the words and worlds of John Robinson
In December 1997, in Nashville, TN (just down the road a ways from me), Opryland USA permanently closed. It was an amusement park which mainly operated in the warmer months, although it did host Christmas shows. The next spring and summer, vehicles full of families began arriving, completely ignorant of the fact the park had …
Back in 2010, Universal Pictures released, The Wolfman. It was a big budget remake of their 1941 monster classic, The Wolf Man (I don't know why the remake is one word, I just go with it). As directed by Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer, Jumanji, Captain America: The First Avenger), it was a fun, classy, souped up, atmospheric, …
Maybe its the bleakness November sometimes attains, with its rains, coldness, and, where I live, threat of snow flurries, that puts me in mind of the stark scenes peppered throughout a lot of fantasy genre films: shadowy forests, fog-shrouded mountains, foreboding ruins. Of course I'm going to end the penultimate month of the year with …
Continue reading "Movie of the Week: Conan the Barbarian (1982)"
I can't speak for the millions, or billions, of my fellow humans around the world who enjoy reading books and watching films and television shows about serial killers, or true crime in general, but I am fascinated by the criminal mind and abnormal psychology. Why would someone kill another human being in cold blood for …
Continue reading "Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders by Terry Sullivan and Peter T. Maiken"
“Deathstalker? Is that your first name or your last name?” If, by chance, you've been thinking of watching, or re-watching, the Deathstalker series of films, I wish to ask you why? Do you have a fever? Are you afflicted by the plague? If you insist on going through with this ludicrous, nonsensical quest, I suggest you …
There is a book I have learned about titled William S. Burroughs and the Cult of Rock 'n' Roll by Casey Rae. It delves into Burroughs' influence on a wide range of musical artists from David Bowie to Bob Dylan and Lou Reed, among others. Burroughs' works have not only influenced lyrical content, and how lyrics …
Continue reading "Literary Outlaw: The Life and Times of William S. Burroughs by Ted Morgan"
Queen Taramis, of Shadizar, longs to resurrect the god Dagoth. Lucky for her, her virgin niece, Princess Jehnna, is the one prophesied to do so. Jehnna must retrieve a mystical jewel from the wizard Thoth-Amon. The jewel, a large diamond, will reveal the location of Dagoth's lost gem-encrusted horn. The horn, once replaced on the …
We are chin deep into fall with winter knocking at the door. The days have shortened, the nights have lengthened, and cold winds are starting to blow. The proper cure for a season of discontent is to grab a good book, an epic story, and relax in the warm comfort of your home. Pretty much …
Realizing this is the 2011 movie with Jason Momoa in the title role, you may have already groaned and rolled your eyes so hard you have fallen out of your chair or nearly passed out. Or maybe you didn't, I don't know. Maybe you are like me, it's plausible, and are of the opinion that …
Continue reading "Movie of the Week: Conan the Barbarian (2011)"
"Barbarism is the natural state of mankind. Civilization is unnatural; it is a whim of circumstance... And barbarism must always ultimately triumph!" - Beyond the Black River For me, November is directly linked to sword-and-sorcery. Some people, when they think of Thanksgiving, they think of turkey, football, and family. Me, being the odd duck, I …
Continue reading "Book(s) of the Month, November: The Complete Original Conan Stories"
Curio Macabre 