Freshly announced and put up for pre-order this morning, Arrow Video presents The Psycho Collection on both Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD for a limited edition UK release.
The good news? 4K discs are inherently Region Free!
The Psycho Collection will release on September 25, 2023.
Presented together for the first time in the UK on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, featuring all new restorations of Psycho II, III and IV from the original camera negatives, Arrow Video invites you back inside the Bates Motel and wishes you a very pleasant stay.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Limited Edition Contents
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (2160p) presentations of all four films New 4K restorations of Psycho II, Psycho III and Psycho IV from the original camera negatives Original lossless mono and 5.1 audio options for Psycho, stereo and 5.1 options for Psycho II and Psycho III, and stereo audio options for Psycho IV Optional English subtitles for...
The good news? 4K discs are inherently Region Free!
The Psycho Collection will release on September 25, 2023.
Presented together for the first time in the UK on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, featuring all new restorations of Psycho II, III and IV from the original camera negatives, Arrow Video invites you back inside the Bates Motel and wishes you a very pleasant stay.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Limited Edition Contents
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (2160p) presentations of all four films New 4K restorations of Psycho II, Psycho III and Psycho IV from the original camera negatives Original lossless mono and 5.1 audio options for Psycho, stereo and 5.1 options for Psycho II and Psycho III, and stereo audio options for Psycho IV Optional English subtitles for...
- 6/30/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
A couple weeks ago, The Arrow in the Head Show hosts John “The Arrow” Fallon and Lance Vlcek praised the “surprisingly excellent” sequel Psycho II (watch that video Here). With the new episode of the show, The Arrow and Lance are returning to the Bates Motel to take in a viewing of Psycho III (watch the movie at This Link). To find out what they had to say about this sequel, check out the video embedded above!
Directed by Norman Bates himself, Anthony Perkins, from a screenplay by Charles Edward Pogue, Psycho III has the following synopsis: Former mental patient Norman Bates is once again operating his infamous motel. Assisted by the shifty Duane Duke, Norman keeps up the semblance of being sane and ordinary, but he still holds on to some macabre habits. Eventually, Norman becomes interested in Maureen Coyle, a troubled tenant who’s been staying on a...
Directed by Norman Bates himself, Anthony Perkins, from a screenplay by Charles Edward Pogue, Psycho III has the following synopsis: Former mental patient Norman Bates is once again operating his infamous motel. Assisted by the shifty Duane Duke, Norman keeps up the semblance of being sane and ordinary, but he still holds on to some macabre habits. Eventually, Norman becomes interested in Maureen Coyle, a troubled tenant who’s been staying on a...
- 2/25/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Director/Tfh Guru Mick Garris discusses his favorite year in film, 1986, with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes:
Movies Referenced In This Episode
Stir of Echoes (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Fly (1958) – Jesus Treviño’s trailer commentary
*The Fly (1986) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary
The Fly II (1989)
Fuzzbucket (1986)
The Howling (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness
Alien (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
*Aliens (1986) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Terminator (1984) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary
The Brood (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
Scanners (1981) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Fast Company (1979)
Rabid (1977) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Shivers (1975)
Crimes of the Future (1970)
Crimes of the Future (2022)
Stereo (1969)
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary
Stand By Me...
Show Notes:
Movies Referenced In This Episode
Stir of Echoes (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Fly (1958) – Jesus Treviño’s trailer commentary
*The Fly (1986) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary
The Fly II (1989)
Fuzzbucket (1986)
The Howling (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness
Alien (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
*Aliens (1986) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Terminator (1984) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary
The Brood (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
Scanners (1981) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Fast Company (1979)
Rabid (1977) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Shivers (1975)
Crimes of the Future (1970)
Crimes of the Future (2022)
Stereo (1969)
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary
Stand By Me...
- 9/27/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
It’s time for a new episode of our video series The Black Sheep, and in this one we’re here to discuss the merits of a sequel to the Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho. And it’s not Psycho II, which is widely seen as a surprisingly worthy “twenty-three years later” follow-up. The one we’re looking at today is the less popular Psycho III (watch it Here), which was directed by Anthony Perkins himself. To find out what we had to say about Psycho III, check out the video embedded above.
Scripted by Charles Edward Pogue, Psycho III has the following synopsis:
Former mental patient Norman Bates is once again operating his infamous motel. Assisted by the shifty Duane Duke, Norman keeps up the semblance of being sane and ordinary, but he still holds on to some macabre habits. Eventually, Norman becomes interested in Maureen Coyle, a troubled tenant...
Scripted by Charles Edward Pogue, Psycho III has the following synopsis:
Former mental patient Norman Bates is once again operating his infamous motel. Assisted by the shifty Duane Duke, Norman keeps up the semblance of being sane and ordinary, but he still holds on to some macabre habits. Eventually, Norman becomes interested in Maureen Coyle, a troubled tenant...
- 8/21/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Synopsis: Lukas (Jack Kane), a young farmer whose family is killed by savage raiders in the countryside, sets out on an epic quest for revenge, forming an unlikely trio with a majestic dragon and a swashbuckling, sword-fighting mercenary, Darius (Joseph Millson). Helena Bonham Carter voices Siveth, the ice breathing dragon who was once banished from the kingdom for failing to save the king’s life. Compelled by the young man’s cause, she emerges from hiding, using her fantastical powers on the trio’s adventurous journey which brings revelations and rewards beyond vengeance. Dragonheart: Vengeance is an exciting action-adventure filled with fantasy and humor that will thrill the entire family.
Complete your Dragonheart library when the all-new five-Movie Collection is available on DVD on February 4, 2019. Now fans can experience the legendary fantasy franchise with all five movies in one complete must-own set including, Dragonheart, Dragonheart: A New Beginning, Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer’s Curse,...
Complete your Dragonheart library when the all-new five-Movie Collection is available on DVD on February 4, 2019. Now fans can experience the legendary fantasy franchise with all five movies in one complete must-own set including, Dragonheart, Dragonheart: A New Beginning, Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer’s Curse,...
- 1/23/2020
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
Don Kaye Aug 15, 2019
How Stephen King may have helped David Cronenberg make a masterpiece with The Fly.
The Fly arguably remains David Cronenberg’s masterpiece, over 30 years after its release. Loosely based on a 1957 short story by French writer George Langelaan, the movie transcends the story’s pulpy origins and the well-known images of a man with a fly’s head (and vice versa) from the 1958 film version starring Vincent Price to become a somber meditation on disease and aging and a tragic love story, not to mention one of the most effective horror/sci-fi films of its time. It also marked a summation and endpoint to the first phase of Cronenberg’s career, while investing his work with a new emotional maturity and thematic resonance.
Producer Kip Ohman first had the idea of remaking The Fly in the early 1980s, recruiting screenwriter Charles Edward Pogue to write the script.
How Stephen King may have helped David Cronenberg make a masterpiece with The Fly.
The Fly arguably remains David Cronenberg’s masterpiece, over 30 years after its release. Loosely based on a 1957 short story by French writer George Langelaan, the movie transcends the story’s pulpy origins and the well-known images of a man with a fly’s head (and vice versa) from the 1958 film version starring Vincent Price to become a somber meditation on disease and aging and a tragic love story, not to mention one of the most effective horror/sci-fi films of its time. It also marked a summation and endpoint to the first phase of Cronenberg’s career, while investing his work with a new emotional maturity and thematic resonance.
Producer Kip Ohman first had the idea of remaking The Fly in the early 1980s, recruiting screenwriter Charles Edward Pogue to write the script.
- 8/15/2016
- Den of Geek
By Tim Greaves
Numerous actors have occupied the role of Sherlock Holmes over the decades, some more suited to the shoes of author Arthur Conan Doyle's famous consulting detective than others. One of the finest portrayals is that by Ian Richardson. Yet, sadly, his is also one that is often overlooked, not leastways because he played the character just twice (in a pair of 1983 films made for television), but also because his light was to be quickly eclipsed a year later by the arrival on TV screens of Jeremy Brett, whose interpretation of Holmes is considered by many to be the definitive one.
Sy Weintraub – who produced several Tarzan movies throughout the 60s and was executive producer on the popular long-running Ron Ely TV series –teamed up with Otto Plaschkes (whose producer credits include Georgie Girl and The Holcroft Covenant) with the intention of making several Holmes adventures headlining Richardson.
Numerous actors have occupied the role of Sherlock Holmes over the decades, some more suited to the shoes of author Arthur Conan Doyle's famous consulting detective than others. One of the finest portrayals is that by Ian Richardson. Yet, sadly, his is also one that is often overlooked, not leastways because he played the character just twice (in a pair of 1983 films made for television), but also because his light was to be quickly eclipsed a year later by the arrival on TV screens of Jeremy Brett, whose interpretation of Holmes is considered by many to be the definitive one.
Sy Weintraub – who produced several Tarzan movies throughout the 60s and was executive producer on the popular long-running Ron Ely TV series –teamed up with Otto Plaschkes (whose producer credits include Georgie Girl and The Holcroft Covenant) with the intention of making several Holmes adventures headlining Richardson.
- 5/10/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Scream Factory will be bringing Psycho II and III to Blu-ray/DVD on September 24th and we have a look at the original trailers for both movies, along with a handful of clips.
Psycho II: Anthony Perkins makes a terrifying homecoming in his roles as the infamous Norman Bates, who after years of treatment in a mental institution for the criminally insane, has come home to run the Bates Motel. Vera Miles returns as the woman who is still haunted by her sister’s brutal murder and the ominous motel where it all occurred many years ago. Meg Tilly, Robert Loggia and Dennis Franz co-star in the terrifying sequel to Alfred Hitchock’s classic film.
Bonus features:
All-new Audio Commentary with Screenwriter Tom Holland Vintage interviews with cast and crew including Anthony Perkins and director Richard Franklin Vintage audio interviews with cast and crew TV Spots Original Theatrical Trailer...
Psycho II: Anthony Perkins makes a terrifying homecoming in his roles as the infamous Norman Bates, who after years of treatment in a mental institution for the criminally insane, has come home to run the Bates Motel. Vera Miles returns as the woman who is still haunted by her sister’s brutal murder and the ominous motel where it all occurred many years ago. Meg Tilly, Robert Loggia and Dennis Franz co-star in the terrifying sequel to Alfred Hitchock’s classic film.
Bonus features:
All-new Audio Commentary with Screenwriter Tom Holland Vintage interviews with cast and crew including Anthony Perkins and director Richard Franklin Vintage audio interviews with cast and crew TV Spots Original Theatrical Trailer...
- 9/21/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Feature Ryan Lambie
Our odyssey through the works of David Cronenberg continues, with his 1986 horror masterpiece, The Fly...
The years between 1983 and 1985 saw David Cronenberg in something of a paradox. The success of his earlier movies, including his adaptation of The Dead Zone, had earned him a deserved reputation as a filmmaker on the rise. Yet while all kinds of offers were coming in from Hollywood - most wildly unsuitable, such as Beverly Hills Cop, some potentially extraordinary, such as Return Of The Jedi and Top Gun - the director found himself embroiled in the development hell of Total Recall.
Having written several drafts of the Total Recall script, and even paying visits to Rome and Tunisia to scout locations, the production suddenly fell apart. With neither Cronenberg nor producer Dino De Laurentiis willing to budge over which version of the script to film - De Laurentiis and co-producer famously...
Our odyssey through the works of David Cronenberg continues, with his 1986 horror masterpiece, The Fly...
The years between 1983 and 1985 saw David Cronenberg in something of a paradox. The success of his earlier movies, including his adaptation of The Dead Zone, had earned him a deserved reputation as a filmmaker on the rise. Yet while all kinds of offers were coming in from Hollywood - most wildly unsuitable, such as Beverly Hills Cop, some potentially extraordinary, such as Return Of The Jedi and Top Gun - the director found himself embroiled in the development hell of Total Recall.
Having written several drafts of the Total Recall script, and even paying visits to Rome and Tunisia to scout locations, the production suddenly fell apart. With neither Cronenberg nor producer Dino De Laurentiis willing to budge over which version of the script to film - De Laurentiis and co-producer famously...
- 1/4/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Twenty-five years after its initial release, David Cronenberg’s The Fly is thought to be a modern classic, a highly effective mixture of science, romance, and terror that pulled in a much greater audience than the horror fans looking for a cheap thrill. Cronenberg has always been a director poised on horror as a higher art, a filmmaker who understands the grotesque and how much it is apparent in real life. Some, myself included, call The Fly his master work, and Cronenberg, a very intelligent speaker about all things, not just his own work, has much to offer the viewers of his film and the listeners of the commentary he provides that film. So here, without any further ado or buzz or flitting around your head or what have you, the things we learned from David Cronenberg’s commentary on The Fly. The Fly (1986) Commentators: David Cronenberg (co-writer, director), gallons and gallons of dramatic goop The Fly came...
- 9/15/2011
- by Jeremy Kirk
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Well, look at that: Brundlefly is twenty-five years old today. On August 15, 1986, David Cronenberg’s The Fly was released by Twentieth-Century Fox. The film became Cronenberg’s greatest success to date, and quickly established itself as an instant classic of practical effects thanks to the Oscar-winning work of Chris Walas. (Who would go on to direct the sequel.) The Fly also gave stars Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis, who had met and begun dating while making Transylvania 6-5000, their first true breakout lead opportunities. Those are all significant results of the film’s release, but The Fly is a film worth revisiting and honoring for other reasons. It marks a real turning point in the career of David Cronenberg, and stands as one of the unassailable arguments for the idea of the film remake. And, in the cinematic culture of 2011, where the superhero is ascendant, some of you might join...
- 8/16/2011
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece Psycho spawned a series of films that continued long after the Master of Suspense's death. And now the Shout Factory's DVD documentary The Psycho Legacy takes a behind-the-scenes look at the history and heritage of all those films. Hit the jump for the DVD cover art and the disc's contents. According to the official press press release, the doc features Anthony Perkins, Juliette Cummins, Jeff Fahey, Mick Garris, Lee Garlington, Stuart Gordon, Adam Green, Tom Holland, Olivia Hussey, Robert Loggia, Charles Edward Pogue, Diana Scarwid, Donovan Scott, and Henry Thomas. A 2-disc set, the DVD is said to explore "the history, impact and mystique of Psycho and...
- 8/11/2010
- FEARnet
.We all go a little mad sometimes. - Norman Bates Shout! Factory is having a crazy Birthday celebration: Norman is having a birthday party and you're invited to join him at the Bates Motel! Hard to believe 50 years have passed since Psycho and Shout! has what they call the "Ultimate Retrospective on the Most Influential Horror Film Series of All Time in a 2-Disc Special Edition DVD Set," The Legacy: The cast of the Hitchcock film featured Anthony Perkins, Juliette Cummins, Jeff Fahey, Mick Garris, Lee Garlington, Stuart Gordon, Adam Green, Tom Holland, Olivia Hussey, Robert Loggia, Charles Edward Pogue, Diana Scarwid, Donovan Scott, Henry Thomas, among other notables Just when you thought it was safe to...
- 8/11/2010
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
Saw VI, much to my surprise, turned out to be one of the better films in the franchise, and in honor of it, I thought we’d look at some of the genre’s best sequels. They’re a fact of life when it comes to horror films so here's my take on some of the follow-ups that either usurped the originals or, at least, turned out better than expected.
10. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
After the baffling detour into “hey, let’s use Freddy as a metaphor for teenage homosexuality” that was Freddy’s Revenge*, the series realigned itself with this direct follow-up to Wes Craven’s original (with Craven himself contributing to script duties).
Part 3 boasts an imaginative story, good characters (need I remind anyone of Kincaid?), and one of the most memorable locales in the franchise. Director Charles (later Chuck, for some reason) Russell...
10. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
After the baffling detour into “hey, let’s use Freddy as a metaphor for teenage homosexuality” that was Freddy’s Revenge*, the series realigned itself with this direct follow-up to Wes Craven’s original (with Craven himself contributing to script duties).
Part 3 boasts an imaginative story, good characters (need I remind anyone of Kincaid?), and one of the most memorable locales in the franchise. Director Charles (later Chuck, for some reason) Russell...
- 10/28/2009
- by Masked Slasher
- DreadCentral.com
Hallmark pumping up TV slate
Hallmark Entertainment is beefing up its slate of high-profile projects for the upcoming TV season. At NBC, Hallmark has received a green light for Hercules, a four-hour miniseries budgeted at more than $20 million. Meanwhile, Oscar winner Jon Voight is set to topline Hallmark's three-hour movie adaptation of Mitch Albom's Five People You Meet in Heaven for ABC, with Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn, Jeff Daniels and Michael Imperioli on board to co-star. The two projects join Hallmark's Kelsey Grammer-starring musical for NBC, A Christmas Carol, all three executive produced by Robert Halmi Sr. Charles Pogue (Dragonheart) is on board to pen Hercules, with Emmy-winning director Roger Young set to helm.
- 5/17/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hallmark pumping up TV slate
Hallmark Entertainment is beefing up its slate of high-profile projects for the upcoming TV season. At NBC, Hallmark has received a green light for Hercules, a four-hour miniseries budgeted at more than $20 million. Meanwhile, Oscar winner Jon Voight is set to topline Hallmark's three-hour movie adaptation of Mitch Albom's Five People You Meet in Heaven for ABC, with Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn, Jeff Daniels and Michael Imperioli on board to co-star. The two projects join Hallmark's Kelsey Grammer-starring musical for NBC, A Christmas Carol, all three executive produced by Robert Halmi Sr. Charles Pogue (Dragonheart) is on board to pen Hercules, with Emmy-winning director Roger Young set to helm.
- 5/17/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film review: 'Kull the Conqueror'
A Robert E. Howard-inspired sword-and-sorcery adventure with insufficient gore, memorable humor and cinematic brawn to capture the fancy of moviegoers in a big way, "Kull the Conqueror" is mainly notable for the feature-film launch of Kevin Sorbo, star of Universal Television's "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys."
Alas, the wooden and clean-cut Sorbo is a major reason the weakly realized lead character undermines the overall production. Feeling rushed despite a long gestation period, the Universal Pictures release will not conquer the boxoffice. Originally intended as a third "Conan" film, the current project's advertising oddly makes little mention of Howard and the genre track record of "Kull" producer Raffaella De Laurentiis.
The feature debut of veteran television producer-director John Nicolella ("Miami Vice", "Nash Bridges"), "Kull the Conqueror" is only mildly arousing in the battle scenes, and the special effects are lackluster. The whole enterprise is far removed from the serious, bloody moods of Howard, and it's hard to get used to the heavy-metal guitar on the soundtrack in a milieu that passingly evokes the wide-screen splendor of costume epics of yore (mainly "Spartacus" and "The Vikings").
"Kull" has flashes of the unique mystery and humor of Howard's original character and stories, but starting with a confusing first act, the story line never grabs one and the major set pieces are underwhelming. Credited to writer Charles Edward Pogue ("Dragonheart") but retooled when Sorbo came on board, the overall scenario and dialogue lacks passion and its internal logic is shaky. A lot of story is packed in when it's done, but the pacing is uneven, with Nicolella and the actors not achieving much success in refining the characters beyond initial broad strokes.
Kull of Atlantis (Sorbo) is a hunky ex-slave and ex-pirate in "prehistory" (before even Conan) who quickly becomes king of Valusia, but is opposed by an ancient sorceress whose corpse is revived by the ominously burning "Flame of Acheron" -- a reminder of even darker times -- housed atop a hill near the bustling city-state.
Inheriting a pack of scheming nobles, a harem and other trappings and troubles of power, King Kull is easily snared by the revived Akivasha (Tia Carrere), a 3,000-year-old evil being in the guise of a barbarian queen. A pretty but stubborn slave in his keep, Zareta (Karina Lombard) tries to warn Kull but the big lug is bewitched and dethroned.
Both Litefoot ("The Indian in the Cupboard") as a priest loyal to Kull and Thomas Ian Griffith ("The Rock Hudson Story") -- who once was considered for the lead role -- as Valusia's army commander cut more striking figures than Sorbo. When fugitives Kull and Zareta seek passage to an icy island in a quest to defeat Akivasha, they encounter the amusing Harvey Fierstein as a shifty operator and Kull's fair-weather friend.
In the battle of the actresses, Carrere finds the groove and vamps it up enough to at least distract one from the uninspired production design and costumes. Lombard is either miscast or misdirected, giving off little warmth and generating few sparks with the lead.
KULL THE CONQUEROR
Universal Pictures
A Raffaella De Laurentiis production
Director John Nicolella
Producer Raffaella De Laurentiis
Screenwriter Charles Edward Pogue
Executive producers Beverlee Dean,
Jeff Franklin, Steve Waterman
Director of photography Rodney Charters
Production designer Benjamin Fernandez
Editor Dallas Puett
Music Joel Goldsmith
Costume designers Thomas Casterline,
Sibylle Ulsamer
Special effects supervisor Kit West
Visual effects supervisor Richard Malzahn
Casting Jeffrey Passero,
Elizabeth Hayden-Passero
Color/stereo
Cast:
Kull Kevin Sorbo
Akivasha Tia Carrere
Taligaro Thomas Ian Griffith
Ascalante Litefoot
Juba Harvey Fierstein
Zareta Karina Lombard
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Alas, the wooden and clean-cut Sorbo is a major reason the weakly realized lead character undermines the overall production. Feeling rushed despite a long gestation period, the Universal Pictures release will not conquer the boxoffice. Originally intended as a third "Conan" film, the current project's advertising oddly makes little mention of Howard and the genre track record of "Kull" producer Raffaella De Laurentiis.
The feature debut of veteran television producer-director John Nicolella ("Miami Vice", "Nash Bridges"), "Kull the Conqueror" is only mildly arousing in the battle scenes, and the special effects are lackluster. The whole enterprise is far removed from the serious, bloody moods of Howard, and it's hard to get used to the heavy-metal guitar on the soundtrack in a milieu that passingly evokes the wide-screen splendor of costume epics of yore (mainly "Spartacus" and "The Vikings").
"Kull" has flashes of the unique mystery and humor of Howard's original character and stories, but starting with a confusing first act, the story line never grabs one and the major set pieces are underwhelming. Credited to writer Charles Edward Pogue ("Dragonheart") but retooled when Sorbo came on board, the overall scenario and dialogue lacks passion and its internal logic is shaky. A lot of story is packed in when it's done, but the pacing is uneven, with Nicolella and the actors not achieving much success in refining the characters beyond initial broad strokes.
Kull of Atlantis (Sorbo) is a hunky ex-slave and ex-pirate in "prehistory" (before even Conan) who quickly becomes king of Valusia, but is opposed by an ancient sorceress whose corpse is revived by the ominously burning "Flame of Acheron" -- a reminder of even darker times -- housed atop a hill near the bustling city-state.
Inheriting a pack of scheming nobles, a harem and other trappings and troubles of power, King Kull is easily snared by the revived Akivasha (Tia Carrere), a 3,000-year-old evil being in the guise of a barbarian queen. A pretty but stubborn slave in his keep, Zareta (Karina Lombard) tries to warn Kull but the big lug is bewitched and dethroned.
Both Litefoot ("The Indian in the Cupboard") as a priest loyal to Kull and Thomas Ian Griffith ("The Rock Hudson Story") -- who once was considered for the lead role -- as Valusia's army commander cut more striking figures than Sorbo. When fugitives Kull and Zareta seek passage to an icy island in a quest to defeat Akivasha, they encounter the amusing Harvey Fierstein as a shifty operator and Kull's fair-weather friend.
In the battle of the actresses, Carrere finds the groove and vamps it up enough to at least distract one from the uninspired production design and costumes. Lombard is either miscast or misdirected, giving off little warmth and generating few sparks with the lead.
KULL THE CONQUEROR
Universal Pictures
A Raffaella De Laurentiis production
Director John Nicolella
Producer Raffaella De Laurentiis
Screenwriter Charles Edward Pogue
Executive producers Beverlee Dean,
Jeff Franklin, Steve Waterman
Director of photography Rodney Charters
Production designer Benjamin Fernandez
Editor Dallas Puett
Music Joel Goldsmith
Costume designers Thomas Casterline,
Sibylle Ulsamer
Special effects supervisor Kit West
Visual effects supervisor Richard Malzahn
Casting Jeffrey Passero,
Elizabeth Hayden-Passero
Color/stereo
Cast:
Kull Kevin Sorbo
Akivasha Tia Carrere
Taligaro Thomas Ian Griffith
Ascalante Litefoot
Juba Harvey Fierstein
Zareta Karina Lombard
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 8/25/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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