Gordon Dymowski's Blog, page 27

Join Me For November (Doctor) Who-Liganisms!

So you're probably thinking, "Hey, Gordon's a busy guy, and I would love to get together with him to hang....but how do I go about doing that?"

Two opportunities, everyone, to socialize with me and "get your Who on."

First, the Chicago Nerd Social Club and Chicago Doctor Who Meetup group hold weekly viewing parties of new Doctor Who every week at the Red Lion Pub in Lincoln Park. You're welcome to join us upstairs for The Zygon Inversion - it's an hour's worth of socializing followed...

Review: BIG STAR: NOTHING CAN HURT ME and A MAN CALLED DESTRUCTION

Like many people who grew up in the 1990s, I became enamored of the music of Big Star - mostly through word-of-mouth testimonials. (That Replacements song about Big Star's Alex Chilton didn't hurt, either) So I easily fell in love with the sensitive, shimmering songs of #1 Record, the harder-edged-yet-brittle Radio City, and the flat-out darkness of Third.

(And if you don't find yourself repeatedly listening to September Gurls after hearing it the first time, there's something seriously wrong...

Doctor Who: THE ZYGON INVASION - A Review

To put it bluntly, I loved The Zygon Invasion.

If last season's Peter Harness-written Kill The Moon was the writer "Hinchcliffing the (expletive)" out of the episode, this is his effort to channel Barry Letts/Terrance Dicks-era Doctor Who into the classic series.

Despite the early tease of The Magician's Apprentice, UNIT is given much broader agency within this episode....and the premise reflects the Letts/Dicks-era proclivity for handling social themes.

This time around - after t...

Mondays With Columbo: DOUBLE EXPOSURE

Sometimes, Columbo can easily reflect the concerns of its time...as well as reflect the early talents of its writers.

In this case, Steven J. Cannell, who is one of the most underrated writer/producers in the television industry.

Yes, I wrote that. Out loud. Look at any of his work, and there is a very nice, well-honed sense of hitting the public tastes. He manages to work out the Columbo formula in this third-season entry, and integrating the then-popular idea of subliminal advertisi...

Welcome to NaBloPoMo 2015: Blog THIS, Pal! Style!

Yes, this year, like year's past, I'm taking up the NaBloPoMo challenge.

For those who may be unaware, the word is short for "National Blog Posting Month", where bloggers are challenged to write 30 posts in 30 days....

...and this year, it will be a bit trickier, but I can make a few promises.

First, I'm going to try to keep to Sunday reviews of new Doctor Who. (This week's the obvious exception - my review's going to be up on Tuesday).

Starting next week, every Monday's going to be a new entry i...

Happy Halloween - Blog THIS, Pal! Style

I'll be out today - here are some Halloween-themed video treats:









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If you can see this, that means you're reading this in a feed reader - why not visit the blog at blogthispal.blogspot.com?
(Be sure to avoid blogthispal.com for now - it's being held by a cybersquatter. And he doesn't deserve the traffic.)
Or check out any of my other activities via gordondymowski.com?

You'll thank me later.

Where Stories Come From: BLACK BAT MYSTERY VOL 3

You know, I could be rather pedantic and just encourage you to read my introductory essay, "The Auteur & The Vigilante" after "The Magnificent Anderson" in Airship 27's excellent Black Bat Mystery, Vol 3  collection....but that would be a bit snarky.

I could simply cut and paste the essay from the original Word document and post it here, but that would be 1) lazy and 2) detrimental to sales.

So in an effort to encourage you to purchase this book, here's what I'm going to do....many writ...

Review: DOCTOR WHO - The Woman Who Lived

To be honest, I'm a bit on the fence when it comes to this current Doctor Who: although I appreciate the lack of plotty-wottiness in this season, the two-parters have been mixed.

Magician's Apprentice/Witch's Familiar? The Genesis of the Daleks sequel we didn't ask for. Under the Lake/Before the Flood? Great base under siege suddenly becomes timey-wimey...and works like a charm.

Now we have The Woman Who Lived, which isn't so much the second half of a two-parter as a counterpoint to last week's...

I've Been Published! BLACK BAT MYSTERY VOL 3

(Yes, I've just been published yet again! Here's the official press release....and I've included a link, so please buy this. Now.)

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONSPresents
MORE BLACK BAT ACTION!
Airship 27 Productions is thrilled to announce the release of “Black Bat Mystery Vol 3.” One of the greatest pulp action heroes is back in four brand new adventures.  Tony Quinn, blind defense attorney and police consultant, is in reality the crime-busting vigilante known as the Black Bat. He is aided by the...

DOCTOR WHO: The Girl Who Died - Review

I know, I know - usually, I have this up on Sunday. Spent Saturday night at my high school reunion, and I had a blast. So thankfully, Sunday morning meant catching up on my Doctor Who viewing, and I've come to one conclusion.....

Jamie Mathieson, I love you.

Last season, he wrote both Flatline  (with a very clever idea) and Mummy on the Orient Express  (which, admittedly, has grown on me with repeated viewings). Mathieson has a really talent for sharply measured characters, clever inve...