Movie Review: Ma Barker’s Killer Brood

The Barker family, solid church-going citizens.

Movie Review: Ma Barker’s Killer Brood (1960) directed by Bill Karn Kate “Ma” Barker (Lurene Tuttle) was born into a hardscrabble family as the tenth child and suffered many privations growing up. She stepped up a bit by marrying the first young man to take notice of her, George Barker (Nelson Leigh) but by the time… Continue reading Movie Review: Ma Barker’s Killer Brood

Movie Review: Universal Squadrons

Deakin confronts Peacemaker.

Movie Review: Universal Squadrons (2011) directed by Mark Millhone (also released as “Minuteman.”) Captain Lance Deakin (Riley Smith) has returned to his Texas ranch after a second hitch in Iraq as a quartermaster at an isolated supply depot. During his absence, his lover Becca (Willa Ford) and hired hand Corky (David Born) have been trying to… Continue reading Movie Review: Universal Squadrons

Movie Review: Dressed to Kill (1946)

Mrs. Courtney enjoys her ill-gotten gains.

Movie Review: Dressed to Kill (1946) directed by Roy William Neill Three seemingly-identical music boxes have come up for auction. The first is purchased by music box collector Julian “Stinky” Emery (Edmund Breon), the second by toy shop owner Evelyn Clifford (Patricia Cameron) (though she doesn’t leave her name) and the third by Mr. Kilgour (Harry… Continue reading Movie Review: Dressed to Kill (1946)

Comic Book Review: Best of DC #8: Year’s Best Comics Stories

Can you name all the characters on this cover?

Comic Book Review: Best of DC #8: Year’s Best Comics Stories edited by Julius Schwartz If you were going to have a digest comic called “Best of DC” it only made sense to present a collection of what the creators considered best stories for a given year, in this case, 1979. As the text feature… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Best of DC #8: Year’s Best Comics Stories

Movie Review: Juggernaut (1936)

Eve receives instructions from Dr. Sartorius.

Movie Review: Juggernaut (1936) directed by Henry Edwards Lady Yvonne Clifford (Mona Goya) had thought becoming the second wife of considerably older Sir Charles Clifford (Morton Selten) was a good bargain. She got to share in a title, great wealth, and a home in the French Riviera. But a few years into the marriage, Sir Charles… Continue reading Movie Review: Juggernaut (1936)

Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace

Holmes and Watson check the Times for clues.

Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace (1962) directed by Terence Fisher What comes from Benghazi? Early in the morning, a group of children and a fisherman find a body floating in the Thames, prominently displaying the name of a recently docked ship, the Thyasia. As the passengers disembark from the ship, one of them… Continue reading Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace

Manga Review: Mao Volumes 6 & 7

Manga Review: Mao Volumes 6 & 7 by Rumiko Takahashi Note: This review contains SPOILERS for previous volumes, if you’re just starting, you may want to look at the earlier reviews. Quick recap: Due to an incident in her youth, Nanoka has gained the ability to time travel back to Tokyo in the Taisho Era.… Continue reading Manga Review: Mao Volumes 6 & 7

Comic Book Review: Black Magic Vol. 1

Comic Book Review: Black Magic Vol. 1 Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby The creative team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby tried many different ideas for comic books over the years. Some were successful, others flops. In 1950, they cashed in on the then hot horror genre with Black Magic, created for Prize… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Black Magic Vol. 1

Magazine Review: Hooded Detective January 1942

Magazine Review: Hooded Detective January 1942 The Black Hood was one of the superheroes created for the MLJ (later Archie) Comics line, first appearing in Top-Notch Comics #9 in 1940. Matthew Kipling “Kip” Burland was originally a rookie cop who was framed for grand larceny and injured to near death by a criminal known as… Continue reading Magazine Review: Hooded Detective January 1942

Book Review: The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries

Book Review: The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler While stories that could be considered “mysteries” in some sense have existed as long as writing, and perhaps a bit before, the short story mystery came into its own during the lifetime of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). This volume collects forty-nine notable stories from… Continue reading Book Review: The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries