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Why I'm a lifelong Dune lover (even the Lynch movie)

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Image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_%28novel%29 Why I'm a lifelong Dune lover (even the Lynch movie) by Jen Davies, nerd Jan 29, 2026 If you’re not familiar or hesitant to get into Dune , let me encourage you to start with the very recent Denis Villeneuve films. They do not follow the book in every detail but in the overall story they’re right on the mark, and they are visually mesmerizing in addition to hosting incredible acting performances. Start there, if you’re just starting. I grew up in a sci-fi loving household, but somehow we had not had a copy of Dune on hand for me to read among all the other books. The sci-fi I had read was heavy on the science, dominated by Asimov and Sagan, before I tripped onto Dune , which became the only book I’ve probably read 5 times. I discovered Dune very much by accident: I was at a garage sale and I spotted a bound book of photos from a movie I’d never heard of (the 1980s Dune ), and Patrick Stewart happened to be in t...
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If you can't say something nice… and other life lessons from films

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  Image from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/if-you-cant-say-something-nice-dont-say-nothing-at-all--3166662230787516/      If you can't say something nice… and other life lessons from films by Jen Davies, nerd Jan 21, 2026 I realize I’ve learned a lot about living life respectfully and effectively from the movies I watched in my childhood/youth. A lot of these lessons weren’t even from films that turned out to be favourites, but these phrases and the meanings behind them have stuck to me and still affect how I choose to be in the world today. I decided to share them! If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all ( Bambi ) This advice, clearly taught by Thumper’s mother, is guidance I wish would be heeded by folks who feel the need to offer unsolicited opinions on the internet, particularly when those opinions are not informed by lived experience or science. There are few life situations in which being rude is called-for, so it’s often best to keep your opi...
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The back-half of my life: Challenging myself to be myself

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  Adorable certificate explained below The back-half of my life: Challenging myself to be myself by Jen Davies, nerd Jan 14, 2026 (not my bday) Last week I completed the rotation around the sun that almost certainly represents the mid-way point of my lifespan. In fact, that rotation may have happened a few years ago and I just didn't know it, but I'm quite confident now that I'm in the back-half of my life. I think golfers would call my upcoming years "the back nine". I'm grateful that I have no inclination to change my marital relationship, buy a sports car, or pursue surgical alteration to hide my age. I'm not bothered to be well on my way to 50 years old, not everyone gets even that many years. Still, I'm always grateful when someone tells me I don't look 50 - I say the secret is to stay overweight and push the wrinkles out from behind! Like autobody repair. This is the point in life when some people start wondering about what kind o...
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Interstellar and father-daughter relationships

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  Images from 65 and Interstellar respective film IMDB pages. Note: Contains spoilers for the film Interstellar. Interstellar and father-daughter relationships by Jen Davies, nerd Jan 7, 2025 My mother told me that when I (a girl) was born, my father was relieved because he wanted to teach his children about engines and camping and it was more socially acceptable to do “tom-boy” things with a daughter, than it would be for my mother to teach a boy about her pastimes (eg, baking). That was a reflection of the gender expectations of the 1970s and 80s to a great extent, but even today I imagine there are communities where my father’s relief isn’t unusual when a baby girl arrives in the world. After her father has a closed-door conversation with the school principal about a fight the daughter had with a student over discrepant textbooks… Daughter: “How did it go?” Father: “I got you suspended.” If you’ve seen Interstellar - and if you haven’t, you should - then you know the scene, and...
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Returning to fandom after some bad teenage experiences

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  That GREAT time I met Andreas Katsulas (left, Ambassador G’Kar in Bablyon 5 - don't know who the guy on the right is) Returning to fandom after some bad teenage experiences by Jen Davies, nerd Dec 31, 2025 TW: nothing graphic but discussion of inappropriate romantic relationship attempts by older men when I was a teenager It has been fun to return to Internet public fandom over the last few weeks, for the first time since 1999. Especially since it's to my first great love: Star Wars. Coincidentally I happened to rewatch the Star Wars sequel trilogy in August, and in a rage about the end of TROS watched everything Adam Driver has ever done, which kept Kylo Ren/Ben Solo on my mind until Adam's reveal in mid-October about a cancelled Ben Solo movie. I was ready to participate in whatever persuasive efforts the Star Wars fandom was going to bring to bear on Disney to rescue #TheHuntForBenSolo. Why had I not participated in the public Star Wars fandom before? I had a bad exper...
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Few truly evil people: How flawed men in movies let us examine the social origins of problematic behaviour

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Here's an article I hadn't read, and found when I was looking for a photo:  https://www.gq.com/story/adam-driver-the-last-duel-unlikable-men  Few truly evil people: How flawed men in movies let us examine the social origins of problematic behaviour by Jen Davies, nerd Dec 24, 2025 TW: A range of kinds of violence, including sexual violence Note: Contains spoilers for Adam Driver’s films The Last Duel, Ferrari, and the Star Wars sequels I’ve begun hosting monthly “watch parties” in support of #savethehuntforbensolo. The group of Star Wars fans I'm working with suggested that we alternate Steven Soderbergh and Adam Driver films, since we have already watched their collaboration Logan Lucky . So we will, and I've been thinking ahead to the next few months’ worth of films in case I continue to act as host. Films that earned or were nominated for Oscars is the theme I have started with, and both Steven and Adam have been involved in quite a few of those. As I ran through my ...
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Late to Andor: Why Dedra Meero’s fate HURTS as a professional and as a woman

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  Photo from https://collider.com/who-is-dedra-meero-andor-denise-gough/ Late to Andor : Why Dedra Meero’s fate HURTS as a professional and as a woman by Jen Davies, nerd Dec 17, 2025 Note: This essay is full of spoilers. Don't read if you haven't watched all of Andor . My spouse and I were late getting to Andor , and he made me eke it out over weeks rather than letting me binge it. “It's how we're meant to watch a TV series,” he argued. Yes, and it always made me crazy to have to wait for next episodes. Things would live rent-free in my head for days, or longer after a season-ending cliffhanger. I can still call up the hollow feeling that followed the ST:TNG line, “ I am Locutus of Borg .” Months of anxiety until the new season began to air! We finished Andor mid-November, and at the end of the last episode ( last chance to avoid spoilers ) I wept for Dedra Meero and her fate. And it felt worse because I had gloated about the operation on Ferrix going sideways on her (...
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