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I’m again reading and reviewing publications by friends, acquaintances, and fellow writers' group members. I value Ken Altabef’s reviews of my submissions—his viewpoints and feedback I’ve seriously considered and appreciated. He is an established science fiction and fantasy author and a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. His short fiction has appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, while his extensive bibliography includes The Calli

Controversial people are the most interesting. Yet that doesn’t necessarily mean that good people are dismissed, evil people are dull, or that everyone else is instantly forgettable. It’s just that controversial people make waves. Said waves radiate. In all directions. Some of these waves still radiate today. In the same directions. Rasputin, The Untold Story: The Life and Death of the Peasant Who Brought Down the Romanovs, by Joseph T. Fuhrmann, relays the life of a most c

The late, great film critic Roger Ebert compared the Indiana Jones films to eating pounds of sausage. Does the third pound taste as good as the first? The fourth? The fifth? The implication here asks, “Is one better than the other?” “Are they all the same?” Or, “Does the Law of Diminishing Returns kick in?” For films such as these, do we want better for each installment, more of the same, or does it even matter? Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) doesn’

A board game is adapted into a farce. Worse ideas exist, yet this one could work. If done well, that is. A farce is a type of comedy that uses exaggerated situations, physical humor, misunderstandings, and unlikely events to make audiences laugh. Clue the Movie (1985) tries hard to capture the spirit of a classic farce, but it falls short in places, while excelling in others. The Parker Brothers board game naturally lends itself to comedy, thanks to its eccentric characters

I am currently reading Rasputin, The Untold Story: The Life and Death of the Peasant Who Brought Down the Romanovs, by Joseph T. Fuhrmann. Historical figures always intrigue me, especially if their lives were filled with controversy. Grigori Rasputin checks this box. Drawing on newly available archival sources, the book re-examines Rasputin’s life, influence on the Romanov court, and 1916 assassination, separating historical fact from sensationalized myths about his relation

Reading or viewing a revision of an original work before the source material sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t. After reading Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s The Daughter of Doctor Moreau and then H.G. Wells’s original The Island of Doctor Moreau, I wondered whether I would have viewed either novel differently had I read them in reverse order. There’s no way to tell now, so I’ll share my thoughts as is. Set in the late nineteenth century and narrated by main character Edward Prendic

In a silent tribute to the late great Tim Curry, I watched this film for (about) the fiftieth time. Here are my current thoughts. To call The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) a film is truly understating it. To call it a cult classic also underestimates it. But to call it a cultural phenomenon? That is much closer to the mark. A wholly commercial failure upon its 1975 release, the film found new life at late-night weekend screenings, where audiences transformed from passive

Since I’ve read an excellent retelling of this classic science fiction novel, I figured I’d read the source material. I haven’t read much of H.G. Wells—and I know, I know, he is one of the forefathers of modern science fiction and I should have—but I plan to. The story follows a shipwrecked man who discovers a mad scientist performing gruesome animal-to-human experiments on a remote island. I’m keen to discover what Wells has to say in his critique of the dangers of modern sc

What does it mean to retell a story? What is, exactly, the reimagining of a classic? A remake, or retelling, reinterprets a familiar story by introducing new viewpoints, environments, or characters. Often, authors have specific reasons for doing so, aside from the obvious. It’s a common practice, as Western storytelling draws from a finite number of basic story types. But when retelling a science fiction story, a genre that already invites social commentary and societal criti

I can’t imagine myself laid up for a few weeks, with a broken leg, unable to walk, dependent on others for my basic necessities. Yeah, no. I shudder at the thought. But that’s what the deal is with L.B. “Jeff” Jeffries (James Stewart, It’s A Wonderful Life), the protagonist in Alfred Hitchcock’s (Vertigo) influential film of voyeurism and the male gaze, Rear Window (1954). During a sweltering summer, Jeffries, a photojournalist confined to his apartment by an injury, passes

What do you get when you ask a question? A response? A blank look? Another question? A solution? A map to progress, perhaps? Do the responses, answers, solutions, and such cover everything? Does this entire process end? No, it does not. Ever since Socrates started asking probing questions which—and I’m taking quite a shortcut here—transformed into the five interrogatives we use today, questions have always been around. But one of the compelling questions of these, err, qu

There is duality in all of us. Duality in human nature means we all carry opposing traits, emotions, and impulses that shape who we are. Sometimes they balance out, sometimes they don’t. The concept has been explored numerous times in literature, art, film, streaming shows, and even comic books–Batman, anyone? But what are the lessons we can learn from this concept? More to the point, what messages can we glean from the artists who tackle this concept? Martin Scorsese (Casino

While I’m still reading through/studying Critical Theory: A Beginner's Guide to the Frankfurt School…), I will also begin reading The Daughter of Dr. Moreau by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia. I met the author during BaltiCon 60 last May and added a few of her works to my TBR. This one is a historical science fiction novel set in 1870s Yucatán, Mexico, that reimagines H.G. Wells' classic mad-scientist tale. Moreau’s daughter Carlota grows up secluded on the doctor’s estate, caring for h

Who doesn’t love a carnival? They’re so much fun! With rides, the fun house, games, cotton candy, peanuts, and—my favorite—funnel cake, how could you go wrong? I can almost smell that greasy dough frying topped with powdered sugar—now I crave funnel cake! Carnivals can be just as fun in literature. But where would it belong, you ask? It’s simple. In Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of carnival and literary parody, such an absurd celebration exists. And The Best of All Possible Plane

Whenever I encounter a new speculative fiction novel—or a new spec fic film—there are a few things I look for: 1) credible worldbuilding, 2) character development, and 3) memorable, thought-provoking themes and messages. I consider each element equally important, and when one falls short, it affects my entire enjoyment of the piece, not always positively. The source material for the film Never Let Me Go (2010), by Kazuo Ishiguro, leaves much to be desired, especially for me.

Do you remember when intermissions occurred in films longer than two-and-a-half hours? I may be revealing my age here, but movies from the mid-to-late 20th century certainly included them. But then the almighty buck prevailed: to allow more screenings in cinemas, the use of intermissions in longer films stopped altogether. Why am I even bringing something like this up in my review of North by Northwest (1959)? Comparing this concept to one element—or, more precisely, one scen

If there’s any important life lesson I’ve learned over the years, it’s “Don’t stand between a mama bear and her cubs.” When I say stand between, I mean directly in the line of sight. Luckily, I learned this lesson from afar. About thirty years ago, during a holiday weekend at my friend's vacation home in the Pocono Mountains, I witnessed this lesson from the safety of a second-floor balcony about two hundred yards away. The vacation house was in the woods amongst scattered go

Here’s a question for you: What’s the difference between a diary and a journal? A diary functions as a chronological record that highlights daily events and factual information (what happened), while a journal serves as a profound space for personal development, self-examination, and emotional processing—helping to understand what things signify. Traditionally, the latter is meant to be shared, while the former is not. Here’s another question for you: Which one would be easi

Time inversion. Temporal entropy. The Grandfather Paradox. What on Earth do these concepts mean, anyway? And why am I bringing them up in a film review? Well, this is a review of a Christopher Nolan film (The Odyssey). That should explain things, or perhaps give you an “ahh right” moment. Tenet (2020) is like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) with parallel timelines. Or maybe a James Bond film written and directed by Michel Gondry (The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotl

In line with reading the novels of my friends and fellow authors, The Best of All Planets by colleague, writers group member, and sometimes mentor Alex Schvartman is next up for me. The story follows a clueless Dhawan and his date, Rada, who flee a dying future Earth to find a replacement force shield before their planet is destroyed. I’m looking forward to belly-laughs, deep-space antics, and sci-fi shenanigans. I’ll share my thoughts when I’m through.