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My first instinct, before I viewed this film, was to watch the original Gladiator (2000), starring the eminent Russell Crowe. But then I thought better. If I had done this, I’d spend far too much time comparing the original to the sequel, which, I believe, would sour my thoughts about the current film. So I decided to watch Gladiator II as its own movie. And I was still dissatisfied. For me, questioning the suspension of disbelief always occurs during a film I’m watching that

My Thoughts on the Film, Gangs of New York… I thought I had watched this film when it first came out back in 2002, but after seeing it this time, I realize that I remember nothing about the movie whatsoever. So perhaps this is the first time I’ve seen it. Set in the middle of the 19th Century, Gangs of New York illustrates the turmoil and tribalism that plagued the Five Corners and most of New York City at that time. From this turmoil emerges a young man, Amsterdam Vallon—por

I started to read the second (and, sadly, final) book in this series, The Angel of Darkness , telling myself that I had read The Alienist several times already and not as many times the sequel. But then I thought better. Both are such wonderfully written books that I need to start at the beginning. I am reading this book, hoping to start off 2026 strong, with the first of 100+ books I plan to read for the year. I need to keep my streak going.

I enjoyed this book. I really did. The worldbuilding was excellent, the premise was believable, and the characters were well-fleshed out. I enjoyed it so much that I added the next novel in the series to my TBR. This dystopian story takes place on the Exsta, a large ring-shaped colony spaceship that was separated from the fleet that left Earth and was heading towards habitable planets. The ship is divided into habitats, where humans, the balconeros (the haves), and the Gen Po

Wes Anderson is a love or hate filmmaker. He has a definite audience, which may or may not check off the boxes of a cult, but the fanbase is sizable; their devotion, palpable. Anderson's latest, The Phonician Scheme , includes his customary layered narrative. his quirky, melancholic characters on quests for connection or identity, and his unique visual symmetry. Not to mention his use of deadpan humor, mise en abyme (story-within-a-story), and the retro-theatrical aesthetic

[THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS] What can I say about a remake of a film I wholly enjoy and will watch again and again? Usually, I’m not so impressed, considering the updated version a one-off. But not with The Thomas Crown Affair (1999). This is a great film, one that checks all the marks I require for such a case. But it is a different film, although the premise, thank Heavens, is the same: an insurance investigator targets a suspect in a high-end robbery, and then embarks o

I wish I were alive in the mid-sixties, early seventies. Well, I was alive in the early seventies, but I hadn’t the wherewithal to truly appreciate the sexy pout, the sultry eyes, or the seductive persona that embodies Faye Dunaway. But I can watch a film from that time, like The Thomas Crown Affair, and goggle at it like a teenager just as well. The movie is not a cat-and-mouse story. There is no chase scene or climactic shootout, because the main characters have each other

Although I’m not a big fan, I’ve always been appreciative of Stephen Sondheim's musicals, with their heavier emphasis on character development more than mere musical aside. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, a film version of the Broadway musical, does this in spades. Filled with character introspection, themes of revenge and murder, and absolutely no hugely choreographed musical numbers, this film/musical tells a tale of heartbreak, horror, and abuse of power. S

Chills went down my spine within the first four minutes of this film. It was a clip from a Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concert, with the titular rock star played by Jeremy Allen White, performing “Born to Run.” White looked, gestured, and strummed the guitar, sounding so much like Springsteen that it was scary. Let me say here that I am a big fan of what biographies and biopics are doing these days: they chronicle only specific portions of the subject’s life. Thin

A space opera that mixes elements of The Hunger Games and Red Rising. Sounds fun. As usual, I’ll share my thoughts when I’m through.

Good short story. A bit of a space opera involving two characters on a moon that acts as the galaxy’s dump, and the characters sift their way through said junk. Their mission begins as one thing and then changes into another. What I appreciated most about this story was its use of “space time.” Space week, space day, space year, space calendar…you get the idea. If you recall, I blogged about this concept earlier, calling it “White Time Syndrome.” In just a few words, Andrew B

I sometimes wonder why films are so hated by critics and moviegoers alike. It’s almost like I can’t understand their point of view, where they’re coming from. Take CBGB, for example. I’ve read the criticism—7% from critics and 43% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes—and I wondered if said audience was against the film from the get-go. There are big issues about the film, especially the use of recorded songs from the artists portrayed instead of recorded live music (from CBGB) or

It’s a Christmas movie! It’s an Action/Adventure movie! It’s a Dark Comedy…According to IMDB, it’s many films at once. But one thing’s for certain: it’s a trendsetter, a template for action films that have followed it. We’ve all seen this film; it’s become a part of our cultural lexicon. Like A Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and A Christmas Story, many of us watch this film during the appropriate time of year. I watched it because of a meme. I thoroughly enjoyed it,

This short story looks fun. And it’s a part of a series with the same name. Will I read the series after I finish reading this story? Remains to be seen.

Yes, yes, yes. This book is just as enjoyable as I thought it would be. Not only is the premise fantastic (although a bit far-fetched), the plot unfolds with twist after twist until the cliffhanging end. As a divorcee, single mom, and an author, Finlay Donovan can’t make ends meet and finds herself in mountains of debt. Until, after a conversation with her agent in a local Panera, a woman passes her a note, offering the flustered Finn $50,000 to kill her husband. The task is

This sounded like such a fun premise to me (moral ambiguity aside) that I just had to read it. I’ll give my thoughts afterwards.

Near the end of reading this book, I Googled if there were different subgenres of utopian novels. I had a sense that there were, but I needed to confirm. According to Google, and, most likely, other AI search engines, The Merge is a Technological/Corporate Dystopia tale, somewhere along the lines of Brave New World and Technomancer . The “Merge” itself is promoted as a technological/medical marvel that can work to end the globe’s issues; issues that directly result from

The Merge, by Grace Walker, tackles the themes of old age and memories with a tale of mystifying science and, what I hope will be, social commentary. The story revolves around Laurie, an Alzheimer’s sufferer, and how her consciousness will be merged with that of her daughter Amelia, allowing her to live with—and within—her daughter’s body. Their consciousnesses will be shared. A close friend of mine recommended this book, especially because it mirrors the events in the novel

Jake Needham has created quite the complex character in Singapore Police Inspector Samuel Tay. For he is not your typical hardboiled detective, nor is he your typical, weathered, grunting veteran cop. One of his most noteworthy flaws is that he gets sick when he sees a corpse, never mind when he sees blood. How can a veteran police inspector in a metropolitan setting like Singapore not be able to see a corpse without attacks of nausea, you might ask? He does. But he still get

Sometimes, I hate watching a film after I know something about it. Like a twist that occurs in the first quarter of the movie that you totally know about because it's the film's premise. The film's about a bracingly human, robot companion, Iris—played by Sophie Thatcher—who commits a crime of passion, all for the love of her life—read: owner/master—Josh, played by Jack Quaid. As plots go, it’s standard, with predictable events and seen-way-from-afar conclusion. The performanc