MAD MEN: Seeing the show as a Period Piece

MAD MEN: Seeing the show as a Period Piece

Posted inTelevision, Works by Eric
The following is taken from Celebrating Mad Men, available in paperback and for Kindle. MAD MEN AS A PERIOD PIECE “I’m interested in how people respond to change. Are they excited by the change, or are they terrified that they’ll lose everything that they know? Do people recognize that change is going on? That’s what the show’s about." – Matthew Weiner  . One of the great joys of Mad Men comes from being immersed in a time and place that is not our own. We delight not only in the look and feel of the show, but also in the way in which it’s instructive when it…
Breaking Bad’s 10 Greatest Moments

Breaking Bad’s 10 Greatest Moments

Posted inTelevision, Works by Eric
The following is taken from Breaking Down Breaking Bad, available in paperback and for Kindle. The idea of selecting the greatest moments of a show filled with memorable moments is, admittedly, like asking to be slapped around for how absent-minded you are. Such a list can only ever spark a flurry of “how could you forget Moment X?” comments from readers. Still, it’s worth revisiting these scenes not only because it’s fun to roll a mental highlight reel, but because many of them distill the essence of Breaking Bad down to a few memorable minutes. Yes, there are some that were painful to leave off the list…
Whispers of the Old Hag: why Sleep Paralysis is probably behind some of our creepiest myths

Whispers of the Old Hag: why Sleep Paralysis is probably behind some of our creepiest myths

Posted inWorks by Eric, Writing
This piece originally appeared in the July/August 2008 edition of Weird Tales magazine, issue #350. It once appeared online, but their online archives appear to be gone, so I'm taking it upon myself to post it here for posterity's sake. Halloween seemed like the perfect day to do it, too. If you've ever suffered from sleep paralysis -- waking up and being unable to move -- you should read this. WHISPERS OF THE OLD HAG by Eric San Juan The thing was made of light and shadow; skeletal, pale, with ribs like talons and deep eager eyes. I did not…
Why I think Jurassic World stunk (and you should, too)

Why I think Jurassic World stunk (and you should, too)

Posted inFilms
It was kind of hard to escape Jurassic World this summer. The fourth movie in the Jurassic Park series (though it conveniently ignored the first two sequels), it was a HUGE smash hit, raking in $1.6 billion worldwide and jumping to the #3 spot for all time box office. Even adjusted for inflation, it sits at #23 for all time box office. Not too shabby. What was shabby was this film. And I'm going to tell you why. On paper, I should have fallen head over heels for it. I LOVE dinosaurs. I LOVE dinosaur movies. I LOVE the Jurassic…
The Ghosts of Lakehurst Hangar No. 1: A real life ghost story

The Ghosts of Lakehurst Hangar No. 1: A real life ghost story

Posted inWorks by Eric, Writing
Halloween is almost here, so I figured I'd pull this out of the archives. The following is a real life ghost story plucked from my book, Lakehurst: Barrens, Blimps & Barons. It was initially written for Weird Tales magazine and was penned alongside an essay on sleep paralysis called "Whispers of the Old Hag," which one reviewer said was about "a real life condition that can be as terrifying as any horror story." (For some reason, "Whispers" is no longer online at Weird Tales, so I've posted it in full right here.) "Ghosts" didn't make the cut, but that was okay. I…