Audiobook Review - Listen To The Signal: Short Stories Volume 1 by

I love short stories and radio dramas! And I love stories that focus on concepts. And I love original stories that take a different angle on stories.

Listen To The Signal: Short Stories Volume 1 by Rob Dircks is a science fiction short story anthology. It is available as an eBook, audio book, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Today I Invented Time Travel. 3.5/5 This was a fun idea that needed more development.

End Game. 5/5 Video game addiction and its effects on society. Even without this twist, the story is really entertaining and fun.

November 8, 2016. 4/5 A look at people's inherent worth vs. the perception of their worth.


Horatio Breathed His Last. 4/5 An author and his creator. A story I've heard before, but well told.

Purgatory. 5/5 Suicide and alien abductions that don't go how you think they'll go.

Out of the Blue. 4/5 Reality is a giant computer simulation which explains why things that have happen happened.


Rose. 2/5 Miracle plant that can bring the dead back to life and a disappointing romance.

Red Parka. 4.5/5 A new take on psychics that can see the future. Fun story.

Mister Personality. 4/5 This is a story about AI. It takes a different twist on what it means to be human.

Christmas in Silver Peak. 4/5 This is a first contact story at Christmas. While the ending isn't original, I didn't expect that twist with this particular story.

The Bad

Dakō. 1/5 One person looks for a deceased loved one. The "twist" is obvious and been done too often.

Quick Fix. 2/5 Science opera engineering that had potential but didn't go far enough with it.

Tick Tick Tick. 2/5 Man gets a tick which transform him. Okay, unoriginal, and doesn't really go anywhere.

Bloop. 2/5 An alien contact gone wrong, almost as wrong as this story went. Clever approach.

Their DNA Was No Longer the Same. 2/5 This is an exploration of a recent discovery about time in space changing DNA.

The Last One. 2/5 The apocalypse and inborn talent that goes nowhere interesting.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I loved the originality of the stories, but I wish they had been more developed and thought out.

Overall

Listen To The Signal: Short Stories Volume 1 by Rob Dircks is a great science fiction short story anthology. I loved the originality of the stories, but I wish they had been more developed and thought out. This collection has more good than bad and covers a wide range of science fiction and science fantasy with several commenting on society. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

     

 

TV Show Review - Star Trek: Picard, Episode 1

I am a huge Star Trek fan and have enjoyed most of the series. Until Star Trek: Discovery which has been so disappointing. Needless to say I had mixed feelings about a new Star Trek series by the same network.

Star Trek: Picard is a 10-episode CBS All Access original series based on Star Trek: The Next Generation by Gene Rodenberry. It takes place decades after Star Trek: The Next Generation. It is rated TV-PG and is appropriate for tweens and up.

The Good

Concept. The story takes place several years after a major change in the Star Trek Universe and deals with the ramifications of those changes. It is a smart move, because it gives the series a reason to exist and a way to stand out from previous series.

Story. The first episode does a really great job to catch the viewer up on the changes to the Star Trek Universe and introducing the current situation. There is a lot going on, but it is presented clearly so the viewer isn't confused.

Feels Like Star Trek. The last few Star Trek films and Star Trek: Discovery just have not felt like Star Trek. This does.

The Bad

Picard. Picard is pretty old and sluggish. I really like the character, but it's a little unbelievable that he'll be able to accomplish the mission he needs to.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I would like to see a few more new elements. This show uses the Romulans, the shipyards on Mars, the Borg, and so many other elements we've already seen. I'd like to see some new aliens and villains that are instant classics like the Borg and the Romulans were when they were introduced.

Overall

Star Trek: Picard is off to a great start with a really wonderful concept and a strong first episode that introduces the current state of the Star Trek Universe, reveals the major events that happened in the past resulting in the world we're now seeing, and introduces a few interesting new characters. Picard is a little old and sluggish, and it's slightly uncomfortable and unbelievable that he'll be able to accomplish the mission he's set out on. There's also very little new in this version with it relying on so much of the beloved old. That's not bad, but it is limiting. I am excited to see the rest of the series and where it goes. I highly recommend this show and give it 4.5 out of 5 remotes.

    

  

 

Movie Review - Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

I love Star Wars, and it makes me so sad to see Disney consistently get the franchise wrong. Other than The Mandalorian (which is pretty good but not great), they've produced one disappointment after another, and the falling box office returns are evidence of it. But are declining revenues enough to get Disney to correct their course?

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a 2019 science fiction action film based on George Lucas' masterpiece. It is rated PG-13 for violence but is appropriate for most ages.

The Good

Timothy Zahn. If you've ever read Timothy Zahn's original trilogy that basically relaunched the Star Wars franchise, then you'll recognize a few elements such as using science (perhaps cloning) to preserve a Jedi Master (or Sith Master) and a dark fleet of Star Destroyers. Those elements were pretty cool and should have been the focus of the trilogy.

Entertaining. Unlike The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi which were both painfully dull and hard to sit thru, this film is actually entertaining. It doesn't make much sense, and if you start to think about any of the plot points you'll scratch your head. But if you can shut off your brain for 2+ hours, it's a fun ride.

Pacing. This film moves at a good pace.

The Bad

Characters. This movie has the most blah characters of any Star Wars story I've ever seen. George Lucas gave us two great, lovable casts in his two trilogies. This one didn't even produce a single really likable character, and made several of the old beloved characters a little less beloved.

Storytelling. This movie is basically a whole bunch of scenes and incidents stuck together without much logic or sense. There is little emotional investment. There is little peril, because the movie goes exactly how you would expect. There are so many characters and scenes stuffed into the 2+ hours that no one and nothing gets much development. It's a whole lot of ideas that are just thrown at the audience.

Art Direction/Visuals. Star Wars is known for its amazing visuals and gorgeous designs. This film once again fails to deliver anything memorable or amazing to look at. I can't see anyone taking inspiration from this trilogy, which is a shame.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish this movie had been the trilogy, and they had spent three films developing the story instead of just throwing a whole bunch of interesting ideas together without much development. I also wish the filmmakers had focused more on casting an interesting group instead of checking all the boxes on their diversity checklist and failing to cast a single character the audience will care about.

Overall

If you are looking for a mindless action flick with subpar action, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is your movie. There are a lot of good ideas in this movie (mostly stolen from Timothy Zahn), but they are just thrown at the audience and never developed. I wish this movie had been the trilogy with the filmmakers spending three films developing the story. That would have been worth watching. I also wish the filmmakers had focused more on casting an interesting group of actors as the main characters (George Lucas gave us two great, lovable casts in his two trilogies) instead of checking all the boxes on their diversity checklist and failing to cast a single character the audience cares about. It robbed the film of any peril or sense of accomplishment when you care so little for the characters. The film is very entertaining as long as you don't think too hard about it. The storytelling is weak. The visuals are disappointing. But the pacing is good. And the filmmakers threw everything in this including the kitchen sink to make it a"big ending" but it's more spectacle than anything else. It's not a bad film, but isn't far from a good one. I give this film 3 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

   

 

TV Show Review - The Mandalorian, Episodes 1 and 2

I am a huge Star Wars fan and always wanted more adventures beyond the movies. I've read the books, comic books, watched the tv shows, and sat thru the four Disney-made movies, but none of them have satisfied me or felt like Star Wars. But when I hear Jon Favreau was behind this new series, I thought there might be a chance for it to be good.

The Mandalorian an 8-episode 2019 Disney+ original series based on Star Wars by George Lucas. It takes place five years after Return of the Jedi. It is rated TV-PG and is appropriate for most ages.

The Good

Storytelling. The storytelling is the strongest aspect of this show. The way the story is told is masterfully done and is what makes this such a great show.

Characters. The characters are all instantly likable even though we know so little about them, especially the Mandalorian himself. The way the show is shot, we feel like we are inside his head experiencing what he is experiencing. And I love how minor characters from previous Star Wars films have been included with a larger role instead of invention new, uninteresting aliens.

Feels Like Star Wars. This series feels like Star Wars, which is really rare for anything George Lucas wasn't directly involved in.

Story. The story is really strong and tight and holds your attention.

Action. There isn't a lot of action, but what little there is is very enjoyable.

The Bad

Pacing. The show moves at a very slow and deliberate pace and provides a lot of "quiet time" and "white space".

Content. The episodes feel a little sparse when it comes to content. They are 30-40 minutes each, but only contain about 18-22 minutes of actual story.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish more happened in each episode. The shows are very decompressed with a lot of "quiet time" and "white space".

Overall

The Mandalorian Episodes 1 and 2 are masterfully done with incredibly strong storytelling, great characters, pretty decent action, a great story, and--best of all--it feels like Star Wars, something none of the four movies Disney have put out has managed to do. The pacing is a little slow with too much "quiet time" and "white space", and the first two episodes were a little thin on content. But overall the first two episodes have been great, and I can't wait to see the rest of the series. I highly recommend this show and give it 4.5 out of 5 remotes.

    

  

 

Movie Review - Dark Phoenix

I'm not an X-Men fan, and I didn't really like the first cycle of movies, but I've loved the reboot of X-Men: First Class to the X-Men: Apocalypse, so I was really excited to see how they would interpret The Dark Phoenix Saga.

Dark Phoenix is a 2019 live action science fiction superhero film based on the comic book story The Dark Phoenix Saga by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. It is rated PG-13 for language and is appropriate for most ages.

The Good

Theme. This movie revolves around the theme of how humans view mutants and their acceptance of them. It explores what good relations look like and how bad the relationships can get.

Cyclops. Cyclops has always been my favorite X-Men, and in this movie he finally did more than stand around and shoot a couple of beams. He actual had some action and used his powers in a real fight. It was fun to watch.

The Bad

Boring. This movie was really boring. It had a slow pace and nothing really cool or remarkable. It was very bland and mundane. The filmmakers somehow even made traveling into space very blah.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish someone else had written and directed this film. I was shocked someone could turn such an incredible comic book story into such a mediocre disappointment.

Overall

Dark Phoenix is a movie that should be great but is very boring and uninspired. The only highlights are the exploration of the theme of the relationship between humans and mutants and what it looks like at it's best contrasted by what it looks like at it's worst, and Cyclops finally using his powers like he does in the comics. I was very disappointed. It's not a bad movie, just a mediocre one. I give this film 3 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

  

Movie Review - Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Infinity War was such a letdown, that I wasn't all that excited to see Endgame. But I've followed this story this far, I might as well see how it ends.

Avengers: Endgame is a 2019 live action science fiction superhero film. It is rated PG-13 for language  and is appropriate for most ages.

The Good

Smaller/More Personal. Infinity War was this big fight scene involving dozens of characters that all had to do something. This movie focused on the core group and how they deal with events. It was much more emotional and personal and much better story.

Story. This movie had much more story than the last. Having a smaller cast helped.

Cameos / Tie-in's to Previous Films. This movie did a great job incorporating the characters and even earlier films into this one. It all felt like it was planned from the beginning and all came together.

Appropriate Resolution. I was really concerned with how the filmmakers would resolve such a sweeping story and do it justice without taking any shortcuts or doing anything contrived. Somehow they managed to honor everything that had come before and not cheapen any of it.

The Bad

No End Credit Scenes. I was really excited waiting for the mother of all end credit scenes. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Captain America's Resolution. I did not like how Captain America's story resolved. It seemed untrue to the story.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish there had been a couple of amazing end credit scenes. I wish they had come up with something else for Captain America.

Overall

Avengers: Endgame is a fitting ending to a 10-year series. The move was much smaller and more personal focusing on the core characters instead of a universe of dozens engaged in an epic fight. The conflicts and struggles were more personal and emotional making for a much more dramatic and satisfying story. Cameos and tie-ins to previous films were plentiful and well handled. All of the stories and journeys from the past ten years were nicely resolved with nothing feeling cheated or betrayed. The only disappointments are the lack of end credit scenes and how they tied up Captain America's story. I give this film 4.5 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

   

Book Review - WildStorm Summer Special (2001)

I wasn't a fan of WildStorm or Jim Lee back in his heyday, but after he sold his company to DC, a few titles caught my eye and I decided to get my feet wet in the WildStorm world.

WildStorm Summer Special is an anthology of comics book stories from Gaijin Studios. It is available as a 48-page Prestige Format comic book.

The Good

Orbital. This story by Warren Ellis, Cully Hamner, Karl Story, Brian Stelfreeze, and John Costanza is basically Jack Hawksmoor going for a jog across different cities on different continents using a "magic portal" type device. The words are narration in his head. While there isn't much plot, there is a lot of story exploring Jack and his view of his life and job. The art is really nice, and the format is different for a comic book.

Apple Read. This story by Brian Azzarello, Brian Stelfreeze, Karl Story, and John Costanza is a fun experiment in storytelling. The art evokes Oriental brushwork in a black, white, and red palette. The words are written in poetry, with the plot being as simple as Zealot buying an apple but the story containing much more. This is another fun experiment in storytelling.

Behind the Scenes. This section was the most interesting for two reasons. One, I didn't even realize there was such a thing as Gaijin studios and two of my favorite artists were part of it, and two, I love behind-the-scenes material. It's the reason I used to buy so many DVDs.

The Gallery. The gallery had some nice pinups of various WildStorm characters from several different artists that were fun to look at.

The Bad

Cover. The cover by Adam Hughes has some pretty colors that make it stand out, but otherwise is kind of a mess. There's no rhyme nor reason. Other than featuring a few characters from the stories, it has nothing to do with the issue. It's not particularly well drawn, and the design is poor.

Isolation. This story by Paul Jenkins, Georges Jeanty, Karl Story, Brian Stelfreeze, and Kathleen at Fishbrain is very disappointing, and this from a big Paul Jenkins fan. The art is fine, but the story reads like a bad erotic novel with no real point.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

For an anthology, this really had everything you could want.

Overall

WildStorm Summer Special is a really fun artistic experiment. It contains three stories of three different characters from the WildStorm Universe, with each story told in a different style both in format and approach. Two of the stories are great successes with beautiful artwork by Cully Hamner and Brian Stelfreeze. The pinup gallery and behind-the-scenes materials are great additions. I give this book 4 out of 5 eReaders.

   

Movie Review - Venom

I'm a big comic book fan, but I'm not a Venom fan. But for some reason when I heard about this movie, something compelled me to see it, and I'm glad I did.

Venom is a 2018 horror drama superhero movie based on characters appearing in Marvel Comics. It is rated PG-13 for language, violence, and terror and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

Story. This film had a solid story. It was very clear, very linear, and made sense.

Action. The action was really exciting and fun to watch. It was unique to Venom and his powers.

Romance/Caring. This movie contained a romantic subplot that was different than the usual romantic subplot that made it more enjoyable than I was expecting.

Terror. This film was shot as an R-rated horror flick and then released as PG-13. It has the drama and intensity of an R-rated flick as well as several scenes of terror and horror minus the gore. It was quite thrilling to watch.

Humor. This movie is by no means a comedy, but once Venom combines with Eddie, there are some funny moments that are expected but very clever and unique--they could only happen in this movie.

The Bad

Beginning. The beginning was a little slow and prosaic.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the line between good guys and bad guys hadn't been so clear and obvious. The film would have benefitted from rounding out the villains a little more.

Overall

Venom was a surprisingly enjoyable movie. It had a solid story, action unique to the characters, and humor that would only work in this movie. The filmmakers crated a rather terrifying horror flick with superhero elements that wasn't filled with gore or other disgusting and unnecessary elements. I give this film 4.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.