The Chronicles of Narnia: Live Action Films (2005-10)

The Chronicles of Narnia: Live Action Films

Dirs. Andrew Adamson (Films I + II) / Michael Apted (Film III)

01. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005). Aside from a few minor changes and a couple of newly written action scenes — because it's Hollywood and they just can't help themselves — the WMG + Disney version of C.S. Lewis' beloved children's novel is better than I expected it to be.

The first third is excellent, including each of the young actors. Lucy (Georgie Henley) is particularly good, in that she successfully embodies the sense of wonder that a child should feel after finding another world in the back of an old wardrobe.

Things only really begin to slide when the talking CGI animals appear. The great lion Aslan should have a splendour that eclipses all else, but his being rendered in boring CGI most of the time means that he might as well not be there at all.

The unnecessary use of such across the board is a stain on what I feel is otherwise the best filmed version of the novel, to date.

The Lost World + Return to the Lost World (1992)

The Lost World + Return to the Lost World (1992)

Dir. Timothy Bond

One of my favourite books as a child was a 1981 Ladybird Children's Classics edition of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World (1912).

It was a small hardcover edition, heavily abridged (52 pp) with storybook illustrations by Martin Aitchison throughout. I must've read it at least 40 times over the years. The edition I had came with an audio cassette of someone reading the book aloud, with music and sound FX at appropriate times - meaning everyone in the household could 'enjoy' my reading of it, too.

It didn't birth a lifelong love of dinosaurs, which is something that many kids from my generation have, but it did contribute to a lifelong love of books and of storytelling, in general.

That in itself is reason enough for me to want to feature the story on the blog in some capacity.  I chose a movie version, for reasons. And for additional reasons, it was the 1992 version.

Lone Wolf and Cub: Omnibus Editions (2013-16)

LW+C: Omnibus Editions (2013-16)

Author: Kazuo Koike | Illustrator: Goseki Kojima | Page Count: LOTS! [1]

"Good fortune and ill, twisted together like a rope..."

Lone Wolf and Child: Assassin on the Road to Hell (1989)

LWaC: Assassin on the Road to Hell (1989)

Dir. Tokuzô Tanaka

Tanaka's film attempts to tell the entire Lone Wolf and Cub story in just 140 minutes, which is an insane undertaking. Nevertheless, it's a valiant attempt and an enjoyable evening's viewing for samurai fans.

Hideki Takahashi stars as the Shogun's one-time executioner, Ōgami Ittō. He does a damned good job at it, able to show compassion when the situation calls for it, but just the right amount because too much might compromise his stoic attitude. He's also deft enough with the dōtanuki to be believable.

Young Daigoro is played by Koji Aeba. It's a wholly subjective view, but for me young kids in Japanese films tend to be much less irritating than young kids are in most American films. Daigoro isn't just a third wheel in the Lone Wolf story, or some kind of amusing gimmick, he's an integral part of the tale and, thankfully, while Koji was likely too young to understand the importance of what he was asked to do onscreen, he at least carried it without fault and without ever being irritating. GJ, kid.

The Last Temptation (1994)

The Last Temptation (1994)

Author: Neil Gaiman | Illustrator:  Michael Zulli | Page Count: 102

"I'll take away the uncertainty, Steven. I'll take away the fear. I'll take away the boredom and the pain. You want more than that?"

The result of a creative partnership between writer Neil Gaiman and rock musician extraordinaire Alice Cooper. It's not Alice's first foray into the world of comics, he's been involved before, but not in such a notable way.

It's a coming of age story, much like Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This way Comes (1962), which it reminded me of more than once. If the Showman of The Last Temptation isn't based on Bradbury's carnival leader Mr Dark, then I’ll eat my oldest hat.

The story explores the pitfalls that a frightened kid must negotiate when forced to take control of his destiny for the first time in his life. He meets a host of freaks that tempt him with promises of new experiences. The Showman reveals his Theatre of the Real, the Grandest Guignol, and offers Steven something that I'm sure many of us have wished in our lives.

Tomb Raider: Movies (2001-18)

Tomb Raider: Movies (2001-18)

Dirs. Simon West (I) / Jan de Bont (II) / Roar Uthaug (III)

01. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) is a typical summer actioner, but unlike some other video game adaptations it at least makes an effort to reference its origins: the Manor, exotic locations, impossible jumps that require crucial timing, puzzle solving, and dual-wielding gun-play are all reminiscent of the games that inspired it.

Unfortunately, it also carries over some of its parent genre's failings, including a feeling that the person directing the non-playable bits hasn't got much of a clue about how to construct and pace a successful action scene. That's particularly true for the opening, but, thankfully, things gradually get better as the movie goes on.

The story is a globe-trotting adventure born from the pursuits and hobbies of the super-rich (on both sides of the equation). It's basic stuff.

Lone Wolf and Cub: Original Films (1972-74)

Lone Wolf and Cub: Original Films (1972-74)

Dirs. Kenji Misumi [Films 1,2,3,5] / Buichi Saitô [Film 4] / Yoshiyuki Kuroda [Film 6]

Sometimes referred to as the 'Baby Cart' series, the six Lone Wolf and Cub films tell the story of a skilled ronin-for-hire named Ōgami Ittō, played by Tomisaburo Wakayama. When not dishing out vicious and bloody samurai action to the people that deserve it, Ittō wheels his young son Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa) from place to place in an iconic wooden baby cart.

Characterised by extreme violence, minimal dialogue, and highly stylised framing that closely resembles the manga they're based on, the films have a well-deserved place in Chanbara history.

The three-disc Criterion collection (pictured) contains the six original films on Blu-ray, restored at 2K from the OCNs. [1]

Discs 01 and 02 have three films apiece, while Disc 03 contains bonus features. Thoughts on each individual film can be found below the cut. Disc 03 also contains the English language dubbed Shogun Assassin (1980), which I'll cover at the end, for completeness sake. [2]

Living with Chucky (2022)

Living with Chucky (2022)

Dir. Kyra Elise Gardner

A documentary in which various cast and crew members from the Child's Play movies discuss their experiences of the filmmaking process and their relationship to the killer doll, Chucky.

The montage of clips near the beginning is a great reminder of why the knee-high slasher is such an iconic character; it made me want to re-watch all seven movies again. (The shitty reboot from 2009 is ignored, as it ought to be.)

For the most part, the doc follows a traditional formula, which is a collection of talking-heads clips arranged into a basic chronological narrative of the filmmaker's / editor's design, including words from actors Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif, Christine Elise, Jennifer Tilly, and Fiona Dourif. There's also input from some of the writers, producers, directors, and puppeteers.

As a Child's Play fan, I enjoyed it very much, but as a documentary it does stumble a little.

Lifeforce (1985)

Lifeforce (1985) - International Cut

Dir. Tobe Hooper

Horror fans likely associate Tobe Hooper most with Texas and chainsaws, but sci-fi fans know him for naked space-vampires, too, which is Lifeforce (1985). It may not be universally hailed as a classic of the genre, but it sits comfortably on a list of cult films with practical effects that stand the test of time.

Based on a novel titled The Space Vampires (1976) by Colin Wilson, it's adapted to film by Dan O'Bannon. The first half is reminiscent of O'Bannon's work on another famous sci-fi film, namely Alien (1979), but, sadly, the second half loses focus and descends into a glorious mess. Your level of engagement at that time will greatly depend on whether or not you feel the 'glorious' things outshine the 'mess' things. I absolutely do feel that way.

James Bond: Timothy Dalton (1987-89)

The Living Daylights (1987)

Dir. John Glen

In all probability this'll be the last James Bond movie post that I make, unless it comes down to the only Christopher Lee film I've not written about is the Bond one that he co-starred in. But that's damned unlikely, considering he's got 278 credits on IMDB and I'd sooner watch the 277 in which he doesn't have a supernumerary nipple.

I digress; I'm here to talk about Timothy Dalton. I mean no disrespect when I say that Dalton's Bond doesn't have the same level of sex appeal as Sean Connery's. Very few men do. On the plus side he doesn't have the same kind of 'charm' as Moore's. No, instead Dalton brings a moodiness to the role, and a sense of daring that the others had less of.

There's a feeling that he's worked hard to earn his 007 Licence, whereas for the others it came easy.

Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast: Volume 1 (2018)

Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast: Volume 1 (2018)

Authors: Llexi Leon (story) / Ian Edginton (script) | Artist: Kevin J West | Page Count: 128

'Eddie is an embodiment of free will, a chaotic spirit, the unseen catalyst during crucial turning points in history. The spark that lights the flame.'

LotB's story is based on a 'free to play' mobile phone game that I've not played. The structure of the first collected volume feels very much like a series of game levels stitched together, with little care put into smoothing over the level changes. It also lacks a decent introduction, as if we're missing a crucial cut-scene.

In the story, Eddie is freed from bondage by a floating lady in a flowing dress, the Clairvoyant, a self-proclaimed 'sightless seer in the realm of the senses'. It seems that sometime before that, however, Eddie's soul was ripped from his body by The Beast, looking like he did on Iron Maiden's classic Number of the Beast (1982) album.

The mascot's stolen soul somehow became a glowing red crystalline substance that was shattered into shards and distributed to a group of nefarious individuals. Eddie's quest, therefore, is to retrieve his lost soul by defeating the holders of the fragments.

The Legend of Zelda Manga: Legendary Ed. Vol. 05 (2017)

Four Swords: Parts 1 and 2 (2004)

Author and Illustrator: Akira Himekawa | Page Count: 370

"There's a new Link in this chain!"

I've not played the Four Swords Adventures (2004) game because the stores near where I lived didn't stock it and I didn't have access to online retailers back then, but after reading the two-part adaptation, I'm wishing that I could play it right now!

After some brief but satisfying establishing of Link's uppity nature and his friendship with Princess Zelda, the Big Bad is unleashed and the adventure begins.

The environments will be familiar to anyone that's played any of the previous games (Town / Mountain / Ice / Desert regions, etc) but that familiarity didn't result in reader apathy because the situations that the Links find themselves in held my attention completely.

The comedy is situational and more often than not caused by some kind of confrontation; it's rarely the goofy kind that I complained about in Oracle of Seasons (2001), so it's much more enjoyable.

The Sandman Presents: Love Street (1999)

Love Street (1999)

Author: Peter Hogan | Illustrator: Michael Zulli | Page Count: 75 (total)

'Life itself is a dream, so the mystics tell us. But what is life without dreams? Looking at Terry I saw a man who knew the answer...'

Set in London, Love Street occurs within two distinct time periods, thirty years apart, connected by people and consequence; the years are 1969 and 1999.

In the summer of '69 fourteen-year-old runaway Oliver meets Johnny, a slightly older youth whose interests lie in Tarot and free expression, among others. He nestles Oliver under his wing, and the story takes on momentum.

For those not familiar with the history or geography of London, Portobello Road is a long street in the Notting Hill district that's famous for its weekend markets and vibrant cultural happenings. It's therefore a fitting place for the characters in the book to come together.

There's seven of them, cohabiting in a three-story house in the famous location. They have differing backgrounds but each one has an open mind, able to appreciate and evaluate in their own way the fresh ideas and new ways of thinking that were permeating the culture of the day, from spiritual growth to the benefits of recreational drugs.

The Legend of Zelda Manga: Legendary Ed. Vol. 04 (2017)

The Minish Cap (2006) / Phantom Hourglass (2009)

Author and Illustrator: Akira Himekawa | Page Count: 374

"The road you travel will be dangerous. Take this."

Series protagonist Link is always recognisable in his green duds and pointy hat, but he's not always the same Link. There are exceptions, of course, such as the one in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, but mostly the character is different in each game. It's not a drastic change; it's more of a variation on a theme.

Akira Himekawa applies the same principle to each of her Links in the mangas. In The Minish Cap's case the artwork is one-hundred percent chibi. It would've made sense to draw certain parts of it that way, but unfortunately it's used from beginning to end.

I'm not a fan of the exaggerated art style, but judging by the level of excellence shown in the previous books I'm guessing that it's at least good chibi?

The Legend of Zelda Manga: Legendary Ed. Vol. 03 (2017)

Majora's Mask (2001) / A Link to the Past (2005)

Author and Illustrator: Akira Himekawa | Page Count: 402

"As long as I see that in the sky, I can't rest."

Majora's Mask continues the story told in Ocarina of Time (2000). Link enters a mysterious forest searching for his missing fairy, Navi, but trouble ensues and the 'Hero of Time' ends up in a situation wherein he has just three days to stop a major disaster or everyone caught in the impact will die.

The way the Nintendo 64 game is structured doesn't make any kind of linear adaptation easy, so Akira Himekawa took the only sensible route open, which was to focus on the acquisition of those masks that directly alter Link and ignore all but the most pertinent side-quest, i.e. the one that offers the most opportunity to pluck at the heartstrings. If you've played MM, you can likely guess which one that is.

Consequently, a lot more changes have been made to the story than was made to Ocarina of Time, but in most cases they were arguably unavoidable and, as before, they're very respectful.

The Legend of Zelda Manga: Legendary Ed. Vol. 02 (2017)

Oracle of Seasons / Oracle of Ages (2001)

Author and Illustrator: Akira Himekawa | Page Count: 386

"Use your left hand! Your left!"

The two 'Oracle' Game Boy Colour games that were released simultaneously in 2001 got their own individual manga adaptation. The games were connected but also cleverly designed to be enjoyed independently in whichever order the player chose.

You could say the same of the two books — originally published separately — but it makes slightly more sense to read Seasons before reading Ages. Whether by coincidence or design, the featured Legendary Edition also presents the two books that way.*

Oracle of Seasons begins in Hylia. Link balks at the suggestion that he should practice his sword skills more fervently. He doesn't yet understand why Hyrule needs knights who are willing to lay their life on the line to protect its citizens, but the power of the Triforce will soon change all that…

The Legend of Zelda Manga: Legendary Ed. Vol. 01 (2016)

Ocarina of Time: Parts 1 and 2 (2000)

Author and Illustrator: Akira Himekawa | Page Count: 378

"You're certainly popular with the ladies."

The first TLoZ manga from Akira Himekawa* was a two-part work based on the excellent Nintendo 64 game of the same name. The Legendary Edition reprint collects both manga into one larger format HB book, with better paper and some additional colouring.

It essentially tells the same story as the game but there are some differences in how characters are introduced, none of which I found to be in any way disrespectful to its source. In fact, I feel the opposite was true - the narrative makes new connections between existing characters, enabling some very successful emotional moments to surface as a result.

The drama is never underplayed but nor does it take itself too seriously; it has an occasional playful laugh at its own expense (e.g. see the quote above).

The artwork is excellent; even the rough sketches that are included are fantastic! Child Link world has a different feel than Adult Link world and the danger level in each reflects that.

Lords of Chaos (2018)

Lords of Chaos (2018)

Dir. Jonas Åkerlund

As a long-time fan of early Norwegian Black Metal, I didn't know what to expect from LoC. Would it be parody, satire, mockery, or bullshit sensationalism? Wikipedia describes it as a 'horror-thriller film', which was worrying.

The answer, as I see it, is that the film is none of those things entirely, but it does lose its way as the narrative goes on. Before that, however, for about an hour of its runtime it's a pleasingly straightforward presentation with a comfortable amount of black humour and a half-decent (but mostly surface deep) depiction of the lifestyle that informed the music, and vice-versa.

It's based on the book Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground (1998) by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind. I've not read the text, but am familiar with how the stories were reported across Europe, firstly by having been a reader of the UK music presses at the time of the happenings — which might seem like too peripherally a connection, but is itself something that the film alludes to, in one of its most daft scenes — and later through personal research on the internet.

Lucifer: Volume 11 (2007)

Evensong (2007)

Author: Mike Carey | Illustrators: Peter Gross / Ryan Kelly / Dean Ormston / John J. Muth / Zander Cannon / Aaron Alexovich | Page Count: 216

"If mercy's your aim, be relentless in your mercy. Be absolute. Be yourself, until you bleed."

The final volume. It's time for Lucifer to put his affairs in order before taking what he feels is the best course of action. Carey wraps up the series with some single issue stories that pick up the pieces and suggest potential futures of many of the main characters and a few of the more memorable secondary ones.

In many ways the women of the series made the toughest choices and underwent the greatest change. Their growth is explored beautifully. In a perfect world that story would never end. It's a bitter-sweet experience; particularly for my favourite character.

On first reading it surprised me to find that I'd miss the Lucifer cast just as much (and in some cases even more) than I had missed the Sandman cast, but having gone through both series more than once now, I think I favour Lucifer, even if it's not as ground-breaking as its predecessor, objectively speaking.

Lucifer: Volume 10 (2006)

Morningstar (2006)

Author: Mike Carey | Illustrators: Peter Gross / Ryan Kelly / Colleen Doran / Michael Kaluta | Page Count: 192

"Fight. Win, or be defeated. Die. Make your own arrangements. I'm not your keeper."

Volume 10 of 11 in the Lucifer series. After an emotional opening, picking up a thread that may have seemed done and dusted in one of the earlier books, the apocalyptic conclusion to the shit-storm that has built around the Lightbringer for the past few books gets underway. What follows is conflict on a grand scale - chaos unleashed in a place unprepared for it... again.

While some fight for victory, some for honour, and some simply for the joy of fighting, Lucifer knows that to craft the New he must first destroy the Old, and not just in the physical sense. The victor may win the battle but it's not just Above and Below any longer; the whole of Creation itself is at stake. So what if the collateral damage is a few billion souls? In such a crusade, his rules are the only rules that matter.