Happy Monday to all. Just to give you an update on my decision, I have decided upon a premise for my script and I am 11 pages in. Wish me luck. I would love to think I am on the cusp of writing the next Gone with the Wind but I think I would be lucky to pull off a Waterworld flop. Doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try.

We all need to start somewhere and to be corny; every journey begins with a single step. I have always listened to people give me advice about what to do but I have come to realize you must be in the right frame of mind to take advice and actually apply it. You need to be ready for the advice before anyone gives you it. I know that is pretty difficult. I mean how can you prepare yourself for something you don’t know is going to happen or even if it will happen? The truth is you can’t. What you can do is prepare yourself mentally to make a change and/or be ready and open to a possible first step that will take you in the direction you want so when someone does give you advice you can use, you are prepared to listen.

Life can absolutely weigh down on you. It is very easy to get stuck in a rut or routine and feel like there is no way to get to the point you want to be at or that the path to the success you desire is just too far. There is nothing wrong with feeling that. Trust me. I have felt it for many years and it is only now that I truly feel I am making progress to achieve a dream. I think the trick is, just don’t give in. No matter how hopeless it may seem or how daunting the task may be, don’t give in. Don’t look at the big picture all the time. Try breaking it down like you would at work. Same scenario. Take the big picture and break it down into smaller tasks. Tackle each task as it comes up. Enjoy the process. Do not put undue pressure on yourself. Just focus on taking on the small challenges so the weight of the dream isn’t holding you down. Take it one step at a time.

Now here’s the hardest part. At least it truly is for me. Have patience. Unfortunately we live in a society that revolves around instant gratification and we want everything as soon as possible. I know I can’t help but want things as quickly as possible. But we must live with the realization that nothing happens overnight. Sure there are success stories of people achieving their dreams in record time but for you and me it just isn’t going to happen. We have to work for what we want. There will definitely come times when it just feels like you aren’t getting anywhere and maybe you should give up. When these times come up, I want you to ask yourself one question. “What is the alternative?” If you give up then you will just live out your life knowing you never gave it your best shot and will spend days sitting in your lazy boy, with sour cream and onion Pringles, at 3pm in the afternoon watching Judge Judy thinking “What if?”.

There is a saying that tells us it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. That is because we only have one life. I say it is better to have tried and failed than to have never tried. We only have one life and what we make of it is our choice. We can give in to the pressure around us and cave or we can swim upstream and fight the current to try and get what we dream of. The choice is yours. What will you decide?

I have come to a big decision. I have decided I am going to write a screenplay.

After careful deliberation I feel this would be my best move to try and advance my career. What better scenario than to write your own script and refuse to sell it unless you are a part of the cast? It is the logical next step. So today we shall take a look at the people who blazed a trail for all to follow by doing the same thing.

The first and easily the best example of someone writing their own project would be Matt Damon and Ben Affleck with Good will Hunting. What started as a thriller concept (F.B.I. wants young man of superior intelligence to be an agent and will do anything to get their man) was later shaped into the great film we saw at the suggestion of Rob Reiner to focus on the relationship between Will and his therapist as well as William Goldman’s suggestion to have Will follow his girlfriend Skylar to California at the end.

The script was originally purchased by Castle Rock but the studio had no interest in casting Affleck and Damon in the lead roles vying for Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio. Enter savior Kevin Smith who brought the script to Miramax and low and behold their dream was becoming a reality as Miramax purchased the rights off of Castle Rock and had no problem with Ben and Matt leading the marquee. Throw in director Gus Van Sant (which the boys convinced Miramax to hire since they had an affinity for Drugstore Cowboy) and the rest is history.

Affleck and Damon won Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay (great acceptance speech). Robin Williams won Best Supporting Actor and the film also garnered nominations for Minnie Driver, Gus Van Sant and after writing his own work, a Best Actor nod for Matt Damon.

We all wish we could write something this good straight out of the gates to launch our careers. Surprised they are not a noun like “Hey why don’t you try and do a Damon and Affleck?”.

Another film which launched a few careers is Bottle Rocket. The film was written by director Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson. Both unknown at the time, the film originated as a short with the same cast and eventually led to the feature film which was Wes Anderson’s directorial debut. It also introduced the world to the Wilson brothers Owen and Luke.

The film never really gained any commercial success but the film caught the eye of director Martin Scorsese who would go on to call Bottle Rocket one of his favorite films of the 90’s.

Of course these are extreme situations where these people managed to catch lightning in a bottle so to say. But they made the most of their opportunity. No one had heard of Billy Bob Thornton who played bit parts until he wrote, directed and starred in Sling Blade. A great film. It can be done on a smaller scale which is all I hope to do. But you never know. Dare to dream.

So now I will take out my proverbial pen, a bottle of scotch and hole up in a motel like Paul Sheldon in Misery. Thank God I do not have a number one fan like Annie Wilkes.

I had a conversation with someone this past week who talked to me about statistics. He was breaking down the idiocy of playing the lottery with the ever famous comparison to getting struck by lightning. Why do the statisticians always make that comparison? Thought it was just a stereotype but NOPE! He said it. What we also discussed was the odds of having a career in acting. He pointed out that if you look up stats they are misleading saying the average actor makes almost 50k a year. The problem is this is the statistic for working actors. This stat does not take into account all the actors who are out there not working. He said he was glad I had another job because the odds of actually working as an actor full time are almost as high as, yup you guessed it, getting struck by lightning.

This reminded me of Han Solo in the Empire Strikes back when C-3PO informs him of the odds in successfully navigating an asteroid field to which he responds “never tell me the odds.” Statistics are a very interesting subject. You look at them and can make a decision based on the probability of success regardless of the situation. You could be looking to buy a car and see the odds of a specific brand lasting 10 years are better than the other brand. That the odds of you actually finding parking downtown/uptown are very low so you should stay home. Statistics can have an effect in every facet of your life. So do you always take the safe bet?

Statistics are there for guidance but they are by no means the be all and end all in the decision making process. The odds were completely against Steve Jobs when he began building computers in his garage. Did that stop him from trying? The odds were against Barack Obama winning the presidency of the United States. Did that stop him from running? Joe Shmoe won the lottery where the odds were better of him being struck by lightning than winning but did that stop him from buying that ticket?

There is a great saying which we can all live by “You never know until you try.” While stats can assist you, do not let them stop you from taking risks. The most successful people in the world would not be where they are today if they did not take some form of a leap of faith. They let their belief in their abilities govern their decisions, not the odds of their success. They looked at the statistics and scoffed. They didn’t care what the odds were. That their chances at success were so low that it didn’t even justify trying. They took the risk and reaped the rewards. Of course not every risk will end in success. Those same people who made it have had many pitfalls along the way. Just ask Donald Trump.

Maybe you are not a risk taker. Maybe you play it safe and stick to the main road. Let me ask you a question. If someone told you the odds of finding a 100$ bill today were 1 in 1 000 000 but that you would be that one, would you look for the 100$ bill? What if you are that one? While statistics can guide you there is always the other side of the coin. There are those in the minority. There are the few or the one who buy that lottery ticket and win. And yes there are the few who actually do get struck by lightning. Have faith in yourself. Do not live your life by the odds. What if you see a beautiful man or woman and the odds are 1 in 100 that he/she is single and 1 in 10 000 that he/she would want you but this is your future husband/wife and you have no idea?

I know the odds of me being a full time actor and making 50k a year are very remote. Does that mean I am going to stop trying? Hell no. I know in my heart I am in the minority. I know one day acting will be my full time job.

What’s your dream? Take the risk. Scoff at the odds. You never know until you try.

First published on Technorati at http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/social-media-smugging-a-reality

I know we all love to check our Twitter and Facebook daily. Social media has become part of our daily lives. Look how well the Facebook movie did.

Unfortunately with such popularity also comes opportunity for criminals. Last year 60 million social profiles were accessed without permission in the UK alone. And I do not mean your significant other checking up on you. Nearly two profiles are “smugged” per second. Yes I wrote smugged. This crime is referred to as “smugging” and I am sure I do not have to explain why. Let’s see how long that takes to end up on the Urban Dictionary.

As reported by Capital One, people would login to their accounts and find comments posted they never wrote and messages sent to contacts that they never authored. This may not seem like a big deal but we seem to forget how much information lies in our social profiles which can set us up for identity theft.

Michael Woodburn of Capital One warns us, “”In the excitement of connecting with those around us, remembering to protect your online profile can often take a back seat, which can leave people open to smugging, or worse, identity theft,”

There are simple precautions to take if you fear being hacked. Woodburn also tell us, “Small actions like protecting your mobile with a password, using a password that is a combination of numbers and letters and regularly checking bank and credit card statements, can go a long way in helping people protect themselves against a smugging attack and identity theft.”

Also make sure to always log out of social media websites – even at home but especially on public machines and at work.

I’m sure you all know not to use personal information when choosing your password. Try to always use a mixture of letters and numbers. Most sites will tell you your password strength upon choosing one when you sign up.

Most importantly you must limit the amount of personal details you display in your accounts. Like if you post your birthday, leave out the year or direct message important information on Twitter so not everyone can see it.

In this age of ease of use and the ability to remain connected with friends and family at all times, we must be wary of the opportunists who lie in wait to take advantage. Remember that the easier technology makes our lives the easier it can be for criminals to gain access to our information so let’s do our due diligence and not make their job easier. Let’s protect ourselves while we enjoy ourselves.

I think I’ll change this to my Facebook status.

< This past weekend I took my own advice and returned to my roots. My road to acting was an interesting one. I had mentioned that I thought everything would just magically align and BAM! I would be acting as a career. It was only once I was laid off from a sales job that I decided to seriously begin the pursuit to be an actor. I asked myself where I should start. It was at this point that I had happened upon a little acting school in Montreal called ASM Performing Arts. I decided to enroll in a few classes to get the rust off and get back into the swing of things.

This is an incredible place to learn. They offer very unique programs. Just click on the ASM Performing Arts link to go and check what they have to offer. The teachers are experienced actors who are in the midst of their careers at this moment and work with you and empower you to do the same. They also hold social events. For example every month ASM holds an Improv night. It was here that I found myself this past Saturday night. Now unlike most Improv shows this one has a twist. You see, you can watch the show, or you can get up on stage and participate in the show! It is so much fun as you get to work with many different actors who you may not have had the opportunity to work with otherwise. There is a host who comes up with multiple games for the participants to play and the night is off. Even if you are not an actor it is a great social exercise to help you with being uncomfortable in public. My girlfriend was even tempted to go up and she is not an actress at all. A drama queen maybe but not an actress.

Unfortunately I had not been to one of these shows for almost nine years. Once I had a few acting classes under my belt I needed to find a job. So I decided to go and work in the bar business under the illusion that I would be auditioning so much I would need to work at night. Unfortunately ASM holds their classes at night. And so life caught up with me and I fell out of contact with not only teachers and students from ASM, I lost contact with some great people who I had treasured as friends. Fortunately a few of these friends were there this past Saturday.

I talked last week about how I needed to network with actors in the industry to really try to advance my career. I also suggested that whatever your field of expertise is, that you should do the same with the people in your industry. After one night of socializing I realized what I had been missing. Forget about the networking for the moment. When you socialize with people in your field, you are socializing with like-minded individuals who have similar interests that you do. What better way to get out and make friends than to socialize with people who you know have the same mindset as you do? Once I was there, I forgot all about networking and just talked to old friends who I hadn’t seen in forever. This meant more to me than I ever could have imagined. I am sure that in time my association with these friends may lead to better opportunities but it will never compare to feeling they bring to me by having them in life again. Being around people who have similar interests as you lead to great conversations and an incredible social environment.

If you are someone who feels you do not have a lot of friends or feel you are trapped in your current circle of friends and just want to meet new people, take a course, attend a convention, go to a charity event but take the time to do something. Whatever you love, find the social events that industry has to offer. Yes, you will make new contacts. Yes you may advance yourself to where you want to be in your career. Most importantly I assure you that you will meet people who will become friends and people you will socialize with. Regardless of whether they help you move ahead or not, you will be blessed with friends that will be there for you for the rest of your life. You may not advance in your industry, but isn’t it so much better to improve and advance your life? I know I think so.

 Article first published on Technorati at http://technorati.com/entertainment/tv/article/the-angels-fall-from-grace

To all of our great surprise I’m sure, the new Charlie’s Angels series has been retired to the realm of bad ideas. Yes the series is now over. But this is not the first show which was a film to have a very short life span. Now I know so many of you are going to say “But Charlie’s Angels was a series way back when.” This of course is true but the most recent memory would be the film so I will place my focus on television series which were wrongfully spawned from feature films. Some of these failures might surprise you. Not that they failed….but that they even existed.

While there have been some television series to succeed after being a feature film, let me show you the other side of coin. The failures.

Remember Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels? Did you know that in 2000 Lock, Stock…The Series was released? Yes….it was. Basically a group of four friends who run The Lock pub in London would attempt business ventures each episode to no avail of course. Not only did the business ventures fall flat on its face but so did the series after a whopping 7 episodes.

Then we have Blade which spawned Blade The Series. I know, the thought process behind developing these show titles is incredible!!! How many hours were spent molding this masterpiece? Not enough. Rapper Kirk “Sticky Fingaz” Jones assumed the role of Blade with Wipeout beauty Jill Wagner playing Krista Starr…two r’s. Do I really have to get into the plot for this show? Sum up? Okay. Basically after Blade: Trinity there are still Vampire houses left. So our favorite day walker wants to kill them all. Well Spike killed Blade after 12 episodes.

How about Ferris Bueller’s Day Off giving way to Ferris Bueller. This happen in 1990 on NBC. Charlie Schlatter took over for Matthew Broderick. At least they tried to be creative. The show was based on the premise that the film was fashioned after real life Ferris’ (Schlatter) experiences. Even going so far as to have Ferris displeased with Broderick portraying him and leading to a massacred cardboard cutout of the film with a chainsaw. Needless to say the only thing this show gave us was a glimpse at then unknown actress Jennifer Aniston playing Ferris’ sister. Beyond that, 13 episodes and the show was on permanent vacation.

I seem to remember the surprising success of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. But I do not remember My Big Fat Greek Life which was the series that followed. Nia Vardalos transitioned her character to the small screen along with the rest of the cast (minus John Corbett) in 2003 on CBS. This failure was epic as the show had great backing with HBO Television and Tom Hank’s Playtone Productions for Sony Pictures Television. Basically the show just continued after the film with Nia (Toula) trying to cope with Chicago suburban life and her new upper middle class WASP husband. While the film garnered great success, the series couldn’t continue that success on the small screen and cancelled the show after 7 episodes.

Movies such as M*A*S*H* managed to become extremely successful shows, sometimes things should just be left on the big screen and forgotten. Let the last memory of the film linger in your mind and leave you with a warm feeling in your heart. As for Charlie’s Angels, both the film and television show left me with a strong desire for some Alka-Seltzer and a long winter’s nap….and it’s only fall.

First published on Technorati as Hollywood Could Educate the White House at http://technorati.com/politics/article/hollywood-could-educate-the-white-house

Remember the days of the classic television show? Remember when people would only watch ABC, NBC or CBS? How spoiled are we now?

I was reading an article about Steven Bochco and David Milch reuniting to develop another series. These are the Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue guys. If you want to see what they are currently working on, click here. It sounds interesting.

After reading this article I started remembering the days of L.A. Law with its closing trunk, Crime Story with the Vegas scenery and Magnum P.I. with the beautiful Hawaii scenery and the Ferrari (click on the links to watch the openings of these shows). That got me thinking of where we are today. There are fantastic shows on so many different networks that weren’t even conceptualized in those days. You can watch Breaking Bad on AMC or Sons of Anarchy on F/X. Those were the days when HBO was all about movies. Before The Wire, Entourage and Boardwalk Empire. These are the days when we get to watch the life of a serial killer who we can’t help but cheer for in Showtime’s Dexter.

What a turn from watching the Big Three as they were. FOX came on board to make it four and now look where we are. In this capitalist market and economic crisis, you cannot deny that competition breeds innovation and determination. Go on your satellite of cable provider and just look at the channels they offer. It is incredible where we are today.

In the early days you would hate to miss your show on Thursdays at 10pm. Now there aren’t enough hours in the day to watch all the programs recommended to you by friends or co-workers. I can think of 7 televisions series offhand that have been recommended to me and I am curious about but just do not have the time to watch.

What does all this mean? Maybe the government should stop fighting with each other and look to Hollywood on how to improve the economy through innovation and competition. Build a focus more towards supporting thinkers who want to develop unconventional ideas that are not being done or business models taking a different path towards success. Hollywood is still flourishing.

Art imitates life. Maybe life should take a page from Arts book and start thinking outside the box.

After viewing the episode of Blue Mountain State which I had a minor role in, I came away feeling empty. That combined with receiving a reality check from a friend left me wondering how I must alter what I am doing to establish myself as a serious actor.

The reality check really hit home pointing out that I sometimes tend to blog all over the spectrum of topics and not focus my attention on why I came here in the first place. That combined with the harsh realization, (again from the reality check), that I tend to write about my natural talents as if I am entitled left me wondering if my writings sometime seem condescending. This isn’t a bad a thing. I really respect the fact that there are people out there willing to tell you the straight truth regardless of how it will make you feel. Everyone needs someone to put them in check at one point or another. This was my time.

Thanks to taking a little time to reflect I think my game plan is forming.

I have always said that you need to be humble in life and realize that you can learn something from everyone. We are blessed with a planet with people from every walk of life who can influence you in every facet of your life. Whether they show you a new way to look at problems, to seeing how not to drive from the guy who cuts through traffic like he is on the Autobahn.  When you at are work today think about how many people influence you on a daily basis. You can see some people who you can learn from on how to be more efficient or you can watch someone who will show you how to be inefficient. You can witness the company’s best networking employee who knows the right people to talk too and see the person who doesn’t talk to anyone and who will never  get ahead. We are completely influenced constantly by our environment.

What does this have to do with my pursuit as a career actor? Well my reality check made me analyze what I am currently doing. I work. I hope for auditions and I write about topics I feel passionate about, as well as my road to acting. What I am missing is putting myself in the right influential environment to help me hone my skills and learn from the success and failures of others as well as my own. I need to surround myself in the acting community and remember the lessons I have been living by.

I have written about networking and how I am adept in my corporate life and yet it hasn’t translated to my career path. Now I know why. I need to network by placing myself in the right surroundings to learn from and talk to others on the same path as myself. It is egotistical and petty to say I have talent and could be doing things better than other people out there. What good is talent if you do not put yourself in a position to attempt to not only use your talent, but develop and perfect aspects where you are weak? I know I have tons of weaknesses and now I know what road I need to travel to improve myself not only in acting but as a person.

This blog today isn’t just about me. It isn’t just my story. Anyone can use this method to improve their lives and develop to their maximum potential. If you are a teacher, there are workshops. If you are a stockbroker, there are motivational and professional conferences consistently all over. If you want to be better or learn more about something that you are passionate about, you need to take action and surround yourselves with the same like-minded people who have the same drive as you do. Regardless what walk of life you are from or where you want to be, remember, you are not alone. Somewhere close by there is someone who can relate and is eager to take action. Feed off each other. Empower each other.

As for me, I have a long overdue appointment at a local acting school. Time to practice what I preach. Think I need another glass of milk for this huge piece of humble pie.

Tonight I make my television series debut as Billy the Cop in the episode Training Day on the show Blue Mountain State. The last time I was on television in a movie of the week, I didn’t even bother watching as I played a security guard and I had no lines. At least this time I have some interaction.

This show was a great experience. Ed Marinaro came up and introduced himself to me. I grew up watching Hill Street Blues and Officer Joe Coffey. He said “Hi my name is Ed.” And I said “Yeah I know, Ed Marinaro.” He was taken aback. But not as much as he was when I told him I was a huge Hill Street Blues fan. At this point I met one of the stars of the show Darin Brooks who plays Alex and Romanski who plays his best friend Sammy but is also one of the show’s producers, writers and co-creator. These are very friendly, down to earth people who enjoy what they do. They were very polite and fun to work with. Later that day I met the beautiful Denise Richards and the show’s other star Alan Ritchson who plays the hilarious Thad Castle. Once again, great people to talk too.

Here is a very funny story about Denise Richards. Once I was on set I sent a text to one of my close friends telling him I just saw Denise. He had asked me to let him know. I would only know later why. About 10 minutes later my friend replies telling me he Tweeted Ms. Richards telling her she was on set with his friend Weston who was playing the cop and could she please sign an autograph for his two daughters. Not sure how many of you know this, but Denise Richards has over 2 million followers on Twitter. Yet she still took the time to reply to my friend that it would be her pleasure. At this point I was pretty annoyed. I actually responded to my friend saying “Hey James. Can you get me your secretary’s autograph or your bosses?”. I guess it made me feel uncomfortable because I just wanted to feel like I was at work with a coworker and not with someone famous who brings up images of Wild Things and Starship Troopers.

Needless to say I stepped outside in full costume and out comes Ms. Richards from her trailer. She asked me if I was Weston. I said I was and she said “Your friend..” and I said “I know. I’m so sorry. I feel so embarrassed.” She asked me why and said it was her pleasure. This is a great woman. She always had a smile on her face and was extremely polite and cordial regardless of what was going on. She even took it a step further and asked for 8×10 headshots to sign. I do not think she knows how much hassle they went through to get those pictures. Eventually 911’ing them to a print shop in town. But a pure pleasure to talk to as was everyone on set.

The day of filming was long and sometimes tedious but the cast took it in stride and kept the mood light. Upon wrapping everyone present took the time to say thank you and take care. Romanski actually took the time to ask me how my day was and thank me for my time. Denise also stopped me to remind me that she had the autographs in her trailer.

That was just day 1. Day 2 was just as good and I will tell you more about that day later.

So tune in to Blue Mountain State on Spike at 11pm for the episode Training Day. If you miss you can always watch it online at www.spike.com.

If only all my days on a set could be this pleasant, I would live a simply charmed and blessed life.

First published on Technorati as http://technorati.com/entertainment/film/article/the-thing-about-the-thing/

One of my all-time favorite, classic horror films has been remade and is being released this upcoming Friday, October 14th. This movie would be The Thing.

Before you go and see this film you must see the original remake. Yes. I wrote the original remake and not the actual original which was The Thing from another world. I am talking about John Carpenter’s The Thing. Coincidentally you can see clicks of the original in the film Halloween as Jamie Lee Curtis is babysitting but I digress. First of all you should be jumping on Netflix now to see if they offer this film or running to the video store which some people, (like yours truly), still do. Just seeing the name John Carpenter should get your ass in gear.

This 1982 classic from the “Master of Horror” is a must see. This film is straight up adrenaline and testosterone. There are no distracting females or sex appeal. This film draws on its great premise and extremely strong cast. To this day I believe this is one of the greatest horror films ever made. I’m just sad they remade it. So before you go see this installment of a classic film let me tell you why to see the original.

The story is set in a remote U.S. arctic outpost. A team of scientists are conducting some sort of research up there when a helicopter is heard flying and then the sound of gunshots ring out setting the team on high alert. Everyone heads outside to see what is going on and we see the helicopter is hunting a dog which is running through the snow trying to escape the hunters. The dog makes it to the base and the helicopter lands spilling out two Norwegian’s who ignore the warnings of the team and continue to attempt to kill the dog eventually shooting one of the US crew.

Once the situation is settled (And that means two dead Norwegians) the team decides to head to the Norwegians base known to be located not too far from their position. And this is where the film really takes off as they discover an alien ship which has been buried in the ice for 100 000 years.

If you haven’t seen the film then this is a *SPOLILER ALERT*. Upon returning to the base they discover the aliens from the ship were not dead and they have the uncanny ability to take form of humans and even act as if they are the exact same person you knew for all those years. Remember that dog?

This film is a cerebral masterpiece. No one trusts anyone because everyone is trying to figure out who is one of those aliens. Even worse everyone is trying to figure out how many of them have been infected. The tension is palpable and the direction of Carpenter really keeps you on your toes.

The cast is a fantastic ensemble led by Kurt Russell sporting one big ass beard. Great character name as well (R.J. MacReady). Another great performance is by Keith David who if you see him you know who he is and have seen a movie he is in. He always turns in a great performance and he has a really cool voice (voice of Goliath in Gargoyles).

Add a little Wilford Brimley as the psycho scientist, Richard Dysart as the hippie doctor(with an earring no less), Donald Moffat as the trigger happy camp leader and a great job by Thomas Waites as Windows the paranoid freak and you have one of the best horror movies of the modern era.

This is the way horror films should be made. Without the loud music to make you jump or the cheap foreshadowing parlor tricks to get your anxiety up. Use a good musical score and a wonderful cast with a good script and you have magic.

If you have any intention of seeing The Thing this Friday then please watch John Carpenter’s The Thing as well. After 29 years, I’m sure you will agree it holds up well.