******COSMIC SPOILERS!****** A couple of weeks ago, I was shopping a nearby Barnes & Noble when I came across a reissue paperback of Walter Tevis‘ 1963 sci-fi novel (and partial autobiography) “The Man Who Fell to Earth.” I’d seen British filmmaker Nicholas Roeg’s 1976 film of it several times (most recently for this retrospective), but…
A reduced WonderCon 2026 returns to Anaheim with fewer attractions, but with nooks of interest…
Down, but not out… As with WonderCon 2025, this year’s WonderCon was scaled-down even further, with no ‘big ticket’ panels or new movies or TV shows to promote. I expected at least one behind-the-scenes panel for this spring’s newest blockbuster, “Project Hail Mary,” but sadly, there was nothing. Not even a Rocky plushie. Even on…
“Project Hail Mary” (2026) is an odyssey of friendship across the stars…
******SUN-SIZED SPOILERS!****** Few movies lately have filled me with as much anticipation as “Project Hail Mary” (2026), which I’ve waited nearly five years to see on the big screen, after devouring the 2021 novel by Andy Weir (“The Martian,” “Artemis”). The movie is being adapted by Drew Goddard, who previously adapted Weir’s “The Martian” for…
“Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” season 1 report card…
******STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!****** Paramount+’s latest Star Trek series, “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” (STSA) has finished its freshman year. Created by showrunners Alex Kurtzman & Gaia Viola, STSA is a mix of old and new elements; with A-list actors, Star Trek veterans and a fresh-faced cast of cadets tossed together in a 32nd century, post-Burn Federation seeking…
Star Wars in the park: The Inland Empire Strikes Back 2026…
Last year, a friend and I attended a small Star Wars-themed gathering at North Park in the city of Riverside, California called The Inland Empire Strikes Back (IESB)and it was another in a series of small-but-sincere fandom gatherings that I’ve made my unofficial mission to support as often as possible. Less than a full-scale convention…
Paramount+’s “School Spirits” ends its third season with a four-alarm finale…
******SPIRITS & SPOILERS!****** Created by sibling writer/creators Nate & Megan Trinrud, the young adult supernatural drama “School Spirits” debuted three years ago, and I discovered it almost by accident. For clarity, I am the absolute wrong demographic for this series (a boring, old guy), but my wife and I used to enjoy “Buffy the Vampire…
“In the Blink of an Eye” (2026) is a shallow, tepid testament to ‘the circle of life’…
******SPACESHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!****** I have major respect for director Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo,” “Wall-E”), and I think he got a raw deal from Disney regarding publicity for his underrated “John Carter” (2012); the epic, though imperfect adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “John Carter of Mars” books. Stanton’s evolution from high-end Pixar classics to live-action movies has…
British bikers return from the grave through willpower and frog worship in 1972’s “Psychomania”…
******SALIENTIAN SPOILERS!****** Sometime in the mid-to-late 1970s, I remember watching a really odd occult-biker movie on late night TV about a group of British outlaws who found immortality through a deific frog, and by simply believing they wouldn’t die after tossing themselves into deadly perils. It was only later I learned the movie was called…
Cherished actor Robert Duvall (1931-2026) had a rich history in sci-fi and fantasy…
One of the worst parts of reaching my age is seeing so many artists and creatives from my wonder years passing away. Orbiting senior discount age had made me less sensitive to some, yet others still hit with that gut-punch feeling of true irreplaceability. Someone who’s made waves across pop culture through decades of fine…
“Paul” (2011) is Simon Pegg & Nick Frost’s cheeky homage to Spielbergian sci-fi…
******UNIDENTIFIED FLYING SPOILERS!****** British actors/comedians/writers Simon Pegg and Nick Frost broke geek ground with their memorable, short-lived fandom comedy “Spaced” (1999-2001), which was cowritten and co-created with costars Edgar Wright and Jessica Hynes. Pegg, Frost and Wright would follow with a George Romero inspired horror-comedy “Shaun of the Dead” (2004), which is where they first…
Taking a trip back in time at the Western Science Center in Hemet, California…
Tucked away in the hills of Hemet, California in the area of Diamond Lake, is a collection of what appears to be almost a nondescript office complex from the street, but what signs along the roads herald as the Western Science Center (WSC), which is tucked between a nearby waterworks facility (offering its own tours)…
Star Trek: The Original Series; “The Ultimate Computer” went online 58 years ago, and is still relevant today…
******STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!****** When Star Trek the Original Series (TOS) aired its second season episode “The Ultimate Computer” in March of 1968, factories and automobile assembly lines in the US were introducing new generations of machines controlled by bulky, room-sized computers that threatened the jobs of many workers. It was in that climate that Star Trek…