Happy Horror-day! Friday the 13th Part II (1981)

I have been mulling this over since reviewing the first one back in September, which should I watch? The first one, again or the remake? Then it dawned on me- seeing as this is the second Friday the 13^th of the year I suppose it should be the second Friday the 13^th movie really... Friday the 13th Part II was produced and directed by Steve Miner (his directorial debut) and was written by Ron Kurz, staring Amy Steel and John Furey. The film also features the return of Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer and Walt Gorney from the first movie, taking place five years later with a new murderer picking off the camp counselors in scenes that had the Motion Picture Association of America repulsed so much that they insisted on numerous cuts being made to allow it an R rating. Although not as big a hit as the original, the sequel made $21.7 million in the U.S. on a $1.2 million budget assuring there would be a Part III the following year. Isn’t it funny this is the second time I have set myself a movie challenge that involves Friday the 13^th and watching one isn’t enough!? If you’re not too busy/ tired join me here on the 24^th for Black Christmas!    

© Arfon Jones 2019. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

New Book: The Unofficial Dr Who Annual 1987

I feel as though I have come full circle, I have mentioned on numerous occasions on this site that Colin Baker was THE Doctor when I started watching the series, however I first discovered him through the free comics given away in promotional packs of Golden Wonder Crisps, after watching Attack of the Cybermen I then considered myself to be a Doctor Who fan and when my fandom was ‘rekindled’ in the early 2000’s when I attended my very first Doctor Who event, all those early memories came flooding back to me when I met Colin, who was very supportive of the fan art I had produced and brought to show him. This prompted me to peddle my portfolio around numerous Who events across the country in the hope that someday I would be commissioned to create artwork similar to the ones that sparked my interest back in my childhood- but alas to no avail. BUT this year I have had the great pleasure of working with Terraqueous Distributors having released ‘The Unofficial Dr Who annual 1972’ earlier in the year have now released ‘The Unofficial Dr Who Annual 1987’ and I had the great privilege of illustrating two of the 6th Doctor stories that feature, Malatrak Mission One Five Zero and The Master of Chicago I received my contributor edition last weekend and I am absolutely delighted with it. The book has an impressive 122 page count and the love and devotion to the show and its history shines through, this book is amazing, everyone involved should be immensely proud and I urge you all to order your own copy. Thank you Terraqueous for allowing me the opportunity to finally illustrate the Doctor.

Follow this link to order yours 

© Arfon Jones 2019. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Often imitated but never surpassed: RIP Professor David J Bellamy OBE, Hon FLS

A very sad post, Professor David Bellamy OBE "Britain's best known botanist" with over 40 books, 80+ scientific papers on ecology and the environment to his name, dozens of television programmes conservationist and friend has died aged 86.  

Even if you weren’t partially nature inclined, if you are of certain age and from the UK you will know exactly who David Bellamy was, with his instantly recognizable voice, bushy beard and infectious enthusiasm for plants.

Late 1970’s and early to mid 80’s especially, he seemed to be on everything- he could be discussing seeds and propagation or greenhouse gasses on Blue Peter on one channel and then be promoting Heinz Baked Beans on the other (in some cases it wasn’t even him! but an imposter as he was often imitated by impressionists “Sphagnum Moss” etc.) His life was certainly one that had been lived, I will refrain from writing a lengthy biography (I highly recommend that you read his autobiography-  Jolly Green Giant) instead concentrating on the man I ‘grew up with’ as I was always fascinated by him, and what with being a child especially interested in nature he was a big part of my childhood and I would always make the time to hear what he had to say. 
I was especially a regular viewer of Belamy’s Bugle on Children’s ITV which aired between 1986 -1988 which had David sporting a woolly jumper with the title of the series knitted on the front joined by various children from schools around the country discussing environmental subjects with his talking super computer Smart Alice (voiced by Kate Lee) and that image of David sitting in his study chatting to a talking computer has always remained with me, in fact I often say it’s a shame it is not more widely discussed these days as it was almost certainly a precursor for the countless other environmental themed children’s TV shows that sprang up during the supposedly more environmentally aware 90’s.

TV aside his name could be found on almost anything, comics, magazines, board games, records and I fondly remember receiving his microscope kit for Christmas in 1987 which holds an integral position in my collection of David Bellamy related paraphernalia that I have collected over the years (a collection that is long overdue for display and certainly deserves a blog post of its own) which reminds us how especially important his contribution was to inspiring children to take an interest in the planet. Then there were of course his books, always looking out for books on nature I would frequently get them from the library (and even if he hadn’t written the book he would have almost certainly written the forward for it!) and I remember being delighted during a visit to Chester Zoo to discover that having grown up with my father’s old I-SPY spotters' guides that they had released new ones and that David was now the Big Chief! I never plucked up the courage to send in my spotters guide and receive my order of merit and badge from him- something that long bothered me, but I was able to alleviate somewhat in 2013 when he very kindly endorsed an idea that I had instead, the Bellamy Eco-Postage Label, a free label bearing his likeness that encouraged regular users of eBay and Amazon to save money and the environment by reusing old envelopes postal packaging.

I followed that idea with a direct tribute to him in 2015 when I painted a portrait of him entitled, The Green Man: A tribute toProfessor David Bellamy OBE and presenting it in a ‘living’ frame made up of branches, moss and plants that was displayed in the woods along the River Ogwen during the Sculpture Circle’s annual ‘Gwyl Ogwen’ art festival.

Then in 2016 a project that I had not got round to documenting on this blog, having decided that I needed a plant in the studio and opting for a Ficus Benjamina I decided to make it a little more special than just running to a garden centre to get one and so David, no stranger to tree planting ceremonies having planted thousands of trees for various conservation groups and charities over the years through the David Bellamy Conservation Award Scheme performed (quite possibly) the first ever-commemorative indoor tree planting ceremony, at his home in County Durham. The Bellamy tree as we now call it stands in the studio along with a commemorative plaque which reads, “This tree was planted by Professor David Bellamy OBE on the 8th of November 2016" and it now serves extra poignancy, as it not only provides some much needed greenery in the studio, it also celebrates those early, precious childhood memories filled with inspiration and wonder but also the memories gained in later years when I had the pleasure of meeting this wonderful, kind and gentleman- Thank you David.  

© Arfon Jones 2019. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Happy Horror-day! ThanksKilling (2008)

Here we go again- another Holiday themed film that centres around an American holiday I wouldn’t normally celebrate... either way, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you out there that do celebrate it!  
So, ThanksKilling the 2008 horror/ black comedy shot on a budget of $3,500 in the summer of 2007, and released on DVD in 2009. What can I say? ...When I set myself this challenge at the start of the year I drew up a rough list of movies that would feature and this one made the list right away, although I had never seen it I knew of its existence and two factors, 1) that it was generally regarded as a terrible movie and 2) It featured a wise cracking killer turkey- So with those two factors in mind watching it was inevitable and now having just finished watching it I can now confirm that it was indeed a terrible movie and yes, it does feature a wise cracking killer turkey, A possessed, wise cracking turkey in fact, that terrorizes five college students during Thanksgiving break repeating what he had done at the very first Thanksgiving in 1621.

Now, I try not to be over critical of any movie, I’ve never made one- and I know it’s not easy to do and commend anyone that accomplishes it and I try to look deeper, this one was indeed a challenge and to be honest, my interest waned right after the first pilgrim died before the opening credits, although the film did get one chuckle out of me. By all accounts it was written by the director Jordan Downey, Brad Schulz, Tony Wilson, Grant Yaffee, and Kevin Stewart, a group of friends, and this is apparent- and I will go out on a limb here and assume that they are fans of South Park? so let’s leave it at that. The film has garnered a cult following, believed (in part) to it being one of the movies available for streaming during Netflix’s early days and there is a sequel, ThanksKilling 3... Perhaps I will do that one if I ever do another of these challenges but let’s finish this one first! 
So join me next time for Friday the 13^th... wait! What?

© Arfon Jones 2019. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Happy Horror-day! Halloween (1978)

Due to a technical issue (I think it was a Blogger schedule issue) I’ve had to re-upload this post originally posted on October 31^st but anyway, Halloween, directed and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with producer Debra Hill the movie stars Donald Pleasence along with Jamie Lee Curtis who makes her film debut. A mental patient who was committed to a sanatorium for murdering his teenage sister on Halloween night fifteen years before escapes and returns to his hometown, where he stalks babysitters while his psychiatrist and the local sheriff try to find him. 
This is where it all started- the holiday based slasher movie, and basis of this challenge. Yes, Black Christmas from 1974 is technically the first but it was Halloween that grossed $70 million, making it the most profitable independent film ever that kicked off the holiday themed horror movie, I would go as far to say it was also responsible for every horror movie centred around a escaped mental patient and harassed babysitters as well. Enjoyed by horror purists and casual horror viewers alike I once again find myself asking what can I say that hasn’t been said about this movie? I can’t, so I’ll just leave it there. Happy Halloween!

© Arfon Jones 2019. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Tenth Anniversary Recap: 3. a: The Nintendo Game Watch

Christmas 1992, and I like most kids at this time am heavily into the home gaming consoles! It has been an entire year since receiving my Master System II- it would be another whole year before I would receive a Game Boy and until then I needed something that appeased my craving for gaming on those tediously long, boring bus journeys to school. The solution, my new Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. 3 Game Watch!  
Produced by Zeon this was one of three Nintendo LCD format watches with the other two being Tetris and Zelda. It was a simple enough game, considerably far removed from its Super Mario Bros. 3 namesake but with all the elements one had come to expect Mario, Princess, Boswer, Goombas, Koopa Troopers and pipes with some musical notes and a super leaf thrown in to make it feel a little more Mario Bros. 3’ish’. Game play: move along the course defeat Bowser, save the princess, then go back and do it again, just a little bit faster... Wasn’t a revolutionary game but it certainly whiled away those before mentioned bus trips (with its ‘blips’ and ‘bloops’ muted so as to not draw attention) it satisfied my need for platform gaming and not only that but it told me the time and alerted me when it was time to watch Bad Influence! on Children’s ITV! 
Although being a reliable time piece was it’s primary function, it certainly served its secondary function as a games device to the max and even when I wasn’t playing it I would remove it from my wrist so that my friend Gwynfor could have a go!  Countless games were played and its battery did Zeon proud, but inevitably, it died and it was put aside with every intention of taking it to our local watchmakers to get a new battery for it, but it never happened and as Christmas 1993 came round I now possessed that before mentioned Game Boy along with a new Batman the Animated Series watch effectively sealing the Game Watch’s fate and it remained in the drawer for 27 years, a relic from the past with no real place within my collections in the studio, more so when I started wearing a pocket watch instead, and so last week Omnibot put this much loved Christmas gift up for sale on our eBay store. Yes, the Nintendo logo had worn from the strap and there was a slight scratch to screen but never the less there it was on offer to the world in all its “sold as seen” splendor, a truly reluctant sale as it seemed to represent my love of this era in gaming that I never really left, having never really taken to the Play Station revolution days and beyond. 
I recently looked over some home movies and saw my younger self back in 1993 showing this watch off to my 85 year-old grandmother who was somewhat bewildered but amused at the notion of a plumber jumping over toadstools and tortoises. But funds are always required for the studio, far better for it to be part of someone else’s collection and for the money raised be put into my latest project pushing me ever closer to re-enacting other gaming activity I participated in when I wasn’t in my room playing a home console.... the arcade!   

Coming soon: Tenth Anniversary Recap: 3. b: The Polybius Project

© Arfon Jones 2019. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Happy Horror-day! Friday the 13th (1980)

Some well meaning counsellors decide to reopen Camp Crystal Lake, supposedly cursed since 1958 after some camp counsellors were murdered there after a claim of negligence the previous year that resulted in a young boy drowning in the lake. Despite numerous requests not to do so, work begins on preparing the camp for its first batch of campers before the counsellors are picked off one at a time by an unseen killer before the killer is finally revealed at the end...  Much like The Wicker Man entry before and the upcoming Halloween one what can I say about this movie that hasn’t already been said by fans, buffs and scholars alike since 1980? Although created to cash in on the success of Halloween in 1978 it seemed to become the most synonymous of all date themed and summer camp themed slasher films making it the most successful achieving ten sequels, a remake, a television show, novels, comic books, video games and a slew of merchandise! In fact the films alone have grossed over $529 million at the box-office worldwide and remained the highest-grossing horror franchise in the world until the release of Halloween (2018) last year and it all started with this one.  Friday the 13^th has always had a ‘fun fact’ regarding the killer of this particular movie and how many forget who the actual killer is, but I will not go over that here, as I have vowed to keep all reviews spoiler free. Yes Halloween was the first, but if it hadn’t been for Friday the 13^th I doubt I would have been able to do the previous eleven entries of this challenge (or my previous marathon challenge for that matter). Of course, the other thing that sets this movie apart from all the others is that I should essentially watch it again on the 13^th of December as it will be another Friday the 13^th... so if anyone is actually following this challenge let me know in the comments what I should do? Watch it again? Watch one of the sequels? (If so which one?) or the remake? Until then, I will see you again where it all started.... Halloween.

© Arfon Jones 2019. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.