Category Archives: Fiction

Wonder and Weirdness #1 – Ed Emshwiller

Posted on November 30, 2022 by Ted Hicks

I was familiar with Ed Emshwiller’s science fiction illustrations long before I knew his name or anything about his career. From 1951 to 1979, he created over five hundred covers for many science fiction magazines and paperbacks. In the 1960s, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Fiction, Film | 2 Comments

Basic Bogart – Notes on Three Key Films

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Ted Hicks

    _____________________________________________________ Recently I went to Film Forum for the start of a three-week series of Humphrey Bogart films (July 16 to August 5). I saw The Maltese Falcon (1941) back to back with Casablanca (1942). I’ll see The … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Feature films, Fiction, Film posters, Home Video, Streaming, TV & Cable | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Best TV, Cable & Streaming – 2020 & 2021 (so far) – Part 1

Posted on April 15, 2021 by Ted Hicks

As with last year’s recap, I’m covering the best of what I saw in 2020, as well as shows from 2021 that I’ve liked so far. None of my picks are network programs. The best work being done these days … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Comics, Fiction, History, Home Video, Music, Streaming, TV & Cable | 3 Comments

Seeing Movies in These Crazy Times: Pt. 2 – New Films to Stream + One Classic

Posted on April 2, 2020 by Ted Hicks

All movie theaters and film programs in New York City were shut down by March 15. At that time, quite a few new films had their theatrical runs cut short. A number of these films have since been made available … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Feature films, Fiction, Film posters, Home Video, Streaming, TV & Cable | 3 Comments

What I Saw Last Year: Best Feature Films 2019

Posted on January 28, 2020 by Ted Hicks

2019 was another year of exceptional films. Maybe every year is, to one degree or another, or so it seems to me. Out of the 384 feature films (including documentaries) I saw in 2019, I’ve actually come up with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Feature films, Fiction, Film posters, Home Video, Music, Streaming, TV & Cable | 2 Comments

Actors on Acting – Face to Face

Posted on January 16, 2020 by Ted Hicks

Since 2014, the trade publication Variety has produced a series of television specials appearing on PBS SoCal called Variety Studio: Actors on Actors. Each program has actors talking to actors about their work and experiences with no moderator or audience, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Feature films, Fiction, Film | 5 Comments

Directors Roundtable 2020: Scorsese, Gerwig, Baumbach, and more – This is great!

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Ted Hicks

Yesterday I started watching a new Directors Roundtable presented by The Hollywood Reporter. I had the idea of including it as a supplemental item to my roundup of feature films for 2019, but the more I watched it, the more … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Feature films, Fiction, History, Streaming, TV & Cable | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Happy New Year 2020- Part 2

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Ted Hicks

Here’s some stuff I didn’t have when I put yesterday’s post together. I could save it until next New Year’s, but if the presidential election goes sideways, I might be in the hills with the Resistance. But more likely I’d … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Documentaries, Feature films, Fiction, Film, Film posters, Streaming, TV & Cable | 4 Comments

The Family Frankenstein – Etc.

Posted on October 31, 2019 by Ted Hicks

Here are a few more Frankenstein-related items to close out this series. I couldn’t resist. The first of these is a brief interview with Boris Karloff from 1963 regarding his role as the Monster in the original Frankenstein (1931). I … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Comics, Documentaries, Feature films, Fiction, Film, Film posters, History, Home Video, Streaming, TV & Cable | 1 Comment

The Family Frankenstein – Supplemental

Posted on October 29, 2019 by Ted Hicks

Frankenstein Fake News It was initially planned by Universal that Bela Lugosi would take the role of the Monster in the original Frankenstein (1931). Due to the heavy makeup required and the fact that the character does not speak, Lugosi … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Comics, Feature films, Fiction, Film, Film posters, History, Home Video, Music, Streaming, TV & Cable | 4 Comments