I know a lot of people. I mean A LOT of people. My contact list is a spreadsheet that contains more names than my entire high school roster. What can I say? I've been in this game a long time. And if you go by the law of averages (not to mention Kevin Bacon lineage), I'm connected to thousands more through each and every person on that list.

So while I'm not surprised, I'm usually unnerved when I receive something in the mail, at my home address no less, and I can't track it back to the source.

A few days back, I received two copies of the magazine Ogrish. It's a nasty piece of work, focussing on the worst aspects of human society--accident photos, serial killer exposes, treatises on torture, all uncensored, all very difficult to either look at or look away. They're ghoulish tracts, and they came directly to my home, rather than my PO Box reserved for business missives.

I'd never heard of the website on which these magazines are based. There is no magazine masthead, so I have no idea who the editor is. The contact sheet included is no help -- I don't recognize the company, distributor, or sales person. So how the hell did it get to me?

I'm not offended by it. On the contrary, I think the magazine is important. In our watered-down culture, where everyone has our "best interest" at heart, we don't get the uncensored news. I think it's important to know just how people are beheaded in Iraq (and what we got our troops into)--guess what? It isn't a quick downward slice of a blade!--and if you see what a train can do to a body, chances are, you'll think twice about dancing with one when you're drunk.

Still, the fact that it came directly to me is a little unnerving. I'm a control freak, after all. I like to know the source of my mailings, junk mail excluded...

Anyway, in other news, MGM was recently bought out by Sony, and here's an online petition to save the "Midnite Movies" line. Because, you know, we in America like to think WE control the corporations, not the other way around.

More importantly, Eric Campos, the editor over at Film Threat, gave us this awesome review of
Severe Injuries! It really made my yesterday...