“Thrusters ahead, Mr. Sulu. Take us out.” As longtime readers of this site know, I’ve already reviewed/discussed 1979’s “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” several times, including a an anniversary theatrical screening in September of 2019. I am an unashamed fan (and occasional apologist) of this absolute gem of a sci-fi film. Directed by Robert Wise…
WonderCon 2022 is back in-person at Anaheim, after three years…
WonderCon Returns! Due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, it’s been three years since the last in-person WonderCon was held at the Anaheim Convention Center (ACC), right across the street from Disneyland. The last two were virtual (i.e. online Zoom panels, prerecorded videos, online buying, etc), but sci-fi/fantasy conventions are one of those things that cannot…
A few thoughts on the the 2022 Oscars ceremony…
What a Night… Well, once again I digress from this site’s usual stream of sci-fi/fantasy/horror offerings to offer a few thoughts on last night’s 94th Annual Academy Awards Oscars ceremony. First, I was pleased with the winners, as there seemed to be more quality offerings this year than in the previous awards ceremony of 2021….
“They Live” (1988); John Carpenter’s most political film is also one of his most underrated…
*****SPOILERS AHEAD!!***** Writer/director/musician John Carpenter is arguably most famous for 1978’s “Halloween” and 1982’s “The Thing,” but in 1988 he crafted a clever social/political satire called “They Live,” that went largely unnoticed upon its initial release. I’ll admit, even I didn’t see the movie until I rented it on laserdisc (yes, I’m that old) sometime…
Star Trek: Discovery is “Coming Home” after a turbulent 4th season…
*****STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS AHEAD!!***** I swore I wasn’t going to focus on episodic recaps of “Star Trek: Discovery” (DSC) anymore because, as I said in an earlier column, the negative feedback I received (much of it in since-deleted racist/sexist/homophobic comments & emails) was just not worth it. Conversely, if I wrote any legitimate criticisms of the…
Star Trek’s classic episode,”Balance of Terror”: Not bad … for a remake
“It moves as we move…” Back in 1980 or so, I bought a first edition copy (the dark blue cover) of Allan Asherman’s must-have “Star Trek Compendium,” wherein I read that “Balance of Terror,” one of my favorite episodes of the Original Series (TOS), was actually based on a 1957 World War 2 movie called…
“Hello, there!” Taking a look at Disney+’s trailer for “Obi-Wan Kenobi”…
A long time ago, in a cinema not too far away… As a 10-year old in the summer of 1977, I vividly recall seeing “Star Wars” , and remembering how it fundamentally changed movies forever. The motion picture industry has been trying to recapture the magic of that first film ever since, as it fundamentally…
Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” (2021) smartly updates and improves upon a classic…
*****NEW YORK CITY-SIZED SPOILERS!!***** Robert Wise’s “West Side Story,” 1961. Director Robert Wise’s 1961 film of Jerome Robbins’ Broadway hit “West Side Story” was the “Hamilton” of its day; a 1957-set retelling of Shakespeare’s timeless tragic romance, “Romeo and Juliet,” as seen through the eyes of rival New York City street gangs, the Sharks and…
Star Trek: Picard S2.1: “The Star Gazer” is proof that not ‘all good things’ must end…
*****STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS AHEAD!!***** As some longtime readers of this site may have noticed, I am no longer reviewing new episodes of Star Trek: Discovery‘s 4th season, and there are reasons for that. First, it’s exhausting to keep up with all of the new Star Trek content of late, since there are currently four new Trek…
To the edge of the galaxy and back; Sally Kellerman, 1937-2022…
Pioneering Roles. Yesterday, February 24th 2022, was a particularly hard day. I woke to see the televised Russian invasion of Ukraine, watched as LGBTQ+ rights were squashed by Florida lawmakers, and, to top it all off, I’d heard that actress Sally Kellerman, a presence in TV and film for as long as I can remember,…
Retro-Musings: Demonic myths and ancient Martians meet in 1967’s “Quatermass and the Pit”…
*****SPACESHIP-SIZED SPOILERS AHEAD!!***** When I was a kid, there was a cool little sci-fi/horror flick I used to catch on TV all the time. The movie, known here in the States as “Five Million Years to Earth,” concerned London subway excavators who stumble upon a five million year-old Martian spaceship, unwittingly unleashing a deadly alien…
“The Book of Boba Fett”: The good, the bad and the ugly…
*****SPOILERS FOR “THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT!!***** Whose Book? Like many Star Wars fans, I was looking forward to DisneyPlus’ premiere of “The Book of Boba Fett” on December 29th of last year, and while “Stranger in a Strange Land” was a decent opening chapter for the series, it didn’t exactly ignite my rocket pack….
Musings of a Middle-Aged Geek 