Welcome to my Web site!

Now that you're here, leave! Instead, please visit my blog, visit me on , or read my IN Touch blog for The Indianapolis Star.

What's New (well, old, actually):

May 15, 2009: I've finally come to terms with the fact that, for the foreseeable future, this website will not be updated. Oh, sure, I may get bored some weekend and finally get around to updating it (I do have lots of movies to review). But, for the time being, I'm focusing my energies on my blog, my IN Touch blog for The Indianapolis Star, and .

March 12, 2008: I didn't realize that I'd gone quite so long again. Between my blog and  this site has suffered. Then again, I'm not sure if anybody reads this site, so "suffered" may not be the appropriate term. Anyway: I've added references to books (remember that reviews are now at LibraryThing): Right to Exist, The Golden Compass [His Dark Materials #1], Protect & Defend [Mitch Rapp #8], Letter to a Christian Nation, The Alexandria Link [Cotton Malone #2], Blasphemy, Stone Cold [Camel Club #3], A Very Short Introduction to Terrorism [Very Short Introduction #78], The Bourne Betrayal [Jason Bourne #5], and Into the Volcano [Mallory and Morse #1]. Note that I have written a very long open letter (part 1 at least) to Steve Berry, author of The Alexandria Link, criticizing the book's antiemetic message and tone. I'm working on part 2 of the letter, focusing on the book's incorporation of the Palestinian narrative of history. I've also added brief reviews of the movies Shoot 'Em Up, Cloverfield, The Terminator, Rambo, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Vantage Point, and Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium; and the theater productions Wicked, The Wedding Singer.

December 28, 2007: Has it really been that long? I guess that I've spent so much time with LibraryThing that this site has suffered. Added brief review of book Sandworms of Dune [Dune #8] (for now, new book reviews will only be on LibraryThing but I'll at least keep up the list of what I've read here; movies Invasion, The Game Plan, The Kingdom, Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D, The Bee Movie, Enchanted, Hitman, The Golden Compass, Control, I Am Legend, and National Treasure: Book of Secrets; shows Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Once again, please take a look at LibraryThing.  Unfortunately (fortunately?), LibraryThing uses a 5-star rating system, so my 4-star system doesn't mesh very well. I've decided to update my ratings to a 5-star system over the next few months. Also, my blog has gone live...

August 24, 2007: Added brief review of book Without Fail [Jack Reacher #6]. Also, please take a look at my new LibraryThing profile and catalog pages. I've been thinking about ways to update this site, and LibraryThing may be one direction to go with book reviews. Let me know what you think. Unfortunately, the current version of LibraryThing doesn't let users view my catalog in the same format that I've elected to use for myself. Too bad.

August 21, 2007: Added movies Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Ratatouille, Live Free or Die Hard, Transformers, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Rescue Dawn, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Stardust; added books Critical Mass [Kirk McGarvey #4], The Machiavelli Covenant [Nicholas Marten #2], Killing Floor [Jack Reacher #1], Die Trying [Jack Reacher #2], Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows [Harry Potter #7], Tripwire [Jack Reacher #3], Running Blind [Jack Reacher #4], and Echo Burning [Jack Reacher #5]; and Toto in concert.

June 13, 2007: Added books Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince [Harry Potter #5], Crossfire [Kirk McGarvey #3], The Jack Ryan Agenda, and Requiem for an Assassin [John Rain #6]; added movies Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and Surf's Up. Also, I'm planning to reorganize this page soon (probably with separate pages for books and movies); I'm also thinking about adding a blog (with "serious" thoughts).

May 18, 2007: Added books Man in the Middle, What Wound the Founders Do, Ring of Fire [Ring of Fire #3], Without Honor [Kirk McGarvey #1], Countdown [Kirk McGarvey #2], and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix [Harry Potter #5]; added musicals Camelot and Spamalot (actually, Monty Python's Spamalot, but I couldn't resist the simple alliteration of Camelot and Spamalot); added movies Breach, Shooter, Night at the Museum, Eragon, 300, Spider-Man 3, and Next.

February 19, 2007: Added movies The Devil Wears Prada, How to Eat Fried Worms, Crank, Invincible, Man of the Year, Borat, Casino Royale (twice!), Deja Vu, and Happy Feet; books The Templar Legacy, Heretics of Dune, Chapterhouse: Dune, Molvania, Hunters of Dune, 1632, Havoc, The Moneypenny Diaries: Secret Servent, Skeleton Coast,  Constantine's Sword, Treasure of Khan, 1633, Camel Club, Painkiller, Public Enemy, Double or Die, and The Collectors; and musicals All Shook Up, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Rat Pack: Live at the Sands.

August 15, 2006: Added movie Zoom and book The Messenger.

August 9, 2006: Added movies The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, The Lake House, Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties, Superman Returns, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Miami Vice, and My Super Ex-Girlfriend. Added books Takedown, Creepers, Black Order, and The Last Assassin. Also, I am presently seeking election to the Board of Directors of The Mastocytosis Society, Inc. (the organization charged with eduacation, research, and fundraising for my wife's illness); for information about my campaign, please see the Go TMS Team campaign website. Also, I'm going to set up an e-mail notification list for people who want to know when this site has been modified; if you want to be notified, send me an e-mail!

June 16, 2006: Added movies The Sentinel, Take the Lead, Mission: Impossible III (M:I:III), United 93, The Da Vinci Code, X-Men: The Last Stand, Poseidon, and Cars. Added books Weapons of Choice, Dark Watch (Oregon Files #3), The American, Map of Bones (Sigma Force #2), and Sandstorm (Sigma Force #1). Added musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Added concert INXS (with opening act Scott Stapp).

April 21, 2006: Added movies V for Vendetta and Inside Man.

April 14, 2006: Added movie The Shaggy Dog, the books The President's Assassin and The Third Secret, and the movie (made for TV) Avenger.

March 17, 2006: Happy St. Patrick's Day. Should I continue this site? If you visit and read my comments, please let me know. Added movies Serenity, Into the Blue, Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, The Legend of Zorro, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Elf, Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Munich, xXx: State of the Union, Chicken Little, Casanova, Underworld Evolution, Firewall, Doom, The Pink Panther (Steve Martin), Ultraviolet, and Wedding Crashers; books Hard Rain, Rain Storm, Killing Rain, Avenger, The Moneypenny Diaries: Guardian Angel, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Ambler Warning, Blowback, Consent to Kill, Blood Fever, State of Fear, Cell, Prince of Fire, and Private Sector; concert INXS (with special guest Marty Casey & Lovehammers); and musicals/theater productions Movin' Out, We Will Rock You, Cirque du Soleil: Zumanity, Jubilee, Miss Saigon, Tuesdays With Morrie, and Peter Pan.

September 28, 2005: I've been having a hard time getting excited about making updates given that I receive no feedback about my site or my reviews. If you like this site; if you value my reviews or suggestions, drop me a line and let me know. Please! Added books The Amber Room, Secret Justice, The Romanov Prophecy, True Faith: An Armchair Guide to New Order, The Case for Israel, The Pinocchio Syndrome, Mortal Allies, The Kingmaker, and Rain Fall, and movies Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Madagascar, War of the Worlds, Kingdom of Heaven, Fantastic Four, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Island, The Great Raid., Transporter 2, The Constant Gardener, and The Brothers Grimm.

June 16, 2005: Sorry for the long pause with no updates. Real life intruded. Added brief reviews for the musicals Mama Mia and Disney's On the Record, the movies The Pacifier, Sahara, Hero, The Interpreter, Blade Trinity, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, The Longest Yard, and Batman Begins, books SilverFin, Shadows of the Wind, and Shadows of Power (I didn't quite realize that "shadows" theme until I typed this...).

March 14, 2005: Added brief reviews for the book Covenant of the Flame, the musical Hairspray, and the movies The Manchurian Candidate, Constantine, Hostage, Raise Your Voice, and Pooh's Heffalump Movie.

February 22, 2005: Added brief reviews for the books Year Zero and Battle Royale.

February 16, 2005: Added brief reviews for the book The Exile, the movies Hitch and Friday Night Lights, and the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie.

February 10, 2005: Added brief review for the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

February 1, 2005: Added brief reviews for the books Squeeze: Song by Song and A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning and movies Assault on Precinct 13, Sideways, and The Village.

January 14, 2005: Added brief reviews for the book Sacred Stone and the musical The Producers.

January 10, 2005: Added brief reviews for the book Black Wind and the movies Flight of the Phoenix, So Close, The Phantom of the Opera, and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.

December 7, 2004: Added brief review for the book Hybrids.

December 2, 2004: Happy Birthday to me! I've also added brief reviews for the books Lost City, Hominids, and Humans. I was on a bit of a reading frenzy over the last few days. Also added brief reviews for books White Death and Golden Buddha that I somehow forgot to add after finishing those books earlier this year. Also, I just read that Tom Hanks has been cast in the role of Robert Langdon for the film version of The Da Vinci Code. Don't get me wrong, I like Tom Hanks as an actor, but he is absolutely not, under any circumstances, right for the part of Robert Langdon! I think that director Ron Howard has made a horrible mistake with this casting. Hopefully, I will be proved wrong.

Novmeber 22, 2004: Added brief reviews of movies National Treasure and Bridget Jones's Diary and the book Assassin. Also, renamed the "Interests" page "Entertainment".

November 9, 2004: Added brief reviews of movies After the Sunset, The Incredibles, Ladder 49, The Prince & Me, Shall We Dance, and Shark Tale. Added brief review of novel Hawke. Added brief review for theater production of Chiccago.

October 12, 2004: Added brief reviews of movies Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Cellular. Added brief review of novel Dune: The Battle of Corrin.

September 7, 2004: Added brief reviews of movies Spirited Away and Collateral.

September 1, 2004: Added brief reviews of the novel Old Boys, the short story The Faces of a Martyr, and the movies The Girl Next Door and The Parent Trap (1998).

August 2, 2004: Added brief reviews of the novels The Bourne Legacy and The Rule of Four and movies The Bourne Legacy, I, Robot, King Arthur, and Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

July 9, 2004: Added brief reviews of Spider-Man 2 and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

June 30, 2004: Added brief review of The Chronicles of Riddick.

June 26, 2004: Added brief review of Pitch Black.

June 21, 2004: Added brief reviews of movies Peter Pan, Shrek 2, and Peter Pan and book Memorial Day.

June 18, 2004: Added brief reviews of movies Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Day After Tomorrow, and The Missing and books A Clash of Kings and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to the Reviews page.

May 21, 2004: Added brief review of Blue Murder by David Morrell to the Reviews page.

May 17, 2004: Added brief review of Troy to the Reviews page; added this What's New section.