SkyPilot Blog

Polanski was probably too prepared to film Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in 1971.  His wife, Sharon Tate, had recently been murdered by the Manson family.  I hear that some critics have used this incident to explain why Polanski shows Macbeth kill Duncan onscreen (Shakespeare's script keeps this offstage).  The performances are impeccable, and of course the English language doesn't get any more beautiful than this.  Polanski added a few dark touches to the ending, making "Macbeth" as despairing as "Chinatown."  Check out "Scotland, PA" for an amusing, but still brutal, reimagining of this story.

"The Blade Master."  This charming sword & sorcery epic is populated by cavemen, samurai, giants beasts, and effete warlords... needless to say, it merits its own theme park.  Scuttle your way through a prehistoric cave maze!  Hang-glide onto a castle wall!  Bungee jump into the pit of the Snake God! Under the title of Cave Dwellers this movie made for one of the all-time great MST3K episodes.  May very well be the first (and only) example of a hang glider that functions as a deus ex machina.