Thoughts on Apocalypse

In our new age of terrifying, lethal gadgets, which supplanted so swiftly the old one, the first great aggressive war, if it should come, will be launched by suicidal little madmen pressing an electronic button. Such a war will not last long and none will ever follow it. There will be no conquerors and no conquests, but only the charred bones of the dead on an uninhabited planet.

• William L. Shirer; The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany (1960)

Less a stand-alone narrative than a sequel to Murder House, Hotel, and especia... read the rest.

Thoughts on 1984

They Live was a primal scream against Reaganism of the '80s. And the '80s never went away. They're still with us. That's what makes They Live look so fresh – it's a document of greed and insanity. It's about life in the United States then and now. If anything, things have gotten worse.

• John Carpenter; "They Live: John Carpenter talks about his sci-fi classic" (Chris Nashawaty); Entertainment Weekly (November 5, 2012)

What you don't want is for violence and gore to become more important than character and structure. A lot of slasher movies from the e... read the rest.