The Return of Dracula (1958) – Paul Landres

Dracula does California! And it’s gonna be an entertaining (and pretty bad ride) as I dig into the next Vampire title in DK Books’ Monsters in the Movies by director John Landis. A Dracula (Francis Lederer) with some strange powers – like apparating (and not a glimpse of fangs) comes to smalltown California, USA after…

The Incredibles 2 (2018) – Brad Bird

It’s been twenty-three years since Pixar became THE name in family entertainment, and it has been fourteen years since we last checked in with the Parr family, known collectively as The Incredibles. Brad Bird, the writer-director of the first film serves in the same capacity in this film. And while we may have waited fourteen…

The Desert Spear (2010) – Peter V. Brett

The second book in Peter Brett’s Demon Cycle series finds its way to the Book Shelf this week, and it is as captivating as the first while continue to world build, pick up story threads, and throw now beloved characters into new scenarios and choices. A fast-paced read, Brett crafts Desert Spear with an eye…

Star Trek: The Original Series (1968) – Plato’s Stepchildren and Wink of an Eye

Captain’s log: stardate 5784.2 Plato’s Stepchildren first screened on 22 November, 1968 and was written by Meyer Dolinsky. The episode is of historical note because of the first American broadcast interracial kiss when Captain Kirk (William Shatner) kisses Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). Beyond that, the story is rather basic. The Enterprise is summoned to a…

Watchmen (2009) – Zack Snyder

Zack Snyder who is always great with visual images, but not the strongest director when it comes to story, takes on Alan Moore’s epic iconic graphic novel, the next stop in the Sci-Fi Chronicles. Visually, the film tends to be very faithful to the original panels, of the comic book, capturing an alternate 1980s filled…

Village of the Damned (1960) – Wolf Rilla

  The Sci-Fi Chronicles plunges me into B-movie horror filled with creepy blonde-haired children in this classic that is still a little unnerving. Based on the novel, The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham this one still has the power to make the viewer uneasy. Strange things are afoot in the English village of Midwich when…