Movie Review: The War of the Worlds (1953) directed by Byron Haskin It is the mid-Twentieth Century, and what appears to be a meteor lands near a small town in rural California. Among the people that come to see the object is Dr. Clayton Forrester (Gene Barry), a physicist from the Pacific Institute who’d been fishing… Continue reading Movie Review: The War of the Worlds (1953)
Tag: scientists
Book Review: A Treasury of Science Fiction
Book Review: A Treasury of Science Fiction edited by Groff Conklin “A Treasury of Science Fiction” was first published as a hardback in 1948; the edition I read was the paperback reprint from 1957 which only contains eight of the original thirty stories. This was one of the first major science fiction collections, and set… Continue reading Book Review: A Treasury of Science Fiction
Movie Review: The Breed (2001)
The Breed (2001) dir. Michael Oblowitz It is the “near future” and the United States of America has become an openly authoritarian state with a vaguely East European vibe. Despite this, there are still more or less regular cops. When a young woman is kidnapped, police detective Steven Grant (Bokeem Woodbine) and his partner track down… Continue reading Movie Review: The Breed (2001)
Book Review: The Butchering Art
Book Review: The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris It was not that long ago that surgeons and surgery were to be feared. Without anesthetics, the pain and shock of having your body cut into would often kill the patient. And if they survived that, the chances were good that infection would set in. A combination… Continue reading Book Review: The Butchering Art
Book Review: Beyond Human Ken
Book Review: Beyond Human Ken edited by Judith Merril This 1954 paperback anthology is a partial reprint of the 1952 hardback of the same title, choosing twelve stories of the original twenty-one and skipping the prefaces that were in that edition. The theme is non-human beings of various kinds, pulled primarily from the science fiction… Continue reading Book Review: Beyond Human Ken
Book Review: If This Goes On
Book Review: If This Goes On edited by Charles Nuetzel The “if this goes on” story is a staple of short science fiction. Pick a current trend like “women not wearing hats anymore” or “cat videos” and extend it out to an exaggerated conclusion. For example, the Robert Heinlein story of that name, which posits… Continue reading Book Review: If This Goes On
Comic Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes 1
Comic Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes 1 edited by Cory Sedlmeier As has been mentioned on this blog before, by the late 1940s, superheroes had become passe in comic books. A handful continued to be published over at National Publications (DC) on a regular basis, and there was the odd minor publisher title,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes 1
Movie Review: Metropolis (2001)
Movie Review: Metropolis (2001) directed by Rintaro, aka Osamu Tezuka’s Metropolis Private investigator Shunsaku Ban has come to Metropolis with his nephew Ken’ichi on the trail of Dr. Laughton, a mad scientist wanted for using human organs in illegal experiments. The police are shorthanded trying to do crowd control for the week-long celebration of Metropolis’ newest… Continue reading Movie Review: Metropolis (2001)
Movie Review: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Movie Review: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi It is the year 2065, and in the ruins of Old New York, Dr. Aki Ross is looking for a plant. Some thirty odd years before, a meteor hit the Caspian Mountains, releasing the Phantoms. These ethereal beings come in multiple shapes and sizes;… Continue reading Movie Review: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Magazine Review: Astounding Science Fiction July 1939
Magazine Review: Astounding Science Fiction July 1939 edited by John W. Campbell Astounding Science Fiction is now Analog, which is still being published; see earlier reviews on this blog. Today I’m looking at a key issue from the pulp days, July 1939. First, there’s this classic cover by Graves Gladney. Up front is “Addenda”, an… Continue reading Magazine Review: Astounding Science Fiction July 1939