Solar focuses on the fate of a manned mission to the sun caught in a massive solar flare. By avoiding the temptations of magicy/sciency short cuts to a happy ending, and sticking to the basic parameters of its established story, Solar comes to a far more powerful and satisfying conclusion.
Category: Reviews
Rethinking the Prequel
It was with some trepidation, that I picked up The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Suzanne Collins’ prequel to The Hunger Games.
Sometimes You Just Need a Do-Over
(Spoiler Warning: I discuss the film Scaramouche in the this post and give away key plot points, including the ending. Read at you own risk.) Sometimes you discover interesting things when doing your homework. I recently took a stage combat class in small sword, the dueling sword of the 18th century. One week, our homework … Continue reading Sometimes You Just Need a Do-Over
Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” and the Limits of Innovation
I am a big fan of Joss Whedon’s work. From Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Firefly to his version of Much Ado About Nothing, I find his work constantly engaging and entertaining. And so, when I ran across the DVD collection of his TV series Dollhouse in my local library, I was quite excited. I … Continue reading Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” and the Limits of Innovation
Reflecting on Skywalker
In my previous post, I laid out 4 questions I hoped the final Star Wars movie would answer. Now that The Rise of Skywalker has been out for a while, and I assume everyone with an interest in the answers has seen it, I think the time has come for me to revisit the questions. … Continue reading Reflecting on Skywalker
Advantages of Limits: Triangulation: Dark Skies
We artists like our freedom. We want to explore whatever ideas intrigue us, follow our inspirations where ever they lead us. We loved being told to “write about whatever you want.” Creative Freedom at last! And yet, we also dread being told to “write about anything you want.” Our minds go blank. Too many choices! … Continue reading Advantages of Limits: Triangulation: Dark Skies
A Peaceful Apocalypse?
Shortly after finishing my previous post on the post-apocalyptic comic book Dark Age, I read When the English Fall by David Williams (from Algonquin Books.) The focus here is firmly on telling a realistic story of a community surviving an apocalypse. Williams starts out with an entirely plausible (and likely) event: a solar … Continue reading A Peaceful Apocalypse?
Alan Irvine's Story Stuff 