• It's yer old pal Andy again, back with another week of insight that you should be THANKING ME for. You're welcome.
• Halloween's coming up, and that means this is the time of year we get to watch our favorite Halloween classics. It's like Christmas, without the preachy religious purists making everything boring. So here's my personal Halloween movie list, what I'll be watching these next two weeks:

The Wolf Man (1941)-- The best of the classic Universal monster films. I think it works so well because it genuinely makes you feel sorry for the monster, and the sense of relateable human tragedy makes this film great.
Young Frankenstein (1974)-- Obviously!
The Invisible Man (1933)-- Actually haven't seen this one yet. Love the original novel, though, so... maybe it'll be good.
Dracula (1931)-- It took a few viewings for me to appreciate it, but Dracula is full of creepy atmosphere and complex plotting. Unfortunately, it's a little too complex for a 75-minute film, so things get a little ropey. If you do rent Dracula, go for the Legacy Collection DVD, hop into the special features and select the new soundtrack by Phillip Glass, unless you don't mind some long awkward silences. Not a perfect film, but far better than it could have been (I'm looking at you, Frankenstein...)
Dracula's Daughter (1936)-- A terrifically underrated sequel that deals with the consequences and fallout from Dracula. A dark, nuanced film that presents you with a plotline you genuinely won't see anywhere else.
Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)-- Mel Brooks's spot-on parody of the original Dracula and the 90s "Bram Stoker's Dracula" film (which I hated). Awesome.
Zombieland (2009)-- Seems like it might be kind of funny. I don't usually go in for zombies, but I liked Shaun of the Dead (aside from the few scenes of graphic-ripping-out-of-organs and eating-of-live-persons, which is probably why I don't watch these things). So I guess it will depend on the humor-to-eating-people ratio.
Gojira (1954)-- The ORIGINAL Godzilla film, which according to reviews is a lot darker and a lot less stupid than the many many sequels that followed. A must-see.
Nosferatu (1929)-- Silent, German, vampires, a classic.
Vampyr (1932)-- Another silent German film, and one that comes highly recommended: Alfred Hitchcock once called it "One of the few films worth seeing twice." So this I should see.
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown-- Aw yeah.

• Speaking of great classic films, I had the pleasure of seeing the 1949 Oscar-winner "The Heiress." Olivia de Havilland is stunning in the film; 1940s actors didn't yet believe in naturalistic acting, so her vocal intonation is full of the standard artificiality of the time, but what blew me away was her expression. Her face was so full of emotion that you hardly even needed her to speak. The story of the film is based off an old Henry James novella about an heiress who falls in love with a man who may only be after her money. It starts off light and happy, but already at the beginning you can see the seeds of disaster, and as the film continues it darkens and darkens until it reaches one of the best endings in the history of film. It also helps that this is directed by William Wyler; I was surprised to discover how many films he's directed that I've either seen or plan to see (The Best Years of Our Lives, Roman Holiday, Ben-Hur, The Children's Hour, How to Steal a Million, Funny Girl...) (yes, I love Funny Girl, you would too if you had a SOUL). I can't discuss this film too much without giving away the plot, but suffice it to say this is a pitch-perfect story of betrayal and revenge, beautifully acted and a genuine classic.
• I never thought I'd say I loved a Linkin Park album, but here we are. I hated Hybrid Theory, liked a few songs on Meteora but mostly didn't care for it. Minutes to Midnight signaled a change of direction, and I really liked it with a few exceptions. But now A Thousand Suns has arrived, and it is a work of art. Musically, the record breaks from the band's old rap-metal style, wheeling off into more traditional rock, 80s-style rap, and electronica. The album's title refers to a quote from the Hindu Bhagavad-gita: to look onto the face of god would be like staring into the light of a thousand suns. J. Robert Oppenheimer quoted this line after the detonation of the first atomic bomb; to him, the flash and mushroom cloud felt like the power of god striking the earth. Religious awe and atomic fear are bound together throughout the album: "Burning in the Skies" deals with the devastation, and the shock that we could have done this to ourselves; "When They Come for Me" is about the people who sit quietly on the sidelines (and also serves as a nice fuck you for old fans disappointed with their newfound political interests), while "Robot Boy" similarly deals with those who refuse to do anything for a world that's done nothing for them; "Waiting for the End" mixes together the emptiness of religious fervor for an afterlife with the actual shock of death; "Blackout" is a missive against inept political leadership who lose control of their own wars, while "Wretches and Kings" rails against corporate control and the crushing of the masses; "Iridescent" is a memorial for Oppenheimer and Martin Luther King; "The Catalyst" is both a call to arms and a final desperate plea for salvation from above that will never come, and "The Messenger" provides the final solution, that love for others is the only thing that can save us. Mixed among these tracks are various short musical pieces and quotes from historical figures, and really that's how it's meant to be listened to, as a complete album rather than a collection of songs. These heavily-linked tracks provide a cohesive and awe-inspiring experience. Fans of the band from their old rap-metal and teen-angst days have flooded the internet with their hatred of this album; myself, I'm glad to see that Linkin Park has matured and released a record that shows true talent, and is unlike anything else.
• This week's reading: Just about done with Jonathan Franzen's big new novel, Freedom, so I'll have a write up on that next time. Peace out, bitches.

ADDED CONTENT BY MASTER BADGER: Zombieland is definitely more humor than people getting eaten. In fact, for a lot of the film, there are no zombies. It isn't a traditional zombie film in many regards, and for that I'm thankful. I recommend Zombieland.

I've been interested in hearing the new Linkin Park album for a while now. Thank you for your insightful comments. Now I'll have to check it out.

As far as Halloween viewing goes, The Thing is always on my list. Watch The Thing, and watch it now.