October 2008 Archives

In this era of what I dub "torture-porn" movies like "Saw" and "Hostel," there are few films on which burgeoning horror-philes can safely cut their teeth. Sure, the Disney Channel has some great offerings like the "Halloweentown" series, but I'm talking about films that are scary enough to scare you without leaving you traumatized or with the need for therapy. Films that make you feel like you've sneaked something by your parents, though you really haven't; films that leave you feeling a bit more mature after watching them.

With that in mind, I present three of my favorite oldies-but-goodies horror/suspense films appropriate for the pre-junior high and junior high set. Forget gratuitous violence and excessive blood and gore. These films scare you the old fashioned way--by letting your own mind scare yourself.

Halloween gives the young (and the young at heart!) a chance to dress up, play a role, wear a mask, and be something or someone they're not. For a day. That's the key.

On this Halloween, I've assembled a list of top five media masquerades. These "masquerades" are the people and issues that (for the most part) bug a faith-based fan of pop culture like me because they are always in the media or always covered by the media.

5. Non-stars that get treated by the media like real stars. Like Paris Hilton. I mean, really, what has she really ever done that's redeeming, even on the surface-y Hollywood scale?

4. Non-inspirational shows that pretend to be authentic inspiration. Notably, many televangelist shows and, most notably, the time they spend selling product.

Here are two new exciting updates for fans awaiting the November 21 release of the first movie from Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series.

First, the new movie trailer! The new trailer is heavy on the Bella scenes, focusing on Bella Swan looking concerned, quizzical, and, perhaps, conflicted (we presume) over her vampire soul mate Edward Cullen.

Whether there will be four film features to complement each of the four "Twilight" novels is up in the air after the extremely mixed reaction to Book 4. But, then again, I think we "Twilight" fans should be happy with what we've got to look forward to in the next few weeks....

Second, if the trailer's not enough to satisfy your "Twilight" cravings, you can spend time analyzing the new "Twilight" movie soundtrack.

Where passion and politics meet...pumpkins.

You gotta love Los Angeles. As a recent transplant from New York, I'm constantly amazed by the parade of human...um...innovation. LAist, a daily online publication about life in L.A., shared a new election-themed site called--wait for it--"Yes We Carve."

Cute, guys. But is anyone else going to be really happy when this election is over??

Starting with the biblical and ending with the bizarre, here's my list of top 10 witches in pop culture:

1. The Witch of Endor. Star Wars fans are scratching their heads at this one, trying to figure out how witches and Ewoks are related. But the Witch of Endor (or rather, "Ein-Dor") figures prominently in the book of Samuel. After Samuel's death, King Saul banished all practitioners of magic, but when he received no responses from God or the priests, Saul sought out the witch for advice about how to handle problems with the Philistines. The witch called up the ghost of Samuel, who provided no advice, but predicted the king's death. So much for reassurance from the occult.

2. The Three Weird Sisters, from "Macbeth." "Double, double, toil and trouble...fire burn, and cauldron bubble." I memorized this scene in high school, and I still remember it. The "weird sisters," as these witches are known, were the voice of prophecy, and they shared with Macbeth the prophecies that guide his actions and understanding of events.

3. The Wicked Witch of the West/Elphaba. In the 1939 "Wizard of Oz" film starring Judy Garland, "witch" actress Margaret Hamilton was apparently so scary in her role that she couldn't go back to her teaching job after the production wrapped. "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too," followed by an evil cackle that could raise hell, was too petrifying to young ears. Later, with the book and the musical "Wicked," the Green Witch got a name (Elphaba), an extensive songbook, and a backstory that enabled us to understand why she became a wicked legend.

4. Dorrie, the Little Witch. A series of children's books by Patricia Coombs featured a little witch who was always getting into trouble. When the first book appeared in 1962, Coombs established Dorrie as a kid who was entirely normal and flawed, despite being a witch. Dorrie has proven to be an enduring character; the most recent book was written in 1992.

5. Jennifer, from the book "Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth." Aside from being the first name in the longest-titled book I ever had on my shelf as a kid, Jennifer is the antidote to Elizabeth's alienation in school. Plus, she's a witch. Published in 1984, I was as obsessed with Jennifer and Elizabeth as the apprentice witch, as I was with learning who Hecate, Macbeth, and William McKinley were. Long title, but E.L. Konigsberg, author of my other favorite long-named children's book ("From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler"), is probably used to it.