Category Archives: Skiffy Flix

Assessing Disclosure Day

Posted on Thursday 25 June 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Let’s revisit those items I saved about Steven Spielberg’s latest film, Disclosure Day, and see if we can figure out why some religious folks have taken such offense. The ones I posted earlier were on June 13th, followed by my … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Religion, Skiffy Flix | Leave a comment

Disclosure Day, Initial Take

Posted on Saturday 20 June 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

First reaction to Disclosure Day, with a link to David Brin’s reaction; then noting the film’s religious themes, its appeal to empathy, and its allusions to past Spielberg films; How the reflecting pool fiasco is emblematic of Trump’s strategy: hire … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Movies, Skiffy Flix | Leave a comment

Aliens, by Spielberg, by the US Government

Posted on Sunday 7 June 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Steven Spielberg, his obsessions, my takes on some of his films, and the upcoming film Disclosure Day; NYT’s M. Gessen on how the White House identifies dangerous “aliens” with immigrants. – – – It’s hard to criticize a beloved film … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Movies, Skiffy Flix | Comments Off on Aliens, by Spielberg, by the US Government

Skiffy Flix: The War of the Worlds

Posted on Friday 10 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

This is about the 1953 movie, surely one of the best known and highly-regarded SF movies of the ’50s, along with THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, FORBIDDEN PLANET, and perhaps INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. I wrote about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Skiffy Flix | Comments Off on Skiffy Flix: The War of the Worlds

Skiffy Flix: The Thing From Another World

Posted on Sunday 5 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

This is a 1951 black & white science fiction movie set in the Arctic, and it’s one of the most famous of the 1950s science fiction films. (This original version has been eclipsed over the decades by a 1982 remake … Continue reading →

Posted in science fiction, Skiffy Flix | Comments Off on Skiffy Flix: The Thing From Another World

The New Space Race

Posted on Wednesday 1 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Today’s launch of Artemis II, and my background supporting the space program; A revelation about Bill Warren’s KEEP WATCHING THE SKIES! Noting the popularity of Project Hail Mary; Noting a GoodReads list; Radiohead’s The Gloaming. – – – So America’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Politics, science fiction, Skiffy Flix, Space | Comments Off on The New Space Race

Skiffy Flix: Red Planet Mars

Posted on Sunday 29 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Now we come to one of the strangest SF movies of the early 1950s, and ultimately the most risible. This is a 1952 movie about an American astronomer — played by Peter Graves, later of Mission: Impossible and Airplane fame … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Skiffy Flix | Comments Off on Skiffy Flix: Red Planet Mars

Skiffy Flix: Invaders from Mars

Posted on Wednesday 25 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

This is a 1953 film that holds special significance for me since it was likely the first science fiction movie I ever saw, even if I saw it only in part at the time, which would be 1965 or 1966. … Continue reading →

Posted in Skiffy Flix | Comments Off on Skiffy Flix: Invaders from Mars

Skiffy Flix: It Came from Outer Space

Posted on Sunday 22 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Returning to our ongoing series. It Came from Outer Space is a 1953 film directed by Jack Arnold (who did some similar movies in the same era) and based on a story treatment by Ray Bradbury (not a published short story). … Continue reading →

Posted in Skiffy Flix | Comments Off on Skiffy Flix: It Came from Outer Space

Latter Day Skiffy Flix: STTNG: Encounter at Farpoint

Posted on Thursday 19 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

A couple evenings ago I rewatched the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, called “Encounter at Farpoint,” for the first time since I watched it as the series premiere back in 1987.

Posted in Personal history, science fiction, Skiffy Flix, Star Trek | Comments Off on Latter Day Skiffy Flix: STTNG: Encounter at Farpoint