Book Review: Rolltown, Mark Reynolds (1976)

2/5 (Bad)

Mack Reynolds’ Rolltown (1976) takes place a few decades in the future where democracy has devolved into a meritocracy.  The United States has a huge database for every individual and jobs are given based on IQ scores, etc.  The most intelligent people get to vote.  However, because of the meritocracy all racial tension

Update: Recent Science Fiction Acquisitions N. III

1. The Complete Stories of J. G. Ballard, J. G. Ballard (2009)

My girlfriend gave me this MASSIVE (1196 pages) newly released volume of all of Ballard’s short stories  (arranged in chronological order) for my birthday.  I’m extremely excited because I enjoyed my first Ballard work, High-Rise (1975).  Does anyone have a particular story which I should start with?

A Film Rumination: Transatlantic Tunnel (variant title: The Tunnel), Maurice Elvey (1935)

6.5/10 (Average)

Maurice Elvey’s Transatlantic Tunnel (1935) inhabits the forlorn ranks of seldom seen early science fiction films.  Is it a masterpiece of the genre?  No.  Is it worth watching for fans of early sci-fi?  Definitely!  The production value is remarkable (which surprised me) and a few scenes remain to this day awe-inspiring

Science Fiction Inspired Song: The Rolling Stones’ ’2000 Light Years From Home’ (1967)

I’d completely forgotten about The Rolling Stones’ interesting (if somewhat underrated) psychedelic album Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967) and its few noteworthy tracks until one popped up on my pandora station.  The sci-fi and LCD inspired ’2000 Light Years From Home’

Book Review: The Missionaries, D. G. Compton (1972)

1/5 (Drivel)

I’m often distracted by the smell of old paperbacks — I’d like to imagine there’s a direct correlation between how much I’m distracted to how bad it is — which would make reviewing easier.  Perhaps how strongly I’m compelled to write about the smell should be considered an indicator

A Film Rumination: Eccentricities of a Blonde-haired Girl, Manoel de Oliveira (2009)

7.5/10 (Good)

The Portuguese master Manoel de Oliveira is the oldest filmaker still making films — he’s 102 at the moment!  Even more surprising is the fact that his most productive years have come since the 1990s (often two films a year).  Eccentricities of a Blonde-haired Girl (2009) is the first of his I’ve seen and won’t be my last.  Despite the fact that Eccentricities has its fair share of flaws it is a gorgeous and timeless tale

Book Review: Downward to the Earth, Robert Silverberg (1970)

4.75/5 (Very Good)

1971 Nebula Nominated Novel (Silverberg declined the nomination)

The first two-thirds of Robert Silverberg’s masterpiece Downward to the Earth (1970) is easily in the pantheon of the best sections of a science fiction book I’ve ever read.  I found it emotionally engaging and often downright nerve-racking, moody and disturbed, and engages in an intelligent and poignant manner with the issue of de-colonization which was coming to the fore in the 1960s.

A Film Rumination: Sidney Lumet (June 25, 1924-April 9, 2011) and mini-reviews of the films of his I’ve seen

The great American director Sidney Lumet (1924-2011) passed away today and in honor of his long and productive  career (albeit with brief lulls of average work) here are a few mini-reviews of the films of his I’ve seen in order of preference. I’ve not seen many of his acknowledged masterpieces including Serpico, The Hill, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, The Pawnbroker, etc.

1. Network (1976)

9.5/10 (Masterpiece)

Network (1976) is by far my favorite Sidney Lumet film

A (short) Film Rumination: The Airship Destroyer (variant title: The Battle in the Clouds), Walter R. Booth (1909)

8/10 (Very Good)

tagline (a remarkably prescient one): “War in the Air! Possibilities of the Future! And actual motion picture prediction of the ideas of Rudyard Kipling, H. G. Wells, Jules Verne, and other powerful writers of imaginative fiction.  Shows what might happen in the near future