‘Hannibal’ makes tasty transition to the small screen
First episode impressions (TV review): Horror’s most famous cannibal gets the TV treatment from Bryan Fuller.
Where does ‘The Walking Dead’ rank among the all-time greats? (TV commentary)
I swung in for a sandwich at the local Jimmy John’s the other day, and as often happens, my chat with owner Jon Oja quickly switched from sandwiches to movies and TV. We both said we were looking forward to the “Walking Dead” Season 3 finale, and he mentioned he thinks the show is one of the […]
‘Star Wars: Last Jedi’ doesn’t stand apart from all those other ‘last Jedis’ (Book review)
The title “The Last Jedi” should be more evocative than it is. If the Jedi Order was wiped out with Order 66 in “Revenge of the Sith,” then a tale about one rogue Force-user who slipped through the cracks should be compelling. But stories like this have already been done to an almost comical degree.
Norman Bates’ backstory updated, explored in ‘Bates Motel’
First episode impressions (TV review): Norman Bates gets a more robust backstory in this remake of the “Psycho” saga.
‘Two Graves’ answers big questions, raises new ones about Pendergast’s bizarre family tree (Book review)
Wrapping up the unofficial “Helen Trilogy” that started with “Fever Dream” and “Cold Vengeance,” Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child reveal new surprises and wrap up the long-gestating mysteries of Helen Pendergast and Constance Greene in “Two Graves” (December, hardcover). Like the 11 previous books chronicling retired-but-still-active FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast, it’s a page-turner, although in the long […]
With ‘Veronica Mars’ and ‘Clone Wars,’ companies show different ways to treat fans (TV commentary)
Two of my favorite franchises, “Star Wars” (which regular readers may have noticed I’m obsessed with) and “Veronica Mars” (my No. 6-ranked show of the Aughts, and on my to-do list for “rewatching and reviewing the classics”) showed different approaches on how to treat their fanbases this month. Disney broke fans’ hearts by canceling “The Clone Wars” after five […]
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘X-Wing: Rogue Squadron’ (1996) (Book review)
Michael A. Stackpole’s “X-Wing: Rogue Squadron” (1996) was the first adult “Star Wars” novel to not feature any of the main characters from the films. Today, with so many novels set well before the film heroes were even born, it is well known that “Star Wars” fans simply like good stories. But at the time, it was […]
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Dark Empire II’ and ‘Empire’s End’ (1994-95) (Comic book reviews)
“Dark Empire II” and “Empire’s End” (1994-95) are the comics where the Emperor turns into a cartoon. But while “The Clone Wars” is currently doing a great job portraying Palpatine, I mean “cartoon” in a derogatory sense across these eight comic issues.
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Dark Empire’ (1991-92) (Comic book review)
“Dark Empire” (1991-92) has always been in the shadow of the “Thrawn Trilogy” novels (1991-93). Both came out about the same time, and both are spot-on continuations from “Return of the Jedi” — but in different ways. Re-reading the six-issue “Dark Empire” series recently, though, it’s clear that it has been savaged by redrawn continuity much […]
‘Talking Dead’ like a hug for ‘Walking Dead’ fans (TV commentary)
Can we talk for a moment about what a great show “Talking Dead” (9 p.m. Central Sundays on AMC) is? No, not “Walking Dead,” “Talking Dead” — the show that airs immediately after the zombie drama and dissects what we’ve just seen. Obviously, “Talking Dead” couldn’t exist without “The Walking Dead,” but by the same token, I think “Walking […]