I love Cirque Du Soleil. When people ask me what the heck the show is all about, I simply describe it as “The Circus for Pretentious People.” I mean there’s clowns, jugglers, high rope acts, and all the trappings of a Circus, but done as only Cirque Du Soleil can do it. How else do you describe the almost indescribable or at the very least one of the most surreal experiences you are likely to have in your lifetime. The thing that makes Cirque shows so unique and different is the fact that every touring production or home production (like the Vegas shows) has its own style or theme. It’s almost like watching a Prince concert, you just never know what you are going to get.
What would you do if you had the chance to become a small part of “history?” Or at least try and right the wrongs of the past? In The Rightful Heirs Tom Schuyler he blends the past with the present in an intriguing premise that has a Pilot Instructor stumbling upon a conspiracy of men who are seeking a multimillion-dollar fortune. As the mystery deepens, our hero Jim Riley gets help from an older cold war Spy named Rolly Hunter and a mysterious woman named Mary Reison who we don’t know whether she’s friend, enemy or if she has her own agenda. The book answers the question what would $4 million in Gold, Bonds, Securities deposited in 24 Swiss Bank Accounts 70 years ago be worth today.
The story is about six Jewish Industrialist at the beginning of WWII who takes steps to try and protect their family fortune. At the time the writing was on the wall, but the men still held out hope that things wouldn’t get as bad as it would eventually become. One of the six men convinced the others to let an Italian friend secure their money in the hopes of using it to rebuild Italy after the war ended. None of them knew what was in store for them. Seventy years later one of their last descendents entrusts a mysterious book to Jim.
In honor of Halloween, we bring you an in-depth look at Psycho, the movie that still resonate 50 years later.
Peripherally based on the real life character of Ed Gein, who killed two people in the 1950s and kept their body parts, the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho still resonates as one of the greatest horror films of all time, even 50 years after its 1960 release.
Published shortly after the discovery of Gein’s misdeeds, Robert Bloch’s novel partly inspired Joseph Stefano’s screenplay which would become the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s most controversial and ultimately notorious movie to that point in his career. To execute his particular vision, Hitchcock meticulously planned and storyboarded his films, Psycho being no exception, with Saul Bass’ input as a graphic designer and storyboard artist, giving the film its precision and edge. Not only is Psycho superbly photographed by John Russell and edited by George Tomasini, but also every level of Hitchcock’s production is first rate, from casting to costumes, makeup, and art direction. Of course, the finishing touch on Psycho is Bernard Herrmann’s iconic music, which is always effective but, in certain sections, reaches levels only achieved by few films in movie history. The total effect of Psycho is a film that is barely dated a half-century after its release.
During my recent visit to the Big Apple I decided to catch a Broadway show, I got it into my head that I really wanted to see American Idiot the brand new show based on Green Day’s most famous album. I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t get the Green Day thing. Yeah, I like some of the hits but never found it as revolutionary as everyone makes it out to be. People like Bono and Chris Rock proclaimed them the “Best Band in the World.” I saw them perform 21 Guns on the Grammy’s with the Broadway cast and was sold on the idea of seeing the show.
We were fortunate enough to be the recipients of a wonderful little gift and we can’t wait to share it with you! That gift is excerpts from the new Supernatural tie-in novel The Unholy Cause by Joe Schreiber. They serve as good examples of things that seem to be vital for fans who really enjoy these stories, such as the depiction of the brotherly relationship between Sam and Dean Winchester, which has been the heart and soul of the series since its first episode. This relationship has definitely hit some rough patches lately but the brothers are working hard at repairing it and restoring their trust in each other once again. Another thing, along with a strong backstory that the hunt is based on, is the danger and action that the Winchesters always seem to find themselves in as they carry out their lifelong mission of saving people, hunting things. Or, as is the case of the current season, saving the world from the impending Apocalypse.
The story involves a powerful artifact that disappears in the middle of a Civil War re-enactment in Mission’s Ridge, Georgia. It is the job of the Winchesters to locate it and destroy it before the entire town is massacred and they along with it.
The official description is as follows: Twenty-seven years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. In the years after, their father, John, taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America…and he taught them how to kill it. Way back in April 1862, Confederate Captain Jubal Beauchamp leads a charge across a Georgia battleground… Fast forward to 2009 and a civil war re-enactment becomes all too real. When Sam and Dean head down south to investigate they find that history has got somewhat out of hand…
Nearly forty years ago on the Great White Way, America was introduced to the beloved musical, Fiddler on the Roof, at the Imperial Theatre. Fiddler tells the story of a milkman who is used to the old traditions while the village of Anatevka turns upside down. With Zero Mostel at the helm on September 22, 1964; Fiddler has reached new heights by earning eleven Tony awards, countless revivals and a movie adaptation. Now the famous musical we had grown to love will tour across America one more time for its final swan song. If I were a rich man, I would go see this musical before it goes off into the sunset.
There are several clues that a television show has reached cult status, even if it doesn’t get ten million viewers each week. One indication is the overwhelming chatter and buzz created by its dedicated fans online, especially in developing hundreds of websites paying homage to the show; not to mention occasionally ‘breaking’ Twitter due to that overwhelming chatter. Another is attending Conventions. After all, it takes a special level of obsession – er, make that appreciation – in order to be willing to travel long distances at great costs to be in the presence of not only the actors one admires, but others who share the same level of understanding and appreciation. And still another is tie-in novels, since watching the stories unfold on screen is simply not enough to feed a fan’s voracious appetite for adventures.
Eclipse Magazine had the recent opportunity to chat with Joe Schreiber. He is the author of one Star Wars novel and a second in the works, three original horror/suspense novels, and now his first Supernatural novel, ‘The Unholy Cause.’ We are also fortunate enough to receive an excerpt (or two), which we will share with you in the coming days prior to the novel’s official release date of May 4th.
But before we get to that, let’s get to know the man behind the words.
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