Movie Review: Airplane! (1980)

James Hong cameo.

Movie Review: Airplane! (1980) directed by Jim Abrahams Taxi driver Ted Striker (Robert Hays) has problems. A former pilot, he lost his self-confidence after a failed mission during “the war” which killed several of his comrades and he blames himself for. He’s been unable to hold a steady job and drifted from city to city. Today,… Continue reading Movie Review: Airplane! (1980)

Comic Book Review: DC’s Saved by the Belle Reve 1

Comic Book Review: DC’s Saved by the Belle Reve 1 created by Various A fairly long-standing tradition of DC Comics is the “Holiday Special”; an anthology issue themed around a particular holiday or season. It started, naturally, with Christmas specials, now more general “winter holiday”-themed, but Halloween specials with horror-type stories were an obvious addition,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: DC’s Saved by the Belle Reve 1

Comic Book Review: The Goon #5: Wicked Inclinations

Comic Book Review: The Goon #5: Wicked Inclinations by Eric Powell The Goon (birth name unclear) was once an orphan who worked at a circus, being raised by his strongwoman Aunt Kizzie. When his aunt was killed by the gangster Labrazio, the Goon killed him in revenge, then used the mob boss’ notes to take… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Goon #5: Wicked Inclinations

Book Review: The Fungus

Book Review: The Fungus by Harry Adam Knight Dr. Jane Wilson, brilliant mycologist, wants to feed the world with mushrooms. (Maybe she got the idea from Time and Mr. Bass?) To that end, she’s created a virus-like enzyme that causes the edible mushrooms she’s been working with to grow to enormous size at an accelerated… Continue reading Book Review: The Fungus

Manga Review: Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei Volume 10

Manga Review: Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei Volume 10 by Koji Kumeta When Nozomu Itoshiki, a man whose very name can be misread as “despair”, attempts to hang himself from a tree, he’s saved/nearly killed by Kafuka Fuura, an insanely cheerful and optimistic schoolgirl. Since he’s still alive, Nozomu decided to show up at his new job the… Continue reading Manga Review: Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei Volume 10

Book Review: All Quiet on the Western Front

Book Review: All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque We open on a good day for Paul Bäumer and the men of the Second Company.  The sun is shining, there’s a light breeze to cool them, and they’re getting double rations.  The reason the men are getting double rations is that half… Continue reading Book Review: All Quiet on the Western Front

Book Review: Penny Dreadfuls: Sensational Tales of Terror

Book Review: Penny Dreadfuls: Sensational Tales of Terror edited by Stefan Dziemianowicz While the term “penny dreadfuls” proper belongs to a particular type of inexpensive newsprint periodical, as explained in the introduction to this volume, the twenty stories chosen here can all be described as lowbrow sensationalist literature written for those seeking thrills in their… Continue reading Book Review: Penny Dreadfuls: Sensational Tales of Terror

TV Review: Blackadder Goes Forth

TV Review: Blackadder Goes Forth The year is 1917, the place, somewhere in France.  British troops are dug into trenches, not too far from the German troops in their trenches.  This particular part of the front line is the location of Captain Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson.)  Experience has taught him that the British strategy of… Continue reading TV Review: Blackadder Goes Forth

Comic Book Review: The Best of Judge Dredd

Comic Book Review: The Best of Judge Dredd edited by Tharg It is the dark future of the 22nd Century.  Nuclear war and environmental devastation have made large portions of Earth’s surface barely inhabitable, and the majority of the remaining population is crowded into sprawling urban areas called Mega-Cities.  Overpopulation, high unemployment, and a general… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Best of Judge Dredd

Anime Review: Humanity Has Declined

Anime Review: Humanity Has Declined In the indefinite future, homo sapiens as we know it is slowly going extinct.  Not to worry, though, our successors have already appeared, the New Humans, also commonly referred to as “fairies.”  The Mediator is a young woman who works for what’s left of the UN, acting as an intermediary between… Continue reading Anime Review: Humanity Has Declined