Ken Newquist 
Eight Legged Freaks is a throwback to the radiation-infused monster movies of 1950s, in which fallout from a nuclear weapon causes fauna to grow to unusual size and then go on a murderous rampage. In Eight Legged Freaks, it’s toxic waste that causes the runaway growth of arachnids at a local spider farm. Unlike the … Read more
The Relic is a Alien-rip off creature feature with delusions of scientific authenticity, unlikeable characters, and an underwhelming monster. Its appearance on Netflix streaming may tempt you to watch it, but you’re better of watching one of the many Tremors sequels available on the service. The Relic (1997) was one of the many creature feature … Read more
The night I went to see Prometheus, a friend tried to wave us off, calling the movie a “hot mess”. We saw it anyway … and she wasn’t wrong. This isn’t to say it doesn’t have its moments, but the film is ultimately beautiful and flawed. Prometheus began life as a prequel to Ridley Scott’s … Read more
Alien isn’t just a monster movie. In many ways it is the definitive interstellar creature feature that spawned dozens of half-baked imitations (including some that had the Alien moniker) Thirty-four years after its release, the movie remains one of the best monster — and science fiction — movies ever made.
Monster Week 2013 is here! In honor of the giant robot-vs.-giant monster smashfest Pacific Rim, Nuketown will be reviewing creature features all this week. We’re starting with, Pacific Rim itself and then moving on to a mix of great, not-so-great, and downright awful monster films.
Pacific Rim is a movie that delivered exactly what it promised: giant robots fighting giant monsters on the eve of the apocalypse. It’s not great drama, it’s not mind-bending storytelling, it is giant robots fighting giant monsters, with enough story to keep the whole thing moving forward. The depth in the movie comes from Guillermo … Read more
It’s time for a new Mac. My old MacBook Pro, purchased in 2008 was a great machine, and worked great for four years. I put off upgrading for a year by adding more RAM and a bigger hard drive, but eventually I reached the point where the hardware wasn’t meeting my needs any more.
I love science fiction, but I’ve come to love baseball almost as much. As long time readers know, I came to the Church of Baseball late in life, so I don’t know all the rituals and I haven’t memorized all the stats … but I do enjoy the game. This summer my friends and I … Read more
My Summer 2013 Reading List, like 2012 before it, is a space opera/military SF heavy list. I keep waiting get tired of space opera — after all, this particular jags been going on for several years now — but instead I find myself seeking out new books in the genre. That’s not to say I’m … Read more
Summer is coming. You’d never know it based on the cold, rainy, and generally miserable weather we’ve been having in Easton, but the area’s finally greened up and warmer weather is on the wind. With June only days away I’m now scrambling to come up with my summer reading list. So far the list looks … Read more