DUNE: TV Miniseries (2000)

Frank Herbert's Dune (2000)

Dir. John Harrison | Length: 3 episodes, approx 98 minutes each.

There is a substance, a spice, found in only one place in the known universe, on Dune, a desert planet also known as Arrakis. The spice is the most important substance known to man. It prolongs life and enables interstellar travel. Without it interplanetary trade would cease and great empires would fall. That makes people nervous and nervous people often do desperate things.

The Padishah Emperor controls Dune. He's more nervous than most. People he favours are permitted to mine the spice. People that oppose him are quickly silenced and left to die. There are a number of political houses that the Emperor can use to keep the spice flowing. Each house has its own agenda. Each house has its own problems. Each house hates the other.

There's a prophecy that tells of a time when a man will come. A saviour. That time is now.

Rabid (1977)

Rabid (1977)

Dir. David Cronenberg

Cronenberg’s fascination with body modification gone awry continued with Rabid, this time centred around a plastic surgery clinic and a crash victim.

It’s similar to his previous film Shivers (1975) both visually and in that the horror is again something normal that’s become abnormal, and when viewed from the other perspective it’s something new embracing life, but it’s not as unsettling as Shivers was and the ridiculous premise is hard to swallow, even for a fan of his work like I am.

I kept thinking while viewing that the story, although written by the director, would've better suited George Romero's talents. It's not a bad film, but not one of my favourites.

Fragments of Horror (2015)

Fragments of Horror (2015)

Author and Illustrator: Junji Ito  |  Page Count: 224

"I'm looking for a special someone to dissect me!"

After an eight year absence from the horror manga genre that his name has become synonymous with, Japanese author and illustrator Junji Ito returned with a collection of eight short tales of bizarre terrors.

Ito notes in his afterword that the time spent away from writing horror may have resulted in his becoming a little rusty, and sure enough the first story he penned is a little weak, but there's enough of the creeping wiggins in some of the subsequent stories to keep fans of his warped worlds happy.

Themes he's explored before resurface, such as a typically safe environment becoming something menacing and the strain of personal relationships being a precursor to even greater terrors, but there's enough new stuff to balance it out.

HAMMER: Frankenstein Films (1957-74)

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

Dir. Terence Fisher

TCoF was a trio of firsts for HAMMER Studios: their first horror in colour, their first Frankenstein film and the first of their productions to feature Christopher Lee.

The story is a confessional flashback, meaning the Baron's evolution from cultivating an infectious curiosity to succumbing to an isolating obsession is paced by his own telling, working inexorably toward the creature's reveal. Universal forbade the use of their existing iconic image, so HAMMER had to make their own more gruesome version, sans neck-bolts.

It's privilege that enables the Baron to carry out his work. Meddling in pure science at the level he does is the exclusive preserve of the rich. If he'd been impecunious the creature would probably never have been born.

A Thousand Years of Good Prayers (2005)

A Thousand Years of Good Prayers (2005)

Author: Yiyun Li | Page Count: 205

'They were put into satin dresses […] and were each fed a cup of mercury. The mercury killed them instantly, so their peachy complexions were preserved when they were paraded in sedan chairs before the coffin.'

If it hadn't been at sale price and I wasn't desperate for something to fill a long train journey, I'd not have given A Thousand Years a second glance. There were a number of titles I could've chosen that day, but something made me purchase Yiyun Li's début. I can't explain why, because the blurb made it sound like a troubled romance novel and that's not my idea of a good read.

It mixes existing socio-political Chinese history with observations and personal insight in order to explore how cultural identity and familial upbringing influence our decisions and affect our lives. Li strives to highlight the consequences to the individual in a State where weakness is to be avoided and individuality can be seen as a silent precursor to insurrection.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (2013)

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (2013)

Genre: RPG | Players: 1 | Developer: Level-5

I was so hyped for Ni No Kuni that I pre-ordered it seven months before it was even released on these shores. I began to think there was no way it could live up to my expectations. I was very wrong. It’s the kind of JRPG that hasn't been seen for a long time; the kind that comes along only about twice every console generation.

You play as a young boy named Oliver as he searches for something meaningful within two worlds and within himself. Along the way he’ll face physical and emotional trials.

The story could've tugged more fiercely on the heartstrings; there are scenes that feel forcibly reserved, which is odd considering it's by Studio Ghibli. They also provided cut scenes, character designs and beautiful in-game animation full of colour and vibrancy.

Dust Devil: The Director’s Cut (1993)

Dust Devil: The Director’s Cut (1993)

Dir. Richard Stanley

Dust Devil is an amazing film hampered only by acting that at times is worse than a British soap opera. But if you can overlook that aspect of it, then you're in for a real treat that's equal parts artistic and engaging, beautiful and grim, resembling something birthed from the unholy union of a Clive Barker short and a Ray Bradbury nightmare.

An imaginative and expressively seductive use of filters and lighting imbue it with a reality that I imagine a drug-induced spirit journey would be like.

The dusty environment, with its orange hues like a mix of amber and blood, is the perfect setting. The entire film was shot on location in Namibia and even though it’s set in South Africa it feels like a Western put through an Australian blender. Weird, I know.