Arts

Horror Lovers Challenge: Horror Musical

August 4, 2013 by robertforto 1 Comment

I am participating in a 30 day challenge. This time it is all about horror! If you know anything about us here at the Fort you would know that we are hard core horror fans. Each October we watch a movie each night in what we dub as “The 31 Nights of Horror.”

Day 4: Horror Musical

This is a movie I have to check out durning this year’s 31 Days. Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead has got to be one of the craziest independent horror musical films of all time. Has anyone seen it?

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Horror Lovers Challenge. Day 1: Scariest kid in a horror movie

August 1, 2013 by robertforto 1 Comment

Day 1 of the Horror Lovers Challenge is: Scariest kid(s) in a horror movie.

My choice is the freaky little twin girls from The Shining.

We have a Facebook page. Check us out Scary Movies at the Fort

The Giant Spider

June 3, 2013 by robertforto Leave a Comment

Calling John Goodman, there is a Giant Spider attacking Phantom Lake County and we need an exterminator pronto!

In the 8th annual installment from Saint Euprohia Pictures and filmmaker Christopher R. Mihm we bring you The Giant Spider! If you are a fan of 1950s era drive-in movies, cheesy dialoque, and overtly over acting by the characters, you will love the Mihm films and The Giant Spider is the best of the bunch.

Blended perfectly with a great story, a creepy-crawly spider, humor, cold war military extravagance, and a Three’s Company-esque innuendo or two thrown in– you have a film that should please every one in the family.

Writer/Director Mihm holds back no punches in Spider. He brings back his familiar cast of actors, many of them friends of his and local talent from around his home state of Minnesota. We welcome back Shannon McDonough, Mike Cook, James Norgard, Sid Korpi, and Mihm does his best Hitchcock trademark by placing himself in the film as a drive in movie theater owner.

The effects are cheesy but great at the same time. The giant spider fits right in even though you can plainly see he shouldn’t. The best scene is the motorcycle scene in which one minute he is driving along on a dirt road and in the next frame it is dry pavement! This is all part of the charm of the Mihm films and he does it deliberately to pay homage to the great sci-fi/horror movies we all grew up on watching on our black and white TV’s late at night in our parents basement.

Sid Korpi returns and is spectacular! She has been in the last couple of Mihm films (Attack of the Moon Zombies 2011 and House of Ghosts 2012). In this installment we return to Korpi’s victorian era home in Minneapolis that was made famous in Ghosts. This time to her attic that she and her husband Antony Kaczor, whom is also in the film, who have decorated in real life as a 50’s era malt-shop replete with checker boards and pictures of Elvis. When she and Kaczor are not acting in the Mihm films they teach dance lessons in the attic.

Another great feature of the film is the public domain archived footage of the omni-present military. What a great touch, Chris. I loved it! Not to mention how the Major acts like Private Gomer Pile to his superior 3-star General in the military scenes.

All in all, Mihm out did himself with The Giant Spider. It is by far the best film he has made to date. He continues to amaze his fans with what a very small budget, a vision, and a lot of time on your hands, to what a filmmaker can come up with. Who needs multi-million dollar CGI feature films with overpaid actors that care more about the red carpet than they do the films they make, when you can have the genius mind of Mihm on DVD every spring?

Lastly, I just want to know; where can we get one of those delicious Burger Dogs?

One of life’s greatest moments

March 12, 2013 by robertforto Leave a Comment

As a child grows up there are several milestones that mean more than the ability to drive the family truckster.

Our little flea, Nicole, got her learners permit this past Saturday and she is so excited! In Alaska you are able to drive at the ripe old age of 14 but Nicole decided to wait–with absolutely no argument from her mom and dad–until she was 15 1/2. Good choice Nicole.

She said herself, “I don’t know if I even WANT to drive, there are so many rules…”

That all changed once she got that little plastic card!

Friday

We headed to Palmer on Friday afternoon after a quick study session in the truck with me asking, “what does that sign mean? Can a person turn right at that corner? There’s a bike on the road, what are you supposed to do now?”

We entered the DMV, Nicole filled out the paperwork and we waited our turn. About 45 minutes later she was at the testing kiosk and ready to go!

She missed five. Bummer. You have to get 16 out of 20 right to pass. She missed some technical stuff like how many points you lose on your license if you are pulled over for wreck less driving? Who knows!

Defeated we left the DMV and made plans to drive to Eagle River on Saturday morning to try again.

Saturday

We arrived at the DMV around 10 am for attempt number two. We had to wait about an hour and a half this time as this was the only DMV open in the entire metro area.

This time both mom and dad were here to witness this milestone. If she passes.

A few minutes after Nicole walked up to the kiosk she gave us the thumbs up and we hurried over to congratulate her!

10 minutes later we were back in the car with Nicole’s freshly printed ID in hand.

WAIT!

Nicole exclaimed. They have my birthday wrong! What? Yep, it is is listed as July 3rd.

Michele and Nicole hurried back inside while I waited in the truck. luckily they didn’t have to wait in line or we would have been here all day.

On the way home Michele said, “you know your dad has to teach you to drive right?”

Great. This should be fun. I can remember the stress I put my dad under trying to learn how to drive an old Volkswagen Bug in my high school parking lot. I had such trouble with the shifting and the clutch and the steering that I could barely get over the speed bumps.

Monday

Nicole will be the first to admit that she is a little short to be driving dad’s Toyota Tundra.

After a few errands around Wasilly I gave Nicole her first driver’s lesson on the mile long, snow covered road that lead from the highway to our house. Before she took off in the truck she had to adjust the seat ALL the way up just so that she could see over the wheel and we took off down the road at a very speedy 10 miles per hour.

We made it home without an accident and now she wants to drive everywhere. Heck she even carries her wallet now.

What are we in for?! If I have my way she wont drive until she is 30. Heck, we already told her she can’t go on a date until she’s 18.

Daddy’s little girl is growing up too fast.

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31 Nights of Horror. Night 19: The Omen

October 21, 2012 by robertforto Leave a Comment

Cover of "The Omen (Two-Disc Collector's ... — Cover of The Omen (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

There are movie that have scary kids, Namely that crazy kid from Home Alone in the scary/drama The Good Son, to Chucky–well he is a doll, not a kid. But none of them take the viewer by the throat and don’t let go than the little monster in kickers named Damien.

Admit this little snot-nose is creepy. Heck he is sportin’ birthmarks that tie him to the devil! Today people pay good money to get ink on their bodies to hail allegiance to the dark one.

The Omen (1976) is a scary flick. It has to be very parent’s nightmare and reason enough not to ever hire a nanny, well unless it is Rebecca De Mornay (Hand that Rocks the Cradle).

Did you know that after this film was released that the popularity of Rottweilers skyrocketed?

What is your favorite scary movie?