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.
Curious Possessions II
With seven-plus decades in the rearview mirror I’ve had plenty of time to collect a whole lot of “stuff.” Here is a look at some more “Curious Possessions” floating around my domicile.
“The Supreme Excitement Of Our Time!”
The above gaudy title was the tagline for THIS ISLAND EARTH (1955), a science fiction thriller from the “golden decade” of that genre. For generations raised on CGI, motion capture, and other high-tech wizardry, this film’s special effects might come off as laughable…
Likes His Basketball, Yoda Does—Hmm?
My bride and I (and a certain Jedi Master) are having a grand old time following our two teams during this college basketball season.
Outrageous Film Teasers
I happened to be drinking coffee last week as I read some film teasers on Amazon Prime. The coffee wound up shooting out of my nose after reading one teaser in particular. It will be the first one on the following list. (Don’t be drinking anything.) A few others will follow.
Blowing Shit Up: The Final (I Hope) Rambo Film
Now I could’ve written about RAMBO: LAST BLOOD as a Guilty Pleasure, given its weak box office and awful reviews. But first off, it was hardly much of a pleasure to watch, and second, the earlier films all qualified for this particular series.
“A Wizard Is Never Late”—Memorable Lines From THE LORD OF THE RINGS
I absolutely love THE LORD OF THE RINGS, both Tolkien’s classic novel and the sprawling epic film series of Peter Jackson. There are countless memorable lines from the latter, which makes the following merely a small sample.
And This Week’s Guest Star Is…H.G. Wells?
My bride and I have gotten hooked on MURDOCH MYSTERIES, a popular, award-winning Canadian television series on Acorn that, to all intent and purpose, might as well be called “CSI: Nineteenth Century.” We’re into the fifth season as of this writing, and given that the program is in its thirteenth season (and counting), with over 200 episodes, we have a long way to go.
Guilty Pleasures: The Hurricane Heist
Negative reviews? Crummy box office? Oh yes, the 2018 action/disaster film, THE HURRICANE HEIST, is definitely a world-class Guilty Pleasure. Some critics even agreed that it was the “Best/Worst” movie of the year…
Blowing Shit Up: The “Fallen” Films
As I’ve said before, we guys have it in our DNA to enjoy movies where they’re blowing shit up, whether it’s Mother Nature doing the blowing, or via the good old American way with lots of bombs and other ordnance. The three “Fallen” films, all starring Gerard Butler, definitely fall into the latter category.
A GUILTY Pleasure? I Think Not…
By my own set parameters the 2004 film, THE ALAMO, should be a Guilty Pleasure of the highest order. Its reviews were negative, and it is considered one of the biggest box-office bombs of all time. But I have always felt it is an excellent film that offers a fair, informative account of what occurred at the famous battle in San Antonio, Texas over 180 years ago.
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