So sorry to read, just now actually, that Peter Cullen has died—most famously the voice of Optimus Prime. But he had quite the career beyond that. As a Gen X kid, Optimus Prime was up there in wise, trustworthy authority figures—and Cullen’s deep but gentle tones were a huge reason why. It was so cool that they brought him back for the films, instead of recasting with a celebrity as is typical. Autobots...transform and roll out.

I haven’t spoken about this before (I don’t think) but wow, I hope the Paramount acquisition of Warner Bros. does not go through. These consolidations are so bad for everybody except a handful of billionaires.

It’s insane what people make nowadays. Here is a walkthrough of the Discovery from 2001: Nicely done!

Mark Rydell has died at the age of 97. Here’s the Deadline obituary. He made some great movies, and worked with great composers, notably John Williams on The Reivers, The Cowboys, Cinderella Liberty and The River. And On Golden Pond by Dave Grusin is good. His first feature film as director was The Fox, with a great Lalo Schifrin score. R.I.P.

I forgot to mention I saw Project Hail Mary on the plane during last month’s vacation, and thought it was excellent. I liked the score, too, with its sort of galactic hymn-and-world music approach. It’s funny because if this was made in 1983 we’d have a top-five all-time Jerry Goldsmith score, but times have changed and so have audience sensibilities. Lord and Miller definitely have an approach that works, but to think they tried to make Solo full of this kind of jokiness—tha

I find myself bailing on a bunch of TV shows lately. (Sorry, Zendaya. You are a star!) I don’t want to go into it all...in case I’m in meetings one day with the producers...unlikely but who knows? It’s hard to keep the plates spinning, isn’t it?

I watched Pulp Fiction last night, maybe for the first time in its entirety since it was in theaters. One of our college friends was a big Reservoir Dogs fan at the time—I didn’t really know about it—and took us to see Pulp Fiction, and it was right when it was becoming a phenomenon. Yes, it totally holds up, and is a masterclass in holding the audience’s attention with dialogue and human behavior. It’s iconic and full of so many indelible moments. I remember the theater bein

Here’s an interesting interview with the film editor of Tomorrow Never Dies, including discussion of David Arnold and his score: The Brosnan films really haven’t held up, I’m afraid.

Many thanks to Cine Circle films for including our Sky Fighter short film in a new sci-fi anthology called Final Orbit. Their first teaser trailer: More info here. Happy to get more exposure!

I love the original RoboCop—an all-time classic. All the sequels and remakes pale in comparison—because Robo’s storytelling arc is so complete in the original. I’ve long though of Paul Verhoeven as a director with a unique sensibility, but this video essay helped me appreciate what a good technical director he is as well: It’s all in the blocking and the moving masters. And today everything is just shot as coverage by multiple cameras. And get off my lawn!

I saw the Star City season finale, but I was traveling right afterwards, so I forgot to write about it. I loved it! What a great show. Way better than I hoped! Apple has not yet renewed the show and I hope this is not another Counterpart—another chilly/smart show that at least got two seasons. (I was obsessed with Counterpart.) You can read a good interview with the Star City creators at Variety.

Mighty Orbots blew my 10-year-old mind when it aired Saturday mornings in the fall of 1984. Visually, at least—the writing was so juvenile, I remember one reviewer said it was only fit for “ormons.” But those dazzling, swirling images (24-frame Japanese animation), and the futuristic designs—and the cool title song and jazzy background music—what a presentation! The show only lasted a season, which was typical for anything space-oriented back in the day so I didn’t pay it muc

Many thanks to Yow TV who have carried our Sky Fighter short film and did a social media push over the weekend. They are a free on-demand streaming service. I am getting over the surprise of having our anamorphic 16:9 short reformatted for vertical phone screens!

Check out this two-hour interview with our friend John Ottman, going behind the scenes of so many important projects: Enjoy!

Have a good one, folks!

I watched the third season premiere of The House of the Dragon, or at least the first half of it...it was getting late... Boy is this a lot to keep track of!

There’s a lengthy and very engaging interview with John Ottman on YouTube courtesy Half a Picture: Good stories!

I am really enjoying Sugar on AppleTV—I am catching up with the first season as it starts its second. The big twist was spoiled for me but it hasn’t detracted from the enjoyment, and might have even helped because I wasn’t thrown for a loop. (I will not say what it is.) Great cast, great L.A. locations, and a great protagonist played by Colin Farrell. Good taste in music too, both the score and needle drops. I am eager to keep watching.

Tuesday the 23rd was the 50th anniversary of the U.S. theatrical release of Logan’s Run. I will always have a fondness for this movie, as uneven as it is. And what a score!

It’s 2026. Sort of crazy to think about. Let’s put it this way: Raiders of the Lost Ark is set in 1936, was released in 1981 = 45 years. Today, Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 45-year-old movie. Wild. My generation, the Gen Xers, have gone through the entire life cycle of our favorite movies, shows, toys dominating the culture. First it was the stuff we loved as kids. We made it unexpected popular via nostalgia in our twenties. Then it became big business in our thirties and for