Dallas is MY CITY!

This marks a new era for The Video Creep. Recent events and situations have placed me in a position where I don't even know how much longer I am going to be in existence on this planet let alone have a Blog as well as a career. 

I feel that it is strange that I made the decision to live more positive and have a better outlook at the world and to stay away from the ones that cause me problems and soon there after I am diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer that has taken the sight from my left eye and rendered me currently unable to drive while I receive Chemo and Radiation therapy. 

Now I have to admit that I have decided that this cancer is not going to kill me because my body and mind are fighting this illness with all that we have and I have one of the best support teams that you can ask for. 

What bothers me is what is happening in the country that I love and now in the state that I have always called my home. 

It is no secret that I am recieving my treatment in Downtown Dallas where I have also had to take on the position of Observer over the past couple of days while reporters flock to all areas of My City in light of the recent tragedy involving the Dallas Police Department.

Yes I said My City, Like Gotham is to Batman Dallas and I have a love hate relationship as I will fight for her but she sometimes forgets that I am here for her. I will always shed a tear when she is hurting.

Now I have had issues with Racism and Religion in the past few years and I want to take this time to address some of these events. 

Let me start with race and then I will talk about religion in a later edition of the Video Creep. 

I want to start with these racial issues because of the recent events in MY CITY and how angry I am that I feel that Dallas again has to awnser for the sins of this Great Nation's Black Sheep. 

I have seen My City wear a 50 plus year wound that we will never fully live down as we are famous for 3 things. A sometimes great Football Team, A fictional hard drinking Evil Oilman, and the Assassination of a United States President. 

It was after Kennedy that the city was labeled "The City of Hate" because of the so called political atmosphere within it's limits with everyone thinking that we were all Bible Thumping Bigots. 

Nothing can be farther from the truth Yes we do have are fair share of Psycho conservatives but there are plenty of them everywhere you go it's just that here in Dallas the crazy conservatives all have Big Mouths and are loud and will try to make you listen to their opinions, but the truth is that we are ignoring them because We all Have big mouths here...Honestly I can't give some a hard time about this because I am one of the bigger mouths in the city. 

Racism does exist in My City and I have fought to keep it out. I have stood up to old relatives who spout their racist views as well as put the fear into young men who think they are being funny.

I have stated time after time that Dallas is not the villain that we are always made out to be and if Texas is the reddest state in the union it is because we are our own shade. Now many of you will ask what makes me such an expert? That is the part where I say I live here. 

I listen to fellow filmmakers on their Podcasts bashing The Lone Star State and how much they wish that we would succeed from the Union and I have faced the prejudices that come with having pride in my home. Granted I wear a cowboy hat when appropriate as well as my boots. I feel those are the only typecasts that I do indeed have. 

I am supportive of the rights of all citizens in regards to who they want to marry.  I believe that a woman has a right to choose weather or not she wants to terminate a pregnancy. I feel that what a couple choose to do in their bedrooms are in fact their own business and everyone else needs to mind their own. 

A business should have the right to choose who they refuse service to...That being said if you refuse service to someone due to race, religion, or sexual orientation you are nothing more than an ASS!

In regards to guns I am all for a private citizen's right to carry a gun and I am also pro open carry. Now granted do we really reed to carry assault rifles because some of the individuals that I have encountered that are carrying the rifles I have to ask what they are over compensating for. Personally I prefer to carry a 9mm and a rifle with a lower caliber because the kickback is annoying.

When it comes to Race, It follows me like a Black Cloud. I have encountered racism here in Dallas however I have also encountered it far more in other places in the Deep South. 

Now the racist individuals that I encounter I quickly put them in their places because I will not tolerate it in My City. I have come to notice that the "Young Racists" are cowardly. Let me tell you a story.

I was at a convention a couple of years ago hanging out with one of the celebrity guests in the hotel bar and yes having my fanboy moment. There was a African American man sitting at the bar having a beer and looking at us. The look on his face was one of I really want to talk to the Celebrity guest but he was too nervous to approach. 

I soon went to the bar to order my final round of tequila for myself and my crew before I Tab out. And had a brief conversation with the individual and it was a pleasant conversation about the good time that he was having at the event. At this point I began a conversation with one of my regular customers that was sitting in a different part of the bar. 

This was when 4 police officers entered the bar and approached this man telling him that they had reports that he was giving the "Evil Eye" to people in the bar. 

What I saw on this man's face was nothing but Fear and naturally he was defensive and myself and my customer watched as the situation unfolded in front of us.

Now there are those that choose not to get involved and I am not one of those but I also know all to well what happens when you try to get involved in these situations, So first off I went to Laura and told her that I was going to have some words with these officers, Laura I modestly became frightened as she has seen me get into it with the Lake Dallas Police on occasion and her and other members of my crew tried to talk me out of it saying that the situation was not racist. 

Eventually after the officers stepped out of the bar I followed them to "Have some Words" and this was when we saw the officers talking with the man who actually called them. A man who refused to be in the bar to face the man that he was accusing because he had no guts and he was in the middle of a rant about "Those People" that is when my Assistant looked at me and said "Now That was Racist" and we all watched as the officers laid into this man for calling them and using them as his "Weapon" for his bigoted beliefs. They even told him that they might even arrest him while they were running his ID for wasting their time. 

By that point we had all ran back to the bar and I bought the man that was harassed a beer. 

These police officers were just doing their job with information that they were given and when they pieced together the facts they dealt with the situation in the best way they could. It was horrible that they were used like that. 

There are two lessons here, The first is that cops aren't the villains and they are human and they do make errors, 

The Second is the fact is that racism in our country still exists and it does exist on both sides and I feel a great deal of pity for the poor individuals that have so much Hate that it destroys them the way it does. 

We did have that incident in McKinney at the Pool Party but I honestly didn't;t consider that relevant  because McKinney is just a bunch of Snooty Jackasses who think they are better than EVERYONE else and the situation escalated to something that should NOT have happened and  I'm just happy that nobody was killed or seriously injured there and hopefully everyone can move on with their lives. 

That brings me to the events of last week.

What bothers me is that this was a peaceful protest in which the police were involved to protect the piece. This was also a protest for the events in other cities in other states. Yet someone decided to shoot our Police Officers because of the shootings across the nation and the lack of accountability that the police have seemed to avoid. Again THIS WAS NOT DALLAS!

Here you saw these Officers put their lives on the line to protect and serve people who were protesting against them and these people were also on the line and have come to the side of their fallen finest.

 This was a senseless act of violence but the police did their jobs with magnificent valor and showed the nation just who in the hell They Are. 

We May Rise and Fall but in the end we Will Meet our Fate together. We are all in this together and we need to stick together. Dallas was never the City of Hate as there is too much to Love here. 

I ask Why did this happen. We May Never Know. One thing that we will know is that This City, MY CITY, OUR CITY will endure and we will prevail. 

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

There are some of us that have spent more time in a "Galaxy Far Far Away" than others. For all of us the big question after the bonfire celebration at the end of Return of the Jedi is where do we go from here?

This is where that direction goes with the licencing. The Saga continued in novel form with The Truce at Bakura where the rebel alliance continues their battle against the remains of the Empire and as the novels continue Han and Leia marry and have children and we are shown the formation of the New Republic and the new Jedi Order under the guidance of Luke Skywalker and his wife Myra Jade.  

In comic book form the Dark Empire trilogy The Emperor resurfaces and Luke briefly joins him as his new apprentice though he overcomes the temptation of the Darkside 

They were not all Happy Endings. 

In 1999 readers mourned with out familiar cast of heroes the death of Chewbacca who sacrificed his life to save Han's youngest son and the turning to the Darkside of Han and Leia's son Jacen after killing Luke's wife. 

It was still a fun time to be a Star Wars fan 

In theatres audiences saw the prequels and the origins of Darth Vader which while not well received by loyal fans the films still kept the fan experience alive.

After all there has been a few missteps in the Galaxy such as the Holiday Special and the Ewoks Movies.

At least the Holiday Special gave us Bobba Fett.

I personally liked The Force Unleashed Video Game...Part 2 not so much.

2008 viewers got to finally see the often discussed Clone Wars and the continuing origin of the saga. 

When we least expected a change it was announced in 2012 that Lucasfilms was sold to Disney and that there was going to be a new trilogy produced and that Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill were all on board. Peter Mahew, Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker were also announced to be reprising their Roles. 

When Star Trek Director JJ Abrams was announced at the Helm of the new feature fans rejoiced, 

The Hype of the flick was definetly building but there was not without it's issues as it was announced that with the exception of Clone Wars and the saga all other areas of Star Wars were no longer considered to be Canon and have been wiped out of existence. 

Now we were also treated to Star Wars Rebels which debuted in 2014 which takes place between Episode III and IV and follows a small band that opposes the Empire and we are shown the formation of the Rebel Alliance, 

A continuation of Clone Wars Rebels features the return of Voice Actors as well as characters from it's predecessor and reprisals of classic Characters and the actors that played them including Billy Dee Williams appearing as Lando Calrisian, Frank Oz as Yoda and James Earl Jones returning to voice Darth Vader. 

Naturally when Episode VII now called The Force Awakens finally arrived in Theaters, Yours Truly was at the Alamo Drafthouse along with the Dallas chapter of the 501st as well as some of the classic cosplayers and Chelsea Davis from CBS 11 and I was armed with my trusty camera to cover the event and the Alamo was nice enough to give me some food vouchers and I enjoyed some of the Star Wars themed cuisines that were available. I definetly liked the Wookie Cookies. 

I'm Glad everyone knew I was there because I ended up appearing on CBS 11 filming the screening. 

I admit that I have been waiting for reviewing the flick because I decided to wait for BluRay and see what special features were to come. 

I also felt that I could not talk about the flick without spoilers so I decided to be respectful to the fans that have yet to see the film. 

It is no secret that This film is the first chapter of a new trilogy and a new expanded universe but this is the chapter that while following a new cast of characters in Ray, Finn, Poe and BB8 we are continuing the saga of our returning favorites with Luke, Leia, Chewbacca, C-3P0 and R2-D2, Now that brings us to Han Solo, 

The famous Smuggler is featured prominently in the film alongside as his trusty sidekick Chewy we are shown his end at the hands of his own son Ben AK Kylo Ren. 

Granted I saw this death coming when Han stepped out on that bridge to try to reason to his son, because frankly this is the first chapter in a new trilogy and if it was the third I would see Ren returning to who he was but here is our primary villain having his big defining moment for the Saga. 

He will be always be remembered as the man who killed Han Solo and where will this take the characters. 

Believe me I was in the crowded theater during this scene where members of the audiences gasped and there were many WTFs and then silence. 

I am sure that Harrison Ford requested that his character die as that is what he wanted for Jedi and they did do the character justice in a franchise that is infamous for giving popular characters bad deaths. 

That brings us to Luke Skywalker as I know that many were complaining that Luke pops up at only the end and essentially has one shot in the flick and I actually liked that as this was the plot of the whole flick was the search for the last Jedi Knight. 

My intirpration of the ending was that Luke had some kind of connection to R2-D2 who was remaining in Low Power mode and had remained in hiding. 

When Han was killed it sent a great disturbance in the force as we saw Leia reacting, I'm sure Luke felt it as well and sent a signal activating R2-D2 to provide the last part of the map informing them of his location. 

Like Yoda Luke is in exile and seems reluctant to take Rey on as a apprentice. 

Personally I like the character of Rey and and the character of Poe and I am looking forward to seeing where these characters go in the next entries. 

The BluRay release features a multipart documentary that followed the production as well as features showcasing the music, the effects, and a special about the Table Read for the film. 

All in All This flick is a Buy and I recommend as far as BluRay waiting for a Box Set of all of the flicks when it is completed. 

Alamo Drafthouse and AGFA

Well Kiddies it has been a crazy couple of weeks here and I admit that I am still standing strong.

We have been hard at work on the upcoming HauntShooter project and in early preparations on this year's Texas Frightmare Weekend. There are also some other projects that I am Hard at work on but I choose to keep them on the down low for now at least.

What I really want to talk about here is The Alamo Drafthouse.

Founded by Tim League, The Alamo Drafthouse was one of the original Dine-In Theatres featuring a wide assortment of Beers of all types and Genre films. The Alamo is greatly respected by both fans and filmmakers.

 The Drafthouse has experienced Premieres and Festivals and sneak previews for upcoming releases and has attracted headlines for the enforcement of its No Talking rule as well as its Banning of Texting in theaters. 

The Drafthouse attracted the attention for this in 2011 when I young woman was ejected from the establishment after using her phone in the theatre and called the front office to complain leaving a voicemail.

As many of you will know when I was in Austin the Alamo was where I found my sanctuary. I enjoyed Terror Tuesday's, Weird Wednesdays, Master Pancakes, and Horror Remixes among other special events. 

 These along with Rolling Roadshows and Fantastic Fest.

When I returned to the Dallas area in 2013 it was not long until a Alamo Drafthouse was built and opened it's doors in Richardson Texas and naturally I became a regular at the establishment and James Wallace was the programmer bringing us events like Master Pancake and the Horror Remixes as well as introducing us to the monthly AGFA Secret Screenings and the Dismember the Alamo event in October.

While I am an advocate for the Angelica as well as it is a great place to view Arthouse and Indeflicks, The Alamo is the place for Genre film screenings.

The opening Night of Star Wars was a blast.

Now I know that I have in the past been quite critical of the cuisine of the Alamo but that was in fact in Austin where the places were far more of the Vegan friendly but the DFW locations don't fall for this because when you order a burger you actually get a decent burger and fries and I had the pleasure of attending some of the feasts there are some great items on the Menu.

Now we can't forget the Beer with the events and the utilization of local breweries The Alamo still lives up to it's name as the Drafthouse even utilizing events such as special screenings utilizing the beers and seasonal Ale.

Dallas has received the opening of its second Drafthouse in the Dallas area just off Lamar next to the Southside and Gilley's...Trust Me you can't miss it. Naturally I was going to be there for the Soft opening that they have had this Week to check the place out.

This theatre is awesome! They have 2 stories for movie lovers and social types alike. 

With the first floor being the cinema intended like many of the Drafthouses is from Genre fans where we are shown posters ranging from Dallas produced films like Robocop and the Phantom of the Paradise to more cult titles like Barbaraella and Dementia 13.

I personally like the fact that there is a poster of the Amicus classic Anthology flick Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors which is one of my favorites featuring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.

The Auditoriums feature more personal seats for the moviegoers and is far friendlier for couples but the seats are far more comfortable and recline and I was able to watch both The Martian and Mad Max without pain in my back. The tables feature holes for your cup on the table thus preventing the table from getting wet from the sweat from the glass with the menus are placed under the tables for you to place your orders and still have the flags with pens to do such.

Above the Theatre is the Vetted Well pub where you can kill time before the flick in the bar or grab a bite with some of its own individual eats or just hang out in the Patio.  My friend Beth works there and can always recommend the best cocktails.

You can even sing Karaoke with your friends win individual rooms similar to the Highball in Austin.

Needless to say check it out.

James Wallace told me that the new place will feature many new events which we discussed potential ideas for screenings but don’t fret AGFA will stay at the Richardson location.

Last Week I headed out to Richardson for this Month’s AGFA and sadly Bri could not join me due to some issues where she worked and I met up with my Alamo gang Chris and Alan to check out the flick.

James Wallace soon took the stage and caused Alan to have a fit when he announced that the print was none other than 1985’s Demons.

This now considered Classic Italian Horror Film directed by Lamberto Bava and produced by Horror Master Dario Argento Demons is a flick about a group of people attending a free screening of a film about Demons who end up turning the moviegoers into Demons.

The Demons are malformed homicidal zombies that can in fact be killed with a shot to the head but anyone they attack will soon become a Demon themselves after being scratched in a Dawn of the Dead meets Evil Dead sort of Way.

Needless to say nice flick for AGFA with its 1980’s Gore and Effects as well as it’s soundtrack featuring Musicians like Billy Idol, Rick Springfield and Mötley Crüe.

Now this Flick spawned 9 Sequels but not all are canon I personally recommend Demons 2 and apparently Cemetery Man is considered canon to this flick.

23 Dead Bodies

1 Breast

19 Demons

Eyeball Gouging

Tongue Ripping

Brain Eating

Samuari Bikers  

Crashing Helicopter