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The Undying Monster
20th Century Fox
1942
Reviewed by William I. Lengeman III
(previously unpublished)
Very Short Review
A nifty little thriller with a slightly deceptive title.
Slightly Longer Review
If you come to The Undying Monster looking for scares, you're likely to be disappointed - unless you're exceptionally sensitive to that sort of thing.
Watching Big Brother
by William I. Lengeman III
(previously unpublished)
George Orwell may still be vindicated, but let's hope that he's not. Those of us who remember 1984 may recall that the year came and went and things didn't much resemble the fictional world of Orwell's seminal novel of a nightmarish totalitarian future.
Mission To Mars
Touchstone Pictures
2000
Reviewed by William I. Lengeman III
(previously unpublished)
Very Short Review
2001 Lite.
Slightly Longer Review
Not to be confused with Apollo 13, Mission To Mars is the other movie that stars Gary Sinise as an astronaut who's been bumped from a mission only to turn around and attempt to save it.
Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier
The History Channel
2007
Reviewed by William I. Lengeman III
(previously unpublished)
Very Short Review
Gee whiz, ain't Star Trek nifty?
Slightly Longer Review
In which assorted and sundry denizens and luminaries of the Star Trek universe - all five TV series and ten movies worth - get together to muse upon the essential wonderfulness of the whole endeavor. Shatner doesn't weigh in, but Leonard Nimoy takes on the hosting duties and offers a few of his own reminiscences.
Continue reading "TV Review - Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier" »
Star Trek Tech
The History Channel
2007
Reviewed by William I. Lengeman III
(previously unpublished)
Very Short Review
Frothy musings on whether Star Trek's fictional gadgetry will ever become reality.
Slightly Longer Review
Gee, wouldn't it be nice if we could make our daily commute by stepping into a transporter and suddenly turning up at work? Sure it would. But don't hold your breath.
Lawrence Krauss, author of The Physics of Star Trek, host this hour-long examination of...well, the physics of Star Trek - with some technology and other sciences tossed in for good measure.
Space Cowboys
Warner Brothers
2000
Reviewed by William I. Lengeman III
(previously unpublished)
Very Short Review
Grumpy Old Men in space.
Slightly Longer Review
Most science fiction - book, film, or TV show - requires at least one instance in which we're required to suspend our disbelief in order to stay the course.
Space Cowboys could hardly be called science fiction, but there are rocket ships zooming about and square-jawed types and the plot causes one to engage in some fairly vigorous disbelief suspending.
Prophets of Science Fiction
The Science Channel, 2006
Reviewed by William I. Lengeman III
(previously unpublished)
As the cable universe expands, those of us who don't care for reality shows, fluffy entertainment junk, or a vast number of sports channels can find solace in the likes of The History Channel, National Geographic Channel and The Science Channel.
The latter outlet recently presented that rarest of creatures - a reasonably "serious" television show dealing with printed science fiction.
Continue reading "TV Review - Prophets of Science Fiction" »
Dark Side of the Moon: The Magnificent Madness of the American Lunar Quest
by Gerard J. DeGroot
New York University Press, 2006
Reviewed by William I. Lengeman III
(previously unpublished)
Very Short Review
The moon race sucked. Manned space exploration sucks.
Slightly Longer Review
Most people who have any opinion at all probably come down pretty hard on the issue of whether manned exploration of space is a worthwhile endeavor.
Channeling Food To The Needy
by William I. Lengeman III
(Originally published in Harrisburg Magazine, November 1995)
Five days a week, 52 weeks a year, the two distinctive white and red vans of the New Cumberland-based organization, Channels, traverse Central Pennsylvania's roadways. The vans pick up excess food, food that would otherwise have wound up in the dump, from area restaurants, businesses, schools, hospitals, churches and more.
This bounty is then delivered to numerous area agencies, which distribute the food to the needy. It's a labor of love and a mission for which there clearly is a need. Currently Channels redistributes over 35,000 pounds of excess food per month.
Confessions Of A Gumshoe
By William I. Lengeman III
(Originally published in Harrisburg Magazine, April 1996)
Private investigator John Wozniak wants you to know a few things. He's never shot anyone. He's never worked anyone over. He's never cracked a murder case. He's never whipped through the streets of Harrisburg in a high speed car chase. He has no crumpled raincoats or battered snap brim fedoras in his wardrobe. And judging from his soft spoken manner it's unlikely that he's ever slapped a dame around or, for that matter, even used the words dame, babe, chick, broad or tomato to refer to a woman.
