Review of
Tower Heist
DVD version
Four out of five stars
There are many
films having the plot based on the execution of the major crime, this one is good,
but does not rise to the highest level. Ben Stiller stars as Josh Kovacs, the manager
of a very exclusive apartment building in New York City. Alan Alda is Arthur Shaw,
a financier that lives in a luxury apartment in the building. Shaw is a
financial crook in the mold of Bernie Madoff and with no warning the employees
in the building learn that their pensions are now vapor. Shaw was given control
of the pension fund at the request of Kovacs, for there was a promise of
fantastic levels of growth.
Determined to
get something out of Shaw, Kovacs recruits two employees of the building and
one tenant to form a team to break into Shaw’s apartment and hopefully find
something valuable to steal. When the FBI arrests Shaw, they think they have a
chance, but only a short time later, Shaw is released for lack of evidence. Since
the four members of the team have no criminal experience, Kovacs decides to
include a criminal known as Slide that is played by Eddie Murphy.
There are
several twists to the plot, due to their knowledge of the building and the quirks
of the schedules, the break-in is well planned. However, several things go
wrong and they are forced to improvise, the main adjustment involves a vintage
car in Shaw’s apartment. The story ends well, even though the thieves are eventually
caught.
Eddie Murphy
plays a role that uses his talents as an over-the-top characterization, which
sometimes does too much to steal the scene. The foibles of the other characters
are often overplayed as well. The best supporting performance is that of Gabourey Sidibe as the maid Odessa. It turns
out that she has skills that are essential for the caper. Téa Leoni plays Claire Denham, a very hard-nosed but adaptable
FBI agent and that is the second-best supporting performance. She is a great
foil for Kovacs and occasionally gives him some sound advice on what to do.
While the movie is too formulaic and sometimes
moves a little too slow, there are enough plot twists to make it suitably
unpredictable and enjoyable.
Review of
Travel Team: The Catch,
by Rick Jasper ISBN 9780761383208
Four out of five stars
This is another installment of the series of books
featuring the Las Vegas Roadrunners traveling team of highly talented teen
baseball players. Like the others it has a moral but getting to it requires
exposing a very unseemly side of big-time athletics, even at the amateur level.
Danny Manuel is
the centerfielder and the story opens with him making a sensational diving
catch. It was so great that it goes viral and is replayed several times on
ESPN. Danny is immediately raised to the level of star and with his father’s
insistence, he quickly becomes a hot endorsement commodity for a sporting goods
company. For years, a man called Pop Mancini had supplied the equipment for the
Roadrunners in an agreement that was based on little more than a handshake.
This leads to
legal conflicts and a swelled head on the part of Danny. He begins doing things
on the field with a flair in order to attract the attention of the cameras, but
it also leads to the alienation of his teammates. It takes some serious
difficulties before he learns how to rise above the pursuit of fame and fortune
in order to carry out the task that leads to a Roadrunner victory.
While it is
true that money is soiling sports even down to the level of the amateur, it
comes across as unseemly that this feature is put in a YA book about sports.
There are some exciting moments and a big game at the end but getting there
exposes some real self-serving sleaze.
Review of
Travel Team: High Heat,
by Andrew Karre ISBN 9780761383222
Four out of five stars
This is another
story in the series featuring the Las Vegas Roadrunners traveling baseball team
and while there is some tension in the big game, the real focus is on some of
the darker aspects of high level, extremely competitive youth sports. The
Roadrunners are very well funded, coached and possess a great deal of talent. Some
of which is likely to end up in the major leagues.
Seth Carter is
a very good pitcher for the Roadrunners and his father pushes him hard to
succeed. The pressure is so intense that Seth has what is called the “Tommy
John” surgery. It is the operation where a tendon is removed from the
non-dominant arm and used to replace the tendon in the pitching arm. It serves
to revitalize the arm, making it more powerful than it was. Seth is a power
pitcher, so once he recovers, his pitches are even faster than before. Seth is deeply
disturbed when he hits a batter in the head and he then suffers from other
self-doubts and uncertainties.
The structure
of the text is that of that of a directed interrogation of Seth by an unnamed
questioner. There is a fundamental reason for this, for even though there is a
victory on the field near the end, there is something far more serious that
takes place afterward. In many ways this is a book that is realistic about the
intensity of teenage team sports and the toll it takes on some of the more
talented players. Due to that reality, this is a somewhat depressing book.
Review of
Coloring & Activity Book Dr. Dee Dee Dynamo’s
Beemore Breakthru, by Oneeka Williams ISBN 9781631779121
Five out of five stars
This is an
excellent combination coloring and science book. The topic is honeybees and
their roles in pollination and the production of honey. It also covers the
basic anatomy of bees and flowers and how they interact to provide food for the
bees and the pollination of the flower.
The current
problem of the bees dying with the resultant lack of pollinators is presented
and Dr. Dee Dee Dynamo comes up with a solution to the problem. She is a Girl
Super Surgeon and she uses those skills to attach robotic wings to the bees so
that they can fly faster and pollinate more flowers. Most of the pages are
designed to be colored and there are two pages of word search and maze
traversal problems.
The level of
the text is that of the second or third grade child, which is ideal for the
level of the other material. I strongly recommend this as an educational and
entertaining book.
Review of
Sudden Mischief: A Spenser Novel,
by Robert B. Parker ISBN 039914370x
Five out of five stars
There is a lot
of deep psychological angst and turmoil in this Spenser novel. It opens with Susan
Silverman asking Spenser to come to the aid of her ex-husband Brad Sterling.
Sterling had contacted Susan with a plea for help and she turns to the person
that she knows is able to fix it. Even though it is her initiative, Susan often
refuses to even talk about the case or any background on Sterling that could
aid Spenser in his investigation.
It is
sufficient to say that Sterling is in very deep and the façade he puts forward
of being a wealthy man is easily pierced by Spenser. The danger level rises
very rapidly to the point where it is necessary to call for Hawk’s aid. Even
though she remains a professional therapist, Susan often stumbles in her
dealings with Spenser and Sterling, leading to a strain in her relationship
with Spenser. Putting her new love in danger over the transgressions of an old,
burned out one is a bizarre situation. Susan knows and even mentions this, yet
she expects Spenser to soldier on.
The story is a
good one with convoluted action, but there are many points where the reader finds
themselves disliking Susan Silverman. She openly takes advantage of the unconditional
love Spenser has for her.
Review of
The Lincoln Lawyer,
DVD
Five out of five stars
This is a movie
where the violent undertones are overwhelmed by the drama of the interaction of
the characters. Matthew McConaughey plays attorney Mickey Haller, a man that
represents people that are often guilty of horrendous crimes. He plays the legal
game hard and has been very successful, results that have earned him the enmity
of members of the law enforcement community. Much of his work is conducted in
the back seat of his chauffeur-driven Lincoln car, hence the title of the movie.
Haller is hired
to defend the son of a wealthy female L. A. area realtor from charges of
beating up and threatening to kill a prostitute. Shortly into the case he flags
inconsistencies in the story of the defendant, and he notices many similarities
between this case and one he had many years ago. In the earlier case, even
though his client vehemently claimed his innocence, the best he thought he could
do was get the murder charge reduced from the death penalty to life in prison
with the possibility of parole.
As the story
threads wind and twist, the reader is left guessing, but it soon becomes clear
that something is amiss. Even though Haller begins to doubt his role in the
case, he soldiers on, providing a strong defense of his client. Despite this,
he begins to construct a complementary thread of a case that will hopefully
insulate him from what is clearly a potential for retribution by the evil
players in the case.
William H. Macy
plays a strong supporting role as Haller’s investigator, his facial and long
head of hair make him look like anything but a smart and effective investigator
that knows how to play the system on the edge of legality. Bryan Cranston plays
Detective Lankford, a man nearing retirement that openly expresses his disgust
with Haller. Marisa Tomei plays prosecutor Maggie McPherson, Haller’s
ex-wife that he fathered a daughter with. It is clear that there is still much
between them and both are devoted to their daughter.
Haller faces
many obstacles in his quest to be a lawyer for a man he despises and revisit the
past case to do what he can to make it right. There is a climactic scene where
nearly everything is revealed, and Haller learns that there is more evil afoot
than he thought. It is a great movie where the twists keep moving with
uncertainty regarding the innocent and guilty.
Review of
The Big Time,
by Tim Green ISBN 9780061686214
Three out of five stars
This is the
fourth book in Tim Green’s “Football Genius” series and is weaker than the
first three. The premise is still the same, Troy White is a football savant that
can somehow predict what play an offense is going to run. While he must observe
a few offensive series before the skill kicks in, he has demonstrated it many
times and he is working for the Atlanta Falcons. At the end of the previous
book, Troy has helped the Falcons reach the playoffs and Troy’s youth football
team has won the championship. There is a victory party and Troy’s long absent father
(Drew) unexpectedly shows up.
The problem
with this book is that financial games are being played rather than football. Drew
is an attorney and pushes hard to be Troy’s agent and in fact negotiates an
eight-figure deal for Troy. However, all does not conform to Troy’s ideal and
there are reasons to believe that Drew has nefarious reasons for his
reappearance and sudden deep interest in Troy. Drew has associated with some
very shady characters and Troy must make a major decision concerning what to do
regarding his father.
This is fundamentally
not a book about football, the main theme is the uncertainty about the motives
of the sudden appearance of an absent relative when another relative is
suddenly wealthy in a very public way. Especially when the newly rich person is
a child and the absent relative is a parent. While this does happen more often
than it should, it makes for a sad tale for young adults. No football games are
played in this story.
