Good morning, gentle readers, and welcome to February 20, 2024! It's a great day -- as it is every day -- to be a fan of genre entertainment!
Not a whole lot to report for this morning as I'm pretty much just puttering away on the Daily Citation Page, cleaning up a bit of this and that here and there to make it vastly more newsworthy and presentable to the viewing/reading audience. I did manage to get up a few fresh reviews yesterday for those of you keeping score, and -- who knows? -- I might even dust off some prose for a new review this afternoon. Hard to tell at this point, as I do have a few errands I need to get to today in preparation for a little "procedure" I'm having on Thursday. So take that as a Public Service Announcement that there will most likely be very little new content on Thursday. I have something that'll definitely keep me away from the blog.
To those of you reaching out to me regarding Dune: Part 2? Alas, no, I'm no media diva, so I've no means to get in an advance preview. The blog isn't large enough (yet) to warrant me being inducted into the cultural bigwigs club. (I will persevere, regardless.) Yes, I'm excited to see it on the big screen, though I will admit I'm a bit miffed that it's a Part 2 and there's more to come without Part 3 even being written and/or greenlit. Despite what each of us might believe, I'm not so sure Part 3 is a foregone conclusion. Part 1 wasn't exactly a barn-burner -- if you know what I mean -- and I'm not so sure that there's as much hype of Part 2 as the studio would hope. Mind you when I simply point that out online I get inundated with folks who dub me a 'hater.' (Sigh.) As I've often admitted, Dune isn't exactly a personal favorite of mine, but I'm far from a hater. It just doesn't mean as much to me personally as it does to others ... and I'm gonna leave it at that. No sense stirring the pot.
But -- again -- yes, I'm as exciting as are all of you to see it on the big screen. Once I do, I'll most likely be giving it a review. Until then? Well, I really have nada to say about that.
Not a whole lot to report for this morning as I'm pretty much just puttering away on the Daily Citation Page, cleaning up a bit of this and that here and there to make it vastly more newsworthy and presentable to the viewing/reading audience. I did manage to get up a few fresh reviews yesterday for those of you keeping score, and -- who knows? -- I might even dust off some prose for a new review this afternoon. Hard to tell at this point, as I do have a few errands I need to get to today in preparation for a little "procedure" I'm having on Thursday. So take that as a Public Service Announcement that there will most likely be very little new content on Thursday. I have something that'll definitely keep me away from the blog.
To those of you reaching out to me regarding Dune: Part 2? Alas, no, I'm no media diva, so I've no means to get in an advance preview. The blog isn't large enough (yet) to warrant me being inducted into the cultural bigwigs club. (I will persevere, regardless.) Yes, I'm excited to see it on the big screen, though I will admit I'm a bit miffed that it's a Part 2 and there's more to come without Part 3 even being written and/or greenlit. Despite what each of us might believe, I'm not so sure Part 3 is a foregone conclusion. Part 1 wasn't exactly a barn-burner -- if you know what I mean -- and I'm not so sure that there's as much hype of Part 2 as the studio would hope. Mind you when I simply point that out online I get inundated with folks who dub me a 'hater.' (Sigh.) As I've often admitted, Dune isn't exactly a personal favorite of mine, but I'm far from a hater. It just doesn't mean as much to me personally as it does to others ... and I'm gonna leave it at that. No sense stirring the pot.
But -- again -- yes, I'm as exciting as are all of you to see it on the big screen. Once I do, I'll most likely be giving it a review. Until then? Well, I really have nada to say about that.
The older I get, the sadder I get when I come across names that seem to have all but been forgotten in certain quarters, and -- damn straight -- that sentiment applies to the late, great Richard Matheson.
In all seriousness, this guy's resume is the stuff of L-E-G-E-N-D, and the fact that he really isn't nor never quite was a household name is a crime. Granted, Science Fiction and Fantasy are not to everyone's liking, but Matheson tinkered heavily in that in-between area -- those gray spots -- between Fantasy and Drama, and he's responsible for penning a veritable library of stuff with solid crossover appeal for those who truly wish to check it out. In fact, many fans have told me that his output was vastly closer to classic Horror than it was Science Fiction and Fantasy; and I'd never argue with that. My point is that he crafted stories that broadly represented first great yarns with great characters: however they'd wind up getting 'classified' (by genre) is chump change when it comes to parsing a legacy. His is work that should be read and enjoyed, and I think everyone would agree with that.
So, please, if you do anything today as a consequence of checking out this space, take a gander at the works of Richard Matheson. Born on this day all the way back in 1926, his works still resonate the way good things do, and he gets my highest recommendation possible, especially so on his birthday.
In all seriousness, this guy's resume is the stuff of L-E-G-E-N-D, and the fact that he really isn't nor never quite was a household name is a crime. Granted, Science Fiction and Fantasy are not to everyone's liking, but Matheson tinkered heavily in that in-between area -- those gray spots -- between Fantasy and Drama, and he's responsible for penning a veritable library of stuff with solid crossover appeal for those who truly wish to check it out. In fact, many fans have told me that his output was vastly closer to classic Horror than it was Science Fiction and Fantasy; and I'd never argue with that. My point is that he crafted stories that broadly represented first great yarns with great characters: however they'd wind up getting 'classified' (by genre) is chump change when it comes to parsing a legacy. His is work that should be read and enjoyed, and I think everyone would agree with that.
So, please, if you do anything today as a consequence of checking out this space, take a gander at the works of Richard Matheson. Born on this day all the way back in 1926, his works still resonate the way good things do, and he gets my highest recommendation possible, especially so on his birthday.
Those who know me well know that I had my issues with Star Trek: Voyager. No, no, and no: I've no desire to relive all of those points, but I will say that I didn't much agree with the direction of the show, nor did I care for a great many of its main characters. Given that the program began under the pretense of, truly, going where no one had gone before, I was vastly disappointed with just how quickly it turns into an adventure we'd pretty much already seen in Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation. This was unexplored space? Why not authentically show us something different?
Meh. You get my point.
But ... the series still had some fabulous yarns worthy of extra mention, and one of the earliest of record was 1995's first season outing, "Eye Of The Needle."
The idea was that the Voyager and her crew found a failing wormhole back to the Alpha Quadrant that seemingly was going to allow them a unique opportunity to return. (Granted, this was very early in the show's run, and I don't believe anyone seriously thought it'd be over so few episodes in, but you go with what you got.) The wormhole's degradation meant that the only authentic means of using it as a conduit would be by transporting the crew back home, and this would mean leaving the ship (and its holographic doctor) far behind.
Suffice it to say, these trips were, ultimately, improbably -- won't spoil it in case you want to check it out via streaming -- and the hour rather poignantly presented the drama and the dilemma in a way that tugged at one's heart. In fact, I liked it so much I toyed with the idea of crafting my own fanfic exploring a few dangling threads left in place; and it would've been fun to see someone officially invest some time in examining a few Alpha Quadrant characters introduced (or "suggested") in the script. It could've made for some very compelling fiction.
The episode first aired on this day back in 1995.
Meh. You get my point.
But ... the series still had some fabulous yarns worthy of extra mention, and one of the earliest of record was 1995's first season outing, "Eye Of The Needle."
The idea was that the Voyager and her crew found a failing wormhole back to the Alpha Quadrant that seemingly was going to allow them a unique opportunity to return. (Granted, this was very early in the show's run, and I don't believe anyone seriously thought it'd be over so few episodes in, but you go with what you got.) The wormhole's degradation meant that the only authentic means of using it as a conduit would be by transporting the crew back home, and this would mean leaving the ship (and its holographic doctor) far behind.
Suffice it to say, these trips were, ultimately, improbably -- won't spoil it in case you want to check it out via streaming -- and the hour rather poignantly presented the drama and the dilemma in a way that tugged at one's heart. In fact, I liked it so much I toyed with the idea of crafting my own fanfic exploring a few dangling threads left in place; and it would've been fun to see someone officially invest some time in examining a few Alpha Quadrant characters introduced (or "suggested") in the script. It could've made for some very compelling fiction.
The episode first aired on this day back in 1995.
Those of you who come here faithfully each morning know the drill. There's more. In fact, there's a great deal more. This is the part wherein I encourage each of you to head on over to the Daily Citation Page for February 20, 2024, and do you own investigative work. Find something in that space that tickles your fancy. Discover some nugget of information that makes your heart go pitty-pat. I give you my word that it'll be worth the time.
As always, thank you for reading ... thank you for sharing ... thank you for being a fan ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
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