Re:tro Re:view - NeverEnding Story!

The NeverEnding Story (1984) is a charming fantasy that can be appreciated by any audience!  At this time, we need to escape in fantasy more than ever, and The NeverEnding Story may be the answer!  The NeverEnding Story (Die unendliche Geschichte) was a 1979 novel by Michael Ende.  It was published in English in 1983.  The story has inspired both this film and two sequels of diminishing returns; The NeverEndingStory II: The Next Chapter (1991), it adapted the second half of the book, and The NeverEnding Story III: Return to Fantasia (1996).  Ende was disappointed about the film, but I think it captured enough of the appeal of the novel and its world.  There was also an animated series in 1995 and a live action series, Tales from the Neverending Story, in 2002.  The film is directed and co-written by Wolfgang Petersen, well known for directing Das Boot (1981) and later the sci fi film, Enemy Mine (1985).  It was co-written by Herman Weigel, a writer and producer of German films.  Steven Spielberg helped with US edit of the film.  

The opening has clouds in fantastic shapes, pure fantasy in this case, while we hear Limahl’s “Neverending Story.”  Christopher Hamill was the lead singer of the group, Kajagoogo, they had dropped him, and he went on to solo success with this song.  The song of course was featured in the season 3 finale of Stranger Things.  Awakening from his sleep is Bastian (Barret Oliver), in the novel his full name is Balthazar Bux.  Oliver was later in the sci fi film, Cocoon (1985).  He puts away the book he was reading and later he is in the kitchen struggling to open a jar of jam.  This is a good way of showing that Bastian is not strong, but his strength is in his imagination.  His father (Gerald McRaney) easily opens it.  McRaney was known for playing Rick Simon part of the detective duo with his brother in Simon & Simon.  Bastian tells his father he had dreamed about his mother and is told they have to move on.  A sad moment with the loss of a parent.  

Bastian's father mentions the phone call from his math teacher about drawing horses in his book.  He wants Bastian to stop dreaming and focus on his work.  Strange, a traumatic event and there is no school counselor checking on Bastian.  His father leaves for work and we have Bastian walking to school.  He is interrupted by three bullies, they want to take money from the “weirdo”, they toss him into a dumpster.  Bastian walks out and then is chased by the bullies.  He manages to hide at a book store.  The owner, Carl Conrad Coreander (Thomas Hill), checks on him.  His book based named is in the credits, but only his last name is mentioned in the film.  Hill later played Father Andrew Doyle in the V: The Final Battle (1984) mini-series.  Bastian proves what he has read including Lord of the Rings and admits he was running from bullies. 

He then wonders about the bookseller’s book that he is reading.  Coreander says that it is “special” and that Bastian’s books are “safe” since they are just stories.  He goes to answer a phone call, Bastian uncovers the book, it has a decoration on the cover, a bronze mass of two snakes intertwining.  Also, the title, The Neverending Story.  Bastian runs off with the book and Coreander smiles.  At school, Bastian finds that his class has a math test, so he takes the attic key into the dusty attic of discarded items.  Bastian pulls over a mattress and then takes out the book.  He reads about the dark, Howling Forest, this is a perfect narrative device where we have the kid as narrator.  The purpose of Neverending Story is reading and imagination that we find so important in young readers.  

Then we see two friends, the giant racing snail of Teeny Weeny (Deep Roy), a messenger, and the giant bat of the Night Hob (Tilo Prückner) called Vooshvazool in the book.  Roy was in many genre projects including Droopy McCool in Return of the Jedi (1983).  Prückner is a German actor and later he was in the sci fi comedy, Iron Sky (2012).  They hear the rumbling of a massive stone wheel part of a bicycle operated by Rockbiter (voiced by Alan Oppenheimer).  He was the Chief Supervisor in Westworld (1973) and also known for voicing Skeletor in the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon.  Rockbiter asks to join them and snacks on a limestone rock.  He explains he came from the north and tells the others that the land is being swallowed by nothing.  Teeny Weeny says it also happening in the west and Night Hob it is the same in the south.  Their world of Fantasia is being destroyed, in the novel it is Fantastica.   

They all agree to head to the Ivory Tower to ask the Childlike Empress for help.  Rockbiter is left behind as the Nothing tears apart the land. They reach the Ivory Tower at sunset, a beautiful tower emerging from what looks like flower petals and a glowing light.  At the top of the tower are three circular platforms and the tip of the tower is like a flowery stigma.   The Night Hob looks into the tower to see the tall, representative of the Empress, Cairon (Moses Gunn).  He is bearded with a ridge on his head, but in the novel he is a centaur.  Gunn was also in the horror adaptation Firestarter (1984).  There is just a menagerie of creatures, an elephant headed man like Max Rebo, a large headed creature, others with three faces.  It is such a diverse gathering that feels international and fantastic.   

Cairon says that the Nothing is destroying Fantasia and that the Childlike Empress has an illness connected to it!  He says there only hope is from the Plainspeople, a warrior named Atreyu.  Bastian pauses from reading wondering at the name of the hero.  The person who appears at the palace is a young boy played by Noah Hathaway.  He played Boxey in the original Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979) series. Cairon apologizes for scoffing at the warrior and gives Atreyu a quest.  The quest is to save Fantasia and the Childlike Empress (we later see her played by Tami Stronach).  He agrees and puts aside his weapons.  Cairon gives him the Auryn, the symbol on the cover of Neverending Story.  Bastian checks the book to see the Auryn.  He is ready to follow Atreyu’s adventure.

Atreyu rides from the Ivory Tower on his white horse, Artax, passing Teeny Weeny, the Night Hob, and Rockbiter.  Bastian notes that another has taken a quest, under a fierce lightning storm, the massive wolf, Gmork, with pale, green eyes chases after Atreyu.  The warrior has been searching for a week, by a stream, he decides to eat which Bastian also joins in taking a bite from his sandwhich, but saves it for the rest of the book.  Atreyu rides past mountains, a desert, and a road of crystals, when Gmork reaches his stream resting place.  Finally, Atreyu has reached the Swamps of Sadness to find Morla, the Ancient One.  Atreyu leads Artax by his bridle through the swamp, but he finds Artax has given up hope and Atreyu pleads for him to !  This is extremely tragic to anyone including Bastian!  

Atreyu finds Shell Mountain, when he calls for Morla, he is thrown off and finds that Morla is massive turtle creature.  Bastian screams and he is heard by Morla and Atreyu.  Morla is uncaring about world matters, but allergic to young people!  Atreyu has to continue his quest to find the Southern Oracle while Bastian is interrupted by the bells signaling the end of school. A storm covers the school, but Bastian reads on inspired by Atreyu, a wolf’s head falls towards him!  Atreyu slogs through the swamp, Gmork is racing after him, but out of the sky, a luck dragon flies towards him!  

Falkor (also voiced by Alan Oppenheimer) is the dragon, a long, white dragon like out of Chinese myth, with scales and fur and a head like a puppy with a long snout.  His ability is just to be there at the right time, in this case to spare Atreyu from Gmork, and fly him incredible distances. The end of the film ends at chapter 11 and the book itself runs to chapter 26.  It shifts over with Bastian as the hero, but the film has fun with Bastian and Falkor.  The scenery, creature, and costume designer was Ul De Rico, one of the best with the fantastic beasts in this film, he also was in the art department of Flash Gordon (1980).  The incredible matte paintings were by Michael Pangrazio who worked on Empire Strikes Back (1980).  If you need a little magic, storytelling, and adventure don’t miss The Neverending Story!  

Five Auryns out of Five! 

#NeverEndingStory, #WolfgangPetersen, #BarretOliver, #NoahHathaway, #AlanOppenheimer

Heroes at Home #1 Review!

Heroes at Home was a free Sunday comic book released on Marvel’s Instagram and also variant covers for comic books.  It was collected and printed in a mini-book on December 9th.  It is a few pages of your favorite heroes and some laughs as they go through quarantine.  The comics are written by Zeb Wells who wrote and directed Robot Chicken episodes, created SuperMansion for Crackle, and wrote comic book issues including New Mutants.  GuriHuru is the name for a duo of Japanese artists who worked on the Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novel, The Promise (2012), the Superman Smashes the Klan limited series also with Gene Luen Yang, and The Unbelievable Gwenpool!  Spider-Man is busy baking croissants at home, but he may be pre-occupied with other thoughts!  

The next one was especially funny with Black Panther trying to enter a Wakandan dining hall, but warned by the Dora Milaje warriors about wearing a mask!  Still, T’Challa is very clever with restrictions!  Then, we have Captain America who has just cooked up a delicious pot of spaghetti, but all of the dishes are dirty!  The Captain Marvel comic has some dialogue, faces a Skrull and Kree warrior via Zoom!  Hulk tries to make a drawing with giant crayons, he sees neighbors thanking essential workers, but he is not too much help himself!  The Thor comic has him in a real quarantine struggle, giving himself a haircut!  Venom finds himself without a mask and uses his symbiote, but that symbiote will only go so far to help Eddie Brock!  Wolverine has his own idea how to occupy his time in quarantine, the best use of his claws?  There is tricky appeances of Jeff the Land Shark from Gwenpool, some are easy, others not so.  Laughs may be really needed at these times and maybe get a copy or two to share with friends!  

Five Masks out of Five! 

#HeroesatHome, #ZebWells, #GuriHuru, #JefftheLandShark 

Happy Birthday Jeremy Renner!

Happy Birthday Jeremy Renner! His first film was the comedy National Lampoon’s Senior Trip (1995) playing Mark “Dags” D’Agastino.  He also guest starred on an episode of the sci fi show Deadly Games.  Renner had the lead in the martial arts film Paper Dragons (1996).  In 2002, he played Jeffrey Dahmer in the bio film Dahmer (2002).  Next, he played Officer Brian Gamble in the adaptation of the tv action show, S.W.A.T. (2003).  Renner was in 28 Weeks Later (2007), the horror sequel based on the comic book.  He received award attention playing Sergeant William James in The Hurt Locker (2009) directed by Kathryn Bigelow.  Renner also had another Academy Award nomination for the crime drama, The Town (2010).  He of course first appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Hawkeye in Thor (2011).  Jeremy Renner also played William Brandt in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011).  

Renner had a full appearance as Hawkeye in The Avengers (2012) and then played Aaron Cross in The Bourne Legacy (2012).  He had a lead in the fantasy horror movie Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013).  Renner was the corrupt mayor in David O. Russell’s American Hustle (2013).  He produced and starred in Kill the Messenger (2014) based on the book by Gary Webb.  Renner returns as Hawkeye in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).  He also returned as William Brandt in Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015).  Clint Barton returned played by Jeremy Renner, in Captain America: Civil War (2016). Next, he played physicist Ian Donnelly in Arrival (2016) directed by Denis Villeneuve.  He produced the bio film The Founder (2016).  In 2017, Renner was in Taylor Sheridan's drama Wind River along with Elizabeth Olsen.  He was in the true life comedy Tag in 2018.  Jeremy Renner then appeared in Avengers: Endgame.  He will return as Clint Barton in Hawkeye in the fall on Disney Plus with Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop!  Happy Birthday Jeremy Renner!  

#JeremyRenner, #HurtLocker, #AvengersEndgame, #Hawkeye

Re:tro Re:view - Dune (1984)!

Dune is the one of the best known science fiction works on the Lord of the Rings level with fantasy!  This will serve not only as a review of the film, but a primer of sorts for the novel and upcoming Denis Villeneuve movie. It is of course based on the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert who later continued the story four years later with Dune Messiah (1969) and then four more books!  here were fourteen more novels by Brian Herbert, one of the executive producers on the new film, and Kevin J. Anderson. The film was written and directed by David Lynch who was just coming from working on The Elephant Man (1980). 

Dune Heretic (1984) also came out at the same year as the movie. SyFy later produced mini-series for Dune (2000) and Children of Dune (2003). The beginning of the film has a star field and then we see the face of Princess Irulan (Virginia Madsen).  The actress recently was in the Swamp Thing series. Irulan is known as a royal historian and also a Bene Gesserit, more on the Sisterhood later. She states that it is the year 10,191, a time far beyond anything we know of Earth, but the universe now is almost unrecognizable. Irulan explains that the universe is ruled by Emperor Shaddam IV, of the House Corrino, her father.

The universe is broken up by different Houses in much the same way as Game of Thrones.  I suspected a resemblance when I read Game of Thrones (1996); a ruling House, an honorable House faces a powerful, ruthless House, there is a Shieldwall except in GoT it is made of ice, and instead of Sandworms, there is dragons. Irulan continues explaining the importance of the spice, melange. She notes the many advantages of the spice including the power to fold space used by the Navigator Guild. This is a departure from typical sci fi which uses technology, warp speed, to cross intergalactic distances.   

Irulan then notes that the spice is on just one planet, Arrakis known as Dune, the homeworld of the desert people called the Fremen. They have a prophecy that a messiah will come to them. This is a massive exposition dump, but Madsen is a good narrator. We also the beginning of the score by the band Toto. The lead singer of Toto is Joseph Williams, the son of John Williams, he wrote the lyrics for songs in Return of the Jedi (1983). Then, we get more exposition with a report from the Spacing Guild noting that spice production is in danger. There are four planets involved; Arrakis, Caladan, the world of House Artredies, Giedi Prime, the dark planet of House Harkonnen, and the ringed planet of Kaitan, home to the Emperor.  

The report ends with sending a Third Stage Guild Navigator to demand details from the Emperor.  There was a Guild Navigator, but that was in Dune Messiah. The Guild ship lands next to the Emperor’s palace, the strange humanoids who walk out are dressed in black outfits like hazmat suits. The Emperor played by José Ferrer, who won an Academy Award for Cyrano de Bergerac (1950), sits on his golden throne. His court including Irulan are sent away and he is joined by his advisor, Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam (Siân Phillips). She played the witch Charal in Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985). Mohiam is leader of the Bene Gesserit order that is group of all women who possess many abilities.  

The Emperor wants her to monitor the meeting through telepathy. A large black tank that spews smoke enters and the head of the Bene Gesserit is sent away. We hear the interior thoughts of the different characters. The panels of the tank retract revealing spice gas and the strange, floating Navigator. It looks almost worm-like with a bulbous head, pock-marked cheeks, and a sieve-like mouth. The creature design is by Carlo Rambaldi who also worked on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). The Navigator demands to know the Emperor’s plans and he explains that the Atreides have developed a secret weapon using sound (added by Lynch).  

The Emperor threatened by the popular Duke Atreides is sending the house to Arrakis removing their enemy, the Harkonnen.  Baron Harkonnen will then attack and destroy House Artiedes.  The Navigator insists that the Emperor kill Paul Arteides and Reverend Mother Mohiam says that she should find out about Paul Artreides.  Then, we get Planet Caladan which has stormy seas, a great contrast to Dune.  Irulan explains that the Bene Gesserit was manipulating bloodlines for generations to create the Kwisatz Haderach, the messianiac being.  One of their order, Lady Jessica, was only supposed to have daughters, but her love for the duke gave them a son.  

We see a strange glowglobe pass by in the room of Paul Artreides played by Kyle MacLachlan. A first role for the actor, but he is older than the fifteen year-old character in the novel. He would collaborate again with Lynch with the part of Agent Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks starting in 1990.  Paul is young, conflicted by his visions, has to find his place in all of the political factions, and face his destiny. He is in his room looking at a computer pad of the different planets and the Harkonnens.  

Paul hears footsteps, three men enter; Thufir Hawat (Freddie Jones), Mentat and Master of Assassins, Dr. Yeuh (Dean Stockwell), a Suk doctor that are well known as the finest medical personnel, he has a diamond tatoo on his forehead, a symbol of Imperial Conditioning that promises loyalty, and Gurney Halleck (Patrick Stewart), Warmaster for House Artreides. Mentats are like the Maesters in Game of Thrones, advisors who fill in the role of computers since they were banned in the Butlerian Jihad. Jones played Mr. Bytes in The Elephant Man. Stockwell is known for the sci-fi time travel series, Quantum Leap. Stewart of course is a well known actor, this was three years before he became Jean-Luc Picard.  

Paul has his back turned, but identifies them with a wry smile. Gurney tells Paul they will have shield practice. He draws a dagger and activates his shield, this is an unusual field made of distorted blocks, in the novel it is created by a Holtzman generator on the belt. The shield is projected around a body, it deflects objects that are fast, so combat is with blades. Still, a lasgun against a shield creates a nuclear explosion! They deflect each other with strikes and Paul holds his dagger steadily toward Gurney’s neck, but sees Gurney also has a blade through the shield!  

Afterwards, Paul asks Yueh about the Fremen, he is told that they have “blue within blue eyes” from the spice. Thufir has Dr. Yueh place a Weirding module on Paul, a weapon that uses sound, in the book the Bene Gesserit use a fighting technique called the Weirding Way. It is striking with such speed that it looks like a fighter is almost teleporting. Paul has a neck device and a weapon that uses against a training robot almost like something out of steampunk. Later, Paul sees Duncan Idaho (Richard Jordan), Swordmaster of the Ginaz, sorta like Game of Thrones’ Syrio Forel. Jordan of course was in Logan’s Run (1976).    

Then, Paul goes to speak with his father, Duke Leto Artreides (Jürgen Prochnow), similar to Ned Stark. He says words that a pivotal to Paul’s destiny, “The Sleeper must awaken.” Paul has dreams of Arrakis; the threatening face of a Harkonnen prince, Feyd Rautha (Sting), and then a Fremen woman, Chani (Sean Young) talking to him. Sting also starred in The Bride (1985) which is interesting since the Alejandro Jodorowsky intended Mick Jagger to play the character in his Dune film. Young starred as Rachael in Blade Runner (1982). 

Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica (Francesca Annis) meets with Reverend Mother Mohiam. Annis played the Widow of the Web in the fantasy movie Krull (1983). Her black dress has a large hood that also serves as protection from the rain.  The head of the Bene Gesserit meets with Paul, this is opening of the novel, she gives him the test of the gom jibbar. He places his hand into a box and has Mohiam has a gom jibbar needle ready to kill him if he removes his hand. Paul resolves himself to passing the test with his saying, “Fear is the mind killer.”

We see then the planet Geidi Prime, an industrial planet with statues of gaping mouths.  Mentat Piter De Vries (Brad Dourif) pilots a cable vehicle to deliver the Duke’s message.  Dourif is of course Wormtongue in the Lord of the Rings films.  The Mentats also have bizarre, long eyebrows.  He reaches the green-tinted, walled palace where soldiers in black uniforms like hazmat suits complete with gas mask and carry gatling gun-like rifles.  

Baron Harkonnen (Kenneth McMillan) is in chair getting his pock-marked face drained of blood.  McMillan later started in the horror film adapting Stephen King stories in Cat’s Eye (1985). He brings in his nephews, Feyd-Rautha and Rabban (Paul L. Smith), the actor was later in the swords and sorcery movie Red Sonja (1985). Rabban is cruelly nicknamed the Beast. The Duke activates his suspensors to float his massive weight and declares that he will take Arrakis. We return to the elegance and nobility of the Artreides as they leave in a shuttle to the Guild Heighliner, a massive, tube-like, ship which takes the entire planet of ships (!) to Arrakis.  

The Atreides descend in their ships to the city of Arakeen, at the northern region of the planet, with the Shield Wall also offering protection. It was the former home of Count Fenrig who may play a part in the Denis Villeneuve movie. Duke Leto meets with Duncan Idaho who is in a still suit, this is the Fremen’s suit that filters moisture from the body into catchpockets, an impressive design by Bob Ringwood, who also designed the costumes in Excalibur (1981) and Batman (1989).  They activate the house shield.  

Then, Duke Leto and Paul meet with Liet Kynes (Max von Sydow) and Gurney Halleck, all in stillsuits. Von Sydow passed away last year, but had a great part as Emperor Ming in Flash Gordon  (1980). Kynes introduces himself as the Imperial Ecologist, but Paul suspects he is Fremen. He is impressed that Paul has put on the stillsuit in Fremen fashion. They take an ornithopter to check on spice mining operations. In this film, disappointingly, it looks like a triangle, gold-colored pod, but the novel has a flying vehicle with flapping wings! The “ornithopter” crosses the Shield Wall and flies across the desert. They see a dust cloud that is an indication of spice mining.  

Duke Leto sees wormsign, in the film, electrical currents in what may be static electricity. Kynes contacts the spice harvester about the worm. The harvester is a wheeled factory with a massive dome. He explains to the duke that a carryall, the film has it as a pyramid-like ship, it will lift away the spice harvester at the last minute. The mining crew finds that there is no sign of the carryall.  Duke Leto realizes that the Harkonnens have sabotaged the carryall and orders all miners to evacuate to the ornithopter. He compromises his presence and by doing so impresses Kynes that he worries about his people more than the spice.  

The ornithopter leaves as the spice harvester is swallowed by the massive jaws of the sandworm.  Earlier, Yeuh said that there were reports of sandworms that are 450 meters long, at skyscraper dimensions!  They attack any vibrations, walking on the desert, and Fremen honor them. Fremen use their discard teeth in their crysknives! We later find Chani, daughter of Liet Kynes, and Stiller (Everett McGill), leader of Sietch Tabr. McGill is well known as Big Ed Hurley in Twin Peaks.  

Paul must survive the ambush of the Harkonnens and find a place with the Fremen. He also gets a baby sister, Alia (Alicia Witt), she becomes important later, and becomes like Arya Stark. It is a fair adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel, he liked the adaptation, but wasn't pleased with all of the changes. David Lynch’s Dune is ambitious, there are memorable moments and lines from the film, and just an odd vision of sci fi and world building! "He who controls the spice, controls the universe!"  

Four Crysknives out of Five!  

#Dune, #DavidLynch, #KyleMacLachlan, #SeanYoung, #FrancescaAnnis, #PatrickStewart, #SianPhillips, #KennethMcMillan, #JoseFerrer

Happy Birthday Hayao Miyazaki-san!

Happy Birthday Hayao Miyazaki-san!  Miyazaki-san is a master storyteller and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, still crafting traditional cel animation.  Miyazaki-san was chief animator and concept artist for Horus, Prince of the Sun (1968) directed by Isao Takahata.  He co-directed with Isao Takahata Lupin The Third Part I (1971-1972), the animated series based on Monkey Punch’s gentleman thief. Then, he directed the animated series Future Boy Conan (1978).  He directed The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) which starred Lupin the Third.    In 1982, he wrote and drew his sci-fi ecological manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.  Then, directed the film of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in 1984.  He started his longtime colabration with the music of Joe Hisaishi with that film.  In 1985, he founded Studio Ghibili with Toshio Suzuki, Isao Takahata, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma.  He then directed Castle in the Sky (1986) and the classic My Neighbor Totoro (1988).  Miyazaki-san wrote Starting Point (1979-1996) which is insightful in his creative processes.  Highly recommended for anyone interested in animation and his work.  

In 1997, he wrote and directed Princess Mononoke, it’s English adaptation was written by Neil Gaiman.  It won the Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year.  Miyazaki-san then worked on Spirited Away (2001) which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.  Also, in 2001, the Studio Ghibli Museum opened which featured many of the Studio Ghibli creations.  Next, he wrote and directed Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) based on the Diana Wynne Jones fantasy novel. Miyazaki-san continued his writings on animation with Turning Point: 1997-2008.  In 2009, Miyazaki-san wrote the manga Kaze Tachinu based on the story of Jiro Horikoshi, designer of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter.  This was turned into the animated film The Wind Rises (2016) which was reported to be Miyazaki-san’s last film.  He was awarded the Person of Cultural Merit in 2012.  There was a documentary on Studio Ghibli in 2013, The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness.  He was given the Academy Honorary Award in 2014 for his work in animation and cinema.  Miyazaki-sanhas worked on short films and displays for the Studio Ghibli Museum.  How Do You Live? is still to be released.  A documentary, Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki was released in December 2018.  Happy Birthday Hayao Miyazaki-san!    

#HayaoMiyazaki, #StudioGhibli, #MyNeighborTotoro, #SpiritedAway 

The Outpost, “Violence is Futile“, Review!

The Season 3 finale of The Outpost is here!  The invasion of the Prime Army was halted in Season 2 by a Blackblood army only to have them take over!  The Blackblood survivor and warrior, Talon, finds herself with an occupying force backed by the demonic Lu-Qiri.  Her fellow Blackblood, Zed, allies with the other Blackbloods.  Then, we find that Yavalla has left the Plane of Ashes to search for the White Kinj that gives her power of others who spread duplicate kinj!  Janzo tries to seal off the kinj and finds they can be detected through rats with the help of Yavalla’s scientific daughter, Wren.  Tobin went to raise an army and marries Falista.  The Outpost was taken over by Captain Orlick with his Red Zinj causing pain.  Talon finishes Orlick and his zinj enters Falista!  Still, they find that they can’t defeat Yavalla and search for the Black Kinj in the Plane of Ashes.  

Yavalla has a torch with others to call out Talon’s father in the pit four months ago.  He is protecting the box.  Her soldiers throw the torches into the pit and the bearded Sai-vek (Richard Lintern) infects the soldiers with the Black Kinj until skewered by several tridents.  Yavalla asks for the box and hammers a trident down on him!  Corvin has found the box, he uncovers it, but a snake bites him, Corvin severs its head.  Then, Yavalla leaves him and Corvin leaves alone in the cavern.  They find Sai-vek pinned by the tridents and Talon says she knows about the Black Zinj.  Talon removes the tridents and Sai-vek pulls out the last one.  Zed says they are from the Green World.  Talon says that she has the Asterzinj after the death of his wife. 

THE OUTPOST - - “Violence is Futile” - - JESSICA GREEN, IMOGEN WATERHOUSE - - Photo: Aleksander Letic/NBCU International © 2020 Outpost TV LLC. Courtesy of Electric Entertainment.

Falista is sad over the body of Tobin.  He told her to use the power of her zinj to protect the queen.  Falista apologizes to Gwynn.  Guards stand with crossbows pointed at Munt and Walita with the rest of the United.   Munt tries to convince Janzo, Garret, and Gwynn to join Yavalla.  At the battlement, Gwynn sees the number of Yavalla’s army, Yavalla addresses the defenders of The Outpost.  She is given one hour to surrender.  Sai-vek says his Terror Zinj will kill Talon even with her zinj.  Zed says that Wren can take his zinj.  He says black and white zinj will destroy each other.  Zed gives him a waterskin and then goes to refill it at a spring.  Gwynn looks at the survivors and wants them to fight!  At her chamber, Gwynn admits to Garret that they will lose to Yavalla.  He still have hope in Talon.    

Sai-vek calls his daughter clever cutting the curve of her ears.  Yavalla asks for Gwynn’s surrender.  She orders her army to take down the barricade.  The siege has begun and Garret orders his soldiers to attack!  Janzo drops stones from the battlement.  Falista is in pain from her zinj.  Is about to strike Gwynn, but Falista sends out waves of pain to the United saving everyone without harming the others.  She unleashes her power dropping the army, but somehow an archer looses an arrow into her torso.  Yavalla halts the attack.  Janzo tries to check her wound, but he is needed to somehow save Falista.  In a cloak, Janzo sneaks into the tavern with Munt seeing the portrait of the Mistress, his mother, he tries to sneak into his lab.  At the cavern, Sai-vek talks with Talon seeing his wife in her.  Zed gives Sai-vek another waterskin.  Janzo raises a stone to strike Falista.  I’m imagining that Munt infected his brother.  Garret knocks him out.  Yavalla orders another attack.  Zed wants Corvin to go with him to the Green World, but he fears Yavalla.  

THE OUTPOST - - “Violence is Futile” - - IMOGEN WATERHOUSE - - Photo: Aleksander Letic/NBCU International © 2020 Outpost TV LLC. Courtesy of Electric Entertainment.

Talon uses her blue zinj to open the portal, Sai-vek, Talon, and Zed enter as Wren says her goodbye to Corvin.  They see the battle.  Wren sees Janzo has fallen.  A woman infects Garret!  All is not lost with Yavalla still standing!  Yavalla realizes through Garret’s link that Sai-vek is in the world.  Zed duels with Garret, but stops from giving a killing strike.  Gwynn, Talon, and Sai-vek barricade her throne room, but a Locuri is summoned by Yavalla.  It knocks away Sai-vek and impales him with a trident.  Wren holds a knife to her throat.  Talon fights the Lu-Qiri while Gwynn tries to free Sai-vek.  The Zed/Garret duel continues.  The Lu-Qiri stands over Talon when another Lu-Qiri breaks through teh window to fight it.  Yavalla wants Wren to live and calls off the United.  Janzo infects Wren with the zinj.  Garret disarms Zed and he is surrounded.  Zed surrenders and Garret waits for Yavalla’s command!  Talon tries to work with Gwynn to pull out the trident.  Sai-vek reaches out for Gwynn and passes his zinj to her and then dies!  She has made a great sacrifice and we have a dramatic scene between the two friends!  

Yavalla declares victory and has her followers kneel except Garret holding his sword to Zed.  She tells him to admit to defeat.  They all watch as Talon and Gwynn approach.  Yavalla is stunned that they survived the Lu-Qiri.  Talon fights and Gwynn leaps over soldiers to grab Yavalla.  They are both vaporized and their zinj float away!  The zinj falls from all of the United.  Talon sees the fallen armor of Gwynn!  This is crushing!  Janzo checks on Falista noting that her zinj wouldn’t let her die.  Everyone starts to bow in front of Talon, the new queen!  The others follow suit.  I think she should turn over rule to Falista.  The White Zinj returns to a coffin to revive a creature.  The Black Zinj also does the same by a seaside cave!  This is series has twists, it looks like the new villains are vampire-like, ancient creatures, maybe the secret behind the zinj? There is always a sacrifice in the show, great work by Imogen Waterhouse who has been with the show from the beginning when she was a gambler and drinker turned princess and now queen.  Even with magic, no one is truly safe.  I think one of the themes of the series is to survive, to go on, even when we have lost so many dear to us, a strong message for our time!  Thanks makers of The Outpost, cast and crew!  

Four Zinjes out of Five!   

#TheOutpost, #ViolenceisFutile, #ImogenWaterhouse, #RichardLintern 

Happy Birthday J.R.R. Tolkien!

Happy Birthday J.R.R. Tolkien! We may know John Ronald Reuel Tolkien as creator of Lord of the Rings, but his background as professor of Anglo-Saxon and worked on the Oxford English Dictionary.  Tolkien was born in South African and there was bitten by a baboon spider which he says he doesn’t remember, but may have appeared as Shelob.  His family moved to Birmingham, the inspiration for Hobbiton?, he married Edith Mary Bratt.  He fought in World War I and returned to England to work on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.  Tolkien wrote at Pembroke College The Hobbit and began Lord of the Rings.  He started work on translating Beowulf.  His younger years is seen in the film Tolkien (2019).  The Hobbit was published in 1937.  The adaptation that I know well was the tv animated movie of The Hobbit from Rankin and Bass in 1977, a formative year with Star Wars.  Farmer Giles of Ham, a comic tale in the spirit of Medieval stories, was published in in 1949.  Tolkien published The Adventures of Tom Bombadil in 1962.  Of course, we know that Peter Jackson filled the book as a trilogy from 2012 to 2014.  At Oxford, Tolkien was in a group called the Inklings which included C.S. Lewis, their fantasy worlds have interesting reflections. Tolkien completed Lord of the Rings during his time at Oxford.  Project Northmoor is currently raising funds to preserve the Tolkien home in Oxford as a place of literary study for visitors. 

We of course know Tolkien best from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films which begun in 2001 and completed in 2003.  Ralph Bakshi produced an animated film The Lord of the Rings (1978) which adapted the first two books.  In 1980, Rankin and Bass adapted in television movie, The Return of the King.   Most of Tolkien’s work was compiled and finished by his son, Christopher Tolkien, including The Silmarillion in 1977.  The Silmarillion is the sweeping history of Middle Earth from its creation to the Third Age of Lord of the Rings, only hints of it are seen in the films and books.  There is an Amazon Prime series focused on the Second Age of Middle-Earth set to debut this year.  Christopher Tolkien edited and published The Fall of Arthur (2013).  The Tolkien book on Norse myth was published in 2010  as The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún. The Fall of Arthur was published in 2013.   Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary was published in 2014.  The Finnish epic that was influential for Lord of the Rings, The Story of Kullervo, was published in 2017.   He also compiled his father's work in several books collected in The Great Tales of Middle-Earth; Children of Húrin (2007), Beren and Lúthien (2017), and The Fall of Gondolin (2018).  J.R.R. Tolkien died in 1973, one of the most famous professors and novelists from his Middle Earth work.  He is buried in Oxford with his wife, on the headstone, Edith Mary Tolkien Lúthien, and his name, John Ronald Ruel Tolkien Beren.  Happy Birthday J.R.R. Tolkien!

#JRRTolkien, #TheHobbit, #LordoftheRings, #BerenandLuthien