Third Time's The Charm
Some books you find. Some books find you… I Am Legend is one of a handful of books that made me want to be a writer. It was dated and a bit hokey when it found me, but I fell in love with it just the...
View ArticleDances with Na'vi
I got a nudge from a friend at Fox followed by an invitation to see about twenty minutes of James Cameron’s new movie, Avatar. The footage, I had been told, was revolutionary. The movie represented a...
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The iPad Revolution
Once you get a chance to play with the iPad, you will never look at using a computer the same way again. It’s as simple as that. Apple released its much hyped product over the weekend, and with its...
View ArticleA Tale of Two Protagonists
Thoreau once said that you don’t own your possessions. Your possessions own you. No modern character better exemplifies this philosophy than Ryan Bingham, the fashionably detached resident of...
View ArticleDrive-Thru Movie Reviews
Because your attention span is short, and I don’t have time to write long reviews… No spoilers–ever. 2013 Seven Psychopaths A dark, comedic answer to generic action movies. Sam Rockwell and...
View ArticleThe Great Gatsby
“I was within and without. Simultaneously enchanted and repelled.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald summing up my opinion of Baz Luhrman’s Great Gatsby. This music video meets literary adaptation rarely stops...
View ArticleStar Trek: Into Darkness
Overstuffed and needlessly derivative, Trek’s shining moments are swallowed by nonsense plotting and fan pandering. Missed opportunities abound in this uninspiring misstep.
View ArticleBefore Midnight (recommended)
Brimming with bittersweet honesty and moments of true love, Before Midnight challenges longtime fans of Richard Linklater’s eighteen-year series (Before Sunrise and Before Sunset) to accept the complex...
View ArticleSeven Psychopaths (Recommended)
A dark, comedic answer to generic action movies. Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken steal the show in this tale of a blocked writer trying to survive the subjects of his screenplay. This movie has...
View ArticleCabin in the Woods (recommended)
A deliciously subversive send up of the horror genre that will make a Joss Whedon fanboy out of you. Marvel’s Avengers is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this writer. Skip the trailer (how...
View ArticleMan of Steel
Some great ideas are rushed past to make room for a repetitive orgy of CGI battle scenes. Henry Cavill shines in the meager moments of character that happen between explosions, but it’s not enough to...
View ArticleThe Hunger Games
Despite writing a good bit of YA fiction, I avoided this book. I’ll admit to getting turned off by the hype machine. But when my wife, who loved the book, demanded we watch the movie, I finally broke...
View ArticleGhost in the Machine
Issue 12 of Shroud includes an interview Mike Knost did with me and a new short story. Synopsis: “Ghost in the Machine” takes place in a near future where Democrats and Republicans are minority...
View ArticleThe Martian by Andy Weir
Robinson Crusoe meets Apollo 13 in this tale of a smart-ass engineer stranded on the surface of Mars when his mission goes horribly wrong. The near-future novel, written by one of NASA’s own, presents...
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The Last Weekend by Nick Mamatas
The blurbs and highlighted reviews for this beautiful hardcover are quick to point out that it’s not your typical zombie novel. And with good cause, as readers get to view the apocalypse through the...
View ArticleYear’s Best
I’m happy to report six stories from Streets of Shadows made Ellen Datlow’s list. Stories recognized for excellance include: Gerard Brennan – “Morrigan’s Girls” Jonathan Maberry – “Toby’s Closet” Nick...
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