Alas, gentle reader, you have stumbled right into the seventh installment of Troublesome Fictions, that sweet, sticky trap wherein grant exposes his black, geeky heart to the world -- all the while, of course, examining the popular stories that make him feel weird now that he's an adoptive parent.

This week, grant is launching himself on an ongoing mission to seek out new life, and new civilizations, all of which seem to have giant rubber foreheads. But none bigger than the forehead on ... more

Welcome, gentle reader, to the seventh installment of Troublesome Fictions, wherein grant gibbers and raves calmly discusses the popular stories that make him feel weird now that he's an adoptive parent.

This week, a confession. (Why is it that talking about what you read, watch or listen to can so often feel like a confession?) I listen to NPR. I'm one of those people.

So a couple years ago when ... more

Welcome, gentle reader, to the sixth installment of Troublesome Fictions, wherein grant talks about those little bits of culture that make him feel weird now that he's an adoptive parent.

This week, we go into a marvelous realm of steampunk fantasy created by one of my very favorite moviemakers, Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

He's French.

He's the guy who made that bizarre fourth Alien movie, that heartwarmingly quirky Amelie movie and this movie here. A movie that consistently... more

Welcome to the fifth installment of Troublesome Fictions, the weekly rant wherein grant gibbers and raves about stories he didn't think much about before meeting his daughter, but which now make him feel weird.

This week, we look back. Far back in the mists of time, to a time before grant was even born. Oh, to be as fond of old movies as grant's family....

Oh, the divine Doris Day. The ebullient Brian Keith. And all their children.

What is this? With Six, You... more

Welcome to the fourth installment of grant's substitute for therapy Troublesome Fictions, where grant talks about stories he didn't think much about before meeting his daughter, but which now make him feel weird.

This week, we're being trampled under the hooves of the Great Army of King Mouse and the lowly girl who turned out to be his greatest general... that animated ingenue in armor, that sweet, smiling sword-maiden of the Magic Kingdom, Mulan

Who is this?: Hua Mulan, The Magnolia Flower, The Woman Warrior, Heroine of the Middle Kingdom,... more

Who is this?: Curious George, that lovable, trouble-making monkey!

Habitat: Until recently, childrens books -- lots of them -- along with various nostalgia-laden toys. Now, he's in a movie.

Why is this troublesome?: This one hadn't made me feel weird (the definition here of "troublesome fiction"), until I read this on one of the groups to which I belong:

Subject: Comment on Curious George

Hello all,

I saw - too late - that this had already been mentioned on PAC, but I thought I'd pass along... more

This is the second entry in the Troublesome Fictions file, wherein grant starts feeling weird about stories he didn't think much about before adopting his daughter.

Today, we're leaping over tall buildings with a single bound, and bumping right into what's possibly the most familiar icon on the planet.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's....

Who is this?: Birthname: Kal-El. American name: Clark Kent. Also known as Superman, the Man of Steel, the Last Son of Krypton.... more

One of the things I'd like to do here is start a comprehensive catalogue of pop culture icons that kinda freak me out now that I've become an adoptive parent. There are a lot of them. The Boy (now aged 11) and I have enjoyed quite a few of them in the past, and continue to do so -- but for me, I start getting a little edgy once my thinking part starts up with the thinking.

These are troublesome fictions. Their king: Harry [expletive] Potter.

So, the inaugural entry in my Troublesome Fiction File hails the king.

Who is this?:... more