Stranger Things, WITH DRONES!!!

This makes me irrationally happy!

Click on the pic for something special! 

War of the Worlds

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Ah, The War of the Worlds! One of Young ShellHawk's favorite movies to see on Tom Hatten's Family Film Festival! Too young at the time to have read the 1898 original version of the book, I, probably like most of you, took the 1953 version of the movie to be the end-all and be-all of the story.

But nine-year-old me was so wrong! There's so much more to it.

For instance, back in 1938, Orson Welles and his radio show crew together broadcast a version of The War of the Worlds on live airwaves which ended up scaring the daylights out of all Americans within the sound of his voice. Overnight, Welles became a household name because of the nationwide "hysteria" he'd caused the night before.

Ostensibly one of the best Hallowe'en pranks ever pulled (even though it was pulled on October 30th), the 1938 Orson Welles broadcast of The War of the Worlds has lived in horror and pop culture legend ever since. Sounding like an emergency broadcast had broken in and taken over, Welles and his crew alerted people of the danger of aliens landing and taking over towns and cities, leaving destruction in their malicious, Martian wakes. Their voice acting was so accomplished, people just tuning in, mid-broadcast, thought the radio show was a real news broadcast and began calling their local police departments, concerned for the safety of themselves and their families, and looking for evacuation instructions.

But the 1953 movie, updated for a more modern audience, was a marvel of the visual effects of the day, so much so that it won the Academy Award for best VFX for that year, in addition to being nominated for Best Sound and Best Editing.

I mean, who doesn't remember the sound of those weapons going off and vaporizing everything in their paths?

It's worth noting that the 1953 version of The War of the Worlds was very much massaged into being an "In God we trust" film. Communism was the Big Bad in that day and age, and McCarthyism and "the Red Scare" was in full swing. It's hardly surprising the film reflected the hysteria of possible Communist takeover with the Martians as proxies and people of the cloth standing in for scientists.

Even so, I'd highly recommend watching this film in all its glory this Halloween season! It's a classic monster/sci-fi/horror film which shouldn't be missed!

Another One in the Books!

The patio, around 8:00 PM, after moving buckets and tools and washing, oh, my!

The Third Annual Artist Open House is now DONE! There was so much to get done beforehand. I was out of town the weekend before, and of course, there's my job and general life stuff. It all makes those 24 hours jam-packed, and getting ready for an open house a little more stressful, this year.

Of course, prepping for it involves cleaning, organizing, moving around all the tools and various minutiae I use to make stuff, and washing down the patio area. I wear a mask to sweep up because of the clay dust floating around, but the rest has to be washed down with water, which I hate to do in drought-ridden So. Cal. But needs must, as they say!

Yes, being a potter is all glamor.

Since this open house is a showcase for all my creations, pottery and jewelry and whatnot, it takes a while to put everything in the point of sale (putting on the bar codes, pricing, pics, etc.), and then physically getting the tables set up, the linens put on, shelving and unpacking everything, setting it out in the shelves and on the tables.

It takes time. Walking 300 flyers around for days before the event takes a bunch of time. Designing said flyers takes time. Designing the email announcement, too. I'm not complaining, by the way! It's just part of the deal, and I really enjoy the end result, which is people coming over and enjoying my creepy cute creations!

A little bit at a time, though, things come together! Bin by bin, things get unpacked and arranged.

And then, the start time comes and people walk through the gate and start piling your creations on your checkout table and start asking if you take commissions...

And people start asking about skeleton wind chimes and this and that. And you know you're going to stick with making ceramics.

Because even though people keep telling you, you can't make a living at it (they're mostly right), you get to the point where you understand in your bones that just because something can't be "acceptably" monetized, that doesn't make it worthless, valueless.

The smiles, the happiness. That makes it worth more than money, always.

I feel sorry for people who can't see that.

The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

This post contains links which take you over to Amazon and I might make a small commission for qualifying purchases, though it's more likely I get turned into a newt.

The Phantom of the Opera (1925). Lon Chaney in all his glory. Gorgeous sets. Melodrama. And horror.

There's no school like the old school!

The Legend of the Scarecrow: A ShellHawk's Nest Tradition

Click on the pic for a charming and heartwarming story about a very lonely little scarecrow... 

On the 8th Day of Halloween, My True Love Gave to MEEE -

A Universal Monster Double FEEA-TURE!

On October 29th, Fathom Events is presenting these two beautiful classics for your Halloween and horror delight. I love both, but as someone who loves cinema, I'll admit the seeing Phantom of the Opera on the big screen will be a very special treat! The pageantry of silent film is in full force on this one, and it is stunning to look at!

Click on the pic for showtimes near you.