River City Ransom (NES 1990) Map

Reposted from January 2007


click to link to the fullsize scan

Check out this killer map poster scan I found on the old hard drive. I don't know where it came from. And for more River City Ransom goodness, check out the River City Ransom NES review from July 2006.

Droogs: Lax the Stampede and Max Capacity

Lax the Stampede and Max Capacity
by Lax the Stampede

Check out the official Analog Medium Flickr stream and stay up on our flicks!

Behind the Mask: The Rise and Fall of Leslie Vernon (2006) Review

There are so few movies that surprise me anymore - old or new. Does anyone else have this problem? I know I'm not alone on this. If there's a great classic I haven't seen, I've at least heard the entire plot and the lessons I'm meant to learn from it. The hidden gems of the low budget world aren't hidden anymore - thanks to the blogosphere, RSS feeds, and Google Reader. And new movies generally just blow. I guess the problem is information overload. I won't watch a movie if I don't know something about it, but as soon as I know something about it, it dampens the experience.

So, I was delighted when I stumbled upon a modern classic. Surfing through Netflix Watch Instantly, making my way through the softcore porn and straight-to-video bullcrap that they stuff it with, I found Behind the Mask: The Rise and Fall of Leslie Vernon. Of course, by writing this review, I'm ruining any chance the reader has of being surprised... fuck it. Behind the Mask is fucking rad! A masterstroke of horror satire, Behind the Mask shows a documentary crew following a would-be serial killer. In their alternate reality, Mike Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger were all real. Leslie Vernon is the next up-and-coming hopeful. The documentary crew follows him as he makes preparations for a night of slashing - playing off all the slasher movie cliches we know and love. The movie becomes something like a text book for the anatomy of a slasher flick.

Nathan Baesal, the lead, sells the shit out of this movie. He acts the main role with more personality than any A-lister could dream of. In certain ways he's very reminiscent of his counterpart in the French film Man Bites Dog, which Behind the Mask was obviously inspired by. I definitely wouldn't say Behind the Mask bit Man Bites Dog, though. The plot devices in Behind the Mask are too clever and original to be labeled as bitten. I don't want to ruin it more than I already have, but I'll simply say the end does not turn out quite how you would expect. If you love horror as much as I do, definitely give this movie a watch. It's my lock of the week.

By the way - if you read this review and still want to be surprised by good flick, watch Man Bites Dog. Nuff said.

- Behind the Mask: The Rise and Fall of Leslie Vernon on Wikipedia
- The Official Site
- Watch it on Netflix Watch Instantly

All-City Arson @ Pod Six - July 4

All-City Arson @ Pod Six - Saturday, Jul 4 9PM

All-City Arson from Panic in Pod Six! will be playing their new shit at Pod Six this Saturday night. If you're in town and you know where Pod Six is, come on over. If you're going to be in town and you don't know where Pod Six is, email us: podsix@analogmedium.com. Just be sure to BYOB.

Night of the Creeps on DVD!

Killer! Night of the Creeps is getting released on DVD! Back in the day I geeked off getting to see it on the big screen at a midnight movie. Now I can watch it at midnight every night. If you act now, you can go on Amazon and vote on which cover will make the final product. Pretty clever, internet. I'm going to have to keep an eye on you!

- Thanks to CHUD.com for the scoop
- Vote on Amazon

Coming Attractions: Alien Prequel

Another Alien movie... will it happen? Won't it happen? Needless to say, every good geek and nerd out there has already felt the shockwaves that rocked the internet following the announcement by Ridley Scott that he and Tony Scott would be developing and producing another addition to the alien franchise. There's a lot of wild rumor and speculation out there - is it a prequel, is it a "reboot"? Now add to that list of questions: will it happen at all?

Ridley Scott announced earlier this month that his daughter's beau, commercial director Carl Erik Rinsch, had been selected to direct the film. Apparently he's directed some commercials with a "futuristic" flourish to them... and he happens to be boning the guy's daughter. But there's more problems for Rinsch than concerns over nepotism. According to an article on Entertainment Weekly: "Sources at Fox, however, tell EW that the studio is not interested in greenlighting a prequel unless Scott himself directs."

Personally, I would enjoy seeing another Alien film (what is this - number 7???) I never watched the AVP flicks, but I thoroughly enjoyed the first four films. Yes, even the fourth. :P It would be rad to see the origin of the Aliens, as long as it doesn't involve time travel. Hopefully those Hollywood-ers can figure their shit out and make this happen. I could use another injection of science fiction, even if comes from one of the most bloated franchises out there. I guess I'm a sucker for monster fueled carnage in outer space.

- Read the full article on Entertainment Weekly
- Read what Sigourney Weaver has to say about it