DUNE: Marvel Super Special No. 36 (1984)

Marvel Super Special: Dune (1984)

Adaptation: Ralph Macchio  |  Illustrator: Bill Sienkiewicz  |  Page Count: 64

It's a comic book adaptation of David Lynch's filmed version (1984) of Frank Herbert's novel (1965), which essentially means it's a comic of a film that was itself heavily abridged from the text it was based upon. As such, expecting anything other than functional as far as story goes is optimistic.

It begins by recreating Irulan's monologue almost verbatim. However, with such a small page count, as the story deepens, as complex events begin to overlap, the author has no choice but to get more ruthless when it comes to what gets the chop.

Many of the things you'd expect to see are either omitted, shortened or merely referred to (e.g. the hunter-seeker scene isn't shown but is referred to later, whereas the Bene Gesserit Litany against Fear is shortened.) The film's voice-overs are retained, though, in comic book thought bubbles.

The Mysterians (1957)

The Mysterians (1957)

Dir. Ishirô Honda

A festival, what should be a time of joy for all concerned, is interrupted by a mysterious fire. The blaze is followed not long afterwards by an earthquake that shakes the same community. The quiet little mountain village is about to lose the quiet part of its nature.

It;s an alien invasion film from TOHO that once again paired director Ishirô Honda's imagery with the sounds of master musician Akira Ifukube, both of whom had worked on the first Godzilla (1954) film. It has a kaijū of its own for a while, a kind of giant, robotic, metal mole-man, but mostly it's a regular sci-fi film with FX that are really amazing for the era; equal what Gerry Anderson would still be doing over twenty years later! Not just in the model work. The props and set dressings inside the spacey alien dome are also top quality.

Æon Flux: Comic Book (2006)

Æon Flux (2006)

Author: Mike Kennedy | Illustrator: Timothy Green II | Page Count: 96

"They found my body, but they never found me."

The backstory of Æon Flux is more complicated than it first appears, but for the purposes of this short review I’ll try to sum up the basics in one paragraph:

Æon is a Monican assassin fighting against a Bregnan government that wants to control the personal freedoms of every citizen living within its walls. The walls provide protection but are also a kind of prison. In the eyes of the Bregnans, she’s a terrorist. She fits the textbook description of that, but in reality she’s fighting to free slaves who don’t know they’re slaves, so that makes her something else too.

In the book there’s an ecological message to the fore, but it’s less important than Æon’s own story and of her role within the mysterious organisation.

You'll get glimpses of both those things, but to understand her true motivations and the deeper workings of the world in which she operates you’ll need to watch the original animated TV series. Doing so will enrich the book's story. However, having watched it you’ll then be in a position to compare the two and you’ll see that the book is weak in comparison. That leaves you with a problem: watch the animation to better appreciate the book’s setting and in so doing enjoy the book’s actual story less. The more you know…

Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)

Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)

Dir. Larry Cohen

I really dislike cities, so New York isn't a place I'd ever want to visit. In Larry Cohen's New York there's a giant flying creature from myth and legend literally picking up amateur actors and dropping body parts in its wake. It's a place I definitely wouldn't want to visit!

There's also an open-minded cop; a weaselly, opportunist crook; and an Aztec death cult member getting happy with his favourite ritual killing-knife, all of whom somehow have relevance to the randomness.

It's idiotic but it's easy to get swept up in the nonsense, meaning it's the good kind of idiotic. And even when there's not much happening onscreen the ominous music manages to keep the tension ticking over.

In short, Q is a pleasing B-Movie that thankfully didn't end up lost and forgotten, which is a fate that many cheap monster movies suffer. Extra credit must go to actor Michael Moriarty who surely knew what kind of a film he was starring in but still gave it his all.

Blackadder: The Complete Series (1983-99)

The Black Adder (1983)

6 episodes, approx 30 mins each.

The first incarnation of The Black Adder isn't very good, but the ones that followed it definitely are. I wouldn't argue with anyone that says it ought to be skipped entirely in favour of the superior Blackadder II (1986). The only niggle I would have is that the viewer will miss out on Brian Blessed being awesome. The man with the giant's voice gets all the best scenes and he chews them up fervently. If someone made a compilation consisting of just those moments, then that person would be your friend.

It's an alternative history comedy set during the Middle Ages (1485–98) in which Richard III is succeeded by Richard IV after the Battle of Bosworth Field. His son, Edmund Plantagenet, is the Black Adder (Rowan Atkinson), a weasely, snivelling little prick who wants desperately to be King but doesn't have the stones to go about it in the correct manner.

The Atrocity Exhibition (1970)

The Atrocity Exhibition (1970)

Author: J.G. Ballard | Page Count: 184 

'The blitzkriegs will be fought out on the spinal battlefields, in terms of the postures we assume, of our traumas mimetized in the angle of a wall or balcony.'

TAE is one of the finest examples of the English experimental novel that I've ever read. There's no obvious start/middle/end structure. You can flick to any page and start reading to get an immediate feel for the overall style and perspective of the work. In fact, doing just that is something that Ballard recommended.

The thematic merging of sexual excitement, death of celebrity, architecture and the evils of consumer society are explored as only he could, without deference to the social consciousness or exhibiting shame.

It's an obtuse book that'll only begin to make any kind of sense if you're able to adopt the protagonist's point of view and look at your own life like he views his.

Blue Velvet (1986)

Blue Velvet (1986)

Dir. David Lynch

By chance, Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) stumbles upon something very peculiar while walking through a field near his parents' home.

His desire to understand its origins leads him into a murky, suburban dream gone awry.

What unfolds drags the viewer to a place most of us pretend doesn't exist. Often unsettling, always powerful, the film is an unfurled canvas depicting a surrealist landscape that is both analogous to reality and surreptitiously real.

When Blue Velvet makes you feel afraid remember this: scratch the surface of anything shiny and you’ll likely find something less appealing underneath. The shine isn't merely an illusion, it’s one facet of the larger whole.