| Author | Message | ||
     Joel (Joel) Username: Joel Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 91.110.211.144 |
From those wonderful people (if people they are) at Lurker Films comes the second imprint of a CD adaptation of the Lovecraft novel in the style of a 1930s radio drama. I waited until the winter to buy this. It is superb. Don't be put off by the barely audible radio interviews in the first ten minutes – they're just window dressing. This adaptation gets right to the core of Lovecraft's most Wellsian and intellectually satisfying narrative. We're talking genius here. The adaptation is a labour of love and a sensational late night, lights out, malt whisky experience. Go on, treat yourself. You know you want to. You'll end up listening to it Fortean Times. | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.163.241.252 |
I picked this up early on (after Simon S recommended it) and it's great, as is the more recent release of The Dunwich Horror - both are essential in my opinion. | ||
| Simon Strantzas (Nomis) Username: Nomis Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 99.225.111.224 |
They just did "The Shadow Out of Time" and it may very well be the best yet. And coming soon: "The Shadow Over Innsmouth"! | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.163.241.252 |
Didn't know about either of those, but I've just had a peek at "Shadow..." and I'm going to order it! Thanks for the info, Simon. | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 218.168.184.136 |
I bought this when it came out, and promptly ordered a couple more for friends. I agree with all of you - it's very good indeed. You get a mock newspaper with it too, which is fun. These productions are obviously created by people who love Lovecraft's work, and care about doing it right. I recently bought the fifth entry in the HPL DVD collection, Strange Aeons. The main feature is an adaptation of 'The Thing on the Doorstep'. Anyone else seen this yet? | ||
| Joel (Joel) Username: Joel Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 91.110.198.47 |
Yes – it's pretty good. Updated for budget reasons, and (unusually) stronger on characterisation than on visual horror. It rather pulls its punches horror-wise. However, it convincingly answers a question about Edward's relationship with Asenath that had been in my mind since first reading the story.  | ||
| Allybird (Allybird) Username: Allybird Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 79.78.20.221 |
Asenath - Strange Aeons. Asenath was my grandmother's name.The name and strange in the same sentence in regard to my grandmother makes sense to me. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
Pit ponies often eat carrots. But my car runs well, all things considered. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 90.203.130.211 |
Huw - The Thing on the Doorstep is a pretty good modern reimagining of the HPL story, with a greater degree of (how can I put it?) sexual awareness than in the orginal story which for me was a definite improvement. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.3.65.135 |
Zed, gold is sold in Africa at a cheaper price per weight-unit than it is in Russia. Who'd have thought it? | ||
| Allybird (Allybird) Username: Allybird Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 79.78.20.221 |
Bugger off. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
 | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 83.98.9.4 |
Has Albie hijacked your logins? | ||
| Simon Bestwick (Simon_b) Username: Simon_b Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 86.24.165.182 |
Who is this 'Off' person, and why should we b... oh, I see. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.5.3.117 |
Well, lookee here.... and James Cameron too?... http://www.deadline.com/2010/07/guillermo-del-toro-and-james-cameron-ready-to-cl imb-at-the-mountains-of-madness-together-at-universal/ | ||
| Joel (Joel) Username: Joel Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 91.110.183.28 |
By the time it's released, it will need a historical footnote explaining that there used to be some ice at the Antarctic. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
I sense CGI-overkill approaching... | ||
| Skip (Wolfnoma) Username: Wolfnoma Registered: 07-2010 Posted From: 216.54.20.98 |
Will there be any acting in this or is it all going to be CGI? | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 87.175.189.22 |
This sounds like excellent news to me: the incredible visual talent of del toro with the clout of cameron as a producer behind it. I was once able to read a version of del toro's script which diverged from the original story but kept true to the spirit, in a way that would work better in a film. Also, with this kind of movie budget the movie will most likely make a female role more prominent, unlike the script and unlike the original novella. Even so, I don't really see that as a problem, I am sure that del toro can bring the atmosphere of cosmic terror to a modern audience. | ||
| John Forth (John) Username: John Registered: 05-2008 Posted From: 82.24.1.217 |
Very excited about this. I'm not sure the worries about there being too much CGI are justified. Del Toro has been pretty careful to use it sparingly so far, and tends towards costumes and model work where he can. A wee bit concerned about James Cameron's involvement, but as long as he keeps to his role it shouldn't be a problem. I hope he doesn't shoe-horn 3D into it, though. Confident that Del Toro can make something special out of this. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
Del Toro was pretty OTT with the CGI in the Hellboy movies, with all their Lovecraftian monstrosities, although those kind of effects work well in the slam-bang comicbook genre and I really enjoyed those films. A similar in-your-face approach to the cosmic horrors of a straight Lovecraft adaptation wouldn't work at all. Subtlety, restraint, reliance on atmosphere and suggestion, a literate script, imaginative production design and a quality cast treating the material seriously is what's called for... I have nervous vibes about this one, particularly with Cameron's involvement, so will try not to get too excited. | ||
| John Forth (John) Username: John Registered: 05-2008 Posted From: 217.20.16.180 |
I thought he used CGI where it was necessary in the Hellboy movies, and nowhere near the ludicrous amount that Cameron used it in Avatar. But Del Toro's other films (Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone being the obvious examples) have generally displayed all of the positive qualities you've mentioned in your second paragraph, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
Del Toro has proved himself a master of both brands of fantasy filmmaking, the subtle otherworldly approach & the mega-budget action extravaganza, and that's what makes him arguably the most all-round talented genre director in the world today imo. James Cameron knows only one way; bigger and Bigger and BIGGER until his ego has eclipsed any genuine directorial flair he once had. If this one doesn't go tits up due to "artistic differences" I'll eat my hat... I sincerely hope I am proved wrong! | ||
| John Forth (John) Username: John Registered: 05-2008 Posted From: 217.20.16.180 |
For what it's worth, I put Cameron's fall down to the fact that he shaved off his beard. With it, we got The Terminator and Aliens. Without - Titanic and Avatar. That said, True Lies was guff as well, and I suspect he was hirsute throughout that... We can but hope that Cameron's only involved so he can get a free trip to Antartica to try out some snazzy new toy/camera he's got his hands on, and keeps out of the creative process. | ||
| Joel (Joel) Username: Joel Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.37.199.45 |
I tried growing a beard. It's possible that the not getting laid – an inevitable result of being in possession of facial hair – added a certain bleak intensity to my writing. But it's also possible that precious writing time was dissipated in trying to decide where and how far to trim it. Beard revision took over from story revision. |