Movie Review: The Brain that Wouldn’t Die

The Doctors Cortner and Jan shortly before things start going horribly wrong.

Movie Review: The Brain that Wouldn’t Die (1962) directed by Joseph Green The father/son surgical team of Dr. Cortner (Bruce Brightner) and Dr. Bill Cortner (Jason Evers) has just saved a patient with a radical technique involving direct brain stimulation, but this does not sit well with the older Cortner. He disapproves of human experimentation, wanting… Continue reading Movie Review: The Brain that Wouldn’t Die

Book Review: Beyond Human Ken

Book Review: Beyond Human Ken edited by Judith Merril This 1954 paperback anthology is a partial reprint of the 1952 hardback of the same title, choosing twelve stories of the original twenty-one and skipping the prefaces that were in that edition. The theme is non-human beings of various kinds, pulled primarily from the science fiction… Continue reading Book Review: Beyond Human Ken

Book Review: If This Goes On

Gotta love this cover "old man yells at rocket."

Book Review: If This Goes On edited by Charles Nuetzel The “if this goes on” story is a staple of short science fiction. Pick a current trend like “women not wearing hats anymore” or “cat videos” and extend it out to an exaggerated conclusion. For example, the Robert Heinlein story of that name, which posits… Continue reading Book Review: If This Goes On

Comic Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes 1

Comic Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes 1 edited by Cory Sedlmeier As has been mentioned on this blog before, by the late 1940s, superheroes had become passe in comic books. A handful continued to be published over at National Publications (DC) on a regular basis, and there was the odd minor publisher title,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes 1

Manga Review: Psycho Busters 2

Manga Review: Psycho Busters 2 art by Akinari Nao, story by Yuya Aoki Kakeru Hase was enjoying being left alone on summer break (father overseas on business, mother and sisters on a contest trip to Hawaii), but a little bored after a couple of days lazing about the house. Just as he’d convinced himself that… Continue reading Manga Review: Psycho Busters 2

Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine August 1949

Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine August 1949 edited by Ellery Queen It’s time for another issue of this venerable mystery magazine. The cover this time is uncredited, and does not directly match any of the stories in the issue. “Double Exposure” by Ben Hecht opens the issue with a tale of a psychiatrist who… Continue reading Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine August 1949

Movie Review: Summer Wars

The clan gathers around the family computer.

Movie Review: Summer Wars (2009) directed by Mamoru Hosoda High schooler Kenji Koiso is a math whiz who almost qualified for Team Japan in the Math Olympics. But almost won’t get you a good summer job, so he’s a low level maintenance admin for the OZ online service. OZ is the most popular online virtual world,… Continue reading Movie Review: Summer Wars

Movie Review: Metropolis (2001)

Movie Review: Metropolis (2001) directed by Rintaro, aka Osamu Tezuka’s Metropolis Private investigator Shunsaku Ban has come to Metropolis with his nephew Ken’ichi on the trail of Dr. Laughton, a mad scientist wanted for using human organs in illegal experiments. The police are shorthanded trying to do crowd control for the week-long celebration of Metropolis’ newest… Continue reading Movie Review: Metropolis (2001)

Anime Review: BNA (Brand New Animal)

Michiru is not a believer in the power of prayer.

Anime Review: BNA )Brand New Animal Beastmen are an alternate evolutionary branch that have existed alongside homo sapiens since prehistory. They look exactly like humans in their primary form, but can morph into an anthropomorphic “beastman” form that gives them abilities of the animal they’re tied to. Relations between humans and beastmen have sometimes been… Continue reading Anime Review: BNA (Brand New Animal)

Comic Book Review: From Beyond the Unknown Giant #1

Comic Book Review: From Beyond the Unknown Giant #1 by Various When I was a lad in the 1970s, comic books had become thin. In an effort to save costs and keep prices within the allowance of kids, the major publishers had shaved off page count, and thus story content. I didn’t fully understand the… Continue reading Comic Book Review: From Beyond the Unknown Giant #1