Just in time for the Easter weekend, The Twilight Zone releases a Christmas episode, and it’s the strongest of the first four episodes. If you haven’t been watching the show, consider starting with this one.
Author Archives: JD DeLuzio
Gene Wolfe, RIP
Gene Wolfe, one of the greatest writers of SF and Fantasy, died April 14 at the age of 87. His first SF novel (category in fact a bit problematic), The Fifth Head of Cerberus, appeared in 1972. He may be best remembered for the series, The Book of the New Sun
Game of Thrones Review: Final Season, Episode 1, “Winterfell”
“Nothing lasts.”
—Lord Varys
Game of Thrones returns for its final season.
The story thus far: In a well-written, brilliantly-acted, expensively-produced show based on what European history would look like in the imagination of a clever 12-year-old boy, many people and one dragon have died, and an ice-zombie apocalypse looms.
Weekend Review: Sorry to Bother You
Like many people, we missed this indie SF satire from rapper/composer turned writer/director Boots Riley. Its nomination for a Hugo makes it this week’s Weekend Review.
The Twilight Zone Review– “Replay”
The third episode of the new Twilight Zone brings us a parable with an location fans will find familiar, and elements many viewers will find distressingly close to reality.
It’s not perfect, but it’s the best the show has delivered to date.
Star Trek Discovery Review– “Such Sweet Sorrow”
Discovery sets itself up for the season’s end, a new captain, and a change of direction—except that Spock’s presence on the ship suggests the direction won’t change too much.
Star Trek Discovery Review– “Through the Valley of Shadows”
Burnham and Beard-Spock encounter a mystery in space; Pike confronts the Klingons and his own future.
The Twilight Zone (2019)– “The Comedian” and “Nightmare at 30 000 Feet”
Submitted for our approval: the first two episodes of The Twilight Zone, revived (again) for the twenty-first century, with high production values, “adult” language, and Jordan Peele.
Weekend Review– Phobe: The Xenophobic Experiments (1995)
Back in the early 1990s, a young auteur set out to make a low-budget, feature length SF film. Negotiations with a backer to fund the film fell through, so she decided to shoot it on her own, with a budget of $250.00, borrowed and donated equipment (she worked for a local cable station), and friends and family as volunteer actors.
In the era before Youtube, it picked up its cult following through local cable broadcasts and SF Cons. It finally found its way to an actual theatre in 2016, and in 2017, a remastered version made it onto DVD.
Phobe proves surprisingly watchable.
Aliens in the School Auditorium
As you’ve likely already heard, North Bergen High School in Hudson County, New Jersey, actually adapted Alien as its school play:
Believe it or not, they’ve received praise from the original Ripley, Sigourney Weaver, and director Ridley Scott!
Additional video below: