Saturday, May 08, 2004
In preparation for Van Helsing, Spooky and I devoted Kid Night last night to Hammer films — The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula: Prince of Darkness (probably my fave two Hammer films). There was some other stuff as well — SpongeBob (a new fixation for me; Jerry Lewis on acid) and a couple of eps of Beavis and Butthead.
And speaking of Van Helsing, we saw it this afternoon, and it's was, I think, everything it set out to be. I wasn't impressed with either The Mummy or The Mummy Returns, so this is the first time I can say that I almost unconditionally enjoyed a Stephen Sommers movie. Actually, come to think of it, Deep Rising was sort of fun, but Van Helsing is far better. It's just an utterly fun, joyfully campy, unrepentantly goofy, video game of a movie. That's what I went in expecting, and that's what I got. Not a lot of actual jokes, which is a good thing, but the tongue never leaves the cheek. When Dracula launches in a monologue of Bad Goth Poetry, I thought Spooky and I were going to end up in the aisle ("I am hollow!"). The sfx are just shy of top-notch, and my only real complaint is that I suspect the film errs in its choice of an ending. Or rather, in the tone of the ending it chose. But it was breathless, non-stop fun. I want more.
Yesterday, we made it through Chapter One of Murder of Angels, despite a significant number of interruptions. We're going to try to make it through chapters Three and Four tomorrow. I'm truly annoyed at the slipshod copy editing this time out, in a different way than copy editors usually annoy me.
Daughter of Hounds is starting to take shape in my head, building momentum, and I have to keep reminding it that the "Alabaster" chapbook comes first.
And I think that's it for now. Perhaps, I shall imbibe tonight...
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