Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) is (truly) one of my favorite movies of all time. If I could take only three DVDs with me to a remote island (assuming I had a DVD player that ran on coconut juice), this movie would be one of them. Now I don’t mean it’s the best…
Month: January 2018
Star Trek Discovery S1.13, “What’s Past Is Prologue”…
Let’s skip the preamble and just dig in… ****** SPORE DRAINING ORB-SIZED SPOILERS AHEAD!! ****** The Story. As we saw in last week’s “Vaulting Ambition” , Gabriel Lorca’s (Jason Isaacs) mirror-universe origins have been revealed. He immediately sets about freeing his previously failed coup’s comrades, who have spent over a year being punished in ‘agonizer…
Wading deeper into “The Expanse”…
The last time I wrote a full post about this series, I was about three or so episodes from the end of Season One. I hadn’t read the books, and still haven’t, so all of that post and the following is based solely on my observations of the TV series. I’ll admit, my early relationship…
Ursula K. LeGuin (1929-2018), a truly effective dreamer…
This marks my 100th posting on Musings of a Middle-Aged Geek, and sadly, it’s a memorial. I just learned that one of my favorite authors, Ursula K. Le Guin, passed away today at the age of 88. I wish I could say that I’ve read everything that she’s ever written, but I’ve read only a few of…
Star Trek Discovery, 1.12, “Vaulting Ambition”…
Tonight’s episode of Star Trek Discovery, “Vaulting Ambition,” has a Shakespearean “MacBeth” quality to it (hence the title, lifted from ’that Scottish play’), as well as a few major reveals, so before we go any further… ****** IMPERIAL PALACE-SIZED SPOILERS AHEAD! ****** After last week’s cliffhanger (Star Trek: Discovery 1.11, “The Wolf Inside”), Michael Burnham…
“Star Trek” and “The Orville” are well-represented at this year’s IMATS Los Angeles Convention…
A few years ago, my wife clued me into a convention in Pasadena called IMATS (I know; it’s called IMATS Los Angeles, but it’s actually in Pasadena). IMATS is the International Makeup Artists Trade Show, and a majority of the convention space is devoted to cosmetic/glamour makeup (which my wife and our friend eagerly capitalize…
The issue of Star Trek and its continuity….
Since the debut of the CBS-All Access series “Star Trek Discovery,” I’ve read a lot of concerns on Twitter and message boards with some Trek fans having a hard time reconciling the various inconsistencies within the 51 year canon of Star Trek lore. In particular, the new series is drawing ire from fans who…
Star Trek: Discovery 1.11, “The Wolf Inside”…
I just saw the latest ST Discovery episode “The Wolf Inside” and the good news is that its got all ten fingers and all ten toes (except for Saru, of course…). But some of the ‘surprises’ of the hour were a bit belabored in anticipation; so much so that they lost some of their…
Personal Favorites of 2017
Just want to begin by saying that for this year’s favorites list, I’m going to get away from numerical or other arbitrary values (same way I won’t give ‘thumbs up’ or 1-5 star ratings, etc). So unlike last year’s list, I’m not going to do rankings. Just a list. I also recognize that there are many…
Retro-Musings: 1965’s “Village of the Giants” is one tall, hot mess…
Director Bert I. Gordon (yes, his initials make him Mr. BIG…haha) was a low-budget filmmaker in the drive-in, Jack Arnold-style who secured a reputation for himself making really BIG movies; movies about giant, bald, irradiated men in diapers (“Cyclops,” “Amazing Colossal Man,” “War of the Colossal Beast”), giant arachnids/insects (“The Spider” “Beginning of the End”),…
Star Trek Discovery S1.10, “Despite Yourself”…
Okay, the ONLY way I can meaningfully discuss anything substantial about the latest Star Trek Discovery episode is to get this out of the way as soon as possible: ******STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS DEAD AHEAD!!****** Star Trek Discovery S1.10 “Despite Yourself” is a prequel to The Original Series’ classic “Mirror, Mirror” episode, as well as a sequel to Enterprise’s…
“The Disaster Artist” leaves plenty of “The Room” for laughs…
For those not familiar with 2003’s “The Room”? I would suggest you buy/rent a copy as soon as possible. I’m not recommending it as a quality drama, mind you…I’m recommending it as one of the funniest (albeit unintentional) comedies ever made. It’s right up there with any of the worst of the Ed Wood canon,…