I’m not quite sure what brought me to another supernatural, teen romance (especially after giving up on the Twilight books after only halfway through the second) but I guess I wanted to see if they were truly as similar as they seem. One of the things I noticed right away (especially since I was listening…
Category: Fantasy
The Magicians by Lev Grossman – Book Review
Did you always think that there needed to be more sex, drinking, or 4-letter words in the Harry Potter books? Or that the kids in the Chronicles of Narnia weren’t as snarky, cynical, or full of ennui as the ones you knew at that age? Perhaps that upending of a beloved series of fantasy books…
Springtime for Genre TV 2013
It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted, but I blame that on the fact that I’ve been watching a lot of new shows on TV. While mid-season (i.e. a couple of months ago) was kind of a letdown in terms of getting cool new shows (though I have been watching The Following. More on…
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 – Capsule Review
Though I no longer consider myself a Twilight fan, I was anticipating this final chapter in the “saga” (at least enough to make an iTunes rental of it). I was not crazy about Part 1 mostly because of how unpleasant it was to watch Kristen Stewart waste away as Bella, the human girl who fell…
A Storm of Swords – Book Review
If you’re reading this review, I presume that you have an interest in the George R.R. Martin “A Song of Ice and Fire” series of novels and preferably you’ve read at least the first two (or at least watched the HBO television series up to season 2). I have become a big fan myself, and…
Oscar Schmoscar 2013
Each year I write this post for two reasons: 1) to show how much I don’t really care about the nominees (not really true) and 2) do quickie reviews of the nominated movies that I haven’t already reviewed separately. Back when there were fewer Best Picture noms, I tried to watch all of them by…
40 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Films for 2013 (part 2)
Despite the fact that Hollywood seems more interested in sequels and franchise films (especially in the sci-fi/fantasy market), there are a few 2013 movies which bring a new story to the big screen. However, I can’t promise that they won’t be the first in a franchise (in fact, some of the book adaptations already have…
40 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Films for 2013 (part 1)
As I mentioned previously, 2013 is chock full of sci-fi and fantasy movies. Many of last year’s trends are continuing, including fairy tale retelling or reinventions, vampires and supernatural romance, those ubiquitous super-hero movies, and even a new category in the mix: the scorched Earth movie. There are many many 2013 movie lists that you…
Alvin’s 10 Favourite Movies of 2012
In years past, I would post year-end faves from the big and small screens, but 2012 marked the sad continuation of a dry spell on tv. Of the new shows that debuted in 2012, not a single one would I consider “must-see”, and even the ones that I enjoyed in the past have all begun…
Alvin's Adventures in Pop Culture 