Review of "American Reunion," DVD version

 Review of

American Reunion, DVD version

Four out of five stars

Adolescent humor with an adult theme

 While this movie is mostly based on humor directed at adolescents, the underlying plot has a very adult theme. The gang from the “American Pie” movies returns and this time they are having a formal high school reunion. It is a chance to reconnect, but it is also an opportunity to reflect on the directions their lives have taken.

 In the style of the “American Pie” movies, there is slapstick, crude sexual and potty humor and wildly played out sexual scenes. Yet, supplementing these antics, there are people expressing regrets, apologizing for past behaviors, engaging in grandiose bragging and in many cases growing up a bit and coming to terms with what their lives have evolved into. In other words, generally doing what people do at their earliest high school reunions.

 Most of the humor is predictable, yet the coming to terms does have some unexpected events. Even the aged adults join in the adolescent-like antics,  discovering aspects of their personas that have either been lost or deeply suppressed.

 While not a movie that will have you roaring with laughter, it is fun to watch. As a veteran of a memorable high school reunion, I recognized some of the artificial facades of people trying to impress and return to the pecking order of their high school class.

Review of "Don’t Whiz on a ‘Lectric Fence: Grandpa’s Country Wisdom," by Roy English

 Review of

Don’t Whiz on a ‘Lectric Fence: Grandpa’s Country Wisdom, by Roy English ISBN 0879057556

Five out of five stars

Heard them before, still timeless

 I grew up on a dead-end street on the edge of a small town with cornfields a few houses to the north and west. I also spent a great deal of time at my grandmother’s, where the situation was similar. Just a few more houses before the cornfields started.

 The title of this book brings back memories of my childhood, where the older boys were always trying to talk the younger ones into doing what is admonished against in the title. I was never convinced but heard the screams of another boy that took the dare.

 The sayings in this book are definitely folk, often reminiscent of those of Benjamin Franklin. For example, on page 84 there is the saying, “An ounce of doing with worth a pound of talk.” On page 118, there is the sentence, “It’s best to stop talking once you’ve said all you know.”

 Humorous with a sense of reality and wisdom, this is a book of expressions that you can repeat over and over with no real sense of redundancy.

Review of "Postcards From World War II: Sights and Sentiments from the Second World War," by Robynn Clairday and Matt Clairday

 Review of

Postcards From World War II: Sights and Sentiments from the Second World War, by Robynn Clairday and Matt Clairday, ISBN 0757001025

Five out of five stars

Angst and other emotions packed in a few sentences

 When the United States entered World War II, millions of men entered the service and went off to fight and for some of them die a horrible death. The people left behind lived in fear of getting the communication informing them of the demise of their loved ones. In such an environment, even a brief communication from one side to the other was uplifting and one of the best boosts of morale.

 Most of the messages on these actual postcards are simple, but that does not mean that they did not have a profound impact on the recipients. The images on the postcards depict scenes of military equipment to the base where the soldier was stationed to cartoons lampooning military life. It was a very serious time, where the future direction of the world was at stake. Yet, people still found time to inject some simple humor and heartfelt feelings into their brief communications.

Review of "The Medical Muse or What to Do Until the Patient Comes," by Richard Armour

 Review of

The Medical Muse or What to Do Until the Patient Comes, by Richard Armour

Four out of five stars

A whimsical, poetic look at the practice of medicine

While the practice of medicine is a serious endeavor, there is nothing wrong with being a bit light-hearted about it. Injecting humor into both sides of the patient-doctor equation will often improve the situation for both sides. This book is a collection of short items of verse that cover many aspects of the providing and receiving of medical care.

 The poems are light in nature, the darker consequences of medical care are avoided. Nearly all aspects, from the perspective of the patient, the doctor, the doctor’s spouse and even the salespeople that knock on the doctor’s door are the topic of the prose. While there are no major laughs generated by these poems, all bring a minimum of a knowing, wry smile.

Review of "Robert B. Parker’s Damned if You Do," by Michael Brandman

 Review of

Robert B. Parker’s Damned if You Do, by Michael Brandman ISBN 9781410461407

Five out of five stars

Very good, but not one of the best

 Jesse Stone is called to a seedy motel where there is a dead woman on the bed in one of the rooms. She was clearly in her early twenties and Jesse has an itch in his mind that he should somehow know her. There are many indications that she was a prostitute, and the case is one that Jesse cannot let go of. At the least, he wants to learn her name so that she does not forever remain a Jane Doe.

 Armed with this determination, Jesse seeks help anywhere he can find it, whether it be in law enforcement or in organized crime. Getting nowhere with traditional law enforcement, he consults with mobster Gino Fish. He is given a name of a madam and from there he is able to establish her identity. In order to make an engaging story, this knowledge puts Jesse in the middle of a significant turf war.

 A new character named Fat Boy Nelly is introduced and there is a secondary plot based on a company that buys up nursing homes with the goal of exploitation in pursuit of profit. Jesse handles them as well as he navigates his way between two ruthless men determined to have their way in the lucrative business of prostitution.

 Stories featuring Jesse Stone are always interesting and well worth reading. However, this is not one of the best in the series. The dialog lacks the highest level of crispness so characteristic of the Stone novels of Parker. The secondary plot gives Jesse something else to do but was not really needed in the pursuit of the primary goal.

Review of "Center Field on Fire," by Dave Phillips and Rob Rains

 Review of

Center Field on Fire, by Dave Phillips and Rob Rains, ISBN 1572435690

Five out of five stars

Insight to the game from a longtime man in blue

 Willie Mays once said that baseball is a simple game, “they throw the ball and I hit it, they hit the ball and I catch it.” While that makes sense from the perspective of Willie Mays, baseball is a far more complicated game than that. There are strategies within strategies and some of the plays are a matter of inches. Furthermore, not all of the rules are unambiguous, instances arise where the umpire must interpret them. Finally, one single call on the field can lead to a shift in millions of dollars of revenue.

 Longtime major league umpire Dave Phillips was present at many of the more complex and controversial plays in the last half century of baseball. He also has seen the rise of salaries, where players and owners are spending and receiving massive amounts of money, driving agendas that are not always in the best interests of baseball.

 This rendition of a life in baseball rendering decisions that are sometimes guaranteed to make half the people angry is a joy to read. Baseball is unique in that the players and managers are allowed to argue with the umpires, generally in full view of the viewers. Nothing can excite a crowd faster and to a higher level than an umpire and manager going chin to chin and screaming at each other. The event even has the special name of “rhubarb.”

 One of the best things about this book is that Phillips does engage in some criticisms of his fellow umpires. He describes personality conflicts between the umpires that are inevitable between human beings, but rarely acknowledged in public.

Review of "March: Book One," by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell

 Review of

March: Book One, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell

Five out of five stars

Major historical event described in a comic

 There were many major events in the civil rights movement in the United States and arguably the most significant was the march at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965. The march was led by John Lewis and the vicious attack by police officers shocked the nation and galvanized people that were formerly unsympathetic into supporting the civil rights movement.

 This comic is the first in a series of comics that depict the early years of civil rights icon John Lewis and the planning and negotiations that led to that famous event. It is an excellent depiction of an event where the participants truly suffered for a cause they believed in. It could be used in history classes as a reference material on the event and a description of true heroism.