Friday, September 30, 2022

The Hot Tub You Can Reserve At The Hammer

 

Looks like it's too late, but the The Hammer did have a Hot Tub you could reserve until Oct 9, which seems to be booked until then. The feature of Hammer Projects: Tita Cicognani was a very lovely hot tub you could spend time in at the museum. We're assuming people could just walk by on their way to other installations and you'd probably be on camera, but still, free hot tub use.

Here's the info on it:
 
"The functioning hot tub at the center of Los Angeles–based artist Tita Cicognani’s (b. 1993, New York City) installation offers an environment of potential physical contact and intimacy in an institutional context typically designed to promote sterility and cleanliness. Customized as part of a larger installation that includes video, sound, and other media works, Cicognani’s hot tub is a device through which museum visitors might temporarily reconcile their relationship to germs and the perilousness of the body. The environment most

readily resembles an alien love hotel, decomposing traditional markers of love and romance in order to further underscore their foreignness and unfamiliarity in an art museum. Cicognani’s installation is populated by digital avatars that displace the body of the artist and further aid in the uncanny misrecognition of one’s self as a stable and resolute entity. The presentation at the Hammer marks the artist’s first solo exhibition in an institution."

This isn't the first time patrons of art museums in LA could get in a body of water as MOCA had a small pool in their Little Tokyo location, but rumors are people got sick from it and it had to be shut down.

Halloween 2022: Shop & Bite

Shops
 
Dark Delicacies
Tuesday - Friday 10 to 5
Saturday & Sunday 11 to 5
822 N. Hollywood Way
Burbank, CA 91505
 
One of LA's oldest institutions of horror. Having signings for both horror books and films throughout the year and a wide selection of horror themed goods make it a must to gawk at and grab something special to scare you.



Halloween Town
2921 W Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA 91505
 
This year-round Halloween store has an insane collection of horror goods. But, what makes it stand out more than an annual thrift mall shop is the look inside. Walk through a haunted house and the porches of...well,  a Halloween Town. Watch out though, they hate you taking pictures. They aren't allowed in store. Remember, there's one store devoted to costumes and one to everything else.
 



 
3200 W Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank

This horror shop has a wonderful collection of goodies to spruce up any haunted house you call your own. Usually they'll have some pop-up in-store or nearby showcasing a genre of horror or just a film series. They don't have as wide a selection of Halloween town, but have hard to find mech you might not find at the other.





Bites
 
Oct 15 to October 31st, 2021 
Duration: 2 hours 
Casa Vertigo
1828 Oak St. CA. 90015
Age requirement: 21+ with valid ID 
Dress code: Guests are highly encouraged to dress in time period fashion, costume or elegant dress. 
Price:$$
Drinks: 4 miniature cocktails (5 for VIP)
 
Located in the heart of downtown LA, near LA Live and the LA Convention Center, this historic landmark was originally completed in 1926. Boasting over 88,000 square feet with four floors and three Mezzanines of versatile space, guests will be transported into Lady Medb’s haunting tale through the legend of Vaughan Hall.
 
1466 Glendale Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90026
Open 7 days a week
 
Have a slice of a horror-themed pizza. This fun idea of a pizza parlor serves some intriguingly named dishes. Maybe try the Hellraiser or The Gremlin?  













 
Thursday – Saturday 5:00pm to 2:00am & Sunday 5:00pm to 12:00am
 1714 N Las Palmas Ave Los Angeles, CA 90028
 
Come one, come all, to the Tim Burton unofficial theme bar/restaurant. The look of the place will remind you of Burton's best work and the food/dinks also looks like a fun nod to the director. 





Thursday, September 29, 2022

Halloween 2022 Update: The 1st Of October, So Much Starts Up

 It's the first weekend in October, are you ready!
Check out are full guide here for Halloween, but here's the highlights of what's starting this weekend.

Select Nights 9/29 - 10/31
Right next to the Queen Mary 
1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90802 
$$

Not Shaq Attack, Haunted Shaq, Scare Shaq or any other title could not give way to this oddly named haunted an experience.

Located alongside one of Los Angeles’ most haunted landmarks, SHAQTOBERFEST will include six thrilling Halloween-themed areas for guests to explore, each featuring Halloween trails, games, live entertainment, food and beverage vendors and more. The experience will be narrated by O’Neal’s instantly recognizable voice.

Each afternoon will provide family fun trick-or-treat offerings and entertainment for children of all ages who are encouraged to dress in their favorite Halloween costumes. Come nighttime, the energetic lights and music turn on as the witching hour begins, unleashing O’Neal’s ghoulish minions into the haunted trails and midways as the spirits of SHAQTOBERFEST are brought to life."
 
 The attraction has officially announced that tickets will be available for presale on Thursday, September 1st and available to the public on Thursday, September 8th! For reference, General Admission tickets will start at $29.99 for kids 12 & under and $34.99 for 12 & up. All presale tickets will be discounted and are available at Shaqtoberfest.com!
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
October 1st – October 31st. We open at
6:00pm and close at 10:00 pm. We have designated time slots starting at 6:30pm
and ending at 8:30 pm
King Gillette Ranch 26800 Mulholland Hwy
Calabasas, CA 91302
$ Starts at $24.99 select nights and goes up
Parking is $9.99
 
Nights Of The Jack is an immersive Halloween experience for all ages. Vast
grounds of intricately hand-carved and illuminated jack o’lanterns will welcome
visitors as they make their way through the walking trail around King Gillette
Ranch in Calabasas, CA. Angelenos will have the opportunity to immerse
themselves in a Halloween wonderland featuring a live pumpkin carver, gift shop,
top LA food trucks, our "The Spookeasy Bar" and tons of other
“Instagrammable” moments for all to enjoy! Come experience what everyone is
talking about!
 
 
Opens Oct 1st
Multiple Locations
 
 
A family-owned business, established in 2010. We have several locations throughout Los Angeles, San Diego and West Palm Beach (Santa Monica, Torrance, Belmont Park, La Jolla, West Palm Beach). Our mission is to provide quality products and services that will exceed your expectations of what a pumpkin patch should be.
 
Mr. Jack O' Lanterns Pumpkin Patch offers a unique experience for all ages to enjoy the fall season. With a large variety of pumpkins ranging from cute jack-be-little pumpkins to the biggest pumpkins weighing over 50 pounds, there's a perfect pumpkin for everybody! In addition to pumpkins of all shapes, colors and sizes, we have plenty of games and activities at each location such as pumpkin bowling, pumpkin decorating, farm animals viewing and more! Join us for a family fun filled day and pick your perfect pre-picked pumpkins.

 
September 30th – October 31st, 2022 
4 p.m. – 10 p.m (last entry at 9:00 p.m.)
Monday 31: 4 p.m. – 10 p.m (last entry at 9 p.m.)
6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd 
$
 
Stay as long as you'd like in this expansive, family-friendly 200,000 sq ft space covered in 35,000 pumpkins makes the perfect playground in which to enjoy all the adventures and fun associated with the season. 
 
Go trick-or-treating in the Town of Haunt O' Ween, walk through thousands of pumpkins, play a multitude of games and rides, get your face painted, enjoy food and drinks... the list is endless. Make sure to take plenty of photos and videos—you'll remember the month of Haunt O' Ween for years to come! 
 
 
Thursdays through Sundays Starting September 29 
Select Dates September 29 – October 31 
8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90620
$
 
Enjoy the spooktacular Halloween season at Knott's Spooky Farm, a newly expanded family-friendly Halloween celebration. Families can join in on the ghoulish fun as the park transforms with themed décor and wicked fun around every corner. The fall Season of Fun offers Halloween-themed activities that celebrate the season, including trick-or-treating, a line-up of original shows and pumpkin decorating.
 

Fathom Fright Fest
    October 1: “The Mummy” (1932) and “The Bride of Frankenstein” (1935) double feature
    October 9 and 10: “Scream 2” (1997) 25th Anniversary
    October 23 and 27: “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992)
    October 25: “National Theater Live:  Frankenstein” (2011)
    October 29: “Creature from the Black Lagoon “(1954) and “Phantom of the Opera” (1943) double feature 

Select Theaters
$

As the summer winds to a close & we start planning for fall & everyone’s favorite spooky season, Fathom Events has scheduled six weeks of creepy, electrifying, and monstrously fun features in movie theaters nationwide. So, gather up your spooky squad and head on down to your local cinema for some tricks and treats.

 


Now-October
SugarMynt Gallery, 810 Meridian Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030, USA
$

Different events from screenings to live music all with a look through the gallery honoring Michael Myers.

For SugarMynt’s 8th annual Halloween exhibit, we’re celebrating the Halloween films, and Halloween feels. With “Halloween Ends” coming out this October, our focus is paying tribute to this franchise that never dies. We’ll have original artwork dedicated to Michael Myers and the rest of the Haddonfield crew, as well as our behind the scenes photos by Kim Gottlieb-Walker featuring “Halloween” (1978) and “Halloween II.”

 

Starts Sep 29, Select Nights
Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre Group
4850 Lankershim Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91601
$20-$25

Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre Group’s ALL-NEW fun and frightening Haunted-Halloween Theatrical Attraction for 2022, steering theater-goers and thrill-seekers through a terrifying “Urban Death” Maze & Show of inexplicable horrors, unfathomable monstrosities, and the disturbed spirits that walk among us! Directed by Zombie Joe and Jana Wimer. For Ages 18+

 

 

 

 

 

 
Opens Oct 1st, Open 7 days a week
2815 W Magnolia Blvd
$

"Featuring retro horror toys from the 80s/90s and beyond! We have such an amazing collection, even toys I never knew existed! So cool! And of course our exhibit is full of photo ops, can’t wait for you to see. Lots of great new merch for sale too! "
The Lost Toys is proudly Sponsored by @trick_or_treat_studios @frightrags and
@ctoychest

 

 

 

OCTOBER 1-2, 2022 
LA CONVENTION CENTER
SOUTH HALL K
$tarts at $29
 
A new horror convention trying to make a name for itself is headed to the LA Convention center the first weekend in October.
 

"All under one roof in 100,000 square feet for one epic weekend once a year. HorrorCon™ LA presents a curated a selection exhibitors, artisans, artists and exhibits inspired by the world of horror, terror, evil, fright, fear and goth along with the worshipped holiday that's an ode to it all; Halloween."

 

 

Sun, October 2, 2022, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Los Angeles State Historic Park 1245 North Spring Street Los Angeles, CA 90012
GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS $30 Dogs, children 12 and under are FREE
 
Halloween dog show. 


 

 

 

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Anime Hype: Cons, Alien Girls, Future Girls, Maid Girls & Voice Acting Deals

 Don't forget you've got some upcoming anime conventions nearby
 
October 21st-23rd, 2022
Sheraton LA San Gabriel
$$ 

Another annual anime convention that we believe has been off the board because of Covid. However, it's now back in the game. So, enjoy a weekend of cosplay, merch booth and more. This is more of a community and fan panel convention, so don't go expecting premieres of anime shows.

The schedule just went up, unlike whatever Anime Expo Chibi is doing, where it slowly trickles out information.


For $50 explore a smaller AX that isn't downtown. No idea how the first one will go. Perfect for those who want to grab goodies for the holidays.

November 12-13, 2022 in Ontario, California
 
One of our favorite anime series is back on Blu-ray Oct 11
 
from Section 23 Films
 $ 34.99
 Japanese with English Subtitles
*You're not being jiffed, the series was never dubbed in English
 
 Once they were the stuff of children’s tales.  Now, after Mankind’s civilization has collapsed and Man’s numbers have dropped to a handful, the fairies and other creatures of legend have laid claim to most of the Earth.  Yet, while the grandeur of Man’s culture has faded, there are still humans who believe that they still have a purpose.  This is why Watashi has decided to take on her Grandfather’s position as an arbitrator between the races… though as one of the few left who know how to make sweets, her negotiations most often take the form of bribes.  For the more difficult cases, she carries a weapon.  It’s not an easy job, but Watashi must succeed.  Otherwise, future generations of fairies may amuse their children with stories about the mythical creatures known as men after HUMANITY HAS DECLINED.
 
Lot of talk about Crunchroll not even talking to Sag-Aftra about Unionizing voice actors. It makes sense why Crunchyroll doesn't want to, because it means paying the actors more and giving benefits and it's far cheaper to do it now. But, when these franchises rank in money it's pretty unfair that the voice talent gets paid so little.
 
 
 
"HIDIVE announced that it will debut Akiba Maid War, an original anime project from P.A. Works (Ya Boy Kongming!) and Cygames (Zombie Land Saga), in October as part of its Fall 2022 simulcast lineup."
Synopsis:
Akihabara is the center of the universe for the coolest hobbies and quirkiest amusements. In the spring of 1999, bright-eyed Nagomi Wahira moves there with dreams of joining a maid cafĂ©. She quickly dons an apron at cafĂ© Ton Tokoton, AKA the Pig Hut. But adjusting to life in bustling Akihabara isn’t as easy as serving tea and delighting customers. Paired with the dour Ranko who never seems to smile, Nagomi must do her best to elevate the Pig Hut over all other maid cafĂ©s vying for top ranking. Along the way she’ll slice out a place for herself amid the frills and thrills of life at the Pig Hut. Just when Nagomi’s dreams are within her grasp, she discovers not everything is as it seems amid the maid cafĂ©s of Akihabara.
 
 
Also, coming up 

"HIDIVE announced its acquisition of Urusei Yatsura, the highly anticipated, new TV series based on the best-selling manga of the same name by legendary mangaka Rumiko Takahashi, the renowned creator of Inuyasha, Ranma ½ and Maison Ikkoku. A new adaptation of the beloved classic series, Urusei Yatsura features the instantly recognizable and utterly iconic character Invader Girl Lum and will premiere on HIDIVE during the Fall 2022 simulcast season. When an alien race known as the Oni invade Earth, the chronically unlucky and unapologetically lecherous Ataru Moroboshi is selected as humanity’s representative in a duel for the fate of the planet! His opponent is Lum, the Oni’s very pretty princess, and it’s only thanks to Ataru’s unscrupulous behavior that he’s able to scrape out a win in a treacherous game of tag against her. Ataru thinks he’s had his lucky break at last, but when Lum takes a shine to him off the battlefield, the conflict follows him home as Lum invades not only planet Earth, but also the womanizing Ataru’s love life!"

Fantastic Fest 2022 Reviews: Deep Fear and Chop & Steele

Deep Fear
Directed by Grant Curatola
 
A great stylish horror movie about a bunch of young people going into the hidden sections of the Catacombs of Paris and seeing their own fears coming true. That's 2014's As Above, So Below, which sadly this movie was nothing like. Watching that film, over Covid lockdown, for a rewatch, and then seeing this, it's easy to choose who did it better.

Deep Fear, set in the 90's, follows a group of teenagers as they delve deep into the catacombs as a way to relieve pressure from one of them being conscripted into the French army, apparently a thing you did in France in the 90's. Serving for about a year to... it looks like 10 months from looking at Wiki real quick. You've got Sonia (Sofia Lesaffre), the nerdy wimp Max (Kassim Meesters) and Henry (Victor Meutelet). I learned to hate all of them as inept teens, terrible friends and overall bad decision makers led by a very pathetic guide in the form of Ramy.
 
I'm unsure, why the writer and director wanted to portray them so badly, but when bad things happen to them, you really don't have the connection with the character you should. The connection to care about their well-being and safety.
 
Rewinding, the films starts off scary enough and has a nice build up to creep you out. Sonia has a bad dream about some bad guys attacking her and her friends. We get some nice beats about how these teens formed a friendship. Except, from Max who just wimps around. And, we build up some claustrophobia and meet some other friends and foes in the catacombs. So, the start of the movie has you, but when we get to the 3rd act, it's suddenly a cheaper horror film. I thought cartoon sound effects we're gonna start coming up on how much the film's style changed.

There were some mess-ups earlier I let go. There's little details that the director missed, like Sonia doesn't interact with some bad guys at the establishing bar they go to. Max does, so why she's them in her dreams, sort of shows bad visual continuity. 

The level of playful or over the top violence seems like it was worked in last minute. Like you have two movies and they don't fit together. So, the front of the movie does all the heavy lifting, and the second half can't support it, so it shatters its legs. Which, sucks, because it could have seen a decent horror film here, not a forgotten one.

Initially, the trailer once again tricked me with what I thought would be mostly found footage from Max's camera, but that was heavily underutilized. * Also, magically had night vision on it.
 
And, just out of spite, I have to say the last area of the film looked way too clean and modern for where it was supposed to take place.
 
You won't miss it, this Halloween.  Check out As Above, So Below, a cheap rental online for $3.99 in HD.
 
Chop & Steele
Directed by Ben Steinbauer & Berndt Mader
 
What did those Found Footage Festival boys get into this week? A couple of pranksters who are decades old friends prank morning new shows with an utterly fake muscle man shtick. They get sued and also think about ending their careers of finding hilariously stupid VHS tapes and sharing them with the world. 

I just saw Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher in another festival film, A Life On The Farm. So, I was ready to be bored, because they don't have much charisma as talking heads. But, it seems when you have better directors, you can make any story more fun. Chop & Steele is that.

Their main prank is that of becoming the personas of Chop & Steele, two "muscle men" that perform the saddest feats of strength you've ever seen. And, it proved that many local new shows didn't do their due diligence to make sure of their guests not selling nonsense. Their bits as the characters are online as well as early clips of Mark Proksch, from What We Do In The Shadows as a very bad Yo-Yo Master, which the duo also created.
 
We get a breakdown of two teenagers from Wisconsin, building a...not very high-earning salary showcasing weird VHS tapes over the film intermixed with talking heads laughing at their pranks. 
 
The lawsuit shows the cracks in everything they do. Being sued for fraud and such from a parent comapny of one of the news stations they pranked. It's a lot of work for little income, but they seem to love pretending to write a cookbook about what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers and make newscasters drink down a leftovers shake. That's not the most disgusting scene as for whatever reason  one of the boys cleaning his dog's broken penis is included, thanks, needed to see that.
 
Also, not working right is Nick and Joe as they feel like they've been doing pranks and what not together for so long with not much lucrative success, but they're both really bad talking to each other about it. For two guys that could be brothers on how much time spent together of their free will, it might be quits-ville.
 
Other than the lawsuit, there's also a build-up of a big prank that sets a high bar of uh-oh and not sure how they're getting away with it, but they taped themselves secretly on stage of America's Got Talent.

Their pranks are childish and stupid, the bizarre content they find via old VHS tapes is glorious, I don't think I could listen to them on their weekly show, but the movie about them was entertaining. They definitely have some funny ideas and other stuff about them that's pure cringe. But, seeing them hang out and meet an actor of a McDonald's training video can give you tears in your eyes. Have fun watching it with with a sweet under ninety-minute run time.

Films provided for review online via Fantastic Fest

Weekly What To Do: October Incoming


Sep 27-Oct 11
 
31 free Beyond Fest screenings at the Shudder Theatre at the Los Feliz 3, including World Premieres, U.S. Premieres, West Coast Premieres and live conversations with filmmakers.

RSVPs for all free events will be available on their website starting at 9am the day of the show. First come, first served. There will be standby lines for all shows.

Newly added screenings include HUNT, WARRIORS OF FUTURE, LENNY and FX's LITTLE DEMON. 
 
ZEINAB DIOMANDE | AYOBOLA KEKERE-EKUN
CHIGOZIE OBI | BIANCA WALKER
Perspectives (Gallery I)
YUMI YAMAZAKI
Moku (Gallery II)
KRISTY MORENO
Matter of Survival (Gallery III)
MR. B BABY
The Show Must Go On (Gallery IV)
Opening Reception:Saturday, October 1st 6-10pm
with DJ, refreshments, live painting, video projections and more
THINKSPACE PROJECTS
4217 W. Jefferson Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90016
 
 
 
Saturday and Sunday, October 1-2, 2022, 10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. both days
Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green Street, Pasadena, CA 91101
$25 and up
 
CATCON RETURNS IRL AND VIRTUAL! CatCon is the biggest event in the world dedicated to cat + pop culture! 

* They know their audience.
 
The art show features seven original pieces of art inspired by actor Nicolas Cage’s friendship with his cat Merlin, a black Maine Coon. 
 
Oct 1 – Oct 29, 2022
Academy Museum 
No dedicated lot, so LACMA or paid parking
 
*These are going to be really, really messed-up
 
This series, bookended by two works of Park Chan-wook (Oldboy and Thirst), highlights the first decade of the 21st century to examine the complexities of Korean genre films, and their aesthetics and narratives in the context of a country amidst a changing world at the dawn of a new millennium. Presented in part by a grant from the Korea Foundation, the series also introduces viewers to the filmmakers who pioneered the global establishment of Korean horror films whose storylines span from domestic issues to war, serial killing, colonial trauma, and foreign intervention. 

The HOLLOW Book Launch 
October 1st from 4PM-8 PM
3420 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
 
Revenge Of and Keanu Reeves' BOOM Studio Comic Book Press have partnered together to create an event that focuses on the unexpected intersection of comic books and an immersive experience with HOLLOW.



Saturday, Oct 1, 12:00 pm -7pm
Heavy Manners Library
1200 N Alvarado St
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Free

 
Join us for a day long book fair featuring 14 cartoonists from around LA selling their comics and goods. The event if free and open to the public. Masks will be required inside.

Oct 1-2,  Event hours are 1pm-10pm for both Saturday and Sunday and we will have
Lot 27 (1324 5th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401), near Santa Monica’s iconic Third Street Promenade
This event series is free to attend but capacity is limited so grab your tickets here 
 
 
 Eat some more yummy food at these mini markets.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
October 2-10, 2022
Dates at The Montalbán (inside & rooftop) include:
Oct. 2 and 6, 7, 8, 9
$
 
The largest Mexican film festival outside of MĂ©xico. All films w/ English subtitles. After last year's triumphant return to in-person attendance, Hola MĂ©xico Film Festival (HMFF) once again will give viewers the opportunity to gather in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month by seeing some of the latest and greatest classic films to have come from MĂ©xico. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sat, October 1-2
Hollywood & Highland 1439 North Highland Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90028
$5
 
The Los Angeles Italian Festival kicks off Italian Heritage Month in LA with great Italian food and entertainment all day long!
 
 
October 2nd, Sunday 2022
Santa Anita Park
285 Huntington Dr, Arcadia, CA 91007
Free, Must RSVP Online

Japan Family Day at Santa Anita Park was started as a way to introduce Japanese traditional culture and to interact with the people of Southern California. Enjoy Japanese culture and entertainment!

Through the years, it has become one of the most popular spring festivals in southern California. Featuring cultural events and demonstrations, Japan Family Day has something for everyone.


Fall Exhibitions Celebration
Sunday, October 9, 6–9 p.m.
HAMMER MUSEUM
Free for good
10899 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
90024

Join us to celebrate the openings of three major exhibitions at the Hammer on Sunday, October 9, with late-night gallery hours, cash bars, free admission, and music in the courtyard by DJ Iesha Irene.

Exhibitions on view with galleries open until 9 p.m.:

    Picasso Cut Papers
    Joan Didion: What She Means
    Bob Thompson: This House Is Mine
    Hammer Projects: Janiva Ellis
    Hammer Projects: Tita Cicognani



Also, Saturday Oct 1st, 7-9pm
G1988
7308 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA
90046
 
Crazy 4 Cult Returns with art based on your cult favorite films.


Caine's Arcade" 10th Anniversary Day of Play