Category Archives: escape pod
Three Dragons, Three Tattoos: a review of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Part 2 of 2)
Should you go see the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? I’d say yes: it’s a well-made film with decent acting and a coherent mystery plot. But I think that, to really get the full impact, you … Continue reading
Three Dragons, Three Tattoos: a review of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Part 1 of 2)
I think, perhaps, that was what most disappointed me about the American version — it was more about the core idea of the book (Men Who Hate Women, its original Swedish title) than the tattoo itself. However, no one would’ve … Continue reading
Book Review: “Out of Oz” by Gregory Maguire
I think my biggest problem with the book was its time-scale. I realize that makes me somewhat of a hypocrite, given that my favorite book takes place over about the same scale (ten or so years) and its sequels occur … Continue reading
Posted in book, escape pod, fantasy, nonfiction, review, writing
Tagged a lion among men, elphaba, gregory maguire, l frank baum, oz, review, son of a witch, the wiz, tin man, wicked, wicked years
Leave a comment
Soundproof #15
My review of Stephen King’s 11/22/63 has been reprinted in Soundproof #15, along with several good SF stories (including “Marking Time on the Far Side of Forever”, which I narrated in December). Soundproof #15
Book Review: “Bigfoot: I Not Dead” by Graham Roumieu
In beginning, Josh think it funny to write review of book Bigfoot: I Not Dead using Bigfoot style of writing. However, realize will get annoying fast and not want annoy readers. So will stop. Book Review: “Bigfoot: I Not Dead” … Continue reading
Posted in book, escape pod, fantasy, nonfiction, review, writing
Tagged bigfoot, graham roumieu, i not dead, illustrated, review
Leave a comment
Book Review: “11/22/63” by Stephen King
Book Review: “11/22/63” by Stephen King
Posted in alternate history, book, escape pod, nonfiction, review, sci-fi, writing
Tagged 11/22/63, alternate history, fantasy, historical fiction, jfk, lee harvey oswald, review, star trek, stephen king, the sun dog, time travel
Leave a comment
Movie Review: “In Time”
Amanda Seyfried, on the other hand, always seems to look like either a sex kitten or like she was just used as the clapper in an enormous bell. Her hair is too perfect, and her eyes are always wide and … Continue reading
Posted in escape pod, movie, nonfiction, review, sci-fi, writing
Tagged amanda seyfried, andrew niccol, cillian murphy, in time, johnny galecki, justin timberlake, movie, olivia wilde, raymond leon, review, sylvia weis, will salas
Leave a comment
“The Gift” of Choice… Unless You’re a Borg
So, in the end, Janeway’s actions — which today I see at the very least as being misguided and at worst reprehensible — turn out to be “right”. “The Gift” of Choice… Unless You’re a Borg : Escape Pod
Posted in escape pod, nonfiction, review, sci-fi, television, writing
Tagged janeway, review, seven of nine, star trek, the gift, voyager
Leave a comment
Book Review: “Snuff” by Terry Pratchett
Pratchett’s customary humor and wit are present throughout, and the writing remains as wonderful as ever. My inner 12-year-old appreciated all the poo references, and if we’ve already done the goblin thing back when Vimes visited the Low King, at … Continue reading
Posted in book, escape pod, fantasy, nonfiction, review, writing
Tagged alzheimer's, batman, city watch, discworld, goblins, poo, review, snuff, terry pratchett, vimes, willikins
Leave a comment
Soundproof #13
My review of The Colorado Kid has been reprinted in this month’s Soundproof. Soundproof #13
Book Review: “The Colorado Kid” by Stephen King
The concept of “based upon Book X by Author Y” is stretched pretty far these days. Sure, sometimes you get a Harry Potter or a Twilight, but other times you get a movie or TV show that is so loosely-based … Continue reading
Posted in book, escape pod, mystery, nonfiction, review, writing
Tagged haven, mystery, review, stephen king, syfy channel, the colorado kid
Leave a comment
Music and Magic: The Harry Potter Soundtrack Retrospective — Part 10 of 10: Conclusion
I think it’s really hard to do a soundtrack that completely misses the mark. I can’t remember a single one I’ve listened to that actually pulled that off. However, in re-listening to these eight soundtracks, I’ve come to the conclusion … Continue reading
Posted in article, escape pod, music and magic, nonfiction, writing
Tagged harry potter, ministry of magic, review, soundtrack
Leave a comment
Music and Magic: The Harry Potter Soundtrack Retrospective — Part 9 of 10: Deathly Hallows 2
This soundtrack is more about cycles than themes, though — I counted at least three of them. I approve of that style of orchestration — giving the major climactic sequence of the film its own series of specific themes and … Continue reading
Posted in article, escape pod, music and magic, nonfiction, writing
Tagged alexandre desplat, deathly hallows, harry potter, james horner, soundtrack, star trek
Leave a comment
Book Review: “H.I.V.E.: Higher Institute of Villainous Education” by Mark Walden
So far, I’ve given H.I.V.E. a lot of grief over its use of genre conventions, but I hope I’ve done it good-naturedly enough to keep you from being put off the book. I mean, it’s YA; it’s sort of YA’s … Continue reading
Posted in book, escape pod, nonfiction, review, superhero, writing, ya
Tagged h.i.v.e., harry potter, higher institute of villainous education, mark walden, percy jackson, review, starfleet academy, super-villain, the magicians, trope, ya
Leave a comment
Soundproof #12 : Escape Pod
My review of Lev Grossman’s “The Magician King” has been reprinted in this month’s Soundproof Escape Pod. Soundproof #12 : Escape Pod
Music and Magic: The Harry Potter Soundtrack Retrospective — Part 8 of 10: Deathly Hallows 1
Overall I was very pleased with Desplat’s soundtrack for the first half of Deathly Hallows. I was leery at first, but the studio really came through with a good choice for the film’s score, and I was quite looking forward … Continue reading
Posted in article, escape pod, music and magic, nonfiction, writing
Tagged alexandre desplat, deathly hallows, harry potter, nobuo uematsu, review, soundtrack
Leave a comment
Music and Magic: The Harry Potter Soundtrack Retrospective — Part 7 of 10: The Half-Blood Prince
Overall, I think the Half-Blood Prince soundtrack was by far the better of Hooper’s two outings into the Potterverse. While I didn’t like the film almost at all — I’d put Deathly Hallows 1 at the bottom of the list, … Continue reading
Music and Magic: The Harry Potter Soundtrack Retrospective — Part 6 of 10: The Order of the Phoenix
Overall, I think Nicholas Hooper is a talented composer, and I found several tracks I was able to enjoy as singular pieces of music. However, I thought the soundtrack of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was a … Continue reading
Posted in article, escape pod, music and magic, nonfiction, writing
Tagged harry potter, nicholas hooper, order of the phoenix, professor umbridge, review, soundtrack
Leave a comment
Music and Magic: The Harry Potter Soundtrack Retrospective — Part 5 of 10: The Goblet of Fire
Doyle’s strength with this soundtrack was to create a series of cues and themes — the “Family Guy” theme, the music and mood he used for the Voldemort sequences, the waltzes and love themes — that feels, for the first … Continue reading
Posted in article, escape pod, music and magic, nonfiction, writing
Tagged familiy guy, goblet of fire, harry potter, patrick doyle, review, soundtrack, weird sisters
Leave a comment
Book Review: “The Magician King” by Lev Grossman
I enjoyed reading the book, and there were a lot of clever and funny things to keep me interested until I got to the next plot point. And, unlike the first book, The Magician King clearly sets up another sequel. … Continue reading
Posted in book, escape pod, fantasy, nonfiction, review, writing
Tagged lev grossman, review, the magician king, the magicians, trope
Leave a comment
Josh Roseman: Writer, Voice Guy, Dad, Human 