Vampires are so commonplace in entertainment these days that I cannot fathom how anyone could find them mysterious, otherworldly, or especially frightening. In our narcissistic age, people romanticize vampires because the idea of staying young forever trumps any of the existential sadness of such a proposition. Furthermore, the horror aspect of the undead has been entirely co-opted and taken to ex...[Read More]
The folks behind the latest crop of Marvel superhero movies have done the impossible – they made me care about The Avengers. I’m a very cynical comic book fan (ed. Note: see Why I Hate the New Superman Costume!) and I’ve never really been keen on the heroes who make up the Avengers. I hate Captain America just as much as I hate Superman. Thor bores me, and as hard as I’ve tried, I could never get ...[Read More]
The fall of 1967 found The Beatles feasting on the critical and commercial success of the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album and looking for a follow-up. Since the record’s June release, the group had become cultural and musical icons and had attained a form of rock sainthood. They were, by all accounts, perceived as infallible. Then, in early September, just a few weeks after the death o...[Read More]