Movie Review: Sudden Impact (1983)

Harry contemplates the difference between justice and revenge.

Movie Review: Sudden Impact (1983) directed by Clint Eastwood San Francisco is a dangerous city, as seen when a man is given a “.38 vasectomy” and a head shot in his car by his passenger. The next morning, Police Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is not initially investigating that case. He’s in court, where a… Continue reading Movie Review: Sudden Impact (1983)

Book Review: Behind the Crimson Blind

Book Review: Behind the Crimson Blind by Carter Dickson Sir Henry Merrivale, brilliant amateur detective, barrister, baronet and holder of a medical degree, has had many exciting adventures in Britain, Europe and America. He feels that he’s earned a bit of a holiday, so he’s incognito on a flight to Tangier. Except that the very… Continue reading Book Review: Behind the Crimson Blind

Open Thread: Birthday and Church

Sandstone United Church of Christ (Congregational). On the left is the bell tower, dedicated July 4, 1976 as part of the Bicentennial celebration.

Open Thread: Birthday and Church Today was my birthday again, as it is every year. As it landed on a Sunday, I was able to get a ride up to my home town to spend some time with my mother and family. We also celebrated my brother and sister-in-law’s anniversary (a little late) and my… Continue reading Open Thread: Birthday and Church

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

Movie Review: Magnum Force

Harry may not like the system, but he's not hearing a better offer.

Movie Review: Magnum Force (1973) directed by Ted Post San Francisco is a city riddled with crime. Police Inspector “Dirty Harry” Callahan (Clint Eastwood) knows too well that the system is often rigged in the favor of criminals. Sometimes it seems like the police are drowning in regulations and procedures. He does what he can by… Continue reading Movie Review: Magnum Force

Manga Review: My Dress-Up Darling 1

Manga Review: My Dress-Up Darling 1 by Shinichi Fukuda Marin Kitagawa is a fashionable, outgoing girl who enjoys eroge (naughty video games) and would like to cosplay as her favorite character, Shizuku. The problem is that she’s never learned to sew, and even with an instruction manual, her costume is disastrously bad. She comes to… Continue reading Manga Review: My Dress-Up Darling 1

Movie Review: Paint Your Wagon

Partner, Ben and Elizabeth discuss their domestic arrangement.

Paint Your Wagon (1969) dir. Joshua Logan It is the height of the California Gold Rush, and a motley assembly of prospectors from around the world have joined a wagon train to the next possible strike. The wagon of two Michigan ex-farmer brothers goes off a cliff, killing one of them. Affable scoundrel Ben Rumson (Lee… Continue reading Movie Review: Paint Your Wagon

Magazine Review: Worlds of If August 1973

"Astronauts on Deimos" by David A. Hardy. Not illustrating any of the interior stories.

Magazine Review: Worlds of If August 1973 edited by Ejier Jakobsson This issue of the magazine also known as “If” opens with the “Hue and Cry” letter column. One reader was especially impressed with the negative review Lester del Rey gave of a book on cloning, which taught the reader something to look for in… Continue reading Magazine Review: Worlds of If August 1973

Manga Review: Orochi: The Perfect Edition 1

Manga Review: Orochi: The Perfect Edition 1 by Kazuo Umezz Despite her rather ominous name, Orochi doesn’t stand out in a crowd. She appears to be a moderately attractive woman in her early twenties. If you saw her on the street, you might not notice her at all. But Orochi isn’t quite human, and has… Continue reading Manga Review: Orochi: The Perfect Edition 1