Monthly Archives: April 2026

Paul Andrew Hutton’s “The Apache Wars”: Historical Origins of Cormac McCarthy’s “Blood Meridian” (1986)

Posted on April 27, 2026 by williamjcobb

Hutton’s The Apache Wars, a nonfiction work, provides great context and understanding to this era, and reinforces the visions of Cormac McCarthy.  Continue reading →

Posted in Cormac McCarthy novels, History of the Southwest, Native American History, The West | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“Beef” Imagines a World of Scheming, Conniving, Duplicitous Grifters

Posted on April 25, 2026 by williamjcobb

Think of it as The White Lotus meets Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite (2019). Continue reading →

Posted in Korean Film and TV, Netflix Series, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“The A.I. Doc”: Dumb & Dumber Meet the Digital Overlords

Posted on April 23, 2026 by williamjcobb

The documentary filmmaker Roher may seem a bit dim as an interviewer but the tech-world savants he interviews know what they’re talking about, without dumbing it down too much, and have many insightful tidbits to add. Continue reading →

Posted in A.I., A.I. 2027, A.I. Apocalypse, A.I. Documentaries, A.S.I. (Artificial Super Intelligence), Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares' If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies, Mustafa Suleyman's The Coming Wave: A.I., Power, and Our Future | Tagged | Leave a comment

“Normal” Movie Review: Bob Odenkirk Blows Up the Fonz

Posted on April 19, 2026 by williamjcobb

I don’t think I’ve ever laughed at so many people getting shot, stabbed, killed, maimed, or blown to smithereens—including Henry Winkler, aka The Fonz from TV’s Happy Days sitcom of the Seventies. Continue reading →

Posted in Action/adventure comedies, Bob Odenkirk movies, Movie Review of "Normal" | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jonathan Kennedy’s “Pathogenesis”: Mystery of the Neanderthal Extinction Solved!

Posted on April 17, 2026 by williamjcobb

A popular theory has been the humans basically pushed Neanderthals out of their territory some 50-40,000 years ago and prevailed because they were smarter. Not so, according to Kennedy. Continue reading →

Posted in books, Human Prehistory, Neanderthal Extinction Event | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Finale of “DTF St. Louis”: Sad Coda to Great Character

Posted on April 15, 2026 by williamjcobb

Here’s what I find most fascinating and admirable about DTF: The writers/director cleverly frame the season as a murder mystery, when it isn’t. Continue reading →

Posted in David Harbour, HBO series, HBO's "DTF St. Louis", Jason Bateman, Prestige TV, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Keanu Reeve’s New Movie “Outcome”: Schizophrenic Comedy/Drama on Fame and Goodness

Posted on April 11, 2026 by williamjcobb

Reeves plays this seriously. It’s like his Hamlet. He even has moments of anguished indecision, like the famous Dane, when he’s offered a way to short-circuit the extortion attempt by playing the victim-card. Continue reading →

Posted in Apple TV Original Movies, Hollywood Satire | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Jim DeFelice’s “West Like Lightning: The Brief, Legendary Ride of the Pony Express” (2018)

Posted on April 9, 2026 by williamjcobb

“One of the keystones of the Pony Express was its sheer speed: They could get mail from St. Joseph, Missouri to San Francisco, California in 10 days.” Continue reading →

Posted in History of the Southwest, Old West History, The Pony Express | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen”: Either “Knives Out” or “Get Out” 

Posted on April 6, 2026 by williamjcobb

The latest Netflix miniseries to try to scare us all is Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, which should be required viewing for all young couples contemplating marriage—maybe the way that Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace should be required reading for all wannabe dictators eager to stumble into an unwinnable war. Continue reading →

Posted in Good TV, Horror Films, Netflix Series, Netflix series "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen" | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“Your Friends and Neighbors” Season Two Begins With a Bad Back and a Huge Splash

Posted on April 4, 2026 by williamjcobb

The inimitable writer John Cheever explored this fantasy plot back in the 1950s with his short story “The Housebreaker of Shady Hill,” but Your Friends and Neighbors is definitely a worthy reboot of sorts. Continue reading →

Posted in Apple TV's "Your Friends and Neighbors", Good TV, Prestige TV | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment