Author: Pearsonally

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Blog / Movie Reviews and Essays / Movies & TV / Science / SciFi

The Bad Physics of Ad Astra

a review of Ad Astra MULTIPLE SPOILERS AHEAD, IF YOU CARE TO SEE A TRUE STINKER When Brad Pitt’s newest sci-fi flick was forthcoming, it looked chock full of promise: an intriguing plot, Tommy Lee Jones as the long lost father, beautiful photography and special effects, and the trailers didn’t give away too much of the story, just enough to keep it interesting. In it’s attempt to be a legacy film, Ad Astra takes/steals/borrows straight plot points and even imitates shots from legendary entries in the sci-fi cinema corpus, most notably 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar, Gravity and others.  That’s not...

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Biography / Blog / Essays / History / Science

Humboldt at 250

Recently I have been re-reading one of the first true old-school scientists I read in my youth.  The writings of Alexander von Humboldt were pointed out to me during my first year of HS, as the then-topical scientist Carl Sagan had released his book Cosmos and the PBS 13-part documentary series “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage”. Luckily, the librarian engaged me about my interests, and with science and the writings of Carl Sagan being top on my mind, she pointed me to a dusty book also called Kosmos, but written with even more depth than Sagan’s accessible prose, though extreme in detail. ...

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Blog / Diary Entry

Diary Entry, 1908.15

Yeah, I haven’t been blogging as much as of late, but I do want to inform my (few) dear readers of the upcoming issue # 7 of my sci-fi/fantasy/horror fanzine, “Microzine”. During — and for a bit past — high school, I, along mainly with my bud Kevin Colbeck, then later Ray Heikes and Charles Oliver, put together a fanzine, originally titled “Encyclozine“.  You, should you so desire, can read all about it here: https://pearsonally.com/microzine Well, I am finally getting around to doing another issue, and this time I look forward to utilizing modern technology to make it a reality.  And...

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Blog / Essays / Far-Right Politics / Politics / Scumbags

Trump’s Messaging to American Racists

On Sunday, July 14, 2019, the person with the highest position in the world stooped to one of the lowest positions in the world: telling his opposition in Congress to [paraphrasing] ‘go back to their countries’. This hate-filled trope has been a common racist call – originally leveled at the Irish, Jewish, Italian and even African-descended immigrants – for over a century. Members of my family used to use it in regards to the Mexican-descended family across the street, despite being model citizens and neighbors and being entirely born here in the US. The same call was leveled against Muslims (even...

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Blog / Movie Reviews and Essays / Movies & TV / Science / SciFi

China Takes to the Skies

a review of The Wandering Earth NO SPOILERS AHEAD Recently, Netflix released the Chinese blockbuster sci-fi epic The Wandering Earth (May 6, ’19). Having made over $700 million worldwide, the film made good bank on what has been called “China’s first full-scale interstellar spectacular”.[1. Brzeski, Patrick (4 Dec ’17) “Chinese Film Sector Charts a Course for a Sci-Fi Blockbuster to Call Its Own”.] As you would expect, it is a mixed bag, with moderate highs and usually unintentional lows. Science-wise the file is problematic, but epic in scale, heroic in scope. One of the main problems is when the Earth —...

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Blog / Essays / History / Science

Pop Population

Of the Census years I have been alive, America’s population has certainly grown, but it has also shifted.  In 1970 there were 6 American cities with a population of more than 1 million.  They include the typical big 3 we would always think of: NYC, Chicago and LA, in that order.  At that time the list also included Philadelphia, my birth town of Detroit, and Houston, which had just hit the million-resident mark with that Census. In 1980 that number stayed the same with NYC, Chicago and Philadelphia losing a combined 1,445,504 residents.  The listing places for the 4 top cities...

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Blog / Horror / Movie Reviews and Essays / Movies & TV / SciFi

US and Peele

a review of Us NO SPOILERS Us (2019) is the 2nd major film from 5 season “Mad TV” comedic actor Jordan Peele.   After the maddening demise of that beloved variety show, he collaborated with (Detroit’s own) Keegan-Michael Key on the Comedy Central sketch series “Key & Peele” (2012-15).  His breakout “black horror film” Get Out (2017) is only the 2nd horror film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Wow. He could rest on his laurels, but that just wouldn’t be the route of a talented and maybe even brilliant filmmaker in the tradition of his heroes, including Rod Serling, Alfred...

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Blog / Movie Reviews and Essays / Movies & TV / SciFi

Not So Marvelous

a review of Captain Marvel SPOILERS MAY ME LURKING IN THE NOOKS AND CRANNIES OF THIS REVIEW Think of a comedian. The material is fair, but brought down a few notches by the delivery. Several of the comedian’s jokes are colorless, lifeless, even shockingly lame.  Let’s not even discuss having more gaps in logic and continuity than the Old Testament. Welcome to Captain Marvel, the latest contribution to the MCU, the Marvel Comic Universe. While still not nearly as bad as the first Iron Man, CM – first of all – has one of the great hallmarks of origin stories, asking...

Easily Shattered 1

Blog / Essays

Resolving Resolutions

Certainly the most common promise to ourselves we break are New Year’s resolutions.  I resolve to have the resolve to resolve the resolution of my resolutions. Uhh…I think. 7.  Finishing + + One of these days, I’ll stop procrastinating.  But just not right now. Of course I have to do something.  And quick.  For quite a while I’ve put off taking the 2 tests, and receiving the 2 certifications, I need to begin making more money with haste.   A burgeoning financial dilema approaches, and I will — hopefully before things become desperate — be eligible for either an internal or...

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Biography / Blog / Essays / History / SciFi

Harlan Ellison, RIP

a remembrance HARSH LANGUAGE AHEAD.  OK, MAYBE NOT. As I recall, I was a wee 12 years of age when I first read the short story ‘”Repent, Harlequin”, Said the Ticktockman’.  Having heard about the famous short story from others, and conveniently holding a collection of short sci-fi, I must have read it twice that day.  At least. Eventually, as my immersion into sci-fi fandom became deeper, I collected and consumed his paperback short story collections in my later teen years, oftentimes from Waldenbooks in Southgate Mall, and increasingly from the huckster table mazes at sci-fi conventions in SE Michigan.  Second...