"MONDO CULT comes as a cool breeze of giddy literary fun...
Your inner Monster Kid will freak out!"
—HK AND CULT FILM NEWS
"As the title suggests, the focus is on the world of cult entertainment.
The first issue contains departments addressed to new movies on disc, new music
(including an especially solid collection of soundtrack reviews), new books, and more."
Joe Monks' THE BUNKER
is finally back on track.With Distribution Deal Set,
Blind Filmmaker Puts Finishing
Touches On Debut Feature
CAPE CORAL, FL: It's been a journey spanning nearly 5 years, cast and crew replacements, two hurricanes, four states and a suicide, but comic book writer-turned-director Joe Monks, with one distribution offer firmly in place, says the end is finally in sight...so to speak.
"We've had a zillion things go wrong," says Monks of his directorial debut, The Bunker. "Everything from reshoots to footage being ruined because someone clueless was standing next to our cameras with his cell phone on vibrate, to rescoring the entire film after receiving an offer for international distribution. I've had to dump a lot of dead weight along the way, but with the path finally clear, The Bunker should be out in 2011."
Monks, who lost his eyesight in 2002 to complications from diabetes (he's been a Type 1 diabetic since age 12), viewed the obstacles and distractions as opportunities to make the film stronger. "You learn a lot about the people around you when you're tackling a project like this. Something that's never been done before, something that's going to be groundbreaking. Either you fold and give up, or you find ways to make your film better. I wasn't about to let anything keep me from finishing the movie, the way I wanted it done. Not blindness, not diabetes, not sabotage from within. The rough cut got great festival reviews, our screener was well-received, and a cut without final sound design, film look or score secured us a distribution offer covering at least territories. Why would I let distractions derail me?"
To ensure the final cut is as good as it can possibly be, Monks has entered the uncharted waters of microfinancing, putting up a project on the popular Kickstarter.com website. "I've refused to cut corners," says Monks. "I'm blind.
I don't get another chance to make my first film. This one has to count. We're raising some additional funding to make sure everything's done right. The film look, the sound design, some ADR and re-recording, etc. What's left is largely cosmetic, so we've hired a post house equipped with the AVID system, which I think is going to be a substantial bonus in terms of production value. But it costs money, so we're going the microfunding route to put that together."
To view The Bunker project, please visit: Kickstarter.
The Monsters Are Loose on Hollywood Way
A local creature checks out
The Witch's Dungeon at Monsterpalooza.
Photo by Jessie Lilley.Monsterpalooza Takes Burbank by Storm
by Jessie Lilley
I spent a weekend in LA recently. David and I drove down to attend the convention known as Monsterpalooza and wow, did we have a blast!
Being a native of the East Coast, my first experience with the horror con phenomenon was something called Horror-Thon, which morphed into the Chiller Theatre Toy, Model and Film Expo, now held in Parsippany, NJ. Your congenial host, Kevin Clement is very much a part of the action.
Eliot Brodsky, your host at Monsterpalooza seems to have taken a cue from the venerable East Coast show as he darts hither and yon, checking on his guest stars, greeting his vendors and glad-handing the faithful as they pour through the doors.
Read the full story here...
Jessie Lilley
Famous Monsters of Filmland
Welcomes Jessie Lilley as Editor!
Lilley will also continue her duties as
Editor-In-Chief of Mondo Cult
The staff of Famous Monsters of Filmland is pleased to announce the arrival of Jessie Lilley to its ranks as Editor.
As a publisher and editor of small press magazines for over 20 years, Jessie brings an impressive wealth of experience to the pages of FM, and has already had an immediate effect on the production of #251, the relaunch issue scheduled for release in July. “I asked Jessie to write a piece for #251, and over the course of our discussions I think we both slowly realized that she had a lot to offer on the other side of the desk as well,” said FM Editor in Chief Michael Heisler. “We danced around the topic until, ultimately, her first achievement as Editor was to hire herself! Seriously, Jessie has joined us as we’re heading into the home stretch of putting FM #251 together, and we couldn’t be happier to have her aboard.”
Read The Full Article...
Val Lewton
Spiritual Terror
The Horror Films of Val Lewton
He Made Horror Movies
for People Who Don’t Like Horror Movies
by Brad Linaweaver
When I first discovered WONDER Magazine (my first was #3, the one with This Island Earth on the cover) I noticed that the magazine wasn’t only about movies, but that here was a periodical I could count on to give loving coverage to my favorite films. I was also impressed by WONDER’s editorial philosophy. To argue that the traditional values of Western Civilization have a lot to do with the Sense of Wonder often found in popular art is a daring approach. This outlook may be downright crazy for a publication fighting for a share of the nostalgia market...but then again, nostalgia may be the last place where these values have a chance.
Read The Full Article...
Life Is But A Scream:
The True Story of
the Rebirth of Famous Monsters of Filmland
reviewed by Brad Linaweaver
Out Of Print
This is no ordinary book review because Ray Ferry's Life Is But A Scream is no ordinary book. The former (finally!) publisher of the revived Famous Monsters of Film/and has written the ultimate press release at great expense to answer a multitude of internet posts produced at much less expense. Ferry's critics didn't always have the complete facts, but knew enough to be enraged at what occurred between Ferry and Forrest J Ackerman over the rebirth of the original monster film magazine. As for Ferry, he never allowed the facts to get in the way of his magnum opus.
Read The Full Review...
The Dreams You Carry On Your Back
A Review of The Poetic Works of William Smith
reviewed by Brad Linaweaver
(First Printing September, 2009)
Missouri is a land of rivers and lakes. William Smith saw that world as a child, same as Mark Twain, and grew up surrounded by her beauty; but Missouri has her price. She is a hard state with challenging work. From this combination of beauty and hard times came a breed of men rarely found today. Men whose hands, filthy from hard work, can tenderly cradle the most fragile of creatures as easily as they can form a fist and deliver a blow.
Read The Full Review...
Makeup & Misery
Adventures in the Soap Factory
Norman Bryn
Classic Creature Craft, LLC—301 Pages
Reviewed by Jessie Lilley
When my old pal and one-time hot date Norman Bryn contacted me to say he’d written a book about working in the make-up departments at All My Children and Saturday Night Live, I was curious to see what he’d come up with. When I received the copy for review, I realized he’d managed to produce a rarity indeed.
I’ve just finished reading one of the most fascinating treatises on the art of make-up, labor union politics and working in show business in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. If you are considering a career in entertainment, this book is an absolute must. I heartily suggest it be bought and used as a text book in any of the theatrical/film/television make-up schools that are operating today.
Read The Full Review...
A Sampling of our Table of Contents:
Features
Repent, Roman! – Brad Linaweaver
Interviews
Mark Redfield discusses Edgar Allan Poe and Jeffrey Combs' Nevermore – Jessie Lilley
Live Shows
Carmel Helene: Live! at The Viper Room – Jerry Jewett
Obits
Captain Phil Harris – Jessie Lilley
Reviews - Books
The Poetic Works of William Smith – Brad Linaweaver
Reviews - Film
Sherlock Holmes (2009) – Jessie Lilley
Reviews - Music
Buffalo Springfield: Boxed Set (Rhino) – Arthur Byron Cover
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