Exploring Nimue's Arthurian Origins

Katherine Langford in Cursed

There have been myriad retellings of the story of King Arthur throughout the years, on the big and small screen, as well as the printed page. From the visually stunning, brilliantly over the top theatrics of John Boorman’s 1981 film Excalibur (a personal favorite of mine) to gritty tales like Antoine Fuqua’s King Arthur (2004) and more light-hearted television series such as the BBC produced Merlin, fans never tire of seeing adventures that are set in Arthurian times. There’s even been a graphic novel entitled Camelot 3000, which merged the legend of Arthur with a futuristic science-fiction tale. One of the more recent re-imaginings of  the story is the 2019 novel Cursed, written by Thomas Wheeler, with illustrations by comics legend Frank Miller. The story focuses on Nimue (known as the Lady of the Lake in many versions of the tale) and her quest to free her race, the Fey (fairy folk) from persecution by the Church, while discovering the secret behind the mystical powers she possesses, which seem tied to the mystical Sword of Power, aka Excalibur. The book is a female-empowered tale very much in the vein of The Hunger Games and the Divergent series. Thanks to its success with readers, it was inevitable the novel would be turned into a film or television show, and Netflix recently premiered a series based on the book.

The show is an enjoyable riff on the oft-told tale. Cursed takes the familiar trappings of the legend and re-configures the story into the origin of Nimue, who interacts with many of the familiar faces from Arthurian lore, including Arthur, Merlin, Morgana, Percival and Uther Pendragon. Many of these characters are portrayed quite differently than the ones we’re used to from previous iterations of the tale. For example, Arthur is a young mercenary, Gawain is one of the Fey, and Uther (who’s not Arthur’s father in this series) is a petty, self-important, power-hungry monarch. Even Merlin is not quite the powerful sorcerer we’re used to seeing in previous versions of the story. He’s an anguished, haunted soul, who’s wracked with guilt over his past actions, but still trying to manipulate events to influence the future of mankind.

Part of that future involves Nimue, who will learn that she has a greater destiny than she ever imagined. When her village is attacked by the Red Paladins, military-style forces sent out by the Church to purge the land of the Fey and other magical beings, Nimue leads the survivors on a journey to find sanctuary. She will learn (some of) the secrets of her past, and find that her destiny, and that of the Sword of Power, are inexorably linked. She’ll also discover that Merlin, Uther, The Church, Uther, and other interested parties (including a warrior named Cumber the Ice King) are all vying to possess the sword for their own reasons. There are political and religious manipulations, fierce battles and magical confrontations throughout the series, which is well-directed and visually striking. As for the cast, Katherine Langford (of 13 Reasons Why) is very good as Nimue, Gistaf Skarsgard is impressive as Merlin, and Peter Mullan (who played Jacob Snell on Ozark) is excellent as Father Carden, the leader of the Church’s vicious Red Paladin forces. There are also solid performances from Daniel Sharman and Bella Dayne in supporting roles that may figure prominently in future seasons.

Cursed is an effective, female-centric version of the legend of King Arthur. The series may evoke memories of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s iconic novel The Mists of Avalon, which was itself adapted for television as a miniseries in 2001. But Cursed stands on its own as a diverting, entertaining, and clever re-invention and re-interpretation of a classic tale. There are more entries in the book series planned, so it’s a fairly safe bet that Netflix will continue the television show as well. If you’re a fan of Arthurian tales, the show is worth a look. Here’s a link to the trailer for the series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLTdy6PfotA.

Pollack & Mitchum Meet "The Yakuza"

Can you imagine a story about the Japanese mob directed by Sydney Pollack, who helmed such classic films as The Way We Were, Jeremiah Johnson, Tootsie, Absence of Malice and Out of Africa? It happened in 1975, when Warner Brothers released Pollack's The Yakuza. This intriguing, moody thriller stars Robert Mitchum, Brian Keith and Ken Takakura. Mitchum plays Harry Kilmer, who had been stationed in Tokyo during the occupation following WWII. An old friend of his, George Tanner (played by Keith) asks Kilmer to help him rescue his daughter from Tono, a yakuza boss who has kidnapped her. It turns out that Tanner has been selling guns to Tono, and something has gone wrong. Kilmer heads to Japan to meet with the yakuza boss. Once there, he reunites with an old flame, Eiko, and her brother Ken. Since the post war days, Ken has resented Kilmer, although he doesn’t know why. Kilmer will eventually discover the truth behind Ken's hatred.

Ken Takakura & Robert Mitchum

Kilmer needs Ken’s help in contacting and dealing with the yakuza, as Ken used to work for them. But everything is not what it seems. Tanner is keeping secrets from Kilmer about his true dealings with Tono. Ken’s brother, a yakuza advisor, tries to help our heroes, but things escalate even further. Tanner's daughter is rescued, but that's not the end of the story. As Kilmer and Ken get closer to the truth, a chain of events put in motion by Tanner’s actions affects all of their fates. Kilmer finally finds out why Ken has always disliked him, a secret which dates back to when Kilmer had helped Eiko survive in the days after WWII. Mitchum is very good in the lead role, and the fine supporting cast features familiar character actors Richard Jordan, James Shigeta and Herb Edelman. Brian Keith is quite effective as Tanner, an atypical role for him.

The Yakuza is a stylish, well made film that feels somewhat leisurely paced by today’s action film standards, but is well worth a look. The story is a meditation on honor, keeping the promises you make, and dealing with the fallout from the secrets you keep. It’s much more than a shoot ‘em up movie, though there is quite a bit of gun and swordplay in the film. The screenplay is by Paul Schrader and Robert Towne, from a story by Leonard Schrader (Paul’s brother). The wonderful score is by jazz great Dave Grusin. It's one of director Pollack’s more unusual films, but I think it’s one of his best. Interestingly enough, he made this movie right around the same time he helmed the classic espionage thriller Three Days of The Condor, with Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway. The Yakuza is available on disc and for online viewing on some sites, such as Amazon.

The Yums Yums Brightly Colored "Pop!"

Cover Image Courtesy Rum Bar Records

If you're in need of some positive vibes and cool music this summer, look no further than For Those About To Pop!, the latest release from The Yum Yums. If you could bottle up the unbridled energy and sheer enthusiasm the band shows on this record, you could use it to light up the world! The Norway based band’s phenomenal new record features a delightful mix of pop, rock, glam and bubblegum meshed together to create a sparkling collection of tunes that you'll be happy to have stuck in your head. The album kicks off with the pulsating title tune, which is nothing less than the band's mission statement, celebrating the delights of the "three-chord pop song," and a dedication to those fans who understand the sheer joys of listening to rockin' pop music.

For the next thirteen songs, the band snap, crackle and pops their way through a delicious collection of candy-coated confections. Songs such as "Baby Baby" and "Can I Come Over" neatly balance pop, punk and rock. The dazzling "Can't Get Enough of Your Lovin' and "She's Got Everything" may even make you double-check to see if your music device has morphed back into a transistor radio! The Yum Yums breezily genre-hop between power pop, rock and punk. There are touches of 1960s and 1970s pop and bubblegum, a hint of 1990s era pop-punk bands like Blink 182 and Jimmy Eat World, and a definite homage to the three-minute rave-ups of The Ramones, who were themselves self-professed bubblegum fans. Just listen to the introduction to "Let's Go Crazy" to see what I mean.

This is a truly enjoyable, smile-inducing record that celebrates the joys of listening to music on the radio in "Summertime Pop" and the singer's day-glo colored love for his best girl on "Bubblegum Baby." Sunshine-dappled tunes like "Lie To Me" and "Crush On You" just beg for you to sing along, while you're also digging the scintillating guitars, thrilling drum beats and incandescent vocals. The uber-talented line-up of The Yum Yums includes lead guitarist and vocalist Morten Henriksen, guitarist-vocalist Gunnar Vrontveit , and drummer Ulf Ramone Bendicksen, along with several of their talented friends, including Christian Jacobsen on keyboards and Havard Eldsaunet and Stine Bendiksen on bass. These guys are so good, they could make the members of classic power pop groups like the Rubinoos, Shoes and the Raspberries green with envy!

For Those About To Pop! is a phenomenal album and a marvelous, loving valentine for power pop fans everywhere. Once you hear it, I guarantee you'll be longing to seek out the band's other releases, which are equally as enjoyable as this one. For more information on For Those About To Pop! and the terrific music of The Yum Yums, head over to the site for Rum Bar Records by following this link: https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/for-those-about-to-pop. To hear a couple of the fantastic songs from the album, follow these links to check out the bouncy "Can I Come Over" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0IDbhO-QFo, and the sugary "Summertime Pop": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkOCgxtvQMA. Remember, "the pop will never stop!"