"Good" Sword and Sorcery Films to Review [Archive]

Dr.Epic

2011-07-10, 09:39 AM

So, I've been talking about starting my own internet review show for awhile now. I first got the idea several months ago when I first discovered the site That Guy with the Glasses. The concept I got was I'm a viking who watches Medieval Fantasies and plays a drinking game for each film. Anyway, I'm almost ready to do my first review. I ordered and got a suit of mail. I just have to wait a few weeks for my beard to be nice and thick. Anyway, I'm just wondering what'd be some good films to riff in this series. Oh, and I'm using the term "Medieval Fantasy" VERY loosely. Really, so long as it takes place in a setting that's culturally and/or technologically a few century or more in the past with some sword fights and/or has strong magical elements I could review. Heck, I eventually plan on doing the Pirates of the Caribbean, Hellboy, and Harry Potter.

So, films I have and will review:
-the Black Cauldron
-Gladiator
-Troy
-Season of the Witch
-Prince of Persia
-Hellboy (1 & 2)
-300
-How to Train Your Dragon
-Dungeons and Dragons
-Lord of the Rings
-Korgoth of Barbaria

Films I plan on reviewing but don't have:
-all the Harry Potter films
-all the Pirates of the Caribbean films
-A Night's Tale
-The Sorcerer's Apprentice
-Robin Hood (2010)
-both the Conan films
-Clash of the Titans (the original, but I can do the remake, I just want an excuse to finally see the original)
-Legend
-Thor
-Beowulf
-the Last Airbender

So, there are films I plan to riff. Some I like and am just riffing for fun. Others I don't. If there are any films on there you like, hopefully you'd at least be entertained with the riff and I don't mean to offend anyone or their opinions with these reviews. This is just for fun. So post some Sword and Sorcery films you'd love to see reviewed in such a manner.

factotum

2011-07-10, 09:50 AM

Surely you don't want to only review the GOOD ones? Often the most entertaining reviews are of terrible films...although I see you put the Last Airbender in there, so maybe you're already on board with that. :smallwink:

Ones you haven't listed:

Good ones:

Krull
Dragonslayer
Ladyhawke

Bad ones (IMHO, obviously):

Hawk the Slayer
Beastmaster

Knaight

2011-07-10, 09:55 AM

Sword and Sorcery
Scorpion King
Centurion
Spartacus

Wuxia
House of Flying Daggers
Hero
Warriors of Heaven and Earth
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

Dr.Epic

2011-07-10, 09:58 AM

Surely you don't want to only review the GOOD ones? Often the most entertaining reviews are of terrible films...although I see you put the Last Airbender in there, so maybe you're already on board with that. :smallwink:

While reviewing a good film is more difficult, it can still be entertaining. Really, these are just riffs/parodies, and you can parody something good. Besides, these are all from the point of view of a viking that loves fighting and feasting. His opinion should provide some laughs.

Thanks for the suggestions. Keep them coming.

Dienekes

2011-07-10, 10:28 AM

You need more Sword and Sorcery musicals, so I suggest Camelot. Also there are probably a million more in the King Arthur theme if you go looking for them.

Others to go for would be the Highlander movies since Harry Potter is on the list I think that's ok. And in that same vein there's Labyrinth.

More movies of varying quality:
Dragonheart, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the various other Disney fantasy films, The Last Unicorn, Legend, Hercules (various), the 13th Warrior, Black Knight, Willow, Shrek, Neverending Story, Sinbad (various), Van Helsing, Eragon, Narnia (movies, made for tv specials, there's a lot in there), The Seventh Seal, Stardust, Army of Darkness.

Braveheart is about as sorcerous as Gladiator and Robin Hood which are also on the list for some reason. Also for in a Ridley Scott mood, try the Duelists, Kingdom of Heaven. Also Man of La Mancha though not RS, just about a crazy singing awesome guy.

Also Princess Bride, yeah a pretty obvious one.

comicshorse

2011-07-10, 10:40 AM

Excalibur
Robin and Marion
Army of Darkness
Big Trouble in Little China
Brotherhood of the Wolf
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Kingdom of Heaven

If you're going for the Wuxia I'll add
Chinese Ghost Story
Bride with White Hair
Zu Warriors

Fri

2011-07-10, 10:50 AM

thompur

2011-07-10, 10:53 AM

The Great Ray Harryhausen oevre:

• Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
• 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
• Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)
• Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)

Serpentine

2011-07-10, 11:22 AM

What, no Willow or Princess Bride on your list? Son, I am disappoint.
...unless you only wanted dodgy movies, in which case never mind.

Bhu

2011-07-10, 11:38 AM

define what you mean by 'good'. Good is a very relative term

Corvus

2011-07-10, 05:16 PM

There is a new Conan movie coming out soonish and, unlike the Arnold ones, claims to be much closer to the source material of Robert E Howard's sword and sorcery stories.

Athaniar

2011-07-11, 08:01 AM

Sword and Sorcery, you say? Surprised no one has mentioned the film with the most appropriate title: The Sword and the Sorcerer. And that sword has to be one of the coolest fictional weapons ever (which is bound to appeal to a stereotypical viking). But DON'T watch the "sequel", Tales of an Ancient Empire, which is not only much more recent (1982 vs 2010) but absolutely awful, with a story that's barely connected to the original and CGI that looks like it would have been considered poor 20 years ago. It does feature the sword in one scene, though.

Other films that have yet to be mentioned: Knights of the Round Table (1953), Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God (2005, a true D&D film unlike the first), Dragon Storm (2004, yes it is Sci Fi Channel, but I liked it!), Prince Valiant (1997), Mummy/Scorpion King series (1999-2008, the spinoff two are slightly worse, but more sword), Beowulf (1999, the one with Christopher Lambert and steampunk), Curse of the Ring (2004 miniseries based on the Nibelungenlied, aka Dark Kingdom and several other titles), Mongol (2007 Genghis Khan film, might have sorcery depending on your interpretation, see also the 1956 film The Conqueror if you want to see John Wayne as Khan), Blade trilogy (1998-2004, if you accept Hellboy this should fit too), The Last Legion (2007), Underworld series (2003-2009), Wolfhound (2007, Russian)
Film nerd and proud of it!

Dr.Epic

2011-07-11, 05:13 PM

Your whole premise sounds interesting, but kinda dangerous. It's actually because I mainly only watch reviews of bad stuffs. Riffing good movies might be... kinda more difficult. But I hope you success.

You can riff a good movie. Bad movies are just easier. Really, it's just a parody and anything can be parodied.

What, no Willow or Princess Bride on your list? Son, I am disappoint.
...unless you only wanted dodgy movies, in which case never mind.

The Princess Bride is - from what I heard, haven't actually seen it - part comedy and actually good. Both of those are more difficult to riff. I guess I could do it. Oh, and yeah, forgot Willow. I had it written on some list I had somewhere.

define what you mean by 'good'. Good is a very relative term

Easy to review in comical manner; easy to mock or something you'd like to see riffed. I do admit, the term "good" is kind of ambiguous.

Picked up two more films today. Pathfinder and Reign of Fire. Gotta say, this venture is turning out to be cheaper than I thought. I've bought 6 films that I plan to review and I've only spent about $70 bucks.

I still haven't found the Sorcerer's Apprentice or Eragon and that makes me sad because I heard they were both bad.

tomandtish

2011-07-11, 05:59 PM

Athaniar

2011-07-11, 08:03 PM

They finally made the sequel?!? I gave up on that years ago!

The Sword and the Sorcerer falls into the "So bad it is Great!" category and is a must see. I'll have to watch the sequel "just because".
Just don't expect it to be good. I did, and was severely disappointed. Worst sequel ever, without a doubt.

Dr.Epic

2011-07-11, 08:16 PM

Just don't expect it to be good. I did, and was severely disappointed. Worst sequel ever, without a doubt.

OBJECTION!!! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformers:_Revenge_of_the_Fallen)

turkishproverb

2011-07-11, 08:24 PM

Sustained.

and Lords of Magick.

Mordar

2011-07-11, 09:08 PM

There is a new Conan movie coming out soonish and, unlike the Arnold ones, claims to be much closer to the source material of Robert E Howard's sword and sorcery stories.

As a fond reader of many things Conan (Howard, period, really) through their many incarnations - magazines, books (L.Sprague deCamp edits), comics and subsequent writings, I found Conan the Barbarian to be at least fairly evocative of the Howard feel and mood (in certain areas, surely...some others less so) and wonderfully cinematic. If this Jason whatshisface piece, that in the trailers screams Prince of Persia, is half as good as CtB I'll be happy. If nothing else, that'd make it twice the film of Conan the Destroyer (which, if you get rid of Malack isn't half as bad, making it half as good as CtB instead of only quarter as good...).

My fractions only go to 1/16, so I can't put Red Sonja on the scale. Queen Gedron was pretty hot, though...

So it isn't a complete derail: Deathbringer. I am 95% certain that is the title, but IMDB doesn't find it...mid 1980s, craptastic, but big gladiatorial tournament fight scenes that were pretty funny. Oh, and lady bits. That was an important part.

- M

Fjolnir

2011-07-11, 11:00 PM

There's this movie, that is a Conanesque film that I saw once when I was young, I am fairly certain it was dubbed from a different language first then redubbed in English, it had the muscle bound leader, the female with "assets" and poor taste in armor, a foreign archer and a fourth person I don't recall. The editing was particularly poor because the only scene I can remember in this movie is the foreign archer pointing at a mountain fort and saying "we must invade the fort... the fort... the castle" as if the tried to edit over the scene and botched it, if someone can both find the title of the movie and review it hilariously I would be eternally grateful...

grolim

2011-07-11, 11:39 PM

Just don't expect it to be good. I did, and was severely disappointed. Worst sequel ever, without a doubt.

Sorry, I believe that title is reserved for Highlander 2. That is, if they had ever made it.

Dr.Epic

2011-07-11, 11:44 PM

Sorry, I believe that title is reserved for Highlander 2. That is, if they had ever made it.

Again, I disagree. While Highlander 2 was bad, at least it didn't have these characters:

http://www.vidznet.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/skids_and_mudflap.jpg

factotum

2011-07-12, 01:39 AM

Again, I disagree. While Highlander 2 was bad, at least it didn't have these characters:

http://www.vidznet.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/skids_and_mudflap.jpg

Maybe, but Highlander 2 was a sequel to a movie that was itself pretty darned good, which isn't the case with Transformers--so even if Revenge of the Fallen is worse than Highlander 2, it still doesn't manage such a vast drop in quality between the first and second films!

Nibleswick

2011-07-12, 01:51 AM

If you want one to riff, Dragon Hunter (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1290472/) is great for that. I can't say it's a good one, but it's a good one to make fun of.

turkishproverb

2011-07-12, 01:52 AM

Maybe, but Highlander 2 was a sequel to a movie that was itself pretty darned good, which isn't the case with Transformers--so even if Revenge of the Fallen is worse than Highlander 2, it still doesn't manage such a vast drop in quality between the first and second films!

Actually, it kinda does, and that's what's scary.

With Highlander 2 it's going from an 8 to a 2, plus mood whiplash, confusion, and horror.

With Transformers 2 its going from a 4.2 to a -3 plus shock and horror and disgust.

Serpentine

2011-07-12, 02:55 AM

I seriously don't understand the love of Highlander. At best, in my opinion, it's "so bad it's good", but I mostly just found it painful.

Eldan

2011-07-12, 04:18 AM

If you want one to riff, Dragon Hunter (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1290472/) is great for that. I can't say it's a good one, but it's a good one to make fun of.

On the subject of movies with "Dragon" in the title: Dragonheart (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonheart). Caveat: I saw this movie when I was somewhere between eight and ten years old (soon after it came out) and it was one of the first fantasy movies I ever saw. So I loved it. I've never seen it since then, so I can't give you an unbiased account of how it was, but it has Sean Connery as a Dragon.

Fjolnir

2011-07-12, 12:42 PM

On the subject of movies with "Dragon" in the title: Dragonheart (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonheart). Caveat: I saw this movie when I was somewhere between eight and ten years old (soon after it came out) and it was one of the first fantasy movies I ever saw. So I loved it. I've never seen it since then, so I can't give you an unbiased account of how it was, but it has Sean Connery as a Dragon.

Dragonheart is actually pretty good though, it holds up well also.

Eldan

2011-07-12, 01:09 PM

Oh, good. I distinctly remember a scene of some guy getting hit in the balls (hey, I was ten. That was impressive), so there was the suspicion it could be a bit much kiddy/slapstick.

Keld Denar

2011-07-12, 03:12 PM

The Last Unicorn, on top of having some sorcery (a bit lacking in swords), has an entire soundtrack done by the band America. EPIK!

If you can find it (good luck), the made-for-TV movie Merlin was passable. The special effects were...yea...but the acting was decent and the plot was fine.

Athaniar

2011-07-12, 03:16 PM

Transformers 2 was awful, but it had cool CGI (and the original wasn't that good to begin with). Highlander 2 was mostly horrible, but it had Sean Connery and Michael Ironside hamming it up. Tales of an Ancient Empire has nothing of that. No good effects, no good acting. Only watch it if you either 1. definitely have to see everything (like me most of the time), 2. want proof that it really is that bad, and/or 3. are that desperate to see the sword being used one more time.

Dr.Epic

2011-07-12, 07:36 PM

Maybe, but Highlander 2 was a sequel to a movie that was itself pretty darned good, which isn't the case with Transformers--so even if Revenge of the Fallen is worse than Highlander 2, it still doesn't manage such a vast drop in quality between the first and second films!

I never said it was a bigger drop in quality. I just said it was the worse sequel ever. 2 and a half hours of Shia LaBeouf overacting and offensive twin robots with a plot that made no sense.

TheThan

2011-07-13, 02:12 PM

Well ok, a lot of the films listed really aren’t what I would classify as sword and sorcery. So here’s my list.

Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Destroyer
The Beastmaster
The Warrior and the Sorceress
The Sword and the Sorcerer
Krull
Red Sonja
Hercules
Kull the Conqueror
Willow
The Scorpion King
Dragonheart

Sword and sandal films (note I group movies based on legendary and historical characters and events here)
300
Troy
Gladiator
Hercules (various films so pick one)
Clash of the titans
The 7th voyage of Sinbad
The golden voyage of Sinbad
Sinbad and the eye of the tiger
Beowulf
Robin Hood: the prince of thieves

Zen Monkey

2011-07-14, 07:36 AM

I'm surprised at the absence of Legend. Tim Curry plays one of the all-time great fantasy villains, and Tom Cruise was bearable back then.

pita

2011-07-16, 02:46 PM

Just an idea to throw out:
Be a super over the top manly barbarian in your videos. Show disgust at any good scene in the movies, and hail the bad lines that try to be epic.

Also, the Discworld movies (Hogfather, The Colour of Magic, and Going Postal) are a good idea to review, even if Going Postal decided it was a drama after fifteen minutes.

Fri

2011-07-16, 05:23 PM

That reminds me, you should review arnold's hercules in new york sometime :smallbiggrin:

Dr.Epic

2011-07-17, 12:00 AM

That reminds me, you should review arnold's hercules in new york sometime :smallbiggrin:

But that's a good movie.:smallwink:

Anyway, here's the list I made for the first 10 films I'm gonna review:

1. The Black Cauldron
2. Gladiator
3. Season of the Witch
4. Conan the Barbarian*
5. Conan the Destroyer*
6. Constantine
7. Beowulf
8. Pathfinder
9. The Sorcerer's Apprentice*
10. 300

*films I don't have yet and may do something else in their place until I can get them.

I was also thinking about doing Jonah Hex. From what I hear, it's terrible, and it has supernatural elements. I mean, I'm doing Constantine so Jonah Hex might as well be fair game.

Knaight

2011-07-17, 07:04 AM

I was also thinking about doing Jonah Hex. From what I hear, it's terrible, and it has supernatural elements. I mean, I'm doing Constantine so Jonah Hex might as well be fair game.

Neither it nor Sorcerer's Apprentice are sword and sorcery. Sorcerer's Apprentice is set in the modern day, Jonah Hex is close to a western. It is also a very fun movie, and while it is by no means good, it is likeable enough.

Dr.Epic

2011-07-17, 02:38 PM

Neither it nor Sorcerer's Apprentice are sword and sorcery. Sorcerer's Apprentice is set in the modern day, Jonah Hex is close to a western. It is also a very fun movie, and while it is by no means good, it is likeable enough.

I said I'm making exceptions. I doesn't have to be dudes in mail with swords battling dragons or evil wizards. So long as it has swords and is placed in the distant past or has magic it's fine.

Southern Cross

2011-07-17, 02:48 PM

I recommend Captain Kronos:Vampire Hunter then.

pita

2011-07-17, 04:23 PM

I can't recall if anyone has mentioned Highlander or not.
The greatest movie in the world. Sean Connery plays an immortal Egyptian Spaniard who teaches the protagonist how to fight, and the villain is Sergeant Zim.

Southern Cross

2011-07-18, 04:07 PM

I have three Hong Kong films in my extensive DVD library I can recommend:
Encounters of The Spooky Kind stars Sammo Hung, who has to fight the evil magician who's been sleeping with his wife. It was apparently the first movie to feature the Chinese "hopping vampire". The only thing that lets it down is it's anti-women slant - apparently every adult woman with a speaking part in the film is a slut.
Mr. Vampire: The first (and best) of the Mr. Vampire series, this movie is,as it says, a film about hopping vampires. A great mix of horror, Eastern magic, martial arts and comedy. It definitely counts as a "sword and sorcery' movie, but of the subtype where the heroes can use magic themselves.
Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain: One of the classic wuxia films.

Hopeless

2011-07-22, 03:12 PM

Morech

2011-07-22, 03:34 PM

You've overlooked the Thirteenth Warrior, but that is only to show how a sword and sorcery movie can be done well and the supernatural elements in this are specifically how they view the villain of the piece...

Oh maybe not, its just too good to qualify!

YMMV, but I thought the ideas were more interesting than the execution, so I'd say it actually qualifies. Plus, it would seem remiss for a viking not to review at least one movie about his brethren (although he sorta has that covered with Beowulf).

Dr.Epic

2011-07-22, 07:21 PM

You've overlooked the Thirteenth Warrior, but that is only to show how a sword and sorcery movie can be done well and the supernatural elements in this are specifically how they view the villain of the piece...

Oh maybe not, its just too good to qualify!

Hmmm, might have to track this down. My local video store I don't think has it. While I never heard of it before, I didn't see it on the shelves. They also didn't have the first Conan film which made me sad. They had Conan the Destroyer, but not the first and I gotta find it because it is high fantasy and I need to see it at some point.

Also, I'm trying to remember the name of this one film. It came out a while ago. I remember seeing trailers for it, I don't know, like at least five years ago, probably more. I think the plot was these two vikings or knights somehow get teleported to the modern era. I'm not sure what they do, I just remember one scene from the trailer: one of them is talking to a hotdog vendor. The vender says something like "Would you like a hotdog?" The knight says something like "I'll eat any kind of dog." It looked bad but I'd do a review of it. It's got guys with swords in armor.

Seonor

2011-07-23, 12:23 AM

Also, I'm trying to remember the name of this one film. It came out a while ago. I remember seeing trailers for it, I don't know, like at least five years ago, probably more. I think the plot was these two vikings or knights somehow get teleported to the modern era. I'm not sure what they do, I just remember one scene from the trailer: one of them is talking to a hotdog vendor. The vender says something like "Would you like a hotdog?" The knight says something like "I'll eat any kind of dog." It looked bad but I'd do a review of it. It's got guys with swords in armor.

There were some of those with Jean Reno. Les Visiteurs, Les Visiteurs 2 and a remake for the american market Les Visiteurs en Amerique/Just Visiting.

Dr.Epic

2011-07-23, 01:03 PM

There were some of those with Jean Reno. Les Visiteurs, Les Visiteurs 2 and a remake for the american market Les Visiteurs en Amerique/Just Visiting.

Yeah, that sounds like it.

Also, at some point I'm thinking of doing like a Shakespeare month where I review bad films based on some of the greatest plays of all time. I'm trying to recall some films. All I got is Gnomeo & Juliet. Feel free to suggest some but I'm not going to review multiple films based on the same play so I already have my Romeo & Juliet film.

turkishproverb

2011-07-23, 03:24 PM

You could review Hamlet, but more venerable figures took care of that.

Dr.Epic

2011-07-23, 04:59 PM

You could review Hamlet, but more venerable figures took care of that.

You mean the black and white German Hamlet? I can't review something that's already been riffed on MST3K. Not to mention, a review of it would be difficult.

Hawriel

2011-07-24, 01:48 AM

I read the thread twice to see if Dragon Slayer was mentioned. To my suprise it was not. TheThan's list has most of the classic sword and scorcery movies I grew up with. I'm suprised that it was not on it.

Dragon slayer. One of my favorite S&S movies I saw as a kid.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonslayer

Honestly how could this be over looked? The only movie ware then hero uses a very practical weapon for killing a dragon. A 10 foot boar spear enchanted to the point that it could cut off a piece of the anvile it was forged on.

Also Jabberwalky and Erik the Viking.

Edit: Oh crap I forgot Rain of Fire staring Christian Bale. The dragon in that movie has a very close reseblance to the one in Dragon Slayer.

factotum

2011-07-24, 01:59 AM

I read the thread twice to see if Dragon Slayer was mentioned. To my suprise it was not.

You mean, apart from my comment in the second post in the thread? :smallconfused:

Athaniar

2011-07-24, 05:08 AM

Speaking of dragon movies, there is the one I mentioned briefly: Dragon Storm, from 2004. It's a Sci Fi channel film, but actually decent instead of so bad it's good (your mileage may vary on whether or not this is in its favor). It has John-Rhys Davies (hammy as always), Tony "Bra'tac" Amendola, and dragons from space (no, this does not make it sci-fi, but it's a cool twist), as well as a rather D&D-ish feeling.

Dienekes

2011-07-24, 08:47 AM

Yeah, that sounds like it.

Also, at some point I'm thinking of doing like a Shakespeare month where I review bad films based on some of the greatest plays of all time. I'm trying to recall some films. All I got is Gnomeo & Juliet. Feel free to suggest some but I'm not going to review multiple films based on the same play so I already have my Romeo & Juliet film.

Kenneth Branagh might be your man then, some of his Shakespeare is great some less well received. Personally I think his Henry V could be on your normal list of sword and sorcery movies, as well as Kurosawa's Ran.

For really terrible Shakespeare adaptions but not the actual play, can't really think of any but Gnomeo. This page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_William_Shakespeare_film_adaptations) may be of help.

I also must respectfully disagree that Romeo and Juliet is one of the greatest plays of all time, but that is an argument for another thread.

ThirdEmperor

2011-07-24, 09:05 AM

Also, I'm trying to remember the name of this one film. It came out a while ago. I remember seeing trailers for it, I don't know, like at least five years ago, probably more. I think the plot was these two vikings or knights somehow get teleported to the modern era. I'm not sure what they do, I just remember one scene from the trailer: one of them is talking to a hotdog vendor. The vender says something like "Would you like a hotdog?" The knight says something like "I'll eat any kind of dog." It looked bad but I'd do a review of it. It's got guys with swords in armor.

Yep, you're thinking of Just Visiting. And yes, it's bad, very, very bad, to the point where it crosses the So Bad It's Good line.

Dr.Epic

2011-07-24, 03:55 PM

Urg! I've seen so many bad CGI dragons watching these films for this series I'm thinking of doing a 10 top worse computer dragons episode.

Knaight

2011-07-24, 04:02 PM

Urg! I've seen so many bad CGI dragons watching these films for this series I'm thinking of doing a 10 top worse computer dragons episode.

Do it. And watch How To Train Your Dragon to see it done right.

Dr.Epic

2011-07-24, 04:12 PM

Do it. And watch How To Train Your Dragon to see it done right.

The irony is the cartoon dragons look better than the ones in the live action films.

pita

2011-07-26, 06:21 AM

The irony is the cartoon dragons look better than the ones in the live action films.

I'm sorry, but that's just the Avatar effect. In Avatar, the reason the special effects were so good was because everything else was turned into CGI, so it all looked equally and unnoticeably bad. For the cartoons everything looks cartoony, but dragons are relatively less cartoony, so they look more real.

Southern Cross

2011-07-26, 03:05 PM

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 counts as a sword and sorcery film.
I suggest that, if you are looking at Hercules films, you choose Hercules and the Haunted World, as it is not only directed by the late, great Mario Bava, but it has Christopher Lee as the villain.

Knaight

2011-07-26, 05:25 PM

I'm sorry, but that's just the Avatar effect. In Avatar, the reason the special effects were so good was because everything else was turned into CGI, so it all looked equally and unnoticeably bad. For the cartoons everything looks cartoony, but dragons are relatively less cartoony, so they look more real.

If it were a general statement about how cartoon dragons were usually better, I would agree. However, HTTYD had a consistent aesthetic throughout, with general quality in the art. The dragons were all visually interesting, there was variety both in static design and in ways of motion, and in general it did a very good job. Sure, taking one of the dragons from that film and putting it in one with a less stylized aesthetic, or even one stylized in a different manner is a bad idea, but that doesn't mean the movie didn't do a good job.

Dr.Epic

2011-07-27, 04:05 PM

I finally got Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer!!!:smallbiggrin: My video store has some weird shelving: apparently there are two aisle for sci-fi so I was checking the wrong place. It's bad enough I count fantasy as different from sci-fi, but why two aisles?

Also, I'm thinking of doing Heavy Metal and I've never seen the film, but based on that one episode of South Park, if the film is a mix of live action and animation I might do an animated review...which will take me like a month to draw. But hey. it's not like a show with a guy in armor with a drinking game every episode could be any more gimmicky.

Kindablue

2011-07-28, 04:54 AM

Have you checked out Ralph Bakshi? Fire and Ice is definitely a "good" sword and sorcery movie.

Yeah, that sounds like it.

Also, at some point I'm thinking of doing like a Shakespeare month where I review bad films based on some of the greatest plays of all time. I'm trying to recall some films. All I got is Gnomeo & Juliet. Feel free to suggest some but I'm not going to review multiple films based on the same play so I already have my Romeo & Juliet film.
Tromeo and Juliet and Titus. Neither is nearly as "good" as Gnomeo and Juliet looks, but they are really weird and shocking and should be easy to review.

Lord Loss

2011-07-28, 02:52 PM

Review the Dungeons and Dragons movies. :smallwink:

Dr.Epic

2011-07-28, 04:16 PM

Have you checked out Ralph Bakshi? Fire and Ice is definitely a "good" sword and sorcery movie.

I plan on reviewing Wizards and at some point his version of the LotR.

turkishproverb

2011-07-28, 04:54 PM

His version of LOTR isn't as bad as the Rankin Bass ROTK

Dr.Epic

2011-07-29, 04:54 PM

I got the Golden Compass and Eragon today, and this begs the question: why are there two horrible movies with Jeremy Irons and CGI dragons?

WampaX

2011-07-31, 09:34 PM

Wow, three pages and no mention of the Deathstalker (I-IV) series?
Or Barbarian Queen I and II?
Or The Warrior and the Sorceress?
Or the Sword and the Sorcerer?
Or Miles O'Keffe's turn in the Ator Series? Ator the Fighting Eagle, Ator the Invincible, and Iron Warror?
Or The Gor dualogy? Gor and Outlaw of Gor?

I could go on, but then I would be plumbing some uncharted depths. Things I have not seen since renting VHS tapes from the local mom and pop video store.

Okay, yeah, I CAN see how anyone with a shred of sanity wouldn't mention those films, But while we're here, Conquest should also probably be added to the list.

turkishproverb

2011-08-01, 12:32 AM

O'Keffe nothing. Pretty much All the ator stuff is bad.

Dr.Epic

2011-08-01, 04:02 PM

O'Keffe nothing. Pretty much All the ator stuff is bad.

Even Troll 3?

comicshorse

2011-08-01, 04:10 PM

I got the Golden Compass and Eragon today, and this begs the question: why are there two horrible movies with Jeremy Irons and CGI dragons?

Jeremy Irons was in The Golden Compass ?

hamishspence

2011-08-01, 04:12 PM

I'm guessing they're referring to the D&D movie & Eragon.

turkishproverb

2011-08-01, 06:16 PM

Even Troll 3?

I think that's the O'Keiffe one.

Dr.Epic

2011-08-01, 08:38 PM

I think that's the O'Keiffe one.

Yep.

Also, got the original Clash of the Titans and A Knight's Tale. I'm gonna have fun with the latter because it is a horrible film, plus, think of all the Joker references I could make with it. And for Clash of the Titans, I might incorporate me fight some sort of clamation monster at the end, because, ya know, this can't get too gimmicky.

turkishproverb

2011-08-01, 11:12 PM

Yep.

Also, got the original Clash of the Titans and A Knight's Tale. I'm gonna have fun with the latter because it is a horrible film, plus, think of all the Joker references I could make with it. And for Clash of the Titans, I might incorporate me fight some sort of clamation monster at the end, because, ya know, this can't get too gimmicky.

A knights tale is kinda like Flash Gordon. It's not so much so bad it's good as so bad it's Awesome!

Winthur

2011-08-02, 08:50 AM

How about The Witcher?

xD xD xD

Southern Cross

2011-08-02, 04:07 PM

How about Bert I. Gordon's The Magic Sword and Peter J. Small's Jack The Giant Killer? They're not exactly good movies, but they are still worth watching.

Dr.Epic

2011-08-02, 05:52 PM

Honestly, there are only a few more films I'm gonna buy right now because this is putting a dent in my wallet and I'm not even sure how big this will be. Like, most films I bought I've never seen and this is just sort of an excuse for me to buy them. Like, I don't like buying a film I've never seen because there's $10-20 I wasted. These films, some are regarded as classics and I want to see them, but at least I have an excuse if I hate them: I'm making a review.

So, the last few films I'm gonna get are:

-Wizards
-Jason and the Argonauts
-Merlin
-Just Visiting

If this thing gets successful, then I'll probably get the films you all suggested. And this is not me saying "Thanks for the advice, but I'm gonna disregard it." This is me saying "Thanks for the advice I might follow up on but my local video store on has these DVDs and I'm not going to order anything yet, so I will take up your advice should this turn out to be fun and successful."

Southern Cross

2011-08-02, 05:54 PM

Oops.. I just erased a duplicate of my last post.
Dr. Epic, I think I watched The Magic Sword on Classic Cinema Online.
It was definitely a cheap & cheesy Bert I. Gordon film, but I didn't have to pay for it.

Dr.Epic

2011-08-02, 05:56 PM

How about Bert I. Gordon's The Magic Sword and Peter J. Small's Jack The Giant Killer? They're not exactly good movies, but they are still worth watching.

There a reason you posted this twice?:smallconfused:

Southern Cross

2011-08-04, 05:41 AM

Yes,the GITP server malfunctioned.

dehro

2011-08-04, 06:36 AM

yeah..so I've tried performing a search or two and have found most of my choice of titles already listed by one or the other..
I'll list a few that have eluded my search-fu skills...or maybe nobody has indeed listed them

The Dark Crystal,
The Last Dragon (the one with Sho'nuff... 'nuff said)
does Flash Gordon fall under sword and sorcery? if not, you should still riff it :smallbiggrin:
has anybody listed the sequels to the never ending story?
dare I say disney's "sleeping beauty"?
The Forbidden Kingdom

Dr.Epic

2011-08-06, 12:26 AM

does Flash Gordon fall under sword and sorcery? if not, you should still riff it :smallbiggrin:

Captain America could qualify because the Cosmic Cube it a weapon of the gods. Does it match the sorcery in this that film?

has anybody listed the sequels to the never ending story?

What sequels? Like the Matrix, the Neverending Story never had any sequels.

dare I say disney's "sleeping beauty"?

Honestly, I don't want to riff that many children's animated films, especially Disney films. Like, there are bad ones and the first film I plan on doing is the Black Cauldron, but something about doing it seems cynical. A grown many complaining about a children's animated film.

The Forbidden Kingdom

But it's forbidden.:smallwink:

dehro

2011-08-08, 07:08 PM

OT
huh..that's odd.. this thread continued to flash as having been updated, last post by Dr. Epic at 7.26..but when I go watch it, my post is listed and shows as last post.

scrap that..as I write the reply, I notice right under the textbox, that there is in fact a post by Dr Epic that appears in the topic review but not in the normal topic visualisation..
has my browser gone wonky or is this thread bugged for everybody?
/OT

A grown many complaining about a children's animated film." people could say thtat most sword and sorcery is targeted at children..and I say pish to that.

Edit: ah..now I've replied to it, I can actually see the post I've quoted from also in normal thread visualisation... how peculiar

Dr.Epic

2011-08-08, 07:37 PM

people could say thtat most sword and sorcery is targeted at children..and I say pish to that.

Yeah, like Heavy Metal and Wizards.:smallwink: And that's one thing that really bugs me: how is Ralph Bakshi's Wizards (quoting the back of the DVD case) a "feast for the eyes that will enthrall animation fans and film lovers of all ages."

dehro

2011-08-09, 02:37 AM

Yeah, like Heavy Metal and Wizards.:smallwink: And that's one thing that really bugs me: how is Ralph Bakshi's Wizards (quoting the back of the DVD case) a "feast for the eyes that will enthrall animation fans and film lovers of all ages."

my guess is he wrote that himself...kinda like somebody who really is looking for approval and edits his own Wikipedia entry.

Dr.Epic

2011-08-09, 03:59 PM

my guess is he wrote that himself...kinda like somebody who really is looking for approval and edits his own Wikipedia entry.

Wait, are you actually suggesting people lie and stretch the truth about their works to become more successful and gain more money? What planet do you live on, because I live on Space Earth.

Also, trying to think of other ideas for videos. I just watched a video at TGWTG and they suggested to really make it you got to pump out 6-8 videos a month. Other than just comedic reviews, I was thinking about doing:

-top tens (they were recommended)
-reviewing recent films in a serious tone
-me going to cons and ren. fairs
-recording the audio from D&D games
-recording Munchkin games

Any other suggestions?

Athaniar

2011-08-10, 06:20 AM

dehro

2011-08-10, 07:43 AM

Speaking of Les Visiteurs/Just Visiting, I recently watched Just Visiting, and... it's almost exactly the same as the French original, just in English. Seriously, the two main characters are even played by the same actors. I just don't see the point.

meh..it's like with Being Human, death at a funeral, and god knows how many other movies that are barely 4-5 years old before somebody in Hollywood feels the need to beef it up american style...

Dr.Epic

2011-08-11, 06:46 PM

Knaight

2011-08-12, 09:25 AM

Dr.Epic

2011-08-12, 10:24 AM

You should see what the people who read the book think about it.

The books any good?:smallconfused:

Also, I still want to get the Sorcerer's Apprentice and the Russell Crowe Robin Hood before I start doing my reviews. I planned to have them in the first 20 I do, and I'd kind of like to keep them in there. The 20th review, I know what I'm doing for it and I do plan to introduce a spinoff character also played by me that should be fun.

Also, Priest comes out soon! I heard it was really bad so I needs to see it. I need to pick that up as well as Legion. They're both by the same guy.

Seonor

2011-08-12, 10:32 AM

So I just watched the Golden Compass. What the crap! A cliffhanger ending with no sequel!? Oh well, it's still not the worse thing in the film. The only redeeming quality in the film is armored Ian McKellen polar bear. Why couldn't Gandalf come back as that as opposed to a White Wizard?:smallwink:

You should see what the people who read the book think about it.

As someone who likes the books, I have to say the film isn't that bad if you:
- put the scenes back into the right order
- ignore that they left out the ending
- ignore what the characters say and do in some scenes and just concentrate on the visuals, they are quite good
- take the film not as a complete work, but rather as an illustration of some of the events in the book.

And Lyra, Mrs Coulter and Lord Asriel were good in most scenes (Nicole Kidman was just perfect as Mrs Coulter).

Dr.Epic

2011-08-12, 10:40 AM

As someone who likes the books, I have to say the film isn't that bad if you:
- put the scenes back into the right order
- ignore that they left out the ending
- ignore what the characters say and do in some scenes and just concentrate on the visuals, they are quite good
- take the film not as a complete work, but rather as an illustration of some of the events in the book.

And Lyra, Mrs Coulter and Lord Asriel were good in most scenes (Nicole Kidman was just perfect as Mrs Coulter).

Even ignore the lack of an ending, I'm left wondering what was the story that was trying to be told?

Also, there are some bits I'm still confused about like how everyone has a Dæmon, your Dæmon can shift forms when your a child and not when your an adult, and the whole dust thing.

Knaight

2011-08-12, 11:26 AM

The books any good?:smallconfused:

I'd say yes, but they are very controversial both in writing style and in content. Thing is, the film version is loosely inspired by the books at most. I see it as someone reading the book while on a drug, then a few years writing the film while on a different drug, from memory. Then one gets good actors, fight choreographers, and animators to try and repair the terrible, terrible script as much as possible.

Short version: Its a bad movie, and the people who actually read the books are not happy about certain omissions as a rule.

Dr.Epic

2011-08-13, 11:23 AM

I'd say yes, but they are very controversial both in writing style and in content. Thing is, the film version is loosely inspired by the books at most. I see it as someone reading the book while on a drug, then a few years writing the film while on a different drug, from memory. Then one gets good actors, fight choreographers, and animators to try and repair the terrible, terrible script as much as possible.

Short version: Its a bad movie, and the people who actually read the books are not happy about certain omissions as a rule.

You mean like what they did to Jonah Hex?:smallwink:

Eldan

2011-08-13, 11:57 AM

Though, if they already got under fire from religious groups for the first movie, then studios would have been burning by the third.

Dr.Epic

2011-08-14, 10:26 AM

So I just watched Prince of Persia and Eragon. The former was okay. Didn't love it, but there wasn't really anything remarkably bad with it (save the tooth grinding relationship between the lead and princess that was basically one big Excuse Me Princess). Fight scenes were pretty cool. As for Eragon, the only thing I liked about it was seeing Jeremy Irons insult that annoying kid
and they went and killed his character off halfway through.

Knaight

2011-08-16, 05:46 AM

Though, if they already got under fire from religious groups for the first movie, then studios would have been burning by the third.

There's a solution here. If you can't take the heat from the groups criticized, don't adapt the book. Notice the way that solution doesn't involve bowdlerization to the point of everything beyond the plot being stripped away, after going through the process I outlined in my previous post.