Movie Review: 48 Hrs. (1982) directed by Walter Hill San Francisco police detective Jack Cates (Nick Nolte) isn’t having a good day. He started it with fighting with his bartender girlfriend Elaine (Annette O’Toole). Then he invited himself along when two fellow detectives were trying to do a simple credit card theft/fraud bust (they weren’t too… Continue reading Movie Review: 48 Hrs. (1982)
Tag: bars
Book Review: The Empire of the Ants
Book Review: The Empire of the Ants by H.G. Wells In addition to his famous longer works like The War of the Worlds, Herbert George Wells also wrote a number of speculative fiction short stories. What I’m reviewing today is a collection published by Scholastic Book Services (and mostly sold at school book fairs) which… Continue reading Book Review: The Empire of the Ants
Movie Review: Earthquake (1974)
Movie Review: Earthquake (1974) directed by Mark Robson There are many attractive features to living in Los Angeles. Ground stability isn’t one of them. The San Andreas Fault runs nearby, and it’s overdue for a major seismic shift in the area. This movie asks, “What if the Big One hit now?” To give us some investment… Continue reading Movie Review: Earthquake (1974)
Magazine Review: American Short Fiction Summer 2022
Magazine Review: American Short Fiction Summer 2022 edited by Rebecca Markovits & Adeena Reitberger The literary magazine is still alive in America, though I will not say “well” as I have no idea how many people read them. American Short Fiction, an Austin, Texas-based magazine, has been running since 1991. It is, as the title… Continue reading Magazine Review: American Short Fiction Summer 2022
Movie Review: Joe (2013)
Movie Review: Joe (2013) directed by David Gordon Green Joe Ransom (Nicolas Cage) is holding his life together…barely. He runs a small business that kills trees unsuitable for lumber for the local lumber company, employing a day worker crew that works hard for the cash money and appreciates that he doesn’t cheat them. Maybe he smokes… Continue reading Movie Review: Joe (2013)
Movie Review: Firecracker (1981)
Movie Review: Firecracker (1981) directed by Cirio H. Santiago Susanne Carter (Jillian Kesner) is a martial arts instructor from California looking for her missing sister Bonny (Carolyn Smith), a photographer who was going by her professional name of “Vanessa” when she disappeared in the Philippines. According to bar-with-rooms-upstairs owner Pete (Pete Cooper), she hasn’t been… Continue reading Movie Review: Firecracker (1981)
Movie Review: Drive Angry
Movie Review: Drive Angry (2011) directed by Patrick Lussier John Milton (Nicolas Cage) was a bad person who committed many crimes. It’s no surprise he ended locked up for many years. During those years, his daughter grew up, joined a cult, left the cult, got married, had a child, and then was murdered by the cult… Continue reading Movie Review: Drive Angry
Book Review: The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror Volume 16
Book Review: The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror Volume 16 edited by Stephen Jones Let’s go back to 2004 for what at least one editor considered excellent short horror fiction. As with the later volume I have reviewed, there’s a lot of ancillary material. It opens with an extended look at horror and horror-adjacent… Continue reading Book Review: The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror Volume 16
Comic Book Review: The Goon #5: Wicked Inclinations
Comic Book Review: The Goon #5: Wicked Inclinations by Eric Powell The Goon (birth name unclear) was once an orphan who worked at a circus, being raised by his strongwoman Aunt Kizzie. When his aunt was killed by the gangster Labrazio, the Goon killed him in revenge, then used the mob boss’ notes to take… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Goon #5: Wicked Inclinations
Book Review: The Gambler
Book Review: The Gambler by William Krasner Ben Wulfson hasn’t been back to his home city in a while. He got called up during the war, and when he mustered out, Ben decided to operate in Miami for a while. Miami went sour after a while, and he did not have many other places to… Continue reading Book Review: The Gambler