Disappointing Zombies

I went to see the latest Jim Jarmusch film, “The Dead Don’t Die” recently. To be honest, zombies aren’t really my thing. However, I was highly impressed with Jarmusch’s moody, dream-like vampire film, “Only Lovers Left Alive,” and wanted to see what he could do with the mindless undead. I had been thoroughly captivated by […]

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Walking To New Orleans (part two of two)

Our first stop of the next day — Christmas Eve Day — was the Audubon Aquarium. It was a delight. Featuring both fresh and salt-water fish, their displays and habitats featured good visibility for viewing. We had lunch in the Aquarium cafeteria, which was situated to provide diners a fantastic view of the Mississippi River […]

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Trek of a Lifetime

Two things had me thinking of the classic, 1960s-era Star Trek television series. First BBC America is running mini-marathons every Friday starting late in the afternoon where they run four or five episodes, then loop them for a second showing, ending well after midnight. Second, famous gamer-dude John Wick has been talking on his Facebook […]

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Getting Animated!

I’ve been hooked by several animated TV shows recently, and I find them just the right mix of goofy, immature humor, clever plotting, interesting character development, and sly, understated humor. The first one is Steven Universe, which I’ve written about before. The second is Gravity Falls, and the third is my most recent discovery, Star […]

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Should Writers Ignore Other Writers’ Work?

Fellow author Chuck Wendig posted a very solid piece several years ago on his blog about why authors shouldn’t slag off other authors in reviews. It got me thinking: many authors don’t review the works of others at all. Amazon has a policy against posting reviews of authors’ work by other authors, which they enforce […]

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One of My Favorite Films: Buckaroo Banzai

Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension Warning: This appreciation contains a few modest spoilers. The first time I saw The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension, was at Wiscon in February or March of 1986. I sat down with a friend to watch it in the film room, and was instantly hooked by […]

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Walking Dead Still Walking

When I first saw the preview trailers for Walking Dead, I was sold. They were effectively put together, gripping, and tense. I was ready to see it, even having no experience with the comics or graphic novels. After the pilot, I was completely sold. This was something fresh and different; a decent treatment of the […]

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Judge Dredd: Keep That Helmet On!

I’ve been a fan of Judge Dredd for years, thanks to my brother Mike’s comic collection from the 1970s and 80s. One that amused him and me greatly was Judge Dredd, published in the UK in the pages of 2000 AD. Part satire of American culture and part futuristic crime story, Judge Dredd lives in […]

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Marvel’s Agents Of Shield – Has The Jury Decided?

There’s been a lot of talk on social media over the last few weeks about the ABC Network’s television series, “Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.”. Some comments about the show have been negative, some positive, but mostly, people are still talking about it, which is a good sign. Many of the comments state opinions that the […]

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