Dave's Blog

Here’s my list of best fantasy and science fiction movies, updated with movies I watched in 2014. The last 6 years have given us an amazing number of great movies. Year Winner Runner Ups 2014 Edge of Tomorrow Captain America: The Winter Soldier The Lego Movie Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Guardians of […]

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With all the listening to soundtracks I do, I can only name one female soundtrack composer: Rachel Portman. She composed the music for Benny & Joon, Chocolat, The Lake House, Never Let Me Go, and One Day — among other things. I don’t have a whole lot to say on this topic, except the obvious: […]

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Here’s my best soundtrack list, updated with soundtracks I heard in 2014. Of the soundtracks I heard first in the past year, my favourite is Saving Mr. Banks by Thomas Newman. On the other end, I found The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug by Howard Shore quite disappointing. How to Train Your Dragon 2 by […]

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I read a fair number of books by authors I’d read before in 2014, but I managed to squeeze in a few new ones. The winner of the big prize is Douglas Preston, for his wonderful book Blasphemy. Runner ups are Peter F. Hamilton for The Reality Dysfunction, Carrie Vaughn for After the Golden Age, […]

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I’ve always been of the opinion that people can believe and do whatever they want, as long as they’re not hurting others. You might think that believing in creationism is harmless, but it’s not. The most dangerous part of creationism is people getting the idea that it should be taught in schools along with evolution. […]

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Best of the best Harvey A delightful movie that showcases star Jimmy Stewart. Elwood has a friend who’s an invisible 6-foot rabbit — his family think he should be committed to an asylum. Runner ups 12 Angry Men Likely the best movie where all of the action essentially takes place in one room. One jury […]

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Best of the best Casablanca It’s known as one of the great romances, but it’s also very funny. During World War II in Casablanca everyone comes to Rick’s Cafe — including his former lover, Ilsa. Humphrey Bogart plays Rick and Ingrid Bergman plays Ilsa. Runner ups Citizen Kane A great movie and an astounding behind-the-scenes […]

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Best of the best The Wizard of Oz One of the greatest musicals ever — I haven’t seen the movie in decades but I still remember the songs. Dorothy gets caught in a tornado and is whisked off to the magical land of Oz. Judy Garland plays Dorothy. Runner ups  Gone With the Wind Adjusted […]

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Best of the best Metropolis Hugely influential in science fiction, but that’s not why you should watch it. Even though it’s a silent movie, even though the acting is a very different style than we’re used to, even though it’s a message movie — it’s still amazing. In the the future the rich and poor […]

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I recently played the board game Clue. I’m not sure I’d ever played before — if I had, it was decades ago. In my mind for some reason I imagined it would be a fun game, but it’s not particularly. Kids might like it, and that’s fine, and it’s certainly not close to being the […]

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