Halloween Horror Fest the 13th

Posted on October 12, 2016 by platinumal

Blacula (1972)

Blacula updates the legend of Dracula, placing it’s protagonist in early 70’s California. African Prince Mamuwalde (William Marshall) is visiting said Lord of the Undead, who curses him to become a vampire, known as Blacula. After being entombed for a couple of hundred years, Mamuwalde is revived when his coffin is transported and opened in modern day USA.

It’s a fun film, transposing many of the myths we’re familiar with from Hammer movies into a different setting. As in other versions of the tale, Blacula is transfixed by Tina, who he sees as the reincarnation of his lost love. Tina, played by the beautiful Vonetta McGee (dead ringer for Beyonce) falls for his deadly charms; whilst her friends attempt to stop the plague of vampirism from spreading.

Whilst undeniably dated, and wallowing in numerous stereotypes that are somewhat non-pc by today’s standards, Blacula offers some great entertainment. There are a few scares, some incredibly groovy costumes and settings, and a cool funky score. It’s a novelty rather than an original, though transposing the Dracula story into the realm of Blaxploitation works a treat.

Recommended, especially for fans of Dracula AD 1972 and Dark Shadows.

7/10

Friday the 13th (1980)

We’re off to the realms of slasher movies next, for one of the all time classics of the genre. I first saw this film when I was 17. I’ve not been much of a fan of slasher flicks since.

Friday the 13th knowingly raids all the cliches from the cupboard and displays them proudly on the wall. Set at Crystal Lake summer camp, the young counsellors fit the required formula and are gruesomely picked off one by one in the classic manner.

And yet it works very well, with some genuinely well done gore (Tom Savini, take a bow) and real shocks that convince even after all these years. This might not have been the first slasher flick,but it follows the Halloween blueprint faithfully and delivers with surprises and tension.

I’m still not a massive slasher movie fan, but this original Friday the 13th is well worth investigating.

7/10

Halloween Horror Fest 2016

Posted on October 3, 2016 by platinumal

Welcome to this year’s Halloween Horror Fest! All through the month of October, I’ll be watching horror movies, monster flicks and general B-movie nonsense, and then sharing a short revue on this here blog. Hope you enjoy!

First off this year it’s…

Countess Dracula (1971)

Loosely based on the true story of Countess Bathory, who bathed in the blood of virgins, this Hammer tale is suitably lurid and macabre. It deals in all the classic (or stereotypical, if you prefer) Hammer traits, with gore and a dash of nudity – not to mention horse drawn carriages in the woods, castles and intrigue.

Here the widowed Countess is played by the legendary Ingrid Pitt, who makes a startling transformation from ancient crone to voluptuous young beauty when she discovers the restorative powers of virgin’s blood. With this knowledge, the Countess embarks on a mission to ensnare her younger lover and keep the supply of comely wenches flowing.

There’s also plenty of plotting within the castle walls, leading to some duplicitous goings on and dastardly actions. Chief amongst these scoundrels is Nigel Green as Dobi, keen to take the place of the Countess’s suitor (Sandor Eles).

Countess Dracula is one of the great Hammer films I remember seeing years ago, inded it was one of the first I ever bought – on VHS – for my collection! It’s an entertaining film, aided by the deceitful twists and turns of the characters, that stops the film from becoming too run of the mill.

Unlike the real Countess Bathory story, and with this being Hammer, there is of course a supernatural element to the proceedings. The Countess is magically rejuvenated; Ingrid Pitt at first made up to look old becomes miraculously young and seductive. But this isn’t a historical docu-drama, it’s Hammer horror – and it’s all about entertainment.

Great fun and a worthy start to this years Halloween Horror Fest!

8/10

Wales Comic Con Strikes Back – part 2

Posted on May 4, 2016 by platinumal

Saturday 23rd April to Sunday 24th April 2016

Glyndwr University, Wrexham

OK – so as I mentioned last time, I ended up with quite a few photos from Wales Comic Con. Far too many for just one blog post. So here’s part 2, featuring the remainder of pictures that I took.

Not much in the way of text this time – most of it was covered in the previous instalment. Scroll down if you want to check that out.

So here you go – the second part of our adventures at Wales Comic Con in Wrexham…

At last November’s Wales Comic Con, my trusty Canon camera suffered a sudden, unexpected demise. As a result, my recent photos have been taken on a little digital snappy camera and my phone. Not ideal. Now I don’t claim to be a great photographer, but a good camera has helped cover much of my inexperience. I hope you can forgive some of these less than awesome pics and enjoy some of the fun of the day.

Snow White and friend

Catwoman

Thor

Nightwing and Punisher

Motley crew

My thanks again to anyone who allowed me to take their photo at Wales Comic Con. It’s really appreciated, and I hope you like the results.

MJ Spidey and Black Cat

Scooby Doo Where Are You?

Harley and pal

Awesome Batman!

Spectacular!

Wales Comic Con was a real success yet again, in my opinion. An enjoyable welcoming atmosphere, with very friendly guests. I shared my last post on social media and the feedback was resoundingly positive, which was great.

So thanks again to all I encountered at Comic Con. Your warmth and positivity made this event a fantastic experience!

The Wales Comic Con website is here.

Shredder vs Casey

Royal Guard

Mother and daughter?

Sci Fi Weekender 2016 – part 2

Posted on April 6, 2016 by platinumal

Phoenix

Sci Fi Weekender 17th – 20th March 2016

Hafan Y Mor Holiday Park, Pwllheli

Day 2 at SFW, and again it’s all a blur. I recall it was a lazy start to the day for me, breakfast and chilling in the caravan. Kurt was feeling better, but Greeny was starting to suffer with the illness. It would be mostly be another day of watching Star Trek, Big Bang Theory and Top Gear for those two.

Adam had got up early and made it to see a showing of a new independent film called Pandorica. Classed as an action-horror, reports about the film were very enthusiastic. The Q&A with Director and cast was my first event of the day – it was interesting although I’d not seen the film! Definitely one to keep and eye out for: word of mouth was very positive.

Wheres Blessed?

Jokes

Rey and Leia

Papa Johns is just ahead of you…

Massive Wampa

Marvel gang

The highlight of the afternoon was, undoubtedly, an appearance by the incomparable Brian Blessed. Larger than life and twice as loud, Blessed’s sci-fi credentials are suitably top notch. A life long fan of science fiction, as well in starring in numerous genre pieces – you may have heard of Flash Gordon – his enthusiasm was both apparent and infectious.

Professor Elemental hosted the Q&A with Brian Blessed, who wisely let the great man get on and tell his tales! A solid job from the Professor – a daunting task well executed.

Blessed’s talk ranged from his acting work to his many explorations and mountaineering adventures. His recollections of the Flash Gordon movie, and it’s well deserved appreciation by audiences the world over, were affectionately told. An unmissable audience with a real living legend.

Judges

Dr Strange and pals

Black Cat

Vinz Clortho and pals!

Chewie with friends

In the afternoon I took some photos and looked around the stalls again. Unfortunately, this years SFW again clashed with MCM Memorabilia in Birmingham, so genre based merchandise was thin on the ground. I picked up some cool Elvira cocktail glasses though!

A good feature this year was the retro gaming section, where numerous old consoles could be played for free. This was very popular, and although I don’t play video games it meant I always knew where to find my crew if we split up. They were always playing games…

Every year at SFW, the Cosplay final is something to behold. There’s always a sense of excitement in the air, as the costumed competitors take the stage. And every year, the audience and competitors are enthusiastic and good natured. Everyone cheers for each other, and there’s a real sense of community. It’s nice to witness all the attendees rooting for each other; even though there will always be favourites, there is no bitterness.

Wolverine

Rocket and Gamora

Urban Troopers

Tank Girl and friends

Aquaman

The costumes were exceptional, as you can see (hopefully) from the photos here. Not everyone entered the competition, but there were so many great costumes whether they were entering or just dressing up for fun. Massive respect to everyone.

I find it great fun spotting and naming the characters. The variety and imagination on show is consistently astounding, not to mention the talent that goes into making the costumes. So again, thanks to all the Cosplayers for letting me take your photos. Too many of my pics didn’t work out. I also missed far too may opportunities. But I hope that the photos here capture some of the creativity I witnessed.

And I sincerely apologise for not dressing up! I lost count of the number of people who chastised me (with good humour, of course) for not dressing as Tony Stark…

Mario and friends

Dungeons and Dragons

Captain America

Edward

My Little Pony ladies

Anyway, there can only be one winner of the Cosplay final, and that was the Robot Overlord fellow. I can’t remember the character’s name, but I swear it was truly incredible!

Later on in the evening, I zoomed over to the Prog Rock area to catch some music. I was very happy to catch the Focus set; the song “Hocus Pocus” was an obvious highlight. I only saw a couple of songs by Ian Anderson (of Jethro Tull fame) – though they were impressive – before heading back to the spaceport.

Nostromo crew

Mr Tumble!

Arrow and Canary

Zombies

Wonder Woman

For the rest of the evening, my compadre, Ste and myself had a few beers and hung around with various SFW attendees. We saw some old pals and met a few new ones. I took more photos – including the now traditional “no photos” social media-proof shades pics. And we managed to stay up partying till after 2 in the morning!

Not such a good thing going home Sunday…

Still, another great time at Sci Fi Weekender. And yes, Greeny and Kurt got better, thanks for asking.

If you were there, it was good to see you. Hopefully we’ll see you next year.

And big thanks to Adam, who organised the whole thing for us!

The Sci Fi Weekender site is here.

The HRH Prog site is here.

PS: There are photos left unpublished, so there will be Bonus Scenes in a few weeks. Be warned!

Party

Rebel pilots

Alien girl

Indy and friends

Oscar D2

Two Face

Cosplay winner!

Bring Your Own Vinyl Night #7

Posted on March 7, 2016 by platinumal

Bring Your Own Vinyl Night

Queen’s Head, Mold

Friday 26th February 2016

Welcome back to the Queen’s Head in Mold, North Wales! Get yourself a pint and make yourself comfortable, ‘cos you know what time it is. That’s right, it’s Bring Your Own Vinyl Night again!

Remember the rules: there’s a fifteen minute slot for each person; play whatever you like, so long as it’s vinyl.

Only Greeny and myself made it this time – Adam and Ben the Swede were both unavailable. No theme for my set this time, just a few songs I really had a yearning to play…

Ennio Morricone – The Ecstasy of Gold

This song is of course from the soundtrack for the classic Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. My version came from an album called “This is Ennio Morricone”. You don’t need me to tell you how great that film is. And Morricone’s soundtrack is stylish and ground breaking. In particular, this track (which plays while Eli Wallach’s character runs frenziedly through a Civil War graveyard) is sheer class. It builds magnificently and captivates the listener. A bit over the top, I admit, as the first song in my set – but never let it be said that Platinum Al doesn’t do drama.

Ramones – Surfin’ Bird

If I was going to recommend a Ramones album for a novice to start their education of NYC’s finest, I’d go for “Rocket to Russia”. I thought that this frenetic cover of the Trashmen’s surf rock gem would be a suitable place to go, after the majesty of the last track. I love the Ramones and this song was a ton of fun to play.

Soundgarden – Fresh Tendrils

This song, from the simply fantastic “Superunknown” album, is probably my favourite Soundgarden song ever. And I’m a bit of a Soundgarden nerd – I’ve collected tons of their stuff. Rather than play a more obvious, well known song, I decided to go with my top tune. “Fresh Tendrils” has an epic, classic rock sound that I love. No idea what Chris is singing about, however. The version I played was from the “Spoonman” 12″ single (on clear vinyl!).

Johnny Cash – Folsom Prison Blues

Originally I was going to play a Stooges song, but then I remembered that 26th February was Johnny Cash’s birthday. So I decided to play a song by the Man in Black. “Folsom Prison Blues” is a legendary track, one of Cash’s best. And I’ve already stated how big a hero this guy was to me. The album this came from – “Original Golden Hits Volume 1” – was my Gran’s. After she passed away, it was given to me. I’d heard a lot from bands I was into how Cash was an inspiration, so I checked the record out. I loved it, and my Johnny Cash fandom was born. The first Cash record I heard, but not the last!

That’s my list for the night. There were may great songs played through out the evening, though. Budgie! Hawkwind! Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy! Anthrax! Check the link below for the complete list.

Wax is back – get spinning those tracks! Thanks for a great night!

I’d also like to thank my old mate Graham, who turned up with a couple of Suicidal Tendencies records for me. You see, I’d sold these two exact albums to Graham some twenty years ago, when I was a broke student. Although I could’ve tracked the records down on eBay, I decided to message Graham and see if he’d sell them back to me (if he still had them). The reason being that one album, the awesome “Join the Army”, had been given to me when I was 15 by my friend Kelvin Bedford, who I used to skateboard with every day. Sadly, Kel passed away a couple of years ago. So it was cool to get that actual copy back in my record collection, as a nice memory. It even had the same plastic protective sheet over the album – and the selotape strip I patched up the inner sleeve with many, many years ago! Graham gave me both records for free – so I bought him a pint or two. Thank you!

The Halcyon Dreams blogspot is here.

The Halcyon Dreams mixcloud page is here.

The Halcyon Dreams Facebook page is here.

Sci-Fi Weekender 2015 – The Director’s Cut

Posted on February 25, 2016 by platinumal

Sci-Fi Weekender 19th-22nd March 2015

Hafan Y Mor Holiday Park, Pwllheli

It’s nearly March – and you know what that means! Yes, it’s almost time again for Sci-Fi Weekender! This year’s event is at the same venue, Hafan y Mor holiday park, near Pwllheli in North Wales. Running from 17th-20th March, the 2016 event promises even more out of this world fun.

Whilst doing a little reminiscing, I found a few photos from last year’s SFW that, for one reason or another, hadn’t been used.

So I decided to share a few more on this page, just as a warm up for SFW7. Hope you enjoy.

And here are a few more shots from the weekend. Hope none of these are repeats that I’ve missed…!

I may not have indulged in any Cosplay last year, but I did take along my Social Media Proof glasses. These were invaluable in getting a few unusual character shots. I might take them again this year! Hopefully the concept is explained by the photos. If not, let me explain… The SMP glasses are worn on the face as sunglasses, giving the effect of those censorship bars across celebrities faces when they don’t want to be pictured. That’s the idea, anyway…

Instead of “cheese”, it’s “No photos!”. Here’s a few pics of us “doing a Kanye”:

Great memories. I’m looking forward to this years Sci-Fi Weekender in just a few weeks. Hope to see some of these amazing characters again!

All Hail The Twinkie

Posted on February 16, 2016 by platinumal

When I first went to the United States of America, I had a mission. I was 27 years old and had never eaten a Twinkie. In fact, I’d never even seen one. Twinkies, though they are a definitive piece of American snacking, were unavailable in the UK. So on day one of my first US trip, I went to a supermarket and found the Hostess snacks section. Finally, I was able to experience the wonder of the Twinkie.

You may wonder why this was such a big deal. Especially if you’re American.

I had been fascinated by this “golden sponge cake” since my childhood days, when I voraciously read every Marvel comic book I could get my hands on. Between the thrilling tales of Spiderman, The Avengers and the Fantastic Four (amongst others) were numerous adverts for American products that fascinated my young mind. X-Ray Specs; Sea Monkeys; t-shirts and posters for KISS, Evel Knievel and Farrah Fawcett. I had no idea what these things were, there was nothing like them in my world. This pop culture ephemera were tantalising clues to the world I saw on television and in films.

Also advertised within the pages of these comic book master pieces were adverts for Hostess snack foods. There were fruit pies, cup cakes, and of course Twinkies.

These ads featured Marvel superheroes defeating the villains with the aid of snack food items. A short one page comic strip told how the hero would be able to distract the bad guys with the treats and save the day. The plots were somewhat random mini stories that shoe horned the products in any way they could. My mind absorbed it all. Of course, there were ads in DC comics too, featuring their stable of characters. You couldn’t escape Hostess snacks anywhere in comic land.

A typical Twinkie comic advert

Add in the fact that these cakes have been featured in films and television as well, and you have a pop culture phenomenon. Twinkies are featured in Ghostbusters, Die Hard and Zombieland, as well as many others. One of my favourite examples is Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, where the villain – whose touch decays everything – finds the only food he can hold without it crumbling to dust is a Twinkie. A nice reference to the old comic ads, there – and the urban myth of Twinkies being imperishable!

But what is a Twinkie? It’s basically a sponge finger cake, with a creamy filling. As I found out when I first ate one, they’re not that amazing really. In fact I was a little under whelmed. Mr Kipling this ain’t. But then Mr Kipling didn’t stop Galactus from devouring the planet with a Bakewell tart.

Nowadays you can find Twinkies on sale in the UK, and in various forms too. Along with the original variety, I’ve tried banana; and chocolate is available too. All easily found in your local B&M store, and a lot cheaper than the speciality American sweet shops that sell boxes for £13 (more like £3).

They’re good, but not the most delicious of cakes. However the Twinkie is without equal in the realms of popular culture. At least for those, like me, raised on American superhero comics. Twinkies are still an exotic treat, to be enjoyed with a wry smile and fond memories of those old comics.

There are some great examples of Hostess adverts in comic books here.

The Hostess cakes website is here.

More Hostess foods soon!

The Return of Wales Comic Con 2015

Posted on December 2, 2015 by platinumal

Wales Comic Con – Sunday 29th November 2015

Glyndwr University, Wrexham

Back in April, my family and I attended the first Wales Comic Con of the year, held at Glyndwr University in Wrexham. However just one day was not enough – November saw a second event in a similar vein.

So that meant star guests signing, merch for sale and dozens of cosplayers – all gathered together for a fun day. Whatever you’re fan of, from the realms of film, television or comic books; be it sci-fi, fantasy, or other genre – there was something there for everyone.

Leia and Fett

Vic Rattlehead

Nick Fury

Deadpool

Halloween Jedi

Family portrait!

Disney princesses

Leia and Elsa

At the previous event, we were lucky to have some stunning warm weather. No such luck this time – the rain lashed down and the wind blew mercilessly. Even for November, this weather wasn’t great. No matter though, the atmosphere at the event was still every bit as sunny as previous. Quite surprisingly, everyone’s spirits were high and there was still an air of excitement.

Comic Con was largely about Star Wars for my family, with my daughter Eloise dressed as Princess Leia in classic A New Hope style outfit. She had a fantastic time having photos taken, and running after stormtroopers trying to shoot them (with a blaster from my collection!). Meeting Chewbacca was also a highlight.

Natasha, Scott, Elf

Cap

Family Portrait 2!

Pris

Wonder Woman

Join the Empire or else!

Incredible!

The costumes were varied and impressive – though due to the weather, lack of time and a technical fault my photos were limited. Which was a shame as there were many more photos I’d have liked to take.

So another great event at Wrexham, and an excellent afternoon out. We’ll definitely be back for more next time.

The Wales Comic Con website is here.

Its a trap!

Princesses

Grotbags!

Captured!

Jurassic Park patrol

Ghost Rider

Windy

Silence of the Halloween Horror Fest

Posted on November 4, 2015 by platinumal

We’re well into November now, but I still have a few Halloween horror reviews left to cover. Bonfire night? Who cares?! What fireworks?!

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Jodie Foster plays FBI agent Clarice Starling in this fantastic film, on the trail of serial killer “Buffalo Bill”. To find the killer she enlists the help of incarcerated psychopath Hannibal “the Cannibal” Lecter (a superb Anthony Hopkins in a career defining role). Utilising Lecter’s knowledge to enhance the psychological profile of the killer, the young agent finds herself embroiled in his mind games, as the race to catch Buffalo Bill gains further urgency.

If you’ve never seen this film, see it. If you have, watch it again. It won multiple Oscars and is absolutely captivating (no pun intended) on every viewing. Brilliant performances; scenes that look and feel real; and a chilling story make The Silence of the Lambs unmissable.

True, there are no monsters or supernatural occurrences in this movie. Yet the sense of unease and tension created in The Silence of the Lambs mark it as a real horror film with chills beyond compare.

10/10

Ghostbusters (1984)

Another film that needs no introduction, though of a vastly different style; Ghostbusters is an 80’s classic. Featuring a team of scientists who, after finding themselves thrown out of their university, form a new business hunting ghosts, this film has laughs and thrills aplenty. Taking New York by storm with their paranormal investigations, the Ghostbusters wind up facing a threat that is really out of this world!

The three main Ghostbusters – Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd and Harold Ramis – are all excellent; with Murray in particular looking like he’s having tons of fun. Ernie Hudson as the fourth member does a good job, but is somewhat underused. Sigourney Weaver puts in a good performance as the musician caught up in a pan-dimensional event she doesn’t understand. And keep your eyes on Rick Moranis, who is constantly hilarious.

Highly recommended as some fun Halloween viewing, Ghostbusters mixes a few spooky moments with some very funny scenes. Add in a great theme tune and some memorable quotes, and you really can’t go wrong.

Who ya gonna call?

9/10

That’s it for another year, thanks for reading Halloween Horror Fest!

Halloween Horror Fest Hollow

Posted on November 1, 2015 by platinumal

Halloween is over, but as ever, I’m behind with reviewing the films I’ve watched this October. So here we go…

Bigfoot Wars (2014)

Now I’m a big fan of Bigfoot movies. The Legend of Boggy Creek is, in my book, a total classic. So I was intrigued by Bigfoot Wars and definitely wasn’t put off by the obvious low budget, straight to video fest that I was letting myself in for.

The story, in a nutshell, is this: a small town (named Boggy Creek, interestingly enough) has a problem with marauding Bigfoot abducting the local females.

Unfortunately it is all a bit cheap, at least as far as the script goes. The sasquatch look pretty scary and manage to introduce a good dose of tension to the proceedings. However the story is fairly lame and obvious, with rather poor acting and dialogue. Some guy called C Thomas Howell is the token ex-big name slumming it; but his performance is unintelligible.

As a fan of Bigfoot movies, there was enough here for me to enjoy. However I couldn’t really recommend Bigfoot Wars to anyone else.

5/10

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Tim Burton directed this version of the Washington Irving story, and it really is superb. The design and cinematography are spell binding; the story rattles along at a great pace, and the cast is rammed with an unbelievable level of talent.

Our old mate Johnny Depp plays Ichabod Crane, who in this version is a detective, sent to the remote town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate some hideous murders. It appears that the locals are being decapitated by a Headless Horseman, though why is a mystery. Crane must use his rational, scientific sensibilities to put a stop to the carnage – though it appears that the events may be of supernatural origin after all…

Apparently this film is Tim Burton’s tribute to Hammer horror; it’s easy to see why with the scenes of stage coaches rolling through gloomy forests. A cameo from the late, great Christopher Lee further exaggerates the point. Lashings of blood also help to underscore the tribute to sixties horror.

Sleep Hollow is exceptionally well made – it looks incredible and the story is riveting. Whilst the motivations are a little convoluted, it all comes together in the end. Highly recommended for some blood thirsty thrills, and worthy of repeated viewings.