Eric Robert Nolan graduated from Mary Washington College in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. He spent several years a news reporter and editorial writer for the Culpeper Star Exponent in Culpeper, Virginia. His work has also appeared on the front pages of numerous newspapers in Virginia, including The Free Lance – Star and The Daily Progress. Eric entered the field of philanthropy in 1996, as a grant writer for nonprofit healthcare organizations.
Eric’s poetry has been featured by Dead Beats Literary Blog, Dagda Publishing, The International War Veterans’ Poetry Archive, and elsewhere. His poetry will also be published by Illumen Magazine in its Spring 2014 issue.
Look — back in 2008, I was as disappointed as any other fan that this second “The X-Files” feature film was unconnected withe the show’s overarching storyline about aliens. But … this actually was a really decent standalone horror-mystery tale.
It just happens to be well executed. (The trailer below doesn’t do it justice; it’s a methodically paced, atmospheric and character-driven thriller.) Chris Carter’s directing is in fine form; the opening sequence, where a kidnapping is juxtaposed with the subsequent arrival at a key piece of evidence is especially good. So too were the performances of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. (It seems like the older I get, the more I appreciate Anderson’s talent.)
Finally, Amanda Peet’s portrayal of FBI Agent Monica Bannan was excellent; she seemed like a nuanced, interesting character that would have been a terrific regular on the show.
Alright, it’s arguable whether either film was actually scary. I had fun, though.
First up last weekend I watched “Creep” (2014) and then I finally got to see “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” (1954). I’d wanted to see “The Beast” since I was a little kid. I was a nut for anything created by monster-maker special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen, and I’d seen a clip of the titular dinosaur’s Manhattan rampage in a documentary about movie monsters. Man, was a mesmerized. But “The Beast” was one Harryhausen creature that never seemed to make the rounds on 1980’s television.
Eric Robert Nolan, Author 