Sands of Oblivion

Sands of Oblivion ~ An interesting horror film. Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson, as Cecil De Mille is actually a great casting choice, unexpected and quite good. George Kennedy is also here, even though I thought he was dead, but I'm glad he's not as he brings his superior acting skills with him. Unfortunately neither of these men is in this much.

An ancient Egyptian relic is uncovered on the set of de Mille's 1923 The Ten Commandments, an undying evil is released, and hilarity ensues, fun fun fun. Apparently the shooting set was lost, and lost for a reason. Adam Baldwin is a bit wishy-washy here. Although I first saw him as Linderman in My Bodyguard, it's hard for me to see him these days as anything other than John Casey from "Chuck." Here he plays against type and I don't believe him for a second.

The monster is a rather frightening looking alligator-jawed Anubis, even though its size and shape varied wildly each time it appeared on screen. I know I watched this with the lights on, but it wasn't as scary as it could be. There were too many sequences with nothing happening and when it did happen, it was drug out. The dune buggy chase lasted forever.

This was a good old-fashioned horror movie, but would have been much better, if it was shorter and more consistent. Check it out if there's nothing else on.

Charlton Heston 1924-2008

Whether you know him from his many brilliant roles in classic Hollywood or his many Biblical epics or his resurgence in 1970s scifi and disaster flicks or his fierce political leanings both liberal and conservative, Charlton Heston is a man who can never be forgotten.

If you’ve ever heard powerful narration, it’s probably him or someone who wishes they were him. Even if you’ve never seen his films, Heston leaves his mark on early television playing such parts as the leads in “Macbeth” and “Wuthering Heights,” and even in contemporary TV on “Saturday Night Live” and “Dynasty.” He always made his mark no matter where he performed.

From the classic Ben-Hur to the original (and the best) Planet of the Apes to The Greatest Show on Earth to El Cid to his own personal favorite Will Penny to the much-parodied Soylent Green to perhaps both his greatest role and the best Biblical epic ever filmed, The Ten Commandments, Heston was a man among men and an actor among actors. He will be missed.