Crying for Craven

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Halloween is just around the corner. With it comes orange and black décor, seasonal treats, and costumes of iconic characters like Freddy Krueger and Ghostface.  But this Halloween will seem less scary, less frightening, less terrifying all because we lost Wes Craven on August 30^th, 2015 to brain cancer in Los Angeles, CA.

Wes Craven was born in Cleveland, Ohio on August 2^nd, 1939 with incredibly strict Baptist parents. His parents’ method of raising him was so strict that they refused to show him anything other than Disney movies due to their religious beliefs. After leaving his constrained Midwestern upbringing, Craven went to Wheaton College in Illinois and from there, his mind was opened beyond than what his parents had allowed him to see. While he had to take a year off due to his illness, he was able to get back into the swing of things and eventually became an editor and contributor for his college’s literary magazines. Craven explored writing during his time at college, even while earning his master’s degree at the John Hopkins University in 1964.

For a while, Craven had multiple teaching positions. He initially taught English at Westminster College, then Humanities at the Clarkson College of Technology. He additionally taught at Madrid-Washington High School and during this time, he purchased a 16mm film camera and started crafting short movies. From there, Craven managed to land a job as a sound editor for Harry Chapman and began living in Manhattan. These events gave way to Craven’s bright future of filmmaking, directing, and editing.

One of his least noted accomplishments was having a helping hand in the popular porno movie, “Deep Throat”. What this part is, no one is for certain. However, this role could have been under a pseudonym – just like the many other hardcore X-rated films that Craven worked with.  Craven became a director for the classic horror film, “The Last House on the Left” (1972); this movie later inspired his other iconic flicks, “The Hills Have Eyes” (1977) and “The Hills Have Eyes II” (1985) (as well as their remakes in 2006 and 2007).

Following these movies, Craven decided to cement himself in the horror genre by crafting his well beloved franchise, “Nightmare on Elm St.” (1984). This movie was not only inspired by a strange phenomena of men dying in their sleep, but also launched Johnny Depp’s career.  Freddy Krueger would later return in other “Nightmare” films, including “Freddy vs Jason” (2003). Craven barely became involved with any of the “Nightmare” sequels despite the fact that he wrote the screenplay for the third film in the franchise and briefly worked on “New Nightmare”. Craven stuck to his horror roots when crafting “Scream” (1994), the remake of  “The Last House on the Left” (2009), and “My Soul to Take” (2010). The final movie he worked on and directed before his passing was “Scream 4” (2011). At one point, Craven even attempted to create a humor-horror hybrid flick called “Vampire in Brooklyn” (1995) which was nothing when compared to “Scream” and “Nightmare”’s success.

However, Craven wasn’t all horror and terror; in fact he did work on some rather non-mortifying projects.  Craven directed “Music of the Heart” (1999) which was well received and gave Meryl Streep an Academy Award nomination for her work in the drama. Craven also directed the suspense thriller “Red Eye” in 2005 which starred Rachel McAdams. Craven was also one of the twenty two directors involved in the film anthology “Paris Je T’aime” (2006). Craven even had a cameo as himself in “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” (2001). He also worked on different mediums separate from movies altogether such as the comic book series, Coming of Rage and 30 Days of Night which is set to have a print release this October with a digital release already available. He even had a letter published in Life Magazine in 1968 discussing the periodical’s coverage of rock music.

Craven was a creative, fear inducing man and what better way to illustrate this point by the awards he won? In 1977, Craven received the critic’s award at the Stiges Film Festival for “The Hills Have Eyes”. Twenty years later, Craven was granted the Grand Prize from the Gerardmer Film Festival for “Scream”. In 2012, Craven was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the New York City Horror Film Festival.

Wes Craven led me into my first horror movie franchise, “Nightmare on Elm Street”. With the combination of his excellent storytelling and Robert Englund’s fantastic acting, I found myself under the spell of that horrifying, but intriguing series. To this day, I love it when Freddy Krueger murders Spencer using the Nintendo Powerglove and proclaims, ”Now I’m playing with power!". It’s such a thing that Freddy would do : torment his victims in a unique manner while having fun before dealing the finishing blow.  This series also caused me to explore the horror genre further, stumbling upon old Vincent Price movies that I love dearly, “Halloween”, “Friday the 13^th”, “Chucky”, and many others. Had I never watched “Nightmare on Elm Street”, I wouldn’t be the horror loving woman that I am, and for this, I couldn’t be more thankful to Craven and also deeply heartbroken that he has left our world. While he leaves his legacy of horror movies and his children, Jonathon and Jessica, and his wife, Iya Labunka, this world will never be the same without him.

Rest in peace, Wes Craven. You are but another wondrous soul who we have tragically lost this year and with your passing, we will remember all you have done. How many times you’ve scared us with Freddy’s antics or Ghostface’s killing sprees, how many moments we endured while cringing at your effects, how many times we became victims to your masterful macabre skills we’ll never know or regret. With every scream and scare, we grew to love your work more and more to the point where it has become a part of us.

Thank you Wes Craven, for being a dreadful delight to our lives and adding a little scare in our step.

And thank you for reading this evening’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to comment, critique, share, and subscribe.

So tell me, what’s your favorite Wes Craven film and why?

Lupin the Third: Back in Blue

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

This October Japan will be airing a new “Lupin the Third” series and if there’s one thing I love, it’s “Lupin the Third”.  “Lupin the Third” to me is what ice cream is to a child; it’s a goofy series that can have serious moments while developing great characters and multiple plots. These unconnected plots make it easier for people to start watching the series regardless of what episode they stumble upon.

This new series (the blue jacket in the list of jacket series from the franchise) will be a combination of “Castle of Cagliostro” and “A Woman Named Fujiko Mine” animation styles.  The influence behind this decision lies in Kazuhide Tomonga joining the team for this new series. Tomogna is the man behind the “Castle of Cagliostro”’s and the original television series’ animation. Naturally, it makes sense for someone to be so well acquainted with “Lupin the Third” to be working on this project.

This series will take place in Italy where Lupin will be marrying a supposedly famous woman judging by the new theme song. The theme song appears to be a melting pot of the original 78 theme, an Italian melody, and the show’s fourth opening. It’s a good culmination of something original, something foreign, and something iconic. The fourth opening has a unique tone to it which follows the initial show’s jingle, but also standing out from the rest of the other melodies. To add this special sound to the culmination of the blue jacket series’ theme makes the overall theme bear beautiful audio results.

Mostly everyone has received a makeover; Lupin now sporting a blue blazer, Zenigata wearing a crimson trench coat (who knew Pops looked good in red), and Goemon donning a soft pink shirt.  From what we have seen and heard so far, the new series looks like it’s going to be a treat. With multiple “Castle of Cagliostro” references thrown into the opening credits as well as an updated version of the iconic Jigen Daisuke vs Goemon Ishikawa battle from “Episode 0: First Contact”, it looks like we have a great series in store.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to share, subscribe, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what are your thoughts on the new blue jacket series of “Lupin the Third”?

Kingdom Hearts 3 Summon Ideas

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

So far in the Kingdom Hearts series, we have seen summons such as the Genie from “Aladdin”, Tinkerbell from “Peter Pan”, Stitch from “Lilo & Stitch”, and many others. From what we have seen of Kingdom Hearts 3, there appears to be no Disney character summons. However, this can likely change in the future. In place of the character summons we have transforming keyblades and summons based on Disney rides. While Big Thunder Mt. (a train roller coaster) and the Mad Hatter’s Teacups are the only two summons we have seen, the possibilities are endless.

Here are the top three Disney ride summons I would love to see in Kingdom Hearts 3. Bear in mind, that I’m selecting rides from all of the Disney parks and not just one park.


 3.  Journey to the Center of the Earth

Where do I begin with this selection? This ride is about as epic as Chuck Norris made out of bacon fighting Optimus Prime. This attraction is as thrilling as realizing you’ve won the biggest lottery in existence. In short, it is a very beautiful and excellent adventure complete with one of Disney’s greatest animatronics.

tdrfan.com

Now imagine Sora summoning the vehicle from this particular attraction. Sora, Donald, and Goofy are inside the vehicle which specializes in charge attacks while large, crystal formations burst through the ground behind it. The ultimate attack for this summon is the beast from this ride tearing through the vehicle, throwing Donald and Goofy to the ground while Sora clings to the back and controls it so that it attacks whatever enemies the player desires. Donald and Goofy gain control of minor creatures that appeared throughout the ride which can also attack foes. The summon finishes with a deafening roar from the monster that eliminates enemies in a close range.

2. The Haunted Mansion

If you know me, you know I love the Haunted Mansion, but there’s more to my love of this classic ride for this choice. Disney has just improved and placed the Hatbox Ghost animatronic in their Anaheim location. This addition is already appearing on park merchandise while Disney furthers the Haunted Mansion franchise by means of souvenirs and Guillermo del Toro’s highly anticipated “Haunted Mansion” reboot. The Haunted Mansion is growing into a creepy cash cow complete with all the whimsy Walt Disney had initially intended.

So why let this classic money maker rot and miss a fantastic opportunity? Sora calls upon the Haunted Mansion ride summon. His keyblade seethes with iconic spirits (Madam Leota, Hatbox Ghost, Constance, Hitchhiking Ghosts) as they transform into an ebony hearse with a transparent, spectral stallion (complete with the harness). Donald and Goofy are whisked into the back of the hearse and lean out of the sides. Sora controls the vehicle to trample enemies, each fallen foe turning into a ghost before vanishing as Goofy and Donald attack while holding onto the hearse. As Sora guides the horse, ‘Grim Grinning Ghosts’ plays and triggers the ultimate attack. The riding harness gives way and the hearse kicks the trio off, taking on the form of Madam Leota. The music transitions into the bodiless woman’s chants as items from her séance appear around her and the trio find themselves being pulled in by some invisible force. She begins to spin, creating a vortex of mystical objects and the heroes, spinning round and round, striking each enemy. The attack finishes with a powerful blow as Madam Leota and her items disappear, her cackle filling the empty battlefield.

1.  Star Tours

Star Tours is a theater simulation ride in most Disney parks where the audience takes a ride in a spacecraft that tours the cosmos. This eventually leads into a “Star Wars” based plot with Darth Vader searching for a rebel and encounters with various characters from that franchise.

Disney is releasing “Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens” December 18^th, 2015. This franchise in particular will grow greatly, if not better than it has since “Star Wars” was initially produced. So why not further the beloved series in a wondrous video game? It would do Disney and Square Enix well to put “Star Wars” into Kingdom Hearts 3, where the following summon would come from.

Sora summons a Tie Fighter (a craft that is seen in Star Tours); Donald and Goofy get their own Tie Fighters which constantly project magic and Goofy’s shield at their enemies. Sora controls his own Tie Fighter, shooting magic at opponents.  The ultimate attack of this summon includes the Tie Fighters transforming into the Falcon with Sora at the helm, recreating an iconic “Star Wars” scene of everyone in the cockpit. The camera angle shifts so that the player is inside the cockpit where targets appear on opponents, leading into a single shooter attack before finishing with a relentless shower of laser strikes upon foes.

Also, it would be incredibly amazing if Sora’s keyblade was a lightsaber for the “Star Wars” world.


Bonus: One of the creators of Kingdom Hearts spoke at D23 this year and claimed that he enjoys carousels and wishes that the design team would include one in the game for him. In a concept for Shanghai Disneyland (which is set to open on December 15,2015) there was a carousel based off of the one from “Mary Poppins”. Perhaps, this same carousel could be included as a summon.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it feel free to share, subscribe, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what ride summon would you like to see in Kingdom Hearts 3?

Breaking Writer's Block

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

In life, there are some terrible things that we encounter. Food poisoning, roadkill, and idiots are just to name a few. However, there’s one horrible thing that occurs when we least expect it, like a shark attack. It’s something unexpected like most things in life and about as satisfying as a plate of expired chicken. What is this ungodly occurrence you ask? Why it’s simply known as writer’s block. Most of you know about writer’s block. It’s when you want to write and the ideas are present, but your brain refuses to cooperate.  This is something everyone endures and like puberty, it’s just as terrible.

There are many methods to combat writer’s block, but I’ve discovered a method that the iconic writer Ray Bradbury used and helped.  Now normally, I don’t do other things that famous writers have done to help them, but this technique I found has actually helped me.

Ray Bradbury used to make lists to get out of his writer’s block and it definitely works for me as well. The best way to create your list is to physically write it out because it awakens your brain. It can be a list about anything; a grocery list, things you have to grab when you go to Walmart, a Christmas list, things that make you happy, anything. By crafting your list, your brain is stimulated and generates various topics that you can write about. Your brain is also focused on writing more and is ready to take on whatever projects you’ve had in mind.  

So if you ever find yourself in a case of writer’s block, feel free to go ahead and try this technique out.

Thanks for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it feel free to subscribe, share, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what helps you break writer’s block?

Eyes on the Perseids

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Last night, the Perseids meteor shower rained down from the heavens and gave us the chance to wish on shooting stars. The Perseids put on a spectacular nocturnal display from August 11^th – 14^th, 2015. Tonight will be the final showing of this natural wonder, so be sure to look to the northeastern skies in complete and total darkness. Any time between 1 am – 5 am should give way to the raining meteors. Astronomers suggest that the best time to watch for the Perseids is before dawn, depending on the moon’s phase.

The Perseids meteor shower is named after the constellation Perseus. The constellation rests in the northeastern skies where the shower rains from; hence why the meteor shower was given the name Perseids. The Perseids meteor shower is greatly sought out after stargazers and astronomers because you can see sixty to one hundred meteors flying through the darkness within one hour. So whatever you do, do not miss this wondrous sight of celestial beauty.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it feel free to subscribe, share, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what’s your favorite celestial wonder?

Beetlejuice 2: Confirmed by Burton & Ryder

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

In the onslaught of reboots, emerges something strangely pure, something wondrously horrific, something delightfully dark. What is this strange fantastical wonder you may ask yourself? Why it’s “Beetlejuice” of course.

“Beetlejuice” was one of Tim Burton’s original films which gave way to a cartoon. While the movie differed from the program, it still holds up as a funny, but eerie comedy about a family known as the Deets moving into a home occupied by the spirits of those who lived there before. When the ghosts can’t shake the Deets, they call upon Beetlejuice (….nothing? Damn) to help them, and that’s when trouble ensues.

Since its release in 1988, “Beetlejuice” has found a place in the pop culture world and due to its success people have often wondered when the ghost with the most will return. Well, after hearing our cries, Burton and Winona Ryder have confirmed that there will be a “Beetlejuice 2”. Burton reassured the public at a press for his movie, “Big Eyes” that there will be a “Beetlejuice 2” and Winona Ryder will star in it. Winona reaffirmed his words in her recent visit to “Late Night with Seth Meyers”.

Now what “Beetlejuice 2” will include no one (including Ryder) is for certain. The sequel could be Burton’s initial idea wherein Beetlejuice goes Hawaiian as a tribute to the Universal Monster movies (films featuring Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolfman, etc.) going Hawaiian. Burton grew up with horror movies from the 50s and the Universal Monster movies were no exception. However, time does change people and their ideas and Burton may have moved on from this Hawaiian horror to something new.  There have also been rumors that Michael Keaton is ready to channel the iconic spirit once more in Burton’s long awaited sequel and that even Burton has a script. Even IMDB has a brief bio on the future sequel.

Thanks for reading today’s entry! If you enjoyed it, feel free to subscribe, share, comment, and critique.

So tell me, are you ready to revisit the ghost with the most?

Welcome Back to the Jungle

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

To further ensure that the 90s are indeed upon us, Sony has decided to take the liberty of remaking “Jumanji”.  There was word of a “Jumanji” reboot in 2012 and Sony had contacted Robin Williams’ to return.  “Jumanji” was the movie that featured one of Robin Williams’ iconic roles and told the story about a jungle that sprang forth from a board game played by a completed therapy patient, two children, and a man who was trapped inside the game itself.  The movie was based on the book, “Jumanji” written in 1981 by Chris Van Allsburg. Because of this movie’s success, a game was produced in 1995 and could be found in almost every home.

I had found Jumanji at a yard sale as a child and purchased it in an attempt to get over my fear of the movie. Needless to say, the movie terrified me especially with the notion of venomous spiders, carnivorous plants, and other murderous beings emerging from the board game. Throughout my entire childhood, I never touched this game and gave it away to one of my friends just to get it out of my house. Only recently did I play the game and I forgot why I had been so scared of the game years ago because I was having too much fun.

The modernized “Jumanji” movie will be released on December 25^th, 2016. My only hope for this remake is that they will properly execute the movie. Sony has powerful CGI effects to create far more terrifying spiders, more man eating plants, more ruthless vines that swallow cars, and more dynamic stampedes. They have the power to craft wondrous, horrifying aspects of “Jumanji”; instead of letting their abilities to go to waste, they should embrace them, and use them to their full extent.

There should also be a tribute to Robin Williams for this movie because he was the main star of the film. He practically made the movie and the role became another identity that everyone knew him as. To see no tribute in his honor would be a crime.

They should also bring back the board game. The last time I ever saw the game was on Amazon before playing it with my friends. Since the 90s I have never seen it in shelves or in stores anywhere.  I also hope for a good cast and while this reboot won’t be the same as original, I hope Sony manages to replicate the wonder and fear “Jumanji” initially produced.

Thank you for reading today’s entry. If you liked it, feel free to comment, subscribe, critique, and share.

So tell me, what are your thoughts on the future modernized “Jumanji”?