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Review of “The Invisible Ray” (1935)

This is our latest Saturday pizza and bad movie entry. I knew it was an oldie just hearing the dramatic music scored by Franz Waxman. The flick was a classic mix of science fiction and horror I’d never heard of before. The print and audio were nice and clear, though I didn’t notice a noteContinue reading “Review of “The Invisible Ray” (1935)”

Review of “Harbour Street” by Ann Cleeves

Plot: Detective Joe Ashworth is on the Metro, bringing his daughter Jessie home from a school program. The train is crowded because of the holidays. Joe noticed a couple necking. A well-dressed elderly lady boards, and Joe wonders why someone with money didn’t take a taxi. Bad weather stops the train, and the passengers exitContinue reading “Review of “Harbour Street” by Ann Cleeves”

Review of “How to Sell a Haunted House” by Grady Hendrix

This New York Times Bestseller by horror writer Grady Hendrix mixes horror, grief, and family trauma with camp. According to my exhaustive—or exhausting—reading of reviews on Goodreads, most people either love it or think it’s the stupidest thing they’ve ever read. I fall somewhere between. Plot:Louise Joyner returns home to Charleston after her parents dieContinue reading “Review of “How to Sell a Haunted House” by Grady Hendrix”

Review of “The Black Cat” (1941)

Our last pizza and bad movie night of the year! We watched the flick with a black cat snoozing on the couch on his bed between us—after we finished the pizza. Unfortunately, the little guy can’t be trusted around pizza. The Plot: Elderly, infirm Henrietta Winslow (Cecilia Loftus) has called her family together to letContinue reading “Review of “The Black Cat” (1941)”

Review of “Now They Call me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad For America, Israel, and the War on Terror” by Nonie Darwish

The Stuff: This memoir was written by Egyptian-American Nonie Darwish who spent her childhood in Gaza. Her father, Colonel Mustafa Hafez, served as commander of the Egyptian Army Intelligence in Gaza, then under military control of Egypt. Hafez was assassinated by the Israeli Defense Forces. Darwish’s brother was wounded in the same attack. The survivingContinue reading “Review of “Now They Call me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad For America, Israel, and the War on Terror” by Nonie Darwish”

Review of “Ring of Terror” (1961)

This is our latest Saturday pizza and bad movie entry, a black-and-white foray into college days. Uh-huh. Plot:The main story is framed by a graveyard keeper, R.J. Dobson (Joseph Conway), looking for his cat, Puma. He finds the feline by the headstone of one Lewis B. Moffitt (George E. Mather), with dates 1933-1955 and theContinue reading “Review of “Ring of Terror” (1961)”

Review of “America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines” by Gail Collins

This Stuff:This is a survey of the history of women in America following European colonization until the end of the 1960s. It is broad, covering some four hundred years, and seeks foremost to cover the everyday life of women from all strata of society. What was childbirth like in colonial New England? How did oneContinue reading “Review of “America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines” by Gail Collins”

Review of “A Haunting in Venice” (2023)

For our traditional Saturday pizza and bad movie night, we watched a recent flick, an updated Agatha Christie murder mystery. Plot: Famous Belgian private detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), who emigrated to England, has lost his faith in God and retired to post-WWII Venice, no longer investigating, despite the long line of people seeking hisContinue reading “Review of “A Haunting in Venice” (2023)”

Review of “Empire of the Ants” (1977)

Now that I can eat pizza again and stay awake for a while, we resumed our Saturday night pizza and bad movie fiesta. This one was silly. Plot:Somewhere off the Florida coast, figures in red hazard suits dump barrels marked “Danger Radioactive Waste” and “Do Not Open” into the water. At least one barrel washesContinue reading “Review of “Empire of the Ants” (1977)”

Review of “The Little Grey Men” by B.B.

The Stuff: This is a children’s book written and illustrated by a British naturalist. It features four gnomes, reputed to be the last in Britain. They regard themselves as brothers and live under a tree root by Oak Pool. Cloudberry, the most adventurous of the four, has left to find the source of the FollyContinue reading “Review of “The Little Grey Men” by B.B.”