Musings of a Wandering Writer

I've slowly but surely been plugging away at this series, however I've been trying to savor it as I go. There's a lot to examine and I recall this particular season standing out from the others as it makes a pretty big deviation from what I know of the rest of the series.  1 Where You Can Find It:   Like season one, this is available on HBO Max, where the entire series is available to subscribers, however one can also rent/purchase each season/episode on Amazon Video. General Information  Season two of The Wire was originally released on HBO on 1 June 2003. It received a nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Drama at the Television Critics Awards in 2004. Additionally, the season holds a 95 Metascore on Metacritic, as well as a matching 95% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. I find these high ratings interesting as it clearly outshines the overall reception to the first season. Of course, this season is quite good, but I'm not sure if I would necessarily say it'...

I'm not sure why I initially picked this one up, although I had heard that it was quite famous back when it first came out. After watching the film adaptation, I wondered if there was more to the story than what Hollywood had to offer. It's honestly been so long since I saw the film of this that I barely recall much of it at all. I suppose that makes it a good thing as this kept me guessing until the very end. * General Information The Ruins is a horror novel published on 18 July 2006 by Scott Smith. It holds a 3.6/5 star rating on Goodreads and earned an A- on Entertainment Weekly. This is the second of Smith's works, and is his last novel as of 23 February 2021 (when I last checked). Something interesting to note about this book is that it disregards the use of chapters for breaking up the story so that it's essentially one full-length run. On 4 April 2008, it received a film adaptation of the same name under Paramount Pictures. I'm frankly surprised Smith hasn...

Although it's been some time since I saw any of his works, I've always adored the legacy of Vincent Price. For some time I'd been hoping to find something appropriately campy with his name on it, and I'm proud to say I found it. Seeing the man do his thang was a true joy, and I have to also admit that it's been an incredibly long time since I saw a film that predated the 1960s. * Where You Can Find It:   Although I'm not exactly clear on when this happened, this movie is available in both color and black and white (I reviewed the color version).  I saw this on Amazon Video where it is available  for free to any Amazon Prime members . General Information  House on Haunted Hill is a mystery horror film that was released on 17 February 1959. It was directed and co-produced by William Castle and co-produced and written by Robb White. It was produced by William Castle Productions and distributed by Allied Artists. It is generally considered one of the most famous fil...

I've been meaning to get back to this series as I never actually finished it when I first began viewing. I wasn't sure if I should even review this as it's so well known as an incredible series, but it would seem that time takes a toll on all things and there are viewers out there today that have not even heard of this show. Having personally visited Baltimore on many occasions, and lived in Maryland, I felt it was my duty to finally return to this series and look at it with fresh eyes. It's a joy to return to HBO's 2000's series as I generally consider that period to be when HBO hit its highest of highs.  1 Where You Can Find It:   I saw this on HBO Max, where the entire series is available to subscribers, however one can also rent/purchase each season/episode on Amazon Video. General Information  The Wire is an American crime drama that was originally released on HBO on 2 June 2002. It was conceived jointly by acclaimed Baltimore Sun crime reporter, David Simo...

Growing up, I never experienced the horrific pleasure of celebrating a birthday at Chuck E. Cheese., but it's films like this that remind me that it may not have been a necessarily bad thing. The nightmarish animatronics, lousy pizza, and bacteria-riddled play areas certainly have a charm, however it seems Nicolas Cage and the masterminds behind this film agree that it doesn't appeal to everyone.  1 Where You Can Find It:   I saw this on Amazon Video where it is available  exclusively  for rent. General Information  Willy's Wonderland is an action horror comedy film that was released 12 February 2021. It was directed by Kevin Lewis and distributed by Screen Media Films. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the film was simultaneously released digitally and in theaters. As of 14 February 2021, it holds a 44 Metascore on Metacritic, as well as a 63% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Considering I am writing this review only two days after its release, there is a p...

Earlier this week, I was recommended Peter Weller's Screamers , however I saw this in the recommended section and just can't say "no" to an Alien knockoff. I suppose that after Outland (see my review here ) I was overly optimistic and ended up not getting exactly what I wanted.  1 Where You Can Find It:   I saw this on Amazon Video where it is available for rent/purchase. General Information  Leviathan is a science fiction horror film that was released on 17 March 1989. It was directed by George Cosmatos and produced by Italian film company, Filmauro, with Metro-Goldwyn Mayer distributing in America. Like Outland , Academy Award winner, Jerry Goldsmith, supplied his signature minimalistic score to this. Although the overall budget for Leviathan is unclear, it brought in approximately $15 million with a poor reception that generally described it as "cliché-filled." It has a blissfully mediocre 51 Metascore on Metacritic, however it has an atrocious 24% To...

Shakespeare once said "some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them." To be clear, I'm not talking about myself. I'm talking about my Amazon Video account as it recommended this film to me. I had never heard of this, and even once I had, I approached it with great trepidation as something that would probably under-deliver. Instead, I had "greatness" thrust upon me as I sat in for what turned out to be a pretty awesome screening.  1 Where You Can Find It:   I saw this on Amazon Video where it is available for rent/purchase. General Information  Outland is a science fiction thriller film that was released on 22 May 1981. It was written and directed by Peter Hyams with the Ladd Company producing and Warner Bros. distributing. A noteworthy mention in the credits is that Academy Award winner, Jerry Goldsmith, is behind the music. For those unfamiliar with his name, he's done the music for tons of movies that span ac...