Warp Factor examines overlooked or nearly-forgotten science-fiction artifacts from the recent past with a 21st Century perspective. In this inaugural entry, the journey of Space: 1999, from being an original TV production to becoming a […]
Author: Jay Alary
Jay lives in downtown Calgary, Alberta with his beloved partner, two cats, and far too many books and movies.
CONFESSIONS OF A NEUROTIC, LAZY FILM JUNKIE DURING THE ENDLESS CALAMITY OF 2020
Ten months into the never-ending nightmare that is the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m exhausted, adrift in a world gone mad with cruel, inept politicians, conflicting social-media messaging, selfish, belligerent anti-maskers, and death. I’ve dealt with several […]
A ROUGH AND TUMBLE XMAS WITH THE DUKE
John Wayne is an American film icon, but to me, he’s also an annual reminder of the most wonderful time of the year. While I cannot think of anything “wonderful” about 2020, when I think […]
A TRILOGY ABOUT THE BLADE TRILOGY, PT. 3
When a film series fills a studio’s coffers and wins approval from critics and fans, its producers are often protective, making sure nothing will upset their lucrative franchise’s profitability. However, despite such safeguards, it’s almost […]
A TRILOGY ABOUT THE BLADE TRILOGY, PT. 2
Last time, I wrote about my introduction to Blade and how it helped me overcome my film snobbery and made me a better human being. I’m still a snob, but one with fewer self-imposed restrictions […]
A TRILOGY ABOUT THE BLADE TRILOGY, PT. 1
In the year 2000, I remember an imposing man, with questionable sanity, forcing me to watch a snowy, pirated copy of Blade. My friend Natalie and I were visiting her sister up the highway in […]
MIXTAPE: OUR RESIDENT CANADIAN RECOMMENDS NYC PUNK
Punk rock means a lot of different things to different people and that’s okay (unless you’re the likely-now-dead guy who wrote that infamous episode of Quincy M.E., decrying the “dangers” of punk). Punk is diverse, […]
STUCK IN THE ’90S: UNSUNG FILM HERO HAL HARTLEY AND THE DIY APPEAL OF AMATEUR
There’s much to love from the the 1990s, pop culture wise (I could write a Masters thesis on the brilliance of low-fi indie rock, like a sad Pavement fan who still wakes up each day […]
BAVA IN SPACE: PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES REMAINS A COLORFUL EXPLORATION
Blending science fiction and horror together on film often creates both excitement and dread among cinephiles. There is a feeling of excitement because of a universe of possibilities for clever filmmakers to create cosmic calamities […]
ROBOCOP 2: ODE TO THE SATIRIC, BOMBASTIC SEQUEL
Film sequels exist primarily to make money. As much as cinephiles worship The Godfather Part II, it wasn’t a logical progression Francis Ford Coppola envisioned after filming wrapped on The Godfather; it was Paramount, the […]
DEAD MAN: JIM JARMUSCH’S TRANSGRESSIVE WESTERN TONE POEM
There is something romantic about a film genre set in unexplored territory in a bygone period, places untouched by Western civilization, where right and wrong are settled by the spin of a gun barrel, a […]
AMO KAJ ALIAJ DEMONOJ: THE CURSE OF ‘INCUBUS’ (1966)
Many English-speaking cinephiles will watch films from all over the world; only the most ethnocentric cinephile will sneer at foreign-language films, ignoring richly-told stories from around the world (subtitles are not your enemy!). But what […]
HUMBUG: LOVE ACTUALLY? ACTUALLY…NAH
I don’t like Christmas. Don’t call me Scrooge or a Grinch — I’m not advocating spoiling people’s holiday cheer. Maybe it’s Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), courtesy of shortened winter days, the proliferation of red and […]
ROBERT WISE’S STAR TREK TREATMENT DESERVES MORE CREDIT THAN FANS GIVE IT
IN DEFENSE OF: STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE Fandom is a perplexing, frequently frustrating entity: it can be a supportive, passionate group of like-minded individuals who enjoy fictional characters on the page or on the […]
A COLD LOOK AT CANADIAN HORROR IN BRANDON CRONENBERG’S ANTIVIRAL
When Americans think of Canada, they usually think of preternaturally-polite hosers sitting in igloos, drinking Molson or Labatt beer, watching hockey on the CBC as they dunk their Tim Hortons doughnuts in maple syrup, all the while […]