Movie #16 of 2026: The Terminator (1984) This action thriller launched a franchise and helped make household names out of star Arnold Schwarzenegger and director James Cameron, and even on an umpteenth rewatch, it’s very easy to see why. It’s a lean and propulsive feature, wrapping a great sci-fi exterior around a classic horror structure …
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Book Review: The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon
Book #51 of 2026: The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon [Disclaimer: I received a free Advance Reader’s Copy of this title from the publisher Atria Books in a Goodreads Giveaway, in exchange for an honest review.] There will be inevitable comparisons of this upcoming novel to The Brave Little Toaster, which author …
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TV Review: Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, season 1
TV #16 of 2026: Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, season 1 I went into this musical dramedy expecting something like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend or Galavant, with catchy original songs functioning to move the plot of every episode along. Instead, it’s more like Glee meets Ally McBeal with a dash of Joan of Arcadia: people singing choreographed cover versions …
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Book Review: The Rubber Band by Rex Stout
Book #50 of 2026: The Rubber Band by Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe #3) This third Nero Wolfe mystery, also published under the alternate title of To Kill Again, is fine, much as the previous installments have been. The best elements remain the eccentric homebody detective and his banter with his assistant Archie, while the specific …
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Book Review: Moonrise by Ben Bova
Book #49 of 2026: Moonrise by Ben Bova (Moonbase Saga #1) I remember liking this mid-90s duology about the first lunar settlement within author Ben Bova’s larger Grand Tour sequence of space exploration stories, but mainly for the political element, which it turns out is mostly in the sequel Moonwar. Here that takes a backseat …
Movie Review: Creed III (2023)
Movie #15 of 2026: Creed III (2023) Can you make a Rocky movie without Rocky Balboa? This latest release in the saga proves that you can, although his absence in the final act is rather conspicuous. Before that, our newer hero Adonis Creed spends most of the picture in retirement, rendering it more plausible that …
Book Review: Doctor Who: Frida Kahlo and the Skull Children by Sophie McKenzie
Book #48 of 2026: Doctor Who: Frida Kahlo and the Skull Children by Sophie McKenzie (Icons #1) Doctor Who as a franchise has a long history of introducing its alien time-traveler to historical celebrities of Earth, dating all the way back to the Marco Polo serial of its very first season in 1964. This newer …
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Book Review: The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker
Book #47 of 2026: The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker (The Prince of Nothing #1) I know that I read this fantasy novel around when it came out back in 2004, but I couldn’t remember anything about it and I don’t think I ever got to any of the sequels. Revisiting it …
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TV Review: 12 Monkeys, season 4
TV #15 of 2026: 12 Monkeys, season 4 I’ve been iffy on this Syfy series all along, but I’m happy to report that it saved the best for last. Despite all the open threads and sudden twists that have brought us this far, the closing season builds to a satisfying climax and conclusion that manages …
Book Review: Jewish Futures: Science Fiction from the World’s Oldest Diaspora edited by Michael A. Burstein
Book #46 of 2026: Jewish Futures: Science Fiction from the World’s Oldest Diaspora edited by Michael A. Burstein [Note: The cover of this book gives the subtitle as “Stories from the World’s Oldest Diaspora,” while the title page and listings online have it as “Science Fiction from…” instead.] This 2023 Kickstarter-funded volume presents 16 new …
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