Book Review: Rick and Morty and Philosophy
By Tamara Wilhite
Rick and Morty and Philosophy is an installment in the deep “and Philosophy” series of books. What can you get out of this book mining an Adult Swim cartoon for wisdom?
Check Out This Interview with Liberty Island All-Star Tamara Wilhite
By David M. Swindle
Tamara has been Liberty Island’s most prolific contributor this year with compelling book reviews, pop culture analysis, and especially her author interviews. To learn more about her check out this interview with her at Stanley Wheeler’s blog.
Why Disney shouldn’t remake Home Alone and how you can make it more relevant for the 2010s
By Kyle Britain
Disney owns the entertainment multiverse. If they haven’t already popped out some animated or kids show about some age old story, they will at some point. Yet the big trend in the entertainment industry is to try to remake any old thing. Disney now is trying with Home Alone. That’s a mistake, but there are ways to make it more relevant for the modern day.
Why A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life are the Same Story
By Shant Eghian
Every December, I make it a point to watch Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life and Clive Donner’s version of A Christmas Carol. In my opinion, they are the two greatest Christmas movies ever made. But after watching them this past year, I realized something; both movies are telling the exact same story, inverted from each other.
My 2019 Christmas Book-Lover’s List
By Tamara Wilhite
A good book is almost always a great gift idea. It may inspire or educate, but it will never expire. It provides hours of entertainment or enrichment, and it can be the door to another world or another path in life. That’s why I’ve compiled my 2019 Christmas book lover’s list. I’ve tried to include literally something for everyone – well, age group.
In Defense of The Mandalorian
By Jamie K. Wilson
Disney’s new live-action Star Wars series The Mandalorian is taking a little heavy fire. Indiewire calls it a “$100 million show about nothing”. Robert Arrington here at Liberty Island dismissed it as a “a series of action sequences” taking place on megacity and desert planets, praising Downton Abbey as a better viewing choice.
But perhaps Mr. Arrington should have given The Mandalorian more of a chance – there has now been a lush green forest planet (though the mix of traditional subsistence farming and droid technology was more than a little unbelievable) and one episode set entirely in space. Six episodes in, this old-school Star Wars fan is pretty excited about what’s going on, and there are some good reasons for that.
A Review of The Good Place and Philosophy
By Tamara Wilhite
The “And Philosophy” series mines the philosophical questions and insights that are presented by various popular culture entries. For example, they’ve published philosophy books on Blade Runner, Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, Dune, Ender’s Game, The Handmaid’s Tale, and literally dozens of others. I receive a few of the new editions from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. That’s how I got “The Good Place and Philosophy”.
Books To Give For Christmas: Battle Cry By Leon Uris, the Most Accurate Novel About the Marines Ever Written
By David Churchill Barrow
If you happen to take my advice and give this book to someone, be careful to whom you give it; there may be unintended consequences. All three of our children loved the book, especially knowing how much it tracked the WWII experiences of their “Grandpa Barrow,” who like Uris, served in the 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division. For all three, it was part of the inspiration to join the JROTC program in high school. For our oldest, that didn’t lead to the Marine Corps, but it did lead to West Point, deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Bronze Star – and that was a daughter.
An Interview with Author Karl Gallagher
By Tamara Wilhite
Karl Gallagher is a science fiction author and engineer like myself, but he’s a much more famous sci-fi author than I am. He’s the creator of the Torchship series as well as a number of fantasy works.
Why Downton Abbey beats the The Mandalorian
By Robert Arrington
Thanksgiving weekend brought, interspersed with the food, family visits and football games, my first round of holiday season film watching. In addition to the usual offerings from the Hallmark Channel, Netflix, and Amazon (which vary from quite good to stupid and silly), I began with a couple of films that are not exactly season-oriented, but that I’d been waiting to watch.
The first was not a feature film but a new TV show. We don’t have Disney Plus, but there has been a big buzz about The Mandalorian, the new Star Wars series centered around a bounty hunter from the planet Mandalore. So, when we visited my sister Audrey’s family for Thanksgiving morning breakfast, and they wanted me to watch the first episode, I readily agreed.
