The Existence of the Universe is a Definitive Affirmation of the Existence of God

Looking at the awesomeness of Creation – how mindblowingly complex it is, how marvelously beautiful it is, how gloriously big it is – and, by extension, all the incredible creations and accomplishments that have come out of human imagination, creativity, intellect, resolve, and talent, I am deeply perplexed that some people can dare conclude that all of these “just happened.”  To me, with my daily encounters with reality and its wonders, it...

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'Paddington' Could Be This Year's Best Family Movie

I have never read the children books, but I watched the cartoons fondly back when I was a kid.  Thus, I can claim that I have familiarity with the source material, and I believe that the movie has perfectly depicted the clumsy but well-meaning, marmalade-loving bear from “darkest Peru.” Paddington is as heart-warming and adorable as the best of Disney movies (which, in my opinion, are the greatest family movies out there).  Yes, I...

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'Kobe Bryant's Muse' is My Highlight as a Laker Fan This Season

I thought that the 2013-2014 Laker season was “rock bottom” for the franchise, but, boy, I was sure wrong.  This current Laker campaign is turning out to be even worse as the team’s horrible record has made them eligible for the top 5 draft picks (hope they get the next “great Laker” out of it, though).  Aside from the occasional highlights from young Laker players (I hope Jordan Clarkson would prove to be the next Kobe for the Lakers),...

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The Live-Action ‘Lupin III’ Movie is a Big Pile of Disappointment

I was greatly looking forward to this movie ever since I became aware that a live-action Lupin III movie was on the way and saw some teaser images and trailers.  It was released in Japan (and limited releases on some parts of the world, maybe) in 2014, but it was only this year that most of us got the opportunity to see it (the release of DVD and Blu-ray was recent).  Unfortunately, the result of the long wait for it is a big pile of disappointment. ...

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Top 10 Time Travelers

Time travel stories, when done right, are thoughtful and absorbing.  Fascinating plot elements like alternate timelines, paradoxes, time loops, re-writing of history, and others can arise from time travel stories.  But, more importantly, time travel stories are made more interesting by their featured time travelers – how they get to travel through time, their motivations/reasons for doing so, and how they use time travel to their advantage. ...

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If I Were a Little Girl, I Would Have Been Blown Away by 'Cinderella'

I liked the movie, but the “Cinderella” tale has been told so many times already in so many ways that there will be always a part of me that will think of Disney’s live-action Cinderella as needless and uninspired.  Moreover, the anime series Cinderella Monogatari will probably always be my most favorite version of the Cinderella story ever, and every other version that I would encounter would always pale in comparison.  So, at most,...

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The Profound Message of "The Emperor's New Clothes"

Walt Disney’s Emperor New Groove turned out to be a thoughtful, very hilarious animated movie, but it doesn’t have the depth of the classic short story that inspired its title.  “The Emperor’s New Clothes” was first published in Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales Told for Children. First Collection., and it’s one of my most favorite “children fairy tales” ever, for it is an amusing tale that conveys a thought-provoking, profound message. ...

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'Agent Carter' is Good, but Not That Good

For the record, I like Agent Carter.  Its first season has been genuinely entertaining.  The production value of the show was impeccably gorgeous – it successfully rendered the the era it is set in.  And the bickering and chemistry of Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter and James D’Arcy’s Edwin Jarvis resulted into many engrossing and amusing moments.  However, I won’t be declaring that Agent Carter’s 8-episode season has been...

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Chain of Thoughts: February's 'Spider-Man' Happenings

Last February was a big Spider-Man month.  First, the epic “Spider-Verse” concluded. Second – and most importantly – Marvel and Sony reached a deal to bring Spider-Man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe!   Here are my musings…Part 1: Spider-Verse→ “Spider-Verse” wasn’t perfect.  But it had a lot of good things going for it.  I greatly enjoyed the premise and the story, and I’m mostly satisfied with how everything...

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Top 10 Science Fantasy Books

“Science fantasy” (also known in longer form as “science fiction fantasy”) is a subgenre (as well as a mashup) of both science fiction and fantasy.  A science fantasy story could either be packaged as a science fiction story that has fantasy elements, or a fantasy story that has science fiction elements.  This is a list of my favorite books (or book series) that make use of both science fiction and fantasy tropes in their storytelling. ...

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