While the writers have considerable enthusiasm for their subjects, they don't let it numb their critical faculties. Tossing away the shield of journalistic objectivity and refusing the shovel of fannish boosterism, they write in the hopes of starting honest and intelligent discussions about these oft-enjoyed but rarely examined artforms. Contact us here.

Disconnected Viewing

I don't have cable right now so I'm rewatching old shows and movies. A lot of them are animated. Such is my way. I'd like to have a nobler reason for rewatching them--something like when James revisited his favorite childhood books. And it's true—he did inspire me. But it's also true that I don't have cable.

Hammering Away at the Here and Now

Let's say you're the newly-sentient internet. How would you decipher the meaning of all the bits and bytes whizzing past you? And what about the real world outside your electronic realm?

Pilgrim's Progress

There’s a girl sitting on the subway. She’s 16 or so, in a brown corduroy jacket and a pair of faded sneakers, her feet propped on the seat across from her. She’s absently brushing on lipstick, absorbed by Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life: Volume 1.

Hi John,
I really enjoyed your piece. You make raising kids sound, well, fun.

One of the big topics in the academic study of new religious movements how the experience of second-generation practitioners differs from initial converts; how different is your experience of religious community if you have grown up with it, as opposed to seeking it out? I'm interested in your thoughts on how your Geekdom might have turned out if you got your implements from your parents, like your son now has.

Thanks for an entertaining article.

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Pitch in yours.

Brian at Shelf Life Clothing Company has put together an awesome display of "The Greatest Movie Stunts of All Time." As well as, the first volume of "The Greatest Movie Soundtrack Composers."