Da'ud Bob's Movie Review
for
  October 2026


This month we're going to reach waaaaaayyyy back in the Da'ud Bob ibn Briggs archives, when forty (count 'em! 40!) years ago this month I reviewed what has been, and remains, one of my all time favorite movies to pick on. So return with us now to those heady days, way back in Anno Societatis XX (yes, 20!), as we review a movie that many think should never have been made. And in fact, if it hadn't been made, perhaps many of its stars would not later have died of cancer, because they filmed it in southern Utah, which happened to be downwind of the Atomic Energy Commission's (as it was then) Nevada Test Site, where they conducted open air tests of atomic weapons, the fallout from which was killing a lot of the local sheep near the filming location, and which it is widely believed also led to the later deaths of many of the principal actors (and who knows how many bit players from the movie) from cancer, including John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Agnes Moorehead, and Pedro Armendáriz.


To be honest, though, that's not the only reason this movie maybe should not have been made. Watch it sometime, and you'll understand. (Frankly, I kept expecting Timogen to end every sentence with the word "Pilgrim".)


So enjoy this little "blast from the past".



Well, prime time TV has done it again! They've finally resurrected an old (1953) John Wayne costume "epic" that all those who believe in good movies had hoped was dead, buried, and long forgotten. But NOOOOOOoooo! So, this month Da'ud Bob covers The Conqueror.

Starring John Wayne, Susan Hayward, and Agnes Moorehead, this one has all the best and the worst of the 1950's "historical" movies. Lots of action, your basic love interest, deceit, perfidy and death, and above all, inadequate and/or nonexistent research.

The (nearly invisible) plot - small-time leader of a tribe of Mongols follows his destiny (with the help of a good woman) to become ruler over all the Gobi (and eventually of one of the largest empires in the world, but that's probably another movie).

The good points - Nice yurts (including one on wheels). The costuming for the bit players seems to be O.K.

The bad points - 6'3" Mongols. John Wayne's mustache. Horses (these look like big American quarter horses, mind you, not the typical Mongol ponies) falling in battle and elsewhere for no reason whatsoever, unharmed by swords, spears, arrows, or nothin' - they just drop like flies. Costuming for the dancers and most of the big name actors - especially Susan Hayward.

Zero breasts (unless you count The Duke's - we are talking prime time television here, folks!). Three quarts blood (most of it John Wayne's). 53 dead bodies (this was a hard count to keep up with. We may have set a new record). Horses roll. Mongols roll. "Tartars" roll. Yurts roll. Spear fu. Sword fu. Arrow fu. Gratuitous sand. Gratuitous fringe (check out that dancer!). Gratuitous corkscrew caps. Gratuitous "Mongol-ballet-folk-belly dancers". Academy Award nominations to Howard Hughes (the producer of this monster) for convincing John Wayne he'd make a believable Genghis Khan (pardon me, "Timogen"); and to John Wayne for speaking Mongol with a West Texas drawl and saying things like "There are times for action; then I listen to my blood" with a straight face. An 87 on the Vomit Meter. Two stars. Da'ud Bob says check it out.





Upcoming movies and miniseries to watch for!


The Odyssey
 Still playing in wide release		 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 Uprising
Now playing in theaters		 While the official synopsis says "Based on the true story of the uprising that inspired the legend of Robin Hood, Andrew Garfield stars as the leader of a rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II in a fight for justice", frankly I'm not sure where they got the idea that the legend of Robin Hood was inspired by the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. Particularly since the Robin Hood stories were circulating before the revolt occurred. But what do I know? Anyway, starring Andrew Garfield, Jamie Bell, Stephen Dillane, and Woody Norman as King Richard II.
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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