Categories
News

News Roundup W/E 2022-04-24

Personal / Website News

“Permission to Kill” Citation

My essay, “Permission to Kill: Exploring Italy’s 1960s Eurospy Phenomenon, Impact and Legacy,” that appears in James Bond and Popular Culture: Essays on the Influence of the Fictional Superspy, has been cited in Rui Lopes’ essay “The Eurospy boom and the evolution of Europe’s transnational identity” in the journal of Intelligence and National Security.

“Building on the vernacular
film framework developed by Mikel Koven to analyze giallo movies, Nicholas Diak emphasizes the
fact that Eurospies were hastily and cheaply made to be consumed in places such as the Italian third
run theaters (terza visione) – the equivalent of grindhouse theaters in the USA – by an audience of
blue-colour [sic] workers socializing among friends and not necessarily adopting the silent, attentive
attitude expected in upper-tier cinemas (hence the primacy of viscerally exciting, playful, and
exploitative content).”

The essay can be read at the Taylor and Francis website, if you have access.

Highlander Call for Papers

Michele has an active CFP on the Highlander franchise. She is looking for essays on the Highlander movies, the television show, comics, everything.

If you’re interested, check out the CFP at her website and please share with others. With a possible reboot on the horizon, this is definitely a book you want to be a part of. 

Unofficial Emmanuelle / Black Emanuelle CFP

Sometime in the latter half of 2022 (after I am finished with AnnRadCon 2022) I plan on publishing an official CFP calling for essays on Emmanuelle and its sequels and spinoffs, Black Emanuelle and its sequels, and all other Emmanuelle knockoffs. I already have an interested publisher, but I want to present to them a fully laid out TOC for an ambitious collection as this.

Though my CFP will not go live until later 2022, if you have any interest in being a part of this collection, let me know! Send me an email or social media message (see my about me page for contact info) to let me know your interest. If you have an abstract already, even better.

Categories
News

News Roundup W/E 2022-04-17

Personal / Website News

Encounter with the Unknown Interview

Chuffed to be featured on Bernie Gonzalez and Pete Charbonneau‘s Fan2Fan Podcast again!

They are doing a series of episodes about the Twilight Zone and I am on an episode discussing the movie Encounter with the Unknown. This episode can be heard at the Fan2Fan Libsyn page or via your podcast app of preference.

A reminder: later this year my essay, “Strange Realities: Twilight Zone-sploitation in Encounter with the Unknown” will be published in the collection The Many Lives of the Twilight Zone: Essays on the Television and Film Franchise, edited by Ron Riekki and Kevin J. Wetmore Jr. The book can be pre-ordered at the McFarland product page.

Shudder Magazine Article by Michele

Michele has a new article up at her website: a review of a few issues of Shudder magazine.

Photo by Michele Brittany of her Shudder magazines.

Her write up can be read at her website.

Highlander Call for Papers

Michele has an active CFP on the Highlander franchise. She is looking for essays on the Highlander movies, the television show, comics, everything.

If you’re interested, check out the CFP at her website and please share with others. With a possible reboot on the horizon, this is definitely a book you want to be a part of. 

Unofficial Emmanuelle / Black Emanuelle CFP

Sometime in the latter half of 2022 (after I am finished with AnnRadCon 2022) I plan on publishing an official CFP calling for essays on Emmanuelle and its sequels and spinoffs, Black Emanuelle and its sequels, and all other Emmanuelle knockoffs. I already have an interested publisher, but I want to present to them a fully laid out TOC for an ambitious collection as this.

Though my CFP will not go live until later 2022, if you have any interest in being a part of this collection, let me know! Send me an email or social media message (see my about me page for contact info) to let me know your interest. If you have an abstract already, even better.

General Neo-Peplum News

Review of Kimaera’s Imperium

Apocalypse Later has a review at their website on Kimaera’s new album, Imperium.

The review can be read at Apocalypse Later while the album can be bought digitally at Kimaera’s Bandcamp page. I’ve bought the album and am giving it a listen: symphonic death metal with unclean vocals. Digging the music and the few instances where there are more clean vox. Album cover art is cool.

Review of Crusade of Bards’ Tales of the Seven Seas

With the hit streaming series Our Flag Means Death, pirates are officially back to being pop culture juggernauts since the Pirates of the Caribbean series lost the wind in its sails in the mid 2010s. The pirate genre has straddled the line of being considered pepla or not, but with films such as Morgan the Pirate (1960) and Hercules and the Black Pirate (1963), the boundaries are nebulous – so go for it! Pirate pepla!

In addition to the aforementioned Kimaera review, Apocalypse Later has a review of the new Crusade of Bards album, Tales of the Seven Seas. The review sounded complimentary, but actually listening to this band is a hard feat! Their Bandcamp page has only their old album, and you can only buy it, not listen. Their Discogs page is barebones. There are a few official videos on YouTube, and I dig it. Reminds me a bit of Leaves Eyes.

Categories
News

News Roundup W/E 2022-04-10

Personal / Website News

Two Years of Resurrection

Two years ago Michele and I resurrected the H.P. Lovecast Podcast!

Logo by Philip Yount

To celebrate, we got a new logo/thumbnail! Check out this badass piece done by Philip Yount. We love it!

We have a new episode up as well: we recap our last year of podcasting, accomplishments, and talk about goals and upcoming projects. The episode can be streamed at our Buzzsprout website or via your podcast app of preference.

Highlander Call for Papers

Michele has an active CFP on the Highlander franchise. She is looking for essays on the Highlander movies, the television show, comics, everything.

If you’re interested, check out the CFP at her website and please share with others. With a possible reboot on the horizon, this is definitely a book you want to be a part of. 

Unofficial Emmanuelle / Black Emanuelle CFP

Sometime in the latter half of 2022 (after I am finished with AnnRadCon 2022) I plan on publishing an official CFP calling for essays on Emmanuelle and its sequels and spinoffs, Black Emanuelle and its sequels, and all other Emmanuelle knockoffs. I already have an interested publisher, but I want to present to them a fully laid out TOC for an ambitious collection as this.

Though my CFP will not go live until later 2022, if you have any interest in being a part of this collection, let me know! Send me an email or social media message (see my about me page for contact info) to let me know your interest. If you have an abstract already, even better.

General Neo-Peplum News

Elysian Fields Remaster Indiegogo

Michael Oden has an Indiegogo campaign going for a remastered version of his Elysian Fields comic book.

Also part of this campaign is SPQR’s Bizarre Adventures: Rubicon Invaders. The campaign can be viewed here.

Categories
News

News Roundup W/E 2022-04-03

Personal / Website News

Fan2Fan Podcast Interview #2

The second part of my interview with the Fan2Fab Podcast called “Sword, Sandals, and Sorcery Part 2” has been published.

Banner made by the F2n2Fan Podcast.

The episode can be streamed at the Fan2Fan Libsyn page or via your podcast app of preference. There is also a video version on YouTube (complete with 100x more arm flailing). Sincere appreciation to hosts Pete and Bernie for having me as a guest!

Horror Literature from Gothic to Post-Modern Citation

AnnRadCon frequent presenter, Dr. Gavin Hurley, has a new essay published in volume 8, number 1 of Metal Music Studies: “Funeral Doom Metal as the Rhetoric of Contemplation: A Burkean Perspective.”

Dr. Hurley cites his own essay, “Richard Laymon’s Rhetorical Style: Minimalism, Suspense, and Negative Space,” which was published in Horror Literature From Gothic to Post-Modern.

Highlander Call for Papers

Michele has an active CFP on the Highlander franchise. She is looking for essays on the Highlander movies, the television show, comics, everything.

If you’re interested, check out the CFP at her website and please share with others. With a possible reboot on the horizon, this is definitely a book you want to be a part of. 

Unofficial Emmanuelle / Black Emanuelle CFP

Sometime in the latter half of 2022 (after I am finished with AnnRadCon 2022) I plan on publishing an official CFP calling for essays on Emmanuelle and its sequels and spinoffs, Black Emanuelle and its sequels, and all other Emmanuelle knockoffs. I already have an interested publisher, but I want to present to them a fully laid out TOC for an ambitious collection as this.

Though my CFP will not go live until later 2022, if you have any interest in being a part of this collection, let me know! Send me an email or social media message (see my about me page for contact info) to let me know your interest. If you have an abstract already, even better.

General Neo-Peplum News

The Kings of Strength

Not really sword and sandal, but definitely adjacent, my publisher, McFarland, just released a book called The Kings of Strength: A History of All Strong Men from Ancient Times to Our Own.

The book looks to focally mostly on early 1900s strongmen, however it does contain a small section called “Physical Strength in Antiquity” which may provide some historic contextualizing to use while watching pepla. The book can be ordered at McFarland.

“Enjoy My Flames”

Dr. Jeremy Swist has a new essay published titled “Enjoy My Flames: On heavy metal’s fascination with Roman emperors”. It can be read at Lapham’s Quarterly.

Kagen the Damned

In sword and sorcery news, Jonathan Maberry has a new epic fantasy novel coming out titled Kagen the Damned.

The book can be preordered at Macmillan.

Categories
News

News Roundup W/E 2022-03-27

Personal / Website News

Fan2Fan Podcast Appearance

I had the honour to be invited onto the Fan2Fan Podcast to talk about the peplum and sword and sorcery genres. I recorded a few episodes with hosts Bernie Gonzalez and Pete Carbonneau who are terrific hosts and made the interviews seamless and fun.

The first episode is now online on the Fan2Fan Podcast Lybsin page. It can either be streamed there or via your podcast app of preference. They have also been posting snippets, excepts, and mini-videos on the Fan2Fan Twitter account, so be sure to give that a follow.

Sincere gratitude to Gonzalez and Carbonneau for giving me an opportunity and a venue. Stay tuned for subsequent appearances from yours truly!

A Vindication of Monsters

Michele will have a new essay published in an upcoming non-fiction anthology!

The collection is called A Vindication of Monsters: Essays on Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley. Michele’s essay is titled “Beauty in the Grotesque: Bernie Wrightson’s Lifelong Obsession with Frankenstein’s Monster.” More information on the other contributors can be found at editor Claire Fitzpatrick’s website.

Highlander Call for Papers

Michele has an active CFP on the Highlander franchise. She is looking for essays on the Highlander movies, the television show, comics, everything.

If you’re interested, check out the CFP at her website and please share with others. With a possible reboot on the horizon, this is definitely a book you want to be a part of. 

Unofficial Emmanuelle / Black Emanuelle CFP

Sometime in the latter half of 2022 (after I am finished with AnnRadCon 2022) I plan on publishing an official CFP calling for essays on Emmanuelle and its sequels and spinoffs, Black Emanuelle and its sequels, and all other Emmanuelle knockoffs. I already have an interested publisher, but I want to present to them a fully laid out TOC for an ambitious collection as this.

Though my CFP will not go live until later 2022, if you have any interest in being a part of this collection, let me know! Send me an email or social media message (see my about me page for contact info) to let me know your interest. If you have an abstract already, even better.

General Neo-Peplum News

Scholars from the Edge of Time

This past week Michele and I had our monthly Scholars from the Edge of Time appearance on Hercules Invictus’ program.

Version of The Lion of Thebes in my personal collection.

This month we talked about the Mark Forest toga and sandal film, The Lion of Thebes. A movie that has a lot of potential but was squandered with bad directing and cinematography. There is not much online about this film, with the most detailed plot synopsis being in Barry Atkinson’s Heroes Never Die, and next to nothing on analysis. I think I’ll have to get my thoughts down on a Peplum Ponderings article ASAP. In the meantime, you can hear my and Michele’s thoughts on BlogTalkRadio.

Recent Acquisitions

Another crowdfunded neo-peplum comic arrived in my paws. This one is the first issue of Gilgamesh Eternal.

Autographed issue #1 I received

The comic is written by Cam Kerkau and is new take on the Epic of Gilgamesh. This isn’t covered a topic depicted often in the sword and sandal genre, which makes this title a bit more standout. Also standout is the artwork of Kostas Pantoulas. Definitely excited to give this a read soon. If you’re interested, the comic can be purchased at Kerkau’s Gumroad Website.

Categories
News

News Roundup W/E 2022-03-20

Personal / Website News

D. J. Kirkbride Interview

My interview with D. J. Kirkbride about the release of the trade paperback edition of his Errand Boys comic is now online.

It can be read here.

New Citations and Acknowledgments

Valerie Estelle Frankel’s essay from The New Peplum, “Hercules, Xena and Genre: The Methodology Behind the Mashup,” has been cited in Jonathan L. Friedmann’s book, Goliath as Gentle Giant: Sympathetic Portrayals in Popular Culture.

Ed Glaser has a new book titled How the World Remade Hollywood: Global Interpretations of 65 Iconic Films.

I’m honored to be mentioned in the acknowledgements!

The book can be purchased at McFarland’s website.

Highlander Call for Papers

Michele has an active CFP on the Highlander franchise. She is looking for essays on the Highlander movies, the television show, comics, everything.

If you’re interested, check out the CFP at her website and please share with others. With a possible reboot on the horizon, this is definitely a book you want to be a part of. 

Unofficial Emmanuelle / Black Emanuelle CFP

Sometime in the latter half of 2022 (after I am finished with AnnRadCon 2022) I plan on publishing an official CFP calling for essays on Emmanuelle and its sequels and spinoffs, Black Emanuelle and its sequels, and all other Emmanuelle knockoffs. I already have an interested publisher, but I want to present to them a fully laid out TOC for an ambitious collection as this.

Though my CFP will not go live until later 2022, if you have any interest in being a part of this collection, let me know! Send me an email or social media message (see my about me page for contact info) to let me know your interest. If you have an abstract already, even better.

General Neo-Peplum News

Recent Acquisitions

My pre-order of The Sword and the Sorcerer arrived!

I have not seen this sword and sorcery film before. I’m an Albert Pyun fan, so I got good feelings about this one.

Categories
Interview

Surprise Delivery: Interview with D. J. Kirkbride on Errand Boys

For well over a decade, D. J. Kirkbride has been writing some of the most creative and unique comics to have hit the market. From Amelia Cole to The Biggest Bang, from Never Ending to The Once and Future Queen, Kirkbride has a signature light-hearted wit that compliments his fun and engaging speculative-fiction stories. His latest comic book series is Errand Boys – a sci-fi adventure that sees two brothers as interplanetary couriers – and was originally published as a five issue run at Image Comics. This spring season sees a release of a trade paperback version of this comic from Dark Horse Comics. 

Trade paperback cover for Errand Boys.

What was the catalyst for Errand Boys? How did the comic come about?

The story started with me working out something personal in the only way I know how: wild and weird comic book adventure tales filled with lots of aliens and absurd technology and shenanigans.

I have a kind of Brady Bunch times two or three family, and the relationship between brothers who share one parent but didn’t really grow up together was definitely something I wanted to explore. Different types of families and what it means to be family. Dealing with loss was a big part of the story, too. The comic is not at all literal or a one-to-one with my experiences, but they’re all present or represented in some way.

The ever-growing gig economy, people working not just weekly paycheck to weekly paycheck, but gig payment to gig payment, with no real infrastructure or insurance or any of the things I grew up thinking was everyone’s goal was another aspect of it. That kind of uncertainty can sometimes lead to a lot of us making hasty decisions with potentially heavy consequences.

D. J. Kirkbride, photo courtesy of Kirkbride.

What is the primary goal you wanted to accomplish with Errand Boys?

Entertainment is always the goal! Wage inequality and the devastating environmental impact of big corporations along with family tragedy and stepping up for those in need is all in this story, but if it’s not a fun ride that keeps readers turning the pages, it belongs scribbled in my diary, not in a beautifully illustrated and designed book from Dark Horse Comics, you know?

Cyberpunk stories, such as Snow CrashJohnny Mnemonic, and the video game Mirror’s Edge, prominently feature couriers and, despite the super presence high tech, take the low tech, sneaker net approach to delivering goods and information, something echoed in Errand Boys. Do you have any sort of affinity to the cyberpunk genre or has it had an influence on you?

I just started reading Snow Crash a few days ago, oddly enough. I’m digging it so far, but, suffice it to say, it wasn’t an influence on this Errand Boys. Also, and this is strange given what I write and watch and read, but I don’t really play video games, so I don’t know Mirror’s EdgeJohnny Mnemonic I saw in the theater when it came out, but I’ve not read the source material. 

Having said all that, so much of this type of work is in the culture, and influences influence other influences to the point that I’m sure echoes of all of these stories made it into my over-caffeinated brain. 

No one in Errand Boys is as cool as Keanu Reeves in Johnny Mnemonic (or Keanu in any other movie), though. Jace doesn’t even own a snazzy suit.

What are texts that you feel have their DNA in Errand Boys?

In the original pitch, I put forth the idea it could be looked at like a story about the type of characters in the background of Star Wars movies, the ones who don’t have any Jedi friends and aren’t fighting in giant intergalactic skirmishes. These are the folks just trying to get by and afford the occasional blue milk and all that. 

Someone, either a review or a comment, said Errand Boys seemed inspired by Futurama to them, which didn’t occur to me until I read that. I see it now, though.

The best intergalactic settings have unique planets and a variety of memorable non-human characters. How did you and artist Nikos Koutsis work together to accomplish this aspect for Errand Boys?

Originally, I pictured this more as almost a science/speculative fiction world designed like a Wes Anderson movie. The story was a little more static and introspective. Co-creator/artist Nikos Koutsis, genius that he is, took the script for the original pitch pages, and made them into a budget-less blockbuster movie. Suddenly, and happily, where I originally saw mid shots and formal framing, we had action-packed angles and crazy energy.

When I write, I try to figure out how much description to give to each artist. Nikos would take something like, “Bear is Jace’s heavyset, cigar chomping boss who always has a stain on his shirt,” and make him that amazingly designed alien creature that he is. Nikos did that with all the characters and the tech in Errand Boys.

He influenced the writing and pacing, too. Lots of conversations went from taking place in a room or something to happening while being chased or running or jumping off of all sorts of structures way too high for people to jump off of, and it made the book so much more exciting. 

He’s a great collaborator and became a friend as we worked on this book. I hope to work with him again. 

You’ve written quite a few speculative fiction comics. What would you say is the most distinguishable, uniquely you, aspect about your writing?

That might be for others to say. I’m not the best at intellectualizing what I do or why I do it, if that makes any sense. My hope is that the comics I work on entertain readers and make them feel some emotions. Even the all-ages fun stuff has real stakes that I hope affect readers young and old!

What were some of the new challenges, or perhaps learning something you didn’t know before, that you encountered with Errand Boys?

The background, kind of nuts ‘n bolts of comic book publishing, how much it’s changed since I started working in comics, was, and continues to be really eye opening. Our experience with Errand Boys has been a long and winding road, filled with surprises and challenges that ultimately made me realize that, for the types of stories I like to help tell, the trade format is probably better than single issues. I grew up on single issues, and there are titles I enjoy buying that way, but I don’t know if the market is conducive to that publishing style for my work or level in this zany industry.

What are you most proud of with the comic?

In terms of writing, it was a big breakthrough for me. I always weave in some personal details and whatnot, but this one was the most honest while also being silly and fun, I think. That our characters truly grow and change from the start to finish in ways that feel organic and true was nice, and hopefully readers of the trade will take that journey. Nikos along with color flatter Mike Toris and letterer/logo designer Frank Cvetkovic, all brought the story to life beautifully, and I’m really proud of it.

In one of the scenes of Errand Boys, there’s an alien chilling poolside with a multi-straw libation. This is a perfect segue to ask you how you got into tiki culture and what your favourite tiki cocktail is.

Ah, hmmmmm… my partner introduced me to a nice little place called Ventiki in Ventura, CA. I’m sure I had a tiki cocktail or two before that, but that opened me up to a whole new world of tasty, fancy, fun drinks! It’s become a must visit when we’re near, and we like finding tiki bars in other towns we visit. I enjoy the style and happy vibe of most of those places, but I’m fairly ignorant of the actual culture that inspired this style. It’s something I need to read up on and learn more about, actually.

As for my favorite drink, that’s a tough one! A Mai Tai, in almost all of its variations, is always good to try out when visiting a new place. There’s a drink called the Jet Pilot that I also really like, as I’m a fan of cinnamon. 

What are upcoming projects or news you’d like to share?

Nothing set in stone at the moment. One pitch is being pitched, and another is being lettered now, and I have some ideas scribbled in my notebook, so… hopefully more soon!

Finally, and most importantly, (but not related to Errand Boys), why does Amelia Cole eat tacos from the top? 

That’s a question for artist/co-creator Nick Brokenshire. Once he drew her eating a taco like that, though, co-writer/co-creator Adam P. Knave and I acknowledged it as perfectly in character and noted it in the script the next time she had a taco for lunch.


Sincere thanks to D. J. Kirkbride for allowing me to interview him. The trade paperback edition of Errand Boys will be published April 13. Errand Boys can be ordered via your favourite brick and mortar comic book store, or check out these purchasing options listed at Dark Horse Comics.

Kirkbride can be found at his website and his other publications can be found at his Amazon author page.

Categories
News

News Roundup W/E 2022-03-13

Personal / Website News

Matthew Page Interview

I did an interview with Matthew Page of Bible Films Blog about his upcoming book, 100 Bible Films from BFI.

The interview can be read here.

D. J. Kirkbride Interview

I conducted an interview with comic book writer D. J. Kirkbridge about the upcoming trade paperback release of Errand Boys.

The interview is scheduled to be published Wednesday the 16th. It will be able to be read here.

Fan2Fan Podcast Appearances

In late February I was invited on to the Fan2Fan Podcast to talk about peplum and 80s’ sword and sorcery films. This weekend I was invited back on to continue the dialogue, focusing on specific films. These episodes will be published later on, but in the meantime check out the Fan2Fan Podcast library for some excellent episodes (or better yet, subscribe via your podcast app of preference).

AnnRadCon 2022 In Person Programming

The StokerCon 2022 website has been updating with the conference’s in-person programming, which includes the in-person portion of the Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference. Programming can be viewed here. Of, if curious about AnnRadCon programming only to save you a click:

Thursday, May 12th

Track 1 – Film an Television – 9:00 am

  • Karley Pardue: “Bathing Bad: Feminine Vengeance and Masculine Vulnerability in the Showers of HorrorSmith”
  • Jonathan Brooks Sanford: “Between the Known and the Unknown: Stranger Things, the Signifying Body, and the Permeable Border Between the Symbolic and the Real”
  • Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr: “Killing It on the Field: Athletics and Sport in Horror Cinema”
  • Sean Woodard: “Narcissistic Love and Object A: Obsession and Desire in Fade to Black

Track 2 – Vampires – 10:45 am

  • Rocky Colavito: “Kolchak at Fifty: The Night Stalker Redux, “It’s hard to believe; isn’t it?””
  • Margaret Yankovich: ““It’s Like I Can Feel God Move Inside Me”: The Religious Ecstasy of Sensual Vampirism in Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass
  • Cassandra Yatron: “Rats and the Queer Vampire: Dracula as a Commensal Creature”

Track 3 – Literature and Nature – 12:15 pm

  • Gavin Hurley: “The Diabolical Dialectics of Clive Barker’s The Damnation Game
  • Brenda Tolian: “Gaia Screaming”
  • Talmage Joseph Wise: “Anatomical Theatre: Freak Show Horrors in Jekyll and Hyde
  • Charles Yost: “Crazy Cat Women: The Contemporary Rebrand of Literary Witchcraft”

Highlander Call for Papers

Michele has an active CFP on the Highlander franchise. She is looking for essays on the Highlander movies, the television show, comics, everything.

If you’re interested, check out the CFP at her website and please share with others. With a possible reboot on the horizon, this is definitely a book you want to be a part of. 

Unofficial Emmanuelle / Black Emanuelle CFP

Sometime in the latter half of 2022 (after I am finished with AnnRadCon 2022) I plan on publishing an official CFP calling for essays on Emmanuelle and its sequels and spinoffs, Black Emanuelle and its sequels, and all other Emmanuelle knockoffs. I already have an interested publisher, but I want to present to them a fully laid out TOC for an ambitious collection as this.

Though my CFP will not go live until later 2022, if you have any interest in being a part of this collection, let me know! Send me an email or social media message (see my about me page for contact info) to let me know your interest. If you have an abstract already, even better.

General Neo-Peplum News

Recent Acquisitions

My Severin order for their Caligula boxset arrived.

This boxset contains two films: Caligula the Untold Story and Caligula and Messalina. I’ve seen my share of Joe D’Amato and Bruno Mattei films, but not these prono-pepla.

The original Italian cycle had long since been dead since the mid-60s. With Tinto Brass doing Caligula in the 70s, the door creaked open for imitators, which resulted in these films. Was these 80s peplum films, with wanton depravity and sexploitation that was only hinted at in the original 60s cycle be enough to resurrect the genre? No, of course not. It would have to wait almost two more decades when Ridley Scott’s Gladiator was released.

John Carter Video Game Q/A Sessions

The folks developing the John Carter video game have appeared in a few Q/As to help promote the game and answer fan questions. Episode one can be viewed here and episode two here. The Kickstarter can be found here, so consider chipping in a few dollars.

Categories
Interview Peplum

Heavenly Voices and Flickering Images: Interview with Matthew Page on 100 Bible Films

In early 2006, Matthew Page launched his website, Bible Films Blog, devoted to the study, analyzing, and reviewing of Biblical films, including Biblical pepla. Page is one of the leading experts on the subject, demonstrated by his appearances in documentaries and contributions to scholarly books and edited essay collections. May of this year sees the publication of Page’s first solo book, 100 Bible Films, from BFI. What follows is an interview with Page about his upcoming book. 

Cover provided courtesy of Matthew Page.

What was the catalyst of writing 100 Bible Films?

It was sometime around 2007-09. I’d been running my blog on Bible Films for a while and had gone to see something rare at the National Film Theatre in London. I was browsing in the amazing bookshop there and I came across this series of books the BFI had put out, 100 Westerns, 100 Silent Films100 Film Noirs and so on, and I just thought it would be amazing to do one of them for my specialism of Bible Films. I figured I could pull together some of my stuff on the blog and the podcast and it would practically be done. I had no idea it would take me quite so long to get to this point.

What were the biggest challenges you faced while writing the book? What was the easiest?

Well, I guess the reason it took so long is that I’m not employed to do this stuff. I’m not a university lecturer, or a professional film critic. So, every bit of writing I’ve done has been written before or after work, at weekends and on holidays, and alongside bringing up a family and all the other challenges life throws at us. So, it’s been a slog. I’m not sure I’d describe any aspect of it as “easy,” but I’ve been very privileged to have received great encouragement and advice from so many people at various stages of the process. I owe them all a massive debt of thanks.

How does your Bible Films Blog relate to 100 Bible Films?

At the moment I use it very much as a place just to get some initial thoughts down and to explore ideas. It also makes me easier to find on the internet. But I guess I also use it as a place to bookmark things that I might want to find again in the future or as a way of easily finding things I’ve done in the past. Plus, I’m able to go into much greater breadth there than the book where I’m limited to one-hundred films. I haven’t counted how many films I have covered there (not to mention episodes of TV series) but it’s far higher.

What were some of the fascinating things you discovered while writing 100 Bible Films?

As a group of films they cover so many different film movements, from so many different nations throughout film history, that they are kind of unique, and as a researcher that forces you to delve into so many areas of film you would never otherwise have encountered. So, the penny dropped when I was writing about the Indonesian peplum film Samson dan Delilah (1987), I would never have learnt the first thing about its star (Indonesian horror queen Suzzanna), I might possibly have never watched an Indonesian film otherwise, but here I am, my perspectives and horizons being broadened by the experience of chasing this genre. And its reworking of particularly the 50s/60s Italian pepla is intriguing, especially how it combines them with more Eastern, martial arts-type fighting styles.

What is the main goal you want to accomplish with 100 Bible Films?

I suppose I’d like to see film critics, academics, and fans come to appreciate this group of films, both in terms of Hollywood epics and Italian pepla, but also that the array of different forms that other filmmakers adopt to retell these stories. I also feel that a lot of the discussion about Biblical films revolves around a core group of movies made by middle-aged, white, western, straight men and I’d like to broaden that to include a far greater range of filmmakers.

Noah Blu-ray from my personal collection.

What Bible films would you recommend as the best entry point into the genre for folks who are interested but have not otherwise watched any? 

I think it depends on the kind of films you already like. If you like pepla [then] King of Kings (1961) [and] DeMille’s Samson and Delilah (1949) will also very much work for you. If your thing is more neo-pepla, then try Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014). Horror? Then there are elements of that in films such as Aronofsky’s Noah (2014). If you like all three then you really should try and track down Samson dan Delilah/La Revanche de Samson that I mentioned earlier.

For those that prefer more high-brow cinema then Pasolini’s Il vangelo secondo Matteo (Gospel According to Matthew, 1964) is a revered classic. Please, PLEASE don’t watch a colourized/dubbed version though. 

What are some of the non-Occidental/non-male-made Biblical films you want to underscore?

Yes, those perspectives became an increasingly important aspect of the book as it went on. I think La Genèse (Genesis, 1999) by Mali’s Cheick Oumar Sissoko is excellent movie very much outside of the Hollywood perspective. Karunamoorthy (Oceans of Mercy, 1978), isn’t quite to the same artistic standard, but it’s nevertheless a great example of the Jesus story told from an Indian perspective and features some fantastic Bollywood-style dance numbers. In terms of women directors, Alice Guy’s La vie du Christ (1906) comes from when cinema was less than a decade old and was a step forward in so many ways. While Lotte Reiniger’s The Star of Bethlehem (1956) is a little spoilt by the narration/soundtrack, the animation is wonderful. More recently, Nina Paley’s Seder Masochism (2018) is another a great piece of animation, combined with a kick-ass soundtrack and wickedly biting satire.

You say your feelings about some Biblical films have changed over the years, but flipping the coin, what major shifts, progressions, or changes have you seen over the genre’s lifetime?

Well, I think it’s related to what I was just saying, that democratisation of the medium, with voices from what might once have been considered the margins finding space while there is still room for mega productions such as Noah.

You recently did a retrospective of Richard H. Campbell and Michael R. Pitts’ book, The Bible on Film: A Checklist 1897-1980, at your website. What are other Biblical film books that you’d recommend or perhaps act as companion pieces to your book?

There are so many excellent books on the subject, even while this book has been in the process of coming to fruition Phil Hall’s Jesus Christ Movie Star and Katie Turner has a great book Costuming Christ in the works. I suppose the one that always gets cited is Bruce Babbington and Peter W Evans’ Biblical Epics. W. Barnes Tatum’s Jesus at the Movies was really formative on me when I first discovered the subject. These days one I probably dip into most often is David Shepherd’s The Bible on Silent Film. That said, some of the most interesting and extensive writing on this subject is found online at Peter T Chattaway’s blog, FilmChat.

What are your favourite Biblical films?

Perhaps the reason that I’ve written about 100 films is that I find it really hard to narrow it down and my feelings about various films has changed over the 20+ years I’ve been researching the subject. I could probably list about twenty that I really love, but I suppose no list would be complete without Pasolini’s Gospel According to St. Matthew and Life of Brian (1979), though I find some elements in the latter problematic. In terms of classic peplum, for some reason I have a soft spot for Kings of Kings.

Gladiator Blu-ray from my personal collection.

Of course, what is your favourite non-Bibilical peplum film?

Assuming neo-peplum count, then Gladiator (2000). It has its flaws, but it’s one of the best reworkings of that wronged-man justice/revenge narrative. Crowe is a totally engaging lead here and it gets the action scenes just right. Plus one or two very quotable lines.

Photo provided courtesy of Matthew Page.

Aside from 100 Bible Films, what are other upcoming projects or news you’d like to share?

Everything has been so channelled into this book that I’ve not really had time to develop much else. I guess that’s a function of this not being my day job. What I am eager to do is go out on the road more with this stuff. For years I’ve wanted to talk to more people about it, but have had to earn the right. Now that the worst of the pandemic seems to be behind us, I’m hoping there will be a few more opportunities to talk to film clubs, churches, festivals, etc. I really enjoy that two-way interaction.


Sincere thanks to Matthew Page for this interview. 100 Bible Films will be published May 19 by the British Film Institute. It can be pre-ordered at Amazon and Bloomsbury in hardcover, softcover, and electronic editions. 

In the meantime, check out Page’s Bible Films Blog or give him a follow on Twitter.

Categories
News

News Roundup W/E 2022-03-06

Personal / Website News

Troy Director’s Cut Boxset Unboxing

New article up at my website, right here!

I plucked up the Troy Director’s Boxset from Zia’s Records in December and was nostalgic back to the 2000s when I was hardcore collecting DVDs and special editions. Since folks seem to like unboxing articles and seeing contents inside of stuff, I did one for the Troy boxset. Check it out here.

Highlander Call for Papers

Michele has an active CFP on the Highlander franchise. She is looking for essays on the Highlander movies, the television show, comics, everything.

If you’re interested, check out the CFP at her website and please share with others. With a possible reboot on the horizon, this is definitely a book you want to be a part of. 

Unofficial Emmanuelle / Black Emanuelle CFP

Sometime in the latter half of 2022 (after I am finished with AnnRadCon 2022) I plan on publishing an official CFP calling for essays on Emmanuelle and its sequels and spinoffs, Black Emanuelle and its sequels, and all other Emmanuelle knockoffs. I already have an interested publisher, but I want to present to them a fully laid out TOC for an ambitious collection as this.

Emmanuelle 2

Though my CFP will not go live until later 2022, if you have any interest in being a part of this collection, let me know! Send me an email or social media message (see my about me page for contact info) to let me know your interest. If you have an abstract already, even better.

Upcoming Website Articles

Believe it or not, I have two interviews I’ve conducted that I’ll be publishing at my website over the next two weeks. That makes three weeks in a row of non-weekly news roundups for this website! Prepare to mark your calendars.

Matthew Page
D. J. Kirkbride

On Wednesday March 9th my interview with Matthew Page about his upcoming book, 100 Bible Films, will be published here. The following week my interview with D. J. Kirkbride on the trade paperback release of his comic series, Errand Boys, will go online. I also have some other mini-essays/interviews in the works, so stay tuned!

General Neo-Peplum News

Supporting Isidora #3

G.A. Lungaro, author of the Lovecraft/neo-peplum comic series Isidora (see my interview with Lungaro on issue 1, or check out my unboxing of issue 2) is selling new merch at his web store to help fund the production of Isidora #3.

Items include the Cute Cthulhu Collection – stickers of Lovecraftian monsters cute-ified. He will also be exploring NFTs later on. For now, check out the website at darthdaddylunga.com.

John Carter Video Game Kickstarter

In big sword and planet news, a Kickstarter to create a John Carter FPS video game has been launched by Sci-Fi-London.

Promotional image provided courtesy of Louis Savy from Sci-Fi-London.

The game is in development right now and has some promising aspects, a big one being relocating John Carter to a WW2 setting and having him a spy in the employ of Ian Fleming! Aside from the Kickstarter proper, news for the game can be found on the official game social media accounts at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, and YouTube. Right now it’s only for PC release, but cross fingers for a console version.

Adrastea Kickstarter

Another Kickstarter to take a look at is for the graphic novel Adrastea.

Image from the Kickstarter. Looks like a kick-ass Cyclops to me.

The campaign’s flavor text describes it as such:

Blessed or cursed with Immortality, the ageless king of Hyperborea wakes up from a millennium of self-imposed oblivion, having watched his kingdom crumble to time, along with all those he has ever loved. He decides to travel to Mount Olympus where he will confront the gods to ask why he was burdened with such an affliction and how he can end it. The journey will be long and treacherous and filled with unimaginable men and beasts of lore, but he has no fear of harm and all the time in the world…

The graphic novel is by Mathieu Bablet and published by Magnetic.

Gladiatrix Comic

Charley and Vlas Parlapanides, the masterminds behind the neo-peplum film Immortals and animated series Blood of Zeus are coming out with a new graphic novel called Gladiatrix. Screen Rant has some preview pages of the comic.

Ultimate List of Greek Mythology Films

Over at Bored Panda, writers Miglė Ivanauskaitė and Melanie Gervasoni list out the best Greek mythology pepla and neo-pepla. Not all these films are Greek Myth in origin, but regardless, their list (45 titles!) and order is as follows:

  1. The Odyssey (1997)
  2. Troy (2004) (note: see above or here for my unboxing!)
  3. Jason And The Argonauts (1962)
  4. 300 (2006)
  5. The 300 Spartans (1962)
  6. Immortals (2011)
  7. Hercules (1997)
  8. Wonder Woman (2017)
  9. Clash of the Titans (2010)
  10. Wrath of the Titans (2012)
  11. Spartacus (1960)
  12. Hercules (2014)
  13. Agora (2009)
  14. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)
  15. Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters (2013)
  16. 300: Rise Of An Empire (2014)
  17. Minotaur (2006)
  18. The Legend Of Hercules (2014)
  19. Alexander (2004)
  20. Helen Of Troy (1956)
  21. Iphigenia (1977)
  22. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
  23. Spartacus (2004)
  24. Ulysses (1967)
  25. The Trojan Women (1971)
  26. Oedipus The King (1986)
  27. Antigone (1961)
  28. Orpheus (1950)
  29. Goliath And The Dragon (1960)
  30. Electra (1962)
  31. Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
  32. Medea (1969)
  33. Black Orpheus (1959)
  34. Oedipus Rex (1957)
  35. Hercules In New York (1970)
  36. Oedipus Mayor (1996)
  37. The First King (2019)
  38. Helena (1924)
  39. Hercules The Invincible (1964)
  40. Hercules (1983)
  41. Young Hercules (1998)
  42. Hercules and Xena (1998)
  43. The Fury Of Hercules (1962)
  44. Pygmalion (1938)
  45. The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962)