Monthly Archives: May 2013

Peter Cushing Centennial Blogathon: Cushing’s Van Helsing as Ultimate Monster Hunter from a Previous Age

May 25th, 2013 | Posted in Gothic horror, Hammer Films, horror, Peter Cushing

I am privileged to be a part of the Peter Cushing Centennial Blogathon spearheaded by Pierre Fournier at his wonderful blog Frankensteinia. Be sure to visit the blog to see the other posts in this blogathon. Peter Cushing has been one of my favorite horror actors for many years, and out of the many iconic […]

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Dom Augustin Calmet: Biblical Scholar and Vampire Researcher

May 24th, 2013 | Posted in Christianity, folklore, vampire

Previously I discussed Sabine Baring-Gould, a Christian minister who also maintained a research interest in the paranormal and the horrific. I recently came across another individual like this when reading a paper from the 2010 conference of the Center for Studies of New Religions. In “Vampires and Alternative Religions,” co-authored by J. Gordon Melton and […]

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Space.com: How ‘Star Trek’ Technology Works (Infographic)

May 20th, 2013 | Posted in Star Trek

Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration

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The New Yorker: Into Darkness a ‘Drone Allegory?’

May 20th, 2013 | Posted in science fiction, social commentary, Star Trek

The New Yorker featured an interesting essay today titled “Is ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ a Drone Allegory?” The essay dovetails with some of my criticism of the film shared in a previous post. In particular, this essay by Amy Davidson notes that in addressing counter-terrorism issues the setup in the movie has promise, but in […]

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Star Trek: Into Darkness – An Action Film in a Space Suit Void of the Best of Science Fiction

May 19th, 2013 | Posted in science fiction, social commentary, Star Trek

Star Trek: Into Darkness came out this weekend, and as a result reviews have been varied. By and large they seem to be very positive, not only from moviegoers, but also from critics, although there have been some reviews that have been very negative. Unfortunately, with this post I must contribute to the latter category […]

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Peter Cushing Centennial Blogathon: May 25-31, 2013

May 13th, 2013 | Posted in Hammer Films, Peter Cushing

I am proud to announce my participation in the Peter Cushing Centennial Blogathon to be held May 25-31 of this year. I will post my contribution here, of course, and those of other contributors will all be listed at the Frankensteinia blog that is orchestrating this fine effort. For my part, I will explore Cushing’s […]

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Tribute to Ray Harryhausen: CFQ Spotlight Podcast 4:19

May 13th, 2013 | Posted in Cinefantastique, Obituary, podcast, Ray Harryhausen, stop-motion animation

I was privileged to be a part of the “Tribute to Ray Harryhausen: CFQ Spotlight Podcast 4:19.” My thanks to CFQ, Dan Persons, Steve Biodrowski and Lawrence French: It is not an understatement to say that, for many who work within the industry of fantastic film and those who cover it, Ray Harryhausen was one […]

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CFP – Larger Than Life: Superheroes at the Box Office

May 12th, 2013 | Posted in call for papers, comics, conference, superheroes

CALL FOR PAPERS Larger Than Life: Superheroes at the Box Office An area of multiple panels for the 2013 Film & History Conference on Making Movie$: The Figure of Money On and Off the Screen November 20-24, 2013 Madison Concourse Hotel (Madison, WI) www.filmandhistory.org/The2013FilmHistoryConference.php DEADLINE for abstracts: July 1, 2013 AREA: “Larger Than Life: Superheroes […]

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Who Are the Next Titans of the Imagination?

May 11th, 2013 | Posted in Forrest J. Ackerman, geek cultures, imagination, Paul Davids, Ray Bradbury, Ray Harryhausen

Earlier this week Ray Harryhausen passed away. There was a wealth of coverage all over the media, and as expected, the fan community expressed a lot of appreciation and a sense of loss with his passing. But this has got me wondering. In the past I interviewed Paul Davids who produced the documentary The Sci-Fi […]

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Ray Harryhausen Has Died: The Loss of a Fantasy Legend

May 7th, 2013 | Posted in fantasy, Obituary, Ray Harryhausen

For a few years now I have wondered when the day would come that I would have to write this piece. Sadly, today is that day. Various media outlets are reporting that Ray Harryhausen passed away Tuesday. Harryhausen was a huge influence on me as a child and teenager. When I first encountered his fantasy […]

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