The Guide to Getting Through Your Post-Halloween Lull

If you're like The Mike - and I wish you the best if you are - you probably go into a bit of a funk as November begins.  To the horror fan, October is our Super Bowl, and when it ends we often have some trouble figuring out what comes next.  In that regard, it's like the ending of The Truman Show (which is an awesome movie).  We blink a few times, we stare at each other, and then we shrug as if to say "Hey, do you know what comes next?  I don't know what comes next. *pause* Thanksgiving?  Bad football and too many people eating too much food then trying to sprawl out in a single room because they're too full?  Really?"


Alas, I've got some ideas that could help you through these dark days that bridge the gap between All Hallow's Eve and the Curse of Black Friday. (More on that curse later this month....)

1) Make Your Choice - The first thing to determine when you hit November is whether a) you need a break from the ghoulishness of horror cinema after the constant bombardment that occurred around Halloween, or b) you're still craving more of that ghastly goodness.  For the hardcore horror fan, the choice is usually easy, but there's no shame in taking a break and looking at what the rest of the world has to offer.  This is especially important for the casual horror fan or the non-horror fan who jumped into the dark side of cinema for the Holiday.  If you do need a break, you have several options.  First of all - there are other movies out there in other genres, and you can watch those if you like.  You may have ignored some good entertainment during October while you were focused in on Horror, and this is your chance to make up for lost time.  Also, if you're a fan of genre and cult cinema, it might be a good idea to switch from horror to sci-fi and give that genre some love, since we don't have a cool holiday that brings it to society's eyes...yet.

(The worst option for cinema during this lull?  Christmas movies, which are already all over the shelves at your local stores.  Seriously - YOU CAN NOT WATCH CHRISTMAS MOVIES AT THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER.  You just can't, it's wrong - unless it's Die Hard.)

2) You Chose Horror?  Now Choose Wisely! - If you're one of those non-horror or casual horror fans, it's entirely possible that the taste you got in October has you craving more.  But, the films are gone from your TV stations and the recommendations are gone from your store shelves.  One of the greatest mistakes those looking to get into horror make is going forth uninformed, picking up any old horror flick because of a cover image or a cast member.  As much as I love horror, I admit entirely that this behavior is a recipe for PAIN.  The best horror covers and most interesting casts often are a huge let down.  If you don't believe me, check out Liam Neeson in The Haunting or that shiny copy of Darkness Falls, then come back here and apologize.

Thankfully, you're reading this.  And, if you're reading this, there's a good chance you can access the internet - which is a great place to find horror recommendations that don't suck!  We did our own 31 days of horror here during October, but there are also hundreds upon hundreds of great horror blogs out there that have wicked suggestions for you.  There's a ton of them listed in our list of links on the right side of the page, and I strongly recommend the 31 Days of Favorites posted over at Fascination With Fear to anyone who wants to get deeper into the good side of horror.

3) Find Other Options - Maybe you want to do something besides watching movies?  That's an option, I guess.  The weather's starting to turn bitter in my neck of the woods, but there are still some good days to be had if you're an outdoorsy type.  College Football Season is entering its stretch run (before slowly crawling to the finish line with 1,945 Bowl games), so have some fun there like us Cyclone fans are!  You might have other interior hobbies too.  I enjoy video games, so I've spent a bit of the first week of November catching up with my XBox 360.  Whatever it is you like that isn't movies, you could focus on it for a while.

4) Walk With the Dead - Switching the focus back to those who still crave horror, I hear you might enjoy checking out AMC's new series which adapts the graphic novel sensation The Walking Dead.  I don't watch the television unless football's on or there's a DVD in my player, so I can't comment first hand on the alleged zombie epic, but if you want horror in small doses a six-episode season of a one hour series could fill your needs.  And it's from the guy who made The Shawshank Redemption, which you love.  I hear it's on Sunday nights, and you might enjoy checking it out.

5) DON'T PANIC - No matter which choice you made, you need to stay cool.  Though we were all united in October, when November starts you will find that many others are on the other side of the horror fence now.  Don't force it if they don't want it, and don't cause a fuss when other suggest it if you don't want it.  This is a difficult time for everyone, we have to stand together or we will die alone.

Keep the faith!  Remember, it's less than 360 days until next Halloween.  Eyes on the prize, boys and ghouls!

The Guide to College for the Total Movie Geek

Living in a college town, it's easy to see that back-to-school time is right around the corner. The stores are full of cheap dishes, tupperware containers, and bath towels, the fast food restaurants are more crowded than they've been in the last three months, and the Best Buy parking lot looks like the day after Thanksgiving. One thing's very certain...a lot of these wide eyed kids don't know what they're doing.

Luckily for them, The Mike once faced their predicament. Well, at least the predicament some of them are facing. "Cool" kids, sorority girls, athletes, people who are committed to their academics....I can't relate. As for you, the movie geek who plans on using college as a chance to build upon their repertoire, the dude who knows his Hitchcock and Kubrick, the dude who's seen more foreign films than Sandra Bullock films....I've got some words of wisdom for you. You need to follow these tips to build your movie empire in your new setting. Doing so will earn you instant cred as a cinematic superviewer.

(Also, I'm sure that evil Netflix device has changed the landscape of the flick fan game a little, but if you're smart enough to be reading this you're also smart enough to know that no geek is geek enough without a bit of a collection backing them up.)

1) Bring the Thunder - Any good collection has the keystone films. Back in my day these were things like Independence Day, Pulp Fiction, The Matrix, and Tommy Boy; today we're looking at The Dark Knight, Inglourious Basterds, Children of Men, and The Hangover. The good news is that a lot of the older standouts still work...The Shawshank Redemption is still The Shawshank Redemption, for example. But if you're gonna have the kind of collection that gives you power, you're gonna have to carry some of these flicks.2) Nostalgia Sells - Y'know what movie me and the movie geeks I met at college watched the most our Freshman year? Yep, The Princess Bride. The Goonies played often, Gremlins seemed to pop up a bit, and no one doubted Ferris Bueller's powers. I can't really speak for your generation...I guess you have Home Alone and the Ninja Turtles? (Man, the '90s sucked.) Anyway, my point is that you don't need to think your childhood favorites aren't cool...they're very cool. Use them.

3) Do Your Thing - Those couple of points read like I'm telling you to conform, but that's sooooo not the case. Because, when it comes to the Thunder-bringing flicks, most everyone has them. You're gonna be living around at least 40 other people that have their own copy of The Dark Knight. Really. So, if you're not a big fan of something your peers love (like Fast & Furious movies or The Hangover), strongly support your favorite alternatives (like Transporter movies and Tropic Thunder). And if you really love something that's not as accepted, like Red Eye or Observe and Report, stick with them too. What makes YOU happy is most important.4) DON'T Underestimate The Horrors - OK, here's something you probably know: Most people don't have large amounts of horror movies hanging around. But what people forget is that every once in a while...especially when October comes around...one of those girls that lives on the floor below you is gonna be hanging out with a bunch of you dudes and suggest a "scary" movie. And when that moment comes...and you're suddenly the dude who has the horrors...and you're not totally creepy...YOU'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO HANG OUT WITH GIRLS. Sure, nothing's gonna happen. But it's a chance that doesn't come up often. HARNESS THE OPPORTUNITY. (Besides, horror flicks rock anyway.)

5) Know Your Surroundings - Dorm life is hard. You can't always get what you want in to those places. But keep your eyes open. Your neighbors will have some flicks. There might be some rental flicks hanging out at the desk downstairs. Hey, there might even be a used CD/DVD place hanging around near campus. There will be tons of resources at your disposal, you just have to find them. (Also, film classes...the kind in which you just watch and talk about movies...are an absolute must. Take 2 or 3 of them and you're 99% done with an English minor.)

6) Give in Once in a While - One of the worst (and also best) things about college is the terror that is having a roommate. Look....you're probably going to know more about movies than your roommate(s) do. But they're probably not stupid. If they want to watch Twister again, or insist on a yearly viewing of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation...you might benefit from going along with it, for your own sanity. Who knows, they might end up having cool cinematic obsessions, like James Bond films or the works of pre-Rocky-and-Bullwinkle Robert De Niro. It'll work out, and you'll still be able to watch your copy of Flash Gordon later.

You do own Flash Gordon...don't you?