Reviews

Movie and Television Reviews

• RE MOVIE: “Sunshine” is such a beautiful movie #scifimovies
  There’s something about the science fiction movie “Sunshine” that makes me watch it every time it comes on TV. I own a copy of the DVD. It’s just such a great science fiction movie that I can’t resist the allure of watching it when it appears. You have to see it from the beginning, so you can understand ...
• RE: Usagi Drop/Bunny Drop [Japanese movie]
  Based on a manga, I just watched Usagi Drop (or Bunny Drop if you’ve got a Viki movie pass) and it was adorable. Featuring the guy that played L in the live action Death Note, and the little girl that played young Mako in Pacific Rim. Daikichi (Kenichi Matsuyama) is a 27-year-old office worker ...
• RE: Hackers (the movie)
  When I was a teenager, the movie Hackers was the greatest thing ever to me and I loved it. I still have a copy on DVD. Sexy Burn, vibrantly dressed Crash, and a bunch of brightly cheerful pseudo-hippies/anarchists. What wasn’t there to love? This movie had it all, including a red leather motorcycle suit, close ...
• Re: The Faculty [movie]
  So this is one of those teen movies where a bunch of kids fight the alien invasion by killing people and doing drugs. Basically, it’s high school. Btw, this movie has a crazy number of famous actors in it — Elijah Wood, Josh Hartnett, Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Shawn Hatosy, Salma Hayek, Famke Janssen, Christopher McDonald, ...
• MOVIE: Your Highness [comedy, fantasy]
  Your Highness Directed by: David Gordon Green Starring: Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman Rating: R (for language, imagery, etc) Storyline from Universal: Throughout history, tales of chivalry have burnished the legends of brave, handsome knights who rescue fair damsels, slay dragons and conquer evil. But behind many a hero is a good-for-nothing younger brother trying just to stay ...
• MOVIE REVIEW: Portrait of a Beauty [Korean]
  Title: Portrait of a Beauty Directed by Jeon Yoon-soo Screenplay by Han Soon-ryeon Alternative title : “Beauty Island” Synopsis borrowed from HanCinema: Born to a family of established court painters, seven-year-old Yun-jeong is a young girl gifted at painting. However, the pressure is on her brother to carry on the proud family tradition, as women aren’t allowed to become ...
• RE: Bachelor’s Vegetable Store (kdrama)
  I watch all these kdramas and they warp my notions of reality. I think that I sympathize more with straight forward characters like Dong Yi and Han Tae Yang because that’s pretty much how I am. Though I think they give themselves more trouble than they really need if they would just be honest with ...
• TV SHOW: The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy [English]
  The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy Creator: Maxwell Atoms Stars: Greg Eagles, Richard Steven Horvitz, and Grey DeLisle Featuring the voices of Greg Eagles (Grim), Grey DeLisle (Mandy), and Richard Steven Horvitz (Billy),the series stars the two main characters, Billy and Mandy, having manipulated the Grim Reaper, usually called “Grim”, into being their best friend for eternity ...
• MOVIE: I Saw the Devil [Korean]
  I Saw the Devil Rated: R for graphic depictions of violence Director: Jee-woon Kim Writer: Hoon-hung Park (screenplay) Starring: Byung-hun Lee, Min-sik choi, and Gook-hwan Jeon Summary borrowed from IMDB: When his pregnant fiancee becomes the latest victim of a serial killer, a secret agent blurs the line between good and evil in his pursuit of revenge. ——————— Wow. I don’t even ...
• RE: The Monster [Chinese Movie]
  Title: The Monster a.k.a. Home Sweet Home Starring: Shu Qi and Alex Fong, Tam Chun-Ho Summary: A young family moves into a nice Hong Kong high rise and things immediately begin to go badly for them. They’re only there for a short time–maybe a week–when their three year old son Chi Lo is abducted. The mother frantically ...

Book Reviews

• The Missing Butterfly, by Megan Derr
  Title: The Missing Butterfly Author: Megan Derr Genre: mm rockstar Notes: 143 ebook pages Website: Less Than Three Press Summary: Cassidy Monarch had dreams—to sing, to be famous, to tour the world at the head of his own rock band. Then his parents were killed in a tragic accident, leaving him to raise his two siblings. Determined to hold on ...
• White Dragon [manga, action-adventure]
  White Dragon Author: Wada Shinji Artist: Kinutani Yu Summary borrowed from OurManga: Pursued by the mob, a young child seeks the protection of White Dragon, an assassin with the ability to morph into male or female, and kills by using… water… ——————————- The sad thing is that I never got to finish this, but I did read some of the ...
• Alone In My King’s Harem, by Lily Hoshino [Japanese manga, shounen-ai, m/m]
  Alone In My King’s Harem Author: Lily Hoshino Released by: Digital Manga Summary borrowed from Wikipedia: Alone in My King’s Harem (ハレムでひとり Haremu de Hitori) is a 2004 manga by Hoshino Lily. One of the first titles released by Digital Manga Publishing. Alone in My King’s Harem is composed of six stories, with only the last two stories ...
• Just read an awful book
  I’m not going to name any names, but I just read the most boring and lackluster romance story I have ever had the displeasure of coming across. Not because it was badly written or anything, but because it had so much potential. There was all this build up, then nothing happened. Then there was the ...
• Merchanter’s Luck, by C.J. Cherryh
  Title: Merchanter’s Luck (Company Wars, #2) Author: C.J. Cherryh Genre: sci-fi Summary: The fateful meeting between the owner of a tramp star-freighter that flies the Union planets under false papers and fake names and a proud but junior member of a powerful starship-owning family leads to a record-breaking race to Downbelow Station–and a terrifying showdown at a ...
• Exquisite Corpse, by Poppy Z Brite [horror]
  Title: Exquisite Corpse Author: Poppy Z. Brite Genre: horror, serial killer Summary: After escaping prison, serial killer Andrew Compton heads for New Orleans to pursue the art of what he calls “the art of killing boys.” He joins up with a dissolute playboy who has pushed his art to limits even Compton hadn’t imagined. Together they set their ...
• MPD Psycho, by Eiji Otsuka [manga, serial killer]
  Title: MPD Psycho Author: Eiji Otsuka Genre: manga, horror, serial killers Summary: In MPD-Psycho Volume 1, police detective Kobayashi Yousuke’s life is changed forever after a serial killer notices something “special” about him. That same killer mutilates Kobayashi’s wife and kick-starts a “multiple personality battle” within Kobayashi that pushes him into a complex tempest of interconnected deviants and ...
• Plastic Jesus, by Poppy Z. Brite
  Title: Plastic Jesus Author: Poppy Z. Brite Genre: faux-biofic, mm romance Summary: The 1960’s brought Seth and Payton all they’d fantasized about–perfect friendships, a successful four-man band, and most importantly, each other. Together they embarked on a tour that brought them stimulating highs and shattering lows, and they prospered and suffered in one another’s arms. The two men ...
• Dressing Up, by Todd Young
  Title: Dressing Up Author: Todd Young (I keep wanting to call him “Adam Young”) Genre: m/m romance/light erotica Summary: Skipper has just arrived at college on a football scholarship. The year kicks off with a costume party. Skipper ends up going as Tarzan, in an all too brief costume. At the party he meets Lake, but can Lake ...