Randall Malus

Picking the Region Lock: How to Play Foreign DVDs and Blu-Rays Cheaply and Easily

If you’re a collector of physical media like me, you realize how difficult it may be to see the movies you want to see in the way you want to see them. Allow me to paint for those uninitiated among my readers an all-too familiar scenario: Ken Russell’s The Devils is commercially available in AmericaContinue reading “Picking the Region Lock: How to Play Foreign DVDs and Blu-Rays Cheaply and Easily”

Silent Rage (1982)

This particular Throwback Thursday re-post wasn’t what was originally intended for today, but due to something happening next week that would make the originally-intended post more thematically relevant, I’ve decided instead to revisit a Chuck Norris movie that I originally reviewed for Crane’s Cabinet of Kinetographic Curiosities. Originally published January 9, 2018. Summary: After hisContinue reading “Silent Rage (1982)”

Remembering the King of Pop: A look back at Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker for the Sega Genesis

So, this article started out as a review of the game and quickly turned into an opportunity to celebrate the life of an artist I greatly respected (as an unbelievably talented transcendent musician, if nothing else). Because this was meant to be a genuine work of praise, I let my voice come through much moreContinue reading “Remembering the King of Pop: A look back at Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker for the Sega Genesis”

This Week in Wii: Sega’s Fantasy Zone 2 comes to the Virtual Console

This article was the first piece I’d written for Examiner.com, and was thus my “audition” piece. As a writer, I find I have two speeds: “Me” and “not me.” That is to say, I either insert a great deal of my voice into my work, or I write as a talking head who might asContinue reading “This Week in Wii: Sega’s Fantasy Zone 2 comes to the Virtual Console”

The Examiner Articles: Introduction

Here’s a rant I wrote for my Malus ‘N’ Mayhem blog about four years ago, when I found out that a former “employer” of mine decided to delete some of my articles because…well, actually, it’s explained in the rant below. Originally published 09/19/2015 WARNING: INCOMING RANT So, back in 2009, I became the local RetroContinue reading “The Examiner Articles: Introduction”

Holiday Traditions and Unrelated Cinema: A Personal Survey

God damn, but do I love holidays. I’m lucky enough to have a day job that provides days off for each and every major one (except Halloween), and since I’m a recluse who hates going anywhere that isn’t home, my version of a vacation is binge watching movies! Don’t you fucking judge me. As theContinue reading “Holiday Traditions and Unrelated Cinema: A Personal Survey”

Kelly’s Heroes (1970)

This entry into the old Ethan’s Film Journal just seems right for today’s Throwback Thursday, what with it being America’s Independence Day and all. Originally posted 01/24/2018. Summary: Grade A screw-up Private Kelly (Clint Eastwood) accidentally discovers a briefcase filled with lead-plated gold bars while interrogating a Nazi prisoner in Nancy, France during World WarContinue reading “Kelly’s Heroes (1970)”

20 Million Miles to Earth aka The Beast from Space (1957)

And here we have the third and final Journal Entry review in my Throwback Thursday AmeriKaiju triple feature. Going back to the work of Ray Harryhausen, we have a film that is as famous as (and as lauded as) The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, and starring one of Harryhausen’s most recognizable monsters: Ymir, the thingContinue reading “20 Million Miles to Earth aka The Beast from Space (1957)”

The Black Scorpion (1957)

As the second review of this Throwback Thursday AmeriKaiju triple feature, I’ve decided to revisit a Journal Entry featuring special effects by Willis O’Brien, the man who gave life to King Kong in 1933 and taught Harryhausen his stop-motion craft. How did this one fair when I first posted about it, and has my opinionContinue reading “The Black Scorpion (1957)”

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

In honor of the enjoyable experience that was the 2019 Godzilla: King of the Monsters (at least, I thought it was enjoyable), it seems appropriate for this Throwback Thursday to post an American Kaiju (AmeriKaiju?) triple feature of reviews originally written for Crane’s Cabinet of Kinetographic Curiosities. These reviews are part of a series ofContinue reading “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)”