Matt Grady's Adventures in Print

Doctor #4 and fan

My girlfriend Tarra and I got there right when it opened at 10 on Sat, and very glad we did, as you’ll see in a bit.

The event took place at BMO Centre, near the Saddledome. Already saw some nifty costumes on the way to the advanced ticket holder line-up. Star Trek, Star Wars, super heroes, anime, Tomb Raider, Hunger Games and a few Doctor Whos.

You walk in the photo op and signature booth area, and it’s completely packed. We pushed our way down various side passages to catch a glimpse of a number of celebrities at their autograph tables. Well, with my height, I was the one doing most of the celebrity sighting. :)

Spotted the TNG cast, actors from Heroes, Battlestar Galactica (old and new), Firefly, Buck Rogers (!?), as well as Stan Lee, Robert Englund (Freddy), Adam West and Lance Henriksen (Aliens).

There were some classic WWF stars (Million Dollar Man, Honky Tonk Man, Hacksaw Jim Duggan). Though I was worried I’d be reminded of that scene in the Wrestler with the washed up wrestlers selling autographs, only Jake the Snake looked over the hill.

Took a few attempts for Tarra and I to find the entrance to the vendors/exhibitors section. Fortunately, this was her third (!) Calary Comic Expo, as she revealed, so I followed her lead.

The vendors/exhibitors section was filled with popular comic book artists selling prints; Calgary/Edmonton vendors selling comics, action figures, collectibles, handmade items, etc.; and western Canadian film/theatre/internet video production companies with a horror/sci-fi/fantasy bend.

We spent most of the day in this area, when not checking out celebrity panels in the auditoriums.

In addition to the costumes cited above, we encountered some more great costumes; it was obvious the wearers put much time and detail into their creations. This included the full team of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers; He Man (the muscles weren’t a costume) and Skeletor; Doctor Whos #4, 7, 10 and 11, plus a guy dressed as a TARDIS; the soldier from Halo; and many more.

Of note…

Catwoman - a few of these, and I imagine the heels, booty shorts or tight bodysuits didn’t feel quite so sexy after hours in line-up for celebrity panels, fried food and washrooms. :)

Wolverine - spotted him coming out of the washroom, and was so tempted to ask him how me managed to adjust his fly.

Doctor Who nerdgasm - no, not me. I kept my cool. ;) Rather, while at one of the dealer tables, I spotted a bunch of DW figures. There was a girl on the opposite side of the table that told me, if there was a particular figure I was looking for, she could let me know. She then got very, very excited when she spotted a TARDIS teabag holder. As in “Oh my god!”. Tarra shook her head, chuckled to herself and whispered if we wanted to be alone. Thanks.

Bronies - adult males who really enjoy My Little Pony. They exist.

Moving on, to get off our feet, Tarra and I checked out a few celebrity panels: Adam West (he can laugh about the old Batman series, but as a stage presence, he’s pretty full of himself. :), Lance Henriksen (quite a nice, thoughtful guy), and Levar Burtron, Brent Spiner and Wil Wheaton (as a group).

Oh, during the Adam West panel, it was announced that, if were already in the auditorium, to remain seated. The fire marshall was in the convention building, and anyone in line-up outside was now being turned away - even if they had advanced tickets. Either they’d oversold the event, people were sneaking in, or they weren’t prepared for so many people at once. This was around 1 pm. So glad we arrived early. (Those turned away with advanced tickets got free passes for Sun. I’m sure they were pissed, regardless.)

Later that evening came the Next Generation cast reunion. (This was a separate purchase, and sold out quickly in Feb.) We sat down around 7, and this was followed by an into by the actor who played Ensign Kim, and a video where celebrities at other sci fi conventions are interviewed regarding Star Trek and the cast reunion. At 7:45, they announce a 30 min break before the cast came out - so be sure to check out the merchandise table and grab a refreshment. How subtle.

The reunion itself was a lot of fun. The actors have all aged pretty well, and it was obvious they’re still good friends after all these years. They chatted for about an hour. Wil Wheaton had a bit of a confessional moment, saying he’d become reacquainted with the cast in recent years, in an effort to make up for some of the not-so-great acting career decisions of his youth. Nearing 40, he was actually a well-spoken, amusing guy. Still a bit of a show off, but nowhere near as bad or as annoying as behind-the-scenes footage from the ’90s.

Happy holidays, everyone! Very few posts this year. I hope to change that in 2010.

Just read that Big Finish, who published my Doctor Who story "Flashpoint" in their Short Trips anthology series, lose their licence to sell the books after Dec. 31, 2009.

The books are selling for cheap right now on the BF website. Afterwards, expect to find them on eBay.

Big Finish has been publishing hardcover Doctor Who short story anthologies since 2002. With their fiction licence to publish the books about to expire, they're publishing Re:Collections in May. It features a highlight story from each of the 28 previous anthologies, including works by Justin Richards, Marc Platt, Jonathan Morris and Paul Magrs.

I'm quite flattered, indeed. Thanks again to Ian and Jeri for their assistance with the final draft.

(I wrote about the initial publication of "Flashpoint" in a previous post.)

Cover by Iain Robertson

And after 13 years in Victoria, I'm experiencing a real Canadian winter again...

For any fan fiction or Doctor Who fans out there, I've put together Myth Makers: Retrospective. It features highlight stories and artwork from issues of Myth Makers released between 1991-2001. I laid out the anthology using OpenOffice.org 3.0, and the artists were kind enough to rescan their original artwork. The anthology is available for free in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format.

(The file resolution is a web-friendly 100 dpi. A two-part 200 dpi version is available upon e-mail request.)

Uploaded a final selection of pictures from my Europe 2006 trip on Flickr, including Nîmes, Arles, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Bayeux, the D-Day beaches, Mont-St-Michel, Antwerp and Amsterdam.

Read all about my excellent European adventure in my travel journal.

Nymph Statue, Paris
Matt Grady Photo

I've created a photoalbum of my Europe pictures on Flickr. Flickr is now owned by Yahoo!, so I was able to use my existing account. Uploading, annotating and organizing pics was very easy to do.

Have uploaded pics from Amsterdam, Bruges, Brussels and Paris. More will follow soon.

The picture at right was taken in Paris, on the Alexandre III bridge en route to Les Invalides.

Happy holidays, everyone! The second half of my Europe journal is finally up. Pictures will be up soon. Deciding whether to post thumbnail links on the journal or take advantage of an online photo album.

Possible trips in 2007 include Ireland, Germany and Austria.

The Pot Calling The Kettle Black... Christmas

While Miracle on 34th Street and It's a Wonderful Life play on TV over Christmas break, the horror film Black Christmas hits theatres on Christmas day. Christian groups, understandably, are making a fuss (from IMDB.com):

Let's assume for a moment that this isn't a publicity stunt by the film's producers or the aforementioned Christian groups.

Black Christmas is a remake of the 1974 original, a creepy slasher flick set in a sorority house. Bob Clark shot the film in Toronto and later directed A Christmas Story, another holiday season TV staple. With the recent surge of '70s horror film remakes and their popularity at the box office, it was inevitable that producers would option Black Christmas. Unfortunately, as with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, studios are dispensing with atmosphere and tension in favour of quick edits, slick design and ample gore. They feel the need to give the killer a backstory, a motive for his madness. Apparently, a crazy stranger isn't scary anymore.

So who would bother seeing such R-rated schlock? Teens, horror film fans and gore hounds. They dig this junk and will check it out no matter what. How else to explain the endless monster B-movies of the '50s and splatter movies of the '80s. Someone's paying to see them. But, by making a public outcry over a forgettable film which doesn't warrant the attention, Christian groups are giving Black Christmas the publicity the producers are craving. They're drawing curious filmgoers to the theatres and video stores to see what all the fuss is about.

Black Christmas's yuletide-themed murders and December 25 release date are merely gimmicks—the latest twist on the tired slasher-movie plot. What's more, this has all happened before. Among the myriad post-Halloween clones was Silent Night, Deadly Night, featuring an axe-wielding killer in a Santa suit. Parent groups picketed theatres showing the film and it was pulled two weeks after release. Although such a sleazy, gory, tasteless film would have had a brief box-office life anyway, it remains notorious to this day and is sought out by the curious because of the protests.

If parent and Christian groups were truly concerned about "our most sacred holiday," they wouldn't waste their breath on "ill founded" horror films, but direct their ire at Hallmark, Toys 'R' Us, Wal-Mart and the like for their part in commercializing Christmas. At department stores who set up for the holidays immediately after American Thanksgiving and subject their employees to a month of Christmas musak. Or more appropriately, why not publicize causes that deserve it at this time of year, such as local charities and food banks!

Christmas is about family and helping the less fortunate. The focus on shopping at the local mega-mall rather than donating to a local charity, helping to keep the homeless out of the cold, is a far greater insult to the holiday season than the senseless slayings by an imaginary character.

La Grand'Place, Brussels
Matt Grady Photo

Entries for Nîmes, Arles, Bordeaux, Bayeux, Mont-St-Michel and Antwerp will be posted in the coming weeks, along with a sampling of pictures.

The picture at right was taken in Brussels' central market square. Earlier that day, I spotted an escargot vendor. Didn't check to see what kind of condiments were offered.

After wrapping up an IT contract at the end of August, I took a month-long vacation, backpacking through Amsterdam, Belgium and France. I planned the trip all summer, receiving plenty of helpful advice from friends who backpacked across Europe in recent years. Was able to put my French Immersion to use, staying in cities all around France.

Kept a detailed journal and took many, many pictures. I'll post an illustrated account of my journey in the coming weeks under Journals.

A shorter version of the following article appeared in the Halloween issue of the Martlet

Monster Chiller Horror Theatre

Michael Myers, Halloween (1978)

by Matt Grady

It's Tuesday, Halloween. Still nursing a hangover from the weekend, you confine your celebrations to a scary movie screening. Cable's best offering is Addams Family Values, and you're fed up with The Grudge-style cheap scares passing for horror cinema these days. Time to raid the video store of the following frightful classics, recommended for lights-out viewing.

The Haunting (1963)
Based on the Shirley Jackson novel, The Haunting of Hill House, and directed by Robert Wise, who would next helm The Sounds of Music. Clever lighting and camera angles imbue the imposing, neo-Gothic mansion with a sinister presence. Unease sets in as day turns to night: the house fills with sonorous footfalls, characters are awoken by the cries of children and doors creak open of their own accord. Beware the computer graphics cartoon that is the remake.

Halloween (1978)
Tranquil suburbia becomes a shadowy, spectral nightmare in the John Carpenter classic. The chilling piano score, the wraithlike Michael Myers and an emphasis on scares over blood resulted in the highest-grossing independent movie of its day. Jamie Lee Curtis's debut film, then 19. Major studios were quick churn out bloodier, inferior clones. Forget the Halloween sequels and their attempts to explain Michael's mentality. As Chris Rock said, "What ever happened to crazy? What, you can't be crazy no more?"

Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Shot in black and white, Dead's low budget, natural settings (Pennsylvania) and unknown actors actually benefit the film, giving it a documentary feel. George Romero's first feature revolutionized horror cinema, with its unrelenting dread and scenes of flesh-eating zombies. Holed up in a farmhouse, while the undead amass outside, the main characters struggle between surviving the night and maintaining their sanity.

The Exorcist (1973)
A harrowing, unsettling film, as potent today as it was 30 years ago. Director William Friedkin pulls no punches in depicting a foul-mouthed, pea-soup-spewing, head-spinning demon's possession of a 12-year-old girl. Fourteen-year-old Linda Blair was nominated for an Academy Award, but likely lost out when it was discovered another actress dubbed the demon's voice. Avoid the overblown, laughable Exorcist II at all costs.

An American Werewolf in London (1981)
"There's a bad moon on the rise." The English countryside is best enjoyed during the day, as a pair of American backpackers learn in John Landis's black-humour-laced lupine thriller. Ghoulish hallucinations and the main character's guilty conscious collide in a porno theatre. Rick Baker, who designed the werewolf-transformation effect, won the first ever Academy Award for Makeup.

Alien (1979)
H.R. Giger's brooding, biomechanical imagery comes to life in Ridley Scott's lavish production — a horror spin on Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. A taut thriller, with strong performances and several bloody, slimy surprises. "In space, no one can hear you scream."

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Despite its reputation, the original Chainsaw is relatively gore free. Instead, it's a disturbing, claustrophobic affair that will leave you fearing hitchhikers, highway truck stops and family dinners at isolated countryside houses. Oh, and meat. Like Psycho, aspects of the story were inspired by real-life murderer Ed Gein.

Se7en (1995)
Depositing the viewer into morbid crime-scene photos, David Fincher's follow-up to Alien³ is memorable for its seedy, grimy production design, literate script (Dante's The Divine Comedy) and deranged villain. Featuring Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt before they became tabloid mainstays. The twist ending will stay with you for days after the credits roll.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Behind the piercing eyes of renowned psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter lies a vicious cannibal. Locked behind a transparent cell, he must settle for preying on the mind — opposed to the liver — of the rare visitor. It's the brutal hints of his potential which make him so terrifying. To date, the only thriller movie to sweep the Academy Awards — and deservedly so.

Also recommended: Psycho, The Shining, Black Christmas, The Vanishing (1988) and Ravenous.