After I read Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy, it was easier to see places where George Lucas stitched together Star Wars. A lot of Asimov mixed with Kurosawa’s Hidden Fortress, dashes of his hotrod enthusiasm, some fragrances of sci-fi serials, and a watering down of what was originally a Vietnam War parable (hint: the Americans were not the Rebel Alliance). Reading The Prose Edda did a similar thing for Lord of the Rings. It not only has a flood and an ark tale, but also lists of dwarves, including one named Gandalf, giant eagles, ancient important trees, a magical ring story, etc. And more obviously you get large chunks of the Thor and Loki stories, two characters reaching newfound heights of glory over the last decade or so.
Reading the Fangoria archives is a blast for a lot of reasons. One is discovering movies I forgot about or missed altogether. Saturn 3 is one such film, though after a featured behind-the-scenes article it was later chosen by readers as one of the worst films of the year. The making of it is the basis for screenwriter Martin Amis’s novel Money. An insane amount of talent assembled for a campy sci-fi romp. I didn’t hate it, even with Harvey Keitel overdubbed with a British accent.
Another find from a Fango dig and also an insane gathering of talent. An animal attack movie would be hard enough to direct, but to also toss in actors known for being everything from prickly to insane into multiple scenes together seems wild–maybe one of the reasons Tobe Hooper left the film early on. Supposedly Kinski turned down Raiders of the Lost Ark because Venom paid more. Wow. More of a suspense film than a natural horror film and surprisingly enjoyable. They go full stage-ham on the death scenes!
I’ve got a review for the new doc on Stephen King adaptations over at Horror DNA.
A new playlist awaits over at Tidal: McClurg’s Musicalia #36: The Hot Lunch Line.
Stephen McClurg 