‘Firestarter’ (1980) burns its characters into our minds
Stephen King flashback (Book review): “Firestarter” burns brighter than the superpower genre norm by making us care deeply for Charlie McGee and her dad.
Science Fiction
‘Firestarter’ (1980) burns its characters into our minds
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ needed another editing pass
Movie review: Despite the heartfelt messages at its core, this creative SF comedy is undone by its bombastic style and length.
Preston, Child dig up Roswell incident in ‘Diablo Mesa’
Book review: Nora and Corrie are together again, this time investigating one of the most famous mysteries in US history: the 1947 Roswell event.
‘Gremlins 2: The New Batch’ (1990) not as bizarre as its rep
Frightening Friday (Movie review): Despite the great “Key & Peele” sketch, “Gremlins 2” isn’t a uniquely strange sequel; its bigness is typical for the era.
‘Blade Runner 2029’ gets more generic with ‘Echoes’ (2021)
PKD flashback (Comic book review): The second volume of “Blade Runner 2029” is oddly intent on making its antagonist particularly villainous.
‘Adam Project’ adds Reynolds’ riffing to kiddie plot
Movie review: Ryan Reynolds’ charm is in place, but the time-travel plot is so basic one wonders if this was conceived as a kids’ film.
‘Blade Runner’ explores ‘Origins’ of hunters, hunted in ‘Products’ (2021)
PKD flashback (Comic book review): The opening volume of the “Blade Runner” prequel series has a lot of what you’d expect, but it’s not bad.
‘Carrie’ (2013) isn’t weird and different enough
Stephen King flashback (Movie review): “Carrie” for a new generation feels slightly more universal, but otherwise it’s a lot like the original.
‘Blade Runner 2029: Reunion’ (2021) front-loads immigration metaphor
PKD flashback (Comic book review): Going solo as a writer, Mike Johnson comments on modern xenophobia-based amnesty policy to launch “2029.”
‘Beyond Westworld’ (1980) brings robots into wider world
Michael Crichton Monday (TV review): Made on the cheap, this TV show provides a loose guide for what the HBO series is now doing.