Colin McMahon's Blog

Joe Biden’s Three Biggest Failures

So, like at least 74 million of my fellow Americans out there, I wasn’t thrilled with how this past election turned out. That actually may be the most understated sentence I’ve written on this blog. My actual thoughts drift closer to “Holy hell, how did we end up here again?”

I’m not the only person thinking that. There is no shortage of pundits out there who, despite how wrong they may have been about how the election was going to go, now confidently turn back and say “It was clear because of [...

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade…is not Great

Hey I haven’t posted in a while, so what better way to come back than with a controversial opinion? Some quick background here before I dive in: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was my favorite film in the series when I was little (think 12 or below). While my views have shifted on it, I want to be clear that I’m not saying this film is bad. Having just seen Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, my personal opinion is there are no bad Indiana Jones movies (as of 2023). I know, that opinion ma...

An Update on Monsters Among Us

Okay wow, it has been a bit. Who knew that raising a child could be so time-consuming? I mean, at least there’s not still a pandemic, rising homegrown fascism (fueled by just the most brazen ignorance), a largely ineffective American government, and one of the most useless and wasteful wars in history also going on…

You’d think with all the complications of life, it would be fun to escape into some creative writing. Ordinarily I’d agree with you, but Monsters Among Us, my next novel, has proven ...

Frankenstein vs. Dracula: The Battle for Social Progress

I might as well lower everyone’s hopes right now. No one is actually fighting in this essay. If you want to see Frankenstein’s monster duke it out with the Count, I recommend tracking down this film instead. No, today I’m more concerned with the theme than the monster used to showcase it. In particular, I’m going to be discussing how two of the western world’s most famous monster stories have polar opposite themes, and how they have informed (American) society in the past century.

Frankenstein: ...

They Lost the Power: Revelation

Well people of all ages, it’s that time again: Time for a creator to bring a new and creative spin to an existing franchise…and time for some “fans” to freak out about it. The most remarkable thing about any of this is that it’s actually not Star Wars for once. So what franchise are the woke elite after today? None other than: 

Is nothing sacred!?! 

Yes, today’s victim of the cruel SJW agenda is none other than He-Man, beloved action figure, not even remotely homoerotic hero of Eternia. I rece...

Godzilla 1998: A Rose by any other Name?

Recently, I have heard a common comment made about the 1998 film, Godzilla, which boils down to this: “If this movie wasn’t called Godzilla, it would be pretty great!” The opinion is depicted in the below video, in part as a defense of 1998 remake. 

Now I have already stated some of my thoughts on this film years ago and I really don’t have too much desire to rehash here. To sum up: I don’t care for it. That’s just my opinion, it is no more valid or objective than anyone else’s. I don’t mean t...

Dear Godzilla Fans: Embrace the Silly

Like so many people, much of my interaction with my fellow human beings now happens on social media. I know, the problems and issues with that statement could be called legion, for they are many. Anyway, in particular – since I’ve been trying to not follow politics quite as closely (more for sanity/burnout than anything else), I’ve been spending more time looking at the online Godzilla community, particularly those folks who choose to be active on Facebook.

In general, things are pretty positiv...

Anxieties of a New Father

 

So it’s been a good bit, hasn’t it, since I last popped on to address my online audience. Crazy huh – you’d think a pandemic that crippled my social calendar would have opened up more blogging time but alas. In fairness, I haven’t exactly been idle. I’ve been lucky enough to be working a full time job, I’ve been editing Monsters Among Us (editing being a process I hate and am very slow at), creating a Beast Wars board game, and – oh yeah – helping my wife through her pregnancy and now helping ...

Masculinity in Jackson’s Kong

My post examining racism in the 1933 King Kong gave me a new appreciation for Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake, and the changes he made to remove or at least minimize the unconscious prejudice of the movie. So much so that I decided to pop in the Blu-ray and give it another watch. While I’m a fan of Jackson’s version, I won’t deny the film definitely has bloat. It’s a massive movie, clocking in at over three hours if you watch the extended edition (yes, there is an extended edition).

That said, I alw...

Is King Kong Racist?

Whenever people ask me to name my top ten films, I can’t do it. How do you narrow down hundreds of exceptional motion pictures to a measly top ten? I’m sure if I thought long and hard enough about it, I could make it work – but I just don’t have that kind of time. 

I am, however, always able to answer the question: “What’s you favorite movie?” 

King Kong – the original 1933 stop-motion special effects film starring Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, and Bruce Cabot; directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ern...