Movie Review: Death Walks at Midnight

Sure, let's go out to the graveyard in a thriller movie. What could go wrong?

Movie Review: Death Walks at Midnight (1972) directed by Luciano Ercoli Dateline: Milan, Italy in the early 1970s. Valentina (Nieves Navarro) is a model whose primary job is appearing in fumetti fotoromanzi which are basically comic books done with photographs instead of drawings, a popular medium of the time. As a lark, she agrees to take an LSD-like… Continue reading Movie Review: Death Walks at Midnight

Open Thread: Top Ten Lists 2025

Created for me by Indigo Caldwell; please do not reuse without permission.

Open Thread: Top Ten Lists 2025 Yes, it’s the turn of the year again, a quarter of the way through the 21st Century, so time to look at what people wanted to see on my blog! Top Ten Posts of 2025 Chinese mystery tops the list, and a new season of anime brought Darling up… Continue reading Open Thread: Top Ten Lists 2025

Movie Review: Lord of War

Yuri contemplates the source of his wealth.

Movie Review: Lord of War (2005) directed by Andrew Niccol Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) is not the protagonist’s real name. He is a Ukranian immigrant (as a child) who grew up in a rough neighborhood infested with gangsters. On day he witnessed a mob hit, and came to the realization that he could make steady money… Continue reading Movie Review: Lord of War

Manga Review: Shonen Jump Weekly 2024

Manga Review: Shonen Jump Weekly 2024 by various creators It’s the twelfth anniversary of my blog, so time once again to look at Japan’s best-selling manga magazine, or at least the online version of it. 2024 has been another turbulent year for Jump, with both My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen ending. (I did a… Continue reading Manga Review: Shonen Jump Weekly 2024

Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine January/February 2024

Cover art by Tom Roberts

Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine January/February 2024 edited by Janet Hutchings Despite the cover date, this issue of the venerable mystery story magazine hit newsstands in December 2023, so is the Christmas issue as well as the Sherlock Holmes tribute. I bought this issue and promptly had it buried under a to read pile,… Continue reading Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine January/February 2024

Movie Review: Bloody Pit of Horror

Travis is a big man.

Movie Review: Bloody Pit of Horror (1965) directed by Massimo Pupillo, Italian title “Il Boia Scarlatto” (The Crimson Executioner) Horror paperback publisher Daniel Parks (Alfredo Rizzo) wants to have the covers of his next few books be photographs. So he and a small crew of models, photographer and writer are touring Italy for the exactly right… Continue reading Movie Review: Bloody Pit of Horror

Movie Review: The Damned Don’t Cry

Ethel is comforted by her mother.

Movie Review: The Damned Don’t Cry (1950) directed by Vincent Sherman Someone may be getting rich off this Oklahoma oilfield, but it’s sure not Ethel Whitehead (Joan Crawford). She, her husband Jim (Morris Ankrum) and son Timmy live in her parents’ house, and they’re still barely getting by. Jim isn’t getting promotions or raises, and the… Continue reading Movie Review: The Damned Don’t Cry

Manga Review: Oshi no Ko #2

Manga Review: Oshi no Ko #2 by Aka Akasaka & Mengo Yokoyari Note: This review will contain major SPOILERS for the first volume. If you haven’t read that, you may want to check out my review of that one first. A decade after the death of idol singer Ai Hoshino, her secret twins Aquamarine (usually… Continue reading Manga Review: Oshi no Ko #2

Movie Review: The Gorgon

Professor Meister has some sharp remarks for Doctor Namaroff.

Movie Review: The Gorgon (1964) directed by Terence Fisher It is 1908, and the police state of Van Dorf has had seven unsolved murders in five years. When painter Bruno Heizt’s (Jeremy Longhurst) model and lover turns up dead and himself hanged, the police, led by Inspector Kanof (Patrick Troughton), are quick to call it murder-suicide.… Continue reading Movie Review: The Gorgon

Manga Review: So Cute It Hurts!! 5

Manga Review: So Cute It Hurts!! 5 by Go Ikeyamada Quick recap: Megumu and Mitsuru Kobayashi are fraternal twins. Megumu’s a studious history nerd and Mitsuru’s good at kendo and other sports. They go to different schools. When Mitsuru’s grades dropped badly enough that he’d lose his sports eligibility, he pressured Megumu into switching identities… Continue reading Manga Review: So Cute It Hurts!! 5