Richard Crawford's World

Cloverfield: A Brief Review

Be warned.  Minor (very, VERY minor) spoilers beneath the fold. (…)

False Memories of Bad Movies

Current Mood: UndeadLast night I got it into my head that I wanted to watch the Hellraiser movies again.  There are eight such movies out now, with varying degrees of suckitude (the rule of thumb with such film franchises is that the higher the number of the film, the lower the quality; Nightmare on Elm Street 5 was worse than Nightmare on Elm Street 4, which was worse than Nightmare on Elmstreet 3, and so on).  I’d seen the eighth film, Hellraiser: Hellworld on the Sci Fi Channel recently, so I knew what sort of depths the franchise descends to.  Not even the presence of Lance Henrickson in that film could make it enjoyable.  On the whole though, I remembered the films as being an interesting examination of pain, pleasure, morality, and so on. (…)

The Wizard of Oz: Moral Pauper, Devious Mastermind, or Simply Dumb?

Current Mood: ContemplativeA few months ago I wrote in this blog about my theory that Glinda, Good Witch of the North in the Land of Oz, is actually a Machiavellian mastermind, scheming and using Dorothy Gale’s serendipitous killing of the Wicked Witch of the East as the opening gambit in a plot to eliminate the Wizard and make herself the only magical power in the entire country.  Since I wrote that, I’ve read some more of the Oz books, and discovered that later plot elements confirmed my theory; once Dorothy left, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man took over the leadership of Oz until Ozma was returned to power, and once Ozma was back in power one of her first acts was to outlaw magic and witchcraft, save that practiced by her good friend Glinda. (…)

Movie Goodness

A few movies have magically appeared on my computer recently. (…)

The Night School (by Michael Paine)

The Night School by Michael PainePublication: Berkeley (2006), Paperback, 336 pagesDate: 2006ISBN:  0425209164 / 9780425209165Buy it at Amazon.com
I’m afraid that this is not a positive review. (…)

Duncan Delaney and the Cadillac of Doom

Duncan Delaney and the Cadillac of Doom by A. L. (…)

The New Lovecraft Circle (edited by Robert M. Price)

The New Lovecraft Circle
Editor: Robert M. Price
Publication: Del Rey (2004), Edition: Reprint, Paperback
Date: 1996
ISBN: 034544406X
Buy it at Amazon.com
H. P. (…)

Horrors Beyond (edited by William Jones)

Horrors Beyond
Edited by William Jones
Elder Signs Press, Inc. (…)

Talk to the Hand

Lynne Truss is famous, of course, for having written Eats, Shoots & Leaves, though I have never read that particular book (though I’ve been told by many people that, as a Writer, I really ought to). (…)

The Matrix and Philosophy

The Matrix and Philosophy edited by William Irwin
My bachelor’s degree is in Philosophy (UC Davis, 1992), and The Matrix is one of my favorite science fiction films ever; and so this book seems like it would be a perfect match for me, doesn’t it? (…)

Bloodsucking Fiends

Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore Publication: Harper Paperbacks (2004), Paperback Date: 1995 ISBN: 0060735414 / 9780060735418 Buy it at Amazon.com

Review updated February 27, 2007
Christopher Moore is regarded as one of the better American humorists writing today, and the popularity of his novels Lamb and Fluke seem to support that. (…)

The Problem of Pain

The Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis
Though my study of philosophy included a few courses in the philosophy of religion, I don’t feel qualified to really discuss the theology that C. S. (…)

More Short and Shivery: Thirty Terrifying Tales

More Short and Shivery: Thirty Terrifying Tales by Robert D. San Souci
Ever since I was a little kid I’ve enjoyed reading scary stories; and now as an adult, I still do. (…)

Anansi Boys

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
You’d think that the premise of Anansi Boys — that the old gods are still alive and interacting with humanity in unusual ways — would be tired, and that several of the plot elements in this novel (I won’t give them away) would be clichéd. (…)

Guns, Germs, and Steel

In Guns, Germs, and Steel, historian Jared Diamond attempts to answer the question of why some societies succeed over others. (…)