4/5 (Good)
“At seven A.M., Allen Purcell, the forward-looking young president of the newest and most creative of the Research Agencies, lost a bedroom,” and so begins The Man Who Japed.
This novel, published in 1956 (a product of the very early period of Philip K. Dick’s career) is an immense step forward from his inferior, disjointed, and amateurish novel, The World Jones Continue reading
8/10 (Very Good)
Peter Greenaway’s A Zed & Two Noughts is a fascinating take (both visually and plot-wise) on the archetypal theme of coping with death. Greenaway’s technical abilities shine through — Continue reading
8/10 (Good) — spoilers in review
Damnation (1987) not only marks the Hungarian director Bela Tarr’s departure from realist dramas but also his entry into the ranks of the best European directors. Although nowhere Continue reading
7.5/10 (Good)
Valerio Zurlini’s The Desert of the Tartars (1976) is a relatively unknown Italian classic. Zurlini’s other works, most notably Estate Violenta (1959) and Indian Summer (1972), haven’t fared Continue reading
4.5/5 (Very Good)
Notable Awards: Hugo and Locus SF Awards nominee, 1974 Nebula Award nominee, 1973
Poul Anderson’s delightful space opera chronicles the struggle between the growing Terran Empire and the Ythrian Domain (inhabited by birdlike beings). The main action occurs on the planet Avalon, a colony of Ythri but settled by BOTH humans and Ythrians who have managed to create a multicultural Continue reading
9.25/10 (masterpiece)
Where to start? At one time in my life I hid from the words “palimpsest”, “city”, “meditation”, and even, “experimental.” Then I watched Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, read some Borges, Continue reading
2/5 (Poor)
For Philip K. Dick, ‘The Builder’ is not one of his better stories — nor is close to the best of his early 1950s works (‘The Preserving Machine’). A man (with the aid of his son) despite the continuous Continue reading
Another timeless classic, When Worlds Collide (1951) dir. Rudolph Maté, is going to be abused by another incompetent director — Stephen Sommers, who helmed the recent G. I. Joe: Rise of Cobra debacle.
Some off the cuff complaints:
1. The Continue reading
5/5 Brilliant
What an odd and profoundly moving (and disturbing) little gem.
A man visits Dr. Labyrinth who, in the past, had Continue reading
Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations 