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September 14, 2025

Atomic Swan Web Series - RATS (Volume 1 and 2)

Posted by PeggyC

I think to this point, I’ve reviewed everything available from Atomic Swan. Lots of misses but with the ones that hit, they hit right. So I’m always happy to check out anything Tyler Zickafoose sends my way.

That said, I guess I’m a little confused by this one. It seems they were trying to make a web series but it also incorporated a lot of what felt like the Atomic Swan style for their movies - read: improvisation. I can’t say that it worked really well here.

The basic premise is a show about Merle and Wayne, best friends just trying to navigate the ups and downs of life. Losing jobs, absentee parents, toxic relationships, money problems, anger management, getting framed for crimes they didn’t commit, and even death.

That might seem like a lot but there are eight episodes, plus one set-up episode, to contain it all. I’m not going to break down the entire series but let’s cover some highlights, yes?

The first episode introduces us to the main characters, Merle and Wayne, and what’s going on in life for them at the time. Merle lives with his wife and baby boy but he’s out of work and the heat was just shut off at his house, letting us know Merle is struggling financially. Wayne is his best friend and we get more of his story in the 2nd episode, where he is fired from his job as a pizza delivery guy because the boss thinks Wayne is fucking the pizza.

I’m sorry, what?

So the first volume of “Rats” shows us Merle and Wayne and all the zany characters they know or meet along the way.

Volume 2 develops our two main characters more. Wayne meets his long absent father; Wayne also moves out of his mom’s house and in with Merle and his family; the identity of the REAL pizza fucker (spoiler - it wasn’t Wayne) is uncovered so eventually Wayne’s job/financial status improves. But Merle’s life starts to spiral when his wife leaves, taking their baby with her, and moves to Iowa (which is odd since in Volume 1 she said her family is in Calif).

MAJOR SPOILER: the whole series ends with Merle’s death.

What the actual fuck???????

While I do have quite a few issues with this series, the fact that I ACTUALLY CRIED twice while watching tells me that at least these guys know how to create characters the viewer can care about. My favorite ones were Merle, the Yoga/Anger Management guy, and Lee Li (played by my fav, Tuan Edwards, who always looks like he’s about to bust up laughing). The two times I cried were first when Merle worried he was turning into his father (i.e., not being a good dad) and second after his wife left him and he broke down. Charles Shaver did a fantastic job in the role.

I did get some honest amusement in this. The Anger Management character stole his scene with Wayne. And when Lee Li sets the alarm on his skateboard, I had to pause the DVD for a minute while I laughed.

That said…two of my biggest pet peeves were the length certain scenes or conversations lasted, and the dialogue improvisation. Every episode had a section, usually involving improvised dialogue, that went on for way too long. Did we really need half an episode taken up by who’s fucking who or how shitty someone is? Does the audience really need to know the deep details of how someone fucks a pizza? Shouldn’t the fighting commenced sooner between the group of guys at the pool hall instead of them talking about absolutely nothing or throwing barbs and insults at each other for fifteen minutes?

Fifteen minutes of nothing is the equivalent of a lifetime in movies and tv.

It’s hard to get invested in a movie or show when even the actors are just making shit up as they go. My instinct is telling me that there were story plot points to cover but how the actors arrived at each one involved so much meandering and repetitive, jungle-thick crap that Crocodile Dundee would have had a hard time finding the point. Please actually write 90% script and let the actors improv the remaining 10%, not the other way around.

EDIT: I just got confirmation from the director that 99% of the entire series was improvised. I feel so big brain right now…

AND WHAT WAS WITH ALL THE YELLING?? I understand sound being unbalanced, or not having access to high-tech microphones so one might need to project a little stronger to make sure the audio records. But gods dammit, folks. I think my neighbors three houses down could hear my tv. With the windows closed! Please stop projecting your dialogue as if you’re trying to talk over the mosh-pitting crowd at a GWAR concert.

All in all, it wasn’t totally bad. Rough around the edges? Yes. Amateur acting? Sure, mostly. Too much improvised dialogue that went on too long to say too little? Absofuckinglutely. Am I mad I watched it? No, not really. I do enjoy most projects that comes out of Atomic Swan. It’s clear the people working on these movies and shorts and everything in between love to make them, they love working with each other, and it shows. And there’s no way you can fault that.

1.5 hatchets (out of 5)

Here's a link to AS You Tube channel. Volume 1 episodes are uploaded there!

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September 1, 2025

A Binge too Far #55: Wayne’s World duo (1992 – 1993)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

Mike Myers and Garth Algar in Wayne's World (1992)

Based on the same-titled Saturday Night Live sketch which poked fun to heavy metal, Wayne’s World (1992) became a comedy phenomenon that spawned a sequel. We take a brief look at both films.

Wayne's World (1992) poster

Wayne’s World (1992)

Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carney) are broadcasting for free the titular television show that they make out of a basement, until they catch the attention of a major network who has a producer (Rob Lowe) offering them $5,000 dollars to join their company.

Focusing on the love story between Wayne and lead singer Cassandra (Tia Carrere) that is pretty much the driving force behind the entire satirical facade, acclaimed director Penelope Spheeris takes the opportunity and explores the buffoonery of the hard rock world (a cameo by Alice Cooper is priceless), but she does so with a lot of love that elevates the material from good comedy to a labour of passion.

Made on a $20 million budget and distributed by Paramount Pictures, this was the second film they backed on the strength of a SNL sketch [the also very musical Blues Brothers (1980) was the first], and it proved a right business decision as it grossed a stunning $183.1 million.

Wayne's World 2 (1993)

Wayne’s World 2 (1993)

Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carney) organize a festival (in which Aerosmith will play at the top of the bill) in order to win back the former’s girlfriend (Tia Carrere) from the hands of a seedy manager (Christopher Walken).

With the original film’s director replaced because of personality and creative conflicts with the male lead, this was helmed by Stephen Surjik (known for his work in television, where similarly to here he offers no directing personality and lacks style of any kind) who at least gets the material tonally and offers plenty of ‘bro comedy’ jokes. The massive $30 million budget allowed for several high-profile cameos too, including by starlets such as Kim Basinger, Drew Barrymore, and Heather Locklear. It grossed $72 million.

August 1, 2025

A Binge too Far #54: Treasures of Fear of the Adult Swim Yule Log duo (2022 – 2024)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

A frame from Adult Swim Yule Log (2022)

It is probably the most irrelevant time of the year to post an article on a duo of recent Yuletide terrors, but we’re always kooky at Cinema Head Cheese, so here we go!

Adult Swim Yule Log (2022)

A young couple and a small group of podcasters double-book the same cabin via different apps, as the local authorities warn them for taking a sacred Yule log from a site that was utilized for hanging slaves, and that incidentally a serial killer on the loose. However, their problems will get much bigger when aliens arrive via a spaceship on their backyard, and the burning log gets alive and lethal.

Written and directed by Casper Kelly [he was one of the writers of the equally bonkers Mandy (2018)], this starts delivering quality early on with several well-thought one-shots, but in the middle it becomes thematically bananas and throws everything in, including the sink and even a satanic cult! It is bizarre, but because it is so well-planned tonally (not to mention very well calculated in terms of shooting and editing), it never becomes ridiculous, but it is so weird that only an outlandish network like Adult Swim could’ve streamed it as their first feature production.

Adult Swim Yule Log 2

Adult Swim Yule Log 2: Branchin’ Out (2024)

Traumatized by the events of the first film, Zoe (returning Andrea Laing) aims to get as far away from Yule logs as possible, but during a road trip with her best friend (Chase Steven Anderson) their car breaks and they end up in a small town that holds a ‘Yule Log Festival’ and attracts numerous social media influences from all around the U.S.

Who’d have thought that writer/director Casper Kelly would return with a sequel to the ‘under the radar’ stunning original from two Christmases back, but that is exactly what he did, as we are invited to a surreal hybrid that is satirizing both modern horror films as well as the Hallmark Christmas romantic comedies, so much that even the format and cinematography change within seconds, creating an unparalleled weird viewing experience. It is a bit unfortunate that the humour is overshadowing the complicated shoot and the deep thought that seem to have been utilized in almost every shot of this unique experiment.

July 1, 2025

A Binge too Far #53: The Mega Size Action of the Speed duo (1994 – 1997)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bulloch in Speed (1994)

Mega Hollywood stars usually have people driving them in limousines, but Sandra Bulloch is taking the bus [in Speed (1994)] and then the ship [in Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)].

Speed (1994) poster

Speed (1994)

A mad terrorist motivated mainly by money (Dennis Hopper, no introduction needed) sets a bomb on a bus full of civilian passengers (led by Sandra Bulloch) that will explode if the vehicle stops speeding over 50 miles per hour. Police officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves, in a career-defining performance) gets on the bus and tries to find a solution.

Written by Graham Yost (known mainly for his work in television), this is your typical ‘the clock is ticking’ action story, and the direction by Jan de Bont (a cinematographer by trade) is even more conventional, but somehow it is all well-executed enough to keep your interest and allow for a good time to be had. It made a massive $350.4 million at the box-office and it even won a couple of Oscars among other awards, which doesn’t often happen in pictures of this genre, therefore it has become a classic of sorts.

Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)

A hacker (and embarrassing and embarrassed Willem Dafoe) gets a hold of a cruise’s control in order to drive it into an oil tank, as if terrorists opt for such bizarre actions. It is now up to glorified cop Alex Shaw (Jason Patrick, who for a leading man doesn’t have too much screen time, and we are grateful for that) and his love interest Annie (returning Sandra Bulloch, who probably couldn’t say no to the fat check) to save the day.

Doomed to fail from the get-go not only due to Keanu Reeves’ last minute absence but also because you can’t make a film called Speed about a cruise boat because these things are not very fast, so director Jan de Bont is left with a gigantic budget ($160 million) to save the day, and he doesn’t even do that as the whole thing is exceptionally mundane, with every scene resorting to basic coverage and resembling a bad TV movie. It was destroyed by the critics, hated by the paying audiences, and it grossed $164.5, merely making its money back and putting a tombstone to the promising franchise.

June 29, 2025

Let Us In (2022) Movie Review

Posted by PeggyC

In October 2024, I believe I met the writer/director of an indie horror flick that was filmed right here in Michigan. I said I’d be happy to review it for CHC and now, nearly nine months later, I’m finally getting around to it.

I am so sorry I’m a lazy asshole, Anthony!

Anyway, let’s get to it! I’ll try not to spoil anything as it’s a relatively new film and someone out there might not have had the chance to see it yet.

Personally, that might be for the best…

Let Us In is basically some kind of zombie film that takes place in the middle of petty squabbles between rival motorcycle gangs. The film jumps around a lot between the gang members, some guy hiding out in NOT his house with a sick wife, a random dude whose car breaks down, and some chick who…I don’t even know her fucking issue.

Their storylines eventually cross, leaving a lot of blood and violence on the front lawn for the hazmat team to clean up.

That’s about it. There’s not a lot of depth going on in this movie. I admit Anthony tried to make a more interesting flick than just your standard zombie trope-filled celluloid. It could have worked if the sound was even, or if the acting was better, or the special effects looked more convincing, or it made any sense at all.

The story arc jumping was too much. Each character group/story had about two minutes of screen time – if we were lucky – before switching to another. It’s mostly difficult to keep track of the story because the audio is absolute GARBAGE. Maybe that’s why the opening title screen says, “This film should be played LOUD!”

Fuck my life…

The “special f/x” are pretty bad, which is not uncommon for indie horror. But when the neck flap of the mask is clearly visible on the zombie, and there aren’t more guts on a victim after a chainsaw attack, it makes it a little difficult to become immersed in the action.

But I have to say the most implausible scene that really pissed me off was a character with a SHOTGUN acquiesced to a character with a CHAINSAW who threatened to saw off their hands if they didn’t put the gun down. I mean, what the actual fuck? He’s standing two feet away from you. Blow that fucking asshole’s head off and move on.

*ahem*

Anyway…

It’s not a total loss here. The film is only 57 minutes, which helps a great deal, even if some of it feels like filler to pad the run time. And while character development was obviously not a priority here (the biker chick, Meg, was introduced via her bare tits and I don’t think she had any dialogue at all) the character of Chris is actually kinda fun. He’s got a fight scene with a zombie that pretty fucking cool. I’m not sure if he’s supposed to be some kind of bad ass or former Green Beret but I’d believe it if that was the explanation for his bad-assery.

Also some of the cinematography is great. Many of the shots needed to convey that sense of emptiness that comes with a global infectious event and this flick delivered where needed.

They did put out a goofy gimmick with the movie, a la William Castle. Barf bags were included inside the DVD case. I wouldn’t say this movie had that much gore in it but I get the idea behind it. Nice little throwback to the tamer days of horror presentation.

Adorbs

While I wouldn’t recommend this film at all, I won’t judge anyone who’d like to support Anthony and any of his future projects. I think there’s a lot of potential there. Maybe not the next Tarantino or Roth, but it might be fun to see where he goes from here.

1 hatchet (out of 5)

I have no links or site where you can get this flick so if you're really interested, maybe email or call Anthony!

June 1, 2025

A Binge too Far #52: Report from the 10th Horrorant International Film Festival - Fright Nights

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

The 10^th Horrorant International Film Festival – ‘Fright Nights’ that primarily took place at the prestigious Elize theater of Athens, was a great success on all fronts, including the quality of the program that this year focused on Asian horror and the many filmmakers that visited Greece in order to provide generous Q&A sessions with the audience. Unfortunately, due to my busy schedule I was able to attend only a few screenings, and here are my brief thoughts on them.

Play Dead (2025)

Alison (Paula Brasca) awakens in a dark basement among a handful of dead women, when she realizes that a masked maniac is lurking in the surroundings. She decides to play dead (as per the title) until she can think of an escape plan. Hailing from Spain, but efficiently dubbed in English, this slasher directed by Carlos Goitia [Horrorant had previously screened his The 100 Candles Game: The Last Possession (2023)] may be a bit formulaic and even feel dated at times – it is echoing several classics from Saw (2004) to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) – but where it lacks in inspiration, it delivers on execution, resulting in an utterly enjoyable experience, so much that I can’t remember since when I was that enthusiastic for a serial killer picture.

Dead by Dawn (2025)

A proposed high-art stage play assembles a group of actors in the villa of a mysterious and wealthy family that is rumored to practice the occult, when a serial killer is stalking them on the grounds, and is killing them one-by-one with a variety of creative ways.

Hailing from Poland, writer/director Dawid Torrone’s debut may sound like your standard slasher, but it is very far removed from the hollow genre standards, and what it presents is a stylish manifesto for the senses, an artistically stunning work of celluloid full of nods to the best moments in Dario Argento’s body of work. Kinetic and intelligent, this benefits both from its many complicated set-ups for the camera and the choreography, as well as its brutal gore. This is a modern masterpiece that you cannot miss.

Deviant (2024)

Javier (Alain Hernandez) is suffering from boredom resulted from a thankless job and a sexless marriage, leading him to eye his daughter’s teenage friends. One day, and after pressure from a colleague, he signs in a kinky dating app and starts chatting with a girl. When a meeting is arranged in her house, Javier doesn’t find a willing lover, but rather a grotesque fat man (Fernando Albizu) and his ailing and wheelchair-bound mother (Itziar Aizpuru) who is suffering from dementia. The protagonist is soon held captive at the perverted duo’s basement and is expecting sexual torture with a variety of sex toys, after the tormentor is finished with taking care of a pedophile priest (Patxi Santamaria).

As writer/director Daniel M. Caneiro told us during his very entertaining Q&A session that followed the screening of this horror-comedy, his inspirations include Sam Raimi and Gene Wilder. But with brilliant – if subtle – commentary on religion, family values, and even the dangers of technology, this is much more than a simple torture film presented as a Christmas movie. It may be a bit too provocative, or sexually humorous to guarantee a larger audience, but everyone in the packed theater in which I saw it seemed to have a very good time with it.

April 30, 2025

A Binge too Far #51: The Firestarter duo (1984 – 2022)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

Drew Barrymore as Charlene in Firestarter (1984)

Stephen King’s Firestarter (1980) horror novel about a young girl with the rare ability of pyrokinesis is one of the best examples of his early work, and it was adapted for the big screen as a blockbuster film in 1984, a mini-series in 2002, and a bombastic remake ensued recently, in 2022. For this article we give a brief look to the two theatrical releases, while the mini-series will be tackled in the next instalment of the more appropriate Static Age column.

Firestarter (1984) poster

Firestarter (1984)

While hippies in college and desperate for money, Andrew McGee (David Keith) and Vicky Tomlinson (Heather Locklear) participated in a medical experiment that involved a dodgy hallucinating drug. Most of the participant had horrible side-effects, but the protagonist couple gained the power of telepathy. What’s more, years later, their daughter Charlene (Drew Barrymore) inherited a variation of the power, in the form of pyrokinesis. Now the government (specifically a team lead by Geoge C. Scott) is after the young girl and her ability to set things on fire.

Looking like a John Carpenter film all the way through (and the horror legend was indeed attached to the project early on), this 1980s horror classic was instead directed by Mark Lester [a masterful craftsman who in the next year would offer us the last word on action cinema, in the form of Commando (1985)], and while it is a bit slow during its first half, the finale becomes a spectacle like no other, with real fire special effects dominating the proceedings (the generous $12 million budget allowed the film to look big and rich). It’s a pity that it didn’t set the box-office at fire though, as it grossed a mere $18.9 million in worldwide rentals.

Firestarter (2022) poster

Firestarter (2022)

Andrew McGee (Zac Efron) and Vicky Tomlinson (Sydney Lemmon) participate in a medical experiment involving a hallucinating drug that ends up giving them the powers of telepathy and telekinisis. As a bizarre result, their daughter Charlene (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) ends up with the power of pyrokinesis, and is now the most wanted person by the Department of Scientific Intelligence (DSI) that wants to study and use her ability to set the world on fire, literally.

Produced by Jason Blum and Akiva Goldsman (for Blumhouse Productions and Weed Road Pictures) on a comparatively generous $12 million budget (that cannot explain the terribly CGI fires on display) and with director Keith Thomas [The First Omen (2024)] at the helm, this plays like a standard modern horror programmer, that is never scary, nor atmospheric. The score by John Carpenter (who finally got involved with this), Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies is much better than the actual film. It was hated by critics, and it grossed a mere $15 million, but audiences caught up with it on Peacock.

April 1, 2025

A Binge too Far #50 - Singing and Dancing with The Blues Brothers duo (1980 – 1998)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in The Blues Brothers (1980)

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Recently-released from prison Jake Blues (John Belushi) is reunited with his brother Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) and in order to find enough dough to save the catholic orphanage in which they grew up, they re-assemble their old blues band, resulting in adventures with the law and the Nazis.

Written by John Landis (who also directed) and Dan Aykroyd (developed from the same-titled sketch that originally appeared on NBC’s Saturday Night Live) this fun musical comedy is full of wild (but safe, within the limits of its R rating) humour and spectacular musical numbers by a variety of Blues legends, including James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and John Lee Hooker.

Made on an excessive $27.5 million budget, it was distributed by Universal Pictures and went on to gross a stunning $115.2 million at the box-office, and following positive reviews from critics and enthusiastic word-of-mouth from audiences it also became a VHS phenomenon too, essentially one of the most iconic films of the 1980s.

Featuring car crashes and shootouts, as well as a fascinating cast (Frank Oz, Carrie Fisher, John Candy, Paul Reubens, Charles Napier, Twiggy, Steven Spielberg, and Steve Lawrence), and a R&B soundtrack for the ages, this is classic Hollywood at its best.

Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)

Recently-released from prison where he was serving for 18 years for the felonies depicted mostly in the finale of the first film, Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd, who also penned the screenplay with the film’s director John Landis) and with his brother now dead, he must re-assemble his old band for a new “Mission from God” that will result in new adventures with the law and even communists.

Produced by Dan Aykroyd, John Landis, and Leslie Belzerg on a massive $30 million budget that went to a spectacle that is featuring car crashes, shootouts, a large cast of extras, and some terrible CGI, this is essentially a rehash of the original and it was indented as a comeback project for its director. It delivers the most fun you could possibly have at the movies in the late 1990s with entertaining singing and dancing that is giving you the feel and magic of R&B, but you shouldn’t be expecting the greatness of the first film. It grossed a disastrous $32.1 million.

February 28, 2025

A Binge too Far #49: The Hot Shots! duo (1991 – 1993)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

Charlie Sheen in a promotional shot for Hot Shots! (1991)

Nowadays people get their laughs from Instagram reels and get entertained by stand-up comedians, but back in the 1990s the comedy genre was still cinematically big enough to guarantee blockbusters such as the Hot Shots! (1991 – 1993) duo to be made.

Hot Shots! (1991) poster

Hot Shots! (1991)

Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) is a fighter pilot who falls in love with the force’s psychiatrist (a very sexy Valeria Golino), who will try to put some balance in his unstable life, but things get trickier when the protagonist will participate on a suicide mission.

Written by Jim Abrahams (who also directed) and Pat Proft (who also executive produced), this is a big budget (Bill Badalato produced on a $26 million and the film was distributed by 20^th Century Fox) parody of the then-recent Top Gun (1986) sensation (we tackled it on a previous post), but it also satirizes iconic scenes from other mainstream pictures of the time, including 9½ Weeks (1986) and Superman (1978). Nobody did surreal and wild comedies like Abrahams back then and even those who did never had his success, and Hot Shots! (1991) went on to gross a stunning $181.1 million, guaranteeing a sequel.

Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993)

Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) is now a Rambo-like soldier on a mission to save war prisoners from Iraq that is under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein (Jerry Haleva), but in the meanwhile he has to put his personal life in order as he is romantically desired by his old girlfriend Ramada (Valeria Golino) and a C.I.A. sex bomb (Brenda Bakke).

Written by Jim Abrahams (who also directed) and Pat Proft (who also executive produced) this bombastic sequel (it was budgeted at $25 million) is also funnier than the original, as it parodies the plot structure and main characters of Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), but also incorporates many scenes that satirize then-recent hits such as Basic Instinct (1992). It grossed $133.8 million, so it’s surprising that we didn’t see more of the same.

January 31, 2025

A Binge too Far #48: The epic Conan duo (1982 – 1984)

Posted by Christos Mouroukis

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan the Barbarian (1982)

Despite his limited skills as an actor and mostly with dialogue, Arnold Schwarzenegger was undeniably star material, and with very few lines to deliver he employed his otherworldly posture in order to become Conan, in a couple of films that were successful enough to guarantee the second coming of the ‘sword and sandal’ genre.

Conan the Barbarian (1982)

Upon seeing his people suffering genocide and the beheading of his own mother, a kid is growing up to become Conan the Barbarian (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and fight for revenge, using his god-like strength and his skills with the sword.

Based on Robert E. Howard’s same-titled ‘down and dirty’ comic book character that was devoured by fans of pulp fiction, and turned into screenplay format by none other than Oliver Stone (of all people) and John Milius (who also directed, mostly competently enough and often with loads of inspiration), this may not be as risky as its source material, but you still get enough nudity and beheadings to justify its R rating. Produced by Rafaela De Laurentiis on a $20 million budget, it became a phenomenon as it grossed a stunning $79.1 million, singlehandedly spawning the second wave of the ‘sword and sandal’ genre. It greatly benefits from a cast that includes James Earl Jones and Max Von Sydow, but its true power is the game-changing soundtrack by Basil Poledouris.

Conan the Destroyer (1984)

Evil Queen Taramis of Shadizar [Sarah Douglas from Superman (1978)] is testing the strength of Conan (returning Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his (comic relief) sidekick Malak [Tracey Walter, later in Batman (1989)] and once that is proven they are assigned to aid her niece, Princess Jehnna [Olivia d’Abo, later in Point of No Return (1993)] to a journey gain back a precious horn jewel.

Based on Robert E. Howard’s comic book, this time the story was turned into a screenplay by Stanley Mann, while directorial duties went to Richard Fleischer, who is handling the material with the same gusto dictated by the original outing. Its sensibilities however are approached in different manner, and while there are a few beheadings on display, the nudity is notably absent and a ‘safe for all’ PG rating resulted. This sequel is not as lively, but it is also not entirely soulless, mainly due to the excellent work of composer Basil Poledouris. It was once again produced by Rafaela De Laurentiis on an $18 million budget, but it grossed a mere $31 million and the sequel promised on the end credits never materialized.

Afterword

Robert E. Howard’s works were also the inspiration behind the similar Red Sonja (1985), also featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Conan was the subject of several 1990s animated series, as well as an ill-fated live action series that lasted a mere one season. In the 2000s Conan fans were treated to a few video games featuring their favourite barbarian, but it was in 2011 that we saw him returning to the big screen in live action form with Conan the Barbarian featuring Jason Momoa in the title role.

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September 14, 2025

Atomic Swan Web Series - RATS (Volume 1 and 2)

September 1, 2025

A Binge too Far #55: Wayne’s World duo (1992 – 1993)

August 1, 2025

A Binge too Far #54: Treasures of Fear of the Adult Swim Yule Log duo (2022 – 2024)

July 1, 2025

A Binge too Far #53: The Mega Size Action of the Speed duo (1994 – 1997)

June 29, 2025

Let Us In (2022) Movie Review

June 1, 2025

A Binge too Far #52: Report from the 10th Horrorant International Film Festival - Fright Nights

April 30, 2025

A Binge too Far #51: The Firestarter duo (1984 – 2022)

April 1, 2025

A Binge too Far #50 - Singing and Dancing with The Blues Brothers duo (1980 – 1998)

February 28, 2025

A Binge too Far #49: The Hot Shots! duo (1991 – 1993)

January 31, 2025

A Binge too Far #48: The epic Conan duo (1982 – 1984)

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