Just in case you missed the news elsewhere on the World Wide Web, the latest victim falling to the pandemic is the greater Star Wars franchise as the Walt Disney Company recently announced that new films in mankind's most profitable space saga have been delayed until 2023, 2025, and 2027, respectively.  No word yet on what the plot will be, and there's absolutely no rumors that I've been able to find about who it'll star and whatnot.

Still, I can't find myself reading various accounts on this in multiple media accounts and wondering, "Does Star Wars even matter any more?"

Now, don't get me wrong.  This isn't the ruminations of an aging fanboy yearning for the days of yore when heroes were heroes and entire planets were expendable.  The George Lucas saga came along at a fortuitous time in our culture wherein audiences didn't even know that they were missing something like Star Wars in their diet.  Science Fiction cinema of the 1970's tending to be either (A) low-brow low-budget escapism/exploitation fare that was lucky to see theatrical release beyond major markets or (B) high-brow art-house concepts that tried too hard to be meaningful that it left most viewers behind.

Star Wars was pure escapism in what I've always termed a 'lived in universe.'  That landspeeder Luke Skywalker tooled around Tatooine with?  Looks closely, and you'll see dents, scuffs, abrasions.  Those droids he bought from those Jawas?  Why, they were so dirty they both needed oil baths to look even modestly appealing.  That Millennium Falcon?  Even Princess Leia was famous for saying, "You came in that thing?  You're braver than I thought!"

Unlike the Prequel Trilogy that came out and a much different time in our civilization, the Original Trilogy was built to look like it was real; and that brought with it the bruising so many of us know from our daily existence.  Only the Empire had things that were polished to shine, and then those items were only available in shades of black and white.  No marks.  None were tolerated.  Even Luke Skywalker was too short to be a Stormtrooper, and that says something about the world he tried to disguise himself a part of: he just didn't fit in.

And I think those sentiments are the undercurrrent of what made the Original Trilogy the cultural behemoth it was in its era: it was the little guy that everyone counted out.

Today?

Today, the franchise is owned and operated by W-A-L-T F-R-E-A-K-I-N-G- D-I-S-N-E-Y, the ultimate entertainment conglomerate that's ruled by committee and dispensed in the proper corporate doses.

"Does Star Wars even matter any more?"

Thankfully, Disney has made some smart moves, giving Dave Filoni the creative freedom he needed to finish up The Clone Wars the way he apparently wanted to.  They even were wise enough to recognize a good thing when they saw it and greenlit Jon Favreau's The Mandalorian to their Disney+ Streaming Service.  (If you haven't seen it, jeepers, how do I even know you?)  For what it's worth, The Mandalorian feels like vintage Star Wars, and it's good enough that the episodes could easily be cobbled together into some massive full-length motion picture if Favreau wanted to take a stab at it.

But I digress ...

These days, everyone wants to be part of The Resistance, a politically motivated turn to the Sequel Trilogy that kinda/sorta put the franchise on the wrong path, in my opinion.  (Personally, I would rather they have called it something like the 'Grand Alliance,' but that's a story for another day and another time.)  All one need do is turn on the television, and we see everyone is in 'The Resistance,' and it's gotten very old very quickly.  What made Star Wars special -- so far as I'm concerned -- was that it wasn't what everyone wanted but very quickly lit a fire within that mankind responded to.  Instead of being something different, the current iteration has chosen to morph into political territory a true Space Fantasy probably would've ignored.

I guess on one level Star Wars will always matter.  I just never imagined the day would come when it would mean so many things to so many people in such vastly different ways.  It's a shame that nowadays kids aren't encouraged to run down the street with blasters in their hands because our society is so opposed to guns.  My day?  My day, we all would've said, "These aren't guns!  They're blasters!  And hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side!"

I guess we're just not allowed to dream any more.

So, yeah, Star Wars is delayed.  Let's hope that whoever ponies up some new movies will go back to delivering the magic our society so desperately needs.

​Help us, Obi-Wan Kenobi.  You're our only hope.

​I do so love a good book.  Why is that, you wonder?  Well, a good book is – in its simplest form – a pleasure for the mind.  It takes you on a journey to a place you might not have the stuffing to go to in reality – be that outer space, floating out to sea, or even into the depraved mind of a lunatic.  A good book challenges the way the reader sees the world, not in any argumentative fashion but rather it peels back the layers slowly – maybe even deceptively so – and gives you that rare opportunity to experience intellectual epiphanies you only dreamed possible.  And – this is most important for me, anyway – a good book can never under any circumstances be read the same way twice.
 
And why is THAT, you wonder?
 
Well, for me the story needs to be so original or told in such a way that I can’t anticipate how the ending will arrive.  This isn’t to say that I can’t predict elements of said climax because I think we’re all good about foretelling doom if and when we see it in the cards; but how this doom rears its head – be it peacefully, be it dramatically, be it all covered in blood and brains – is the gift every author should grant every reader.  The best surprises are the ones we can’t see coming, even if we’re led to believe we were going to San Francisco yet arrive in Washington, DC.
 
That’s a very tall order, but it’s one Max Brooks demonstrates his chops for with “Devolution: A Firsthand Account Of The Rainier Sasquatch Massacre.”
 
The plot: Kate Holland and her husband Dan have left the big city life in favor of proving that the sustainable commune life truly is achievable.  Taking up residence in Greenloop, the couple find themselves surrounding by tall trees as well as an assortment of equally tall characters – similar big city transplants sharing this grand adventure.  But when the outside world throws their tiny existence into chaos unexpectedly, this tiny village will need to band together and learn some very hard lessons if they’re to survive what Mother Nature has in store for them.  And it isn’t just the effects of a volcanic eruption … it’s also proof positive that Bigfoot exists!
 
Stop right there: I know what you’re thinking.  Bigfoot?  Really?  Do I really need another New Age yarn postulating that Bigfoot is real?
 
Brooks presents the impossible here by structuring his tale via the surviving and recovered transcripts of Kate’s journal, a personal project meant to help her find the peace she’s always found elusive.  From time to time, motion pictures and television shows attempt to do the same, building a story around the semi-popular ‘found footage’ device; while audiences can be hot and cold to such trickery, I’ll admit that this structure is probably a greater Achilles’ Heel for Devolution than is the inclusion of Bigfoot, so let me explain briefly …
 
Now, as a man, let me proudly proclaim that I’m certainly no expert on the female mind: given that roughly ninety percent of Devolution is told via a woman’s surviving journal entries, I’ll admit that the novel gave me incredible frustration in the narrative set-up.  Kate Holland is no easy cookie to follow: she’s clearly unhappy with her life, her situation, her circumstances, and the fact that she’s ‘journaling’ her way through her daily existence at the advice of an unseen yet occasionally referenced to therapist, I couldn’t quite see eye-to-eye with her through so very much of the first one hundred pages or so.  Honestly (and forgive the sexism of this), I kept thinking, “What gives with this lady?  She’s in a pretty decent relationship.  She’s in a pretty interesting position in her life.  Why she’s going on about this and that and the other in such a negative fashion?”
 
Here’s the dirty secret that the second half of the novel taught me: I don’t think you, as a reader, were ever really supposed to identify with the lady Holland.  In fact, I’d go so far as to suggest that maybe – just maybe – you weren’t even meant to like her.  Otherwise, the second half of the book – where the real meat and potatoes of the story gets interesting – might not work if you did.
 
Again, keep in mind: this is told by ‘journaling.’  By design, that means that nothing here is being divulge “as is.”  It’s all being told by the same mind in close retrospect: she revisits her day at the end of it (or, at least, that’s my suspicion), and thus she can employ perhaps more hindsight if her various adventures had been told in a conventional book format.  This way, author Brooks can conceal what each of us predicts is coming for this “firsthand account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre” in a way that gives it greater impact in the climax.  Without spoiling it too much, let me say this: there’s more than one reason Kate couldn’t be journaling after the said massacre, and if you’re reading closely then maybe you’ll understand why the tale ends how it does when it does.  It’s a very clever sleight of hand – the kind of twist made famous with television programs like Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone or its inspired counterpart The Outer Limits.
 
Come the end of Devolution, I was convinced that I wasn’t really supposed to like the Kate Holland of the first half; in fact, I could argue that Brooks’ may’ve intended his readers to turn up their nose just a bit at this somewhat perfect princess finding real problems in her somewhat idyllic life.  She’s the priss.  She’s the prude.  She’s trying to give her life greater relevance by dissecting the pieces of her day in, day out drudgery for meaning.  When life is meant to be lived, Kate’s stuck on stupid looking for ‘definition.’  But when something she’s never looked for comes lumbering out of the woodwork, she slowly but surely leaves that psychological hunger behind and gets to the business of ‘surviving.’  Given that it all unfolds via these journal entries, it’s all a very calculated gamble on Brooks’ part … but one I found rewarding in the big finish.
 
For those curious?  No.  This isn’t World War Z.  Max has already written that, and this is something completely different.  Yes, it’s told with a similar mechanism – but therein the similarities end.  World War Z was impressive in scope; by contrast, Devolution is all about the darkness inside the human mind, though you have to be very, very patient for it to unfold the way it does.

COVID-19 hasn't so much killed our culture as has the overwhelming panicked reaction to it.

Don't get me wrong: I'm all for being safe, washing hands, and wearing masks and whatnot, but the ongoing shutdown of our global society?  This honestly seems a bit like overkill to me.  It's clear that the virus is deadly for a certain segment of our society, but do those folks really attend Comic-Con?

As a result of the virus, we've successfully 'flattened the curve' only to prolong the lifetime of the bug, and many events that fans look forward to -- things like Comic-Con -- turned into 'virtual programming' for those interested.  I guess that isn't a bad means with which to get out the word on upcoming projects, but given the fact that production has been halted worldwide I'm not sure what's to be gained from some of this advertising.

In any event, the virtual Doctor Who event explored an upcoming multimedia event for the singular Time Lord from Gallifrey ... and Time Lord Victorious certainly looks interested.  Those interested can check out the virtual coverage via the SyFy Wire by following the link right here.

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

I know, I know, I know.  I've heard it all before.  "We don't like independent Science Fiction films because they're not made with big budgets, big stars, and big special effects!"

See, the problem I have with that statement is that I do like the smaller, the quieter Science Fiction films precisely because they don't have some of those -- ahem -- big deals.  A SciFi indie has to work harder and work smarter to get its ideas across precisely because the reliance upon the story is typically much higher than those tentpole projects.  If all you want is spectacle, then I think you're truly missing out on some interesting side diversions, one forthcoming one of which looks to be the indie thriller Shifter.

I happened across the preview via a web advert and checked it out.  Yes, it's a quieter tale than some of the big studio stuff, but do you really want to be that picky in the age of COVID-19?  It looks like we're getting fewer and fewer releases for the foreseeable future, and I, for one, wouldn't mind a little something something different to pass the time.

For what it's worth, it has a festival win to its credits, and that generally bodes well for these smaller releases.  Check out the preview for yourself as Shifter looks to shift onto various online streaming platforms this upcoming August 6th.  I'll also post selected yet official details after the trailer below.
​

Confession time: I was never a big reader as a kid.

It wasn't that I didn't like to read because I did.  The problem for me was that during my formative years when school teachers required young'uns to choose a book for a book report they pretty much gave us access to a fairly limited library of adventures, many of which they were either familiar with or approved of; this was so that they knew without a doubt that we had read the books we were reporting on, they were 'of merit,' and they could assure themselves that we weren't simply BSing our way through the project.  Outside of the occasional 'Encyclopedia Brown' collection or a 'Miss Pickerell' book, I rarely found anything of interest ... so the choices simply stifled my interest in reading.

Don't get me wrong: I wanted to read, but I couldn't find anything that honestly interested me to read.  There's a big difference in that distinction.

Sometime in the early 1990's, I finally made a commitment to myself to read more than I had previously.  I started with the goal of finishing one book a month.  Within a few years, I was up to two or three in a month's time.  Finally, I realized that I no longer wanted to have a monthly allotment; instead I just started saying, "I'm going to read X number of books this year," and that way I could allow my free time to dictate when and where I read.  At present, I still manage to tackle about 50 in any twelve month window.

I haven't made the adjustment to ebook reading as easily as other old dogs have.  I prefer to have the book in my hand as I tend to go back and re-read some sections in the event that I have difficulty with understanding some passages OR I find something later in the volume that conflicts with something read earlier.  What can I say?  I'm a stickler for details sometimes.

However, Tor.com may change all of this for me as I've found out that through one of their email blurbs they do this occasional free ebook.  Because they specialize in Science Fiction and Fantasy, I definitely figured this was up my alley, and I thought it relevant to share with interested folks in this space.  You can find out more about their program by clicking the link right here.

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

Meh.  I have absolutely no problem admitting that I don't stream Star Trek: Discovery.

Now, I'm not a hater.  I can't honestly 'hate' on a program that I don't watch.  That's unfair, and methinks that there's far too much of the kind of incendiary tripe on the Information Superhighway in this ultra-modern era.

I will admit that I did watch the free first installment that aired on television back when the show premiered before warping over to the CBS All Access (or whatever it's called now).  While I will say that the show had some impressive production quality, I just wasn't smitten with the characters or the overall set-up (we've changed the Klingons yet again?), so I didn't follow.  I may pick it up on DVD at some point in my golden years to explore what I've missed, but at this point I've no overwhelming compunction to check it out further.

Still, as a die-hard SciFi enthusiast, I always appreciate quality production work that goes into a television or cinematic property.  Sets fascinate me as designers and builders go to such incredible lengths to elevate even the most mundane elements of, say, a bridge to the point of giving viewers something downright fascinating to view.

So if you want to explore the production elements of Discovery a bit further, I was alerted the other day to a fabulous 360-degree set-up over on the official Star Trek site.  These programming officials have crafted together a handful of 'views' from the ship's bridge, mess hall, and more that are definitely worth a look.  As I said above, you can see the steps they've taken to make the world of the 23rd Century come alive visually for audiences today, and I suspect you may want to spend a few moments in that era today or tomorrow.

Here's the link right here.

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

Ach.  Some of these 'In Memoriam' honestly hurt much more than others, and this one cuts to the bone mostly because I grew up on features and television programs that the great John Saxon was a part of.  When other folks were dismissing him as 'just the dad' from Wes Craven's seminal A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984), I and many other genre fans of that age knew better.  We knew much better.

Though he'd been acting for some time, anyone with any familiarity with Saxon's background would probably say that his breakout performance was alongside Bruce Lee in Enter The Dragon (1973), a film that has only grown as more and more viewers have discovering Lee's work after the martial artist's untimely demise.  Saxon held his own against Lee and Jim Kelly, both budding Thespians at best to John's early mastery of that craft.  But -- truth be told -- Saxon was also a Black Belt in Karate, so one could argue he more than others were perfectly cast in the feature to help give Lee the support needed thematically and literally.

With a resume just shy of two hundred different productions under that Black Belt, he tackled every genre imaginable, and it looks like he was willing to try anything to hone his craft.  As tends to happen as actors age, John ended up for a time being cast largely as a 'heavy' (or the villain), but I'd argue that's because he knew a thing or two about convincing an audience as to the seriousness of even his wildest machinations, a skill that deserves the depth of cunning only a true actor can capture.  Sure, maybe he never played Santa Claus, but that's only because Santa Claus didn't have the skills to take over the world.

Genre fans?  Well, buckle up ...

He contributed to such projects in his lifetime as Blood Beast From Outer Space (1965), Queen Of Blood (1966), Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel, Gene Roddenberry's Planet Earth (1974), Strange New World (1975), The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, TV's Wonder Woman, The Fantastic Journey, Roger Corman's Battle Beyond The Stars (1980), Blood Beach (1980), Prisoners Of The Lost Universe (1983), the afore-mentioned A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984), Hands Of Steel (1986), A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), My Mom's A Werewolf (1989), The Ray Bradbury Theater, Monsters, Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994), From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), Lancelot: Guardian Of Time (1997), and War Wolves (2009).

And his work was not without accolades.  Though these were largely bookends to his career (he experienced nominations and wins near the start and toward the end of his professional time), I prefer to think that voters saw his raw potential early on, and -- though they lost sight of him as he built an incredible body of work through the 1970's, 80's, and beyond -- they rediscovered his greatness in his golden years.

Alas, none of us last forever, but we'll always have film to remember him by.

As always, thanks for reading ... and may he rest in peace.

I've mentioned many, many times before (probably too many to recall) that I grew up in the great American Heartland that is, ultimately, better known as Nowhere, USA.  Back in the day, I was lucky to get a handful of television channels, most of which were local affiliates out of small towns in somewhat central Illinois; and these were the kind of stations that didn't have any original programming to speak of, yet offered a solid line-up of syndicated programs, many of which were imports.

Probably because the franchise was cheaper than Godzilla, I knew Gamera as my first giant, hulking behemoth before the signature lizard king.  While kids elsewhere were jazzing their time away watching that other monster chew scenery in downtown Tokyo, I was captivated by this somehow rocket-powered turtle/creature who never got enough cinema love.

Thankfully, it looks like the good people at Arrow Video are about to set things right: this coming August they're releasing The Gamera Collection -- all twelve films -- in one incredible Blu-ray box set.  I'll be copying and pasting the materials below so dare to behold ...
​

For the first time ever worldwide, all twelve tales of the adventures of everyone's favorite titanic terrapin are collected together in one deluxe Blu-ray boxset!

This limited edition collectors' set traces the decades-long evolution of Gamera, from the "friend of all children" in his more light-hearted earlier films, to the Guardian of the Universe in the groundbreaking 1990s reboot series, often hailed as three of the best kaiju films ever made.


COLLECTOR'S EDITION BOX SET CONTENTS

• Limited collectors' edition packaging, housed in a large-format rigid box, fully illustrated by Matt Frank
• Casebound, fully-illustrated disc book containing eight Blu-ray discs
• High Definition (1080p) versions of all twelve films, with lossless original Japanese audio and a complete collection of English dub tracks, including classic American International dubs on the Showa-era films remastered from original MGM elements
• Hardback 130-page comic book including a full-colour reprint of the four-issue Gamera comic series originally released by Dark Horse Comics in 1996, and the first-ever English-language printing of the prequel comic The Last Hope by Matt Frank and Joshua Bugosh
• Perfect-bound 80-page book including a new retrospective on the series by Patrick Macias, an archive interview with Noriaki Yuasa by David Milner, kaiju X-ray illustrations by Jolyon Yates, Fangoria set reports on the Heisei trilogy by Norman England, and a viewers' guide to the English-dubbed versions of the films
• Double-sided four-panel poster of "Gamera's Map of Japan" in both Japanese and English
• Collectors' artcards for each film, featuring new artwork by Matt Frank

​

DISC THREE - GAMERA VS. VIRAS / GAMERA VS. GUIRON

• High Definition (1080p) transfers of Gamera vs. Viras and Gamera vs. Guiron, with lossless original Japanese and dubbed English mono audio, and optional English subtitles
• Choice of three different versions of Gamera vs. Viras via seamless branching (72-minute Theatrical Version, 81-minute Director's Version and 90-minute US Extended Version)
• Commentary on Gamera vs. Viras by Carl Craig and Jim Cironella
• Commentary on Gamera vs. Guiron by David Kalat
• Newly filmed introductions to both films by August Ragone
• New featurette with actor Carl Craig showing his souvenirs and props from Gamera vs. Viras
• Highlights from the G-FEST X convention in 2003, featuring Noriaki Yuasa and Carl Craig
• The 4th Nippon Jamboree, a promotional film for the Boy Scouts of Japan directed by Yuasa in 1966
• Alternate English credits for both films
• Trailer and image galleries

DISC FOUR - GAMERA VS. JIGER / GAMERA VS. ZIGRA / GAMERA SUPER MONSTER

• High Definition (1080p) transfers of Gamera vs. Jiger, Gamera vs. Zigra and Gamera Super Monster, with lossless original Japanese and dubbed English mono audio, and optional English subtitles
• Commentary on Gamera vs. Jiger by Edward L. Holland
• Commentary on Gamera vs. Zigra by Sean Rhoads & Brooke McCorkle
• Commentary on Gamera Super Monster by Richard Pusateri
• Newly filmed introductions to all three films by August Ragone
• Alternate English credits for all three films
• Trailer and image galleries

​

DISC FIVE - GAMERA THE GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE

• High Definition (1080p) transfer of Gamera the Guardian of the Universe, from a 4K restoration by Kadokawa Pictures
• Original Japanese and dubbed English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio, with optional English subtitles
• Commentary by Matt Frank
• Newly filmed introduction by August Ragone
• A Testimony of 15 Years: Part 1, the first in an epic three-part documentary interviewing cast and crew of the Heisei Trilogy
• Interviews with director Shusuke Kaneko and SFX director Shinji Higuchi, filmed by Jörg Buttgereit in 2002
• Extended 90-min interview with Shinji Higuchi from 2001, focusing on the trilogy's special effects
• Behind the scenes featurettes tracing the film's production from announcement to release
• Alternate English credits
• Trailer and image galleries

DISC SIX - GAMERA 2: ATTACK OF LEGION

• High Definition (1080p) transfer of Gamera 2: Attack of Legion, from a 4K restoration by Kadokawa Pictures
• Original Japanese and dubbed English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio, with optional English subtitles
• Commentary by Kyle Yount
• Newly filmed introduction by August Ragone
• A Testimony of 15 Years: Part 2, the next part of the documentary interviewing cast and crew of the Heisei Trilogy
• On-set footage from the shooting of the film's main unit and special effects filming
• Behind the scenes featurettes tracing the film's production from announcement to release
• Alternate English credits
• "Lake Texarkana" comedic dub track
• Trailer and image galleries

​

DISC SEVEN - GAMERA 3: REVENGE OF IRIS

• High Definition (1080p) transfer of Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris, from a 4K restoration by Kadokawa Pictures
• Original Japanese and dubbed English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio, with optional English subtitles
• Commentary by Steve Ryfle & Ed Godziszewski
• Newly filmed introduction by August Ragone
• A Testimony of 15 Years: Part 3, the final part of the documentary interviewing cast and crew of the Heisei Trilogy
• Newly filmed interview with Kaho Tsutsumi about the DNA Tokasatsu exhibition in Tokyo, by kaiju historian Edward L. Holland
• Behind the scenes featurettes tracing the film's production from announcement to release
• Deleted Scenes
• The Awakening of Irys (Remix), a montage of behind-the-scenes footage and work-in-progress special effects footage
• Alternate English credits
• Spoof commentary by "Gamera" & "Soldier No.6"
• Trailer and image galleries

DISC EIGHT - GAMERA THE BRAVE

• High Definition (1080p) transfer of Gamera the Brave
• Original Japanese and dubbed English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio, with optional English subtitles
• Commentary by Keith Aiken & Bob Johnson
• How to Make a Gamera Movie, a featurette hosted by director Ryuta Tasaki
• Behind The Scenes of Gamera the Brave, an all-access on-set documentary
• The Men That Made Gamera, a documentary looking back at the series from start to finish, featuring interviews with cast and crew
• Opening Day Premiere, a featurette showing the cast and crew presenting the film at its first showing
• Kaho's Summer, an interview with the film's young star
• Special Effects Supercut, a montage of effects shots overseen by FX supervisor Hajime Matsumoto
• Trailer and image galleries

Details

Directors: Noriaki Yuasa, Sandy Howard, Shigeo Tanaka, Shusuke Kaneko, Ryuta Tasaki
Cast: Eiji Funakoshi, Albert Dekker, Kojiro Hongo, Nobuhiro Kashima, Tsutomu Takakuwa, Eiko Yanami, Mach Fumiake, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Toshiyuki Nagashima, Shinobu Nakayama, Ryo Tomioka


SRP: $179.95
Format: BLU-RAY
SKU: AV275
UPC: 760137365983
Street Date: 08/18/20
Label: Arrow Video 
Run Time: 1174 mins
Number of Discs: 8Audio: STEREO
Year of Production: 1965
Region Code: 0
Language: Japanese
​

Ach.  I saw the news yesterday evening about the passing of the lovely Kelly Preston, and my heart aches.  I don't follow the trades and celebrity stuff as much as I used to, but the actress always seemed so lively and gracious from my memories of when I did watch programs of that sort.  If you believe in that sort of thing, then you'll have to agree that Heaven earned itself a delicate flower of a woman with her exit from our world.

Her genre credentials are interesting, to say the least.  She roared onto the silver screen in the somewhat campy and forgettable Metalstorm: The Destruction Of Jared-Syn, a Fantasy/Adventure whose most memorable facet is probably the fact that it was made during the brief 3D craze of the 1980's.  She had some solid screen time as part of the charming ensemble that lifted 1986's SpaceCamp to perhaps better heights than it deserved: while I found the flick largely a notch better than TV fare for its time, I did enjoy it a bit more when I screened it not all that long back for its special DVD release.  I've yet to see 1988's Spellbinder -- a Romance/Horror entry -- but I've read that the only reason to do so is to enjoy Preston's work in it; I think I have it on my DVR from a recent airing on Turner Classic Movies, so maybe I'll have to see what all of the fuss was about.

Then, in 2000, she joined hubby John Travolta in the silver screen adaptation of L. Ron Hubbard's Science Fiction classic Battlefield Earth.  (Ahem)  As can happen when star's allow vanity projects to become as big and clunky as Earth did, the critics were unkind; audiences didn't exactly warm to the interpretation either, and the result is a flick which is often cited as one of SciFi's worst.  This is no fault of Preston, mind you; I'm only mentioning it as it's part of her cinematic record.

Still, it's probably the Walt Disney Superhero flick Sky High which most fans remember her for, and -- dare I say? -- she's downright delicious soaring across the big screen.  As imperfect as I found the release, I still think the pairing of Kurt Russell and Preston as parents to the young man only just finding his powers is downright genius: Russell's always been a favorite of mine, and the chemistry between the two worked wonders for an otherwise light-and-fluffy tween narrative.

Alas, the end comes for us all, and the lady finally succumbed to what I've read was a two-year struggle with breast cancer.  I choose to find comfort in knowing that she's at peace now, but I'll always miss her smile when it played out in whatever tale she found herself a part of.

I have a love/hate relationship with the TV lineup for the DC Universe.

Arrow?  I never quite 'got' into it.  I watched its first season, but something about its second really felt flat to me, and I tuned it out.  I couldn't say why specifically; I can only say that it felt like it was going in a direction I didn't understand.

The Flash?  Love it.  Mostly.  Every now and then, the writers will introduce a villain that I'm not all that interested in, but the growing cast of characters remains interesting to me, and I'm still with it.

Supergirl?  Meh.  First two-three seasons were great, but then for reasons I don't quite understand its writing staff decided every single episode needed to involve some ongoing political commentary, and I loathe being preached to in my escapist entertainment.  Gave it up as a result.

Legends Of Tomorrow?  Double meh.  I liked its first two seasons, but as the show wore on the plotlines just grew increasingly -- well -- stupid.  The characters have almost turned into parodies of themselves from the early episodes, and I can't imagine giving it another chance.

Black Lightning?  Well, I gave it a few episodes, and it wasn't for me.  Liked the lead, for sure.  Liked the basic set-up.  But something about the show's vibe felt off, mildly manufactured.

Batwoman?  Hmm.  Well, let's just say I gave it about thirty minutes before I turned the channel.  Again, I don't mind a reasonable amount of general goofiness and politicizing, but eventually it crosses a line where I feel like "I'm just not this show's target audience."  No problem with that.

Stargirl, thankfully, kind of takes the TV superhero formula back to The WB's Smallville mix: you have a budding superhero who just wants to 'do right,' no matter what shape that takes.  It's a kinder, gentler program, one that I'd be willing to stick with for the time being.  It's a young cast, and they're all just kinda/sorta finding their place in this world; and -- though I've seen it before -- the actors and actresses make it work for me.

In any event, I saw news today that the show was picked up for a second season (link right here), so I thought I'd share that tidbit with everyone.

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!