Movie Review: Mamma Mia! The Movie

Bachelor party chorus line

Movie Review: Mamma Mia! The Movie (2008) directed by Phyllida Lloyd Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) has long wondered who her father was. Her mother Donna (Meryl Streep) has always been evasive on the question, having made a life for herself running a tourist villa on the small Greek island they call home. But while Sophie is preparing… Continue reading Movie Review: Mamma Mia! The Movie

Comic Strip Review: Batman: The Sunday Classics 1943-1946

Comic Strip Review: Batman: The Sunday Classics 1943-1946 by various creators Batman was a big success in the comic books, so it wasn’t long at all before it was decided that he’d probably be a hit in the newspaper comic strips as well. Once that was decided, the problem of Sundays had to be considered.… Continue reading Comic Strip Review: Batman: The Sunday Classics 1943-1946

Magazine Review: High Adventure #170: Best of Science Fiction Stories

Magazine Review: High Adventure #170: Best of Science Fiction Stories edited by John P. Gunnison This volume of the long-running pulp reprint magazine dips into the pages of Science Fiction and Science Fiction Stories, a magazine that ran from 1939 to 1943 with the last two issues being under the latter name. As so often… Continue reading Magazine Review: High Adventure #170: Best of Science Fiction Stories

Movie Review: Jaws 2

Chief Brody contemplates the sea and its creatures.

Movie Review: Jaws 2 (1978) directed by Jeannot Szwarc It has been four years since the island community of Amity suffered a series of attacks by a great white shark. Most of the people have recovered, and things are looking up, with a new Holiday Inn ™ opening, and Len Peterson’s (Joseph Mascolo) real estate business… Continue reading Movie Review: Jaws 2

Book Review: Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales

Book Review: Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales compiled by Stefan Dziemianowicz This hefty volume collects a variety of public domain stories concerning the supernatural. While the majority fall roughly into the category of horror, some are more what we’d call “dark fantasy” and a handful are just “well, that’s a weird thing that happened.”… Continue reading Book Review: Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales

Movie Review: Tales from Earthsea

Sparrowhawk arrives!

Movie Review: Tales from Earthsea (2006) dir. Goro Miyazaki There is something rotten in the Two Lands. Wizards are losing their powers, dragons are fighting each other, animals and children are dying of disease, storms are getting worse, slavery and drug addiction are on the rise. And also, Prince Arren has just committed an unspeakable crime.… Continue reading Movie Review: Tales from Earthsea

Book Review: Jurassic Park

Book Review: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton A monster stalks Isla Nublar, red in tooth and claw, seeking whom it may devour. It is a deadly threat to all who live, merciless, implacable–some might call it evil. The name of this monster is not stegosaurus or velociraptor, or even Tyrannosaurus Rex. The name of this… Continue reading Book Review: Jurassic Park

Book Review: The Best of R.A. Lafferty

Book Review: The Best of R.A. Lafferty by R.A. Lafferty Raphael Aloysius Lafferty (1914-2002) was one of those “American originals” you hear about every so often. His writing takes some form from the American tall tale, some from Native American yarn spinning, and mixes it into a style all his own. This anthology collects 22… Continue reading Book Review: The Best of R.A. Lafferty

Book Review: The Sea Chase

Book Review: The Sea Chase by Andrew Geer Sydney Harbour is bustling on this September day in 1939, but one ship, the Ergenstrasse, lies idle, waiting to fill her sadly depleted coal bunkers. This ship is part of the German merchant marine, and everyone is well aware that it is only a matter of time… Continue reading Book Review: The Sea Chase

Magazine Review: Famous Fantastic Mysteries Fall 2016

This scene does not appear in any of the stories this issue.

Magazine Review: Famous Fantastic Mysteries Fall 2016 edited by Matthew Moring Every so often, someone tries to relaunch a once-popular magazine. Most of these efforts fold quickly. The subject of this review is one such, lasting a single issue. As you’ll recall from a previous review, Famous Fantastic Mysteries was primarily a reprint title, presenting… Continue reading Magazine Review: Famous Fantastic Mysteries Fall 2016