Me and Media

I was just going to write about science fiction, horror, and fantasy film and television but after consideration I’ve decided to look at all films and television and include music to review as a lot of my life revolves around these three.

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

I’ve been thinking about doing something like this for a while as I’ve been a huge science fiction, fantasy, and horror fan since as far back as I can remember but never really got around to settling on a format until I decided to just up and write a blog.

I still remember lying in a bed at my Nana’s house watching all the old films and TV, including Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), and all the other old classics with Vincent Price, Bela Lugosi, and others which I always thought were in black and white but as I got older realised it was the telly that was b&w and some were in colour.

Then there came my Doctor, Jon Pertwee, and all those other weird 70s television shows that you weren’t quite sure of what was going on like Children of the Stones (1977).

1977 came and Star Wars: A New Hope burst on to the scene turning this niche genre mainstream, this was quickly followed by Alien (1979) still one of the best sci-fi/horror films made.

Whilst this mainstreaming of science fiction was going on horror got a makeover from the creepy but kitsch films of an earlier era to more mature genre, The Exorcist (1973) saw a good story with mainstream actors and well-developed effect for the time, this was quickly followed by one of the first mainstream slasher horror films, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and this saw an explosion of what was termed as video nasties.

In fantasy, the 50s/60s saw a raft of fantasy films including those by, or influenced by, Ray Harryhausen, but the 70s were a bit barren. Some good comedy films by The Monty Python squad, but the 80s saw a massive surge with films like Legend (1985) and Willow (1988) which were solid sword and sorcery adventure fantasies but the 80s also surprised us with the ever fun Big Trouble in Little China (1986) and the hilarious codpiece Labyrinth (1986).

And from the 90s on there were just a great selection of well-made genre films and television series that we were spoilt for choice.

I want to explore these old and favourite films and television series and write some reviews which I had never thought about doing at the time.

I also want to explore the new as they arrive and the old and unusual as I find them. This is so much easier now as streaming services have given us easy access to content from all around the world and from different decades all the way back to the start of film.

So watch out for small but honest reviews, occasional watch throughs of t.v. series and other genre content

Almost as strong as my love of good film (good is definitely a relative term here 😉) is my love of music.

Initially just loving all the golden oldies than my Nan played I developed a real taste for music with energy, especially in the mid-70s onward. Punk, New Wave, Rock, Metal, and much more was tempered by a growing taste for indie bands, singer song writer, jazz, blues, and classical.

This has developed into a really catholic taste, willing to give anything a listen, not discounting genres just finding bands/musicians that are to my taste or not.

So to go along with the Film and TV reviews there’s going to be chat about music as well.

Just testing how the various bits go onto the page and trying to figure out how I want to set out a review page, first a blurb from IMDB

Pingu | September 14, 1990 (United States)