Category Archives: tribute

Brad revisits the mini-series MERLIN (1998), starring Sam Neill!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

I hated reading the news that Sam Neill had recently passed away. As an obsessed movie fan going back to the mid-80’s, I had especially enjoyed his work in films like DEAD CALM (1989) and THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990) prior to him starring in Steven Spielberg’s juggernaut JURASSIC PARK (1993)! Like so many others, I was wowed in the theater watching the film, and Neill was so good in it. From that point forward, he was a part of our lives no matter what the film or television series. We all kind of felt like we knew him. When I was looking back through his filmography, I was reminded of the TV mini-series MERLIN, that I made sure to watch each night when it premiered on NBC in April of 1998. I have not watched it since the original broadcast, but in tribute to Sam Neill, I decided I’d revisit the series again this week.

To somewhat set the stage, some TV mini-series were extremely big deals back in the ‘90’s, and MERLIN was a major “event!” This was before streaming services like Netflix or Amazon were pumping out a new 6-part series every other week. In those days, when something like MERLIN premiered on network TV, a lot of people would make sure they were at home every night so they could be sure to see these ambitious stories play out. With an extraordinary cast led by Sam Neill, and its fresh take on the Arthurian legend, MERLIN would be a massive ratings and critical success for NBC.

In complete honesty, at that time in my life, I had my eye on the series because one of my favorite actors, Rutger Hauer, has a role as the evil, power mad King Vortigern. I have also been a big fan of the legend of King Arthur, I guess going all the way back to when I was a kid and watching Disney’s THE SWORD IN THE STONE! But this time I was here to celebrate Sam Neill, and I must say he’s very good as Merlin. Neill’s Merlin is much more than an all-knowing wizard guiding King Arthur. Rather, he’s a man who experiences the full spectrum of human emotion. We see him fall in love, suffer heartbreak, admit his own mistakes, and then fight on behalf of the world when just about everyone else is gone. The character of Merlin was personalized for me for the first time in my life, and I give Neill’s likable performance full credit for that. In a career with so much great work, this is another excellent achievement.

MERLIN has an incredible supporting cast. Rutger Hauer, Helena Bonham Carter, Miranda Richardson, John Gielgud, James Earl Jones, Isabella Rossellini, Martin Short, Billie Whitelaw, Lena Headey, and many others bring the story to life and remind us just how big a production this really was. Of the supporting performances, Miranda Richardson, who plays dual roles, Helena Bonham Carter, and Martin Short really stood out the most to me. Hauer leaves a memorable impression despite relatively limited screen time. Neill, Carter, and Short would all be nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for their acting, but none would win the award. The series would be nominated for a total of 15 Primetime Emmy awards, taking 4 of them home, mostly in technical categories.

Looking back on MERLIN after thirty years, I would have to say I appreciate it more now than I did then. I like the fact that it takes its time exploring big ideas like good vs. evil, destiny, sacrifice, and the unstoppable passage of time. I also like the visual effects, which may very much be a product of 1998, but I think they provide a charm that helps sell this timeless story. There’s a reason some stories are told for centuries, and this series does honor to the legend.

Just this past week, I made arrangements for my wife and I to spend a week on the beach in Perdido Key, FL at the end of the summer. The last time I was there was during the summer of 2019. As I sat on the beach back at that time, I received a notification on my phone that Rutger Hauer had passed away. Having been a fan of his for over thirty years, I just remember being sad that another one of my movie heroes was gone. Time doesn’t stop for anyone, and while my wife and I will be enjoying that same beach next month, there’s no doubt that I’ll think about Hauer, and now Sam Neill. Actors leave us, but their work lives on forever, and sometimes that work is legendary. Thanks for all the great memories, Sam.

Rest in Peace, Sam Neill

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

This news hurts.

Sam Neill has died at the age of 78.  He has recently battled cancer but his family has released a statement saying that he was cancer-free at the time of his death.  He passed away “surrounded by loved ones.”

And the world is mourning.

He was Dr. Alan Grant, the earnest scientist from Jurassic Park.  He was the Russian who wanted to live in Montana in The Hunt For Red October.  He was one of the most charismatic horror villains of all time in The Final Conflict.  He classed up films like Event Horizon.  His performance in In The Mouth Of Madness was one of the few to truly bring Lovecraft to life.  On a personal level, he was one of those people who just seemed to radiate decency, whether he was promoting a film or talking about his farm.

Rest in peace, Sam Neill.

Scenes That I Love: Putting On The Ritz From Young Frankenstein (Happy Birthday, Mel Brooks!)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, Mel Brooks is 100 years old!

Mel Brooks.  What can you say Mel Brooks?  Not only did he help to redefine American comedy but he was also responsible for bringing David Lynch to Hollywood.  Brooks was the one who hired Lynch to direct The Elephant Man.  It can probably be argued that, if not for Brooks, Lynch’s feature film career would have begun and ended with Eraserhead.  Brooks not only hired Lynch but also protected him for studio interference.  When the execs tried to make Lynch remove two surrealistic sequences from The Elephant Man, Brooks stood up to them.  When they requested a more conventional biopic, Brooks defended Lynch’s vision and the result was one of the best films ever made.

Of course, Brooks isn’t listed in the credits of The Elephant Man.  Though he produced the film, he went uncredited because he didn’t want people to assume that the movie was a comedy.  By doing so, Brooks missed out on an Oscar nomination but he also ensured that the film was taken seriously.  It’s hard not to respect someone who was willing to go uncredited to help make the film a success.

Though Brooks, as a producer, was responsible for a number of serious films, there’s a reason why Brooks is associated with comedy.  He’s a very funny man and he directed some very funny films.  In honor of Mel Brooks, here’s a scene that I love from 1974’s Young Frankenstein.

Happy birthday, Mel Brooks!

Visiting Charles Bronson’s Vermont… and a chance encounter I’ll never forget – Taking my love of movies on down the road (Part 5)!!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

For most of my life, I’ve wanted to visit the state of Vermont. It started because I loved the 80’s sitcom NEWHART when I was a kid. In the show, Bob Newhart and his wife were innkeepers in rural Vermont so I just knew it had to be beautiful. And then, as Charles Bronson’s biggest fan, I learned that his favorite place on earth was his horse farm in Vermont, which was named Zuleika Farm after his daughter with Jill Ireland. This became the place that he would escape to as his filming schedule allowed. He is even buried there at the Brownsville Cemetery at the foot of Mount Ascutney. Visiting that area of Vermont that sits close to the New Hampshire border became the ultimate Charles Bronson “bucket list” item for me. In 2026, at the ripe old age of 52, I was able to mark this off my list, as my wife and I spent a few days in West Windsor, VT. 

But first, if we were going to drive all the way to Vermont, I decided we should stop off in Philadelphia and see Eric Todd, the host of the THIS WEEK IN CHARLES BRONSON podcast. Eric’s vision to create a podcast dedicated to keeping Bronson’s memory alive has been so special to me. Thanks to Eric, who has allowed me to be his co-host on multiple occasions, I have met several actors who worked with Charles Bronson, and even some of his own family. Although we talk and text almost every day, this was our first time to meet in person. We had the best time over dinner, and we enjoyed meeting Eric’s wife Tina and his son Noah as well. Eric has truly become one of my very best friends!

Brad and Eric in our Bronson shirts, and a sweet puppy who just wants to be loved!

Once we arrived in Vermont the next day, our first stop was at “Bronson Road” in West Windsor, VT. This road went right through Bronson’s farm property. It’s a private road now so we couldn’t drive down it, but we did get a couple of pictures from the corner of Morrison and Bronson! 

Zuleika Farm is no longer there, but it’s memory lives on!
My beautiful travel companion took a pose at the entrance of the property Charles Bronson once loved!

After that, we made our way to the Brownsville Cemetery and paid our respects to the film icon and legendary action star. It’s hard to put into words exactly how I felt that day. I wasn’t there as just a fan. I was there as a person who has spent the majority of his life with a healthy obsession for the man and his work. I’ll just say it was a beautiful experience. On an interesting note, a man from Alabama stopped by to pay his respects while we were there as well. It makes me happy that Charles Bronson is still beloved over 20 years after his death. 

Charles Bronson’s gravesite in the Brownsville Cemetery.
The view from Bronson’s gravesite is beautiful Mount Ascutney!

One of the perks of being a co-host of the THIS WEEK IN CHARLES BRONSON podcast, is the fact that I’ve been able to meet Charles Bronson’s niece, Lindsay Ireland. She used to spend summers in Vermont with the Bronson’s when she was a teenager. She told me about some of Bronson’s favorite places to eat. We were able to eat at The Woodstock Inn, which was kind of fancy for Bronson’s personal tastes, but the food was great.

The beautiful entrance to The Woodstock Inn. The restaurant there is called “The Red Rooster.”

The place he really loved to eat was the Skunk Hollow Tavern, which is about 5 miles from the farm. I made us a reservation for “open mic” night at the Skunk Hollow Tavern on Wednesday, June 17th. Little did I know that Bronson’s stepson, Val McCallum, would be sitting in with the band that night. An incredible professional guitar player on his own, Val has been Jackson Browne’s lead guitarist going back to the early 2000’s. He also helped compose the film scores for the Bronson films MURPHY’S LAW, DEATH WISH 4, and ASSASSINATION back in the late 80’s. We got to meet him, and he even played a couple of songs for us, including “Charlie’s Coal,” an amazing song of love and respect for his “daddy.” It was a lucky and unexpected meeting I’ll never forget!

Val McCallum sitting in with the band on Open Mic night at the Skunk Hollow Tavern!
Val McCallum, son of David McCallum and stepson of Charles Bronson, graciously taking a picture with yours truly!

Our trip to Vermont was truly incredible, exceeding every expectation I had. I can’t wait to see where my next “movie trip” takes us. I just know it will be hard to top this one!

Villain of the Day: Klaus Wortmann (Antropophagus)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yesterday, it was announced that George Eastman had passed away at the age of 83.

George Eastman was born Luigi Montefiori in Genoa, Italy.  Montefiori began his career by appearing in Spaghetti westerns.  The tall and often bearded Montefiori had the dangerous look that made him a natural for outlaw and henchmen roles.  Like many Italian actors, he took an “Americanized” alias for his acting roles.  He appeared in his share of American and British films (he appeared opposite Charlton Heston in Call of the Wild and played Goliath in King David) but his fans will always remember him best for the work that he did in his native Italy.  Occasionally, he played a hero.  He gave a particularly strong performance in — don’t laugh — Erotic Nights of the Living Dead.  That said, Eastman will always be best remembered for his villians.

Klaus Wortmann is the one who will always give me nightmares.  Eastman played Wortmann in Joe D’Amato’s infamous 1980 film, Antropophagus.  Klaus Wortmann was a wealthy man who lived on a Greek island with his wife, daughter, and his sister.  Unfortunately, when he and his family were shipwrecked, Klaus resorted to cannibalism to survive.  As the movie begins, Klaus is back at his mansion and being sheltered by sister.  He’s also become an obsessive cannibal.  He’s surrendered his humanity.  He can no longer speak and instead just growls.  He attacks everyone that he sees and he does things to his victims that led to this film being banned in several countries.  Also known as The Grim Reaper, Antropophagus is film that delights in showing people being ripped to pieces and George Eastman is right in the middle of it all.

And he’s absolutely terrifying.

In real life, George Eastman was a handsome man.  That’s one of the things that made him such a fascinating villain in countless western and crime films.  He was usually playing a total psycho but there was still something about him that made you want to get to know more about him.  Klaus Wortmann, on the other hand, is a terrifying monster.  Unwashed, bearded, hideously scarred, continually bathed in sweat, growling and howling as he chases his victims, Klaus is a nightmare come to life.  Eastman throws himself into capturing every grimy detail of Wortmann’s twisted existence and he comes across as a creature who seems to have literally jumped out of the shadows of our greatest fears.

In many ways, Antropophagus is not a particularly good film.  Not even the notoriously shameless Joe D’Amato appeared to think much of it.  The story drags because there aren’t enough victims and therefore there’s a lot of travelogue padding, especially early on in the film.  Along with Eastman, there are some recognizable people in the cast — Tisa Farrow, Zora Kerova, Serena Grandi (who would later co-star with Eastman in Delirium) — both most of them come across like they’d rather be anywhere but there.  But when George Eastman is on-screen, the film become horrifying.  No one — not the pregnant woman and her husband, not the innocent blind girl, not even the flakey card reader — is safe.  By the end of the movie, Klaus is literally eating pieces of himself.  It takes a talented actor to pull that off.

That actor was George Eastman.

Villain of the Day

6 Shots From 6 Films: Special Chow Yun-Fat Birthday Edition!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

Chow Yun-Fat is one of the great international movie stars, and he’s my favorite living actor. Today is his 71st birthday, and I’ve been watching and reviewing his movies like crazy this month. I’ve had a ball. I’ll have new reviews to share soon, but today I’m sharing six fun screen images featuring the Hong Kong legend!

John Woo’s ONCE A THIEF (1991), laughing with Cherie Chung & Leslie Cheung!
THE CORRUPTOR (1998), with a chokehold on Byron Mann!
ANNA AND THE KING (1999), dancing with Jodie Foster!
CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER (2006), in a toxic relationship with Gong Li!
Letting the Bullets Fly in LET THE BULLETS FLY (2010)!
Looking debonair in Johnnie To’s OFFICE (2015)!

Jeeves, RIP

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

When I first heard that Ask.com had shut down on May 1st, my initial reaction was to be surprised that it was still around.  I always figured that it had shut down in 2006, around the same time that it retired Jeeves as its mascot.  After I got over my surprise, I felt surprisingly sad.  Another part the early Internet is gone.

Kids today might not believe it but there was a time when people used several different search engines instead of just typing all of their queries into Google.  Yahoo was the big one but people also used Lycos, Altavista, DuckDuckGo, Infoseek, AllTheWeb, and several others.  And, if you wanted a personalized experience, you asked Jeeves.  Jeeves would not only answer your questions and give you links but he would do so in the voice of a dryly humorous British manservant.  Before AI, there was Jeeves.  And Jeeves made a lot less mistakes!

Jeeves is gone now and so is a large part of the Internet’s early history.  Today, we take Google for granted and no one calls this place the “information super highway” anymore.  Jeeves might not seem like a big deal to those who never met him but, for many of us, he represents a time when the Internet was new and exciting, when it was a collection of niche sites as opposed to a soul-sucking Behemoth.  Sadly, future generations will never know the joy of Jeeves directing them to the most comprehensive Simpsons fan site on Geocities.  I feel bad for them.

RIP, Jeeves.  Thanks for the memories.

 

 

Happy 63rd Birthday to Jet Li!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

Back in the late 90’s, I remember seeing the trailer for LETHAL WEAPON 4 that shouted out Jet Li. As a person who was just starting to get into Hong Kong cinema, I thought he was absolutely incredible and the best thing about the movie. I was soon watching all of his Hong Kong films and having a ball! The American market loved Jet Li, and used him often in movies like ROMEO MUST DIE and THE EXPENDABLES franchise, but he never reached the quality of his best Hong Kong films like ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA and FONG SAI-YUK. 

Happy Birthday, Jet! You’re one of the all time greats!