Book Review: Downward to the Earth, Robert Silverberg (1970)

/ Joachim Boaz / 13 Comments
  • Gene Szafran

4.75/5 (Very Good)

1971 Nebula Nominated Novel (Silverberg declined the nomination)

The first two-thirds of Robert Silverberg’s masterpiece Downward to the Earth (1970) is easily in the pantheon of the best sections of a science fiction book I’ve ever read.  I found it emotionally engaging and often downright nerve-racking, moody and disturbed, and engages in an intelligent and poignant manner with the issue of de-colonization which was coming to the fore in the 1960s.

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A Film Rumination: Sidney Lumet (June 25, 1924-April 9, 2011) and mini-reviews of the films of his I’ve seen

/ Joachim Boaz / 17 Comments

The great American director Sidney Lumet (1924-2011) passed away today and in honor of his long and productive  career (albeit with brief lulls of average work) here are a few mini-reviews of the films of his I’ve seen in order of preference. I’ve not seen many of his acknowledged masterpieces including Serpico, The Hill, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, The Pawnbroker, etc.

1. Network (1976)

9.5/10 (Masterpiece)

Network (1976) is by far my favorite Sidney Lumet film Continue reading →

A Film Rumination: The Monolith Monsters, John Sherwood (1957)

/ Joachim Boaz / 20 Comments


7/10 (Good)

John Sherwood’s The Monolith Monsters (1957) is by far one of my favorite  B sci-fi (ish) monster movies!  I’m being very generous with rating but, this is a hilariously average (but wonderful) romp with one of the more peculiar “monsters” matched up with some of the best 50s special effects I’ve seen.  The Monolith Monsters is without doubt one of the more interesting films of the 1950s American Realist Science Fiction movement Continue reading →

A Film Rumination: Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (variant title: Doppelgänger), Robert Parrish (1969)

/ Joachim Boaz / 12 Comments

5/10 (Average)

Robert Parrish’s Journey to the Far Side of the Sun is a British science fiction film of average quality.  The first two thirds are well done before the final act kicks into gear with all its hokeyness and painfully glitzy camera work.  The central “idea” is on the surface an intriguing one Continue reading →

Book Review: Half Past Human, T. J. Bass (1971)

/ Joachim Boaz / 21 Comments

3.25/5 (Average)

1971 Nebula Nominated Novel

T.J. Bass’ Half Past Human is a flawed yet occasionally intriguing fix-up novel which was nominated for the 1971 Nebula Award.  I found that the atrocious prose overshadowed all the work’s positives and made it a chore to read.  Bass is a practicing doctor and thus apparently finds it fun to inundate his narrative with medical Continue reading →