Friday, June 20, 2008

Special Purple Drinking Fountain

Zing! New post!

Apologies that today's Zing! is a little late, but I've been busy, and travelling, so forgive me for missing a blog-week (which is like a dog year). I went to Baltimore, like you do, to attend Games Day, and a jolly good event it was too: endless signings, a very convivial seminar run by me, Mike Lee and Vince Rospond, and an interview on Warhammer 40K Radio ("Goin' awl the way back! Hit after hit!").

Baltimore was, as ever, very lovely and sunny, and I can particularly recommend their aquarium and their Barnes and Noble. I stayed at Fells Point, the Georgetown-esque, old part of the city, which is extravagantly picturesque, and capable of delivering the finest crab cakes known to human beings. I stayed at the 'Admiral Fell Inn'. That's a joke all by itself.

I feel a large number of thanks are required at this point: to Jervis and the Games Workshop crew from Nottingham for being cheerful companions in the limbo that is Heathrow; to Vince and his family (hello all!) for running the show and being wonderful company during the entire trip; to Mike Lee, my partner in crime on Darkblade and a seriously fine novelist, for being great company both at the stand and at the bar, even though I may have made him cry like a pretty little girl; to the queues of people, who make the job worthwhile; to Venus, my taxi driver, for getting so hopelessly lost on the way to Glen Burnie; to customs official Jessica Jester for stamping my passport and having the best name of the trip; to Bert Smith of GW USA for duty above and beyond the call, chauffeuring me around and surviving nearly three hours of heavy traffic on the way back to Baltimore (as we were following the traffic, generally lost, through Anacostia, Bert remarked, "So how did you get Dan Abnett shot?" "Well, it's a funny story..."). Thanks Bert, I really owe you, and I appreciate you taking the time. The biggest thanks of all have to go to Jeff Barlow, an officer of the close protection service of the Pentagon Police. He was the reason I had Bert drive me out of Baltimore and down the 495. Jeff is a fan of my work, and e-mailed me when he heard that I was going to be in Maryland for Games Day. As a member of the Pentagon Police (the Pentagon is like the Vatican, it is sovereign soil and requires its own dedicated police force. The FBI aren't allowed in, so the Pentagon Police force has to run the place in terms of security and also those annoying little matters like prostitution, drug-trafficking and murder. With a population in excess of 30,000 the Pentagon is a small city, complete with its own shops and restaurants), Jeff wondered if I'd like a tour.

I considered his offer for about... ooh... a micro-second, and said, 'yes'. Jeff, an ex-paratrooper and marine, six foot four in his cop-style uniform, packing a Glock and a night-stick, met me and Bert in one of the gigantic parking lots and gave us a fascinating three hour tour of the building. If I was to recount all the cool stuff and stories that Jeff told me, this blog would run and run, and you wouldn't believe half of it. To sum up, we had a great time. I got to visit Ground Zero Cafe, stand in the doorway of the Secretary of Defence's office, behold the entrance to the National Military Command Centre (Jeff told me that even if I had both keys, the cipher key, and the correct palm and retina print, I still wouldn't be allowed inside because I'm not an American citizen. He said that, at the end of the hallway, there were a couple of guys sitting behind a desk, and if a visitor hadn't identified himself by the time he reached the desk, they had two buttons to push. One was the alarm, and he wasn't allowed to tell me what the other one did). Soberingly, I got to stand at the exact point where the airliner hit on 9/11. Jeff explained that, for a number of reasons, it could have been so much worse, more awful than any of us can imagine.

He told us lots of cool stories, some of which, I'm sure, will blend into Gaunt in the next few years. The one I'll share with you (I have a sneaking suspicion that in other stories he told us rather more than he should have done... how many floors below ground does the Pentagon have?) is the story of the special purple drinking fountain. When the Pentagon was built in 1942, it was equipped with several hundred drinking fountains, all of them of the classic, 1940s ceramic style. They were all blue. Except, that is, for the one in the Air Force Command Centre. This particular drinking fountain was purple. No one knows why... a bad batch? a mis-order? someone's idea of a joke? The truth will never be known, but the point is that it began to acquire a certain mythical status. The preeminent Air Force officers of the day swore by the purple drinking fountain, and claimed it had almost mystical properties. After a while, all the branches of the armed forces trekked through the labyrinths of the Pentagon to drink at the fountain. It was like a holy grail. When the Air Force area was refurbished some time ago, they couldn't bring themselves to rip out the purple fountain. It now resides in a glass display case at the entrance to the Air Force area, a testament to the interface between military logic and personal superstition.

Oh, and official tour guides in the Pentagon walk backwards without looking where they're going. I've no idea how they do this. Training, I suppose. I saw several of them at work and marvelled at their skills. I also enjoyed it every time Jeff opened a door, stood back, and said, "Excuse me, General," to someone walking past.

Now that's how you spend a Friday in anyone's money. Jeff, thank you, and please send your address to me soon so I can mail you a bunch of stuff.

Since we're on a 'thank you' riff, I'd like to say thank you to Geoff Johns for the various lovely remarks he made on internet sites about me and Andy. I'd also like to thank Chris Roberson, author of "The Dragon's Nine Sons", which I feel should be on everybody's reading shelf. Not only has Chris said the most vindicating things about my work on the Games Workshop franchise, he also took the time to praise "Guardians of the Galaxy", the Marvel title that Andy and I are writing. I would urge you to track down and read his blog.

And now, the Q and A:

Al - Titanicus is a Sabbat Worlds story set at the same time as the Ghost books.

Blue Raven - The next cycle of Ghosts books will be entitled, "The Victory". Make of that what you will. Titanicus is a stand alone, unless people like it so much that they demand a sequel (see Double Eagle).

Bert - "Thorn Wishes Talon" will be available in the forthcoming Ravenor omnibus.

OK, let's be clear about this. The top ten films of all time are as follows:
1) Singing in the Rain
2) Casablanca
3) Some Like it Hot
4) This is Spinal Tap
5) A Matter of Life and Death
6) The Empire Strikes Back
7) A Canterbury Tale
8) One Million Years BC
9) Ferris Bueller's Day Off
10) The Magnificent Seven

This list is definitive. It absolutely is. There is no way on Earth that any of these films can be wrested from the pantheon of the top ten films. Or is there? I invite comment... but ONLY from people who have actually watched all of these films (twice). If you haven't, shut the f**k up.

Matthew Churchill - Chaos never sleeps. It really doesn't, but, sometimes, it naps.

Goodnight all.

PS And if anyone's really interested, I'll use my next blog to defend and critique my ten choices. But, you know I'm right.

49 comments:

Hurrah for the Hussar said...

That does sound like an awesome trip. Nothing like a bit of military to spice up time away from home!

Kudos to your escort as well Dan, did he refer to everyone as 'General', cleaning ladies and the like...?

I won't start on the list-each to their own!

Hurrah for the Hussar said...

Oh and zing

Turain said...

So... Gaunt's next cycle of books will be named "Victory"... It makes this one curious of the meaning, and makes oneself question the purpose of such name? Is it finally what most wait for? The purge of the Sabbat Worlds from Chaos by Imperial forces? Or, perhaps, a darker meaning? A victory from the Arch-enemy? Throne of Terra I hope not. Tanith 1st have gone through a lot in "The Lost". Perhaps it is finally time, time for victory, and peace and rest for the wary and tired Tanith 1st and Only.

PS: Titanicus will be in the Sabbat Worlds? Perhaps it will involve Dalin Criid's first battle before joining the Ghosts?

PPS: Zing

Turain said...

PPPS: Oh and Horus Rising book... everything that can be expect from Dan Abnett and more =)

Hrothgar said...

Just a few quick questions.
1. Is there a chance at all that you would write an Alpha Legion novel set in 40k now that we know what happened in 30 k?
2. Is there any way for someone who wasn't at Games Day, namely me, to get a copy of the The Lightning Tower and the Dark King book? I would kill for it. Maybe, depending on who you wanted me to kill.
3. When is the next Gaunt's Ghosts omnibus coming out?
Thanks. I'm totally jealous of your trip through the pentagon.

Anonymous said...

i think u done well there mate thats a big experience ,that place makes things happen and u know what i mean!
As for the films we share 2(but im gonna blog a multi genre list shortly)
1, Star wars,and the best of those is of course The Empire strikes Back!

2, The Magnificent 7,which is a poor remake of the Seven Samurai
i can only presume it takes u back to the first time u saw it
an u thought "f**k me that film was fantastic, on the other hand watched the 7 Samurai first and had the same thoughts.

But singing in the rain!?!
Dan c'mon .To write out of that one is gonna take some serious skill my friend!
Like i say im gonna do a multi Genre top ten so expect to see some golden oldies their to.

The Gerg said...

Ok im pretty jealous you got to go round the pentagon, that is pretty damn awesome, must be absolutely brilliant for inspiration for Gaunt etc.

Titanicus set in sabbat worlds crusade? AWESOME!! I love the spin off stuff.. double eagle is still one of my faves, love the Phantine.

I also share the same faves Big and the same crtique for singing in rain!? wtf? will have to think about my list for a bit... ill get back to you on that.

One last thing i'll put for a subject of discussion (though this may have been done before, I don't car lol) What music do you associate when thinkin of scenes from gaunts ghosts, eisenhorn or Ravenor?

I have a lsit which i'll post after seeing some thoughts.

Laters

Gerg

Pack_master said...

Damn you Dan. A Pentagon tour? I'm dripping with envy.

Well... should I duck, confessing that some of your movies I don't even know..? ;)

Anonymous said...

Hi Dann, I'm trying to contact you at "info@danabnett.com" do you receive e-mails at this address? If not, send me a quick mail at daniel_j_dobson7 'at' hotmail.com, and I'll re-forward my mail.

Cheers
Daniel

Anonymous said...

eclectus - your e-mail should get through okay, but you could try again just to be sure. We receive lots of mail this way, so I hope you'll bear with us for a reply.

Rob Rath said...

Hey, whoa! Whoa! Whoa! First of all, Singing in the Rain is probably the best "bad day" movie of all time. Second, though I have to agree with Big that The Seven Samurai is better than The Magnificent Seven, but in its defense, western remakes of Kurosawa films are not any worse by nature of being remakes. I love A Fistful of Dollars, which was stolen largely from Kurosawa's Yojimbo, and is in my opinion just as good. (Too bad we could never have an Eastwood/Mifune buddy flick.)

H4tHussar:

You opened a can of (very long) worms when asking for a book recommendation. Try these:

The Gunslinger by Stephen King.

Practical Demonkeeping or anything else by Christopher Moore. (I would also highly recommend Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story and A Dirty Job.)

Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile- if you've seen the movie, you only know 1/5th of the political insanity that Charlie, Gust, and Joanne got embroiled in.

Check out a little-known author of nautical fiction on Amazon named Broos Campbell. His Matty Graves novels No Quarter and The War of Knives shed light on the early history of the American Navy.

Anything with the name Flashman in the title is brilliant historical fiction.

I second the Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child novels. Cabinet of Curiosities was my personal favorite, but the concept of Still Life With Crows (i.e. "Agent Pendergast in small-town Kansas") is totally brilliant.

If you have the stomach for his novels, James Ellroy is probably the best crime fiction novelist of his generation.

Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, of course.. Umberto Eco and Mario Puzo... Poe, Kipling, Raymond Chandler... and then there's... well, there's lots more, but I'm at serious risk of filling up the internet here, so I'll stop.

aaronspuler said...

I have to confess that I've been on a bit of an 'Abnett tear' for a while now. These are the Abnett books I've read since the first of May:

Legion
Brothers of the Snake
First and Only
Ghostmaker
Necropolis
Honour Guard
The Guns of Tanith
Straight Silver
Sabbat Martyr
Traitor General
His Last Command
The Armour of Contempt

I just started 'Double Eagle' yesterday afternoon. I'd already read the Eisenhorn and Ravenor books, and 'Horus Rising' so I think I've read all your 40k books that are available in paperback.

Guess that 'Double Eagle' will have to hold me over for a little while, at least until 'Only in Death' comes out. :)

Keep up the great work Dan! I really enjoy what you do.

Anonymous said...

Maybe the mystery is simply from shortage, and the inevitable tradesman's logic that follows: 'Oh come off it Bert, it's a fountain, who's gonna notice?'.

Sounds like a great trip though, and a fanbase within the Pentagon! I'll no doubt be filled with an uncanny mix of amusement and dread when the US Military announces that it's considering making a very big walking tank.

'The Victory' - food for thought there, and far too many meanings to run with for now...great name for a finishing arc, but that's probably too obvious...and whose victory? Could equally be the name of a ship...or an operation, or a weapon...nope, I'm going to stop speculating, that way madness lies!

In regard to non-40k writing, really enjoyed Border Princes, any chance of you penning a script for BBC Wales one day?

Rory said...

Aight! Dan le Sac and Scrubious pip are doing a session on the radio tonight. www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/colinmurray

so yea, ive started reading this book called Magician by Raymond e. feist anyone else read this?

Dan, when are you coming to Scotland?!

Hurrah for the Hussar said...

Rory that book is awesome! Really a very god read indeed. Wait for the tower-top and then you'll really like Feist.
Victory will be Victory in Death if anything, Gaunts ghosts will be dwindling desperately in numbers soon so an epic 'last of the 1st' book finishing the campaign and being reunited with XXXX should be a good exit.

Dukeleto said...

That sounds like quite a trip to the Pentagon. Not one I'd choose to go on mind you, maybe a bit uncomfortable...

@Rory - yeah Feist is good, gets a bit samey after a while, but who doesn't? (except Dan, maybe!)
Keep an especial look out for the Daughter of the Empire series co-written with Janny Wurts, as these were the definite highlight for me.

It is definitely a shame we never got an Eastwood/Mifune collaboration, but there's Hell in the Pacific, and now we have Eastwood directing Ken Watanabe in the excellent Letters from Iwo Jima.

Jackwraith said...

On the 10 films:

Sorry, Dan. You're way off there. Some of those I agree on. Some of them I'm giving the Scooby-Doo: "Whuh?!" But mostly you're just missing two of the best modern films ever: Blade Runner and Pulp Fiction; the former for being intelligent (as opposed to 99% of what modern filmmakers spew out) and the latter for being stylistically ground-breaking, in addition to being, you know... good. Also, I notice a distinct lack of Kurosawa...

Hurrah for the Hussar said...

I must confess dukeleto that everyone said Magician is the best of Feist-they recommended stopping after reading it...so I did and have yet to read any other Feists!

It doesnt really slot into the Films category but my god Band Of Brothers is definately up there with best things to watch and like Jackwraith I'm surprised to find noone else has mentioned such visceral work.
A lot of Dans fighting in cities I associate with imagery from that series, if you haven't seen it yet you absolutely must.
Particularly Straight Silver, the brutal cityfights and no-mans land, seriously gritty cinematography.
Speaking of such (as I'm a fan of creating threads) does anyone have a particular film thats made them think of a Gaunts etc book or vice versa?

Uncle Truth said...

Defending singing in the rain against a potentially infinite number of wet behind the ear wipper-snappers with no notion of classic movie magic and naught but a pair of auto-reactive shoulder pads twixt you and e-ridicule?

I admire your notion of fair odds, mister...

Tom

Uncle Truth said...

Defending singing in the rain against a potentially infinite number of wet behind the ear wipper-snappers with no notion of classic movie magic and naught but a pair of auto-reactive shoulder pads twixt you and e-ridicule?

I admire your notion of fair odds, mister...

Tom

Anonymous said...

Hurrah - Band of Brothers is a real favourite of ours. We watch it regularly, especially when Dan is gearing up for Gaunt. It always gets him in the mood to write about the Ghosts.

Tom - you said it :-)

Dukeleto said...

Band of Brothers is some of the finest, most moving television ever made, plus it comes in a fancy tin, I am always a sucker for fancy tins!

My favourite bit is in the next-to-last episode, where the rousing, tear-jerking speech summing up the themes about the universal experience of war central to the whole series is given by a German officer, to HIS men, and we hear it only thru a translator.

As regards book recommendations, has anyone else read any Kim Stanley Robinson? The Mars trilogy is genius.

Rob Rath said...

Band of Brothers is a great book for anyone who needs something to read, by the way. They covered most of the stuff in the mini-series but it's well worth the read.

On another note, I'm writing this comment while stuck inside an elevator at work. And just when Dan thought his blog was running out of unique experiences.

Good thing I've was carrying the laptop with me, or I'd have nothing to do.

Christopher Meyer said...

Mr. Abnett-

I just finished reading the omnibus "The Saint", and actually became enthralled and addicted to Gaunt and his Ghosts with "Traitor General" (didn't read "The Founding" until after I had finished "The Armor of Contempt...and yes I spelled it the American way. Haha!). Although not quite what normal military formations look like or operate, all that fine detail stuff is quickly thrown to the wind with the detailed, captivating characters (I cheared out loud when Cuu was killed, and about cried when Bragg was) and heart-racing action. I cannot get enough of Gaunt's Ghosts (although I did put it down for now to read "Daemon's Curse", Malus Darkblade and such).

First off, I would like to thank you for writing such amazing books. I have never read anything so sexy in my life. I've stayed up late nights reading your books, and can't wait to read the rest. And being a future scout platoon leader myself, Scout Sergeant Mkoll and his teams are close to my heart (Scouts Out!).

Second, I would like to thank you because, as a amateur writier (as in, nothing published...or even close) you have inspired me on what to write, how to write it, and how to finish it up (something I've always had problems with...that ending thing is a toughie).

With that said, PLEASE keep writing all these amazings books, I have no clue how you do it throughout the year with so many other projects going on, but I'm glad you do and I'm very appreciative, and as long as you write, I will read it.

-Chris Meyer

Turain said...

So Mr Abnett enjoys getting ready for Colonel-Comissar Gaunt by watching Band of Brothers. Awesome, Mr Abnett. Awesome indeed. Band of Brothers is a great documentary TV show, and its visceral honesty shows us the truth of war.

Doctor Who started showing here in Portugal, and I for one have become a fan of the Ninth Doctor from the first episode. Now I understand why all of you enjoy this show so much. Hopefully DVDs will become available as well.

PS: Isn't there a new Band of Brothers in production, this time on the Pacific Theatre?

Uncle Truth said...

Nik - I even said it twice, (although that was by accident. Not sure how I'm doing it. Must be an echo on this site).

Anonymous said...

My top ten multi Genre (which can change with mood)

1,Seven Samurai
2,braveheart (even though completly inacurrate)
3,Angels with dirty Faces
4,Its a Wonderfull Life
5,Invaders from mars (u know the one with the sand pit an shit)
6,Star wars
7,L.O.T.R.
8,Goodfellas
9,Zulu/Wild Geese....its a tie c,mon
10,Dracula Bram stokers
11,Great expectations (old one)

oooooops was that was 11
As for Kurosawa not only did Yojimbo and 7 Samurai spawn countless remakes (although i prefered Sanjuro the follow up)
george lucas was so inspired by the Hidden Fortress he made Star wars!
I am a film buff so i have got zillion films on he wall.
Just a special mention to Jim cameron,Ridley scott and Paul Verhoven who after Star wars changed the way i looked at Sci-fi,like wise to Sergio leone and Martin Scorcesee who did the same for there genres!

One thing i have noticed over the past couple of years is film writers ,especially horror film writers been killing more and more children in there movies especially the under tens .This if i knew in advance i would not go to see,just for instance the last 3 films i have seen A.V.P 2,30 Days of Night,and Hannibal rising have all had his.Now i know people are getting used to the violence in films but the tactic of just fling a kiddie in there is not on .They should just get more creative instead .Makes u think about Their thinking when they do it!

Its either that or i have become over protective ASBO Dad!

Small rant over!

Anonymous said...

Not that I would argue over anyone's top ten list of anything, but the presence of Ferris Bueller's Day Off on your list pretty much renders this list bulletproof anyway.

Guardians of the Galaxy #2 rocked. I saw Vance Astro being in the ice coming once I thought about it (well done, though, it did make me think twice) and Rocket Raccoon had some great lines. "Feels like someone turned the symbolic homage up to eleven," and his constant comments about how good a name "Guardians of the Galaxy" was had me rolling. I am loving the hell out of GotG and Nova and keep recommending it to everyone I know.

Rory said...

The Dan le sac and Scrubious Pip session on radio1 last night was asstonishing.

Not everyday they play the Full 12 minuete version of Bat out of hell!

www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/colinmurray

you can listen to it there, the interview starts at about an hour into the show

Rory said...

Oh andthanks for the tips on the Magician. im fairly plowing my way through it. i just started back at school so its hard trying find the time to read. But so far so good.

Band of Brothers is EPIC. i have to say, the tin does it for me too!

and ferris beullers day off? <3.

gotta love it!

Dukeleto said...

@Big Dan has killed off a few kiddies too (quite apart from everyone on Tanith but Brin Milo!)

The bit that sticks in my mind are the "dolls" in the tenement building in Ghostmaker, a truly horrifying moment that creeps up on you.

I agree there's a tendency in horror cinema to inflict nastier and nastier things on minors, but I think it's one of those things we've imported from the Japanese cinema you love so much!

Certainly it's regrettable when children's deaths are used as a tacky shock tactic (as in most of the films u mentioned) but it can be an important way to bring across the truly inhuman horror of a situation (as in Schindlers List, for example)

Anonymous said...

@Turain. Yes there is a new band of brothers style series set in the Pacific being made, for what seems like ages now.

@Everybody else. Do ye think there is a surprising lack of sci fi / war films in Dans top 10, considering the style of novels he puts out for the BL.

McKennsy.

Anonymous said...

Dude i gotta say i havent seen any Kurosawa with kids and toddlers getting it!
I thought Brin was in his 20s but they can feel free to kill as many teenagers as they wish.
As for Dan killing of Kiddies
i dont remember reading much?
hinting at something and graphicly detailing it with gusto are 2 different things.Even when it factual it should be done a certain way,i mean i havent seen shindlers list but i am well aware of the horrors that went on and like i said i certainly wouldnt want to pay to see it so i could feel the inhuman horror of it!
Old soldiers tell me enough and their still having nightmares.
But i understand that sometimes they need to have that scope.

Anonymous said...

mckenssy - yeah, but you haven't seen his top 100 yet.

Anonymous said...

Now that would be somthing to see Nik.

Uncle Truth said...

Big - I'm with you. The day when you need to stoop to killing kids in order to make people remember your film is the day you need to hang up your big, director's megaphone. Well said mate!

Dan - Thanks for bringing back Rocket Raccoon. I've been a huge fan of his ever since he was the backup strip in the UK reprints of Transformers. Any plans to bring back uncle Waldo, Lylla or the killer clowns? I have a distinct memory of a childhood nightmare concerning the black bunny bounty hunter character. He was truly awesome!

For a bunny.

Tom

Johnny Dingo said...

We were happy to see you back at the REAL American Games Day. Envious of your trip to the Pentagon. My cousin was there the day of the attacks, luckily he was in another part of the building at the time.

Also, thank you for the tip on "how to be a writer," you gave at the seminar. It really has helped me focus on my own endeavors.

Protip: If you're ever in Glen Burnie and need a good crab cake, go to Roy's Kwik Korner or Craine. Their "baseball" crab cakes are served to the fallen heroes in Vahalla. Their broiled shrimp is also brutally good.

We hope to see you at the next GD (though they'll probably book you for some other, lesser GD next year).

Anonymous said...

Lordy-Xhalax Cmon top tens please

just think i have found someone who is infinately more evil than Cuu .(no spoilers ) the bad guy from Ravenor What a complete bastard ,He is Raves Moriarty his nemesis for sure just started ravenor rogue and its the nuts!

Anonymous said...

Hey Hey. I've not posted on here in what seems like ages - hello to everyone!


Titanicus - can't wait. Literally actually, I have commenced building my own titan (The command deck wasn't too much of a problem, but don't ever mention the words 'void' or 'shields' in my presence).

'The Victory' Arc - Hmmm, a hefty dose of ambiguity there... I shall wait and see...

The Top 10 - I'd have to chuck 'Ballad of a Soldier' in there, it was made in 1950 something in the Soviet Union and is truly heartwrenching.


Oh yeah, I wonder if i'm just being stupid, but while I was re-reading my Ghosts books (for the umpteenth time) I got to wondering... Whatever happened to Sergeant Bray?

the-seventh-son said...

ross i have two words for you 'voids' and 'shields' i also have this statement, you lucky bastard (no he is not a Pardus Tank!) i dont have a titan and i'm too scared of them to get one

Big - i agree with you about the kid this, however i would say that occasionally it is acceptable if the plot requires it or so on. i do however think that violence is films is starting to become too much. as for AVP 2 i have to say, that was a piece of shit! i thought the 1st was bad but that was just awful, for a start i couldnt see anything! what i found most distrubing though was the Pred-alien's kiss that was just grim!

if you want a chick-flick (yes i went there)i would recommend What Happens in Vegas, best girly film i've seen in a while, and i wouldnt bother with the Indianna Jones film if you havn't already, 1 word - aliens = wtf!

I think victory will be an interesting one, could it possibly be what no-one has said yet? i have two ideas...
1. Sek kills Guar and takes over as Archon
2. The Chaos forces win a series of battles/ kill the saint?

just a view heretic ideas

the-seventh-son said...

oh and ross - im pretty sure he retired!

Will Wright said...

I don't know Dan.
Shawshank Redemption,One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,Alien,and Jaws should all be on the List.

Rob Rath said...

Seventh Son:

Oh no, not "aliens," they're "inter-dimensional beings."

In an admittedly weak defense of Indy 4, if you're going to have an adventure movie set during the Cold War that incorporates paranormal relics, you pretty much have only two things to work with: aliens and mind control (ala Manchurian Candidate). Soviets don't really jump through hoops for religious relics because... well, they didn't care for religion in general.

Having said that, I think Atlantis would've been a much better bet. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis remains one of my favorite series of comics to this day.

Anonymous said...

Actually 7th it was Avp2-wich inspired that little rant,New born babies ,pregnant mums,Kiddie chest bursters!?!naa not for me thanks.

However i feel it was just a rant to the girls an guys on the blogg
i dont want it to take the fun out of blogging here for people!
So i apologise if i was a bit deep!

Chaos do need a Victory in the Sabbat system ,Sek and Gaur i can c that coming!

Anonymous said...

Posted By Elwyn

Hi Dan, Kudos on your trip!!!

hmmm 3 books by 1 author I believe should be on everyones' shelf....

Author: Clive Barker
Titles:

Imajica
Weaveworld
Cabal (also makes a great movie - Night Breed)

As to movies some of my personal faves, in no particular order but should defo be mentioned..

Evil Dead trilogy!!!!
Event Horizon
In the Mouth of Madness (if you like Lovecraft then this is a good cthulhu Mythos interpretation).
Hellraiser trilogy
Harvey (James Stewart is just great).
Orig Star wars trilogy
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Shawshank Redemption
American X
Bruce Almighty
The Colour Purple
The Sydney Poitier film where he turns a school or class round (but that story line been done soooo many times now its ridiculous).
Apollo 13

Anonymous said...

Ooh, add 'Curse of the Black Tiger' into my Top 10 - insanity in pastel colours.



And does anyone know where I can source a Titan-grade Volcano Cannon charge coil? I tell you its been a bloody nightmare - I even tried Halfords.

Anonymous said...

Whoopsee, meant 'Tears of the Black Tiger'.

PentagonCop said...

To hurrah for the hussar
I only refer to the Generals as such well some of the Admirals I call General just to see there reaction You can't turn around twice in the funny sided building without hitting someone wearing a star or four

rufus said...

great trip fella! and great commentary on the goings on. the pentagon sounds properly mad. i would love to visit the USA, it foreign without people being able to call you names without you understanding.