Jesse Contra Los Luchadores

The Rock and Blue Demon

2012-02-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

Recently, The Rock went to México to promote the opening of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island aka El Viaje 2: La isla misteriosa. While there, he took a photo with my favorite luchador chaparrito, Blue Demon!

La Roca y El Blue Demon

I've read a few websites that have mentioned a possible new Blue Demon film. Maybe The Rock could come and make a cameo, or is that too big of a dream?

Woman in Black

2012-02-14T13:27:00.000-08:00

So on Superbowl Sunday, I went and saw Woman in Black, and I just had to share with you all what I thought. I know, I know, it's neither obscure or luchatastic, but honestly I have to say that this film is probably the best film interpretation I've ever seen of La Llorona.

La Llorona, ah yes, every Hispanic child's nightmare engraved by parents and grandparents across the Americas. The legend of Llorona is essentially this:

A woman falls in love with a man who is of wealth and lineage, most likely a Spaniard, and she bears two of his children during this romance. But he never lives with her, he never marries her, and eventually cuts off this affair, possibly to return to Spain with another woman. In hysteria, she drowns her children and by the time she realizes what she has done, she has gone completely mad. Some stories say she committed suicide, others say she wandered the banks of rivers wailing through bubbling tears, "Ayyyy mis hijos!!" until she wasted away. Now her spirit haunts the rivers, snatching young children who shouldn't be playing so close to a wild river. It's also said she attracts young men from afar, and then scares them with her haunting look of death, sending them back to live a life of fidelity.

Woman in Black carries many of these themes, and it's so exciting that it took the famous kings of British Horror, Hammer Studios, to bring this to theaters all over. The Woman in Black is a tale of a woman who is torn away from her child, possibly due to mental illness, and then she witnesses the death of her child through the attic she is left in as a prison. She offs herself, and her mad spirit haunts the town, killing children with vengeance. Daniel Radcliffe, of Harry Potter fame, plays Arthur Kipps, an out of town accountant who has come to settle some finances in the home of the Woman in Black, and this outsider soon realizes the town is hiding a dark secret.

I was afraid I would see Mr. Radcliffe and unable to shake Harry Potter from my mind, but he was a solid actor. Not one note of Harry Potter showed through in his acting, but this could be possibly be due to the fact I've only seen two of those films. I really thought he was great though. The direction, the setting, the effects, all together were wonderful. This is by far the best 21st century horror movie I have seen, hands down. I honestly hate the turn of horror these days with "torture porn" and ultra violence. I prefer the classic Universal and Hammer Studios where the gothic victorian horror is overwhelming, and the overall feel is a crescendo of chills going down your spine. Setting, and subtly are key to a good film like this.

I'm not going to give this a thorough review, simply because I can't ultra analyse it with multiple viewings, and snatch a few screenshots. But I will say, if you are a horror fan like me, you will enjoy this film! Cheers to Hammer Studio, I can't wait to see what else you will be doing in the future.

Please don't confuse Arthur Kipps with that boy with the stick and the scar.

Lucha de Sound: Espectaculo en la Universidad

2012-02-11T16:37:00.000-08:00

Do you live in Washington State, and crave some lucha libre excitement in your life?! Well look no further than Lucha de Sound: Espectaculo en la Universidad! Saturday, February 18, 2012, starting at 7pm (doors open at 6pm). at the University of Puget Sound - Memorial Fieldhouse in Tacoma, Washington!

This is an event not to be missed! CHiSPA (Community for Hispanic Awareness) and Lucha Libre Volcánica (formerly Luchadores Independientes de Washington) are putting on this wonderful event. Ticket prices are $9 for the public, and $6 for campus community members! Tickets can be purchased online here! Where else can one get raw excitement of masked wrestling in Washington State? This is it! Clear your schedule folks!

For more updates, check out the Facebook Event page!

Lucha Fury now on iPad as Street Wrestler

2012-01-10T21:27:00.000-08:00

First off, sorry for the lack of updates. It's been a busy six months or so, but I promise to update more frequently!

Now, to the game Street Fury. Do you remember Lucha Fury on XBLA and PS3? It's a brawler, much like the classics such as Final Fight, Golden Axe, and Streets of Rage. Well now the game has been ported to the iOS, and is available on both iPhone and iPad!

Lucha Libre in Seattle August 20th

2011-08-11T00:16:00.000-07:00

Heads up my friends in Seattle, Washington (If you didn't know, I'm residing in Spokane, WA)!! Looks like you have some lucha libre goodness heading your way!

ECOSS, the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle presents "Lucha Libre" in South Park Aug. 20. West Seattle wrestling and lucha libre fans can witness flips, flying kicks, headlocks, and other moves in person.

If you are a part of this event, please contact me and I'll do what I can to share more information on my lucha blog! I am an activist for all things lucha libre! If you are attending, take some photos for me, and I'll share them here as well!

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2011 4-8 PM
14th Ave S & S Cloverdale

JOIN US for Lucha Libre in the Street. Kids activities start at 4 pm with free lucha mask face painting, bouncy house and more. The Mexican-style wrestling, featuring Luchadores Independientes de Washington, begins at 6 pm. Cheer on your favorite wrestler weather it they be good or evil. There will be a contest to win adult Lucha Libre masks.
The event is FREE for all! We ask you come, have fun and help us support our local merchants. Plenty of time to eat at a local restaurant, fill up the gas tank, take home some of the best Latino baked goods around, buy a pinata for your next party, grab that much needed bag of dog food, or even come early and get your oil changed.

John Cena and Blue Demon Jr?

2011-08-03T15:54:00.000-07:00

I don't know much about this photograph, but I had to share it with my fellow lucha fans. Blue Demon Jr and John Cena shaking hands? What does this mean?!

Encantado...

Could you imagine a Blue Demon Jr. y John Cena contra Los Monstruos film? It would probably be more enjoyable than Doom was.

Lucha Key Chain Toppers

2011-07-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

This is what every inspiring luchador needs! Lucha Key toppers!

Puedes prestarme tu carro por favor?

I believe the company that makes these is PerpetualKid.com, but I'm not certain. They are available at all sorts of novelty shops, and I must order a set! My girlfriend has a set of owl key toppers, so I have to match her with something even more cool!

You simply slide the masks over the top of the key, then slide them back on your key ring, and you'll be set for a battle royale! Neither faces are copyrighted characters sadly, but they are pretty fun! Could you imagine a set of Santo, Blue Demon, y Mil Mascaras keys?

The Lucha Libre Taco Shop

2011-07-12T01:20:00.000-07:00

There's a taco smack down going on in the Mission Hills neighborhood of San Diego if you haven't heard. Yes, that's right! THE LUCHA LIBRE TACO SHOP! Why hasn't this place been on Food Network or Travel Channel yet (or has it, and I've just missed it)?

Isn't it glorious?

This place is jam packed with lucha libre memorabilia. Also, the word en la calle is that they play classic lucha films on the televisions throughout the taquería. Sounds like my kind of place! These aren't sissy tacos from your local Taco Campanilla, these are fancy, tasty beasts! You can also order from a plethora of jarritos if you dare (tamarindo if you're a brave gringo). The prices are reasonable as well, which is nice to hear in this economy.

I'm not a fan of pink, but I hear it's the new black

I'm not sure the luchador from his mask, but his pink tights scare me

Ooh, a collage of some of the most famous!

Look at all that memorabilia! Estoy celoso!

Only word of caution that I know about this place is that it's tiny! So if you go, plan a good time so you can get in. Also, I hear parking is sometimes an issue. Other than that, this sounds like a great stop for a lucha libre tour of the USA.

The location is:

Lucha Libre Gourmet Taco Shop
1810 W. Washington Street
San Diego , CA 92110
(619) 296-8226

If you're lucky enough to go, let me know how it is! I was extracted from California 25 years ago, and rarely make it back!

Lucha Fury - XBLA Game

2011-06-24T11:26:00.000-07:00

Lucha Fury is a brand new game for Xbox Live Arcade, and I'm stoked. For those that know me, my foundation in video games is built on the shoulders of Final Fight, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, and Double Dragon. I'm an ultra fan of side-scrolling beat-em-ups. Last year, the Scott Pilgrim beat-em-up was released, and now this summer we get Lucha Fury, and it's totally up my alley!

This game is very much like a comic book, with bright colors and tons of action, along with the feeling of Mexican lucha-libre. The game has tongue in cheek backdrops, characters, and ridiculous fun. You can play one to four plays, on or offline. What is even more fun is that you pull off moves by working together, which really enhances the multiplayer cooperation.

The plot is that these amazing luchadores are on a mission, there's a shortage of energy drinks! They are now on the hunt for the evil doers behind this heinous crime.

The Characters:

Screenshots:

Culo de Fuego? Ass of fire?

La banda esta borracha!

Rumble en el parque.

Los Luchadores Exhibit at the Mexican Cultural Institute of Los Angeles

2011-06-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

"Los Luchadores" hits the Mexican Cultural Institute of Los Angeles from
From June 11 through July 23. They will be featuring the photography of Richard Ehrlich, consisting of a series of 40" x 50" photographs of masked wrestlers.

The mission statement of the MCI is: "The Mexican Cultural Institute is committed to being a leader in providing education, programs, resources, and presenting historical, cultural and contemporary arts of Mexican heritage, and to advocate for Mexico-United States social, cultural and historical art preservation as an important part of strengthening Los Angeles’ communities."

Considering that lucha libre has been a major part of Mexican culture, being a favorite sport of the people, this is a wonderful exhibit for the MCI. If you are in the area, check out the gallery!

An artist reception, screening of classic luchador films and music program to be announced! I'm very excited to hear what they plan on screening. I love to spread the word on lucha films being screened all over, it's a fun opportunity for everyone to enjoy some lighthearted action!

Exhibit runs from June 11 - July 23, 2011
Gallery Hours: Noon-6PM, Thursday -Sunday

125 Paseo De La Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213)624-3600
http://mexicanculturalinstitute-la.org/
E-mail: info@mexicanculturalinstitute-la.org

Link to the facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=135823219825895

They also forwarded me a few preview images for you all to see! They are truly a spectacle, my favorite is of Tinieblas!!

Icons of Lucha Libre Stamps

2011-06-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

My good friend Roberto emailed me with some info on a stamp series in México. In 2008 they started with El Santo, and now they are releasing Mil Máscaras.

Here are some images:

These are pretty impressive. I'm hoping they will also honor my favorite luchador, Blue Demon, as well!

Luchador Building?

2011-05-29T00:42:00.000-07:00

I took some photos today of a very interesting building. I live in Spokane, Washington, and today I went to Luigi's for an early dinner with my girlfriend. Across the street, we saw this building:

It used to be the old TechGroup building, but now it's a graphic design company Seven2, but it would be way cooler if it were a luchador shop. One can dream, right?

Interestingly, it looks a lot like Huracán Ramírez's mask. It looks like the mask is their logo or mascot perhaps at the place? Not sure the correlation between lucha libre and web design.

Spokane ComiCon 2011

2011-05-25T02:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry that the blog has been slow to update. The last few weeks I've been preparing for a comic convention, and here are the details. Ignore if you're looking for lucha material, I'll be back in business with the lucha updates in a day or two.

So Saturday May 21st, instead of being raptured away, I ended up wheeling and dealing my comics and art at the Spokane ComiCon at Spokane Community College. There were 1,300 attendees this year, a really great turn out! I sold a ton of prints, sketch cards, and original art. I was pretty happy overall! Next year I'll be running a bar from the poles, instead of cord. I didn't like how low the cord hung, it made it slightly hard to talk to tall attendees. I'm also planning on building a wall behind to hang paintings and a banner.

Here's my small collection of photos, I'll be posting more when I get a chance to steal some from others :) I didn't have much of a chance to photograph, as I was glued to my table.

This was a better pose, but we forgot flash!

This is me (left), and my buddy Amanda Robinson to the right.

My girlfriend, Veronica, to the left.

Lantern Corp!

I think I'm drawing Jasmin here

These are my buddies at The Comic Smith's Guild. I'm a member, but I sat across.

Lars Brown, of North World, sitting to the west...

Pink Lord Vader

My favorite costumes of the day, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold!

A very sweaty Beast, Mystique, and Dark Phoenix

Tuskin Raider

Apparently a team of DeLoreans were needed to stop the Rapture

My best friend, Aaron, decided to show up at the end!

Butt Hurt Space Marine. He loaned the suit to the
owner of Merlyn's Comics and Games, then was super butt-hurt
over the owner getting attention.

Why do we wonder about Wonder Woman? Because we think she is a Wonder Man...

The Gotham Sirens

Harleyquin!

Matt Nelson of the Comic Smiths' Guild

Rogue!

Scarecrow, apparently throwing gang signs he learned in prison.

Spokane Ghostbusters Division

Is that Princes Leia underneath?

I did a doodle of Bruce Lee, munny style!

I also did a munny style Iron Fist

Jasmin, my favorite of the Disney princesses.

Comics, books, and Events

2011-05-18T22:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates these last few days, but I'm preparing for the Spokane Comicon. I'll be at the Spokane ComiCon 2011, which will start at 10am at Spokane Falls Community College. I've been getting everything ready. This will be my third year at this convention, and each year my booth gets more elaborate, and I get just a little more prepared. I hope to see some of you this Saturday!

So, speaking of comics, recently I found out about two things:
1) Your Brain on Latino Comics by Frederick Luis Aldama
2) Latino Comics Expo 2011 in San Francisco, CA May 7th-8th

Your Brain on Latino Comics has sort of became my new little bible. It's packed full of info regarding traditional comics and comic strips regarding the Latino community. It's so funny to be flipping through this book as well, and to have spoken to so many of these creators online. I'm in love with this book, and I think it's well worth checking out!

341 pages! ISBN: 978-0-292-71973-6

Then we have the Latino Comics Expo. This happened over Mothers' Day weekend. Sadly I don't live near SF, so I wasn't able to attend. But now that it is on my radar (This was actually the first year for the event), I will have to keep it in mind for the future. So many people attending that I'd love to meet, it really sounded like the place to be for me. Not sure if they are giving out booths like a typical con, but it's also something I'd like to get involved with too.

Spicing up my dvd

2011-05-15T23:56:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I made an order through Santo and Friends. I hadn't realized that they only sell "burned" DVDs until I had received my copy. The DVD came in a standard DVD movie case, with a burned copy of the movie on a Memorex DVD-R. The dvd inlay (the cover) was printed on standard copy paper, with a poor resolution cover of the movie poster. Being mildly ocd about it not fitting with my other movies, and having a background in graphic design, I decided to spruce up the DVD case and disc:

The DVD inlay, cover, spine, and back.

The disc, now fancy and less noticeably a burn

I probably won't order through Santo And Friends again. If I'm going to pay for a movie, I would like it to be a genuine copy. Plus burned DVDs seem to get scratched and marred easier than manufactured DVDs. But at least my copy of Santo contra Las Mujeres Vampiro fits my other dvds.

Atacan Las Brujas

2011-05-15T22:43:00.000-07:00

Today, I bring you Atacan Las Brujas (The Witches Attack), starring Santo and Lorena Velazquez, from 1964. I have the Rise Above/Rebel Crew copy of the dvd from their Santo Collection series. Before we get to the film, I just want to say that Rise Above really understood what these Santo films were about. Just look at the packaging, fun fonts, bright colors, and an original poster. Even the dvd menus are impressive with their comic book style. All of Rise Above's dvds also come with English subtitles, but watch out because Zima also released several Santo dvds that mimic the packaging.

The Witches Attack DVD

DVD menu, super-stylish

This story revolves around Ofelia and Arturo, a young couple in love. But recently after Ofelia's parents' death, a face from her past has returned. Her aunt, whom she hadn't seen since childhood, has returned and is in charge of her inheritance, and Ofelia must remain within the old dark mansion with Mayra. Since Mayra has appeared, Ofelia has had the strangest nightmares of a silver masked man who saves her from her imprisonment of witches, and her aunt as the witch Queen.

Our Characters:

A creature of extraordinary strength and kidness, according to Ofelia.

Ofelia, the damsel in distress

Her fiancé, Arturo.
(Side note, fiancée is the engaged female, Rise Above's subtitles are occasionally with typos)

Prince of Darkness, Lord of Shadows, your go-to guy for mayhem.

This is the hottest witches coven I've ever encountered.

Everyone's favorite on the left, Mayra (Lorena Velazquez),
but I'm smitten with Medusa on the right. Yeah, her name's Medusa.

If you've read my list of Best Lucha Movies, you'll know that this happens to be one of my favorite films starring Santo. It has a classic 50s orchestral soundtrack, it feels like an old Universal horror movie, we have a coven of gorgeous witches, and an interesting story. Even the lucha match 3/4ths of the way through the film is super entertaining!

Interesting, the only Santo flick I've seen with a title card for a second act.

The basic setup of this film is much like a Jerry Bruckheimer picture, starts with action, then some low key scenes of dialogue, then action, more story, action, story, action, etc. The first sequence with Santo fighting the witches is just a dream-sequence, so it doesn't even count! Many scenes of Arturo, Santo, and Ofelia discussing the situation in an apartment, then Santo driving to the mansion to do some snooping/fighting. Then Santo comes home, talks with the couple again, then more attempts to breach the mansion. Another interesting note about the film is that they completely avoid any typical witch standards. Instead, they go for a Greek motif.

Santo doesn't use doors, he's much too hip for that.

This is my favorite Santo move, LA CRUZ!!

His silhouette creates a shadow cross that sends the hordes of evil running.

I also really liked this technique that Santo pulled out of nowhere. Apparently, like vampires, witches and their minions are driven away by just the silhouette of a cross. I wonder if they hate crosswalk signs then? Helipads? Hospitals? Swiss flag? Norwegian flag? lower case t?

1) Would you ask a masked man to give you a ride?
2) Would you trust a vixen who just happens to be hanging by a witch house?

Santo, how can I be subjected to these infernal seductions?

I love this, Santo is a prude in the early films!

Each time the couple go for a kiss, he promptly coughs to kill the mood

It's so surprising that Santo is such a prude. If you've seen any of the films from the 70s, he's almost always with a girlfriend. Hell, many of his girlfriends die off, and he shrugs it off like a pet goldfish turned belly up. Even in Santo contra la Hija de Frankenstein, his girlfriend talks about how when they are alone, he takes off his mask, and she goes gaga for his manly good looks. Then even Doctora Freda Frankenstein needs to remove the mask, and then is compelled to go for a kiss. But back in 1964, black and white Santo is everything his name entails, he's a saint of saints.

Is a mob of one anything like an army of one?

I used to play mercy in grade school too!

La Tapatía, aka the surfboard!

Llave de caballo, aka the horse-lock. A favorite of Santo's.

I really liked this match in Atacan Las Brujas. Some of the matches in these films aren't very energetic, and we end up with Santo resorting to a lot of tope attacks (headbutts), planchas (flat iron/belly flops), and an ocassional leap from the ropes. But here we see Santo doing headscissors, horse locks, tons of blows, a sweeping kick to trip his opponent, and more. His opponent does flips, jumps, and all sorts of spastic attacks, I get tired just watching this guy lash about. At one point he even resorts to tap dancing on Santo's skull.

Don't mess with a pissed Mexicana con un cuchillo!

Santo just happened to bring a cross for the final showdown!

Stats
Length: 95 minutes
Year: 1964

Favorite Quote: After Santo defeats the witches with his giant cross, he tends to Arturo's stab wound which has miraculously disappeared.
Arturo: "I don't understand, Santo"
Santo: "When a cross destroys a witch, her evildoings disappear with her."

The Ratings:
My rating system is out of five stars, and consists of six categories, then an overall score.

Story: I love this story, though it will be a staple format for other films in the series. I also like all the witch facts that Arturo and Santo know.

Horror: While not exactly a nail-biting horror fest, this definitely gives the aura of a Universal film.

Action: Let's just say if you were to drink a shot for every fist thrown, you'd be hospitalized for alcohol poisoning.

Camp: Oh yeah, stuffed animals, fake bats and spiders, it's all fun!

Nudity: Zero nudity, zero sexual situations, totally safe for junior lucha-fans. Santo won't even let a couple give each other an innocent kiss! The prude! In later films, Santo would turn from prude to the king of pimps, with women clawing to get a chance at his barrel-chested brawn.

Overall: I really love this film from the black and white era of lucha libre. I'd recommend it as a good starter for anyone interested in the genre.

Captain America's hermano?

2011-05-15T22:41:00.000-07:00

So today, I happened to find this awesome t-shirt:

Demonio Verde?

Probably not Latin American ;)

¡Que hermosita!

Comes in girls and guys style shirt, and it's only $20 at Headline Shirts. We've got a Captain America, wearing a Blue Demon mask, and wearing the colors of México... Oh the things I want to buy, yet my paycheck doesn't arrive until Friday...

BTW, if any of you fans of my blog are the generous sort, I am a size L. :) Yeah, I kind of doubt that will happen either. Anyway, this is just me keeping everyone posted on my efforts to report all things lucha-libre!

Luchadores get thirsty too

2011-05-10T23:37:00.000-07:00

I spotted this the other day at my local Yokes Fresh Market grocery store:

click here for details

In the pursuit of presenting you all with everything lucha inspired, I had to share this cup! I'll be definitely buying this come payday, it's too cool not to own! This cup is an acrylic tumbler made by Vessel Drinkware, it can contain up to 16 ounce, weighs in at a mere 7 ounces, and can manage a drink up to 160 degrees. The entire thing, from the straw, to the lid, to the cup itself is entirely acrylic. You'll be the envy of everyone around the water cooler with this cup! Be warned, drinking from this cup may inspire you to perform some high flying lucha maneuvers on your coworkers!

PS, I don't work for Vessel, nor do I get any money from these guys. But if they want, they can get a hold of me, and send me whatever cool products they want!

Lucha VaVoom - Cinco de Mayo Spectacular

2011-05-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

Lucha VaVoom just had their Cinco de Mayo celebration at the Mayan Theater (photos below), as well as a show in Chicago! For those of you who don't know, Lucha VaVoom is probably the best event for lucha libre within the US borders! Not only is it masked Mexican wrestling, but it also combines burlesque dancing, comedy acts, music, and a party-like atmosphere. It's something more out of yesteryear Hollywood with vaudeville style vignettes of different skits, and performances, sandwiched between muscled men duking it out in the ring. How can you say no to all this fun?
Lucha VaVoom started in 2002, and has been going strong, and now is branching outside LA, into San Francisco and Chicago. It's definite the show that people talk about weeks, even months after attending!

Aztec Dancers in celebration!

The following photos are from the LA Weekly slideshow, all photographed by Timothy Norris. More amazing photos from all the Lucha VaVoom's history can be seen at their official website: http://luchavavoom.com/ Also, before you get to the photos, if you'd like to hear a story on Lucha VaVoom by NPR, check out this link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103797887

As a word of caution, some of the following photos may not be suitable for a work environment. No nudity, but there will be scantily clad women, bare chested wrestlers, and all sorts of entertainment below:

The Best Lucha Movies

2011-05-09T11:14:00.000-07:00

This is my personal list of favorite lucha movies. I plan on updating it as my collection grows, and I'm able to find the more obscure lucha films within the legit and gray-market.
This list has no particular order, they are just the several of the "best" of the genre, in my opinion. Remember, best is a subjective term, especially when talking about this type of film. It's full of cheese, camp, classic comic book style fun, so don't be expecting an American Film Institute classic here:

Atacan Las Brujas (1964)
I love this early black and white Santo movie. It's very dark and moody, and even has an unusual dream sequence to open the film. The story is very well done for a lucha movie, you can really tell everyone is putting a lot of effort into this film. We have the beautiful Lorena Velázquez as the head witch, who wishes to torment and sacrifice poor Ofelia and her boyfriend Arturo. But Santo is not a fan of all this Satanic witchery and foils her diabolical plot!

Las Momias de Guanajuato (1972)
The best lucha movies are team ups, and this contains Santo, Blue Demon, and Mil Máscaras. Honestly though, Santo appears only in the end, but that's okay, I'm a bigger Blue Demon fan. I also like the midget in this film, how many midgets do you know that are called Penguin? Just don't interrupt him while he gives you a tour of the Guanajuato mummies! For my full review of Las Momias de Guanajuato, click here!

Santo y Mantequilla Nápoles Contra La Llorona (1974)
I love this film for two reasons. First, we have Mantequilla Nápoles, famous Cuban boxer. No other Santo film has done inserted a non-lucha athlete into the mix, making it quite unique. The second reason why I enjoy this is that we get to see a legendary monster from Latin American culture. La Llorona, aka The Crying Woman, is a tale about a woman who drowns her own children in a blind rage after learning that her lover wants to throw her away like expired tuna. Because of her horrible deeds against her children, she is forced to wander the earth as a specter. By night, you can hear her wails on the winds near rivers and lakes, "Ay, mis hijos!" This movie builds on the legend, giving a deeper back story, and making for a perfect villain for a Santo film.

Tesoro de Drácula (1969)
Santo is a jack of all trades. Monster slayer, luchador, and scientist. Santo, much like Batman, has a laboratory in his older films. Maybe we can call it La Cueva del Santo? He has been working on a sweet time machine in his downtime, that for some reason works better with women. But the time machine is also quite unique in that you don't merely time travel like Back to the Future, but you return to a past life. I found this really unique for any kind of film. The one down fall to this film is that we have a comic-relief character.. I loathe these characters. Perico is a real dweeb, but he also wears a gold chain necklace of a dollar symbol. This is like a precursor to 90s rap I guess. It's incredibly odd.

Santo y Blue Demon Contra Drácula y Hombre Lobo (1973)
The title itself evokes such strong emotions to me. This was the first lucha film I had purchased, and it was due to the title. We get the two most famous luchadores, plus we get the vampire king and a werewolf. This film has the general construction of a typical lucha film. Star with a match, get some story, insert a match in the middle, then end the film with one more lucha match. Sometimes the matches are slightly boring, but this one is enjoyable because the rudo is Renato the Hippie! Who doesn't want to see a hippie get his butt handed to him by Santo? I also have to say, the chess sequence between Blue Demon and Santo is also a nice touch. These aren't merely fighting brutes, they are intellectuals with a concern about the paranormal forces of darkness.

Santo y Blue Demon Contra Los Monstruos (1970)
A vampire? Check. Frankenstein's Monster with a goatee? Check. An prune like mummy? Check. A hobo werewolf? Check. A clumsy '50s scifi cyclops monster? Check. A fiendish scientist? Check. A midget assistant? Check. Lastly, we need one final ingredient to make this a perfect picture: Luchadores (Santo and Blue Demon to be precise) and lots of brawling in and out of the ring. 'Nuff said about this film, if you aren't hooked by all that, then this genre isn't your cup of tea.

Santo Contra Las Lobas (1976)
This is the first really creepy lucha film I've ever seen. A weird werewolf cult, sacrifices, creepy cinematography, it's has such a different feel than any other of Santo's films. While previous films have had a touch of camp, and tongue in cheek at times, this really felt like the director was going for a solid action horror film.

Angels and Luchadores

2011-05-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

I've never watched Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Scratch that, I've never watched the TV series. The movie on the other hand was one of my favorite movies growing up. It was one part parody, while also playing with the horror genre. It put horror on it's head, and placed the helpless cheerleader victim in the role of the savior against the forces of darkness.

My favorite scene in Buffy(the film)

But for some reason, the tv series didn't feel right to me. It seemed hokey, it was on WB for crying out loud, and worst of all... it was praised by thousands of teenage girls. All these signs drove me away from the series. That being the case, I especially didn't follow Angel. Spinoffs don't work out very often. For example: Friends > Joey, Baywatch > Baywatch nights (Like we even expected a mediocre show to birth an amazing spinoff), Happy Days > Joanie Loves Chachi. These are just a few of the spinoff crud we've seen in tv history. Mind you, there have been a few fun spinoffs: Happy Days > Laverne & Shirley, The Tracy Ullman Show > The Simpsons, Cheers > Frasier. Perhaps Angel falls under this second, against all odds still amazing category.

I bet you're asking yourself, "What is he talking about? Where are the masked wrestlers from Mexico?" Well, I'm getting to that, just hold your horses. In the pursuit of all things lucha for the sake of this forum, I have watched exactly one episode of Angel. In my lucha research, I have discovered that there is an episode of Angel that deals with luchadores. Season 5, Episode 6 (No. 94): "The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco."

A luchador mail guy?

Honestly, I was afraid to venture into the world of Angel and Buffy, but I did it, and I come out alive and unscathed. I also must say, I liked the episode quite a bit! <shock & awe> It dealt with the subject with respect, a bit of research, and made it fit into their world. I was really impressed, and I'm easily bothered by people who use luchadores in stories with little to no understanding of the history and tradition of the sport and film genre.

Let's see if angels can fly!

Santo has taught us that vampires and luchadores are mortal enemies

So we have the main characters, Angel, a black guy, a green demon, and a blonde vampire ghost who work at some sort of agency, much like BPRD in the Hellboy universe, but also works in the legal realms of contracts, hexes, and other pacts. Sorry I don't know these characters' names, this is my first episode of Angel. So, at the agency there is a mail guy, an old luchador called Numero Cinco. Up pops up a case on All Souls Day (November 2 to all you non-Catholics), also known as Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos. This case involves an Aztec demon called Tezcatcatl whose taking victims' hearts. With a little research, the crew discovers that this guy popped up 50 years before in Los Angeles as well. The story is that there were five luchador brothers who were undefeated in the ring, and took on paranormal tom foolery by night. Sadly, they had all perished in one final battle, except for Numero Cinco. Numero Cinco slowly lost cases due to the hardship he endured, until the Wolfram & Hart Agency picked him up.

Me llamo Tezcatcatl, mucho gusto.

These are the lightest of light weight luchadores I've ever seen.
Santo would scoff at these mosquitos.

Luchadores in suits, a staple in the lucha genre

Stats
Length: 42 minutes
Year: 2003

Favorite Quote: "¡Vamanos lecherita!" - "Let's go milkmaid!"

The Ratings:
My rating system is out of five stars, and consists of six categories, then an overall score.

Story: I was impressed by the story, you could tell that the writer must have watched a few lucha films in his time. The Hermanos Numeros would wear suits and masks outside the ring, it felt much like a film. It had a touch of camp, while being very earnest in it's story. I liked it.
Horror: While the episode won't be sending chills down your spine, you'll be impressed by the Aztec demon. He was pretty wicked looking.
Action: Lots of action. I also liked how the luchadores would toss their opponents like a super hero flick. The action was more choreographed, and a little less spontaneous than an old Santo flick. We even get to see some headscissors action!
Camp: Cheesy green demons, a Cheech Marin-sounding hasbeen luchador, a vampire ghost, demons, brother luchadores with numbers on their masks. It's definitely ridiculous, but it was done earnestly that it didn't feel like it was making fun of the genre.
Nudity: Zero nudity, zero sexual situations, totally safe for junior lucha-fans.
Overall: It was fun, I would recommend watching it to a fellow lucha fan without hesitation. I'm not saying I'll go and watch the rest of the Angel or Buffy tv series, but I was pleasantly surprised!

We even get a touch of Mexican cultural enlightenment by an appearance of an ofrenda.

These zombie luchadores raise their hands in approval.

Cortometraje - Hijo del Santo

2011-05-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

Could you imagine realizing one day that your father is actually a famous masked wrestler, and super hero status in films? That's what this interesting film is about. I just recently found it on YouTube:

Here are some production photos:

The film is 19 minutes, and was shown in 2009 at the San Diego ComiCon, as well as the Edmonton International Film Festival in 2008. The film was in collaboration with the true Hijo del Santo. Several films were paid homage in this production, such as Santo en la Invasion de las Marcianos (Invasion of the Martians).

This is just about everything I was able to dig up about this interested short film. If you know any more about it, I'd love to hear from you!

Blue Demon Film Festival in Dallas, Texas

2011-05-03T23:56:00.000-07:00

The Blue Demon Film Festival will be held May 5th & 8th at the Texas Theatre, in Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas! I'm so jealous of those within in driving distance of Dallas! I, unfortunately, live in Washington State... It's not exactly a day trip for me, so I will miss the festivities, but I hope to hear from someone how it goes. If you don't already know, Blue Demon happens to be my favorite luchador of the Holy Trinity of lucha-libre. Meeting Blue Demon Jr would be an awesome thing, but oh well. It wasn't written in the stars that I'd be able to go to this event.

The Texas Theatre, Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas

But for those that can attend, here are the details:

Thursday May 5th
The Film: Santo y Blue Demon contra Drácula y Hombre Lobo
Starts at 7:00pm

Film duration: 90 min

Year: 1973

Sunday May 8th
Las Momias de Guanajuato
Starts at 4pm, and replayed at 7:30pm

Film duration: 85 minutes

Year: 1972

Besides the two films, here is the schedule for Sunday May 8th:

2:00pm - Doors open (view of lucha-libre memorabilia)

2:30pm - Documentary of the History of Blue Demon (half hour)

3:00pm - Questions and Answers with Blue Demon Jr, Richard Dominguez, and Robert Mercado.

4:00pm - Las Momias de Guanajuato

Second Showing-

6:00pm - Doors open (view of lucha-libre memorabilia)

6:30pm - Documentary of the History of Blue Demon (half hour)

7:00pm - Questions and Answers with Blue Demon Jr, Richard Dominguez, and Robert Mercado.

7:30pm - Las Momias de Guanajuato

Lastly, the address for the Texas Theatre:

Texas Theatre

(214) 948-1546

231 West Jefferson Boulevard

Oak Cliff, Dallas, TX

PS. If anyone attends, please let me know how it goes. I'd also love it if you recorded it and posted the q&a on Youtube :D

Also, don't forget, I am giving away a copy of the Santo lucha-horror classic "La Venganza de la Momia," check out my previous blog entry for details on how to win the dvd!

DVD Giveaway - Add Santo to your collection!

2011-05-01T23:27:00.000-07:00

Damas y Caballeros! I have a wonderful announcement for you all–I am doing a giveaway for the month of May! I have an extra copy of the DVD Santo En La Venganza De La Momia!

87 minutes of Santo action!

This DVD is new, unused, unopened. It's from the Zima Entertainment Santo Colección. The DVD is region 1 AND 4, so anyone with a DVD player from the US or México can watch it! According to the sticker on the box, it says that there are English subtitles as well, with of course a Spanish audio track.

Santo, el enmascarado de plata, joins an archaeological expedition with a mission to explore the ruins of Aztec origin. After reaching a nearby village, the villagers try to stop them "from desecrating the dreams of the dead. " The group continues, within the ancient ruins they discover the tomb of a priest who was buried alive and cursed. From then on, one by one, the members of the expedition start disappearing...

How do you win this awesome DVD? First, the offer is only valid to the US. I'm sorry but the shipping is coming out of my pocket–and my pockets are very shallow. Other than that, entry is a breeze: just email me at jesse.acosta@gmail.com. Be sure to mark the subject as "Santo DVD Giveaway." (That's it…easy, eh?)

Would you like to increase your odds? When you write me that e-mail, also include your Twitter username. Tweet the following message and I'll add your name a second time into the hat:

#SantoDVDGiveaway in May! Win a copy of Santo en La Venganaza de la Momia! http://ow.ly/4KWVz for details

On May 31st, a random drawing will be held and you just might be the lucky winner! Check your inbox for an e-mail from me. Whoever wins the giveaway will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address. If no response is made, someone else will be chosen, at random.

This will be a fun month for Santo fans!

No es wrestling, es LUCHA LIBRE!

2011-04-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

Gor Mandra, wonderful host of Draculand, forwarded me a great link today:
http://luchalibremexicana.tumblr.com/

The tumblr site is a collection of lucha inspired work, take a gander at a few of the more interesting pictures form his collection, and be sure to head over to Lucha Libre Mexicana, and remember "No es wrestling, es lucha libre!

Huevos enmascarados

The Last Fiesta, lucha style, via skate decks

La Mansión de las 7 Momias

2011-04-27T00:08:00.000-07:00

The review of Las Momias de Guanajuato perked my mummy interest, so I decided to move on to La Mansión de las 7 Momias (1977)!

Finding this obscure classic is actually a bit of a chore. I had to find it in a dvd collection of later-era lucha films. The dvd set is called: Los Luchadores Invencibles, it's generally available on iOffer, eBay, and Half.com.

None of the films in this dvd collection come with subtitles though, but after some fierce Googling, I found a subtitle file for you all. I also did some minor tweaking to the file, there were some misspellings and missing accents in names. I'm sure I didn't catch everything, but I caught a few things that bugged me.
Download here: http://www.jesseacosta.net/files/subtitles/LaMansionDeLas7Momias.srt

If you haven't used an SRT file file before, don't fret. It's pretty simple, with most media players you can drag and drop the SRT onto your media player while the DVD is playing. If Media Player isn't doing it for you, try VLC, it's a free media player.

I'm tempted to make my own subtitles for films that don't have subtitles yet on the internet. This could be valuable for the monoglot lucha fans. Let me know if any films in particular stand out that don't have subtitles available.

Now back to the film! This movie contains three people of note: Blue Demon, Superzan, and Manolín:

The heroes and heroine. Superzan in circus regalia.

Blue Demon is the real star of the film, a veteran to wrestling and battling the cohorts of evil. He's so laid back in these later films, he only wears the mask and street clothes. Gone are the days of capes and lucha tights. I actually like the look, Señor Blue even looks pretty cool with the blue ringer tees and jeans. He's very cool and collective through this picture, obviously ready for anything.

Blue Demon, veteran luchador and appraiser of antique water fountains.

Superzan is the next on the bill. This is my first encounter with the guy, I've been ignoring him for some time.
It's not hard to see why I've been avoiding the guy. I'm not big on flamboyant costumes, and Mil Máscaras is about as far as I go with bizarre outfits. Superzan is just late to the party, and didn't get the memo that this was casual Friday. He looks so out of place, like a Christmas Tree in July. Also, he's so gangly, definitely not lucha material in my book. Perhaps in the older films, Blue Demon and Santo held better screen presence, and that's why they didn't look so ridiculous in cape and tights? They looked classy, and heroic, yet Superzan is just a super-dork. But to be fair, this film was pretty interesting, even with Superzan.

I'm worried that you're scaring children with that mask.

Lastly, we have Manolín, aka Manuel Palacios Sierra. He was a Mexican comedian, usually billed under the duo "Manolín Shilinsky with Shilinsky Estanislao." He played the idiot, while Shilinksy played the clever character, much like an Abbott and Costello or Laurel and Hardy act. Manolín usually says the line "fíjate qué suave," in his films. The Mansion of the 7 Mummies was the last film he starred in, and later that year he passed away.

Qué suave!

The story for this film is pretty confusing, but the basic gist is that Sofía de la Garza is the descendant of a long line of the reincarnated governor of Antigua, Guatemala, whom previously made a pact with the devil. Now Sofía is the recipient to her father's inheritance, which includes the cursed treasure of the conquistadores. Sofía must now endure three trials to gain the inheritance. But by sheer luck, she has Blue Demon, Superzan, and Manolín helping her along the way.

Conquistador or clown? Also, even if you are undead, you still need a wheelchair.

Grave digger, hunchback, and unsung hero

Why Satan, with all that power, you choose to wear that ugly mug?

I think we'll need more than a haircut to solve his problems

By far, the spookiest scene in the film.

Stats
Length: 90 minutes
Year: 1977

Favorite Quote
While the luchadores are driving into Antigua, Guatemala, they slow down so Blue Demon can admire an antique water fountain that appears to have a prostate problem:
Blue Demon: "Mira, que fuente!" - "Look, what a fountain!"
Really Blue? This is what you have to say? At times, the film feels like a travel brochure for Antigua, Guatemala.

The Ratings:
My rating system is out of five stars, and consists of six categories, then an overall score.

Story: The story in La Mansion is actually pretty interesting, even though the budget and effort may not have been the strongest. I really enjoy these lucha stories that involve the history of Latin America, and black magic. The blending of Catholicism, the influence of Spain, and Indigenous America makes for a great backdrop.
Bizarre Factor: This isn't the first time a lucha film stars a comic relief character. I really hate these types of characters, Orko from Masters of The Universe, Snarf from Thundercats, Perico from Tesoro de Dracula. Manolín is certainly an oddball to toss in this film. Superzan also looks more like the menzo than Manolín, in full regalia.

Horror: First off, these look closer to a traditional zombie, than a mummy. They also look better than any other undead I've seen in a lucha film yet. They aren't the usual oatmeal + paste makeup job. They actually have rotten heads with nasty teeth, and missing eyes. By far, my favorite scene is the swampy locale where the zombies rise from the depths of the algae thick waters.

Action: As per usual lucha film, lots of fighting. Some of the more interesting battles are between the two heroes and ex-buddy Rodrigo. One specific note about this film is that there is not a single filmed lucha match! At the moment where they cut to the arena, Blue has already won the belt! This is pretty odd for a lucha film, I wonder what business was going on behind the scenes that forced the filmmakers to go without?
Camp: This film is full of camp. The red Spanish conquistador outfit is outright ridiculous. Satan looks less than sinister, just a graying gentleman with some glued on horns. BTW, did you know you can keep Satan at bay with a cross, much like a vampire? I really hate to harp on Superzan, but he just looks ridiculous in the outfit. Lastly, why are these ancient zombies (excuse me, I mean "mummies") wearing things like modern era button up shirts, slacks, and I believe one of the creatures is even wearing Mr. Roger's cardigan.
Nudity: No nudity, or even suggestion of real sex. This film is pretty G rated when it comes to any sort of sexuality.
Overall: I started out with low expectations. This film was collected in a dvd pack of poor quality lucha films, but honestly it wasn't too terrible. While the filmmaking and budget weren't exactly that of Titanic, the story was certainly interesting enough. I think this story would be better suited in a graphic novel. Fun Fact: Santo and Blue Demon used to appear in "fotonovelas," which were photographed comic books, with illustrations added for the special effects such as monsters, laser guns, and explosions.

BBC's History of Horror with Mark Gatiss

2011-04-23T01:04:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the pleasure of watching BBC's History of Horror with Mark Gatiss. I don't know this Mark Gatiss, but I feel like we have a similar taste in horror. When the camera crept by his dvd collection, it looked like I had all of what was shown on screen. When he discusses horror, he says he likes the ghosts and spooky horror films, especially the older stuff, versus the majority of nonsensical violent films these days. I stand 100% behind this notion.

Mark Gatiss with a really impressive statue of Frankenstein's Monster.

Anyone know where this is located?

This show is broken into three parts, each an hour long. The first part covers the beginning of cinema to the early '50s with a major focus on Universal and RKO classics. The second part takes us through the mid '50s to the '60s, focusing on Hammer Studios. The last part takes us all the way to 1978 with John Carpenter's Halloween (have I mentioned that I once met the actor who played Michael Myers in the first Halloween?).

I too have been to the Bates Motel. Perhaps I should post my old photos!

This is probably the most thorough documentary on horror cinema that I've seen yet. There are a few things missing. I'm surprised they didn't mention the Castle horror films, and only at the end did they barely touch on horror films outside of the UK and the US. Also no mention of Ed Wood. But even without these minor mentions in horror cinema, it was an amazingly in depth documentary. Gatiss travels to various locations from many of these films, we get to see relics of classic horror, and we even get several great interviews with horror icons. This is definitely worth hunting down and watching!

After a quick Wikipedia read, it appears Mr. Gatiss has had his hand in television, radio, and writing. Key notes including writing episodes for Sherlock, Doctor Who, and was also in the series League of Gentlemen. I'll have to watch the episodes of Doctor Who he's worked on again, now that I know he was behind them!
In relation to horror though, he has two books of note, a James Whale biography, and a book on alien encounters in cinema.

From YouTube, this is what I could find:

Unfortunately, I didn't see this documentary listed on Amazon. If anyone has a link to order an official dvd, let me know! This is definitely something I'd love to watch every October.

Santo en Las Momias de Guanajuato

2011-04-21T23:33:00.000-07:00

This is probably my favorite of the films I have seen thus far in the lucha-libre genre–probably due to the Holy Trinity star in this film: Santo, Blue Demon, and Mil Máscaras. I also like the fact that in this film (and others) they suggest that Santo comes from a long lineage of Enmascarados de Plata. Imagine Hernán Cortés arriving in México, and seeing a wrestling ring constructed of jungle vine and wood set within an ancient Aztec temple; two tribal brutes duke it out with masks…too bad real lucha history doesn't extend much further than than the early 20th century!

Guanajuato is very beautiful

This isn't a real mummy...

The film is set in the beautiful colonial city of Guanajuato, known for it's bizarre collection of mummies. Pinguino, the midget tour guide, explains to a group of curious visitors: the unique chemical makeup of the earth in Guanajuato only lets the human body break down to a point, then it begins to harden, turning corpses into twisted looking mummies. He goes on to say that one of the mummies is called Satan, and was once a luchador. (He's even still wearing his one-hundred year old tights). It is revealed that this 7' monster had made a pact with the Lord of shadows to return to life to avenge a humiliating loss in the ring against Santo's ancestor. Pinguino remembers that the curse foretells that our villain should return this very day! Well, the curse is true–the lucha mummy and his cohorts set forth causing all sorts of havoc until they find Santo to settle an ancient score.

This is the real museum of the mummies of Guanajuato

And this is what a true mummy of Guanajuato looks like.

Stats
Length: 95 minutes
Year: 1971

Favorite Quote
Blue Demon: How about we celebrate our meeting?
Mil Máscaras: That sounds like a great idea! How about I make us some big steaks, and a Roquefort salad, and a Valencian paella, and a nice vegetable soup, and...
Lina (Mil's girlfriend): Remember, you're on a diet!
Mil Máscaras looks down and whimpers in disappointment

The Ratings:
My rating system is out of five stars, and consists of six categories, then an overall score.

Story: This is a pretty basic story, like most lucha films. We have the trope of the adopted child (This time Blue Demon has Julio as an adopted son). We have a midget (Pinguino the mummy tour guide). We have monsters (Guanajuato mummies that look more like zombies). I also like how Santo plays as the Deux ex Machina in this film, coming in out of the blue to save the day. I also like that there was only one tag-team wrestling scene in this film. Most of these lucha films have two to three matches that you have to sit through. Depending on whose wrestling, I sometimes watch. Mil is definitely more skilled, and has some impressive movies in the ring in this film.
Bizarre Factor: Honestly, this isn't all that weird compared to others. I do like that the police don't seem to terribly distraught over shooting a mummy disguised as Blue Demon with no effect. They are also pretty chummy with Blue Demon when they apologize for accusing him of the murders without any real clues. Also, the one way to survive a mummy attack is to go to sleep. Lina and Julio always are sleeping, yet Mil and Blue Demon don't seem too afraid they might be eaten or kidnapped by the living dead walking the streets of Guanajuato.

Horror: These mummies are pretty cool looking, but not ragged enough for being 100+ years old. I also like the ring leader's droopy eyeball. Too bad they couldn't be a little more rotten, or even hungry for flesh. They were only good for snapping necks.

Action: As per usual lucha film, lots of fights, matches, and throw downs. My favorite scene is when Blue chucks a mummy out of the second story window. I am curious though, are the undead forced to watch Bruce Lee films in the afterlife? I ask because these mummies have only one battle tactic: karate chop. No closed fist punches, no kicks, just hand chops. Not even biting! I guess not all zombies were created equal.
Camp: Oh man are there some plot holes in this film. My favorite plot hole is the scene where the mummies knock out Blue Demon and steal his clothes to impersonate him and cause chaos downtown. For one, how did Blue get home? They don't even mention it, and he never tells anyone what happened. Perhaps he was too ashamed to have been stripped by a 7' mummy? Also, why are these mummies only interested in knocking out the heroes? You'd think they would just feast on them instead.
Nudity: No nudity, or even suggestion of real sex. Well, Pinguino does ask one of the night club girls to stay the night in her room, but that might be 50% because the little guy is scared of the mummy murders.
Overall: This is a really great introduction into the lucha genre of films for anyone. There is only one lucha match to undergo (or fastforward for the weak), the action is pretty quick, not many slow dialogue moments, there are scenes of comedy, and it has all the fun tropes. I would go to this film for new recruits.

Inducted into the lucha wall!

2011-04-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

A great artist, Jen Seng, has helped me in my conquest of adding new luchadores to my lucha wall! I commissioned her to draw Blue Demon, check out how great it is!!

Does Blue's package compel you to stare? :D

She even doodled Blue Demon on the envelope!

I'll be picking up a frame sometime today and adding it to the wall! I'm so thankful that she did this for me! Blue Demon is my favorite luchador, yet this is my first fan art piece I've obtained of him. She also said she really enjoyed drawing him, which I find hilarious. I'm glad she got a kick out of my kooky hero in wrestling tights.

Check out Jen Seng's work at: http://www.toonapalooza.net/ She's really sweet, and of course talented with the pencil!

Shout out to Lioncorn

2011-04-20T00:30:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad I set up Google Alerts to hit me up on anything about Santo and Blue Demon. I've been trying to get as much new info on the current situation with the "Sexo y El Vampiro" edit of Tesoro de Dracula, so I setup the alerts. Yesterday Google Alerts sent me a link to this great site:

Lioncorn

This blog is really great, all sorts of info on great art, old weird movies, and other such bizarre interests that reflect my own. I'm so glad the internet can connect people with such niche interests. If it weren't for the internet, my girlfriend, Veronica, would have killed me by now from talking her ear off about all these movies that she really doesn't care about. She has a point though, they stink. It's like drinking tamarindo flavored Jarritos, either you hate it or you like it, or you tell yourself you should like it and eventually acquire a taste. So thank you, internet, for saving my relationship :)

PS I still can't drink tamarindo Jarritos. I love candy with tamarindo, but not drinks.

Casa de mi padre

2011-04-19T20:51:00.000-07:00

Oh wow, I just saw this trailer for the new Will Ferrel film:

<br><br><br><br>This

This looks ridiculously funny. Generally I'm not a fan of Will Ferrel, but this sort of parody is right up my alley. It reminds me of direct to tv bad Mexican films you can catch late at night.

ZENKNJ43XPV6

El Látigo trilogy

2011-04-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

Today, I received two of the three El Látigo films on dvd. Essentially, El Látigo is "not-Zorro" if you catch my drift. Mask, hat, cape, black attire, fights with a whip, but please don't confuse him with Don Diego de la Vega. I'm assuming the creators didn't want to tangle with Zorro Productions Inc, so they made this knock-off. But interestingly, Zorro Productions Inc has gone after look-alikes such as the 2001 tv series Queen of Swords. This is probably why El Látigo hasn't been easily attainable on DVD.
For anyone who knows me, Zorro is my ultimate super hero. He's like Batman, without the gadgets, and fights for the people of México, back when México also consisted of the Southwest of the United States. I love the time period, I love sword fighting, I love westerns; Zorro is about as great as it comes in my book. I have just about every book I can get a hold of for a decent price (Still trying to get a two volume complete Johnston McCulley Zorro stories), I have all the movies, serials, tv shows, comics, and other memorabilia I can obtain. Now my journey is to a point where I've started looking for unofficial Zorro films, such as this very interesting Látigo Zorro-imposter.

The series includes:

I now have the first two, so if any of you know where I can find El Látigo contra Satanas, hook me up!

At the moment, I'm preparing for the Spokane ComiCon coming up Saturday, May 21st. I'm pretty tied up getting artwork ready to sell. But I am planning on reviewing these, along with a slew of other films, books, and comics. Keep an eye out, it just depends. I'm a student, employee of a hospital, freelance artist, plus caretaker to my new blog. Things might get hectic, but I like being busy as well. I'm pretty stoked to see not-Zorro fighting a bunch of Egyptian style mummies, so I might just make room sooner than expected!

The Collection

2011-04-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

Here's my dvd collection, with only a couple not stacked here, or even loaned out:

I've been collecting dvds since I received my first dvd player in 1999. I'm not even sure number of movies here, but it's a ton. Some friends call it "Mini Blockbuster." It's a huge collection, but it's also a part of my lifestyle. I enjoy drawing or painting while a movie is playing. Plus I don't have cable, so I watch films instead.

Let's get down to what I own in the lucha libre category:

Lionsgate Nuestro Cine Clásico-

Santo vs Las Lobas / Santo vs El Espectro del Estrangulador
Santo en El Museo de Cera / Santo y Blue Demon en El Mundo de Los Muertos
Santo contra Blue Demon en la Atlántida / Santo y Blue Demon contra Los Monstruos
Blue Demon Destructor De Espías / Pasaporte a la Muerte

Collección México en Pantalla-

Arañas Infernales

Rise Above Entertainment Santo Collection -

Santo en Atacan Las Brujas

Santo en Tesoro de Drácula
Santo y Blue Demon contra Drácula y Hombre Lobo
Santo y Blue Demon contra el Doctor Frankestein
Santo en La Venganza de la Momia
Santo y Mantequilla Nápoles en la Venganza de la Llorona

El Santo Collección (This series looks like a copy of Rise Above's series)-

El Tesoro de Moctezuma

Various-

Santo contra la Magia Negra
Santo: Infraterrestre
Mil Máscaras vs the Aztec Mummy

Santo Contra Los Zombies

Santo en Las Momias de Guanajuato

El Super Seis Los Luchadores Invencibles (six pack):

Los Vampiros de Coyocan
La Mansion de las 7 Momias
Los Campeones Justicieros
El Castillo de las Momias de Guanajuato
Misterio en las Bermudas
Vuelven Los Campeones Justicieros

Documentaries -

Lucha Libre: Life Behind the Mask

Cartoons-

Mucha Lucha: Heart of Lucha

Mucha Lucha: The Return of El Maléfico

El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera (This is actually on my iPad through iTunes.

Currently in the mail, heading my way-
Santo contra Las Mujeres Vampiro
Santo en La Venganza de las Mujeres Vampiro
Santo contra La Hija del Frankenstein

I've been wrangling my way into getting these at the best deals. I'm continually checking Half.com, eBay, Amazon, iOffer (watch the authenticity of dvds on iOffer, it's rampant with burned dvds), and now I'm using Santo & Friends for the harder to find films. Also, Super Strange Video has been recommended to me as well, but I haven't tried them yet. If you have a great recommendation for places to find these treasures, hit me up! jesse.acosta at gmail dot com !

I'm still on the hunt too. At first I really liked the Rise Above Entertainment series because they had a nice menu, subtitles, and overall were easier to find at first. But I started favoring the Lionsgate Double Feature discs more, simply because they had two films on one disc for fairly cheap. The dvds through the other various companies seem to cost quite a bit more. I've heard from some people that they find the Lionsgate discs at their Walmart, but I haven't found any myself.

Lucha films I'm looking for:

Mucha Lucha dvd with the episode starring Blue Demon Jr.
Poder Satanico
Santo y Blue Demon contra Los Monstruos (a color version)
Chanoc y Hijo del Santo contra Los Vampiros
La Furia de Los Karatecas
Mil Máscaras vs Las Vampiras
Blue Demon en La Mafia Amarilla
La Mujer Murcielago
Blue Demon y Zovek en La Invasión De Los Muertos
Blue Demon En La Sombra Del Murcielago

If you see one available, especially at a decent price point, please send me a link!

Experiences with the Son of El Santo

2011-04-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

I found this really great documentary hosted by Hijo del Santo. He speaks about how he wishes for a museum, and how he has a private home museum of his father's legendary life. Then he talks shop with Mil Máscaras.

Sorry, it's Spanish only. If anything, fast forward the first clip to about 6 minutes 30 seconds to see Santo's first mask.

The Plight of a lucha dvd collector...

2011-04-10T23:26:00.000-07:00

Like any lucha collector, we run into the difficulty of finding a vendor who has these sacred films. Lord knows I've used eBay, Half.com, Amazon.com, iOffer, and Santoandfriends.com to find the best prices, and specific editions of the dvds (some films are in color, while other companies have a copy in black and white, many don't come with subtitles). It's a long, arduous journey to get these sacred relics of lucha film.

This brings me to my latest purchase, through a third party seller on Amazon.com. Remember, make sure your orders are through Amazon specifically, or you know people who have had good experiences with the third party seller. Check ratings and reviews always.

So, I've been looking for Santo en La Venganza de las Mujeres Vampiro (Santo in the Vengeance of the Vampire Women). The company I dealt (LATINOS DISCOS MOI) with on Amazon sent me Santo en La Venganza de la Momia (Santo in the Vengeance of the Mummy). That's fine, simple mistake, I imagine they have an organized wall of films, and these of course are alphabetized next to each other. So I email him back, telling them of the mistake. I also refunded the order, and asked if they had the correct dvd in their stock. They took a week to respond to me, a big no no. He stated it was "lost" in his inbox. Annoying. He still hasn't mentioned if he had the movie I wanted or not. That's fine, in the week long wait I not only requested a refund through Amazon, but I also ordered the correct dvd through Santo And Friends.

Now, since I'm a little annoyed at the moment due to the recent email stirring up this week long brew of unresolved issues, I want to play a game with you all. Can you see a difference between these two movies?

Mujeres Vampiros and Momias... Two very distinct differences in these creatures of the night. Vampire women are sexy, and seductive. Mummies are generally oatmeal faced zombies who played way too much with the toilet paper.

*update 4/11/11 noon* He emailed me back saying "So, you want the momias movie?" How much more explicit do I have to be with you? Here's what I said back lastly, since this seemed to be going in circles:

This is getting confusing, I ordered mujeres vampires, but I received momias.... Prefieres español? Yo compré la película con las mujeres vampiro, pero me mandaste la película con las momias. Ahora, quiero saber si tienes la película con las mujeres vampiro en mano. Avisame.

I'm hoping the Spanish might help this situation. Either way, this email exchange has lasted too long. Save yourself some headache and avoid DISCOS LATINOS MOI on Amazon.com at all cost.

Anyway, I'm done using my blog to vent. Back to the regularly scheduled programming.

New friends and New Links

2011-04-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I emailed the owner of DRACULAND to gush with excitement about how interesting his resource blog on all things Dracula. He also likes what I'm doing at my lucha blog, and shared with me a couple website of interest. They are French, but with Google Translate and some raw instinct, I think you can get a lot from these:

http://www.deadlicious.com (Official Website)
http://www.itsdeadlicious.com (Blog)
http://www.serious-publishing.fr (Serious Publishing Web)

The blog is a lot like mine, random collections of links of all things bizarre, fun, and even lucha! The Serious Publishing publishes some bizarre books, some are Lucha inspired. Their website, they sell "Hand made rock-and-roll pastries to die for..." Mmm! One set of chocolates are lucha inspired, and the other is calavera (Mexican skull) inspired:

These look... AMAZING!

I highly recommend ordering me a box when you have some free time!

Santo Sketchcard on Etsy

2011-04-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

I feel weird tooting my own horn, but what the heck, this is my blog, right? Well, for those that don't know, I have an Etsy Shop. I sell a lot of my artwork on there, and currently I'm doing a series of horror sketch cards. But villains and monsters aren't anything without their heroic counterparts. So today I produced this Santo ACEO sketch card:

ACEOs (Artist Card Editions or Originals) are small originals created by artists. Perfect for collecting or trading! This is a 2½" × 3½" PSC ACEO Sketch Card of world famous luchador El Santo enmascarado de plata aka Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta (September 23, 1917 - February 5, 1984).

El Santo has been in over 52 films, and has been featured in comic book and cartoon adaptations. He started his lucha libre career in the early 1930s, only to start slowing down by 1980. His son, Hijo del Santo, continues to wrestle and dons his father's mask.

Drawn in pencil, inked, then colored with prismacolor markers. On Canson heavyweight sketch cardstock.
ACEO sketch cards are shipped with archival sleeve, plus protected with cardboard.

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming... I just received Mondo Lucha A Go Go in the mail today, and last week I received Lucha Noir by Rafael Navarro and From Parts Unknown. Lastly, after being borrowed for what seemed like half an eternity, I finally got Santo y Blue Demon Contra Dracula y Hombre Lobo back from a friend. One of these will be reviewed within the next few days. I'll keep you posted!

Strongman Volume 1 - Review

2011-04-08T23:22:00.000-07:00

Next up on the docket for review is STRONGMAN Volume 1, by Charles Soule & Allen Gladfelter, published by Slave Labor Graphics (SLG):

Cover to Strongman Volume 1

This book is just something I happened to discover while googling (I find using Google as a verb still odd, how about you?) comics based on lucha libre. It was published not too long ago either, I'm surprised it snuck passed my radar.

El Tigre is essentially a has-been Santo. Once famous, hailed as a hero in México, but now resides in New York, alone, drunk, and bloated, with a horrible anger management issue with his apartment door. But someone who knows his stories find him, in need of help, and this plea reinvigorates his motivation to get back in action and feel needed again by his people.

Panel layouts are clear and concise. El Tigre packs a wallop!

El Tigre sporting a collared '70s tee.

Stats:
Page Count: 120
Year: March 2009

Favorite Quote: My favorite quote is actually an entire scene: Maria: He told me you took your liver, Now you will take his. Tigre: But you are not a doctor. How will you know which it is? Maria: Yes.. Then I will take it all.

The Ratings:
My rating system is out of five stars, and consists of six categories, then an overall score.

Story:
The story has it's high points and low points. I really had a gut feeling that this wasn't researched well enough, from the Spanish littered throughout to the lucha libre genre. Some of the dialogue felt as though they thumbed through a Spanish dictionary, or found a "Spanish Curse Word Bible" to litter the word balloons. Also, what is Bujo supposed to be? Is he supposed to be an owl? Well, that word is búho, pronounced (Boo-O). There's a certain feeling to the lucha genre that is moralistic and wholesome, while this story gets heavy with the profanity, nudity, and other mature themes. I like the overall overall arch with the hero, but I wish he stood on his own without being a cookie cutter luchadore in the shadow of Santo.
Art:
The art is clean, tight, well rendered, and easy to follow. But it also feels a bit stiff from time to time, I think this is because of the artist's photo reference technique. In the last pages of the graphic novel, they show that he would spend the time making mock-up scenes out of foam-core boards and shoot the angles. While this is kind of neat, I feel like it's taking time away from just drawing. I listened to an interview once with an artist on the Side Bar Nation podcast, who used a 3D modeler to render simple backgrounds for his pages to give the scene more depth, then he'd redraw it. After a while, he was spending more time at the computer modeling ridiculous scenes, and not enough time just behind the art table drawing. It was Jim Lee who told him "Why do all that effort, don't you just like to draw?" So I feel as though this model making scene can be useful, if it gets too tedious then it might turn the art a little dry. Also, I noticed in the scenes where Tigre would go to wrestling matches and play rudos for income, one panel shows him wearing and incorrect mask. His rudo (bad guy) mask covers his chin like a traditional luchador mascara. But on page 17, you see a side shot where his chin is open, like his técnico mask.
Bizarre Factor:
This is relatively a straight forward story with one bizarre factor: The rich villain feeds his rich guests organs of poor Mexicans from the streets. WTF? Very weird, and out of left field. Normally I don't mind that, but this is sort of gross.
Horror:
Again, the cannibalism and organ stealing is a bit much.
Action:
Like any good lucha story, there is a good amount of rumbling.
Camp:
Some of characters feel cookie cutter, from our hero El Tigre, to the villains. Then the end scene where I get my favorite quote from is really cheesy. Maria snags all the villain's organs because she can't distinguish the liver from the rest? Really? You have two lungs, a heart, two kidneys, a stomach, and... a liver. It's not terribly difficult to find. Also, you can't just show up at a hospital with an improperly retrieved organ on ice, and ask to have it put back in. I should know, I work at a hospital, and deal with organ donors quite a bit.
Nudity:
There is quite a bit of sex, nudity, and one of the minor villains runs a strip club. The profanity is pretty high as well. Not suitable for younger readers.
Overall:
Again, I enjoyed the overall story of El Tigre in Strongman volume 1, but there are some quibbles I had to pick at. I know I'll be picking up volume two, which is currently available as well on Amazon. If this sounds like your cup of tea, definitely make an order at Amazon, links below!

The Legendary Lucha Wall!

2011-04-05T12:15:00.000-07:00

So, this is it! You finally get to see my legendary lucha wall! Click on the photo for a much larger size :)

A rundown of the images:

Pasaporte a la Muerte original Lobby Card for the 1968 Blue Demon film
Sketch of Santo by Humberto Ramos
Santo contra los Monstruos print
Two envelope sketches by Rafael Navarro
Lucha VaVoom postcard flyer
Santo sketch by Matt Kaufenberg

I've linked to the movies, prints, artists, and events so you too can get similar work!

P.S. Yes, to the left of the lucha wall is a box of comics, and to the right is an overpowering stack of dvds...

Business Cards

2011-04-04T11:54:00.000-07:00

I decided to order some business cards for this blog. Not sure how handy they will be, but hell, why not? They were cheap through VistaPrints. If anything, I can hand them out during the ComiCons and send them with the art I sell through my Etsy website.

Here's the design I came up with:

I also made this:

I'm kind of thinking of putting this on business cards or something... What would be cool would be to make a rubber stamp of this and stamping it on the back of my art and things. Or just graffitying bathroom stalls?

Review of Sonambulo - Sleep of the Just

2011-04-04T01:28:00.000-07:00

Just to let you know, I'll be reviewing any medium involving the weird, strange, obscure, and of course anything with a lucha mask. Today, I bring you Sonámbulo: The Sleep of the Just, collect case trade paperback! To start, you must his the author/artist Rafael Navarro's website here: http://sonambulo.com/

This book is 120 manly pages of awesome, black and white pages thick with pulp noir. It's a fair price of $15 at Navarro's site, considering the story packs such an foreseen wallop of a tale!

El Sonambulo wants you to tell him your dreams!

Let's begin with the hero of these adventures, El Sonambulo. This guy is an ex luchador turned detective, cracking cases of Whittier, California. Not only that, but this guy has the uncanny ability to see your dreams, but with the horrible contrast of never sleeping. As Sonambulo says, "It's like living two lives." This first story, Sleep of the Just, introduces the reader to his situation, skills, and an interesting case. It's just like a traditional pulp novel from the pen of Chandler or Hammet, with a unique twist. A damsel kidnapped for extortion money, a bizarre trail that leads to an unusual ending. You won't be disappointed.

I first heard about this character a few years ago, but only a month ago did I finally decide to order all the Sonambulo comics. I feel like the late comer to the party, the guy who just finally saw something like Schindler's List or Lord of The Rings and wants to talk about it, even though everybody is done with the hype. But let me tell you, Sonambulo is well worth still talking about. Not many have heard of it, and that's a crying shame, because he's a classic!

Rafael Navarro, left-handed guitar at his side, selling stories at the con!

I unfortunately don't know Rafael Navarro in person, but from the pictures, youtube videos, and his books, I imagine him to be have the charisma and personality somewhere between Bugs Bunny and The Dude, the physical appearance of Zorro or Iñigo Montoya, and the artistry of Steve Ditko, John Buscema, and Jack Kirby with a modern flair. He is also probably the kindest artist I've never had the pleasure of meeting. Why do I say this? Simply because of the following:

These were illustrations Navarro did for me! When I ordered the books, on the two envelopes he drew the first two characters. Then on the inside of Sleep of the Just he made that awesome personalized sketch!

This guy is after my own heart! I cut out the first two sketches from the envelope, and placed them on frames. They currently reside on my "LUCHA WALL" (something I need to photograph and share with you all). Thanks again Raf! (If I may call you that)

Now lastly, to the ratings:

Stats:
Page Count: 120
Year: 1996, reprinted in 2001 as a trade

Favorite Quote: A quick back story to my favorite quote: Just about everyone I know swears in spanish, my grandparents did, my girlfriend's father does, my girlfriend's sister does, even when I'm out and about and hear Spanish, it's littered with a few naughty words. But me, I don't swear in Spanish. I almost feel like I have a different voice when I speak Spanish. It could be also that 90% of the time, when I'm using Spanish it's in a professional setting (ie where I work, at a hospital). So, my favorite quote has to be Sonambulo's exclaimations of: I¡¿Qué la canción?! I think I might insert this charming and harmless phrase into my lexicon!

The Ratings:
My rating system is out of five stars, and consists of six categories, then an overall score.

Story:
The characters and stories are familiar, while also being unique with their blend of Mexicana and Lucha with Pulp Noir of the early to mid 20th century. The first adventure is open and shut, but the origin story is what makes this so cool. I can also say, the adventures even get better when things become a little more surreal and supernatural.
Bizarre Factor:
Uhh, duh! Detectives + Lucha Libre. Simple as that!
Horror:
This first adventure isn't really all that scary. This category I don't think works for this story.
Action:
You can't have a luchadores and thugs without tons of action.
Camp:
No camp really here. This is a clever tale, and I'm begging for more!
Nudity:
There are some scenes suggesting alcohol and sex, but nothing to get your knickers in a twist over. It's like in the old films where they are fixing their tie and the woman is smoking.
Overall:
This series overall is great, and this first book just kicks off the party. It's well rounded, and great introduction to my new favorite hero. Well worth buying!

That's about it guys! Once again, I suggest running on over to Rafael Navarro's Sonambulo site and buying this book, and maybe one other to wet your whistle. I am sure you'll come back for more!

Sucker Punch

2011-04-02T22:40:00.000-07:00

So I saw Sucker Punch today with my girlfriend. Am I the only person that enjoyed it? I loved the effects and visuals, and I felt story was an interesting vehicle to tell multiple smaller stories. It was like reading an anthology.

Well, maybe you have to be a veteran movie watcher who loves poor quality movies to enjoy something that isnt common in today's movies? Yeah, it was weird, it wasn't that deep, but what it did, it did well.

I'm working on a review for some comics and some movies, be on the look out within the coming weeks, I'm also thinking of making subtitle files for the double feature Santo film, since it seems many fans are only English speaking. I'm trying to find some software to do this, if you know or have experience in this field, let me know!

Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires - The Review

2011-04-01T17:57:00.001-07:00

¿Qué me ves, güey?

So last night I needed a change of pace. I've been trying to watch Arañas Infernales, but the music is hideously screachy. Instead I watched Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires, and it was fun!

Chinese Vampire Kah...or is it Dracula?

The story is simple, but intriguing due to the blending of European and Eastern mythologies. Professor Van Helsing has fought Dracula several times in his past, and now had arrived in China to seek out the legends of Chinese Vampires. He attends a university and gives a speech on his interactions with the Living Dead only to be mocked. But one student is the descendant of the vampire slayer in the legend, and begs Van Helsing's help in ridding the golden masked vampires that plague his little village.

Legion of the Undead summoned by the Seven Golden Vampires

This is the only Dracula film in the Hammer Studios series where the Count is not played by Christopher Lee. From what I have read, after reading the script, he declined the role. I'm not sure if it's because he disliked the film, or because he only has about 5 minutes of screen time. I think it must be the latter, because this film isn't the most outlandish thing done by Christopher Lee or Hammer Studios. This film also marks the final time Peter Cushing plays Professor Van Helsing.

Stats:
Studio: Hammer Studios
Run-time: 84 minutes
Year: 1974
Actors of note: Peter Cushing

Favorite Quotes:My favorite Lines definitely come from the trailer taglines:
"Black Belt against Black Magic in the greatest battle of all time!"
"You haven't seen KUNG-FU until you've seen The Seven Brothers and their One Sister battle against Dracula!"

The Ratings:
My rating system is out of five stars, and consists of six categories, then an overall score.

Story: The story is decent, and doesn't leave too many plot holes. I do question why Count Dracula is "trapped" underneath his castle home in the beginning of the film. Besides that, I like the fusion of genres, it's exciting stuff. Before this film, I don't think we have seen Chop Sake + Vampires. The only other film I can think of similar to this is Tsui Hark's Vampire Hunters.
Bizarre Factor: This movie is bizarre! This was a weird blend, but that's also what made the story so unique for its time. I don't understand the golden masks of the vampires either, why? Also, why must the virgin sacrifices always be topless? Lastly, who doesn't love the phrase "The Seven Brothers... and their One sister meet Dracula!" as a tagline?
Horror: This movie has some neat melting undead effects, but Dracula's makeup is a little horrible. It's like Drag Queen Drac. Fortunately, we only see him for about 5 minutes. This movie won't make you wet yourself like Exorcist either.
Action: How can a kung fu vampire film not have tons of action? The only thing I question is why Van Helsing cowers during every vampire/undead duel? He was brought to these people to defeat them, why won't he pitch in?
Camp: Definite cheesiness with the voice-over of Dracula in the body of the Chinese Vampire. The kung fu is a little hokey at times, and the dialogue is kooky too. Again: "The Seven Brothers... and their One sister meet Dracula!"
Nudity: This film is pretty tame, the only nudity we see are Chinese virgin breasts during sacrifice scenes. No sexual situations, just bare chests.
Overall: I really enjoyed this film. I was impressed by this later era (1974) Hammer Studios picture. Obviously they were stretching to jump on the kung fu band wagon, but in this case I think it worked fairly well!

Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires

2011-03-31T20:46:00.001-07:00

BLACK BELT vs BLACK MAGIC!

For years I've wanted to see this film, and finally got a hold of it today! I'll have to make a review of it soon for you all. For those who don't know, let me give you a rundown!

Peter Cushing as Professor Lawrence Van Helsing

This 1974 film by Hammer Studios is a mashup of Kung Fu plus horror! Sounds like my cup of tea! Prof. Van Helsing gives a lecture in China about Chinese Vampires, and is told by a student that it is true, and his village is plagued by the vile undead! Peter Cushing and the Seven Brothers (and one sister) do battle against Count Dracula and his lovely virgin fledgling vampiras!

This is the kind of stuff I crave! Mix matched genres, utter weirdness, vampires, British vampire slayers. What's not to love?

In other news, I was planning on having a review up for Arañas Infernales today, but it's turned into a hectic day trying to fix the car. All is well, I just ate up half the day trying to get that business taken care of. I'll try to get into it tonight though! I must see the spider aliens battle Blue Demon!

Small update

2011-03-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

I've been hunting the net this morning for any thread of new news on Vampiro y El Sexo. So far, I haven't found too much. Here is one article though:
'El vampiro y el sexo' es una versión alterna, un filme completo

In other news, ill be watching Arañas Infernales tonight after work. I should have a review up sometime tomorrow. I'm also planning a give away within the next month for my new readers and to celebrate my new lucha blog.

Hijo del Santo threatens to sue...

2011-03-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

Once again, El Vampiro y El Sexo is keeping the niche world of Mexican lucha movies in the current news. When I started this blog, I didn't even imagine that I'd really have any "news" to share since the bulk of these films were made in the '60s and '70s.

Hijo del Santo con su amigo Blue Demon Jr.

El Hijo del Santo is threatening to sue if this film I played at today's film festival. For those who don't know, El Hijo del Santo is the son of Santo, who carries in the luchador family business and wears his father's mask as well. He has even been in several films. El Hijo claims that the film would tarnish his father's image. Some are hoping that perhaps a financial agreement can be reached since this movie has been a myth for so many years. Also, what is also a key point, is that Santo does not appear in any of the sexy nudie vampira scenes, nor does he interact sexually or out of his upright and heroic character. I personally believe that the movie continues to keep Santo's image intact, but I also have only read about the film.

Well, I hope something gets settled soon, it's a shame to hold back a film that has been lost for so long. I do understand El Hijo's point to an extent, because Santo is much like Superman, an adult boy scout who uses his skills for the good of mankind. I'd even speculate a special DVD/blueray release of this movie would even rejuvenate the lucha film market, and even possibly put newer films in the works.

Three articles on the subject in español:
Demandará si exhiben El vampiro y el sexo
Prohibido ver esta película del Santo
Cancelan exhibición de El vampiro y el sexo

El Vampiro y El Sexo

2011-03-28T23:34:00.000-07:00

So, the biggest and newest news in the world of Santo and Mexican lucha cinema is that the fabled "El Vampiro y El Sexo" has been discovered. This film is actually an extended cut of El Tesoro de Dracula (1968) meant for overseas screenings. For a long time, many felt this edit may have been never truly made, and only promotional posters and stills were made. During a hunt through the vault for an upcoming documentary on producer Guillermo Calderon Stell (producer of many Santo films), Calderon's neice, Viviana García Bensé, found the reels of this legendary film.
Essentially, they added a bunch of nudie sexy extended scenes involving Dracula and his legion of sexy fledgling vampiras. This is actually somewhat shocking, considering Santo's films were for the most part generally wholesome. Many believe Santo may have never known about this extended oversees edition.

This film, along with several others hand selected by Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth director), will be shown at a film festival in the University of Guadalajara March 29th (tomorrow).

While I'm not exactly interested in the nudie extended stuff, I would be excited for a nicely made collector's dvd or blue ray, with documentaries, and voice commentary. That's a lot to ask for, considering many of Santo's movies are hard to find even with subtitles, or even outside the gray-market.

For more information, here some links:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110324/od_nm/us_santo_sex (English)
http://www.cronica.com.mx/nota.php?id_nota=568680 (Español)

additional story in español about the film festival in Guadalajara:
http://info7.mx/a/noticia/256949

Blue Demon Biography

2011-03-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

This is a nice, and straightforward documentary on Blue Demon. Unfortunately, it's only spanish, and no subtitles. But even if you're a monolingual lucha fan, I think you'll get the gist of the documentary:

For those that don't know, Blue Demon is my favorite luchador from the lucha films. I guess that could be considered blasphemy, but Santo reminds me of Superman. He's just too good, things come too easy for him, there's never that big of a struggle. I feel like the Demonio Azul has to fight a lot harder to suceed. Just look at Santo Contra Las Momias de Guanajuato for example. Mil Mascaras y Blue Demon spend the entire time trying to keep from calling in Santo's help. Then Santo finally arrives and cleans up with little trouble. Below, I uploaded a few pictures and illustrations of Blue Demon and Blue Demon Jr.

This first picture is a Blue Demon illustration I did a month ago:

A photo of Blue Demon with Santo:

This photo is of Blue Demon Jr. He's not the blood kin of Blue Demon, but he was trained by Blue to take up the mantle.

This is a new Blue Demon film that never was released, by this trailer, it looked pretty good. I have mixed feelings on the Mil Mascaras vs the Aztec Mummy movie that was made in 2007. This Blue Demon film looks a little more serious:

Here's an article(español) on the unfinished Blue Demon film project:
Vuelve Blue Demon al cine

Lastly, I thought I'd show off the Blue Demon shirt design I made. It's based off a Blue Demon shirt I found online. It was nearly $30, and so instead I retooled the shirt design, then made my own shirt using stencils and spray paint. I also made a tutorial on how to make your own stencil shirts if you're interested. Just click the image and it will link you to the tutorial:

I just received Arañas Infernales(1966) in the mail from eBay. It's an early Blue Demon solo film, black and white. I'll post a review of my thoughts within the next few days.

Lastly, I also wanted to mention another project for this blog that I have in mind. Over the last few days, I've been pestering a good friend about this shiny new blog of mine, and he suggested I think about making a podcast. We once discussed doing a Zorro podcast (Zorro is another passion of mine, I have so many of the movies, serials, books, and other memorabilia), but now it seems that this might be a better subject matter. I tried doing some searches for lucha movie podcasts, and little came up. So, with that in mind, let me know what you think of the idea of a Blue Demon podcast. It probably would consist of a once a month podcast, in the style of Stuff You Missed In History Class. Each month, I'd discuss either a luchador, movie, comic, or something in the realm of this blog and dicuss for about 45 minutes.

So, to wrap up this entry, I'd like to leave you with this short 6 minute video-podcast I found from the George Eastman House: International Museum of Photography of Film. It's about a lucha-libre exhibition. There are some great pictures and clips:
http://podcast.eastmanhouse.org/lucha-libre-masked-mexican-wrestlers/

Mummies a la Mexicana

2011-03-26T23:28:00.000-07:00

This is the last documentary I'll post tonight. This is a documentary made at home by some film professor on Youtube. It's really interesting, and a tad slow. He lets a lot of the film clips do the talking for him. I really need to talk to this guy, and check out more of his work:

Episode 1 Part 1 "The Aztec Mummy"

Episode 1 Part 2 "More Aztec Mummies"

Mummies a la Mexicana: Episode 2 Part 1 "From Egypt to Mexico"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN8ZHQb7DXU&feature=fvwrel
Not sure why, but this guy didn't allow embedding with the second episode part 1. So, just follow the link above.

Mummies a la Mexicana: Episode 2 Part 2 "Guanajuato to Guatemala"

Again, I must say, great documentary! Lastly, I leave you with this really amazingly great trailer for a double feature of The Vampire's Coffin and The Aztec Mummy:

El Conde Dracula

2011-03-26T23:15:00.000-07:00

A lot of people don't know this, but in the early hay-day of Universal Pictures, they would film movies with two casts. Day time would be the English speaking crew, and at night a Spanish speaking crew would come in and film the same movie, in Spanish! In the day, dubbing and subtitling wasn't really possible, so this was the next best thing. Unfortunately, many of these Spanish films haven't survived. But a great one did, Dracula 1931.

I'll let this video give you some more info on it. Sorry the host of this show is kind of an old douche who can't wear his hat correctly:

If you want to find this movie, it's available on the "Dracula: Legacy Collection" dvd box set. It even has a short interview with Lupita Tovar, Mina in the film. She was a real looker back in the day! Universal released a box set for Frankenstein, Mummy, Dracula, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Invisible Man as well. I have them all, they're good stuff. I've probably watched The Invisible Man and it's sequels a million times.

Mondo Macabro: Mexican Horror

2011-03-26T23:04:00.000-07:00

This is a really great, but short, documentary on Mexican horror movies. They start with the early movies, especially those redubbed for American markets by K Gordon Murray. They start with cues from Universal Picture's Horror, then they move to the Santo and other luchadores versus monsters movies, then lastly the darker movies of the '70s to the near present.
As a side note, I still don't know why they called it "Mondo" Macabro... Maybe Macabro Mundo, or even El mundo del Macabro.

Part 1 of 3

Part 2 of 3

Part 3 of 3

Hammer: The Studio that Dripped Blood

2011-03-26T22:59:00.001-07:00

This is a documentary from 1987, about the works of Hammer, who made many great horror movies across the Atlantic. This is where we find the likes of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing shine as vampires, hunters, doctors, madmen, and other awesome characters.

Part 1 of 5

Part 2 of 5

Part 3 of 5

Part 4 of 5

Part 5 of 5

Universal Horror Documentary

2011-03-26T22:49:00.000-07:00

I feel I should share some documentaries I've found via YouTube for you all. To start, here's Universal Horror. A great documentary on Universal Picture's early horror movies. Did you know horror films are what saved Universal back in the day? They were near closure, but these movies sparked them new life and vigor like Frankenstein's monster.

Part 1 of 7

Part 2 of 7

Part 3 of 7

Part 4 of 7

Part 5 of 7

Part 6 of 7

Part 7 of 7

I'll be posting a couple more in the next few hours. There are some great finds on Youtube.

New blog!

2011-03-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

I've been in the mood to start a new blog for my ramblings related to old Mexican cinema, specifically lucha, and even Mexican comics. I'm an artist, comic enthusiast, movie collecting, Spanish Major. My art can be seen here http://nomadikk.deviantart.com/ and http://jesseacosta.net/. My main blog can be found here: http://jesseacosta.blogspot.com/.

I figured I'd separate some of my stuff, even though a lot will also overlap. Right now I'm on a Lucha movie scavenger hunt across the internet. I own a lot, but now it's getting difficult, and a little expensive. I'm planning on reviewing some of my favorites, and also trying to differentiate myself from the Lucha Diaries and Monstruos y Vampiros, both great resource blogs!

I'll get back to this blog shortly, I just wanted to start off with a simple entry to get things rolling.
I'll leave you a pic to my latest acrylic painting, Frankenstein's Monster:

This sucker is 18" x 24" inches on canvas, and is for sale at my Etsy site: http://etsy.me/fJU00T. I'm also working on the Bride now. I was thinking of doing Henry Frankenstein as well, and turning this into a triptych, but I figured someone would end up buying maybe two paintings, and leaving me stuck with the Doctor... lame.

Hablaremos pronto! Chau amigos!