Netflix Now: The Machine

Every since Mary Shelley penned Frankenstein, writers and moviemakers explored the idea of humans creating another humanoid life form. Many of the movies inspired by this theme are works of genius. I’m thinking Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) or Chris Columbus’ Bicentennial Man (1999). These movies allow us to explore questions like: What does it… Continue reading Netflix Now: The Machine

Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle

The cover of my Kindle edition of The Valley of Fear is pulp. It shows a scantily clad woman, screaming, as a muscular arm–its hand curled into a fist–threatens her in the foreground. The attacker’s arm is branded with a triangle enclosed in circle. The publisher’s logo appears in the upper left corner: Hard Case… Continue reading Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle

Netflix Now: Hush

You might think that a movie released in March of this year but hitting Netflix Instant Play by the end of April has suspected entertainment value, but you would be wrong. Hush is a tense drama that kept me at the edge of my seat. It is a simple movie with a simple plot, almost… Continue reading Netflix Now: Hush

iPad Challenge

When I first heard that Apple was developing a tablet device, I rolled my eyes and asked, “Who’s going to want that?” But the first time I saw the iPad, I answered my own rhetorical question. “Me! That’s who! I want one!” I don’t remember whether it was the week of its release or a… Continue reading iPad Challenge

The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Spoiler alert! In The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle’s sixth Sherlock Holmes book, Sherlock Holmes, the famed detective, returns. “The Final Problem,” the last story of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, was set in 1891. “The Adventure of the Empty House,” the first story of The Return of Sherlock Holmes, is set in… Continue reading The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle