Fantasy

1982 – Conan the Barbarian

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Conan the Barbarian
  • IMDb: link

Conan the Barbarian reviewToday’s Throwback Thursday takes us back to harsh lands of Cimmeria, the days of high adventure, and a barbarian known as Conan. On or around this date 37 years ago Arnold Schwarzenegger hit the big screen in the first of several iconic roles which would transform the former body builder into a movie star. Based on the character and stories created by Robert E. Howard, Conan the Barbarian offers an origin story for a barbarian thief raised in slavery and his quest to avenge the death of his parents by the wizard Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones).

More one-dimensional than his comic counterpart, this Conan lacks the wit found on the printed page as he stumbles through the various obstacles put in front of him. From his journey of slave, to gladiator, to wandering barbarian, Conan picks up companions in the beautiful Valeria (Sandahl Bergman), the wizard Akiro (Mako), and the archer Subotai (Gerry Lopez). The film is hardly the stuff of great cinema, and some of its elements and effects have aged better than others, but more than three decades later it still retains its charm (including Jones’ reptilian villain turn, some enjoyable action sequences, and the memorable score by Basil Poledouris).

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Red Sonja #4

/ / Comics

Red Sonja #4 comic reviewRed Sonja #4 opens with Red Sonja and her people on the run, chased by the war chariots of the Zamoran Empire nipping on their heels. With the help of the Brothers of Misfortune, Sonja sends most of the caravan on while laying a trap for the chariots.

Notching yet another unlikely victory, Sonja’s battle prowess only further angering Dragan The Magnificent who is far from pleased at learning the news of the latest defeat from those he expected to be easy pickings for his army.

The issue includes flashback to Sonja’s training years before where she learned some valuable wisdom in that, despite her experiences to that date, she may not always be the strongest warrior and one thing will always serve her in battle more than strength (even the strength of a She-Devil).

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Highlander – Free Fall

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Highlander – Free Fall
  • wiki: link

Highlander - Free Fall television review

Today’s Throwback Tuesday post takes us back to a man born in the Highlands of Scotland more than 400 years ago and a murderous game between sword-wielding immortals where there can be only one. Joan Jett guest-stars as an apparently new immortal with eyes for Richie (Stan Kirsch) and in need of a teacher. Although MacLeod (Adrian Paul) agrees to instruct her, neither he nor Tessa (Alexandra Vandernoot ever trust Felicia completely. With a looming immortal named Devereux (Eli Gabay) hunting her, “Free Fall” reveals in flashbacks the Felicia is actually hundreds of years old and her method for targeting other immortals is to insert herself into their lives to attack their loved ones. Devereux has good reason to want her dead (although her skill with a sword, even if it was marginally improved by MacLeod’s lessons makes it seem like she could have taken Devereux’s head at any point over the past two centuries).

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Hellboy

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Hellboy (2019)
  • IMDb: link

Hellboy movie reviewGuillermo del Toro‘s Hellboy was a flawed film whose biggest asset was the casting of Ron Perlman as the gruff Hell-spawn destined to end the world, but in the meantime work to fight off monsters and things that go bump in the night for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, originally created by comic writer-artist Mike Mignola. Fixing some of the mistakes from his original film, the director went back the drawing board delivering the superior Hellboy II: The Golden Army four years later, but for more than a decade the character has been confined to the comic page (and some straight-to-DVD animated releases).

Director Neil Marshall‘s reboot is a joyless exercise, despite some impressive (and almost always gory) visuals. David Harbour, now cast as the hard-drinking big red hero out to save the world, lacks Perlman’s charm that helped cut through the character’s dickish behavior. What’s so sad about the finished project is that there was obvious understanding and love for the character and universe Mignola created as screenwriter Andrew Cosby squeezes several well-known characters into the story including Nimue (Milla Jovovich), Baba Yaga (Troy James), and Benjamin Daimio (Daniel Dae Kim), among others.

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With One Magic Word… SHAZAM!

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: SHAZAM!
  • IMDb: link

SHAZAM! movie reviewOne thing people forget about DC’s Captain Marvel is just how big of a super-hero he was in the Golden Age of comics (arguably more popular than Superman for a time). Fast-forward several decades and the character’s name has changed, although I give credit to Henry Gayden‘s screenplay in purposely obscuring what he should be called in clever way to get around using a name the character can never utter aloud to introduce himself, but the core of the character remains the same (even if he’s a little rougher around the edges on-screen).

Our main character is orphaned teen Billy Batson (Asher Angel) who has been moved to a new foster home after running away yet again in a failed attempt to find his long-lost mother. The good-natured couple (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans) who take him in already have a cast of kids under their care including Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) who will become Billy’s closest friend and help him in exploring the powers gifted to Billy by the wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou).

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With One Magic Word… SHAZAM! Read More »