FOR MY FIRST CHAPTER ON CHARLEMAGNE’S PALADINS CLICK HERE
AFTER FERRAU THE MUSLIM HAD BEHEADED THE SLEEPING PRINCE ARGALIA, he once again mounted his horse and rode off eastward through the Forest of Arden, continuing his search for the fleeing Princess Angelica. Roland the Paladin was likewise scouring the forest for this woman who had bewitched so many men back at the court of Charlemagne.
Another Paladin, Reinold, was far ahead of the other pursuers of Angelica due to the supernatural speed of his enchanted horse, Bayard. In the Forest of Arden were two magical sources of water – a fountain that was hundreds of years old and from which flowed the Waters of Hatred, and a stream which carried the Waters of Love. (The Waters of Bemused Resignation were in a different forest altogether.) The parched Reinold came upon the fountain and unsuspectingly drank from it.
Suddenly he was filled with naked loathing for the princess he had til now felt passionately in love with. Disgusted with himself for having pursued this object of hatred he rode westward to return to the Emperor’s court. After a time he grew tired, so he dismounted and napped on the grass beneath the trees. Continue reading
Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog are used to my posts about spectacularly failed predictions. Many of this blog post’s batch of predictions from 1975 came with no set date so they may possibly still come true. 
MYSTERIOUS PLANET (1982) – Written, produced and directed by Brett Piper, this was his first film ever and it manages to be bad in every conceivable way, running the gamut from fun-bad to boring-bad to incomprehensibly bad and even rising to “how could you NOT be ashamed to release this under your real name” bad at times. 
As the story opens, some kind of space fleet is informing all of its ships that no take-offs will be permitted until an “asteroid storm” passes through. Most of the captains are content to obey, but not Commander Rogan (Paula Taupier), the combined captain and science officer of the medical transport ship. (If you can make out the name of the vessel you’ve got me beaten, and I replayed most of the dialogue several times to pick out what nuggets of information I could.) 
HAPPY NEW YEAR! With the Christmas holiday season behind us Balladeer’s Blog moves into 2021 with these twenty-one wry sayings. 
Balladeer’s Blog’s year-end retrospective comes to a close with this look at November’s best. Hunker down with some Iron Smoke Bourbon to help you ring in the new year. 
THE THIN MAN (1934) – My review of Dashiell Hammett’s final novel, a murder mystery set between Christmas and New Year’s. Click 
SIX-HUNDRED & SIXTY SIX (1972) – A combination science fiction/ post-apocalypse/ horror/ religious flick starring cult actor Joe Turkel, best known for his role as Lloyd the Bartender in The Shining. Click 
For the second year in a row America’s de facto Third Party President Donald Trump is 2020’s most admired man per the Gallup Polling organization. (link below) I will point out again that Trump has done more to help the working class and the poor OF ALL COLORS than any other president of my lifetime. 
THE NEXT MORNING, the 31 warriors who wanted to joust for the possession of Princess Angelica of Cathay donned their armor and rode together to the Fountain of the Pine. Angelica’s brother Argalia was awaiting them there. 
FIVE SCARY BUT NOT GORY HORROR FILMS – For those who like scary Halloween flicks that lack intense gore. Click 
GHOST RIDER: THE MOST HALLOWEENISH COVERS – A look at the original 1972-1983 run of the Marvel Comics horror character Ghost Rider. Click 
BLADE THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: THE EARLY YEARS – A look at the original 1973-1983 run of the Marvel Comics horror character Blade. Click 
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