Author Archives: williamjcobb

Realism & Richard Yates’ Genius

A master of Realism, Richard Yates is like a J.D. Salinger who has grown a pair. Or the flip side of John Cheever. Continue reading

Posted in J.D. Salinger, John Cheever, Revolutionary Road (film), Revolutionary Road (novel), Richard Yates fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Altered States of Stuffed Animals

My daughter cohabits with approximately 427 stuffed animals. If this were like the early days of The Book of Genesis and the skies were to open and deluge us with forty days and forty nights of rain, we could repopulate the Earth with our own Noah’s ark. Continue reading

Posted in Memoir, Parenting, Personal Essay, Stuffed Animals | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“Silo” as Tormented A.I. Captives

I’m glad to see the dangers of A.I. cropping up in pop fiction and film. I’ve used it myself, in such stories as “Camp America” (available here: see the website banner for link to the file). Continue reading

Posted in "Silo" Apple TV Series, A.I., A.I. Apocalypse, A.S.I. (Artificial Super Intelligence), Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares' If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies | Tagged | Leave a comment

Neo-Medieval Charms of “Silo” 

Silo has become quite timely: While the plotlines involving the present-day Silo people are taking place roughly four centuries in the future, there’s now a plotline that appears to be set in roughly present-day contemporary times: In the series we are at war with Iran. Continue reading

Posted in "Silo" Apple TV Series, Post-Apocalyptic Movies/Series, Prestige TV | Tagged | Leave a comment

“Nightborn” Review: Fun Finnish Horror

Something dark and sinister lurks in the Finnish forests. Continue reading

Posted in "Nightborn" film, books/film, Cult classic films, Finnish horror films, Folktale Films, Horror Films, Horror Movies | Tagged | Leave a comment

“The End of Oak Street”: Jurassic Park Meets Poltergeist

It’s like Jurassic Park meets Poltergeist. Continue reading

Posted in "The End of Oak Street" film, books/film, Cryptozoology, Disaster movies, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Yellowstone Backpacking Trip Report 2026

In 2024 we kayaked Yellowstone Lake, in 2025 Shoshone Lake, and for 2026 we backpacked to Heart Lake. This year was extra special: our 25th wedding anniversary. Continue reading

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Cul-De-Sac Anguish: On Netflix’s “The Last House”

I’ll try to avoid spoilers here but will add that when we finished watching it, we both said, “Wow. I’m surprised we finished that movie.” As in: I’m surprised we didn’t stop watching and go do something more entertaining, like poking each other with a sharp stick. Continue reading

Posted in "Alone" TV Reality Series, "The Last House" film, Implausible movies, Yellowstone National Park backcountry trips | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Ultimate Kayaking Yellowstone Lake Trip Report

An easy rule of thumb: Try to reach your campsite by noon or so: Thunderstorms often pop up later in the day, which can make the paddling difficult. Continue reading

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Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” as Summer Movie Event

The place was packed. A group behind us were wearing togas (that looked like bed sheets “repurposed”). Excitement in the air! Continue reading

Posted in A.I., Christopher Nolan, Classic films, The Odyssey | Tagged , , | Leave a comment