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The production designer for “The Walking Dead” is named Grace Walker.

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I thought that was pretty funny.

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A few words on “As Above, So Below” (2014)

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You have to give the makers of “As Above, So Below” a lot of credit for creativity and initiative.  They were the first production team ever to get permission from the French government to film in the legendary catacombs beneath Paris.  The film then makes great use of the location, and succeeds in establishing a great creepy atmosphere (and even though one of the principal actors had claustrophobia).

Still, this movie plods along during its first two thirds, trying in vain to derive scares from the same plot device as the classic (but now forgotten?) “Flatliners” (1990).

Then, in the final third, things pick up, and the movie succeeds in being scary.  Not all the jump moments work, but many do.

It’s at least worth a look for horror fans.

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The “Hannibal” Season 3 trailer is up.

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It looks good enough, if not overwhelming.  I’m reminding myself that Season 2’s trailer sucked, and that season was amazing.

We’re shown one (probably obvious) Baltimore survivor, with an allusion that at least one other has died.  You can also tell that they’re continuing themes from Season 2 and really plumbing the mythos established by the books and films — something the show has excelled at so far.

If someone can tell me what is in those square glass displays, I’d be grateful.

Oh!  Also … we’re in Europe!

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A few quick words on “Star Trek: Into Darkness” (2013)

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The rebooted “Star Trek” franchise continues to impress, delivering everything at which “Star Trek: The Next Generation” was only marginally successful: pathos, gritty action, suspense and tension.  (And I liked TNG from time to time.)  Add a great script, great dialogue, likable characters and good acting, and you’ve got a decent movie.  And the special effects were fantastic.

Did anyone else see the opening scene as an homage to the opening scene of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981)?

I got a little lost on the finer points of the plot (torpedo tubes?), but I’m sure that is the fault of my attention span and not the screenwriter.

Given Benedict Cumberbatch’s amazing talent, I might have liked to see him have a little more screen time and a better opportunity to demonstrate his range; he could have been a great bad guy instead of just a good one.  (Sherlock vs. Kirk!!!)

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I hope she stocked up early …

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This is my sister’s Stop-and-Shop in Westport, CT!

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SyFy’s “12 Monkeys” isn’t too shabby.

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There’s the occasional cliche, some flat acting, and too little tension at times, but SyFy’s serialization of the classic “12 Monkeys” film (1998) isn’t as bad as we all feared.  I watched the first two episodes via the network’s website, and it at least held my attention.  It’s a suitably dark show with at least one nice twist, and it’s got an obvious reverence for its source material.

As much as I love Aaron Stanford, the protagonists are outshined here by the scenery-chewing Emily Hampshire and the always incredible Tom Noonan.  (Does anyone else remember when he was a horrible, horrible vacuum cleaner salesman in “The X-Files?”)

With a plot so reliant on twists and details and surprises, I can only imagine how hard it might be to turn into a tv show.

I’m going to give this show a chance.

The first two eps can be found here:

http://www.syfy.com/12monkeys

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“An Irish Airman Foresees His Death,” by W.B. Yeats

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“An Irish Airman Foresees His Death”

by W.B. Yeats

I KNOW that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate
Those that I guard I do not love;
My country is Kiltartan Cross,          5
My countrymen Kiltartan’s poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.
Nor law, nor duty bade me fight,
Nor public man, nor cheering crowds,   10
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds;
I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind   15
In balance with this life, this death.

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Elicia Edijanto

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wyrdwordsandeffigies's avatarCelebrating the strange and the shadowy, the damned and unseen

People say love is a strong word. Well, it doesn’t seem strong enough to adequately describe how I feel about these black and white waterolours from Indonesian artist Elicia Edijanto.

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My review of “Star Trek” (2009)

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I was never as into the “Star Trek” franchise as much as its real fans, but I did enjoy the tv show and films.  And like so many people, I was really disappointed at how the lackluster and continuity-crushing “Star Trek: Nemesis” (2002) seemed to sound the death knell for a franchise that has been around since 1966.

I was happily surprised, the, when I finally got to see J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” (2009) in its entirety.  It captured all of the magic of the original series, and updated it with 21st Century special effects, set design and sound editing.  The all-star cast was uniformly good, even if Eric Bana (as Nero) got too little screen time.  It was amazing how Chris Pine and Karl Urban seemed to channel William Shatner and DeForest Kelley, respectively.

One or two things might make viewers scratch their heads …  The coincidence of Kirk’s discovery on the ice planet is pretty mind-boggling.  And why was he exiled there instead of just thrown in the brig? Also, Nero’s doomsday device appears in the skies over Vulcan and Earth.  Does neither planet have the equivalent of an air force?  Why is the Enterprise the only ship in the battle?

Still, this was a really good hard sci-fi flick.  Check it out if you haven’t seen it already.

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Stephen King’s “Joyland”

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“Joyland” is a surprisingly average novel by an otherwise amazing novelist.  Its ghost story is actually pretty scary, but it occupies so little of the book that it seems like a brief subplot.  The bulk of the book is a coming-of-age story about its protagonist, with tons and TONS of expository information about “carny” life, work, and culture.  I actually found myself skimming pages that detailed the carny dialect (or “Talk”), or the descriptions of daily work.

The characters of Devin, Tom and Erin were relatable and likeable — Annie and Mike were a little less so.

This book was okay, but I doubt it belongs at the top of anyone’s must-read list.

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