The Problem with the Multiverse

The latest craze in Science Fiction and Fantasy is the multiverse. We’re seeing it in multiple franchises: Stranger Things, The Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Trek, and some major films like “Us.” The big idea is that each decision or alternative that exists creates alternate universes. So, there are infinitely many alternate universes (the Multiverse) and one can “cross over” from […]

The Problem with Firestarter (2022)

Dreaming We’re introduced to Adam and Sydney Lemmon. They’ve just returned home from the hospital with their newborn daughter Charlene (Charlie). Sydney no sooner lays Charlie down to rest and the bassinet bursts into flames. Not to worry, though. It’s just Adam’s nightmare. Well, both a nightmare and a flashback memory. This confusing scene is just the beginning of problems […]

The Problem with the Mandalorian

Not a Star Wars Fan from the Beginning I’m not a fan of the Star Wars movies. The original 1977 Star Wars (now known as Stars Wars: Episode 4 “A New Hope”) was a disappointment for me. Don’t get me wrong – it was a milestone in moviemaking history. The complexity of the film, the special effects, the marketing, Lucas’ […]

Shadow in the Cloud

Chloe Grace Moretz portrays Maude Garrett, a young woman in World War II who has a secret courier mission: she has a package that must be delivered aboard the B-17 bomber “The Fool’s Errand.” The men on board treat her dismissively and confine her to the below-belly gun while one of them promises to take care of the package. No […]

The Queen’s Gambit – Ep 1: Openings

SPOILERS AHEAD My daughter Amber recommended The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix) to me because she knows I loved the period piece “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and am a chess nut. Good call on her part. After watching Episode One “Openings” I thought I might write a series of reviews of the show discussing its use of story devices and comparing it […]

Star Trek First Frontier – Review

One of the groups of fan fiction filmmakers has released their feature Star Trek film “First Frontier.” It took five years to produce and violates many of Viacom/CBS’s guidelines for a fan-fic-film: 1: It’s 70 minutes long (the limit is 30 minutes)2: They built their own set3: They use professional actors4: They use non-CBS props and costumes Some of the […]

Experimenter (2015)

Experimenter (2015) Director: Michael Almereyda Writer: Michael Almereyda Stars: Peter Sarsgaard, Winona Ryder, John Palladino, Anthony Edwards, Jim Gaffigan  Peter Sarsgaard plays Dr. Stanley Milgram who in 1961 performed a series of experiments where unwitting subjects asked another person questions and shocked them with up to 450 volts of electricity for each wrong answer. The fact was, that no one was actually […]

On Awards Shows

  Why Watch Bad Films Every year, my writing partner on ReelHeroes.net, Dr. Scott Allison and I discuss the idea of reviewing films on the Golden Globes and Oscar nominations lists. Scott prefers to review movies he knows are going to be of high quality, whereas I like a sort of random draw – reviewing both bad and good movies. […]