‘Shining Girls’ (2022): Make it make sense
Throwback Thursday (TV review): A shaky portrayal of a newspaper and even shakier time-travel logistics undercut nice design and good acting.
Science Fiction
‘Shining Girls’ (2022): Make it make sense
‘A.I. Rising’ (2018) a surprisingly splendid sexbot story
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): Critics have compared it to “Ex Machina,” but a more interesting comparison might be made to “Cast Away.”
‘Space Cadet’ launches an underachiever into … space!
Movie review: “Houston has a new problem.” Only Emma Roberts’ party girl is not a problem, she’s a heroine. And a funny one at that.
‘A Princess of Mars’ (1912) crumples under weight of what came later
Throwback Thursday (Book review): But readers interested in the chain of imaginative writings that led to “Star Wars” will want to check out Burroughs’ classic.
‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ is No. 1 among the trilogy
Movie review: While the mythology doesn’t expand much, this “I Am Legend”-esque prequel serves up sympathetic silent survivors.
‘Spaceballs’ (1987) remains a pitch-perfect parody of ‘Star Wars’
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): The makers of “Spaceballs 2” will have their work cut out for them as they follow Mel Brooks’ classic.
‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ goes bananas with character creation
Movie review: Kevin Durand and Peter Macon are especially great as the “Apes” saga launches a new dystopian storyline.
‘Godzilla Minus One’ (2023) is Japan’s ‘Independence Day’
Movie review: Takashi Yamazaki’s character-driven prequel to 1954’s “Godzilla” illustrates the changing Japanese culture after WWII.
‘Grave Encounters 2’ (2012) goes humorously meta
Frightening Friday (Movie review): The Vicious Brothers write a smart sequel commenting on their own work and the genre as a whole, but scares are sacrificed.
‘John Carter’ (2012) shows the property’s influence on ‘Star Wars’
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): The first lavish big-screen adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ saga stands as a fun romp in its own right.