It's the start of the week- a great day to maybe plan out what you want to read this Friday while enjoying a tip and a sip! Yes, that's a shameless reference to our #52BottlesOfBeer series.  Deal with it, eh? This week, I bring you another great book series: Jack L. Chalker's " The Four Lords of the Diamond ". The Confederacy space empire has been infiltrated by an artificial being.  The source of it has been traced to the prison planets of the Warden Diamond.  It is now up to a mysterious secret agent, and his four "personality copies" to find out what's going on... and to stop it... The story is fairly straight forward and easy to follow- though there are some nice little twists along the way to keep it interesting.  Each book is similar, but once again, different enough to keep you reading.  It's a fascinating blend of the Sci-Fi, and Fantasy genres- with the ratio between the two being juggles wonderfully from book to book.  There...

I expressed my love for Nicholas Eames Kings of the Wyld a few months back . It's probably one of the best books I've ever read, and made fantasy hip and fun. So I was super stoked to learn Eames had penned a follow up, shifting the focus from Golden Gabe and the heroes of Saga -- now retired for good -- to Gabe's daughter, Bloody Rose. Don't worry, the characters might be new, but Eames hasn't shifted his aesthetics at all. OK, I didn't like the characters in Bloody Rose as much as Kings of Wyld. There's nothing wrong with them, but they aren't the heroes I grew to love in the first book. So for me, it was kind of like watching The Force Awakens; the new gang is fine, but they aren't Luke, Han and Leia. But fear not, Gabe, Clay, and Moog turn up in a similar vein as the classic Star Wars characters did in Force Awakens. And their scenes offer some mighty emotional punch to this story of necromancers, monsters and high fantasy. I actually wis...

It must be stated, for the record, that I normally don't read fantasy novels. Tried The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, tried the Dragonlance and Shannara books, and found them all ducking boring. But for some reason -- it might have been the cover art, or the tagline on the front -- but I was compelled to pick up Nicholas Eames' Kings of the Wyld. Maybe it's because wild was spelled wyld? I don't know. My brain is a mysterious place... Let me tell yah, I'm so glad I did. Kings of the Wyld is one of the best books I've ever read. It's so awesome, I was awesomed out by its awesomeness! Yes, it's just that awesome! The world Eames created is one where mercenary bands are the rock stars of the Middle Ages. Only these bands don't make music, they make war! They go on tours, fight monsters, and rescue fair maidens. They party hard and trash rooms at the inn. They get all the wenches. And yes, they have agents who book their battles for them...

Childhood memories can be a fickle thing. What was beloved at the age of 11 is not always so beloved as an adult. Such is the case with the 1983 sci-fi movie Krull. However, add equal parts beer and rum, and it's amazing what a good time can be had by all!

You read that right, it's the high-concept mashup you didn't even know you needed to see . . . coming straight to Video On Demand in August! Yup, director Chris Raney has made a medieval horror flick with dwarves, dragons and something sinister lurking inside a cave, and it's called Dragon Mountain.

So, how about Alien Nation with orcs? End of Watch with fairies? That's pretty much what David Ayers new flick Bright looks like. Only thing is, it looks better than I just made it sound.

There was a time when sword and sorcery movies were king. An era when Conan The Barbarian was a huge hit, and everyone and their dog was trying to cash in on the fantasy/adventure craze. There were movies like The Beastmaster, Yor: The Hunter from the Future and, of course, The Sword and the Sorcerer. Yes, the movie starring the guy who played Matt Houston.

As a somewhat self-respecting film site, we would be stupid not to post the trailer for Peter Jackson's long awaited return to Middle Earth. That said, this isn't the kind of movie we're really all about here in The Basement. We're into the smaller, grislier stuff. With boobies. Still, this is a movie everyone on the planet is likely going to see -- Shawn and I included -- and it's pretty much guaranteed to not suck. So here we go: Pretty damn cool right? Thought so. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens everywhere Dec. 14.

Rage Jason: A true cautionary tale. Remember kids, it's not polite to steal another man's parking spot. He might hunt you down, rape your wife, and make a mess of your face. In all seriousness though, this is a solid little suspense film with a brutal conclusion. The game of cat and mouse starts with harassment and becomes increasingly more violent as it goes along, exploding in a gruesome yet tasteful climax. Too bad Witherspoon didn't have enough of a budget to show us all of the gore, but we get a taste. This harkens back to films like Duel and Carpenter's Halloween and, although it isn't quite the classic they are, I will enjoy watching this again and again. A Good from me. Shawn: Wow. This was a pretty cool movie. It was well made, well shot, well cut. That being said, I have some issues and they have nothing to do with the presentation or actual viewing experience. First off, if I knew some clown ass biker dude was chasing me after he cut my brakes, then ch...

You think you're having a bad day? Check out the folks in the above pic. Doesn't look like things are going well for them at all! Which brings us to one of our films on the chopping block this episode: Rage. Writer/director Chris Witherspoon approached The Basement Dwellers, Jason and Shawn, about reviewing his award-winning indie horror/thriller. The boys naturally agreed. Witherspoon was inspired by 1970s thrillers like Duel when he crafted this story of a cat and mouse game between a suburban thirtysomething and a mysterious biker. As the tale unfolds, the game gets a little ugly. Does the outcome appease our Basement duo, or is Rage just something to get mad at? Stick with us! And don't step away -- even for a second -- as Jason and Shawn turn their attention to Tales of an Ancient Empire, the not-so-long-awaited sequel to Albert Pyun's early 80s fantasy hit The Sword and the Sorcerer. Sure, no one cared if it got made, and it stars Kevin Sorbo, but it's s...

Any fears of a watered down Conan The Barbarian hitting theatres in August have been dashed thanks to this red band trailer, which offers gallons of blood and violence and a hint of sex and boobies. Does this mean the latest version of Robert E. Howard's barbarian will be any good? I seriously have my doubts. But at least my bloodlust will be satiated. Jason Momoa is certainly giving the role his all, but he has a long way to go to best Ah-nold. We'll know more when Conan hits theatres Aug.19. Until then, watch the blood spill! More Conan the Barbarian in 3D Videos

Carver Shawn: Never before has a movie EVER made me cover my eyes! Carver did, thanks to my fear of poo! The film was slow moving to start but was still entertaining from the get go. A nice and suspenseful build up to a satisfying gore-filled crescendo. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how you make a good, low-budget slasher film. Cliched story yes, but a perfect delivery. A Good for me! Jason: A well made, no-budget slasher film with great gobs of gore and brutal violence. In fact, it's the underlying sense of nastiness that hurt the film for me. I didn't mind all over-the-top slasher goodness, but I don't need to see the killer pee on his victims or dump a full toilet on them. That said, Carver is well acted and directed and the special effects are great, especially for such a low budget. A Bad from this Basement Dweller. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale Shawn: I don't know. I. Don't. Know. This is an interesting Christmas story that needed to make up its mind...

What offends you more: the thought of being attacked by a family of homicidal backwoods hicks or a homicidal Santa Claus? This is the question Shawn and I faced heading into tonight's films. One is an indie horror flick called Carver, the other a Finnish killer Santa Claus fantasy titled Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. One is a based on an alleged true story the other . . . is about a killer Santa Claus. Some might think we in The Basement are scraping the bottom of the barrel with this week's offerings. We disagree. Carver is supposed to a gorehound's wet dream while Rare Exports has received rave reviews from around the globe for being a fun, alternative holiday tale. Us Basement Dwellers are up for both. When we're not rocking the reviews and knocking back brews, Shawn I take our shots at the dumbest movie villains of all time. Sure, everyone remembers Darth Vader and Hans Gruber. But what about the bad guys who suck? Tonight, the losers get their due! As alw...

Writer/director Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch is a beautiful mess; a soulless feast for the eyes and ears with little to offer the brain. Snyder spends a lot of time and energy crafting dazzling fantasy sequences that go nowhere. They move the story forward but offer nothing more than glorious nerd porn. As for the story itself? Who cares. There's nothing there to hold one's attention. This is an OK watch once, which makes it a Bad in my books.

We've been pretty quiet about the upcoming Conan The Barbarian remake. Probably because we tend to shun remakes and nobody, but NOBODY, will ever replace Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role. But one is coming, and some guy Jason Momoa is playing Conan. The first teaser trailer has arrived, and it shows precious little about the plot, not that it's hard to figure out what a Conan movie is all about. Actually, as far as teaser trailers go, it's sucks. But that means the movie could be good as trailers, teasers or otherwise, say nothing about the quality of the final product. Watch the teaser below, judge for yourselves, and let us know what you think. The film also stars Ron Perlman, Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang,  and Rose McGowan and will cost you three extra dollars to see when it hits theatres August 19.

I don't know if this is good news or not, but Stephen King's The Dark Tower is finally hitting the big screen and the small screen. Universal Pictures and NBC Universal Television will produce both a film trilogy and a TV series based on King's series of books, the companies announced Wednesday. Ron Howard is attached to direct the first film and first season of the series, which screenwriter Akiva Goldsman will pen. The Dark Tower series, which dates back to 1982, is comprised of seven books, short stories and comic books. The fantasy follows a gunslinger's long quest to find The Dark Tower, a building said to be the nexus of all universes. For the record, the books rock. Save for the seventh volume, which has the worst ending of any series in history. "I've been waiting for the right team to bring the characters and stories in these books to film and TV viewers around the world," King said in a statement.  "Ron, Akiva, Brian along ...

Here's the Comic Con footage from Zack Snyder's upcoming fantasy epic Sucker Punch, and boy does it leave one wanting to see more! Snyder, who directed the awesome Dawn of the Dead remake, the spectacular 300 and the flawed but entertaining Watchmen, is a superior visual storyteller who also knows how to hit the right character notes. While we don't get much about the plot from this footage, the images are jaw dropping. I'm already looking forward to seeing the film next year. I mean babes, swords, dragons and giant robots armed with gatling guns? Who doesn't want to watch a film with all that? Sucker Punch hits theatres in March 2011.