Transmission #4
Put your mind in the upright position.
Greetings subscribers! Thank you for joining us once again on the planet that never sleeps, mainly because we are sliding inexorably into a black hole of DOOM.
There is not much to share this week; edits continue on the collection, progress was made on other writing, etc. Putting this collection together has actually been a journey through time. It begins with some of my earliest work and ends with one of my latest pieces of short fiction.
Going back and re-reading stories that were written ten years ago has really shone a light on how far I’ve come as an author. The first entry in the collection is the second short story I ever wrote, and while it was published and I was paid for it, it really shouldn’t have been. Word repetition, grammatical mistakes, and weird formatting abound. I can only assume that the publisher thought I was having a stroke, or suffered some other malady and felt pity. Either way, the version that is going in the collection has been revised under my keen eye so as to better reflect my current skill level. Hopefully the rest don’t require the same work, as it took nearly a week to fix.
So this week I received my double feature of Hot Snake/Guns and Guts from Vinegar Syndrome. This is one of my favorite movie companies and they’re doing the Lord’s work in getting these cult movies out into widespread distribution. I watched the first entry of this double feature and enjoyed it thoroughly. This Fajita Western from 1976 is positively brimming with violence and ambiguous supernatural elements that flavor my favorite westerns.
SYNOPSIS: A sadistic and ruthless outlaw has been terrorizing the town of Hot Snake. A bounty hunter named Emiliano is hired by the local sheriff to hunt down the outlaw after he murders a woman and steals money belonging to the Army. Warned by a local witch not to take the bounty, Emiliano soon finds himself the target of a mysterious man who seeks to settle a personal vendetta. Directed by Fernando Durán Rojas, Hot Snake is a dark and atmospheric western with supernatural elements.
So our villain, Jenkins, is an absolutely vile piece of human misery straight out of the gate. Our hero, Emiliano, is less memorable but still entertaining to watch. The plot was unlike any other western I’ve seen. Let’s just say that the corpses in this movie don’t necessarily keep to their eternal rest. Also, Jenkins wears something very similar to what I imagine Salem would wear.
A few warnings if you’re thinking about taking in a viewing: the first scene involves a fairly graphic rape and murder, and then there is a never-ending parade of animal cruelty throughout the film, particularly to snakes. If you’re like me, and do not like snakes, it may not bother you. Some of you do care for our scaly friends, so fair warning…
Besides that, these films never had a U.S. release, so there is no dubbing. Just native Spanish with English subtitles. Overall it was an enjoyable watch. 7/10 bullets on the Western scale.
Currently Reading: The Consultant by Bentley Little (it’s a long book, and I have to find time to take care of my kid, work out, and write!)
Currently Listening: Fall Out Boy’s new single Love From The Other Side. I’m actually a mid-2000’s emo kid at heart.
Currently Watching: The Last of Us and it is fantastic.
That is all for this week, keep your nose in the wind and your eyes along the skyline. Also, be sure your fallout shelters are stocked. When we invade your world, we are getting rid of oxygen.