It Came From The Archives: “Thunderbolts*: Bleak But Amazing”
Thunderbolts* is a movie I don’t think about anymore, but every time I’m reminded of it, (like when I’m looking for something to pull out of the Archives) I remember how much I liked it.
SciFi IRL: From Indie to Epic
Why “Independent” Doesn’t Have to Mean “Small” Anymore For more than 20 years, I’ve worked with independent artists in music, film, television, visual art, fashion, and plenty of places in between. I’ve seen the same painful pattern over and over. Someone has talent. They have ideas. They may even have the connections to get in…
The Doomies: A New Spooky Kid Show
The Doomies falls under a growing subset of shows, at least in my experience. A new slew of creatives are trickling into the industry, some of them my age or—more likely—younger, and with them comes reexaminations of classic tropes and storylines while still making things ultimately of very similar ilk to what came before. History, even in art, rhymes.
Hoppers: Actually Hilarious
Hoppers is exquisitely weird. It starts off with very familiar patterns to many, many Pixar movies. Its most direct connection being Up. We have a main character who lost someone dear to them who is heavily associated with a specific location that is then threatened by some external force. The main character is then given a goal (with a deadline) that, if they succeed, will let them save their beloved space.
SciFi IRL: How NPCs Become Characters That Know YOU
For most of gaming history, non-player characters have had a job to do. They give you quests. They sell you gear. They deliver important lines of dialogue. But even the best-written NPCs usually operate inside boundaries we can feel.
The Top 10 Best Marvel Super Heroes Cards
Initially, while making this list for Marvel Super Heroes, I was worried. The monocolored cards were rough pickings for top ten options. Lots of characters I like, but all but a few cards were unimpressive for Standard play. When I went over it all, I only had half a list. But with the multicolored cards, the list rounded itself out easily.
Sci-Fi IRL: The Holodeck Is Getting Smarter
For decades, science fiction promised us the Holodeck: a place where worlds felt real, characters felt alive, and every choice mattered. The first real steps toward that vision did not come from virtual reality headsets. They came from video games.
It Came From The Archives! “StuGo: An Absurd Cartoon”
I don’t have that much to say about StuGo. Some cartoons are made with an adult audience as possible viewers, weaving in more intense plots for fandoms to form. You know them by name, if not by experience. Avatar: The Last Airbender. The Owl House. Gravity Falls. This show is not that, at least not within the first three episodes.
Iron Lung: Almost A Great Cosmic Horror Film
I watched Iron Lung at an odd time. Within the last few months, I’ve seen both Project Hail Mary and Ash, and in a way Iron Lung could be described as a combination of both those movies, taking the cosmic horror from one, and the lone person trying to help investigate an apocalyptic problem from the other.
Widow’s Bay: Flawed Horror Comedy
Widow’s Bay is a horror sitcom. I watched the first three episodes, and I was struck by how it’s a perfect encapsulation of both genres. Each episode starts with a sitcom plotline and then, by the end, has become a horror scenario. And the most impressive part is that it’s good at being both. I laughed often and was spooked out.
Project Hail Mary: You Owe Yourself To See It
Project Hail Mary is a technical wonder. The movie will stick in the mind of its viewers (me included) because of its emotional buddy-duo adventure section, but it cannot be understated how impressive this movie is from both a movie-making technical level (meaning sets and camera work) and from a writing perspective.
It Came From The Archives! “Pluribus: The Best Sci-Fi Concept In Years”
Pluribus is a fascinating science fiction show with one of the most intriguing premises I’ve seen in years. For those that love the genre’s propensity for posing interesting, mind-expanding questions, this is it.
“So many people get shived!” – Merril
Now Streaming
