“The Croning” by Laird Barron

In this debut novel by award-winning short fiction author Laird Barron, nothing is quite what it seems. A Lovecraftian mélange of passion and hidden powers, the story of The Croning is told through the eyes of septuagenarian geologist Donald Miller who, given his advanced age and frequent memory lapses, makes for a pleasingly unreliable narrator. After … Continue reading “The Croning” by Laird Barron

Revisiting Cinefex (17): Ghostbusters, The Last Starfighter

Clear your mind! Try not to think of anything! Uh oh, it's too late - look what popped in there ... it's the Stay-Puft Marshmallow man from Ivan Reitman's 1984 blockbuster Ghostbusters. It's a fine image of one of the unlikeliest bad guys in movie history, and it's on the front cover of issue #17 of the … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (17): Ghostbusters, The Last Starfighter

Remaking “Blade Runner” with a Kettle

Watching the movie Super 8 recently set off one of my regular and fuzzy waves of nostalgia about the low budget films I used to make as a student. I've talked about some of them on this blog before - links below if you're interested. This time I've dusted off a still from a 16mm … Continue reading Remaking “Blade Runner” with a Kettle

Revisiting Cinefex (16): Rick Baker

You might think that's a real ape on the front cover of Cinefex #16. In fact, it's Kala, one of the remarkable ape characters created by Rick Baker for Hugh Hudson's 1984 film Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan. On the back cover is a searing close-up of the pneumatically operated 'Change-O Head #2' from John … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (16): Rick Baker

“Super 8” – Making the Beauty Shot Beautiful

JJ Abrams's movie Super 8 is one of those that slipped through my viewing net when it was first released. This week I finally got round to watching it. I'm not here to review the film (other than to say I found a lot to like about it, not least the fabulous performances from the juvenile … Continue reading “Super 8” – Making the Beauty Shot Beautiful

“Monajjfyllena” – A “Dragoncharm” Story

Three years ago, I set up my first blog. Only it wasn't me blogging, it was a fictional character. A dragon, in fact. Her name was Monajjfyllena (I'll tell you how I came by that tongue-twister another time). The blog was actually an experiment in online fiction, an attempt to write a fantasy story, narrated … Continue reading “Monajjfyllena” – A “Dragoncharm” Story

Five Scary Monsters

Without the dark there is no light. Here’s a list – in no particular order – of five monsters that still have the power to keep me awake at night if my mind makes the mistake of inviting them in. Are they my top five? It’s hard to say. Ask me again tomorrow and I … Continue reading Five Scary Monsters

Six Word Stories

A couple of years ago I had a brief affair with micro-fiction of the tiniest kind, thanks to a now-dormant website called Six Word Stories. There's a popular myth (and by all accounts it is a myth) that Ernest Hemingway kicked the whole thing off by composing the following miniature masterpiece: For sale. Baby shoes. … Continue reading Six Word Stories

Revisiting Cinefex (15): Never Say Never Again, The Day After, Ralph Hammeras

The name on the cover of Cinefex #15 is Bond - James Bond. To be precise, it's Sean Connery in his final outing as the world's most famous secret agent, facing his latest enemy Maximillian Largo through the holographic display of a tabletop video game. The still is from Irvin Kershner's Never Say Never Again, something of a curiosity … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (15): Never Say Never Again, The Day After, Ralph Hammeras

The Spaghetti Western Orchestra

A ghostly wind whistles in from the desert. A saloon door creaks open. Spurs jangle as a pair of cowboy boots treads up to the bar. A trembling hand jostles hard liquor into a clinking glass. There's a sharp intake of breath, then a hush descends as everyone waits to hear what the stranger will … Continue reading The Spaghetti Western Orchestra