Damn, I'm pissed...

Why?

Because it's 3:30AM, and I just got done writing a decent post about my night... and my damn laptop locked up!

BOOOM

Post gone...

Here's a much shorter version:

An impromptu John Carpenter marathon...

I've got Comcast digital cable, which comes with OnDemand, which is great, though generally not something I find a great deal to watch on. However, they also have an OnDemand channel called FEARnet, which is basically horror OnDemand. Every so often I'll check this out just to see whats there... even though it's usually just awful oldies... and not the good awful.

However, tonight I noticed that John Carpenter had his own menu. I went, expecting, or at least HOPING to find my favorite Carpenter film: The Thing. I was disappointed, but worse than this, none of his classic horror flicks were there, good or bad. There was no The Fog, no Halloween, no Vampires...

However, the 3 movies that were there I ended up watching in this order: Starman (1984), Eyes of Laura Mars (1978), and Escape from New York (1981).

All of these are great. Starman reminds me of growing up, I actually watched the movie with my dad when I was a kid. Eyes of Laura Mars (which he wrote, not directed) stars the eternally beautiful Faye Dunaway, and the never young (even at 32 when it came out) Tommy Lee Jones, and it was, for it's time, quite brilliant. Escape from New York is just classic cool, Snake Plisskin is the greatest role Kurt Russell ever played (although Grindhouse's Stuntman Mike does run a close second).


I also found...

...my old 35mm Single Lens Reflex Cameras. (Ok, they were my parents', but they're on my shelf now... so there!) From the early 80's is a classic Canon AV-1, though the lens is a little cloudy (but scratchless), the body is in great shape. It takes and FD or FL, so I might see if I can find one second hand, though the lens that's on there should work for now. I was amazed with the meter actually came to life when I turned it on, the little needle rising like a good little soldier in the viewfinder. I'll pick up another 6v cell for that soon.

The other is a from around 1989, and it's a Pentax P3n. It's actually a great little camera. I don't have the original kit lens, but I do have a fairly decent telephoto. It fired up too, first try, but the lit meter does not want to stay lit. The button battery for this one will be a little harder to find, but if I can, I will see if can track down a couple of used Sigmas for it...

I love new old toys. ;)