October, 2011: Movie Reviews: Anaconda ● Fair Game ● Nowhere Boy ● Hannah and Her Sisters ● Blow-Up ●  Get Low ● Welcome to the Rileys ● Me and Orson Welles ● Last Train Home ● Payment Deferred ● The Conspirator ● A Fish Called Wanda ● One Way Pendulum ● Paul ● Something Wild ● Made in Dagenham

September, 2011: Movie Reviews: Double Jeopardy ● Safety Last! ● Cat Ballou ● The Kids Are All Right ● WarGames ● The Illusionist (2010) ● The Tramp and the Dictator

August 31, 2011: R.I.P. Bill Trojan. On August 21st, in Reno, Nevada, on the last day of the 69th World Science Fiction Convention, our friend Bill Trojan died of a massive heart attack. He was 63. It was not unexpected (though it was too soon), it must have been quick, and I suspect that if Bill could have chosen the circumstances of his departure this would have been ideal to him. We used to see him a lot when we lived in Eugene, but only sporadically since then. Like a lot of others, we have been a bit surprised in reading his eulogies to discover just how generous a man he was. Apparently he was adamant about keeping his philanthropic side to himself and a few very close friends. I can say that I always respected him, and now I respect him even more. About half the writers I regularly read these days I discovered through a recommendation from Bill. He knew more about published science fiction and mysteries than all but a handful of his peers. He will be missed.

Here is a heartfelt remembrance (and a great picture) from one of his best friends, Dean Wesley Smith: Bill Trojan: Book Dealer

August, 2011: Movie Reviews: Christine ● The Most Dangerous Game ● Duplicity ● Winter’s Bone ● Harry Potter and the Deathly Half-Blood Secret Order of the Sorcerer’s Fiery Stone Goblet Azkabanian Phoenix Chamber (2001-2011) ● Date Night ● The Sea Wolf ● Lions For Lambs ● Sugar ● What’s Up, Doc? ● Secretariat ● Waking Sleeping Beauty ● Hearts of the West ● Annie Get Your Gun ● Ondine ● The Princess Diaries ● The Sundowners ● Royal Flash ● I Am Love (Io sono l'amore) ● That Evening Sun ● Duck Soup ● Inception ● The Four Feathers (1939) ● The Great Race ● Seven Days in May ● The Last Man on Earth ● The Fall of the House of Usher ● The Square

July, 2011: Movie Reviews: Casino Royale ● Chloe ● The Black Stallion ● A Foreign Affair ● Doc Martin, Series 1 ● Doc Martin, Series 2,3, and 4 ● Romance With a Double Bass ● Mary and Max ● Trouble in Paradise ● Destry Rides Again ● Kind Hearts and Coronets ● The Killing ● The Ritz ● Harry Brown ● The Gleaners and I (Les glaneurs et la glaneuse) ● Mrs. Miniver ● The Show-Off ● Gaslight (1940) ● Sahara (1943) ● The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms ● Major Barbara ● Out of the Past ● The Tuttles of Tahiti ● Blue Valentine ● Salt ● Witness for the Prosecution ● A Slight Case of Murder ● Buried ● Tangled ● Hanna ● The Man Who Would Be King ● Cars 2

June, 2011: Movie Reviews: The Man From Earth ● Topkapi ● Prime ● True Grit ● Our Gang Two-Reelers ● Please Give ● Tremors ● Tremors II: Aftershocks ● No Highway in the Sky ● Mad Dogs and Englishmen ● Bye Bye Birdie ● The Wizard of Oz (1925) ● Scrooge ● The Circus ● Micmacs ● Definitely, Maybe ● Megamind ● Tales From the Script ● The Lincoln Lawyer ● Darkman ● Captains Courageous ● The Runaways ● The Ghost Writer ● Frantic

May, 2011: Movie Reviews: Burlesque ● Laurel and Hardy Two-reelers ● The Fearless Vampire Killers ● The Titfield Thunderbolt ● The Detective ● A Summer in Genoa ● Black Swan ● The Seven-Ups ● Mother and Child ● Die Hard ● Die Hard 2 ● Despicable Me ● The King’s Speech ● Unknown ● The Social Network ● Lebanon ● Morning Glory ● Conviction ● Blow Out ● Terribly Happy ● The American ● Domino ● Hereafter ● Georgia O’Keeffe ● Howl ● Four Lions

December 6, 2010: Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo ● The Girl Who Played With Fire ● The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

October 3, 2010: The War Is Over!!!! I think it’s time for a celebration. Today officially marks the end of the war, the end of the longest war in American history. Don’t you think that’s a cause to hit the streets? Don’t you think we should be painting our banners and hoisting our flags and getting drunk and dancing wildly in Times Square and on the Washington Mall and wherever your community gathers to celebrate long-awaited events?

August 9, 2010: Leaving LA - We have loved living in Los Angeles, in East Hollywood, in Little Armenia and Thai Town … without ever moving! And I have a feeling that we’ve packed more adventures into our almost 4 years here, seen more of the city and its metro area, than many people who have lived here their whole lives have done.

August 6, 2010: Road Movies: Road to Singapore ● Road to Zanzibar ● Road to Morocco ● Road to Utopia ● Road to Rio ● Road to Bali ● Road to Hong Kong ● The Road

July 28, 2010: Saturday Night at the Toons! Pocahontas ● The Hunchback of Notre Dame ● Hercules ● Mulan ● Tarzan ● Fantasia 2000 ● Dinosaur ● The Emperor's New Goove ● Atlantis: The Lost Empire ● Toy Story³ ● Treasure Planet ● Lilo and Stitch ● Brother Bear ● Home on the Range ● Chicken Little ● Meet the Robinsons ● Enchanted ● Bolt

June 21, 2010: At the Drive In - Robin Hood ● Green Zone ● Shrek Forever After ● Iron Man 2

May 30, 2010: Jeanne Robinson (March 30, 1948 - May 30, 2010) On the afternoon of May 30th Jeanne Robinson, beloved wife of my good friend Spider Robinson, died in a Vancouver BC hospital after an illness of about a year. Lee and I are two of many, many people who will miss her terribly. Jeanne was a Buddhist, and believed in reincarnation. I hope she’s right. I’m going to keep my eyes open, as she may pop up anywhere, possibly as the next Dalai Lama. She would be a great one. Please send your good wishes and hopeful vibes to Spider. As he has been unable to write during these last, trying days, sending money wouldn’t hurt, either.

May 13, 2010: Saturday Night at the Toons! Who Framed Roger Rabbit ● The Little Mermaid ● The Rescuers Down Under ● Beauty and the Beast ● Aladdin ● The Lion King ● The Princess and the Frog

April 29, 2010: At the Drive In: How to Train Your Dragon ● Alice in Wonderland (2010)

April 15, 2010: Saturday Night at the Toons! Robin Hood ● The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ● The Rescuers ● Pete's Dragon ● The Fox and the Hound ● The Black Cauldron ● The Great Mouse Detective ● Oliver and Company

April 14, 2010: Hollyweird: Dog Pound of the Stars. We’ve been toying with the idea of getting another dog. Just toying, nothing serious yet. So we decided to visit some of the area shelters to see what they had. We visited a shelter in Glendale and a very big one in Pasadena.

April 8, 2010: VarleyNews: Our Second Earthquake About seven years ago we were parked in an RV at Pismo Beach when a 6.6 earthquake struck the area, centered very close to San Simeon, about 60 miles north of us. The RV shook and we got outside and watched the trees swaying back and forth.

March 3, 2010: New Hollyweird: Shorts! 2009 Academy Award Short Film Nominees - Every year shortly before Oscar time the Academy holds a showing of all 10 Oscar-nominated short films at the Sam Goldwyn Theater on Wilshire in Beverly Hills.

March 2010: Movie Reviews - Bedknobs and Broomsticks ● 101 Dalmatians (1996) ● Coco Before Chanel (Coco avant Chanel) ● Funny Girl ● In the Loop ● Moon ● My One and Only ● Rhapsody in Blue ● Star! ● Thoroughly Modern Millie ● Wuthering Heights ● The Jungle Book ● The AristoCats ● Downhill Racer ● Shutter Island ● Up in the Air

February 2010: Movie Reviews - Mary Poppins ● Gold Diggers of 1933 ● The Lady in the Lake ● Phffft! ● Temple Grandin ● One Hundred and One Dalmatians ● The Sword in the Stone ● The Dam Busters ● Michael Palin: Great Railway Journeys ● New York: A Documentary Film ● Lady and the Tramp ● Sleeping Beauty ● Departures (Okuribito) ● Operation Mad Ball ● Wild Strawberries (Smultronstället) ● Alice in Wonderland ● Peter Pan (1953) ● Army of Shadows ● Broadway Melody of 1936 ● The Out-of-Towners

January 2010: Movie Reviews - Blockheads ● The Freshman (1925) ● Mr. Toad's Wild Ride ● Night Must Fall ● Under the Yum Yum Tree ● Cinderella ● Breezy ● The Hurt Locker ● A Thousand Clowns ● Vitus ● So Dear To My Heart ● The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad ● The Americanization of Emily ● Darling ● Home From the Hill ● The Informer ● The Major and the Minor ● Nine ● The Women (1939) ● World's Greatest Dad ● Fun and Fancy Free ● Melody Time ● It's Complicated ● The Twilight Sage: New Moon ● 2010 ● American Violet ● Little Dieter Needs to Fly ● The Women (2008)

December 2009: Movie Reviews - Song of the South ● Is Anybody There? ● Sherlock Holmes (2009) ● Invictus ● Avatar ● Sherlock Holmes ● The Ref ● Singin' in the Rain ● The Three Caballeros ● Make Mine Music ● A Woman in Berlin ● Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans ● An American in Paris ● Joe Versus the Volcano ● Bambi ● Saludos Amigos ● Victory Through Air Power ● Transsiberian ● The American Friend (Der amerikanische freund) ● In the Good Old Summertime ● The Shop Around the Corner ● You've Got Mail ● 12 ● A Christmas Tale (Un conte de Noël) ● The Navigator ● The Reluctant Dragon ● Dumbo ● Purple Noon (Plein soleil) ● Things to Come ● Fantasia ● The Blind Side ● The Box ● I Served the King of England (Obsluhoval jsem anglického krále) ● The International ● Pieces of April ● Trains, Planes, and Automobiles ● A Song Is Born

November 22, 2009: VarleyNews: Winners of the 2009 Robert A. Heinlein Award for "Outstanding body of work in the field of literature": John Varley and Joe Haldeman!

November 16, 2009: Saturday Night at the Toons! Lee and I have decided to make our way through my collection of every Walt Disney animated feature beginning with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

November 7, 2009: WESTERCON 63: Lee and I have just bought our memberships to Westercon 63, and we plan to attend. Westercon is the oldest science fiction convention in the west, and is a lot of fun. It will be held at the Pasadena Hilton on July 1-4, 2010. See you there!

November 2009: Movie Reviews - Pinocchio ● 2012 ● Camille ● Helvetica ● Strike (Strajk - Die Heldin von Danzig) ● Ball of Fire ● Adventureland ● The Bad News Bears (2005) ● Mr. Baseball ● The Final Season ● The Scout ● Astro Boy ● A Christmas Carol (2009) ● The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) ● Assassination of a High School President ● O'Horton ● Sherlock Holmes ● Taking Woodstock ● Paranormal Activity ● Law Abiding Citizen ● Damn Yankees ● Eight Men Out ● Major League ● The Bad News Bears ● A League of Their Own ● Game 6

October 27, 2009: VarleyNews: IRONTOWN BLUES by John Varley is #3 on io9's list of 12 Unfinished SF Novels We Wish We Could Read

October 19, 2009: Hollyweird: Trailer Trash - When we went to see Julie & Julia, we were treated to the usual trailers before the movie.

October 2009: Movie Reviews - Bull Durham ● The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings ● Field of Dreams ● The War ● Every Little Step ● The Pride of the Yankees ● Bang the Drum Slowly ● Take Me Out to the Ball Game ● The Stepfather (2009) ● Zombieland ● Where the Wild Things Are ● The Invention of Lying ● The National Parks: America's Best Idea

September 8, 2009: VarleyYarn - Old Dogs I recently read a story about the death of what her owner had proclaimed to be the “World’s Oldest Dog.” She was a 21-year-old wire-haired dachshund named Chanel, and for a while she’d been quite the celebrity, awarded a certificate by Guinness, appearing on television shows, the subject of a large number of newspaper articles.

September 2009: Movie Reviews - Surrogates ● The Proposal ● All About Eve ● The Black Book (Zwartboek) ● Easy Virtue ● In Which We Serve ● Jennifer's Body ● Whiteout ● Near Dark ● Paris 36 (Faubourg 36) ● Red Road ● Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies ● The Last Picture Show ● Texasville ● The Soloist ● Thief ● Alien Trespass ● Bedazzled ● Sunshine Cleaning ● The Final Destination ● District 9 ● State of Play (2009) ● Final Destination ● Final Destination 2 ● Final Destination 3

August 2009: Movie Reviews - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ● My Sister's Keeper ● Harlan Ellison: Dreams with Sharp Teeth ● The Mouse That Roared ● The Ugly Truth ● The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) ● The Edge of Heaven (Auf der anderen Seite ) ● The Great Buck Howard ● Hail the Conquering Hero ● The Lady Eve ● Julie & Julia ● Coraline ● Dead Like Me: Life After Death ● Aliens in the Attic ● Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ● The Great McGinty ● Inkheart ● The Life of Birds ● Life in Cold Blood ● The Mikado, or The Town of Titipu ● The Two Jakes ● Hobson's Choice ● Big Man Japan ● Inglourious Basterds ● A Perfect Getaway ● The Garden ● Buck Privates ● Cabaret ● Houdini ● Some Like It Hot

August 3, 2009: Hollyweird: Jules Verne in the Last Remaining Seats

July 17, 2009: Movie Reviews - Son of Rambow ● The Terrorist (Theeviravaathi) ● Waltz With Bashir (Vals Im Bashir) ● Public Enemies ● The Hangover

July 12, 2009: We are really going to miss Charles N. Brown.

July 6, 2009: VarleyNews - How Shall We Honor Thee, O Michael?

May 2009: At the Drive-In - Terminator Salvation and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past ● Angels & Demons ● Obsessed ● Star Trek (2009) ● Monsters vs. Aliens ● The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ● Destination Moon ● Nickelodeon ● Christmas in July ● The More The Merrier ● Project Moon Base ● Tell No One ● Walk, Don’t Run ● Frost/Nixon ● Silk Stockings

May 20, 2009: Dismal Thoughts: Part 2 - The Little Helicopters That Couldn't

April 30, 2009: VarleyYarn: Dismal Thoughts: Part 1. I started writing this two months ago, then I got distracted by other things … like writing my new novel! Hurray! But I’m done for the day, and have a little spare time here, so I thought I’d update it, and then post it.

April 2009: Movie Reviews: Nude on the Moon ● The Palm Beach Story ● Priceless ● The Reader ● Grey Gardens (2009) ● FTA ● I've Loved You So Long ● Ruthless People ● Sullivan's Travels ● In the Electric Mist ● The Miracle of Morgan's Creek ● Strictly Ballroom ● The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency ● Religulous ● When Worlds Collide (1951) ● Like Water for Chocolate

April 18, 2009: The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, where I made my first sale way back in 1974, is celebrating its 60th year by reprinting some of the classic stories it has published over the years. In the June/July issue one of those stories is my novelette, "Retrograde Summer." While it sort of makes me wince to think of any of my stories as "classic" (I'm not that old, am I? Yes, you are ...), I'm honored. There is also a very complimentary introduction by Keith Kahla. Be sure to pick up a copy!

April 16, 2009: George Harrison Gets a Star. We figured the crowds might be rather large for this one...

April 15, 2009: The Miracles Get a Star. It was the 50th anniversary of Motown...

April 14, 2009: Ex-Spector-ated!!!! Finally, finally ...

The Descanso Gardens. Easter Sunday, and it felt like a sin to try to work. It was 70 degrees outside, the sun was shining, the sky was blue as an Easter egg.

March 2009: Movie Reviews: Burnt by the Sun ● Happy-Go-Lucky ● Knowing ● Taken ● How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ● Body Heat ● Extras (2005) ● Flash of Genius ● Four Weddings and a Funeral ● Rachel Getting Married ● Synecdoche, New York ● Australia ● Extras ● The Hunting Party ● No Way Out ● West Side Story ● White Sands

February 25, 2009: The Alex. I seldom buy Los Angeles magazine. If you’re seeking a place where you can pay $100 for a plate of sushi, this slick mag rag is where to start looking.

Movie Reviews: The Philadelphia Story ● Changeling ● Frozen River

February 20, 2009: Shorts! Every year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has a one-night-only showing of all the Oscar-nominated short subjects, animated and live action, a few days before the ceremony.

February 19, 2009: I have just sold the German rights to Red Thunder to Verlagsgruppe Random House GMBH, in München. If any of you out there like the book and sprechen sie Deutsch, I’d be happy to send you a copy if you’ll read it and tell me if it’s a good translation! I don’t know when that will be, but they are obligated to publish the book within two years.

7 Movie Reviews: Doubt ● The Duchess ● Milk ● Vicky Christina Barcelona ● The Visitor ● The Wrestler ● Ghost Town

February 18, 2009: 2 Movie Reviews: The Bank Job ● Sleuth (2007)

February 6, 2009: 6 Movie Reviews: Becoming Jane ● Long Way Round ● Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium ● Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman ● The Uninvited ● Valkyrie

January 2009: 5 Movie Reviews: Encounters at the End of the World ● The High Sign ● One Week ● The Saphead ● Slumdog Millionaire ● The Caine Mutiny ● Cassandra's Dream ● Eagle Eye ● Revolutionary Road ● Quick Change ● Go West ● The Happening ● The Paleface ● The Scarecrow ● Talk To Me ● Traitor ● The Diamond Arm ● Gran Torino ● Speed Racer ● Steelyard Blues ● Yes Man