April 12, 2016
hughjodonnell
Hugh Likes Fiction, Uncategorized
Alan Dean Foster, audiobook, HLF, Hugh Likes Fiction, Marc Thompson, Star Wars, The Force Awakens
Hugh Likes Fiction-Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Written by Alan Dean Foster
Based on a script by Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt
Audiobook narration by Marc Thompson
Published by Random House Audio
Alan Dean Foster’s novelization of blockbuster Sci-Fi film Star Wars: The Force Awakens lacks the polish and ingenuity of the original prose content of the new Star Wars canon, but it is still and enjoyable read for fans of the series.
Hewing fairly closely to the plot of the film, it follows salvager Rey and escaped stormtrooper Finn on their adventures in a galaxy far, far away. Foster embellishes here and there and delves into the deeper motivations of the characters, but it is a mostly faithful rendition of the plot. The few added scenes, such as an encounter in a tavern and a snowspeeder chase on Star-killer Base feel more like deleted scenes from an earlier version of the script than things Foster added himself.
Foster’s writing is quick and exciting, although it can get a bit bogged down and melodramatic at times. It suffers from the demand of quick turn-around time that is a necessary evil of the medium. If you go in knowing its there, it is easily forgivable.
I experienced this novel as a CD audiobook. It was narrated by voice actor Marc Thompson, who brings a bit too much emotion to the narration, but his dialogue is fantastic. He brings each of these characters to life in a way that is consistent with their film counterparts. Overall, his is enjoyable to listen to.
The Novelization of Star Wars: The Force Awakens isn’t for everybody, but if you’re a die-hard fan, or are interested in film/novel adaptation, this novel is for you.
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April 11, 2016
hughjodonnell
Hugh Likes Podcasts, Uncategorized
Elle Collins, HLP, Hugh Likes Podcasts, Into It, Podcast, Pop Culture
Into It With Elle Collins
Hosted by Elle Collins
Intoitpodcast.com
A podcast for all the things you love, Into It is an interview podcast in which host Elle Collins delves deeply into a piece of pop culture with a guest who is a dedicated fan. It’s similar to Jackie Kashian’s The Dork Forrest, but more tightly focused on pop culture ephemera than unusual hobbies.
Host Elle Collins invites a guest on each week to share something they love and talk about why they love it. Topics are usually quite nerdy but Elle and her guests do their best to approach each episode with a perspective that outsiders can enjoy. It is a podcast about sharing, after all.
Episodes range from Pokemon to pro wrestling to an excellent three-episode retrospective on the Star Wars trilogy. Guests are often other podcasters or media critics, and this show can be a gateway drug to a host of other cool, nerdy podcasts. They’ve included Jay Rachel Edidin, Chris Sims, and DJ Benhameen, all of whom have other excellent podcasts in a similar vein.
For a nerdy, offbeat podcast that shatters the conventional stereotypes of nerd culture while embracing true nerdiness, give Elle a listen. You can find Into It with Elle Collins in iTunes or at intoitpodcast.com .
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April 10, 2016
hughjodonnell
Podcast, Uncategorized
CCR, Chrononaut Cinema Reviews, Commentary Track, hugh, JRD, Opopinax, Podcasts, The X-Files
Watch along with JRD, Opopinax, and Hugh as they talk over X-Files episode “Exelcis Dei.”
Click HERE to listen.
This podcast was originally posted at Skinner.fm on April 1, 2016.
Chrononaut Cinema Reviews is presented by http://skinner.fm and Way of the Buffalo, and is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License.
If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it, or leave a review in iTunes. You can also support me on Patreon for more stuff.
April 9, 2016
hughjodonnell
Podcast, Uncategorized
Fiction, Podcasts, The Freelance Hunters
You can’t take it with you in “The Gold Equations,” A Freelance Hunters Adventure written and performed by Hugh J. O’Donnell.
Click HERE to listen.
This episode was originally posted at TheFreelanceHunters.com on September 9, 2015. Click on the link for more Freelance Hunters stories in audio and digital formats.
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it or leave a review on iTunes. You can also support me on Patreon for more content.
April 4, 2016
hughjodonnell
Hugh Likes Podcasts, Uncategorized
HLP, Hugh Likes Podcasts, Maximum Fun, review, The Flop House
The Flop House
Dan McCoy, Stewart Wellington, and Elliott Kalan
The Maximum Fun Network
It should come as no surprise to regular readers that I’m admittedly kind of a podcast hipster. I love shows about nerds telling jokes about bad movies. I’m even a member of one. It’s a nerdom that for me goes all the way back to watching MST3K on the Sci-Fi Channel Saturday mornings. There are a lot of bad movie podcasts out in the wilds of iTunes, but The Flop House is special because it brings so much more improvisational humor, lightness, and camaraderie to the recording.
Hosted by veteran Daily Show Producer Dan McCoy and writer Elliott Kalan along with their friend Stewart Wellington, each episode examines a different commercial bomb. They talk about the aspects of the film and decide whether or not the flop is as bad as it seems or if it deserves another chance.
What sets The Flop House apart is the second half of the show, in which the hosts open up the mail bag, accompanied by an improvised and surprisingly long song by Elliott. I can’t think of a way to appealingly describe it, and they seem like they should be terrible, but they are in fact delightful and charming. That’s the best way I can explain the podcast as a whole. The hosts are knowledgeable, funny, and have a real sense of friendship that is brought to the fore. The Flop House is a podcast that seems like it shouldn’t work on paper, but is in fact a wonder that is more than the sum of its parts.
It also has a huge back catalog. The Flop House recently celebrated its 200th episode, so there are plenty of old episodes to go back and find a movie you’d like to hear them discuss.
The Flop House is hosted by the Maximum Fun Network and can be found online at flophousepodcast.com. It can be downloaded from iTunes and other podcatching services.
Thank you for reading this article. If you liked it, please share it, and support me on Patreon for exclusive content, audio reviews, and more.
April 3, 2016
hughjodonnell
Podcast, Uncategorized
CCR, hugh, JRD, Opopinax, Podcasts, Rich The T T
Join Hugh, Rich the T. T. Opopinax and JRD as we take a look at 1959’s Vincent Price classic, House on Haunted Hill. It’s HYSTERICAL.
Click HERE to listen online.
Chrononaut Cinema Reviews is presented by http://skinner.fm and Way of the Buffalo, and is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License.
This podcast was originally posted at Skinner.fm on March 27, 2016.
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it, or rate and review it in iTunes. You can also support me via Patreon for more content.
April 2, 2016
hughjodonnell
Podcast, Uncategorized
Every Photo Tells, Fiction, Katharina Bordet, Mick Bordet, Podcasts, The Freelance Hunters
In this story performed and produced by Katharina and Mick Bordet of the Every Photo Tells podcast, The Freelance Hunters must sneak into an impregnable castle to prevent an international incident. Easy enough, but there’s just the tiny matter of the goblin war band standing in their way…
Click HERE to listen online.
This podcast was originally posted at Every Photo Tells on October 8th, 2013. Visit their site for more excellent audio fiction and inspiring photo prompts.
You can find more Freelance Hunters fiction and audio at TheFreelanceHunters.com.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it, or rate and review iTunes! You can also support me via Patreon for more content.
March 30, 2016
hughjodonnell
Hugh Likes Comics, Uncategorized
Comic Bento, HLC, Hugh Likes Comics, Marvel, Spider-Man
Edge of Spider-Verse
Written by Various
Drawn by Various
Published by Marvel Comics
I am a sucker for alternate versions of iconic characters. Different twists, new ideas, and retellings are my jam, which is why I really enjoyed “Edge of Spider-Verse” even if it is a set-up for a very complicated Spider-Man crossover event that I didn’t read. The graphic novel collects five single-issue comics, each with a different version of the iconic superhero.
Each story is complete, and has very different styles and takes. Spider-Man Noir is a 30’s pulp take on the hero, who fights a stage magician version of villain Mysterio. A classic horror-comic version imagines Spider-Man not as hero, but as a grotesque, bloodthirsty monster. And the breakout hit of the book imagines what would happen if Gwen Stacy, rather than Peter Parker, was bitten by the radioactive spider of destiny.
My favorite version was Sp//dr, a Katsuhiro Otomo-inspired take which stars a teenage girl piloting a spider-like robot with the assistance of a genetically engineered creature.
The art and writing vary across the different titles, and each of them ends with some tie-in to the big event comic, either recruitment by the good guys or a confrontation with the villains. It gives some of these tales slightly unsatisfying endings, but what I like about this collection is the creativity that is brought to this well-established character.
I received this comic via Comic Bento, a subscription service that mail delivers curated boxes of comics to subscribers. It is also available from Comixology or your local comics shop.
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March 26, 2016
hughjodonnell
Podcast, Uncategorized
Bad movie, CCR, hugh, JRD, Opopinax, Podcast, review, Rich The T T, The Gorilla
Hugh and the rest of the Chrononauts endure 1939’s “The Gorilla.”
Click HERE to listen online.
This podcast was originally published at Skinner.fm on March 15, 2016.
Chrononaut Cinema Reviews is presented by http://skinner.fm and Way of the Buffalo, and is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License.
March 17, 2016
hughjodonnell
Hugh Likes Fiction, Uncategorized
Audible, audiobook, Claudia Gray, HLF, Hugh Likes Fiction, Lost Stars, Pierce Cravens, Star Wars
Lost Stars
Claudia Gray
Penguin/Random House Audio
Narrated by Pierce Cravens
Lost Stars is one of the new Star Wars novels that does what I like best about the new Expanded Universe. Following two aspiring young pilots from the backwater mountain world of Jelucan, it updates the events of the original Star Wars movies with delightful new characters and fresh perspectives.
Marketed as a YA Romance, it follows the relationship of of Ciena Ree, a peasant girl from Jelucan’s valley settlement, and Thane Kyrell, the son of an urbane, upperclass ‘Second Wave’ family from childhood friendship to budding war-time lovers, and finally to conflicted enemies as they find themselves caught on opposite sides of the Rebellion. Thane, awakened to the Empire’s cruelty, defects to the rebels, but Ciena, bound by a strong sense of honor, stays at her post.
Much like Chuck Wendig’s Star Wars: Aftermath, Gray infuses a sense of darkness and nuance into the new Star Wars cannon that is both welcome and refreshing. She spends a significant portion of the book following Ree and her fellow Imperial officers throughout the events of the film trilogy. She does a great job giving these characters a human face and exploring the hard choices that living under a military dictatorship necessitates. Furthermore, she manages to thread the needle of doing so without excusing the atrocities and loss of life that result from those choices.
I experienced this book as an audio book via audible.com Narrator Pierce Cravenss does an excellent job with the text, bringing characters to life without slipping into exaggerated voices. He is supported by a mix that incorporates moments of the films’ iconic scores and sound effects.
Star Wars has always worked with romance at its heart. Ciena and Thane’s story is a worthy addition to the canon for new and old fans alike. This is one flight I heartily recommend.
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Older Entries
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Hugh J. O'Donnell 
Podcast: CCR Comentary: The X-Files: Excelsis Dei
April 10, 2016
hughjodonnell Podcast, Uncategorized CCR, Chrononaut Cinema Reviews, Commentary Track, hugh, JRD, Opopinax, Podcasts, The X-Files Leave a comment
Watch along with JRD, Opopinax, and Hugh as they talk over X-Files episode “Exelcis Dei.”
Click HERE to listen.
This podcast was originally posted at Skinner.fm on April 1, 2016.
Chrononaut Cinema Reviews is presented by http://skinner.fm and Way of the Buffalo, and is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License.
If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it, or leave a review in iTunes. You can also support me on Patreon for more stuff.