Essays · SF & Fantasy · Writers & Critics
Patriotism, Politics, and Propaganda: The Naturalization of Friday’s Man, Robinson, in Robinson Crusoe on Mars
Defoe’s classic translates surprisingly well to outer space in this 1960s gem
Category: SF & Fantasy
Of Psychotic Environments and Corporate Hallucinations: The Animatrix on DVD
Masters of anime riff on The Matrix in this sizzling collection of nine shorts
Essays · Reviews · SF & Fantasy
Defense of the Clones: Lucas’s Latest: Cheap Thrills or Sophisticated Filmmaking?
A close reading points to the latter. For those who see popular film as capable of providing more than cheap visceral thrills, the dismal nature of recent writing on Attack[…]
“Fascinating. Horrible, but Fascinating”: 20 Million Miles to Earth on DVD
In which Harryhausen’s most poignant monster mixes it up After pioneering French filmmaker Georges Mêlies, there are few special effects icons left to trip over on your way to current[…]
I’m Taking the Kids! Larry Clark’s Teenage Caveman on DVD
Girlflesh ‘n boyflesh ‘n apocalypse [Warning: Spoilers!] It’s hard to keep your thinking cap on when you’re watching Teenage Caveman, directed by the notorious Larry Clark, the famed photographer/director whose[…]
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002): There’s No “There” There
Why Tobey Maguire has us by the testicles and why he isn’t going to let go Whence Spider-Man? Whence, indeed, and whither? It has come to pass in these United[…]
Anti-Heroics: The Superman Films of Richard Lester
“While the first Superman film, directed by Richard Donner (on which Lester served as an uncredited producer), is essentially reverential and respectful towards the subject, Lester’s attitude in his second[…]
Experimental & Underground · Reviews · SF & Fantasy
It’s Alive! Jan Svankmajer’s Little Otik (Otesánek)
If only “little” Otik had stayed that way! Despite its tortured history, Eastern Europe, but particularly Czechoslovakia, has managed to produce an almost uninterrupted flow of the world’s great animation[…]
LGBT & Queer · Reviews · SF & Fantasy
Queer for the Rings: Frodo and Sam Find Fellowship
Pretty boys in danger: How yummy! Poor Frodo Baggins! He spends almost all his time in The Fellowship of the Ring 1) anticipating penetration; 2) suffering penetration; or 3) recovering[…]
Mastering Middle Earth: Fellowship of the Ring
Peter Jackson’s adaptation of Tolkien’s classic soars despite its flaws There’s a very obvious problem when transferring any book to the big screen, namely that some of us may already[…]
LGBT & Queer · Reviews · SF & Fantasy
The Nightmare in the Fairy Tale: Francois Ozon’s Criminal Lovers (1999)
A modern-day Hansel and Gretel take on love, sex, and death with rapturous results A recent selection at the 24th San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, François Ozon’s[…]
Historical & Epic · Reviews · SF & Fantasy · Writers & Critics
Robinson Crusoe and the Ethnic Sidekick
Who knew that Crusoe and Friday would be resurrected daily for service to western culture’s nefarious needs? While we are waiting for Dreamworks’ The Legend of Bagger Vance (starring Matt[…]
Composers · Music & Musicals · SF & Fantasy
Bernard Herrmann’s The Twilight Zone on CD
Serling’s groundbreaking series was also a warm haven for Hollywood’s greatest composer Last weekend I purchased the Herrmann Twilight Zone double-CD, and I’ve played it about ten times by now[…]
Future Imperfect: Sci-Fi’s Nationalist Narratives
The future’s no future, but that’s okay – your spaceship is almost ready! Science fiction is, inevitably, an American genre, its narratives – literary and cinematic – fueled by the[…]
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