I love Rue Morgue -- as I've previously mentioned in this space -- and I also look forward to Video Watchdog, published out of Cincinnati by Tim Lucas.
There's a possibility the Cincy connection increases my affection of VW. It's close by, and the thought of all this genre-loving goodness being produced in the proximity of Skyline Chili and my beloved Bengals warms the ol' cockles.
But the real reason this is a must-read is the obsessive love Lucas and his writers show for the tiniest detail of the films they review. Even the crappiest wastes of celluoid are examined under the critical microscope of VW. Print quality, running time, soundtrack, the pedigree of background actors in a crowded scene...they're all granted the respectful attention an art critic would give to a newly discovered Picasso. And it's amusing to find a couple of thousand words devoted to stinkers like the craptacular Jack Palance flick Craze.
I plowed through the latest issue last night and ended up with the same urge I always have when I finish VW: to check the cable channels and online stores for these cinematic treats that were never on my radar until now.
Lucas is also a fine novelist. I reviewed his The Book of Renfield months ago for Hellnotes. He's a blogger, too.
May Video Watchdog live forever. Without it, how would I have ever known about the genre of Turkish superhero movies?
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