Steven Shinder
Founding member
Bio
Author of fantasy horror comedy novel Lemons Loom Like Rain, which is available on Amazon. You can also read excerpts at stevenshinder.com and check out facebook.com/StevenShinderStorytelling.
Stories (80/0)
The NEW 'Star Wars' Machete Order
Since the release of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, there have been constant debates about the viewing order for the Star Wars films. Some have argued release order, and some have argued chronological order. It sometimes depends on whether or not one is a first-time viewer of the franchise.
By Steven Shinder2 months ago in Futurism
Paramount+ Announces 3D-Animated Series 'Star Trek: Porthos'
Since 2017, the Star Trek franchise has been putting out a plethora of content after a lengthy absence from television. Some are even referring to this era as a golden age for the franchise. Not only have we gotten live-action fare in the forms of Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and the upcoming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but also animated fare in the forms of Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy.
By Steven Shinder2 months ago in Futurism
BREAKING: 'LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga' DELAYED to Autumn 2022
LEGO Star Wars fans just cannot seem to get a brick... er, break. Lucasfilm and Traveller's Tales have announced yet another delay for the highly anticipated LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. This is happening for multiple reasons, though it is doubtful that people will be satisfied with the explanation (quoted below) so close to what was expected to be the final release date. And really, the inevitable complaints would be very understandable, given the history of marketing for this game.
By Steven Shinder2 months ago in Futurism
The Mostly Unsurprising Results of 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (2022)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise has always been a continuity mess, and its entries have run the gamut ranging from poor to middling to good. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022), released on Netflix, is not the first entry to ignore everything except the 1974 original, but it does try to capture the atmosphere and pacing of the original perhaps more so than any of the previous installments. The hints of competence make it all the more frustrating that this film suffered in various aspects, making it one of the weaker entries. Granted, given the history of the franchise, my expectations were low, so I am not surprised. But here are the reasons for my rating.
By Steven Shinder3 months ago in Horror
The Irony of How Tiffany Valentine Essentially Became Charles Lee Ray
Tiffany Valentine and Charles Lee Ray (better known as Chucky) have had a messy romantic relationship over the course of the Chucky franchise. Though Tiffany was first introduced in the fourth film, 1998's Bride of Chucky, it is made clear and reinforced in later installments that she and Chucky were together prior to the events of the first Child's Play film. The first season of the Chucky TV show even depicted their meeting in a 1980s flashback. I'll be delving into spoilers pertaining to the franchise as I examine something I found interestingly ironic, which is how Tiffany, by the end of season 1, became Charles Lee Ray in a certain aspect.
By Steven Shinder3 months ago in Horror
The Thing That 'Cobra Kai' Has Done Better Than 'Chucky'
The Chucky TV series has been a really good continuation from Don Mancini's seven films. While Chucky is still the same old Chucky, with all the evil and silliness that entails, the series has introduced viewers to a cast of teens and parents going through their own problems as they encounter the killer doll. It has been very compelling to see the drama play out. However, there is an aspect that I find the first season to be lacking in compared to another show that has taken a somewhat similar approach.
By Steven Shinder5 months ago in Horror
Is 'Seed of Chucky' A Christmas Movie?
I have written the pros and cons of whether or not Child's Play (1988) is a Christmas movie (which you can read here). Now, I pose a question regarding a film that actually references the holiday: Is Seed of Chucky a Christmas movie?
By Steven Shinder5 months ago in Horror
Is 'Child's Play' (1988) A Christmas Movie?
Every year, people have the heated debate (or meme) of whether or not Die Hard (hardly ever Die Hard 2: Die Harder) is a Christmas movie. But let's shake things up a little with something that is a bit more debatable: Is Child's Play (1988) a Christmas movie?
By Steven Shinder5 months ago in Horror
How Chucky's Backstory Avoids Problems of Other Horror Origin Stories
Long-running horror franchises often run the risk of putting out stories that pale in comparison to the original idea. Sometimes, goofier sequels come along, and there might even be one that takes the horror villain into space. But another element that sometimes taints a good brand if it has shoddy execution is the origin story, which can be presented in the form of a flashback, a full-on prequel, or even a remake or reboot that tries to explain too much. However, the Chucky of Don Mancini's slasher franchise avoids such problems, as shown in the 2013 film Curse of Chucky and, more recently, the Chucky TV series.
By Steven Shinder5 months ago in Horror
Did 'Seed of Chucky' Introduce This 'Cult of Chucky' Idea?
Released in 2004, Seed of Chucky is often considered the worst film in the Chucky franchise. Part of that is due to its increased reliance on comedy over horror. And while the next installment, Curse of Chucky, could have easily done the typical route of retconning the previous film (and more) out of continuity, it actually acknowledged that all previous films still happened. This is very refreshing when we have Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Terminator sequels that, rather than trying to make everything that came before work, would rather take the easy way out and say some of it didn't happen.
By Steven Shinder5 months ago in Horror
