Netflix Find #1

Throughout my attempt to make it through the 400-plus movies in my Netflix instant queue, I’ll be highlighting some of my favorite celluloid stops along the way.

“The Hole” 

Although it was helmed by the geeky and great Joe Dante, the director of “Gremlins,” “The Howling” and arguably the best segment in “Twilight Zone: The Movie,” “The Hole” was merely a blip on the theatrical landscape. It’s 2012 big-screen stateside release came and went without much fanfare, and then it seemingly descended into its own bottomless pit of oblivion.

Thankfully it’s come up for air via Netflix. And while it may not rank among the best of the director’s bunch, “The Hole” certainly delivers plenty of ’80s-style frights while retaining elements of classic Dante.

When 17-year-old Dane (Chris Massoglia) and his 10-year-old brother Lucas (Nathan Gamble) move into their new home with their single mom, the boys soon discover a hidden and padlocked trapdoor in the basement. The pair befriend their teenage next door neighbor, Julie (Haley Bennett), and upon opening the door they find that the mysterious hole doesn’t seem to have a bottom.

After cracking open the trapdoor, a cavalcade of creepiness soon follows. Ghosts, a possessed clown doll and an eerie stalker are among the sinister goings on. Dante’s presentation provides some genuinely scary moments padded an expert build up of tension and startling payoffs.

While “The Hole” has some of the spirit of Dante’s ’80s heyday, including the obligatory Dick Miller cameo, its biggest foil lies within a few simple storytelling and acting flaws. On more than one occasion the trio of young protagonists walk away from shocking supernatural encounters unfazed, as if being attacked by a stuffed clown or haunted by a young girl are matter-of-fact, everyday occurrences in suburbia.

Yet, the film stands apart from contemporary genre offerings by skipping the hard-to-stomach gratuitous gore of torture horror and relying on old-school spookiness. “The Hole” has a sense of innocence and wonder to it that hasn’t been seen since Spielberg, Dante, Landis and their contemporaries were the hottest young gun directors in Hollywood.

The Wright Stuff

It was 1987 and my face was hurting.

Steven Wright and his trademark brand of deadpan comedy was bringing the house down at Symphony Hall, and I couldn’t stop laughing. At the time the frizzy headed Wright was one of the hottest comics on the planet.

Fast forward to 2013 and Wright retains the same M.O. His blank expression hasn’t changed in the past 26 years, but if anything, his surreal observational humor has just gotten smarter. In fact it’s probably become as warped as Dali’s melting clocks.

His recent show at Atlanta’s Variety Playhouse proved Wright still has, well, the right stuff. For me, the particular occasion was soaked in irony. I had only seen Wright live once in my life, and I was 17 at the time. My second show was the Variety Playhouse gig, and this time I had my own 17-year-old son in tow.

Wiping the tears away from our eyes after nearly two hours of non-stop laughter, my son, Max, and I headed to meet Wright. I had interviewed the comedian for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and we got on so well that he invited me backstage.

Meeting Wright in person was further proof that his real-life persona isn’t too far from the on-stage character. Although he does in fact manage to smile, he’s still predominately monotone and subdued.

But that soon changed. 

Wright was chatting with us about the venue when Max chimed in.

“I’ve actually performed here before,” Max said.

When Wright asked about his performance, Max, who happens to have dwarfism, explained that he has done shows at the Variety Playhouse with Big Mike Geier and performed as an elf alongside Santa Claus.

I told Wright all about the local phenomenon that is Big Mike.

“Is he nice?” Wright asked Max.

“Who?” Max said without missing a beat. “Big Mike or Santa?”

Wright’s stoic face lit up and he burst into laughter.

“You got me,” he told Max.

Nearly 30 years later and my face is still hurting from the laughter caused by Steven Wright. Interestingly enough, my own son’s face now aches for the same reason. And thanks to Max, Steven Wright’s laughing, too.

Here's a link to my interview:

http://www.accessatlanta.com/news/entertainment/comedian-steven-wright-remains-delightfully-deadpa/nWFWC/

You can listen to my radio show, which features more of the conversation with Wright:

http://1690wmlb.com/steven-wright-and-the-big-apple-circus/

Finding Max

Most big occurrences in my life seem to be linked to two things: pop culture and kismet.

When my wife and I decided to start a family more than a decade ago, my love for Saturday morning TV played a mammoth part. As a huge fan of “H.R. Pufnstuf,” that trippy live action kiddie show from the late ’60s, I was stoked to interview Joy Campbell McKenzie, who played Orson on the program. 

It was 1997 and my wife, Andrea, and I took the Joy and her family, who were visiting Atlanta at the time, out to dinner. All three McKenzies have dwarfism, and we were so inspired by their optimistic outlook on life that it eventually led to us to adopt a 5-year-old Russian boy with dwarfism. His name was Max, our favorite moniker for a boy, and he was born on the day I proposed to Andrea. It was meant to be.

More than 12 years of adventure has followed peppered with success and tribulation, belly laughs and tears. Our family has grown, and we’re still close with the McKenzies to this day. 

I’ve been working on a book about our story, talking with agents and getting great response, but haven’t found a publisher. Yet, kismet came into play once again when Suzanne Van Atten and Ken Foskett, a pair of amazing editors at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,  gave me a chance to tell our tale, giving readers a sneak peek at the book I hope to publish.

Part one of “Finding Max” hit newsstands on February 17, with part two on its way February 24. Here’s a link to part one for you to read, if you’re so inclined.

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/finding-max-part-1/nWQQ2/

Escape, I Need A Break

Escapism. I need me some.

Currently my stress level is bubbling over like a Coke with a Pop Rocks chaser, shaken not stirred.

Well, trouble is I already had a big shot of escapism last weekend with Cirque du Soleil’s “Totem” here in Atlanta. Flying frog people, unicycling Asian gals in ornate costumes and bone smashing cavemen did the trick. The music helped, too, providing an audio magic carpet ride to send my imagination into the clouds.

I was lucky enough to chat with “Totem” band leader Charlie Dennard for my radio program, “The Pop Culture King Show.” (It airs 8 p.m. Nov. 2; 10 a.m. Nov. 3 on AM 1690 in Atlanta and streams live at www.1690wmlb.com. If you miss it, it’ll be archived sometime the week of Nov. 5 at http://1690wmlb.com/shows/pck/)

A Macon, Ga.-bred fella, Charlie was a blast to chat with and really gave me some awesome insight into the musical world of Cirque du Soleil. Dennard, who was a student of Ellis Marsalis at the University of New Orleans, has some great stories, including one involving an impromptu jam with Paul McCartney.

“Totem” was amazing and all, but I’m in need for another shot of escapism. This time it may come in the form of chop-socky kung fu moves and fountains of fake blood.

RZA, of Wu Tang Clan fame, is making his directorial and leading man debut with “The Man With the Iron Fists,” which arrives in theaters this weekend. I hear from RZA and co-writer and producer, Eli Roth on this week’s show, too. 

The movie is a roundhouse kick love letter to the classic Shaw Brothers martial arts flicks of old. Yet, the RZA’s version has a top shelf cast including Russell Crow and Lucy Liu. 

The buzz is big for this one. The limited edition poster at www.mondotees.com is already sold out. 

The RZA and Eli Roth interviews have me psyched, and I’m ready to transport myself to the film’s mythical Jungle Village.  

For those of you out there who are percolating like me, go see “Totem” or listen to my radio show and escape. Or maybe I’ll run into you at a screening of “The Man With the Iron Fists.” Just don’t Bogart that popcorn.

Tooning In

I admit it. I'm a frustrated cartoonist. Sit me in a seminar or some sort of classroom situation, and my pen is practically on autopilot. It's almost as if to get my brain to function properly, I must get my doodle on creating little cartoon creatures with my limited artistic ability.

So it was with great empathy when I interviewed Stephan Pastis, creator of the popular comic strip "Pearls Before Swine," that I found out he did the same thing when he was in law school. Well, at least one of us was able to capitalize on doodlin'.

Anyhoo, here's a link to my Q&A with Pastis, which appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

http://www.ajc.com/news/entertainment/calendar/pearls-before-swine-comic-strip-creator-draws-to-o/nSTJq/

And this is a link to download or stream the episode of my radio show featuring Pastis talking comic strip shop:

http://1690wmlb.com/shows/pck/

Feeling Corny

I must say it makes me quite sad to see folks sparring on Facebook over politics. It's one thing to have an opinion, it's another to rabbit punch someone else in the back of the head if they don't agree with your stance.

Well, if you live in and around the Atlanta area and you need to blow off some politically charged rage, I suggest playing in a corn field or simply perusing a pun'kin patch.

And where should I go for a corn maze or a plethora of pumpkins, you ask? I got yer choices right here in an article I wrote for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

http://bit.ly/Vz3V4F

Doesn't that corn maze look like an elaborate crop circle? Regardless of your political leanings, it looks like the truth is indeed out there. Go have some fun.

Slipping On The Lederhosen

To my knowledge there's not a drop of German blood in my body. But there's something alluring about lederhosen. Not sure exactly why, but those goofy, German short overalls strike me as comically cool. Oh, how I wish I had a pair.

The closest I've come is buying a German lederhosen hat while visiting a pal in Heidelberg many moons ago. I wore it while gorging on a mountain of brats and ingesting gallons of brew. Yet, some snooty Germans didn't seem to appreciate my traditional crown. After being chided, I simply growled back at them like the obnoxious American they expected.

The hat currently rests on top of a giant plastic clown head in my den. I still don the hat occasionally, and it's become the recipient of my exhaustive pin collection. I guess it holds somewhere around three dozen pins, and I'm guaranteed quite a neck workout when I put it on.

Whenever I attend an Oktoberfest celebration, I reach for the hat. After culling together a list of events for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the "hut" is calling my name.

You can read my round-up of Atlanta area Oktoberfest events here: bit.ly?PRXLJy

Anyone with an extra pair of lederhosen? You know who to call.