All 22 episodes of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Season 5 (2000-01), ranked
TV review: Buffy’s little sister joins the cast, but “Buffy” avoids jumping the shark in its final WB season.
Author: John Hansen
‘Annihilation’ a fun but non-essential ‘Star Wars: The Old Republic’ yarn (Book review)
Drew Karpyshyn delivers a fun, fast-paced — and mostly forgettable — addition to “Star Wars” lore with the inexplicably titled “Annihilation” (November, hardcover), the fourth book overall, and Karpyshyn’s second, in the “Old Republic” series. Like most […]
‘Walking Dead’ winter finale thrilling, but filled with conveniences (TV commentary)
The situation “The Walking Dead” has set up this season, with the Woodbury camp versus the prison camp and all the conflicting allegiances and misunderstandings, provides almost inevitable thrills. And Sunday’s winter finale was no exception; in many […]
‘Smuggler’s Gambit’ brings back memories of the classic ‘Star Wars’ audio dramas (Review)
“Star Wars” has a limited yet rich history in the medium of full-cast audio dramas (which I’m distinguishing here from audiobooks, which have a single reader). I know I’m not alone among fans in saying […]
‘Ruby Sparks’ missing that extra spark (Movie review)
With the premise of a writer whose fictional dream girl magically comes to life, “Ruby Sparks” (now on DVD) seemed like a movie I would love. As it turns out, I merely liked it. Certainly, there is […]
Hitting the road with ‘Star Wars’ audiobooks (Commentary)
Even though I’m an entertainment geek, and entertainment and technology often go hand-in-hand, I’m a technological laggard. There are problems with this, of course, but also some underrated perks, notably the ability to pick up […]
Revisiting ‘Dawson’s Creek’ in Wilmington, N.C. (TV commentary)
The most entertainment-oriented aspect of my Thanksgiving trip to North Carolina was a visit to Wilmington, which to me is defined as “the town where ‘Dawson’s Creek’ was filmed.” In reality, the rich entertainment scene of Wilmington […]
Lincoln Child finds another corner of the Earth to explore in ‘The Third Gate’ (Book review)
Following journeys to a theme park in the desert, the barren wilderness of Alaska, a computerized skyscraper and the bottom of the ocean, Lincoln Child explores yet another fascinating corner of the Earth — and […]
Fall TV 2012: New shows a huge letdown, but returning faves still deliver appointment television (Commentary)
Two years ago, I labeled Fall 2010 as the worst batch of new shows ever. The highlights were “Law & Order: Los Angeles,” which was hardly a new concept; “No Ordinary Family,” which was throwaway fun; and “The Walking Dead,” which […]
Wraith Squadron makes long overdue return in ‘Star Wars: X-Wing – Mercy Kill’ (Book review)
Aaron Allston had already secured his spot in the “Star Wars” author hall of fame with his work on four of the first nine “X-Wing” books (1996-99), where he masterfully blended complex stealth plots with […]