Book: SHERLOCK SAM AND THE SINISTER LETTERS IN BRAS BASAH - A.J. Low

The third adventure of ten-year-old Sherlock Sam - "Singapore's Greatest Kid Detective" - and his robot sidekick Watson begins when family friend Officer Siva of the Singapore Police seeks Sam's help in finding out who has been sending sinister letters to his friend Fidel.  Fidel Alvarado is a prominent children's book writer in Singapore, with a son named Luis who attends an international school, and through Luis (who thinks it's all part of a Chain Mail game), someone is sending Fidel vaguely threatening missives implying that if he continues writing, Luis might be in danger - setting up Sherlock and his friends for a one-week, sort of undercover mission to Luis's school, where the kid detective works with his friends to find clues and set a trap for the letter writer.  Every new Sherlock Sam book, for me, is like stepping into a time machine and going back to my childhood days of Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown and the reason I fell in love with reading in the first place.  Always multicultural, in this story young readers will even learn something of Mexican food, customs and culture, as well as the ongoing themes that each book has of friendship and loyalty, embracing and exploring the differences between people instead of fearing or rejecting them (especially important in today's climate), and of course that good guys win and justice is served.  The mystery is actually done quite well here, too, with Sherlock and company logically following one clue to the other to figure out whodunnit.  Add some genuine heart and humor, along with the wonderful Saturday morning cartoon-like illustrations of Andrew "Drewscape" Tan, and all I can say is I hope this series never, ever ends.  As always, a glossary in the back also helps young readers with some of the words and phrases used in the novel, teaching while entertaining perfectly.  4.5/5 stars

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Film: SHARKNADO 4: THE 4TH AWAKENS

(2016) Dumb as they are, once you've watched three you can hardly keep yourself from checking out number four, in what might arguably be SyFy Channel's most popular and successful homemade film franchise.  Each Sharknado film further plummets the depths of lunacy from previous efforts, and this one (opening with a Star Wars-like screen crawl of text) not only takes but beats the crap out of the cake: starting out in Las Vegas five years after the rancid part three ends, a tech wiz has found a way to stop all sharknados (a shark-infested tornado, for those of you who've not been paying attention) from occurring, when suddenly a dust storm blows up, hitting a hotel devoted to the sharknado phenomenon that, naturally, has real sharks on display in it, which are sucked up by the dust storm resulting in a ... dustnado!  Swear to God, it gets even worse even beyond this, and the standard multiple cameos from grade-Z celebrities, as our hero Fin Shepard (Ian Ziering), barely rescuing his son and new daughter-in-law from the dustnado, heads back to his farm in Kansas to make sure his young son and mother-in-law are safe ... as we viewers are treated to oilnados, firenados, hailnados, and any other kind of "nado" the film decides to throw at us, depending on what each funnel hits (my favorite: the cownado!).  Don't worry, sharks are in every one of them, but after awhile are also kind of forgotten in the name of meteorology, as the tech wiz dude (Tommy Davidson) tried to step up his game to stop the weather phenomenons again.  I have to say, this was certainly better than part three, mainly because the franchise seems to have found its own eye-winking, self-deprecating sense of humor again, which seemed missing a bit in the previous two installments - but make no mistake, like the others in the series this one is cheap and cheesy and stupid, mindless weekend afternoon fun; the kind of film a bunch of teenaged friends would get together for at a drive-in, back in the day, just to talk and laugh and only half-watch together for the experience.  And yes, God help us all, there WILL be a part five.  (rated TV-14)  2/10 stars

 

Film: MOANA

(2016) Ancient Polynesian mythology gets the Disney treatment when the daughter of a chieftain of a prosperous island, Moana (Auli'i Cravalho), learns of the story of the demigod Maui, who many years ago stole the heart of the goddess Te Whiti, she who created all the islands.  Most of the residents of Moana's island - including Moana's father - sees the myth as only a fable, but when the fishing dries up on the island and the curse seems to be coming true, Moana discovers her people used to be ancient navigators of the seas when the sea itself calls to her as The One - the person chosen to find Maui, restore Te Whiti's heart, and bring the islands back to life.  All the Disney signatures are here - beautiful animation, funny and touching moments, a story of faith (particularly in yourself) in the face of adversity, and even a funny animal sidekick (HeiHei - pronounced "Hay-Hay" - the funniest chicken EVER).  But along with the story, what sets Moana apart is the glorious lack of a love interest; Moana, though unsure of herself initially, is a Disney Princess for the 21st century as she learns to become as strong and independent as they come - a future queen perfectly content to rule in the future without the need of a king by her side.  The musical numbers/soundtrack (by the one and only Lin-Manuel Miranda), while to me not quite as strong as past Disney contenders (with one huge exception: Jemaine Clement singing "Shiny" is worth the price of admission alone), keeps things lively and fun - as does the relationship, when they finally do meet, between Moana and Maui (Dwayne Johnson), a major highlight of a film that - after one cool epic "final battle" - ends perfectly.  One of those films I liked when it started, but had fallen in love with by its end.  (rated PG) 9/10 stars

Film: A MAN CALLED OVE

(2015) Ove (Rolf Lassgard) is a grumpy, retired widower living in a small community over which he used to preside.  But vowing to keep order, even after being overthrown as president of the condominium association, Ove keeps things rigid in his little world, every day checking that signs are posted, doors are locked, and rules are being followed.  That and visiting his wife's nearby grave are all that's going on in his life, driving Ove to finally decide he wants to be with his beautiful Sonja forever ... even when his suicide attempt gets interrupted by new neighbors arriving (and already violating association rules) across the street, a young couple with kids who insert themselves into Ove's life and unknowingly thwart his every plan to do away with himself.  Interspersed with flashbacks of Ove and Sonja's story, and how Ove came to be who he is now, A Man Called Ove is funny, touching, sweet without the saccharine, and very romantic and real.  We've all known an Ove (or have maybe even become one), but though you may think you know how this film is going to go, it still has its charms - in its quiet, gentle way - to surprise you.  A funny, pure-hearted love story that celebrates not just romantic love but loving life itself.  (rated PG-13) 8.5/10 stars

Film: HELL OR HIGH WATER

(2016) Hell or High Water opens with a bang, when the Howard brothers - Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster) - don masks and bust into a Texas Midlands bank as it's opening, robbing the place at gunpoint.  You can tell bank robbery is a new "profession" for Toby, but viewers quickly learn that Tanner is a recent parolee with a nasty streak that can be set off on a dime (a character Ben Foster has gotten very adept at playing, period), and as the robberies continue the brothers attract the attention of Ranger Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) and his deputy Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham) who quickly close in on the brothers, even as the real motivation for the robberies is slowly revealed and you start rooting for the boys even more than the rangers going after them!  At least, that is, until things take a dark turn.  Bridges, as the grizzled old ranger about to retire, leads a stellar cast, his scenes with the equally brilliant Gil Birmingham (a terrific, totally underrated actor in his own right) some of the best scenes of the film.  I'd read very little about this one before seeing it, wanting to see what the Oscar noms were all about even though I'm normally not big on westerns, but Hell or High Water is a tremendous example of how to tell a simple, linear story on film while giving it the maximum impact possible on viewers.  Really, really well-done.  (rated R) 7.5/10 stars

Film: HIDDEN FIGURES

(2016) Hidden Figures, one of my favorite films of the year already, tells the real-life story of three female African-American mathematicians who, in the early days of NASA and the space program, were instrumental in helping to send the first man into space.  Katherine (Taraji P. Henson, who was absolutely ROBBED of an Oscar nomination), a math genius on a savant level from childhood, ends up the one working most closely on the front lines of literally getting the capsule up - while her best friends Dorothy (Oscar-nominated Octavia Spencer) and Mary (Janelle Monae) contribute equally in the areas of bringing NASA into the computer age and breaking new ground in engineering, respectively.  Further hitting home just how much these women did is in the context of their personal lives and the segregation that still existed in this country in the early 1960's; Mary has to push twice as hard to attend classes at a whites-only night school so she can qualify for an engineering position no Black woman has ever held in the first place, and Dorothy is refused a promotion to supervisor, after years of doing the work, because there is no such thing as a Black supervisor, while Katherine - having moved out of the "colored" building to work with the big boys - still has to run more than half a mile back to that building every time she needs to use the "coloreds-only" bathroom, after drinking coffee from the coloreds-only coffeepot.  In these days of a changing tide in the government, during which America seems to be going back to a country of persecution and hate under the rule of a bigoted puppet, these scenes of oppression serve as stark reminders of how backward we were as a nation just a matter of decades ago.  That said, Hidden Figures still manages to be filled with a heart and humor that will leave you smiling - not only serving as a flag-waving period piece of one of this country's greatest achievements ... but also a clear reminder that what we do best as people, we do best when we're all working together.  (rated PG)  9/10 stars

Film: MOONLIGHT

(2016) There is much to love about Moonlight.  The performances are genuine, film beautifully shot and with definite moments of raw emotion in its simplicity.  Chronicling the story of a young African-American man named Chiron growing up with only his drug-addicted mother on the rough streets of Miami, the film is divided into three parts: "Little" covers his childhood as a sensitive, small boy with few friends, often picked on and called "faggot" etc. until he finds kindness and a part-time father figure in the form of Juan (Mahershala Ali, whose Oscar nomination is WELL-deserved), a drug dealer who along with his wife treats the young Chiron better than the boy's own mother.  Section two, "Chiron" is the strongest of the three-story structure, and covers Chrion's teen years.  The bullying hasn't stopped, Chiron's mom is a full-on addict now, and only two things seem to anchor the young man's sanity: Juan, and Chiron's best friend Kevin (a terrific Jharrel Jerome, who's already been cast in the TV adaptation of Stephen King's Mr. Mercedes and has a big future coming).  Ashton Sanders as Chiron turns in a beautiful, understated performance that will have you feeling every ounce of the kid's pain.  It is in this segment when Chiron's more-than-friends feelings for Kevin are briefly realized, yet followed by a betrayal that will affect Chiron forever ... leading to part three, "Black" - the name Chiron goes by now.  We see his life as a man, progressing and yet at a standstill (to say more would reveal spoilers), and to me this is where the film falls apart.  There is some minor resolution, but a chance phone call that seemingly will lead to a final answer to Black's/Chiron's biggest life question ends abruptly, leaving the audience to determine what happens after the credits - which is fine, except for me it only hit home that, like 2014's Boyhood, Moonlight (though the better of the two) is a film without plot or ending, further disappointing (to me) in what feels like a total "wimping out" on anything resembling what people call its "gay" storyline.  (rated R)  7.5/10 stars

Film: DAVID'S BIRTHDAY

(2009) It's been a long, long time since a film ticked me off so much I wanted to throw something at the screen - but if even a meat cleaver had been the only thing handy by the time I reached the ending of David's Birthday, I'd be without anything to watch movies on now.  The premise of this Italian film held a ton of promise for drama: two very busy married couples - Diego (Alessandro Gassman) and Shary (Michela Cescon), along with best friends Matteo (Massimo Poggio) and Francesca (Maria de Medeiros), have a rare opportunity to spend the summer together when Shary rents a gorgeous home by the sea on the Italian Riviera.  Though Shary and Diego's marriage seems strained - he lives in Italy because of work, while she lives in New York City for the same reason - Francesca and Matteo couldn't be happier, with a little girl they've sent to stay with other family.  The foursome know each other well and have a great time, Shary and Diego in particular looking forward to the arrival of their son David (Thyago Alves), who's coming to visit from New York toward the end of the summer for his eighteenth birthday, his first time back in Italy in five years.  It's when their son arrives that things start to unravel, however, as David has grown into a genuine beauty of a man ... and Matteo, to his own surprise, finds himself growing increasingly - and sexually - attracted to the boy; the son of his best friends.  SO many ways this could have played out, but instead things are actually drawn out interminably, Massimo Poggio's performance as Matteo by far the standout of the film; you can almost feel him fighting the attraction, not understanding it and seemingly being pulled against his will to be near the model-like youth.  Then the film falls apart, with a horrific, insultingly stupid and melodramatic ending that seems to bear the message that if you have sex with another guy, only tragedy is in store.  The ending is so overwrought, so ... Shakespearian (but as if acted by a really bad community theater troupe), that if the anti-gay message inherent in it hadn't been so in-your-face, it would have been laughable.  As it is, the ending is only ludicrous and depressing, Massimo Poggio the film's only saving grace after all.  (not rated) 3/10

Film: HACKSAW RIDGE

(2016) World War II is raging over in Europe, and Virginia native Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), newly-married and with a brother already enlisted, feels in his heart nothing more than the need to serve.  Against the wishes of his father Tom (Hugo Weaving), a WWI vet still suffering the trauma of his own service, as well as losing all his friends to the fight, Desmond joins the army - getting as far as the first days of basic training before his fellow soldiers and Sgt. Howell (Vince Vaughn) discover Doss's religious beliefs forbid him from so much as laying his hands on a gun.  Based on the real-life Battle of Okinawa hero, Doss was 100% on-board with serving his country as a medic - someone who saved lives, though would never knowingly take one - but was initially physically and verbally threatened for his beliefs, branded a conscientious objector, yet never compromised his beliefs and became the first recipient of the Medal of Honor, in American history, to be given the honor without firing a single shot.  Andrew Garfield's good-old-boy performance as Dobbs strikes 100% true, the first half of the film setting up who he was, his life and family, and finding love with a beautiful nurse (Teresa Palmer), before the second half depicts both the horrors of war as well as Dobbs's ceaseless bravery.  While I don't care for war movies and especially the way Hollywood tends to glamorize them, for me Hacksaw Ridge never held a false note, the time flying by as the surprising story of everything this one man did to serve his country came shining through on the screen.  Beautifully, perfectly directed by Mel Gibson, who along with Garfield easily turns in Oscar-worthy work.  (rated R) 10/10 stars

Film: THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS

(2016) A difficult film to review without revealing any spoilers, The Girl with All the Gifts - based on the bestselling novel by Mike Carey, who also wrote the film's screenplay - is set in the now all-too-familiar "dystopian future" where humanity has been pretty darn thinned out due to a fungal virus that turns people into sleepwalking, zombie-like "hungries".  A young girl named Melanie (newcomer Sennia Nanua) may hold the answer to a cure, but before Dr. Caroline Caldwell (Glenn Close) can act on it, the military installation they are holed up in is overrun by hungries and they are forced to flee along with Melanie's favorite teacher (Gemma Arterton) and a few remaining military personnel, including the cynical Sgt. Parks (Paddy Considine), who recognizes that Melanie poses just as much a potential threat as potential cure, and would just as soon do away with her.  The film actually takes what feels like a fairly fresh approach to the "zombie" film genre, but a bit more than halfway through it started committing one of the most heinous crimes any horror/suspense film can commit - characters suddenly doing dumb, stupid things in the movie that a real human being with a half-ounce of brains would never have done in real life - and as those kept coming and then the massive downer of an ending played out, I felt a bit played out as well.  More curious than ever to read the novel now, though, to see how it differs.  (rated R) 6/10 stars

TV: What the HECK Happened to "Sherlock"?!

For the longest time, since first catching the pilot of "Elementary" in September of 2012, to me Jonny Lee Miller was THE modern-day interpretation of Sherlock Holmes.  It therefore took me awhile to even watch "Sherlock", but by series two had heard so much about it, I started from the beginning with Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson - and within the first few minutes fell in love with both the show and its leads.  I love Miller no less, but learned there is definitely room for more than one interpretation of arguably the most well-known figure in the history of mystery fiction.

I caught up watching the show, and like other fans grew frustrated with the uber-long breaks between series, only to get just a few TV-movie-length "episodes".  But it was always worth it.  The show never ceased to amaze with impeccable writing and direction and cast.  The show also remains incredible to look at, via its cinematography and direction.  
Then came series four.

"The Abominable Bride"wasn't a complete success, but a worthwhile effort to break the mold and take the series and its characters back to their roots of the 1890's.  It also made for a cool Christmas special in-between series three and four, to buffer the interminably long wait. 

Then "The Six Thatchers" immediately reminded me of one of my favorite of the original Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Holmes/Watson films, The Pearl of Death.  Only this IS "Sherlock", so the twists kept you from guessing where things were going until you were like "Whaaaat??" in front of the television.  It was also great seeing Harry Potter alum Sacha Dhawan in a guest starring role!  But I was never a particular fan of Mary Watson, and when the episode turned into a storyline essentially about her my interest waned a bit, though the structure of the storyline and that WTF?! ending put it back more firmly into established "Sherlock" territory.

"The Lying Detective" gave me mixed emotions from the start, mainly due to the great rift between Sherlock and Watson (and Holmes's spiral back down into drugs), caused by the previous episode's events being a real downer, mixed with the coming-from-nowhere arch-villain, millionaire serial killer Culverton Smith (an oh-so-creepyToby Jones), who - as the episode goes on - comes off more like a cartoonvillain from the old "Batman" TV series than something more high caliber.  The episode stretched out a bit toward the end, but by the time you learn all that's really been going on it was all pretty much worth it.  Except maybe for the final, super-melodramatic cliffhanger.

Then, for me, it all fell apart with "The Final Problem".  Sian Brooke held little to no menace to me as Eurus, and while it started off great until the initial surprise/twist, I found the last two-thirds of the episode nearly impossible to sit through.  What was supposed to be high tension and suspense, to me was repetitive, aggravating, and - yeah - at times even downright monotonous.  A lot of promise even seemed inherent in the bringing back of the wonderful Andrew Scott as Moriarty, but GOOD LORD what a waste they made of him, turning the character into an even bigger annoyance in the episode, as he pops in every once in awhile like the freaking Joker only to chide Holmes or egg him on.  So, so hard to sit through ... especially when, in the end, the big twist was a very rushed yawn at the end of ninety minutes of some of the most melodramatic television I have seen in ages.

No word on a series five yet, but I hope it continues (though this finale seemed pretty ... final).  Hope they can get the train back on the track, too, if it does.  And Lord, please, let's be done with both Mary and Eurus.

Film: THE HANDMAIDEN

(2016) It's pretty universally acknowledged that some of the best films made today are coming out of South Korea.  The Handmaiden, receiving rave reviews across the board from critics and audiences alike, is a prime example: in 1930's Korea, during the Japanese occupation, an heiress of Japanese descent living with her (possibly sexually) abusive uncle, Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee) - who has never stepped from her extravagant home in the country since arriving as a child - hires a new handmaiden, Sook-Hee (Kim Tae-ri), a poor girl whose never known such opulence, and the two women become close quickly.  But things aren't what they seem - nor, indeed, are people (boy, is THAT an understatement), and as the twists and turns and true motivations become apparent, amidst it all something happens that no one involved could have foreseen: the lady and her handmaiden falling in love.  Highly erotic and acted to perfection, The Handmaiden is an intricate puzzle that - just when you think you know where it's going - goes upside your head with another twist, sending the film in a wholly different direction.  Directed by the one and only Park Chan-wook (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Thirst), The Handmaiden is one of those few "instant classics" that actually deserves the title.  (not rated) 8/10 stars

Film: LONG WAY NORTH

(2015) Sasha would make an awesome Disney princess.  Set in 1882 Russia, Long Way North is about the young aristocratic teen whose family's reputation was sullied when her grandfather set out on an expedition in a great ship - the Davai - commissioned by the king to find the North Pole ... and never returned.  Sasha has counted her grandfather out, and after finding new information that suggests he may have traveled a different route than where the search party looked for him, to save her family and their reputation with the palace and community, when her father rebuffs her claims she sets out on a quest to find passage to the same are of the sea alone, to learn what really happened to the man and his great ship.  Simple animation and a story of bravery, love and loyalty all sounds corny, but this is a beautifully-constructed, heartfelt film that doesn't (to the film's credit) have the Disney gloss and marketability - though (again) Sasha has the independent spirit, courage and fire of the best of the Magic Kingdom's heroines (and would never wait for some prince to come and save or marry her, either).  Sweet film, lovingly told.  (rated PG) 8/10 stars

Film: SUICIDE SQUAD (EXTENDED CUT)

(2016) When a film gets as much marketing, over-hype and exposure as Suicide Squad did in the months - not weeks, but months - prior to release, it's usually a good sign the film may not be that great.  Which is why (along with the casting of Jared Leto, which I felt - along with the film's entire concept of Joker - stank) I didn't rush to see it.  The Extended Cut is only 11 minutes longer, purportedly giving Joker a better back-story for his actions than the theatrical release, but the film still suffers from a lack of focus - and sorry, but yeah Leto was just an awful, awful casting choice.  Worse choice still: relegating Joker to a minor character that feels like he's only inserted into the film to upgrade audience interest.  Boo.  Beyond that, the film's plot is a cinch: Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) is tasked with heading a secret government organization to fight crime, and her brilliant idea is to do so by creating a team made up of some of the biggest criminally-insane loons to ever be incarcerated; a "suicide squad" if you will, to send into the heart of the fray, because if they're all killed trying to defeat the even nastier bad guys who the heck will care?  Things don't go as planned (do they ever?), but in the meantime there are some good laughs and dark humor, mostly via Will Smith as Deadshot and a particularly giddy Margot Robbie, who channels Harley Quinn to perfection.  The film itself, though, is strictly standard in plot and execution, offering nothing knew while meandering all over the place.  Oh yeah, and the subplot of Joker trying to break Harley out and/or rescuing her from the team is, in the end, a fairly big yawn.  The finale is pretty cool, once we get there, but overall what seems like it could have been so much more never quite makes it there.  (PG-13) 6.5/10 stars

Farewell: JOHN HURT

January 2017 is being no kinder to losing screen icons than December of last year, and with the passing of John Hurt - just three days after his 77th birthday - film lovers lost one of the most versatile actors ever to grace the big screen, and his 50+-year career proves it.  

His versatility as an actor was astounding; I still remember how blown away I was as a teenager, sitting in a dark theater watching The Elephant Man and how - as John Merrick - Hurt's pathos and powerful talent came right through the heavy prosthetic makeup to give Merrick heart and soul; he won universal critical claim and an Oscar nomination for his work in the film, which today remains a master class in acting.  From indie films to big franchises like the films of Indiana Jones or Harry Potter, no matter what you were watching, if John Hurt was in it you were guaranteed to be enthralled while he was on-screen.

He was, simply put, extraordinary.

How we will miss you, Sir John.

Film: MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN

(2016) Another case of "got the book, but saw the film first," Miss Peregrine's starts off with Florida teen Jake (Asa Butterfield) rushing to the home of his grandfather Abe (Terence Stamp), who suffers from dementia and claims to be under attack in his home.  Arriving in time only to find his grandfather in the woods out behind the house, eyes missing and a cryptic whisper his only goodbye before dying, after a period of mourning Jake's therapist advises a trip to Wales - the sight of many of Abe's wild, lifelong stories that have affected Jake as a teen - and instead of finding peace in the fact his grandfather was simply a mentally-ill old man, Jake discovers an alternate world where the beautiful, shape-shifting Miss Peregrine (the oh-SO-consistently-underrated Eva Green) cares for and protects a houseful of children with very different talents or oddities, in a world where time is frozen to the span of one day ... and enemies who are out to get the children are each day growing closer.  With Tim Burton directing the film is both charmingly quirky and super-gorgeous to look at, the various abilities of the kids showcased beautifully with a talented young cast (this is, perhaps, also the 3,899th film Samuel L.Jackson has been in lately) - but Asa Butterfield has always left me cold on-screen, I've never found him particularly believable or likable an actor, and to me his presence here is the one "chilly" element of the entire film.  There is a lot going for Miss Peregrine and her kids, I just wish it - like Jake - had engaged me emotionally just a tad more.  (rated PG-13) 8/10 stars

Film: THE WITCH

(2015) Set in 1630's New England, The Witch opens with the devoutly-Christian family of William and Katherine and their four children (Katherine pregnant with the fifth) being excommunicated from their community, evidently through some conflict with the church's Puritan beliefs.  Finding their own plot of land near a large, dense patch of woods, the family builds a home and life, Katherine giving birth to her third son ... but when the infant goes missing while in the care of eldest daughter Thomasin (an impressive Anya Taylor-Joy), the viewer is "treated" to a glimpse of the very dark presence living in the neighboring woods, and why the baby was taken.  This incident sparks a turn of very bad luck for the family, including failing crops and suspicion of Thomasin being possessed or practicing witchery ... and in fact by far the film's greatest strength is the intense, foreboding paranoia of those times regarding demonic possession and witchcraft.  The film feels 100% authentic, the 17th-century language and costumes ... the film's stark, colorless wilderness as the family begins to unravel/turn against each other building up tension in a slow-burn way that may not appeal to modern-day horror film fans who like their movies fast-paced and loaded with blood.  As the presence in the woods gets closer the film just got creepier and creepier, right up to about the last fifteen minutes that - to me - would make any person of faith squirm openly in his or her seat.  Not for everyone, but I love horror movies that mess with my head over trying to gross me out any day, so was able to buy into The Witch the whole way.  (rated R)  9/10 stars

Film: ARRIVAL

(2016) Twelve oblong disks, appearing to stand on end, have appeared over various cites of the world.  The aliens have arrived, but as time goes on there seems to be no move on their part to contact us.  Are they safe, or preparing to annihilate us?  As paranoia sweeps the world, many countries starting to develop the "let's get them before they get us" attitude, top linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is hand-picked as part of an elite team sent to where the spacecraft hovers a site in Wyoming, determined to communicate with them.  As Banks, fellow scientist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), and their team try to develop/figure out what turns out to definitely be alien speech patterns (and what they're tying to tell us), the world teeters on the brink of war as itchy trigger fingers prepare to strike the first punch.  Arrival is a well-made, well-cast film with an intriguing and philosophical heart, but for me it was too long, too heady, and too intellectualized to arouse enough passion in me for the story or characters - or to care that much about what is supposed to be the otherwise OMG! ending.  (rated PG-13) 6/10 stars

Film: FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM

(2016) Seventy years before Harry Potter would read the seminal work of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), the young British wizard arrives as a young man at Ellis Island in New York City, bearing a small suitcase chock-full of creatures he is transporting quite illegally within the wizarding community and into the States.  When one breaks loose, Newt's endeavors to recapture it has him crossing paths with a No-Maj (non-magical human - what they call Muggles in the UK), baker Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), who accidentally walks off with Newt's case instead of his own, setting both Scamander and a demoted Auror named Tina, out to arrest Newt for being an unregistered wizard, on a quest to keep the creatures in check - even as darker forces are at work that could not only bring down the wizarding community, but start them off on a war with humans.  I was worried there would be way too much CGI in this film to appeal to me - and there is a lot, obviously - but I still found myself very much charmed with the story, characters, look of the film, and Redmayne's turn as Newt (though granted, Redmayne is starting to perfect the introverted, jerky looking-away nervous thing so well, he's repeating the tic in his films).  The cast is terrific, effects more than believable enough to pull you in, and for me there was never a dull minute, the film providing some very cool eye candy while building up suspense to a satisfying finale.  (rated PG-13) 8.5/10 stars

Farewell: MARY TYLER MOORE

January snuffs out another comic talent, this one an actual Queen of Comedy: Mary Tyler Moore has passed away at the age of 80.  A true icon, from Laura Petrie to Mary Richards to Ordinary People, she most often set standards instead of following them.

In honor of this brilliant woman the world has lost ... the "Chuckles Bites the Dust" episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", arguably the funniest and most-loved episodes of the series.

RIP, Mary.

Film: LA LA LAND

(2016) Mia (Emma Stone) is a struggling actress in Los Angeles who works as a barista in a coffee shop on the Warner Brothers lot by day, and hates jazz music.  Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) is a jazz musician playing crap jobs while pursuing his own dream of opening an old-school jazz club.  After a chance encounter or two - the first of which is when they flip each other off from their cars in the middle of a traffic jam - the two find a mutual attraction and Mia learns to both love jazz ... and maybe even Sebastian, who in turn can't deny the instant spark between them.  But can a blooming love affair co-exist with the pursuit of personal growth; of pursuing your own dreams?  La La Land is nothing short of miraculous; one of the best love stories every put onto the screen, blooming before your eyes in the bright Technicolor lights and Cinemascopic vision of a big budget 1950's classic Hollywood musical (indeed, if you hate such old-style musicals, you will probably be the biggest detractor of this film - which is a shame, because you're also missing one of the best movie stories in recent years).  Stone and Gosling are perfection in their respective roles, and the film itself will make you laugh and cry, as well as both break and mend your heart.  I am trying very hard to not give away a single spoiler for this remarkable, beautiful film, but suffice to say I was all over the emotional map for the 133-minute runtime, and more than a week later the film still swirls around in my head.  So to best sum up my review in three words:  GO SEE IT.  You'll be hearing all over God's creation about it at Oscar time, anyway.  (rated PG-13) 9.5/10 stars

Letterbox vs. Pan-&-Scan

Thankfully, so many televisions are made with letterbox screens/monitors today, this isn't as much an issue.

Sadly, there are still those who don't "get it" and prefer pan-and-scan.

I have shared this video for years now; how anyone can watch anything in P&S after seeing this (or any other of the many examples on YouTube), I have no idea.

Film: SHAUN OF THE DEAD

(2004) For over a dozen years I've heard friends, family and strangers sing the praises of this seminal zombie-comedy mix; a classic of the genre that created its own genre.  Simon Pegg, in his breakout role, plays slacker dude Shaun, a guy not having a good day after being dumped by his girlfriend.  He commands no respect from his stepfather, even less from his retail coworkers, and is being besotted upon by his roommate Pete (Peter Serafinowicz), over what you can't quite tell is the third roommate or just Shaun's incredibly slovenly, video game and booze addicted childhood buddy Ed (Nick Frost), who wants to keep Shaun to his single, pub-crawling, game-playing ways.  But Shaun, the night after the breakup, wakes up determined to change his life; to win his girlfriend back, go visit his mom on her birthday, and try to be a better man ... just as the zombie apocalypse breaks out in London.  Picture a slacker comedy as directed by George Romero - I guess, because for me Shaun of the Dead just wasn't particularly funny.  Maybe from years of hearing so much about the film it's just been played up too big in my head, but my overwhelming feeling watching the film was annoyance; Shaun and Ed's being too damn clueless to realize they're dealing with the walking dead for the longest time, sure, but what I couldn't get past throughout the entire watch was my overwhelming desire to reach through the screen and kill Nick Frost's character myself (Ed just ratcheted my nerves like no movie character has in recent memory).  To me the film just felt like a younger-generation version of Pegg's film The World's End, and (again: for me) didn't work too well as either a comedy or a zombie thriller.  (rated R)  5/10 stars

Film: DEEPWATER HORIZON

(2016) In 2010 when the BP oil spill happened, polluting the Gulf of Mexico with the worst oil spill in American history, I was working as a fundraiser, including envrionmental causes, and the heinous crime of the BP spill was part of my "pitch" in trying to get people to give.  Mark Wahlberg stars in this film dramatization of the offshore drilling rig's destruction, and as a guy old enough to remember the "disaster movie" craze started by Irwin Allen in the 1970's, to me Deepwater Horizon felt very much like one of those films ... yet, somehow, without characters that ever fully came to life for me.  The effects and story and subsequent rescue of those still trapped on the rig are well-done and enthralling, however, still earning a higher rating from me; director Peter Berg handles the drama and the mechanics of the film wonderfully, building up tension and keeping things tight.  Mark Wahlberg turns in his usual solid performance, essentially playing Mark Wahlberg but creating empathy as Mike Williams, a man determined to survive to see his wife and young daughter again.  The oil company guys, led by John Malkovich, are as greedy and slimy as I'm sure their real-life counterparts are (how these men got off without even manslaughter charges for those who died in the disaster is beyond me) - stock characters, really - but its Gina Rodriguez as Andrea who really carried the heart of the film for me; I wish, in fact, they'd devoted more time to developing her character and story, it would have made for a richer film.  Deepwater Horizon is a serviceable, well-made disaster film that will keep you intensely interested throughout, even if it's heart does feel a little bit hollow.  (rated PG-13)  7/10 stars

Film: DIRTY GRANDPA

(2016) Jason Kelly (Zac Efron) is a young, straitlaced corporate attorney working at his father's firm.  His life is stable, and he's about to marry a beautiful, wealthy girl from a good family, Meredith (Julianne Hough).  When his grandmother passes away, it's Jason who is tasked with driving his newly-widowed grandpa, Dick Kelly (Robert De Niro) down to Florida, due to Grandpa's driver license being suspended, just a week before he and Meredith are supposed to marry; it seems Grandpa and Jason were really close once upon a time, the older man's youthful spirit and energy keeping up with his grandson easily, but it was Jason who - as he got into college and his dad's business - got all serious and "old".  Grandpa, it seems, also wants a bonding trip.  What Jason doesn't account for is that Grandpa Dick is completely off the rails, randier than ever - and from spring break to a pair of lovely young ladies (one with a granddaddy complex) to a raggedy male drug dealer named Pam (Jason Mantzoukas), it might just be Jason who learns more about life from the old man.  Dirty Grandpa (and I saw the unrated version, to boot) is crass, vulgar, loud, over-the-top ... and on more than a couple occasions very, very funny.  I haven't liked much of what Efron has done lately, but I really enjoyed the fearlessness and sheer lunacy of this film.  Granted, any movie that makes every effort to get Zac Efron naked as possible also gets my vote; but by the end, to me, there was something that made Dirty Grandpa a better than the average stoner comedy.  Maybe De Niro, maybe not; I just know I laughed a lot, and was kind of sorry to let the characters go when the credits started to roll.  (unrated version)  7/10 stars

The Sub-vs-Dub Club

If at all possible, I will not watch a foreign film dubbed in English.  I guess some would call it being a "purist," but I prefer - always - to see a film in its native language, and the way the filmmaker wanted it seen.

I was happy, last week, to have the French animated film Long Way North coming to me on DVD from Netflix - only to learn, when I got the disk, that not only was it dubbed in English, but there wasn't even an option for the original French audio track on the DVD!  I watched the film, as there was no other option to view it in at the moment, and yes with an animated film it's easier to watch a dubbed film because the lip syncing isn't nearly as noticeable ... but then, with the help of a friend, I was able to track down the original French version ...

   
 And it reminded me of why I won't watch a dubbed film.  English subtitles means shortcuts; not only is the subtlety and feel of the entire film off when its original language isn't there to help set the tone, but the subtitles themselves are modified - shortened - even changed or dropped off entirely for the English-speaking audience.  Plot points are also spelled out more, catering to the (non)misconception that English-speaking audiences don't like to have to "think" when watching their films.  Things are ... dumbed-down, if you will, simpler language often used or "cool" English phrases or names substituted to make the viewer more comfortable watching the film.  In other words, make it seem more ... American.  Or British.  Or wherever.  

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the trailers for the subbed Tout en haut du monde and its dubbed sister Long Way North.  The French version, subbed, is above; note how a greater sense of mystery is achieved, the feel of the film more exotic and intriguing, the plot more hinted at than outright revealed, rousing interest.

Then check out its English-language equivalent below - where the plot is spelled out for you, the feel of the film feels more coarse and homegrown; less captivating.  You are given so much more information, because its assumed you need to pretty much be hit over the head with more, in order to be interested in the film.
   Some may well still like the dubbed version better.  Sadly, it's how American audiences in particular are trained to think.  And I know there are plenty of people who still say they don't like to "read" their movies; that the subtitles are too distracting, it's too hard to look up at what's going on and down to read it then up again (a total fallacy; every single person I know who has made the switch admits the act of reading subtitles becomes automatic almost immediately).  

All I know is that it didn't feel like I'd really seen Long Way North until I watched Tout en haut du monde.  And as a lover of film, I will maintain to my dying day that those who choose dubbed over subbed aren't really seeing the film they wanted to see.  

Please, always, seek out the real thing.

Book: SCREAM STREET: FANG OF THE VAMPIRE (BOOK 1) - Tommy Donbavand

Luke Watson is your average pre-teen kid.  Well, with the exception of the werewolf thing, which he can't control and only happens when he's really angry.  But after one of his lapses almost gets a fellow classmate injured, the Government Housing of Unusual Lifeforms (G.H.O.U.L.) is forced to step in, and before they know it Luke and his parents wake up the newest residents of Scream Street - a gaslit, always-nighttime community of zombies, monsters and creatures of the night ruled over by the dictatorial, cigar-chomping "landlord" Otto Sneer.  Luke makes a couple of friends his age pretty quickly - Resus the vampire with long, pointy nails that can pick locks, and a Hermione Granger-like mummy named Cleo - but when he learns of a book that could help him collect six relics to help him to send his human parents back to the real world, the trio of kids set out to find relic number one.  A fun and well-written book that will appeal more to kids than adults, with good messages about friendship and acceptance - but for me it just felt too short, ending too abruptly; I would have preferred one long book telling the whole story, instead of what feels like the first part of many that will keep you reading ... and goad you into buying the next book.  3/5 stars

Film: SEEDS OF YESTERDAY

(2015) Having seen the three previous Lifetime-made films based on the insanely-popular V.C. Andrews's Flowers in the Attic series of novels - each movie worse than the last - I still wasn't prepared by just how bad the finale, Seeds of Yesterday, was going to be.  Chris and Cathy's children are grown now, and their middle son Bart (James Maslow, former member of boy band Big Time Rush) - who proved himself a mentally unstable kid in the previous film - has grown into a certified cuckoo.  Unfortunately, he's also inherited the over-the-top pious religious zealot complex of his great-grandfather ... as well as the Foxworth fortune, even going so far as to legally change his last name to Foxworth.  So not only is the dude bananas-on-a-homicidal-level and soon-to-be rich, he's also the only one of the kids who knows the true secret behind who their parents really are ... has to have everything his ballet star older brother has (even if that extends to the pregnant wife) ... and, though trying to deny it with every supposedly-Christian bone in his body, has the hots for his adopted sister.  Yes, it's just another day in the life of the jacked-up Dollanganger - now Sheffield - family.  Add incredibly bad acting, an insulting-to-your-intelligence script, and more melodrama than Shakespeare's entire back catalog, and except for Maslow's handsome face and extremely nice body, even sans commercials this was one loooong hour and twenty-four minutes to sit through. (TV-14)  1/10 stars

Film: THE HATEFUL EIGHT

(2015) Quentin Tarantino's eighth film is a lengthy, snowbound western that takes its time setting up the characters and situation (a good thing) - only, of course, to turn most of said situation on its ear.  In a bitter post-Civl War Wyoming winter, bounty hunter John "The Hangman" Ruth (Kurt Russell) - so named because even though most of his catches have "dead or alive" on their Wanted poster, Ruth gets pleasure out of delivering his charges alive so he can watch them being hanged himself - is on his way with a prisoner in tow to collect his reward.  Said prisoner, Daisy Domergue (an Oscar-worthy Jennifer Jason Leigh), is pretty much the meanest woman in the state, and can both take and give a punch like a man.  Picking up a couple travelers on the way (Samuel Jackson, Walton Goggings), Ruth's long wagon ride is interrupted when the entire party must detour and take refuge at Minnie's Haberdashery, barely able to outrun an incoming blizzard.  Problem is, Minnie is nowhere to be found, supposedly having put a Mexican named Bob (Damian Bechir) in charge, and the store is filled with other shady characters (making a total of eight plus the wagon driver) - all of whom have his or her own agenda, and may or may not be who they seem.  At fifteen minutes short of three hours long, the ending feels a bit dragged out and isn't 100% satisfying, but overall the Tarantino staples of oddball characters prone to violence fits this colorful near-parody of a western - featuring a great ensemble cast that's a lot of wicked fun to watch - to a bloody, often-funny "T". (rated R)  7.5/10 stars

Film: BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE ULTIMATE EDITION

(2016) I recently read someone else's criticism of Marvel films as "cookie cutter" and realized that was the issue I have with both Marvel and X-Men movies of late; both have become formulaic, with each film in the series feeling very much like the one before.  Batman v Superman - while messy, ungainly, imperfect and loud - definitely does not feel cookie cutter.  As the world is just adjusting to the presence of Superman (Henry Cavill), global leaders are also trying to determine whether Superman is a genuine friend to mankind; or even if he is, how can we assume he will remain so?  After a recent incident where a number of innocent people - many of them civilians - died after Superman's intervention, it appears as if the superhero might be doing more harm than good ... and none feel that more than Bruce Wayne, aka Batman (Ben Affleck), who has become convinced that Superman - like any metahuman - is the problem and not the cure.  It's in this highly combustible atmosphere that young tech genius Lex Luthor (a woefully miscast Jesse Eisenberg) decides to stir the pot while furthering his own agenda, setting the two titans against each other as he plans to take control over everything left over afterward.  I actually liked this big, clunky film much more than I expected; at just over three hours for the "Ultimate Edition" it still seems to fly by, and peeks into Wonder Woman as well as a few other film heroes to come only adds to the authenticity of the story.  The film is imperfect, CGI-heavy, and character development isn't its greatest strength - but it feels like a way-cool, non-cookie cutter roller coaster ride the entire time.  (Ultimate Edition: rated R)  7.5/10 stars

Film: IP MAN

(2008) While its first classification might come under that of "martial arts" films, Ip Man is so much more: a dra matic biopic that feels beautifully like an epic.  Donnie Yen plays the real life grandmaster of the Wing Chun martial arts, who devoted his life to studying Wing Chun but himself was a pleasant and humble man of money, who lived in peace with his family and was revered in his village of Fo Shan in 1938.  But the forthcoming war and Japanese invasion of China would see Fo Shan leveled, many of its inhabitants killed or driven off, with Ip Man himself tossed from his home and forced to live hand-to-mouth, eventually taking a labor job to try and keep his wife and son fed.  But as the humiliations toward Ip Man and his fellow villagers pile up, the grandmaster can no longer remain passive, and must fight for the one thing he believes in most - the people he loves.  This is no ordinary martial arts film, it's the journey of an incredible man who combined martial arts and his spirituality, creating a driving force that would bring him dozens of students throughout his lifetime ... none less than the modern-day master himself, Bruce Lee.  Ip Man is, simply, nothing short of terrific; certainly a classic of its genre.  (rated R)  9/10 stars

TV: "A Series of Unfortunate Events"

Knowing the story and characters from the books, I was a bit concerned when sitting down to watch episode one of the series because - via the trailer - I had come to think that Neil Patrick Harris looked more like Neil Patrick Harris in prosthetic makeup, goofing around, than Count Olaf.  If nothing else, he just seemed too short and too young for the role, and nowhere near dramatically menacing enough.  Then I hit play on Netflix and the look, style, even theme song of episode one immediately felt just like the novels.  A great sign!  Not being the biggest Patrick Warburton fan, his constant stepping into the scene or narrating over it in episode one, playing Lemony Snicket, started to feel intrusive.  But sitting back and watching, the more I saw the more I liked.  The show, first off, most definitely gets full marks for recreating the gloom-and-doom dark humor of the books.  Malina Weissman, Louis Hynes, and Presley Smith come off precisely as you'd expect Violet, Klaus and baby Sunny (respectively) to be.  Even Warburton/Lemony Snicket seemed to blend in more than intrude, after awhile, and Joan Cusack was wonderful (but isn't she always?) as the high-court lady judge living across the street.  By the time Count Olaf's rather batty theatrical troupe was introduced I was enjoying myself, and while I still wish Harris were a bit more menacing and melodramatic, as Olaf is in the books, I admit that by the end of episode one I was hooked.  I know it should be any kindhearted reviewer's duty to steer you away from such a sad, gloomy tale like that of the Baudelaire orphans - but honestly, especially if enjoyed the novels, this adaptation is too good to miss.  (Netflix)  A-

Film: GERONTOPHILIA

(2013) Lake (Pier-Gabriel Lajoie) is a handsome young French-Canadian guy with a girlfriend named Desiree and a mother who drinks a little too much.  He also has a penchant for drawing, but when his mother gets him a job as an aide in a nursing home that's just hired her, Lake also finds another passion that takes him off-guard: a sexual attraction not just for men, but for much, much older men.  After meeting the elderly Mr. Peabody, who regales Lake with his stories and ends up charming the boy without even trying, Lake plans to help the old man break out of the home when he learns the staff there use psychotropic drugs to keep their charges in check.  With Bruce La Bruce directing/writing, I expected a lot more softcore porn/erotica, but was pleasantly surprised when it seemed the filmmaker was attempting to take the high road here.  Still, a so-so script and average acting don't bring this much above what you'd expect for a low-budget indie, made by a director who still could have - definitely should have - tried for something a bit deeper, given the subject matter.  (unrated) 5/10 stars

Film: THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS

(2016) A talented voice cast, well-developed characters, and beautiful animation (truly, New York City looks amazing here) from Illumination Entertainment (aka Minion-land) make The Secret Life of Pets both incredible to look at and genuinely funny in the telling.  Max (Louis C.K.) is a terrier living the high life with his single female owner in a Manhattan apartment; every day when she and other pet owners in his and neighboring buildings leave for work, Max and his various friends carry on with their own day - whether it be running the house their way, partying, or just hanging out before waiting for their owners to come home again.  But when Max's human suddenly comes home one evening with a stray dog - the huge, shaggy, bear-like Duke (Eric Stonestreet), Max sees green and plots a way to get rid of the big guy ... which backfires, thrusting Max and Duke lost and alone in New York, far from home and at the mercy of a street gang of animals out for revenge, led by the sociopathic - yet oh-so cuddly and adorable! - white psycho-bunny, Snowball (Kevin Hart).  Illumination really hits most of the marks with this one, each of the animal characters coming off with distinct and likable personalities, and the humor is terrific; I caught myself laughing out loud through the second half of the film, especially.  Wonderful, hilarious film that may make you wonder what really goes on at home when you leave your own dog, cat or even parakeet alone for the day.  (rated PG)  8/10 stars

TV: "One Day at a Time"

(2017) Norman Lear was king of TV sitcoms in the 1970's, and when recent news of planned modern-day "reboots" of some of his best series hit social media, it was enough to make a fan's stomach clench (especially "All in the Family" - talk about screwing with perfection!).  Somehow the "One Day at a Time" update slipped by my radar until one day (haha) it popped up on Netflix and, after a few Tylenol I gave the pilot a try.  I enjoyed the version I watched as a teen, which debuted in 1975 and starred Bonnie Franklin as the widowed mother of two daughters trying to make it in Chicago, but it was never a particular favorite ... which was maybe a good thing, because the only thing I recognized from that version to this was a set with a vaguely familiar set-up, and one character: a building janitor named Schneider.  Otherwise it's an entirely different show, starring Justina Machado as a former military mom separated from her husband (still in Afghanistan), trying to get used to civilian life again while raising her strong-willed teen daughter and mischievous tween son, at the same time keeping an eye on her wisecracking, old-school mom (Rita Moreno).  It's three generations of a Cuban-American family in modern-day America, but sadly the humor is set up in the exact same style as any other weakly-written sitcom today; strictly set-up/joke, set-up/joke, set-up/joke.  By the end, the pilot did manage to work up some genuine heart - giving me a bit of hope - but overall the show just felt too much like so many of the family-friendly, cookie-cutter sitcoms airing today: trying too hard, all formula/no passion, and just not very funny.  (Netflix) Grade: C+

Book: SHERLOCK SAM AND THE GHOSTLY MOANS IN FORT CANNING - A.J. Low

The second mystery featuring Singapore's greatest kid detective, Samuel Tan Cher Lock - aka Sherlock Sam, never without his trusty robot (and sometimes smart-mouthed) sidekick Watson.  This time, the 10-year-old detective is on a field trip with his school to historic Fort Canning when the gang discovers a previously unknown-of sally port leading underground.  Wanting to investigate the doorway to the mysterious tunnel, the kids are suddenly scared off by a series of creepy, ailing moans emanating from the darkness ... and Sam, a man of science like his father, becomes determined to solve the mystery, and prove to his scared friends that there are no such things as ghosts!  As an adult who was weaned as a kid on Encyclopedia Brown, the Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew, I really wish someone like Sherlock Sam had been around when I was a kid.  Set in Singapore and with a cast of multi-ethnic characters, not only are both characters and story wholly entertaining, but kids reading these books also become aware of another culture's history, food and language, opening their eyes and minds to a world beyond their own.  The characters never come off like stereotypes or cardboard; even Sam's sister and parents, while indulgent - even proud - of Sam's detecting skills, still understand and treat him like the imperfect little boy he is.  Only two books in, and I find myself anxious to jump into number three ... Andrew Tan's comic book-like illustrations only further enhancing, perfectly, these wonderfully written stories.  4.5/5 stars

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.