.
The first package came from Andy, a Cubs fan that has relocated to Texas. I talk to so many people because of this blog that it didn't dawn on me that Andy had contacted me a year ago about a trade. Andy's trade package included cards from the 80s up to 2009. It contained many pesky singles that have eluded me.Thanks, Andy! I did find one card from Andy's want list that he sent. I am looking through my other boxes to see if I can find some more. It's a little harder to find some cards because I recently revamped my boxes and put cards into teams, since I deal with more team and player collectors. Something should be sent out very shortly.
Next, I received a package from John from The Pursuit Of 80's(ness). John is always generous with White Sox cards and this time was no exception. His preferred method of trading is the blind trade. I do get a lot of doubles this way, but there are always some cool surprises and I have never been disappointed by a trade from John. I found a lot of cards that were keepers including gold cards, purple chrome cards and a 7-11 disc of Frank Thomas, to name just a few.Thanks, John! I have some Red Sox cards to send your way shortly.
Finally, I received a package from Rhubarb Runner of “é rayhahn, rayhahn”. There was a Juan Uribe jersey card, both sides of the UD Documentary White Sox playoff appearance, 2011 Opening Day cards and a few other assorted goodies. Perhaps the most interesting were a pair of game-worn Allen & Ginter cards. I had never seen these cards out of the protective frame. They are surprisingly rigid and plastic feeling.Thanks, Rhubarb Runner! I've learned something new today. I'll look through your want lists and see if I can match anything.
OK, I think I'm all caught up with posting. Now to concentrate on return packages.
30 Day Horror Challenge: Day 26
Most likely because my family had cable starting in 1979, I was fed a steady diet of horror films from HBO, Cinemax and Showtime. This was a time where almost any movie could pop up on any of the movie stations, no matter what the time of day was or what the content of the film was. I would watch mostly R rated comedies and horror films. I can even remember a time where each of the three movie channels scheduled the same movie at the same time. I would flip the channels and re-watch the few lines of dialogue I had just seen on another station. This was before movie channels got exclusives. It was a much simpler time.
Terror Train (1980)
One of the movies that I kept watching, as a child, was Terror Train. It starred Jamie Lee Curtis and magician David Copperfield. It's an odd casting, but it works for the film.
The story starts off with a fraternity prank gone wrong. A girl is talking into luring a pre-med student into a darkened room for a fun night, but instead of the girl, the student ends up in bed with a corpse. The student is traumatized and is sent to a psychiatric hospital. Flash forward three years and the graduating students throw a costume party on a train, but there's an unexpected guest.
A unique feature of this film is that most of the kills happen off screen. There is very little gore, but it does enhance the scares. The killer dons the costume of the latest kill, in order to blend in with the other guests on the train.
One thing has bothered me between my original viewings and watching the DVD. There seems to be a scene missing where there was a compartment splattered in blood from a killing that was discovered. Eventually the blood is revealed to be red paint. The red paint scene is not on the DVD but was memorable enough that my parents remember watching it with me back then.
Your favorite horror film to watch as a child.
Terror Train (1980)One of the movies that I kept watching, as a child, was Terror Train. It starred Jamie Lee Curtis and magician David Copperfield. It's an odd casting, but it works for the film.
The story starts off with a fraternity prank gone wrong. A girl is talking into luring a pre-med student into a darkened room for a fun night, but instead of the girl, the student ends up in bed with a corpse. The student is traumatized and is sent to a psychiatric hospital. Flash forward three years and the graduating students throw a costume party on a train, but there's an unexpected guest.
A unique feature of this film is that most of the kills happen off screen. There is very little gore, but it does enhance the scares. The killer dons the costume of the latest kill, in order to blend in with the other guests on the train.
One thing has bothered me between my original viewings and watching the DVD. There seems to be a scene missing where there was a compartment splattered in blood from a killing that was discovered. Eventually the blood is revealed to be red paint. The red paint scene is not on the DVD but was memorable enough that my parents remember watching it with me back then.