Robert Englund

The Mangler
$19.98
THE MANGLER

Ah yes I still remember it like it was yesterday when another Stephen King story was adapted to come to the big screen, this time with Tobe Hooper at helm and Robert Englund as a star. "The Mangler" was and still is one of those movies that people either love or hate at least those around me. I happen to be one of those who loves it or at least loves it for the most part. I mean this is far from a classic but it is fun or at least I think so, how times am I going to say "or at least"?

There is a factory out there that owns and operates a demon infested or possessed laundry folding machine and it has a taste for blood. After taking the life of a nice woman who was just minding her business and working a detective named John Hunton [the always great Ted Levine] starts working the case and after countless people are being eaten by this thing he starts to listen to a friend who knows about the paranormal. But the owner of the factory, a freak of a man named Bill Gartley [Robert Englund], knows what is going on a little more than he should. Based on the Stephen King story this one is actually entertaining despite what most say about the film.

While I will agree that this film is not the classic it could have been it is far from horrible, the first third of the film is great to be exact. The last 15 mins could have used some work but I thought it was good. When this first came out I actually know some one who threw up after seeing the pill [what was left] of the first victim. Director Tobe Hooper I thought did a great job with this film especially with the look of it. The tone of the film and darkness of it just stand out to me. Along with writers Stephen Brooks and Peter Welbeck this is a good enough adaptation of the short story from King, although the script could have used some work.

As far as the acting Ted Levine is brilliant in my mind as the lead detective John Hunton and does a great job. Robert Englund is completely over the top in this film but I think that really fits his characters look. I mean the guy has no legs and is completely torn up, over the top is this guy. Every one else in this film are good and pull off their roles well but you have to remember what type of flick this is. People hate on this film all the time but I have good memories with this film, the first time I watched this happened to be on one of the most fun nights I have ever had.

Some people hate this movie others love it and I find myself loving it, although I do realize it has flaws. I have had good times watching this movie and think that the atmosphere of it is great. Sure this is not the best movie ever and is not even the best horror movie ever but it is fun. Ted is brilliant and funny as always and Robert hams it up like no other. Watch this for your self as a rental or something and judge for your self.

Zombie Strippers (Unrated Special Edition)
$19.94
Lap-dancers are turned into zombies with mortal consequences for attending the illegal venue: the more blood-the more males like it!

This film is not my cap of tea surely.

Hollywood Monster (SIGNED)
$23.50
If you are even a passing fan of the Nightmare series, you would do well to read this book. Great stories about not just the Nightmare franchise, but playing Willie on the original "V" series, working with Henry Fonda, and funny asides about Gary Busey. I do wish Mr. Englund could have elaborated more on some of his stories. This is nitpicking though, as what he does write is a lot of fun. Get your finger-knives on this book.

Archaic Bookkeeping: Early Writing and Techniques of Economic Administration in the Ancient Near East
$51.00
"Archaic Bookkeeping" is an edited translation of the catalog that accompanied the sale of 82 proto-cuneiform tablets from the Swiss Erlenmeyer collection by Christie's in 1988 in London. These tablets had been purchased in late 1950s, but had not been subjected to any detailed study. Personally I am not opposed to individual ownership of antiquities, but I do believe that preventing these valuable texts from being studied by scholars for decades is inexcusable. The tablets analyzed are mainly from Uruk, and date to the Archaic period in Sumerian history, circa 3000 BC. The casual observer might think that the study of ancient cultures might be a field without much in the way of rapid change, but this would be false. The advent of powerful computer programs have recently allowed the processing of large amounts non-numerical data and graphic information. A researcher is therefore able to instantly access an entire body of text when testing an hypothesis. The authors of "Archaic Bookkeeping" made use of this powerful technique, which is becoming more useful all the time. This is made clear by the fact that as of 1993 (the date "Archaic Bookkeeping" was published), only 600 of the 5000 archaic tablets from Uruk had been sufficiently published.I am an interested student of Sumerology, and my purchase of this book was an attempt not so much to understand archaic bookkeeping but to see examples of the actual translation process, and, to the degree that I could, follow along. There is currently very little of this sort of material available for the interested amateur. In general it seems that this information is both too difficult to have much amateur appeal, and too rudimentary for specialists in the field. For those looking for a good introduction to Sumeria, I highly recommend "The Sumerians" by Samuel Kramer.I found the prose in this book to be very clear and well-constructed, with no trace of the fact that it had been translated from German. I found it surprisingly free of philological and linguist jargon; its main purpose was the practical communication of how the authors used the tablets to extract information about Sumerian field administration, labor organization, and animal husbandry. The book's area of focus is quite narrow, but it needs to be to cover the subject fairly. I found the tablet photographs and diagrams to be a highlight of the book and uniformly excellent. The bibliography was arranged by chapter and was very useful.