It’s been a while since I’ve been able to totally immerse myself in a novel. You know that feeling –sneaking minutes on the bus, in the toilet, in bed, in between work tasks– anything to get that next little hit of sweet narrative. As I’ve aged, fewer books can draw me in so completely. So it’s been a joy to ravenously consume the latest offering by Kim Stanley Robinson, an epic tale of interstellar travel.
Continue reading Review of Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
It’s Labour Day weekend here in Canada, and I am four episodes deep into the Space Network‘s Star Trek marathon. The network is showing the supposed 10 “best” episodes of each of the five canonical Star Trek TV series. For their complete list of episodes click here. Continue reading The Best Star Trek: Next Generation episodes
I will attempt to do the impossible and write a mostly spoiler-free review of season 1 of the Netflix original series, Stranger Things. Continue reading Stranger Things, season 1… or How I Miss The 80s
This article contains spoilers for the movie Suicide Squad. Read at your own peril.
I don’t know anymore. I really don’t. I’m officially middle aged, and am thus, by definition, “out of touch”. This means that I will never again understand what the kids are into, and I will never again have my finger on the pulse of pop culture or on “what’s cool”— if indeed I ever did! The fact that I put quotation marks around “what’s cool” is a sure sign that I’m now an old fuddy-duddy, as is my unironic use of “fuddy-duddy.”
(This is a spoiler-free review.)
Well this is awkward.
Earlier this week, I tweeted some not-so-nice things about Batman v Superman director Zack Snyder. For instance:
The Z-man had disappointed me too many times. Sure, 300 was a lot of fun, and its visuals were innovative at the time, sort of like a comic book come to life. Then came Watchmen, which was remarkably faithful to the look of its source material…. but not its feel. Continue reading Batman v Superman: Dawn of Okay
I started writing this article on June 9, 2015, but lost focus. I didn’t finish it until Jan 1, 2016! By then, the new season of Flash was already halfway done, and the second season of Agent Carter was about to start. Whatever.
These past few months, I’ve had the pleasure of watching the complete first seasons of two new entries to the skiffy TV world: The Flash, based on the DC comics character of the same name, and Agent Carter of S.H.I.E.L.D., based on one of the more minor characters of the expanded Marvel comics universe. Continue reading The Flash and Agent Carter: Doing Dramatic Irony Right
Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting in Fran’s restaurant on Shuter Street in Toronto, with my two good friends Ed Wong and Andrew Currie. I noticed a strange art piece –sculpture, I guess– on the wall. It reminded me of something. Continue reading Nimoy Memories
It’s no secret that I’m a comic book fan. But I’m a bigger fan of real science fiction; that is, fiction whose narrative necessarily depends upon a fanciful or not-yet-possible scientific element. I struggle with whether traditional superhero comic books qualify as science fiction, since mostly the sci-fi elements are an excuse for having extraordinary characters. Any other excuse can often suffice: magic, for instance. Continue reading Why Does DC Hate Gorillas?
The following is a review of the film Interstellar that is very rich with spoilers. If you have not seen the movie, and wish to do so, read at your peril.
Important opening statement: Interstellar is a very good movie. I enjoyed my time watching it, and feel that it is an excellent introduction to hard science fiction for the general public. I paid $20 for my IMAX ticket, and $5 for a bottle of water (I know, I know), and feel that I got my money’s worth. I would happily recommend it to anyone interested in spending an evening watching a well made film with a science fiction theme and mature, emotional overtones. Continue reading Review of Interstellar
This past week, I re-watched several seasons of Stargate SG1, including both direct-to-dvd movies, and a couple of episodes of Stargate Atlantis. Didn’t find the strength to watch any Stargate Universe, as that was my least favourite incarnation of the franchise. But my re-watch nevertheless brought back to me my intense sadness when SG1 was cancelled. I’m not sure why I miss this show so much, so I thought I’d write about it a bit. Continue reading Why I Miss Stargate
