When I first saw “Episode I — The Phantom Menace,” I was a bit disappointed that the Emperor was already, for all intents and purposes, the Emperor — he was already evil. As the prequels went on we learned how he gained power over the galaxy, but not why he sought that power. Certainly, the […]
As time goes by, we all forget how awful high school was, but “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (now on DVD) brings it all rushing back — and with that accomplished, it proceeds to remind us of how great high school was. But first, the rough stuff: In one of the early scenes in the […]
By lucky coincidence, I wrapped up re-reading “The Paradise Snare” (1997), the first book of A.C. Crispin’s “Han Solo Trilogy,” just as Disney announced plans for a young Han Solo movie. If the film is going to be a tightly plotted adventure, it won’t necessarily touch on the events of these books, but if the filmmakers want to do […]
TV review: “Buffy” doesn’t exactly go out with its best work. But even a weak Joss Whedon season is better than most of what’s on TV.
“Han Solo and the Lost Legacy” (1980) completes a perfect 3-for-3 for Brian Daley writing about our favorite “Star Wars” scoundrel. While “Han Solo at Stars’ End” was a solid double and “Han Solo’s Revenge” was a home run, I’d say this one is a sliding triple.
I’ve never fully jumped on the J.J. Abrams bandwagon; he just doesn’t excite me that much as a director, or as a writer. That having been said, I think he’ll do a fine job directing 2015’s “Star Wars — Episode VII” (the announcement swept across the internet on Thursday), as long as George Lucas asks him to […]
“The Following” (8 p.m. Central Mondays on Fox) has all the makings of a hit: Kevin Bacon in his first lead TV role, TV super-producer Kevin Williamson at the helm, a ton of hype, and a 15-weeks-in-a-row commitment from the network.
Timothy Zahn started his “Star Wars” career with five books dealing with the big picture of galactic war and politics, but his last five entries have been more personal, including two about Outbound Flight, one about stormtroopers and one about Mara Jade. He continues the emphasis on more intimate stories with “Scoundrels” (now available in hardcover), but as far as intimate […]
The 2012 college a cappella comedy “Pitch Perfect” (now on DVD) is a nice snapshot of youth culture as it features some of the expected cliques and snobbery — but not too much. When a “Star Wars”- and magic-loving geek wants to join the campus kings, the Treblemakers, the frontman dismisses him as a nerd, but the […]
To me, one of the most exciting things about the end of “Fringe” is that I can now look forward to rewatching the show on DVD someday. For five seasons, I watched every episode as it aired on Fox, but I’ve found that people who watched it in large chunks on DVD embraced it more than me. […]