Michael Compton's Blog, page 2
January 10, 2016
Review – The Force Awakens: Glad You’re Up, Now Get Some Coffee
For the three people who haven’t seen new Star Wars yet, this review contains spoilers. Almost as big as the hype surrounding Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the controversy generated by three notorious reviews of the movie. Well, you know what they say: “Mustafar hath no fury like a nerd scorned.” Indeed. First, there ... Read more
December 13, 2015
Language Lessons Learned from Grading College Lit Papers
Roundabout this time every year, my buddy Mike becomes Mr. No Fun At All. Every time I ask him if he wants to watch a movie or go to the park, he says he can’t. If I ask why, he grumbles something about “the end of the semester.” I’m not sure what that is, but for ... Read more
November 11, 2015
Top 5: Reasons The Paranormal Idiot Is the Greatest Animated Series You’ve Never Seen
From The Simpsons to South Park to Aqua Teen Hunger Force, there have been a lot of innovative animated television series over the years that have reinvented the genre, challenging and changing our concept of what a show can be. These cartoons for grownups have brought us many strange and wonderful things, but we haven’t seen anything quite ... Read more
October 18, 2015
Review: Ian Probert’s “Johnny Nothing” Is a Wild, Comical Ride
Some children’s books encourage kids to be brave. Some encourage kids to be creative. Some encourage kids to be caring. Ian Probert’s book Johnny Nothing encourages kids, among other things, to: sell their dad’s possessions to their schoolmates for profit, send rude messages through the mail to the Prime Minister, hire bodyguards to terrorize ... Read more
October 13, 2015
The Martian: Mission Mostly Accomplished
The movie of my fourteen-year-old dreams has finally made it to the multiplexes. Unfortunately, I’m not fourteen any more. My doggy sense tells me there are quibbles coming. Well, you have to admit that the fact the air is so thin on Mars it could barely rustle a leaf, much less sweep Matt Damon off ... Read more
September 25, 2015
Top 5: Reasons not to flip out over a black James Bond
Everyone has been in a tizzy lately over the prospect of a black actor taking on the role of James Bond– “tizzy” being the sound made by the spinning heads of Bond “purists.” Such a switch would indeed be historic, but here are five reasons why the news should leave Bond-o-philes everywhere neither shaken nor ... Read more
September 18, 2015
Top 5: Forgotten Thriller Writers Worth Remembering
1. Fredric Brown (1906-72) If you read only one book on this list, it should be this hard-to-find title. Night of the Jabberwock (1950) is a boozy, woozy romp through the looking glass that will keep you guessing almost as much as it will keep you entertained. Brown was a specialist of the short-short–witty one-to-three page ... Read more
September 5, 2015
Top 5: Reasons you should be binge-watching Fargo Season 1 right now!
If you haven’t heard, the first season of the FX series Fargo is now available on Hulu. Here are five reasons you should start binge-watching now: 1. It’s bloody good fun. For Fargo lovers, the Coen Brothers’ original movie was sacred, and the announcement in 2014 that FX was basing a television show on it was not ... Read more
August 12, 2015
In Memory of Uggie
We’re re-posting this old piece on movie dogs in honor of Uggie, the star of The Artist and Water for Elephants, who passed away recently at the age of thirteen. Uggie is number five on the list, but number one in our hearts today. TOP FIVE: MOVIE DOGS 1. RIN-TIN-TIN The Granddaddy of them ... Read more
August 11, 2015
Gumshoe–Now Available!
Nothing focuses the mind like being strapped to the electric chair. When an old flame steps out of the past to hire private eye Ellis York to find her missing millionaire boyfriend, he thinks it’s easy money. Mysterious threats, deadly dames, and hired guns don’t faze him. But when his quarry turns up dead, it’s ... Read more
