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Nightfall in Middle Earth by Blind Guardian
A power metal concept album based on The Silmarillion that just blew me away the first time I heard it. I had some doubts about reccing it since it's done professionally and commercially available, but then realized that was silly because those things don't mean it's not a fannish labour of love!
The Call of Cthulu (Link is to the IMDB page, film is available on DVD and at least US Netflix)
A short film based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. Now, films based on Lovecraft's work range from just bad, to entertainingly schlocky at best. Lovecraft's stories rarely describe the entirety of what the characters are seeing, and when they do it's something that would be difficult and/or expensive to include. His work is largely monologue, with very little dialogue making it hard to adapt to a modern film without lots and lots of rewriting - more, I think, than a major studio would be willing to put in to something they wouldn't expect to have much of an audience. With this in mind, I was not expecting great things.
BUT. It turns out that making a silent film eliminates a lot of the problems above! You watch the characters act and react, and what explanations and dialogue is needed goes on a title card. Adding to the feel that you're really watching an old silent movie are the scratches in the film, and a subtle hiss and pop to the soundtrack. It's surprisingly gripping, and does not feel like it's only 46 minutes long.
A power metal concept album based on The Silmarillion that just blew me away the first time I heard it. I had some doubts about reccing it since it's done professionally and commercially available, but then realized that was silly because those things don't mean it's not a fannish labour of love!
The Call of Cthulu (Link is to the IMDB page, film is available on DVD and at least US Netflix)
A short film based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. Now, films based on Lovecraft's work range from just bad, to entertainingly schlocky at best. Lovecraft's stories rarely describe the entirety of what the characters are seeing, and when they do it's something that would be difficult and/or expensive to include. His work is largely monologue, with very little dialogue making it hard to adapt to a modern film without lots and lots of rewriting - more, I think, than a major studio would be willing to put in to something they wouldn't expect to have much of an audience. With this in mind, I was not expecting great things.
BUT. It turns out that making a silent film eliminates a lot of the problems above! You watch the characters act and react, and what explanations and dialogue is needed goes on a title card. Adding to the feel that you're really watching an old silent movie are the scratches in the film, and a subtle hiss and pop to the soundtrack. It's surprisingly gripping, and does not feel like it's only 46 minutes long.
