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.
Review of
Eagle Feather,
by Clyde Robert Bulla
Five out of five stars
I owned this
book when I was in elementary school and must have read it ten times. The
context is a Navajo boy named Eagle Feather that lives on the reservation with
his family. They have a herd of sheep and goats and Eagle Feather tends to
them, taking them out of the pen in the morning, herding them to the pasture for
the day and then back to the pen for the evening. His family lives in a primitive
Hogan and they are fairly isolated from all the other families.
During a trip
to the distant trading post with his father, Eagle Feather is exposed to the
school for members of the tribe. It is so far from his home that it would be
necessary for him to live at the school while classes are in session. At first,
Eagle Feather expresses reluctance to go to school but then finds it
interesting.
When Eagle
Feather damages the truck of his cousin Crook Nose, he must go live with him
and watch over his sheep and goats in order to pay for the damage. It is not a
happy experience, for Eagle Feather is not treated well and is also underfed.
Things reach a climax when he is told that he cannot go to school when classes
start.
Originally
published in 1962, this book is a reasonable representation of life on the
Navajo reservation for an early adolescent boy in that time period. In my case,
it was a story that was interesting and one of my first exposures to the area
of multicultural studies.
Review of
The Piano,
DVD version
Five out of five stars
This is one of
the most original and unusual love stories ever put on film. Holly Hunter is
Ada McGrath, a woman of English origin that travels with her daughter to New
Zealand in an arranged marriage to a man also of English extraction. Ada is a mute
and has a love for playing the piano, one is a component of the personal belongings
she brings.
Sam Neill plays
Alisdair Stewart, the husband of the marriage and a man with no time for music,
all he wants is a wife obedient to his wishes. Alisdair simply leaves the piano
on the beach, an act that devastates Ada. Harvey Keitel plays George Baines, a
native Maori that warms to Ada and her love for music. He has the piano
transported to his residence, giving him the opportunity to be alone with Ada.
At first, Ada
resists George’s advances, but her love of the piano overwhelms all of her
qualms and she becomes sexually intimate with George. This sets up a love
triangle where Alisdair acts out the most brutal of what a husband could legally
do to his wife. All of the players give superb performances, especially Hunter
and Anna Paquin that plays daughter Flora McGrath. Ada’s intense love for
playing the piano comes through very clear through facial expressions and body
language.
The viewer quickly
finds themselves empathizing with Ada and antagonistic to Alisdair. There is
the hope that somehow Ada and George will become a couple and the movie will
end with Ada blissfully playing the piano. Not quite the ending. George’s
fellow Maori provide a solid supporting role by providing people of Maori
culture rather than more transported people of English extraction. This is a
great movie, worthy of every award it received.
Review of
The First Book of Mythical Beasts,
by Helen Jacobson
Three out of
five stars
While there are
some good points for the YA reader concerning the topic of monsters in the
world, they are not that well done. It opens with a discussion of dragons in ancient
Babylonian culture, shifts to the role of dragons in Chinese mythology, moves
on to the monsters and heroes of Greek mythology, bounces to the beasts of Middle
Eastern and Indian folklore and closes with the mention of modern myths. The
modern myths are of the Loch Ness Monster, the Nandi bear of East Africa and
the abominable snowman of the Himalayas.
With so many
monsters to cover in less than seventy pages with illustrations, none is given more
than a causal pass. The reader is given little in the way of cultural context
or in-depth explanations of the monster. Yes, they do monster things and are
generally dangerous to humans, but not much more than that.
It would have
been a stronger book is there had been more textual explanations of the monsters,
specifically those of the older myths. One can learn a great deal about a
culture from the structure of their myths, but that is not possible here.
Review of
The Secret
Soldier, by Ann McGovern ISBN 0590430521
Five out of five stars
While there are
a few mentions of women that fought in America’s wars before they were given
the legal right to do so, it is a topic that rarely gets any real ink in the
history books. This book is a short biography of Deborah Sampson, a woman that
passed as a man, enlisted in the American Army to fight in the Revolutionary War
and suffered some serious battle wounds.
It is well
known that there were few options for young women in the last years of the eighteenth
century. Marriage with the associated surrender of all their rights to property
and a voice in the world was the only major life path open to most women. Her
early life and an explanation of this aspect of society are the topics of the
first half of the book.
Sampson found
the thought of getting married distasteful, so she adopted the persona of a male
and enlisted. Her fellow soldiers thought she was a mid-teen boy, which would
explain her slight build and lack of facial hair. To keep her secret, she was
forced to remove a bullet from her leg by herself and it was only when she was
seriously wounded in a hospital bed that her secret was discovered.
Permanently
injured from her war wound, Sampson then became a typical wife and mother, living
to the age of 67. What was different about her was that she received a soldier’s
pension. This book is an excellent existence proof that there were some women
that shook off the heavy social norms and filled what were considered male
roles. It is an inspiration to modern girls to reach for their aspirations no
matter what the odds against.
Review of
Tom Clancy Full Force and Effect
by Mark Greaney, ISBN 9780399173356
Five out of five stars
Greaney had
successfully carried out a very difficult writing task, carrying on a nearly
seamless transfer of authorship of a storyline started by a very successful
writer. One of the characteristics of the Tom Clancy books is the creation of
multiple threads of action that allow the characters to be highly developed in
relative isolation. While every thread is related to every other one, they are
separate enough so that the reader learns all they need to know about the major
character and their associates.
Greaney also
maintains the Clancy limitations on the portrayal of the heroes. While there
are talented good guys, there are no “super soldiers” that routinely carry out
impossible tasks in order to complete their mission.
The main
premise is a very interesting one. Massive deposits of rare-earth elements are discovered
in North Korea, with an estimated value over 10 trillion dollars if properly
exploited. With resources of that magnitude, it is clear to the American side
that North Korea would simply be able to buy whatever it wanted, from ICBMs capable
of hitting any location in the world to massive amount of food and even the
support of governments.
Jack Ryan Sr.
is the president of the United States and his son Jack Jr. is among other
things a covert operator for U. S. intelligence. Ryan Sr. is determined to
block the North Korean attempts to acquire the technologies they need to
exploit the rare-earth find and acquire ICBM technology. The North Koreans are
just as determined and are ruthless in their ambitions, even to the point of
carrying out high-level assassinations.
The battle is
joined and while the reader knows the general conclusion, the path there is
unpredictable, making this an excellent thriller in the Clancy tradition.
Review of
Travel Team: Out of Control,
by Rick Jasper ISBN 9780761383239
Three out of five stars
As an adult
that coached youth sports over 10 seasons and three different sports and both
genders, I have experienced the rabid parent phenomenon many times. Once, when
I was forced to referee a soccer game a parent came screaming onto the field
over a call that I did not make. The girl had tripped over her own feet,
something that was clear to me from six feet away, but impossible to discern
from the sidelines. I gave up the coaching/refereeing when I received an email invitation
from the parent soccer organization to attend a workshop on how to deal with
being physically assaulted by a parent.
Carlos “Trip”
Costas is a talented shortstop on the Las Vegas Roadrunners baseball team and
his father Julio is a former professional baseball aspirant and a celebrity
musician with significant wealth. Trip’s mother is several wives ago in Julio’s
life, so Trip’s only parent present is his father. The problem is that Julio is
overbearing in his pressure on Trip, even to the point that he goes out on the
field during a game.
The situation
reaches a head when Trip decides that baseball is not fun anymore and asks the
coach to bench him. Julio is a major financial backer of the team and there are
significant expenses when they travel to tournaments. Julio threatens to pull
his financial support if the coach does not pressure Trip to play.
There is a climactic
point where Trip stays at the house of a female friend rather than go home.
Ultimately, there is a confrontation between Julio, Trip and the management of
the Roadrunners. It is resolved and there is a big game at the end.
Older books of
adolescent sports fiction largely left all non-relative females out of the lives
of the teenage male stars. Jasper is quite the opposite in that he has females
being the best friends and confidants of his male stars. That is a positive
aspect, but the story has so many negative aspects of the parent-child relationship
that it has a sour feel to it. None of the other adults in the story ever stand
up to Julio, telling him to tone it down or asking him to leave the field.
Review of
The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the
Early Days of Baseball Told By the Men Who Played It,
by Lawrence S. Ritter ISBN 0688039014
Five out of five stars
This book is a
collection of extended reminiscences by men who played major league baseball right
before and generally for three decades after the turn of the twentieth century.
While there are a few stars describing their lives in and around baseball, most
of the names will be known only to people who have studied the history of the
sport. The latest that any of the 26 featured players was in major league
baseball was Hank Greenberg, whose last season was 1947. Babe Herman and Paul
Waner played their last seasons in 1945 and both admit that was only because
the stars were busy fighting World War II. The earliest season that any player
was in the major leagues was Tommy Leach in 1898.
The years
covered in this book were those of the growth of baseball into a major sport.
Of course, it was the rise of Babe Ruth as a hitting star that made the game
one where some players could earn significant money. Stars such as Ty Cobb, Rogers
Hornsby, Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Walter Johnson are not interviewed, but are
spoken of a great deal.
One common
theme that is a bit shocking to the modern reader is how easily and simply the
players talk about their being sold by one team to another. When it happened,
their choices were largely limited to acquiescence or retirement. At the time,
players were property and there was a bill of sale that was filled out with
copies to the player, the buyer, seller, league office and commissioner. An
example appears on page 296.
Yet, despite
the poor pay and sometimes poor working conditions, these men truly loved the
game and while they were capable, would have done nothing else. This is a great
book of oral history by men who generally were not stars yet made the game
great.
Review of
Riding the Northern Range: Poems from the
Last Best-West, edited by Ted Stone ISBN 1551050552
Five out of five stars
Cowboy poetry
and the companion cowboy songs were an integral part of the American western
frontier. Their appeal continued long after the wild west no longer existed.
Witness the large number of movies featuring singing cowboys such as Roy Rogers
and Gene Autry. Roy Rogers was singing in western movies up until roughly 1952
and Autry’s career ended at roughly the same time.
Given the
timeless appeal of this type of literature and the songs that emerged from it,
there is no surprise that this collection will move the fan. There is something
about verse that describes the harshness and isolation of prairie life, how the
winter can be so strong that it wipes out most of the cattle. The cowboys that
tend to the cattle are a tough lot, living outside for extended periods, facing
the danger of being caught in a stampede and closing it all off with a low end-of-season
payoff.
These poems are
not about the gunfights or battles with Native Americans that were popular
entertainment fare, they are about living, farming and ranching from Montana to
the Dakotas and then on up into Canada. It was a harsh existence where hard
work was often not enough, nature also had to provide the essentials of timely rain,
calm weather and a lack of insect vermin. Fans of the old west will enjoy these
tributes to the life in verse.
Review of
The Aviator,
Widescreen edition
Five out of five stars
As a technocrat,
I have followed the professional lives of the people that have made the modern
computer industry. Individuals such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison
and Elon Musk. They are hard-driving people that had great vision, but personalities
and egos that were abrasive, to say the least. Much earlier, there was another
person in this mold, and his name was Howard Hughes. This movie is an
expression of his life, successes and failures.
DiCaprio puts
forward a superb performance as the mercurial, yet brilliant Hughes. In
watching the movie, it was easy to project some of what has been written about
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates and simply replace Hughes with either of those two
men.
Of course,
there are two significant differences. The first is that Hughes was at his base
a test pilot and a very good one. No one ever questioned his courage and
willingness to take great personal risk. The second was that Hughes was also an
integral part of the Hollywood movie making scene, which made him top notch
fodder for the tabloids.
This is a great
movie about one of the most underappreciated visionaries of the twentieth
century. It is unfortunate that his great flaws were self-destructive, in the
sense that they made it impossible for him to function in society in his last
years. Had he remained socially and professionally functional, he may have been
the greatest of all time.
Review of
Travel Team: Power Hitter,
by M. G. Higgins ISBN 9780761383246
Five out of five stars
Sammy Perez is
a talented baseball player determined to sign a pro contract and elevate his
family to a higher standard of living. His family has sacrificed a great deal
to outfit him in his quest and he is playing on the Roadrunners, a team based
in Las Vegas that travels to tournaments. Sammy has traditionally been a power
hitter, but things have recently changed.
In order to get
the players more accustomed to what they will be facing when they become
professionals, it has been decided that the Roadrunners will play in a
tournament where they will be using wooden bats rather than their usual
aluminum. With a smaller hitting surface and a different weight balance, this
creates adjustment problems for the hitters, none more so than Sammy.
When the story opens,
Sammy is engaged is some serious self-pity, asking why the team cannot stay
with aluminum as his hitting is really suffering. This creates problems between
him and his teammates and coaches, for Sammy is concerned only with his
performance rather than the overall benefit of the team. It is well known that
there will be many pro scouts in the crowd during the tournament.
There are
threads of the internal dynamics of a team, both in terms of skill level as
well as socio-economic status. Unfortunately, the possibility of Sammy using
performance enhancing drugs is raised, which is unfortunate, because the option
is raised from a source that simply should not have done it.
Yet, the story
ends well, for Sammy demonstrates other characteristics that impress the scouts
and he does not have to rely on any form of cheating to do so. This makes it an
excellent book for young people, pointing out that scouts are looking for
character as well as skills. Character cannot be taught, while many of the
skills can be developed by proper instruction.
Review of
Blood Diamond,
DVD widescreen edition
Five out of five stars
Brutal
conflicts over natural resources have been a fundamental component of African
life for several generations. Fueled by the western need for resources, most of
the combatants have been Africans that have claimed the same national allegiance.
The companies and governments of the western nations understand how the battles
are being carried out and the level of human carnage, but generally are only
interested in maintaining the production.
The setting is the
African nation of Sierra Leone in 1999, when there was an outbreak of a brutal
civil war. Men and boys are forcibly recruited by rebel groups to work in the
diamond mines and any attempt to steal a diamond leads to execution. The armed
groups regularly enter villages suspected of allegiance to the other side and
shoot down innocents, rape the women and will cut off the limbs of children in
order to make a point.
Leonardo di
Caprio plays Danny Archer, a Rhodesian veteran of the wars in Southern Africa
and now a diamond smuggler. Djimon Hounsou plays Solomon Vandy, a fisherman in
a village of Sierra Leone when the civil war breaks out in earnest. A rebel
group attacks his village and while his wife and youngest children manage to
escape, Vandy is captured and forced to work in the diamond mines. He discovers
a monstrous stone and when he is about to be forced to turn it over to his
overlord, government troops attack and Solomon manages to bury the stone before
being captured.
Archer has been
arrested while attempting to smuggle diamonds across the border between Sierra
Leone and Liberia and ends up in the same prison as Vandy. This is the spark of
an unlikely alliance between the two men. Archer is a man that is at times as
ruthless as the people he is fighting, yet he does retain a spark of humanity.
The remainder of the story has the two men on a hunt to recover the diamond by
any means necessary.
The violence in
the movie is significant, but it does genuinely reflect what was going on in
Africa at the time. Entire villages were being wiped out, children were being
impressed into armed groups to serve as ruthless soldiers and the diamond
companies mostly stood back unless they considered it necessary to send in their
mercenary units. The best aspect of the movie is that it genuinely reflects what
took place in Africa.
One of the best
lines in the movie references the historical fact that the Belgian controllers
of the Congo implemented a policy of cutting off the hands of workers in order
to keep them terrified and working. Given that a bounty for scalps has been a
part of law of the European based governments in the United States for
centuries, the point is that the acts of barbarism towards enemies has a lot of
European origins.
This is a movie
that entertains and educates and should be viewed in classes that cover the colonization
and how corporations operate in countries unable to resist them.
Review of
The Underdogs,
by Mike Lupica ISBN 9780545487863
Five out of five stars
Lupica is
currently the best writer of adolescent sports fiction and he proves it once
again in this story. Will Tyler is an extremely fast and shifty running back,
despite his small size, he is a major talent. Unfortunately, he lives in the
town of Forbes, a city that is struggling financially after the primary
employer closed their sneaker factory. The town council voted that they did not
have the money to support the youth football team for middle school students this
year, so Will and his friends have no hope of playing this year.
Will’s father
was also a very good football player in his youth, but a severe knee injury ended
his career and he was one of the people who lost their job when the sneaker
plant closed and while Will’s father provides for Will, there is significant
resentment for the cards that they have been dealt.
In a Hail Mary
pass of another form, Will sends a letter to a sporting goods company, asking
them if they would sponsor the team in the amount of $10,000. To everyone’s
surprise, the CEO of the company agrees, and Will and his friends will be able
to field a team. However, many families have left town seeking employment
opportunities and at first, they can only find 10 guys willing to play.
Following what
is a common Lupica feature, there is a girl named Hannah that wants to play
football and after some disagreement, everyone on the team accepts her
presence. Hannah proves to be tough and resilient and her teammates stick up
for her. When a defensive player hits her with a cheap shot, Will’s team calls
a running play to that area and three players from Will’s team level the
defensive player in an obvious payback message.
Hannah is a
strong and aggressive personality and an excellent kicker. With only eleven
players, all members of the team must play the full game. Hannah is at first
uncertain in making open field tackles, but she learns very quickly how to take
down ball carriers.
This is a very
enjoyable sports book, for it is about more than just sports. It is about a
community in general and some people in particular that manage to bury the
difficulties that they face and rise up to have a successful season and show
the world that Forbes is still a vibrant town with much to offer the residents.
It is about community spirit and has a girl acting as an equal to the boys.
Review of
Annie Oakley,
by Ginger Wadsworth ISBN 0760766363
Four out five stars
While this book
is an effective recounting of Annie Oakley’s achievements as a shooter and
trick-shot artist, some very significant aspects of her life are not covered in
enough detail. Oakley was an early advocate of women in combat roles, sending a
letter to President William McKinley in 1898 offering the services of 50 lady
sharpshooters for any war effort that would be undertaken against Spain. This is
in the book.
She also
stated, "I would like to see every woman know how to handle guns as
naturally as they know how to handle babies." It has also been stated that
she shot the ashes off a cigarette being held in the mouth of the newly crowned
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany.
Oakley grew up
poor and her natural ability to shoot straight did a great deal to feed her family
when she was in her teens. She was so proficient at hunting that many of the
family’s bills were paid by the excess game she was able to kill. She never
lost track of those roots and she was a strong supporter of women’s rights her
entire life. Oakley was also a strong advocate for education for females as
well as their opportunities for independence. It is unfortunate that these
aspects of her personality were not emphasized more.
Review of
Marie Curie,
by Laura Hamilton Waxman ISBN 9780760739105
Five out of five stars
When I was in
elementary school and we were on the science segment, Marie Curie was always
referred to as “Madame Curie,” never by her first name. We learned of her
scientific accomplishments and how she died an early death, a casualty of her
work on the radioactive elements radium and polonium.
Therefore, it
was pleasing to see the title of this book using her given name and that name being
used throughout. That is how it should be, for male scientists like Albert
Einstein are never called Mr. Einstein. Despite the short length, this book is a
fairly complete rendition of Marie Curie’s achievements. She was the winner of
two Nobel prizes in the sciences, the first to ever accomplish this feat.
Marie Curie faced
many obstacles in her life, yet she persisted in doing her passion, which was
science. She is a superb role model for the modern girl that loves science and
this book should be in every elementary school library as well as being
regularly assigned reading.
Review of
Juan Ponce de Leon,
by Jane Sutcliffe ISBN 0760766401
Five out of five stars
The coverage of
Ponce de Leon in the history classes is often limited to little more than his
search of the Florida peninsula for the fabled fountain of youth. He of course
never found it, because it does not exist. One wonders how a rumor of such a
natural phenomenon could ever arise. Ponce de Leon was far more than just a
simple adventurer/explorer, he was an officer of the Spanish Army in the Western
Hemisphere and the governor of Spanish territories in the New World.
The first of
the most interesting and historically significant points made in this book are
how the Europeans considered themselves the owners of any land where they were
the first Europeans to walk on it. One of the disputes described in the book is
when Diego Columbus, the son of Christopher, claimed control of Puerto Rico
based on his deceased father being the first to walk on it. It demonstrates the
arrogance of the Europeans and their disdain for the people already living on
the lands they were claiming.
The second
point is how diseases carried by the Europeans nearly wiped out the native
people of the Caribbean region. Even the powerful and warlike tribes were
easily conquered and subjugated once the diseases had decimated the population.
A figure that
was a reasonable and just governor rather than a conquistador, the life of Ponce
de Leon should be covered more thoroughly in history classes. This book is a
good introduction to his role in the dark history of the European conquest of
the New World.
Review of
The Egyptian Cat Mystery,
by John Blaine
Four out of five stars
This Rick Brant
adventure takes him and his friend Scotty to Egypt to work with some radio
astronomy scientists that are attempting to decipher and interpret some very
odd signals that the telescopes are receiving. The anomalies are so odd that
they must eliminate all possible sources of terrestrial origin as well as
equipment malfunction or natural phenomenon. The point of origin appears to be
light years from Earth, the signal has a regular variation but not like a
variable star and it is apparently moving at an incredible rate of speed. If
everything else can be eliminated, then the only plausible explanation is that
it is of intelligent origin.
By itself, this
would make for an interesting science fiction story. However, the radio astronomy
is secondary to the Egyptian cat. Before Rick and Scotty leave the United States
for Egypt, an Egyptian man asks them to take a plastic figurine of a cat with
them and deliver it to a man in Egypt. Thinking that it is nothing more than
the simple delivery of a token, Rick and Scotty agree to deliver the item.
However, it is quickly
clear that there is far more to the situation than they first thought, they are
chased, frisked and kidnapped by the villains that are determined to acquire
the plastic figure. This plot thread makes it just another mystery/adventure book.
The science
that appears is generally solid for 1961, the story would have been stronger if
there had been more of it. A complete foundation is put down for there to have
been a signal received from space aliens, it is unfortunate that the logical
conclusion is not reached or amplified.
Review of
The Murders in the Rue Morgue,
by Edgar Allan Poe ISBN 9781434242594
Five out of five stars
Despite his
short career and limited financial returns for his writing, Edgar Allan Poe
left a lasting legacy in American literature. Considered to be the inventor of the genre of
detective fiction and an early pioneer of science fiction, it is fitting that
one of the major awards for writing fiction is called an Edgar. This book is a
graphic novel adaptation of one of Poe’s unusual short mystery stories.
Two women are
brutally murdered in a second-floor room, one has their head severed and the
other is strangled. Several men heard their screams, raced up the stairs and
broke down the door in an attempt to help them. The murderer is nowhere to be
found and did not exit through the door, the only other possible escape route
is to go through what appears to be a locked window and somehow reach a thick
lightning rod that goes up the side of the building.
The ace
detective in this case is Auguste Dupin, a man of very modest means but
possessing great acumen. Faced with a situation that appears impossible, he
uses his mind to chip away at the features that make it appear impossible and zeroes
in on the killer. It is a brilliant line of reasoning, and the killer is most
unusual, someone that would not ordinarily be on the list of “usual suspects.”
The rendition
into graphic form is very well done, the colors are dark and dreary, fitting
for a Poe story. You don’t have to be a fan of Edgar Allan Poe to enjoy this
novel.
Review of
Cashback, DVD movie
Five out of five stars
The major
premise of this movie is fundamentally something that in other hands would be
creepy, but in this case, it is so well done that it leads to a love story. Ben
Willis is a student at an art college, and he is involved in a nasty breakup
with his girlfriend. This leads to a major bout of insomnia where he does not
sleep at all for days. In order to make something positive out of this
condition, he takes a night shift job at a local supermarket. His co-workers
are a strange lot that engage in many activities in an attempt to alleviate the
boredom of working nights.
Ben discovers
that he has a strange power, he is able to freeze time, where every person and
object but Ben is locked into position until he restarts the universe by
cracking his hands. During the period where time is frozen, Ben can manipulate
the objects, moving and adjusting them.
In one segment,
he locks the supermarket in place and then goes down an aisle, disrobing the
women and then making detailed sketches of them. He does so in order to capture
their beauty and he carefully puts their clothing back in place before he
restarts time. In other circumstances, this would be incredibly creepy, but it
is so well done that you feel for Ben as he struggles to make something of
himself. Ben comes across as being truly interested in the women as an artist
and not as a voyeur.
There is also a
bit character named Natalie that fulfills the fantasy of nearly every boy
slightly north of 10. For a small amount of money, she will drop her underwear
and then lift her skirt in order to give a boy an extended flash.
There is a
happy ending, but it takes some effort and convolutions to get there. The
performances of all the characters are superb and complement each other very
well. Ben’s best friend is one of the most memorable bad-boy supporting characters
of all time. While he may not have any redeeming qualities, he is essential to
making the story work.
Review of
MythAdventures! Volume 1 Number 3
Four out of five stars
When reading
this comic, it is hard to settle into what the major words are that describe it’s
structure. It is disjointed and packed with wordplay and puns. The characters
dress in medieval garb and use weapons of the time period. There are many times
when one of the main characters is called a “pervert,” only to be corrected
that the proper term is “pervect.” There is magic across dimensions, a unicorn
and a deveel.
Amidst the crossbows, horse carts and castles, there
is a desktop computer. Incongruity abounds in this bouncy, unusual story where
there rarely seems to be a direction. However, the somewhat random walk of a
trip is a fun one through these pages.
Review of
Albert Gallatin: Diplomat,
by G. J. Bryen III
Five out of five stars
Even though
this pamphlet is only 21 pages, it contains a solid synopsis of the life of Albert
Gallatin, one of the major statesmen of the early United States. A confidant of
most of the founding fathers, Gallatin served three presidents as Secretary of
the Treasury and as American Minister to France and Great Britain (1801-1827) during
a career of public service that was four decades long. Yet, Gallatin receives
very little ink in the accounts of the early years.
This booklet
sets down at least a partial recounting of what was an extraordinary career.
His tenure as Secretary of the Treasury spanned the years 1801-1814, in the
years when Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were president. Thomas Jefferson
himself said that Gallatin "is
the only man in the United States who understands, through all the labyrinths
Hamilton involved it, the precise state of the Treasury." It is one of those
books that causes you to conduct an immediate search to learn more about this
man that should be considered a second-generation founder/builder of the early
United States.
Review of
Mystery at Redtop Hill,
by Marjory Schwalje
Three out of five
This story contains
very little in the area of mystery, yet it does have a strong female character
interacting with two boys that do what they can to leave her behind. There are
three main characters, Steve, Tod and Nancy, all of which are in their early
teens. Steve and Tod try many times to keep Nancy out of their adventures, but
she always manages to get involved and in fact helps them in their quests.
The other main
characters are Major Clyde and Mr. Marshall. Major Clyde owns a run-down farm
and is friends with the three teens. Mr. Marshall is a man that is interested in
buying the farm and wants to turn it into a business that will operate to the
detriment of the neighbors. The only real mystery is determining what Mr.
Marshall’s true motives are.
The action moves
pretty fast and there are many high quality, colored images. Unfortunately,
there is nothing in the way of suspense.
Review of
Abigail Adams,
by Jane Sutcliffe ISBN 9780760775042
Five out of five stars
The early first
ladies of the United States lived at a time when women had few rights by law
and much of what they had was granted to them by their husbands and fathers.
Yet, they were generally powerful personalities and Abigail Adams was one of
the strongest. She was vocal in pushing her husband John Adams (Second American
President) to grant rights to females when the nation was being formed and made
her opinions clear to others.
This book is a
brief, yet thorough description of the life of this extraordinary woman. She
wrote numerous letters, many of which have been preserved. The wife of an
American president and the mother of another, Abigail was a force that did as
much as she could to push the nation towards equal rights, not only for white
women, but also for the slaves. For she was adamantly opposed to slavery being
codified in law.
Modern women
should be taught more about the actions of the early first ladies, for they
were strong and active personalities in their own right. They were feminists
when it was not in fashion and socially acceptable.
Review of
Imagination: Stories of Science and
Imagination, September 1954
Four out of five stars
This issue is a
look back deep into the past of the science fiction genre. In 1954 there was
talk of space flight, yet it was still a dream and it was thought that it would
remain so for some time. Sputnik 1 was three years in the future, so the stories
having space travel as a premise were based completely on intelligent speculation.
The title story
(“Vengeance From the Past”) has some prescient aspects, it is based on the
premise that there are in fact members of the Neanderthal species still
intermingled and interbreeding with Homo Sapiens. They have banded together and
are attempting to take over the launching of a massive satellite so that they
can gain power over the Earth. Recent
advances in DNA research have suggested that 20 percent of Neanderthal DNA has
survived into the modern human genome. Given the reality of genetic recombination,
it is certain that there are people having a higher percentage of Neanderthal
DNA than this. With this backdrop, I found the story plausible in ways other
than what the author intended.
The second
story, “The Battle of the Bells” is amusing and is based on a hilarious practical
joke based on the old-style outhouse. It is located in a rural area and the
locals have placed a handle on a chain that dangles into the building. When
curiosity overwhelms the patron and they pull the handle, a bell is rung. The
goal is of course to embarrass the weary traveler. However, the consequences lead
to an amusing battle between good and evil.
However, the most
interesting segment of the magazine appears in the book reviews section that
was written by Henry Bolt. One of the books examined is “The Caves of Steel” by
Isaac Asimov. Bolt is ruthless in his criticism as can be seen in the following
quote. “This venomous condemnation of the story will not be shared by everyone,
but then perhaps everyone has not read through the jungle of this sort of
writing.” Harsh words indeed of one of the masters of the craft.
Review of
Daredevil: Born Again,
by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli ISBN 0871352974
Five out of five stars
This is a great
story expressed in graphic novel form. While the overall story is a battle
between Daredevil and the crime boss Kingpin, there are many intertwined plot
threads. It opens with Karen Page, onetime love interest of attorney Matt
Murdock very down and out, looking for a heroin fix. Karen was an aspiring actress,
but the best she did was star in stag movies. With no money, she sells the one
physical possession she has, the secret identity of Daredevil.
This knowledge is
passed along to Kingpin and he resolves to destroy Daredevil by destroying Matt
Murdock. By spreading his corrupt tentacles throughout the city, Kingpin is
able to eliminate all of Murdock’s legal work, keep his bills from being paid
to the point where he is foreclosed on, leaving Murdock destitute and essentially
friendless.
Kingpin is
ruthless and Murdock must rise from homelessness and being severely injured to
the point of death to become the “Man Without Fear” once again. It is not an
easy path and he finds some assistance along the way, eventually doing battle
with a super soldier that is on a killing spree backed by the Kingpin.
This is a story
about good pitted in struggle against evil that is monstrous in both the
literal and figurative sense. At some points it is about little more than
having the energy to get out of bed and face the world. It is the best Daredevil
story that I have ever read.
Review of
The Judas Goat,
by Robert B. Parker ISBN 0440141966
Five out of five stars
This Spenser story
has him acting as a bounty hunter. A year ago, a wealthy man named Hugh Dixon
was in a London restaurant with his family when a terrorist group bombed it,
killing his family and severely maiming him, he is now confined to a
wheelchair. Yet, a fire still burns in him and he is determined to get his
revenge. He hires Spenser to find them, paying him $2,500 per person, dead or
alive. When Spenser says that he is no assassin and will not kill them unless
he has to, Dixon agrees.
The case takes
Spenser to London and away from Susan, a fact that gnaws at him. He learns from
the British police that the likely suspect was a group called Liberty and no
real evidence has ever been gathered. With nothing to go on, Spenser puts an ad
in the paper that he hopes will get their attention and force their action.
The ad has the
desired effect and Spenser quickly learns that he needs assistance, so he calls
for Hawk. Even though they are outnumbered, Spenser and Hawk are able to take
down most of the group, yet their greatest battles are with the leader and his
large and extremely powerful assistant named Zachary. The fight is a brutal
one, in a rare feature of the Spenser stories they face an adversary that is
physically superior to them.
While there is
a lot of fighting, there is also a significant amount of emotional action
between Hawk and Spenser and Spenser and Susan. Hawk is inclined to just kill
people as a matter of convenience while Spenser fundamentally does not like
killing, doing so only when necessary. The story is interesting in both the physical
action and interpersonal interaction areas.
Review of
Million-Dollar Throw,
by Mike Lupica ISBN 9780399246265
Five out of five stars
Most books of juvenile
sports fiction end with a climactic “big-game-at-the-end.” While this one has such
a feature, it also has two major events at the end that provide an emotional
lift. Nate Brodie is a middle school football quarterback that has the sniper
rifle equivalent of a throwing arm. He also has the perfect football mind, with
the merest glance at the field in front of him, he knows where every player is
and where they will be when the ball arrives where he is throwing it.
Unlike many sports
stories featuring boys at this age, there is a strong female character that is
not a relative. Abby is his best friend and has been since it made sense to
talk about them being old enough to have friends. Despite his incredible football
talents, Nate is not full of himself and Abby does a great deal to keep him
that way.
There are two
main simultaneous plot threads to the story of Nate on the field, Nate’s father
lost his job selling real estate and is now working at a job that he hates, and
his mother has taken a part-time job to try to make ends meet. Even then, there
is the imminent danger that they will lose their house. The second thread is
that Abby is rapidly losing her vision and may have to move away to attend a
school for the vision impaired.
In a potential
stroke of luck, Nate’s name is picked in a lottery and he will be given the
chance to throw a football through a small target with the prize being one
million dollars. Given all the pressures he is under, Nate’s performance on the
football field declines to the point where he is replaced as quarterback.
Taking it like the sound mind he is, Nate agrees with the coach and accepts a
role on the team playing other positions.
The major
events of Nate’s team going through the playoffs toward the championship, the
build-up to the big throw at the end and Abby’s visual decline are all weaved
together into a great ending that will lift your heart and make a bad day much
better. The big winning catch at the end was not on a football field.
Review of
Murder She Wrote: Death Stalks the Big Top
Part 1, DVD version
Four out of five stars
Jessica has
arrived for her niece’s wedding and they express regret that the niece’s
grandfather cannot be there, for he supposedly died many years ago when his
boat exploded and burned. The niece’s grandmother is really a nasty woman, she
is very domineering and controlling, even to people like Jessica.
When the niece receives
a silver leprechaun in the mail, both her and Jessica take it as a sign that
the grandfather may be alive, for no body was ever recovered. Using the source address on the package as a
clue, Jessica immediately departs for a small town in Arkansas. When she
arrives, the trail leads her to a traveling circus that is struggling to
survive financially. There have been a series of accidents that have created
problems.
Jessica pokes around
and is not welcomed by the members of the circus. She finds the man she is
looking for working as a clown in the circus and when one of the least liked
members of the circus is beaten to death, the man she was searching for is
arrested for the murder.
There are many
supporting characters to this episode, including a mayor that is full of himself,
thinking that he is a better crime investigator than the professionals. Other
supporting characters, such as the niece’s grandmother, are also exaggerated in
execution. Many extended head shots of a character expressing emotions for a
fade-out are an integral part of the episode. Yet, it does set the proper
ground for the second part, where Jessica solves the case and all is well in
the end.
