Moving.

Sorry for the lack of posts -- I've been busy with a number of projects, and as a result I've been re-thinking the ol' blog. I'm moving everything over to Penultimate Ditch Efforts, which is not only gonna include movie reviews and related posts, but will be more of a personal blog than this one. I'll also be using the new blog to promote my writing projects a little more.

Netflix Fiend will hang around for another couple weeks, after which I'll be taking it down -- so please update your links for the new site.

And there was a festival of nerdosity.

The latest trailer for J.J. Abrams' Star Trek is online -- you can see it at the official site.

I've watched it about five times already and I'm still squirming with glee. I can't freaking wait for this movie. And to tie it in with the Netflix angle of this blog, I suggest revisiting the Original Series (available via streaming, sadly with those new CGI effects), and at the very least, Wrath of Khan.

On that same subject, the release of the Original Series on Blu-Ray might just be the trigger to get me to buy a damn Blu-Ray player, since it includes the versions with the new effects and the unsullied originals.

Yeah, I'm just that dorky.

Queue ball.

I've got 275 movies in my Netflix DVD queue, and close to 500 in my Instant queue. I realized that a lot of movies in the DVD queue were getting neglected because I'll get a craving to watch, say, Iron Man, and drop that in at the top. To remedy this, I decided that unless there's something specific I want to see right away, I'm going to randomly bump movies to the top of the queue, without any decision-making involved in the process. That way some of the stuff I might not feel as excited about will get an opportunity to land in my DVD player. This should work pretty well, especially considering that I'll never live long enough to watch all the movies that I've got in the queue already.

However, Blood, Boobs and Beast, the documentary about Don Dohler (I posted about it a week or two ago), is staying at the #1 spot until that "very long wait" is over and I actually get to see it.

I've already been doing something similar with the Instant queue -- unless there's a specific movie I want to watch, I'll choose the first movie that seems interesting and watch that. The other night it was My Gun Is Quick, a Mike Hammer movie I'd never seen. It was entertaining as hell, by the way. I started watching Sam Fuller's The Baron of Arizona (starring Vincent Price) last night and I'm really enjoying it, but couldn't stay awake to watch the whole thing. I'll finish it off today.

So, Netflix subscribers -- what tricks do you have for managing your queues?

Bloodsuckers open vein -- er, thread.

I watched a vampire movie called Rise: Blood Hunter last night on the ol' Netflix streaming. Admittedly, that's one of the worst titles ever, but I figured Lucy Liu is easy on the eyes, plus the always-hot Carla Gugino appears in the flick as a vampire, and that's all I really needed. Sadly, the movie was pretty lame, although I liked that when Lucy Liu becomes a vampire slayer she drives an old Jeep Wagoneer.

But man, some of the dialogue was dorky as hell. Like when Michael Chiklis tends to Lucy Liu's bullet wounds, then says "I'm no doctor, but I've never seen tissue regenerate so fast." Why does he need to preface that with "I'm no doctor?" What difference does it make if he is or isn't, I'm pretty damn sure he still hasn't seen tissue regenerate so fast. And besides that, who the hell says "I've never seen tissue regenerate so fast?" How about "I've never seen wounds heal so fast?" Or "Holy smokes, look how fast that thing is healin' up -- what are you, Wolverine?"

And why is there always some dude who knows the ways of the vampire clan and teaches the new vampire slayer how to do her job? And why is the head vampire always some suave douchebag and not Danny Trejo? If I was a vampire I wouldn't even want to hang out with the other vampires if they're just gonna wear frilly shirts and drape themselves all over some shitty nightclub where the music sounds like dogs barking.

However, Rise: Blood Hunter gets props for not having vampires whose mouths open really really wide via CGI before letting out a piercing shriek.

So, yeah -- open thread time. Let's hear your thoughts on the vampire genre.

Short Ends.

The Mist (2007) I haven't read the Stephen King short story this was based on since I was a teenager, so I can't vouch for how faithful the movie is, but I do know writer/director Frank Darabont went way the hell out on a limb with the ending, and kudos to him for having the sack. I skipped Disc 1 of the 2-disc set and opted for the black & white version of the movie, which is included as a bonus feature on disc 2 -- it's Darabont's preferred version of the movie, and I'm not gonna argue with a man who's bought me dinner. Honestly, I'm on the fence about The Mist; overall, I really enjoyed it and dug Darabont's efforts to make it feel like a 50s/60s-era monster movie, and while I thought the cast was great I'm really put off by the straight-outta-the-cardboard-cutout-bin Hellfire Rainin' Religious Nut Lady. I know she was in the story, but maybe that's one of the places where going for a little less faithful approach would've been a good choice. The same results could've been achieved by turning the character into a smooth-talking manipulative banker or goat herd or, well, pretty much anything but the same damn stereotype we've seen a million times. And unfortunately, Hellfire Rainin' Religious Nut Lady plays such a major role in the movie that I feel like the flick never manages to overcome the presence of such a stock character. I mean, I could live with Ventriloquist Dummy-Lookin' Eyebrows Soldier but there's a limit, y'know? Even with those reservations, though, The Mist is certainly worth seeing. Apes: *** Bourbon: ***

Gut Pile (1997) I had read about this movie on the Internet way back in the 20th century and was intrigued by it at the time, but pretty much forgot about it in the years since. Then I stumbled across it on Netflix streaming and figured I'd give it a shot. Produced on a meager budget by Sub Rosa Cinema honcho Ron Bonk (who also acts in the movie), Gut Pile is essentially an ode to Evil Dead -- sometimes almost embarrassingly so, but not in a bad way, if that makes any sense. The flick opens as hunter Dan (Jeffrey Forsyth) accidentally shoots a guy in the face. Flipping out, Dan buries the body and goes on with his life. A year later, Dan and two of his pals head out to their cabin on another hunting trip. As you might imagine, the hapless victim of Dan's previous outing returns to create some gory havoc. Gut Pile is actually a lot of fun to watch -- the acting ain't half bad, considering, and the low-rent Raimi-esque camerawork keeps things interesting. The guy who played Bob (Ed Mastin) must've been having facial hair issues during the shoot, however -- the first time we see him, he's sporting a beard that looks like somebody glued dog hair to his face. Next time he appears, he's got a real beard, then the fake one shows up again. Settle back with a few beers and have at it. Apes: * Bourbon: ****

Ker-sneeze.

Sorry about the lack of posts over the last week, I've been completely wiped out by some brutal allergies and haven't felt like doing anything. I should have a Short Ends post up by the end of the weekend, if all goes well.

Meanwhile, this Saturday's Kamen Rider Dragon Knight is another one I wrote, although I believe this is the one they goofed up on and credited to Nathan Long. There's more Rider-fighting in this one than in any episode so far, so check it out if you dig that sort of thing.

Don Dohler.

You may have read my review of Don Dohler's Nightbeast a few posts back -- well, on February 24th, a documentary about Dohler called Blood, Boobs & Beast is being released on DVD. A quick search on Netflix didn't turn it up, but I'm pretty certain they'll carry it and I can assure you, it's gonna hit the top of my queue as soon as I see it listed. The DVD also includes Nightbeast as a bonus feature. Watch for a review of it soon!