Magazine Review: Out of the Gutter #7

Magazine Review: Out of the Gutter #7 (Winter 2010) Back in the day, the low-cost entertainment option of choice was the pulp magazine.  It contained fast, exciting stories on cruddy paper–a lowbrow art form that is still fondly remembered by some.  “Out of the Gutter” tries to be somewhat in that tradition. This is the… Continue reading Magazine Review: Out of the Gutter #7

Movie Review: Spider Forest (2004)

A misleading scene from "Spider Forest"

Movie Review: Spider Forest (2004) Kang Min (Kam Woo-Sung), a line producer for a schlocky “true paranormal” television show, finds himself in a dark forest, headed for an isolated house.  Inside, he finds blood and destruction.  He sees the repeatedly stabbed body of his boss, and then finds his lover Hwang Su-yeong (Kang Kyeong-hyeon) dying… Continue reading Movie Review: Spider Forest (2004)

TV Review: Bulldog Drummond & Burke’s Law

TV Review: Bulldog Drummond & Burke’s Law A couple more episodes from my DVD collection. Bulldog Drummond was created by H.C. “Sapper” McNeile in 1920, after a prototype police officer version failed to get traction.  Mr. Drummond was an independently wealthy gentleman adventurer and veteran of World War One who got bored and put out… Continue reading TV Review: Bulldog Drummond & Burke’s Law

TV Review: Alfred Hitchcock Presents

TV Review: Alfred Hitchcock Presents This half-hour anthology program ran from 1955-1962, when it was replaced by The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.  The series concentrated on suspense stories, with rare supernatural elements (and even these usually explained by the end of the story.)  Mr. Hitchcock himself would appear as the host to introduce the episode, crack a… Continue reading TV Review: Alfred Hitchcock Presents

TV Review: The Adventures of Ellery Queen–The Hanged Acrobat

TV Review: The Adventures of Ellery Queen–The Hanged Acrobat Ellery Queen was the pseudonym of Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee, and also the main character of their long-running mystery series.  He was an intellectual, and a bit of a snob, who often helped his father, a New York City police inspector, solve murders.  The… Continue reading TV Review: The Adventures of Ellery Queen–The Hanged Acrobat

Book Review: Kitty Genovese

Book Review: Kitty Genovese: A True Account of a Public Murder and Its Private Consequences by Catherine Pelonero Disclaimer:  I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. I am not quite old enough to have any firsthand memories of the coverage of the March 13, 1964 murder… Continue reading Book Review: Kitty Genovese

Movie Review: The Miracle Rider

Movie Review: The Miracle Rider It is 1935 in the Panhandle area of Texas, home to the Ravenhead Tribe Indian Reservation.    The Ravenheads are a peaceful, hardworking tribe.  Sadly, their land is secretly situated on top of the largest deposit of X-94, an ore with tremendous explosive power, in the world.  Somehow, a white… Continue reading Movie Review: The Miracle Rider

Manga Review: Vinland Saga, Book Two

Manga Review: Vinland Saga, Book Two by Makoto Yukimura To recap for those of you who haven’t read the review of Book One, Vinland Saga is set in the early 12th Century, the time of the Vikings.  Our protagonist is Thorfinn, son of Thors, who serves in the war band of Askeladd.  Askeladd murdered Thors, and… Continue reading Manga Review: Vinland Saga, Book Two

Book Review: Blood Aces

Book Review: Blood Aces: The Wild Ride of Benny Binion, the Texas Gangster who Created Vegas Poker by Doug J. Swanson Disclaimer:  I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway in the expectation that I would review it.  This was an Advance Uncorrected Proof copy, and there will be changes to the final… Continue reading Book Review: Blood Aces

Anime Review: Kill la Kill

Anime Review: Kill la Kill In the indefinite future, Ryuko Matoi is the delinquent daughter of a mad scientist who arrives home after a long time away at school to find him murdered with one blade of a giant scissors.  The killer, too far away to identify, has the other blade.  Ryuko vows vengeance. In… Continue reading Anime Review: Kill la Kill