R.I.P. Roger Moore

He was never my favorite Bond, but it's difficult to deny his charm.  Though it often ranks as one of the lesser Bond films, I'll always admit The Man With the Golden Gun as a guilty pleasure.  I know what I'm watching tonight.

R.I.P. Kenny Baker

Kenny Baker, known to many as the fellow inside of R2 D2 in the star wars films has died at the age of 81.  However, I don't think of him as R2 D2 as much as I think of him as Fidgit from Time Bandits (front row: Second from left).  I remember my parents taking me to see that film in the theater in 1981, and it's still a favorite of mine.  With him gone, only two of the bandits remain, Malcolm Dixon, who played Strutter (second row: left) and Mike Edmonds, who played Og (front row: left)

What's in the flask, Egg? Magic potion?

Thirty years ago today Big Trouble in Little China was released.  Sadly, it didn't do as well as John Carpenter had hoped.  Of course that was the same summer that Aliens came out, and that was a bit tough to compete with.  It's still one of my favorite films, but then I can see things no one else can see.  Why are you dressed like that? ;-)

More Conan the Barbarian (1982) Trivia

Last night while I was straightening out my games shelf, I had the first episode of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys running on Netflix.  At 11 minutes and 01 second in (33 minutes and 22 seconds left), this shot appeared as the exterior of a tavern where Iolaus is arguing with a villager who came to seek the help of Hercules.

A tavern exterior in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

There was something very familiar about that exterior, and I paused the show and stared at the screen for a few moments.  Then it hit me.  I loaded up Conan the Barbarian (1982) to confirm, and sure enough it was the exterior of the witch's hut!

The Witch's Hut in Conan the Barbarian

I think it's kind of cool that they slipped something like that in there, since Hercules:  The Legendary Journeys really was more sword & sorcery than Greek mythology.  Less interesting then Conan's father's sword, but still neat.

Suffer No Guilt Yee Who Wield This In the Name of Crom

Holy crap it actually does say that. I've been watching the 1982 Conan the Barbarian film at least twice a year for the last 34 years, and until I flipped the frame, I never realized what the runes on Conan's father sword said (or in fact that they said anything at all).  SUFFER NO GUILT YEE WHO WIELD THIS IN THE NAME OF CROM.  It's nice to find that I can still be surprised. :-)

I've stared at those runes for many years an never got it.  I'm really impressed that they thought to put this kind of detail into the film.  Just one more reason that Conan the Barbarian remains my favorite S&S film of all time.  I really can't wait for the Modiphius Conan RPG.  Crom!

R.I.P. Angus Scrimm

Fist Lemmy and now the Tall Man...

Actor Angus Scrimm, probably best know for his role as the Tall man in Don Coscarelli's Phantasm series, has died at the age of 89.  :-(
I've always been a big fan of the Phantasm series.  I know that the films don't make whole lot of sense, but I've always found the weird dreamlike sense of the first one to be quite compelling.  I wonder what if any effect with will have on the release of the final film in the series.  I guess I know what I'm watching tonight.

Some Film Inspiration for your Dungeon Crawling Enjoyment

Several years ago, I came across a lesser known German horror film from 1967 luridly entitled The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism.  As it starred Christoper Lee, and as I am a notorious sucker for bad horror flicks, I was of course obliged to watch it.  While the film falls squarely into the realm of gothic horror, I found that it provides great dungeon crawl inspiration as well.  Let's start with the characters who feel almost as if they were rolled up from a Dungeon Crawl Classics zero level table.  We have a Nobleman, a music teacher, a priest/highwayman, and a serving girl.  These three embark upon an overland journey by carriage to a mysterious castle which is said to be ruined, and about which the locals refuse to speak.  Their journey takes them through a phantasmagoric landscape of blood red skies and a forest where human limbs sprout from the trees, and dead bodies line the roadway.  Upon arriving at the castle they find that much like many classic dungeons, it turns out to be a ruin where only the dungeons below remain.  Descending into the dungeon, the heroes find themselves in a maze of twisting passages filled with secret door and falling portcullises.  Disturbing frescoes festoon the walls, and skulls abound.  The characters are obliged to explore this underworld by torchlight and encounter things like huge buzzards, a zombie, and an axe wielding vampire along with a multitude of deadly traps.  A pit trap opens beneath one of the daring explorers.  A sleep gas trap knocks a character out.  A retracting walkway threatens to drop one of the characters into a pit filled with poisonous serpents.  Now all of these things don't make for a great movie, and the ending is a bit unsatisfying, but the set design is great and it really got me in the mood to do some dungeon designing.  For those interested in checking it out, the film is currently available on Amazon Video, and it's free to Amazon Prime members.

Mad Max: Fury Road

So I finally got around to seeing Mad Max: Fury Road, and I have to say that I was extremely impressed.  I think that George Miller did a wonderful job in setting up a story that was less of a reboot and more of another chapter in Max's history.  It required no knowledge of the previous films to be able to enjoy it, while at the same time containing enough references to those films to keep the long time fans happy.  I will admit that I was a bit skeptical of a new mad max film after 30 years, and even with all of the great reviews I had my doubts that a film which was essentially a two hour chase scene could really be successful.  To my surprise and delight though, Miller managed to maintain an almost constant edge of your seat tension throughout the film.  The special effects were extremely impressive and the set design and art direction created a wonderfully visceral post-apocalyptic world.  I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys action films.  It is well worth the price of admission and definitely a film that should be seen on the big screen.  Plus, those old ladies kicked ass. :-)

Rest in Peace Ray Harryhausen

Ray Harryhausen has died at the age of 92. :-(

Phantasm Friday

"This won't hurt a bit.  Well, maybe just a little bit."  Rounding out Phantasm Friday with the last (so far) installment.  Reggie is back in his ice cream delivery uniform and Mike makes a bomb out of a car...or something.

Phantasm Friday

"It's never over..."

The Tall man is back, and so is the original Mike.  A reunion of the original cast that makes no more or less sense than any of the other films in the series.  I love it. :-)

Phantasm Friday

"You think when you die you go to heaven.  You come to us!"

Phantasm on a big budget with a chainsaw fight.

Phantasm Friday

So, it's October, which mean Halloween is near, and for me, Halloween has always been about horror movies.  This month, I have decided to revisit Don Coscarelli's Phantasm series.  I'll be watching a different one each Friday, starting tonight with the best of the four, the original Phantasm.

I'm not going to bother reviewing it.  It doesn't make much sense, and maybe that's why I like it so much.  Zombie space dwarves, an ice cream truck, a 1971 Barracuda, and of course Angus Scrimm as The Tall Man.