​Cornelia Duryée wears many hats, but perhaps the one that she wears best is that of ‘director.’  Hers is a name fans of Science Fiction and Fantasy may not yet have heard.  Living as she does in the far off and sometimes magical land of Seattle, Washington, she’s produced and directed projects near and dear to her heart in her stewardship as co-founder of Kairos Productions.  Yet her Portal Runner – shot in 2017 and now seeing digital release to the masses-at-large this past December 10th – is a dream come true (of sorts).
 
“I’m a genre fan,” she says with unabashed delight in our recent Zoom sit-down, and she wears it the way a good one would: like a badge of honor.  “I’m a freaky geeky.  I have been my whole life, and so it’s fun to be finally releasing a film that isn’t something for people who only read novels.”
 
And why wouldn’t she be gleeful?  Thus far in her storied existence, she’s been an actor, a producer, a director, a screenwriter, a business owner, a poet, a wife, and a mother … but I suspect genre fans might be most impressed with the fact that she not only served as a personal assistant to world-renowned author Madeleine L’Engle (official website link) but also the late scribe served as her godmother and mentor.  In fact, several of Duryée's most passionate projects are adaptations of L’Engle’s works.
 
“I’m from a certain era when all that we had were books,” she explains.  “I’m from before the internet.  I’m all about words.  I’m a visual storyteller, but I’m all about the word.  I make what are known as literary movies.”
 
Indeed, her professional evolution is practically earmarked with literary citations.  A professed fan of Celtic mythology, she spent the first half of her career acting and directing in the Seattle Shakespeare Company (which she also co-founded).  Eventually, she felt the desire to craft stories for the cinema, and some of her more immediate inspirations have involved adaptations of written works.
​

Portal Runner began its journey to the screen emerging from the mind of Kairos Productions’ J.D. Henning.  His script centers on Nolan (played by Sloane Morgan Siegel), a teenager from a family of inventors who finds himself suddenly blessed and cursed with the ability to access portals to different variations of the universe.
 
“We were able to raise a tiny budget based on JD Henning’s original concept,” she explains.  “He brought us this script in 2016.  We were blown away with its potential, and we decided to figure out how we could make it for a tiny budget but make it a movie this big.  We had this house – we realized my mother’s house was empty – due to a sale.  It was a free location.  So we designed the script to work around a location that changes a little bit with every world, but it’s the same location.  It was JD Henning – as the lead writer -- and he let my son and me throw in jokes and riffs.  It was the most fun I’ve ever had in my life, working in that writer’s room.  We were able to make this wonderful science fiction story where you switch worlds all this time but you’re in this same location.”
 
In the motion picture, young Nolan eventually finds himself somewhat grounded in one reality where he’s anchored by a sister – Mae – that he never had in any previous parallel world.  Once he convinces her of his abilities and that he’s being pursued by a source of evil that’ll likely spell doom for them all, they join forces in a bid to outsmart the dark force and save the entire family from annihilation.
 
“Our theme is that the love of family is redemptive,” she adds, “and that there is grace in the closeness of family.  If you work out your stuff – and some of the stuff is pretty epic in this situation – then you can have this beautiful loving synthesis and it can be salvatory.  Especially now.  After the last twenty months (with COVID), a lot of us are finding that this is our path forward.”
​

​Naturally, it’s a logistical and financial challenge to willfully and deliberately make films outside of the studio system, but that’s a challenge Duryee accepts with great aplomb.  When questioned about the viability of operating a production company where she does, she replies, “People ask why I produce in Seattle, Washington.  A: I live here, and I love it.  B: I don’t like L.A.  C: here I have artistic freedom.  I can raise the kind of budget like I did for Portal Runner or JourneyQuest (IMDB.com link), and I can make the most of it.  Of course, every artist wants to connect, wants to communicate, wants their story to be heard and registered and infect hearts.  That’s why we do what we do.”
 
Still, the challenges of ‘guerilla filmmaking’ are enough to give some in the industry pause.
 
“(On Portal Runner) We had the tiniest crew we’ve ever had,” she underscores.  “We were all in this house together for 23 days!  In the summer!  This was a long, hot shoot, in very small spaces.  But everyone was so nice about it.  Still, you have to be really surgical about your budget.  You have to be really careful with your money.  Thank God I have Larry Estes, who is the best budgeter in the world.  Everyone was able to create miracles on our tiny budget.  Our post houses were just angelic.  It’s about budgeting and knowing your people and what they can do.”
 
As tends to happen when discussing the balancing the risk of human contact in the age of COVID, the filmmaker grows reflective.
 
“One of our biggest challenges in going forward now is ‘do we really feel safe to do this?’” she wonders.  “A lot of people in this business have continued to work.  We are planning to be working next year … but at the same time let’s just say I wouldn’t be doing a film like Portal Runner all in one house right now … can we feel safe again?  Someone will come down with ‘it,’ and production will shut down for a week, meaning we’re paying for things other than production.”
​

Though theatre remains one of her biggest loves, it became clear to Duryée ​that her career needed to evolve beyond the stage.  She saw the transition to film a natural step, and she welcomed it with open arms.
 
“I love the theatre,” she says, “but I was realizing in my last years of being there that a theatre artist is like a sculptor who sculpts in snow.  I mean it’s gone.  You can’t repeat it, which is part of its magic and its power and its beauty.  That’s why it’s so poignant when you’re in a theatre breathing … but (with film) I made something in 2006 that you can watch today.  That’s pretty cool.  In Portal Runner, that’s the house I grew up in.  It’s my mother’s and father’s house.  I can’t go to it any more … except I can.  In film.  Things like that are really powerful to me.”
 
But her interest in weaving visual tapestries doesn’t stop there.  It’s clear that – as an artist – she feels a compulsion to tell stories to the depths of her soul, and her Episcopalian faith constantly reminds her to focus not only on her passions but also her ability to discern which opportunity is best for both professionally and spiritually.
 
“How do we know what the spirit is leading us toward?” she asks.  “How do we figure out the best path?  Especially, as the CEO of a small film studio, what’s the next thing?  It’s very important.  It’s very profound.  You need to choose correctly before you commit a year or two of peoples’ lives to the next thing.  I do feel the weight of it, but it’s also a steadying factor.
 
“I love the immediacy of film,” she explains further.  “You are right next to the face of the person.  You’re in their thoughts.  You’re breathing with them in a different way than you’re breathing with someone in a theatre play.  It’s very intimate.  Especially a close-up.  It’s deeply subtle.  It’s the opposite of theatre that way.  I can craft a performance literally for years in editing.  If I need to.  I don’t usually need years.  I can take time to craft a performance over many, many moments.
 
“I think this path that I’m on is a sense of calling.  Why am I here?  What am I put here to do?  How do I embody what I’m called to do in the best way that feeds the most people?  You have to have a sense of knowing, a sense of calling, a sense of purpose that keeps you at it even when you get slammed down so many times on the way.  I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t feel it was a sacred thing.  As a person of faith, I need to be true to what I was created to do, and I have the incredible blessing of being able to sometimes do that.”
​

Because Portal Runner ends with a pronounced hint that there’s more to Nolan and Mae’s story, I asked if there were indeed more to come for the world-hopping franchise.
 
“We have completed (the script for) Part 2,” she confessed with great excitement.  “And, yes, we are aware that we shot the first one in 2017 and that people aren’t 16 anymore.  But it took us this long to bring it to fruition.  We have ideas for a Part 3 and possibly a Part 4.  But Part 2 is a much bigger show.  We assumed that we’d have a bigger budget for it.”
 
When asked if she had other Science Fiction or Fantasy projects stored away in Kairos’ pipeline, she smiles and explains that – for legal reasons – she couldn’t talk about a few opportunities being explored … though I’ll admit her expression told me that she clearly wanted to.  And it’s this kind of infectious enthusiasm that’s so pleasing to see when fans of genre entertainment are finally gifted with the chance to craft original content for the world to enjoy.  It’s clear that she’s on a journey that brings her joy, and SciFiHistory.Net hopes hers will be a long and fruitful trip.
 
Her smile even grew wider when I told her so.
 
“When you put out a movie, it’s out there,” she confides.  “It’s gone.  You don’t know whether it’s registering or landing with people.  And when they tell you it’s landed, it’s so sacred.”

​-- EZ

NOTE: Portal Runner is available for streaming as of December 10, 2021.  Also, folks interested in my review of the film can find it right here.

I’d once heard it said that, while men build things, women make things.
 
Honestly, I’ve always considered this statement a bit of twisted semantics run wild.  Clearly, both genders have the capabilities to conceive a ‘something’ and follow it through to fruition.  Still, one who traffics in gender issues might argue that while a man built a house it is the woman who made it a home; so I try to keep the peace by, instead, considering the inherent value of every completed product.  What’s done is done, after all, so staking out either misogynist or feminist poles only serves a debate where most of us see little argument.
 
Though it took a man to build Frankenstein, the monster needed a woman to complete him.
 
Now, surely the Monster was complete (in one sense) without a mate.  Cobbled together from limbs of the dearly departed, ol’ Frank rose tall and proud off the operating table … but his utter lack of self-control prompted Dr. Frankenstein (and others) to believe domestication is what the beast required most.  Why, a mate would give the Monster something to live for, something to share joy with, someone to terrorize villagers with … just as companionship has done for every relationship (ahem) since the dawn of Man.
 
Well, in one turn of the phrase, these two – for better or for worse – live until death does part them: but it’s far from a happy ending.
 
As can happen in the wide, wide world of film, other attempts have been made to explore the central Frankenstein mythology of bringing life to lifelessness, but – to my knowledge – it’s rarely centered so heartily on the fairer sex than in Giorgio Ferroni’s Mill Of The Stone Women (1960).  This Italian chiller is part-Horror and part-SciFi, and yet it goes ‘all in’ on the big idea that love – as the Beatles said – is all you need.  Well, that and a pair of mad geniuses who’ll stop at nothing to bring you back from dead even when that means draining the blood from every fair maiden the village has in the process!
​

(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters.  If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment.  If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
 
From the product packaging:
“Young art student Hans von Arnam arrives by barge at an old mill to write a monograph about its celebrated sculptures of women in the throes of death and torture, maintained and curated by the mill’s owner, the hermetic Professor Wahl.  But when Hans encounters the professor’s beautiful and mysterious daughter Elfie, his own fate becomes inexorably bound up with hers, and with the shocking secret that lies at the heart of the so-called Mill of the Stone Women.”
 
If you’re looking for a film that offers plenty of food for thought, then this Mill is certainly a solid addition to any genre library.  Though it’s not the first Italian Horror feature ever made, it is the very first shot in color, and director Ferroni takes great advantage of the experience in ways big and small from the very first frame up until its bitter, blazing finish.  While there is doubtless an essay or two waiting to be penned on such a topic, I’m instead choosing to stay focused on how this re-imagination of Mary Shelley’s immortal Frankenstein might give audiences a fresh perspective on the risks of sacrificing one’s soul in the pursuit of retaining mortality.
 
Professor Wahl (played by Herbert A.E. Bohme) loves his daughter Elfie (Scilla Gabel) … to a fault.  In fact, he’s allowed this unhealthy affection to seep into every facet of his existence, so much so that he’s cut himself and those around him off from anything that seeks to intrude on that relationship.  Furthermore, he won’t even allow her passing from this world into the next; whenever she does, he’s coopted what appears to be some very dark science into bringing her back to life each and every time she expires.  Based on the evidence suggested, it’s looking like she’s kicked the proverbial bucket more often than the proverbial housecat blessed with nine lives.
​

Much like Dr. Frankenstein in one of the great centerpieces of the Universal Monster Movies Universe, Wahl nurtures an obsession that ultimately will prove his and his creation’s undoing.  Instead of grave robbing for his monster, Wahl and his active collaborator Dr. Bohlem (Wolfgang Preiss) employ a procedure that requires the blood of living females; so whenever Elfie expires they’re apt to kidnap some unfortunate local woman.  Strapped to a table, their victim is bled out, and this new blood is then transfused into the deceased.  While the film never quite comes clean on its science, it somehow reanimates Elfie, and she lives to be the object of her father and (eventually) Bohlem’s lascivious attentions another day.
 
Ahhh, were that the end of Wahl’s debauchery, then the small village of Veeze might enjoy a more robust population!  In order to obscure his murders from scrutiny, the professor has perfected a process wherein he turns his victims into clay sculptures; and these life-sized statues are eventually displayed for all the whole town to see in the musical carousel housed at the base of the windmill in which he resides.  This madman not only makes these women serve him in life but also they’ll continue enhancing his professional reputation in death!
 
As the film’s fictionalized ‘monster,’ Elfie isn’t blissfully unaware of her dire predicament.
 
She knows all too well what dark deeds her dear father has resorted to in order to preserve her supernatural existence.  Despite some suggestions on her part (early on) of her tortured suffering from this cruel, cruel fate, she still nonetheless smiles when she awakens on her hospital gurney following a procedure.  (Yes, she actually looks across the surgery room at the dead victim and smiles.  You nasty shrew!)  Though I found her motivation in the script a bit unclear, Elfie nonetheless acts on her sexual attraction to newcomer Hans.  Was her stated misery legitimate?  Was she seeking to hide her pain with sex?  Or was the lady merely acting out on what she’d learned about the birds and bees somewhere along the way?
 
As you can guess, the script – IMDB.com’s listing cites an incredible six contributors – could’ve used a bit of polish with respect to Elfie’s motivations in this regard, though other watchers may’ve ‘filled in the blank’ with their own respective opinions.  I’ve always tried to avoid this very human tendency, wishing that I could have all my questions answered by those spinning yarns.  While I found every other character’s journey in here to have sufficient purpose (or plausibly founded), I can’t help but wonder if this film’s delicate creature was given short shrift precisely because she was meant to be little more than its ‘monster.’  At times evil and at times seemingly caught up in the whims of the manipulative men around her, the real Elfie never quite emerged from the darkness, and – call me silly – I really wanted to know her more.  She certainly deserved better from her father, but that wasn’t meant to be. 
​

Mill Of The Stone Women (1960) was produced by C.E.C. Films, Explorer Film ’58, Faro Film, and a few other partners.  DVD distribution (for this particular release) is being handled by the reliable Arrow Video.  As for the technical specifications?  Again, I’m not a video expert (as are so many online these days), but I found this 2K restoration absolutely fabulous: the colors really pop (as is needed in key sequences), and the detail is impressive on this … the very first Italian horror feature shot in color, I might add.
 
As for the special features?
 
Arrow Video continues to prove why they’re the gold standard for presenting classic releases these days.  The set includes four different cuts of the flick (censors be damned!); I’ve only had the good fortune at this point of making my way through two of them, but the edits are interesting to consider when evaluating precisely how to tell a story visually.  Arrow has also restored the Italian and English soundtracks as well as provided new translations for English subtitles on the Italian track.  There’s a visual essay on the nature of roles in Gothic horror that’s written and delivered by Kat Ellinger; honestly, it’s a solid listening experience, though one might quibble with a conclusion here and there.  There are some archival interviews provided on minidocumentaries as well as some artwork, booklet, and poster-sized photos prepared for collectors.  Lastly, there’s an audio commentary from Tim Lucas that’s worth a listen: as can happen when academics are let loose on a subject, he wanders a bit too freely from topic-to-topic, and often times he isn’t so much talking about this film as he is the era, the film’s influences, etc.  Still, I enjoyed it more than I usually do the stuffy historian’s lecture, so I encourage others to check it out.
 
Highly recommended.
 
I have no problem admitting that Mill Of The Stone Women isn’t going to serve the interests of every audience member who finds it as Horror of the bygone era – especially the more Gothic-inspired entries – seems to have fallen out of favor for any number of reasons.  The best reasons to experience this film?  Well, my first argument would be that it’s a first – a rare first that’s actually quite good – as Mill is the first uniquely Italian film to be shot in color; and the palate director Ferroni employs in curious ways makes this as much brainwork as it is pleasant on the eyes.  Second, I’d offer up that the film explores one of the more fascinating variations on the whole Frankenstein mythos that’s out there (especially from its era).  Lastly, having watched this now a few times I’m surprised by how much more I get out of it with each subsequent viewing: clearly, there’s a wealth of potential symbolism and narrative subtext at play in here – far more than most I’ve experienced from the 1960’s – and never let it be said that I’ll snub an intelligent viewing opportunity when I get the chance.  Film nerds, this one’s for you.
 
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Arrow Video provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray disc of Mill Of The Stone Women (1960) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it. 

​-- EZ

Sorry, folks, but I don't game.  I've never quite mastered the hand/eye coordination necessary to survive any of the various worlds available to me -- hell, there are days that I can't even do much in this one!!! -- but I'm always intrigued by them.  Someone recently shared a post with me regarding a little something something called Star Wars Eclipse, and I thought it worth dropping the trailer in this space.

I've done a bit of Googling, and I can't find any substantive information about it.  From what I have read, this is set in the era of the -- cough cough -- High Republic (you can thank Kathleen Kennedy for that), which makes it somewhat well before the era of Luke, Leia, and Han.  The trailer doesn't pony up much by way of story -- there are some Jedi and images of ships similar to those from The Phantom Menace -- and it looks to be there's an evil tar that takes human form and poses some dire existential threat to the galaxy's drum and bugle corps.  mybe this is Naboo?  It kinda/sorta looks like what I'd imagine a Naboo swap meet to be.  There are also pirates and Cylon Raiders in it, if I'm not mistaken.  Of course, who but the Jedi Council should be consulted in such circumstances?  I think that one black fluid creature is the thing that killed Tasha Yar, too, so that can't be good.  Hell, it ain't even the right franchise, a testament to Kathleen's 'guiding hand,' I'm sure.

In any event, I won't belabor the point.  Those truly interested in knowing a bit more are gonna have to put in the leg work yourselves as this one looks interesting but isn't up my alley.
​

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

​-- EZ

Regular readers of SciFiHistory.Net know of my fondness for anthology shows.
 
Simply put, I’ve always enjoyed them because they offer audiences more story to absorb across multiple installments, and they’re typically fashioned more as parables (with a message) than they are a narrative (that may go ultimately nowhere of interest).  As a result, I get more excited about them than I do the favored long-form storytelling audiences gravitate toward today, and I find it shameful that there’s so little investment in their potential in the current fictional economy.  With so many channels out there, do you really expect me to accept that no one would tune in for a new collection of visual fables?
 
Sigh.
 
Also as I’ve mentioned recently, Shudder was gracious enough to provide me with a complimentary Blu-ray copy of Creepshow: Season 2.  I’ve had so much fun watching these episodes – which I see as throwbacks to a time when Horror/Fantasy was a bit more relatable as well as accessible to regular ol’ Joes like myself – that I decided instead of ponying up one comprehensive review of the entire season I wanted to pen a few reactions to individual episodes.  This way I could highlight some of the bigger and smaller moments more responsibly as a critic and as a fan … which I definitely consider myself.
 
Enjoy.  I think you’ll see how much I did.
 
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters.  If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment.  If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
 
From the product packaging:
“Episode 2: Dead And Breakfast / Pesticide.  A marketing plot at a haunted bed and breakfast becomes way too realistic.  Then, an exterminator gets more than he bargained for when he takes on a big job.”
​

​It’s been suggested that horror anthologies – from time-to-time – take sarcastic swipes at things ordinary folks hold dear, and I suspect – at first blush – that could be one message a viewer takes away from “Dead And Breakfast.”  Small-town American bed and breakfasts are often classified as ‘getaways’ for us regular Joes – after all, we’d never afford such Hollywood-priced escapes – so it’s probably fair were one to assume that Michael Rousselet and Erik Sandoval’s script is shooting down such kitsch.
 
But the problem I’d have with such a conclusion is that, largely, it’s these off-the-beaten-path destinations that often have reputations that perhaps bring out the worst in us.  Why, which of us doesn’t want to spend the night in a haunted mansion?  Or who among us hasn’t thought about taking a nap in the bed that Lizzie Borden frequented?  And how about John Wayne Gacy’s treehouse?  Do you really expect me to believe you’re not interested in what he may’ve carved into that trunk?  Alas, it’s in our nature to check these things out when we learn of them, so I’d push back on anyone suggesting there’s something more political behind this tale’s particular setting.
 
Adding to my defense would be the fact that I saw “Dead” more as throwing stones at the current pop culture trend of influencers than anything else.  In the guise of ‘Morgue,’ relative newcomer actress Iman Benson shines as the burgeoning phenom who makes her bones exposing the bones behind some of these haunted attractions.  It’s a genius little send-up of how reputations work in the modern, tech-driven era; and I found it a pitch perfect clash of the new meeting the old wherein what really matters most is the twist ending no one saw coming.
 
Besides: if it’s truly evil to make a buck, then we’re all going to Hell anyway.
​

The second half of Episode 2 is a little chiller that goes by the name of “Pesticide,” and I suspect that its biggest claim to fame might be the work of Josh McDermitt (of The Walking Dead fame).  It’s a curious performance – one fraught with its own highs and lows – but I found it interesting to see the actor try something a bit different from his work on the popular AMC zombie show.  While I wasn’t quite sold with his big finish, I thought he handled his character’s circumstances quite nicely.
 
The downside to “Pesticide” is that it’s a tale fairly common to the wider universe of horror shorts, both new and old.  Yes, one might argue that this particular formula is of the tried-and-true variety, but for those of us who’ve been around that represents why it might be a bit too predictable and could’ve used a different twist in the last act.  There’s an ambiguousness to just who (or what) Mr. Murdoch (played by the talented Keith David) may be, and tales that center on descents into madness (as a consequence of one’s own action) do kinda/sorta border on preachiness.  Is that good or bad?  Meh.  I leave that to each his own.
 
Still, performances work, and there’s a gooeyness to some of the effects that might make some cringe (in a good way).  The irony of an exterminator meeting his maker in the shape of things he’s killed is certainly fodder for thought.  Scripted by Frank Dietz and directed by Greg Nicotero, it’s a bit uneven – and more than a bit unclear – but I suspect it works for most exactly the way intended.
 
Creepshow: Season 2 is produced by Shudder, The Cartel, AMC Studios, and a few other participating partners.  DVD distribution (for this particular release) is being coordinated by RLJE Films.  As for the technical specifications?  This anthology program is produced with tremendous concentration on achieving the best sights and sounds possible; and it shows!  It looks fabulous, and the great care in bringing it alive (if not back from the dead) is obvious.  As for the special features?  This two-disc set all five episodes of the show’s second season (FYI: some episodes are two-parters, delivering two separate stories) as well as a Creepshow animated special; a Creepshow holiday special; a colorful booklet/insert that mirrors the overall look of the show; some behind-the-scenes footage (much of it exclusive to this release); and some reversible sleeve art for those who like that sort of thing.  (I’m always iffy on it, but it’s nice to have.)
 
Highly recommended.
 
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at RLJE Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray disc of Creepshow: Season 2 by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.

​-- EZ

Honestly, I entered into watching Raised By Wolves expecting to truly hate it.

I had read some reviews about the Ridley Scott production, and a few of the writers waxed on about how politically-driven the show was.  While I don't mind some creative discussions of ideologies, I resent having screenwriters force unpopular ideas either in my face or down my throat.  So when I tuned in for the first few episodes, I was surprised at how little discussion there really was on any political issue.  Sure, you could perhaps draw your own conclusions about what the show was trying to say in those early moments, but if you hung around longer then you may've realized that your original hypothesis was reaching for straws, if you know that expression.

In my humble opinion, the program really centers more of issues of humanity -- what makes one human, what's part and parcel of accepting a human role in society, etc. -- as opposed to any global climate issue, Conservatism, Progressivism, or the like.  While I understand how a thinker and a writer might postulate those conclusions, I could just as easily push back with suggestions of what I see in these characters and their collective circumstance.

I do recall feeling as though the show kinda/sorta shifted gears just a bit in that first season, but that could be perhaps owed to the fact that there were a handful of late developments that changed the focus.  Still, I was impressed with the writing and its characters, so here's hoping Season 2 will continue upping the ante for these synthetic people and the youth in their sphere of influence.

The offical trailer for Season 2 dropped recently, and I'm posting it below for those of you interested.
​

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

​-- EZ

Oh, my goodness, I forget where it was on the wide, wide Information Superhighway; but I vaguely recall trying to broker some peace talks between haters of TNT's adaptation of Snowpiercer.

It must've been a Science Fiction message board or maybe even a Twitter or Facebook thread.  The back-and-forth had grown really intense with both sides starting to lash out into personal insult territory.  As calmly and courteously as I could, I interjected with a few posts, explaining that I watched the show, I didn't think it was as awful as some (in fact, I find it quite entertaining, but I realize it's not everyone's cup of tea), and I even admitted that I had some trouble getting into Season 1.  As can happen from time-to-time, it takes a few episodes for programming to hit a stride and start taking audiences somewhere that looks interesting, especially when we're dealing with life after the Apocalypse, you know what I mean?

Anyway, there was no coaxing folks down from what they perceived as their respective high grounds, and that's a shame.  There are plenty of SciFi and Fantasy shows out there I don't like, but I don't wish any of the talent -- before or behind the camera -- any ill will over their efforts.  I've always argued that I'd rather have more genre properties than less, and I enter into each new show expecting to dislike it and hoping to be proven wrong.  Perhaps that's my age showing, or perhaps it's just my realist attitude.  Whatever it may be, it's worked for me for decades, and I'm sticking to it.

In any event, Snowpiercer is returning this January, 2022 for its third season.  As I said, Season 1 took a bit to build up steam, but Season 2?  That was a huge step forward as the writers really honed in on the class warfare stuff as well as the "science" behind Earth's dire circumstances (or are they?).  We even said goodbye to a series regular in a way that made perfect sense, so kudos to those involved for their willingness to take risks as so few shows do that these days.

Trailer is below.  You know what to do if you're interested.
​

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

​-- EZ

As long as I can remember, I've been a fan of Superman.

When I was a young'un, I read the comics.  I can remember seeing Superman: The Movie on the silver screen in my youth like it was just yesterday.  And though I've had some ups and downs with the various television incarnations of the Man of Steel, I have nothing but praise for the efforts to continue his legacy for fandom throughout the years.

But I have to admit that I'm having a lot of problems with Superman & Lois.

Honestly, it wouldn't be fair for me to wax on about the reasons why the show just kinda/sorta leaves me cold.  In fact, I've only watched three episodes of its first season (the rest are just sitting in my DVR's queue).  It's not that was unimpressed with it -- so far as I can say -- but rather it's just that I'm really not all that seeing the world's greatest superhero domesticated.  Does that make sense to any fellow Superfans out there on the Information Superhighway?

It's like ... say ... Hercules.  Hercules is arguably one of the greatest characters from mythology, right?  He had all those trials to prove himself worthy, etc., etc., etc.  Well, what interest would there be in creating a show about Hercules being, say, a single dad?  I get thematically where any creative person might want to go with such a program ... it's just I'm really not all that interested in seeing a part-man/part-god character change diapers.

In any event, I did see that the show's second season will be setting flight soon, so I wanted to share the trailer for those of you following.  Check it out, if you're inclined.
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As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

​-- EZ

​I was there all the way back in 1985 when Robert Zemeckis’ Back To The Future first premiered on silver screens that summer.
 
If memory serves me correctly (always a risk at my ripe old age), I caught the film in a weekend showing along with a few friends of mine I had made as a counselor at a YMCA summer camp for underprivileged youth.  As you can imagine, the delightful blend of comedy, action, and Science Fiction was exactly the distraction we needed as fuel for our escape from dealing with the unruly youth of our day jobs.  And the flick’s central lesson – namely to do what you must to preserve the family – resonated in a such a way that we could use it to inspire those young’uns when we were back on the proverbial clock.  We worked with, after all, kids from largely broken families; so any tool that could help us ‘get through’ to them was a huge, huge plus.  Believe it or not, talking with them about Back To The Future, Marty McFly, and Doc Brown was one such tool.
 
Sadly, today’s diet of entertainment doesn’t offer much by way of traditional family fare.  Granted, we as a society have grown a bit more disenchanted – kids, too – but cultivating healthy relationships should be the gameplan for every household, no matter how many children or parents live under its roof.  When Kardashians become not only the norm but the cultural benchmark for young skulls of mush looking for role models, the adults-in-the-room need something to help in the pushback … and every now and then I’m thrilled to find a movie to suggest.
 
Portal Runner (2021) springs from the mind of J.D. Henning and Tallis Moore.  Directed by Cornelia Duryee, the film is an adventure postulating the existence of a multiverse of worlds that, once opened, might lead to a very dark fate for one young adventurer trapped in a never-ending flight from a cosmic force threatening to destroy not only his life but possibly that of the family he may’ve never known …
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​(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters.  If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment.  If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
 
From the film’s promotional materials:
“When 15-year-old Nolan discovers a secretive family legacy and a portal that enables him to travel to parallel worlds, it’s a young boy’s dream come true … until it becomes a nightmare when he realizes he’s being pursued across the ages by an evil force. When he becomes stranded on Christmas in an alternate world with his quirky family and a rebellious and petulant older sister he’s never met before, he realizes Mae may be the key to defeating his adversary and must enlist her help fast … before it’s too late for them all.”
 
Think what you will, but I’ve always argued that the best Science Fiction and Fantasy tales have long been the province of the young and the young-at-heart.
 
For example, the fabled Luke Skywalker began his time in screen history as little more than a farmboy from Tatooine.  The aforementioned Marty McFly spent his teenage years pining away for a chance to play rock’n’roll in front of his fellow high school classmates.  Young Alex Rogan honed his skills as ‘The Last Starfighter’ on little more than an upright video game console before being tasked with saving the universe from Xur and the Ko-Dan Armada.  Why, even streaming giant Netflix tapped such fertile ground when it enlisted four middle American teenagers to oppose the Mind Flayer itself in the internationally popular Stranger Things.
 
Because kids and Fantasy make for such positive pairings, it’s easy to suggest that Portal Runner finds a lot of inspiration in similar territory but on a vastly smaller budget.  Nolan (played by Sloane Morgan Siegel) and Mae (Elise Eberle) – the siblings of this occasionally whimsical, occasionally dark adventure – have great chemistry as the film’s mismatched brother-sister pairing, though their relationship starts out as a total mystery: where Nolan’s from, he never had a sister!  But as they come to know one another in the context of the film, they quip, snipe, and berate one another just the way a brother and sister would … and, yes, I say this as a guy who has two sisters, thank you very much.
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To the picture’s benefit, their constant tete a tete serves as the emotional backbone to Duryee’s picture.  As their relationship grows from sibling rivalry to blood relation, the two talents hit a measured, comic stride playing opposite one another, learning not only how to respond to the other’s quirks but also which buttons to push (and when).  As a brother, can you imagine Nolan’s delight that the key in this universe to seizing control of the world-hopping phenomenon would be something so blissful as pissing off your sister?  When I was a young’un, mom and dad always warned me to stop picking on mine … but – in this cinematic universe – my life would’ve damn neared depended upon me doing just that!
 
Thankfully, Portal Runner doesn’t stop there, and by its big finish the entire family is on board with the proper sentiments.  Matt Shimkus (as the temporally displaced father) shows up as both a villain and a hero when the script requires it.  Brian S. Lewis is a bit of a doofus but retains the family’s inventor’s spirit in the guise of Uncle Boon.  Carol Roscoe turns in some great work as the mother trying to hold the fractured family safe and together even when it appears science itself is working against all of them.  It’s a solid ensemble piece with every player having a purpose to serve here – for good or for evil – but everyone keeps it all family-focused and totally kid-friendly, even when there’s a bit of blood shed along the way.
 
All of that said, Portal Runner does have some shortcomings for those of us who watch these things closely for a living (as I do).  The science as presented here doesn’t always follows the rules it sets forth; while I never hammer a screenwriter for taking any liberties with the webs he or she spins (it’s all fiction, after all), I do expect some explanation when they shift gears, and none is given here.  (For example, there are some directional requirements given for the world-hopping to work, but Nolan occasionally heads up or down when West or East are established as precedent.)  Also, the film goes for a full twenty-six minutes (I timed it) before offering up any explanation for its curious mirror-hopping set-up sequence; in movie terms, that’s a long time to go before offering your audience some description of the spectacle (one not couched in a character’s narrative), and I would’ve preferred this exposition being sprinkled much earlier.  Lastly, there are a few continuity errors (costuming and character locations) that usually don’t catch my eye; but these were pretty obvious and even had me backing the film up at one point to see if I had missed something.  (I hadn’t.)  Those are never good things, but they’re also not the kind of mishaps that ‘make or break’ an experience for me.
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Still, young Siegel gives us an almost Marty McFly performance in a film that only passingly resembles anything in that meatier Back To The Future universe, and it was definitely strong enough to keep my interest for the duration.
 
Recommended.

​I think what sticks with me most about Portal Runner – despite the loose science that runs quick and fast with its own multiverse rules – is that it’s an entirely wholesome family affair, something relatively rare in the world of Science Fiction and Fantasy.  Nolan and Mae are your ordinary brother-and-sister combo thrown into extraordinary circumstances – with even mom-and-dad eventually following suit – and it’s their shared commitment to family that gives this Disneyesque charmer its beating heart.  Imperfect maybe … but not implausible, as any scientist will tell you.
 
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Kairos Productions provided me with a streaming link of Portal Runner (2021) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.

​-- EZ

​Regular readers of SciFiHistory.Net know of my fondness for anthology shows.

Simply put, I’ve always enjoyed them because they offer audiences more story to absorb across multiple installments, and they’re typically fashioned more as parables (with a message) than they are a narrative (that may go ultimately nowhere of interest).  As a result, I get more excited about  them than I do the favored long-form storytelling viewers gravitate toward today, and I find it shameful that there’s so little investment in their potential in the current fictional economy.  With so many channels out there, do you really expect me to believe that no one would tune in for a new collection of visual fables?
 
Sigh.
 
Also as I’ve mentioned recently, Shudder was gracious enough to provide me with a complimentary copy of Creepshow: Season 2 on Blu-ray.  I’ve had so much fun watching these episodes – which I see as throwbacks to a time when Horror/Fantasy was a bit more relatable as well as accessible to regular ol’ Joes like myself – that I decided instead of ponying up one comprehensive review of the entire season I wanted to pen a few reactions to individual episodes.  I'd space these out over multiple posts.  This way I could highlight some of the bigger and smaller moments more responsibly as a critic and as a fan … which I definitely consider myself.
 
Enjoy.  I think you’ll see how much I did.
 
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters.  If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment.  If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
 
From the product packaging:
“Episode 1: Model Kid / Public Television Of The Dead.  Joe’s closest friends are the model toys of his favorite scary movie monsters.  Then, a public TV station is overwhelmed when the appraisal of an antique book accidentally summons a dark force.”

​The greatness of a story like Model Kid is its relatable minimalism: we’ve all been bullied at some point in our lives.  Be it a neighbor kid … be it some know-it-all at work … or be it the English professor who thought his personal scholarship was more important than your pursuit of knowledge, we’ve all been on the receiving end of a petty tyrant.  As it’s probably most often happened in our youth, this yarn from John Esposito and directed by Greg Nicotero easily hits the emotional mark when young Joe Aurora (played by Brock Duncan) loses his mom to cancer and is forced into an abusive stewardship under a kinda/sorta stepfather – more like stepmonster – Kevin (Kevin Dillon), the boyfriend of his aunt Barb (Jana Allen).
 
Joe loves monsters.  His monsters.  These movie creations.  The Gillman.  The werewolf.  Any sort of Frankenstein brought to film.  But he learns quickly what a true monster looks like (naturally, it has the face of Kevin Dillon), and this forces his emotional retreat from the reality to the world of the imagined, a place he's always found safe in the companionship of his recently deceased mother.  These monsters do horrible, unspeakable things to those who try to bully them into submission; and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that this surrogate uncle isn’t long for this world.
 
Without trafficking too deep into the world of subtext, I’d still be remiss in duties as a critic if I failed to point out Model Kid also dips into some interesting sexual symbolism with the women of young Joe’s world.  The loss of his cancer-stricken mother – every boy’s true first love – is a hole eventually filled by Aunt Barb; and there’s an awful lot in academia that’s been written about exploring the potential incestual role of the aunt and her nephew.  (I vaguely recall a Thai melodrama that explored how the aunt’s narrative responsibility was the boy’s sexual awakening, but the name of the film escapes me right now.)  This isn’t to say that Esposito’s script intends such an odyssey for these characters; rather, I’m only suggesting that there’s a possible undercurrent present which can’t be denied.
 
Indeed, when we see Barb arrive home in the tale’s conclusion, she’s dressed as a waitress, presumably coming home from her day job.  Waitressing is an industry that’s (ahem) rife with harassment: I’ve read reports suggesting as high as eighty percent of women employed as servers share stories of being ‘hit on’ or harassed by those who wish to date ‘the cute waitress.’  I’ve suggested the profession is one of those sexual archetypes fueling fantasies for red-blooded males (and females, I suppose, but I can’t speak to that experience), and one need only search Amazon.com for ‘sexy waitress’ costumes to confirm it’s such a thing.
 
Why, it’s a match made … in Fantasy!

​By contrast, Public Television Of The Dead shakes off any pretense of deep thinking and instead reaches for the low-hanging fruit: Rob Schrab’s script is thirty minutes of pure genius as it capitalizes on upending the tropes of PBS when no less than actor Ted Raimi himself shows up in hopes of having the Necronomicon (aka The Book of the Dead from the Evil Dead franchise) appraised for sale.  Anyone who knows a thing or two about the Necronomicon knows this ain’t gonna end well for dear ol’ Ted.
 
The brilliance of the story is that Evil never sleeps, and it all-too-easily finds malevolence where it’s least expected … in the devilish heart of this station’s Mr. Rogers’ knock-off, Mrs. Bookberry (Coley Campany).  What the audience learns is that, behind-the-scenes, the woman is everything but pure and wholesome: she’s a back-biting intimidator who’s hellbent on forcing nice-guy-painter Norm Roberts (Mark Ashworth) out of contention for some prime real estate in the network’s schedule, even if that means using the powers of Darkness to put her on top of the ratings game once and for all.
 
So, yes, I say it’s low-hanging fruit … but it’s all executed with such grace, ease, aplomb, and respect that the audience is immediately disarmed.  This is affectionate parody, and the fact that it effortlessly adopts the tone of the Evil Dead franchise only when needed makes it all the more effective.  It’s a genius episode, one that shows the potential of great storytelling in the anthology format, and it’ll likely be applauded by all who find it.
 
Creepshow: Season 2 is produced by Shudder, The Cartel, AMC Studios, and a few other participating partners.  DVD distribution (for this particular release) is being coordinated by RLJE Films.  As for the technical specifications?  This anthology program is produced with tremendous concentration on achieving the best sights and sounds possible; and it shows!  It looks fabulous, and the great care in bringing it alive (if not back from the dead) is obvious.  As for the special features?  This two-disc set all five episodes of the show’s second season (FYI: some episodes are two-parters, delivering two separate stories) as well as a Creepshow animated special; a Creepshow holiday special; a colorful booklet/insert that mirrors the overall look of the show; some behind-the-scenes footage (much of it exclusive to this release); and some reversible sleeve art for those who like that sort of thing.  (I’m always iffy on it, but it’s nice to have.)
 
Highly recommended.
 
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at RLJE Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray disc of Creepshow: Season 2 by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.

​-- EZ

Finally!  Someone asked me what I think about the upcoming next installment in the wider Matrix mythology ... and I think I may have something to say about it!

Basically, I was asked am I excited (I think the term was "super-excited," but I digress ...) about a return to the world of The Matrix, that SciFi/Fantasy saga that was so winningly brought to life by the Wachowskis back in 1999 ... and I had to honestly answer, "But why?"

I've seen a whole lot written about the idea of revisiting this world by a whole lot of folks who I'm guessing have already forgotten that Parts 2 and 3 of that franchise weren't exactly crowd-pleasers from what I remember.  Yeah, the action was great.  Yeah, the visuals were compelling.  But come the big finish I seem to recall a whole lot of people being either confused or disappointed with Neo's ultimate destination.  I disagree strongly with those who insisted that storytellers took the easy way out in that finish because -- at the end of the day -- it is what it is.  Whether or not the Wachowskis had planned to leave us exactly where they did is besides the point: they did leave us there, so we're left to make of it what we will.

But my take on that was they did deliver us somewhere -- and with plenty to think about -- so what's the purpose for going back again?

Essentially, this reminds me of one of my driving principles -- I don't get into debating a film I haven't seen -- and I suspect The Matrix Resurrections could have some tricks up its sleeve that none of us may be anticipating.  The Wachowskis being who they are, they've never run away from controversy, and their overall track record includes more big budget misses than it does hits.  (Again, that's my opinion, and I'm sticking with it.)  Getting "into the gray" doesn't always go over well with viewers, but the original themes of The Matrix -- like 'em or hate 'em -- remains the siblings' most accessible ideas ... so, in that respect, I do reserve hope that this (ahem) 'Second Coming' will bring something new to the table.

If it doesn't, then perhaps my 'but why' sentiment might be vindicated.

As a matter of fact, I didn't quite run away from the trilogy the way others did back in their day.  I remember thinking and writing about what I saw were universal themes of that trilogy, even suggesting that there were some obvious 'tells' along the way that proved Neo was ultimately always destined to end up where he did ... trapped dead center in the middle of some allegory of (ahem) Biblical proportions.  And anyone who missed it wasn't really paying attention.

Because The Matrix trilogy did end where it did, I'm not sure what more there could be to its story.  Hopefully, the Wachowskis have held something back to make this resurrection more than a cash grab.

In any event, the final trailer dropped recently.  I thought it relevant to share.
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As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

​-- EZ