Peter Gutiérrez has two books out FROM BAD TO WORSE and THE TREES MELT LIKE CANDLES

 This is just a note to say that Unseen Films writer and friend Peter Gutierrez has just released two books and you should buy them.

FROM BAD TO WORSE is a collection of short stories that tell stories about things that go from bad to worse. They are a great collection of tales that get under you skin.

The second is the novella THE TREES MELT LIKE CANDLES. It's a dark tale of a reflection of a life gone sideways. It's a Lovecraftian tale that goes into places that are unexpected.

Both are genuinely really good and highly recommended.

To buy Peter's books from Amazon go here:

FROM TO TO WORSE

THE TREES MELT LIKE CANDLES

Story and Pictures By (2023) NYICFF

This is a look at children’s picture books past and present. Looking at the great films of the past and how they influenced the books of today. We see how the best books broke the rules and the molds, with a result that they changed the people, both kids and adults, who read them.

A solid portrait of what it takes to create books that are loved by millions. It shows the upside and the down side of creating. The film even deals with the cost of success. For example successful writers have to lead clean and perfect lives, because some parents don't want them to be anything less than perfect. For example writers such as Maurice Sendak had to hide their sexuality lest their books be banned for something that isn't in the book. As it is books are too often censored for  some really dumb reasons, and the film discusses that as well.

If you have any sort of interest in picture books this film is a must, more so since many are brought to life with wonderful animation.

Worth a look,

(The film plays the Port Jefferson Doc Series on Long Island March 25. Information here.)

Vault of Walt 10

Billed as the final trip to the vault Jim Korkis’s Vault of Walt 10 is a fitting send off.  Over the last decade plus Korkis has been revealing hidden tidbits of Disney history. Korkis has gone into every aspect of Disneyana from the man to the films to the parks, it’s all been made public from one of the greatest historians working today.

Korkis is ending his series, not because there aren’t enough stories, but rather with the internet and the various sites there are increasing less and less numbers of untold stories. Korkis’ work shined because there weren’t that many people doing the leg work on Disney history and now there are hundreds. While Korkis’ is the grandfather and his work is the source for many other reporters, other people are finding the stories he wants to tell before he gets the chance. While it saddens me that Korkis is stopping I know he will be writing other books and still spinning out tales.

I’m happy to report that this is one of the best books in the series. While some of the material on Disney himself isn’t as strong as the reset of the book there are some great bits. For example the section on the making of ENCHANTED is great fun. I know someone who worked on the film and while they filled me in with details about the making of the film Korkis revealed a great deal more. There is a wonderful piece on Disney during Hurricanes. Additionally there are pieces on the up and down relationship of Disney and Rbbin WiIlliams, a look at the odd duck film CONDORMAN, how the Swiss Family Robinson tree house became Tarzan's, and an intriguing look of Disney on the radio. Plus much more.

This book rocks and is highly recommended and an absolute must for Disney fans.

Vault of Walt Volume 9:Halloween Edition

Sequel  to Jim Korkis' Vault of Walt Volume 7 highlighting Disney Christmas stories, this volume looks at Halloween films and attractions at Disney and it's one of the best in the series.

Anyone who has been reading Unseen Films knows I am a hue fan of Jim Korkis and his Vault of Walt series because they always manage to reveal stories I've never heard of before. Over the years I've handed off copies to Disney crazed fiends ho knew it all and they always are shocked at how much Korkis reveals that they didn't know. 

This time out Korkis gives us looks at the making of films such as THE SKELETON DANCE, THE NGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HOCUS POCUS, as well as others. There is a discussion of the character of Witch Hazel who appeared in both Disney's TRICK OR TREAT and several Bugs Bunny cartoons, all voiced by June Foray, details on the Haunted Mansion, Bela Lugosi and more.

What truly is great about this book is that almost all, if not all, of the material is new. As Korkis tells it at the start the publisher came to him after the success of the Christmas volume and asked for something on Halloween. Korkis agreed and then ran into the problem that he couldn't borrow material  from his other books and articles, which meant he had to form the book from the ground up. This makes the book one of the best in the series simply because we haven't heard many of the stories before. The fact that Korkis borrows from himself is the only weakness in series, and that makes this a page turning delight as we wait to see what the next tale will be.

I love this book. Not only do I love the things he talks about I love the writing itself. For the first time in a long while Korkis' writing seems fresh. He isn't telling a story for the 12th time and as such he seems to be sitting on the edge of his seat to see how it will come out.

This book, like all the others in the series is highly recommended.

Jaws Unmade: The Lost Sequels, Prequels, Remakes, and Rip-Offs

John LeMay is at it again with yet another book taking a look at an influential film that spawned sequels, rip-offs and failed projects put together in the hope of getting on the gravy train. After doing Godzilla and King Kong LeMay turns his sights on the original  summer blockbuster Jaws.

As with the earlier books in what is now is a series LeMay looks at the original film before moving on to the sequels and rip-offs.  What is interesting this time out is LeMay includes several films that are considered rip-offs but were in production before or  during the production of Jaws.

What I find amusing is how many films were started as comedies but then went sideways. The various incarnations of Jaws 3 all started as comedies (including the legendary Jaws 3 People 0) before it was decided that if they made a joke of everything they would lose the ability to ever make another serious film. Another film Up From the Depths was shot as comedy until Roger Corman blew a gasket and cut the life out of it and reshot the effects.

As with all of LeMay's books  everything he found that he could find a reference for is included so odd projects, like some of the Orca sequels (King Kong vs Orca) where all we have is a supposed title. While these projects are lacking in detail they are full of food for thought as we are left to wonder what they were thinking.

Reading the book I was grandly entertained. I was so entertained that I started to make a list of all the films I haven’t seen or haven’t seen in years since the chapters have me jonesing to revisit them.

While you can find much of this information else where LaMay has brought it together and strug it together so that In the end this book is a blast.

Highly recommended

Harryhausen: The Lost Films

Chronological look at the films Ray Harryhausen might have possibly been part of but time and tide prevented him from happening. It also reveals cut sequences from some of his classic films.

Take it as a given this is a great book. A mixture of text and pictures LOST FILMS gets the mind going and makes us fall in love with film all over again. Mostly it makes us wonder what might have happened had HArryhausen said yes or been able to get access to Tarzan or John Carter of Mars? What would he have done on the Empire Strikes Back? Would The Elementals of King Kong VS Frankenstein been a classic? We will never know- but we can imagine.

I don't know what to say other than if you love Ray Harryhausen's work this is a must

Grindhouse Purgatory or what is Steve reading part 3?

My library is literally all over the place. Most of it is in storage at the moment as I shift things around. Pretty much the only things left are the essential (to me) film reference books. However there is only so many times I can reread things.

I needing some sort of real cinematic information in book form I picked up the 3 most recent issues of  Grindhouse Purgatory from 42nd Street Pete... and was so happy I went back and bought the entire run.

Started because Pete wanted to do something on the order of Screw magazine but with interest in all of the things that went on in and around the grindhouses of 42nd street and elsewhere the magazine is a mix of personal remembrances, reviews, interviews and pieces on a wide range of subjects. Simply reading the pieces in order without looking at the contents has been trippy because things bounce around.  While some details of some films isn't always spot on, some "reviews" take the form of a discussion of seeing a film decades before for the first time, you really don't care because the storytelling is so good.

Or mostly good. I'm not going to lie, some pieces are just okay. Its not that they aren't heartfelt, but they aren't well written. On the other hand go two or three pages and something will blow you out of the water.

If you want to try the magazine- and if you love exploitation/ grindhouse or just films in general I highly suggest you do, start with the Greatest Hits compendium and the current issue 15 a tribute to Sid Haig.

The Greatest Hits is a collection made up from the first three issues, with some deletions.  It gives you a wonderful sense of what the magazine is with frank reports of going into grind houses and porno palaces on The Deuce, 42nd St in NYC in the bad old days, reviews of films that played the houses, plus bits on wrestling in the 80's, discovering films because you had to see one film with an actor on a double bill (in the days before VHS) and all sorts of stuff. Its an amazing reference/time capsule of days gone by. As someone who was there for some of the glory days of grindhouse this is the real deal. There are great articles on cannibal films, the Blood Island films, what it was like to run a drive in, how Pete ran a video store in the early days of home video, and looks at a bunch of films you probably never heard of.

On the other hand I do have to warn you that the Greatest Hits has a couple of articles in it that are not cinematic but sociological. Pete gives us the low down on visiting the massage parlors, whorehouses and adult book stores.  There is nothing really wrong with the pieces, hell from the standpoint of letting you know what it was like in NYC during the bad old days they can't be beat, on the other hand I got about halfway through each and found I connected with the nostalgia but didn't care beyond that.(Part of it in reading a number of the early issues the stories seem to repeat)

At the same time the looks inside the adult film industry (there are a couple pieces in issue 4) intrigued me more since they spoke to something more than just one guy's experiences with sex.

And I should point out that most of the reviews are really informative. Forget nice and neat reference books, this magazine is full of pieces that tell it like it is. They don't mince words in calling a film crap or heaping praise. This is a friend talking to you not a NY Times reviewer trying to seem snooty.(They often talk about the 42nd St SRO audience reactions to classic grindhouse films like Cannibal Holocaust).  What I like is that Pete gives people the room to talk about the films they love or hate, with the results that, say in issue 5's look at STAR CRASH, we get a long look at film most people dismiss,

The Greatest Hits is worth a look for a taste of the magazine, with the understanding it is a bit rawer than later issues. With later issues the magazine found a footing and  as less scattershot.

If you loved Sid Haig you must get the tribute issue #15. While the issue is full of great short pieces on him it's in the long pieces that this becomes a must have.

First there is a long excerpt from a four hour interview with Haig. He holds nothing back and talks about his whole career. It is one of the best interviews I've ever read since it reads like two friends talking- which is what it is. His whole career is represented and it is so good I want to see what the whole talk was like.

Then there are several long reviews on Haig's films like those with Pam Grier or what many consider his best role in PIT STOP. Told with love and stories from Sid the reviews make you want to go out and see the films you've missed.

I love this magazine a great deal and it's worth a shot (assuming you realize it can be hit and miss like the grindhouse) and can be had at Amazon and elsewhere.

The Booksellers (2019) opens Friday

The World is divided in two- those that collect things and those who wonder why people are collecting these things.- A Book dealer outside the NY Antiuarian Book Fair

Watching The Booksellers was a physical experience for me. Having been in some of the stores and having met several of the people profiled over the years I found myself in a arm fuzzy place. I was home among my people. I know that may sound weird, but before I loved film I was a book addict-I mean I have storage lockers full of books- which is why I don’t own a house or have savings. I had a mother and an aunt who instilled a love of books into me since they revealed the secret that books can and will take you places without ever having to leave home. (Why travel when all I need is a book?). My desire to collect or rather appreciate old and rare books came with my love of history. These are the things that changed the world and made people long ago dream.

The film itself is a history of the used and antiquarian book “industry” specifically in and around New York. We get a history of the shops that once filled NYC, the stories of those that still survive (Argosy and Strand among others) . we meet the people buying and selling and listen to them as they talk about their lives and the future of the industry and of books. It’s a trip into a small little world full of wondrous things (most of the shops sell other magical items other than books as well) that will make you want to run out and visit one of the shops. If I was kid it would have made me want to run out and go rummaging through the various stores…oh hell…forget being a kid I just want to get up and run out and go to Argosy and see what they have.

This is a glorious film. It is like walking into stacks of an old bookstore with the best bookseller at the desk. It is a celebration of the stores, the staff and the rectangular objects that allow us to travel the world without ever getting out of our seat.

I am not sure how you are going to react to the film, but if you are one of us luddites who want much prefer a page to a screen then this movie is for you.

The Forgotten Horrors Omnibus: Volume One: 1929-1942

The Forgotten Horrors series of film encyclopedias started by Michael Price and the late George E. Turner are must haves for anyone who loves old films. Focused on “forgotten” films with horror elements (not just spookers but crime dramas and dramas) going back to the dawn of sound the series has been running for decades now and runs to well over 11 books which include not just the series itself but related material, podcasts and CDs. It is a treasure trove of information that I refer to frequently.

The first book was published in 1979 and then updated and republished a couple more times over the last 40 years. Films were removed and then reinstated. A second volume came, then a third and a fourth and so on.  While Turner died early on but Mr Price took his notes and the pieces that were intended for later volumes and as a result he has been a constant presence all along. Along the way Price has picked up some help from additional writers such as John Wooley who have injected their own take on some great films. As time went on Price moved the series to a couple of publishing house correcting and updating the books as he went. The original idea of just to cover "lost films" evolved in one to cover films from the late 1920’s on through the early 1980’s point where B films stopped going to theaters and went to home video. Because of home video making more and more films available Mr. Price has worked really hard with each new volume and new addition to bring it all into line so that there was no need for the pick up chapters that filled the later volumes to add in films found along the way…

..and now there has come another change as Bob McLain’s excellent Pulp Hero Press has picked up the series and is working to release them series in expanded omnibus editions that collect the previous dozen or so volumes into six or seven or so volumes all at a reasonable price.

To be honest I have had the first Omnibus edition for a while now but I only recently had the time to sit down and actually look it over. I was hesitant to splurge again for another edition of the first two books but it was from my friend Bob McLain’s house so emailed him to ask what made the new addition. He emailed me back and said that it had more illustrations and more movies. He also said that they were getting the books truly into chronological order so it goes from 1929 to 1942. Trusting Bob I decided to dive in.

The first thing you notice about the omnibus when you get it is that the one volume is thicker than the first two volumes which it covers combined. This new volume is roughly as thick as my first three volumes in the series. When I was told there was additional material they weren’t kidding.

Inside the book, which has been completely re-typset from previous volumes (or at least the ones I have), you notice that there are not only the promised more illustrations but also it seems like there are a lot of new films. More importantly it is clear that Mr. Price has really gone back and stuffed this edition full of material. While I have not done a comparison of the Omnibus to the earlier editions (largely because I am lazy and don’t want to have to pull out my various editions of the first two books) I do have working knowledge of the series and as I was flipping through the new one going “Don’t remember reading that, or that…”. Yes the old books are contained here but there is enough here to make it worth a repurchase.

To be really honest I love this new edition. It just looks and feels good. I love that both the Michael Price and Bob McLain have worked on getting the series to look as good as possible. I love the book so much it very well may get me to put the others away, and thus stop people asking me why I have multiple copies of the two books. I am also looking forwar to the next volume which will cover the next two volumes, which were never my favorites in the series. I’m looking forward to see what changes and additions come.

The bottom line is that if you love these old films this new edition is a must. More importantly even if you are like me and have the old editions this new one is a must as well- and trust me the cost is such that it is cheaper than the individual previous editions- plus it has enough material for a third of the old volumes.

Highly recommended.

Three books to spend your holiday loot on- THE LAW IS AN ASS: ALL RISE, MONSTERS AMONG US and AMERICAN FUNNY ANIMAL COMICS IN THE 20th CENTURY

With Christmas over you may have a little cash burning in your pocket- to that end I’ve got three possible books that may hit the spot

THE LAW IS A ASS: ALL RISE
The first in a series of books collecting Bob Ingersoll columns from the comic Buyer’s Guide on the law in comics.Ingersoll is an attorney and huge comic fan who was getting annoyed by how most comic writers get the law wrong. From the problems of having some one like Batman testify while masked, to putting the Flash on trial for a justifiable killing to trying to figure out how a textbook arrest could ever go south Ingersoll dismantles the misuse of the law with wit and humor. Reading the book I was roaring with laughter on almost every page since as someone who works with law enforcement I could recognize many of the mistakes made but never thought about any of thm.

To be honest you don’t need to have an interest in comics and the law to enjoy the books in the series, you simply need a love of comics and laughing because Ingersoll is a funny funny man and his insights will make you laugh even as they are making you learn something.

I can't wait to read the next volume.

MONSTERS AMONG US : THE TRUTH ABOUT A HIDDEN WORLD WE NEVER KNEW
Andrea McGann Keech's ‘s book on the weird monsters that are supposed to wander the world is a fast and breezy read. Taking on creatures from Loch Ness’s monster, to bigfoot, the yeti, to globsters to the Nandi Bear, the Wendigo and many others in brief and to the point chapters give the reader enough information to get them on the road to being a cryptozoologist. While the book is not the be all and end all on the creatures, there is way too much material out there on pretty much every creature covered to the point the five to ten pages on each is just a taste, it is a perfect place to start.  As some one who has love weird beasts all my life it had me cracking open my books to deeper diving on some of the beasties.

A recommended primer on weird monsters.

AMERICAN FUNNY ANIMAL COMICS IN THE 20th CENTURY
I can’t even begin to do Alberto Becattini's two volume look at cartoon  animals justice. A stunning look at animal in comics and animation the book has more information than you can imagine (or I ever hoped to find in one place). To be perfectly honest I was taken aback by the books which I thought were simply going to be a guide on the order of an encyclopedia listing characters and sources, instead what I found was it was a detailed discussion of the subject that is detailed and engaging. Each chapter had be popping on to the internet to deep dive on each character and subject. Frankly I have a couple dozen books on the subject but there is so much here I never knew. Wow, wow and wow. If you are a fan of cartoon animals, of cartoons in general or comics you must read these books because they will connect up things you never knew were connected and open doors you never knew needed opening.

Highly recommended.

All three books are published by Pulp Hero Press, sister company to Theme Park Press and are available at Amazon both as hard copies and e books.

Douglas McEwan's WE BELONG DEAD: A GAY PERSPECTIVE ON THE CLASSIC MOVIE MONSTERS

Writer Douglas McEwan's We Belong Dead is often screamingly funny. A radical rethink of the horror films from the 30's and 40's by a wickedly funny writer who explains that they are all gay allegories will have classic film fan in stitches.

McEwan's approach is to give us the plot, explain what's good or bad and then explain why the films are gay. It's simple and direct and allows him to riff on plot points, source novels the previous films, the making of the films and Hollywood history. Even I, a life long lover of the films found much I didn't know (Karloff great aunt was Anna of the King and I).

As for McEwan's insistence that the films are gay, I think he is right on target in some cases and off base in others. Not that he cares, as he says early in the book it's his and and can do what he wants.  The takes are how he has seen the films his whole life, from when he realized he was gay until now. I won't go into how why he feels each film is gay, that would removes so much of the fun, however I will warn you that you will never see the films the same way again, especially the blindman sequence in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. You will not be able to shake what he tells you, which odds are will make you love the films all the more.

I love this book. Not only is it s great histoy of the films, and a loving homage to them, but it is also damn funny for all the right reasons.

One of the great literary finds of 2019.

Vault of Walt 8: The Outer Space Edition

One of the best books in Jim Korkis' Vault of Vault series deals with the projects relating to space that the Disney Studios have touched. From detailed examination of the legendary Man in Space TV show episodes to seeming missteps of TREASURE PLANETand the BLACK HOLE to efforts to keep Tomorrowland current to a run in with Osamu Tezuka and Dr Who, this book is stacked.

Okay a quick warning don't buy the book just for the Tezuka or Dr Who chapters- they are each only two or three pages in the final section of quick stories.  You want to buy the book for the rest which is choice.

I loved this edition a great deal.  While my love for the Tomorrowland  chapters was not high, owing to my doing a great deal of reading on the theme parks over the last few weeks, I did love the rest of the book for all sorts of reasons.

I love that the Man in Space episodes took me not only behind the scenes of the TV show but also the space program as well. This was not the result of Disney working with the government as such but more that he ended up talking with the right people before they stepped out on the stage.

The two chapters on the failure of TREASURE PLANET and the semi-success of THE BLACK HOLE make for great reading. Personally I always find it interesting to go back and look at films that made impressions, for good or bad, decades later when time has washed away the hype and we can see the films for what the are.

The MOON PILOT chapter was a blast since it talked about a film almost o one talks about, as well as discussing the problem that the FBI hated the film and how that effected how the agency saw the studio.

And then there is the final section of delightful short bits where the Japanese Disney met the man himself and a certain time traveler almost ended up as a Disney character.

I was in heaven from start to finish.

If you love Disney Vault of Walt  8, like the rest of the series is a must.

Jim Korkis' Disney Never Lands

Disney guru Jim Korkis takes on the Disney projects that never materialized from a second California park near the Queen Mary to one in St Louis, to unrealized theme park land to unrealized shorts for Mickey Mouse or a Jim Henson Little Mermaid TV series Korkis covers it all...

...well not all since I'm sure there are tons of other projects that could be covered in a second volumes.

As it stands now this is another feather in the cap of Korkis who brings to light all sorts of interesting tidbits about projects that almost went somewhere. These are projects that were pursued by Disney and his organization that actually had a shot at going somewhere. And that is one of the strengths of the book is that Korkis deep dives into the projects to explain to us what might have been and detailing why they never happened. It wasn't always simply a matter of money or seeming to conflict with plans for Walt Disney World but something more.

If there is any flaw in the book it is only one that fans of Korkis' work will pick up, and that is slight, in that some of the stories have appeared in other books that Korkis has written. There have been other chapters on the Marceline Project which is  about Disney's boyhood home or the St Louis Riverfront. However Korkis smartly gives us more detail than in previous books which make the idea of skipping them ill advised.

I really liked this book and I expect it copies to be going off to friends who are big Disney fans.

The Booksellers (2019) NYFF 2019

The World is divided in two- those that collect things and those who wonder why people are collecting these things.- A Book dealer outside the NY Antiuarian Book Fair

Watching The Booksellers was a physical experience for me. Having been in some of the stores and having met several of the people profiled over the years I found myself in a arm fuzzy place. I was home among my people. I know that may sound weird, but before I loved film I was a book addict-I mean I have storage lockers full of books- which is why I don’t own a house or have savings. I had a mother and an aunt who instilled a love of books into me since they revealed the secret that books can and will take you places without ever having to leave home. (Why travel when all I need is a book?). My desire to collect or rather appreciate old and rare books came with my love of history. These are the things that changed the world and made people long ago dream.

The film itself is a history of the used and antiquarian book “industry” specifically in and around New York. We get a history of the shops that once filled NYC, the stories of those that still survive (Argosy and Strand among others) . we meet the people buying and selling and listen to them as they talk about their lives and the future of the industry and of books. It’s a trip into a small little world full of wondrous things (most of the shops sell other magical items other than books as well) that will make you want to run out and visit one of the shops. If I was kid it would have made me want to run out and go rummaging through the various stores…oh hell…forget being a kid I just want to get up and run out and go to Argosy and see what they have.

This is a glorious film. It is like walking into stacks of an old bookstore with the best bookseller at the desk. It is a celebration of the stores, the staff and the rectangular objects that allow us to travel the world without ever getting out of our seat.

I am not sure how you are going to react to the film, but if you are one of us luddites who want much prefer a page to a screen then this movie is for you.

Highly recommended The Booksellers world premiered at the NYFF earlier tonight and plays again Wednesday October 9

For tickets and more information go here

Eurospy Guide

The Eurospy Guide is a nifty reference book for anyone looking for a great way to delve into the espionage films of the 1960’s. Full of great reviews and great information it is a must have for anyone who loves the spy films that were produced in the wake of James Bond.

Of late I’ve been watching a lot of Eurospy films. I’ve been going through the Kommisar X films, the OSS 117 film and a bunch of others (reviews of the various series will appear later in the year) and I found that I really needed something to sort out what I was seeing. The IMDB didn’t always have the information I wanted and Wikipedia often was woefully incomplete.

While not all inclusive (the book intentionally only covers the films of the 1960’s and doesn’t cover some Eastern European films) the book is still a bounty of information. Authors Matt Blake and David Deal wonderfully give any film fan a lot to mull over. Backstories are here, information on actors is revealed and unexpected connections between films are exposed. This last point is important because here in the US many of the films many films can be found with differing dub tracks depending upon who released them originally. Since many films are out in the US in the gray market one distributor might have a Euroaudio track while another might have a US distributors track. Names might have been changed. As a result I never caught that several non- Lemmy Caution Eddie Constantine films are related.

I love this book. It’s become my current reading material as I bounce between films looking for films to track down to watch. I can’t recommend it enough.

If I was forced to say one thing bad about it it would only be that it appears it hasn’t been updated since it was first published in 2004. I’m sure they could have included more films if Blake and Deal updated it since the internet has made so much more available. That minor quibble aside what here is choice and very highly recommended.

Vault of Walt 6

Sixth time out of the gate for Jim Korkis is a delight. The Vault of Walt 6 is one of the best in the series. While it may not have what you’d think were tantalizing tidbits it has some the best and most satisfying.

As long time readers know I am a huge fan of Jim Korkis’ work (see my previous reviews here) and a huge fan of his Vault series. I instantly snap up each and volume as it comes out and I devour them as fast as I can. I do this because Korkis is one of the finest historians, of any sort, I’ve ever run across. The depth of his knowledge and understanding is limitless. When you read something by Korkis you know you aren’t getting a regurgitated fact but something more with the understanding and context of what something means. Jim is telling us this story for a reason beyond filing a page.

A case in point is the opening chapter on Abraham Lincoln. In the opening chapter get the story of Walt’s love of Lincoln which took hold in his early days when he would recite the Gettysburg Address in school on traced it how followed through his life to the point where Lincoln appeared at the World’s Fair in 1964 and eventually the Hall of Presidents. In the chapter we get this glorious sense of how Lincoln shaped Disney’s person and sense of justice.

Of course there are some other chapters which delight, such as one on Walt and Chaplin- who helped shepherd SNOW WHITE through to completion. There are bits on Disneyland in 1957 and 1967 that are just put the changes happening in the park into wonderful prospective, and a whole history of the Love Bug.

Interestingly there is also a killer chapter on Bob Clampett connection to Disney that talks of his connection to Mickey Mouse dolls and his later work on Disney spoofs. Its a fantastic chapter that talks about a lot of things including the in now infamous COAL BLACK AND DE SEBBEN DWARVES which explains the care that studios other than Disney put into their making of aniated shorts.

My  favorite bit is a tiny piece that mentions that King Kong was killed by planes with Mickey Mouse on their sides because RKO tricked the fliers of Floyd Bennet Field to fly around the EMpire State Building-and their insignia had mickey on it.

What can I say this is yet another must read for any Disney fan and more importantly any film fan.

Thank you Jim Korkis.

The book is available from Theme Park Press, Amazon and other book sellers.

Mat Tales: True Stories from the Bizarre, Brutal World of Pro Boxing

One of the first releases from Pulp Hero Press, a blood relative of Bob McLains’s awesome Theme Park Press, Mat Tales is good little look at some of the weirder things that have happened in the boxing ring.

Compiled by Dan Sisneros, a feature writer for ProBoxing Update and a former boxing judge, the book recounts some of the things that he saw happen. We are treated to recounting of the Mitch Greene Mike Tyson street brawl, the infamous Fan Man who crashed the second Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield fight fight, Bowe's battles with Andre Golota and the blink and you'll miss it Crawford Grimsley James Thunder fight which answers the question, how short can a fight be?

Once I got past the slight disappointment that this was not going to be larger compendium of ring weirdness I fell in love with the book. As a longtime fan of the sweet science I witnessed a number of the events myself on TV. Some I remembered and some I didn’t. Once you’ve seen the Fan Man incident you can never forget it. Intrigued by many of the reports of fights I hadn’t seen I found myself bouncing back and forth to Google to try and run down video of the incidents. Talk about stretching your time with a book…. This is gets better and better the farther into the book you go.

I had a blast reading Mat Tales. While it may not click with all audiences, for anyone who has any interest in boxing the film is worth getting. It’s a great deal of fun. Best of all it makes you hope that there are going to be more volumes.

Deadly Spaghetti

Breezy pocket guide to some off the beaten path Spaghetti Westerns is an amusing fast read.

Put together by John LeMay who wrote the Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies , which I love, this small scale book is similar to the earlier volumes, however the tone is much less serious to the point that I thought the book was written by someone else. The tone of the book makes this much more like shooting the breeze than authoritative.

The collection of the films breaks each film via certain categories (Moral Message, Best Unintentional Moment, How Accurate is the Poster, The Spaghetti Code ect.) with each film ultimately rated as good bad or ugly.  Most of the real writing takes place in the Background & Commentary section where the plot is laid out in detail and Lemay discusses the films in a friendly and matter of fact way. Its the sort of discussion you'd have while sitting around with your friends.

The choice of films is interesting in that LeMay intentionally steers away fro the great films and instead focuses on 31 lesser known films many of which you're going  to find on bargain DVDs and streaming on the internet for free or next to nothing. Sure we get KEOMA and MANNAJA which are two excellent westerns, but we also get things like JOHN THE BASTARD, SHANGO or TWICE A JUDAS which are nowhere near as well known.

I had a blast reading the book, especially since the tone is loving but far from academically serious. Its a sweet little trifle of  book. If you like westerns its worth a look. Be warned though, this isn't  a reference guide but merely a friendly a pointer, which  isn't bad

Books for Christmas- Theme Park Press and Giant Monsters

A some suggestions for Christmas books.

Jim Korkis’ has a couple of volumes out in his SECRET STORIES... series for both Disneyland and Disney World (here is my review of the first in the series). As regular readers know I am a huge fan of Korkis and is you’re like me the books don’t disappoint. The books are collection of not so well known stories behind the building of the park and the changes made over the years. It’s truly fascinating stuff, even for someone like me who has never been to the park. Seriously, I bought the first volume because I was a fan of Jim Korkis but I bought the second because I loved the first one so much. I’ve given copies to a friend who goes multiple times a year to the park and thought she knew it all – no she didn’t. Korkis revealed all.

And while I’m recommending Korkis books don’t forget his Who's Afraid of Song of The South and The Vault of Walt  books- plus anything else he's written.

Actually just go over to the Theme Park Press website and buy lots of books. Run by the wonderful Bob McLain the company puts out tons of great books about Disney (theme parks and films) and OTHER parks and related subjects. Trust me you’ll want to buy tons of his books-I know I’ve done just that. The website is here. Trust me just go to the page and scroll through all the books on the front page and try not to buy- which I failed to do since I found tons of stuff I put my Christmas list.

Have a kaiju fan in the family? Then I highly recommend John LeMay's series on Japanese Giant Monsters.These three volumes cover the all he films that were produced and a good number of them that weren’t as well as those that weren’t. Drawing from a vast array of sources as including unproduced material, the books is aiming to be a kind of Leonard Maltin or Video Hound Guide of the genre. Arranged chronologically the film presents ebb and flow of the films from first to the most recent American take on Godzilla.

The first volume covers from the birth of the giant monsters in Japan and takes it to 1982. The second volume takes it from 1984 on to the present (not sure why he skips a year). The third volume is an investigation into the various films that never were, the abandoned projects as well as earlier drafts of the films we have. It’s a hell of a ride that becomes more intriguing if you read the books in order. I say that because I initially read them in a haphazard manner and while that does work, reading them in order works better since the tomes refer back to themselves repeatedly.

While not as encyclopedic with minutiae, its simply that sort of a volume, it will most certainly fill the brain of even the most knowledgeable reader with facts and details that they hadn’t run across before. Certainly LeMay seems to have read many of the abandoned scripts that others have not.

Highly recommended, it’s a must for any giant monster movie lover.

In This Corner Of The World : Manga vs Film

When the film version of  In This Corner Of The World played at Japan Cuts and theaters this past summer there was much praise for the film. People fell in love with the film’s beautiful art and gentle portrayals of the trials of life during wartime. Personally I was mixed on the film. While I could admire the art and handling of the war time subjects (its handling of the aftermath of the atomic bomb blasts is incredibly heartbreaking) the film didn’t completely work for me. Despite seeing the film two times I couldn’t quite figure out what the problem was. I didn’t think much of it and I filed my review and moved on.

And then not long after the collected version of  Fumiyo Kōno‘s original manga was released in the US I was asked if I wanted to review the manga. I instantly said yes and was handed a copy of the collected graphic novel.

Originally published between 2007 and 2009 in All Action Manga set in the 1940’s the novel tells the story of a girl named Suzu initially as child, in the opening chapters, before switching to her marriage and relocation to a town an hour or so outside Hiroshima to be with her husband’s family. We watch has Suzu grows up, is forced to deal with war’s hardships and try to find hope in the wake of the bombing.

I was moved by the tale. I lovely tale of hope and life the novel transcends being merely a war story to be a glorious look at family life. While it is most assuredly set in a specific time and place, it still manages to be razor sharp in its depiction of family dynamics. These characters are our family.

Reading the manga after seeing the film I was shocked at how much better the manga was. While the film is essentially the manga (and it is a close adaption running almost a solid two and a half hours) the manga scores over the film because it manages to slip in tiny details that make the story rise up from the page. The differences are not the difference of major alterations but simply things like additional lines of dialog that make it clear when and where we are. Other lines give a shading that doesn’t seem to be in the film. The Manga also is clearly marked as to the passage of time with each chapter marked by a month and date. We are aware of how old everyone is at what point in the story. Additionally if we are aware of our history we can match up the hardship to turns in the war. The final section of the bombing and the aftermath makes so much more sense on the page since the events aren’t compressed and we have room to breathe and consider.

The art of the manga isn’t the colored splendor of the film and we are better for it. Simple and a bit rough at times it beautifully puts us into Suzu’s world.And stripped of the color the story takes on a deep sense of nostalgia like looking at old photgraphs. It is a glorious example of how less is some times more.

I loved the novel. Despite knowing the story from the film it still moved me. Highly recommended.

Highly recommended In This Corner Of The World is Available from Seven Seas

A big thank you to JB for making this possible