THE MOON IN THE GUTTER ARCHIVES

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THE MOON IN THE GUTTER ARCHIVES

Recent Posts from my Official Site

Monday, August 30, 2010

The Paul Thomas Anderson Film Poll


I've decided to kick-off my P.T.A. Tribute Month here a bit early with a poll as the positive responses, that I have received via email, have already been so strong. This particular poll, which simply asks you to pick your two favorites from his five features, isn't too imaginative but if it does well I might come up with some more adventurous ones throughout September. Thanks to everyone who has signed on for the Blogathon so far. I can't wait to read the different viewpoints of his films and I love the various ideas for posts I have heard. I hope even more will hop on board as September progresses. So go ahead and cast your two votes and my own tribute posts will begin on Wednesday.

Also, to clarify a question I have been asked a couple of times. You can absolutely write on a film someone else might already be covering. I am hoping ideally to get at least a couple of different post on the same films so feel free to cover any one you like. Also feel free to cover any favorite characters, scenes, soundtracks etc...whatever you like.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Le Frisson des Vampires CD Now Available from Finders Keepers Records


A landmark release from Finders Keepers Records, the 27-track Le Frisson Des Vampires Soundtrack is the first complete release of the legendary 1971 score from one of Jean Rollin’s most powerful films. Armed with a stunning near 20 page booklet, with beautiful stills and unbelievably informative notes by Andy Votel, this release of the tremendous Acanthus score is, simply put, one of the most essential Jean Rollin related products ever assembled.
I have dreamed of having the complete score to Le Frisson des Vampires since I first saw it shortly after discovering Rollin in the mid nineties. Even with the faded and quite scratchy print of the film that first came into my possession my mind was thoroughly blown by the hypnotic and exciting music of Acanthus. The several tracks that appeared on the quite rare Films of Jean Rollin CD wetted my appetite even more, but they were just a mere teaser to this new release by Finders Keepers.
From the explosive title-track to the frenetic "Runaway Train", the soundtrack to Le Frisson des Vampires is an absolute joyous listen. Switching gears easily from free-form hysteria to grooves of an extremely laid back nature, Acanthus’ score really comes into its own here as one of the key works of seventies French Rock. After years of hearing it as only an accompaniment to Rollin’s unforgettable imagry, it is such a pleasure to be able to sit back now and take this striking music on its own terms as its own powerful entity.
Of course a lot of the appeal of the Le Frisson des Vampires score has always been the mystery surrounding Acanthus. Up to this point not much had been known about the “inexperienced high school students” (The Films of Jean Rollin) that were said to have made up the group but Votel’s exhaustively researched booklet ends much of the mystery, but manages to add to the allure. Votel manages to uncover the history of the band and what happened to the key-players in his liner notes. He even reveals a rare 45 with an A-Side entitled "Rollin Five Years" from the band that formed out of Acanthus (Unity), that was no doubt a dedication to the director that had believed so much in them. I absolutely don’t want to give away too many of the book’s surprises here though, as there are many. I can say that upon reading, Votel’s notes immediately became one of my favorite pieces written on Rollin and they alone would make the CD worth buying.
Audio-quality wise it is hard to imagine these tracks sounding much better considering how rare they are. A great improvement over both the Films of Rollin CD, as well as the bonus samples found on Encore’s DVD box-set, Finders Keepers release seems taken from both the original tapes as well as directly from the film (as small bits of dialogue (English dubbed) and effects are heard throughout). Don’t expect Beatles remasters quality but Finders Keepers have obviously put a lot of care into this release and have gotten it to sound better than any of us probably could have imagined years ago.
This kick-off Rollin release from Finders Keepers is a really special one, and I have to admit I teared up a bit when I saw my name and this site mentioned in the credits. To say it serves as a great introduction to what will be a watershed series for Rollin fans is putting it mildly. Up next, according to the booklet, are the scores for Fascination and Requiem for a Dream, and fans that head over to Finders Keepers fairly quickly to order a copy will also see the company offering a poster reproduction of Fascination, in a limited number of just 100! I hope everyone here reading will order a copy of this very special release to support Finders Keepers and the legacy of Jean Rollin, it's a knockout.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Announcing my Paul Thomas Anderson Blogathon and Tribute-Month



It’s hard to believe but we are coming up on the fifteenth anniversary of Hard Eight, the daring first film that introduced us to writer/director extraordinaire Paul Thomas Anderson. In the decade and a half since his first feature, Anderson has given us some of the greatest modern American films in memory. While his output (five features, a handful of shorts and music videos) has been relatively small, the films and characters P.T.A. has brought us have become incredibly iconic and special to many...myself included. I have wanted to do something special in connection to P.T.A. for awhile so, considering how rich and densely populated his work is, I am going to be holding a month long tribute here throughout September.
To go along with my own tributes I am jumping back in to the whole Blogathon craze (my first venture in since my M.I.A. on DVD month back in early ’09). So, starting on September 13th and ending on September 19th, I am asking for any and all submissions concerning P.T.A., his films, his characters, soundtracks and actors…namely anything you might connect, good or bad, with the work of Paul Thomas Anderson. Submissions can be as long or as short as you’d like and they can be new or old, so feel free to dust off an older article that you have written if you care to. Ideally I would like to publish your complete pieces here (and, of course, you can post them at your own blog as well) and link back, but if you prefer I use just a snippet with a link back that is fine as well. Feel free to start emailing me (my email is located under the "About Me" tab in the upper left corner) your submissions or links as soon as you will like but I won't post them until that week of the 13th.

Even if you choose not to submit I hope that you might grab one of these nifty banners for me and place them somewhere on your site to alert anyone who might be interested in contributing. I’m looking at this as a way to not only celebrate all things P.T.A. but also to increase traffic to your sites and mine and make some new blogging buddies as well.













September is a milestone month for me as it is my last month as a single man (I am getting married in early October) and I wanted to make it a special one so a blow-out tribute to my favorite modern filmmaker seemed fitting. I hope to get many contributions and make my own tributes among the best things I have ever done in awhile…thanks and I hope many of you will participate.

Cronenberg and Carpenter Blogathon Reminders



I've had the banners at the bottom of the page here awhile but just in case anyone had missed them don't forget the upcoming Blogathons honoring David Cronenberg and John Carpenter. I plan on submitting to both and I can't wait to read the contributions. For info on Cinema Viewfinder's Cronenberg week please click here, and for Radiator Heaven's Carpenter blow-out click here.
On a related note...I have an announcement coming up soon regarding something special I am doing for September..stay tuned.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Eli Roth's Thanksgiving: A Full-Length Feature? (Oh, Hell Yes)


Some of you may recall how much I absolutely love Eli Roth’s Grindhouse trailer Thanksgiving. Well, it seems that my dream that he might someday make a feature-length film out of it might very well be coming true. Cinema Blend is reporting that Roth is indeed planning on getting a full-length script in order for the early-eighties style slasher and that is the best news I have heard in quite awhile. Above is a link to the article, with a quote by Eli (who currently can be seen in one of the most memorable death scenes of Piranha 3D, which I thought was an absolute blast) for those interested.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Vintage Frankfort Photographs: The Hunger Strike of 1964

Vintage Frankfort Postcard: Has the Well Run Dry?

Vintage Frankfort Postcard: Outside the Capital, 1910

Vintage Frankfort Postcards: Court of Appeals Interior

Vintage Frankfort Postcards: Aerial View Geo Stagg Distillery

Vintage Frankfort Postcards: Capitol Hotel

Jean Rollin: Various Behind the Scenes on The Rape of the Vampire, Requiem for a Vampire and Killing Car

***More shots taken from that German Grapes of Death DVD***






Moon in the Gutter (Month By Month)

BLOG CREATED, EDITED and WRITTEN BY JEREMY RICHEY: Began in DEC 2006. The written content of all posts (excepting quotes from reviews, books, other publications) COPYRIGHT JEREMY RICHEY.