Movie Review: Never Take Candy from a Stranger (1960) directed by Cyril Frankel (aka “Never Take Sweets from a Stranger”) The Carter family, Peter (Patrick Allen), Sally (Gwen Watford), nine-year-old daughter Jean (Janina Faye) and Sally’s mother Martha (Alison Leggatt) have moved from Britain to Jamestown in Canada so that Peter can take up a job… Continue reading Movie Review: Never Take Candy from a Stranger
Tag: trials
Book Review: Valhalla: Into the Darkness
Book Review: Valhalla: Into the Darkness by Lee Gold Note: This review will have SPOILERS for Valhalla: Absent Without Leave so if you have not read that book, you may want to read that review first. Robin Grima Jonson and her oathmates have managed to avert Ragnarok, or at least the version of it that… Continue reading Book Review: Valhalla: Into the Darkness
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
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
Manga Review: The Trial of Kitaro
Manga Review: The Trial of Kitaro by Shigeru Mizuki This is the final volume in Drawn & Quarterly’s reprints of selected Gegege no Kitaro stories. The history section wraps up with Mizuki dealing with the pressures of fame by taking a long trip to Rabaul, where he had been stationed in World War Two, and… Continue reading Manga Review: The Trial of Kitaro
Anime Review: Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan
Anime Review: Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan Kishibe Rohan is one of the truly great manga creators. He’s known for his superhuman drawing and inking speed (when he’s motivated), weird plotlines, and being eccentric and egotistical. What is not known to the general public is that he’s actually superhuman, possessing a Stand Power named “Heaven’s Door”… Continue reading Anime Review: Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan
Book Review: The Case of the Rolling Bones
Book Review: The Case of the Rolling Bones by Erle Stanley Gardner Attorney Perry Mason is having a slow week with no real meaty cases, just ongoing matters that require boring paperwork. So he’s thrilled when a delegation of three people associated with Gold Rush millionaire Alden Leeds appears. They believe Mr. Leeds may be… Continue reading Book Review: The Case of the Rolling Bones
Movie Review: The Man They Could Not Hang
Movie Review: The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) directed by Nick Grinde Dr. Henryk Savaard (Boris Karloff) has a radical idea to improve the chance of successful surgery. Much of the risk of an operation comes from the fact that the patient is alive, their body still functioning. Make a mistake, and you kill the… Continue reading Movie Review: The Man They Could Not Hang
Book Review: Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales
Book Review: Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales compiled by Stefan Dziemianowicz This hefty volume collects a variety of public domain stories concerning the supernatural. While the majority fall roughly into the category of horror, some are more what we’d call “dark fantasy” and a handful are just “well, that’s a weird thing that happened.”… Continue reading Book Review: Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales
Movie Review: Five Deadly Venoms
Five Deadly Venoms (1978) dir. Cheh Chang Many years ago, the Poison Clan used its powerful martial arts techniques for evil. By this means, they amassed great wealth, but also many enemies. The remaining members had to move into the remote wilderness to keep their lore alive. Now the last teacher of the Poison Clan (Dick… Continue reading Movie Review: Five Deadly Venoms