Review of
Golden Age of D. C. Comics 1935-1956,
edited by Paul Levitz ISBN 9783836535731
Five out of five stars
This book is a combination of the history of
the comic book characters, the characters that created them as well as some
incredible and imaginative artwork. What we now call the DC line of comics has
several points of origin, all of which are depicted in this definitive work.
While many of the characters like Batman,
Superman and Wonder Woman have managed to “live” in the funny pages for
decades, other characters had brief runs and have essentially been forgotten.
Other characters were born, died a natural comic death only to be reborn in an
entirely different form. Two examples of that are the original Green Lantern
and original Flash.
Some of the long term characters have
essentially been partially reborn, the most obvious example is Batman. His more
recent incarnation as the Dark Knight is very different from the almost jolly
form of the sixties. The recurrent villains that never learn their lesson and
keep coming back for more rounds of conflict are what makes the comics succeed.
For heroes must always battle powerful forces, otherwise they might as well be
just another person in an outrageous costume.
This is a great book that can be enjoyed for
the comics, the artwork of the comics or both.
Review of
The Mutant:
An Episode of “The Outer Limits” television show
Three out of five stars
The premise of
this episode is that a small exploratory team has been sent to a very Earthlike
planet. They have been there for some time and a psychologist has been sent to
check on their progress and overall mental health. There is only one woman in
the group, and all are highly educated.
My outlook on
the show was almost immediately soured when the woman was dressed in high heels
and a calf-length skirt. The idea that such attire would be used by a member of
an initial exploratory team was ridiculous. All the men were dressed in very utilitarian
work shirts and pants.
One member of
the group was turned into a Bug-Eyed Monster or BEM that is capable of
controlling the thoughts and actions of the other team members. His powers
extend to being capable of somehow vaporizing people that have displeased him.
The action then
becomes a struggle between the BEM or mutant and the other humans that are
struggling to survive. Of course, the BEM is defeated, but not without the
woman uttering a high-pitched scream when there is danger and whirling away
from the sight into the sheltering arms of a man. While I realize that was what
was done in those times, it is still a bit overdone. Science fiction allows women
to have some backbone.
Review of
Gallipoli,
DVD version
Five out of five stars
When one group
of nations takes up arms against another group of nations in a great war, there
are two avenues of thought as to how to fight it. The first is to attack and
defeat the most powerful of your enemies, for if you win that fight, the war is
over. The second is that you select the weakest member of the opposing alliance
and attack it until it surrenders. Since the more powerful nation in the
opposing alliance will try to prevent this, aid will be sent that will likely
not change the outcome.
Winston Churchill
was a strong proponent of the second option. In the Second World War he
repeatedly advocated for an attack on the “soft underbelly” of the European Axis
nations. This was the second round for his position, in the First World War he advocated
the attack on Turkey that is known as the Gallipoli campaign. While that series
of battles led to a lot of casualties and may have come close to knocking Turkey
out of the war, it is judged as a failure and Churchill was demoted from his position
as First Lord of the Admiralty.
This movie is
about a small group of men from western Australia that are caught up in the
patriotic fervor of the war against the now hated Germans. Two men known for
sprinting, Archy Hamilton and Frank Dunne enter a race and Hamilton wins. This
is the start of a friendship and after a series of misplays, both manage to
enlist in the Australian military and are sent to train in Egypt. Along with
some other men they knew in Australia, they engage in some serious male bonding
that prepares them for the upcoming battles.
Once they land
on the Gallipoli peninsula, they find the occasional shell and bullets from the
enemy all a matter of routine. However, all changes when the Australian units
are ordered to attack well prepared Turkish positions. Like so much of what
took place in World War I, it was nothing but a slaughter when men charged over
open ground against machine guns. The Australian units were decimated and all
of the male bonds so carefully forged are literally killed. What makes it
doubly heartbreaking is that this movie is based on actual events when the Australian
3rd Light Horse Brigade attacked the Turks when an artillery barrage ended
seven minutes too soon.
Up until the
last ten minutes or so, this is a movie about male bonding and deep friendships.
It is often amusing, with some very good scenes of camaraderie. However, the
last part is about military rigidness that sends hundreds of brave young men to
their deaths in a senseless attempt to achieve a hopeless objective. It is hard
to watch such events transpire, more so because it is true.
Review of
Carriers, DVD version
Three out of five stars
While the
premise of this movie is very relevant to the current state of the world, (Covid-19)
the execution of the actions by the major players is at best lame and often
reaches the point of stupid. An extremely deadly virus has been unleashed on
the world and it is almost universally fatal. Two young men and two young women
are in a car traveling to a seaside resort where the two boys spent a
considerable amount of time in their youth. It takes a bit of time before these
facts are clear to the viewer.
The four of
them have masks and a lot of bleach and are very cautious about contact with
anything that could possible be contagious. At first, they seem very knowledgeable
about their situation and what they need to do to survive. The two men are brothers,
but the exact situation regarding the two women is unclear.
It does not
take long before the intelligence declines and the stupidity rises. When their
car is irretrievable broken, the older brother (the leader) takes out his
pistol and does some target practice on a political campaign sign. No one with
any real sense of their situation would have wasted precious ammunition like
that.
Some of their
actions appear incredibly foolish once it becomes clear just how deadly the virus
is. They arrive at a Center for Disease Control base only to find little more
than death and a sense of futility. Almost no one is left alive. Yet, they
engage in absurd behaviors where they could suffer broken bones or be in an
auto accident.
As disaster
movies based on a virulence go, this one had a lot of potential, but it is hard
to take a movie based on such actions in response seriously.
Review of
Ancient Chinese Fables,
Foreign Language Press ISBN 7119018825
Five out of five stars
Ancient fables
are a staple of all cultures of long standing, reading them can be one of the
most effective ways to learn some of the fundamentals of how the people think.
For the influence of them never fades, witness the phrases “sour grapes,” “united
we stand, divided we fall,” and “necessity is the mother of invention” that are
still present in western societies 2.5 thousand years after Aesop stated them.
These fables
also originated in the fourth or third centuries B. C. in ancient China. All
have a moral that is clear but not explicitly stated at the end. They involve the
quirks of human nature and how the difference in perspectives can be very
significant. My favorite in the collection appears on page 39 and has the title
“The Use of Parables.” It is a succinct statement of why parables are so
valuable in that they allow things to be explained in a manner that is
understandable by comparing the known to the unknown.
This book is a
worthy addition to basic literature studies in the K-12 area. Not only is it
great literature, it also provides some valuable multicultural experience.
Review of
Portrayed Crazy: A Memoir of Spousal Abuse,
by Kate Klaver ISBN 9780997684971
Four out of five stars
The first point
is made in the prologue, where it is stated that “For security purposes and
legal reasons, efforts have been made to disguise names, addresses and towns in
order to protect the innocent as well as the guilty.” Yet, written in ink
inside the front cover is a message clearly written in a female hand giving the
town in Iowa as well as the name of the author. While one can be sympathetic to
the author that has experienced spousal abuse, this does come across as a
serious action of duplicity. I purchased this book at a library bookstore and
there were several others, all of which had the internal writing.
That aside,
this is an all-too-common theme of books that are self-published. As a well-known
reviewer, I have received many requests from the victims of abuse to read and
review their books. All have stated in print and privately that the writing of
the book was very cathartic. That is clearly the case here as well.
The rendition
of the abuse is written in plain language and is not presented in anything
approaching a riveting style. Like so many stories of this type, it starts with
an alcoholic father, meeting a heavy-drinking man that pays attention to her,
satisfying a need in the minimal way, followed by a marriage that is
fundamentally loveless and unsatisfying. The author eventually goes through a bitter
divorce and this book was written seven years after that.
There is only
one real revelation in the book and that has to do with the social atmosphere
of a small town. Nearly everyone knows everyone else, so rumor mills run strong
and can be surprisingly effective in protecting the guilty and diminishing the
innocent. If you have not experienced this environment, then it will be new to
you.
Review of
Howard Hughes’ Hell’s Angels,
DVD
Five out of five stars
Even though it
was shot in 1930, the action can still amaze you. Only daring aviator and
incredibly wealthy Howard Hughes could have made this very expensive movie at
that time. The primary characters are two British brothers that are students at
Oxford. A secondary but important character is a German man also attending
Oxford. The two brothers could not be temperamentally different, one is brave
and willing to cover for his brother while the other is a complete coward.
When World War
I begins, all three men join the air forces of their respective countries and
the two brothers also express strong interest in the same woman, played by Jean
Harlow. While the love interest adds something to the plot, the Harlow
character is out for fun and adventure, willing to go to any man that may give
her that. Her presence does not add a great deal to the movie, even though it
is Harlow.
The air action
is amazing, although they are all biplanes, there are many of them engaged in the
fight, I was not surprised to learn that some of the pilots were accidentally
killed. Special effects were quite limited back then, so nearly all of the
action is real. This is fundamentally a war movie, but underneath all of this
it is a great story of two brothers, one of which always covers for the other’s
weaknesses. Even when it is at the risk of his own life.
Review of
Unusual Problems for Usual Topics in Algebra,
by Alfred S. Posamentier and Charles T. Salkind
Five out of five stars
This book is
true to the title, the algebra is basic, but most of the problems are not.
While the strategy used to generate a solution is often immediately clear,
there are many where I had to stop and do some deep thinking before I had a
mini “Aha” moment in realizing what the solution strategy is. Most of the
problems would prove very useful as problems used to illustrate concepts not
often covered or as additional challenge problems.
Detailed solutions
to all of the problems are given in the back of the book, so if you get
stumped, there is the ability to “cheat.” This is a book that teachers of basic
college algebra will find very useful as a resource for the “unusual” problems.
Review of
Rookie of the Year,
by John R. Tunis ISBN 9780152056483
Five out of five stars
Managing is more than deciding who to play
This book is one in the
series about a fictional Brooklyn Dodgers team authored by Tunis. Most of the
recurring characters appear in this one, yet the emphasis is on shortstop and
playing manager Spike Russell along with rookie pitcher Hathaway.
When the story opens, the Dodgers are in fourth
place and it is the last half of the season, but they have begun to gel as a
team and are now winning. Although it will be difficult, there is a glimmer of
hope that they will be able to challenge for the pennant.
The main plot revolves around the stress and
challenges of keeping the team focused on their drive for the title. Things
will occasionally go wrong, and people will make errors, but it is Spike’s job
to always look forward to the next game and increasing their chances of winning
it.
A sub-plot revolves around the nefarious
machinations of a member of the Dodgers organization that is determined to
create problems for the team, even if it costs them the pennant. While this
adds some human interest to the story, it detracts from the focus on the events
on the field and the plans that Spike makes as the manager.
Tunis demonstrates once again that he is a master
at writing adolescent sports fiction. While modern readers may not understand
some of the references, specifically to the amounts of money involved, those
that understand the history of baseball will have no difficulty.
Review of
Rough Cut,
by Edward Gorman ISBN 0816149275
Four out of five stars
Although this multiple
murder mystery moves along fairly well, the expression of the plot does not
generate tension or anticipation. Michael Ketchum is the co-owner of the
Harris-Ketchum advertising agency in Chicago. It is a relatively small firm, yet
there are enough people to generate a wide assortment of extra-marital affairs.
When partner
Denny Harris is murdered, there are several options as to which jealous husband
or angry female lover was the one that wielded the knife. Even though Ketchum
was not in either group, he is still a suspect as the firm was struggling in
the creative and financial senses.
The story plods
along as participants in affairs are revealed, marking them as potential
killers. However, some of them also get murdered along the way, keeping the
number of suspects relatively constant. At times there are solid hints that
there might be more than one murderer evening out an infidelity score.
The clues come
together at the end and the murderer(s) are revealed, there is no dramatic
climax, just a resolution that is solid and complete, but not tense.
Review of
Batman The Movie,
starring Adam West and Burt Ward
Five out of five stars
This movie caps
the television series with Adam West and Burt Ward starring as Batman and Robin.
When the series started, it was extremely popular, but only in the sense of a
fad. It lasted three seasons, airing twice a week the first two seasons and once
a week the third. Some of the villains were quite memorable and the dialog was
simplistic at best. One of the most interesting features of the series is that while
it was essentially a comedy, there was no laugh track. Of course, the visual
sound effects filled that role to some extent.
As befits a
full length movie, all four major adversaries of Batman are teamed together in
an attempt to rule the world. Their plan is of course very juvenile and there
is a lot of laughing done by the Riddler and Joker. The mechanisms whereby
Batman and Robin get out of what appears to be certain death are absurd, even
for this series.
Yet, it is still
a fun movie to watch, in some ways more entertaining than all the subsequent
Batman movies, especially when young children are involved. There is no way that
these villains could possibly be scary.
Review of
Star Trek Animated Series: Albatross,
episode 20 in the series
Three out of five stars
As the episode
starts, it appears that the Enterprise has successfully completed its mission
to deliver medical supplies to the planet Dramia. However, after the leaders
thank the Enterprise crew, they present Captain Kirk with an arrest warrant for
Dr. McCoy for the crime of mass murder. Nineteen years earlier, McCoy had
supervised a vaccination program on the planet Dramia II, but once he left the
planet, a plague killed all inhabitants.
Since the
warrant is legal, McCoy is taken into custody. With no other options, Kirk
takes the Enterprise to Dramia II in an attempt to seek evidence regarding the
source of the plague. They find a survivor and when they talk with him, they
learn that he was off-planet when the plague started, and Dr. McCoy saved his
life. The plague affects humans as well, although Spock is immune. Using broad
interpretations of the law, Spock manages to free McCoy and he is able to find
a cure. The episode ends with all charges dropped and peace is maintained
between the Federation and Dramia.
The potential
for introducing a plague when a new species visits a planet is a very real
issue. Furthermore, that plague may not kill the natives, but be in the form of
microbes that out-compete the native flora and fauna. The problem with this
episode is that a plague that killed all the intelligent creatures on a planet
would be big galactic news. It is impossible that such an event would be kept from
the Federation for nineteen years and there would be a strong move to learn the
cause. Finally, the cure was simple to find once the proper approach was taken.
Way too easy, even for the miracle workers of the Enterprise.
Review of
Batman: Under the Red Hood,
DVD version
Five out of five stars
This is an
excellent animated adventure involving superheroes. It opens with the Joker
beating Robin (Jason Todd) to a pulp, blowing up the building before Batman can
get there to rescue him. To Batman, that iteration of Robin is now dead, and he
blames himself for letting it happen.
There is a new
master criminal in Gotham City, and he calls himself the Red Hood. Using an
incredible ability to move, many gadgets and deadly weapons with no reluctance
to use them, he begins to force the leaders of nearly all criminal enterprises
to pay him a significant percentage of their revenue. There is one remaining
holdout, a master criminal known as the Black Mask.
It is a battle
to the death between the Red Hood and Black Mask, with Batman often on the
sidelines trying to determine what is really going on. Both sides possess
powerful weapons and the battle scenes are fast, furious and full of sound.
Batman is also aided by Nightwing, although he is reluctant to accept it. The
Joker reappears to play a major role towards the end.
The animation action
is incredible, in many ways superior to the superhero movies that have actors
and actresses. There are many times when I am watching a live action superhero
movie that I get bored with the punching and crashing version of fighting. Not
in this case, I was reluctant to stop watching, even when my personal biology
intervened.
Review of
Star Trek Animated Series Episode 18: Bem
Four out of five stars
“Bem” is
episode 18 of the Star Trek animated series and it first aired in September
1974. It was written by Hugo and Nebula winner David Gerrold, most famous for
being the author of the original series episode “The Trouble with Tribbles.” Like
that episode, this one involved an alien creature of questionable use.
Bem is from the
planet Pandro, a planet recently contacted by the Federation, and his species
is interested in witnessing how the captain and crew of the Enterprise conduct
their missions. That mission is to a planet inhabited by reptilian creatures
that have a primitive non-industrial society; therefore, their mission is to
observe without being seen.
Bem proves to
be a nuisance, getting captain Kirk and Spock into extreme difficulty. It also
turns out that the creatures are under the protection of a powerful non-corporeal
entity that calls them her “children.” Her words are spoken with tenderness,
but she makes it clear that no violence against her charges will be tolerated.
The episode has
a powerful religious overtone, it is clear from the perspective of the creatures,
the entity is a god. For that matter, there are hints that the crew of the Enterprise
should think so too. One strong feature of the episode is the actions of Lieutenant
Uhura. When Kirk, Spock and Scotty are on the surface, she directly contradicts
Scotty in insisting that they must follow orders.
Despite the
crudity of the animation compared to what can be done now, this episode
illustrates that there were things that could be done in animation that were
impossible in live action. Something that makes all science fiction stories stronger
if it is properly done.
Review of
The Righteous Few: Two Who Made A Difference, by Marty
Brounstein ISBN 9780757004971
Five out of five stars
When the Nazi
party under Hitler rose to power in Germany in the 1930’s, it personified and
magnified what was systemic Anti-Semitism in Europe. The majority of people
were tolerant of the Jewish populations in their countries, but not endeared to
them. Once these countries were invaded and occupied by Germany, it was clear
to all that the Jews were at great risk, although a great deal was done by the
Germans to keep their ultimate fate from the occupied populations.
Fortunately for
the human species, there were some people willing to shelter Jewish people
during the war, even with the clear threat of imprisonment or death. Two such
people were Frans and Mien Wijnakker, a Dutch couple that willingly took Jewish
people into their rural home to protect them from being consumed by the German
death machine. This book is their story.
Since the
Holocaust is a matter of historical fact, that is not an interesting feature of
this book. What is the most significant aspect is that the people around the
Wijnakker’s knew what they were doing, yet none of them reported it to the
Germans. Which could have earned them a significant bounty from the Germans at
a time when the Dutch people were suffering. In the last year of the German
occupation in World War II, between 18,000 and 22,000 Dutch people died of
starvation due to German action in preventing food shipments.
Another interesting
point is how the local Catholic priest reacted to the knowledge of Jews being
harbored by Catholics. He expressed his disapproval, yet never reached the
point of tattling. Through it all, the Wijnakker’s held firm in their position
of helping, earning them the title of members of the “Righteous Few” club. It
is a great story about courage in the face of great danger and potential death.
Review of
The Girl on the Train
Four out of five stars
Temporal shifts and false memories confuse the viewer
Most murder
mystery stories start some background to introduce the characters, have a
murder or two and then sequentially step through the investigation. Generally,
there will be hints and clues dropped, some of which are relevant, but others
that are meant to distract and confuse. In this one, the distract and confuse
is done by temporal shifting and false memories, where there will be snippets
from some time in the past and recollections that are sometimes more of a
delusion by transfer of role in the events.
Rachel is a
woman that commutes on a train along a track with water on one side and the
back of a row of houses on the other. She generally sits on the side of the
houses, so she occasionally sees the people in their back yards, or on their
decks. Two of the people that she regularly sees are Scott and Megan and they
are often embracing. Yet, one day she sees Megan with another man.
Rachel is heavy
into alcohol, so she often has blackouts and her memory is very unreliable. When
Megan turns up missing and then found dead, Rachel tries to get her mind in
order and put her memories back in the realm of reality. For it is clear early
on that she was likely the last person other than the murderer to see Megan
alive.
The story
bounces back and forth and Rachel is depicted as very unstable to the point of
delusional, which is what she is. She is also a stalker, appearing suddenly at
the home of her ex-husband and his new wife. She once even walked into their
home and took their baby outside while the wife was sleeping.
Like a good
murder mystery, the viewer is kept puzzled until the very end when all of it
falls into place. Whether Rachel ever gets over the bottle and makes something of
herself remains an unknown. The performances are excellent, all the usual
suspects remain ambiguous to the extent that the viewer cannot determine the
guilty.
Review of
The League of Regrettable Superheroes,
by Jon Morris ISBN 9781594748691
Five out of five stars
With so many
movies featuring superheroes now hitting the big screen in sequence and several
different actors having played heroes such as Superman, Batman and Spider-man, many
wannabees have never been heard from. This book contains brief descriptions of
some of the oddest and quite frankly dumbest superheroes that were ever
created. As one would have expected, many did not survive for more than a few
issues.
Quirky is too
mild a word to describe most of these characters. For example, there is “Madam
Fatal,” a hero that is a man cross-dressed as a grey-haired old woman. This
character appeared in 1940 and lasted for nearly two years! Another is “Fatman,
the Human Flying Saucer,” where an obese man turns into an actual flying saucer
when it is time to confront the evildoers. My favorite by quite a bit is “Dr.
Hormone” (really!) Debuting in 1940, he was a man that used hormones for many
purposes, sometimes well beyond the realm of medical ethics. He does not
hesitate to use his potions on children and even babies.
Comic
characters tend to be quirky and unusual, but until you read this book it is unlikely
that you ever realized just how far that expression can be extended.
Review of
The Great Comic Book Heroes,
by Jules Feiffer
Five out of five stars
Jules Feiffer
is considered the most widely read satirist in the United States. His list of
publications and other achievements is incredible, from a Pulitzer Prize to an
Oscar for an animated short film that he wrote. He is the author of many books,
from novels to graphic novels, plays, screenplays and other works too numerous
to mention.
In this book he
writes about the role of comic book heroes in his life and that of other boys
of limited physical means like him. He also swings a few haymakers at Dr. Frederic
Wertham, a nutcase of the highest order that unfortunately managed to be taken far
too seriously by a gullible public.
In between
these opening and closing sections, there are original cartoons of Superman,
Batman, the original Human Torch, the original Flash, the Green Lantern, Spectre,
Hawkman, Wonder Woman, the Sub-Mariner, Captain America, Plastic Man and the
Spirit. They take the reader back to a time when comics were drawn in a far
different manner than the modern style. Not better or worse, just different. Readers
familiar will recognize the early years when people and other creatures died in
comic strips.
Review of
What You Must Know About Age-related
Macular Degeneration: How You Can Prevent, Stop, or reverse AMD,
by Jeffrey Anshel and Laura Stevens ISBN 9780757004490
Five out of five stars
Given the
increased age of the populations of every nation as well as the rising levels
of type II diabetes, the issue of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is
becoming an ever more common health affliction. Eyes age and change just like
all other parts of the human body and there is much that you can do to care for
your eyes and slow if not outright prevent the onset of AMD.
This book is
very professionally written, yet the science is well within the scope of the
generally knowledgeable reader. It opens with an explanation of how the eyes
work and what AMD is, along with options for medical treatment and the major
risk factors for the affliction.
The next
sections explain many of the ways that have proven to or are indicated to be
changes in lifestyle that will reduce the risk for or delay the onset of AMD.
Some of them, like quitting smoking, eating healthier and exercising if you don’t,
are general tactics that will improve your overall health. Other sections deal
with dietary supplements that research has indicated may improve your chances
of avoiding a serious case of AMD. The last chapter gives advice on how to
manage a decline in vision.
This is a medical
book packed with sound and readable advice about an important topic. Your eyes
age along with all other body parts and it is possible to reduce the pace of
that process, something that you will learn how to do from this book.
Review of
True Lies
Five out of five stars
This action
thriller is one of my favorite Schwarzenegger movies, largely due to the backup
roles by Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton and Jamie Lee Curtis. Schwarzenegger is a top
level U. S. government agent/spy named Harry Tasker and Curtis is his wife
Helen. To her, Harry is a boring computer salesman that is forced to be on the
road for extended periods of time. Arnold is Harry’s spy sidekick and Paxton is
a true used car salesman that pretends to be a spy in order to bed women. The
villains are an organization of master terrorists that have managed to acquire
nuclear weapons. They are well funded and determined to carry out their mission
to punish the United States.
Even though the
plot is based on millions of lives being at stack, what makes the movie work is
the dialog and sight gags. A furious and deadly fighter, Harry is overly polite
to people that he must shove out of the way in order to accomplish his task.
There is no better scene than when he chews out the horse that refuses to take
a death-defying leap off a building. A close second is when he apologizes to a
man on a toilet after being involved in shooting up the restroom and killing two
terrorists.
It is unfortunate
that no sequel to this movie was ever made, for it is clear that if the same
style of action and dialogue was repeated, it would have been like this one. A
movie that you can never see too many times. A thriller with a silent laugh
track.
Review of
Crash
Five out of five stars
This is a powerful
movie; the good guys are not all good and the bad guys are not all bad. Racism
is present in many ugly forms, although some of the worst practitioners take
advantage of their chance to repent and make amends. It a movie without a true
leading role, although there are several movie stars in the cast.
Some of the
best scenes involve the machinations that people have to go through in order to
get through their life, do their job or see that some justice is done. There is
a district attorney concerned only with his re-election prospects and his overtly
racist, self-centered wife, two partnered street cops and a black senior
detective, a shop owner that is vandalized and seeks revenge against a
locksmith and several other supporting characters that add a great deal of
power. This is one of those movies where all are supporting characters and all performances
are outstanding.
The good do
some bad and the bad do some good, the interconnections of all the characters
makes for a story with surprises that are uplifting and then crash you down.
Whatever your final position is, this movie will not leave you unchanged as it
gives you perspectives on the racist undercurrent of American society.
Review of
The Hunter I Might Have Been,
by George Mendoza
Five out of five stars
This short book
with only a brief sentence within each two-page spread brought back a vivid
memory for me. It is about a boy that takes a weapon and for the first time
kills a wild creature. That creature is a sparrow and once it was silent on the
ground, he had no feeling of triumph, only sadness at ending the life of a
creature that could do no harm to him.
My father grew
up on a farm and started hunting as soon as he was able. He continued to hunt
several types of fish and game, so I grew up eating the flesh of many different
animals. My first and only hunting kill was a rabbit that was eating the tender
shoots of my garden. Once the animal was on the ground, I was like the author
and felt only remorse regarding my actions. I never again fired a gun, even
when my livestock or garden were threatened.
This book contains a valuable lesson. Not everyone has
the desire to hunt now that it is no longer necessary in order to provide your
next meal.
Review of
Robot Spy,
episode 8 of the original Jonny Quest series
Five out of five stars
This is my favorite episode in the original Jonny
Quest series. A flying object lands very close to the Quest compound late in
the evening and the curious Dr. Quest takes it to a warehouse in order to study
it in the morning. It is a giant robotic spider sent by arch-enemy Dr. Zin that
is designed to gather the intellectual property of the latest Quest invention,
the para-power ray gun.
What makes the
Jonny Quest series so attractive to young people is that although Jonny and his
friend Hadji are boys, the are an integral part of the team. When Dr. Quest
issues orders they respond as adults and have technical expertise in their own
right. That is the case here, when the robot spy is about to depart with the
secrets, Dr. Quest tells each of them what to do and there is no hesitation in carrying
out his instructions. There is tension and some technical jargon, but well
within the level of understanding of all people with an interest in technology.
This was a
great series and well ahead of its time, an animated science fiction series
that appeared in prime time.
Review of
Fifty Shades of Grey,
DVD version
Four out of five stars
While this is a
remake of the Cinderella plot, it has some literal and figurative kinky twists.
Christian Grey is a very wealthy and attractive young man that trolls the world
for women that will satisfy his desires. Anastasia (Anna) Steele is a college
student given the task of interviewing the reclusive Grey, something that few
have done. Grey is so secretive that the public does not know whether he is gay
or straight.
There is a bit
of a spark during the interview and they begin a relationship based on a
contract written by Grey where Anna is designated as the submissive. For Grey
has a difficult time with relationships with women and he is most comfortable when
there is an underlying current of S & M with him in charge.
Yet, there is a
spark of feeling between them that complicates his world and at first simplifies
hers. With his vast wealth, Grey can provide experiences and buy things that
Anna could only dream about before. Their relationship remains one of active
sex, yet with an undercurrent of tension that can potentially destroy what they
have together. It has the potential to burst into a happy ending where they
fall into each other’s arms in the implied happy ever after final scene.
The movie has
some very powerful emotional moments, yet most are unpleasant for one or both
of them. At times you feel for Grey and other times you hope that he bangs a knee
against a table leg. It is a complex story that in many ways is a more
realistic depiction of the Cinderella fantasy.
Review of
Superman/Batman: The Search for Kryptonite,
by Michael Green, Mike Johnson, Shane Davis and Matt Banning, ISBN
9781401219338
Five out of five stars
The premise is
that there is a surprisingly large amount of Kryptonite on Earth, posing a
constant danger to Superman. Using his advanced technical equipment and skills,
Batman is able to locate all significant deposits. After a flexible and very
durable lead-lined suit is donned by Superman, the two of them proceed to
systematically extract and store the various pieces of the deadly element from
the highest mountains to the deepest trenches of the oceans.
During their
adventures, they face opposition from several unexpected entities, even
including other super beings. As always, the two heroes move forward undeterred
in their quest. One of the most unexpected points of opposition is from a corporate
executive (not Lex Luthor) of Lexcorp, the umbrella company owned by Luthor. It
is a person from Clark’s past, now captured by the core capitalist “values.”
This is an
excellent graphic novel, the friendship/comradery between Batman and Superman is
excellent. Even though Superman is by far the most powerful and capable of the
two, in many cases Batman is the unquestioned leader.
Review of
Then & Now: Cedar Rapids,
by George T. Henry and Mark W. Hunter ISBN 0738531979
Five out of five stars
This book contains a collection of before and after photos
of buildings and locations in the city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. There is an extensive
caption explaining the location and what the buildings in the photos were named
and used for. In general, the last sentence states what the location is being
used for at the time of compilation (2002).
As a lifelong
resident of the Cedar Rapids area, the comparisons have a special interest to
me. I was able to mentally transport myself to most locations. Of special
interest were the images where the streets are more heavily populated by horses
than by motorized vehicles. Destructive improvements are generally a good thing
for cities, it is a prime indicator of dynamism. From these images it is clear
that the city is dynamic and adapting to the changing times.
Review of
Mystery of the Lizard Men,
a Jonny Quest episode
Five out of five stars
The original Jonny Quest show was a groundbreaker in
the sense that it was a cartoon that ran in prime time on ABC in 1964-65. While
it had a devoted following, decades of popular reruns confirm that, the series
only lasted one season. It featured Jonny, the son of super scientist Dr.
Benton Quest and special ops sensation Roger (Race) Bannon, assigned to protect
the Quest’s. There was no wife of Benton in the group. The show was designed to
be science fiction derived from known modern technologies, so not a great deal
of extrapolation was needed on the part of the viewer.
This is the
first episode in the series, so the main characters and their backgrounds are
presented. Ships are mysteriously being lost in the Sargasso Sea and the only
survivor mumbles deliriously about giant lizards. Dr. Quest and his group are
dispatched to investigate, and they encounter and battle the evildoers.
What made the
series so fun is that while he is a boy, Jonny is a full action figure, fighting
alongside Race and being the hero to all adolescent boys that watched him.
Jonny’s dog bandit is also a contributing member of the team, he takes
direction very well and helps Jonny and Race escape. This is another one of
those series that ended well before it should have. Unlike most cartoons, the
dialog is superb and somewhat adult. For example, Jonny: “Foolish question
number one, does it hurt Race?” Race: “Only when I say ouch.”
Review of
Murder By Numbers,
DVD
Four out of five stars
The premise of
this movie is one that has been used many times, the brilliant high school
student that considers himself devoid of feelings planning to commit the
perfect crime in order to generate some passion and excitement in his life.
Richard (Ryan Gosling) and Justin (Michael Pitt) are high school classmates,
but on the opposite end of the personality spectrum. Richard is the son of a
very wealthy man and is one of the cool kids. Justin is a brilliant introvert
that is an avid reader that explores somewhat alternative philosophical
positions.
Somehow, these
two boys become partners in a plan to commit the perfect murder. They select a
female victim at random, kill her and leave her body by a creek. They very
carefully plant clues that lead to another “logical suspect” and it appears
that the case is closed. However, Detective Cassie Mayweather (Sandra Bullock)
refuses to go along with the conventional wisdom and goes out of bounds in an
attempt to find evidence against the boys. She is also fighting her own
internal demons, having a literal love/hate relationship with her male partner.
It moves along
fairly well, but the writers make it a bit schizophrenic. It is played as a
psychological crime thriller, but degenerates into a climactic battle scene to
the death towards the end. It would have been preferable if they had stayed on
the psycho-thriller track.
Review of
Where Does the Garbage Go? By
Paul Showers ISBN 9780064451147
Five out of five stars
To children and
unfortunately many adults as well, there is no analytical thought when
something is thrown in the garbage. There is the belief that it simply goes
away with no consequences. Yet, something must be done with it and while all of
it can be considered a pollutant, some of it is toxic.
The purpose of
this book is to explain to children that there are consequences to tossing
something away. Many items can in fact be recycled, saving landfill space and requiring
less extraction of resources from the Earth. The descriptions are very well
done and are written at the level of the second grader. I strongly recommended
this book as a primer for children as humans face existential threats of climate
change and the depletion of natural resources.
Review of
Superman Returns,
DVD
Three out of five stars
Fans of the Superman
movie series will recognize scenes and even dialog from the first movie
starring Christopher Reeve. What is absent is the charm of that movie,
specifically the onscreen interactions between Reeve and Margot Kidder as Lois
Lane. The premise is that Superman left Earth to journey back to the location
of his home planet of Krypton and Lois Lane wrote a Pulitzer Prize winning
article on why the world does not need Superman. Lois is also married with a
boy that appears to be between four and eight years old.
When Superman
makes an unexpected reappearance in saving a doomed airliner where Lois is a
passenger, the romance between the two of them is rekindled. However, this
leads to some creepy actions by Superman, where he uses his super vision and
hearing to eavesdrop on Lois and her husband in their home. This is not an
endearing scene.
Kevin Spacey plays
the arch-enemy Lex Luthor and as usual, Lex is determined to take over the
world and has no concerns about the loss of human life. He does a credible job
at the task, and there is the usual female bimbo as one of his sidekicks.
While fans of
Superman are pleased that there is a new iteration of the Superman series of
movies, this one falls far short of the first one. Even the romance appears a bit
forced and uncertain and not just because Lois is married.
Review of
Ghosts of Lee County, Iowa,
by Bruce Carlson ISBN 1571663134
Four out of five stars
Lee County is
in the southeast corner of Iowa and was one of the earliest counties formed in
Iowa. One of the county seats is Keokuk, named after a chief of the Sauk tribe.
Therefore, the county has a long history that dates back to the Native
Americans that called it home well before the arrival of the Europeans. The Mississippi
River forms the eastern border of the county.
Like all areas
of lengthy habitation, Lee County has its’ own set of stories involving the
supernatural and this book contains some of the most well-known. In terms of content,
the stories involve farming, hunting and action on the Mississippi River, which
provided a continuous source of human traffic. The stories are generally rather
routine as ghost stories go, unlike others there is almost no gore and
violence. There are no stories of the spirits of the brutally murdered
wandering about scaring the living. Accidental deaths are the prime source of
the ghosts here.
If you are
looking for a book that will generate shivers of fright, then this is not for you.
The legends are local and written in the style of a report rather than the building
of tension to a climax.
Review of
The Little Book of Doctors’ Rules,
by Clifton K. Meador, MD ISBN 9780757004933
Five out of five stars
The only real
flaw in this book occurs in the title. While I understand why the author used
the term “Doctors,” it would be much closer to reality to use the phrase “Health
Care Providers.” For every person in the chain beyond those that take your demographic
information and ask how you are going to pay your bill should read this book.
The rules, more
accurately described as snippets of advice, are short and relate to the more
humane and hence efficient practice of medicine. For even though health care
providers often use machines with advanced technology and costing tens of
thousands of dollars, medical care is and will always remain an interpersonal
activity. That is the emphasis here.
The statements
are numbered, and the best is one of the shortest. It is number 232 and it is, “Never
take away hope.” While doctors can learn much from this book, all people in the
health care chain, including patients, will find value in this jewel of
medicine that does not contain a single technical term.
Review of
The Adventures of Hiram Holiday: Volume 1,
DVD version
Four out of five stars
Wally Cox was
one of the actors in the early days of network television, in general he played
a man with a timid personality who spoke slowly and with a high pitch. He was
small in build, so he could be considered one of the first of the entertainment
nerds. However, in the “Hiram Holiday” adventures, while he is cast as a man
that is fundamentally an intellectual, he is fully capable of holding his own
when the evil ones confront him.
This is very
early television, so the modern viewer has to make allowances for the limited
capability for special effects and the dialog that is often a bit childish. It
is stated in a separate reference to Cox that despite his projected personality
of being weak and timid, he was in fact quite athletic. That is clear from some
of the fight scenes, specifically those that involve fencing. Cox moves very
well, demonstrating a nimble grace as he moves back and forth using his “sword,”
which is generally an umbrella.
I found these
adventures a bit predictable and very dated. Yet, they were interesting, for it
is not often that the adventure hero is cast in this manner. Cox plays it very
well.
Review of
World of Reading: Ant-Man,
by Chris Wyatt ISBN 9781484721780
Five out of five stars
There was a
time when comic books were considered a corrupting influence on children. We
can “thank” Dr. Frederic Wertham, whose book, “The Seduction of the Innocent,”
launched a wave of censorship of comics. Thankfully, that time has past and now
they are used as educational tools. For young people can identify with the
characters and enjoy reading about their exploits. Imagery is also a natural in
the stories.
This book that
is designed as a first reader uses the Ant-Man comic character as the plot for
a simple explanation of his origin and his powers. The tactic used is that each
page contains a colorful image and a caption that is one very short sentence. It
is very well done and so this is a book that I strongly recommend as a first
reader.
Review of
The Green Hornet,
DVD
One out of five stars
While the Green
Hornet is not a superhero in the classic sense of the term, he has no powers
that he can use, the crimefighting team of the Green Hornet and sidekick Kato
are generally included in the group. Therefore, this movie can be considered
another in the current bumper crop of movies about such characters.
Placed in that
bucket, the movie tries to be a joke and succeeds. Seth Rogen plays the son of
a wealthy newspaperman (Britt Reid) that is a party animal until his father
dies. Suddenly placed in charge of a major daily crusading newspaper, he is
clearly out of his league. Even though Reid becomes the Green Hornet with his
sidekick Kato, the brains of the group, he never loses his boyish, ignorant
enthusiasm. That failed joke characteristic wears on the viewer to the point where
you just want it to end.
Despite Kato’s
clear genius in creating effective gadgets, Reid never manages to give him due
credit. The closest thing to saving graces of this movie is the power of the
villain, an unemotional killer played very well by Christoph Waltz and the
incredible competence of Secretary Lenore Case as played by Cameron Diaz.
This movie was so
poorly received that there was an almost immediate discussion of a more serious
reboot. From watching this movie, that makes a great deal of sense.
