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| "Weakest
of all Depp/Burton Collaborations"
Movie
Review: Dark Shadows (2012)
Posted By: Gregmo Roberts
As only a casual witness to the 1966 low budget television
series Dark Shadows, I was neither excited nor possessive
when collaborators Johnny Depp and Tim Burton announced
plans to resurrect the series into a full length feature
film. After all, I could barely remember what the original
Barnabas Collins looked like as played by Jonathan Frid
for 594 individual episodes. And although I have enjoyed
the majority of Depp and Burton efforts, I did think
their last few efforts (namely Willy Wonka and the Chocolate
Factory and Alice in Wonderland) were just average entries
in a padded resume. So you could say that I went into
the 2012 edition of Dark Shadows without expectations
or a hardened stance on the sanctity of the Dan Curtis
created series that ran from 1966 through 1971.
Still, with my disclaimer affirmed as my safety net,
I was still a tad disappointed when the first trailer
for Burton’s Dark Shadows suggested that the film
would be of the comedic nature rather than a dark and
fantastical vampire film... |
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| Exclusive
Article
Horror
Games and Film: An Undeniable Connection
Posted By: Johnny Wayne
Once in a while, we all want a good scare. For most,
this scare comes from film. For others however, we get
our horror fix from within the medium of gaming.
Why? Simple- the act of controlling a character stuck
within an environment creates an intimate atmosphere
that is often unrivaled. Now, I’m no movie expert.
I’ve never claimed to be, nor attempted to be.
But, I do know what “moves me” when it comes
to horror. Furthermore, this is obviously not to say
that horror films cannot create this same feeling--
a good director will have patrons replaying nightmares
for weeks on end- whether they control the action or
not.
With that said, it seems clear that there are several
aspects within the horror genre which work to spark
emotion – all of which can either be done very
well, or simply fail when it comes to evoking emotion... |
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| "Better
than 2012 and Transformers: Dark fo the Moon"
Movie
Review: Battleship (2012)
Posted By: Gregmo Roberts
In a summer filled with sequels (The Dark Knight Rises,
American Reunion) and reboots (The Amazing Spider-Man,
Total Recall) it should be refreshing that a big budget
action film is being released that doesn’t have
a number or Roman Numeral at the end of its title. Should
be.
This week sees the release of Peter Berg’s Battleship,
a big budget (and by ‘BIG’ we mean $250+
million) CGI-fest that was released last month in Europe
and Asia and finally gets the North American premiere
treatment on May 18th.
Loosely based on the Hasbro game of the same name,
Battleship stars Liam Neeson, Taylor Kitsch, Alexander
Skarsgård and Rhianna in an action packed story
about a fleet of naval warships who happen across an
alien fleet while out on a Naval war exercise... |
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| Exclusive
Article
Top
Ten Most Overrated Horror Films
Posted By: Gregmo Roberts
Compiling a list of the Most Overrated Horror Movies
and posting them on a horror-centric website is like
walking into a lion’s den and tickling the pride
with blood soaked ostrich feathers. Fans of the genre
are rabid die-hards that froth at the mouth with any
suggestion that a familiar film could be dissed and
disregarded with a classification such as ‘overrated’.
Yet, here we are with a presented list of 10 of what
we consider to be the Most Overrated Horror Films of
All-Time. We expect to rattle some cages and ruffle
some feathers and will immediately go into the Witness
Protection Program at the moment of upload. But that
won’t sway our opinion. The list is firm in our
views and it’s time genre fans stopped throwing
palm leaves in front of their titles and come to grips
with the overriding fact that they are merely tolerable
diversions in a genre that deserves better representation. |
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| Check
Out the Brand New KR Video Game Podcast!
Silent
Hill: Downpour / The Witcher 2 / Final Fantasy 13 /
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Posted By: Butcher
In this episode Gregg, Xander and Mallory introduce
the show and explain why the world just might need another
video game podcast. Hosts discuss their gaming history
and some of their all time favorite games. In What You've
Been Playing hosts discuss: Silent Hill: Downpour, The
Witcher 2, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, Skyrim, Final
Fantasy 13, Alan Wake, SAW The Game, Shank 2, Fallout
3, Altered Beast, Simpson's Arcade Game and more! |
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| Check
this Out!!!
Video
Violence T-Shirts Now On Sale
Posted By: Butcher
Hey all you videovores! Show your love of SOV with
the new Video Violence T-shirts from Camp Motion Pictures’
Retro ‘80s Collection!
These pre-shrunk 100% cotton black shirts feature the
original VHS art for Gary Cohen’s gore-soaked
classic in black, white and red print for 100% analog
awesomeness.
All sizes available, evn 3X. Click HERE
for large sizes! |
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| "Most
Fun I've Had This Year"
Movie
Review: The Avengers (2012)
Posted By: Gregmo Roberts
A film such as The Avengers is not supposed to work.
First off, it’s an ensemble piece. An ensemble
piece that has established characters each with their
own specific fan base. There are Iron Man fans and there
are Thor fans and there are Hulk fans. But they might
not necessarily be the same fan. Attempting to put multiple
iconic characters into the same two hour movie and give
each one of them enough screen or quality time to keep
the base happy would seem almost impossible.
Bryan Singers’ X-Men was able to do it. But he
knew that no matter what, Wolverine was ‘the’
guy and that he should be put front and center at every
availability.
But The Avengers? They have Iron Man (Robert Downey
Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris
Evans), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Black Widow (Scarlett
Johansson), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Hawkeye (Jeremy
Renner). How the hell was writer/director Joss Whedon
going to get all these characters enough face time so
that no one felt cheated? |
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| The
Killer Reviews Podcast
Episode
#116: Apollo 18 - It's Sorta Like Dark Souls...
Posted By: Butcher
Gregmo, Butcher and Brain Chomper are back for yet
another zany episode of the KR podcast. Topics of discussion
include: Butcher’s obsession with the video game
Dark Souls and why it's amazing, updates from BC on
his new metal detector, Jimmy Fallon’s journey
to the deepest part of the ocean, Buffy the Vampire
Slayer television series, the upcoming indie film "I’ll
Slaughter Your Daughter", why we can't discuss
The Cabin in the Woods and a crap load of Avengers discussion!
What You’ve Been Watching: Mirror
Mirror, Titanic 3D, Intruder (Synapse), Apollo 18, Special
When Lit: A Pinball Documentary, Sleeping Beauty (Emily
Browning), The Monster that Challenged the World, War
of the Worlds (1953), Creature from the Black Lagoon,
Twilight Zone TV Series, Spartacus (Starz) and More! |
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| All
My Heroes Wear Masks Podcast
100th
Episode Celebration with Freddy vs Jason Commentary
Posted By: Butcher
This one turned epic in size mostly because of all
the alcohol consumption. So if you haven't been paying
attention the subject at hand for the celebration is
a Freddy vs Jason commentary complete with some drinking
rules. We also pull in some listeners to get wasted
with us. The listeners that joined were Johnny Wayne,
Stan, and Jake The Snake. Im pretty sure Jake redefined
the term "f*cked up". So download this episode,
listen to the opening, then sync the commentary up and
enjoy.
Music in this show is all from the Freddy vs Jason
soundtrack which is a hell of a soundtrack. One of the
best in my opinion. So feedback comes from Newty, Metal
Mikey, Jake, Baby Kisser, DawnKatDead, Imperium Rex,
Video Boy, Travis, Lurtz, and Creepy Craig. We also
have to give a big shout out to Lurtz for taking the
time to pull some clips for us. You can find those sprinkled
through out the episode. |
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| Heads
Up!
Tim
Burton Collection Comes To Blu-Ray
Posted By: Gregmo Roberts
I don’t know if I can sit through a marathon
of Tim Burton films. No denying his movies are incredibly
visual. They have a style all to themselves and you
can easily identify one of Burton’s films after
just a few seconds of footage. But can I watch more
than 3 Burton films in one sitting? Well, I guess I
will find out.
On May 1st, Amazon will be shilling The Tim Burton
Collection on blu-ray. The collection includes seven
works from Burton including Pee Wee’s Big Adventures,
Beetlejuice, Batman, Batman Returns, Mars Attacks!,
Corpse Bride and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
–What? No Edward Scissorhands?...
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| Heads
Up!
Zombies
Take New York in Night of the Living Dead: Origins 3D
Posted By: Gregmo Roberts
It looks like zombies aren’t going away anytime
soon. Well, zombie movies that is.
Meyers Media Group have announced that they will pick
up the international rights to Night of the Living Dead:
Origins 3D. Origins is directed by Zebediah De Soto
and is in production now via Simon West Productions.
The film is written by Zebediah De Soto and stars Danielle
Harris (Halloween V), Tom Sizemore (The Relic) and Tony
Todd (Candyman, Final Destination 5).
The film has your average zombie plot – New York
has been overrun by zombies and those surviving humans
(which include Harris and Todd) attempt to escape the
cities hordes of walking dead. Bill Moseley (The Devil’s
Rejects) and Joe Pilato have also joined the cast...
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| Featured
Review
Corman's
World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel
Posted By: Gregmo Roberts
Roger Corman is a fascinating fellow. Born on April
5, 1926, Corman became a screenwriter in 1956 for The
House and the Sea (released as Highway Dragnet), before
using his own money to become a producer with Monster
Maker in 1954. Today, imdb.com lists his producer credits
at over 400 films and big A-List directors (Martin Scorsese,
Ron Howard) and actors (Jack Nicholson, Robert DeNiro)
lay down the proverbial palm leaves in praise in his
efforts in Alex Stapleton’s documentary Corman’s
World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel.
The documentary is simple in presentation. We get a
little glimpse into Corman’s early life and career
and then we dive heavily into Corman’s cheap,
down and dirty producing and directing of the B-Films
that will eventually nab him a Lifetime Achievement
Academy Award in 2009...
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| Exclusive
Interview
With
The Writer of "The Fields" Harrison Smith
Posted By: Xander Kane
I have had the great opportunity to talk with Harrison
Smith multiple times via Twitter. Harrison has written
the upcoming film The Fields starring Cloris Leachman
and Tara Reid. The film is set for release on April
24 of this year and is available for pre order at Amazon.
After reading about it and watching the trailer I was
excited to find out more. The end result is the following
and I would like to thank Harrison for his time and
patience for this interview. I Hope the KR readers enjoy!
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| Featured
Blog
Zombies!
Zombies! Zombies!
Posted By: Gregory Lamberson
It may be hard to believe today, but just a few decades
ago, zombies were the low dead men on the horror pantheon
totem pole. In the mid-1970s, as I delved into horror
history via monster magazines and picture books, I was
really only aware of two types of zombies: the Haitian
voodoo zombies of I Walked with a Zombie, White Zombie,
one of the few truly frightening episodes of Kolchak:
The Night Stalker, and Marvel Comics’ black and
white magazine, Tales of the Zombie (another traditional
voodoo zombie); and then there were the flesh eating
ghouls of George Romero’s Night of the Living
Dead. When you break it down, everything was pre-Night
and post-Night.
Over the years, Romero has admitted to basing a good
deal of Night on Richard Matheson's amazing vampire
novel I Am Legend, which has come to be regarded as
the seminal zombie novel. If you watch The Omega Man,
which I dearly love, or the Wil Smith I Am Legend, it
might be hard to see the influence; but check out Vincent
Price as The Last Man on Earth and you'll get it...
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| Featured
Blog
Top
10 Modern Day Exploitation Films
Posted By: Uncle Frank
Back when these movies were being made as authentic
pieces of cinema, they used to have little or no care
at all about he actual movie itself. They would usually
come up with the title and marketing before they even
had a story let alone the movie being filmed. Profit
reigned supreme and what better way to make a quick
buck than to make shocking story’s with loads
of nudity and violence. American grind house theatres
would regularly have double features. The term grind
house actually comes from grinding out the movies as
fast as possible.
Fast forward to the future and you will find many movies
paying homage to that wild time in film history. Directors
like Quinton Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez may have
sparked the flame for many modern exploitation films,
but they never really stopped being made. As long as
you have people making movies with a passion for over
the top sex, violence, and sensationalism, I don’t
see them fading away anytime soon...
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| "One
of the Best Films of the Year"
Movie
Review: The Cabin in the Woods
Posted By: Gregmo Roberts
For those of you that have long lamented that the horror
film genre has been in an extended rut and that Hollywood
has not produced a single original piece of original
storytelling outside of the odd Inception, I enter into
Kangaroo Court with Exhibit A: The Cabin in the Woods.
Long gestating on the shelves of the bankrupt MGM Studios,
The Cabin in the Woods comes courtesy of writers Joss
Whedon and Drew Goddard with Goddard also taking on
directing duties. Goddard is most known for his writing
of TV’s Lost and Alias coupled with a screenplay
credit for the monster film Cloverfield. Whedon is a
geek-god who was responsible for TV’s Buffy the
Vampire Slayer and is Loki deep in his directing effort
of The Avengers due out later this spring. Their collaboration
here in The Cabin in the Woods is a dream team that
executes their understanding and appreciation for the
horror genre with the precision of a brain surgeon... |
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| The
Killer Reviews Podcast
Movies
Discussed: American Reunion, In Time, The Human Centipede
2, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Corman's World and More!
Posted By: Butcher
In this chilled episode Butcher and BC catch up after
a five week hiatus. The boys discuss Easter weekend,
Butcher’s ongoing gaming addiction, Halloween
3 news, trailer impressions for the upcoming Dark Shadows
film and BC’s recent purchase of a $200 metal
detector. Hosts also run through an extended edition
of Mail Casket.
What You’ve Been Watching: American
Reunion, In Time, The Human Centipede 2, Martha Marcy
May Marlene, Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood
Rebel, The Snowtown Murders, Chasing Ghosts, License
to Drive, Extreme Prejudice, Lucas, The Day Time Ended,
Midnight Cowboy, Breakfast at Tiffany's and the Twilight
Zone TV series. |
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| Featured
Book Review
Book
Review: Spartacus Swords and Ashes
Posted By: Gregmo Roberts
It’s an original novel, but I will lay good Capuan
coin that anyone who picks up J.M. Clements’ novel
Spartacus: Swords and Ashes will already be fans of
the Starz television program that just recently finished
up its third season.
This is not to suggest that you would require familiarity
with the television characters to enjoy the blood and
sex soaked three hundred and thirty one pages of Swords
and Ashes. But anyone that has had the pleasure in experiencing
the show (in particular, the first season titled Blood
and Sand) will know how addictive and cut throat (literally)
each of the characters can be and how involved you will
become in each of their natures... |
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| Featured
Movie Review
Movie
Review: Titanic 3D
Posted By: Gregmo Roberts
Just the whisper of the words “3D Conversion”
is enough to source massive groans of disapproval. Leading
the charge of our condemnation were Clash of the Titans
and The Last Airbender. Both films were released in
2010 and both were converted to 3D as their respective
studios opted to jump on the format bandwagon to inflate
box office dollars. Critically, the films were maligned.
And worse still, audiences flocked opening week-end
only to leave the theatre with a distaste for the unnecessary
and unworthy 3D effects.
We can all thank James Cameron for the failed effort.
His release of Avatar in late 2009 in 3D set the stage.
The film about a bunch of blue aliens was shot in 3D
using new technology and now boasts the record of the
biggest box office haul of any film – ever. Of
course the simple minded studio heads would want to
duplicate the magic. To find some coin left in the Cameron
pot of gold. So they began the effort of reviewing existing
post-production films and converting them to a third
dimension...
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| Heads
Up!
Silent
Night, Deadly Night To Be Rebooted By Anchor Bay
Posted By: Gregmo Roberts
To reboot or not to reboot? That is no longer the question.
If anyone is surprised at what the Hollywood machine
is rechurning then they are not paying attention. Hollywood,
long void of original ideas outside of a Fincher or
Nolan is continuing its assault on the 1980’s
and 90’s and rebooting anything that made at least
$1 at the box office.
The latest example comes courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment.
They have announced that they are looking to reboot
the horror film Silent Night, Deadly Night that stars
a murderous Santa...
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| The
Killer Reviews Podcast
Episode
#114: Alternative Cinema Special
Posted By: Butcher
Butcher sits down with Pop Cinema owner and indie film
enthusiast Michael Raso, along with John Fedele and
William Hellfire, co-hosts of the Alternative Cinema
podcast. The boys take us through the history of Pop
Cinema, discuss some behind the scenes highlights from
their most successful films, share filmmaking stories
from the trenches, what it was like working with their
gorgeous leading ladies, poop stories, boners and we
even touch upon Hellfire’s controversial film
‘Duck! The Carbine Massacre’. |
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| Exclusive
Game Review
Resident
Evil: Operation Raccoon City. A Detour Worth the Time?
Posted By: Johnny wayne
As many will already know, Capcom decided to take a
bit of a detour with their latest installment in the
Resident Evil series. It is very safe to say that because
of the survival horror background established by this
game’s history, RE: Operation Raccoon City is
not the kind of game long-time fans of the series were
expecting. This title takes a break from what has been
done in the series’ past and attempts to fuse
together the elements and mythology of Resident Evil
within the realm of a squad-based shooter. To do so
they enrolled the help of Slant Six Games, the development
team responsible for multiple ‘SOCOM’ titles.
However, for those considering the purchase of this
title, let’s explore whether or not the squad-shooter
succeeds within the realm of Resident Evil.
It’s been a few years since gamers last stepped
foot into Raccoon City. This time around, the tables
have turned, as instead of battling Umbrella, players
take to the streets as members of this infamous organization...
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| "Heads
Up!"
Platinum
Dunes to Resurrect Halloween 3
Posted By: Gregmo Roberts
In news that is likely to send shivers down most of
our readers spines and have Homicide yelling profanities
loud enough to be heard on the East Coast, Bloody Disgusting
is reporting that Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes
is in talks with the Weinstein brothers to produce the
next Halloween film.
If you recall, The Weinstein Company took Halloween
3D off the release schedule thanks to having no cast,
no director, no green-lit script etc. But the Halloween
franchise is too lucrative to lay dormant so enter,
Platinum Dunes.
For those of you unaware of the fantastic quality output
produced by Platinum Dunes when it comes to horror,
let’s take a second and give you a quick recap.
They brought us the Academy Award snubbed The Amityville
Horror starring Ryan Reynolds... |
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| "Hollow
Action Film Betters Predecessor"
Movie
Review: Wrath of the Titans
Posted By: Gregmo Roberts
Here’s two things I know for certain –
I have never asked to be born to an Irish family of
heavy drinkers; and I never stormed the Hollywood studio
gates looking for a sequel to Clash of the Titans 2010
edition.
That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy Clash
of the Titans. Ok. I didn’t really. But it wasn’t
Pluto Nash awful. It was just a jumbled mess of a movie
that had no soul. It was literally dead inside.
Still the effects were great. And by ‘effects’
I mean the special effects not the converted 3D effects
to which the movie has been lambasted for sapping our
money. And I will admit that the odd time I have surfed
my television channels, I have stopped a few times to
watch a scene or two of the movie that I gave only 2
out of 5 stars just two years back. But eager for a
sequel? Nah, I would rather just drink with my drunken
relatives... |
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| Exclusive
Article!
Ranking
Arnold Schwarzenegger's Movies
Posted By: Gregmo Roberts
Arnie is back. Well, almost. He told us we would be.
Many times in many films. And now, back from his stint
as Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger is
going back behind the camera with a handful of new and
interesting projects that will put the 80’s and
90’s action hero back on the big screen. We looked
back on Arnie’s career and were instantly struck
by the realization that Schwarz was has 30 film credits
on his resume. Sure, 30 films might just be a month
of work for Nicholas Cage, but the number is still something
to marvel and worth the effort of a retrospective.
Killer Reviews decided then to take an in-depth look
at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s resume. We attempted
to screen each film again (where possible) for reference
and we compiled a list of the Top 30 Films in Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s career... |
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| Alternative
Cinema Podcast
Confessions
of a female pothead, LomoKino Dracula! '555', 'Trippin'
Movie Reviews and More!
Posted By: Michael Raso
The podcast for people who love cult, underground and
low-budget movies! Whether you’re a fan or filmmaker
the AC Podcast will always entertain while offering
filmmaking tips, gossip, reviews and loads more! Hosted
by filmmaker Michael Raso along with John Fedele, William
Hellfire and Actress/Model Erin Russ (star of Devil
Sister, Porkchop).
Episode 37 – Best Show Ever! Confessions of a
female pothead! LomoKino Dracula! “555”
and “Trippin” movie reviews! The Gang’s
all here – Michael, William, John and “The
Russ” – Erin Russ! |
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| "Chiller
TV's Best Original Production to Date"
Movie Review: Brian Keene's Ghoul
Posted By: Xander Kane
Brian Keene’s Ghoul has finally made it s way
to film. Keene has always been a favorite horror author
of mine, so I am super exited to watch this adaptation
of his work. First, a little background about the film:
Andrew van den Houten produced this film. His name is
notably recognized with many Lucky McKee projects (i.e.
The Woman and The Offspring). van den Houten is known
as a very notable producer ,and at a personal level,
is a producer who has created many of the films I enjoy.
So, based on the type of story contained within The
Ghoul, van den Houten's role seems to be a great marriage
of content and producer. Ghoul was made by Chiller films
and is set to debut April 13th on the Chiller network.
However, Killerreviews has been lucky enough to check
it out before most of the public!... |
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| Exclusive
Interview
Kristanna Loken Talks 'Awesomest Maximus', Uwe Boll
and More!
Posted By: Gavin Schmitt
The
Legend of Awesomest Maximus is now available on
DVD, Blu-ray and VOD.
Kristanna Loken is an American model and actress best
known for her roles as in Terminator 3: Rise of the
Machines, BloodRayne and Painkiller Jane. She is full-blooded
Norwegian and hails from New York, though her roots
are in Wisconsin, my home state of 31 years. I had the
distinct pleasure of briefly speaking with Kristanna
about her newest release, "Awesomest Maximus".
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