ALIEN: COVENANT (2017)

Once again we have a new ALIEN film and, as was true few years ago, I'm going to have to step out from the crowd and praise it. Yes that's right - I'm one of the folks who loved Prometheus - warts and all. Was it perfect? No. Was it extremely interesting and incredibly engaging and very entertaining? Yes. I can honestly say that all the things that people bitched about in 2012 did not matter to me in the slightest. In fact, after watching it several more times on Blu-Ray and seeing the deleted scenes I can say I like it more with each viewing.

So here we are again. This is Ridley Scott's second of what reports say will be a Trilogy of new Alien films set before the original 1979 classic. I should say up front that I am a huge fan of the Alien films.  All six of them. And by that that by that of course I mean that there are a couple that I consider to be pathetically risible. Those would be the two Alien vs Predator films which I consider to be cinematic abominations and totally without merit. They are garbage. But the first four Alien films I really enjoy to varying degrees. Of course, nothing is ever going to surpass the original.  It was groundbreaking in that it fashioned a new way of doing things melding an old style SF story with things no one had ever seen before courtesy of H/.R. Giger. There had never been anything quite like it and everything after that can only strive to be the classic that the 1979 film was and still is. But I have enjoyed the immediate three sequels to varying degrees and often for some of the same reasons that a lot of people dislike them. Suffice to say that I like most of the Alien movies, which probably puts me into a pretty small category of film fans.

But, to this new film, Alien: Covenant (2017). This seems to me to very plainly draw a line between Prometheus as prequel and Alien (1979) as the end point. In other words, the story is taking shape in a fascinating way. The melding of the idea of human progenitors/creators figures with the genesis of the large biomechanical weaponry system that is the Alien species is quite intriguing to me. The Alien movies have focused in various ways on the concept of either motherhood or the creation of life. When that became text instead of subtext in Prometheus I think it may have been one of the problems that kept audiences from relating to it as an 'Alien' film but that imagery and idea has been there from the beginning all the way down to calling the ship's computer Mother. But with this new film I think that the continuity of that idea over the films is now beginning to take shape in a way that - while it irritates a number of people - I find absolutely beguiling. Don't get me wrong - I find silly guesses about Chariots of the Gods style alien intervention and human life to be little more than amusing BS to talk about while drinking. But as presented in these films it's wonderful science fiction / fantasy. I love the idea that a race created us and then saw us (for some reason that is still undetermined or unrevealed) to be disappointing enough to deem us erasable.

Knowing that Prometheus and Alien: Covenant are films that are leading us in a straight line toward what we saw in the original film I'll have to admit I did not expect this second movie to take the turn that it did. I'll refrain from ruining the film or spoiling any of the neat surprises in the latter half of it, but suffice to say I think we can tell that the egg chamber and alien creature encountered in 1979 are not exactly what the aliens of Prometheus had in mind as the biological weapon that could remove us from our own planet. Interestingly enough it appears one of our own creations shaped that Beast into what it became. This points toward even more interesting mythological connections that could be explored in the third film if they so choose.

Of course, as with the release of every previous Alien film, this one comes with its own built-in criticism. In other words there's almost no one who's going to be pleased by this right now. The fact is that I'm one of only two or three people I've spoken with so far who really liked it. The rest I've heard from issue the usual disdain that centers around the fact that as an audience we know more than the characters onscreen. This allows viewers to sneer at actions "I would never do". Yeah - You already know there's a monster on the loose, dumbass. We get it! You know someone is lying. We know too. The characters don't.

I rarely do so but I'm thinking I need to see this one again before it leaves theaters. I want to soak in the visuals again, check out the details and wallow in the amazing mood the film sets. This is the first Alien film since the first to 'feel' like the original in tone and pacing. That alone makes it worth buying another ticket. 

Model Spotting at Wonderfest

Every year for more than a decade now I travel up to Louisville, Kentucky each Summer for Wonderfest. The show is primarily about modelling, sculpture and kit building usually of the science fiction or horror variety. I have never been much a model builder and my painting skills hover in the 'barely passable on a good day in weak light' so I don't go there to buy new projects. I go there to look at the cool stuff that people with real talent show off! And to see a lot of friends I only get to see once or twice a year. This time I took a number of cool photos of the stuff on display and now you can see them without following me on Facebook! Sorry that some of the pictures are less than perfect.

Trailers From Hell - BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES (1970)

Even though - as usual - Landis refers to the film as 'trash' he also evidences some real fondness for this 'fun' film. It's my favorite of the sequels. 

Beyond Naschy #21 - NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND DESIRES (1984)

Jess Franco's long list of credits is a nearly never ending fountain of delirious delights. Even for a dedicated fan there always seems to be a new experience just around the corner waiting to be discovered. And if those new experiences are sometimes strongly reminiscent of other Franco work, that is just part of the fun. Finding common themes, similar characters and shared motivations are part of the fascination of a Franco film with each element something to be studied and contemplated like a well cut gemstone. What is 'Irina' up to in this story? Is there a Dr. Orloff lurking behind an almost closed door, listening to secrets and making plans? Is the lovely Lorna helpful or harmful in this incarnation? Is that look from the mysterious stranger one of love, lust or disgust? Only time and Uncle Jess will tell. If we're lucky!

After far too long a break Troy and I slip back into our comfortable contemplative clothing and check out a bright, colorful descent into sex, murder and emotional trauma called NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND DESIRES (1984). Part of a very fertile career period but little seen outside of Spain until now, the film sports another in a long line of brave performances from Franco muse Lina Romay. She may spend most of the film nude but it's her character's dark path and sad emotional turmoil that'll keep your eyes glued to the screen. This is an exquisitely beautiful movie shot in languorous, carefully composed shots that draw you into the twisted tale of psychic visions and hidden drives. It's both delicate and vicious which is a difficult trick to pull off. This isn't an easy Franco film at times but for the initiated it's a significant addition to the cinematic portrait he painted all his life.

Comments and suggestions can be sent to naschycast@gmail.com in either typed or MP3 form. We'd love to hear from you! In fact, the mailbag makes a belated return to the show this time out and we even have a couple of gracious donations to thank kind listeners for.  If you would like to help us out there is a donate button on the right side of the blog page - feel free to click it and send a couple of bucks our way. Thank you for checking out the show!

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Reading John Carter of Mars

I have now read the last of Edgar Rice Burroughs Martian novels and it's been a long trip.

I read the first John Carter of Mars novel 'A Princess of Mars' at the age of 11 or 12 and now more than 35 years later I finally finished all 12 stories. If you've ever read one of these books you know they're very fast reads so why did it take me almost four decades to finish the entire run? Quite simply, I did not want it to end. I knew that once I finished the stories that Edgar Rice Burroughs had originally pinned between 1912 and 1943 I would be done with them which I considered a sad event. But I also knew that finishing them would free me up to be able to read some of the authorized continuations done by other writers. The various pastiches are a field of great interest to me and I have one collection of them called Under the Moons of Mars already in the To Read pile.

Another reason that I didn't finish the novels much faster than I should have is that I was trying to collect the entire run of 11 books from one particular printing - the printing that I bought when I was a youngster first discovering these pulp adventures. These are the Del Rey versions printed in 1979 or 1980. These had cover artwork by Michael Whelan and a more eye catching series of images I can hardly conceive. The depictions of John Carter and the various creatures of Barsoom have always been how I've pictured those characters and beasts when I read the books and I really wanted to have the entire set of that run. But since I couldn't find book 8 for years I read up to that tale and held off. For some reason 'Swords of Mars' is very difficult to find - I suspect because it features John Carter returning to the series as the main character instead of a background presence. I hunted for years thinking that I would eventually run across a copy for a decent price but it never happened.

So, a couple of years ago I finally gave up, decided I was tired of waiting and bought a different edition just so I could read the story and get on with the rest of the run. I still hope to eventually find a copy with the Whelan cover but that can wait.  

These two final stories were both shorter than average and were an odd way to end the series. Not that ERB planned to end the series this way but it's still kind of odd. The first of the stories is 'John Carter and the giant of Mars' and I really enjoyed it. The story is completely insane but as it is a fun sequel to a previous story - 'The Synthetic Men of Mars'. How could I not get a kick out of a story that climaxes with several thousand rats being dropped onto an army via parachute! Madness! It turns out that this particular story might not have even been written by ERB but by his son John Coleman Burroughs. It still has enough of the flavor of the previous tales even if it is pretty short. The last story is 'The Skeleton Men of Jupiter' from 1943 and was intended as the first in a series of novelettes to later be collected in book form the same way the previous John Carter book was. It ends with the plot completely unresolved and the intended sequels were never even written. That makes it a little frustrating but since there have been several attempts by other writers to craft endings for the story I now get to dive into those! This should be fun.

The Bloody Pit #54 - THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (1932)

Fu Manchu is author Sax Rohmer's most famous creation and one that he returned to repeatedly over the years eventually writing a total of thirteen novels detailing his insidious plots for world domination. From the first serialized section of the first Fu tale published in 1913 the stories were very popular, well regarded adventures tales. Such a widely known villainous character was sure to inspire filmmakers to adapt him to the screen and from 1923's THE MYSTERY OF DR. FU MANCHU to 1980's comedic take THE FIENDISH PLOT OF DR. FU MANCHU different producers have brought his evil machinations to cinematic life with varied levels of success. For a longer time than seems plausible the specter of the Yellow Peril loomed large enough to make an Asian master criminal bent on conquest seem a credible threat for both page and film.

In this episode of The Bloody Pit Brian Lindsey and I discuss the character's various film incarnations with special concentration on Karloff's scenery chewing villainy in MGM's lavish THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (1932) and Christopher Lee's 1965 to 1969 five film run as a more accurate version of the character for producer Harry Allan Towers. We also touch on the novels, the 1940 Republic serial and the last (so far) big screen attempt to use Fu in Peter Sellers' final film in which the star plays both Fu and his nemesis Sir Nayland Smith. We both fear that the possibilities of a modern adaptation of these Sax Rohmer stories are next to nil but we do give a few suggestions about what would be necessary to accomplish such a difficult (and probably financially ruinous) task.

So, if you know very little about the character or even if you know quite a bit we think you'll enjoy listening to the two of us talk about the various film versions of the great evil criminal genius Fu Manchu. If you have any questions or comments please write the show at thebloodypit@gmail.com and let us known what you think. Also, there is a FaceBook page for The Bloody Pit and we encourage you to join for occasional updates and show notes. Thanks for downloading and listening.

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The Haunt of Horror Covers

This short lived Marvel horror magazine sported some pretty amazing covers and a fine list of contributing writers. I've only been able to read a few in reprint form and I can only image how they looked on the racks in 1973 and 1974.