We now step firmly into genre work with two spooooky ghost stories, a rousing sci-fi adventure, and Salman Rushdie’s excellent meditation on Jinn as an allegory for terrorism. Two Years, Eight Months, and Twenty Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie…Terrific novel that starts a little slow, but builds up to a terrific conclusion as it becomes clear…
Category: Entertainment Editorial
Book Reviews: Rogue Lawyer, Marauders, House of Wolfe, Other Son, and The Swimmer
It’s been way too long since I’ve done any book reviews, and—in keeping with a proud Alabama Liberal tradition of overkill—I’ve decided to do 24 of them in 24 hours. [Hey, why not clear 2015’s books out all in one day with a special promotion?] We begin with five “thrillers” (everything from spy to legal)…
Book Reviews: The Kind Worth Killing, The Hand That Feeds You, The Daylight Marriage
These are all domestic thrillers that had various tactics in exploring the age-old theme (well…since “Gone Girl” scored Harry Potter level sales anyway) of relationships gone bad. I’ll admit that some strategies work better than others. The Hand That Feeds You by A.J. Rich…Whereas “The Daylight Marriage” went for realism and “The Kind Worth Killing”…
Hollywood Can Absolutely Do Something About Georgia’s Anti-LGBT Law
Since The Supreme Court has decided that marriage equality can be the law of the land, and anti-gay voices also lost their biggest advocate when Antonin Scalia died, it was only a matter of time before the Southeast decided to give up a losing battle and allow gay people to live equally right? Hell no!…
All My Predictions Were Correct, but Telecast Was Still Ho-Hum
A few days back I posted a “Movie Talk” video (to YouTube and under the YouTube tab of the homepage) saying that DiCaprio, Larsen, Alejandro (director of “The Revenant”) and Vikander were locks. I expressed serious doubts that Sylvester Stallone—the favorite for Best Supporting Actor in “Creed”—would win, and even lamented that I was afraid…
Announcing a “Movie Talk” YouTube Channel…
I’ll be promoting myself more heavily on YouTube once we get everything up and running, but for now I’d like to announce the creation of “Move Talk.” I was hoping to put it on ITunes right beside “A Year Long Conversation” but they don’t allow multiple podcasts for the same account. There’s been about four…
Follow-Up: How Did I Do On My “Most Anticipated (and Least Anticipated) Fall Movies” List?
A few months back I posted a list of Most Anticipated and Least Anticipated Fall Movies, and it’s time to see exactly how well I predicted which movies were worth anticipating… The Ten Least Anticipated Movies… 10. I Saw the Light…Right or Wrong? Wellllllll…the movie was bumped from an Oscar-prime slot in late Fall until…
Every Movie I’ve Seen in 2015 From Worst to Best
To be honest, 2015 wasn’t a great year for movies. Yes, the box office broke records but that doesn’t necessarily mean people were really leaving the theater satisfied. And I could see where a new “Jurassic,” “Avengers,” James Bond, “Star Wars,” “Terminator,” and two separate Pixar films may look like an embarassment of riches. But I kept…
The Best TV Shows of the Year
We’ve done the Best Characters, the Best Scenes, the Best Episodes, and it’s now time to say goodbye to 2015 for good with the overall “Best TV Shows of the Year.” This is the first year that I can honestly say TV was significantly better than the movies, and the movie lover in me is…
The Best TV Scenes of the Year
Continuing on with the “Best” of the year, these are the best TV scenes of the year. Check back in the next few days for Best TV Episodes, Best Movie Scenes, and then—of course—Best TV Series. 20. Runner-Up Fight Scenes: Although we’ll get to much better fight scenes in the countdown, the first season of Daredevil had one…
The Best Non-Fiction Books of the Year…
…I don’t read as much non-fiction as I do novels, so this is far from a comprehensive list of the year’s best, but–hopefully–there are enough recommendations here to interest someone. Honorable Mention: “Raw Deal: How the Uber Economy and Runaway Capitalism are Screwing the American Workers” by Steven Hill…I just started this book, but I…
Entertainment Editorial: The Ten BEST TV Characters of the Year
A few days ago I listed the worst TV characters of the year, but it’s only fitting to celebrate the holidays with the best of the bunch… Best Trend: Badass Senior Citizens…Like The Strain’s Eldritch Palmer and especially Abraham Setrakian or Fargo’s Ted Danson or Justified’s cool criminal lovers Katherine Hale and Avery Markham. Sorry, Raylan and Ava, but Mary Steenburgen and…
The “Best” of the Year Coming Soon…
…Be sure to check back this week for the best in TV, books, and movies as we’ll be having some kind of countdown of the year’s “best” nearly every day between Christmas and New Year’s. So if you get bored after the presents or just want recommendations on what you might want to check out…