Before ‘Bates Motel’: ‘Psycho’ (1959) (Book review)
Welcome to a new series where I look back at the books and movies of the “Psycho” franchise before its revival in “Bates Motel,” one of the best TV shows of the decade, which will […]
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Coruscant Nights III: Patterns of Force’ (2009) (Book review)
Following two solid lead-ins, “Patterns of Force” (2009) is a satisfying final chapter in Michael Reaves’ “Coruscant Nights” trilogy. It’s definitely pulpy (mostly in a good way) and it gets bizarrely untethered at times, but Reaves provides […]
As ‘Bates Motel’ moves into ‘Psycho’ territory, it does its own thing – which is cool (TV review)
The “Bates Motel” (10 p.m. Eastern Mondays, A&E) narrative has steamrolled its way into the plot of the 1960 movie “Psycho,” its source material, the past couple weeks. I was looking forward to seeing those classic scenes […]
Douglas Preston’s ‘Lost City of the Monkey God’ a gripping chronicle of archaeology, history (Book review)
“The Lost City of the Monkey God” (January, hardcover) looks from its cover like the latest Douglas Preston thriller, perhaps along the lines of “The Codex,” something about tromping through Central America in search of a […]
‘This Is Us’: The best show on TV, or one big manipulative trick? (Commentary)
Having already been renewed through its third season, “This Is Us” is a show we’ll be talking about for a while. After last Tuesday’s Season 1 finale, I Facebooked that it successfully made me cry in 18 […]
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Coruscant Nights II: Street of Shadows’ (2008) (Book review)
Michael Reaves steps up his game in “Coruscant Nights II: Street of Shadows” (2008), which has more of a true mystery plot than the trilogy’s first book and even better tie-ins to the wider Expanded Universe. While […]
‘Buffy’ goes back to ‘The High School Years’ to hook young readers (Comic book reviews)
After making my list of the top “Buffy” 20 episodes for the 20th anniversary, I had a hankering to go back to the time when 12 of those episodes take place: The high school years […]
‘The Obsidian Chamber’ is Preston & Child’s craziest ride
Book review: The 16th Agent Pendergast novel is Preston & Child’s craziest ride, but it’s also a key Constance Greene novel.
The chosen 20: The all-time best ‘Buffys’
TV rankings: To mark the 20th anniversary of the show’s TV debut, I pick my 20 favorite episodes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
Rewatching and reviewing the classics: ‘24’ Season 1 (2001-02) (TV review)
With “24: Legacy” premiering earlier this year, I have a perfect excuse to rewatch “24” Season 1 (2001-02, Fox; now streaming on Amazon Prime). Even without “Legacy,” this seems like a good time to get nostalgic about […]