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Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated Flash Gordon (1980) in Movies

Nov 1, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)  
Flash Gordon (1980)
Flash Gordon (1980)
1980 | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Back in 1980 I sadly didn’t get the chance to see the adventures of Flash Gordon on the big screen, but over the years I watched it so many times in the various formats from VHS to DVD, so now that Cinemas are back open in Wales and it’s the 40th Anniversary of the movie I really didn’t want to miss the chance to see Sam Jones and Brian Blessed on the big screen in the cult 80s movie.

Directed by Mike Hodges and starring Sam J. Jones, Brian Blessed, Melody Anderson, Max von Sydow and many more great names of the time, Flash Gordon went through some turbulent times in bringing the character to the big screen, but over the years the film has built a cult following and fans love the film.

Flash Gordon may have its flaws, such as some of the dodgy special effects such as seeing the background through semi-translucent characters but this all adds to the charm of the film, it does for me and although you can certainly see these issues much more on the big screen it doesn’t distract you from the fun and craziness of the film.
  
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Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated Life After The Navigator (2020) in Movies

Oct 29, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)  
Life After The Navigator (2020)
Life After The Navigator (2020)
2020 | Documentary
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
It’s a movie from the 80s that is loved by many and has gained such a huge following since its release back in 1986, now in Life After The Navigator from renowned writer/director Lisa Downs we are taken beyond the Flight of the Navigator and find out more about the rollercoaster life that its star Joey Cramer took after the films immense popularity.

The new documentary is the second in the series of “Life After” documentaries with the first being the brilliant Life After Flash which brought us the journey that star of Flash Gordon, Sam J. Jones, went on after his success in a movie that has become a cult classic.
  
Life After Flash (2017)
Life After Flash (2017)
2017 | Documentary
Flash! Ah Ah!
To say the film Flash Gordon shaped me as a child would be a gross understatement. I worship the film as a screen classic and as one of my favorite films of all time. Ok, I know it's not Citizen Kane; however, it is the Citizen Kane of campy 80s rock operas.

As much as I would love to have an 8 hour conversation with someone about the merits of Flash Gordon, I should be talking about the 2017 film Life After Flash which I don't think I had any choice but to enjoy.

The film itself is kind of divided into to parts. The first half talking to all the surviving principles about how they were cast, the production itself, their interactions with epic producer Dino De Laurentiis and the film's legacy in their eyes. The second half was devoted to star Sam J. Jones himself and his personal journey before, during and after the film was completed and released in 1980.

He talked about how his ego got in the way of production so much so that his voice isn't even used in the film and was dubbed by another actor. He also expounded on his life since talking about dark times when the work dried up and how he even thought of suicide.

Thankfully after many years, Seth MacFarlane and asked him to cameo his most famous role in "Ted" and how that has reignited his film and public appearance career. (As a side note, since I am just a huge Flash Gordon fan, the Sam Jones scenes in Ted are about the funniest scenes ever in a motion picture for me).

Others mention the effects of typecasting in Hollywood. Even director Richard Donner mentions the fate Christopher Reeve has after Superman.

I should watch more documentaries as I always learn things I didn't know before and this great film was no exception.