Swords, Specters, & Stuff
Welcome to My World
I started this blog in January 2012 for one simple reason: I love to write. I named it “Swords, Specters, & Stuff” because I especially love to write about writing, about books and movies in my favorite genres, about authors that mean a great deal to me. But there’s more to it than that, which is why I included “Stuff” in the title. It is “Stuff” that gives me carte blanche to write about anything, which is why you’ll see stories about special trips to Cooperstown, Sedona, and other places; about getting older; about baseball; about the otherworldly way in which I met my soul mate; about the loss of good friends, and so much more. Enjoy! And feel free to leave a comment.
“I Ain’t Got Time To Bleed”—Memorable Lines From PREDATOR
The sci-fi/horror film, PREDATOR (1987), made a ton of money, got great reviews, and spawned a franchise that continues right up until today, with one or two more sequels apparently in the works. It didn’t hurt that its cast included Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura, two future governors, and one of the most iconic “villains” in the genre, a trophy hunter from another world that can render itself invisible with a cloaking device.
Guilty Pleasures: VERTICAL LIMIT
I was on the fence about presenting the 2000 survival thriller, VERTICAL LIMIT, as a Guilty Pleasure. No problem with the box office, and it did have some decent reviews, including one from Roger Ebert. But other reviewers were brutal, including one who called it “…ludicrously contrived and clichéd.”
“I Ate His Liver…”—More Horror Movie Quotes
Gather ’round the campfire, kiddies, and let’s see if we can gross one another out with some juicy lines from a few creepy movies. The first three sets are from films that feature cannibals. Yum!
This Soggy Sequel Should’ve Been Deep-Sixed
Like so many sequels before it, did the direct-to-video DEEP BLUE SEA 2 really need to be made? As a big fan of its predecessor, DEEP BLUE SEA, I of course had to watch it. Wow, what a downer. I should’ve taken its Rotten Tomatoes score of 0% (yes, zero!) as a warning.
I Knew The Time To Retire Had Come When…
To be honest, I had planned on working into my seventies—where I am now. As a writing coach, editor, and teacher I totally enjoyed what I did, especially when I saw so many of my students and clients find success as published authors. So what changed? I’ll get to that. First, the backstory.
My 2021 Halloween Playlist
I mentioned before that as an old guy living in a gated 55+ community, I no longer have to hand out Halloween candy at the front door, since no one does trick-or-treating. These days I spend Halloween enjoying a horror movie marathon…at least three or four shockers.
Myths And Legends: The Friendliest Ghost In San Francisco
The Queen Anne Hotel in the City by the Bay probably didn’t ask for the notoriety of being haunted. But then, it didn’t count on housing the spirit of a woman named Mary Lake.
Too Many Giants Spoil The Brew
The 2013 fantasy-adventure film, JACK THE GIANT SLAYER, is based on a nearly 300-year-old British fairytale titled, THE STORY OF JACK SPRIGGINS AND THE ENCHANTED BEAN. We all know it better as JACK AND THE BEANSTALK.
Guilty Pleasures: THE MEG
Okay, just to clarify, THE MEG is a borderline Guilty Pleasure by virtue of its so-so reviews (one reviewer said, “…neither good enough, or bad enough”), though it did do well at the box office, and a sequel is planned. Whatever; I would’ve enjoyed this creature feature no matter what.
Graboids Never Say Die
That title is a double entendre, don’t you know? In the first place, the giant worm-things known as graboids are back on the small screen in TREMORS: SHRIEKER ISLAND (2020), the seventh film in the long-running Tremors franchise. And second, when a graboid dies a really gross creature called a shrieker emerges from its carcass to carry on the lineage.
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