INTO THE UNKNOWN
A magazine dedicated to forgotten & unknown Movies, Games, and Books
Welcome One and All
We are thrilled to have you here for our latest issue! And we want to say Thank You for reading! This is our Spring Issue. Happy NEW YEAR one and all (better late than never).
We hope you enjoy this issue, and all of our volunteer s hard work. Welcome back to our regulars, and especially to our irregulars, and of course a great big hello to you new guys!
Inside this magazine is a world of discovery. Get reading! Thank you for following us, retweeting, liking, messaging and commenting on our posts, we love every one of you for taking the time to join us on this journey.
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Giant toothbrush
Learn the lyrics
Not the crotch!
I’m the entertainment
Jumpin’ Jack Flash
Synopsis -
Terry Dolittle, a frustrated bank worker, unknowingly becomes part of an espionage plot when she accidentally receives a coded message sent by a mysterious man who calls himself Jumpin' Jack Flash.
Review -
Whoopi is a brilliant actress but here she is in her element. She gives an all out performance with such oomph, and never has her comedic timing been so perfect than in this romantic comedy mashed together with a spy thriller. Family-friendly, re-watchable, with a stella cast. Full of laughter, peril and Whoopie being Whoopie. If you want a taste of the 80’s that will make you smile and sometimes even laugh out loud, this is a safe and very cool bet.
End Transmission.
AN OLD MOVIE THAT WE LOVE
Synopsis -
A young mute woman who is working in a New England mansion as a domestic is terrorized by a maniac who is killing off people with disabilities. After being warned of the danger to her personal safety she makes plans to leave the dark old house, but it is too late. The maniac is in the house, and she is his prey.
Review -
This movie is an adaptation of Ethel White's novel "Some Must Watch," A beautifully shot, well written movie. It takes the viewer back to the days of the "spooky old house" thrillers. The cast are all excellent. Dorothy McGuire gives one of her best and most convincing performances as the hard working Helen. While Ethel Barrymore, Elsa Lanchester and George Brent all turn in stella performances. The atmospheric sets are perfect and add to the growing tension. This is a unnerving movie that keeps you guessing. The story moves along but is not rushing to its conclusion, and while you're never sure what else is going on, or which of the other characters can be trusted, the viewer can feel that Helen is in danger, the beauty of the setting and the fantastic acting make you very attached to this character, invested in her plight and stuck to your seat till the final scene.
Review by Julia
Danger for Red
About the Author
We are Ruth and Mary who enjoy writing together as Patricia Keyson. Our ebooks are published by Not So Noble Books: www.radicaleyes.it/ notsonoblebooks https://twitter.com/ NotSoNobleBooks
Synopsis -
After some serious bad luck, things are looking up for Rosie as business at her new deli is booming. When a distant relative turns up with a whole load of trouble on his back she tries to help. But on turning amateur private investigator, she finds out a lot more about herself than she bargained for.
This is the first detective fiction title by bestselling English romance author Patricia Keyson. This new detective series features Rosie Elizabeth Davenport, a wheelchairbound amateur sleuth known as "Red" because of her initials. Read this gripping British mystery first!
Review -
This book has a good overall narrative, a suspenseful tale of secrets, detectives , and a murder most foul, it all makes for an interesting read. Twisty but a little short. More length to the story would have added time for tension to build, Still, what is there is a good read and very gripping.
Resort to Murder
About the Author
Annie McEwen is the author of the Northwoods Mysteries Series, set amongst the tall pines and sparkling lakes of northern Wisconsin where she spent vacations as a kid. Because of a sweet love story between her youngest sister and a local Wisconsin boy (storyline idea!), she’s still been able to keep on visiting the beautiful place that means so much to her. Annie and her husband are empty nesters their son is married to his high school sweetheart, and their daughter is married with two adorable toddler boys. Being grandparents is definitely the best gig ever! They also have four fur babies who just might make some special appearances in Annie's books.
Synopsis -
When Emmy Cooper’s life in Chicago is turned upside down, the young interior designer retreats to her family’s lake cottage resort in the beautiful Wisconsin Northwoods for a much-needed break. Hoping to clear her mind and gain a fresh perspective, she looks forward to enjoying the slower pace and the crisp, clean pine air at her beloved Cooper’s Cove Resort with her family, dogs, and her best friend, Whitney.
Unfortunately, her homecoming isn't as calm as she'd hoped when Emmy finds out a ruthless development company is relentlessly pressuring Lake Covington property owners, including Emmy's family, to sell their land so they can build an extravagant, modern resort that would ruin the quaint esthetic of the area. And things only get worse when Emmy finds the dead body of one of the developers floating in the lake murdered!
Review -
This book is an enjoyable read. A comfy murder mystery that keeps the reader interested but is also an easy read, not to long. The writing transports you into the lake resort of the main character just as it becomes Spring and is descriptive enough to make it feel real, but not so much to bog down the story with detail. The writing is well paced and the character and plot development are perfect.
INTERVIEW WITH A WRITER
This issue we chat to Alan Golbourn, author, gamer and horror fan - We talk about Gerard Butler and napping.
What do you like to read and why?
I don't really read much, but when I do, it's usually something horror-related, as I prefer those types of books.
Particularly as I've written a few horror novels now, too. The last book I read was back in last July, which was 'Salem's Lot’, I thought it was really good.
What movies do you like to watch and why?
All sorts, really. Again, horror-themed to action films and comedy. It's good to find something that is fun and can cheer you up as well if you're feeling a little down and low.
Do you have a Favourite Game?
No favourite current game per se.
Although I do like pc gaming, particularly genres like action and adventure, RPG. and football games. Although there's a lot to choose from, I would say that my favourite game of all time, is The Witcher 3. A huge game and open-world, with really good atmosphere and music and graphics.
What are your hobbies?
I like walks, animals, writing, gaming and I am often fond of having a nap when I can.
What are you working on at the moment?
I recently started what will be a novella. I'm unsure exactly what it will be about, but something on the lines of a witch-related theme and a strange community. who they really are.
Continues
their confidence.
If you could have a chat with a character from a book or a film, who would you choose, what would you say, and why?
I am not sure how to answer that.
“I would say that my
favourite game
of all time is The Witcher 3.”
If you had a dinner party who would you invite from the world of authors, actors, and those involved with books and films?
That would be a simple one. And that would be Gerard Butler. A great actor.
Which actor would you like to play the lead in a movie adaptation of your book?
Gerard Butler, again, for the role of one of my characters (Gavin) in my first novel Famuli
Cani.
I always had him in mind after I had finished my book, and he'd be perfect for that character.
What would you eat for your last meal?
A 15" inch pizza, as pizza is my favourite food. I always enjoy eating one once a week.
What was the last thing you saw at the cinema?
Many years ago, I watched 2012. But, nothing more recent.
“It is good to find something that is fun and can cheer you up.”
Tell us something surprising about yourself.
Perhaps ironically, although I enjoy writing, I'm not actually a fan of reading. I do enjoy books at times, but it's not something I can really get into. I'd rather write them.
Beam Piper
Photographs, and photostats of restored pages of books, and transcripts of inscriptions, were piled in front of her, and the notebooks in which she was compiling her lists. She sat down, lighting a fresh cigarette, and reached over to a stack of unexamined material, taking off the top sheet. It was a photostat of what looked like the title page and contents of some sort of a periodical. She remembered it; she had found it herself, two days before, in a closet in the basement of the building she had just finished examining. She sat for a moment, looking at it. It was readable, in the sense that she had set up a purely arbitrary but consistently pronounceable system of phonetic values for the letters. The long vertical symbols were vowels. There were only ten of them; not too many, allowing separate characters for long and short sounds. There were twenty of the short horizontal letters, which meant that sounds like -ng or -ch or -sh were single letters. The odds were millions to one against her system being anything like the original sound of the language, but she had listed several thousand Martian words, and she could pronounce all of them.
And that was as far as it went. She could pronounce between three and four thousand Martian words, and she couldn’t assign a meaning to one of them. Selim von Ohlmhorst believed that she never would. So did Tony Lattimer, and he was a great deal less reticent about saying so. So, she was sure, did Sachiko Koremitsu. There were times, now and then, when she began to be afraid that they were right.
The letters on the page in front of her began squirming and dancing, slender vowels with fat little consonants. They did that, now, every night in her dreams. And there were other dreams, in which she read them as easily as English; waking, she would try desperately and vainly to remember. She blinked, and looked away from the photostatted page; when she looked back, the letters were behaving themselves again. There were three words at the top of the page, over-and-underlined, which seemed to be the Martian method of capitalization. Mastharnorvod Tadavas Sornhulva. She pronounced them mentally, leafing through her notebooks to see if she had encountered them before, and in what contexts. All three were listed. In addition, masthar was a fairly common word, and so was norvod, and so was nor, but -vod was a suffix and nothing but a suffix. Davas, was a word, too, and ta- was a common prefix; sorn and hulva were both common words. This language, she had long ago decided, must be something like German; when the Martians had needed a new word, they had just pasted a couple of existing words together. It would probably turn out to be a grammatical horror. Well, they had published magazines, and one of them had been called Mastharnorvod Tadavas Sornhulva.
She wondered if it had been something like the Quarterly Archaeological Review, or something more on the order of Sexy Stories.
A smaller line, under the title, was plainly the issue number and date; enough things had been found numbered in series to enable her to identify the numerals and determine that a decimal system of numeration had been used. This was the one thousand and seven hundred and fifty-fourth issue, for Doma, 14837; then Doma must be the name of one of the Martian months. The word had turned up several times before. She found herself puffing furiously on her cigarette as she leafed through notebooks and piles of already examined material.
Sachiko was speaking to somebody, and a chair scraped at the end of the table. She raised her head, to see a big man with red hair and a red face, in Space Force green, with the single star of a major on his shoulder, sitting down. Ivan Fitzgerald, the medic. He was lifting weights from a book similar to the one the girl ordnance officer was restoring.
“Haven’t had time, lately,” he was saying, in reply to Sachiko’s question. “The Finchley girl’s still down with whatever it is she has, and it’s something I haven’t been able to diagnose yet. And I’ve been checking on bacteria cultures, and in what spare time I have, I’ve been dissecting specimens for Bill Chandler. Bill’s finally found a mammal. Looks like a lizard, and it’s only four inches long, but it’s a real warm-blooded, gamogenetic, placental, viviparous mammal. Burrows, and seems to live on what pass for insects here.”
“Is there enough oxygen for anything like that?” Sachiko was asking.
“Seems to be, close to the ground.”
Fitzgerald got the headband of his loup adjusted, and pulled it down over his eyes. “He found this thing in a ravine down on the sea bottom—Ha, this page seems to be intact; now, if I can get it out all in one piece ”
He went on talking inaudibly to himself, lifting the page a little at a time and sliding one of the transparent plastic sheets under it, working with minute delicacy. Not the delicacy of the Japanese girl’s small hands, moving like the paws of a cat washing her face, but like a steam-hammer cracking a peanut. Field archaeology requires a certain delicacy of touch, too, but Martha watched the pair of them with envious admiration. Then she turned back to her own work, finishing the table of contents.
MOVIE TRIVIA
The shot of the barrel corpse (nicknamed Tarman) changing through the glass panel was done with a wax face over the skull and heat turned up to melt it. The glass cracking was unintentional and happened due to the heat.
In Sex in the City 2 — The airport, when the ladies arrive in the Middle East, is not the Abu Dhabi airport. It is the airport of Marrakesh, Morocco, famous as well for its architecture. The government of Abu Dhabi did not allow filming, calling the film "too sexual".
When shooting Black Swan, Natalie Portman sustained lots of injuries, many caused delays to the production. The most common injury was her left toe, which had to be re-strapped while filming was halted. This kind of delay was so frequent it was called a "Natalie Portman's Left Toe Delay" which was later shortened to, Portmantoe.
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Showcasing translated European albums to mainstream superhero antics; stylish children’s books to contemporary graphic fiction; compulsively readable manga to cutting edge small press: They have got something for everyone.
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TIME TO PLAY ...
Do you know how to play the game called Snog, Marry, Avoid? Where a friend gives you the names of three celebrities and you must decide which one to snog, which one to marry, and which one to avoid?
Well, In the interest of fun, we will review three movies. All the same genre (loosely) and in what order we rate them by this age-old game . We will try to pick movies that are lesser known (because that’s what we do) but we will also acknowledge, at the end, the greater movies in that field and bow to them as examples of what the genre should be, when at its best.
This issue GODS
Movies with GODS at their heart have often crossed genres. Action, Comedy, Horror and Romance spring to mind. Here are three we would SNOG, MARRY and AVOID.
DOGMA
Synopsis
-
Two fallen angels who were ejected from paradise find themselves banned in Wisconsin. They are now headed for New Jersey where they find a loophole that can get them back into heaven. The only catch is that it will destroy humanity. A rag-tag group bands together to stop them.
The premise of this film is a rather interesting and surprisingly one. Two fallen angels have found a way back into heaven. They must be stopped or the world will come to a screeching halt, so a seemingly random protagonist named Bethany gets charged by God to stop them. Simple, sure, but the journey is a fun one, the satire is rampant and we love that.
"Dogma" is a smart concept that ultimately results in lots of sharp satire and some great concepts that scrutinize religion in a way that never seems too out of line. We would be happy to pucker up for a snog.
Review by Julia
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Synopsis -
Perseus (Harry Hamlin), son of the Greek god Zeus (Laurence Olivier), grows up on a deserted island. His destiny is to marry Princess Andromeda (Judi Bowker), who will someday rule the city of Joppa. But as long as the satyr Calibos (Neil McCarthy) who uses a giant vulture to kidnap Andromeda's soul every night is alive, no one can marry her. Perseus travels to Joppa, where he must defeat Calibos and other mythological monsters to rescue Andromeda.
One of the all time great sword-n-sorcery movies. All star cast. And to top it all off Ray Harryhausen effects. The monsters are excellent, especially Medusa. "Clash of the Titans" only loosely follows the actual myth of Perseus, but that doesn't detract from the overall quality of the film. Overall, this film is an awesome fantasy to enjoy with all the adventure, humor, and romance of any classic fantasy film. It also has the amazing Maggie Smith and lots of moments that will stay with you forever. We vow till death do we part. 100%
Review by Julia
Little Hercules in 3D
Synopsis -
Little Hercules goes to Earth to experience life as a real boy, leaving Mt. Olympus for Burbank, where his timeleaping sparks a chain of cultureclashing misadventures.
"Little Hercules in 3-D" is, to be honest is, ABSOLUTELY AWFUL. The premise young Hercules comes to Earth from Mt. Olympus is so badly thought out with no real plot or script worth speaking of, and the acting is awful., with one exception Robin Givens give it her all and that is the ONLY redeeming feature in this monstrosity of a movie. Hulk Hogan made some bad movie choices in his career, but this one was an all time low. Not even so bad it is good, just bad, bad, bad. Avoid no matter what! Review by Julia
Book bits that were changed for the movie adaptations.
Ending change - Forrest Gump
SPOILER ALERT
Tom Hanks gives an unforgettable lead performance in Robert Zemeckis’ Forrest Gump, playing a slow-witted, kind-hearted man throughout the American south in the 20th century. However, the movie differs greatly from Winston Groom’s novel, removing Gump’s time at NASA, his career as a boxer, and an ape named Sue. At the end of the novel, Forrest and Sue move to Savannah, Georgia, and he runs into longtime flame Jenny. He learns they have a son together, but since she is now married, he chooses not to be a part of his life. In the movie, however, Forrest and Jenny end up together and after she passes away, he becomes the sole parent to their son, Forrest Gump Jr.
Technology at work for you
GUESS THE MOVIE QUOTES
Thank you to all who sent us their guesses for last issue’s quotes –Here are the answers and some fresh ones to work on.
Quotes from the last issue.
“There was more than one lobster at the birth of Jesus Christ?” Love Actually
“Guys, I'm eating junk and watching rubbish.” Home Alone
“Welcome to the party, pal?” Die Hard
“The Bit*h hit me with a Toaster!” Scrooged
flexible solutions for your business needs
“You’re a virgin that can’t drive.” Clueless
New Quotes For This Issue
“That's one plus two plus *one* plus one.”
“Nut up or Shut up!”
“They call it a Royale with cheese.”
“Carpe Diem, seize the day boys.”
“No. Yo, yo, yeah it's to quit smoking.”
Send your guesses via Facebook or Twitter and good luck!
Compiled by Joyce
Review
• Kill them all!
• Mine that gold.
• Victory!
• Squashed heroes, hahaha!
Deep in the darkness underground something is waiting and it’s about to rise up .That something is you and your hordes of underlings as you scratch away at the roots of the world. Building and destroying all that come to steal your gold and your life. Dungeon Keeper places you in the role of the bad guy but what fun that is! Revisit the original Dungeon Keeper today and be amazed at just how addictive it can be. It was one of the first "tower defence" games but had fun by flipping gaming convention upside down, casting the player as an evil tyrant.
Basically, the game allows to you to build dungeons and fill them with nasty traps and evil little creatures. When you're powerfull enough (by having different chambers and creatures), the Lord of the Land arrives to do battle with you. And oh, what joy, when your ccreatures eat up that do gooder and all his cronies. This is a great building game, a brilliant idea and the newer mobile version is not a patch on it. Get the original and get naughty!
REVIEW
Think Halo and Destiny but totally free!
Warframe is a decent grind-based F2P shooter. The core gameplay, including the variety of suits and weapons, is terrific, and it’s reason enough fi shooter. It has a fluid combat structure and lots of DLC add ons. But the sometimes boring story and the somewhat repetitive missions hold it back from being a great game. But it has playability and will keep you going for many an hour. The currency is harder to generate at the beginning but keep at it and you will find fun through the fire.
he Scarlet Letter
T BOOK TO MOVIE ADAPTATION
A work of historical fiction by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, published 1850. It first appeared as a stage play in February 1858, when an adaptation by George L. Aiken opened at Barnum's American Museum. The story has been adapted to film many times. The first film adaptation was a 1908 but this silent short film has since been lost. The oldest surviving film adaptation is The Scarlet Letter (1911 film) directed by Joseph W. Smiley and George Loane Tucker, with Lucille Young as Hester and King Baggot as Dimmesdale. Then was adapted in 1926, 1934 and 1973. Made for TV in 1979, another film in 1995 (starring Demi Moore) and the novel also partially inspired Easy A (dir. by Will Gluck) from a screenplay by Bert V. Royal and starring Emma Stone. There was even an Opera. One thing is certain, this story will go on.
Words
by Joy
This issue
We get to know A. R. Alexander. Writer, Fighter
and Literary Bridge Builder.
As someone with dyslexia, the act of reading and writing has always been an enormous struggle. Growing up, I felt inferior to everyone around me and, at times, downright stupid. While other children seemed to navigate words effortlessly, for me, each page felt like a mountain to climb.
Yet, despite this hardship, reading fiction brought me a joy so immense that it outweighed the fatigue.
I“I felt inferior to everyone around me.”
mmersing myself in the fantastical worlds of novels. Stepping into
the lives of their characters was nothing short of magical. My imagination thrived on these stories, eagerly feeding on the emotions, adventures, and wonders they offered. Even as a child, I would dream up countless tales of my own, crafting vibrant worlds and complex characters that existed solely in my mind. However, if someone had told me in my teenage years, or even in my twenties, that I would one day become a writer, I would have laughed. To me, the idea was not just improbable; it was absurd. Writing, with all its intricacies and rules, seemed a task far beyond my reach. And who would possibly want to read the stories swirling around in my head?
My Writing. My Work. My Life in Focus
This belief was the main reason I didn’t begin writing at a young age, as many authors do. My mind overflowed with ideas, but I didn’t believe I could translate them into words on a page. More than that, I doubted anyone would care to read them.
It took years and a leap of faith to overcome these insecurities. Before I could even consider writing, I had to prove to myself that I could tackle difficult goals.
I pushed myself to earn a degree in psychology, an accomplishment that demanded immense effort and perseverance. This journey taught me a valuable lesson: if I truly believed in myself, I could achieve anything I set my mind to. With that realization, I began to see my imagination and love for storytelling not as obstacles but as gifts. I started writing, slowly at first, battling my doubts and fears at every step. At times, the process was grueling, but it was also deeply rewarding.
Over time, I discovered that my unique perspective, shaped by my struggles and resilience, resonated with readers. Today, when people compliment my writing, I am deeply moved. Not because the recognition erases the difficulties I’ve faced, but because it reminds me how far I’ve come. Writing is not something that came naturally to me it is something I fought for, word by word, line by line.
IA.R’s debut novel is out of print but will be back soon!
B“It is something I fought for, word by word, line by line. ”
ecoming an author has been a transformative experience.
It has taught me that the stories we carry within us are worth sharing, even if we feel they might not be perfect.
f I could tell my younger self anything, it would be this: the worlds in your head are not just for you. They are bridges waiting to connect with readers who will see their beauty and value, just as you do.
Remakes or Sequels that Should Never have seen the Light of Day
Welcome to our new feature. Remakes and sequels that should never have been made.
This issue we look at Clash of the Titans 2010. Why was it made? What we’re they thinking? Was it just a cash in?
This remake started well. I mean, what an opportunity the film makers had. The story was written, the actors would be lining up and the 1981 version had a huge following. But then disaster, it was turned into a run-of-the-mill action movie. No time to get to know the characters, no wonderful creatures that stunned you, just standard CGI. Yawn. The mythical monsters were better portrayed in Percy Jackson. This is a forgettable piece of entertainment and not really worth the big budget it used for such a bland and soulless addition to the myths and magic genre. Liam Neeson does a fair turn as Zeus but other than that the cast just seem to be plodding along, trying to get to the end scene as quickly as possible. Disappointing on so many levels and even more so when you think of what could have been. Why was this made? Well, cash, of course and the enduring love of the original mixed with an audience fascinated with mythological themes. Such a shame it wasn't any good.
Written by Julia
WW 2025 Wargame Design— Wednesday, May 28 - King's Strand Campus
The Wargaming Network is pleased to announce we will be holding a wargame design workshop during our Wargaming Week 2025 event.
At the 'Wargame Design Workshop' individuals who are curious about wargaming but have no prior experience with the method will have an opportunity to crash build a game linked to their research interests in a single day. Led by Dr David Banks, and based on his experience teaching MA modules on wargaming principles and design, individuals will be introduced to the foundational features of wargaming as a method, and given instruction on how to connect their intellectual interests to a playable game. To apply to participate in this event, individuals need to be students or scholars who have a research or teaching puzzle they wish to translate into a game.
Applicants should submit a short (250-500 word) proposal outlining the phenomenon they wish to gamify and the motive behind this no later than 12 May 2025. Final participants will be announced on 19 May 2025. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ww-2025-wargame-design-workshop-tickets-
CAAB Publishing has a fantastic children’s writing competition open this year - to encourage young writers. Win an Amazon voucher as the main prize. T&C can be found on their websitewww.caabpublishing.co.uk.
Entry is free but T&Cs apply.
Manchester Film Festival Screenplay Competition
After a successful 2024 edition, Manchester Film Festival is excited to join forces once again with ScriptUp for its 2025 Screenplay Competition.
Feel free to contact the ScriptUp team to ask any further questions: https:// www.scriptupstudio.com/contact
GOOD LUCK!
Thank you for joining us. See you next issue! Compiled by Joyce
