2/5 (Bad)
This novel feels like two separate stories connected by the presence of the dueling machine. The story when the dueling machine is a dueling machine and the story when the Bova decides that the dueling machine is also teleportation device and a therapy device and only occasionally used for duels. The first part of the novel Continue reading
9.5/10 (Near Perfect)
The Belgian Dardenne brothers (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne) are renowned (mainly in Europe) for their intense minimalist dramas. Following on the success of Rosetta (1999) which won the prestigious Palm d’Or and La Promese (1996), the brothers embarked on the rigorously stylistic Le Fils (2002). I must Continue reading
8/10 (Very Good)
Joseph Losey’s film, The Servant (1963) is a profoundly unsettling experience concerning various class related themes (servitude, the British upper class life, etc). Losey – an American blacklisted communist who was forced to flee Hollywood in the 50s to England – gives an interesting take on this common cinematic theme. This film marks the first of three successful collaborations with the renowned playwright and screenwriter Harold Pinter Continue reading
Overall score 3.75/5 (Good)
James Blish’s The Seedling Stars is a collection of three novelettes (Seeding Program, The Thing in the Attic, Surface Tension) and a short story (Watershed). Each is loosely connected by internal chronology and subject matter: pantropy (the modifications of humans for live on other planets instead of terraforming). The quality Continue reading
7.5/10 (Good)
Guy Maddin’s recent short film, Night Mayor, is a bizarre pseudo-documentary that looks at the life of an immigrant (and his family) from Bosnia who has invented a telemodium (a weird television Continue reading
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
Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations 