Archive for the ‘My thoughts’ Category
Movie series that remained consistent
I’m not going to bother with a list of movie series that went downhill — there are lots of them. But here’s a much shorter list — movie series where the quality of each movie remained consistent. Back to the Future These 3 movies are best watched all in a row to get the full […]
Movie series that got better after the first one
Alien All of the Alien movies are worth watching, but the second one (Aliens, the one with the space marines) is one of the ultimate science fiction action movies. Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark is certainly great the first time you watch it, but the third one (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, […]
TV shows that remained consistent
All of these shows had more than one season, and they’re either 4.5 or 5/5. Angel Some spinoffs struggle to be as good as their parent show, but this one used the fact that it was a spinoff to its full advantage — taking place in the same universe as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Arrested […]
TV shows that went downhill
All of these shows had more than one season, and they went downhill (at least a bit) at some point after the first season. The Big C This was an amazing show in its first two seasons — at times deadly serious and at other times side splittingly funny. They lost their way a little […]
TV shows that got better after season 1
Shows that got a bit better after season 1 Each of these shows went from 4.5/5 to 5/5. Babylon 5 The first season is great and presented a universe unlike any other, but the mind blowing ongoing story in the second season kicked things up a notch. The fifth season isn’t quite as amazing as […]
Author discovery of the year
2013 was a great year of reading for me, and in particular a great year of discovering new authors. The winner of my author discovery of the year is Iain M. Banks. I read three of his books, including the brilliant The Player of Games. Runner ups are Sarah Zettel for A Sorceror’s Treason, Michael Swanwick […]
Movies that have nostalgic value
When I started collecting DVDs, I resolved to only keep movies that I thought were great — ones that I rated 4.5 or 5/5. I managed to keep to that rule, with a couple of exceptions. First, I have the entire Star Trek series — a few of which are 4/5. Second, there are a […]
Best fantasy & science fiction movies by year
Here are the best fantasy and science fiction movies by year, going back to 1964. Prior to that there were 3 movies that are still brilliant — Metropolis (1927), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), and Harvey (1950). The best single year in science fiction and fantasy movies was 1999, although 2000 through 2005 were also great years. […]
Best fantasy novels by year
Here are what I think are the best fantasy novels of the year, going back to 1966. Prior to that notable books include Dracula by Bram Stoker, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, and The Dying Earth by Jack Vance. The […]
Best science fiction novels by year
Here are what I think are the best science fiction novels of the year plus runner ups, going all the way back to 1949. Prior to that, notable books include Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, The Time Machine and War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, and Brave […]