MOVIE REVIEW — EVIL DEAD RISE (Some Spoilers)
As a fan of Evil Dead 2 (Dead By Dawn), Steve feels mildly disappointed in the newest addition to the series. It’s not really good or terribly bad, it’s just… there.
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FULL SPOILER REVIEW — JOHN WICK 4
John Wick Chapter 4 is not, contrary to popular belief, the last movie in the series. If you’re not afraid of spoilers, Steve has a few things to say about this movie.
BOOK REVIEW – THE MALEVOLENT SEVEN by Sebastien de Castille
The Malevolent Seven is a dark humourous fantasy that moves very quickly. It’s not terribly deep, but for me it was a quick, fun read. (Bear in mind that my idea of fun is a bit twisted.)
BOOK REVIEW — THE FRAGRANCE OF ORCHIDS & Other Stories by Sally McBride
A new collection of short stories by Sally McBride is being published by Brain Lag Publications. It’s chock-full of terrific SF stories about aliens, people, bats, ghosts (okay, maybe that one’s kind of fantasy) and so on. Steve really liked it.
BOOK REVIEW: Melinda West, MONSTER GUNSLINGER
This week Steve delves into the interesting genre of Fantasy Westerns. This particular book involves creatures of darkness and a gunslinger named Melinda who never misses. Did he like it? Read it and see.
MOVIE REVIEWS: DON’T LOOK UP, OPERATION FORTUNE, THE LAKE (some spoilers)
To make up for missing last week, this week Steve reviews three recent movies, two certain genre and one genre by courtesy. He liked two out of the three. Can you guess which one bored him?
REVIEW/PROMO: POLAR STARLIGHT & POLAR BOREALIS
This week Steve talks about two new, FREE, online genre magazines—one featuring sf/f poetry by Canadian poets; the other featuring sf/f poetry and fiction by Canadian writers and poets.
TV REVIEW: THE PERIPHERAL, Season 1 (Some Spoilers)
The people who brought you Westworld have now brought William Gibson’s The Peripheral to TV, and it’s taken on a life of its own, like another popular series I could name with dragons. Is it worth your time? Steve gives it an unqualified “Yes!”
TV REVIEW: POKER FACE
In a break from his usual book and movie reviews, Steve takes a look at a new TV show, Poker Face, that quite possibly could qualify as genre… but, frankly, whether it is or not, Steve feels you might want to take a look.
MOVIE REVIEW: M3GAN (Spoilers)
Just about everybody but me (and my wife) says M3GAN is a good sf/horror/comic film. I didn’t find it good SF, terribly horrifying, or in the least funny. YMMV. I just didn’t get it.
MOVIE REVIEW: BLACK ADAM
Dwayne (“The Rock” at one time) Johnson has long wanted to play Black Adam in a movie. Unfortunately, he is not well served by the move he got. Read Steve’s opinion on this mess of a wanna-be blockbuster.
MOVIE REVIEW—TROLL 2022
Is Netflix trolling for viewers? This is the first Norwegian troll movie since 2010’s Troll Hunter, so I guess it’s about time, eh? This is a Netflix movie, and it’s got a middling score on IMDB (5.9). But it’s an okay watch, really. Popcorn from the fjords!
Replay – MOVIE SERIALS – ALL IN BLACK & WHITE FOR A DIME!
Nowadays you can often see a cheap movie at the theatre on Tuesdays for about $8-10. But in the ‘30s & ‘40s (and sometimes the ‘50s) you could see two movies and a serial (and a cartoon or travelogue) for a dime! (Of course, that’s probably $15 in today’s money…)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: BOT CALENDARS!
Vancouver, BC (Canada) artist Lynne Taylor Fahnestalk has created a unique 2023 calendar featuring her one-of-a-kind “bot” sculptures made from upcycled metal parts!
RETRO REVIEW – SPACE MASTER X-7
While trying to find a “good old” SF movie, Steve stumbles on a 1958 epic called “Space Master X-7,” which is kind of a pre-apocalyptic movie. Will the world end?
ROBERT A. HEINLEIN & BUTLER, MO REVISITED
Remembrance/Veterans’ Day! Today Steve remembers a trip to the hometown of the Dean of SF Writers, Robert Anson Heinlein, himself a veteran of the US Navy (both Steve and RAH). It was an interesting pilgrimage.
NAMETAGS REVISITED (Column 24 redux)
Ah, conventions… and nametags—they go together like ham & swiss cheese! I’ve bookended my convention experiences in a way by showing a 38-year-old Spokon nametag and a new Spocon 2022 tag! Read the column to find out more.
REPLAY – HAPPY HALLOWEEN MICRO REVIEWS
Steve’s “new” (revised) column 240 cum 354, in which he tries to do teeny-tiny reviews of 27 movies. Let us know if he succeeds or falls flat on his face. Boo!
The Man Who WAS Doc Savage!
Hard as it seems to believe, one man portrayed—on book covers, magazine covers, and comics—many of the seminal figures in genre, like Doc Savage, The Avenger, and Conan. Michael Stradford’s brought him back to public notice with several books… check it out!
A 3-D HALLOWEEN TRIO
Looking for a Halloween movie? How ‘bout a 3-D Halloween movie? Well, skip these ones; Steve will tell you why.
“MEH” Halloween Movies—THE INVITATION & JEEPERS CREEPERS REBORN (BEAUCOUP SPOILERS, HERE AND THERE!)
For his pre-Halloween pleasure, Steve watches two new horror movies and finds them lacking. Because this review’s full of spoilers, please see the films before reading the review.
TILDA SWINTON in CONSTANTINE and 3000 YEARS OF LONGING
George Miller has turned away from Mad Max to a different kind of fantasy. Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba really shine in this “Arabian Nights/Scheherazade” story. I think you’ll like it.
AMAZON’S NIGHT SKY—REVIEW
Back in May a new SF series called Night Sky premiered, with terrific actors Sissy Spacek and J.K. Simmons. But Amazon nixed a second season. Have you seen it? Can you explain why Amazon killed it? I can’t.
NEW SF STREAMING MOVIE — NOVA
A new movie streams on Sunday Sept. 20; it’s about a Mars mission full of human-android conflict? There are no startling revelations or new thoughts, but it’s a fairly pleasant way to pass an evening.
REVIEW – SAMARITAN (minor spoilers)
Steve’s been really taken by two new things: the new Stallone movie Samaritan, and the new Amazon series The Man Who Fell to Earth, with Chiwetel Ejiofor. You may not agree, but you have to watch them before you’re entitled to my… er, your opinion.
REVIEW: JAMIE FOXX in “DAY SHIFT” (Minor spoilers)
Netflix has released a new vampire movie starriing multiple-award winner Jamie Foxx as a vamp hunter. While it breaks no new ground, it has a great bit part by Snoop Dogg as a “cowboy” vamp hunter. Fairly gory, not exactly family fare, but watchable. Also, check out TV series “Moonhaven” and upcoming movie “Slumberland.”
TV REVIEW: THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS (2022), some spoilers
Back in the late 1950s-early 1960s, when I was but a lad, I was taken by the (written) works of John Wyndham. This is the latest adaptation of his 1957 book, and it’s not bad at all.
REVIEW: PREY (2022), NOT THE PREY: LEGEND OF KARNOCTUS (2022) *MINOR SPOILERS*
The newest film in the multi-movie Predator sequence stars only Indigenous actors and could be considered either a prequel or sequel to the other Predator movies. It may not be a great movie, but it’s certainly a watchable one. It’s on Hulu, if you’re interested.
“EYE BITES”—QUICK VIDEO REVIEWS or WHATEVER
This week Steve talks about (not really reviewing per se) a bunch of recent TV shows and movies, and touches on what he likes or doesn’t like about them. You may disagree, but that’s okay.
RETRO REVIEWS: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN (1980) & THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT (1984)
Steve reviews a couple of movies from 1980 and 1984 that both deal with time travel and the U.S. Navy. He says he’s seen better—but he’s also seen a lot worse.
About Author
Steve has been an active fan since the 1970s, when he founded the Palouse Empire Science Fiction Association and the more-or-less late MosCon in Pullman, WA and Moscow, ID, though he started reading SF/F in the early-to-mid 1950s, when he was just a sprat. He moved to Canada in 1985 and quickly became involved with Canadian cons, including ConText (’89 and ’81) and VCON. He’s published a couple of books and a number of short stories, and has collaborated with his two-time Aurora-winning wife Lynne Taylor Fahnestalk on a number of art projects. As of this writing he’s the proofreader for R. Graeme Cameron’s Polar Borealis and Polar Starlight publications. He’s been writing for Amazing Stories off and on since the early 1980s. His column can be found on Amazing Stories most Fridays.
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