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Reviews & Commentary by Adam Groves
STARMAN
Sci fi romance from John Carpenter
NO BLADE OF GRASS
Societal breakdown, depicted by matinee idol turned sometime director Cornel Wilde
THE LITTLE MERMAID (1976)
Arguably the finest-ever live action filming of Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 fairy tale.
THE CABLE GUY
Among the more interesting (as opposed to good) 1990s Hollywood comedies was this attempt at complexity from director Ben Stiller and star Jim Carrey
GOKE, BODY SNATCHER FROM HELL
Think FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX meets INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS in an irresistible 1968 horror-fest from Japan’s Shochiku studios
THE EXERCISER
The 1970s parody novel is a format that deserves at least a glance. Case in point: THE EXERCISER
THE VISITOR
A killer rat themed paperback original with an edge
HELLSTROM’S HIVE
There are some good ideas in this, a post-DUNE Frank Herbert science fiction novel bearing a concept that evidently obsessed him: human-insect hybridization
BIG GURL
What the Hell were Thom Metzger and Richard P. Scott thinking when they created this near-indescribably nutty concoction?
THE VOICE OF THE CLOWN
For much of its existence this novel was just another of the countless undistinguished horror paperbacks that cluttered the 1980s fiction market
OVER MY DEAD BODY
This heavily illustrated overview of “The Sensational Age of The American Paperback” is hardly the definitive book on the subject
DIRECTOR’S CUT
This isn’t the greatest movie director memoir I’ve ever read, but it is a vital one
MUDDLED MIND: THE COMPLETE WORKS OF EDWARD D. WOOD, JR.
A most welcome volume, due to the fact that MUDDLED MIND was the first book devoted to the writings of the inimitable Edward D. Wood, Jr.
CINEMA ALCHEMIST
This is a vital acquisition for all true film buffs, a memoir by a legendary set decorator about his work on STAR WARS and ALIEN
KEEP THE RIVER ON YOUR RIGHT
This is one of the most famous anthropological accounts in existence, and also one of the most misunderstood.
TV Flashback: AMAZING STORIES
With a rebooted AMAZING STORIES debuting on Apple TV+ next week, it seems like a good time for a look back at the show’s 1985-87 inspiration
Remembering that Which is Better Forgotten: 666 and 1000
An example of “Prophecy Fiction” describing the events of the rapture and resulting tribulation period, 666 was not the “first” book of its kind, but it was a trailblazer
More Thoughts on Movie Titles
The big movie-related issue right now? That would be the disappointing February 2019 opening of the SUICIDE SQUAD spin-off BIRDS OF PREY, for which Warner Bros. had (unrealistically) high expectations
Dutch Horror Essentials
Continuing with my “Essentials” horror surveys (see here, here, here and here for the others) we arrive at the Netherlands, which isn’t exactly a hotbed for horror fare
2019: Bedlam in Print
Concluding my 2019 overviews is this, the latest edition of Bedlam in Print, exploring the noteworthy publications of the previous twelve months