Movie Review: Mr. Nice Guy (1997)

Jackie gets a little too close to a buzzsaw.

Movie Review: Mr. Nice Guy (1997) directed by Sammo Kam-Bo Hung The place is Melbourne, Australia. Reporter Diana (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick) and her cameraman Richard (Peter Houghton) were secretly filming a drug deal between suit and tie mobsters lead by Giancarlo (Richard Norton) and the more street gang “Demons” led by Grank (Peter Lindsay) when the deal… Continue reading Movie Review: Mr. Nice Guy (1997)

Movie Review: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Sundance and Butch discuss the outcome of their latest escapade.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) dir. George Roy Hill Parts of this story are true. There actually were outlaws named Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) who belonged to the Wild Bunch. They did indeed rob banks and trains. They did indeed move to Bolivia when things got hot for… Continue reading Movie Review: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Movie Review: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

"Aunt Witch" is fast on the uptake.

Movie Review: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006) directed by Mamoru Hosoda Makoto thinks of herself as an ordinary high school girl, neither brainy or stupid, neither athletic or clumsy, usually good luck slightly outweighing the bad. She also enjoys hanging out with her buddies Koutaro (a serious lad who wants to be a doctor… Continue reading Movie Review: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Book Review: Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales

Book Review: Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales compiled by Stefan Dziemianowicz This hefty volume collects a variety of public domain stories concerning the supernatural. While the majority fall roughly into the category of horror, some are more what we’d call “dark fantasy” and a handful are just “well, that’s a weird thing that happened.”… Continue reading Book Review: Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales

Magazine Review: Water~Stone Review Volume 9: What Prevails

Magazine Review: Water~Stone Review Volume 9: What Prevails edited by Mary Francois Rockcastle It is time again to look at Hamline University’s annual literary magazine. This issue is from 2006. It’s dedicated to Frederick Busch, author of Girls, who had visited the university shortly before his death the previous year. The subtitle, borrowed from one… Continue reading Magazine Review: Water~Stone Review Volume 9: What Prevails

Manga Review: Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun 1

Manga Review: Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun 1 by Izumi Tsubaki Confessing your love to your high-school crush is always a nerve-wracking experience. It’s possible that your beloved returns your affections, but more likely you will receive a flat “not interested”, or “buzz off” or perhaps she will laugh in your face and tell you you are… Continue reading Manga Review: Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun 1

Book Review: Rain of the Ghosts

Book Review: Rain of the Ghosts by Greg Weisman Rain Cacique may have just hit puberty, but her future is already locked into place.  Rain is going to stay here in the Ghost Keys near Florida, the Prospero Keys to outsiders, and serve the tourist industry in some way.  Just like her parents and grandparents… Continue reading Book Review: Rain of the Ghosts

Book Review: The Fourth Galaxy Reader

Book Review: The Fourth Galaxy Reader edited by H.L. Gold Galaxy Magazine had a decent run with a lot of good stories, so it’s not surprising that even this fourth collection of fifteen science fiction reprints from the 1950s has a strong selection.  (I recognized almost all of these!)  There’s an introduction which runs down inferior… Continue reading Book Review: The Fourth Galaxy Reader

Manga Review: Yowamushi Pedal 1

Manga Review: Yowamushi Pedal 1 by Wataru Watanabe The Sohoku High School Bicycle Racing Club has several interesting freshman members this year.  There’s Imaizumi, a serious competitor whose family is wealthy, so he can afford the finest bicycle racing equipment and training.  There’s the fiery Naruko from Osaka, who’s a fine sprinter despite his flashy… Continue reading Manga Review: Yowamushi Pedal 1

Manga Review: Dream Fossil

Manga Review: Dream Fossil by Satoshi Kon Satoshi Kon (1963-2010) was an acclaimed anime director, making a handful of movies (including Paprika) and one television series, Paranoia Agent.   His themes of confusion of dreams and reality, and madness lying just below the surface of society, made his works fascinating.  He also spent some time as a… Continue reading Manga Review: Dream Fossil