Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957) – Scientists land on an island to discover what happened to the previous group of scientists that went there to study the effects of radiation from nearby bomb test. The answer: GIANT CRABS happened to them! This script exhibits what I call the “One Step Too Far” error. Giant…
Get yer Lovecraftian fix right here!
I’ve announced it in other venues, but not here: The Shadow Over Vinland and Other Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, my collection of Lovecraft-related stories, is live for pre-order (as an ebook); the print volume should be available the same day the ebook is released, on June 15th. Also, Cold Fusion Media has been posting a…
Movies Seen Recently: Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Warriors of the Wasteland, Road Wars
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) – I resisted seeing this movie for years because… Do I really need justification? The original Ghostbusters (1984) is a perfect-accident comedic movie. Every line of the script could be (and probably is) on a T-shirt. Its release right in the era when home video and cable movie channels were taking off…
Coming Soon: The Shadow Over Vinland
Among reasons that I haven’t been watching many movies (movie reviews being one of the main ways this blog stays active) is this one: I’ve been pushing to finish writing, editing and prepping this book of short stories: My goal was to have it complete before Writers Cantina at the end of June just so…
Second-class Saints.
I gave this talk in sacrament meeting yesterday. I address my remarks today to the second-class Saints. You know who you are. The ones who show up, pay your tithing, pretty much do everything right – or at least don’t do anything wrong – who don’t expect the biggest reward in the hereafter, or really…
Movies Seen Recently: The November Man, Battlefield: Fall of the World, The Producers
The November Man (2014) – Pierce Brosnan is the revered semi-retired spy/assassin who goes rogue from a compromised Company, and is hunted by the assassin he helped train. It’s Mission: Impossible Lite (“Mission: Unlikely?”) with plenty of stunts and double-crosses, but I’m not sure it makes a very deep impression on the viewers. (Big problem:…
Movies Seen Recently: The Cat From Outer Space, Heat, RED
The Cat From Outer Space (1978) – This is from that period of Disney history when every feature was really made with an eye toward showing up on The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights. Throw together a fun and innocuous script, assemble a team of workhorse professionals (including 45-year-old Ken Berry as a…
Movies Seen Recently: Conan the Barbarian, Saathiya, Total Recall
Conan the Barbarian (1982) – Continuing my occasional series of “movies I haven’t seen in over thirty years, and then probably only saw it on TV”… This movie has two big problems, and I’m sorry if you disagree, but you’re wrong: 1) Despite the opening credit that says this is based on the character created…
Movies Seen Recently: Dungeons & Dragons, Mr. & Mrs. Smith (x2)
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) – Thieves! Half-elf magic users (I’m old-school)! Paladins! Owlbears! Side quests! Artifacts randomly found! The element missing in previous attempts at passive Dungeons & Dragons entertainment media is the humor — not as a spoof, but mimicking the fun interaction of players in a good D&D group. This…
Writers Cantina 2024!
Plans are underway for Writers Cantina, held this year on June 28-29 at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center in West Valley City. Last year, our “issue #0,” was a single day; this year, we’ve doubled that, and added space for more concurrent panels/presentations, plus more room for “the Cantina,” the big room in which pros,…