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Review: Redshirts

Redshirts by John Scalzi My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Review: The King in Yellow

The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Review: Something More Than Night

Something More Than Night by Kim Newman My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Coming, as it does, from Happy Madison productions, one should not be surprised to find the Out-Laws playing hard to the comedy lowest common denominator. But seriously, this one really scrapes bottom. I started watching the other day due to a dearth of other appealing options (everything else on my multiple watch lists seemed too heavy, deep, dark or just unappealing at the time), so I opted for the dumb movie. And after a relatively short time, I found myself stuck watching it from shear "are you kidding" me incredulity. The moment that really broke me was the armored car chase scene after their bungled second-act bank robbery. As they start fleeing the scene of the crime, Brosnan and Barkin's characters jump into the back of the car as Devine, complete with Shrek mask/makeup running down his face, drives. AND, of course, as he pulls away, they leave the back doors of the car open, so that the money can fly out over the course of the chase that follows. I'm pre

The Banshees of Inisherin is NOT a Comedy

There, I've said it. And the Golden Globes, and this writer from VOX who called it "a delightfully madcap tale of Irish zaniness" and everyone else chortling to themselves as they hop on the comedy bandwagon can all f off. (This movie's been out long enough that I don't feel the need to worry about spoilers. So suffice it to say that, if you haven't seen the movie yet… and intend to… and you don't want any surprises spoiled, bookmark this post and come back after you've seen it.) Let me be clear… I understand black comedy. I enjoy black comedy. And I loved In Bruges , the last movie these guys did together. So I looked forward to Banshees and couldn't wait to check it out. I've now seen it three times, and only truly laughed at any of it the on the third watching (more on that in a moment). And I am more certain than ever that this movie, as good as it and its performances are, is not a comedy. The first time through (early on, before the

The Fly, and other stories

I got a number of "creature feature" collections for my birthday this year… Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, etc. I’m delving into The FlyCollection right now and just finished the “classic” Fly films… The Fly, Return of the Fly and Curse of the Fly. Virtually a treatise on diminishing returns, if I’m being completely honest. The Fly is, of course, a classic. Released in 1958, it stars Vincent Price and David Hedison (credited as Al Hedison in the Fly, I've always remember him as the captain on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea… apparently imprinted on my young mind at the time… LOL). It’s written by James Clavell, and the talent there shows… It’s an interesting structure for a monster movie, with the bulk of the story being told in flashback about halfway through the film. Dated as it is (effects, etc.), it still holds up pretty well, especially in comparison to its sequels. Return of the Fly is a much more standard monster movie. Price returns as the elder brot

The Word You're Looking for is Hubris

So it's interesting timing for the SF/Fantasy fan right now. In the course of just a few months we've seen the release of a TV series based on the "unfilmable" Foundation series, an epic film (and still only the first part) of the equally "unfilmable" Dune, and the release of the ages-in-development Wheel of Time series. Each of these properties have their dedicated fan bases and each have had varying degrees of success with those fan bases. First up, let's talk Dune . Denis Villeneuve's film has been a major success, pleasing both fans and general audience with it's stunning adaptation of Herbert's novel. (I'm speaking in broad strokes here… I'm sure there are haters out there, gleefully bashing on the film.) Dune is one of my favorite novels, and I've read it several times. While there are certainly changes to the story required to make it a manageable cinema experience, the obvious care about the story, and the determination to

It's Like Déjà Vu All Over Again

This holiday season has been déjà vu all over the place for me. It started with Last Christmas... For years now I've realized this song is, literally, timeless. I mean, look at these lyrics... Last Christmas, I gave you my heart But the very next day, you gave it away This year, to save me from tears I'll give it to someone special One ASSUMES that, last year they thought they WERE giving their heart to someone special... Who gave it away the next day. So what's to stop it from happening to them again THIS year. They literally could be singing this song each year to another person. Timeless, I tell you. (Dani can't unhear this theory now, and now hears the same thing I do each time it plays. She's quite annoyed with me.) Next up, Matrix Resurrections doubled down on every aspect of déjà vu to give us a new film every bit as enjoyable, and able to drive conversation and speculation as the first one. Is it perfect? Hell no. But it's a hell of a lot of fun an