WISE WORDS:

 

AN ALTERNATE REALITY: I SAW THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD

For those who've bypassed the obvious, Robin Hood, aka Robin of Loxley, was never meant to be a socialist percussor. If anything, he's always been a forthright herald of the American Revolution, embodying the revolt against "taxation without representation." Of course, people have a right to perceive the hallowed bowman and his mission as they see fit.

A case in point is writer/director Michael (Pig/A Quiet Place: Day One) Sarnoski's The Death of Robin Hood, where Hugh Jackman gives the titular legend a Logan-like cynicism, disclosing that he was never the compassionate, derring-do protagonist that mythology promoted. In this respect, Jackman's Robin may be likened to Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, though with a more conscionable consistency than the contradictory arc that Mark Hamill projected. In other words, Jackman's Robin, though embittered and flawed, ascends to redress his image (rather like Dwayne Johnson in Hercules 2014), as opposed to becoming a bumbling, "all men are incompetent" recluse, who bounces back only after an ex-machina shove.

During Robin's terse journey, he reunites with his towering, old friend, Little John, played by Bill Skarsgard, who convinces him to revisit his merciless ways, trusting he'll fix one of the big man's reckless deeds. The task reminds Robin (and the audience) of the protracted fable he's carried, but it also introduces a vicious, suicidal phase that leaves Robin wounded after a gut-wrenching melee. Little John delivers his battered compatriot to Jodie (28 Years Later) Comer's Sister Brigid, a platonic, priory/orchard-bound Maid Marian with a generous dose of Friar Tuck. 

To complicate (and yet heighten) Robin's revival under Sister Brigid's spiritual guidance, as well as her bloodletting techniques (during which he bears the random alias, Randolph), he's faced with Noah Jupe's Godwyn, aka, Arthur, a vengeful, young adversary. The situation establishes a High Noon/The Shootist/Red Headed Stranger homage, where Robin is tempted to reinstate his survivalist ferocity. By preventative default, Sister Brigid curbs the urge, being an estimable understudy to Grace Kelly's Amy Kane, Lauren Becall's Bond Rogers and Katherine Ross' Laurie, but Robin also receives encouragement from Murray Bartlett's Leper (who holds a sentimental and surprising link to Robin's past) and to a greater degree, Little John's daughter, Little Margaret (Faith Delaney), who summons Robin's paternal instinct and with it, the chance for an eleventh-hour conversion. 

On another level, The Death of Robin Hood accesses the need for people to dig their own holes and (at least among those who hold a smidgeon of decency) own their outcomes. Robin realizes that only he can placate the damage. It's a karmic thing, though in this instance, wrapped in Christian piety, which is as strong a medicine as one can consume. 

The movie references, as well, the contemporary tendency to make bad people appear good (case in point: the dullards who've given political prestige to a tattooed Nazi in Maine). The Death of Robin Hood not only considers this sad, sick habit, but uses its brooding austerities to expose it.

The tactic doesn't steal any glory from the traditional view of the character, since it's a soiled (alternate-reality) surrogate who drives the point. In showing the absurdity of switching bad for good, Jackman's brutal "hood" honors his namesake's time-honored legacy with flipside irony: a stealthy tactic for sure, but I believe one that ensures Sarnoski's revision will endure. ↖↗

I SAW TOY STORY 5

Each time a new, Toy Story arrives, I wonder how it can outdo (or at least equal) the last. I've been pleased with the consistency, and the latest chapter continues the trend. 

With that said, The Twilight Zone-influenced Toy Story 4 seemed to close the gates on a reunion. That led me to believe that Toy Story 5 would, in fact, be a prequel, but lo and behold, it extended well into future. However, by that design, it does steals some thematic zest from the previous entry (with characters having gone separate ways in pursuit of new destinies) and seems awkward with Woody and Bo Peep's unexpected (though welcome) return after a two-year tarry. 

Nevertheless, it is what it is, and in this chapter, written and directed by McKenna Harris and Andrew Stanton, Bonnie at least shows more depth, receiving (of all ironic catalysts) a frog-fringed tablet called LilyPad (in response to the devices all the other kids possess), and thus begins Bonnie's spiraling obsession and a period in which she's anything but true to herself. 

Though Buzz and Woody again skid to the forefront, it's anti-tech Sheriff Jessie (accompanied by Bullseye), who takes the lead, concerned by the device's hypnotic influence. Through a series of silly mishaps, she returns to her original (ranch) home, but beyond rekindling some tender memories of her first owner, Emily (inserted via flashbacks), Jessie finds an outgoing, toy-and-horse-loving girl named Blaze, who inspires her to have the common-denominator gals bond and perhaps, in the process, gain their lasting acceptance. 

The idea that "I count for something," and "I hold worth" enters every nook of Toy Story 5, with a combination of good-natured humor and plenty of pathos. When Bonnie and Blaze do align, a friendship blooms, solidified by the toys, as opposed to consuming, tablet tech. 

The need to cling to old friends, while making new ones (including Conan O'Brien's toilet-training Smarty Pants) is an important, common thread in the Pixar/Disney franchise, as well: a seasoned standard set by the Woody/Buzz/Andy dynamic. Perhaps this is why the stories are so identifiable, for who among us doesn't want to be loved, and who among us has, at one time or another, feared we might be replaced? 

LilyPad presses this fear. The device isn't quite 2001's smooth-talkin' HAL, but employed for much the same sinister purpose. In a related sense, Lilypad represents an addictive crutch and with that, a blaring lack of intimacy, even while luring Bonnie with enticing excesses: a V'ger of sorts, flanked by vast, multiple facets, but in heart and soul, vapid. Nevertheless, unlike the Star Trek entity, Lilypad has no desire to find a creator or become something more, but then again ... 

Jessie recognizes LilyPad's manipulative motive, which is why she wishes the toys to dominate, and they do, empowered by an army of high-tech Buzzes who join the fight against the conniving, electronic pad. Compromise, however, becomes the dangling solution, but it's how we arrive at that pivotal point that makes the trip worth while.

Even if Toy Story 5 wasn't a necessity, it strengthens the saga's ongoing stream, with an angle that's not only truthful, but in the end, as profound and touching as any prior chapter. I accept and respect that, and I'm confident fans of the series will come away with the same sentiment. 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY 2026 (LUGOSI SR & JR): TERRIFIC TEAM-UP IMAGE

 

THE BLACK STONE: STORIES FOR LOVECRAFTIAN SUMMONINGS (SECOND EDITION)

A new, polished (softback) edition of The Black Stone: Stories For Lovecraftian Summonings is now available, thanks to Eighth Tower's mastermind Raffaele Pezzella.  

The volume overflows with a rush of Lovecraftian authors who include Ramsey Campbell, Brian M. Sammons, Glynn Owen Barras, Lucy A. Snyder. E.A. Black, Chris Kelso, Andrew Coulthard, Stephen Mark Rainey, Kevin Lewis, Richard Alan Scott, Richard Alan Scott, Russell Smeaton, J. Edwin Buja, Made in DNA, David Argranoff, Pete Rawlik, Brian C. Short, John Chadwick, David Voyles, Konstantine Paradias, Love Kolle, Edward Morris, Parry Milton, Phil Breach, Garret Cook, Andrew Freudenberg, Sarah Walker and yours truly, Michael F. Housel.

The Black Stone curation is as much a tribute to Robert E. Howard's Lovecraftian short story of the same name, as it's a salute to H.P. Lovecraft's works in general. This volume was, in fact, the first in what became a long line of Eighth Tower's Dark Fiction editions, with its redux now exceeding all expectations, whether within this dimension or beyond. 

Add The Black Stone: Stories For Lovecraftian Summonings to your library today!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H55GSVBD

WELCOME SUMMER 2026 (6/20)

SILVER SKIN FOR SUMMER

The tertiary volume in my Persona series is still thriving. As the days grow longer, why not read Silver Skin to pass the sweltering hours? 

Silver Skin features interior artwork by Aiden Belcher and a Lagoon-ish cover by Michael Youngblood. The alien-oriented edition even holds a bonus short, which links to the second, Persona volume, Green-Fleshed Fiends. 

Silver Skin is a worth-while pursuit, as it's a sequel that stands on its own. It mounts fun yet morbid intrigue and will pull one in whether absorbed indoors, on the patio or at the beach.

💀

Invest in a copy today!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1969285044?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

FOR THE FUN OF IT:

 

SHOUT! FACTORY'S DAY OF THE DEAD (1985) 4K ULTRA HD/BLU-RAY COLLECTOR'S EDITION

"The Darkest Day of Horror the World Has Ever Known"

Shout! Factory/Scream Factory has bestowed George A. Romero's fans a monumental, "40th Anniversary" gift: a special-edition box set of the writer/director's third chapter in his flesh-eating zombie saga, Day of the Dead. 

The 4-disc set supplies a sizzling, restored transfer of the 1985 classic on both 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray, enhanced by Dolby Atmos, mono and other interesting, audio options. Though the movie was not culled from an actual negative (with an interpositive transfer being the next best option), the imagery pops with gruesome intensity, giving it a scary sheen that surpasses previous releases.   

In addition to the polished print, the set includes  the acclaimed, feature-length documentary, World's End: The Legacy of Day of the Dead; audio commentary by Romero, makeup maestro Tom Savini, lead star, Lori Cardille and production designer Cletus Anderson; additional audio commentary by writer Daniel Kraus and movie critic Drew Mcweeny; interviews with Cardille, costar John (Martin) Amplas, music composer/assistant director John Harrison, Susanne Romero (the director's spouse and founder of the George A. Romero Foundation), filmmaker Tina (Queens of the Dead) Romero, second-unit director Ernest Dickerson and special-effects assistant/actor Greg (The Walking Dead) Nicotero; behind-the-scenes Savini footage; a look at the movie's restoration process; a "Stink of the Dead" segment (which caters to Captain Rhodes' demise and the rotted meat that turned the sequence so noxious); a tour of the Wampam Underground mine, with a promotional video from the company; a photo gallery; and theatrical/TV trailers. 

The packaging for the release is exquisite, with a new image of Howard Sherman's Bub gracing the box top and reproductions of Day of the Dead's theatrical and VHS posters for its disc-case sleeves. In addition, the set contains twelve collectible cards, featuring varied, promotional images. 

Day of the Dead was remade twice (in 2008 and 2019), and though the retellings hold their merits, the original remains the aesthetic standard. In fact, its pervading impact on The Walking Dead's gritty despair and contemptuous conflict is obvious. (Heck, even Bub made an appearance on Season 4.) Also, for what it's worth (and this should count for much), Romero considered Day of the Dead his favorite of the franchise, not only for its memorable dialogue, but that it dug far deeper into the apocalyptic macabre than either Night of the Living Dead or Dawn of the Dead. In many ways, Day of the Dead was in the forefront of the dystopic, horror visions yet to come and holds up in ways that few anticipated. 

I'm damn proud to say that Day of the Dead is one of my all-time favorite movies. This box set is a painstaking labor of love and a comprehensive must-have, even if one owns the prior submissions. At long last, "the darkest day of horror" has received its creme-de-la-creme commemoration. 

https://gruv.com/collections/day-of-the-dead

FOR THE FUN OF IT:

 

FLASH GORDON: STRATAGEMS FOR A REDUX

That Masters of the Universe (2026) won't meet its budget cost per box-office receipts is disheartening. It thwarts the likelihood of a sequel, but it may also delay what would have been a sooner-than-later, Flash Gordon movie. 

Masters leaned on Mike Hodges/Lorenzo Semple/Sam Jones' 1980 Flash for much of its zest, which means that much of Masters holds a tongue-in-cheek angle, which in turn also mirrors the mature-audience Flesh Gordon. For the sake of distinction, returning to an original, more serious slant might be wise for a new adaptation, in line with Alex Raymond's comic strip, the classic, King Features/Buster Crabbe serials, as well as the 1979, King Features/Filmation, animated, movie pilot. 

I didn't realize that a Bruce Jones/Al Williamson, comic-book version of Sam Jones' cult classic was published, which extracted the camp, but lo and behold, this, too, would work as an excellent blueprint for a retelling.

I've inserted links to my referenced examples for one's edification and pleasure. 

With Star Wars rejecting its virile roots, a new Flash could be a saving grace for many of us who yearn for the swashbuckling space operas of old. Let's hope that we not only get our wish, but that it's done right. 

Engage and enjoy! 🗲