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Movie Review: Intolerable Cruelty – Dark Comedy Done Wrongopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
https://youtu.be/dE8jX6rP4L0?feature=shared Written by Robert Ramsey, Matthew Stone, and John RomanoDirected by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen The trouble with comedy based around a specific subject is that there are times when the subject just isn’t funny to some people. I enjoy dark comedy, but for some..
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Book Review: Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult – A Journey of Self-Discoveryopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
In recent years, Jodi Picoult has become known for her writing which seems to take events from the headlines and put a spin to the story that not all is what it seems. However, her earliest writings had more to do with relationships and what has a tendency to make them fracture.Harvesting the Heart..
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Movie Review: Good Morning Vietnam – Censorship and the Troopsopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
https://youtu.be/JnBXv3W0arQ?feature=shared Written by Mitch Markowitz and Adrian CronauuerDirected by Barry Levinson Robin Williams is Adrian Cronauer. He's a member of the Air Force who had a radio show in Greece that garnered the attention of General Taylor (portrayed by Noble Willingham) , ..
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Book Review – There Was Nothing You Could Do: Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The U.S.A.” and the End of the Heartland by Steven Hydenopinions, ideas, though..
Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Books, and Steven Hyden for the advanced reader copy of the book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book. I'm a huge Bruce Springsteen fan. The first album I ever bought with my own money was Born To Ru..
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Movie Review: Kingdom of Heaven – Ridley Scott Knew What He Was Doingopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
https://youtu.be/KartNo8EDWY?feature=shared Written by William MonahanDirected by Ridley Scott I don’t remember it, but apparently, there was some pretty big controversy over Director Ridley Scott’s epic about the Crusades, Kingdom of Heaven. With the success of other historical dramas, Scott planne..
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Book Review: Glazed Murder by Jessica Beck – First Book in the Donut Shop Mysteriesopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
I can remember Harlequin romances being the big thing when I was younger. Lately, it seems that there are more and more books that are a series focusing around a single woman (usually divorced) who is just trying to live her life and continually seems to get drawn into mysteries. It's somewhat..
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Movie Review: Platoon – War is Still Hellopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
https://youtu.be/hGsyEkfjhQk?feature=shared Written by Oliver StoneDirected by Oliver Stone It’s hard to merge the image of writer and director Oliver Stone with the fact that he was once a soldier. He actually dropped out of Yale University to go to Vietnam, while many others were looking to colleg..
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Book Review – Ghost Hunting: True Stories of Unexplained Phenomena from the Atlantic Paranormal Society – Some New Stories and Old Stories Re-Toldop..
I'm a huge fan of the show Ghost Hunters on the Syfy Channel (formerly the Sci-Fi Channel, but that's another discussion). The subject of the paranormal fascinates me, and although I believe there's plenty we don't understand about life energy and what happens after we die, I�..
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Movie Review: Gattaca – The Future’s So Bright, I Won’t Need Glassesopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
https://youtu.be/NIIZ2P-fiyI?feature=shared Written by Andrew NiccolDirected by Andrew Niccol The future is something often speculated on in films. Very rarely is it shown optimistically. Instead, it seems to be something we should continue to fear. Usually, these are cautionary tales, and Gattaca i..
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Book Review – The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larsonopinions, ideas, thoughts, & r..
Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Crown Publishing, and Erik Larson for the advanced reader copy of the book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book. Erik Larson has a unique way of presenting actual events so they read like a story. His attention to..
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Movie Review: A Map of the World – Small Town Suspicions and the Drive for Perfection Collideopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
https://youtu.be/ON9ZtvKd_qw?feature=shared Written by Jane Hamilton, Peter Hedges, and Polly PlattDirected by Scott Elliott Small towns are quite a different existence than cities or suburbia. There's a certain flow associated with these places, where people move in and out on a regular basis...
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Book Review: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr – Living is Easy With Eyes Closedopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
This is a tender story of humanity in the face of evil. How, during some of the worst times of our lives, just a little kindness can change things for the better. Marie-Laure has been blind since the age of six. She lives in Paris with her father, Daniel, who is a key-keeper at the…
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Doctor Who: The Tomb of the Cybermen – These Cybermen Need Helpopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
https://youtu.be/7LsudNrnMJA?feature=shared Written by Kit Pedler, Gerry Davis, and Sydney NewmanDirected by Morris Barry Doctor Who is a British science fiction television series which has been around off and on since 1963. The main character is just known as "The Doctor" and is a Time Lo..
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Book Review – The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larsonopinions, ideas, thoughts, & revi..
I'm reading the latest Erik Larson book which I received as an advanced reader copy and realized that I never reviewed the first book I read by this author. The Devil in the White City was a great read that combined the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with a serial killer preying on the women wh..
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Movie Review: An Inconvenient Truth – Al Gore Teaches Climate Change 101opinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
https://youtu.be/Bu6SE5TYrCM?feature=shared What happens to a candidate after an unsuccessful run for the Presidency? Thinking of names such as Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, and Bob Dole the answer would seem to be not much unless you want to be the new spokesperson for Viagra. There could be mor..
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Bear vs. Man: My Opinionopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
Photo by Alex Dugquem on Pexels.com If you haven't seen it, a few days ago a woman posted the question on social media to other women, if you were in the woods alone, which would you rather encounter, a man you didn't know or a bear? Nearly every woman is choosing the bear. I chose…
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Book Review: Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron – Everything Changes for Mike Bowditchopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
Note: Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Paul Doiron for the advanced reader copy of the book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book. Pitch Dark is the fifteenth book in Paul Doiron's series about Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditc..
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Movie Review: Batman (1989) – Michael Keaton’s Got the Best Toysopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
https://youtu.be/dgC9Q0uhX70?feature=shared Written by Bob Kane, Sam Hamm, and Warren SkaarenDirected by Tim Burton When Tim Burton took on the Director's job for the 1989 version of Batman, fans knew they were in for something much different than the campy, cartoonish television show. Burton h..
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Book Review – Under a Rock: A Memoir by Chris Steinopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
Note: Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Chris Stein for the advanced reader copy of the book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book. After reading Debbie Harry's memoir Face It, when I saw Chris Stein's memoir availa..
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DVD Review: Alex Haley’s Queen – A Woman Between Two Worldsopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
https://youtu.be/rPq3bvrd2vs?feature=shared Written by Alex Haley and David StevensDirected by John Erman In the miniseries Roots and Roots: The Next Generations, Alex Haley traced his lineage down his mother's side of his family based on stories he heard during his life. There was a brief came..
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Book Review: Mystery of the Tolling Bell – Nancy Drew Foils a Cosmetics Fraudopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
Looking at the cover of the most recent Nancy Drew book my daughter and I read, my first impression was that the cover art made Nancy look like she was drugged out. After reading the story, it's quite appropriate as Nancy winds up in danger multiple times and both she and her father are drugged..
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AITA: Office Conflictopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
For a while now I've loved reading the AITA (Am I The Asshole) posts on Reddit and various Facebook groups. Most of them, I find, are people who are making a stand about something and being gaslighted by people who have been getting away with the misbehavior for a while. In the case above, one&..
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Movie Review: The Flamingo Kid – Coming of Age in 1963 Brooklynopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
https://youtu.be/QvylDIzeNKo?feature=shared Written by Neal Marshall, Garry Marshall, and Bo GoldmanDirected by Garry Marshall Growing up in suburban New York City in my early years summers were different than they were for my own kids. Where summertime meant days in the community pool and evenings ..
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Book Review – No Rest for the Departed by Nancy Herrimanopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Beyond the Page Publishing, and Nancy Herriman for the advanced reader copy of the book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book. In post-Civil War San Francisco, a former soldier who is now a detective is still feeli..
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Movie Review: Wargames – Would You Like To Play a Game?opinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
https://youtu.be/TQUsLAAZuhU?feature=shared Written by Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes, and Walon GreenDirected by John Badham During the height of the Cold War, another fear seemed to be evolving just as fast. That was the fear of surrendering control of so much of our lives and our defense over ..
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Book Review: Blood Work by Michael Connelly – Possibly Connelly’s Bestopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
As I was reading Michael Connelly's series on Detective Harry Bosch, I came across A Darkness More Than Night which seemed to focus less on Harry Bosch than on Terry McCaleb. Having no familiarity with the character of McCaleb, part of the book was lost on me, so I went back to read Connelly&#..
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Ken Burns’ The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God – More Than Beautiful Furnitureopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
https://youtu.be/euPJzOjffps?feature=shared We have a Shaker Village that I pass by every time I head down to the state capitol. I've seen Shaker furniture in various stores. Other than that, there was little that I knew about Shakers. I figured they were something like the Amish and that wa..
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Book Review – Who Is a Worthy Mother: An Intimate History of Adoption by Rebecca Wellingtonopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
Note: Thank you to NetGalley, University of Oklahoma Press, and Rebecca Wellington for the advanced reader copy of the book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book. For many years, babies have been looked at as a "clean slate" and child..
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Book Review: Murder at Half Moon Gate by Andrea Penrose – Fortune May Favor the Boldopinions, ideas, thoughts, & reviews
Murder at Half Moon Gate is the second book in the Wrexford & Sloane series by author Andrea Penrose. The setting is Regency London. Lord Wrexford is a wealthy aristocrat who disdains much of London society. He is a scientist and enjoys working with other scientists trying to learn new things. &..
