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“This Book Hates You” – A Review

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“This Book Hates You” is a collection of short stories by David L. Tamarin intended to shock and disgust the reader. Unfortunately, even with the graphic but monotonously repetitive depictions of rape, torture, and murder, the majority of stories fall flat. The characters are interchangeable one dimensional paper people, the story lines are tedious, and the entire collection disregards one of the cardinal rules of writing: show, don’t tell.

The preface is a several page long manifesto declaring the subsequent works as “True Art” and “subversive”. The POV changes randomly, and it’s written in a scramble of past and present tense. This could be construed as establishing an unreliable narrator, but the whole thing reeks of self admiration.

The stories themselves are nearly indistinguishable from one another. There is no change in tone, style, or even characters, who are entirely without interests or any motivation whatsoever excluding rape, drugs, and murder.

In his attempt to shock and offend (an attempt that comes at the price of the book), Tamarin completely disregards all other aspects of storytelling, creating a final product that leaves the reader so disengaged and bored that the recitation of sadism and sodomy leave no impression at all.

There are a few comedic and well placed one-liners amid the sometimes detailed but always detached descriptions of atrocities, and I did find myself nearly laughing out loud a few times. The last line in “A Fistful of Tumors” was a particularly surprising show of wit. Unfortunately, I also found myself rolling my eyes at the adolescent attempts of the author to write “edgy” material. The vague but unrelenting criticism of Christianity, particularly in the first few stories, is so cliche it becomes grating. When the author declares “satanic death metal bands” like Slayer are what Satan himself prefers, I had to double check the year, because that reference was woefully outdated and pitiable. Wasn’t the whole “rock n’ roll is the Devil’s music” thing put to bed in the ’80s? And if it’s going to be used, wouldn’t Cannibal Corpse be a much more relevant reference?

This collection is filled with descriptions of supposed horror in such a passive voice, it amounts to pages filled with “and then this happened.” All in all, ‘This Book Hates You’ is difficult to get through because if Hell is repetition, then Hell can be found in this book. When, or rather, if, a reader finishes this book, it’s not likely to leave any lasting impression at all, and certainly none of the side effects the book flatters itself by listing in the preface (including but not limited to nausea, vomiting, anal rash, impotence, jaundice, immortality, and death).

That being said, I would love to know what other horror fans think. Get it on Amazon and let me know if I hit the nail on the head, or if I’m just an asshole.

 

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

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The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

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