THE MAGIC SWORD/ARMY OF DARKNESS DOUBLE FEATURE, HOSTED BY THE HOUSELS

Hey, folks! Get set for a swell, thematic double feature at the Home Base Cinema, 1300 Franklin St, Trenton, NJ, on May 12 (Tues) at 7:45 pm. The event will take place outside, equipped with a simulated, 8' x 11' drive-in screen, under a cozy canopy, hosted by "your friendly neighborhood" Donna & Michael Housel.

So, what's on the cinematic agenda, you ask? Well, none other than Bert I. Gordon's The Magic Sword (1962) and Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness, aka Evil Dead III (1992). 

Since Army of Darkness may be a tad too edgy for some young ones, we'll be showing The Magic Sword first, which is a charmer of a Perseus/St. George-prompted fairy tale, starring Basil Rathbone, Gary (Star Trek/2001) Lockwood, Estelle Winwood, Anne Helm, Liam Sullivan, Leroy Johnson and in neato cameos, Angelo (Freaks) Rossitto and Maila (Vampira) Nurmi. Some consider Magic Sword a capitalizing reply to Disney's Sleeping Beauty, and perhaps to some degree it is, but I think it's superior to the latter due to its Excalibur/Balmung-inspired sword, cheerful heroics, sinister sorcery, mystical knights and memorable, monster menagerie.

Army of Darkness possesses comparable ingredients, albeit with A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court twist. Bruce Campbell's bumbling but big-hearted Ash is in unabashed, top form as he confronts a deluge of Deadites in medieval times. Indeed, this one's Lovecraftian allusions are "adult-oriented" due to the tale's Deadite-slaying violence, but unless one's children are super-sensitive, it shouldn't inspire too many nightmares.😉(BTW: The U.S. cut will be presented, featuring the "Hail to the king, baby," S-Mart epilogue.) 

Fantasy-film trailers will kick off the proceedings. Also, substantial snacks and soft drinks will be available to those who show.

If you wish to attend, please email Donna at bizarrechats@gmail.com no later than May 11 (Mon), noon, to secure your seat(s). Lawn chairs will be queued, but feel free to bring your own accommodating furnishings to ensure maximum comfort. 

Ash vs Evil Dead...At Long Last Unleashed!!!

It was a damn fan demand that Bruce Campbell reappear as Ash Williams, and since it didn't manifest in a much anticipated "Army of Darkness" sequel, STARZ has blessed us instead with a series.

Produced by Campbell, Craig DiGregorio, Robert Tapert and maestro director/creator, Sam Raimi, "Ash vs Evil Dead" is (as Campbell has assured us) better than a mere movie sequel. With a television series, we get many mini-sequels, which for the immediate stretch guarantees at least a consistent flow of the outlandish antics and crazy carnage that's made the films so gruesomely endearing. 

The show is a perfect vehicle for the affable Campbell, but then Ash has always been a perfect fit for the actor, going straight back to the original "Evil Dead". Campbell has the right bumbling, every-guy gait for Ash: a reluctant hero, who against perplexing odds, emerges victorious against the dreaded Deadites...well, most of the time, anyway. 

In the series, he's not relegated to the past or future, but rather the present: a reluctantly renewed adventurer, sharing the madness with State Trooper Amanda Fisher (Jill Marie Jones); the flustered Kelly Maxwell (Dana DeLorenzo); and the optimistic Pablo Simon Bolivar (Ray Santiago). Campbell's old co-star, Lucy Lawless, is in for the fight, too, as the resilient Ruby! Groovy!

The first episode (directed by Raimi) proved a veritable hoot, with Campbell hitting all the required notes. The "Army of Darkness" buffoonery remains at its heart, and though we don't get those swell Medieval trimmings, the tongue-in-cheek spunk stays ever present. (A good deal of Campbell's "My Name is Bruce" also figures into the plot.) 

"Ash vs Evil Dead" has immense potential and like Raimi's "Hercules" and "Xena", should attract weekly devotees. (Heck, STARZ has already approved Season 2 in anticipation of such.) 

Like the films that inspired it, "Ash vs Evil Dead" should encourage many a hapless fool to plug along, against whatever obstacles may emerge in life. Campbell's beloved character represents this notion better than most. Yep, if he can do it, so can you, even if your circumstances aren't generally plagued by an onslaught of smart-ass demons.