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REVIEW: The Canyons starring Lindsay Lohan
I want Lindsay Lohan to succeed in life. Why do I care (other than the affectation of basic human empathy)? I’m…not sure…but I will make some conjectures. She’s a fellow redhead, and redheads have to stick together. I love all things Tina Fey including the movie Mean Girls, and, of course, Lindsay Lohan is the…
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REVIEW: Five Things About The Martian (the movie)
I saw Ridley Scott’s The Martian last weekend. I have a few thoughts…well, five of them…to share about the film. Going into the film, I was sure that I had reviewed Andy Weir’s The Martian. I must have had an elderly moment because there is no review of The Martian on my website. Anyway, my…
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REVIEW: The Weight of Chains by Lesley Conner
The Weight of Chains (Sinister Grin Press) is an eye-opening debut novel from Lesley Conner. You might remember Lesley from her “What Say You” post a couple weeks back. She’s a sweet-faced Girl Scout leader who writes horror that makes even *me* cringe. Set in 15th century France, this historical-horror novel contains two fast-paced plot…
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REVIEW: Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer
“…frustrating triumph” — Slate.com, Mac Rogers I believe that neatly sums up my assessment of Jeff VanderMeer’s magnificent Southern Reach trilogy. (SPOILER FREE REVIEW) First, a quick recap: Annihilation (Book 1) — A mysterious, alien environment named Area X has taken over a spot of land in a location I presume to be the Florida…
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REVIEW: Hard to Be a God by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
The last five years has seen a resurgence of interest in non-Western European (for the sake of keeping things simple I’ll include the United States, Canada, and Australia in this group) genre fiction. I can speak to this personally, as I’ve had much success with The Apex Book of World SF anthology series. We’re seeing…
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REVIEW: The Echo by James Smythe
*MOSTLY SPOILER FREE* On my iPhone, I made a note to myself to buy and read The Echo by James Smythe. I don’t recall why I did this. I don’t recall when I did this. But I can tell you that I followed through with the note to myself. I’m delighted I did. I should…
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REVIEW: Beautiful You by Chuck Palahniuk
*NO SPOILERS* Chuck Palahniuk’s novels have been providing diminishing returns for a long while. Readers would be asking too much for the author to reach the glorious heights of his debut THE FIGHT CLUB…that’s a once-in-a-lifetime book and earns Palahniuk a table with the greats of American novelists. But the poor quality of some of…
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REVIEW: The Frame by Jamin Winans
The best filmmakers have the ability to draw you into a world visually, intellectually, and emotionally. They know how to surprise the viewer. Christopher Nolan. Stanley Kubrick. Alfred Hitchcock. Paul Thomas Anderson. The Coen Brothers. There’s another director who is tipping dangerously close to that pantheon of movie creators. That fellow is Jamin Winans. Winans,…
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REVIEW: The Battery directed by Jeremy Gardner
You hear a lot of complaining about the glut of zombie-themed television, movies, and books. Perhaps zombies are worn out as a plot contrivance. But there is a reason we can’t get away from the undead: quality zombie entertainment keeps being created. A prime example is The Battery, a film directed by and starring Jeremy…