10 ‘first’ female ‘Star Wars’ villains before Phasma
Commentary:Despite the hype, Phasma is not the first female “Star Wars” villain. Here are 10 other characters who could stake that claim.
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘The New Jedi Order: Enemy Lines I – Rebel Dream’ (2002) (Book review)
Aaron Allston enters the “New Jedi Order” fold with the saga’s 11th book, “Rebel Dream” (2002). As with Michael Stackpole’s “Dark Tide” duology earlier in the series, Allston’s “Enemy Lines” duology (to be followed by “Rebel Stand”) […]
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘The New Jedi Order: Dark Journey’ (2002) (Book review)
Rey from “The Force Awakens” has gotten a lot of hype as a breakthrough female Jedi, but as fans of the Legends canon know, Rey had many predecessors. Perhaps the most richly characterized was Jaina […]
The 10 best short stories in ‘The X-Files: Trust No One’ (Book review)
“The X-Files” returned to comics in 2013, it will return to the small-screen for six episodes starting on Jan. 24, and last year it returned to bookshelves with “Trust No One,” a collection of short stories published […]
Movies and TV shows John is looking forward to in 2016 (Commentary)
Here are some movies and TV shows on my radar in the year ahead: “The 5th Wave” (movie, Jan. 22) – Chloe Grace Moretz stars in this “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” riff. While the preview […]
In ‘The Force Awakens,’ the creative side of ‘Star Wars’ dies – with thunderous applause (Movie review)
“Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens,” the first big-screen building block in Disney’s takeover of the empire formerly owned by George Lucas, is frustrating on many levels: It copies the plot of “Episode IV […]
John’s top 10 movies of 2015
These were my 10 favorite movies of 2015: 1. “Spotlight” — This chronicle of the Boston Globe’s 2001-02 probe of rape allegations in the Catholic Church is a thank-you letter to the dying art of investigative journalism. […]
10 random observations about the Christmas classic ‘Gremlins’ (Movie commentary)
I’m not as big of a Christmas movie guy as I am a Christmas TV guy, but I have settled on my answer – at least for now – when someone asks me my favorite […]
‘Die Hard’ Christmas movie poll is dead wrong
Movie review/commentary: Poll results say “Die Hard” isn’t a Christmas movie. It makes me wonder if Americans should be trusted to vote on anything.
John’s top 10 TV shows of 2015
These were my 10 favorite TV shows of 2015: 1. “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” (Season 1, The CW) – In blending musical numbers, broad comedy and genuine character drama about a troubled 20-something, Rachel Bloom’s brainchild is the most […]