the pulp (Issue 9, October 2014) by The Pulp

Issue 9, October 2014

Issue 9, Oct 2014

The People of the Hour! magazine Editor Talk Here at the pulp, we usually have a lot of content around film, thanks to our amazing contributors. This one’s a little heavier than usual, so enjoy reading a review of John Wick, an essay on the pitfalls of 1968’s Inspector Clouseau, and a preview/overview of Edmonton’s DEDfest film festival. I’m not sure if my talented group of film buffs will ever read this section, but they’d probably shake their heads at how woefully ignorant I am when it comes to film. They may even wag a finger at how I voluntarily chose to sleep through Citizen Kane in my high school film writing class. Don’t get me wrong—I love movies. But my tastes are a lot simpler. I love diving into novel analyses but, when it comes to film, I’m always a pure observer. Luckily, these guys know what they’re talking about. And they’ve written some great articles for this issue. We’ve also got Russ’s thoughts on what not to do at comic conventions and we agree completely. That bag. Get it out of my face. It’s always going to be awkward with thousands of people in a confined space, so the least you can do is NOT be a jerk, right? Teresa’s column this week has some thoughts on Halloween costumes and the opportunity the season brings for showcasing your fandom. Cosplayers go hard all year, so why not take it one step further this Halloween? I also wrote a little thing about BreakOut Edmonton, which I’m completely obsessed with. Live action escape games—what’s not to love? Just try not to fail. I still cry about it at night. Enjoy this month’s issue, you awesome people.

Cheryl Editor-in-Chief thepulppress.com 2

Cheryl Cottrell-Smith, Editor-in-Chief Writer/editor. Founder of The Pulp and lover of comics, gaming, anime, old literature, and gin. Especially gin. @CottrellSmithC Matt Bowes, Lit + Film Columnist Self-proclaimed cultural commentator of good taste. Enjoys movies/books, and writes about them at thisnerdinglife.com. @matt_bowes Teresa Simmons, Fashion Columnist Fashion writer/blogger at Simmons On Style. Can’t live w/out little black dresses, seafood, Indie music, and lip gloss. @simmonsonstyle Russ Dobler, Nerd Science Columnist Known as "Dog" to friends and weirdos; wannabe scientist; beer lover. Blogs at thoughtfulconduit.com/whatdoesthismean. Allan Mott, Film Columnist Film enthusiast and blogger at vanityfear.com. Can be found giving opinions on films and other cultural paraphernalia @HouseofGlib. Erin Fraser, Editorial Contributor Film curator and cinephile, comic aficionado, and pop culture commentator. Found at erinefraser.com or @erinefraser.

Issue 9, Oct 2014

CONTENTS gamertown

fashion + cosplay

lit + film

One Too Many: Inspector Clouseau (1968) – Allan Mott

Back to the Gangland: Keanu Reeves is John Wick – Erin Fraser

Breaking out is REALLY hard to do – Cheryl CottrellSmith

Geek or Treat – Teresa Simmons

quirky events

Bringing The Room Down: The DON'Ts of Comic Con – Russ Dobler DED On: Film Festival Returns For Its Seventh Year – Erin Fraser

musings 6

Our Fictional Future: Sports – Matt Bowes

arts + stuff 4

Creator Spotlight: Ochre Lea – Cheryl Cottrell-Smith

Creator Spotlight: Walking Illustrations – Cheryl Cottrell-Smith

Issue 9, Oct 2014

Ochre Lea

Creator Spotlight:

Words and images by Cheryl Cottrell-Smith

Issue 9, Oct 2014

Gutenberg changed the world with letterpress printing but we’ve moved far away from this technique in the age of word processing systems. The printing press technique has since been revived as an artisanal craft, used not as a way of distributing news or broadsheets, but as a way to develop something unique. Pieces of art. Hand-crafted papers with distinct impressions that show an obvious use of the letterpress technique. Enter Ochre Lea. Edmontonian Cate Kuzik has combined the traditional use of letterpress printing with her love for the arts and pop culture. The result is a delightful assortment of handmade artwork featuring superheroes, cartoon characters, and more. “What we do is letterpress art—it’s a lino block or wooden carving,” says Cate’s husband, Jared. “All the images are carved out and then printed onto paper using a letterpress. [It’s the] same kind of technology used to make newspapers back in the early 1900s. Even the type that’s used is either antique wood or lead type individually set.” Under the brand of Ochre Lea, Cate crafts handmade letterpress posters featuring pop culture icons such as Batman, a selection of green fictional characters (think Shrek), and Drax the Destroyer from Guardians of the Galaxy. “They’re printed in a limited run and there’s a slight variation in the colours throughout the printing,” says Cate. Her first time selling Ochre Lea prints was at the 2014 Edmonton Expo, but Cate has been applying for more markets and conventions since then and hopes to continue expanding the range of her artwork. An online store is in the making for Ochre Lea. In the meantime, you can visit ochrelea.com for a gallery of Cate’s letterpress art.

Written by Matt Bowes | Images courtesy of Dreamworks SKG, infinitesummer.org, and mansplat.wordpress.com

Our Fictional Future:

Sports Like all true sports fans, there is only room in my heart for the best game ever played: 2002-2003 vintage Slamball, which is apparently making a comeback in Guam of all places, but apart from its rising from the ashes you would be hard pressed to find any good news in the sports world these days. Between FIFA’s insistence on playing in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup (ignoring human rights issues surrounding the stadium builders, the sweltering heat, etc.), evidence of Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice’s horrific spousal abuse and the seeming coverup by his team and the league, and the continued existence of the Washington Redskins’ racist logo and name, sports aren’t looking super fun at the moment. In the pulp’s continuing mission to explore fiction for potential future scenarios, here are a few examples of how sports could change in the coming years. Note, the amazing, satirical film Death Race 2000 is not included, nor is The Running Man, because they straddle the line between death-sports and game shows. The 2008 Jason Statham remake of Death Race was also excluded, for generally being garbage. 6

Issue 9, Oct 2014

Robot Boxing

The humble Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots game might be the oldest instance of this future sport gaining mainstream popularity, but robot fighting has a pretty good history in pop culture. The prolific author Richard Matheson, best known for his often-adapted novel I Am Legend, wrote a short story called “Steel” for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction back in 1956. It was adapted into a Twilight Zone episode in 1963, keeping its story intact: a down-on-his-luck former boxer named Steel Kelly (Lee Marvin) suits up to fight one last time in a world where robot boxing has eclipsed the human variety. “Steel” was also the basis for the (to my mind, anyway) underloved Real Steel, which came out in 2011. While the similarly down-on-his-luck boxer played by Hugh Jackman doesn’t actually pretend to be a robot boxer in this one, his performance of a callous douchebag and absentee father is pretty refreshing and entertaining. I feel like this film should have been released alongside Rollerball, Death Race 2000, et al., but the robot boxing we got out of it was pretty entertaining. Don’t act like you wouldn’t watch robot boxing if it was real. It would be awesome and you know it.

Issue 9, Oct 2014

Rollerball

Eschaton

In David Foster Wallace’s 1996 masterwork, Infinite Jest, most of the novel’s action takes place around the Enfield Tennis Academy in Boston, Massachusetts. Owing to the diverse interests of its founder, James Orin Incandenza, Jr., the students allowed at the academy must be geniuses both in the fields of math, science, optics, and tennis. The novel takes place in the near future, in which, a theme you’ll often see repeated in futuristic dystopia, corporations are omnipresent and all-powerful, even owning the rights to the years themselves (ie. The Year of the Whopper, The Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment, etc.). The United States, Canada, and Mexico have combined into one super-country: the Organization of North American Nations (O.N.A.N.). To relax in this incredibly stressful world of corporate control, radioactive waste flung out of catapults, and rampant drug culture, the hyper-neurotic students at Enfield devised a game: Eschaton. In Eschaton, each player stands at various spots mapped out on a tennis field. They represent one of the nuclear-capable nations left in the world, like O.N.A.N., China, or Russia. Handy items like towels, water bottles, wrist bands, and that sort of thing are placed in each player’s “country,” representing cities, dams, and military installations—high-value targets for the others’ missiles. Players simply loft a ball at the country they want to attack and punch the results into a computer to see how many megadeaths ensue. Robot Boxing

Canadian Norman Jewison’s 1975 film was based on a short story in Esquire called “The Rollerball Murders.” In the story and the movie, both written by William Harrison, war and countries have essentially been abolished by the year 2018 and replaced by the Corporate State. Rollerball is the most popular sport in this brave new world: a combination of jai alai, roller derby, and football (with motorcycles), and Jonathan E. (James Caan) is the world’s greatest player. When the Energy Corporation, which owns Jonathan’s team in Houston, asks him to retire from the game, Jonathan is perplexed. It turns out, in a manner reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron,” his aptitude for the game is actually running counter to the ruling class’ objectives. The violence and futility of Rollerball is supposed to suggest to its fans that individuality and personal freedom are things of the past, and that good citizens should sit down and do what they’re told. The trailer for this film is awesome, featuring story spoilers, non sequiturs and out-of-place seeming music (in classic ‘70s style), but you should also check the video directed by CANADA for Justice’s “New Lands,” which takes the already crazy game of Rollerball and amps it up even more.

Eschaton In David Foster Wallace’s 1996 masterwork, Infinite Jest, most of the novel’s action takes place around the Enfield Tennis Academy in Boston, Massachusetts. Owing to the diverse interests of its founder, James Orin Incandenza, Jr., the students allowed at the academy must be geniuses both in the fields of math, science, optics, and tennis. The novel takes place in the near future, in which, a theme you’ll often see repeated in futuristic dystopia, corporations are omnipresent and all-powerful, even owning the rights to the

Issue 9, Oct 2014

Geek or Treat Halloween should be the most exciting time for geeks everywhere! Why? It gives you the perfect excuse to become your favourite character from a fantasy novel, science-fiction film, video game, TV show, or comic book. The choices and options are endless. Let your creative mind and imagination run wild. Your goal should not be to simply dress up as someone else, but to also turn into that character, too! Own it. Also, you should keep in mind that your costume should be carefully constructed, not just thrown together haphazardly. Remember: you want your costume to be fashionable and believable. Become someone you can relate to. Think of it this way: if you could become a different person this very second, who would it be? Try not to choose a Halloween costume because it’s in style and the most popular. Showing up at a Halloween party with exactly the same costume as everyone else would be a complete fashion disaster. Approach it as you would when getting dressed in the morning in your regular clothes. Wear something unique that has personality. Be the opposite of trendy. Think about the books you used to read as a kid or the movies you used to watch. If you choose a character from back in the day, your costume will surely stand out from the rest. Think outside of the box. I mean yards, miles, leagues outside of the box. Don’t just become “someone,” become “something.” For example, be your favourite social media platform or dress up as a Smartphone or iPod. Create your Halloween costume based on a techy digital gadget that is out on the market or used to be. Go as an 8-Track Player or a Sony Walkman from the 80s. Again, choose something that speaks to you and that is fabulously geeky. You want to be able to tell a story when someone compliments your inventive Halloween costume.

9 Dedicate some time putting your Halloween

Written by Teresa Simmons | Images courtesy of smalltownmelody.blogspot.ca, Pinterest, and charmedtasha.blogspot.ca

Issue 9, Oct 2014 Dedicate some time putting your Halloween costume together. Go shopping at craft and fabric stores to make your Halloween costume if you can. Making your Halloween costume from scratch will ensure that no one else will have your costume. Or, if you’re feeling particularly resourceful, shop at second-hand and vintage stores to piece together your outfit. And, don’t forget make-up! Your costume is not complete without it. Study your chosen character or gadget and try to replicate it using your make-up. Get into the spirit of Halloween and have fun creating your costume. If you think that your costume is truly one of a kind, quirky and imaginative, attend a Halloween event or party that is hosting a competition. Or, go somewhere your Halloween costume will be seen (and admired) by a lot of people. Strut your stuff. Lastly, remember to get into character! Become someone else and leave the real “you” at home for one night. Happy Halloween!

Issue 9, Oct 2014

One Too Many:

Inspector Clouseau

(1968)

Written by Allan Mott | Images courtesy of Mirisch Films

Out of all the different franchises that possess the unique ability to keep on going throughout the decades, few have provided as much fodder for a column dedicated to forgotten sequels than The Pink Panther. Over the course of 11 films (and a whole bunch of animated work inspired by the original’s title sequence) made over the course of 46 years (beginning with The Pink Panther in 1963 and—so far—ending with the sequel-tothe-remake, The Pink Panther II in 2009) there have been at least four different efforts deserving of “One Too Many” analysis. At least three of these films can be blamed on the franchise’s chief architect— writer-director-producer Blake Edwards—and his unwillingness to concede that its reason for existing ended with the death of star Peter Sellers in 1980. In 1982, he released Trail of the Pink Panther, a bizarre effort strung together from outtakes, deleted scenes and clips from the previous films that feels just as insultingly exploitative as other patchwork efforts like the sequels to The Hills Have Eyes and Silent Night, Deadly Night. A year later he tried to reboot the franchise with Soap sitcom star (and future Blossom dad) Ted Wass in Curse of the Pink Panther, which featured an equally inept American detective on the trail of the missing Clouseau. And after that seemingly killed the franchise for good, Edwards tried again a full decade later with Roberto Benigni in Son of the Pink Panther, where the Italian comedian (four years before the brief window after Life is Beautiful where anyone in North America gave a fuck) played the newly discovered son of the French inspector. It too flopped and disappeared without a cultural trace. All three of these films seem to owe their existence to the lingering wounds left by Edwards and Sellers’ famously acrimonious working relationship. All three represent Edwards’ attempts to prove that it was his genius that was responsible for the franchise’s appeal and that Sellers was just an aggravating egomaniac he was forced to deal with

Issue 9, Oct 2014

Edwards’ attempts to prove that it was his genius that was responsible for the franchise’s appeal and that Sellers was just an aggravating egomaniac he was forced to deal with along the way. With Trail, he made the onscreen argument that he didn’t even need Sellers to be alive to make a new Pink Panther film and—when that failed—he tried to prove it again by casting two other actors in ostensibly the same part. In the end all he accomplished was proving what the few people who remembered Inspector Clouseau—an otherwise forgotten film from 1968—had already figured out. Without Sellers the series simply doesn’t work. Unlike James Bond, Inspector Clouseau is a character whose iconic status is completely dependent on the unique gifts of the man who originally brought him to life. By the time famed film producer Walter Mirisch decided he wanted to make a third Clouseau film (following the original The Pink Panther and 1964’s A Shot in the Dark), Edwards and Sellers were already working on The Party and had both vowed it would be the absolute last time they would ever work together. (They would break and repeat this vow repeatedly until Sellers’ death.) Mirisch first approached Sellers and he turned him down, which made it safe for him to go to Edwards, who also turned him down. In Edwards place he turned to Bud Yorkin, a comedy director best known for his work with behind-the-scenes TV legend Norman Lear (All in the Family) and as the co-executive producer of Blade Runner, and for the role of Clouseau Mirsich turned to the star of his surprise 1965 hit, The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are

Coming!

Mirsich turned to the star of his surprise 1965 hit, The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are

Coming! Alan Arkin had received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his performance as a Russian sailor who is forced to deal with panicked New Englanders when his submarine is grounded off a small island in Massachusetts. Though it was his first major performance, he proved immediately he was an inspired comic talent (he was an early alumni of Chicago’s legendary Second City improv troop) and he also proved he could work with accents, which is likely why Mirisch thought of him for the part. To write the film, Mirisch selected TV sitcom vets Tom & Frank Waldman, the brothers who had also written The Party. Together they devised a script where Scotland Yard imports the French inspector to England after it has been decided that they need an experienced outsider to stop a murderous gang of thieves aided by a unidentified mole in their midst. Despite Scotland Yard not being the secret service, Clouseau is equipped with various Bondian-style weapons in a clear attempt by the filmmakers to latch onto the then recent vogue for comic spy capers. Per the series formula, he then proceeds to stumble and incompetently bumble his way to success. As would become especially true for the later Panther films, plot here takes a major backseat to the comic set pieces, which in Yorkin’s hands lack the inspired technical flair of Edwards. The result is that Inspector Clouseau is one of those rare films that feels both rushed and meandering at the same time. Much time is spent on poorly executed and

Clouseau is one of those rare films that feels both rushed and meandering at the same time. Much time is spent on poorly executed and highly predictable gags, while the film quickly cuts to other scenes in ways that suggest important sequences were cut or never even filmed. Instead of feeling like a continuation of the franchise, the film has much more stylistically in common with the Elvis Presley films of the period and could have fit comfortably on a double bill with 1967’s Double Trouble. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with that (I personally adore the charming cheesiness of the Presley films), but watching Inspector Clouseau is like watching an Elvis Presley movie with Andy Kaufman playing Elvis. Arkin does his best, but he lacks Sellers’ ability to lose himself in the part. Like Steve Martin after him, his performance highlights the accent and the character’s undeserved arrogance, but it doesn’t do anything interesting with them. In Sellers’ hands Clouseau’s absurd egomania made him seem naively innocent and even strangely relatable, but in Arkin’s it just makes him seem like an oblivious jerk. Inspector Clouseau flopped and it might have killed the series for good, were it not for the fact that following the success of The Party, Sellers appeared in a long run of even bigger flops (like The Blockhouse, Where Does It Hurt? and Soft Beds, Hard Battles) and was so desperately in need of a hit, he finally agreed to work again with Blake Edwards on 1975’s The Return of the Pink Panther, which they followed with The Pink Panther Strikes Again in 1976 and The Revenge of the Pink Panther in 1978.

Issue 9, Oct 2014

Return of the Pink Panther, which they followed with The Pink Panther Strikes Again in 1976 and The Revenge of the Pink Panther in 1978. Despite the fact that all non-Sellers Panther films have been either financial and/or creative disappointments, it’s not that hard to understand why filmmakers have kept trying to keep the character of Clouseau alive onscreen. Beyond Edwards’ own egocentric interests, there is something very appealing about an obviously incompetent character who manages to continuously succeed at their job as much because of their incompetence as in spite of it. It feeds into the “Impostor Syndrome” that so many of us feel in our own lives—that fear that people will figure out we don’t really know what we’re doing most of the time and are really just guessing and hoping we’re right. We like Clouseau because he doesn’t share this lack of confidence—he truly believes he’s the best, even though all the evidence points to his being the worst. But in his case, this evidence doesn’t match up with the results or official record. Watching a Pink Panther movie allows us to indulge in the comforting fantasy of failing upwards, which seems so much easier and achievable than succeeding because you’re the best. None of us are ever going to be as cool and invincible as James Bond, but all of us can be as lucky as Inspector Clouseau. So that’s why I suspect we haven’t seen the last of him, even though all the evidence suggests it probably would have been better to let him go 34 years ago. 14

because of their incompetence as in spite of it. It feeds into the “Impostor Syndrome” that so many of us feel in our own lives—that fear that people will figure out we don’t really know what we’re doing most of the time and are really just guessing and hoping we’re right. We like Clouseau because he doesn’t share this lack of confidence—he truly believes he’s the best, even though all the evidence points to his being the worst. But in his case, this evidence doesn’t match up with the results or official record. Watching a Pink Panther movie allows us to indulge in the comforting fantasy of failing upwards, which seems so much easier and achievable than succeeding because you’re the best. None of us are ever going to be as cool and invincible as James Bond, but all of us can be as lucky as Inspector Clouseau. So that’s why I suspect we haven’t seen the last of him, even though all the evidence suggests it probably would have been better to let him go 34 years ago.

Watching a Pink Panther movie allows us to indulge in the comforting fantasy of failing upwards, which seems so much easier and achievable than succeeding because you’re the best. None of us are ever going to be as cool and invincible as James Bond, but all of us can be as lucky as Inspector Clouseau. So that’s why I suspect we haven’t seen the last of him, even though all the evidence suggests it probably would have been better to let him go 34 years ago.

Issue 9, Oct 2014

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Issue 9, Oct 2014

Breaking out is REALLY hard to do Written by Cheryl Cottrell-Smith | Images courtesy of BreakOut Edmonton 16

Issue 9, Oct 2014

The worst thing about BreakOut Edmonton, our city’s newest live action escape game, is the fact that your failure to break out of your room will haunt you. FOREVER. You’ll frustrate yourself trying to figure out that very last clue, wishing you hadn’t spent so much time dicking around on the first puzzle. You’ll wonder what was in the box. How the clues fit together. What it would feel like to get that door open, in the end. The best thing about BreakOut Edmonton is identical to the worst thing. For those who enjoy puzzles, adventure games, cryptic clues, and using their brains, BreakOut Edmonton is a revelation in live action gaming. The whole premise is based on breaking out of a themed room by solving clues and putting together pieces of a complex and multifaceted puzzle. Each room has a particular concept—once you grasp that, you can make it through. But nothing is easy and nothing can be taken for granted. I went with a group of three friends to test BreakOut’s “The Awakening” room and, as you can tell, I can’t stop thinking about it. First of all, there’s the adrenaline rush. You’re put in the room with no instructions—all you know is that you must get that door open. Without giving away too many details (because I’d hate to ruin the room for anyone else), we had to collectively use our skills and brainpower to solve the puzzles. Some of them were extremely abstract, while other puzzles were unbelievably simple once you realized what you were looking for. One of the greatest things about the game—and one of the reasons people play adventure and puzzle-solving games in

general—is that elated sense of achievement when you get something right. You feel so damned smart, like you can take on any challenge and succeed. Until you reach the next puzzle and you don’t have a bloody clue how it works. The members of my group felt the same way. “It made me feel like I was an idiot at some points,” says Sam Vaughan. “I liked that some stuff was easy—some stuff made you feel smart. I’d go again because I HAVE to beat it.” “I really liked that they just drop you off in a room, no explanation, and you’re forced to just figure it out on your own,” says Bryce Kelley. “And you don’t know [in] what order to figure things out. You need to rely on everybody to put in their input. It was a cool group thing. I want to try each of the different themes and then, after I fail all those, go back so that I can win all of them…in record time.” “I actually liked how it made you feel helpless at points,” says Amanda Clisdell. “And then that made your brain think in panic mode as you try to get out, especially as that clock ticked down. It was fantastic. I would go again.” The trick to BreakOut, in my opinion, is in having a good team. You need to go with people who will take the clues seriously and not waste time. You need to build a team that you trust and who have an ability to think outside of the box. Intelligence is better when varied—people have different skills and different ways of seeing things. You need to use that to your advantage. And you need to be aware of the time; you only have

Issue 9, Oct 2014

45 minutes to break out and—trust me—that time will fly. Of course, that’s if you want to win. You can go and be silly and not care, but the fun lies in truly getting into the game. It’s an unbelievable experience and, in my case, one that sticks with you. According to the website FAQ, they’ll be changing the room themes every three to five months, so people who want to go on a regular basis aren’t stuck with the same rooms for eternity. The current rooms are The Awakening, 1408, Le Gala, and Secret Laboratory. Each player pays $25 per room; if you have a group of 4-6, you can reserve the room for yourself so that strangers don’t join you. Luckily, the other two who were supposed to be in our room didn’t show up on time, so we got ours to ourselves. Our group of four was perfect—six people might get a little tight and more than a little frustrating. Too many cooks, and all that jazz. If you’re thinking of trying it, here are three pieces of advice for you potential breakouts: 1. Keep one eye on the time: that clock will count down faster than you think. Never waste a second. 2. Don’t get caught up on one thing: you might think one thing is obvious and spend all of your time on that, but you need to be aware of everything else. A good team is one that works together while inspecting various things at once. 3. Never set anything aside: there’s a reason you’re given certain clues. While some might be red herrings, always keep them in mind. You might have missed something important. I can’t recommend this experience enough. As a long-time fan of games like Broken Sword, Monkey Island, and Professor Layton, I knew I’d enjoy BreakOut Edmonton—I had no idea I’d enjoy it this much. Minutes after we finished our game, we were already looking into booking one of the other rooms. It’s THAT much fun. Unfortunately, we failed. That failure will continue to haunt me. And I’m not going to rest until I’ve tried each of their rooms and managed to break out of at least one. Room 1408, it’s on like Donkey Kong.

Written by Cheryl Cottrell-Smith | Images courtesy of Walking Illustrations and Cheryl Cottrell-Smith

Issue 9, Oct 2014

Creator Spotlight: Walking Illustrations

A comic convention has comics as far as the eye can see. Naturally. Until you come across a booth that has snippets of comics…on shoes. How unusual. Amanda McCrimmon is the force behind Walking Illustrations, a venture that produces handcrafted shoes and cell phone cases featuring pages from your favourite comic books. “My boyfriend actually gave me a bunch of comic books one day—he sent them over to me before we were dating and I thought it would be a perfect idea to make shoes to impress him on our first date,” says Amanda. “And he came and he freaked out…but it’s really taken off from there.” Some might think it sacrilegious to cut up comic books and use them to craft other items, but the practice has become common

items, but the practice has become common in the pop culture art world. Artists are using comic pages as backdrops for their paintings or using them to craft jewelry or Paper Mache memorabilia. Amanda has found that there’s a niche for her items among the female conventiongoing population. “It’s the only thing like it at conventions and it’s unique in the community—not a lot of people think about putting paper on [shoes],” she says. “They’re all done with an acrylic base and acrylic sealant. They’ll last in water as well as wear and tear from walking.” Amanda’s collection of comic-covered footwear can be found on her Etsy page, Walking Illustrations.

Issue 9, Oct 2014

Back to the Gangland: Keanu Reeves is John Wick

Written by Erin E. Fraser | Images courtesy of thefilmstage.com, joblo.com, and indiewire.com

John Wick is the most fun I have had at the cinema all year.

Impeccably choreographed, perfectly cast, and stylishly executed, it is a rare breed of film that looks and feels nearly perfect. Keanu Reeves (The Matrix trilogy, My Own Private Idaho) stars as the titular John Wick, a former hit man who left behind a life of crime for the love of a good woman. When the film opens, she has passed away from an unnamed illness and John is seemingly saved by her parting gift from beyond the grave: a beagle puppy named Daisy. In just days after her funeral, intruders beat up John, steal his beloved vintage sports car, and murder the puppy. With nothing left to lose, John returns to the criminal underworld to track down and exact revenge on the miscreant responsible. This sets up the driving force of the film and instigates the bloody action that follows. Directed by two Hollywood stuntmen, David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, John Wick radiates a confidence rarely by directors. two Hollywood fromputhis criminal with uncertain Perkins,inan assassin who is after the feltDirected from first-time The pair have to use their days best assets, their background stunt work, to choreograph stuntmen, David Leitch and Chad allegiances. A character that could have bounty placed on John’s head. Palicki and film some of the best action set pieces I have seen since John Woo’s seminal 1992 crime picture, Hard-Boiled. Stahelski, John Wick radiates a easily come off as cliché with the plays her role with a both a sense of Bullets and bodies fly in all directions as characters carry out in the inevitable bloodbath that follows a man down the path of

confidence rarely felt from first-time aphorisms that litter his dialogue, Dafoe strength and wit, giving off just the right vengeance. directors. The pair have put to use their sells the role in a way that only he could, amount of ambiguity required. The cast is made up of some of the best actors currently working in Hollywood and everyone is ideal for their role. Willem best assets, their background in stunt giving the character a needed air of Then there’s Alfie Allen (Game Of Dafoe (Antichrist, Spider-Man) plays Marcus, a friend of John’s from his criminal days with uncertain allegiances. A character work, to choreograph and film some of eloquence and wisdom. Thrones) who shines as Iosef Tarasov, the that could have easily come off as cliché with the aphorisms that litter his dialogue, Dafoe sells the role in a way that only he the best action set pieces I have seen since Ian McShane (Deadwood) plays a spoiled son of a mob boss who selfishly could, giving the character a needed air of eloquence and wisdom. John Woo’s seminal 1992 crime picture, hotel proprietor who keeps the balance in and foolishly destroys John’s last shred of Ian McShane (Deadwood) plays a hotel proprietor who keeps the balance in the criminal world, and fellow ex-HBO player Hard-Boiled. Bullets and bodies fly in all the criminal world, and fellow ex-HBO hope because he wanted a new plaything. Lance Reddick (The Wire) is the hotel’s well-mannered concierge. John Leguizamo (William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet) directions as characters carry out in the player Lance Reddick (The Wire) is the Allen has a rare quality among actors, a pops up as the owner of the regular chop shop. The film’s lone female role belongs to Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights, inevitable bloodbath that follows a man hotel’s well-mannered concierge. John backpfeifengesicht, German for “a face G.I. Joe: Retaliation) as the opportunistic Ms. Perkins, an assassin who is after the bounty placed on John’s head. Palicki plays down the path of vengeance. Leguizamo (William Shakespeare’s badly in need of a fist,” and he embodies her role with a both a sense of strength and wit, giving off just the right amount of ambiguity required. The cast is made up of some of the Romeo + Juliet) pops up as the owner of the childishness required for the role. Then there’s Alfie Allen (Game Of Thrones) who shines as Iosef Tarasov, the spoiled son of a mob boss who selfishly and best actors currently working in the regular chop shop. The film’s lone He’s a character that you love to hate and foolishly destroys John’s last shred of hope because he wanted a new plaything. Allen has a rare quality among actors, a Hollywood and everyone is ideal for their female role belongs to Adrianne Palicki John Wick requires that the audience get backpfeifengesicht, German for “a face badly in need of a fist,” and he embodies the childishness required for the role. He’s a role. Willem Dafoe (Antichrist, Spider- (Friday Night Lights, G.I. Joe: on board with the desire to punish him. character that you love to hate and John Wick requires that the audience get on board with the desire to punish him. Allen sets Man) plays Marcus, a friend of John’s Retaliation) as the opportunistic Ms. Allen sets up to this challenge, but also up to this challenge, but also shows hints of a vulnerability that ultimately grounds his performance. from his criminal days with uncertain Perkins, an assassin who is after the shows hints of a vulnerability that The film belongs to its star, though. Reeves has been quiet as of late—his few recent Hollywood forays have either been allegiances. A character that could have bounty placed on John’s head. Palicki ultimately grounds his performance. forgotten or flopped—but with last year’s highly underrated Man Of Tai Chi, which he also directed, he is quickly coming back easily come off as cliché with the plays her role with a both a sense of The film belongs to its star, though.

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shows hints of a vulnerability that ultimately grounds his performance. The film belongs to its star, though. Reeves has been quiet as of late—his few recent Hollywood forays have either been forgotten or flopped—but with last year’s highly underrated Man Of Tai Chi, which he also directed, he is quickly coming back as one of cinema’s best action heroes. The physicality that the role requires is a natural fit for the actor who’s made his biggest mark in special effects driven films like The Matrix trilogy and Speed. Here, Reeves’ uses his patented “affectlessness” to portray a man who has nothing left in his life to care about. He’s going down this dark path because it’s the only thing left he can do, the only thing that still has meaning and could give him

nothing left in his life to care about. He’s going down this dark path because it’s the only thing left he can do, the only thing that still has meaning and could give him meaning once again. It’s a self-assured performance and Reeves is convincing as the sorrowful Wick. While the promise of Reeves, the nicest guy in Hollywood, beating up a whiny twerp like the kind Alfie Allen excels in playing, is enough to get my attention, John Wick reveals itself as more than just a satisfying revenge flick. The film expertly calls upon a video game aesthetic and structure, of the kind that studios like Rockstar make. The criminal underworld functions much as it would in a video game, down to using gold coins as a base currency and having a 24-hour

studios like Rockstar make. The criminal underworld functions much as it would in a video game, down to using gold coins as a base currency and having a 24-hour doctor on staff at the base of operations, the preposterous gangland hotel, for healups. There is a stock setting aspect to the various locations throughout the film: from the chop shop, to the criminals’ only hotel, a giant multi-level club, and safe houses. All of these places exhibit varying degrees of ludicrousness and artificiality. As John begins to descend further and further into the criminal underworld towards his goal, there’s a palpable sense that he is leveling up with each fight, and the scenes in-between the action set pieces function much the way that cut

Issue 9, Oct 2014 towards his goal, there’s a palpable sense that he is leveling up with each fight, and the scenes in-between the action set pieces function much the way that cut scenes do in a video game. Unlike the games that John Wick resembles, though, the film does not objectify or exploit its female characters at all. While the film takes place on the inside of a lurid gangland, there is not a signal prostitute or gun moll. Tellingly, in a scene where Iosef is partying in a hot tub enjoying bottle service, the camera does not linger on the bikini clad women anymore than on the topless men, objectifying neither female nor male bodies. They are merely half undressed because they are partying in a hot tub. While the film does feature only one female character, unless you count John’s deceased wife, Ms. Perkins is one of the richest and most complicated characters in the film. She belongs to neither the just side of proceedings, as represented by John and those who adhere to the codes of honour established by the criminal culture, nor the corrupt, as represented by Iosef and his father who protects him. She is a rogue agent and her outcome is one of the most remarkable character developments throughout the film. John Wick might not be the best film of the year, but with only two more months of films and the “serious” awardsfare looming, I feel confident that it is the most entertaining film of the year. It is a film for film-lovers, especially those that love over-the-top action and seeing justice served.

Issue 9, Oct 2014

Written by Russ Dobler | Images courtesy of New York Comic Con and Alex Erde of Mild Mannered Cosplay Photography

Issue 9, Oct 2014

Did you find last month’s Pulp article on making the most of your convention experience useful? I did. I wasn’t able to make it to the Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo, being based across the border, but this month, thanks to the wicked cool Massachusetts crew at Adventures in Poor Taste, I did attend the United States’ biggest comic convention, New York Comic Con. You read that right. According to Reed Exhibitions Group, the organizer of NYCC, 2014’s gathering brought in 130,000 people, as many as – if not more than – this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego, which caps its attendance at that figure due to space restrictions. Despite that, the show floor was reportedly 40% less congested due to the implementation of microchip-outfitted badges, to combat apparently rampant counterfeiting. Not to humblebrag, but that’s just a skosh more than the Expo’s 2014 attendance of 47,000. Nonetheless, the advice of what to do from my more northerly nerd bros proved to be universally valuable. But I can only control my own behavior. September’s article glossed over the more negative aspects of con culture: those things other fun-seekers do that just grate on you, in an (understandable) effort to get to the good stuff. After battling long commutes and sardine-like conditions for three days, I’d like to offer the counterpoint to every “convention experience” piece you’ve ever read. F*@! your happiness; here are four things you SHOULDN’T do to make MY convention experience better.

Don’t Let Your Cosplay Get Out of Control

A lot of these are expansions of things mentioned in passing last month, and this one’s the most obvious. Some people go to cons just for the costumes, and that’s totally cool. Where else are you going to see Lady Deadpool roll up with Finn from Adventure Time and Steampunk Sherlock Holmes? Not even on the streets of New York, believe me. But I ask the incredibly creative and passionate cosplayers of the world to also have a little empathy for the cramped convention drones walking past you. Angels may be your favorite thing in the world, but crafting wiry wings with a five foot span might not be the most considerate thing to do when people already have to perform pirouettes just to get by. If the inconvenience of others isn’t enough to clip your ambition, consider what could happen when you encounter someone with similar initiative. I saw some kind of cyborg get his boot hydraulics tangled with a warrior guy’s sword, halting them both in their tracks. As I shuffled along my way, I watched them squirm and pull for a good minute, seemingly never getting closer to ending their Gordian predicament. I’m not entirely convinced they aren’t still there, in an empty hall, locked in an eternal struggle between genres.

Amazingly well done, but how many took that umbrella to the eye? 25

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Don’t Stop Short, and Get Your Damn Bag Out of My Face

This one’s related, and goes out to the photo snappers who just have to hold the cosplayers up to get their perfect pic. The Javits Center, home of NYCC, is a fricking huge 1.8 million square feet in size and spans six city blocks, so you’ve got to hustle to make it from one end to the other. Sudden human speed bumps not only slow you down, but can cause multiple geek pile-ups when the people behind you can’t stop in time. There were supposedly official places for cosplayers to show off and soak in the flash bulbs, but that didn’t stop anyone from mobbing the Sailor Moons and Groots on busy avenues like paparazzi trying to chase down Madonna. And it’s fine that you brought a bag with you. We all did. It’s the utility belt of comic conventions, holding water, swag and yeah, you may even need that Bat-shark repellant (the police call it mace). But don’t forget that it’s on you and start braining people when you turn around. While checking out a booth, try to stand sideways instead of sticking it out into the walkway like you were a Jansport Quasimodo.

Yes, this is ONE line.

The worst part of any convention is the lines. If you want to see a panel that’s even the least bit popular, you’d better get there with almost two hours to spare. Standing and watching the world go by is trying enough without being questioned by the lucky walkers, free of your now-stationary existence. Don’t ask me, “What is this line for?” because it’s obviously not something you’re interested in, and if it is, you’ll just run away screaming after seeing this convoluted, serpentine beast that stretches three times around the food court. Once you’re in line, say to talk to a creator, don’t forget there are other people behind you. It might make your lifetime to discuss elf-hobbit hybrids with Sir Edmund Shirepants, but you’re not on a coffee date with the guy, so wrap up the convo after covering the first two trilogies. I’ve got important questions to ask, too, like what his favorite beer is!

Don’t Harass the Line

Don’t Get Mad at ME Because YOU Weren’t There

Which brings me to my last point, this time for the folks not fortunate enough to attend. I was incredibly lucky to see and do so much at NYCC this year. It was a blast and not nearly as irritating as I make it out to be, and I wish everyone could experience it. But sadly, Saturday tickets and three-day passes sold out after being available only for a couple hours. I guess NYCC really has hit the big time, as even the scalpers have taken notice. I had a ton of fun, but I got in because I was there to work. While others gallivanted and shopped, I suffered the toils of the damned waiting to get a word in edgewise with any creator I could harangue, only to be met with quizzical stares when I asked them, I’m sure, the dumbest questions they’ve ever heard. One said to the artist next to him as I walked away, “How do you make a living doing that?” “I don’t,” was my matter-of-fact response. But thankfully, there’s a simple way to procure New York Comic Con tickets without fighting online slowdowns, and it’s much more pleasurable than staring at the multi-colored beach ball as it spins. Reed Exhibitions’ new annual event, Special Edition: NYC, is a celebration of the reason for the season, the comics themselves, and offers the first chance anywhere to get NYCC tickets in June. So swing by, chat with some artists and buy some back issues, and I’ll see you at the big one next year!

Issue 9, Oct 2014

Written by Erin E. Fraser | Images courtesy of DEDfest, Astron 6, and Erin E. Fraser

While Halloween is still a week away, it’s never too early to start getting in to the ghoulish spirit of things; after all, why reserve all the fun for one evening a year? And there’s no better way to get in the mood than with some horror movies. Luckily, the annual DEDfest film festival is running at Metro Cinema at the Garneau Theatre (8712 109 Street) October 21st to 26th. This year’s festival promises four evenings and two full days of horror mayhem. With 17 feature films scheduled, DEDfest promises to deliver plenty of shocks and thrills. I sat down with organizer Kevin Martin at his DVD shop, The Lobby (Bsmt, 10815 Whyte Avenue), who reminisced about past festivals and excitedly shared with me what this year’s has in store.

Erin Elizabeth Fraser: So, Kevin—DEDFest. What is DEDfest? Kevin Martin: DEDfest is, to quote [co-organizer] Derek Clayton, “Edmonton’s one and only international genre cult film festival” that is generally a mish-mash of horror movies, sci-fi, Asian cinema, and just independent gems that maybe would not have the opportunity to play in movie theatres in this city. There is a lot more out there than the Hollywood mainstream studio stuff, so it’s up to people like us to grab these movies and say, “you know what, our city deserves to see these films.” And not on video on demand or TV—no, they deserve to see them with a big movie-loving crowd. To me, it doesn’t matter how advanced technology is and how easy these movies are to obtain on a computer, nothing beats the theatre experience with a crowd. We do our best to keep this thing going. EEF: When did DEDfest start and what has been the evolution?

KM: Well, this would be technically the seventh DEDfest. The whole thing started—it all comes back to my video store—it started as a one-day movie marathon with a guy named Matt Acosta who was a customer here and an aspiring filmmaker at the time. He said, “why don’t we just see if there is interest to do something like this and get a one day marathon?” We picked random old movies, Ichi The Killer and Evil Dead 2, and it was twenty bucks. It started at around 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon and went till 2:00 in the morning. It was a good crowd in the daytime. It got to a point where it was around 2:00 in the morning and there was maybe five people left in the theatre

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how advanced technology is and how easy these movies are to obtain on a computer, nothing beats the theatre experience with a crowd. We do our best to keep this thing going.

attempted that, and that’s when Derek came on board. I think our big movie that year was the North American premiere of My Name Is Bruce, which was such a coup for us.

EEF: When did DEDfest start and what has been the evolution?

EEF: I remember that night. KM: It was the late show on the Saturday and then we peppered the rest of the schedule around it with retro screenings of Night Of The Creeps and Phantasm.

KM: Well, this would be technically the seventh DEDfest. The whole thing started—it all comes back to my video store—it started as a one-day EEF: Wasn’t that the movie marathon with a same year as Tokyo Gore guy named Matt Acosta Police and Wicked Lake? who was a customer here and an aspiring filmmaker KM: That was interesting; at the time. He said, “why that was when we first don’t we just see if there is realized doing this whole interest to do something film festival stuff—your like this and get a one day first year doing it, when marathon?” We picked you approach these random old movies, Ichi companies, they’re like The Killer and Evil Dead “who are you guys?” This 2, and it was twenty is new to us, our first year, bucks. It started at around and we really wanted 3:00 or 4:00 in the Kevin Martin, DEDfest Organizer, Owner at The Lobby Tokyo Gore and they’re afternoon and went till like “Well alright, we’ll 2:00 in the morning. It was a good crowd in the daytime. It got give you Tokyo Gore but you have to take Wicked Lake.” So to a point where it was around 2:00 in the morning and there we learned about bartering. No offence to Wicked Lake, some was maybe five people left in the theatre and we were like “just people liked it, but there is a reason why they piggybacked it go home, we’re tired too.” Overall it was an interesting on top of Tokyo Gore. experiment and the idea came that if we planned it out better EEF: That is a very classic Hollywood move. and maybe tried to get some movies that hadn’t come out yet for the following year, [we could] make it an event. KM: Yeah. Honestly, it was a fairly successful year, it went

In 2008, it was still called Deadmonton at the time; we attempted that, and that’s when Derek came on board. I think our big movie that year was the North American premiere of My Name Is Bruce, which was such a coup for us.

really well, and that’s when we were located downtown in the Citadel building, which only fit around 218 people, so it looked like a good crowd. After that, Matt Acosta left, so it was just me and Derek and we decided to switch the name because Deadmonton wasn’t working out and there was too much

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Citadel building, which only fit around 218 people, so it looked like a good crowd. After that, Matt Acosta left, so it was just me and Derek and we decided to switch the name because Deadmonton wasn’t working out and there was too much confusion because there is another Deadmonton as well. It’s gone on from there. You forget how long you’ve been doing it, but I look back and I have fond memories. I think my personal favourite was 2009 when we were still downtown, and I think about it more than ever this year because in 2009 we showed the Mo Bothers’ Macabre and this year we’re showing the Mo Brothers’ Killers. We showed Dead Snow back in 2009 and this year we’re showing Dead Snow 2. EEF: What can audiences expect from this year’s festival? KM: I always tell our first-time audiences, they may have heard of it but never attended—the number one question I get is, “Kev, I’ve never been and I really don’t know if I can convince any of my friends to come with me.” I’m like, “You know what? Come by yourself.” I always tell them it’s a multi-day event. The cool thing about always going to DEDfest, or any film festival for that matter [is that] it’s not like going to a regular Cineplex Odeon movie, because this crowd that you see at The Lobby, these are your peers, they’re there for you. So as the days go on, you will mingle with these people because you have something in common immediately. It’s a party atmosphere. EEF: There’s beer.

KM: There is beer. It’s funny because when we schedule our movies we have the 7:00, the 9:00, and the late show. I mentally schedule them—OK, anything with subtitles that might need focusing we’ll do that at 7:00, and then as the evening goes on I always take into account the alcohol consumption. As we get later in the night, [I] make sure it’s more fun and festive movies. We only have one late show this year, because DEDfest is a little bit later than usual—we are running at the same time as the Rocky Horror Picture Show, which is always a huge favourite at the Garneau, [and] we’re cool with that. Our late show this year is our good buddies’,

year, because DEDfest is a little bit later than usual—we are running at the same time as the Rocky Horror Picture Show, which is always a huge favourite at the Garneau, [and] we’re cool with that. Our late show this year is our good buddies’, Astron 6. We have shown Father’s Day and Manborg in the past; their new movie is The Editor. I’m ridiculously looking forward to this movie. EEF: This is the first time you’ve done kid’s programming. KM: Yeah, it’s a new thing for us. I’ll admit that it was Derek that thought of the idea. We knew that Kier-la Janisse, our good friend from Montreal, author of House Of Psychotic Women and a former DEDfest guest, she was curating these Saturday morning cartoon things for many festivals, including the Garneau itself there, so we asked her if she could put together a Halloween retro cartoon package, which she did. So, on the Saturday at 11:00 in the morning, we’re going to have—I don’t even know how to say this—a kid-friendly DEDfest event. That feels so odd. Everybody is welcome; I believe it’s pay by donation, because all of the money ends up going to the Stollery Children’s Hospital, which is super cool. So kids can see some cartoons, we’ll try to have some Count Chocula there, unless it’s sold out, that stuff is going quick, but we have no idea what Kier-la has booked for us, which is kind of the fun part—there better be some Scooby-Doo. It will be the oddest thing because it will be cereal and coffee and non-alcohol products, and then once that ends: “Thanks for coming out kids! Ok, back to the 18 and over mode, what are we showing next? We’re showing Elijah Wood and [former porn-star] Sasha Grey in Open Windows at 2:00 in the afternoon. Rock and roll, the party keeps going.” EEF: There is also a documentary this year—Lost Souls: The Doomed Journey Of Richard Stanley’s Island Of Dr. Moreau, which is something that has happened for the past couple now. KM: Yes. Now, this year’s doc I am super excited about. For every terrible Hollywood blockbuster or flop movie that was made in the past 20 years, something good can come out of it,

Issue 9, Oct 2014

KM: Yes. Now, this year’s doc I am super excited about. For every terrible Hollywood blockbuster or flop movie that was made in the past 20 years, something good can come out of it, and that is a documentary about what a disaster the movie was to make. This is one of those moments. Richard Stanley, for those of you who don’t know, was an amazing up and coming director in the 90s who made two incredible films: Hardware and Dust Devil. Then he was finally given the big opportunity by the studio system to make his dream project, The Island Of Dr. Moreau. He had all of this cool conceptual art, he had it all set up, and then the money became a factor. They were shooting it in Australia… EEF: With an amazing cast: Marlon Brando, Fairuza Balk, Val Kilmer. KM: But not the cast that he wanted, though. Richard Stanley ended up getting fired from this movie ten days into production and John Frankenheimer ended up taking over, who was basically a gun for hire at that time. What this documentary will teach you is how to never really go against the Hollywood system; more importantly, either Marlon Brando was the craziest person in the world or he was just taking the piss out of the studio heads because he didn’t care and that Val Kilmer was hands down the biggest prick in Hollywood at the time. They make no bones about it, he had just come off of Batman, and his ego was worse than Iceman from Top Gun’s ego—it was just ridiculous. I don’t want to spoil the insanity that went on on-set—the documentary speaks for itself.

We’re going to go straight in from the Richard Stanley documentary to one of my favourite subgenres in the horror movie field and that is French horror movies. I have been waiting for Among The Living for a while. For those of you that don’t know, Among The Living is from the directing team that brought us Inside, which is one of my favourite French horror movies from the past ten years, up there with Martyrs and Frontier(s). What’s interesting about Among The Living is this is your typical French insane horror movie if Steven Spielberg was involved [in] making it, because the movie is from the point

Frontier(s). What’s interesting about Among The Living is this is your typical French insane horror movie if Steven Spielberg was involved [in] making it, because the movie is from the point of view of three 12-year-old boys. Picture The Goonies if it [were] a hardcore horror movie. Very intense movie—man, that’s going to be great on the big screen. You know, I get giddy—I have seen a lot of these movies already, obviously, but to see them with a crowd on the big screen I get really excited.

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but to see them with a crowd on the big screen I get really excited. EEF: You want to share them with people. KM: Absolutely. Our closing movie is probably the most critically acclaimed horror movie of the year. EEF: And directed by a woman! KM: I knew you were going to bust that out. Yes, it was directed by a woman. So, The Babadook, the director’s name is Jennifer Kent and it is based off her short film. Now, I have not seen the movie yet, I want to see it with an audience for the first time, but I am assuming by the trailer and how stylistic it is that she was heavily interested by the German Expressionist films of Caligari, Nosferatu, just by the way the Babadook moves and how artistic the children’s book is. It looks like it’s going to be one of these “pin [dropping] in a theatre” kind of movies. Friday, though, at 7:00—when you say this is Peter Jackson’s favourite movie of the year, you best listen up and go “hmm, maybe I should check this out.” Maybe he’s biased because it’s from New Zealand, that could be, but all the response that I have heard from every festival that Housebound has played at is that it is supposed to be one of the best horror comedies playing the festivals right now. EEF: And Peter Jackson used to be the best director of horror comedy, so he would know. KM: I love how we both agreed used to be, yes. So, Housebound is supposed to be amazing. EEF: So how can Edmontonians enjoy these kinds of films all year round, because the festival only runs till Sunday October 26th? 31

KM: Oh well, I’m so glad you asked. I might also add, while the festival is set up in the lobby area of the Garneau Theatre, there will be a mini-version of my Lobby DVD shop. I am

KM: Oh well, I’m so glad you asked. I might also add, while the festival is set up in the lobby area of the Garneau Theatre, there will be a mini-version of my Lobby DVD shop. I am bringing a heavy amount of my inventory there so, as you watch these movies, feel free to add some more to your collection, because my display will be able to expose people to more of these movies. But for the rest of the year, you know Halloween is coming up, and after that Christmas is coming up—by the way, I ordered 30 copies of Dead Snow 2, street day release December 9th. It would make a great gift—come visit my store, it’s The Lobby DVD Shop. I’m pretty sure I am the only video store in the entire world below a daycare centre; until somebody can prove me wrong, I’m going to use that as my claim to fame. Come on in. If you’re new to these movies, don’t be shy—I love recommending a handful of movies. You take them home, you come back and tell me “these two recommendations were terrible, but I love these two, and these two are pretty solid,” and then I know your taste in movies. Once the film festival is over, don’t be sad because, you know what, we’re DEDfest; we’re not like most film festivals. Every month we’ll bring you a movie. In fact, usually the November screening, November 14th, will be a movie that we tried to get for the film fest that we didn’t have enough time to get in. EEF: It’s always the second Friday of every month? KM: Yeah, it’s always the second calendar Friday of every month at Metro Cinema. A full listing of films and ticket information can be found online at dedfest.com.

Issue 9, Oct 2014