Stone Cold Classic.
I first heard GZA's Liquid Swords sometime in the late 90s. A dude I used to skate with back then bumped this one often, and it made an impression pretty much right away. This was back well before streaming, and I never had a full cassette dub of the entire album, but the title track, "Shadowboxin'" and "B.I.B.L.E." all followed me around on various mix tapes and burned CD comps for years.
Cast:
It is always a great time when I'm able to join in on the monthly Dread Broadcast. So many inspiring Horror fans coming together to discuss their passion, recommend new or overlooked stuff, and just generally geek out about the genre!
This episode, our featured guest was Kyle Valle, Director and co-writer of ZombieCON Vol. 1. Because I'd been out of town, I didn't get a chance to watch the screener he sent to the group, but he and co-writer Erin Áine sent me a screener earlier this week, so I'll be posting about that soon.
After Kyle's segment, we had a good mix of return panelists and newcomers, all of whom helped fill up a notebook page of suggestions for upcoming books, movies and comics to check out.
I love being a part of this so much, and hope everyone gets a chance to check the Dread Broadcast out.
Watch:
Yesterday I invoked PTO from work and took my Dad to see Quentin Tarantino's fourth film in its new, ultimate form:
I hadn't seen either Kill Bill volume since the theatre, and while I remembered some things very vividly (Boss Tanaka's death; the burial; Elle's other eye), there was a lot I didn't remember. My initial takeaway from these flicks back in the day was excitement before their release and satiation upon release, but they never really resonated with me beyond that.
It's funny what 20 years will do.
Two decades down the spiral of cinema archeology, understanding filmmaking and fight choreography, not to mention a much better understanding of the influences and references that go into these films, and I have to say that, while Reservoir Dogs will likely always be my favorite QT film, I now see Kill Bill as his best. Especially when viewed as originally intended - a four-hour and thirty-five-minute film (that graciously includes a 15-minute intermission perfect for a trip to the john and a power-up at the snack bar). The entire Tokyo sequence is beyond belief - I mean, the sheer depth of field that Robert Richardson's camera has to capture with the choreography is staggering. Also, the original O-Ren Ishii origin animation sequence has been extended by 7.5 minutes, giving us the closest we've had yet to a Tarantino-directed anime episode.
Kil Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair is in theatres for at least the next week, and I'm already plotting whether or not I can manage sneaking in another viewing. Either way, Lionsgate has a Blu-ray in the works, and once that drops, I will finally add this one to the collection.
Playlist:
Blut Aus Nord - Hallucinogen
Blut Aus Nord - Ethereal Horizons
The Seatbelts - Cowboy Bebop OST
Sumerlands - Dreamkiller
Telefon Tel Aviv - Immolate Yourself
The Police - Synchronicity
Gaerea - Loss (pre-release singles)
Fever Ray - Eponymous
GZA - Liquid Swords
Mondo Decay - Nun Gun
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
• XI: Justice
• Page of Swords
• XVI: The Tower
Weighed down by Earthly concerns, fight back and don't fall into old patterns.
