One
is a black-hearted, totally merciless scourge of the Universe – and the other
is the Predator… (© Dr Karl Shuker)
On this spinning speck
of cosmic dust that we call Planet Earth, if I'm known for anything it's
probably as a zoologist, media consultant, and author specialising in
cryptozoology and animal mythology (at least that what it says on my website
and on my ShukerNature blog!). In addition, however, I've
always had a passionate interest in the movies, watching and enjoying a diverse
range of cinematic genres down through the decades that include (but are by no
means confined to) monster movies, animation (especially Disney), musicals, science
fiction, fantasy, classic comedies, super-hero franchises, and much more too. Such
themes also characterise my TV viewing tastes.
During the isolating but
very necessary Covid-19 lockdown measures that began in England during March
2020 and which meant spending virtually all of my time indoors at home, I found
myself not only watching many more movies than I normally do but also preparing
mini-reviews of them that I posted for fun on Facebook and elsewhere. To my
surprise but great delight, these have attracted considerable interest,
enthusiasm, and countless Likes from social media friends. So much so, in fact,
that following a suggestion and kind encouragement gratefully received from longstanding Facebook friend Terry Cooper, I have decided that it might be worthwhile expanding them in fuller reviews, preserving them,
and adding others to them in a blog of their own. There they will be permanently and
readily accessible for reading by all interested online movie fans, together
with expanded versions of various movie (plus a few TV) mini-reviews that I'd written in
earlier pre-Covid times, as well as those that I shall be writing in the future
in what I hope will be a long-running ongoing series.
So here it is – Shuker
In MovieLand. I hope that you will enjoy visiting this brave new world of mine
in blog form, and browse through my movie contemplations, commendations,
criticisms, witticisms (should you happen to find any!), and other assorted
film-related fun and folderol. Also, please do feel free to post any thoughts and
comments of your own beneath my mini-reviews, plus any relevant information
that you would like to share concerning the movies under consideration. Last of
all, but by no means least of all, please don't forget to follow and subscribe
to my new blog, because it will feel so lonely out here by itself in this big
old bloggerverse if you don't. Thank you kindly!
To launch Shuker In
MovieLand, I shall shortly be posting my very first SIML mini-review – one that
I wrote a fair while ago about what had previously been for me an extremely
elusive film that I'd always wanted to see but had never managed to do so
before (regular readers will find that this will be a common, recurrent theme
here, as I'm nothing if not tenacious when it comes to identifying and tracking
down mysterious movies that had hitherto perplexed or evaded me). Don't miss
it!
And to view a complete listing of all of my
Shuker In MovieLand blog's other film reviews and articles (each one instantly
accessible via a direct clickable link), please click HERE!
UPDATE: Tuesday 12 January 2021 - Today I was devastated to learn that my above-mentioned good friend Terry Cooper had passed away suddenly from natural causes during last weekend. God speed, Terry, thank you sincerely and very gratefully for your many years of friendship - preserved forever as bright, golden memories that I shall always treasure; and also for planting in my mind the precious seed of an idea that sprouted forth to yield this present blog - it is absolutely true to say that had it not been for you, Shuker In MovieLand would never have existed. God bless you, Terry, rest in peace and know that you will always be remembered and loved by so many friends, of whom I am proud and honoured to be one.
Please click here to read my full tribute to Terry that follows my review of the 2019 BBC TV mini-series of The War of the Worlds - Terry and I shared a love of science fiction and monster movies, and this was the first review posted by me here on Shuker In MovieLand since receiving the extremely sad news of Terry's passing.
My good friend Terry Cooper – RIP Terry (© Terry Cooper)
