FILM REVIEW: The Northman
Whilst I was amused by The Northman, this film was disheartening. It is not the grim-dark adrenaline rush I was hoping for. Nor was it the lush period piece I would have liked.
Read MoreConan the Barbarian at 40
I loved the movie then, and I love it now, 40 years after its release on this week in 1982. Time has not dimmed its power, nor my enthusiasm, for the original Conan the Barbarian.
Read MoreREVIEW: The Northman
There simply isn't any other film like The Northman. It's part historic drama and part sword and sorcery... with a strong dose of gritty revenge thrown in. We've been fed many great films that capture the essential qualities of these genres, but there hasn't been a film that succeeds equally in each.
Read MoreWhispers of Deceits and Obsessions in H. P. Lovecraft’s The Whisperer in Darkness and the HPLHS motion picture The Whisperer in Darkness: a Twofold Review
The general aim of this article will be to compare those two pieces, especially by looking at how they both employ themes of deception, obsession, and forbidden knowledge (or knowledge accompanied by falsehood and/or menace).
Read MoreH. P. Lovecraft's “The Call of Cthulhu” and the HPLHS Adaptation The Call of Cthulhu: a Review and Comparison
Although there are some discrepancies between the HPLHS movie and the Lovecraft short story on which the movie is based, the HPLHS film does retain a high level of respect and faithfulness to Lovecraft’s “The Call of Cthulhu.”
Read MoreLooking at H. P. Lovecraft’s "The Colour out of Space" and Richard Stanley’s Color Out of Space; a Review
Let us not forget that it shows very poor taste to ladle out an adaptation that exhibits a plethora of uninteresting alterations. To make this adaption terribly dissimilar from the original Lovecraft story, such adulteration could be considered bad form. Not every movie from long ago was perfect, but greater disillusionment and disappointment is to be expected from movies these days.
Read MoreExcalibur Exegesis
This film, when I saw it in the theatre in 1981, had and still does have a great impact on me. In this brief essay I’d like to explain why. I write only on the basis of my own impressions. I have never listened to director John Boorman’s commentary; nor have I studied any other. This is Excalibur in the eye of the beholder.
Read MoreThe Sword and the Sorcerer
My favourite S&S movie is 1982’s The Sword and the Sorcerer, which was released just one month before that other S&S epic Conan the Barbarian. It has heart, a sense of humour and it goes all out to tell a fun, bloody and swashbuckling good tale.
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