Jay F.

  • Sharknado!

    2013 was a watershed moment for disaster films. While many folks were updating their anti-Zombie kits some of us were shopping for chain saws in case the absolute worst-case came to be – a Sharknado. This terrifying premise is exactly what it sounds like – a huge Oz-level tornado sucks up sharks (and only sharks)… Continue reading

  • A trio of British comedies

    Some decades back, our local PBS station would run several British shows on Friday nights. For many Americans this was their first exposure to classic UK fare and, for me, solidified my love of British humour. (See what I did there?) Here are a few of the shows that grabbed our attention and found their… Continue reading

  • The Inimitable P.G. Wodehouse

    P G Wodehouse was a prolific writer, with nearly all of his stories set among British aristocracy and/or in the proverbial ‘polite society’ of 1920s and 30s Britain. Knowingly or not, he somewhat reflected the naïve obliviousness of a few of his characters in his real life. After moving to France and being captured by… Continue reading

  • Three Classic British Sketch Comedy Shows

    During the same period they were bringing Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster to the small screen, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie were sprinkling the British airwaves with their own sketch comedy show A Bit of Fry and Laurie. If you ever thought to yourself, as I have, “Is there any such thing as ‘highbrow absurdist humor’?”… Continue reading

  • Leading Ladies of British Comedy

    The Vicar of Dibley – Reverend Geraldine Granger is assigned to the small Oxfordshire village of Dibley, its first female vicar following the Church of England’s quite tardy change of heart regarding the ordination of women. Offering spiritual guidance to the tiny town’s cast of oddballs, the vicar negotiates her way around and through entrenched… Continue reading

  • One Season Wonders (kind of…)

    At Last the 1948 Show (1967)  Prior to 1967 it was a dark time. Comedy hadn’t yet been invented and the population was just starting to accept the world becoming colorized after thousands of years being a nice, calm, black and white. Enter two scholars from Cambridge, John Cleese and Graham Chapman. Well, them and… Continue reading

  • One Season Wonders – Mystery Edition

    Just because a show only lasts a single season is no reason to think it is a bad show. Yes, yes, I know, most WERE bad and were thankfully put out of our misery quickly, but some were tossed by the wayside merely due to the way the TV industry machine works. Here are a… Continue reading

  • Who You Gonna Call?

    Life can be uncertain, sometimes things get out of hand, and sometimes things are so bad that you need to call in a professional to solve it. Well, if you need help with an Ancient One, outbreak of werewolves, or just a simple disappearance, then these are the folks to call. (If it’s just ghosts,… Continue reading

  • Ray Harryhausen – Featuring Creatures

    As a kid in the 1960s I loved the Sunday afternoon movies. Sometimes a Tarzan flick, sometimes a Kung Fu movie, sometimes a Hammer Horror, and sometimes it was a creature feature. Sure Godzilla or Mothra were fun, but the BEST creature features were done by a guy by the name of Ray Harryhausen. Harryhausen… Continue reading

  • Book Series by Volume – Sleuth Edition

    Today’s Book Series by Volume adds three more cubic feet to your already stuffed bookshelves (if they aren’t over-stuffed then you need to get to work on that) with three series you should investigate. Leaphorn and Chee by Tony Hillerman – This series of 18 books fills in about one cubic foot, though the area… Continue reading

  • Book Series by Volume – Classic Edition

    Today’s Book Series by Volume looks at a few ‘classic’ series that have stood up to time fairly well. A reminder: all series are measured in hardback as we all know that’s the only proper way. The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis – Filling over 1/3 of a cubic foot, this seven-book series seems… Continue reading

  • Book Series By Volume: Hard-boiled Edition

    For this installment of Book Series By Volume I’m sleuthing out detective novels. There are several bulky series to look at, but I’ve picked my personal big three. Harry Bosch Series by Michael Connelly The 22 books cover about one and a half cubic feet, but Bosch shows up in a couple other satellite series… Continue reading

  • Book Series by Volume – Galactic Edition

    I’m one of those people that love book series – big book series. When I see a trilogy my first thought is often “Isn’t that cute!” as I turn my attention to truly massive piles of words. This can work to my disadvantage, as I have that compulsion to finish a series no matter the… Continue reading

  • Book Series by Volume

    This might be a bit late to the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” party, but there is never a bad time to dive into a great series of books. If you’re like me, a plain ol’ trilogy just doesn’t cut it – I want to live in that world for as long as I can, and… Continue reading

  • You got that where … ? Part II

    As promised in the first part of our journey into the dank recesses of the library’s metal-clad hallways, here are a few examples of what SPL has available to feed your head-banging habit. Army of Anyone. Take the lead vocalist from Filter, add the guitars from Stone Temple Pilots and a stellar studio drummer (who… Continue reading

  • You got that where … ?

    Way in the back of the library, behind the rows of Mozart and Etta James, Jean-Luc Ponty and Steely Dan, in a place where even Frank Sinatra’s ghost won’t tread is a huge, iron-studded door. Locked inside are the dirty little secrets the librarians don’t want you to know about. They remember the horror and… Continue reading