The Cult Moviecast- Episode 1: Approaching the Altar

THE CULT MOVIECAST

STAGEPLAY: Halfway to Hell

HALFWAY TO HELL

An original stageplay.

Sofia Peterson is an ex-con fresh out of prison. Adapting to life on the outside will be difficult, to say the least. But she's moving into an old halfway house with a haunting atmosphere and bible-thumping landlady who walks and talks in her sleep. Her parole officer is a scumbag and the only friend she's managed to make has a history of mental illness and drug addiction.

This gothic horror story is ideal for the Winter season, featuring an intended cast of primarily mature women, HALFWAY TO HELL is mind-bending horror in the tradition of the best ghost stories.

STAGEPLaY: An Adaptation of The Dunwich Horror by HP Lovecraft

The Dunwich Horror: A Stageplay

This may never be produced, but I have sat on it for a couple of years and hoped to one day find a place with which to put it on display. I t would make a great regional production for Halloween... but I currently lack the funds. So I'm putting on here so that my readers might have a chance to read it-

This is an adaptation for the stage. It is not an original work. If anyone would be interested in performance rights, the only thing I ask for is credit in the program. HP Lovecraft has been a huge inspiration for me and I wouldn't actually feel right about profiting from what many consider to be one of his greatest works. I also have no copyright on any of the characters or on the plot in general.

Thank you for reading.

ZATOICHI and Shintaro Katsu

Several years ago, around 2004, I discovered Samurai Chambara (sword fighting) Films with nearly everyone's usual introduction- Akira Kurosawa. He'd been named a heavy influence on some of my favorite film-makers and my (future) wife introduced me to The Seven Samurai. I'd never seen such an epic and masterful tale of honor, loyalty, respect, duty, and dignity. And while I had seen the American Western remake, The Magnificent Seven, it truly did pale in comparison to the original. And so began a fascination with Chambara films-

Zatoichi is a blind swordsman and part of the Yakuza tradition during the Edo period of Japan. He makes his living as a masseur and/or as a gambler. He carries a cane sword and his flashing blade is often quicker than the eye can follow. He is a skilled warrior- and an often cheerful and unassuming champion to the downtrodden. Thematically, Zatoichi is about a flawed and sentimental hero trying to bring justice in a world threatened by corruption and tyranny.

Oh, and there are 26 films in the series.

And a television series.

And two additional films made several years after the original actor's passing...

And a live stage show directed by Takashi Miike.

I spent the month of July viewing 25 of the films, currently streaming on the Criterion Collection streaming service. That's 25 of the original films... 1989's "Zatoichi, Darknless is his only Ally" was unavailable. This last film also had a lot of very negative associations- the films villain, played by Shintaro Katsu's son, had accidentally killed a man during filming when a prop sword was mistakenly replaced with the real thing.

The Twenty Five original films are too staggering a task to review one after the other and that was not my intent when I undertook the task. They all follow similar formulas and features the same actor playing the role all 25 times, with several plots borrowing liberally from one another. Zatoichi delivers children to absent parents some distance away after the untimely death of one parent a number of times, helps maidens' pay off their family debts to the corrupt yakuza or government official, and usually befriends another skilled swordsman that he will face in a climactic battle toward the film's climax. The formula itself isn't bad, despite it's occasional repetition. In fact, it's often charming and comforting to know that Zatoichi is getting into the same bowl of trouble again and again.

Shintaro Katsu is a skilled performer who has a bit of a reputation as a bit of a "bad boy' in Japanese Cinema. The son of a Kabuki performer, Katsu was classically trained as a Shamisen player, and it was the influence of his blind teacher that acted as the inspiration for his performance as the folk hero of the series. He was the focus of a documentary on Japanese film making, where an American in Japan followed three Directors with vastly different styles in order to show-case the direction of that regions film industry. Katsu Productions was started when Daiei Studios shut down.

Zatoichi starts with "The Tale of Zatoichi" and never really finds an ending- though the twenty-fifth film in the series would see Zatoichi return to the town of his birth and have him defend it from a child-hood friend in "Zatoichi's Conspiracy". Notable films for me have been "Zatoichi's Flashing Sword", "Fight, Zatoichi, Fight", "Zatoichi and the Chess Expert", "Zatoichi's Cane Sword", and "Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo".

"Zatoichi Challenged" also served as a basis for the American remake, "Blind Fury" in which Rutger Hauer plays a blind swordsman who lost his vision during the Vietnam conflict.

But my favorite in the series, and it's saying a lot, is "Zatoichi at the Fire Festival" in which the Blind Swordsman goes against another Blind Yakuza boss. It is one of the most intense, brutal, and exciting films in the long-running series and places the swordsman in peril. He is betrayed, lured into various traps, and the scheme is clever. Zatoichi's reputation finally catches up with him and he is not as underestimated as he had been in previous films.

Zatoichi is a treasure to Japanese cinema and Katsu is a charismatic wonder in the role. Take advantage of the opportunity wherever and whenever it arises to catch some of these beautiful Chambara films.

FULL LIST:

1	The Tale of Zatoichi	1962
2	The Tale of Zatoichi Continues
3	New Tale of Zatoichi	1963
4	Zatoichi The Fugitive
5	Zatoichi on the Road
6	Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold	1964
7	Zatoichi's Flashing Sword
8	Fight, Zatoichi, Fight
9	Adventures of Zatoichi
10	Zatoichi's Revenge	1965
11	Zatoichi and the Doomed Man
12	Zatoichi and the Chess Expert
13	Zatoichi's Vengeance	1966
14	Zatoichi's Pilgrimage
15	Zatoichi's Cane Sword	1967
16	Zatoichi the Outlaw
17	Zatoichi Challenged
18	Zatoichi and the Fugitives	1968
19	Samaritan Zatoichi
20	Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo	1970
21	Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival
22	Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman	1971
23	Zatoichi at Large	1972
24	Zatoichi in Desperation
25	Zatoichi's Conspiracy	1973
26	Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally

L5R Fifth Edition

My son has recently fallen in love with Rokugan after playing a few sessions of the second edition game that I ran for a game store. But he wanted the latest edition, and finally whittled us down to pay for the new Beginner's Box Set I, myself, was always stuck running the games since I started playing in 2001 and made a condition be that he ran the game and let me play as a character only helping a little with the rules. (He's just turned 14)

So our usual gaming group got together this past weekend and picked our characters, with me picking Isawa Aki. At first I thought it strange the Shugenja didnt have access to any spells, but was intrigued with the role-playing aspects of the character as we entered the town. I decided to play her as overly talkative, very arrogant, sweetly condescending, and superior in every way. As the other characters scrambled to help this poor peasant upright his cart, I stood to the side and questioned him and examined the road for what must have done this terrible thing that would inconvenience us in such a way. To learn this was a servant to the house of the recently deceased Emerald Champion was very concerning.

Next, we watched as a Mantis attempted to bully the local innkeeper into renting him a room. While he may have been Samurai, he was merely a minor Clan representative. Doji-san, however, had a personal stake in the matter. He truly did not wish to share a roof with such a man. There may have been some personal malice involved, not that Isawa Aki would have been interested in such petty matters. But we were later visited by an honored spirit who tasked us with watching out for the young mantis, and perhaps even protecting his life. Such is the way of things I suppose. I was grateful for the opportunity myself.

Then came the trials themselves, and of course the first would be a display of physical skill and intense personal combat. We were given advice from our judges, but when Aki stood across from the well-fed monster that stood across the ring she understood she could either lose gracefully or give her all and try to shock her opponent into a misstep. So she charged with all she was worth, screaming "BANZAI!!!" in a very unseemly manner... truly, it caused her much embarrassment but did succeed in unnerving her opponent who staggered back at the sight of the frail shugenja charging toward him. Though she gave her best during the trials that relied on her skill and superior approach, she fell back on pure moxie to overcome her perceived weakness.

Emotionally drained after the contests, Aki and her companions found themselves in a nearby Sake House where the charming Phoenix toasted to the lasting friendships that would be born through these trials and struggles. Unfortunately some ill mannered Ronin approached their table, and after a series of personal insults the proud Phoenix could no longer bear the strain of the days activities. Falling silent, tears spilling from her features, Aki was the first to lash out violently and smashed her staff into the teeth of the offending Ronin. With nothing but pure pluck and a distinct lack of true skill, she next sent her staff into a crippling blow that took out another Ronin's knee. The rest threw down their weapons at the command of the Lion, and the Samurai were able to retire for the evening. 
:::
 
I truly enjoyed the new system and found a lot of potential in it. I guess finding additional dice sets for the other players will be difficult as we had to share the single set among five players and a GM. None of us took damage so we're a little confused regarding how that will work when it happens, but it feels mostly straightforward. While Aki seemed to be focused on casting spells, she had no spells to cast until we were told to level up our characters. My son, who has struggled to run a few previous game systems found this one fun and easy to maintain pacing on. So we're looking forward to later sessions.

MECHANICS: Utilizing a "roll and keep" engine, the latest L5R changes things up by relying on unique custom dice to determine results. No longer using numbers, the results vary between "Success", "Opportunity", "Strife", and "Explosive Success" randomly distributed between Ring Dice (6 sided)and Skill (12 sided) dice. Characters roll a number of dice equal to their rating in the given Ring or Skill, keeping a number of those dice equal to the Ring number. The results are less "Success vs failure" but precisely HOW one succeeds and fails. Some results are a combination of both success and "Strife". 

Strife is the most interesting element of the game. In keeping with the tradition of Samurai drama, it is very important for them to maintain their dignity and stoicism. Often the greatest struggle is the one within the Samurai- watch Yojimbo, 7 Samurai, or even Lone Wolf and Cub to see the way th Samurai maintain their "face" and what happens when the emotions are too much to contain- whether good or bad. Strife accumulates, building stress until the characters are forced to react in an emotional manner that reveals the Samurai's true Face to the world. An embarrassing loss of glory and honor can result. 

Opportunity is another interesting aspect that allows the players to add a few narrative pieces and gain non-successful advantages that will do little to affect a task but will result in some interesting moments. We struggled with this element a slight bit, but did try to explore the possibilities. (In the above, I had rolled two explosive successes and an opportunity with strife, allowing me to add the shocked and somewhat impressed reactions of the judges during the wrestling scene.)

Hellboy 2019

This is a much more complex film to review than I thought it would be going in. Firstly, it will draw comparisons to Del Toro's vision of Hellboy, featuring iconic actor Ron Perlman in the lead, and a terrific supporting cast.

This film has none of that.

But that doesn't make it a bad film on it's own. In fact, there are plenty of things to enjoy about this version of Hellboy. The practical effects are wll done and provides a gorier backdrop to the adventures of the demon spawn. It features deeper elements of Mignola's core material, including Hellboy's connection to Arthurian Mythology, vampires, faeries, and plenty of supernatural weirdness. It even features an appearance from The Lobster!

But while there is plenty here that DOES word, there is a lot that does not. Much of it seems to have been developed in post production, including CGI that doesn't feel fully rendered and an incredibly dry and boring performance from character actor Ian McShane and performance that goes all over the place from Milla Jovavich. David Harbour puts a decent enough spin on Hellboy, but it feels a little schozophrenic at times. When he does nail it, though... he really nails it.

In closing, Neal Marshall has a very specific style and feel to his films... and this movie lacks even that. It feels like a film that was taken away from it's primary vision and director and went through a post-production where the studio and it's producers cobbled together THEIR vision of a film that forgot there was source material and relied on too many tropes in the footage that was shot.
Despite all that's essentially "wrong" with the film, I found more to enjoy than there was to dislike and had a good time with it. While it won't hit my top ten of the year, it will be seen again and it's good b- grade monster munching goodness with gore and blood and all the fun stuff I personally enjoy.

7 out of 10. Partially recommended, though if you really hold the original on a pedestal you might want to skip it. But if you can let it go, it's a fun ride. 

Comments? Leave them below.

CAPTAIN MARVEL REVIEW

 

CAPTAIN MARVEL

 

Being fairly late to the party, most people have likely seen this movie and already formed their own opinions on it. To describe the build-up to the film as divisive (Among the "Geek Chic" sect) is an understatement. Marketing choosing to focus on Brie Larson’s aspirations to make the film “Socially relevant” left a sour taste in the mouths of many fans. I count myself among them. Toss in the fact that Marvel Comics have repeatedly tried to boot, reboot, re-issue, and alter modern comics so that Captain Marvel would be the poster child over the past few years, replacing "Spiderman" as the flagship character. My own feelings on the matter are that I look to these films and comics as escapist fun and really don’t enjoy being lectured. So I wasn’t the first person on line to see the film, yet see it I must!

 

So my kid and I decided to check out a Saturday matinee and kicked our luxury recliners back and munched some popcorn as the credits rolled. What was my reaction.

 

Wow! There was actually a pretty good movie underneath all that politicized marketing. We had an extremely complex backstory streamlined and carved down to it’s most basic components to give a character with well over thirty years of history a somewhat decent run at the ball. Samuel L Jackson’s “Nick Fury” is on a major solo adventure, made to look 20 years younger with the use of some CGI and practical affects. Lashana Lynch steals the show as Maria Rambeau, Carol Danver’s best friend and the mother to a prominent character in the history of Marvel Comics. And Ben Mendelsohn is at turns charming and menacing as a Skrull commander, Talos. Annette Benning, also, delivers solid as a mentor seen in Danver’s flashbacks with a nice twist to the familiar story of Captain Marvel.

 

As the film opens, we’re introduced to Vers; she is an elite soldier in the Kree Star Force- a legion of peacekeepers and noble warrior heroes pit in a deadly war with the shape-shifting Skrulls. Six years ago she woke up with no memory of who she truly was and access to the ability to fire photon blasts from her fists. When a Skrull ambush separates her from her unit (led by Yon-Rogg (Jude Law)), she awakens while trapped in a Skrull machine designed to probe her memories- and the Skrulls have opened a Pandora’s box of memories that simply do not fit with the story she’s been told. Crash landing on a planet the Skrulls saw her in her memories, Carol finds herself on the backwater planet of Earth where she quickly encounters Agents of Shield. The race is on to unlock the rest of her memories and discover the link she has to a mysterious scientist. The story is sparse and moves quickly- We know very early on that the Kree have lied to Vers, and it isn’t long until she finds out she was once an earth pilot by the name of Carol Danvers. 

A major sticking point with this film is that it would have served itself better and stood up on it's own had fewer audiences seen the previous Marvel films. Audiences familiar with Guardians of the Galaxy already know that twenty years down the line the Kree are not seen as "heroes" or "protectors", but rather a militant force at odds with much of the universe. The film attempts to subvert the audience expectations of the previous movies, but at the cost of diminishing some of the mystique and tension within those films. Nick Fury, seen as a serious and dedicated head of Shield, is shown to be a much more jovial and less intense character than he's ever been shown to be in the films or television series. Jackson pulls it off believably enough and shows us a few peeks at the man he would become, but the nurturing approach he takes to Danvers is a far cry different than the callous and often confrontation approach with the rest of the Avengers; IE Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Bruce Banner. 

 

Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, a film-making duo known for Mississippi Grind. They navigate the complex history of Danvers and create a story of personal growth and an exploration of what it means to make a choice. Carol’s story (In the film) is a good one- marred by two performances that threatened to drag the film down on several occasions. The first is the performance of Brie Larson, who we are repeatedly told is very “funny” and needs to “stop joking” around so much. Her humor was largely lost on me, though this may not actually be the fault of the film itself. Much of her delivery reminded me of my wife’s show “The Gilmore Girls” and the performance of the Rory character. My wife would crack up laughing at her comments, and I largely never understood the comedic elements that she saw. My son, who largely shares her sense of humor, was also laughing. So this just may be a case of my not “getting” the humor. In large part, Larson is an actress I've never been particularly impressed with. She's often that character I couldn't care less about in a movie.

 

The other performance was Jude Law’s “Yon Rogg”, a Kree soldier. Jude has never been more smarmy and forced than he was in this film. He was so forced and awful that every scene he is in is nearly a waste of time.He threatens to chew up the scenery at every turn, his hunger for melodrama and sudden bursts of anger a thing of such awkward energy that it defies both logic and reason. 

Still, be it as it may the film is a largely middle of the road Marvel film. It doesn't drag like Thor: The Dark World or Iron Man 3, but it never reaches the heights of a Black Panther or Guardians of the Galaxy.

 

7 out of 10.