Do you read “X-Factor”? Do you know Layla Miller? Do you know who Peter David is? If you know all these things than I guess it is safe to say you know “X-Factor.” X-Factor, got a lot of attention due to its noir- style. People loved it. It was unlike any other X-book, which caused others to hate it for the same reason. Which brought me to the question, which group of people should Peter David be writing for, people who want another x-book or people who like it when it’s not like another X-book?

This version of “X-Factor” is the third attempt at an ongoing series and Peter David’s second time writing for this series. The series started on the heels of a “Madrox” mini-series written by Peter David. The series was a hit. The main character, Jamie Madrox, a.k.a. Multiple Man, opened up his own private detective agency inside Mutant Town and brought along some members from his old team and some new members as well. The detective agency idea was a new one and worked well. The stories were different and unique. Fans slowly pushed this into the number one book, because it was different.

Now that difference has started to hurt the book. Some readers say it has swayed too far away from an X-book while others say that’s the best part of the book. I think I know what is causing the division in the fans. There are some who like it different and believe that’s why the book is successful. On the other hand you have fans who don’t want it to be to different because they want to see that success be a part of the main X-books. The fans want just what Peter wants: a good book. It’s that simple.

I think Peter is taking the correct approach to his book, he’s not trying to please one set of fans over another, he’s just trying to write good stories. I support Peter’s line of thinking. He knows that you can’t please everyone and catering to one group of fans isn’t going to help. By focusing on the stories and not the fans Peter is trying to give all fans something good. If you’re curious which group of fans I fall into, well let’s just say I’m Peter’s fan, a fan of good stories.

This is one pretty standard question among new writers and even those who have been struggling for quite some time. I recently spent time at two very different events. First, I spent several days in Indianapolis at the Bouchercon Mystery Conference. This is one of the largest genre conference around and it is a doozy. The very next weekend I went to Myrtle Beach to the South Carolina Writers Conference. This was one of the best writer cons I have ever attended. But that is not what this is about.

I kept getting asked the same question at both events. Why can’t I get published? I could go on about this, but I think that a simple bullet list of reasons I see preventing writers from getting published. These are in no particular order, and are probably equally important.

—Attitude. The publishing industry owes you nothing. I can’t tell you how often I hear new writers tell me that they have spent the last six months slaving over their keyboards and some “stupid” editor rejected them. This is not a free ride. There are too many extraordinary writers out there submitting and struggling for publication for an editor to take an unproven, unedited, and arrogant writer.

—Failure to submit. If you spend all your time revising and never submitting, you will NEVER get published.

—Lack of knowledge. Know your market and educate yourself on the house and line you are targeting. Read what your dream house is publishing, don’t just assume that you have written a brilliant book that will make them change their entire marketing strategy.

—Lack of editing. It saddens me deeply when I read some of the works submitted to me. Many, actually, actually most of them are filled with technical and grammatical errors, not to mention the spelling errors. Don’t ever think that you don’t need to do the editorial groundwork just because you are going to get an editor once you get a contract. You won’t get a contract with all those mistakes. You WILL get rejected and that slot will be filled with a writer who took the time to self-edit.

—Lack of commitment. I know, I have fallen into a negative pattern the “lack of” scenario, but these are the facts. If you cannot be bothered with familiarizing yourself with the publishers other works, who their target audience is, and what YOU need to do to help advance your career as an author, then you cannot seriously expect anyone else to commit to you

These are just a few of the things that hold back writers and prevent otherwise talented people from becoming published.

I would be curious to know what you think is the most important key helping a writer get published. Are you published? What do you think that winning element was for you getting that first contract?

Where The Wild Things Are
Directed by Spike Jonze

Hype: I have been greatly anticipating this film for a long time. The idea of Spike Jonze adapting Where the Wild Things Are was one that, at first, left me a bit underwhelmed.  After watching the first trailer, though (spellbound not only by the images but also by one of my favorite songs by one my favorite bands, Arcade Fire) I was instantly hooked.  I can’t remember the last time I watched a trailer so many times.  Very positive early reviews bolstered that excitement and few lukewarm and negative reviews over opening weekend did little to diminish that.  I’m expecting to be absolutely floored by this film.

Predispotion:  I’m a long time fan of Spike Jonze having never disliked anything he has done and frequently adoring his work.  Modern children’s films I feel lack the hard edge of kids movies when I was growing up but I think this movie has the potential to shake children.  With few exceptions I think only Pixar has the cleverness to produce touching kids movies that have enough substance for multiple viewings as one gets older.  I remember reading/liking the book when I was young, but do not recall any specifics.

Environment:  On Sunday, October 18th I saw Where the Wild Things Are at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin with my roommate and his girlfriend.  It was a sold out showing in the theater’s largest auditorium.  It was technically a special “baby day” screening wherein they would not eject loud children (normally the Alamo Drafthouse will kick out anyone talking through a movie).  There were two kids who did do some talking but only through quieter parts of the movie and never too loudly.  I ordered a black bean burger and a glass of wine. 

Review

As most everyone knows, Where the Wild Things Are is director Spike Jonze’s longtime-coming adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s sparse illustrated children’s book.  The story involves young Max (Max Records) who, living with his single mother (Catherine Keener) and his sister, appears to have a whole host of emotional issues.  When Max’s behavioral problems, the least of which is his propensity to lash out violently when he perceives a threat to his way of doing things, begin to spiral out of control he escapes to a world full of deceptively gentle monsters. What begins is a journey where Max must face the worst parts of himself that need challenging as well of a few that are just right.

Where the Wild Things Are is a technical marvel.  The filmmaking style at here is best described as raw; it lends itself to presenting everything at face value and as completely real.  This is how a child engages in fantasy, void of all the bright colors and flash filmmakers seem to think children’s imaginations indulge in; it is a familiar world that becomes inhabited with unfamiliar things.  The wild things themselves are a work of genius, a seamless blend of cutting edge puppetry (courtesy of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop) and CGI that give them a completely lifelike quality. 

The interactions between Max and the creatures never hits a false beat and credit is equally due to the creature work and the voice work by such actors as James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Forest Whitaker, Chris Cooper, Lauren Ambrose and others.  The wonderful music by Karen O. and the Kids is directly correlated to Max’s emotions and is at all times fresh.  It is a soundtrack that becomes absolutely essential to the story itself rather than at any time extraneous.  Blended together the cinematography, direction, creature effects, acting and music form one of the most cohesive visions in recent film memory.  Despite any qualms one may have with aspects of the storytelling, it is hard to argue the fact that Jonze has delivered a masterfully crafted world.

Issues some audiences and reviewers will have with Where the Wild Thing Are will be a direct result of Jonze’s focus.  The book from which the film is adapted is, again, very sparse.  This translates into a threadbare story and calling that some sort of detriment misses the point of the film.  Imagine a child such a Max (and many children are just like Max) who goes to the future and realizes he has many lessons to learn before being able to function as an adult.  He returns to his time, preserves both the mind of a child and the lessons he has learned, with the goal of writing a parable aimed at those that have forgotten the same lessons.  Where the Wild Things Are is what he would write.  What Jonze has done is expanded on that not in terms of story, but in stretching out the wild emotions it takes to drive home the intention past whatever grow-up guards one may have developed.  In that regard, the film is a massive success.

Where the Wild Things Are actually plays better to adults who can open up to its very noble and singular message.  While children will find some level of enjoyment from the puppets rolling down hills, smashing trees and throwing things at each other, there’s a more powerful effect on the inner child in those that have grown beyond Max’s years.  It is that timeless message that will allow this to be a film children continue to watch as they age and one that is immediately relevant to older generations.  What the film does is remind us of a time when we began to learn that there is more to life than what we want, there is a consideration that must to taken into account when dealing with our desires and the influence of others in our lives.  Had Max written this story and titled it before he went on his adventure, it would be something to the effect of: “Where Max Is & What He Wants to Do”.  In the end the audience realizes, as does Max on some level in the very last moments of the film, it is not just about doing what one wants and going wherever one wants to go. Sometimes it’s about Where the Wild Things Are.  It is a message probably lost on most younger children and a compelling reminder for everyone else.

Full Disclosure

Normally when I have myself so hyped for a movie such as Where the Wild Things Are, it has little chance of living up to expectations.  However, this is not the case this time.  The film actually ended up exceeding my hopes by sticking to a single, simple plot (again, this may very well be the reason why it gets some negative word of mouth).  I found that even though the trailer may have shown too much of the antics involving Max and the wild things, there were still many key scenes at which the trailer did not even hint.  There were plenty of telltale signs that this was a Spike Jonze film, but even directed by someone else if the realistic nature of the goings-on were preserved I’d be just as happy.  Admittedly, there were the bits of negativity I read prior to seeing this film but I allowed myself to overlook those and, ultimately, found reasons to consider those dissenting views not in line with my own.

Personal experience factored into my feelings during the early “real-world” scenes.  I never fully identified with Max as a brat.  I was raised under a heavy hand and had I ever lashed out at my siblings or my mother the way Max does in this film, I would have felt it on the rear end.  Therefore, I rarely engaged in full-on physical tirades like Max.  However, as Max encountered the wild things and that rage was broken down to more basic childlike emotions into different personalities via the creatures, I realized these sorts of things are universal.  Just because I didn’t act that way, doesn’t mean I didn’t have the desire to do so in the interest of preserving the singular pursuit of “my way”.  I still grew up and learned the lessons Max does and this movie still speaks a truth to my inner child I readily responded to.

The packed theater did not affect my enjoyment positively or negatively as this isn’t a movie where audience reaction feeds into the experience.  However, the fact that theater 2 at Alamo Drafthouse (the South Lamar location) in Austin is my favorite place to view movies definitely lent itself to providing comfort even when a few children were talking during some quiet, emotional scenes.  Overall, this movie soared beyond any preconceived notions and any predisposition I had to like it with only the comfort of the environment in which I viewed the film affecting my review to any degree.

Kids are our future. I know that is not a big surprise for anyone. But it may surprise some that it applies to the comics industry as well. The majority of comic book readers started reading comics when they were kids. They use to purchase them at convenience stores or pharmacies. The invention of direct market closed off that avenue for kids because only comic book shops sold comics. Plus, there was a lack of comics directed towards children. If kids don’t start reading comics, they won’t group up to become adults who read comics. There has to be a way to address this problem.

The direct market is not the sole reason kids don’t read comics anymore. The direct market did give all kids a single location to purchase all the comics they were searching for. These places are known as comic book shops. But if kids didn’t have a comic book shop in their town then they could not have access to comics. For those who did have a comic book shop, not all comics where accessible to them or even kid-friendly. Slowly, kids were being phased out as comic book customers. This put a halt to a future generation of comic book readers, but recently there has been a change.

Boom Studios took a leap-of-faith this year and attained the comic book license rights to many famous Pixar films, Cars, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, etc. and created an imprint based on those titles called Boom! Kids. History has shown many publishers that kid’s comics do not sell.  The idea was for Boom to obtain material that kids are already familiar with in hopes that kids would want the comics. Plenty of kids saw Cars and Finding Nemo and Boom was planning for kids enjoyment of the movies to translate to their enjoyment of reading a comic about them. Fortunately for them, it’s worked. Many of Boom’s titles have sold well and are having the desired effect, getting kids to read comics.

As you can see it’s not over for comics, there is a new generation of readers getting ready to start reading comics. And it’s not just Boom Studios who are making this possible. There are other companies like Top Shelf, who are also producing comics for kids. So while it may have been a failed endeavor in the past, it looks like things are finally looking up for kids and comics.

Hagumi doesn’t look like a college student; she’s tiny, the size of a mythical creature. She barely speaks. But what makes Hagumi utterly amazing is her incredible artistic skill, and it’s at a Tokyo art college that she meets Takemoto and Shinobu, who both immediately become fascinated with her. And then there’s Takumi, who is in love with an older woman with a tragic past, his ex girlfriend, Ayumi, is still hopelessly in love with him. This is the story of Honey and Clover, two love triangles involving five friends and their lives at art school. While a certain vampire book that doesn’t require naming has proved that love triangles are endlessly fascinating, Viz‘s Honey and Clover volume one proves that if you put love triangles against beautiful, dreamy, almost watercolor-esque art, you get something that is both compelling and utterly beautiful. The gorgeous art of the show goes well with the art school background, and the characters are everyday enough (while having wonderful quirks that make you wish they were your friends) to be compelling and immediately empathetic.

The first volume (three discs, thirteen episodes) covers a wide array of time, and it is interesting to watch the change the characters undergo with the passing of time. One of the really fun things about this series is the cultural stuff you’ll pick up just from watching (and the DVD even comes with a handy cultural guide for some more obscure stuff that the average anime\manga fan won’t know). Beautiful to look at, fun to watch, Honey and Clover is a must, must have.

Two girls named Nana sit next to each other on a train bound for Tokyo. They are as different as can be, but over the course of one snowy night they become fast friends, and then roommates. This is the premise of Nana, a manga that’s nearing twenty volumes and a huge fan base. Nana K is a girl who falls in love over and over again. When she swears off boys, she meets Shoji, who seems like he could be the one. Problem: Shoji’s off to Tokyo to attend art school, and Nana wants to tag along, but it takes a bit to get her stuff together. Nana O is the lead singer of a rock band, and she’s I love with Ren, the bassist. Ren gets an offer to join a band about to hit it big in Tokyo, and he leaves. Nana wants to follow, but she’s stubborn and very independent. It isn’t until much later that she goes to Tokyo, and it isn’t to follow Ren - it’s to become a rock star in her own right.

The two Nanas are as different as night and day, and yet their friendship is the stuff of greatness. Whether you’re a fan of Nana O or Nana K, these two girls will win you over and make you root for them both throughout their trials in the city, in their love lives, in everything. Thirteen episodes on three discs, Viz’s Nana comes with very few bonus features (director interview, Japanese and English audio and art gallery), but it really doesn’t matter. I dug Nana from the very first manga, and the show is just fantastic (it even features an episode of Junko’s musings). I can’t wait for volume two, and after watching volume one, you won’t be able to, either.

Six discs with twenty-six episodes; two twenty-four page booklets; commentary, interviews, commercials - this is the stuff box sets are made of. Claymore: the Complete Series is beautiful, action-packed and one of the best damn shows out there.

Clare is a Claymore - a half-human, half-monster hybrid built to battle the monsters that kill mercilessly and devour their prey: yoma. Yoma have hideous abilities; they can shape shift into human form, they have great strength and no conscious. Only the Claymores can kill them, women who take their title from the swords they carry into battle. But not everything is as it seems within the ranks of the Claymore, something Clare begins to understand after taking a young boy named Raki under her wing.

Claymore is a show about action, about vicious battles between beautiful women and oftentimes even more beautiful creatures. The world of the series is a washed out watercolor scenery - very like Alan Lee’s artwork for Lord of the Rings. The true color in Claymore - and therefore, the true beauty - is in the battle, in the violently colored blood, fire, monsters. The anime follows the manga for the most part, only breaking away from the manga’s story in order to come to an end. The part of this anime that you’ll love best is the part of any action anime that you’ll love best: who are the players? What are their powers? How will they power up? How bad are the bad guys? Who will survive? Believe me, Claymore doesn’t leave you hanging.

Three animes, three styles, three box sets you can’t live without.

(Amanda Rush is one of popsyndicate.com’s resident animavens. Follow her on Twitter: @BrokenAmanda)

Halloween has come and gone. As I handed out candy I noticed a rise in vampires but a steady stream of super hero costumes this year. There was one costume that stood out for me: Spider-man. It was something about the costume. Imagine a 5 year old, wearing a black-suit Spider-man costume with biceps. That’s right, this 5 year old costume was a muscle suit. Please tell me I’m not the only one who sees this as creepy.

I am big fan of super hero costumes. Who didn’t want to dress up as Batman, Superman, etc. for Halloween? It was the best time to get away with wearing a cape and a great mask. In recent years, the costumes have become more elaborate, with more details in the masks, more details in the costume. This is saying something considering that masks are still held together with rubber bands and staples.  But how far should little kid costumes go to make them look like their super-hero counterparts?

The addition of a muscle suit really threw me for a loop. When I say muscle suit, I’m saying the kid had a chest, six pack, and biceps under his costume. Not only is this weird on the kid but its also weird for Spider-man. On one hand kids shouldn’t look like body builders, on the other Spider-man looks like an average person. He has muscles but not like a body builder does. It’s creepy because of the age of the 5 year old and wrong because the costume does not do a good job of representing Spider-man.

I know kids want their costumes to make them look more like their favorite super heroes, but lets not push things too far out. Costume makers need to make some changes, either all super hero costumes need a muscle suit in them or costumes need to find other ways to make kids feel like they are actually becoming their hero for Halloween. Sometimes it is easiest if you keep it simple, cape and mask. Or just red and blue. No need to complicate things.

25. House of Dracula (1945)

An interesting blend of two of classic horror mythology’s more famous characters, Dracula and the Wolf Man (Frankenstein and the Hunchback also make appearances), Erle Kenton’s House of Dracula makes for an interesting story as well: both characters are searching for cures for their respective curses together. Though it’s dated as seen through today’s eyes, it’s an enjoyable film to watch over and again and it features several lauded actors of their time and genre (including Lon Chaney, Jr., Martha O’Driscoll, and John Carradine).

24. Salem’s Lot (1979)

Director Tobe Hooper took several liberties in his TV mini-series translation of Stephen King’s ’75 novel. The most prominent change made to the book for the film version was done to the movie’s focal antagonists: its vampires. In King’s work, the vampires were less aggressive and more inconspicuous; in Hooper’s special, they’re all hideous and grotesque, especially the lead antagonist, Kurt Barlow. Hooper’s Lot isn’t too deep—its best features are displayed on the surface—but it should provide enough scares and modest storytelling to keep a family entertained on Halloween.

22. Night Watch (2004)/Day Watch (2006)

Russian filmmaker and master entertainer Timur Bekmambetov wowed American audiences with his creative visual audacity in 2007’s Wanted (and perhaps this year’s animated thriller 9, depending on the age of whom you ask). But before Wanted, before global recognition, he became Russia’s most exhilarating film artist with Night Watch and Day Watch, the first two installments in a planned trilogy (Twilight Watch would be the third) whose franchise netted nearly $70 million in theaters alone (Night Watch is the highest-grossing film in its country’s history). If you haven’t seen them, you should—because no other film has the spunk and imagination that these two do.

21. The Night Stalker (1972)

Ahhh! TV movies abound in the top 25! (Well, not really. But they certainly stamp their respective places with might.) Based on an unpublished novel about a Los Angeles reporter who suspects vampirism as the culprit of city-wide serial murders, John Moxey’s The Night Stalker gives viewers everything they could ask for in a TV-appropriate B-movie about killings and a vampire. Star Darren McGavin then gives them what the may or may not have wanted to see in a B-movie—a moderate performance—making the film a good—and brisk (74 min.)—selection as one’s primary spook-night feature.

20. Blade II (2002)

Blade II is unequivocally the best of the dark Marvel trilogy for one central reason: visionary Guillermo Del Toro made it. The franchise’s “new film, new director” assurance made possible its second installment’s impressively detailed visual effects, more astute dialogue, and more gorgeous set designs, though it disallowed the following piece of the series (Blade: Trinity) from living up to its precursor’s standards (David S. Goyer got the director’s chair).

19. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

The two best things about Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn both have to do with Quentin Tarantino’s foremost contributions to it: his screenplay, as witty and gross and hilarious as any of his others; and his performance, which is one of my all-time favorite ones to come from the supporting category.

18. Thirst (2009)

Korean auteur Chan-wook Park (the Vengeance Trilogy: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance) is no slouch when it comes to integrating shock into tense dramatic plots. Thirst is no exception. In fact, if anything, it’s raised the bar in such a sense for his future projects. Twisting the legend of Mephistopheles and Faust to today’s social and cultural themes and anxieties—and imprinting his final product with his signature vulgarities—Park has made Thirst a genre prodigy whose teeth are pressing into classic territory.

17. Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)

Anne Rice is among the most renowned gothic authors of the 20th century, and one of her many great literary contributions to the genre featured one of her favorite mythological species: vampires. In 1976, her novel Interview with the Vampire was published. 18 years later, Academy Award-winning Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan made a movie based on it starring several of Hollywood’s biggest actors. The result: a film with the oratorical beauty of Rice’s craft and the panache imagery of Jordan’s film-weilding talent.

16. Fright Night (1985)

Regarded as one of the most well-made guilty pleasures of all time (so much so, in fact, that most would deny it’s a guilty pleasure at all), the vampire-laden Fright Night, a picture whose common plot and fairly silly effects are overcome by overwhelming all-age entertainment power, is a cult classic by any standard, a memorable teenage maturation narrative, and a riotous event for any movie lover.

15. The Lost Boys (1987)

Another coming-of-age vampire flick that reached immediate cult status and cemented the fame of all of its stars, Joel Schumacher’s The Lost Boys embellished the classical look of vampires on every possible level (eye color, bone protrusions, gigantic teeth, etc.), much as Fright Night, #16, did, conforming to the demand of mid-to-late-’80s movie-going fanatics and further revolutionizing the way they’d be portrayed in most subsequent movies (From Dusk Till Dawn, #19) and television programs (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel).

14. Black Sunday (1960)

Mario Bava is one of Italian Horror’s most influential profiles because of his willingness to drop to any level of low-brow yet make any such level appear as high art. Black Sunday, originally titled The Mask of Satan (how’s that for low-brow irony?), re-dug the figurative depths of “low”, though is also one of the most starkly beautiful films in horror history. And it’s got vampires! (And much, much more.)

13. Near Dark (1987)

A slow-building, tension-focused action-western epic with vampires and—my favorite thing in any horror film—a throat cut, Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark was a pioneering film in the movement of horror’s crossover to other genres in contemporary Hollywood. It’s also another cult favorite. Yet, unlike other questionable films with such a following, it is deserving of each individual accolade on its every level—and without any question.

12. Martin (1977)

Who knew George A. Romero was as talented in the vampire genre as he is and has always been in the zombie one? Well, he did. And now everyone should know. Martin is a pristine example of beauty and substance over budget, and more proof (though none is needed) of Romero’s genius.

11. Cronos (1993)

Guillermo Del Toro means ingenuity in all essence of film—visual style, storytelling ability, timelessness as a work. Cronos, one of the most inspired, ornate offerings in the vampire film pantheon, was his directorial debut—and verification that he was a true wonder even prior to finding worldwide acclaim as such.

10. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

It’s much more often that a vampire film of noticeable value is either lavish in its aesthetic and contextual sense or modest in such a way that its actors hover its production than it is both. Francis Ford Coppola’s sumptuous, stimulating, deeply mournful Dracula has three Oscar wins (Best Costume Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Makeup) and another nomination (for Best Art Direction) as affirmation of its brilliant in- and behind-scene fabrication, yet also includes one of the great individual performances in vampire film history: Gary Oldman’s turn as the Count.

9. Horror of Dracula (1958)

Terence Fisher’s 1958 British film, Dracula, renamed Horror of Dracula for its own distinction among other films of its kind, was colored beautifully—both in a literal sense by production designer Bernard Robinson and in a figurative one by the performances of lead actors Christopher Lee (as Dracula) and Peter Cushing (as Dr. Van Helsing)—and made to withstand the aging generations to come. And it has.

8. Dracula (1931)

It’s hard to imagine a better trio in the early ‘30s than director Tod Browning (1932’s Freaks), star actor Béla Lugosi, and Universal Studios’ active chairman from 1928-1936, Carl “Junior” Laemmle, Jr. It’s particularly hard to imagine a better collaboration while or after watching Browning’s Dracula, based on Bram Stoker’s tale and more deliberate than perhaps any of its other renditions.

7. Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary (2003)

A silent black & white film version of a ballet released post-millennium? It may sound like the most boring film ever made, but it isn’t. In fact, it’s one of the decade’s most poignant and spellbinding.

6. Vampyr (1932)

Director Carl Theodor Dreyer will likely forever be known as the austere, brutally powerful helmer of the 1928 masterpiece The Passion of Joan of Arc—and anything else would probably be unjust. However, beneath the colossal, eternal reputation of Joan of Arc lies the triumphant, sobering, macabre jewel Vampyr, Dreyer’s first work presented in sound, which was based upon J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s erotically thematic gothic novella Carmilla.

5. Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

“…Let’s film a fictionalized account of the making of F.W. Murnau’s enduring creation Nosferatu and let’s cast John Malkovich as Murnau and Willem Dafoe as Max Schreck!” (That was a completely fictionalized account of what Shadow of the Vampire director E. Elias Merhinge said to eventual co-producer Nicholas Cage prior to the film’s physical conception.)

“Yeah! But we have to make it really good!” (That was a fictionalized account of Nic Cage’s response.)

Suffice to say that regardless of Cage’s understanding of what “good” in film means (I once thought it was as clear as air, but I’ve since contemplated whether I was right to think that), everyone behind 2000’s Shadow of the Vampire made well on his fictionalized enthusiasm. The film is achingly gorgeous and equally contemplative—one of the most accomplished and simultaneously unrecognized films ever crafted.

4. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

One of cinematic history’s most elegant and respectful remakes, German film mastermind Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu, a virtual renewal of Murnau’s 1922 silent picture, used the relative advances in technology to the time of its release; extensive makeup and costume artistry; and a sensational, spine-tingling performance from Klaus Kinski to bring Graf Orlok/Dracula and the sobering world around him to vivid, colorful boldness. I am going to speak for everyone when I say that we are forever thankful. (Right?) (Yes, yes we are.)

3. Let the Right One In (2008)

Empire magazine’s Kim Newman compared this film to Victor Erice’s 1973 majestic opus The Spirit of the Beehive. I can’t think of a better parallel: Each film is as graceful and authoritatively affecting; and just as Beehive faintly honors the grandeur of the story and heartbreak of Frankenstein, so does Let the Right One In tribute the entire lore of vampires and the corresponding stories of its written and spoken history through gentle underscores in its own narrative. As you’ve heard—and as you will always hear from anyone who’s seen it—Let the Right One In is only a vampire horror picture on the outside. Beneath its surface is an intricate, deeply intimate, and ironically life-avowing story of love (not only of the romantic bond between one individual and another, but of a deep passion for the nature of people and things as they relate to the development of the universe).

2. Faust (1926)

Featuring one of vampire mythology’s more definite stories (the same one that inspired Thirst, #18), the 1926 adaptation of Faust, a delicate yet unrestricted rendering of Goethe’s literary transposition, is a masterwork beyond the boundaries of any one cinematic category—and one crafted so atypically and with such precision only an artist as exacting as F.W. Murnau could have pulled it off. But because it is a film about vampirism, it’s easily the second-best of such; and because it’s as marvelous as it is, everyone should consider what an absence of greatness would have been had Murnau not persuaded Universal Film AG to allow him directorial rights over fellow German Ludwig Berger. Rejoice!

1. Nosferatu (1922)

Nearly 87 years old, F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu is the only real vampire movie: it’s eternally alive, and even improves with its boundless age.

Hope you enjoyed this feature! You’ve certainly waited patiently (or perhaps apathetically) for it. Enjoy Halloween…by eating chocolate and watching malevolent horror films until vomiting occurs. (Trust me, folks, it’s the only way to celebrate such an odd evening.)

Let me know if I left off any of your favorites of the genre—write it right on the comment board below. (There’s a different location for complaints about Twilight‘s omission; send those here.)

Dear Date Knight,
I’ve gone on a few dates with someone new. He never offered to pick me up, we always meet at the movie theater or restaurant. This really confuses me, it does not do anything for me, so I’m not warming up to him or opening up to him. He is looking for affection but I don’t feel romantic when I’m driving alone to and from our date. I like him otherwise but I really don’t want to go on another date with him. Should I ask him why he doesn’t want to pick me up or just stop seeing him without any explanation?

Vera
Well, I have to say I don’t know; I’m stumped. Have you seen his car? Does he have one? Is it a POS? He may be ashamed of what he’s driving. He may have also not wanted to come off creepy. Perhaps he would feel imposing to come to your home. Have you mentioned your living arrangements? Do you still live w/ your parents? Some guys really get weirded out about meeting parents too soon. If you don’t live with your parents it is completely acceptable to say pick me up at 7. I wouldn’t take it personally that is for sure. He may not even have thought about it being an issue. I do think that if you don’t have chemistry now, you’re not going to find it in a Ford Taurus, ya know? I really don’t believe that it is the intimacy of a car ride that’s keeping you from romance. If you don’t find it over dinner or sitting close in a dark theater sharing a laugh, it’s probably not there to find! Try it one last time, be direct but not pushy. If he doesn’t want to come get you for whatever reason, this will be the time that it comes out.

Dear Date Knight,
I had a great first date with a girl. How long should I wait to call her? I really want to call her but I’ve always been told I have to wait a few days. What’s the proper amount of time to wait before calling to set up a second date?

Jesse,
I hope you didn’t wait for my response to call her! Ok, so here’s the game: we ladies want you to call the next day, maybe even a text that night to make sure we got home ok. We love that shit! Makes the panties DROP! Here’s the rub though - you have to play it cool. We love attention, but we do NOT want to be smothered. Keep it brief, and if you want to go out again ask her but set it a few days out. This shows your interest but doesn’t come on too strong. Never be afraid to call the next day if you had a good time.

Some people spend months perfecting their Halloween costume, others wear the same thing year after year. Despite being a huge fan of Halloween I usually throw my costume together at the last minute. It may not be perfect, but DIY beats store bought every time. And remember, only boring people can’t be bothered to dress up.

Check the darkest corners of your closet. That torn shirt that you haven’t worn in years may be the perfect finishing touch for you zombie outfit. Those crazy pink leg warmers and old sneakers? Hello 1980’s cheerleader. Got a Hawaiian shirt? Then you can be anything from a tourist with sandals and a fanny pack to Hunter S Thompson. Found some old roller skates? Rip the sleeves of a t-shirt and be a Roller Derby girl.

Wanna look cute but spooky? Then start with your outfit and see what you can transform it into. A red dress or shirt can easily me made into a devil-outfit, just add horns and a tail. Dress in black and add wings to become a demon or a fallen angel. Ears, a tail and a bit of face paint will transform you into a cat. And there are cute Witches and handsome Warlocks. Wasn’t that the whole point of Charmed?

Don’t be afraid to mix and match accessories and items from older costumes. A lei + Hawaiian shirt/grass skirt + zombie make up= Hula Zombie. 1970’s shirt + flared pants + fangs = Disco Vampire.
Another option is to get in touch with your inner geek and channel Steve Urkel, Napolen Dynamite or NCIS’s Abby.

Still can’t think of a costume? You can always go as a serial killer. They look just like everyone else.

In the 23rd century, women are encouraged to be quiet and reserved. But Neo likes her skirts short and her personality loud - just like the ladies of the twenty-first century! Lucky for her, she stumbles across a device that puts her in our day and age, and she just happens to fall into giving a concert with a handsome backup singer named Saya. Though the concert bombs, they’re given three months to put together an act and perform for a record deal! The challenge is like heaven to Neo, who has always dreamed of being a singer and feels at home in the past, but Saya’s a bit of a naysayer. The two manage to put their differences to the side and team up, though there’s a hint of romance on the horizon! Created by the illustrator for the Code Geass manga, Majiko!, this series is adorable and fluffy, but not much more. Like brain candy, this is one that you’ll giggle a little while you read, but it isn’t destined to be a story you remember.

For something like that, you should turn to M. Alice LeGrow’s Bizenghast. One of the more successful American manga authors\artists, M. Alice’s story of a sleepy little down with an undead secret is one of my favorite manga titles right now. Dinah can see spirits. At first, they are the stuff of nightmares, but then she gets drafted by a bureaucratic underworld to help put to rest spirits with issues. Only this gig is more than it seems, as we learn at the beginning of volume six, the volume that LeGrow herself described as the volume where ‘the shit really hits the fan’. When Dinah is set to meet yet a third member of Edaniel and Edrear’s family - a sister, for once - they find not her, but a body. And everything begins to fall apart.

The boys are distraught, and Dinah, on her own, finds another piece to the mystery behind the town of Bizenghast. Like the clockwork in Dinah’s corset on the cover, everything begins to click into place and tick down to the release of the seventh - and final - volume. The sixth volume makes it quite clear that there is a war coming, and Dinah will play a very large part.

Bizenghast is a favorite at conventions, mostly due to the insane, brilliant and utterly hilarious M. Alice, who has a unique artistic vision that makes Bizenghast her first series (of what will hopefully be many) so unique. It’s packed with silly fun humor, and all kinds of snakey references to herself and pop culture (in the first chapter, she’s the one wearing the ‘I want a Robot Boyfriend’ and ‘Martification Unit’ shirts. And yes, she is that adorable in real life). Bizenghast stands as the example of what the American manga movement should be - the Japanese format done with a distinctly Western look and story, as opposed to a bunch of Americans trying to be Japanese. Those of us on this side of the world who wish to get into the manga line of work should look at LeGrow as a source of knowledge, an example. I cannot recommend Bizenghast enough; the only downside to the series is that it will merely run seven volumes.

Odette, like Pinocchio, only wants to be real. Only Pinocchio wanted to be a real boy, and Odette just wants to be a high school girl. Her creator lets her go, and every day for Odette is a new experience. From eating and understanding what ‘tasty’ means to making friends to having feelings - it’s all an adventure to Odette, and readers of Karakuri Odette will learn that this mechanical girl is closer than she thinks. Calm, passive, and a little maudlin, Odette finds everything around her fascinating, and the audience feels the same way about her. Of course, this isn’t the first robot girl to capture our hearts - Chi from Chobits immediately leaps to mind - but where most robot girls are mere vehicles for fan service, Odette seems to be aimed more at the female audience - we want to be her friend, not see her get got by the boy. I really enjoyed this first volume, and can’t wait for the second, due out in February.

Kiyo has no family; her mother is deceased, and her father has disappeared after being falsely accused of a crime. Her life has given her a purpose, and she pursues it single-mindedly: to become a lawyer and clear her father’s name! So when she suddenly comes into an inheritance, she doesn’t think much of the old rambling estate - she mostly wants to tear it down and sell the land. Only the heroine of Bloody Kisses doesn’t know that inside that ramshackle house are two vampires who, once, were companions of her grandmother’s and now live alone, together.

Kuroboshi is dark haired and handsome, and he falls for Kiyo almost instantly. He seeks to make her his ‘bride’, which means that he will drink from her and only her. His servant, Alshu, is a bit of a prankster, and also thinks that Kiyo smells tasty, and wants a nip. Kiyo will have none of it; she doesn’t want to be anybody’s snack, and doesn’t much care for being a ‘bride’, but can’t help but notice that Kuroboshi sure is cute! Bloody Kisses is a silly, supernatural, romantic romp, one that inspires laughter and will certainly make you want to turn the page. Included in the back is a bonus story with a completely different set of characters, “Angel Love Song”.

Though Bizenghast six is the clear pick of this group, Karakuri Odette one and Bloody Kisses one are also fantastic reads, not to be missed!

(Amanda Rush is an animaven who likes to stalk M. Alice LeGrow at conventions. For more on that, check her interview with Marty: http://www.popsyndicate.com/site/story/an_interview_with_m._alice_legrow/ )