Monthly Archive:: May 2019
May 31 2019
Rocketman Is a Blast of a Musical Biopic
Some moviegoers had understandable fears about someone adapting the life and career of Elton John for the big screen, especially when that someone would be Dexter Fletcher, the uncredited director called in to salvage Bohemian Rhapsody. Unlike the Queen biopic, however, Rocketman finds more personal…
May 31 2019
Godzilla: King of the Monsters Rules with a Roar
The thing about legends, mythology, and, by extension fandom, is they require some buy-in from the audience. Mythic stories, while interesting individually, aren’t intended to function as one-off tales. The bulk of their power—whether it rests on cultural, Jungian, or nostalgic foundations—comes…
May 29 2019
We Are the Perfect Girl Is a Perfect Modern Retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac
When it comes to modern adaptations, I can get a little stingy and critical with how the original material is handled and how well it translates and is received by a modern audience. For example, I’m a huge fan of the YouTube miniseries The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, because the producers and writers…
May 29 2019
A Plague Tale: Innocence Offers a Grim Journey through France
France in the Middle Ages is often portrayed as a lovely place with knights and tournaments, feasts and well-manicured rose gardens. Don’t expect to see any of that here. A Plague Tale: Innocence is about Amicia de Rune, a 15-year-old girl, daughter to a nobleman, who lives a quiet life in an estate…
May 28 2019
Comics I’m Picking Up the Week of May 29, 2019
Here are the books I’m looking forward to seeing at my local comic store the week of May 29, 2019.Dog Days of Summer
Publisher: DC Comics
Words/Story: G. Willow Wilson, Joshua Williamson, Mariko Tamaki, Dan DiDio, Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and others
Art/Colors: Stejpan Sejic, Tom Raney, Cully…
May 28 2019
Potemayo Is an Adorably Quirky Take on the Moe Subgenre
Imagine waking up one morning, as you do every single day. You walk down to the kitchen to get yourself a quick bite to eat before you head off to work or school. But when you open the refrigerator, you are stunned to find a pint-sized fairylike creature with cat ears and a tiny body squirming about amongst…
May 26 2019
Iowa’s DemiCon Has Been Delighting Con-Goers for 30 Years
According to legend, it all began in 1989 in Des Moines, Iowa, with Jennette and Les Roth. They posted signs advertising the first meeting of the Des Moines Science Fiction Society, and at that first gathering, 10 people showed up, all asking when the first convention would be. That requested convention,…
May 26 2019
This Week in Geek (5/27/19–6/2/19)
Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, May 27, to Sunday, June 2.
Museum of the Moon
What: Educational, Science & Technology
When: May 21–June 9
Where: Bell Museum (University of Minnesota)
It’s been 50 years since the…
May 25 2019
Sincerely, Harriet Is the Best Kind of Graphic Novel for Kids
It’s 1996 in Chicago, and Harriet Flores is bored. Not just bored, but bored. It’s summer vacation, but since she and her parents just moved to Chicago, she has no friends from school. Her parents are busy with trying to get situated in their new jobs, so she can’t even explore the city. The only person around…
May 24 2019
Hashtag: Danger Effortlessly Fits AHOY Comics’ Niche
Before I came across Hashtag: Danger, my only knowledge of AHOY Comics was the news that they were releasing the recently cancelled Jesus-themed DC comic Second Coming, written by Mark Russell. In fact, it was only through reading the editor’s notes in Hashtag: Danger that I discovered AHOY…