Stunned

After I put up my post last week, I learned that my friend and New York Times Bestselling author, L.A. Banks passed away after her battle with adrenal cancer. I was too stunned to blog about it, and decided to do so today.

Leslie was an awesome person. Although I never met her in person, we have talked and kept in touch over the years. She went out of her way to help aspiring authors fulfill their dreams. And her fans adored her because of her warmth and the love she showed others--no matter who they were.

She will be greatly missed by her family and in the writing community--and just, everywhere. Her website is here: Leslie Esdaile Banks. Her books are still available and I encourage you to read them because she was an outstanding author.

Goodnight, Leslie.

Computer-Generated Imagery

Remember when horror movies--or any movie for that matter--required make-up to achieve an awesome special effect? Now they rely heavily on CGI. Look at The Incredible Hulk of the 1980's starring Lou Ferrigno, and now look at the computer generated hulk in the movies. **sigh**

Years ago, movie make-up artists worked very hard to achieve authenticity. Some artists still work hard today, but not like they did decades ago. It took a lot of time to achieve those looks. Make no mistake, the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes, had lots of hands-on make-up, but that's not true of a lot of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy movies of today. Don't get me wrong, there are movies that nail CGI, but not many, IMHO.

Night of the Demons (1988) is one of my favorite horror movies. The make-up on that so-called "B" movie received an 'A' from me. :-D Look at Angela. That face scared me more than a lot of villains ever have. By the way, if you haven't seen the movie, rent it. Make sure it's the original and NOT the remake.

Do you remember An American Werewolf in London? That movie scared the crap out of me as a kid. And what's more, John Landis did an outstanding job, IMHO. It remains a favorite of mine. That wolf transformation looked soooo real, which made it even scarier.



What do you think? Do you prefer the make-up styles of yesterday or do you prefer the computer-generated imagery of today?

P.S. And remember to "Keep off the moors, and stay on the road." ;-)