It’s finally happened–A.O. Scott has deemed Rambo: First Blood Part II a Critics’ Pick. The NYT has an unintentionally hilarous review of the 1985 movie, which proves that genre will always be the whipping boy for critics. Until it’s not.

Scott praises the by-the-numbers action sequences, he name-drops Eastwood and Mifune, and he uses phrases like “classical style” and “exemplary grandeur and gravitas.”

I just liked the exploding arrows.

I can almost laud the NYT for having the guts to put [...]

Three items of note: my long-suffering travel essay Buffalo, Redux will be in the October edition of Eclectica. My film essay on the works of horror icon John Carpenter makes its way to Penny Blood Magazine just in time for Halloween, and the limited edition Jack the Bastard broadsides have been completed.

What’s a broadside? It’s a piece of original art usually reserved for advertisements, and in this case I’ve applied it to Jack the Bastard, had it signed and numbered [...]

I’m trying out the Nabaztag. It’s a wireless rabbit.

Let me explain: a few years ago this French company created a wireless device that was supposed to usher in the era of low-budget smart homes. They called it Nabaztag, which is Armenian for “rabbit.” The Nabaztag looks like something from the Japanese bizarro-kawaii pool:

I’m a quasi-techie, which means I like things like the Nabaztag but can only figure out 50% of their intended functionality. So this wireless rabbit–it can serve as a PA, [...]

We’re leaving the cozy confines of Brookline for a more sedate life in Holliston, MA. We bought a house on a quiet street, with a split rail fence and a writing shed in the back. I bought a lawnmower. Neighbors wave hello. Children skateboard at the end of our street. Suddenly I’m that guy. And I like it.

My online sabbatical is nearing its end, as is my supply of the Italian paperback version of Gods of Aberdeen. I offered these [...]

The WSJ ran a disturbing piece today on fear and censorship in the publishing world, specifically fear and censorship when dealing with Islam and all things related to Muhammad.

Of course we’re talking about extremists here, not the majority of the Muslim world that is too often shoved under the label “Radical Islam” whenever extremism makes news. But stridency works, both as a headline-grabber and a deterrent. The most recent example: Sherry Jones’ The Jewel of Medina.

It seems the publishing world [...]

Saturday’s AOTS panel was well-produced, with just the right amount of fanboy mania and botched bits to make it seem authentic. Cobra Commander overshadowed both Kevin and Olivia, and Blair Butler held her own despite the heavy emphasis on the raunch and sturm that is AOTS.

But the main attraction of Day Three was the calmer crowd vibe, somehow smaller and more focused on comics than the usual publicity fest of loosely-related media. There is something special about an event built [...]

In a word: Terrific. In more than one word: An inspiring collection of talent, ambition, and work ethic. And that’s just the Small Press section. I spent most of my time browsing the Small Press aisles, looking for the next under-the-radar hit. I also bought more art than I expected. In a few days I’ll collect the names of the artists I liked and post them. I also stumbled across Cyborg Mouse, which is as quirky and entertaining as it [...]

Two quick bits of news today: My travel essay The Not-So-Lonesome Highway is available on Eclectica, and next week I’ll be posting an informal interview with media icons Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn. Part of my Comic-Con schedule is a behind-the-scenes look at G4’s Attack of the Show (courtesy of their helpful publicist), and we’ve arranged the briefest of sit-downs with the show’s hosts.

I’ll be on the road from the 23rd – 28th so posting will be sporadic. But I’ll [...]

This is turning out to be the summer of badminton. I’m ridiculously competitive when it comes to badminton, which doesn’t result in any sort of ego gratification. As my friend and sometimes-business mentor Harvey Bravman says: “You can’t really say you kicked the shit out of someone on the badminton court.”

It hasn’t all been lawn sports, of course. I’m working on a writing column and my forever-bounced around essay The Not-So-Lonesome Highway has finally found a home. The online journal [...]

It’s a bit early for the announcement, but my Tobias Wolff Award-nominated short story The Love Life of Tigers will be appearing in the Spring ‘09 issue of the Bellingham Review. I’m thrilled because BR is a great journal, and The Love Life of Tigers is the fastest short story I’ve ever written. Six months ago I woke up from a dream, sat at my laptop, and recorded the dream events before they faded. I should outsource to my subconscious [...]