Legend Quest

Last year Syfy aired the series Legend Quest with a number of Arthurian-themed episodes, but one was more generally medieval:




The complete series can be viewed at Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/legend-quest.

Glowing Gargoyle?

I'm unclear at this time of the context but Syfy's Fact or Faked includes a recent episode this month called "Glowing Gargoyle/Phantom Feline". Here's a bit of preview:

Syfy March 2012

Catching up still. Here's Syfy for March:


[Missed listings for 3/1-3/2 ]

SAT., 3 MARCH
06:00 AM
Movie: Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans
09:00 PM
Movie: Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans


SUN., 4 MARCH
01:00 AM
Movie: Wes Craven Presents Dracula III: Legacy
03:00 AM
Bram Stoker's Way of the Vampire
07:00 PM
Movie: Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans


THURS., 8 MAR
08:00 AM
First Wave: Blue Agave
09:00 AM
First Wave: Cul-de-sac


FRI., 9 MAR
10:00 PM
Merlin: A Herald Of The New Age


SAT., 10 MAR
12:00 AM
Merlin: A Herald Of The New Age


MON., 12 MAR
09:00 AM
Syfy Original Movie: Dark Relic


TUES., 13 MAR
08:00 AM
Ghost Hunters, Season 7: Knights Of The Living Dead


WEDNES., 14 MAR
03:00 AM
Syfy Original Movie: Fire And Ice


FRI., 16 MARCH
10:00 PM
Merlin: The Hunter's Heart


SAT., 17 MARCH
12:00 AM
Merlin: The Hunter's Heart



THURS., 22 MAR
02:00 AM
Stargate SG-1: Thor's Hammer
04:30 PM
Syfy Original Movie: Beyond Sherwood Forest
06:30 PM
Movie: Brothers Grimm, The
09:00 PM
Syfy Original Movie: Red: Werewolf Hunter [content dubious]


FRI., 23 MAR
03:00 AM
Movie: Dragonquest

09:30 AM
Syfy Original Movie: Fire And Ice
11:30 AM
Syfy Original Movie: Dragon Sword
01:30 PM
Movie: Brothers Grimm, The
04:00 PM
Syfy Original Movie: Black Forest
06:00 PM
Syfy Original Movie: Witchslayer Gretl

10:00 PM
Merlin: The Sword In The Stone - Part 1

SAT., 24 MAR
12:00 AM
Merlin: The Sword In The Stone - Part 1


SUN., 25 MAR
06:30 PM
Movie: Outlander


MON., 26 MAR
03:00 PM
Movie: Outlander


WEDNES., 28 MAR
01:00 AM
Syfy Original Movie: Thor: Hammer Of The Gods


THURS., 29 MAR
08:00 AM
Merlin: Aithusa
09:00 AM
Merlin: His Father's Son
10:00 AM
Merlin: A Servant Of Two Masters
11:00 AM
Merlin: The Secret Sharer
12:00 PM
Merlin: Lamia
01:00 PM
Merlin: Lancelot Du Lac
02:00 PM
Merlin: A Herald Of The New Age
03:00 PM
Merlin: The Hunter's Heart
04:00 PM
Merlin: The Sword In The Stone - Part 1


FRI., 30 MAR
10:00 PM
Merlin: The Sword In The Stone - Part 2


SAT., 31 MAR
12:00 AM
Merlin: The Sword In The Stone - Part 2

June 2012 on Chiller

Finally up to date. This month on Chiller:



[Missed listing for Sun. 6/3]

FRI., 8 JUNE

09:00 A ET
The Twilight Zone (1985): The Last Defender Of Camelot


WEDNES., 13 JUNE

01:00 P ET
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Buffy Vs. Dracula (see previous post for Hulu link)


THURS., 28 JUNE

08:00 A ET
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: End Of Days (King Arthur parallels)

Watch on Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/watch/158843/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-end-of-days

May 2012 on Chiller

Last month on Chiller:

WEDNES., 23 MAY

10:00 A ET
Supernatural Science: King Arthur (again, see March for YouTube link)



SAT., 26 MAY

07:00 P ET
Movie Marathon: Vlad

Chiller April 2012

More from Chiller:



SUN., 8 APR
10:00 AM
Supernatual Science: King Arthur (see last month for YouTube link)


FRI., 6 APR
09:30 A ET
The Twilight Zone (1985): The Last Defender Of Camelot



TUES., 9 APR
07:00 A ET
The Outer Limits: The Tipping Point

Watch at Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/watch/129166/outer-limits-the-tipping-point

06:00 P ET
The Outer Limits: The Tipping Point


THURS., 11 APR
02:00 P ET
The Outer Limits: The Tipping Point

Chiller March 2012

Listing for Chiller from March:

[Missed details for 3/1 and 3/2]

MON., 12 MAR

09:00 A ET
Forever Knight: Dark Knight
10:00 A ET
Forever Knight: Dark Knight: The Second Chapter
11:00 A ET
Forever Knight: For I Have Sinned
12:00 P ET
Forever Knight: Last Act
01:00 P ET
Forever Knight: Dance By The Light Of The Moon
02:00 P ET
Forever Knight: Dying To Know You
03:00 P ET
Forever Knight: False Witness
04:00 P ET
Forever Knight: Cherry Blossoms


WEDNES., 21 MAR

3:00 P ET
Outer Limits: The Shroud [details on Wikipedia]

Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqFf-O8SCRA



MON., 26 MAR

10:00 A ET
Supernatural Science: King Arthur

Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLATxHGRqFg&list=UUTRBHRMHX3uZNWDbmoN-23g&index=2&feature=plcp


THURS., 29 MAR
08:00 A ET
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Buffy Vs. Dracula

Watch on Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/watch/158813/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-buffy-vs-dracula


FRI., 30 MAR
05:00 A ET
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Buffy Vs. Dracula

Catching Up (Again)

I've been remiss of late in posting the monthly TV lists from Chiller and Syfy but hope to rectify this omission in the next few days. I also have a large number of television productions to add links for as we gear up for a new/revised call for papers for Getting Medieval on Television.

Michael

Kalamazoo 2013 Proposal

Here are the details of our proposal for sessions for next year's International Congress on Medieval Studies:

Still Getting Medieval on Television: Medieval-Themed Television of the Twenty-first Century and Its Impact on Medieval Studies (Roundtable) (x2)

In the twentieth-century, film and later television were the primary media for disseminating information about the Middle Ages to mass audiences. However, in the twenty-first century, that paradigm has shifted—a fact we had not yet realized in organizing our 2007 sessions at both the Popular Culture Association Annual Meeting and the International Congress on Medieval Studies—with the “reel Middle Ages” of film giving way almost completely and the “televisual Middle Ages” becoming the dominant texts in our contemporary (re)construction of the medieval. Consequently, thanks to the healthy manufacturing of new works for distribution on television as well as (in defiance of the hithertofore ephemeralness of television programming) the preservation of older ones online and on DVD, we should not discount their impact on us and our students, both now and in the generations to come.

In apparent ignorance or (perhaps) denial of television’s usurpation of film’s role as the major innovator of medieval-themed texts, the study of medieval-themed film continues to expand, while research on televisual medievalisms remains limited despite the growing number of high profile programs both in the United States and abroad. Currently, television produces an overabundance of one-offs, series, telefilms, miniseries, commercials, and documentaries, all created in ever-increasing numbers for an incredibly diverse audience across the globe and provides viewers, starting with simple plots for young children and culminating in an increased sophistication and content for older adults, with vivid, informative and entertaining recreations of the medieval past (either as they truly were or, more usually, as we wish they had been) and/or transformations of that past in a vibrant medieval present. We can no longer ignore television’s Middle Ages as a fertile ground for discussion and debate—a fact addressed in the call for proposals for three recent collections on the topic. In these roundtable sessions, designed to continue the ongoing work of the Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages, we hope to further alleviate some of the disparity between filmic and televisual medievalisms and provide both a gateway into accessing this material as well as to evaluate how these programs might be profitably integrated into medievalist research and teaching.

Name Change

Released 1 June 2012:

The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages is pleased to announce that the Medieval Studies at the Movies website is now and forever Medieval Studies on Screen (and our addressed altered to http://medievalstudiesonscreen.blogspot.com/), a change designed to better reflect the realities of our access to medieval-themed texts on film, television, computers, and  portable electronic devices.

Michael Torregrossa
Co-Founder, The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages

Television Medievalisms CFP (10/1/12)

Courtesy of the International Studies in Medievalism(s) listserv:

Call for Submissions

Television Medievalisms

Desperate cries that Medieval Studies is a dying field can often be heard from medievalists these days.  Yet the Middle Ages seems to be thriving in popular culture.  In particular, television presents us with a wide and diverse array of “medieval” offerings.  Shows such as Merlin, Game of Thrones, and Camelot, amongst others, address a variety of audiences.  Many of these programs target younger audiences--for example, both Merlin and the made-for-TV movie Avalon High appeal to adolescents.  In the next few years, we can expect a revival of interest in Medieval Studies, a discipline to which our students will have been introduced primarily through television medievalisms.  Because this creates a need to examine these popular products in light of their focus on the Middle Ages, we welcome contributions to a collection of essays that explore television medievalisms.  Contributions dealing with television programs in English and/or other languages are welcome.  Scholars interested in the following areas are particularly encouraged to contribute:

?       Literary Studies

?       History

?       Communications

?       Gender Studies

?       Art History

?       Music History

?       Film History

?       Cultural Studies

?       Pedagogy

Abstracts of approximately 500 words and a brief academic bio should be sent to Dr. Meriem Pagès at mpages@keene.edu by October 1, 2012.  Authors will be notified of the status of their abstracts by November 15, 2012.  Acceptance of the abstract does not guarantee inclusion in the volume.

Upon preliminary acceptance, contributors will be asked to submit articles of approximately 7,000 words by June 1, 2013. Editors reserve the right to reject articles that do not meet editorial standards. We anticipate a Winter 2014 publication date.

Brave Update

Disney now has a wealth of information available at the website for Brave, the latest Disney-Pixar co-production, set to be released on 22 June. Set in medieval Scotland, Brave appears to be Pixar's version of the "princess" movie, and it will be interesting to see whether they stick to the traditional Disney formula or, as usual, go their own way to create something fresh.

A number of videos are available from Pixar's YouTube Channel including the following:



Two that offer further details:



One clip


And, last but not least, some humor:

DeVries on Game of Thrones

A recent issue of the Medieval News blog features a link to an article by Kelly DeVries on Game of Thrones (a series I need to post more about). The full piece can be accessed at: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/137363/kelly-devries/game-of-thrones-as-history?page=show.

Thoughts on Kalamazoo 2013

The Virtual Society for the Study of Popular Culture and the Middle Ages is now preparing our session proposal for the 2013 International Congress on Medieval Studies and is contemplating a session on medieval-themed television. If this might be of interest to you, send us an email.

Neo-medievalism in the Media (At Last)

My thanks to Richard Utz for the head's up on the imminent release of this long-awaited collection:

Neo-medievalism in the Media: Essays on Film, Television, and Electronic Games
Edited by Robinson, Carol L. , & Clements, Pamela

Imprint: Edwin Mellen Press
USA List Price: $169.95; UK List Price: £109.95
ISBN10: 0-7734-2662-0;   ISBN13: 978-0-7734-2662-7

Pages: 452 

Year: 2012

Subject Areas: Cultural Studies, Film Studies, General Literature & Art -- Medieval, Literature - Medieval, Medieval & Renaissance - History, Popular Culture.

Description

This is a collection of essays that study the contemporary cultural depictions of medievalism. The book attempts to unravel distortions that tend to domesticate the era and represent it as an extension of modern life. Several authors claim that modernity is so radically different to medieval life that we can only view the past as an extension of the present, rather than as radically different. The present distorts, and often politicizes the past, and these essays explore how everything from commercials, and video games, to the war on terror can contain elements of neo-medieval revisionism. Some authors argue that even though nobody alive today has a lived experience of the period, and holding an authentic medieval experience is almost impossible, there seems to be a sort of nostalgia about medieval times that indicates dissatisfaction with contemporary life.

Table of Contents

Preface: A Moveable Feast: Repositionings of “the Medieval” in Medieval Studies, Medievalism, and Neo-Medievalism by Richard Utz

Introduction: Neomedievalism in a Vortext of Discourse: Film, Television, and Digital Games by Carol L. Robinson

1. Remembering Dismembering: Reading the Violated Body Medievally by Leslie A. Coote

2. NeoMedieval Trauma: The Cinematic Hyperreality of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales by Pamela Clements

3. The Use of Nature: Representing Religion in Medieval Film by Christopher Roman

4. Neo-Bushido: NeoMedieval Anime and Japanese Essence by Jennifer de Winter

5. “You’re Still Living in the Middle Ages!”: Time Travel in Doctor Who and Pseudo-Historical, Neo-Medieval, Alternate Realities by Dave Rolinson

6. “What do we do? Hop on a Bus to Medieval Times?”: The Use of Medievalism in Television Fiction by Roderick W. McDonald

7. “What’s in your wallet?”: How to Construct an “Authentic” Middle Ages by Alison Tara Walker

8. The New Scriptoria: NeoMedievalism and Online Textual Communities by Lauryn Mayer

9. Gaming with Odin: Myth, Context, and Reconstruction of Hnefa-tafl, an Old Norse Board Game by Leon Wild

10. The Name of the Game: Misuses of Neo-Medievalism in Computerized Role-Playing Games by Clay Kinchen Smith

11. Commodifying the Medieval in Magic Online by Kelly Ann Fitzpatrick

12. Blood Will Out: Genealogy as Destiny in Medieval(ist) Gaming by Amy S. Kaufman and Cory Grewell

13. “For Your Labor I Will Give You Treasure Enough”: Labor and the Third-Estate in Medieval-Themed Role-Playing Games by Kevin Moberly and Brent Moberly

14. Neo-Tolkienism: Plays upon Playing with J.R.R. Tolkien’s Playing With Language by Carol L. Robinson and Pamela Clements

15. “I’m Not Dead Yet!” – Tracing the Pythonesque in Neo-Medievalist Media by Carol L. Robinson

Epilogue: Recreating the Medieval World by Terry Jones