Cereal At Midnight

  I have always loved Looney Tunes . I have always been a Daffy Duck fan. Some of my earliest memories are of the hilarious cartoons my dad and I would watch with this wonderful character. The old versions are classic and beloved.  I remember being excited about Duck Dodgers way back in the day. Just imagine how happy I was to discover a new version of Warner Brothers' greatest animated science fiction hero back in 2003.  I watched this show with absolute rapture before I went to sleep many nights.  My wife was incredibly tolerant of me needing my Duck Dodgers fix before bed. Like Mr. Garibaldi of Babylon 5 , Daffy very well could be my second favorite thing in the universe.

Vertigo publishing had several successes in the time it stood as DC Comics' mature reading choice.The imprint has since been shut down, and DC just labels its mature books. The Vertigo label was closed in January of 2020. However, it has spawned the likes of The Sandman and Y: The Last Man along with a slew of other titles. One of those titles was The Pride of Baghdad . While this tale has fictional elements, the basis of this powerful story is true. In 2003, during the invasion of Iraq, Fedayeen Saddam troops took up a defensive position around a zoo as United States forces began the Battle of Bagdad. The zookeepers abandoned their posts, and after about 8 days of fighting, many of the animals remained caged and starving. However, during this time bombs had destroyed some cages and enclosures. The animals were wandering free in the abandoned city. Among them were four lions.  The Pride of Baghdad tells their tragic story and serves as a memorial to these majestic creatures...

Few games have had the power of Life is Strange . (I may review that here at some point.) However, the focus of this review is to showcase something that grew out of the game in an unexpected way. Anyone who has played Life is Strange would most likely agree that the music in the game is almost a character. It sets the atmosphere and contributes to the power of the story. However, this review is not about that music either. Confused? Please let me introduce you to an independent artist that created an entire album that was inspired by the game. Koethe is an independent artist that writes and plays music that the game Life is Strange inspired. However, this is more than just a fanboy effort. The deep folksy music that this man creates is a perfect match to the game. In many cases it surpasses the original soundtrack.

DISCLAIMER: Remember art is completely subjective. 😀 I also realize that there are multiple posters for many  films. I am simply comparing particular versions that show artistic growth. Read Part 1 HERE Movie sequels: we love them or we hate them. Some have surpassed the original films as in the  case of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and perhaps The Godfather 2 . Many others go on to  be notoriously bad pictures or box office flops. However, along the way new ideas on how to  promote such films rise up and grab our attention. I wanted to showcase a few franchises that, in  my opinion, did this in a spectacular fashion. Some of the changes to movie posters are very  obvious, and some are more subtle. Here are a few of my favorites.

DISCLAIMER: Art is completely subjective. The appreciation of cinema is completely objective. I wanted to get that out of the way before I proceed with what is a deep passion of mine. Movie posters are like book covers. They can draw or repulse. They can even draw a person in because they repulse. Bad movies can have spectacular posters. Excellent films can have terrible posters. This is the first article that I have in a planned series that discusses this notion from a purely artistic standpoint. A review of a movie poster in no way reflects a film. It is a total and separate entity. What I am also offering here is my own opinion based on hours of research and art appreciation. I am in no way a complete expert. Therefore, if my opinion is different from yours, dear reader, please do not take offense. My intention is not to be negative in any way. I am simply offering my observations and opinions. Thank you for your understanding! A movie poster can make a film or break it. That...

When I first heard of the movie  Kill List , I was curious as to what it was about. Many sites had labeled it Lovecraftian in nature. Boasts of a shocking ending were plentiful. I decided to seek out this film and view it. I almost ordered it several times online from various outlets, but for some reason, I didn’t. I was patient, and like so many times, that was rewarded. Imagine my surprise when I found this film at my local Dollar Tree. I grabbed the single copy they had and excitedly headed home. Within the next few days, I watched the movie and knew that I was going to review it for Cereal at Midnight. The reasons for this are many, but suffice it to say that this film falls into the category of unique horror. I will be careful to not spoil it in this review so read freely.

In 1980, a book by the name of The Clan of the Cave Bear emerged onto the scene. I did not read it. As the years passed, I heard people talk about this series as further books were released. Then in 1986, a movie starring Daryl Hannah was released. I remember watching that film with friends because we all were entranced by Ms. Hannah at the time. I would have been 16-17 years old and had realized that I was forever a part of “geek” culture. I loved the depiction of prehistoric times and the epic nature of the film. The movie was considered a flop at the box office, and no others have been made. However, this movie would pave the way for almost all serious prehistoric films we have enjoyed over the years. Films like Alpha (2018), that is an absolute joy despite its mediocre rating, owe a great deal to The Clan of the Cave Bear .

  Journey , from Thatgamecompany , might be one of the greatest gaming experiences I have ever had. This game is a work of aching beauty that almost feels like a journey towards spiritual edification. I know that seems an odd thing to say about a video game, but that is exactly the way Journey makes you feel. I have played games since the Atari 2600. I have even played the original Pong on the original machine so long ago. I am an avid PC gamer and play many MMO games. The point I wish to make here is that Journey is hands down the most emotional, moving, and powerful experience I have ever had in a virtual world. I am honestly a joyous wreck over it. It made me smile for hours. I rarely have an expressed emotional response over mass media. I do “cry” occasionally over film. While I did not openly cry when I finished Journey , I easily could have. The best way to describe it is the unrelenting sense of awe and utter joy the game brings. I am not certain how the developer m...

Southern Gothic literature has been a pleasure of mine for many a year now. The way the words roll off the page and into the heart and soul of a man is a beautiful thing to experience. In many of my graduate studies, I was confronted by such prose regularly. The likes of Flannery O’Connor, William Faulkner, Harper Lee, and Cormac McCarthy come to mind. To this list of masters I would add one name: Alden Bell. The name even seems to fit the description. Bell is the author of The Reapers are the Angels . This novel is southern Gothic through and through. It also happens to be about zombies and the apocalyptic world that such things bring about. This is a beautiful work that deserves the highest praise possible. Even though I enjoy all forms of literature, the zombie novel is generally delegated to the bottom of the pile when considering serious prose. They are generally formulaic and redundant. Such stories can only take a reader so far. However, The Reapers are the Angels manages to...

Bryan Bertino’s The Monster is a fantastically-fun monster movie in a genre that is  filled to the brim with questionable offerings. Bertino has a command of his writing and director  skills like few in the industry manage. He is the total package when it comes to what he seeks to  do. Many will remember his incredibly effective and terrifyingly-chilling movie The  Strangers from 2008. The Monster is no less spectacular and tension-filled. This is a little movie  that hits every bullseye it aims at. The film is a study in tension and the unknown. It is  fantastically acted with brilliant practical effects. This is a film that feels more like a late 70’s or  80’s movie that deals with contemporary issues. The film is gorgeous and makes use of powerful  storytelling. This is more than a terror-driven story. It is a story of the inner workings of the  human heart. I love it when a horror movie transcends the genre into something more than j...

I have been a gamer for most of my life. I have played everything from video games, card games, role-playing games, miniature based games, to board games of every stripe. I dearly love the interaction of both competitive and cooperative games. I think having a variety of games in one’s life makes for a much better social experience. I realize that most of us game online because it is so much easier. However, if you happen to be one of the lucky individuals that have an in-person gaming group, I would love to introduce you to one of my all-time favorite games. Twilight Imperium, by Fantasy Flight Games, is a game that encompasses just about everything any good gamer could want. It has a great sci-fi setting. It has a very deep game that includes politics, intrigue, and very cool fights. It has a set of races that I simply adore.  Frankly, I wish there were movies or novels that could go with this game. I would absolutely buy them.      

The loneliness of a dark highway can be a daunting monster for anyone who has ever traveled alone at night. There is just something about the isolation and the field of view that only headlights provide. It feels like one might slip out of the universe by simply leaving the road. This is the world that writer/filmmaker David Prior places his audience in. The film is only a short 39 minutes from start to finish, but the sense of dread that the movie creates is right out of the pages of Lovecraft. That is what first drew me to this film a few years back. It has the feeling of creeping dread that I crave in cinema. I discovered it purely by accident and was immediately attracted to it. AM1200 (2008) is a film few people have seen, and that is a tragedy. This movie is tension-inducing nightmare fuel. Prior should have been immediately tapped to adapt the ever-elusive and almost “unfilmable” works of Lovecraft. This movie is dread-inducing perfection, and I love every terrifying second...

When I sat down to watch Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam (The Man Who Saves the World) , lovingly known as Turkish Star Wars , the last thing I expected was to be completely entertained. Honestly, this film continues to hurl one bizarre moment after another at the viewer. It is a relentless romp of absurdity. It is cheesy to the extreme. It also takes great liberties with copyright infringements. And, it is absolutely wonderful.

The fantasy genre is often overlooked in cinema. Of course, we have huge stories like The Lord  of the Rings. However, for the most part, fantasy remains the least used genre. In recent years, Game of  Thrones broke down the doors to many possibilities, yet fantasy still remains firmly on the fringe. One must certainly consider that many movies have fantasy elements, but in general, those elements are rarely acknowledged. After all, what are Freddy Kruger and Jason? They are horror icons to be sure, but they could not gain this status without the use of fantasy. When thinking about this genre, I generally find myself nostalgic for films like Conan the  Barbarian, Red Sonja, Dragonslayer, Willow, or even something like Ralph Bakshi’s Fire and  Ice. Most of these film types hail solidly from the ’80s and have a tremendous following. I am one of those devotees, and I often think modern fantasy is deficient in fundamental ways. The films of yesteryear did lack bi...

As of this writing, Apple’s TV+’s new show SEE sits at 42% from critics and 82% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. IMDB has the show at 7.7.  Many people have already written the show off as a failure. I find this sort of attitude to be a bit, no pun intended, apocalyptic. SEE is trying to fill some very big shoes. There are a lot of shows coming out that are Game of Thrones hopefuls. I wanted to give SEE a try for a variety of reasons. The star power of Jason Momoa, who plays Baba Voss, was the number one draw for me. I like this man as an actor and as a person in general. I have met him, and he is truly a great guy. Despite all of that, I feel like I have remained reasonably objective in my examination.

*This review is mostly spoiler free.  Mild spoilers will be announced. Claudia Gray has done something remarkable with this novel in the fact that she has managed to capture the ever-elusive spirit of Star Wars. Most readers must acknowledge that Star Wars novels rarely hit the marks that serious literature attains. They are not meant to. These works are meant to embody a spirit of adventure and pull us into a place of nostalgia that makes us warm and happy. While not all offerings in the Star Wars genre manage to tap into these feelings, Master and Apprentice does so in such a special way that it transcends Star Wars and becomes something even larger. This novel has the goods.