HORROR ICON OF THE MONTH [April 2013]

BELA LUGOSI
(1882-1956)

Bela Lugosi is quite possibly my favourite actor of the classic Universal monster movie line-up, his work has spanned over so many chilling and cunning titles, most notably the 1931 Tod Browning classic; Dracula.

Lugosi has also made many other films that have become regarded as essentials in Horror and Science-Fiction movie history; films such as White Zombie, Invisible Ghost, Bride Of The Monster and his final film Plan 9 From Outer Space. He also had a recurring role as Ygor in both Son Of Frankenstein and The Ghost Of Frankenstein.

The reason why Lugosi is my favourite is because despite his unfortunate career of being typecast due to his thick Hungarian accent, he has remained a true icon of the era and spans many roles, despite his starring role being that of the original Count Dracula. Lugosi is the most iconic of all the Universal stars to me, more iconic than Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney, Lugosi had a real presence when it came to performing in front of the camera and creating an eerie atmosphere; a real talent that was undermined by make-up and special effects.

To me, Lugosi didn't need special effects or make-up to give people the creeps, and that to me is a genuine talent right there, no matter what anybody says. That is why I have chosen to make Bela Lugosi the first in the Horror Icons of the Month, because he was the first I saw when I was young, and to me he shall always remain the best.

IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE [Movie Review]

A true Sci-Fi cinema classic from director Jack Arnold (Creature From The Black Lagoon, Tarantula, etc) starring Richard Carlson and Barbara Rush. This movie is a milestone in the whole line of films of aliens invading Earth and what makes this one stand out more than the others is that it was also co-written by famous Science Fiction writer Ray Bradbury.

The plot of this movie concerns astronomer John Putnam (Carlson) who witnesses a flying saucer crash land near the Arizona Desert; no sooner than he tries to get a closer look at the saucer it disappears under a landslide, covering all evidence of it being there. No sooner than he warns the local authorities they start believing him to be a crackpot and accuse him of staring up at the stars too much...stereotypical behaviour of the police and army from these era of films.

The movie is renowned for being the first Universal Pictures film to be released and filmed in 3D, an exciting new gimmick at the time it seems. This is one of favourite Science Fiction films of all time as it has such an great feel and tone to the movie, plus there is no boring scenes within the film. Every scene is relevant to the storyline and you really get yourself caught up as Putman is trying to figure out the mystery of the saucer. Overall I would say that this is a must-watch for Sci-Fi fans and is probably one of the best of the string of 1950 alien invasion films I've seen and it has a really great ending and a fantastic alien design too!

RETRO VAULT - MAUI MALLARD IN COLD SHADOW

I was only reminded of this game the other day and I was hit so hard with nostalgia that I simply had to play this game again. Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow (or simply Cold Shadow) is one of those rare games that really is a blast to the past for me, it holds such great nostalgic value to me and is a constant reminder of the golden age of videogames (well, for me anyway). Bit of trivia, I am actually listening to the soundtrack to this game as I type to really get me in the mood for this review.

The basics of this game is: you play as Maui Mallard (which is actually Donald Duck in Hawaiian) in this side-scrolling adventure that takes you from old haunted houses to ancient ninja temples. You first play as Maui in detective mode sporting a cap and a Hawaiian armed with some sort of gun that shoots bugs at people. The first mission is an old house that is inhabited by creepy duck butlers and creepy crawlies, you simply progress through the level collecting treasures and power-ups as you reach the end of the level for a typical boss battle. Sounds like your average videogame concept, expect this game seems to do something so...right. The boss at the end of the first level is a creepy mechanical spider with a samurai-like face. Creepy huh?

The second level allows you to play in ninja form which is a lot cooler than the detective format that you were originally accustomed to. In this form you can do all sorts of cool tricks such as scale walls with the aid of your staff, you can attack people with style with the aid of the staff. To be honest, the staff is the best addition to the ninja version of Maui that you could ask for. You can take control of stone Golem-like creatures (think of one of those big stone guys from Atlantis: The Lost Empire but covered in moss) which help protect you against enemies and get you to certain places too.

The music in the game, as I am currently experiencing, is fantastic. You can just tell that so much effort has been put into it to make it sounds so enhanced and fantastic. This truly is a great videogame and to me is a nostalgic classic, the game itself has been ported to three different formats; the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), SEGA Mega Drive, Game Boy and the version I experienced it on, the PC. This truly is a great game to me and sure it has its flaws such as password system and the ability to not go back over the level if you missed anything out, but to me these were really quite minor things.

I recommend that people should go out and experience this game for themselves and find out why I highly regard this game as being a classic Disney game. Trust me, you'll love it!

HELLBOY: SEED OF DESTRUCTION

Hellboy was a good movie, there's an opinion. Hellboy: Seed Of Destruction was a great comic book, now THAT is a fact. The mind of Mike Mignola has brought us one of the best comic book heroes of the 21st century and his name is Hellboy. For those who do not know who Hellboy is and what he does, here is the basics. He is the son of a demon, he works for a demon hunting organisation...that's all you really need to know.

Seed Of Destruction is what the movie is largely based on with a few minor exceptions here and there, but this still stands out in my collection as one of the greatest graphic novels that I own, the storyline is great and the artwork is simply some of the best artwork I have seen ever. It is that good, I kid you not. The story revolves about the birth of Hellboy and a mission he is sent on by the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.). The storyline and artwork has certain nods to the horror author H.P. Lovecraft, to whom the book is dedicated to (alongside Jack Kirby, Elmer Newton and Mignola's wife Christine) with references to tentacled creatures and Gothic settings. Seed of Destruction is only the first in the Hellboy series of graphic novels, but this is the best of them all.

The book introduces us the other members of the B.P.R.D. such as Abe Sapian (a humanoid amphibious male) and Elizabeth Sherman (a pyrokinetic) who are also shown within the film as well. The storyline is very detailed and is split into three parts which breaks down the story for the readers' benefit as it is quite a complex plot. The graphic novel is a fantastic example of great story writing in the comic book industry in the modern day world. I love this graphic novel as it is truly original and unique amongst the countless other graphic novels I have read and it really stands out. The storyline is fresh and original with hints and nods to other famous authors (the forementioned H.P. Lovecraft) and the artwork is simply beautiful, making good use of block colours to create an almost pop-art effect. This is truly something special and deserves to be placed upon with the greats of the comic book industry, A really good read, give it a shot.

BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN

One of the best Batman graphic novels I have read in a long time brought to us by the dynamic duo of Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale, Batman: The Long Halloween concerns a new killer in Gotham City named 'Holiday' who is killing off The Roman's family. The story is a great one with a whole bunch of twists and turns that will lead you wanting to read on. I started reading the graphic novel almost as soon as I bought it and I couldn't put it down! The artwork is fantastic as well and almost gives a breath of fresh air in the art department for the dark knight himself. Loeb and Sale have themselves a great team going on and you'd be mad not to read this.

There are some pretty cool scenes in the graphic novel as well as a nice new telling of the origin of Two Face, some characters who you'd not expect to be in this appear in it as well such as Joker, Riddler, Calender Man (and no, before you think you've sussed the villain it is NOT him) and Catwoman. The good thing is they're not just thrown in there for a villain brawl, they all have significance to the storyline which     adds as a nice little extra.

The plot is detailed which really draws you in and feels like an actual detective novel (almost a hint at Batman's origins in DC Comics), you actually feel your heart quicken and your hands grip as you turn the page to find out that there's more mystery to come. The graphic novel is split into chapters (thirteen in total) which gives the book a good layout to it and makes it feel like an actual novel and not just one long story. It gives the book a unique feel to it and makes it seem more...sophisticated if you like. When you finish it you get the same feeling from eating your favourite meal, a satisfied warm feeling that makes you feel accomplished of sorts. That is the feeling I get from reading The Long Halloween.

The Long Halloween is one of the most original Batman storylines I have read in a while and it is certainly in my top three of best Batman stories of all time, I'd recommend that you read the graphic novel at least twice to really get a grip on some of the plot points as the twist at the end can be a bit overwhelming at first but it truly is an amazing graphic novel. I give this a smooth 10/10 for its creativity in the storyline and the beautiful artwork that accompanies it. Take my advice and read The Long Halloween as soon as possible, believe me you will not regret it!

Welcome

Welcome to The Mothership. This is a blog that is about general nerdy stuff that I like such as graphic novels, manga, films, music and so on. I shall try keep this as updated as I can and I will talk about general stuff too. There will be reviews of stuff that I like to give readers a bit of a taste of what I'm into.

Have fun :)