The Great Buck Howard

Posted on January 10th, 2013 by Dave Switzer  |  No Comments »

{4.5/5} “I love this town!” Troy doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life — he only knows he doesn’t want to be in law school any more. He finds himself accepting a job as Buck Howard’s road manager. Buck is a mentalist who travels a lot doing shows in smaller venues — […]

This is the Year Zero

Posted on January 10th, 2013 by Dave Switzer  |  No Comments »

{4.5/5} “Following their meeting with world leaders, and a single, carefully orchestrated press conference, the aliens had been keeping a studiously low profile. They were here, they claimed, strictly in a touristic capacity. They wished only to obtain the requisite visas to come and go as they liked, along with a supply of native currencies. […]

More Than Human

Posted on January 10th, 2013 by Dave Switzer  |  No Comments »

{4.5/5} “He was in the wood, numbly prying the bark from a dead oak, when it happened. His hands were still and his head came up hunting, harking. He was as aware of the pressures of spring as an animal, and slightly more than an animal could be. But abruptly the spring was more than […]

The Cabin in the Woods

Posted on January 10th, 2013 by Dave Switzer  |  No Comments »

{4/5} “This isn’t right. We should split up. We can cover more ground that way.” Five college friends go to a cabin in the woods for the weekend. When they venture into the basement they find a bunch of unusual items, including a diary that talks about horrifying events. Unbeknownst to them, they’re being watched […]

Safety Not Guaranteed

Posted on January 8th, 2013 by Dave Switzer  |  No Comments »

{4.5/5} “‘Have you ever faced certain death?’ ‘If it was so certain I wouldn’t be here, would I?’” A magazine writer and two interns visit a guy who posted an ad in the paper looking for a companion for time travel. Of course, none of them expects the guy to really be able to travel […]

Crazy Heart

Posted on January 7th, 2013 by Dave Switzer  |  No Comments »

{4.5/5} “Those are the ugliest… boots I’ve ever seen in my life. Did the salesman threaten to shoot your dog?” Bad Blake is an aging country singer who now plays mostly in smaller venues. He hasn’t written any new songs lately, but he still has some fans from the old days. When Jean, a music […]

Unstoppable

Posted on January 6th, 2013 by Dave Switzer  |  1 Comment »

{4.5/5} “Hey, don’t get sentimental on me. Makes me think I’m gonna die.” There’s a runaway train going at 70 miles per hour and it’s going to derail when it hits a curve in a large Pennsylvania town. Along with fuel, it’s carrying several cars of toxic chemicals. The only people who can stop it are Frank and Will, train […]

State of Play

Posted on January 6th, 2013 by Dave Switzer  |  No Comments »

{5/5} “‘I see you redecorated.’ ‘Yeah, I moved the couch a couple of feet.’” Cal is a well-known and well-liked newspaper reporter, and Della is a young reporter who writes a blog for the same paper. They’re thrown together on the story of a congressman caught in a scandal — the congressman, Stephen, happens to be […]

Sleeping Beauty

Posted on January 4th, 2013 by Dave Switzer  |  No Comments »

{3.5/5} “Rise up and walk, none of your bones are broken.” Lucy is a university student — she works several jobs in order to pay tuition and rent. Even though she lives with her sister and brother-in-law, they get upset when she doesn’t pay the rent on time. Lucy is always ready to try something […]

The Brothers Bloom

Posted on January 3rd, 2013 by Dave Switzer  |  No Comments »

{4.5/5} “He writes his cons the way dead Russians write novels — with thematic arcs and embedded symbolism.” Stephen and Bloom are brothers. They have been con men since they were kids and, along with their associate Bang Bang, they’re very successful at it. But Bloom wants out — he wants to live an unscripted life. […]