The recent Netflix movie War Machine is an action/science fiction movie, full of the usual stuff action movies are full of. I call it a “popcorn” movie, because it’s the kind of movie you sit down with a drink (soft or otherwise) and a bowl/container of popcorn to watch. Nothing intellectual or deep, but a lot of fun.
Ryan Gosling’s new movie, based on Andy Weir’s “Project Hail Mary,” is well done. Except for brief flashbacks, he’s the only actor present in the whole 2 1/2 movie, and he carries it off well. This should be as big or bigger than his previous Weir movie, “The Martian.”
Sam Rockwell has been in some good SF films, like MOON, and TV series as well. Here’s another great outing for this talented actor. A man from the future comes to LA to save the human race. Is it real? I don’t know, do you?
Every movie made in Ireland I’ve seen for the past, I dunno, 40 years, I’ve either liked or loved. Until this one. If you’ve seen it, read the column to see why I didn’t like it, then make up your own mind. And let me know if I was right or wrong, in your opinion.
I heard nothing about Sinners before I watched it. I thought I’d be watching a period piece about African-American gangsters, probably during Prohibition. Little did I know I was stepping into a musical genre film!
The Electric Zone, based on Simon Stålenhag’s paintings, looks as if it would really rock as a science-fiction movie. But visuals aren’t everything; a film needs involving characters and plotlines, and this one is woefully lacking. Enjoy the visuals and turn off the sound.
A “family-friendly” movie that really is! These days, even Disney movies have to be screened before you let your kids watch them, but this movie seems to be actually suitable for all ages. It’s cute, well-acted, and brings out that childlike imagination even in grownups.
There was initially a lot of discussion around this movie when it came out, but that has died down. From a fan’s perspective, is it worth watching? Depends. Read it and find out.
The new movie, Hypnotic, with Ben Affleck, William Fichtner and Alice Braga looks like a cop movie, but beware. It’s definitely genre and has one or two twists that may surprise you. (Or not, if you’ve seen several notable genre movies.) But overall it’s worth a bag or bucket of popcorn.
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.
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.
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!
Steve reviews a “sci-fi” movie from 2018, which cribs… er, steals… er, is loosely based on Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick.”
This week Steve goes in a time circle*This week Steve goes in a time loop*This week Steve breaks out of a time warp and reviews the movie “Happy Death Day,” which is not your average “Sorority Slasher” movie.
This week Steve throws a few spoilers into a review of Alien: Covenant. You might want to wait until you’ve seen the movie before you read this review. Just a friendly note.
Steve time travels (again?) back to 1961 with the review of the movie “Hidden Figures” and finds it more than good. Possibly his fave movie so far this year!
Stand on your head! This week, Steve looks at two Australian video imports: one a film and one a TV series. Look for the series on Netflix soon!
This week Steve drops back ten years to review an underapreciated movie, “Constantine,” with Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz, telling us why he thinks the movie deserves another look.
They’re here! Or They’re Back! Steve asks the movie review question: “WHY?”
Steve returns with two reviews: a film and a TV pilot. The film’s a good one; the pilot not so much. See what you think!
Steve has been an active fan since the 1970s, when he founded the Palouse Empire Science Fiction Association (PESFA) 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 chairing or helping run Canadian cons, including ConText (’89 and ’81) and VCON. As a fan, he’s published a Hugo-nominated (one nomination) fanzine, New Venture, and he’s founded two writing groups (Writers’ Bloc and Writers of the Lost, Ink). He’s emceed and auctioned art at many West Coast and Northwest conventions including one Westercon. As a writer, he’s published a couple of books and a number of short stories (including one in Compostella [Tesseracts 20], 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 Rhea Rose’s 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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