I’m thinking about kids. My own specifically. No, I’m not pregnant (nor is anyone I know in a biblical sense) but it’s come up recently and it’s something on my mind. I’m thinking about how we, as parents, share our passions with kids. I wrote about it recently for David Magazine and how I thought it was missing from modern society. Continue reading “Sharing passions and Star Wars Machete Order”
A problem with Hollywood…
How Kerry Conran saw Hollywood’s future – then got left behind.
This is a bit about what’s wrong with the mainstream of Hollywood. because these guys couldn’t play the game, they got shut out. They wanted to do something to open the doors for everyone, and ended up just locking themselves on the outside.
DAVID • Think: Art of the Reboot
DAVID • Think: Art of the Reboot.
My latest “think” piece for David. This time about reboots and remakes and sequels and everything else in-between.
Please chime in on the discussion, either here or (preferably) on the magazine’s page. Would love to know what you think.
Science
“I’m not a scientist” carries the same authoritative weight as “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.“
Review: The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll’s Best-Kept Secret
The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll’s Best-Kept Secret by Kent Hartman
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
I like classic rock. I like the stuff with a good beat, fun lyrics and makes me want to move. I also like the stuff with a deeper message which reflects the turbulent sixties. It’s all great. And the bands whose names are attached to these songs are all well known, or at least passingly familiar, and never fail to bring a wave of nostalgia whenever one of the tunes shows up on the radio or in my iTunes shuffle. Continue reading “Review: The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll’s Best-Kept Secret”
DAVID • Think: Passing the Pen
DAVID • Think: Passing the Pen. This month’s piece is all about traditions and parent child relationships. It’s a keeper.
Question is… What do you think?
Fear
There comes a point where you get so afraid of things being taken from you that you fail to realize they’re already gone.
Review: How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back
How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back by Diana Rowland
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Well here we are again, our fourth go around with zombie Angel Crawford and various misadventures. Except… it’s not really our fourth time, it’s more like part four of a single adventure and that’s part of my problem with the book. This time, author Diana Rowland picks up the action a few months past where the last book left off, but the only advantage that gives us we get the off-screen resolutions of some of the events of last time, but a lot of the major events which were unresolved then start off now, still unresolved. Continue reading “Review: How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back”
Review: Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland channels the pop cultural idea of Walt Disney and wears its heart on its sleeve… and while that’s okay, I expected more from Brad Bird.
Opening with the “gosh, gee willikers” approach of young Frank Walker to the 1964 World’s Fair in New York (side note, someone should do a piece on the cultural impact that particular world’s fair has had on popular culture) to show off his home built jet pack to Nix (Hugh Laurie). Their dialogue basically sets up the rest of the film: Continue reading “Review: Tomorrowland”
Review: The Colors of Space
Colors of Space, The by Marion Zimmer Bradley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
One of the things I’ve been doing recently is seeking out older works by well known writers, checking in on roots and seeing where they came from. Latest in the effort is one of Marion Zimmer Bradley‘s early works (her fourth novel). Continue reading “Review: The Colors of Space”
Review: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan BradleyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is an interesting book. I came into it not knowing anything about it other than it had been recomended on some Internet list of “mysteries you should read” and it sounded interesting. When I went to put it on my Amazon wish list (which is an easy way to keep track of things I want to read) it turned out it was on sale so I clicked down my $2.99 or whatever it was and there it sat in my Kindle, awaiting a closer perusal. Continue reading “Review: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie”
A Widow onto the World (of the Avengers)
This week I went and saw Avengers: Age of Ultron again and with a second viewing comes a second understanding of things. When you know how things play out ahead of time it’s easier to take in some of the subtler points. Additionally, I’ve been reading a lot about the various reactions to the film, the good and bad and everything in between (including the film’s writer/director quitting Twitter – which had nothing to do with reactions to the film but is going to go to my larger point). Now here’s what I’m thinking (and warning, there will be spoilers ahead): Continue reading “A Widow onto the World (of the Avengers)”
The Wolf’s Lair or The Further Adventures of Julia and The Brat
You gotta love it when a friend bails on ya. You have tentative plans, to meet for a coffee after work then she calls and says she can’t make it because she got a better offer. Fair enough. I understand that. No harm no foul. Of course, to make it up to she comes back with… “so, wanna go to Poland on Saturday and check out a place Hitler used to live?”
This is my relationship with Monika. She’s as good a friend as you can get, even if she does get better offers from time to time. She’s also a great traveling companion and our (mostly) day trips together, from Anykščiai to Tallinn to the one time we went to Finland just to ride roller coasters are all amazing fun – so when she says do you want to check out a place which can verifiably host a placard stating “Hitler Slept Here” who am I to say “no”? Continue reading “The Wolf’s Lair or The Further Adventures of Julia and The Brat”
Review: Chasing the Moon
Chasing the Moon by A. Lee Martinez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
One of the great things about the work of A. Lee Martinez, especially in today’s genre literary world, is that the only thing which connects book to book is that they are all by A. Lee Martinez. This is incredibly unique in a landscape filled with countless series and sequels and prequels and interlocking, shared-universe storytelling which also means two other things: 1) every book requires understanding the particular set of rules inherent and 2) it’s going to be a bit more hit and miss. Continue reading “Review: Chasing the Moon”
Review: Avengers: Age of Ultron
Avengers: Age of Ultron, as far as I’m concerned, works. Now, to be fair, I’m a fanboy. I’m predisposed to like it and be far more forgiving than others who don’t know Marvel from marvel. This doesn’t mean I can’t find fault with certain elements (I do) but it does mean I’m more willing to give it a bit of lead. I’m also not so tied to the source material that I’m going to freak out becuase something happened on screen differently than the way it happend in issue #183 of the comic. Intention and execution count for a lot with me, as do target audiences and the desire of the writer/director (not to mention the studio) to please as many people as possible. Continue reading “Review: Avengers: Age of Ultron”
Getting the Hang of Thursdays 