Netflix has unveiled a new sci-fi post-apocalyptic flick called “I Am Mother” that, if I’d paid to see it theatrically, I would’ve been very disappointed. Watching it relatively risk-free in my living room made it all go down a little easier, though its faults are no less obvious. *****SPOILERS!!!***** The Story. The film opens with…
Ten years of “Moon” (2009); a retro sci-fi study in loneliness and identity…
It’s been a decade since writer/director Duncan Jones (son of “Ziggy Stardust” himself, David Bowie) unveiled his independent, old-school-style science fiction film “Moon”, which had a limited theatrical release in the summer of 2009. I went to see “Moon” twice during its run, driving all over southern California to find theaters where it played, but…
HBO’s “Chernobyl”: Denial can be fatal…
April 26, 1986. I’ve just finished the five-part HBO miniseries “Chernobyl” (2019), a powerful depiction of the events and aftermath of the worst nuclear disaster the world has ever seen (a ranking which includes the horrific Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011). Interestingly, the miniseries isn’t necessarily a statement against nuclear power. In fact,…
Neil Gaiman’s “Good Omens” is a divine comedy that’s diabolically clever…
Neil Gaiman has written the Amazon Prime miniseries adaptation of his and the late Terry Pratchett’s novel, “Good Omens”, and the result is simply wicked. Imagine if the Monty Python troupe had adapted Richard Donner’s “The Omen” by way of Mark Twain’s “Letters From The Earth” with just a pinch of “Stranger Things” thrown in…
“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (2019) is an American Godzilla movie with a Toho soul…
****TITAN-SIZED SPOILERS!!**** G-fan. Lest there be any doubt, I am a major keiju-eiga (Japanese giant monster movie) fan. I grew up on a fairly steady diet of Godzilla, Gamera, Gargantua, Ultraman, Giant Robo and many other guys-in-rubber-suits-trashing-miniature-sets films. I loved ‘em then, and still do. The Godzilla (Gojira) movies range from dark and haunting (1954’s…
The Twilight Zone, S1.10: “Blurryman”, and a postmortem of Season One…
****THE SPOILER ZONE!**** The season finale of CBS-AA’s rebooted Twilight Zone has arrived, and while significantly more enjoyable than previous entries, it still has its own share of issues. The Story. “Blurryman” opens with an unusually artificial looking apartment exterior, which takes us inside to a harried writer played by Seth Rogen, who is frustrated…
1989: The Summer of “Batman”…
Bat-Then. It was 30 years ago, and a very different time. At my then-age of 22 I felt the carefree hubris of youth. I legally rode a motorcycle without a helmet (because I was an idiot), I was renting a single room from some friends of mine, and I went to the movies a lot…
Stardate: February 16th, 2008. “Star Trek: The Exhibition” in Long Beach, California…
For 22 years (off and on) “Star Trek: The Exhibition”, a traveling museum of Star Trek props, costumes, recreations and interactive displays, has quietly toured around the world; beginning in Mosney, Ireland in 1994 and ending in Shanghai, China in 2016. I was lucky enough (living in California) to have seen it on two separate…
The King (of Monsters) and I: Musings on the 65-year Godzilla legacy…
The King and I. The Godzilla (“Gojira”) franchise is one that I’ve been a fan of for literally as long as I can remember. Sitting too close to the 25” cathode ray tube TV, eagerly watching poorly dubbed, pan-and-scanned prints on Saturday afternoon television… ah, childhood! Back then, the Godzilla movies were frothy fun ……
The Force was strong at Comic Con Revolution 2019 in Ontario, California…
This year marked the third for the relative newbie convention Comic Con Revolution, which is in three cities (Chicago, West Palm Beach, Florida and Ontario, California). The Ontario CCR just wrapped up today (as of this writing, Sunday May 19th), and it has grown exponentially since its humble beginnings. In 2017, my wife and I…
Twilight Zone S1.8: “Point of Origin” makes a slightly muddled point…
****SPOILERS!**** The Story. Eve Martin (Ginnifer Goodwin) is the walking/talking cliche of a privileged, upper-middle class suburban wife/mother. During our introduction to her, she is planning a big PTA mixer in her mansion-esque home in what looks like a Tim Burton vision of 1950s Connecticut. Eve’s longtime housekeeper Anna (Zebrena Guevara), a Guatemalan immigrant, humbly…
“What We Left Behind: Looking Back At Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”…
Last night, May 13th, was the one-night only showing (at TCL’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood or AMC’s Fathom Events) of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine documentary “What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” (2018), co-directed by former DS9 writer/producer/show-runner Ira Steven Beher and David Zappone. I’ve seen a lot…
