Movie Review: Rio Bravo (1959)

Stumpy, Dude, Colorado and John T. bond with a little music.

Movie Review: Rio Bravo (1959) directed by Howard Hawks Rio Bravo is a small town in the West Texas county of Presidio, not too far from the Mexican border. The rancher with the biggest spread nearby is Nathan Burdette (John Russell). He also has something of a monopoly on guns for hire in the area, being… Continue reading Movie Review: Rio Bravo (1959)

Movie Review: Suddenly

John Baron relishes the chance to cause pain.

Movie Review: Suddenly (1954) directed by Lewis Allen Back during the gold rush, Suddenly, California was the kind of place where things happen in a hurry. Nowadays, it’s a much sleepier town. Slim the deputy (Paul Wexler) jokes to a passing motorist that the town fathers are considering changing the name to “Gradually.” But today’s going… Continue reading Movie Review: Suddenly

Comic Book Review: Golden Age Marvel Comics 2

Comic Book Review: Golden Age Marvel Comics 2 by Various This volume reprints the contents of Marvel Mystery Comics #5-8 from 1940. The introduction by Roy Thomas points up the contrast with the publisher’s other anthology title of the time, Daring Mystery Comics. This one had star characters like the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Golden Age Marvel Comics 2

Movie Review: Hang ‘Em High

Marshal Cooper contemplates the morality of state executions.

Movie Review: Hang ‘Em High (1968) directed by Ted Post Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood) used to be a lawman in Saint Louis, Missouri, but got tired of that job. So in 1889 he moved to the Oklahoma and Indian Territory. He used money he’d saved up to purchase cattle from a Mr. Johansen. Unfortunately, that man… Continue reading Movie Review: Hang ‘Em High

Book Review: Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women Volume 2 (1953-1957)

Cover by Frank Kelly Freas--not illustrating any of the stories in this volume.

Book Review: Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women Volume 2 (1953-1957) edited by Gideon Marcus As the introduction by Janice L. Newman points out, women have written science fiction all along. The percentage of them getting published at any given time in the magazines and books waxed and waned, but they were always there. In the… Continue reading Book Review: Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women Volume 2 (1953-1957)

Book Review: The Pocket Book of Adventure Stories

Book Review: The Pocket Book of Adventure Stories edited by Philip Van Doren Stern In his introduction, the editor talks about the thrill of adventure stories, how often they are churned out as cheap entertainment, and that he has selected twelve really good ones for the reader. This 1945 book was designed to be easily… Continue reading Book Review: The Pocket Book of Adventure Stories

Movie Review: The Ape (1940)

Dr. Adrien spots Nabu at the window.

Movie Review: The Ape (1940) directed by William Nigh Twenty-five years ago, Dr. Bernard Adrien (Boris Karloff) was expelled from the Robinson Institute for unauthorized experiments with spinal fluid. He moved to an obscure small town and started a practice as a humble country doctor. marrying and starting a family. Ten years ago, there was a… Continue reading Movie Review: The Ape (1940)

Book Review: Rio Bravo

Book Review: Rio Bravo by Leigh Brackett Rio Bravo is a small town near the river of the same name in southern Texas by the Mexican border. Ordinarily Sheriff John T. Chance is able to handle the local rowdies with the help of deputy Stumpy, who doesn’t walk well since a bullet smashed his leg.… Continue reading Book Review: Rio Bravo

Television Review: Scooby Doo!: Mystery Incorporated

The town is less than appreciative of its young mythbusters.

Television Review: Scooby Doo!: Mystery Incorporated Crystal Cove advertises itself as “the most hauntedest town on Earth” and it’s easy to see why. Its history is full of curses, ghosts, monsters and mysterious disappearances, starting with the Spanish conquistadors who founded the place. But if you dig a little deeper, you discover that many of… Continue reading Television Review: Scooby Doo!: Mystery Incorporated

Magazine Review: Analog Science Fiction Science Fact November 1965

Cover by Kelly Freas

Magazine Review: Analog Science Fiction Science Fact November 1965 edited by John W. Campbell It’s time for another random issue of the classic science fiction magazine. “Colloid and Crystalloid” by John W. Campbell starts the issue off with an editorial beginning with the notion that humanoid killer robots probably aren’t going to be a thing… Continue reading Magazine Review: Analog Science Fiction Science Fact November 1965