******SPOOKY SPOILERS!****** In the span of a month, my wife and I have gone to see comedian Paula Poundstone, comedian/world class art-collector Cheech Marin, and, as of this weekend, director/writer/comedy legend Mel Brooks’ 2007 musical adaptation of his own 1974 horror-comedy film “Young Frankenstein”; all at the modern, comfortable Lewis Family Playhouse. The Inland Empire-based…
Retro-Musings for Halloween: “The House that Dripped Blood” (1971) doesn’t waste a single drop…
******BLOODY GOOD SPOILERS!****** As a little kid, my favorite magazine (made of paper, for younger readers) was editor-publisher Forry Ackerman’s legendary “Famous Monsters of Filmland,” the behind-the-scenes horror magazine that launched more than a few careers, and inspired many of its young readers (my then eight-year old self among them). One image from that magazine…
Beaming up for “The Sixty-Year Mission: How Star Trek Changed Television and the World”…
Made by Star Trek fans for Star Trek fans I’ve been a fan of writer Mark Altman since his days at Cinefantastique magazine, which was a must-read for me in my twenties and thirties. I’d later buy Altman’s books, including “The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek,” which he cowrote…
“Backrooms” (2026) explores other dimensions of horror …
******SPATIAL SPOILERS!****** Every so often, I like to do random image searches on my computer for liminal spaces. Images of deserted spaces between destinations; empty corridors, a bus depot late at night, abandoned offices, warehouses, etc. For some reason, I find the solitude eerie, yet oddly tranquil. Having worked retail for (too) many years in…
An evening with Cheech Marin: Culture, Comedy & Chicano Art…
Somewhere East of “East L.A”… Having recently seen comedian Paula Poundstone at the Lewis Family Playhouse, as well as the amazing one-man play “I’m Not a Comedian… I’m Lenny Bruce,” written and performed by Ronnie Marmo (“General Hospital”) the Inland Empire-based theater is quickly becoming a favorite venue of mine. Its auditorium is much smaller…
Retro-Musings for Halloween: “Tales from the Crypt” (1972) digs up up a few good scares…
******SPOOKY SPOILERS!****** Back in 1981, in eighth grade, I made the “Perfect Attendance Club” at my middle school (the only year I’d do so). The reward for our tireless academic dedication (hehe) was an exclusive auditorium screening of a horror anthology movie from Amicus Productions called “Tales from the Crypt” (1972), in full 16mm glory….
Making my newish car CD-friendly…
It’s a phase Longtime readers of this space might realize that I’m a diehard aficionado of physical media. I’ve already done a couple of columns on the collectivity of it (Still crazy after all these years…), and even the importance of it, in the age of streaming (My ongoing reasons for owning physical media). One…
Retro-Musings: “Cyborg 2087” (1966) is a goofy time-travel flick with a few ideas…
******CYBERNETIC SPOILERS!****** Some significant sci-fi films/franchises celebrate anniversaries with aplomb. “Star Wars” is already prepping for its 50th anniversary next year, while “Star Trek” turned 60 with conventions, a current season of episodes, and much media fanfare. Then we have absolutely forgotten sci-fi films like “Cyborg 1987” (1966), which also turns 60 this year, and…
My recent tour of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art…
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art My wife and I first got wind of the creation of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art a little over ten years ago, when it was rumored to be built in Chicago or even George Lucas’ hometown of Modesto, California. From the concept art, this graceful, futuristic-looking venue looked…
Star Trek celebrates its 60 anniversary: “Yet I feel uneasy, and I wonder why…”
It’s probably redundant to explain where the title of this Star Trek 60th anniversary column comes from, since other old-as-dirt Star Trek fans like myself have probably seen “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” more times than we care to admit (even to our therapists). However, for this landmark year of the franchise, Kirk’s…
“Coyote vs. Acme” (2026) is an explosion of wit well worth the wait…
******ACME ROCKET-SIZED SPOILERS!****** Written by Marvel/DC screenwriter/director James Gunn, Jeremy Slater and Samy Burch and directed by Dave Green (“Earth to Echo”), the animated-live action comedy “Coyote vs. Acme” (2026) certainly had an uphill struggle to the silver screen. Based on a parodic 1990 article from The New Yorker magazine and filmed in 2022, this…
Retro-Musings: “The Illustrated Man” (1969) brings several Ray Bradbury stories to life…
******SKIN-ILLUSTRATED SPOILERS!****** With Oscar-winning lead actor Rod Steiger starring as the title character in movie based on a book from legendary writer Ray Bradbury, 1969’s adaptation of “The Illustrated Man” had a lot going for it. However, the devil is in the details, and “The Illustrated Man” is a devilishly difficult book to will into…