Film4 FrightFest 2014 is almost upon us. Over the course of five days at the tail end of August (21st – 25th), the venerable Alan Jones and the gang present a wide-ranging selection of horror movies. It’s hard not to be won over by the atmosphere – the joie-de-gore – and the fun to be had mingling with like-minded folk, who are all there to worship at the altar of genre cinema.

With an epic 64 films screenings – including world premieres, UK premieres and classics (such as Jörg Buttgereit’s Nekromantik) – Film4 FrightFest is a place where legendary favourites vie with new talents for your attention. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by what is on offer. So, let STARBURST guide you through this year’s merry carnival of corpses as we pick out a selection of movies you definitely need to check out.

Of course everybody is hella excited for Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller’s Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For (which has been moved to opening night!) and closing night’s V/H/S: Viral, but ever since A Horrible Way to Die wowed me back in 2011, I’ve noted the rise of American director Adam Wingard with increased expectations. Last year he rocked up with his hilariously grisly home invasion slasher, You’re Next, which went down a storm. In 2014 he has been awarded the festival’s highest honour: opening the show. The Guest, a psychological thriller, stars Dan Stevens and Leland Orser (who should be known as Leland Awesome, in my book) and comes with a screenplay written once more, with feeling by Simon Barrett. Expect this year’s festival to start with a real cracker.

The Den is Zachary Donahue’s innovative spin on found-footage and is told entirely through webcams/laptop computers. Uni graduate Elizabeth Benton (Melanie Papalia) wins a research grant allowing research into a thesis on online relationships and how people use the Internet to connect with others. Of course, it all turns into a WAV of mutilation. Leaving your Windows open can invite all kinds of freaks in. (I couldn’t think of any Mac jokes. Sorry.) Interestingly, Nacho Vigalondo’s Open Windows uses the same narrative ‘gimmick’; telling a horror story entirely through webcams, but putting a celebrity-obsession-gone-wrong spin on things. Starring is Elijah Wood and ex-porn star Sasha Grey.

There are two titles in the short films programme that warrant a special mention: Jill Gevargizian’s amusing Call Girl, starring cult figures Laurence R. Harvey and Tristan Risk, and She, directed by Chelsey Burdon and Mark Vessey. Curse of Chucky’s Fiona Dourif (daughter of Brad Dourif) headlines a film described by FrightFest co-director, Paul McEvoy, as ‘stomach-churning’. That would be correct. She is a glorious feminist horror that will leave you dazed and sickened. Yay!

Moving swiftly on. A trio of FrightFest’s favourite sons: Adam Green, Lucky McKee and Eli Roth all return this year with their latest pictures. Green will show off his new meta-horror, Digging Up the Marrow, and fans will finally get to see Lucky McKee’s brilliantly mad All Cheerleaders Die – think an X-rated episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Eli Roth’s The Green Inferno is a homage to the notoriously icky Italian cannibal movies of the 1980s. The special effects work is top notch and the blood and viscera quota will have the crowd whooping with joy. Roth has delivered the gory goods.

Bursting on to the scene with their French Extreme entry, Inside, and following it up with one of the best horror films in recent times – Livid – Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s Among the Living makes a welcome appearance at the festival and has been described in the festival programme as a ‘deft combo of Steven Spielberg, Stephen King and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’. Sold!

If eccentric and experimental flicks are your jam, well, you must check out The Samurai. Till Kleinert’s odd and playfully hirsute movie uses horror genre tropes (werewolves and slasher movies) in unique fashion. It’s pretty rad that a film like this can make the cut. Another arty horror experience to be had at FrightFest 2014 is actually titled ‘Another’. There appears to be a select bunch of horror pictures, at the moment, that are very interested in offering intensely visual experiences wrapped in schizoid nightmares. Shot on a very low budget, Jason Bognacki’s psycho-horror is a trippy reverie and will no doubt look excellent on the big screen. It might not be the biggest draw on the block, for sure, but one of the major joys of any festival is discovering the gems. My advice is always this: Check out the Discovery Screens.

Antipodean horror is represented by Wolf Creek 2 (John Jarratt returns as the dastardly serial killer Mick Taylor), Jennifer Kent’s much-hyped The Babadook and New Zealand’s Housebound. Also worth checking out from around the globe: Chilean ghost story, The House at the End of Time, a Serbian film in the form of Milan Todorovic’s Nymph, and Alleluia, the new feature by Fabrice Du Welz, who you may recall helmed the demented cult favourite, Calvaire (2004).

On to the documentaries. Doc of the Dead is a wacky and insightful look at the rise of zombies in our 21st century, apocalypse soonish culture. When I was knee-high to a grasshopper, zombies were a cult phenomenon and now they’ve got their own prime time television show, The Walking Dead, and even Brad Pitt is starring in blockbusters based on the bestselling novel, World War Z, by Max Brooks. We’re through the looking glass here, people.

Fans will get a kick out of Alexandre Phillipe’s whirlwind history lesson, which not only focuses on movies, but takes a look at everything from Zombie Walks to online businesses that flog weapons, zombie dummies and filters that turn your pee into water – just in case the zombie apocalypse does finally happen! It’s a strange world we live in. Perhaps the most intriguing documentary screening at the festival is Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Dr. Moreau. Directed by David Gregory, the doc is an investigation into the disastrous attempt by Richard Stanley to make a new adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau. We all know that Stanley was removed from the film and John Frankenheimer turned in an absolute dog that sank at the box office and became a laughing stock. Expect this one to be fascinating.

FILM4 FRIGHTFEST runs from 21st – 25th August at Vue West End, London. Visit the festival’s official site for more information.

It’s here!!! Marvel Studios’ biggest, brashest and most audacious comic strip blockbuster, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, opens in UK cinemas today! Last Friday the film’s director James Gunn joined stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, David Bautista and Karen Gillan on stage at the Corinthia Hotel in Whitehall in London (Vin Diesel was “running late” – so late he never showed up) for the movie’s European Press Launch. STARBURST was on hand as the Guardians came down to Earth for a rambunctious, lively and entirely random chat about their feature film debut. Here are some highlights…

Karen Gillan on being cast as Nebula: “I got a call from my agent who said ‘Are you willing to shave your head for a role in a Marvel film?’ I said ‘absolutely’ and then just auditioned and met James in the studio at Shepperton which was really exciting and then I did a screen test and got the role. Sorry that was a really boring story!”

James Gunn on Karen Gillan: “Karen’s screen test was my favourite audition of anybody in the entire process. She was so good, she took this character that was a pretty simple character; it was a pretty long sequence and it was actually very moving, this character that she created, this bald cyber-jerk! Her character is very much like the Boba Fett of the movie and she has these little moments where you can see that there’s a lot more to this character than just being a villainess.”

Chris Pratt on being cast as Peter Quill/Starlord: “I figured that if I could just get them to believe me physically as this character then it would be mine! I really felt that James and I gelled in a nice way and I knew if I could convince them that they could take a chance on me and, given enough time I’d be able to create the change that was required to look like the character, I knew I would get the part. I also had an ‘inside in’ because my friend who was essentially reading the role of Drax when we did the screen tests – and he’s one of my very best friends – was like ‘Pratt, you can’t tell anyone but it’s totally yours, no-one has come in and did what you did, you’re gonna get it.’

James Gunn on casting the Guardians: “The interesting thing for me with all four of these actors here is that if they think back along the journey, each one of them, the moment we met there was something very sincere between each of us. The first time I met Dave in the audition room I just really got Dave. Chris and I had common friends who we knew, Karen had been hanging out in my office and were laughing our asses off and Zoe was on the phone talking at like a thousand miles a minute. We all just totally got along really well, it was just one of those cool things and the coolest thing was we all still loved each other as much at the end of this movie.”

On ‘who steals the show’…

Zoe Saldana: I would have to say, for me, it’s Groot! When we started working I just had a soft spot for that big tree! He unconditionally loved us all and even though I’m mature and pretty sane and I knew it was make-believe and he’s a fictional character he moved me in such a way that I wanted to believe he was real because of the way he was making me feel.

Chris Pratt: For me when the movie really takes off is when we zoom in on the Xander Mall and see Rocket and Groot together and we see Groot drinking out of the fountain and you see Rocket looking through his vid-screen for potential bounties. That to me is the moment that this synergy happens; you take all the parts, Peter Quill, Gamora but you see somehow that the sum is greater than the whole and it’s when Rocket is talking and sees a little kid and he’s like ‘who’s this little guy?’ and it becomes really fun and you see that this journey is really good. He steals the show in that moment for me.”

James Gunn: One of the comments I got the most on Twitter and Facebook from people who’ve seen the movie is that everybody kind of steals the movie in turn because it really is an ensemble piece and I think that’s what makes it so good, there isn’t that one character where everybody says ’oh it’s about this one guy’, it’s the dynamism between the characters together that works more so than any individual character.”

James Gunn on a potential Guardians/Avengers crossover: “I’d like to see them kill Thor! Chris and I were driving somewhere the other day and we were having one of our ridiculous conversations and we’re talking about all the crazy things that can happen in the Guardians Universe – which we do endlessly, we talk about it constantly! – and he was saying ‘Seriously, I think that Starlord should kill Iron Man. It’d be so awesome if he came down and shot Tony Stark in the face in the first even minutes! People would be so surprised!”

James Gunn on the appeal of making Guardians of the Galaxy: “For me the whole appeal of the project in the first place was to create this world and many other worlds. I think I’d have a very hard time doing a sequel to another Marvel movie or even setting up another character to be in The Avengers but I felt a lot of freedom in creating this movie. I’m very grateful to Marvel because every time I came up with some crazy idea like, you know, let’s have a seven-page scene where the characters just argue about stupid stuff at the beginning of the third act, they were like ‘Yeah, great, we love it’ and I said ‘Let’s have all these bright colours like 1950s and 1960s movies’ and they were like ‘Yep, we love it!” Then I wanted to cast Michael Rooker who’s totally insane and they were like ‘We love it!’ For some reason I was allowed to go wild! It’s been an amazing experience for all of us; this has felt like a very special movie to all of us from the very beginning. The flavour of it was very special and we just felt we were doing something very new, very unique and also harking back to the films we all loved as kids. So many films these days are dark and brooding and it was nice to create something that’s a little more fun yet still has the emotional weight and the heart.”

James Gunn on deleted scenes and marketing the movie: “There’s a few deleted scenes that we have that are in the trailer but aren’t in the movie and there are also out-takes where we goofed around a lot! We went out and tested the original trailers we did. We had the mainstream one that made it look all serious and one which made it look like a normal space movie and then we did the trailer with ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ on the soundtrack. We took them out to show people and they were saying ‘I don’t like any of these!’ So we thought that if they hate them all we might as well go with the one that’s most honest and true to the film which was the ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ one which gave you a flavour of what the movie was. But that shows you what bullshit it is because people loved the trailer, we beat every other movie, we had three times the amount of hits that Man of Steel had on the first day and nobody knows who Guardians of the Galaxy are! We were true to the movie and that’s been our philosophy every step of the way. It’s a tribute to the Disney marketing team who decided to sell this movie as it is and not try to make it into something else which is more palatable to what they think is middle America and that’s been a pretty cool experience.”

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY is in UK cinemas now, and you can read our review of the film HERE.

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Carla Laemmle, who was featured in the Lon Chaney starring, silent screen version of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA in 1925 and is the first person credited to speak dialogue in the 1931 version of DRACULA starring Bela Lugosi,  passed away quietly at 104.

A remarkable woman, Carla Laemmle was born on October 20th 1909 and was the niece of the famed Carl Laemmle, founder of Universal Studios. Miss Laemmle and her family lived on the studio backlot in a mansion, which at the time was a sprawling acreage of trees and open land. Living there was an adventure for her, as movies were at their beginning stage. The studio even had a zoo that they kept with wild and exotic animals from all over the world. One day, one one of her many regular visits, a giraffe escaped its pen and ran amok through the grounds and down what is now Lankershim Boulevard, with film crews and actors frantically trying to corral him. It took several hours to round the giraffe up and production lost a day in filming.

As a young girl Miss Laemmle studied dance hoping to join the ballet when she was chosen to play a small role as one of the stage performers before the chandler falls on the audience in the 1928 version of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. During the ‘20s, Miss Laemmle was also a model with several of her portraits now featured in museums and sought after by collectors from all over the world.

As a beautiful young woman, many suitors courted her during the time of prohibition in the late ‘20s.  A non-drinker herself, she was curious what these “speakeasys” were all about. Worried that she might be arrested when she and her date entered, she quickly felt at ease when she saw police officers, judges and local politicians all having a drink in the clubs!

In 1931, talking pictures had already been a success with audiences. Tod Browning’s supernatural thriller, DRACULA became an instant classic that is still revered today. Miss Laemmle is seen in the coach traveling to Dracula’s castle in the beginning of the film.

A few sporadic bits here and there, Miss Laemmle retired from the movie business in the ‘30s and didn’t act again until a small part in the 2005 VAMPIRE HUNTER’S CLUB, which this writer was associate producer on.

In 2009, her autobiographical book co-authored with Daniel Kinske, GROWING UP WITH MONSTERS: MY LIFE AND TIMES AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS IN RHYMES detailed her life on the backlot from 1921-1927.

On October 20th, 2009, Miss Laemmle celebrated her 100th birthday with guests Ron Chaney, Sara Karloff, Bela Lugosi Jr., Ray Bradbury and George Clayton Johnson.

In 2010, she appeared in the BBC documentary, A HISTORY OF HORROR WITH MARK GATTIS where she spoke fondly working with Lon Chaney and Bela Lugosi noting that they were professional actors and gentlemen. 

Other appearances included MOGULS AND MOVIE STARS: A HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD for Turner Classics and Paul Merton’s BIRTH OF HOLLYWOOD for the BBC.

 In 2012, at the Turner Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, Miss Laemmle spoke at a special screening of DRACULA.

Film director and good friend of Miss Laemmle, Adam P. Cray, spent many hours interviewing and discussing a future project he was proposing to feature her before her passing. 

Miss Laemmle attended many local Los Angeles area conventions where fans got to meet her as she signed pictures and collectables for them. She also endorsed an animal sanctuary organisation located in England.

I was lucky to spent time with Miss Laemmle and listened to her sage advice. Quick witted, charming and a steel trap of a mind, she could recall everything beginning from when she was a child and at 104 that is a remarkable gift indeed. 

Truly, she was a woman of class and style; the likes of which we will never see again. They broke the mold when they made her. She will be missed, but always remembered.

Miss Laemmle was married briefly, but never had any children.

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STARBURST MAGAZINE visited the Moat Studios during the recording of Survivors to find out just what is involved in bringing a cult TV drama to audio. Although the project was made public in July 2013 and will be released in June 2014 a lot of work had already happened behind the scenes. David Richardson, the Big Finish Line Producer for all ranges, takes up the story from the beginning:

“I wrote the brief for the series, sketched out the characters and gave them names. I also produced a breakdown of the episodes with titles. I wanted to set the world up in the first boxset and needed new characters to tell the story again. There are a lot of characters, not all of whom survive to the end…”

For those who don’t know, Survivors was a BBC TV drama that ran for three seasons between 1975 and 1977. It was devised by Terry Nation and tells the story of a post-apocalyptic Britain and the small group who survived a plague that has wiped out most of the human race. The central characters were Abby Grant (Carolyn Seymour), Greg Preston (Ian McCulloch) and Jenny Richards (Lucy Fleming). When Big Finish got approval for the project they got Ian McCulloch and Lucy Fleming on board at an early stage but there was no word from Carolyn Seymour.

David Richardson explained that he always loved the series watching them all at the time of first broadcast and several times since. In his words, “It’s really unique; a challenging piece of drama which was lovely to re-visit.”

The new series is not the original scripts re-cast for audio but a re-telling of the same story with a set of threads starting at the same beginning (the outbreak of plague shown in the TV episode Fourth Horseman). It is a clean slate with new characters telling the same story (starting with the episode Revelation by Matt Fitton) which converges with the TV show. Matt worked up the outline for the whole series and then briefed the other writers.

Central to the new characters is Daniel Connor, a journalist played by John Banks. John was doing A Levels when the series was first transmitted (thought doesn’t look old enough) and watched the whole collection as preparation. His character first thinks he has the scoop on a big story before realising that the scale of the cataclysm is such that by the time he writes it there will be no newspapers left nor many left to read them. His character goes on a true journey of discovery as he adapts to the entire fabric of his life being removed. Although his character acts as the listener’s conduit into the narrative, John is well aware that not every character can make it to the end:

“You turn every page of the script looking for a cough! This is a show like Sopranos where even big characters can die.”

David Richardson was very clear that casting was important and some roles were specifically created for certain actors and this included Adrian Lukis and Louise Jameson. Louise plays a character called Jackie Burchall whose dark secret is revealed in the second episode, Exodus written by Jonathan Morris.

Audio drama is also about the direction and the soundscape and here Survivors brings its own challenge. Director Ken Bentley explains:

“It’s important to get the flavour of the quality of production at the time and get the feel for the styles. Survivors on television had no incidental music which is a challenge to the sound engineer. Creating the word and atmosphere in an audio only production would be very difficult without the use of music. Overall though what’s important is that the experience as a listener should be the same to the audio as a TV viewer would have had watching the show.”

This is clearly a major challenge but one that Big Finish has risen to. David Richardson provided this update:

“I speak now having just signed off on the final edits, and I’m hugely proud of the way these episodes have turned out. They’re just so powerful. In terms of incidental music, we chose to go with a kind of ambient score, which was devised by Nicholas Briggs . It’s not so much music as just a hint of background colouring. It’s really heightens the sense of unease, and accentuates the drama.”

The final challenge came at a late stage in the writing; Carolyn Seymour was contacted and keen to be involved. With the first boxset worked out without the character of Abby it was important to allow at least a cameo from Carolyn who will play a more substantial part in the second boxset. Andrew Smith who wrote the third story, Judges, had this to say:

“I added a prologue to introduce her which works her into this boxset. Greg and Jenny are leaving the community and have a scene where they say goodbye to Abby.”

Fans of the original TV series may also like to know that Judges returns to the themes of the TV episode Law & Order – what do you do when there’s no justice system?

The final word must go to David Richardson who explains the vision behind this re-telling of the story of Survivors:

“Our mission was to recapture the tone of the first series and Terry Nation’s vision. This is a series about the best and the worst of human nature; characters come first and foremost.”

If the recording of the third episode is anything to go by, Big Finish looks to have achieved its target. Anyone with an interest in the show should be excited about the release of the first boxset in June.

Details and pre-ordering information are on the Big Finish website. 

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As part of our ongoing series highlighting up-and-coming filmmaking talent, INDEPENDENTS DAY talks to writer/director/producer HELEN CURRAN as she prepares to graduate from The Manchester Film School (based at The Manchester College) and debut the second of her own short films, DELICACY…

STARBURST: Plot-wise, what can you tell us about your new film?

Helen Curran: Delicacy is set during the British retreat to Dunkirk during WWII. Two very different soldiers – one a devout catholic with immense guilt, the other a young inexperienced Private – struggle to survive when they’re trapped behind enemy lines with no supplies.

What attracted you to the WWII setting?

I’ve always had a deep interest in that period of history as it had such a momentous impact on the world, which gives great scope for plot and characters. I also wanted to make a short that differed in genre to a lot of others I’ve seen. Considering the rich history surrounding Britain and WWII you don’t see enough UK films on the subject in my opinion. Mixing war with zombies or the supernatural was something I wanted to steer clear of. Instead, the tension comes from the natural fear of war and the enemy.

Michael J. Tait and Gary Graham Smith in a scene from DELICACY (2014)

Given that period pieces are notoriously tough on budgets, especially independently funded shorts like this, was there ever any discussion about switching the action to a different era?

During early development the possibility of setting it in modern day was discussed, yes. Although it would’ve made it easier in many respects, the story just wouldn’t have had the same impact. The main reason comes from a character perspective – a soldier during WWII wasn’t necessarily trained in that field, unlike today. People from all backgrounds, capability and experience went out to fight. To me the characters in Delicacy were from that era and not modern day soldiers.

What particular challenges did you face accurately portraying the era?

That took a lot of researching and attention to detail, not just historically, but as we just talked about, being thrifty was obviously very important too! Luckily enough, the crew were very creative. In particular, the art department and art director Rhiannon Clifford made as many props as possible. Anything they made meant we didn’t need to hire. Also, crew members generously donated props, and the producer Sarah Brady’s nanna donated a lot of religious artifacts. My proudest find was a prayer book from a vintage charity shop. The book actually belonged to a soldier during the Boer war! 

And while we’re still on budgets, is it cheeky to ask what Delicacy’s was? Ballpark?

I’d say the total budget for the shoot was around £750. That’s taking into consideration we had access to free rental equipment and a studio.

And you raised much of that £700 through crowd funding, right?

We managed to raise around £650 from the generous backers via Kickstarter. We spent it very wisely and it was a case of beg and borrow as much as we could.

Given how many like-minded filmmakers seek funding through Kickstarter nowadays, what would you say was instrumental in making yourself get noticed and stand out from the crowd?

This was my first experience of crowd funding so I’m no expert, but I think a lot comes down to the concept of your project and how you pitch. Fortunately enough, Lauchlan Scott, one of the executive producers, devised an original and entertaining pitch video concept. Lauchlan and Sarah Brady promoted the video a lot which really helped in awareness. From day one we were determined to do a pitch video that stood out. For me, being in front of a camera was truly terrifying, but I think if you’re expecting people to put money into your project, you should be willing to put yourself out there.

Do you think crowd funding is here to stay?

I would like to think it is. It’s come along as a way to counter-balance the vast amount of commercial projects. The two negative possibilities are that people stop funding projects either because the novelty wears off, or because of projects that never reach completion. I think it’s really important to deliver a high quality product at the end and it’s this that will encourage people to invest. I think it’s a responsibility that creatives have to fulfill. It’s a great way for the public to decide what they want to see. With digital media it’s given a new lease of life to shorts and web series.

And as a writer/director, is there any screenwriters you can pinpoint as an inspiration for your approach to writing?

I think there’s definitely writers who inspire me and intimidate me at the same time! Two standout filmmakers that go without saying are the Coen brothers and Quentin Tarantino. A large amount of inspirational writing I find comes from television, and has been doing for a long time. Going back to The Shield and Six Feet Under, they were the turning point in television for me. Now there’s so many well written TV shows – Damages, The Killing and True Detective spring to mind as recent examples. I also find podcasts on the subject of the writing process to be invaluable when it comes to inspiration – John August and Craig Mazin’s Scriptnotes in particular is great; very informative.

Michael J. Tait in a scene from DELICACY (2014)

Let’s talk about your leads, both of which were superb it must be said. How did you go about casting them?

I had watched some shorts at festivals starring Michael a while before we went into production. When it came to casting he was someone I’d remembered and straight away I could picture him as Thompson. As for Gary, I worked as part of the crew on a theatre production about four years ago; he was the lead actor and I always remembered being blown away by his performance. When it came to casting I knew he was the perfect Barnes.

We have to give props to the excellent cinematography and editing too, both of which were handled by newcomers also, is that right?

Yes. My DP, Theo Kirkpatrick, and my editor, Matt Hamer, all graduated on the same course as myself and we’ve collaborated a lot on many different projects over the years, including Gone, my own first short. It’s a good dynamic; we all seem to be on the same wavelength.

Once you’ve completed the festival circuit, what’s coming next for you?

I’ve got two shorts, one hopefully to be shot later this year and the other is in script development. The next short will be different in a lot of aspects to Delicacy, purely because I want to experiment with different genres, styles and length. I’ve got a couple of other scripts I want to continue working on as well. I’m also on the lookout to direct a music video, so hopefully that will come into fruition in the near future.

CUT TO: 5 YEARS FROM NOW. What are you working on?

In an ideal world, working on all my favourite TV shows. Or better yet, working on my own TV show!

And in this hypothetical but totally accurate-in-all-ways future, tell us, what awesome show has Netflix resurrected much to the delight of everyone reading?

Hmm. Firefly, The Killing and the recent Upstairs Downstairs remake.

Upstairs Downstairs?

Yes.

Didn’t see that one coming. And the number 1 film at the box office is…

Batman or Spider-Man for the umpteenth time. Nothing will have changed.

That’s depressing. But true. Okay, FLASHBACK: JUNE 2014. Where can we find your previous work?

Most can be found on my site www.helenlyonscurran.co.uk and I can be followed on twitter @heletron.

And most importantly, where can we see Delicacy?

The first two screenings are both in Manchester – it’s playing at Kino festival on June 2nd, and then at the It’s a Short Film Festival on June 26th. For screenings beyond that, they’ll be updated at www.delicacyshortfilm.co.uk.

Check out the trailer for DELICACY by clicking the poster above.

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With the largest ever GODZILLA now on the rampage in your local cinema, it’s easy to forget that there are many more building-destroying monsters out there. Referred to as “kaiju” by Western fans, the name literally translates as strange monster. The world famous Toho Studios have been bringing these horrors to the silver screen since 1932 and have created quite a list. We take a quick look at some of our favourites…

RODAN

Pteranodons have always been cool, in fact the only thing cooler than a flying dinosaur is a flying irradiated dinosaur who can knock down buildings by flapping its wings so hard it causes shockwaves. Rodan is pretty graceful for a huge monster and regularly runs rings round the rest of them, especially the other flying monsters. He’s also able to shrug off almost anything thrown at him, from radioactive breath to fire beams.

Rodan isn’t that bright; his main tactic seems to be to pick things up and drop them. He’s done this many times to Godzilla, which is an excellent way to really annoy it. This typically results in an epic smackdown with Rodan sensibly running away.

GIGAN

One of the funniest looking Kaiju around, which is a remarkable feat on its own. Gigan appears to have stepped straight out of someone’s nightmare. With huge hooks for hands and legs and a massive buzz-saw in his belly, Gigan is a fan favourite who causes the most carnage when he’s fighting other monsters. The aliens who made him also fitted him with a rather neat looking laser cannon set into his Cyclops–like head. Gigan also has stubby little wings that defy gravity and allow him to perform full-on, wrestler style body slams. He’s one of the surliest monsters in the set and even has the power to fly to other planets, meaning that his bad attitude isn’t just limited to the planet Earth.

MECHAGODZILLA

Obviously when you have a giant lizard running around dropping  property values left right and centre, then the best way to get rid of it is to build an evil robot double. The original MechaGodzilla started out as a convincing copy of the original up until its first fight, when super-sized ankylosaurus Anguirus smacked it so hard the fake skin fell off. Subsequent versions just went for the shiny chrome look instead. Powers have included laser beam eyes, rocket launchers, plasma grenades and a whole set of ultimate weapons. The second incarnation could even combine with a specially designed flying tank to form Super Mecha Godzilla. Various people have had a go at making Mechagodzilla even more deadly, from evil aliens to the UN, but despite all its cool toys, Godzilla still manages to turn it into scrap.

KING GHIDORAH

It’s never been clear exactly what royal court King Ghidorah is from, but given that he is a three headed alien dragon, no one is in a hurry to question his nobility. His origin changes depending on what series of movies you’re watching; in some he’s an ancient serpent god, in others he’s a genetic abomination made by aliens. Our favorite version is that he’s three unspeakably cute baby dragon creatures (called Dorats) that were fused together by an atomic explosion to create the angry monster we see today.

It doesn’t matter where he’s from, he’s a huge winged monster that shoots gravity beams from all three heads. Gravity beams are a lot like lightning bolts, but in addition to blowing stuff up they can also move stuff around, allowing King Ghidorah to throw his opponents around. Long live the King.

MOTHRA

One of the gentler and less destructive kaiju, Mothra is a giant, monstrous moth. Worshipped as a goddess by some, Mothra is one of the smartest and most powerful members of the franchise. Her powers include telepathy (which she uses to negotiate and co-ordinate), various types of energy beam (that shoot from her antenna) and she can also emit dust which is either poisonous or foils other energy attacks, depending on what movie you’re watching. She’s a defender of the Earth, but you’re entirely allowed to point and scream at her, as she is the biggest moth you’ll ever see.

She is usually accompanied by a pair of tiny pixies who act as her priestesses, and in the earlier movies these were played by a pair of twins who also happened to be a popular Japanese pop group. Predictably they sing to the enormous Moth at every opportunity, adding an even more surreal twist to any appearance from Mothra.

BIOLLANTE

Not content to unleash a hug insect on the cinema going public, Toho has also terrorized us with a massive plant. In this case, a rose. The creation of a mad scientist, Biollante was a strange hybrid of rose and human DNA (specifically the scientist’s daughter). Following a solid defeat by Godzilla and a small earthquake, Biollante became fused with Godzilla’s own radioactive DNA. This resulted in a huge, vine spewing horror that caused even more devastation. She is one of the most striking monster designs, being utterly horrible and also rather cool, thanks to many creepy looking vines and other protuberances. Alas, she’s only ever appeared in one movie so far, but you never know, her seeds could be anywhere. 

MINILLA

The son of Godzilla is not called Godzooky, no matter how many times you insist on singing the theme song to the cartoon series. In the movies, our hero’s pride and joy is called Minilla. Short, fat and cute, he’s the nicest of the bunch and is a friend to children. In one particularly surreal tale he even appeared in a child’s dream to teach the kid how to deal with bullies. Being young, he hasn’t quite mastered his parent’s radioactive breath yet, but he blows a mean smoke ring. Though he hatched from an egg, speculation as to who laid it has been rampant since his first appearance in 1967, there is still no sign of his mother, unless Godzilla has a very special secret.

EBIRAH

Ebirah is a giant lobster, though his name literally translates as Shrimp-Rah. Though he doesn’t have any special powers beyond being really, really big, bright red and having the largest claws ever, he’s included in this list for three reasons. Firstly, seeing Godzilla battle a huge lobster is really cool, secondly every time you see him you start humming the song ‘Rock Lobster’ by the B52’s and finally, it’s impossible to see Ebirah in action without wanting to get either lobster thermidor or a surf and turf.

JET JAGUAR

With all these monsters running around, you’d expect mankind to do something about it. Much like Mechagodzilla, Jet Jaguar is a robot designed to defeat monsters. He can grow and shrink at will, which is a useful power when your job is punching huge creatures. He can fly and is pretty strong, but his main powers seem to involve having a really catchy (yet corny) theme song and getting beaten up by kaiju.

ZILLA

Zilla is the official name for the giant mutated marine iguana that appeared in the 1998 movie, Godzilla. Known to the fans as GINO (Godzilla In Name Only), the movie was so bad that Toho had the creature’s name changed to avoid confusion with the real thing. Zilla has appeared in one Toho movie, Godzilla: Final Wars, where he gained the record for the shortest ever battle with the real Godzilla.

KING KONG

Back in the day, Universal Studios teamed up with Toho to produce Godzilla Versus King Kong, making King Kong one of the monsters that Godzilla has officially fought. The big ape has appeared in several movies and tends to have rather a rough time of it. After all, gorillas can’t fly or shoot lightning at things, no matter how big they are. He’s also fought Mecha-Kong, his evil robot double. (Mecha Kong was created by a Doctor that happens to have the surname of Who, but certainly isn’t a Timelord. That would be a cross-over too far.) A popular fan joke is that King Kong is Jet Jaguar in an ape suit, but this is probably too silly, even for Toho.

FRANKENSTEIN

In Frankenstein versus Baragon, scientists discover that the monster from Mary Shelley’s novel was not only real, but also living in Japan. It seems that the monster heart was in a Nazi laboratory in Hiroshima when that city was hit by a nuclear bomb. The radiation caused the heart to regenerate and the monster was resurrected.

PULGASARI

Not a Toho monster but a notable mention, Pulagasari is the metal eating monster from the movie of the same name, directed by Shin Sang-ok. Shin is a famous director and producer of kaiju movies who was kidnapped by North Korean spies on the orders of that country’s soon-to-be dictator, Kim Jong-il, who then forced him to make this movie. Despite it’s dark history, it’s a very good kaiju movie, made all the more remarkable for its story: peasants have an uprising and use the monster to overthrow a king, only to discover that their uprising creates more tyranny. 

THE STAY PUFT MARSHMALLOW MAN

Another notable mention has to be the The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Actually a manifestation of the Sumerian god Gozer, this huge mascot is the final bad guy from the cult movie Ghostbusters, who are pretty much responsible for it manifesting the way it does. In one of the early drafts of that movie, The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man was going to be the first of many strange monsters that Ghostbusters fought. At the moment there are no plans to have him fight Godzilla, but it would be interesting to see how that fight would play out; would the Marshmallow Man get a punch in before Godzilla roasted him into a tasty treat? We can only wait and see.

GODZILLA is in cinemas now and is reviewed HERE. For more Godzilla goodies, check out STARBURST #401, on sale from May 16th.

Samurai culture has long fascinated many across the globe and the story of 47 Ronin is often regarded as one of the most revered. Known in Japan as Chusingura, meaning tale of the loyal retainers, the story begins in the early 18th century at Ako castle, home to its Daimyo (lord) when Asano Naganori. This is a legendary story of loyalty, revenge and patience.

The Shogun’s castle in Edo (Tokyo) was preparing for the annual arrival of the European messengers, and Lord Asano was required to serve on the welcoming committee. In order to for Asano to perform these duties, he was required to learn certain etiquette so not to make any mistakes. The master of ceremonies, Lord Kira, was entrusted in teaching Asano these skills but over time the two of them struggled to cooperate. On the day of the ceremony, Asano lashed out a Kira after he mocked his awkwardness. Wounding Kira in the face, Asano had committed the crime of drawing his sword in the castle of a Shogun. The punishment was ritual suicide and Asano lost his life.

Messengers carried the news back to Ako castle and Asano’s chief steward, Oishi Kuranosuke, concerning the death of their lord. The situation worsened as Lord Asano’s land and holdings would soon be confiscated by government. Asano’s men were thus masterless samurais, also known as Ronin. The code of the Samurai suggests these masterless men commit suicide and should they choose not to, their lives as Ronin will be in shame. An attempt to make Lord Asano’s younger brother, Daisuke, take over his brother’s responsibilities failed and as a result 47 of the samurais made a secret pact to avenge the death of their master. Lord Kira was the target.

The men worked in secret, outlining plans and arming themselves to take on Lord Kira. Wary of a potential attack against him, Kira sent spies to watch them but the ronin ensured that any tactics were concealed. Protecting the revenge plans and his family, chief steward, Oishi diverted the attention of the spies by moving to Kyoto, allowing the revenge plans to continue secretly.

On a snowy night in December, after gathering information about Lord Kira’s castle, the ronin, including Oishi were ready to take finally take revenge.  The siege began as the 47 men stormed the castle, they encountered some resistance but many of Kira’s men, including his son, ran away. With the knife that had killed Lord Asano, Oishi sliced off Kira’s head and the revenge was complete.

The 47 turned themselves into the authorities, knowing that the price of the attack would be their own lives. The ronin were admired across the region for their intricate and precise plan, as exemplary samurai and true followers of the code of bushido. Nevertheless, they had still broken the law and had to be punished. Every one of the 47 Ronin was sentenced to honourable form of death, to commit seppuku and were buried next to their Lord’s grave in the nearby temple.

The story of these courageous men spread through Japan and ever since, that snowy eve has been recounted to many every December. A story of loyalty, courage and precision, a tale carved into Japanese history.

47 RONIN will be available on Blu-ray with Ultraviolet & DVD, Limited Edition 2-Disc Lenticular 3d & 2D Blu-ray from May 12th. Click cover to pre-order:

Japanese legend comes to life when Keanu Reeves makes an explosive return in the epic action adventure 47 RONIN. An epic fantasy tale of revenge, with legendary heroes, shape- shifting witches, mythical beasts, told with incredible special effects.

A visually spectacular story of revenge, love and honour, 47 RONIN is based on the fictional story of the forty-seven Ronin, a real-life group of master-less samurai who in 18th-century Japan choose to avenge the murder of their master.

When a deceitful warlord manages to trick the Samurai’s master into his untilmely death his followers find themselves leaderless, dis-honoured and banished from their village. Upon realising their master was bewitched and part of an evil plot the Ronin vow to seek vengeance and restore honour to their people, however to do this they must seek the help of Kai — a half-breed who they once rejected.

Starring king of ‘The Matrix’ series Keanu Reeves (Speed, Chain Reaction) as the main protagonist Kai, the film also stars Hiroyuki Sanda (Wolverine, Sunshine) and Rinko Kikuchi (Pacific Rim, The Brothers Bloom). 47 RONIN is the directorial debut for Carl Rinsch (The Gift), produced by Scott Stuber (Ted, Identity Thief), Pamela Abdy (Identity Thief, upcoming Endless Love) and Eric Mcleod (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Austin Powers series).

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On July 10, 1958 two friends sat down for a good natured and genial chat. The men’s thoughts on life, writing, and admiration for each other were captured for posterity on BBC Radio. Their names? Ian Fleming and Raymond Chandler. No introduction is needed here. Their novels conjure up images of mythical worlds of fantastic espionage and the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles. CASINO ROYALE and GOLDFINGER can sit comfortably on the same bookshelf with THE BIG SLEEP (1939) and THE LONG GOODBYE (1953) any day.

The characters of secret agent James Bond and detective Philip Marlowe on the surface don’t seem to have much in common, but if you scratch a little deeper they share more common literary DNA than one would think.  At their core they are reflections of their flawed and very human creators. Creators who met each other at crucial times in their lives and, in the process, forged an unlikely friendship.

This recording has its initial origins not on a covert MI6 mission to a seedy L.A. cocktail lounge but, at a simple dinner party. According to John Pearson’s biography THE LIFE OF IAN FLEMING (1966), Fleming had been invited to the household of magazine editor Stephen Spender. Chandler, as you might expect, was in attendance. The British-born American has been taking a sabbatical from the United States after the death of his wife in La Jolla, California. While Fleming initially described Chandler as “puffy and unkempt with drink,” his thoughts gradually turned more sentimental with this revealing quote:

“He was very nice to me and said he had liked my first book, CASINO ROYALE, but didn’t really want to talk about anything much except the loss of his wife, about which he expressed himself with a nakedness that embarrassed me while endearing me to him.”

This inauspicious beginning eventually led to a mutual admiration society between the two men during Chandler’s stay in London. An admiration that was nearly derailed when Fleming hosted a rather unsuccessful lunch in honor of Chandler at his home. As the more refined guests arrived, Chandler showed up late for the luncheon, and, to put it mildly, was slightly drunk. Fleming’s wife, Anne, later commented that “Chandler was quite incoherent, and afterward Ian said he was never going to bring anyone home again.” While Fleming’s good intentions were for naught, their friendship somehow survived and Chandler still had an important part to play with not only Ian Fleming, but 007 himself.

Soon after this disastrous lunch Chandler returned to the United States, and Fleming was left alone for a period to ponder the literary merits of his famous creation. MOONRAKER (1955) had come and gone, and while he felt that the manuscript for DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (1956) surpassed it in quality, seeds of doubt began to creep into his mind about how much longer he could go on.

Most likely, as Pearson asserts, Fleming’s increasing lack of interest in all things Bond may have been linked to the difficulties he was experiencing drumming up greater interest in his books within the American publishing and film markets. In fact, things were getting so dire for our hero that Fleming was devising ways in which 007 would indeed finally meet his demise at the hands of SMERSH. That was until a certain Mr. Chandler had something to say about it. After having read LIVE AND LET DIE (1954), Chandler had expressed interest in endorsing it for Fleming’s publishers and in doing so gave Fleming the proverbial “shot in the arm” that he obviously needed. In a letter of thanks to Chandler for his effort, Fleming gives an unusually heartfelt response:

“Seriously, it extraordinarily kind of you to have written as you did, and you have managed to make me thoroughly ashamed of my next book which is also set in America, but in an America that is much more fantasy than I allowed myself in LIVE AND LET DIE.”

An eventual glowing review of DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER by Chandler in the Sunday Times was not just the icing on the cake for a reinvigorated Fleming, but a new lease on life for 007.The events described above naturally lend themselves  to some intriguing questions of their own. Why is it that a man nearing the end of his own life, despondent and addicted to alcohol, was the creative spark and mentor Fleming needed at just the right and crucial time? Had Fleming not met Chandler would 007’s impact on the world be as large as it is today?

It eventually took poet, novelist, and BBC “Talks Producer” George MacBeth to bring these two giants together for an on-air interview. The occasion? Chandler’s newest and final Marlowe novel PLAYBACK (1958). The theme? American versus British Thrillers. The recording itself? That’s another story. Chandler was due to be picked up that day by Fleming and MacBeth. However, as Fleming later recounted Chandler apparently had other plans:

“When the day came, it was very difficult to get Ray into the studio and when I came to pick him up at about eleven in the morning, his voice was slurred with whisky.”

Once situated in the studio the interview began. Chandler’s voice, due to drinking, is sometimes unintelligible. However, the highlight is really just the fact that we are hearing his voice at all. Unlike with Fleming, this interview is considered to be the only known recording of Chandler’s voice and, for that reason alone, it’s worth any mystery lover’s attention.

What follows are two masters of their craft cutting through the heart of the matter, and the booze, to figure out what it is they exactly do. While Fleming carries the bulk of the conversation, a lot can be taken from Chandler’s clipped but meaningful comments. Rather than explaining it you, let’s let them to do the talking.

Fleming: Well, the first thing, really, is to define what we’re supposed to be talking about. I think the title of what we’re supposed to be talking about is English and American thrillers. What is a thriller? To my mind of course, you don’t write thrillers and I do.

Chandler: I do too.

Fleming: I don’t call yours thrillers. Yours are novels.

Chandler: A lot of people call them thrillers.

Fleming: I know. I think it’s wrong. I mean you write novels of suspense like Simenon does and like Eric Ambler does perhaps, but in which violence is the background, just as love might be in the background of the ordinary or the straight kind of novel.

Chandler, lamenting the lack of respect paid to thriller writers, succinctly comments:

Chandler: You can write a long, very lousy historical novel full of sex and it can be a bestseller and be treated respectfully. But, a very good thriller writer, who writes far, far better, just gets a little paragraph of course.

Topics fly by at a brisk pace with everything from Fleming’s methods of research, Chandler relating what it’s like to be hit with a butt of a gun, how long it takes each to write a book, to the intimate knowledge Chandler shows of how crime syndicates carry out the delicate business of murder. But, always at the eclectic interview’s core and what stands out the most is the camaraderie between the two men, and the respectful deference that Fleming pays Chandler. However their status as equals is more than apparent as the conversation’s momentum builds.

Fleming: I don’t know if you do, but I find it extremely difficult to write about villains. Villains are extremely difficult people to put my finger on. You can often find heroes wandering around life… But, a really good solid villain is a very difficult person to build up, I think.

Chandler: In my own mind, I don’t think I ever think anyone is a villain.

Later, Fleming elaborates further on the topic with Chandler:

Fleming: Of course the difficulty is set in oneself, and to be able to persuade the reader, that the man is not to be pitied for being a sick man. It’s difficult to depict somebody who really is tough without being a psychopath.

Chandler: Well, it’s almost impossible to imagine an absolutely bad man who is not a psychopath.

Fleming: True. And then you create pity for him at once. It’s difficult and that’s what I mean about villains. They’re very difficult people to build up.

Chandler: Well, he’ll have this very human side. He may be very kind to his family, but in his business, illegitimate, he may be quite ruthless.

The age old argument of how creations are shadows of their authors is touched upon in a playful exchange of wit and warmth between the two:

Fleming: But your man, your hero Philip Marlowe, is he based more or less on yourself, so to speak? I see certain, in fact, I see a distinct relationship between you and Philip Marlowe.

Chandler: Oh, not deliberately. If so, it does happen.

Fleming : I suppose my chap has got some foibles that I’ve got, but I wouldn’t have said he had any relation to the person I think I am, but there it is.

Chandler: Can you play baccarat as well as he can?

Fleming: Not as well, no. I’d like to be able to, I love it. I love gambling.

Chandler: I don’t enjoy gambling at all. It’s the only vice I don’t possess.

Fleming: Oh, come, come. There are plenty left, aren’t there?

Pace, Violence, Sex, and Plot! These are the key elements that Fleming feels are at the center of all good thrillers:

Chandler: Yes, I agree. There has to be an ele­ment of mystery, in fact there has to be a mysterious situation. The detective doesn’t know what it’s all about, he knows that there’s something strange about it, but he doesn’t know just what it’s all about. It seems to me that the real mystery is not who killed Sir John in his study, but what the situation really was, what the people were after, what sort of people they were.

Fleming: That’s exactly what you write about, of course. You develop your characters very much more than I do, and the thrill­er element it seems to me in your books is in the people, the character building, and to a considerable extent in the dia­logue. Which of course I think is some of the finest dialogue written in any prose today…

Time flies, and as quickly as the interview began it ends. However, believe it or not for over thirty years tapes of the interview were suppressed within the BBC Archives and its existence was a mystery unto itself. What were the reasons? Well, that’s up for conjecture, but it is widely assumed that Chandler’s condition at the time was the most likely suspect. Its eventual transcription in a 1991 issue of the Australian mystery magazine “Mean Streets” brought it to greater prominence, but the origins of their source were murky at best. However, with the advent of the internet, all this is a moot point as the BBC Archives has relented and now has a pristine version for the public to listen to online.

Ultimately, the recording is a moment in time for both authors. The two men never saw each other again, and for Chandler time was growing short. His death seven months later not only brought an end to a friendship that renewed Fleming’s zest and passion for writing, but brought to Chandler some happiness in the final turbulent years of his life. The final words in the interview sum things up quite appropriately:

Fleming: Well, anyway, thanks, Ray. It’s been lovely to see you again.

Chandler: Well, I love to see you always.

***

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Following on from 2009’s Demon’s Souls and its 2011 spiritual successor Dark Souls, Japanese studio From Software is preparing to unleash Dark Souls II into the big wide world. The question is, are we ready for what could quite possibly be one of the most incredible gaming experiences ever created?

This is a series of games that divides gamers firmly into two groups. Firstly, there are those who played one of the games for half an hour and never want to go anywhere near any of the related titles ever again. Seeing as we like to keep things family-friendly round these parts, let’s call them “scaredy cats”. And secondly, there are the hardcore masochists whose eyes will glaze over as they stare into the distance and recall their own personal journeys through Boletaria and/or Lordran, forging their way through endless sorrow and despair and loving every single second of it. I’m with you, brothers and sisters. Although I very nearly wasn’t…

There’s a big reason why these games have become so divisive. Souls titles are brutally unforgiving, relentlessly bleak, and difficult to master unless you’re prepared to put in a serious amount of time and effort. For my own part, even though I was totally on board with the idea behind Demon’s Souls I never really managed to get anywhere with it, and the same thing almost happened with Dark Souls. After four aborted attempts at tackling it, each time getting further than the last but ultimately ending in failure, a breakthrough finally occurred during my fifth (and what I told myself would be final) try. A year ago it was “that really good game that I can’t do”, but now it’s “the game that’s taken over my life and I can’t stop thinking about”.

Seeing as I’ve been binge-playing Dark Souls for the last week or so and the sequel will be with us very soon, now’s as good a time as any to look back at a modern masterpiece and cast our eyes over some of the treats (or threats, if we add an extra letter) that Dark Souls II has in store.

After creating your “hero”, choosing what you look like and what style you want to adopt for your character (melee combat, magic, that sort of thing), players start Dark Souls with absolutely nothing, locked in a cell in the Undead Asylum where cursed souls are sent to await the end of the world. After leaving your cell (the only easy task in the game), your first few steps take you through the briefest of tutorials and introduces you to bonfires (more on those later) before you’re mercilessly crushed by the game’s first boss. And here you learn the first of many important lessons – this game isn’t going to hold your hand and tell you what to do. You don’t even get a map. Ever. It’s immediately clear within the first few minutes that you’re going to need sharp reflexes, a clear head, and mountains of patience to survive this evil world. Working out how to deal with the first boss at this stage in the game leads us to lesson number two – sometimes it’s OK to run away now and come back later to finish what you started.

Eventually you make your way out of the asylum and end up at Firelink Shrine, a place you’ll see a lot of during the first few hours. The Shrine acts as a crossroads between several early areas of the game, and its bonfire is a useful resting place. Each area has at least one bonfire, and lighting them is extremely important. They act as a respawn point when you die, as well as allowing you to save your progress, replenish your supply of healing flasks and magic spells, and level up your character using souls gained by defeating enemies. The downside to all this is that resting at bonfires also resets all non-boss enemies, bringing them back to life and ensuring your journey will always be filled with hideous hazards of all shapes and sizes.

Each area has its own distinct types of enemies, and on top of the “regular” hordes of half-rotting dogs and bug-eyed poison-spewing frogs there’s an astounding array of monstrous bosses just waiting to smash your face in. Even though the Gaping Demon in the video below isn’t too far into the game, it’s possibly far enough that a lot of people will quit before they even get there. It’s too good not to see though, so here we go:

If we go back to the first important lesson from the opening few minutes of the game there’s no shame in turning tail and running away when you come across something that you either can’t or simply don’t want to deal with. Example: at one point you’ll find yourself being harassed by a gang of shiny lumbering monsters made out of crystal. You do your best to hack them to pieces, but suddenly a shower of magic flies across the screen and destroys them. Inching forward to investigate, you see a gigantic hydra sitting in the middle of a lake. Bugger that for a game of soldiers, let’s see what’s up that hill over there instead.

Fortunately there’s a massive amount of items and equipment to be found that will help you on your way. Thorough exploration will often provide you with new weapons or amour, and there are merchants and blacksmiths dotted around the world who will happily (or sometimes not so happily) provide you with further useful equipment and upgrades. The thing is, they’re going to want souls in return. Souls that you could use to level up your character at those all-important bonfires. What’s it going to be? Buy a better sword so you can kill things with one less hit, or level up and get an extra slither of health so you last another few seconds before dying?

Speaking of dying, this is (of course) another area where Dark Souls can be incredibly punishing. The game is undoubtedly difficult but it’s never unfair, and 99% of all deaths are a direct result of your own mistakes. As an added bit of cruelty though, dying in Dark Souls means you frustratingly lose all of the souls you were currently carrying. They can be regained if you manage to make it back to the bloodstain on the ground at the spot where you died, but if you happen to die again before you get there they’ll be lost forever. Important lesson number whatever it is: use them or lose them.

It’s not just your own bloodstains that you’ll find throughout the environments. If you’re connected to the internet, Dark Souls’ unique multiplayer system both helps and hinders in equal measure. Touching bloodstains summons a ghost which replays the final few seconds of someone else’s life, enabling you to see how they died and hopefully learn from their mistakes. Players can also leave messages on the ground which will show up in other people’s games, alerting them to potential danger or hidden treasure. We won’t go into the invasions here though. You really need to experience those for yourself to get the full effect…

With reports of single player campaigns lasting between 30-50 hours, and multiple replays being possible to obtain higher levels with increasingly better weapons,

and that’s not taking into account the whole player vs player aspect that I can’t even bring myself to think about going anywhere near just yet, Dark Souls really is the gift that keeps on giving. Or at least it can be, if you dare to let it.

What further twisted horrors await in Dark Souls II? According to developer interviews, it’s going to be even more difficult than Demon’s /Dark Souls although steps have been taken to make its mechanics more accessible for newcomers to the series. With a world comparable in size to its predecessor, filled with more varied environments along with bigger, badder, and more intelligent enemies, it sounds like there’s going to be countless hours of misery in store. Lessons will be learned, lives will be lost. Traditionally mid-March sees the start of spring, when new life turns our thoughts to happiness and joy and all that sort of stuff. Not this year though. This year, we’re all going to die. And it’s going to be tremendous.

DARK SOULS II is released on PS3 and Xbox 360 March 14th, with a PC release coming later this year. Spring begins on March 20th.

In case you missed it, a storm of controversy recently kicked up over the 2014 Hugo Awards. Professional Television rent-a-mouth Jonathan Ross was to be Master of Ceremonies at LonCon3, the site of this year’s Hugos. Sadly this upset a great many of devoted genre fans. Despite an impressive list of geek related credentials and an encyclopaedic level of knowledge on many cult and genre related things, Jonathan Ross was seen as a relatively controversial figure due to past activities that have upset women, the gay community, disabled persons and members of the Conservative party.  After a great many angry exchanges on Twitter, Ross pulled out. This has left the World Science Fiction Society (the people responsible for the Hugos) without a host. We humbly suggest a possible top-ten.

Jane Goldman

We’re rather perplexed as to why the Hugo’s were only going to have Jonathan Ross on his own, rather than pairing him up with someone equally well qualified. Jane Goldman is a sci-fi and fantasy novelist with a sharp eye for parody. She has also worked on the screenplays for Stardust, Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class and happens to be Jonathan Ross’s wife.  Why they weren’t planned as a double bill in the first place is a mystery we may have to ponder another day.

Neil Gaiman

Master of horror, world famous author and excellent public speaker, Gaiman is the gentleman who encouraged Jonathan Ross to volunteer to host The Hugo’s in the first place.  Though softly spoken he is always a pleasure to listen to and undeniably one of the most popular and talented genre specialists in the world today.  He could also arrive as a double act as he’s married to none other than…

Amanda Palmer

Amanda Palmer is a relatively controversial figure in the music industry and very good at making impassioned speeches. The singer/songwriter/performer is not terribly genre savvy when compared to others on this list but is guaranteed to make a potentially dry awards ceremony something fantastic and memorable. If all else fails, she can whip out her ukulele.

Steven Moffat

Another friend of Neil Gaiman’s is Doctor Who director Steven Moffat. He has brought his wry Scottish wit to ceremonies like this in the past and though he is perhaps the least experienced public figure on this list he does know the territory very well indeed.

Lenny Henry
Though hardly in the public eye these days, Lenny Henry is a confirmed member of the Geek tribe, with credits that include producing the cult TV series NeverWhere (written by Neil Gaiman, no less) and has also written his own comic book stories in the past, as well as being a shrunken head in the Harry Potter movies. If he can take a break from being a voice in the new Postman Pat movie we’re sure he’d make a fine fit.

Nathan Fillion

Since playing Captain Mal in a short lived sci-fi show that was on so long ago we’ve almost forgotten about it, this Canadian actor always seems to come up when genre lovers are picking names out of a hat (either him or Bruce Campbell). Fillion is better known to the general public as the face of fictional crime novelist Rick Castle from the TV show Castle, and there’s a pleasing symmetry in having him host the awards.

Brian Blessed

Another name that comes up is Brian Blessed, a man with the world’s most impressive set of lungs.  Blessed has a huge body of work and this does include TV shows like Blake’s 7 and Doctor Who as well as cult move Flash Gordon. More importantly he’s an incredibly experienced actor and public speaker and will ensure that things won’t get boring.

Dara Ó Briain

Though not exactly a geek, this professional comedian and TV host is most certainly a huge nerd and that’s close enough. In additions to a keen interest in Astronomy and Maths, he has dipped into geek culture more than once or twice and delighted Live Action Role Players by creating a routine specific to them on very short notice and without being terribly offensive, and he’s proven many a time that he can be funny and edgy with causing huge numbers of fans to spit their collective dummies out.

Frankie Boyle

Of course, maybe it’s controversy the World Science Fiction Society seek, after all it would certainly hit the headlines. Boyle is a huge comics and sci-fi geek as well as being comedy equivalent of a dirty bomb. If you’re going to run the risk of upsetting people then you may as well upset everybody and this Scottish wit’s uncompromising stance on everything is absolutely guaranteed to unite the community in collective outrage.

YOU!

Or, more accurately, regular members of the World Science Fiction Society. After all, celebrities aren’t that special and a little bit of advanced warning and some public speaking training can turn any willing person into a great co-host. It would place the event firmly in the hands of the fans and help break down the growing ‘Us Vs Them’ feeling that established events suffer from. 

Of course, these are just ten suggestions? Who would you like to see host The Hugos?