Movie Review: The Matrix (1999)

The Matrix (1999) written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers

Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) leads two lives. He works for a respectable software company by day; at night he is the hacker Neo, exploring the internet and providing questionable software to people who pay well. He's quickly drawn into a much larger conflict when other hackers contact him and offer him the answer to a burning question...What is the Matrix? The answer can only be shown, and it is a life-changing experience, for Neo and for everyone else on Earth. The head of the hackers, Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) thinks Neo is a man destined for great, world-changing actions.

If you haven't seen this, I won't spoil the plot though if you have seen it you probably don't need refreshing on what happens. The story does a good job blending lots of different ideas into a coherent whole. The characters struggle with concepts of fate and free will, truth and perception, responsibility and love. Those conflicts are layered into a lot of action and drama as Neo learns more about the world and tries to sort out what his destiny really is. The story is well crafted with great dialogue and a breakneck pace.

The visual storytelling is amazing too. It takes the cyberpunk aesthetic of Blade Runner, the bullet time camera trick first made popular in Gap ads, the liquid metal visuals made famous in Terminator 2, the martial arts of wuxia films, and lots of other greater and lesser elements to create a fresh-looking whole. The camera angles and framing are evocative of comic book visuals, with many visual elements arranged strategically within the image. A sense of scale and excitement is communicated through cameras that move when they need to and stay put when they should. The pacing is fast enough to keep viewers on on the edge of their seats without leaving them behind.

The actors give wonderful performances. Keanu Reeves is tailor-made for his part, at times clueless and wondering, at times in control and ready for what's to come. Fishburne is cool and collected as Morpheus, switching from hard action to philosophical reflection with ease and panache. Carrie-Anne Moss provides both romantic interest and butt-kicking intensity as Trinity. Hugo Weaving is especially good in the villain role, delivering intensity and aloofness at just the right times but always in a sinister way. The whole cast does a great job.

The Matrix is a science fiction classic, nearly thirty years old but still fresh and relevant.

Highly recommended (I wish I could say the same for the sequels).

Book Review: The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers

The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers

The original volume of this publication includes nine short stories and a sequence of poems, but this printing only contains the first four stories. These particular stories are weird fiction, a sub-genre of odd stories that create unease and terror through a blend of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. Edgar Allan Poe is often cited as the first author of weird fiction, though surely Frankenstein, published a decade before Poe began writing, fits the category as well. 

The stories are united in references to "The King in Yellow," a play available in book form that several character read and then go insane. The play has a reputation for its deleterious effect on people though it is available world-wide (two of these stories are set in New York City, two in Paris). Many people resist reading it or unwittingly mirror its content, including the sigil called "The Yellow Sign" that is a marker of, at best, tragedy. The characters are artists (authors, sculptors, painters) who have weird visions and dreams or odd works that hint at the dark things to come in their lives. 

I found the collection uneven. The odd atmospheres were interesting in all of them, but the first story, "The Repairer of Reputations," was too cryptic and unsatisfying. "The Mask" and "The Yellow Sign" were the best, with thrilling conclusions that are bit predictable but nonetheless unsettling. The third story, "In the Court of the Dragon," needed a bit more. 

Mildly recommended--maybe find an edition that has the other stories and poems.

TV Review: Below (2026)

Below (2026) created by Jesse McKeown

Calvin Penny (Josh Hartnett) has had a hard life. As a child, his family had to move from a remote fishing village to a less remote village because of a government buyout. The family brought their house on the water but something went wrong. The dad switched from the boat to house to see what's going on. Then the house was dragged underwater by some sort of creature. At least that's what Calvin saw. Now he's a widower in mid-life and the new town is getting bought out by the government again. Calvin doesn't want to leave but most of the locals do. His children come to visit for a town festival. He tries to convince them to move back but things get difficult when it seems like the underwater creature is back. Will the town believe him? Can he beat the creature? And what about the cute scientist he's working with, who staffs the local scientific institute and knows a bit about aquatic life?

If this was a movie, that would be all the complications. But as a miniseries, a lot of side plots are introduced. Each of Calvin's three children have their own issues that get resolved by the end after some tough turns. Calvin's sister, the harbormaster for the town, has a little plot. A science vessel that shows up takes up some of the run time. Even the creature gets some character development. None of these elements are boring but they don't quite hang together as a tight narrative either. I found myself thinking several times, "this is a bit bonkers." But it is the fun kind of bonkers, not the stupid kind. The show is not going to win any big awards (maybe special effects?). It is very entertaining even with some very conventional turns in the last episode. I had a fun time watching it--it's a b-movie in TV miniseries form.

Recommended.

As I publish this, the show is only available streaming on Netflix.

Book Reviews: Seraph of the End Vols. 9 and 10 by T. Kagami et al.

Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign Volume 9 story by Takaya Kagami and art by Yamato Yamamoto

The battle for Nagoya continues as Yuichiro's unit from the Japanese Imperial Army keeps trying to kill vampire nobles in the city. The battle at city hall seems to be going well until they run up against a top-level vampire named Crowley who wants to capture Guren, the leader of another unit who is working with Yuichiro's group and has a lot of top-level information that could be useful to the vampires. This story is mostly action with some background linking Yuichiro and Guren.

Mildly recommended.

Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign Volume 10 story by Takaya Kagami and art by Yamato Yamamoto

The action heats up as Yuichiro is taken by his former friend (and now vampire) Mika. They flee from the battle scene with some help from Yuichiro's group, which doesn't sit well with the other humans. Mika is still suffering intensely from not having tasted human blood, leading to a conflict with Yu who wants his friend to live, even if that means feeding him his own blood. While they are resolving that problem, the other humans are figuring out if they want to save Guren or proceed with the evacuation plan.

It seems like a straightforward decision not to let his friend become a permanent vampire by letting Mika drink his blood but they complicate the situation anyway. Yu thinks of Mika as a brother and wants to do anything for his family. Mika reveals a lot of the horrible things the humans have been doing, including this "Seraph of the End" project that he blames for a lot of the problems they have, including the devastating events that led to the vampires having control over the surface of the Earth. Mika also claims that Yu is part of the experiment and probably won't come out well. I have mixed feelings about where the story is going, but I will keep going along to find out.

Mildly recommended.

Movie Review: The Maltese Falcon (1941)

The Maltese Falcon (1941) co-written and directed by John Huston

Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) is half of the Spade and Archer Detective Agency. They are hired by Miss Wonderly (Mary Astor) to follow Floyd Thursby, a man she claims has swept her sister off her feet but really is no good. Sam's partner Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) is happy to do the job because Wonderly is a looker. Unfortunately, he winds up shot dead. The police call Sam to the scene of the crime. In short order, it's reported that Thursby has been shot. At first, the police try to pin Thursby's death on Sam as revenge, though when the find out that Archer's wife Iva (Gladys George) has a thing for Sam, they try to pin Archer's death on Sam. He points out the incongruity of committing both murders. Meanwhile, he tries to get a straight story out of Wonderly, who is registered as Leblanc at a hotel. That names turns out not to be her real name. Sam is also visited by Joel Cairo (Peter Lorre) who wants the item that the dame had. He threatens to search the office and has a tussle with Sam, who doesn't know about any package but plays it cool to get more info from Cairo. The plot gets more convoluted from there as Sam tries to find out about the mysterious bird that everyone is after. Viewers know it's a valuable 16th century statuette from Malta, information provided in the movie's opening scroll.

This film noir classic has great performances from all of the cast, including Sydney Greenstreet as another interested party and Elisha Cook Jr. as a young tough employed by Greenstreet. Bogart shows the bravado and nerves of Spade, the iconic hardboiled detective. The plot is a bit convoluted but plays out wonderfully with solid direction from Huston and great dialog taken from the Dashiell Hammett novel. It's a riveting watch with plenty of memorable dialogue and scenes. It's the stuff that dreams are made of.

Highly recommended.

TV Review: The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026)

The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026) co-written and directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green based on the Marvel character

Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) aka The Punisher, is at a tough spot in his life. He's killed off the last of the people responsible for his family's death. He still has flashes of people from his life. Those memories dredge up bad memories for him. Ignoring the horrible crimes going on in his neighborhood, Frank tries to find some purpose for his life. Then a woman (Judith Light) shows up asking him to get revenge on the guy who killed her family but with a very hard twist--she's the last remaining member of the last of the people responsible for Frank's family's death. She's put out a bounty on his head and broadcast it all over, so every lowlife in town will be after him. Frank lives in New York City, so that's a lot of lowlifes.

The story moves back and forth between Frank's existential crisis and the excessive violence that surrounds his life. His struggles with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, manifested through his memories and his hauntings, is very sympathetic. Bernthal gives a very good performance. I was much less sympathetic with the loads and loads of violence. Sure, it's exciting and very well put together. But the excess gets to the point of numbing and it is easily the least interesting part of the show. I really like The Punisher as a character, and he has some great character moments in this show, but if I watched again, I'd skip the middle 20-30 minutes of rampaging violence.

Not recommended unless you are a Punisher fan.

As I write this (September 2026), this is only available on Disney+.

Book Review: Spooky Maryland by S. E. Schlosser

Spooky Maryland: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore by S. E. Schlosser and illustrated by Paul Hoffman

This collection of scary stories tells tales from around the state of Maryland. As with many other such collections, a lot of the tales are centered around slavery and the Civil War, with supernatural experiences both during and long after the events that happened. Some are more contemporary, like the (Maryland) famous Goatman or Black Aggie statue. Schlosser does a good job telling the tales, capturing different voices for different narrators, including a lot of haunted shoremen who work the Chesapeake Bay. The collection is entertaining in a chilling way and great for October reading.

Recommended.

Cute Kid Pix October 2026

More photos that did not get their own post...

I finally went to one of the local farmers' markets and made a purchase. Well, two purchases but who wants to see vegetables. I bought a Baltimore Bomb pie from Dangerously Delicious Pies. The pie is a southern vanilla chess pie with chunks of Berger's Cookies, a local favorite, in the crust. It was very yummy. 

It's hard to get a picture of a whole pie in our house

I went to the Columbia waterfront to find an earthcache. There's a memorial to veterans there with a specific type of marble. The weather was great and the spot is very nice.

By the text

The memorial

We tried out rolled ice cream at La Creme Roule. They serve them in little taco shells. They were yummy but a bit pricey for what you get. I guess ice cream is a luxury.

Enjoying strawberry cheesecake ice cream

At the grocery store, I saw this horror...

Um, what?!?

*****

Our son performed in his school's Fall play, based on one of the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. He was the lead character, a prince who has to save his parents and his people from the evil forces of another island country. It was a fun show.

Got spear?

Waking up from a nap

I went to the final farmers' market at Savage. Sine it was the Wednesday before Halloween, people dressed up and there was trick or treating. I did not dress up but I did buy one last pie from Dangerously Delicious Pies. 

Waiting in the pie line

A spooky section of the market

My son's Scout troop had their Court of Honor, which included some skits and songs. It was a fun night.

In the skit

Telling a story from summer camp

In the spirit of Halloween, I share this bathroom sign I was confused by. Initially I thought it was a wheel-chair fleeing some crossbred horror. Turns out the symbol is supposed to represent "all genders," which could be terrifying in its own right.

Here's your sign

God's'Dog Vol. 3 by J. Pageau et al.

God's'Dog Volume 3: Monk written by Jonathan Pageau and Matthieu Pageau, adapted and drawn by Chris Weaver and Jesse White

See my review of the first volume here and second volume here!

The newly-baptized and newly-homicidal dog-man Christopher is taken off to a monastery by Daniel, formerly a member of the monastery who joined the pilgrim group that befriended Christopher. Christopher killed someone in rage during the pilgrimage and is to be judged by Symeon, the holy man who is on a pedestal literally--he lives an ascetic life on a platform at the top of a pole. Christopher lives the monastic life as he waits to meet Symeon. He works on praying as he faces a lot of temptations, especially in controlling his anger. Meanwhile, the outer world comes back to haunt him as the Roman emperor arrives for Symeon's advice on fighting giants who are threatening the eastern empire. The giants are really interested in the Skins of Adam, an ancient relic with great power. George, current owner of the Skins, comes with the emperor. George was the leader of the pilgrimage and had encouraged Christopher to be more of a man than a dog, though they fell out after the killing Christopher. The story ends with a battle between the Romans and the giants.

While the story does have some action, the main focus is on Christopher discerning his role in the world. Many of the monks see him as a monster, some claiming his baptism was blasphemy. With the support of Daniel, Christopher strives for a better understanding of himself and of others as he struggles to fit in with the monks.

The other focus is on the mythology of the Skins of Adam, giving a lot of history to the artifact, most of it biblical or bible-adjacent. The pseudo-history is intriguing and builds up the stakes in the current story, where the clash of good and evil becomes more concrete both between characters and within characters.

The art is very good and the narrative is highly enjoyable. I can't wait for volume 4!

Highly recommended.

Movie Review: Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023) co-written and directed by Emma Tammi

Based on the popular video game franchise, Five Nights at Freddy's tells the story of Mike (Josh Hutcherson), a guy failing at life, probably because he has too much baggage. His parents died and he's raising his eight-ish year old sister Abby (Piper Rubio). He is not good at parenting and has a hard time holding down a job. He's haunted by the memory of another sibling who disappeared during their childhood. He gets fired from his mall-cop job just when his aunt is trying to take over care of Abby. The aunt is undesirable to everyone but the aunt. Mike is desperate enough to take an overnight security job at an abandoned pizza place from the 1980s that features animatronic characters, video games, and other fun stuff. The fun is all gone, especially as viewers see in a pre-credits sequence where the previous guard is killed off by the animatronics. Will Mike fare any better?

Having never played the game but certainly hearing about the premise (homicidal Chuck E. Cheese horror), I came into this with not a lot of knowledge. I had enough to figure out the plot and its twists. Since the movie is PG-13, the horror is mild, with a few jump scares and occasional menacing moments. I did not find it scary since it was predictable. The actors are just okay. The animatronics are a little creepy but not scary enough to sustain the terror. The set-up took a while and they did too good of a job making Mike seem like a loser. He is not that great of a hero. Maybe if I had played the game(s), I'd appreciate this more.

Barely recommended--I don't regret watching it but I am not sure I would recommend it either.

Oktoberfest 2026

We went to the 2026 Oktoberfest at Schifferstadt Architectural Museum in Frederick, Maryland. 

The house was built in 1758 by Elias Brunner, who replaced the log cabin built by his parents. The house is open for tours though we did not take one. Maybe at a later visit? The house was named after the Brunner's hometown in Germany. It is one of the oldest houses in Frederick.

Schifferstadt House

Re-enactors were there, demonstrating open-air cooking and other crafts from the 18th century. 

Booth from the past

Outdoor kitchen

Another booth was demonstrating and selling crafts made by woodturners on lathes.

A more modern booth

The real action was at the back lawn, where they were selling food and drink. 

Back of the house

I had a bauernwurst, a pork and beef-based smoked sausage. I gave in and had sauerkraut on it, reminding me how I don't really like sauerkraut. Even so, it was still delicious.

Bauernwurst

Of course, I had some beer to go with it. In fact, I had two beers, though they were stretched out over the visit. With my meal I had Spaten Oktoberfest beer, an amber-colored marzen that was quite tasty.

Oktoberfest beer

Later I had a Franziskaner Hefe-weisen, a lighter wheat beer that was refreshing and fun to carry around. The beer tent was selling commemorative mugs but we already have enough glassware at home. Another booth was selling authentic German steins. We looked but didn't buy.

Hefe-weisen

As we walked around, we enjoyed the view of the house's garden. Like many other 18th century homes, they grew a lot of their own herbs and spices out back.

The garden

A large tent was up for the musical performers, The Polka Terps, a band made up of faculty, alumni, and students from the University of Maryland. They played the usual stuff for Oktoberfests--Beer Barrel Polka, a medley from Sound of Music, Ein Prosit, (the drinking song), and the Chicken Dance. One of the band members got up and led us through the lyrics of Ein Prosit, another led us in the moves for the Chicken Dance. 

The Polka Terps

A lot of vendors were selling wares. We bought some fancy bread and some "German roasted" hazelnuts. It was a fun afternoon. We will probably go back next year.

Book Review: Edgar Allan Poe Sampler

Recently, on A Good Story is Hard to Find Podcast #390, Julie and Scott discussed a sampling of Edgar Allan Poe's stories since it is the month of Halloween, after all. I decided to read along and give my two cents' worth...

The Cask of Amontillado--Montresor feels he's been insulted one time too many by Fortunato, a wine expert who is egotistical. Montresor plays it like their still friends and tricks Fortunato by telling him Montresor has purchased a cask of amontillado wine but isn't sure if it's the real thing. Fortunato is lured deep into Montresor's wine cellar. Fortunato is disoriented and a bit ill, so Montresor has no trouble chaining him to a back wall and sealing him up behind a brick wall. Montresor, the narrator, says he did that fifty years ago and still hasn't been found out.

The narrator clearly has an exaggerated sense of offense, especially considering the penalty he imposes. The "buried alive" situation is a recurring theme for Poe, a horrible situation to anybody. Fortunato does not live up to his name and seems to be more of a drunken buffoon than a haughty rival. Unraveling the guilt of both characters is a fascinating puzzle, making the story highly re-readable.

The Masque of the Red Death--Prince Prospero invites a thousand guests to one of his remote converted abbeys. The walls are high enough and robust enough that Prospero can seal them, keeping everyone inside for the foreseeable future. He is shutting out the Red Death, a virulent and deadly plague. Prospero has customized the former abbey with a string of ballrooms, each decorated in a specific color and lit by a stained glass window of the same color, from the blue room in the east to the black room in the west. After a few months, he holds a masquerade ball, a very debauched celebration. Only two things ruin the mood. The ebony clock in the black room chimes the hour in a sinister way, though the party goers recover quickly from the creepy sound. The second disruption is a seeming guest who has dressed as a bloody corpse suggesting the Red Death. Prospero challenges the figure and demands he be thrown out but no one wants to get close to him. Prospero chases him through the rooms but the figure turns to confront Prospero, causing the prince to die before he hits the floor. The rest of the revelers suffer a similar fate. That's the surface level of the story.

Prospero, like many of Poe's main characters, is full of himself and overestimates his ability, especially to get away with things (well, Montressor did get away with things, so not every Poe character). He is his own god, ruling over a kingdom he shuts off from the rest of reality. His false world seems like it has everything, e.g. a set of fabulous ballrooms and plenty of food and wine to wait out the plague. But he's not God and can't keep away the hardships of the plague, try as he might. Like his guests, he really doesn't have the courage to cast out the Red Death figure, just like he really does not have control over his world. Everything falls apart for him and his guests. Not even Propero can guarantee his own prosperity.

The Tell-Tale Heart--The narrator constantly insists that he is not mad as he describes his plan to kill an old man who never did him any harm. The old man does have a dodgy eye, with a film over it. The narrator calls it his "Evil Eye" and it drives him crazy motivates him to kill the old man. After maticulously executing his plan, he chops up the old man's body and buries the parts under the floorboards. Soon enough, some police show up about a report of someone crying out as if foul play had happened. The narrator shows them around the house and even gets them chairs to relax, chairs placed right over where the body is buried. As they wait, he can hear the beating of the dead man's heart. Sure the cops can hear it too, he cracks under the pressure of their cool demeanor and shouts that the body is buried under the floor.

It's another case of mistaken ego as the narrator is unaware of his own unjustified animosity and of the old man's supposed guilt. The first person narration gives the story a vitality and suddenness that is alarming and engrossing. The reader (hopefully) doesn't identify with the narrator but his palpable anxiety and horror are hard to miss and easy to see. The stressful shout at the end is a release for the narrator and the reader, a catharsis of the villainy in the story.

Highly recommended--these are classics for a reason.

Don't forget to check out the podcast here.

TV Review: Alien: Earth Season 1 (2025)

Alien: Earth Season 1 (2025) created for television by Noah Hawley based on elements created by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett

A Wayland-Yutani Corporation science freighter is on its way home to Earth when it goes out of control and crashes into a city. The Earth is divvied up among several different mega-corporations. The space ship crashes into territory controlled by Prodigy, a recent success led by an obsessive, self-described "boy genius" (Samuel Blenkin). His main project is creating synthetic bodies for people to inhabit so that they can be immortal. He's acquired a group of terminally-ill children and used them as the first test subjects. He renames them after the Lost Boys from Peter Pan, imagining himself as Pan. But the new freighter is full of biological specimens gathered across the galaxy, including a sentient and malevolent eyeball, a Venus flytrap-type plant, and the eggs that hatch xenomorphs, the iconic Alien of the franchise. The boy genius sends in his forces to contain the specimens and bring them to the island where he's developing the synths. He has a lot of obstacles, including the executive from Wayland-Yutani, an obsessive (and lone) survivor from the freighter, and the brother of one of the synths who wants to bring her home.

The focus isn't so much on the boy genius (though he is the catalyst for a lot of the dramatic turns). The synths are the most developed character, especially Wendy (Sydney Chandler), whose brother (Alex Lawther) gets to the island in a desperate attempt to free her from Prodigy. The other main actor is the survivor (Babou Ceesay) whose focus on getting the "cargo" back is more a personal vendetta than an effort to secure his share of the payday. 

As anyone should expect for the Alien franchise, the show is fairly gory and horrifying. The new creatures on the ship add to the tension and danger as they find ways to escape or to manipulate the scientists and caretakers trying to keep them in their containers. Many situations spiral out of control, leading to awful consequences. The human characters make bad choices or are pushed into hard situations that they can't get themselves out of. Things go from bad to worse all the time in this show.

That result became a problem for me. The few sympathetic characters in the show are either killed off or start favoring the evil choices that are open to them. It's an embodiments of Hobbes's "nature red in tooth and claw" idea, with the victors at the end promising to take their turn as the oppressors. The ending was very bleak and a little implausible.

I did like the exploration of the human children being "ported" into the synths. Eight- to ten-year olds are give adult-sized bodies and some superhuman strength and other abilities that they clearly aren't ready to handle. At least that's clear to the viewers, not so much to the characters in the story. Their struggles with their identities were the most interesting parts of the show for me, though it was only part of larger story lines.

Mildly recommended--this is better than a lot of the Alien content out there, but still has a lot of flaws.

Book Review: Tomb of Dracula: Day of Blood! Night of Redemption! by M. Wolfman et al.

Tomb of Dracula: Day of Blood! Night of Redemption! written by Marv Wolfman, pencilled by Gene Colan, and inked by Al Williamson

After a lot of deaths, including the supposed death of Dracula, Frank Drake is trying to live a normal life ten years after the events of the original run of Tomb of Dracula. He's married to a nice girl Marlene, recovering from the death of his former girlfriend Jeanie and his paramour Rachel Van Helsing. Marlene is tortured by nightmares, leading her into a seeming possession by Rachel's soul. If that wasn't bad enough, her doctor, Gregor Smirnoff is manipulating both her and a lot of college students for his own plan. He wants to become immortal, which means finding Dracula and reviving him and forcing Dracula to grant everlasting life. Smirnoff succeeds in the first two, but Dracula has his own plans that don't involve Smirnoff's ambitions.

The story is interesting enough, with a return of Blade the vampire hunter who is just as caustic and bent on destroying Dracula. The plot moves along with the occasional twist or embellishment. The art style is very creative, depicting the supernatural horrors in a weird and occasionally inexplicable way. It supports the narrative well. I enjoyed this return to Dracula's world even though I did not read all of the original series.

Recommended.

Movie Review: Near Dark (1987)

Near Dark (1987) co-written and directed by Kathryn Bigelow

Caleb (Adrian Pasdar) is trying to wheedle a beer out of his friends outside an Oklahoma honkytonk when they spot a cute blonde just down the street. Caleb goes to flirt with her. Mae (Jenny Wright) loves the nighttime and can hear sounds and see things that Caleb can't. She's worried about it being late and asks for a ride home. Caleb is more than happy to oblige. The drive is a long way as Caleb tries to find out more about Mae. They pull over for a bit and, in the throes of passion, she winds up biting him on the neck. She runs away, faster than him. He tries to drive back home but the pickup won't start. He walks back to the farm where his dad (Tim Thomerson) and young sister (Marcie Leeds) are worried about him. Before he can make it home, a winnebago comes by and snatches him, which is probably good since he is starting to smoke all over from sunlight exposure. The kidnappers are Mae and her group of friends. They are vampires in all but name and most are unhappy to bring him on board. Mae really likes him and wants to take care of him. The other vamps expect him to step up and start killing his own food or he can't be with them. The weirdest, most violent love story spins out from there.

Nobody in the film uses the term "vampire" though it's very clear that's what they are. They enjoy their destructive lifestyle, killing people and burning down places as they make their way across the country. Caleb becomes a problem for them since he isn't so aggressive aside from his romantic side. The story is mostly bleak though entertaining. Bill Paxton chews the scenery with glee as one with a sadistic sense of humor. The central relationship is not so well developed but the actors sell it. Viewers root for Caleb and maybe for Mae. The movie makes for an interesting, dark urban horror with some road trip vibes. The score definitely puts it in the 1980s which viewers might or might not appreciate.

Mildly recommended--you could do worse for a vampire movie.

TV Review: Salem's Lot (1979)

Salem's Lot (1979) directed by Tobe Hooper based on the Stephen King novel

Ben Mears (David Soule) returns to his home town of Salem's Lot, a small, isolated town in Maine. He's a novelist and wants to write his next book about the local Marsten House. His aunt used to work there and died under mysterious circumstances. The house itself has a bleak history. When he gets to the local realtor (Fred Savage), he finds out the house has already been rented to Mr. Straker (James Mason) and his not-yet-arrived partner Mr. Barlow (Reggie Nalder). They are opening an antique shop in town with Straker doing the set-up. A late-night delivery of a large crate to the house is the harbinger of a lot of grief and horror as various townsfolk disappear or slowly die from anemia-like problems. Ben's strong feeling that the house is a lightening rod for evil puts him on the front line of fighting an unthinkable threat--vampires.

The story goes through a lot of small town drama (romantic affairs including adulterous ones) before it gets to the vampire stuff. Those bits set up a lot of the characters but not all of them last very long. The direction is tight and effective, creating the uneasy atmosphere as the small town falls apart. The vampire makeup is unnerving, especially when paired with sinister visuals like the famous window scenes. The actors all do a good job. The pacing is slow by modern standards and many of the townsfolk stories could probably be cut or pared back to make a leaner product. This was originally shown as a two-part miniseries on television in the 1970s, so the gore is very limited which probably works in favor of the show.

Recommended, highly for vampire fans. I haven't read the book but maybe I will give it a go if the library has it.

Book Review: Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu

Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu

This early vampire novella (25 years before the publication of Dracula) starts in a non-dilapidated castle in Eastern Europe. Laura lives there with her widowed father (a retired English soldier), mostly isolated from the rest of the world. Laura had a nightmare once as a child of a visitor in her bedroom who attacked her. The house staff and her father passed it off as a bad dream. Now, a carriage comes racing by and crashes. A mother and daughter are inside. The mother needs to rush off on an urgent mission and wants to leave her daughter Carmilla with Laura and her dad. The dad is caught a little flatfooted and agrees. At first, the situation is agreeable. Laura has a friend to hang out with. But Carmilla is very aggressive with her affection, to an uncomfortable degree. And she sleeps in, coming down from her room in the afternoon. And she has an uncanny resemblance to the nightmare visitor of Laura's childhood. Laura confides this and finds out that Carmilla had a similar dream with Laura in it, so it is sort of a bonding experience. But nightmares return for Laura and the larger neighborhood starts reporting deaths of young women. How much bad stuff is going on?

The story provides a lot of classic chills and horrifying moments as it proceeds. Le Fanu doesn't waste words and keeps the story moving at a good pace. Since it is narrated by an older Laura, readers know she will come out okay, but still it is a harrowing experience for Laura and the reader. 

Recommended, highly for vampire fans. I mean, fans of vampire stories!

Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: The Tomb of Dracula Vol. 1 by M. Wolfman et al.

Marvel Masterworks: The Tomb of Dracula Volume 1 written by Marv Wolfman and others, and art by Gene Colan and others

In the interests of expanding from their kiddie-friendly superhero lines, Marvel started a comic book about Dracula in the early 1970s. The story starts in contemporary times with a descendent of Count Dracula, Frank Drake, who is not a vampire and does not even know he is a descendent. He finds out when he inherits Dracula's castle in Transylvania. He brings to castle his best friend Cliff Graves, who thinks they can cash in on the tourist-attraction appeal of the castle. Also traveling with them is Drake's girlfriend Jeanie, who formerly dated Cliff. Once they get to the castle, mayhem ensues as Dracula rises from his coffin, bites and converts the girlfriend, and plays mind games on the friend (using the newly-vamped girlfriend). The action moves to England, where Drake joins a group of vampire hunters lead by a wheel-chair-bound Quincy Harker (son of Jonathan and Mina Harker from Bram Stoker's novel) and featuring Rachel van Helsing (granddaughter of Abraham van Helsing from the novel). They have various skirmishes with Dracula and his minions.

The book went through a series of writers before settling on Marv Wolfman (yes, it is his real name!) who made the serial his own. Main artist Gene Colan does a great job presenting a horrific, fog-drenched atmosphere, emphasizing the danger and menace throughout. The story also introduces an independent vampire hunter, Blade, who went on to become a Marvel staple in his own right. The stories keep things moving along. The collection includes some black and white stories from Dracula Lives, a short-run side magazine from Marvel cashing in on the sudden popularity of Dracula. 

Recommended for horror/Dracula/comic book fans.

Movie Review: The Bride! (2026)

The Bride! (2026) co-written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal based on work by Mary Shelley 

In the 1930s, Frankenstein's Monster (Christian Bale) seeks out Doctor Euphronius (Annette Benning) to make him a bride. He suffers intensely from loneliness, though the doctor thinks his wants are more carnal. He finally convinces her to pursue the project, digging up a Chicago socialite (Jessie Buckley) who has both mob connections and corrupt police connections. She's also being possessed by the disembodied spirit of Mary Shelley (also Jessie Buckley), who wants to craft a new horror story, one that she couldn't write back in the early 1800s. The flipping between identities led to the socialite's death. When she's revived in the lab, she has no memory of who she is. "Frank" and the doctor convince her she is Frank's bride which she has a hard time dealing with. They go off and have lots of sordid adventures across America trying to work out their situation.

The movie starts off with a strong feminist vibe as Shelley asserts herself in the narrative. The possession is an interesting idea that is well performed by Buckley. She switches between accents and mannerisms effortlessly, so viewers know who is talking. But the gimmick contributes more to the theme than to the narrative. Much like Bruce Banner/Hulk character in the Marvel movies, the Shelley/Bride dynamic changes to fit what the story needs, it does not have a coherent through line. Other characters fit the feminist vibe, especially when the Bride inspires a social movement for women that turns out to be very violent with little questionable value. The feminism is very wobbly.

Bale also gives a good performance as Frank, exuding the loneliness of his previous life and his joy in finding a mate. Frank is also obsessed with a movie star (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), giving his character a little more rounding and providing a way for the cops and the criminals to follow the couple's somewhat unintentional crime spree. They go see the star's movies in every town they visit. Frank copies the language of the star and there is a musical number that is an odd blend of 1930s musical and modern styling. That's another moment that is interesting but doesn't fit well into the rest of the story or theme.

The movie is stuffed with these and some other ideas, too many for a proper resolution or exploration of any one, or even a handful of them. The plot meanders a lot and the tone changes from existential wrestling to romantic moments to comedy bits to shocking violence to the musical number. The various bits don't hang together well, making the film less satisfying than it could be.

Barely recommended--I'm not sure that Frankenstein fans would enjoy this, or feminists would be enthusiastic for this, or horror fans would be on board, or mystery/crime drama fans would be satisfied.

TV Review: Marvel Zombies (2025)

Marvel Zombies (2025) created by Bryan Andrews 

The world is overrun with zombies, including many transformed superheroes like Hawkeye and Captain America. Ms. Marvel (the Kamala Khan version), Iron Heart, and Hawkeye (the Kate Bishop version) are wandering around New York City trying to stay alive since they are still human. They see a Quinjet crash and rush to grab supplies from the wreckage. They discover the pilot has swallowed a gadget that turns out to be transponder that will contact the Nova Corps, an intergalactic law enforcement agency. If activated the Corps will come and help the Earth with the zombie plague. No one has come yet, so they take it to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility to figure out how to activate it. The nearest one is in Ohio, so it's a road trip through the zombie apocalypse to try and save the world.

While this follows the tried and true formula of taking a genre and throwing Marvel heroes into it, the execution here is not satisfactory. Sure, the show has all the current (as of 2025) heroes--the Shang-Chi set, the New Avengers set, the Disney TV show characters. Ms. Marvel is the central character (she is the most popular). Everyone else comes off formulaic with little development. The animation style is a hybrid of CGI and hand drawn that just looks bad to me. They seem to want the gritty realism of zombie films (with plenty of gore) but the family-friendly animation (without being really family-friendly at all). The story runs through a lot of the Marvel universe but almost always with glum results.

I didn't enjoy the show on any level which is unfortunate because I have liked some of the Marvel Zombie comics. At least the show is only four half-hour episodes, so not a big time commitment. 

Not recommended.

As I write (October 2026), this is only available streaming on Disney+.

Book Review: Herbert West: Reanimator by H. P. Lovecraft

Herbert West: Reanimator by H. P. Lovecraft

Herbert West starts out his career as a medical student at Miskatonic University in Arkham, Massachusetts. He has very unusual ambitions. He wants to develop a serum that will bring the recently deceased back to life. He quickly realizes the formula needs to be altered for different species. His desire to shift from animal to human experimentation is forbidden by the school, so West goes underground (sometimes literally) to continue his experimentation. He's aided by the narrator, who drops lots of hints about West's ultimate fate as he goes from an idealistic follower to a horrified assistant.

The story was written over several months as a parody of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. West is a full-on anti-hero, constantly pushing past moral limits and making horrific, zombie-like beings that he can't contain or control. He's a devote materialist, assuming that the biological processes of dead flesh can be reactivated by chemical means. West and the narrator realize that the human brain deteriorates very quickly, so they need very fresh bodies. The morbid pursuit gets worse and worse--West even signs up for World War I just so he'd have access to fresh corpses or body parts (because he started working on reviving individual body parts as well). If that wasn't bad enough, West is very racist dealing with Blacks and Italians. The narrative is a little choppy. Each story has a little recap of what came before, which was okay for monthly publication but is awkward when they are all put together. The stories jump from the university to their first medical practice in a nearby town to the world war to Boston.  The overall story is interesting but could use some streamlining. 

Mildly recommended.

The story was made into a series of movies in the 1980s beginning with H. P. Lovecraft's Re-animator. 

Book Review: Uri Tupka and the Gods by M. Mignola et al.

Uri Tupka and the Gods story and art by Mike Mignola, colors by Dave Stewart, and letters by Clem Robins

Uri Tupka is a pilgrim searching for the gods in Mignola's Lands Unknown universe. He travels across various countries and bodies of water, encountering strange and amazing sights. It's a land populated with demons, ruins, monsters, dungeons, fairies, deserts, and even the titular gods. 

The story reads more like an excuse to explore the exotic landscapes and discover imaginative beings (human, animal, even floral) strewn all over. Mignola crafts a lot of interesting visuals with his art style that I enjoy so much. The story is a bit light and contains Mignola's typical sense of whimsy and folk narrative. I'll probably forget what happened by the time the sequel, Uri Tupka and the Devils, comes out. But I will read that, probably re-reading this beforehand.

Mildly recommended--this is really for Mignola art and story-telling fans.

Movie Review: Obsession (2026)

Obsession (2026) written and directed by Curry Barker

Bear (Michael Johnston) works at a local music shop with Nikki (Inde Navarrette), Sarah (Megan Lawless), and Ian (Cooper Tomlinson). Bear has his eye on Nikki, though she is so cool and aloof that she doesn't show signs. Bear is shy and unassertive, so he's getting nowhere. Sarah is into Bear but he's not interested. Her dad owns the shop and is hoping she will make it into one of the colleges she applied for. Ian is a wing-man for Bear. He thinks Bear just needs to be honest and admit his feelings to Nikki, though not at their usual trivia night because he doesn't want Bear's situation to ruin the vibe. Bear is a bit distraught because his cat died, something he has trouble admitting to his friends. Chatting on the phone with Nikki, he finds out she lost a crystal necklace. Bear goes to a local New Age gift shop to get her a replacement but winds up buying a One Wish Willow, a novelty item that promises to grant a wish. After trivia, he winds up driving Nikki home but still can't get the courage up to talk to her even though she seems very open. He uses the One Wish Willow for himself, asking that Nikki love him more than anyone else in the whole world. She comes back from the house and is more aggressive about inviting him in, claiming she's distraught over her estranged dad's cancer diagnosis. Nikki and Bear start having a romantic relationship, but she becomes very possessive and very erratic. That's noticed by Sarah and Ian, who try to intervene. The situation spirals out of control as Bear can't say no to Nikki and Nikki can't behave like a decent human being.

The movie is a Monkey's Paw-style horror film. Bear is sympathetic at the beginning though his unassertive behavior and dishonesty make him less and less appealing. By the end, I considered him the villain of the piece. Nikki seems like the obvious villain, but her character is underdeveloped, leaving her erratic behavior less character-driven than plot-required. Her obsessive behavior does not seem like love on any level, just possessive manipulation. She's scary for sure but not really a person. Navarrette is great in the role, selling the erratic behavior and keeping it from becoming over-the-top nonsense that's more laughable than frightening. The story runs through its paces with good direction and fine performances from the supporting characters. The ending is the typical bleak modern horror ending. After the movie was over, I felt like this was following in Joker's footsteps as the "feel bad" movie of the year. I don't think I'll ever watch it again. 

Mildly recommended--I am surprised this was a big box office hit (do people really watch this multiple times?), but I say the same thing about Joker.

Book Review: Early Christian Lives by Various Authors

Early Christian Lives by various authors

This anthology gathers several lives of the saints written in the first centuries of the Catholic Church's existence.

Life of Antony by Athanasius

Antony is a monk who went out to the desert in Egypt to live an ascetical life. There, he dealt with many temptations and assaults by demons. His response was to rely on the Lord Jesus Christ, invoking His name against the power of the devils. The devils naturally fled. Antony's reputation spread and people constantly came to him for prayers and advice. Some came to join him in the hermit's life of prayer and penance. He welcomed them reluctantly, preferring his solitude but recognizing the needs of others. As the flow of visitors grew stronger, he fled further into the desert. People had to prove they really wanted his help by enduring a dangerous and taxing journey. Of course, "his help" was merely the working of God, a fact he constantly pointed out to the monks and the pilgrims alike. This book details some of the miracles and many of the teachings of Antony, ending with his pious death. I thought was good but a little long and repetitive.

Paul of Thebes by Jerome

In a short work, Jerome describes how Paul of Thebes was the first desert hermit even before Antony. The narrative explains how Paul came to be in the desert and then skips almost a hundred years to the point when Antony goes to visit Paul, who is near death. They have some interesting conversation and Paul asks Antony to get a special cloak for him to be buried in. By the time Antony gets back, Paul is dead. Without a shovel to dig a grave, Antony wonders what to do when two lions come and dig out a hole for the corpse of the holy man. Jerome's style is entertaining to read, a nice plus to the pious actions and conversations.

Hilarion by Jerome

Hilarion lived toward the end of Antony's life. They were in contact a few times. Hilarion modeled much of his life after Antony's style. He lived as a hermit, contending with the Devil and his minions while living a very simple life. Like Antony, his reputation got around and people started coming to him for advice and miracles, once the miracles started happening.  Later in his life, Hilarion tried going other places, even sailing to Mediterranean islands and the European mainland.

Jerome's writing style makes this a fascinating read. Hilarion has a very interesting character. It's easy to imagine him sighing as the public invades his privacy, knowing that he needs to help out other people. I had a lot of sympathy for Hilarion and enjoyed the vivid descriptions and fun little side comments.

Malchus by Jerome

Malchus's story is fairly simple but highly dramatic. He was living an ascetic life in a monastery when he decided to return to his parents. He sold off his few possessions but kept some "traveling money" to get him home. The abbott cautioned him against leaving and against hanging on to wealth. Malchus did not listen. On his way, he was captured by bandits and sold into slavery. He worked honestly as a shepherd for his new master, so well that the master decided to give a female slave to Malchus as a wife. Malchus had readopted his monastic lifestyle as a shepherd, eating hardly anything, praying constantly, and working hard. He did not want to give up a celibate life that was going so well, especially with a slave woman he did not find particularly attractive. The two went off to a cave where Malchus decided to kill himself rather than renounce virtue. The woman told him not to do it or she would be blamed. He should kill her first or they could live a pretend marriage. She didn't want to sleep with him either. They lived as brother and sister (though the master did  not know) and their Christian care for each other convinced the master that they were happily married. Eventually, they decided to escape through some harrowing adventures. Malchus returned to his monastery to live the holy life he was meant for.

The story is quick and exciting, full of action and drama. It's also full of faith and good examples. Jerome's writing style is top notch. Why isn't this story a movie yet?

Life of Martin by Sulpicius Severus

Martin of Tours was a very popular saint back in the day, thanks in part to this hagiography. He started life as son of a Roman soldier. Martin became a soldier as well, fighting bravely though slowly withdrawing from the military life. He famously saw a beggar in winter and cut his cloak in half to give part of it to the destitute man. Others mocked Martin for his shabby cloak. That night, Martin had a dream where Christ was wearing that half-cloak, a confirmation of the goodness of Martin's behavior. Martin left the army and became a monk. He made the mistake of settling just outside Tours, France. He was close enough to the city that people came to him for advice and miracles. They were so impressed with him that they insisted he become their bishop. After many efforts at resistance, Martin finally gave in. Severus chronicles many miracles attributed to Martin's intervention and some conflicts with devils who tried to pass themselves off as holy people (one even claimed it was Christ!). The story does not end with Martin's death because Severus wrote before Martin died.

Martin's story is fascinating and well told by Severus. He captures the innocent wiliness of Martin and how much of an impression he made on others, be they fellow soldiers, monks under his care, or Christians in search of help. 

Life of Benedict by Gregory the Great

 This is the classic text of hagiography. Gregory the Great chronicles the life of Benedict, the father of western monasticism. Like others, he tried to live in isolation in order to achieve spiritual perfection. He was tempted by many sins. He famously distracted himself from lustful thoughts by stripping naked and rolling around in thorny bushes. The physical pain was enough to put any other thoughts out of his mind! His life soon drew the typical combination of men to imitate his lifestyle and general populous who wanted advice or miracles. Benedict's lifestyle was so popular that he had to open several monasteries, which required the further step of appointing abbots and writing his famous Rules to guide the communities. Gregory tells the many miraculous stories of Benedict's life, ending with one performed by his sister Scholastica. In another famous incident, she came for her yearly visit with Benedict and they had such a good time talking about holy things that it gets late. She asked Benedict to stay up all night and continue the pious conversation. He said he wanted to get back to the monastery. She put her head down, cried and prayed to God for him to stay. When she raised her head, the rain poured down with lightning and thunder convincing Benedict that he could go nowhere.

The stories are interspersed with little dialogues between Gregory and his disciple Peter, who asks questions about the incidents and miracles, helping to add some more theological explanations to the situations. Many of the miracles read like pious exaggerations, especially when there are so many examples presented. It makes for lively reading that's spiritually enjoyable but that nagging thought of "is this for real?" crops up too often. 

Recommended--these are classics of Christian hagiography.