Author Archives: Mark R. Kelly

Skiffy Flix: Island of Lost Souls

Posted on 25 October 2019 by Mark R. Kelly

This is a 1932 film, starring Charles Laughton and directed by Erle C. Kenton. All these films from the early 1930s are based on novels (or are sequels to previous films) but this time they changed the title: it’s based … Continue reading →

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Horror Flix: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Posted on 22 October 2019 by Mark R. Kelly

This was released early in 1932, just a couple months after Frankenstein and about a year after Dracula. The copyright in the credits is 1931. It stars Fredric March, who won an Oscar for the role. (Actually in a tie.) … Continue reading →

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Tyson, LETTERS FROM AN ASTROPHYSICIST

Posted on 21 October 2019 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s a new book by Neil deGrasse Tyson, just published a couple weeks ago. It’s blurbed as a ‘companion’ to his previous book, ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY; post about that one here. This is a collection of 101 … Continue reading →

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Links and Comments: Trump vs California; Rural America vs the big cities

Posted on 19 October 2019 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s another. Paul Krugman, Sept. 20th: Trump Declares War on California. Subtitled: “It’s a liberal state, so it must be punished.” I’m on a number of right-wing mailing lists, and I try to at least skim what they’re going on … Continue reading →

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Status mid-October 2019

Posted on 17 October 2019 by Mark R. Kelly

I’ve been light posting here for months now. Here’s the arc of where I’ve been this year, and where I’m going. It’s now just about 7 years since I was laid off from my 30-year career at Rocketdyne. It’s nearly … Continue reading →

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Links and Comments: Fear and Playing Dirty

Posted on 17 October 2019 by Mark R. Kelly

Two items from about a month ago, both from The New York Times. Why Republicans Play Dirty. Subtitled: “They fear that if they stick to the rules, they will lose everything. Their behavior is a threat to democratic stability.” The … Continue reading →

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Horror Flix: The Mummy

Posted on 7 October 2019 by Mark R. Kelly

The Mummy was released in 1932, though the copyright, curiously, is 1933, right there in the credits, in roman numerals. It was released in December 1932, according to Wikipedia, just over a year after Frankenstein’s release in November 1931. Familiar … Continue reading →

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Skiffy Flix: Bride of Frankenstein

Posted on 28 September 2019 by Mark R. Kelly

So Dracula begat Frankenstein, and Frankenstein begat Bride of Frankenstein (no ‘the’ in the title, note). Though actually it took nearly 3 ½ years, and there were intermediaries: Boris Karloff did The Mummy next after Frankenstein, and James Whale next … Continue reading →

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Monster Flix: Dracula

Posted on 28 September 2019 by Mark R. Kelly

Having realized that Dracula actually preceded Frankenstein – both from Universal Studios, and together the founding pair of the entire genre of horror films in the 1930s and ‘40s, even though Frankenstein might be taken as science fiction, not horror … Continue reading →

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Skiffy Flix: Metropolis

Posted on 26 September 2019 by Mark R. Kelly

I mentioned this on Facebook a couple weeks ago: I finally watched, all the way through, Metropolis. Tonight I watched the 1927 silent film Metropolis, for the first time all the way through. (I watched the first 45 minutes or … Continue reading →

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