Reading Material: Short Ends 7/4/2016

More creatively satisfying than World Gone Wild, his 2014 survey of postapocalyptic films, David J. Moore’s The Good, the Tough & the Deadly: Action Movies & Stars 1960s-Present is in reach of claiming definitive status, but falls short in its deliberate choice (too convoluted to discuss here) to exclude the genre’s seminal titles from coverage. … Continue reading Reading Material: Short Ends 7/4/2016

How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise

Think back to the beginning of summer 1999, when Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace was about to hit the American multiplex with the fervor of an Ebola outbreak: In just one of untold marketing tie-ins, everyone from Anakin Skywalker and Mace Windu to (shudder) Jar Jar Binks adorned specially designed cans of … Continue reading How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise

Claws & Saucers: Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy Film 1902-1982 — A Complete Guide

I won’t, but I could tell you in excruciating detail where I was when I found out about — and subsequently purchased — Michael J. Weldon’s The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film. Same goes for Joe Kane’s The Phantom’s Ultimate Video Guide in 1989, not to mention many others across many years. I bring it up … Continue reading Claws & Saucers: Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy Film 1902-1982 — A Complete Guide