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The author of Skulls in the Stars is a professor of physics, specializing in optical science, at UNC Charlotte. The blog covers topics in physics and optics, the history of science, classic pulp fantasy and horror fiction, and the surprising intersections between these areas. -
Category Archives: Entertainment
A new Cloverfield video…
A new clip for the movie Cloverfield has come out, revealing a bit more of the party scene leading up to the beginning of the end of New York City. Cloverfield, for those who haven’t heard yet, is a movie … Continue reading
The crappiest horror movie endings I can think of… and some of the best!
My recent rant about the ending of The Mist made me start thinking of various horror films which have really atrocious endings. Horror films seem particularly susceptible to crappy endings, as many writers and directors think that all horror movies … Continue reading
Movie Review: The Mist (updated)
Frank Darabont should be slapped. He’s the writer/director of The Mist, the film adaptation of Steven King’s classic novella. I just got back from seeing it with my friend Mike a few minutes ago. We’ll come back to Darabont in … Continue reading
The Futurama is today! (updated)
There’s a nice article in Wired (h/t Pharyngula) about the return of Futurama to the entertainment world. Futurama was always given a bum rap by the networks, because it was unusual and more clever by far than the Simpsons episodes … Continue reading
Subtle, unsettling horror: Picnic at Hanging Rock (updated)
I’m constantly amazed at how many really good films exist, even in a relatively narrow genre like horror, that I’m completely unaware of. A few months ago I stumbled across a description of Peter Weir’s 1975 film Picnic at Hanging … Continue reading
Some of my favorite swordfights in film
One of the things I love to do is make lists. Often I’m doing this in my mind when I’m driving around town. Today, I got thinking about the best swordfights in movies: the sort of clashes of metal that … Continue reading
Happy birthday to another horror giant
Several weeks ago was Roddy McDowell’s birthday; today is the birthday of another great actor of horror films. Happy birthday to Jodelle Ferland! If you haven’t heard of her, I’m not surprised; she’s only 13 years old today.
Why I love iTunes
I’ve been waiting for well over a year for Season 3 of Avatar: The Last Airbender to appear on Nickelodeon. The season premiere date was shrouded in mystery until practically only a week before it actually appeared. Of course, I … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Fantasy fiction
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The link between horror and comedy and the best horror/comedy films
Those who read and watch enough in the horror genre know that there’s an odd, difficult to quantify, connection between the genres of comedy and horror. This connection is what attracted me to horror in the first place several decades … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Horror
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