The Hobbit (1977) A hobbit is recruited by a wizard and thirteen dwarves to steal back the dwarves’ stolen treasure from the dragon Smaug. Any cinematic treatment of what’s probably the greatest children’s book ever written isn’t going to live up to the source material, but I will say this dated, all-animated version is much … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movies and Series Reviews, Part 46
The Adam Project A pilot on the run in 2050 steals a time-traveling plane and jumps to the past to meet himself at 12 years old. You’d be forgiven in thinking it’s really annoying that Ryan Reynolds plays Deadpool in every movie, because we value versatility in acting. But no one else would be able … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movies and Series Reviews, Part 39
The Secret of Kells In an isolated monastery in medieval Ireland, and orphan helps prepare for a barbarian Viking invasion, alongside a legendary script illuminator and a mysterious forest fairy. An animated film for children that isn’t from Hollywood, Disney, Netflix, or Studio Ghibli…though it was distributed by GKIDS Films. At first I thought it … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movies and Series Reviews, Part 37
Belle (2021) An unassuming Japanese high school student becomes a singing sensation in a virtual reality world, but gets caught up in finding the identity of the virtual world’s mysterious Beast creature. When people talk of of remakes of older stories, in this case Beauty and the Beast, this is the direction movie makers should … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movies and Series Reviews, Part 31
Time Bandits A young boy with neglectful parents helps dwarves time travel throughout history, escaping the owner of a map they stole. I watched this a lot when I was a kid, not realizing how non-kid-friendly it was. I mean, his house burns down and his parents combust right in front of him at the … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movies and Series Reviews, Part 26
How Giving Up TV For A Month Changed My Brain And My Life “Never watch more television than the amount of time you exercise.” I am in the clear here, since every day I exercise around 45 minutes. Only some days, I’d only watch a standard-length show with my daughter at night, though nowadays with … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 40
Mob Psycho 100, Season 1 An unassuming middle-schooler, Shigeo Kageyama, has superpowers that go into overdrive when he’s irritated enough to reach 100%. The anti-shonen shonen series: Mob has no interest in using his powers for world peace, or being the best, or other such lofty nonsensical goals. His greatest struggle is probably running to … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movie and Series Reviews, Part 18
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets From the same director who did the mostly excellent The Fifth Element, so the setting is envisioned as a colorful whizz-bang future. Being based on a graphic novel series didn’t hurt, either. This was going pretty good until the trashy Rihanna strip tease scene. A-list celebs cameos … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movie and Series Reviews, Part 12
John Carter Very ambitious offering of a story based on the excellent Barsoom book series from Edgar Rice Burroughs. The worldbuilding was nicely executed but the plot wasn’t anything unusual, but I have to give Disney credit (ew) where it’s due for making it what it was: a strange, action-filled pulp adventure. Hitchiker’s Guide to … Sci-fi and Fantasy Movie and Series Reviews, Part 11
This is who Disney hired to write the new “all female” Star Wars series. Here’s how to make a great Star Wars story: interesting characters with flaws and strengths, who change and learn things over the course of the film/series, crazy alien species and space creatures, flashy, acrobatic lightsaber duels, devious villains and undercover agents, … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 34
Rian Johnson, director of Episode VIII, really painted the franchise’s storyline into a corner. There was a lot of burning away, literal and narrative-wise, what was thought to already be established: “The Force and the Jedi are like this, which isn’t what you thought it was. Heh.” This is the fashion of things after Disney … Star Wars Episode IX Predictions
WARNING: 91 photos on this page. I didn’t get sick this time, unlike last year. I’m going to update this post with more photos after today’s gathering.. Updates added! Forgot to mention two key things: 1 – I participated in a world record-setting effort, for the most number of people spinning a Beyblade at once. … Photos: Tekko Con 2019, Pittsburgh
Warning: many photos ahead.
From Saturday. I was feeling pretty terrible the whole time I was there, due to an oncoming illness, so I didn’t get as many photos as I wanted. It’s a pretty open atmosphere and people are always willing to get photographed but as a strong introvert it takes energy for me to cold approach strangers … Photos: Tekko Con 2018, Pittsburgh
Spoilers ahoy! A lot can happen in a fictional universe in two and half hours, and director Rian Johnson took the opportunity to subvert a lot of the established narrative rules of the Star Wars franchise. Monumental things happen in interpersonal relationships, while large-scale events are drawn out with explicit detail. Granted, this happened in … Review: Star Wars: The Last Jedi Subverts the Star Wars Universe, Makes Me Use Two Colons in This Post Title
Warning: tons of photos! Click here for the photos from the comic con earlier in the year. Jyn Erso, in the Scarif disguise: Dr. Doom: Daughter DiNitto on the left, as Keith from Voltron, with Pidge: A blurry photo of yours truly with R2-D2. See way at the end of the post for a video … Steel City Comic Con 2017 Photos (December)
Minor spoilers below… 1 – It was good, with some great moments and mildly cringy moments—par for the course for the franchise. 2 – As expected, the production values were top shelf. Some faces, to match the age of the actors seen almost 40 years ago in Episode IV: An New Hope, had to be … Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Initial Thoughts
When a prequel is made with ultra-modern filmmaking technology—CGI and the like—the visual effects are “held back” when illustrating the in-universe technology to match its look and feel. This only seems to affect prequels, not sequels or reboots, since prequels necessarily take place in the in-universe’s past. I tried Googling some things, but I’m coming … Someone Give Me a Good Phrase For This
Lots of music-based and tech stuff this time, and two Onion links. Am I getting jolly as I get older? 4 Sets of Identical Twins Pull Off NYC Subway Prank – Awkwardly pulled off, but great idea. Star Wars Main Theme – Single by Galactic Empire – Even the plates on the amps are translated! … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 13
So, something new. My friend Seth W and I recorded our semi-structured conversation the other day, and we decided to publish it. Seth talks about Offscreen Magazine I possibly misuse an economics term I forgot the name of the Metal Made Flesh graphic novel Kickstarter Seth talks about the Star Wars book Death Star I … I Didn’t Record a Podcast But I Might As Well Have