Dracula

On Halloween night, I had the pleasure of seeing the Hammer version of Dracula on the big screen. I really enjoyed myself... although the film was much shorter than I had imagined it to be. Christopher Lee was excellent as Dracula (even if he is not in too much of the actual movie). The film also featured Peter Cushing as Van Helsing. The sets and atmosphere were very moody. There was not too much blood, and even though the staking scenes are tame by today's standards, they were still able to make me cringe.

The is one of the rare occasions where I have been able to see a classic film projected in a theatre. I hope to see more of them in the future. The screening that I attended actually had quite a few people in the audience. I took that as a good sign that the screening was successful.

Rustin Allison

Musical Mish-Mash

I will be going to see Avenue Q in November and this clip is some of the London cast singing a song from one of my other favorite musicals, Wicked. Just an odd combination to see!

Rustin Allison

Eternal Darkness

I was just reminded of this great Nintendo Gamecube game. Eternal Darkness has got to be one of the best games that I have ever played, and it ranks high among my favorites. The game revolves around a woman's investigations into her grandfather's death. That is all that I will say about the story-line of the game. Revealing too much else would spoil the great surprises that this game has in store. Since the Wii plays Gamecube games, I highly recommend checking out this classic (but don't read any spiolers!).

Rustin Allison

Hairspray Preview Screening

Just got home from a preview screening of the new movie, Hairspray. I have been waiting to see this movie for a long time. I love the original, and I loved the musical adaption even more. This movie was just a lot of fun. I think I smiled during the whole movie. Everyone in it was great! Nikki Blonsky is just great as Tracy. The supporting cast is just wonderful and John Travolta does a wonderful job as Edna. I highly recommend seeing this wonderful movie with some great songs! I will definitely be seeing this again soon!

Rustin Allison

An older puppet

This is an older puppet of mine. It was inspired by the Monster Book of Monsters from Harry Potter. Been in Harry Potter mode since seeing Order of the Phoenix. I am actually really proud of this puppet, because it is the first one that I had made without referrring to or adapting a puppet pattern. The puppet was made with cardboard, paper, sheet foam, fake fur, and amber glass beads (they make great insect eyes!).

Rustin Allison

Harry Potter

Just saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last night. I really enjoyed it. Imelda Staunton does a terrific job as Professor Umbridge. She's a strange mix of sweet and nasty. There was quite a bit left out from the book... but I enjoyed the film nevertheless. Looking forward to reading the final book ina couple of weeks!

Rustin Allison

You're Timeless to Me

Just picked up the Hairspray soundtrack today. If you go to Wal-Mart it comes with an extra DVD. The DVD features a segment about the choreography, a video of Nikki Blonsky finding out she got the part, and the "Ladies' Choice" video. The songs all sound great. It is nice to hear some different orchestrations. I also really enjoy the new songs. The movie comes out soon, and I am looking forward to it!

Rustin Allison

Crazy owl video

Saw this originally on boingboing. It is a pretty crazy owl video! The owl is scared by a jack in the box... and ends up looking like a cat at the end.

Rustin Allison

Reno 911

PSA

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Just started watching this show and it is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Trudy Wiegel is a great comedic character! Almost everything she says makes me laugh out loud. Just saw the movie on DVD andit was very funny as well.

Rustin Allison

More Hairspray

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This was just posted on AOL. Everything I see from this movie looks fantastic!

Rustin Allison

Hairspray tunes

Check out the Hairspray soundtrack's myspace page to hear some new tracks from the film! They sound great!

Rustin Allison

Womannnn!!

A company called Master Replicas does reproductions of the Muppets that are used for publicity photos. These are not puppets they are stand alone Muppets that don't need a puppeteer to manipulate them. If I had the money and the extra space I'd love to get one of these someday. Hopefully, they will do Gonzo sometime in the future (He's my favorite!)

Rustin Allison

Bunnies!

Just put these together today. They are from a great website and are designed by Matt Hawkins. He has a cool looking owl that I would like to try next. Check out Custom Paper Toys.

Rustin Allison

Celebrity Sightings

Every once in a while, I get to see a celebrity. The latest one that I have seen is Joy Lauren who plays Danielle Van de Camp on Desperate Housewives. Some other celebrities that I have seen in the past include Paul Benedict, Emmanuelle Lewis, Andie MacDowell, Elton John, Usher, Nelly, Jermaine Dupree, and Chili from TLC.

Rustin Allison

Slither

Slither is quickly becoming one of my favorite movies. I saw this at the movie theater last year and thought it was gross, disgusting, hilarious, and even a little sweet. I just picked this film up on DVD and I watched it the other night. I had forgotten its charm. This film is not for the weak of stomach, but if you can stand the gore the movie is worth the watch. It is the standard aliens taking over the world story, but it is told with such humor that it seems totally original. The standout of the cast is Elizabeth Banks who plays Starla. Starla is married to Grant Grant (yes that's right), who is infected by an alien parasite. Even through her husband's horrifying transformation she tries to stay true to her marriage vows. Banks plays the role with such sweetness, but she also gives a great comedic performance. This film is not for the faint of heart, but if you love horror this is one movie that should be watched.

Rustin Allison

Spiderman 3

Well, I was finally able to squeeze in a screening of Spiderman 3. The Spiderman movies are a strange case for me. I really enjoy them, but am never realy excited about seeing them. They have always been worth watching. I always have a good time at the theater when I have gone to see them. I thought that this last installment was pretty good. I thought that the dynamics between Peter and Mary Jane were very interesting and I always love the scenes with Peter and his aunt. I think they really add a human layer to the story. I thought the effects were great... especially with the Sandman. I did think that the Venom storyline was drwn out too long. Nothing really happens with that until the last half of the movie... but he did look pretty crazy. I think that Spiderman 2 is my favorite of the 3, but I would still recommend fans of the series to see this film.

Rustin Allison

Finally more papercraft

One of my hobbies is making papercraft that I find online. I just finished these two pretty recently. I take pretty horrible photos, but these are pretty coloful pieces in person. The pieces can be found here.

Rustin Allison

Movies that I want to see this summer

Here's a list of movies that Rustin Allison is excited about:

Hairspray: One of my favorite musicals looks like it is going to be one fun to watch movie!
Spiderman 3: yeah, haven't seen it just yet... waiting for the crowds to go down just a bit, but love the first two!
Pirates 3: Again, really enjoyed the first two and waiting to how this finishes the story.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Consistently enjoyed both the books and the movies, so excited about this, too!

That's about it!

Rustin Allison

School is almost out!

Whew.... almost done with finals for this semester! It has been my hardest semester yet, but I have made it through! Hopefully, I will be able to post again regularly. Here are a few of the interesting books htat I had to read for this semester.







Rustin Allison

Hairspray

A clip from ET. I am very exctied about this upcoming movie of one of my favorite musicals! It looks very fun!

Carrie: The Musical?!

This clip is from one of the most infamous Broadway flops... Carrie: The Musical. It only lasted for five performances. It was put on during the eighties. It was also the Broadway debut of Linzi Hateley. One of the intersting things about this musical is that Betty Buckley who played the gym teacher in the movie plays Carrie's mother in the musical. The musical apparently has a big cult following now, and hopefully someday the creators of it might try to do another staging of it. The music actually sounds really nice!

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

One of my favorite musicals in now being transformed into a movie. Sweeney Todd was written by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler. It tells the story of a wrongly imprisoned barber who seeks revenge against the corrupt judge who framed him. The story has always intrigued me, and I even did a term paper once on the history of the Sweeney Todd story.

Muppet Mobile Labs

This is a cool new development that Disney Imagineering has just completed. I had seen pictures, but it is very cool to see this technology in motion.

Still Around

Whew! School is keeping me incredibly busy. I am taking a full load this semester... all religous studies courses. I am also working at the same time... so no spare time! I am studying Islam and Modernity, Biblical Studies, Religious Dimensions of the Holocaust, and World Religions. Tough going but it is nice to say that I am graduating soon!