what Dave thinks about movies, books and everything
{4/5} “Our way of life is under threat from an invisible enemy. One that hovers at our elbow on a daily basis. These enemies are everywhere — undetected, and unstoppable.” Sherlock: The Abominable Bride, released in 2015 A woman wearing her wedding gown kills herself. Later she is seen in the street shooting her husband. […]
Here’s my list, updated for soundtracks I became aware of in 2015. The big winner from the past year’s soundtracks is Tommorowland. Year Winner Runner Ups Honourable Mentions 2015 Tomorrowland Inside Out Ant-Man Jurassic World Avengers: Age of Ultron Mad Max: Fury Road Pitch Perfect 2 The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2014 How to […]
{4.5/5} “What if we didn’t have dogs with us, and we were doing that? That would be disgusting. But, because we have dogs, it’s normal.” Please Give, released in 2010 Kate and Alex buy furniture from people who have died and resell it for a much higher price. Andra, an acerbic old woman, lives next […]
I didn’t happen to read many new authors in 2015. I spent a fair amount of the year reading 4 series by authors I’d read before — Dune, The Quintaglio Ascension, Spin, and Old Man’s War. The big winner is Charles Stross for Accelerando and the runner ups are Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson […]
{5/5} “People who couldn’t live without story had been driven into the concents or into jobs like Yul’s. All others had to look somewhere outside of work for a feeling that they were part of a story, which I guessed was why Saeculars were so concerned with sports, and with religion. How else could you […]
{4.5/5} “The thing about a mirror is this: The one who stares into it is condemned to consider the world from her own perspective. Even a bowed mirror works primarily by engaging the eyes, and she who centers herself in its surface is unlikely to notice anyone in the background who lacks a certain status, […]
{5/5} “Imagine a far away place, Hank, where people value your opinion. Now go there.” The Judge, released in 2014 Hank is a big city lawyer who returns to his home town for his mom’s funeral. He hasn’t had much contact with his family in the last couple of decades — his daughter hasn’t even […]
{4.5/5} “Once upon a time when the woods were young, they were home to creatures who were full of magic and wonder.” Pan’s Labyrinth, released in 2006 In Spain in 1944 Ofelia moves with her mother to the home of her mother’s new husband. Ofelia doesn’t particularly like him — he’s super serious and always […]
This list continues from part 6. Peter S. Beagle Beagle also wrote the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Sarek.” Masterpiece The Last Unicorn Good book A Fine and Private Place Christopher L. Bennett Bennett’s Star Trek books are always worth reading. Great books TOS: Ex Machina TNG: Greater than the Sum TITAN: Orion’s Hounds […]
This list continues from part 6. Marc Forster Forster’s movies are all very different, but they’re worth watching whether they’re funny or tragic. Masterpieces Finding Neverland The Kite Runner Great movies Stranger Than Fiction World War Z Ron Fricke Fricke directs movies that have no plot or dialogue — they show you the world in […]