REVIEW–Legacy: Overload
Remo Williams’ progeny continue to fight the good fight!
REVIEW: Deadbeat (2014 Hulu Original)
Overweight scruffy slackers seem to be a fan favorite character.
What’s Wrong With Mediocre?
C. E. Martin champions the cause for B Movies (and B Lit) everywhere!
Review: SKORPIO, by Mike Baron
a review of comics writer Mike Baron’s Skorpio
HELIX: A Nitpicker’s Review
An admittedly nit picky review of the SyFy (don’t admit to watching it in Polish) channel’s latest offering – Helix
Isn’t All Science Fiction and Fantasy Alternate Reality?
C. E. Martin (yes, but which one?) wonders why we bother to distinguish some works as “alternate reality” when in fact, all SF and fantasy takes place in alternate realities.
Pets in Space!
Does science fiction suffer from animal animosity? Where are all the outer-spacey pets? Who banned fish tanks from the Enterprise? C.E. Martin wants to know.
Where Has All The Wonder Gone?
C. E. Martin laments the sameness of today’s fictional offerings and makes the case for something new.
REVIEW: GALLOWWALKERS (2012) Not Worth Hanging Around For
No matter the speed, the fast-forward button can NOT make a bad movie better. Mr. Martin gets down-and-dirty with this review and even manages to find one nice thing to say.
REVIEW: Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD (Somehow It Ended up Lame and Disappointing)
I have always felt that SHIELD was the most interesting part of Marvel Comics. The reality of Disney’s production, however, has left me sad and very disappointed.
INDEPENDENT BOOKS – 100% DIY?
Can indie authors – truly indie – be treated as artisans?
Fandomfest 2013: A Review
Fandomfest was missing the fest.
REVIEW- The Killing Fields (Legacy #2)
It reminds me of watching the Incredible Hulk when I was growing up. Bill Bixby was awesome, but I wanted to see a green-painted Lou Ferrigno tearing stuff up
Discovering Science Friction: Snark Week 2013
Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives could easily have been made into a Syfy Channel movie (if they’d used lower resolution cameras, thrown in a former 1980s TV star and some cornball music).
Review: GRABBERS (2012)
There’s nothing better than a good monster movie. The problem is, most monster movies these days suck. Some intentionally (Sharktopus, I’m looking at you). The Syfy Channel seems to specialize in these CGI stinkers that spotlight bad acting, sloppy uniforms and the latest in re-painted paintball sidearms. Grabbers is a welcome change from all that. […]
The Universe is Bigger than You Think, Writers
I must admit that I have a huge pet peeve when it comes to science fiction. Don’t get me wrong- I love this modern era where SF is all up in the mainstream. But what really irks me, more even than the bad science from writers who’s educational background I have to question, is the […]
Dinosaurs are NOT Bulletproof!
As I watched a repeat episode of Mythbusters the other night, I was reminded of one of my pet peeves in Science Fiction and Fantasy- the ineffectiveness of firearms. The Mythbusters were testing why so many cultures had made arrowheads, instead of just sharpening the end of their arrows. (They make bigger holes). This reminded […]
AFTER THE CON: Derby City Comic Con 2013 Report
Louisville, Kentucky has grown by leaps and bounds when it comes to conventions. Just a few years ago, the only Con I was aware of in the area was Wonderfest– a great model-making convention/flea market my oldest daughter has enjoyed attending year after year. In recent years, Louisville has added two more science fiction/fantasy conventions […]
Star Trek- Communism in Space?
I’ll start this week’s thought-provoking commentary with a statement: I like Star Trek. Mostly. I’m no Trekkie/Trekker, but I greatly enjoyed TOS and TNG. DS9 had a few good moments. I refused to watch Voyager, and I thought Enterprise was well made but it lost my viewership after about six episodes. I love the JJ […]
FEMME FATALES: The Most Overused Device in Modern SFF?
Of late, I’ve been reading a lot of articles that hint at a simmering feud between men and women in Science Fiction & Fantasy fandom. Accusations of Sexism and Misogyny have been flying. Some very antiquated, 19th Century chauvinism has been expressed. I find it all really worrisome. I don’t want to add fuel to […]
Have Literary Luddites Taken Over SFF Fandom?!
For the past year, I’ve been doing the indie thing- writing and self-publishing my own novels on Amazon, B&N, etc. During that time I’ve learned quite a lot and have come to the conclusion that SFF fans are luddites when it comes to the literary scene. I don’t base this on my own pitiful sales. […]
Kids & Cons
With summer upon us, it’s convention time here in my neck of the woods. And while I’m not that big of a fan of cons, I do try and treat my little nerdlings to one or two a year in our area. When I first took a child to a Con, it was Wonderfest, in […]
The Eyes of Fiction
They say that the eyes are the windows of the soul- we’ve heard that so many times. But when it comes to fiction, this appears to be true. In 2012, I started writing an indie New Pulp series. For my lead character, I decided to blend characteristics from past pulp heroes. Among the traits I […]
Who Do You Blame in a Science Fiction World?
Blaming someone for something is part of human nature. Domestic Batterers blame their victims. Evangelists blame the devil, or sometimes God for bad things happening. Even Christians often blame God, remarking “How can God let this happen.” In fact, when you look at it, God gets a lot of blame these days. But what if […]
REVIEW: Zombieland, The Series
Once in awhile, something wonderful happens. A great movie gets new life, in the form of a sequel. Take, for example, my personal favorite, Predator. Oh, sure it’s got lots of flaws, but it’s like two movies in one. A macho man shoot ‘em up and an alien invader movie. Great fun, and I enjoyed […]
REVIEW: Dead Island- Riptide
(Review copy played on the Xbox 360 console, mileage may vary) There was one game that came out in 2012 that I played far more than any other. FAR more. Dead Island. And now it has a sequel! If you haven’t checked it out, the Dead Island franchise (I can call it that now) is […]
An Unhappy Burtiversary
Ten years ago this past March, I enjoyed the greatest TV moment of my lifetime- the debut of Tremors: the Series, on the Scifi Channel. Two hours of heady, Burt Gummer-fun. Just a few months later, my Friday nights were cruelly taken from me by Scifi’s top dog, Bonnie Hammer. She cancelled the show. It’s […]
Book Review: Skull Island, by Will Murray
This is going to be a first for me- I’m going to review a book BEFORE I finish it. Hold on! You might be thinking. How can I pass judgement on a book without finishing it? Well, I don’t have to eat a steak in its entirety to know if I like it. Nor do […]
Christianity vs. Science Fiction
Of late, I am sensing that lines have been drawn and sides chosen in the camps of Science Fiction (& Fantasy) and Christianity. There’s a virtual wall between the two fandom groups- and that’s a darned shame. I count myself as a Christian- not the in-your-face, you’re-going-to-burn-in-Hell kind. I’m more of the quiet introvert when […]
The Destroyer is Back!
Amazing Stories isn’t the only thing making a triumphant return in 2013. Sinanju is recently returned to the literary scene, with TWO series of novels. If the word Sinanju doesn’t ring any bells, then you’re missing out on possibly the greatest series of adventure novels ever. Starting way back in 1971, Warren Murphy and the […]