Author Archives: Robert Hood

When Film Commentary Loses the Plot

Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 by Robert Hood

Ever seen the Japanese giant monster movie about a gigantic rampaging X? It’s hard being a film commentator — and this is particularly so when attempting to do an encyclopedic overview of a somewhat esoteric genre such as, say, “Giant … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Giant Monsters, Reading, Review | 3 Comments

More Robots: Big Dog

Posted on Thursday, March 20, 2008 by Robert Hood

I seem to be obsessing about robots at the moment. Well, here’s a real one — a quadruped named Big Dog made by Boston Dynamics. Its life-like movement, ability to right itself in event of mishap and handling of rough … Continue reading →

Posted in Robots, Technology, Weird stuff | Leave a comment

Vintage Robots, Part Seven: A Different Vintage

Posted on Thursday, March 20, 2008 by Robert Hood

Worth1000 has just posted the results of their latest themed contest. The theme: Borgged Art — robots Photoshopped into works of art. Here is a rather nifty piece called “Th3 D4v1d”: See the other creations here.

Posted in Pictorial art, Robots | 3 Comments

Vintage Robots, Part Six: What Came First?

Posted on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 by Robert Hood

In an article on BoingBoing about the DVD release of some of Houdini’s films, and in particular his serial made in 1918, The Master Mystery, which includes a robot [see my blog post here], it is claimed that this was … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Living dolls, Robots | 1 Comment

Vintage Robots, Part Five

Posted on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 by Robert Hood

Larry Blamire, the writer and director of 1950s-style scifi spoof, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (2001), has a long-gestating project that sounds too good not to happen eventually. It’s one that he says has been with him since the 1980s, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Mecha, Robots | 3 Comments

The Time is Nigh

Posted on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 by Robert Hood
Posted in Horror, News, Stories, Update | Leave a comment

Those All-Singing, All-Dancing Ghosts

Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 by Robert Hood

Here is a 7-minute scene from the Indian ghost comedy Bhoot Bangla [aka Ghost House] (1965; dir. Mehmood). R.D. Burman and Mehmood form a sort of Bob Hope/Bing Crosby combo in a haunted house — where everyone, in true Bollywood … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Ghosts, Indian, Weird stuff | Leave a comment

Vintage Robots: Part Four

Posted on Sunday, March 16, 2008 by Robert Hood

Kino is about to release a box set of Harry Houdini’s movies from the early part of the 20th century. One of these features what some have claimed is the first instance of a robot (called “The Automaton”) on film, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Robots, Trailers | 3 Comments

Monster Archive: The Savage

Posted on Sunday, March 16, 2008 by Robert Hood

The Savage (US-1926: dir. Fred Newmeyer) According to Stephen Jones in The Illustrated Dinosaur Movie Guide, this film features a young reporter named Danny Terry (played by Ben Lyon), who accompanies a scientific expedition to the Mariposa Islands, just as … Continue reading →

Posted in Dinosaurs, Film, Giant Monsters | 2 Comments

New: Remaking Day of the Dead

Posted on Sunday, March 16, 2008 by Robert Hood

Despite the sheer historical importance of Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968), the innovative nature and satirical power of Dawn of the Dead (1978), and more recently the Zombie King’s much-underrated extension of the franchise in Land of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Apocalypse, Film, Trailers, Zombies | Leave a comment