Category Archives: Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday: Sacred Springs (1964), by Akira Ifukube, Sung by Emi and Yumi Itō

08 Thursday Jun 2017

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Undoubtedly one of the best of the Shōwa period of Godzilla films, Mothra vs. Godzilla features the return of the Shobijin along with Mothra herself. Akira Ifukube’s scoring is tremendous and vivid, and Emi and Yumi Itō sing this melancholic, gentle tune he composed for the film.

Although far eclipsed by the popularity of the iconic Mothra’s Song, the haunting melody of this piece has stuck with me since childhood.

Throwback Thursday: Mothra’s Song (1961), by Yūji Koseki, Sung by Emi and Yumi Itō

01 Thursday Jun 2017

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Although Godzilla will always be my favorite giant Japanese monster, Mothra is a close second and a very different sort of character. Whereas Godzilla has alternatively played the roles of villain, antihero, hero, and “a force of nature”, Mothra has been pretty consistently depicted as a benign and protective heroine.

She’s worshiped as a goddess, and that divine air is evoked beautifully with her iconic song. A song that is, in fact, a prayer sung to her in Malay in the original movie. There’s something mythically powerful about that, as it is a plea to a higher power:

Mosura ya Mosura

Mothra oh Mothra

Dongan kasakuyan indo muu

With the Power of your Ancestor

Rusuto uiraandoa, hanba hanbamuyan, randa banunradan

Grant the prayer of your followers, Arise and

Tounjukanraa

Show

Kasaku yaanmu

Your power

First performed by Yumi and Emi Ito —a singing duo known as “The Peanuts” who play the roles of the Shobijin or “little beauties” in the 1961 film— The twin, doll-sized Shobijin fairies are another layer of Mothra’s mystique. She rarely makes an appearance without them, and the fairy (or at least, fairy-like) nature of the twins adds a feeling of both the unknown and the fantastic.

The tune has become inseparable from the character of Mothra ever since. To me, it taught a lesson at a young age that took until adulthood to put into words. What it taught me was that when times are dire and we need to beseech the divine, we must do so from an emotive place, not a logical one.

To that end, I’ve figuratively sung out to Mothra on some pretty dark days.

She listens.

Throwback Thursday: Japanese Return Of The Jedi ‘Starfall’ poster, by Noriyoshi Ohrai (1983)

25 Thursday May 2017

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Japanese Return Of The Jedi ‘Starfall’ poster, by Noriyoshi Ohrai (1983). Click here for more of the artist’s work!

Throwback Thursday: Windmill Scene from Army of Darkness (1992)

11 Thursday May 2017

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I first learned of movie director Sam Raimi and his Evil Dead series thanks to The Incredibly Strange Film Show in the early 90s. I am particularly fond of Evil Dead 2 and the third film in the series, Army of Darkness, released in 1993 during my senior year of high school.

Both Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness feature a unique blend of horror and comedy that ranges from the satirical to slapstick. Although Evil Dead 2 has more than its fair share of gore, it’s presentation is usually so over the top that that one’s reaction skips being shocked and jumps to laughter at its ridiculousness.

These films are very funny if you are a fan of monster/horror movies and fantasy. Although they were not enormous hits when released, they became cult favorite films not long after reaching home video. They also benefit from the phenomenally talented actor and comedian Bruce Campbell’s portrayal of series (anti)hero Ash Williams.

Campbell’s displays a mastery of physical comedy on par with Buster Keaton in these films. He’s simply a joy to watch in some externally well-choreographed sequences. In the clip I’m sharing today, –which for any still squeamish readers I’ll assure isn’t all that bloody– he provides an extended romp of slapstick in a haunted windmill that’s trying to possess him. Enjoy!

Throwback Thursday: Aliens – Motion Picture Score, by James Horner (1986)

04 Thursday May 2017

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I’ve mentioned that I’m a fan of the film Aliens before, and that it was a major cornerstone of my late childhood. Even to this day, it’s a go-to and common ground movie between myself and many peers.

So it shouldn’t be surprising that it gets a couple nods in my novel Vivian’s Last Cigarette, which is set in an 1989 that has begun to veer into an alternate reality and history since the year of this film’s release. At one point, my orc protagonists even get talking about the Alien films. And during Gronk’s subsequent hunt for his VHS recordings of the movies, he and Viv have some important conversations.

Aliens, or at least its Oscar nominated score, returned behind the scenes recently as my go-to writing music as I crafted the book’s new third chapter. Chapter three has lots of building tension and bumps in the dark. Then it explosively shifts and the protagonists are chased, cornered and barely escape alive. Mr. Horner’s score fit the mood perfectly!

Truth be told, I was quite pleased with that chapter once the draft was done. And spending several weekends listening to this movie’s distinctive music was like spending time with an old friend. :-)

Throwback Thursday: Arcane Summons, by Keith Parkinson (Circa 1989)

27 Thursday Apr 2017

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Arcane Summons, by Keith Parkinson (Circa 1989)

The late Keith Parkinson (1958 – 2005) is a well known name among the many talented fantasy and sci-fi artists of the 1980s and 90s. He did work for Dungeons & Dragons products and many other role-playing games in addition to a prestigious career as a book cover illustrator.

This gem was used as the cover for Palladium Books Adventures in the Northern Wilderness, published in 1989. I love it because it’s wildly fantastical. You’ve got this wolf-like being, but instead of your typical savage werewolf, he’s wearing robes and using some serious dark magic to summon zombies! It looks like there’s going to be some real trouble, and it begs a great story just looking at it. The detail given to the gloomy, wintry background is also incredibly well done.

I found a great quote from Keith himself on this piece on his website and from his book, KnightsBridge: The Art of Keith Parkinson:

I had the publisher ask me how elaborate my modeling set up was on this project. They thought I had set up skeletons in costume then photographed them. Actually, I made up all the figures with no reference shot for any of it. Ordinarily, I like to shoot as much reference as possible. On this project, though, the images came from my imagination.

Thank you, Keith. Your imagination still inspires me almost thirty years later!

Throwback Thursday: ‘Barbarian’, by Daniel R. Horne (1988)

20 Thursday Apr 2017

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‘Barbarian’, by Daniel R. Horne (1988).

This fantastic piece by Daniel R. Horne graced the cover of Dragon Magazine 133, released in May of 1988. I’ve loved the classic sword and sorcery feel of Horne’s work here since retrieving that issue from my old mailbox and removing the brown paper wrapper it was shipped in. I became a fan of Conan the Barbarian stories back when I was a kid, and this piece calls back to the classic feel of danger and adventure evoked by them.

Officially, I don’t think this artwork has a title. When it was introduced, the editorial staff of Dragon ran an open call for readers to submit their own suggestions regarding what to name it. These were published a few months later, and I do believe my favorites were, “Tag! You’re It!” and “Conan the Orthodontist”. ;-)

Throwback Thursday: Godzilla vs. Biollante, by Noriyoshi Ohrai (1989)

13 Thursday Apr 2017

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Godzilla vs. Biollante, by Noriyoshi Ohrai (1989)

Noriyoshi Ohrai (1935-2015) was a Japanese illustrator best known for his popular movie posters crafted for films such as The Goonies and The Empire Strikes Back.

Among the posters he created, he crafted all of the Japanese theatrical posters for the seven Godzilla films collectively known as the Heisei period. Released between 1984 and 1995, these films of the franchise were disconnected from the continuity of the earlier Godzilla movies of the Shōwa period (1954–1975)… except for the original 1954 Godzilla.

Noriyoshi brought real flair and flash to his posters. They always look grand and epic, and his work for the Godzilla films is no exception. To be honest, often they are more epic looking than the actual films themselves, but that’s hardly unique in theatrical advertisements. If anything, it’s a tradition we should expect. ;-)

I’ve chosen to share his 1989 poster for Godzilla vs. Biollante today. It really stands out from the others in the Heisei series with his overall use of cool, green colors. I’d even call it brooding. Biollante –A mutant rose infused with Godzilla’s DNA— is vivid and central with her petaled maw of reds and yellows looking unearthly. It’s an amazing introduction for a wildly different opponent to the King of Monsters… and she remains a singular and unique foe to this day within his rogues gallery.

The film itself never saw a theatrical release in the United States, instead being released by HBO in 1993 after a long legal dispute. As a young, pre-internet Godzilla fan almost out of high school, I had managed to hear of this film through fanzines and was eager to see it. When I finally snagged a copy, Mr. Ohrai’s art was what greeted me on the VHS cassette cover.

It’s a good movie that wasn’t well received in either Japan or the States at the time. As a film, its themes touch on dark undertones and fears about genetic engineering in much the same way the original 1954 Gojira did with radiation and nuclear war. This didn’t prove popular with audiences seeking more of a monster spectacle in a Godzilla film. But as a result of this tone, the movie has aged well now that we have grown more aware of the themes it uses.

And that’s not to say Godzilla vs. Biollante lacks monster-on-monster action, or that some of the action isn’t a little goofy (particularly a few of the human action sequences). But it’s one of the better –and certainly more original– Godzilla films.

Throwback Thursday: J.R.R. Tolkien Reads from The Lord of the Rings (Circa 1953)

06 Thursday Apr 2017

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I just recently discovered this, and had no idea that such a treat for Tolkien fans existed!

In 1952 Professor Tolkien encountered one of the first home-use tape recorders via a friend. In short order, it would seem that he fell in love with the device… using it to record readings of his work and the particulars of the speech and dialects he created.

1952 was also the year that he finished his manuscript for The Lord of the Rings. In a great boon to latter fans of his works, and in an age when author readings were live events and rarely recorded, Tolkien made private recordings of passages from his manuscript.

More so than hearing other works read by their authors, this compilation was really wonderful to me because the sound and roll of language was so important to Tolkien. That’s something that is easily lost without points of reference reading his work. He also embellishes his lines with details of voice and character that are gems to be heard.

I hear in his voice a man that loves the worlds and stories he has created. It’s also crystal clear that Tolkien, as a dad, would be hard to surpass as a bedtime story reader! He was a devoted father, as is made evident by his Father Christmas Letters that he created for his children. He took great care crafting each missive, making accompanying illustrations and envelopes that included North Pole stamps and postage marks designed by Tolkien himself.

He did this for over twenty years, each Christmas: A unique gift for his children that he never intended to go any farther than the family. Fortunately for the rest of us, the letters were collected and published posthumously not long after his death so that the world may enjoy them as well.

Having heard this recording of Tolkien, I can now imagine him vividly reading these letters to a family assembled for Christmas with his inflections and voices. I bet the professor was a fun dad. One of those fathers that, under all the adult trappings, understood kids because he kept the child alive within himself.