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Posts Tagged 'hooker
Eaten Alive (1976):A Slice of Deep Fried Southern Sleaze
Categories: Eaten Alive (1976) and Uncategorized
Tags: 1976, 70's, Alvin L Fast, amputee, anal, bar, bayou, beasts, blood, booze, bound, breasts, butt sex, Carolyn Jones, child trauma, crocodile, Cruel, dead dog, dead moneky, death, Drive-In, eaten alive, hooker, horror, Horror Hotel, Janus Blythe, Kyle Richards, legend, Louisianna, Maniac, Mardi Rustam, Marilyn Burns, mean, Mel Ferrer, monkey, murder, nasty, Neville Brand, nile, nudity, Primal Root, prostitute, psycho, Rampage, rape, Robert England, Roberta Collins, scythe, slaughter, sleaze, southern, splatter, starlight, starvation, Stuart Whitman, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, tits, tna, tobe hooper, torture, Trash Cinema, Trauma, travel, whorehouse, William Finley, written review
I've spent a lifetime tracking down and viewing the strangest, nastiest, weirdest films that have ever been made. Years I've spend renting, sitting in theaters and even buying movies for my collection before ever having viewed them in the hope of tracking down a little nugget of dirty trash cinema gold. And in all those years, few have reached the levels of sick, disturbing, nasty southern fried exploitation sleaze and depravity as Tobe Hooper's 1976 bargain basement horror flick, Eaten Alive (aka: Legend of the Bayou aka: Death Trap aka: Horror Hotel aka: Murder on the Bayou aka: Starlight Slaughter). This flick is about as seedy, filthy and low brow as horror cinema gets. It's garish, lurid, ultra cheap and is missing so much of the artistic flourishes which made Tobe Hooper 1974 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre not only a massive success with audiences but critics too, so much so that it is considered an American classic and even has it's original negatives housed at The American Film Archive.
You will never find Eaten Alive being lauded over and put in a film preservation vault. Not, this is the kind of movie main stream critics use to wipe the turd crusted asses with. This is the ultimate deglamorization of the horror genre. The colors are thick and heavy, the sets rudimentary, ramshackle, and worn down, totally caked in dust, dirt and filth. And the first lines we ever hear are during a close up shot of a huge belt buckle coming undone as a young Robert (don't call me Freddy) Englund exclaims, is a raspy southern accent "My name's Buck and I'm rarin' to FUCK!" He makes this exclamation as he bends a young prostitute over and attempts to ass fuck her, which she is less than willing to do. Eaten Alive begins…with a man trying to stick his cock up a woman's ass… Sophie's Choice, this is not.
It all gets even more dark and mean spirited from there, as the madame of this particular Pussy Shack, Miss Hattie (Morticia herself, Carolyn Jones) boots the young prostitute , Clara (Roberta Collins), out on the street for refusing to let young Buck savage her inexperienced poop chute with his throbbing, eager, member. She ends up heading deep into the bayou to stay at the run down, once thriving, now absolutely disgusting and grotesque Starlight Hotel. It's a shanty out in the middle of the swamp and houses not only the disturbed, one legged, bespectacled, murderous proprietor… Judd (Neville Brand), but also is the domain of Judd's behemoth per crocodile, a crocodile he claims he got directly from The Nile, which stays in a fenced in portion of the swamp right beside the front porch of The Starlight Hotel.
Clara is chopped to pieces and tossed to the crocodile within minutes of arriving when Judd realizes she used to sling leg for cold hard cash back in town. He flips his shit, tucks his scythe into her young, lovely flesh several good times and tosses her still breathing body off the porch, into the swamp to spend her last gasping breaths chocking on her own blood as she is torn to pieces by the resident devourer of anything made of meat. It's a pretty nasty, unapologetic and fucking cruel way for this character to meat her end. It's like Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho…only set in Florida Man's South. Where these sorts of things are still shocking, but not necessarily surprising and everything is much more gruesome.
Eaten Alive is a horror movie with no exits, no easy way out from the grueling, unrelentingly malicious story and it's schlocky tone. From the get go, the audience knows that their emotions, their nerves, will not be spared and, as my close, personal friend, Joe Bob Briggs once said, the key to a good Drive-In movie is that anyone can die at any moment. Tobe Hooper keeps this rule close to his heart in Eaten Alive, as many kind hearted, well meaning characters are introduced and then have scythes rammed through their skulls and an enormous gator tugs at their flailing legs and pulls them in half. It's that kind of ride. Innocent family pets are shown being bitten into and dragged to their watery deaths while their adolescent owner screams in horror. So, be warned, this movie is for the sicker of us who respect films that can show just how unlikable and horrifying the human condition can be.
There's an outstanding sequence where a little nuclear family stops by The Starlight Hotel to stay the night and collect bed bugs. The married couple, Faye and Roy are played by none other than two of my favorite character actors, Marilyn Burns (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and William Finley (Phantom of the Paradise). Their marriage is obviously a slow burn downward spiral into permanent psychosis and Roy apologizes constantly, fantasies about his wife using his eyeball as an ash tray and barks all night. It's a tense, wholly bizarre marriage filled with passive aggressive behavior and absolute batshit crazy behavior. I'm not sure what the fuck is exactly going on here with these two when they're alone together, but I do feel for their little daughter Angie (Kyle Richards) who spends her time screaming in despair with her hands clasped over her ears as her parents act like complete nutty bars. It's one of those scenes that I;m so happy exists, because it's so much fun to watch these two actors go tow to tow and go crazy on one another, but the implications are disheartening to say the least.
Soon, Clara's sick and slowly dying Father, Harvey (Mel Ferrer), and his blonde, well stacked daughter, Libby show up in town looking for Clara. Harvey knows he will be gone soon and wants to find her so he can make good with her before his imminent demise. Things ended on a sour note and he wants to be the bigger man and is desperate to track her down. Where do they end up staying? You guessed it! The Starlight Hotel! The two begin to investigate her disappearance which gets the local Sheriff Martin (Stuart Whitman). All the while, Buck (Robert Englund) takes his curvy young girlfriend, Lynette (Janus Blythe) up to The Starlight Hotel for a little consensual sodomy which all leads to a collision course with absolute horror at the dank, gross and inexplicably popular hellhole of a hotel. There's gotta be a Motel 6 nearby, right?
One of the more disturbing aspects of Eaten Alive is the film's distinct lack of anyone to really root for, it's lack of humanity and likable characters. There's not much to distinguish the villain of the piece, Judd, from the rest of the stories inhabitants. We can;t root for Buck, he's a rapist, a drug dealer and a fucking bully. Sheriff Martin is totally incompetent and impotent as a lawman or any kind of hero. Roy is a failure, a whimpering loser on the verge of a psychotic break down…even Clara's Dad is so obsessed beyond reason with finding her and comes off as a total jerk. Still, you see these poor sacks of flesh getting filleted by Judd and then ripped to pieces by the voracious crocodile and you genuinely feel bad for these poor, fucked fuckers. It's like a treatise against having faith in humanity. Possibly even life itself. Did I mention this movie is dark?
Some of the women fair a little bit better and are able to save themselves most of the time and work together to overcome the blood thirsty men who happen to be coming after them intent of sinking as much blade into their young soft bodies as possible. But, possibly the only totally sane character in the whole film is Roy and Faye's young daughter, who is certain to be scarred for life after her long weekend witnessing horror after horror and narrowly escaping being stabbed to death and Eaten Alive… Yeah, I foresee many hefty therapy bills for the rest of this poor child's life…
There's a lot of joy to be had, also, in watching a young pre A Nightmare on Elm Street Robert Englund playing a pretty nasty piece of white trash dirtbag named Buck in Eaten Alive. He gives his all in what could have been a pretty forgettable character, but that Englund personae pulls through and makes Buck a pretty memorable piece of shit. You can't help but see the shadow of Freddy in so many of this characters posses and mannerisms. I often like to imagine that Buck is possibly Freddy Krueger's cousin.
All this being said, Eaten Alive is a kind of harrowing masterpiece of deep Southern sleaze cinema. The gore is gnarly, the kills palpably unpleasant, the effects all bargain basement which, in it's own way, adds to the sticky, morbidity of the piece AND there is a plentiful helping of gratuitous tits and ass, which is kind of the sugar that helps this dirty little pill go down. The sleaze on display here is authentic. One walks away from a viewing of Eaten alive feeling dirty and in need of a shower. There's no deeper meaning to be found in this head first dive into depravity, murder and insanity. It's a film totally preoccupied in the grimy, the dirty and the disturbing and offers no apologies. There is no light at the end of this tunnel. Only blood, chaos, death and darkness. And what could be more terrifying than that?
I award Eaten Alive 4 out of 5 Dumpster Nuggets!
Frankenhooker (1990): Let me just find my wallet…
Categories: Frankenhooker (1990) and Uncategorized
Tags: bar, body, body issues, boobs, bush, cinema, collective, comedy, crack, death, exploding, filth, frank henenlotter, Frankenstein, fucking, girls, hooker, horror, hotels, James Lorinz, lawnmower, massacre, motels, murder, New York, nudity, party, Patty Mullen, penthouse, pet, pimp, pretzels, Primal Root, prostitute, review, science, sleaze, sleazy, super crack, tits, Trash, whore, whores, women, written, Zorror
"WANNA DATE? LOOKIN' FOR SOME ACTION? NEED SOME COMPANY?" – Patty Mullen, Frankenhooker
My deep abiding admiration of filmmaker and exploitation cinema connoisseur, Frank Henenlotter, cannot be overstated. The man has created some of the of the most endearing, disgusting, weird and darkly hilarious films to ever grace a grind house screen. I've done a Rotten Review of 1982's Basket Case, Henenlotter's incredible debut feature, I've written up a review for his masterpiece, 1988's Brain Damage, so today I would like to discuss the maestro's beautiful, heartfelt tale of sluts and bolts, 1990's Frankenhooker .
Frankenhooker tells the intimate love story of Jersey Electrician and part time mad scientist, Jeffrey Franken (James Lorinz) and his "girthy" bride to be Elizabeth (the gorgeous and talented Patty Mullen). We meet this lovely young couple on her Father's birthday, JEffrey surprises his soon to be Father-in-law with a remote control lawnmower. Tragically, in the process if demonstrating the new remote controlled lawnmowers functionality, Elizabeth manages to run herself over with the machine splattering herself all over the garden gnomes and leading to one of the greatest local news segments ever created. I'll go ahead and treat you to my favorite quote:
"In a blaze of blood, bones, and body parts, the vivacious young girl was instantly reduced to a tossed human salad, a salad that police are still trying to gather up, a salad that was once named Elizabeth."
And this is before the opening credits even begin! We find Jefferey sometime later in a state of deep depression, cutting himself off from the world and planning to revive his fiancee whose head he managed to save in an upright freezer filled with a special estrogen based elixir he's created that keeps her deceased head perfectly preserved, maintaining it;s freshness until he can find just the right body donor.
A quick trip to New York city and a meeting with a pimp named Zorro lands Jeffrey right in the middle of prostitute nirvana where he hopes to cultivate all his raw material. Jeffery dreams up a master plan to put hookers down using a form of "Super Crack" he himself has created for this moment. After and hour of measuring all the sleazy, adorable hookers, Jeffry has a crisis of conscience and decides he can't go through with it. Thankfully, as hookers are drawn to crack like kittens to catnip, the hookers steal his stash, start puffing away and find out first hand the affects of Super Crack are anything but painless as they all being to explode, one after the other, into a perfect storm of meaty, bloody, hooker chunks which litter the crusty motel room.
In the aftermath of this carnage, Jeffry picks and pulls his favorite parts from those strewn about the room, takes them back to his garage and assembles Elizabeth's brand new body, consisting of several different skin tones and body sizes. One properly placed bolt of lightning and Elizabeth is resurrected…only thing is, she has the spirit of the dead hookers and their mannerisms alive inside her reanimated body. Like a reflex action, Elizabeth now blurts out "WANNA DATE? LOOKING FOR SOME ACTION? GOT CASH?" to every man she comes across. Immediately drawn tot he dark back alley's of New York City, Frankenhooker goes on a carnal rampage of lust and death! That is, before she comes across grieving pimp, Zorro, who begins putting the pieces together which leads to one of the wildest, slimiest, whoreiest fucking finales to ever grace the silver screen.
I wouldn't say Frankenhooker is Henenlotter's best film, but I will say that it is by far and away his most unabashedly absurd and most fun. Frankenhooker is an A-1 slice of Trash Cinema Gold and an absolute pleasure to watch. It's low brow, hysterically funny and unendingly creative in a extraordinarily dark and appealing way. Also, I cannot discuss this film without mentioning the show stealing performance of Penthouse Pet of the Year 1988, Ms. Patty Mullen. She turns in a remarkable, spastic, dare I say BRILLIANT performance as Elizabeth/Frankenhooker. Decked out in enormous platform shoes, a purple skirt, bra, and matching handbag, watching Frankenhooker awkwardly walk around the grimy back streets of New York, subways and seedy motels are the film's highlights. Ms. Mullen is stunningly beautiful, genuinely talented and gives it everything she's got in, what is now, her most iconic role. Patty Mullen, in this filthy grovelers heart, you will always be Frankenhooker. And, yes, I am looking for some action.
Also, the totally fucking bonkers execution of the Super Crack Hooker Massacre sequence is a high watermark in down and dirty horror comedy filmmaking. These girls, when confronted with a huge bag of crack, go totally insane. Screaming, laughing, shaking, stripping naked and slipping each other the tongue, it's all one fucking radical party…that is until they start exploding in huge fireballs, spewing sparks and hunks of meat all over the place. It doesn't matter how many times I watch Frankenhooker, this scene has me in tears every time. It's a goddamn riot and must be seen to be believed. Truly one of the finest moments in 1990's cinema history.
Frankenhooker. It's a simple tale told on a very low budget and caked in filth, just like I like 'em. It is grotesque, nasty, and completely unapologetic in it's presentation of it's absolutely demented material. Still, at it;s very core, Frankenhooker is a love story about a man trying to bring his lost love back from the dead. Sure, the guy is kind of a brilliant moron, but his heart is in the right place just like the film itself. The film manages to generate a kind of sweetness that very few films pertaining to the subject matter of running over a woman with lawnmowers and then exploding prostitutes in order to stitch all their remains together and bring back your lover ever have. Frankenhooker is a down and dirty flick, obviously made for next to nothing, but delivers some massive entertainment.
Frankenhooker, the sum of it's parts make it well worth taking to bed with you. Just remember to, you know…wrap it up.
I award Frankenhooker 4 1/2 out of 5 Dumpster Nuggets.
(NSFW) Cindy & Donna (1970): House of Sexual Deviants
Categories: Cindy & Donna (1970)
Tags: 1970, 1970's, 70's, accident, alcohol, alcoholisim, Alice Friedland, angst, ass, Beach, bikini, boobs, booze, boyfriend, breasts, car, Cheryl Powell, Cinday & Donna, Cinday and Donna, Cindy, cinema, collective, coming of age, dad, dath, Debbie Osborne, dig it, dirty, Donna, drugs, drunk, DVD, experimentation, exploitation, far out, Father, female, film, gang bang, girlfriend, gratuitous, groovy, group, head, hooker, incest, lesbian, male, masturbation, model, mom, movie, naked, Nancy Ison, nervous, nude, nudity, panties, perverted, photography, pop, pot, primal, prostitute, red, review, Robert Anderson, Root, scared, sex, sexploitation, sexual, shower, sleazy, stepchild, stepfather, stoned, stripper, suburban, suburbs, theme song, tits, Trash, trip, vehicular manslaughter, video, voyeur, voyeurisim, weed
"You know, it's just a big kick. A trip, you know? Look, don't be so serious. I mean, you know, it's a groove." – Cindy's best friend Karen explains sexual intercourse
Growing up sure can be hard, especially when you're a disturbingly sexy yet trashy teenage girl from a divorced family, your Dad's a lecherous creep who's always staring at your step sister while she's in her underwear, your stepmother's a constantly bitching alcoholic and your step sister is forever getting laid and trading pussy for pot while you're still wearing your hair in pigtails and are just too scared to spread those thighs for some pimply faced classmate at the local high school or one of those college jerks still looking to score teeny-bopper poon.
This is the very basic premise of "Cindy & Donna" a very strange brand of coming-of-age flick, exploitation film and soft-core porn. Cindy and Donna are step sisters, Cindy's the baby of the two and Donna is the older, more sexually experienced. Cindy's Pop is a boozer and a perv while Donna's Mom is kind of a booze hound killjoy that I'm sure her husband blames for his tendency to spend all night at bars after work, bang prostitutes and get boners of his stepdaughter. It's suburban dysfunction at it's very finest and not really played for laughs, if anything, it all comes of as shockingly depressing…which makes it really funny…Huh? Stay with me.
"Cindy & Donna" tells the story of the red headed, teenage pixie virgin, Cindy (played by Debbie Osborne of "Country Cousins" and "Tobacco Roody" fame, I also happen to have a bit of crush on this chick who vanished off the face of the earth in 1972.) as she begins to blossom and become increasingly curious about what it is to be a sexually active young woman in 1970's America. A voyeur by nature, she is constantly peeping in on her family members and being exposed to the truly depraved and disturbing sex lives of her Father and stepsister. We're going to leave Mom out of this because she's just an alcoholic who spends the majority of the film either drunkenly shouting out insults or passed out in bed watching what sound like bizarre Indian massacre movies.
Cindy witnesses her older stepsister, Donna (the ever foxy Nancy Ison) sneak out of the house at night and ride her boyfriend Greg's flesh pole of freedom in order to obtain some grass. Cindy is also aware of her Father's other vice besides alcoholism and ignoring his family, hookers. Ladies of the night. Prostitutes. We are given a front row seat to this doughy, middle aged man's sexcapades with the lovely and incredibly well built Alice (Alice Friedland, looking like an American version of Swedish sex goddess Christina Lindberg) a professional stripper, spank magazine model and, yes, prostitute, who we're introduced to in an extended sequence of Alice gyrating her crotch into the camera and bouncing her lovely, bountiful, natural boobs in artsy-fartsy low angle shots that make sure her tits and ass take up THE ENTIRE SCREEN. She invites Pops back to her place for a night of awkward genital grinding, fondling and utterances of the phrase, "You blow my mind!"
I can see the artistic intent here.
After Pops and Alice finish up it is revealed that Alice is only 17, the same age as his naive, peeper of a daughter, Cindy. You'd think this was primed to set up some kind of plot point where Pops would approach his daughter and talk openly with her about "the birds and the bees" and perhaps even cause the man to realize what a terrible Father and husband he's been and get him on the straight and narrow to ensure his wife and children are provided for emotionally as well as financially and go on to live fulfilling lives together. No such luck, Pops boozes it up the following night, can't get an appointment to poke Alice and decides to go home and fuck his stepdaughter, Donna. AND HE DOES! He stumbles into her bedroom completely wasted, disrobes and goes to town on her young, naked, nubile self AND SHE OPENLY ENJOYS IT! She pulls him in closer, smooches his whiskey drenched gob with tongue and allows the patriarch of their family to grope her chesticological region and finger her little Donna. It's disturbing and totally unbelievable. Of course, it's revealed that Cindy is watching this whole incestual shindig go down from the doorway of their adjoining bedrooms before throwing herself upon her bed and weeping. Strangely, the incident is never mentioned again, not once, for the rest of the film. And this a bit more horrifying than the incident where Cindy watched Donna get banged by her boyfriend Greg in the back of his sports car as payment for weed, which Cindy then went back to her bedroom and masturbated over. I started wondering if possibly Cindy is imagining all these sexual hijinks she witnesses as part of her own repressive sexual desires and fantasies, but I might be giving "Cindy & Donna" too much credit. But then again, who know, perhaps director Robert Anderson saw something in this material beyond just the TnA and deep, dark, sexual depravity. One thing's for sure, looking at the film this way opens up a whole new perspective.
BUT I'M GETTING OFF TOPIC!
Hey, the closer the, the deeper in…
That morning Mom and Pops head to Vegas for the weekend and are never relevant to the "plot" again. Cindy confides all this, minus the Daddy/Stepdaughter action earlier, to her BFF Karen (sexy, confident, Cheryl Powell) who has recently made the transition from naive young girl to slutty, cock starved teenage hellion. Karen's advice to Cindy? Get laid, basically. They end up going to the beach where they meet two dorky guys in tiny bathing suits. They hardly even introduce themselves before the gentlemen whisk these ladies off to their casual sex shack on the beach and start putting on the moves. The moment the scene begins Cindy starts shouting about how she just wants to go home as Karen drops her bikini quicker than you get food poisoning from a McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich and starts riding her dork pick of the litter as if he were Seabiscuit. "Don't be a drag, Cindy!" Karen commands as she humps dork boy's baby batter baton. The scene goes on for way longer than it should as Karen gets fucked on one bed and Cindy continuously cries "Stop it!" and "No!" on the nearby stained sofa as her zit faced, teen date rapist drools all over her neck and licks her face. This is all taking place in the same room so the camera just sits in medium shot and documents this uncomfortable moment in time for what feels like forever. As soon as Karen gets her rocks off they both head for home where they smoke some weed, put on a record and enjoy some experimental lesbianism so Karen can demonstrate for Cindy "what it feels like." My, my, it's been a big day for these two.
Tell me that's not Shia LeBeouf back there.
What's Donna up to while her parents are out of town? Just hanging out with her boyfriend Greg…and allowing several creepers to take nude photos of her as a way to pay back the money she owes Greg for the weed he purchased her the other day. Rather quickly, the photo shoot devolves (or evolves, depending on your view) into a mild mannered gang bang in Greg's rumpus room. Donna really gets off on this "groovy" action, despite the men never having to remove their underwear in order to penetrate her baby factory, and the scenes goes on without ever showing the end of the gang bang when they, I assume, smoke a little reefer, play air guitar and eat Doritos.
The very next morning, after Cindy and Karen spend a night of playing bumper clits together, Karen assures Cindy that she was "marvelous" in the sack and that she should try the ultimate trip and have sex with an actual man. This gets the wheels turning and Cindy puts her plan into action. She invites Donna's boyfriend Greg over and they start going at it on the family sofa, which seems like a daring place to lose one's virginity. I mean, how will Cindy explain that stain to her folks? Anyhoo, Cindy begins taking off her awesome 70's dress and asks Gregg "Can you dig it?" His reply? "I can dig it." and she is soon nekkid and rubbing her petite, teeny-bopper body all over Gregg, the Scott Stapp of the 1970's. But wouldn't you know it, just as Cindy's about to go cock spelunking, Donna comes home and stumbles upon this scene and exclaims "DON'T MESS WITH MY SISTER!" Gregg responds the only reasonable way any man would after being interrupted while about to have his man utter suckled by a young woman, and picks Donna up and throws her out the front door onto her AstroTurf lawn. Donna, confused and mortified (despite the fact she fucked her stepdad a night or two ago) wonders aimlessly into the road and is run over by a car. Cindy watches this happen through the screen door of her Cabrini Green model suburban home and screams. The picture freezes on her shocked and horrified face. We then cut to a brief sequence of her swinging at a jungle gym where we can see her red panties.
I am speechless. I mean, after the build up of this film I totally expected Donna's discovery of Cindy boning her boyfriend to end in a threesome, not vehicular manslaughter! This is one Hell of a way to end your sex picture! I can't even begin to imagine what poor little Cindy's therapy bills are going to look like. Acquiring knowledge from afar, as Cindy did, proved only to corrupt her young, curious mind, not enlighten it. Sad, really."Cindy & Donna" is a bewildering and entertaining exploitation sex picture. Straightforward and shameless to the point of absurdity," Cindy & Donna" is an ode to teenage indiscretion and skeezy old man perversity that will have you questioning the sanity of those who made it and yourself as you pitch a tent in your corduroy trousers. Filled with copious, unapologetic nudity, drug use, casual incest and experimental lesbianism…the mission statement is blunt. "Cindy & Donna" is a one of a kind, filthy, perverse, sleazy coming of age exploitation film. Yes, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
If you don't talk to your kids about sex, who will?
I'm giving Cindy & Donna FIVE OUT OF FIVE Dumpster Nuggets. This puppy's a must see.
(NSFW) Gore Whore: Deadly Tricks and Happy Horses
Categories: Gore Whore (1994)
Tags: 1990's, 1994, 90's, 94, anal, band, bite, black, blood, bondage, boobs, breasts, bush, butt, cadaver, call girl, castration, cock, collectible, comedy, dance, dead, dead wife, death, decapitation, detective, dick, dlido, emasculation, female, Florida, football, full frontal, goo, Gore, Gore Whore, goregasm, goreotica, goth, green, gross, gruesome, guns, hard to find, hire, hooker, horror, horse, Hugh Gallagher, investiagation, investigate, item, kick, kicker, kill, knife, lady, lesbian, lesbians, life, live, living dead, love, lover, mad scientest, makeout, masturbation, mix tape, murder, music, naked, nude, nudity, Pectus excavatum, peeping, penetration, penis, plants, police, Prinal Root, prostitute, pubes, punting, pussy, rare, reanimated, rectum, rental, review, science, science fiction, sex, sex slave, shooting, shower, slaughter, slime, smoking, Sore Losers, stabbing, straight to video, strip, stripper, stripping, Tallahassee, third graders, tits, trap, trilogy, undead, vagaina, VHS, video 21, video cassette, vulva, wang, wash, whore, woman, work, zombie, zombies
Well, I suppose I've kept you all waiting long enough. It's time for The Primal Root to take a look at the final installment in Hugh Gallagher's legendary straight to VHS Gore trilogy. We've covered 'Goregasm', where a perpetually topless, large breasted woman was paid to spin in circles and then kill her clients providing them with the "Ultimate Climax". We've checked out 'Goreotica', the story of a jewel heist gone wrong, necrophilia and the dead body for AIDS patients black market…but now, now it is time for us to delve into what might be Hugh's most high concept endeavor of the entire trilogy. His 'Return of the King', if you will. That's right, it is time to get elbows deep and take a deep, appreciative whiff of 1994's "Gore Whore!"
As out tape gets rolling we are treated to some slow moving credits featuring some Atari 2800 level lettering placed over a slide show of turn of the century bondage images which have a large black, spinning dildo superimposed over them. Believe it, or not, this giant black dildo actually plays a major role in the story which is about to unfold. The credits end as the black cock dildo shoots a gob of digitized green cum out the tip and onto the screen spelling out "GORE WHORE". And so our fantastic journey into the filthy world of undead prostitution, science run amok, peeping on co-workers in the shower and "true love" begins.
"Gore Whore" starts off right in the middle of the action as some greasy fellow in a brown leather jacket flops down on crusty, crab infested mattress in a room with blank, white, walls as he turns his eyes to his prostitute friend who begin doing a wonderful interpretive dace to a mix tape she had made and queued up specifically for just such a magic moment.
And what a moment it is! As prostitute Dawn Day begins sashaying across the jizz stained floors of her low rent apartment stripping off articles of clothing until there's nothing between her and her client except a thick batch of pubes and a pair of cross-eyed tits courtesy of a birth defect I was also cursed with growing up called, Pectus excavatum. Once it became life threatening it was something I had surgery to correct, but it looks like our leading lady Ms. Audrey Street, decided to live with the deformity and all I can say is more power to her! It certainly gives her character, who is required to get naked in just about every damn scene she appears in, a very strange and unsettling vibe that you just can't get with the effects a shoe string budget, straight to video production can buy. It's a deformity that can be very awkward and I give Audrey kudos for having the balls to flaunt what she's got. I doubt I would have been so brave when I had my concave chest.
Soon Dawn is tying her client down, warning him that condoms won;t be enough to protect him (she must have some very potent pussy grime), proceeds to unzip his fly, whip out his little John and bits that sucker off with a single chomp! He screams bloody murder as raspberry syrup his the bedroom wall and Dawn begins gnawing on his neck. Dawn gnaws for a second or two before he client's head comes tumbling off just as her mix tape comes to an end and we fade to black. That girls got some serious chompers on her, good god!
Fade up and we're inside a dimly lit bar where we are introduced to our hero, Chase (played by Brady Debussey, the same guy who played the necrophiliac in a cape who had AIDS in Goreotica), who looks to be spending his day emptying various bottles of whiskey and napping on the bar room pool table wile dreaming of a blonde lady holding a cleaner shaven version of himself in a poorly lit gazeebo. See, Chase lost the love of his life, Susan to cancer a year or so ago, lost his job as the town's head detective and now just lounges around on gaming equipment completely shitfaced. This is our hero, ladies and gents.
Thankfully, mad scientist Witman shows up to hire Jim Beam, er, Chase to investigate his missing lab assistant who stole an experimental serum of his. And surprise, surprise, the lab assistant in question is none other than Dawn Day, the scrawny, filthy haired hooker from earlier! Witman offers a Chase money up front to investigate and retrieve this serum but Chase isn't so quick to take up the proposition for some reason. Chase, buddy, you're stinking drunk, broke and unemployed, just take the fucking money and look into this shit. Who cares if it seems like a waste of time! What are you thinking? Think of all the booze that money'll buy!
Yeah, looks like hero material to me.
Chase begins his investigation by sitting on the side of a dirt road until Dawn happens to drive by. Chase gives chase but not before we have a completely unrelated cutaway to a very content and happy looking horse just chilling out nearby watching our gumshoe go to work. The horse has nothing to do with the story and never appears again and is the only genuinely happy character in the video.
Chase follows Dawn to a tall, blonde, married Catholic woman's house. The character with wide, creepy, haunting eyes, long blonde hair, nice, bountiful breasts and a well groomed shaft alley is only known in the script as "Swingin' House Wife" . Chase peeps through the window as the two ladies begin swapping spit that I can only imagine smells like stale Arby's and makes the observation "A LESBIAN LAB ASSISTANT!" out loud so the idiocy of the statement is allowed to sink in with the viewing audience before he continues thinking out loud and tells us his next move before rushing off to his dented, sagging, piece of crap Chevy, "While she's here munching carpet, I better go over to her house and investigate!" the man was the Dick Tracy of his time and place.
It's as if "Swingin' House Wife" is staring into my soul.
Swingin' House Wife has called Dawn over to make out, get totally naked, discuss how her husband doesn't get her needs or desires and then get ruthlessly, and hilariously butchered on the living room carpet. 'Swingin' House Wife' seems more concerned with keeping the strawberry syrup out of her eyes and hair than she does trying to prevent her own gruesome death by filleting as Dawn flings her butcher knife around in the air as if it's not making contact with anything. Eventually the massacre ends, bright red, sticky syrup covers nearby scripture, the naked dead body of "Swingin' House Wife" and Dawn herself, who quickly begins the daunting task of cleaning the mess up with her tongue.
Over at Dawn's place, which it's interior is inexplicably covered in vines, Chase discovers a fridge containing nothing but several large containers of blood. how does he know it's blood? The moron actual sinks his digits in there and then licks the crimson liquid of his sausage fingers. "Blood!" Chase exclaims. "A lesbian lab assistant that drinks blood!" The plot thickens and Chase has now orally contracted hepatitis C. His work here is done.
The Paternity Test concludes, Ronald McDonald, you are the Father!
Chase heads over to the local police department where upon entering we see the only officers on duty are the one officer deep asleep behind his desk and another who is HEY! It's the pint sized and gorgeous D'Lana Tunnell playing the adorable, cynical, poorly named deputy Pat who has a huge helmet of Manic Panic red colored hair and a not so great grip on her lines, but she does try, and that's gotta count for something. Chase asks Pat for a bit of help researching Dawn Day in the computer data base, but Pat is reluctant. She throws out an exposition guilt trip about Chase being a sad bastard and a disgrace to the department ever since his wife died (yeah, boo-hoo, you cry baby!) and it's his own fault for getting kicked off the force and there's no way she's helping him out! Chase whips out a crisp, clean $5 bill and Pat is suddenly eager to please! And Chase is the disgrace to the local police department? Between sleeping beauty by the front door and the rockabilly pinup model deputy, this place has a pretty low bar set for disgracefulness.
"Prostitution, Prostitution, Prostitution." Pat exlaims as she reads from her computer monitor what sounds like the lyrics to a pop song. "Oh, and she shouldn't be hard to track down. She's dead." Ah, thanks Pat, I guess this case is closed. WAIT! She's dead? Well this just doesn't make sense! How can a dead woman go to a lonely housewife's house and tickle her zesty love taco with her slobbery oral love slug? Can Chase follow the clues and solve the riddle? He tracks Dawn down to her final resting place where she happens to be lounging about naked in the mid afternoon sun. Chase watches through his binoculars and Dawn begins filling a syringe with a batch of neon green Re-animator style goo, snaps on the handy , dandy, giant black dildo attachment, runs the it between her tits, down her stomach and into her clam strip with a *GOOSH* noise that really sells the effect.
It's cock o'clock somewhere!
Chase stumbles back, catching Dawn's attention. She finishes depositing her green love sauce into her holiest of hollies, slips on her black nightie, deposits her black dildo, green goo kit into an open grave and departs leaving Chase alone to check out the cemetery. As one might imagine, this leads to a scuffle with a nearby zombie decked out from head to toe in some little tan plaid number. Chase and the zombie partake in classic Filipino crotch fighting as the two grab one anthers shoulders and vigorously thrust areas towards each other. Before you know it, the zombie is on Chase's car hood as he tries to escape at top speed. To get rid of this pesky undeader, as opposed to stomping on the break and making the zombie go flying, Chas e instead rams his car into a parked automobile whose occupant just so happens to be, and I'm not kidding, masturbating to a copy of Swank magazine he had tucked under his shirt. Who are these people? What town IS this? The total carnage results in the zombie falling into a creek and the innocent bystander losing his Johnson. Tragic.
Ensemble by Andre 3000
But the battle doesn't end there! Turns out there's a hidden lady zombie in chase's backseat which behind munching his neck! Chase continues driving at top speed, as opposed to pressing the brake and making a far less deadly situation for himself, goes over a small hill in slow motion, before wreaking his car in a two foot deep gutter. With his car, it's believable. Chase stumbles out of the vehicle as the blonde, lady zombie in the backseat has vanished, falls on his face only to look up and see Dawn Day approaching. She belittles our alcoholic hero and gives us her M.O. She's tired of being subservient to wimpy men who buy her company and now it's time to turn the tables! see, she's undead, must feast on blood to survive and inject herself with Witman's green goo pussily once a week. See, she is the undead hooker queen of this dung heap of a town and she's turning all her tricks into and undead army! THE GORE WHORE HAS RISEN! ALL HAIL THE ZOMBIE HOOKER QUEEN!
Yeah, I'd say you botched this Bris, mister.
Dawn leaves Chase to be killed by a decapitated head and body team brought to vivid life thanks to a hole in the ground and a blue screen effect that puts George Lucas and his Star Wars prequels to shame. In a bit of comedy gold, the reanimated body kicks Chase around a little which in the cutaways make it look like the body is doing some manner of the hustle. Chase impales the body before giving the green foam spewing severed head a little speech about once being the kicker on his high school varsity football team before punting the head into a nearby lake. While soaring through the air the severed head cries "FUUUUUUUUUCK!" adding the cherry to the top of this it's-so-bad-it's-bad-but-I-can't-stop-watching- sundae of awesome.
It's been a long day and Chase is pretty fucking beat. He makes his way to Pat's house where she's in the middle of one of those extended "scrub your tits until they are gleaming" showers where he breasts encounter about an entire Irish springs bar of soap worth of lather. Ladies, is this generally what you do in the shower? Rub your boobs with soap for thirty minutes at a time eatin' up all the dang hot water? Low budget Trash Cinema is one of the few genres brave enough to graphically illustrate this plight. What a brave, and selfless move on the part of these filmmakers.
But I digress, Chase breaks into Pat's house, peeps in on her showering for about ten minutes as he hallucinates that the well built, brightly red headed and short D'Lara Tunnell is his tall, lanky, blonde dead wife. Hey, if you have actresses willing to get totally naked for your artistic piece of cinema, you might as well use them! So we are treated to two lovely women lathering their breasts, buns and rinsing out their hair for what feels like a quarter of the movie. Note, I am not complaining. This is Trash Cinema at it's finest, folks. I rent these kind of movies almost specifically for these scenes!
I guess she couldn't afford a shower curtain one a police officer's salary. Times are tough…
Pat steps out of the shower without feeling the need to cover up despite being shocked that a drunken, bleeding, hallucinating mad man is standing in the doorway with a protruding erection in his trousers and drool dripping from his bottom lip and unenthusiastically asks "Chase, what are you doing here?" as chase tumbles to the floor and Hugh Gallagher composes the most beautifully orchestrated shot of his entire career as he provides the viewer with both a magnificent close up shot of the lovely D'Lara Tunnell's rump AND Chase's hysterical pratfall. Gang, this is why I go to the movies.
Why The Primal Root loves movies summed up in one single brilliant shot.
When Chase comes to he talks Pat into helping him out in his investigation. She agrees only after, again, telling him what a fucking loser he is for still mourning the death of his wife. Chase gives a dark, sad speech about Heaven and Hell and how Hell is right here and now on planet Earth. It's not a bad little speech for a flick that's spent most of it's running time telling us things we've already gathered from the action on screen, but it does kind of his me directly in that little spot in my heart where that emo little teeny bopper "woe is me" self resides. Life can certainly be shitty sometimes, but as we've learned from 'Gore Whore" it's nothing a bit of self medication can't solve.
Chase and Pat head out into the hot steamy Bum Fuck Egypt night to follow up on a hunch that Dawn will be at a local watering holw where her favorite band and customers "The Third Graders" will be playing. Cut to- a deserted sports bar where three middle aged guys in colorful wigs jerk off with their instruments and Dawn day performs another one of her captivating dance numbers. The Third Graders make it through one who song before hoping off stage in the hopes of purchasing a piece of tail from Ms. Day. Unfortunately for them, she has other plans, as she whips out her Rosco and pops a cap in all their asses. If only this could have happened to Nickelback.
Chase and Pat, he's a boozy private dick with nothing left to lose, she's a feisty, small time cop, together THEY'RE DYNAMITE! Coming this Spring to FOX!
This prompts Chase and Pat to rush in looking like one of the coolest gutter scum, down trodden television cop duos ever devised! Pat pulls her gun and points it at Dawn's greasy mug as Chase tells her to shoot. "NO!" Pat screams. "She's unarmed!" Chase, along with the entire viewing audience roll our eyes and scream along with "JUST SHOOT THE UNDEAD WHORE, YOU IDIOT!" At this point Pat lowers her weapon and puts all her attention on her debate about shooting Dawn thereby giving Ms. Day the advantage. Day quickly squirts some green goo up one of the dead "musician's" asses where he springs to life and takes a whopper of a bite out of Pat's lovely little neck. Poor, sweet, Pat, you were a mean person who had trouble empathizing at all with anyone and you were a horrible police officer. But what you lacked in humanity you made up for with ample nudity. Farewell, Officer Pat. you were one fetching, wasted character.
Chase doesn't make the same mistake. He quickly pries Pat's firearm from her cold, dead hands and pops a fiery load into Dawn Day dropping her to the sports bar floor. Chase grabs Witman's glowing green, ass and pussy ooze formula and rushes over to the the mad scientist's lair to deliver the good, get his money and ask a few questions as to what in the Hell he just had to deal with. And Chase doesn't have to waste any time getting over there because that sports bar where that shooting massacre just occurred was LITERALLY EMPTY. Sure, there was a concert taking place, sure they were open for business, but there was not a soul there beyond the band and Dawn Day. This makes for an ideal getaway for Chase!
Chase arrives to find Witman waiting for him and by this point Chase has had a while to stew and seems kind of living as he begins cross examining the scientist. Winston remains silent and jauntily escapes into his plywood lair where Chase follows. On a wooden table there lays a fresh corse covered by a blood stained white sheet as Witman explains his principals and that he created his re-animation formula quite by accident. He performed several tests on animals before getting his hands on Dawn Day, bringing her back to life, and making her his undead sex slave. It;s all shit we already pretty much gathered over the course of the film but now Witman sets it all in stone. It's at this point that Dawn Day swoops in from out of nowhere, drop kicks Chase to the ground and attacks Witman, bashing his noggin repeatedly into the floor killing him. chase comes to, grabs an aluminum baseball bat and knocks that Gore Whores mother fucking block off! Her head goes sailing through the lab and crashes against the cement wall with a a pleasant, warm, *squish* sound and leaving a spatter of blood and grey matter on the wall.
MY DOCKERS!
It's a triumphant moment to be sure, but this flick has yet to reach it's climax. Chase drags the lifeless body of Dr. Witman down to the cellar and in full, agonizing detail we are treated to Chase sticking a black dildo full of green life cum up his ass to revive him. At this point, all of us watching 'Gore Whore" know how the procedure works. Then again, maybe they had five minutes of time they just HAD to fill. Witman awake to find Chase standing over him with an axe. Chase looks him straigh in the eye and says "Pain is something you've gotta live with." before hacking both of Witman's legs off in the most hysterical scene of the entire film. I believe it's the performance of Paul Woodard as Witman that gives this scene the levity it has.He channels Jim Carrey at his spastic best in his reaction to having both his legs unceremoniously removed. It really is unfathomably precious, especially once Chase goes to the top of the stairs, grabs something off camera and yells to Witman, "HEADS UP!" and tosses Dawn's chomping severed head at him. It's one of those scenes you must see to truly understand.
And then Chase shaves and reanimates his wife's rotted old cadaver so they can make out again thereby ending the film on a rip off of Pet Semetary's conclusion. That's pretty fucking weak and far too obvious. I still think it would have been really disturbing if Chase found his wife in Witman's basement, reanimated and being used as a fuck slave thereby making chase go totally insane and giving him a bit more of a reason to go all Jigsaw on Witman. But, who am I to mess with Hugh Gallagher's creative vision.
Insert "Getting Head" joke here.
"Gore Whore" is fucking ridiculous from the very first frame to the very last credit. Hugh Gallagher was going for broke on this flick and it shows. From the collection of goofball effects, to the eclectic cast of characters, over the top concept, wall to wall use of naked women, even the added production value of a single, unmotivated shot of a horse chilling out makes this a video store find like none other. I guarantee you, you will never find another film that matches the gonzo, low budget trashiness of "Gore Whore."
Hell, that could be said about the Gore Trilogy as whole! It's a three part series of degenerate, disturbed, sleazy ideas made all the trashier by the production values and VHS format. They do have some very creative and interesting ideas scattered withing their rotten running time, and it's that blend of utter sleaze and sparks of genuine intelligence that make these tapes worth tracking down and giving a look. That is, if you have to stomach for this sort of drek. Again, one man's terrible, worthless film is another man's nugget of VHS gold. And for me, it doesn't get much better, worse, stranger or more enjoyable than Hugh Gallagher's Gore Trilogy.
Stay Trashy and watch that pooper!
Ms. D'Lana Tunnell in a still from "Teenage Tupelo". Another oddity worth tracking down. -Root
Castle Freak: Inherit Madness
Categories: Castle Freak
Tags: 1990's, 1995, 90's, 95, abuse, anger, bad, Barbara Crampton, battle, beating, blindness, bling, blood, bloody, bondage, bound, Bride, brutal, Castle, Castle Freak, Cat, cat and mouse, chains, chase, child, cinema, cole, collective, creep, creeper, cunnilingus, dark, daughter, death, driving, drunk, family, Florida, forgiveness, freak, From Beyond, Full Moon, Full Moon Pictures, Gore, gross, grotesque, guilt, handicapped, Hell, heritage, hiding, history, hooker, husband, Italian, Italy, Jeffery Combs, Kevin, killer, lies, love, male, malevolent, metaphor, mirror, missing, misunderstood, Monster, murder, mutilation, mystery, naked, nasty, nipple, nudity, old, Oral, penis, primal, prostitute, rape, re-animator, redemption, rescue, rooftop, Root, royalty, sacrifice, scrotum, secret, secrets, servant, sex, showdown, son, starved, starving, Stuart Gordon, Tallahassee, Trash, violence, virgin, viscious, whips, wife
Inheriting a castle in Italy has to be pretty dang cool. Finding out you're descended from royalty? That's the icing on top of the hoity-toity cake to which so many aspire. Yeah, it all seems great on paper until you take your horrendously dysfunctional family there to assess the situation and sell that hunk of junk off to the highest bidder. It's drafty, dull, dusty and, making matters worse, your wife hates your guts no matter where you take her and the one surviving kid is still blind and your single digit son is still pavement pizza due to your dumb, alcoholic ass driving the family mini…vehicle over a small hill and flipping the vehicle at 25 MPH. Or 85 MPH in sped up film time…
And then, of course, there's a horrifying, psychotic, mutilated freak chained up in the castle's basement. Buyer beware.
Castle freak is, at it's very core, the story of a family dealing with a heart crushingly tragic incident where the family patriarch and reformed alcoholic, John Riley (played pitch perfectly by Gordon collaborator Jeffery Combs) managed to get completely shit-faced before picking up his teenage daughter and 5 year old son during a torrential down pour and then swerving off road resulting in the death of the son and blinding daughter, Rebecca (played by a very game and sympathetic Jessica Dollarhide). Of course, there are some resentment issues between John and his gorgeous wife, Susan (always reliable Barbara Crampton) who apparently lives to torture and be spiteful towards John every second of every single day therefore turning his life into a Hell on Earth of guilt, regret, and shame.
As you can tell, the story is already pretty dreadful before there's even a freak for the family to contend with.
The Reilly's move into their new castle after the old woman who was living there died in her bed from a heart attack after beating the chained up freak in the basement within and inch of it's life which looked to have been a long standing supper time tradition and Casa de le Freak. This poor creature has obviously never known affection, love or humanity living a life of agony chained up and naked down in the dank bowels of The Reilly castle. Much like John Reilly himself, who is living a life of pain due to his past mistakes and the fact his wife reminds him about it on a near minute by minute basis that he's responsible for the death of their son.
Castle Freak is a far cry from the what we've come to expect from a Gordon, Combs, Crampton, collaboration. Typically fun,m over the top and colorful, Castle Freak is drastically different. Thee pacing takes it's time, and the whole story is just gruelingly sad. This is not Re-Animator or From Beyond by a long shot. In fact, it's a very dark and honest look at redemption, forgiveness and family as John must defend his family from what could be seen as his horrific doppelganger, his id or symbolizing the young Reilly boy whose memory they still cling to and is tearing the whole family apart. There are no laughs to be found here and no easy outs in Castle Freak. This is straight ahead horror dealing with some pretty real issues. Only these real issues are set against the backdrop of an Italian castle with a freak looking to molest your cute little blind teenage daughter and frame you for the murder of a hooker and your housekeeper. For a freak, this guy is surprisingly crafty.
Castle Freak Foreplay: Not nearly as fun as you'd imagine.
One night, after Susan gives John a particularly vindictive verbal thrashing, John heads to a local watering hole where he quickly jumps off the wagon. And who can really blame the guy? He takes shot, after shot of some kind of counterfeit rot gut and ends up taking a whore back to his castle's wine seller where he eagerly chows down on her bowl of "Down South" spaghetti.Again, you can totally understand his need to feel the touch and connection to another person. Trouble is, he happens to be performing in front of a captive audience as the Castle Freak studies John's moves like he's preparing for the S.A.T.'s. And you know castle freaks, they are more than happy to go after the sloppy seconds…
As our hooker goes to leave the castle, it's resident freak abducts her, chains her up and has his way with her including a graphic nipple eating and a sickening reveal of the Freak's genital region that's sure to make your stomach churn. In fact, the film seems to focus quite liberally on the Freak's disturbing genitals which, I suppose, does make some sense since that is kind of the Freak's motivating factor. Looking for affection, someone to be close and have sex with. Or, director Stuart Gordon could have simply just wanted to showcase a little something for the ladies. Soak it in, girls! Still, even though the Freak, in my estimation, is only looking for compassion, tenderness and a connection to another living creature, he can;t for the life of him understand how to give these things. Remember, this is a person whose entire life since birth has been spend locked away, abused and mutilated only ever understanding violence and pain. How Freak goes about violently raping the hooker, yet mimicking what he witnessed John do to her, furthers this point. That violence begets violence.
Feel the Excitement!
But, I digress, at the threat of spoiling the whole sleazy, blood encrusted, drippy scrotum flopping affair, let's just say Castle Freak is a one sad, violent, and effective story of redemption. The story of one man's quest to find meaning and forgiveness in a world that refuses to see past his mistakes and misdeeds and see the man who is in need of compassion and just wants to feel human again. Now, am I talking about John or the Castle Freak of our title or both?
Stuart Gordon's Castle Freak pulls off an impressive feat in capturing some very deep, dark, human situations and maintaining a fairly well paced and interesting story. As a viewer you grow to like most of the characters, and even the unlikable few are at the very least, you can understand where they're coming from. And for a film made in a creepy castle with a miniscule budget, Castle Freak works thanks to some spot on performances, creative shot compositions, great make-up/gore effects and also gains a lot of atmosphere from the genuine Italian castle where the action is set. Which just happens to be owned by the president of Full Moon Pictures.
Castle Freak isn't exactly a fun, crowd pleasing movie experience but is still a fine piece of trash cinema. One that will certainly speak to anyone who has ever made a grievous mistake and feels they are destined to pay for it the rest of their lives. Even if we can;t directly relate viewers will empathize and come to understand that there really are a number of fates that can feel worse than death. Only through love, forgiveness and understanding can we ever truly regain what makes us human.
And a good bit of reconstructive surgery and upper plate dental work in the case of The Castle Freak…
Love may be blind but she can still smell you, Freak.
Hobo with a Shotgun: Make Your Own Change
Categories: Hobo with a Shotgun
Tags: 11, 2011, action vigilante, arcade, bear, bears, blood, Brian Downey, bumper cars, Canada, children, class, cocaine, comedy, decapitation, explicit, exploitation, genital, genitals, Gore, graphic, grindhouse, Gun, guns, guts, gutter, hacksaw, Hell, Hobo, Hobo with a Shotgun, hooker, hookers, horror, ice skates, Jason Eisener, justice, lawnmower, manhole, mean, molester, Molly Dunsworth, murder, mutilation, nasty, Nova Scotia, over the top, pedophile, prostitute, rape, reign, rule, Rutger Hauer, santa, satire, Shotgun, spirited, The Plague, torture, tramp, Troma, vagrant, vengeance, violence, war, warfare
I found out moments before I watched this film that it originated as a grand prize winner in a mock trailer contest as part of a publicity stunt for the Tarantino/Rodriguez helmed double feature "Grindhouse". What was the prize? The folks who made the trailer got to turn that trailer into a feature length film. Now, let me tell you, the feature length version of "Hobo With a Shotgun" isn't going to appeal to the wide breadth of film goers out there. Hell, I have close friends who love Trash Cinema who thought this flick sucked sweaty goat balls. I, for one, thought it was one of the craziest, blow it out a shotgun, fuck it message films I've seen in a long, long, time.
"Hobo with a Shotgun" tells the story of an earnest, older transient Hobo (played with gravity by the ever awesome and always game Rutger Hauer) who goes from town to town looking for a break and a means to begin living his humble dream of making a decent living as a landscaper. But, as we all know, in the real world this can be tougher than it seems. Especially when you've been reduced to sleeping on sidewalks, trying to come up with clever card board signs asking for donations and having the chew broken glass for the folks who film shit like "Bum Fights" for a measly couple of bucks. When you are that far down, it's near impossible to get back up without some kind of helping hand.
If only he had written something witty and clever as opposed to honest...
Sadly, our Hobo has managed to ride the rails into Dartmouth Nova Scotia which looks to be the ninth circle of Hell as it is ruled under the blood thirsty fist of a tiny, greasy, sociopath by the name of Drake (Brian Downey) and his two equally psychotic, well groomed sons Slick (Gregory Smith) and Ivan (Nick Bateman). This Father and Son triple threat of bloodthirsty scumbaggery have turn this city into a gut crunching, head obliterating, meaty chunk strewn wasteland where no one bats an eye if someone has their skull crushed between two bumper cars or a school bus full of children gets burned alive…as long as it's not them. In this reality, whoever visits the most brutal death to the citizenry and generates the most fear is king. This is hardly the town to look for a decent person with a dream to find that helping hand.
Our Hobo befriends Abby, the hooker with a heart of gold (played by the talented and gorgeous Molly Dunsworth) who shows him warmth and kindness and becomes a bit of a daughter to our hero. But once Hobo witnesses atrocity upon atrocity and is brutalized himself, he trades in his landscaping dreams for a loaded shotgun and decides to level the playing field as only a vigilante with nothing left to lose can do. As the bodies of murderous, drug dealing, rapists cock suckers rise Drake and his sons are left with no choice but to retaliate as a full fledged war is declared between the haves and the have nots…and no one is spared.
To be honest, it took me about ten minutes to really warm up to "Hobo with a Shotgun". It;s early sequences felt like some kind of second rate Troma flick…but as the violent set pieces of the opening came to a close and the film began to focus more on the story of Rutger's Hobo and his rise to become a homeless moral avenger, it rose way above the the trappings of your typical no-buget grue fest. This flick has a surprising amount of heart, stays true to it's characters, and delivers on all fronts.
Hobo with a Shotgun is an interesting animal. On one hand the filmmakers seem to be inviting you to laugh at the brutal carnage going on throughout the film. When a character has his head ripped off and a scantly clad woman writhes in the geyser of fresh blood spraying forth from a gaping hole where the victim's head should be you can't help but laugh at how ludicrous it all is. But several scenes later, a character we've grown to know and care about is suddenly in mortal danger of being killed off and we suddenly can't bring ourselves to laugh…we realize this is a world without ruled. A place where the filmmakers are willing to do anything and kill off anyone at any moment. In Hobo with a Shotgun, the typical cinematic tropes need not apply. Just like the world we live in, it's so easy to laugh at a crazy headline or crack a joke regarding someone's misfortune, but when it suddenly that same fate shines on us or someone we love, it ceases to amuse.
And in this I feel Hobo with a Shotgun finds it's message. It's not just a film that focuses on the violence, and there are copious amounts of it to be sure, but it also manages to drive home the idea of desensitization, apathy, detachment and how detrimental it is to us as a society. For us to stand by as other well meaning and good people are crushed under the heal of our oppressors, being too afraid to stand up for fear of the same harm being inflicted upon us, doesn't that mean evil has already won out?
One of "Hobo with a Shotgun" 's strongest scenes comes when Hobo enters the maternity ward of a hospital and there before him, separated by a pane of glass, are a dozen new born babies. fresh from Momma's loins. These little souls are pure, innocent and precious. But for how long? And aged, craggy faced and beaten down man with nothing but the close on his back and a blazing hot, fully loaded shotgun looks in upon them and their advocate, as the spokesperson for their future. You were born into and are inheriting this world of pain and suffering. This one Hobo finally hit rock bottom, grew tired of seeing his world repeatedly;y raped and violated around him and chose to stand up. Come life or death, this man chose to make that stand to change things. What kind of world will these babies grow up in? That's entirely up to us.
Hobo with a Shotgun, it's one very bloody,extremely brutal film. One which takes no prisoners, makes no apologies and leaves you feeling like you just took a trip through some kind of cinematic Hell on earth. A weird alternate movie universe tucked somewhere in the scummy, unwashed regions of Trash Cinema that stinks of canned tamales and makes your fingers stick together. Hobo with a Shotgun sure as shit isn't for everyone, but for those of us in it's sights, Hobo with a Shotgun is a blast you won't soon forget.
And, though I think they're fucking awesome, I have no idea what The Plague is all about. But I do want their arcade game…


Outside my windows… it was crazy-warm today at over 50 degrees! We had to keep reminding ourselves that this does not mean that winter is even close to over.
Inside my house… I gave in an used bleach to clean my dishwasher. I've tried every dishwasher cleaner out there, and every DIY trick suggested by Google. No amount of citric acid, vinegar, or baking soda cleans my dishwasher, but bleach works every time. Much as I dislike bleach, it's the only think that works for that application.
Counting 1000 gifts… the opportunity to write.
Prayers of the heart… thankful for safety when traveling.
What the (not quite so) little ones are up to… Munchkin made spaghetti for dinner, which has become sort of her specialty. Her brothers all approve, and I'm thankful to have extra help when it comes to making meals!
From my playlist… Chlorine by Twenty-One Pilots. Yeah, I have pretty weird, eclectic music tastes.
From my reading list… Stretched Too Thin by Jessica Turner.
In the learning room… Little Guy has been practicing reading to me from one of his Frog and Toad books. I remember reading them when I was his age. Camo borrowed my copy of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel a few nights ago. Yes, it's absolutely my book, and I bought it long before I had kids because it's still my favorite kids book of all time. I love Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne!
Random ramblings… Are you telling me that with all of the short story ideas I have percolating, that none of them feature a hero that saves the day? How did this happen, and how fast can I come up with an idea and write it up for submission?
Next PostNext Is Routine Maintenance Really Necessary?


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New Rallies Planned in Baltimore as Freddie Gray Trials Continue
© REUTERS / Bryan Woolston
Protests of the trial of six police officers implicated in the death of Freddie Gray will continue throughout the legal process because of history of bias in similar cases, advocacy group Peoples Power Assemblies volunteer Sharon Black told Sputnik.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Protests of the trial of six police officers implicated in the death of Freddie Gray will continue throughout the legal process because of history of bias in similar cases, advocacy group Peoples Power Assemblies volunteer Sharon Black told Sputnik.
"If we get a bad outcome, will be demonstrating over the weekend," Black said on Wednesday. "There's another demonstration planned for 6:30 p.m. (10:30 p.m. GMT)."
Earlier on Wednesday, police arrested one person after about 75 demonstrators descended on Baltimore to protest the six policemen's trial. Law enforcement authorities said most protesters are cooperating and not blocking roadways.
© AP Photo / Baltimore Police Department via AP, File
Baltimore Activist Arrested, Judge Won't Drop Charges Against Cops in Freddie Grey Case
The court hearing comes nearly four months after 25-year-old African American Freddie Gray died of spinal cord injuries on April 19 that he sustained in police custody. Followings Gray's death, riots swept through Baltimore during which the authorities declared a curfew and deployed the Maryland National Guard. Police arrested more than 250 people then.
In May, a grand jury indicted the six Baltimore police officers and they now face charges on counts of assault, manslaughter, false imprisonment and misconduct in office.
Black explained her organization does not expect an immediate ruling in the case, but hopes it will be a just one.
© AP Photo / Patrick Semansky
Autopsy Report: Freddie Gray Death Caused by 'High Energy Injury'
She also noted that a change of venue for the trial to an area away from the place of Gray's death should not be sought even though there have been precedents in similar cases.
"Remember Rodney King when venues were changed? We've seen some of these cases in the past," Black said. "Though the crime took place in Baltimore City, we think justice will be best served in our city and not removed."
Black observed Gray's case is not the only one the Peoples Power Assemblies has protested, and it will not be the last one they are working on.
"We have done lots of work on police abuses and terror, talked to a lot of folks who are frustrated with no action taken by part of the city on police [that is] out of control," Black said.
She added that Peoples Power Assemblies has been demanding that police are hired from communities they work in, but has been frustrated of the taxpayer money spent on police when it could have been spent on jobs or education.
Occupy Baltimore Claims Protests in Gray's Death Case to Remain Peaceful
Baltimore Police Officer Sustains Minor Injuries During Protests
Baltimore Police Order Protesters to Disperse or 'Be Subject to Arrest'
trial, Freddie Gray, protest rally, African-American, Baltimore, United States

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Allianz League Final 2019 – It wasn't Leitrim's day last Saturday despite a great performance by all involved. Aughawillan was represented on the day by Mark & Gary Plunkett and Pearce Dolan, as well as having Sean Flanagan, Fergal McTague & Noel Plunkett being on the panel throughout the league. There was a massive Leitrim crowd on the day who showed great colour and support all around Croke Park. It was also a special day for St Brigid's u13 team who also got to play in Croke Park as part of the half time exhibition games.
Senior League – The 2019 competitions begin this weekend with a League fixture away to Allen Gaels on Saturday 6th April at 6.30pm. We wish the team and management the very best of luck for the year ahead. All support is appreciated!
Underage – Hard luck to St Brigid's u17 team who were defeated by Leitrim Gaels and Drumkeeran last weekend. Score: St Brigid's 3-5 Leitrim Gaels 3-12; St Brigid's 1-7 Drumkeeran 4-15.
School League – Well done to Aughawillan NS had their second win when they defeated Glenfarne NS. They play Hunt NS next Monday 8th April at 6.30 in Aughawillan.
Ladies Football – Best of luck to the Junior Ladies who play Dromahair on Sunday 7th April at 11am in Dromahair.
Leitrim Ladies – Best of luck to Leitrim ladies who play Limerick away on Sunday 7th April at 2pm.
Comhbhrόn – Aughawillan GAA wish to pass on their deepest sympathies to the family & friends of the late Maria Harte.


Serve between 8 ̊ and 10 ̊.
Keep for up to 5 years.
A classy wine, dry and fruity.
fermentation; matured in oak vats.
Keep for up to 6 years.
Fish, seafood, white meat and choucroute.
Riesling is a gastronomic wine par excellence.
The Sylvaner AOC Grand Cru Zotzenberg is the only Sylvaner in Alsace that is classified Grand Cru. On the nose it is citrusy with ripe fruit; in the mouth it marries finesse and richness; powerful, full bodied and rounded at the start, balanced and lively on the finish.
From the area known as "Zotzenberg" situated in the commune of Mittelbergheim, facing south east. It is composed of limestone that retains water and is drought resistant.
Harvested manually; pneumatic pressing of whole grapes; the Must is allowed to settle and then filtered; slow, temperature-controlled fermentation; matured in oak vats.
Serve between 8 ̊ and 12 ̊.
Keep for up to 10 years.


Finding the best compound bow among tons of models available on the marketplace is a difficult task. Understanding the psychology of customers, we gladly recommend one of the best purchasing compound bow options. This is SAS Siege 55lb Compound Bow. The model is highly appreciated by perfect combination between design and feature. It deserves to rank 4.5 out of 5 stars for its remarkable contribution to human life. Our review focuses on demonstrating both strengths and weaknesses of the bow in a comprehensive way. Keep on reading and decide whether the tool is suitable for you or not.
The bow makes impressive by the sleek and compact design of just only 4 pounds. As a result, it provides a great ease of carrying and storing this tool for outdoor activities such as hunting and practicing. However, don't make a mistake that the model is less efficient. In fact, it offers remarkable strength that people should take admirable eyes looking at this device. Using this tool means you have chance to select various draw weight options from 40 to 55 pounds. This is excellent for serving hunting task.
Other statistics can be listed here include 29'' of draw weight and 41.5" from axle to axle. They are quite impressive! Siege attempts to offer a full package of fabulous features including one compound bow, one accurate sight and one paper target. There is no additional tool required for the bow establishment. Therefore, it takes you 10 to 15 minutes to complete all necessary steps.
Let's see this modern compound bow in details. One fact is that SAS Siege 55lb Compound Bow includes a great number of fabulous features inside of the box. We ensure that it is a right investment for long-term goals.
Power is the most important factor when looking at this product type. The bow comes with long draw weight up to 55 pounds, 70% of the let off rate and impressive 206 feet per second. Combining well with the huge improvement in back pivot limb, it effectively boosts the level of high accuracy.
Besides, most of people feel satisfied with decent accuracy level of the bow. As you know, it is easy to stretch the string for suitable force on your targets. Coming with less vibration and great balance between weight and strength, the bow is an out-standing option for hunting from different distances. A great benefit of the tool is that it meets the needs and demands of all customer types well. Even you are masculine man or weaker one, this bow is completely for you thanks to excellent power and the great ease of use. Quickly order it now and discover all of its gorgeous characteristics.
Talking about the high durability of using this model, all of its parts are covered by high-quality materials. It also equips ABS limb technology which allows you to take advantage for years. How wonderful it is!
There are several important things you had better bare into your mind before purchasing a compound bow. It is advisable for you to match your purposes and product specifications together. Moreover, reading previous compound bow reviews helps bring a comprehensive eye to you.
In general, purchasing a product means you are engaged into a big investment. An efficient item will bring a variety of positive advantages and vice versa. The SAS Siege 55lb Compound Bow is an out-standing recommendation for people who look for the affordable price and effective features. For the entry level of practicing, you should take this machine into your first priorities.


We are a Florida based property and casualty insurance agency, that represent many insurance carriers. We are not a claims office. We do not have access to initiate, or verify status of a claim.
Only if you are a client of this agency, please refer to the instructions on your policy declaration page, or insurance ID card, and call the number there instructed to call, as soon as possible.
We are not a claims office. We do not have access to initiate, or verify status of a claim. If you need help identifying where to call, please call the insured directly, or the local Department of Motor Vehicles, and verify the correct name of the insurance company you need to call to place, or verify the status of your claim. Please refrain from sending any document, or subpoena records request, via fax, email, or U.S. mail, as it may contain and disclose, insured's, claimant's personal information, solely on the basis that your looking for, and trying to match us with the companies mentioned below.
We do not have any affiliation which such companies, and do not know if they exist or their phone numbers.
Copyright © 2001-2018 [John Maldonado, P.A.] All rights reserved.


The fabled diaphanous Jamdani fabrics with their intricate weaves are a delight to behold. To create each pattern is a laborious task as the pattern is woven into the fabric while that's being woven! We're creating contemporary solutions with the Jamdani artisans.
Our designs sometimes involve the technique of Block Print. Skilled artisans create beautiful patterns for our collection of home and fashion products.
Madhubani paintings are famous worldwide. We're collaborating with Artisans from Madhubani to create contemporary designs for home and fashion.
We're working closely with Artisan women who use the age old technique of Sujni embroidery to create beautiful items suitable for home and fashion. Currently, we're collaborating on creating contemporary designs by Maka Maka using this technique.
Sajjar has been weaving silk textiles by hand for about 40 years. He is one of the few artisans left who weave solely on handlooms.
Deb is a talented Designer/Artisan who creates environmentally conscious designs using scrap material.
Our Organic Khadi cotton and Muslin is woven by hand by a community of skilled Artisan Weavers from Bengal.
An industry veteran for over 20 years, Hossein has been an expert in the art of stitching and embroidery. He and his team of artisans convert the designs of Maka Maka into actual products.


The Order: 1886 came out last week, and in spite of a luke-warm critical reception, it's still got plenty of redeeming qualities. Brandin Tyrrel, who reviewed the game for IGN, joins Max, Marty, and Brian to talk about what we would want from the game's probable sequel. Other topics include Axiom Verge, the PS Vita's third birthday, and haunted pyramids.


Join us for our corporate worship service as we sing and pray and hear the Word of God.
Pastor Fred Pugh is preaching through Genesis. The Book of Genesis, particularly the first three chapters of the book, lay the foundation for the rest of Scripture. To attempt to understand the rest of the Bible without a clear understanding of the first three chapters of the book is like trying to understand subsequent chapters of a novel without reading the first chapter. William Dumbrell writes, "the foundational factor in biblical theology is a creation theology." Building upon that thought, Richard Barcellos writes, "A proper understanding of the garden is crucial for understanding many Scriptural doctrines, such as God as both Creator and divine exemplar, mans identity and vocation, the law of nature, the covenant of works, the Sabbath, and even Christology and eschatology." Join us each Lord's Day as we study together these foundational chapters of Holy Scripture.
Pastor Marty Murtha is preaching through Ephesians.


VIP NATION - Tours - Ariana Grande - Sweetener World Tour | Where True Fans Get Tickets!
Meet & Greet and photo opportunity with Ariana Grande!
* Package details subject to change. All activities occur pre-show.
Every VIP package comes with one (1) CD of Ariana Grande's forthcoming project. You will receive an additional email with instructions on how to redeem your album (US/Canadian residents only).
* Locations vary. Package details subject to change. All activities occur pre-show.
* Locations vary. See exact date for location. Package details subject to change. All activities occur pre-show.


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Villa De Madrid Indoor Meeting est une compétition annuelle d'athlétisme en salle qui se déroule en février à Madrid, en Espagne. L'événement a eu lieu pour la première fois au complexe sportif de la municipalité de Gallur en 2016 et est l'une des étapes du Circuit mondial en salle de l'IAAF organisé par la Fédération d'Athlétisme Internationale World Athletics depuis 2018.

Records du Meeting

Hommes

Femmes

Notes et References

Liens externes

 Site officiel
 Records du Meeting

Compétition d'athlétisme à Madrid
Événement sportif international en Espagne
Meeting World Athletics

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) conducts trainings and conferences for its PAF grantees that feature expert presenters on a variety of topics and are designed to enhance grantees' understanding of programs and strategies to serve expectant and parenting teens.
Please also visit the online Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Resource Center which provides training materials and resources for TPP grantees and other organizations working to reduce teen pregnancy in the United States.
"Opening Doors: Engaging and Embracing Young Fathers"
"Reaching New Heights: From Planning to Practice"


The GBII trailed 2-row top lifting harvester with bunker makes it possible to harvest two rows at a time, ensuring a profitable harvest with maximum productivity. The large contact surface area of the hedgehog unit (1000 mm x 1680 mm) provides maximum cleaning capacity. The inclination angle and speed of the conveyor are adjustable from the tractor cabin. Moreover, the oversized wheels keep ground pressure to a minimum.


What better place than the Jozihub to host the launch of Airbnb's Johannesburg Home Sharing Club? Given that the co-creation space is dedicated to initiating sustainable change in Africa, it was the perfect backdrop for local hosts on Airbnb to gather. Together with their friends, family and neighbours the third Home Sharing Club in South Africa was officially kicked off!
The evening was buzzing with the genuine warmth and vibrancy of the Johannesburg community. Hosts with diverse backgrounds, an openness to exchange knowledge and an eagerness to create belonging will no doubt further home sharing in Johannesburg and together help create a healthy and inclusive tourism sector in South Africa.
The attendees were welcomed by the local Airbnb team who went on to explain the cultural and economic benefits of home sharing. This was followed by an introduction to the mission and vision of the club by local leaders and some background on the digital support tools that are available on the Airbnb platform to support existing and future hosts.
During the evening in Johannesburg , Gill expressed to the attendees how the Home Sharing Club will be key in uniting hosts on Airbnb by providing them support and information setting them up to successfully use the platform. Additionally, she believes the club will grow to support local initiatives that impact the lives of those in previously under-resourced communities.
Velma Corcoran, Country Manager for Airbnb in South Africa, is hopeful that the Airbnb community in Johannesburg can meaningfully alter the perception of the city. Local hosts that show personal hospitality to their guests have the power to lastingly transform how Johannesburg is viewed by guests.
Even the catering played a part in empowering local communities: Roving Bantu Kitchen provided delicious food while beverages were bought from a local supplier that the Home Sharing Club members had known for many years. As the club continues to expand, hopefully more local gems like those will gain greater exposure with travellers, showcasing to them the unique aspects of Johannesburg's vibrancy that might not yet be known to all.


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Orgone is an American band from Los Angeles, California. The group's sound draws from 1960s and 1970s-era funk and soul.

While several members of the band played together from the early 1990s, Orgone did not coalesce into a regular band until around 1999. Many of their early gigs were as a backing band for hip-hop musicians. After a 2001 debut release, the band added vocalist Fanny Franklin to do a cover of "Funky Nassau" by the Beginning of the End; she remained as a full-time member, although much of their music is instrumental. The group released its second album The Killion Floor in 2007, which featured "Funky Nassau" as well as covers of "Do Your Thing" by Isaac Hayes and "I Get Lifted" by Harry Wayne Casey of K.C. and the Sunshine Band. In 2010 the band opened for Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings on tour. They have also performed at festivals like Bonnaroo and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Discography
 Orgone (Self-released, 2001)
 The Killion Floor (Ubiquity Records, 2007)
 Bacano (Self-released, 2008)
 Cali Fever (Ubiquity Records, 2010)
 Killion Vaults (Ubiquity Records, 2010)
 Fuzzed Up (Self-released, 2012)
 New You  (Self-released, 2013)
 Beyond The Sun (LP: Colemine Records; CD: Shanachie Records, 2015)
 Undercover Mixtape (LP/CD: Colemine Records, 2018)
 Reasons (3 Palm Records, 2019)
 Connection (3 Palm Records, 2020)
 Raw & Direct (3 Palm Records, 2020)
 Moonshadows (3 Palm Records, 2021)
 Lost Knights (3 Palm Records, 2022)

References

Links

 Orgone official website.

American funk musical groups
Musical groups from Los Angeles
Ubiquity Records artists
Musical groups established in 1999
1999 establishments in California


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METROPOLITAN PERFORMING ARTS THEATER to PRESENT "FAME" in AUGUST
Tuesday, July 16th, 2013, 10:18am
FAME, the musical, is coming to the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Va., reminiscent of the popular 80s' TV show that engaged young teens throughout the United States. Metropolitan Performing Arts Theatre (MPAT)'s ensemble cast will present on Aug. 23, 24, 29, 30 and 31st at 7:30 p.m. and Aug. 25 at 3 p.m. at the Workhouse Arts Center, W-3 Theatre in Lorton, Va. Tickets are available online for $20 general admission at www.metro-theatre.org. Discounted rates are available for groups of 10 or more by contacting the box office at (703) 584-2900.
"We've had a lot of fun preparing for FAME and we're bringing out the best in our students, showcasing 'triple-threat' actors who shine in dance, singing and performance," said Dan Stapula, artistic director of Metropolitan Performing Arts Theatre of Alexandria, Va. and Lorton, Va.
Dinners by Design Raised Money for Smithsonian Programs
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013, 10:29pm
Smithsonian Women's Committee Members, Smithsonian Craft Show Artists and Dinner Guests Joined Five of DC's Top Interior Designers at Their Homes for the Second Annual Dinners by Design
David Mitchell, Andrew Law, Camille Saum, Skip Sroka, and Rosemarie Howe generously and creatively supported the recent Smithsonian Craft Show by hosting five exciting Dinners by Design. David Mitchell founded this annual event in 2012 and is working towards declaring April Design Month in DC.
Guests had the unique opportunity to tour the designers' homes, who offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at their residences while also sharing insight into the process of designing homes for some of the DC area's celebrities.
The Independent Collection Maps a New Course for Destination Travel
Neighborhood collaborations make the getaway experience one to savor
City scenes and insider information greet guests who visit The Independent Collection's new in-the-know websites, http://independentcollection.com. The recently relaunched sites are for a select group of hotels located in unique urban neighborhoods along the East Coast, all part of The Independent Collection. The Independent Collection, a growing collection of intimate lifestyle hotels managed by HHM, maps a course of travel for its guests that make the entire experience one to remember.
The 2013 DC Design House "Bear" Bones Tour Provided a Glimpse Into the 24 Designers' Inspirations
Friday, March 1st, 2013, 1:38pm
Named this year for Children's National Medical Center's Dr. Bear mascot, the "Bear" Bones Tour launches the beginning of designers' transformation of the new Wesley Heights home
The 2013 DC Design House "Bear" Bones tour last Saturday, February 23, at 2507 Foxhall Road, Washington, DC offered the first look at the spaces before designers begin their work transforming each of the 24 rooms into fabulous places to live.
Swank Designs brings locally-made custom panels and pillows to area homes
Tuesday, February 12th, 2013, 11:33am
Swank Designs' owners are inspired by world travels to create beautiful window treatments, accent pillows and children's bedding
After searching for decorative panels and accents and finding the available designs were just more of the same, Tabitha Mahaffey and Patricia Ulliman decided to combine their expertise and form Swank Designs, offering custom lines of pillows, panels and children's bedding. Together, they share a passion for using and incorporating fabrics in unexpected ways.
Stars Shine at D.C. BET Honors Awards
Submitted by Anonymous on Tuesday, February 5th, 3:36 pm
The annual BET Honors with the stunning host Actress Gabrielle Union again celebrated and showcased the achievements of African Americans with their version of what can be likened to the Kennedy Center Honors.
The lineup at the Warner Theatre: Honorees Halle Berry (Service), Chaka Khan (Musical Arts), T.D. Jakes (Education), music exec Clarence Avant (Entrepreneur) and basketball player Lisa Leslie (Athletics).
Celebrate National Sangria Day by Making Your Own
Thursday, December 20th, 2012, 9:00am
December 20th is considered to be National Sangria Day. It's a day set aside to honor the great beverage that originated in Spain, yet appeals to people around the world. Sangria not only tastes great and pleases a crowd, but is easier to make than one may think. It's also quite affordable!
"Many people in America are familiar with the concept of a spiked punch," says Ryan Fichter, Executive Chef of Bodega Spanish Tapas & Lounge. "Sangria is like that, only better. It takes punch to a whole new, better level that people love."


Each chapter of this volume provides information about the regulation of drugs in each country as well as empirical information that helps to understand the characteristics and effects of current drug policy at the regional level. The studies explore the costs that current drug laws have for both States and to important sectors of Latin American society. In particular, they show the disproportion that characterizes the studied criminal justice systems and make clear urgent need to review the current drug policy at regional level.
This document analyzes the proportionality of drug related crimes in seven Latin American countries through the study of the evolution of their criminal legislations from 1950 until actuality.


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Officials Fire Tear Gas at San Ysidro Border
Kayleigh Jantz|December 20, 2018
Via CNN
On Sunday, Nov. 25th, the San Ysidro border between Tijuana and San Diego was shut down due to a group of migrants attempting to "rush the border" on the Mexican side. This led California Border Patrol officers to release tear gas in an attempt to disseminate the group.
The triggering of this incident was a march from the Benito Juárez Sports Complex to the border. Coordinators of the protest explained that it was intended to be a peaceful event.
Via UPI
Images from the incident show the migrant families running–screaming and crying–from the tear gas. Many of the families included small children.
Once they reached the border, migrants attempted to enter through multiple locations. As originally reported by CNN, several members of the group, "attempted to breach legacy fence infrastructure along the border and sought to harm CBP personnel by throwing projectiles at them," explained Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen.
Both pedestrian and automobile traffic at the border was closed for hours but reopened by that afternoon. Because San Ysidro is the largest land border in the Western Hemisphere, this was very significant.
Tensions surrounding the border have been building for weeks. Groups of migrants had been making the trek towards the border in the midst of threats from President Trump of closing the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
Via Fox 61
This group was a part of the Central America migrant caravans who have been traveling north toward the U.S. from Central America for the past year or so.
Most recently, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has agreed to process eight of the 21 migrant individuals. The rest of those seeking asylum are still waiting for their claims to be processed.
ysidro


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Glasgow Commemoration Breaks the Silence on Sexual Violence
Scotland's national commemoration for Srebrenica Memorial Day on Friday featured a survivor of sexual violence from Bosnia testifying about her experiences.
Last week marked the 22nd anniversary of the genocide in which thousands of Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica were separated to be murdered on account of their Islamic faith while women were tortured and raped.
Bakira Hasečić was subjected to sexual violence along with her daughter during the brutal campaign of 'ethnic cleansing' starting in 1992 and founded the Women Victims of War Association to seek justice for all those subjected to such crimes. She will talk about women's experiences and how the rapes in Bosnia were orchestrated as part of the genocide.
Mrs Hasečić says:
"They tell us that rape happens in every war, that all armies commit rape, but this aggression, this genocide that happened, the rape of Bosnian Muslim women cannot be compared with any act of war or aggression. It had to be one big project that would include planners, commanders and executors. Simply, rape was used as a weapon for ethnic cleansing and genocide."
In Glasgow, guests attended the National Srebrenica Commemoration at St Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art, Glasgow. Kezia Dugdale MSP, the Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, spoke about the lessons to be learned from Srebrenica for our society.
Ms Dugdale visited Srebrenica with the charity recently and said:
"My visit to Srebrenica was utterly harrowing. I witnessed first-hand the remnants of the genocide from mass graves to bullet holes in almost every post war building and indeed the degree to which hatred and intolerance continues to damage European countries to this day.
"We are proud to be welcoming Bakira Hasečić to Scotland to break the silence on the important issue of sexual violence, which is so often ignored. By ensuring that these stories are heard, we can begin to tackle the issues that lead to both peacetime and wartime violence against women and girls, especially those of stigma and shame preventing the reporting of these crimes."
The Very Rev Dr Lorna Hood OBE, Chair of Remembering Srebrenica Scotland, explained why the charity has chosen to focus on women's stories this year:
"When we dehumanise, and divide people into 'us' and 'them', it creates the conditions for hate crimes to occur. Discrimination against people based on their sex, race, religion, sexuality or nationality is then much more likely to occur, as are hate crimes. Today, we will honour the courage of Bakira and others affected by genocidal rape in Bosnia-Herzegovina by raising our voices and speaking out to challenge misogyny, racism, and all forms of hatred in Scotland."
PrevPreviousGenocide Charity Breaks the Silence on Sexual Violence
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be a legal remix (that is, the licenses of all component works must be compatible).
The question of what counts as a remix vs a collection is actually fairly complicated. See my next post on remixes vs collections for more.
I decided to try a Story Map for this assignment, and focused it on a philosopher I often teach in my Introduction to Philosophy course, Epicurus. We discuss Epicurus' views on happiness and why we shouldn't fear death, but to best understand those views it's helpful to have some background information on him and some of his other arguments. I have been meaning to create a video to allows students to get that background information outside of class, but my experience creating course videos in the past has shown that it takes a lot of time to make them. And I thought…why not use this CC Certificate assignment to provide the information another way?
I am pretty sure I heard of Story Maps through this CC Certificate course itself, and I wanted to try it out. It was still a fair bit of work, but didn't take nearly as much time as a video usually takes for me. The interface was really easy and intuitive to use, and made providing attributions for other works used in it fairly easy as well.
I just wish they had set it up so one could choose a CC license for the work and have the right machine-readable data associated, so it could easily be found through a search for CC licensed works. I have submitted that request to them on a survey they provided asking for feedback.
Otherwise, I'm quite happy with the result overall!
The Story Map is embedded below, but because this site isn't full width (it has a sidebar), things don't look as good in the embed as they would if it were full width (e.g., the black boxes of text that move up over some of the images are not supposed to be in the middle, they're supposed to be on the side).


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