Recently I discovered a fascinating topic of discussion over at Alex Cunningham’s website Oddbill*. The topic is Lo Fi Sci Fi and Mr. Cunningham, AKA Oddbill himself, is doing an excellent job of finding, reviewing and contexualizing a sub genre I had little to no inroads with before finding his blog. Until today my first … Continue reading
What Happens When a War Isn’t Winnable? Foreword: I wrote the following piece over four years ago for Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind and the Philadelphia City Paper. On the eve of President Obama’s announcement of a major escalation in Afghanistan, it’s sadly timely. I hope there won’t be cause to reprint it four years … Continue reading
I gotta say, the two Tinker Bell movies that Disney has released are actually pretty good. The first Tinker Bell movie is a surprising gem of an origin movie, and I think Disney realized they had something special by cornering the girl demographic, while at the same time producing a cash cow for merchandise. Tinker … Continue reading
So today at work I decided to utilize the technology at work and create a power point assignment, since it would help me greatly. Thing is I’ve never really used it before. I made one power point presentation before in high school, and never did another one. That was a long time ago. I can’t … Continue reading
The other day Devin wrote up a very good list of “superior sequels” (http://chud.com/articles/articles/21…ELS/Page1.html) in which he wrote this about The Empire Strikes Back: The Empire Strikes Back – After Empire, Star Wars almost seems quaint. Irving Kershner and screenwriters Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan open up the Star Wars universe in a major way, … Continue reading
I have a confession! I haven’t watched the early Bond films, although I’ve seen bits and pieces of some over the years. The only pre-Brosnan one I truly remember is Moonraker which was my favorite. I dunno how I’ll feel about it as an adult, but hey. Likewise, I’ve never seen any of the Star … Continue reading
The first James Bond film is Dr. No. I had no idea what it was about before watching it, just that it featured Sean Connery. I wasn’t sure if he went all the way back to the roots of what became the canon Bond films but he sure does. I thought the movie was pretty … Continue reading
Ah, From Russia With Love. I’ve heard a lot of people say it’s between this and Goldfinger for the best Bond film. Is that because these are the ones that are generally pretty realistic? I’ve noticed that these early Bond films are pretty grounded, without the silly gadgets and bizarre villains I’ve heard so much … Continue reading
As I’ve gotten older I’ve developed an interesting relationship with Heavy Metal*. For quite some time in the 90’s I divorced myself from anything that would, in our current vernacular, be classified as heavy metal. What the hell does that mean? It means I’ve never lost my appetite for music that is ‘heavy’ – just … Continue reading
So I thought I’d add a list of hip hop artists and groups that have made waves this year in 2009 from the continent of Asia. There is no order to the list below, just some music worth bumping. And with all hip hop, most of it is derivative, but that doesn’t mean you can’t … Continue reading