Da'ud Bob's Movie Review
for
  July 2026


This month's review is a real "golden oldie." Published way back in July 1986, exactly forty years ago this month, and the very first year I began writing these reviews. Plus, it's a movie that I think everyone in the SCA (or anywhere else, really) needs to have seen. Enjoy!



Fighter Alert! It is far too often easy to forget all of the purposes for the Society to which we belong. Many fighters see fighting as the be-all and end-all of this organization, get their egos involved, and fail to remember to have fun along the way. Come on, fighters! As you travel this road of life, take some time to gunch the flowers along the way. Remember, without eternal vigilance, it can happen here!

So there I was, just laying around the tent on a hot summer's day, discussing important affairs of state with Gwenllian Sue (you know, like will the Mongols take the pennant this summer, is this going to be the year that Genghis Khan develops the role of Genghis Khan for Jack Palance, and will the Franks ever stop being such hot dogs), when I was seized upon by a sudden urge. Not having the time for it at that moment, and cold showers being in short supply in the desert, I went and checked this out.

It's hard to say anything really tacky about The Court Jester with Danny Kaye (also starring Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, and a very much younger Angela Lansbury). I mean, the plot is nearly non-existent, and the costuming is abysmal, but the movie is so very entertaining that it's hard to be nasty about it.

We're talking no breasts (but lots of decolletage!). No blood. One dead body and lots of unconscious ones in the moat. Knights roll. Men-at-arms roll. Bow and arrow fu. Sword fu. Midget fu. Catapult fu. Gratuitous songs. Gratuitous "Yea, verily, yea!" Gratuitous midgets. Gratuitous "'Get it?' 'Got it.' Good!'" Where did they get oval wine casks? Check out the real ermine tail trim! Academy Award nominations to the baby, for putting up with the Purple Pimpernel on its tush, to Angela Lansbury as Gwendolyn for saying "the grim, grisly and gruesome Griswold" with such feeling, and to everyone for not tripping over their tongues with "The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true" and "The pellet with the poison's in the flagon with the dragon, the vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true." This one gets the first Da'ud Bob Four (****) Star rating. Da'ud Bob says check it out!



Upcoming movies and miniseries to watch for!


The Odyssey
July 17, 2026		 A new film version of the epic poem by Homer. Directed by Christopher Nolan, and starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, with Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, John Leguizamo, and more. Quite the impressive cast! I hope the script will let their talents shine. The plot is exactly what you'd expect: "After the Trojan War, Odysseus faces a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca, meeting creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens, and Circe along the way." (I still like the meme where Odysseus is asked by one of his sailors what an "odyssey" is, and Odysseus tells him that it's a long journey named after the only survivor, and the sailor goes, "Oh, okay. Wait! What?")
The King, the Swordsman, and the Sorceress
Was to be released December 30, 2025, but IMDb says it's still in "pre-production".		 Starring Donna Hamblin, Deborah Dutch, Jeffrey Schneider (who also directs), and Nick Dent, still no plot synopsis has been released. But given the title, surely it must be a Da'ud Bob kind of movie, yes? Well, maybe. AI seems to think it is a remake of 1982's The Sword and the Sorcerer, a movie which featured, as I said in my review of it, "the amazing new [three-bladed] Ronco Rocket Sword.  'It slices!  It dices!  It makes mincemeat of your enemies in minutes!')". If AI is right, we are all in serious trouble.
Highlander
2027		 Starring Henry Cavill, Russell, Crowe, and Karen Gillan, with Dave Bautista as the Kurgan. This is a remake of the 1986 original starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery that no one I know of is asking for. "An immortal Scottish swordsman faces off with other immortal warriors in order to obtain a coveted ability." Director Chad Stahelski confirmed the movie will be using Queen's soundtrack from the original, but "Probably in a different way than you think, but hardcore yes." [Da'ud Bob says, "How about 'hardcore no'?"]
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
A second season of this streaming series is already lined up for a 2027 release		 Set a century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wander through Westeros ... a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends. A(nother) Game of Thrones prequel. Streaming on Max.


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