THEY DON'T MAKE MARTIANS LIKE THEY USED TO

Today martians are often thought to be bulbous-headed, brain-busting critters with a sophistication and intelligence far superior to ours. This has not changed much since flying saucers were first spotted over the skies of Washington State by Kenneth Arnold on June 24, 1947 ("alien" ships had been seen prior to that, but this was the first time that a craft had media legs). The speculation of what the pilots of these aircraft looked liked and where they were from sparked a whole genre of stories, novels, and movies. Toss in a little H.G. Wells in the mix and you've got one spectacular space invasion movie.

INVADERS FROM MARS (1953) was one of these so-called "sci-fi" flicks. Unique for its point of view (a kid rather than an adult) and some imaginative sets and film shots, the "martians" (a,k.a. mu-tants), however, are bug-eyed and dressed in oversized jammies. Despite all the usual shortcomings in a film of this sort, INVADERS FROM MARS remains one of those cinematic curiosities of the aton age drive-in era that were scary back then, but have diluted into a nostalgic quaintness for those of us that care to remember these films.

The December, 2011 issues of SFX magazine features a retrospective of the original INVADERS FROM MARS, and includes information on the 1980's remake.

Read More → THEY DON'T MAKE MARTIANS LIKE THEY USED TO

WALKING DEAD STILL STROLLING ALONG

The 2nd season of THE WALKING DEAD has been unleashed on cable TV land. I've heard numbers such as 10 million viewers, worldwide, tuned in to watch the latest mayhem. Zombies were the 4th most popular Halloween costume this year, almost edging out vampires and pirates in some polls. Will the madness ever end? Let's hope not!

The December, 2011 SFX magazine spotlights the latest news about the zombie show phenom.

Read More → WALKING DEAD STILL STROLLING ALONG

THE 10 BEST EVER ZOMBIE FLICKS

Yesterday, I introduced you to the latest SFX Special Collection, ZOMBIES THE ULTIMATE GUIDE. The lead article is "The Top 66 Zombie Films of All Time". Why 66? Well, that's answered in the intro before the film listings.

Did they get it right? Well, I'm no afficionado of the walking dead, so I'm not sure if I can give you an accurate answer. As in most "best of" lists, some I would have put higher and some lower.

The list I've given here the are the top 10. You'll have to purchase the magazine to see the other 56.

Read More → THE 10 BEST EVER ZOMBIE FLICKS

IT'S A DEAD, DEAD, DEAD, DEAD WORLD

Unless you're one of them yourself, you'll know that zombies are the monster du jour these days. Vampires are holding their own, but the flesh-eatin', knuckle draggin' reanimated are ruling Monsterville.

Zombies have always been a notable sub-genre of the horror film, mostly because of Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and DAWN OF THE DEAD. Lugosi's WHITE ZOMBIE and Lewton's I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (great title!) were earlier offerings in the cycle.

Today, Zombie Walks, comic books, movies, and other pop culture outlets and venues are catering to the shambling ones. SFX, one of those A4-sized 'zines from across the pond, is releasing their latest special collection issue, ZOMBIES THE ULTIMATE GUIDE. It's a zombie-fest that's quite a sight for sore ... er, dead eyes.

Read More → IT'S A DEAD, DEAD, DEAD, DEAD WORLD

CORMAN SPILLS HIS GUTS

"It has been written that It Conquered the World, and a lot of the other B-movies of that period, were made as a response to the anti-communist atmosphere of the time; but I do not believe that. I think that they were more of a response to the development of the atomic bomb."   - Roger Corman

The Brits have invaded America again. This time it's not with their music (although there could still be an argument for that), it's with their music magazines. With A4-sized titles like CLASSIC ROCK, PROG ROCK, GUITAR TECHNIQUES, MOJO, UNCUT and FUTURE MUSIC, there leaves little doubt that, once you are lured in by the well-executed, graphically-flashy covers, it's easy to see that they may just be quietly taking over American newsstands.

While there are yet to appear newsstand-friendly monster 'zine titles, it will likely only be a matter of time before we see SHOCK HORROR and SCREAM added to the Barnes & Noble inventory. GZ was around for a little while, but has recently ceased publication. I don't think the chemically-toxic combination of FANGORIA/ FHM worked real well for them. One needs only to refer to the American-published GIRLS AND CORPSES magazine to see this pairing firing on all cylinders.

Personally, I tend to like the Brit's view of music in general and music criticism in particular. As a frequent reader of the aforementioned CLASSIC ROCK and PROG ROCK, I appreciate the dry wit and wicked reviews without the added, over-used American element of outright vapidness and cruelty. Not that they can't write with a vitriolic pen; they just save it to make a bigger impact.

That said, I think the successful marketing and distribution of the A4 'zines has a lot to do with their model, 'cause the idea ain't all that original. The influence of pop culture throw-away magazines like PEOPLE, INSTYLE, MAXIM, and again FHM, with their flash-feature style and dazzling layouts can easily be discerned in these well-produced, slick publications. They Brits just do it on a larger scale with a little more pizzaz, if you will.

SFX is one such genre magazine that has a very appealing look. In addition, they are not overtly biased to British content. For instance, in the August, 2010 issue (#198) a British journalist interviewed Roger Corman and asked him what his "finest filmatic achievements" were. Below is the article and Corman's response.

Read More → CORMAN SPILLS HIS GUTS