MEDIA MEMORIES OF MY PAST
By Alex Ness
January 5, 2026
FILMS AND GAMES
My cousins and good friends contributed to my love of fantasy. For me the best films in the vein of fantasy include a greater story, and the myths born from those stories, guide us. No hero is automatically successful, they must strive, and they do, but heroes fail too. An invulnerable hero, one who never bleeds or cries, is wounded from the very beginning. Who can be moved by a person who is never questioned in their likely victory?
The Black Rose features some anachronistic themes, but tells a story of romance with vigor. It moves me, as I wanted the ending that it comes with. But add Mongols, China, Saxons, and Normans with a very lovely French woman, and it is a match made in Heaven.
Adventures of Robin Hood is an equal, adventure, perhaps some anachronism, but a story told well. In this movie there is jumping from ropes to reach an opponent during battle. Fighting a castle's load of soldiers by a band of thieves and rogues to foil the evil pretender king. And romance, of a sort.
Ivanhoe speaks of a knight and the women, the honor, the code of chivalry that move him. A wonderful work for a gravely limited time about diversity, religious views, and honor. It is a glorious film, and honorable for the questions asked.
Dragonslayer was the first time I saw a Dragon that it looked true. I loved the effects, the story, the feel for a tale. It was frustrating to me that no one I knew then nor now, ever saw it. As it is a mage and his apprentice who must sacrifice all to save the land from a dragon. There are flaws but I believe it to be a great work. A sequel or additional story in that universe might have done well with a knight who was raised as a Dragonslayer by trade.
Excalibur is Arthurian legend made unified in stories and sources, with a huge budget, characters who might stray from the original, but for the better, and masterful direction. The role of Uther Pendragon, Arthur's father, is wonderfully played, as is the story of a tryst and lustful act. The director Boorman took great care in the deeper areas, such as the dragon, the grail, loyalty and dishonor. He understood what was so important. To tell an Arthurian story, one must strike the chord of an authentic Kingship.
Arn, the Knight Templar isn't a perfect work, but I like it. And I've done enough research for various reasons, that I am not taken in by the Templar myths, nor the untold story. Ridiculously, after so many years gone by, the true Templars are not treated well by historians, cultural voices, nor even public archives. Arn doesn't address those, it is a tale about a Swedish man, who considers himself a soldier of God. He pursues his faith and service in a way that interests me.
I love Ray Harryhausen, 20 years ago I interviewed him, and Jason and the Argonauts is a work he made great! The story, already good, might move a bit slower for modern audiences, but I've loved it for over 45 years. It tells the story of how Jason acquired the golden fleece, and sees great and mythic beasts and battles.
GAMES
I grew up in an era when board games were not seen as old fashioned or necessarily boring, by the average person. They might be too difficult or unrewarding, but you'd play them again to get better. And I am not, in fact, saying the board games of then were the all time best or the most interesting things to do. My cousins and best friends taught me the love of games. I was all over RISK, but there were so many different games back when I was in my teens, and they didn't involve platforms or electricity. They required fingers to push the chits from the sheet of markers. And often dice. Sometimes, lots of dice.
Mostly, especially with the sort of games shown below, the greatest requirement was a strategic mind, and an imagination. I liked Ogre and all the editions that followed. Ice War was, however, my favorite. Having said that, I like video games too. I just find when people were more patient, the build up and reward were significantly better.
Note well, none of these are role playing games, (RPGs) and I note this because some people assume if I say game, it usually means RPG. Or so I've been told. I have many RPGs that I like, just saying for the people who like one or the other but not both, or for those who make no distinction.
The Micro Game from Metagaming Image above is shown not for playing all of those shown, (but still many) were insanely cheap for what you received for the money to buy and play them. Collecting them was not always easy, since we didn't have Ebay or Amazon at the time.
Lastly:
I would very gladly review CDs, games, books & comics.
Write to my email for directions how to make it happen.
LINKS
Lastly:
I would very gladly review CDs, games, books & comics.
Write to my email for directions how to make it happen.
LINKS
MY POETRY AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com
HERE: Poplitiko.Blogspot.Com
MY PUBLISHED WORKS
Social Media
https://bsky.app/profile/alexanderness63.bsky.social
https://x.com/alexnesspoetry
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