The Avengers: Endgame begins after half the population of the Earth (and by extension…the Universe) has been turned to dust (in THE AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR). The surviving Avengers deal with their grief and loss in different ways. But due to a coincidence, Ant-Man (who has been stuck in the Quantum Realm) shows up at Avengers Headquarters with a possible solution to Thanos’s destruction.

A three-hour movie with over a dozen characters produces a lot of ups and downs. I loved every scene Robert Downey, Jr. was in. Scarlett Johansson wasn’t given enough to do. Paul Rudd, Mark Ruffalo, and Chris Hemsworth provide much needed comic relief. I though Karen Gillan as Nebula was fabulous. Of course, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel is a game-changer. The epic battle at the end of the movie presents both action and pathos. I found The Avengers: Endgame moving and compelling. What will the MARVEL people do next? GRADE: A

I’m a big fan of the Library of America so when I came across this copy of Kaufman & Co.: Broadway Comedies by George S. Kaufman at a Library Book Sale, I scooped it up immediately. I enjoyed The Royal Family–written with Edna Ferber–about an eccentric family. I also enjoyed Dinner at Eight–another play written with Edna Ferber–with its snarky humor. Animal Crackers is a classic. George S. Kaufman was a Broadway institution for decades writing brilliant plays. This volume of comedies includes Stage Door which is also an enjoyable movie from 1937 based on Kaufman and Ferber’s play starring Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Adolphe Menjou, Gail Patrick, Constance Collier, Andrea Leeds, Samuel S. Hinds and Lucille Ball, Eve Arden, and Ann Miller. If you enjoy Broadway comic plays, this volume is pure gold! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
The Royal Family (with Edna Ferber)
Animal Crackers (with Morrie Ryskind)
June Moon (with Ring Lardner)
Once in a Lifetime (with Moss Hart)
Of Thee I Sing (with Morrie Ryskind & Ira Gershwin)
You Can’t Take It with You (with Moss Hart)
Dinner at Eight (with Edna Ferber)
Stage Door (with Edna Ferber)
The Man Who Came to Dinner (with Moss Hart)

The Wrecking Crew were a group of studio musicians who played on dozens of songs. Some of the songs are classics and some are better forgotten. I reviewed THE WRECKING CREW documentary here. Both the DVD and this 4-CD set are well worth experiencing. Do you see any favorite songs in this collection? GRADE: A
Track List:
Disc 1
Be My Baby — The Ronettes 2:42
Walk Right In — The Moments 2:11
This Diamond Ring — Gary Lewis & The Playboys 2:11
The Birds and the Bees — Jewel Akens 2:11
La Bamba — Richie Valens 2:05
Johnny Angel — Shelly Fabre 2:11
Mr. Tambourine Man — The Byrds 2:31
Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Discuss Stone Soul Picnic :59
Stone Soul Picnic — The Fifth Dimension 3:31
Let’s Go (Pony) — The Routers 2:22
Deep Purple — April & Nino 2:44
Donna — Rickie Valens 2:24
Let’s Dance — Chris Montez 2:31
Mike Melvoin Joke Drummer Joke :10
Dean Torrence Talks About Baby Talk 1:39
Baby Talk — Jan & Dean 2:25
Monday Monday — The Mamas and The Papas 3:27
To Know Him is to Love Him — The Teddy Bears 2:26
Guantanamera — The Sandpipers 3:23
Disc 2
Good Vibrations — The Beach Boys 3:39
California Dreamin’ –The Mamas and The Papas 2:44
Dizzy — Tommy Roe 2:56
Eve of Destruction (Barry McGuire Interview) 1:11
Eve of Destruction — Barry McGuire 3:34
Windy — The Association 2:56
Up, Up and Away — The Fifth Dimension 2:38
This Guy’s in Love with You — Herb Alpert 4:02
Everybody’s Talking — Harry Nilsson 2:51
The Big Hurt — Miss Toni Fisher 2:11
Mary, Mary — The Monkees 2:27
The Beat Goes On — Sonny & Cher 3:22
Baja — Jack Nitzsche 2:22
California Sunshine Girl — The Shacklefords 2:45
Flying Telecaster — Michael Nesmith 3:20
You Told Me — Michael Nesmith 4:37
Little War –Suze Jane Hokem 2:08
Disc 3
Wichita Lineman — Glen Campbell 3:10
Midnight Confessions — The Grass Roots 2:49
God Only Knows — The Beach Boys 2:55
Danke Shoen — Wayne Newton 2:45
Louis Shelton Talks about Valerie 1:29
Valerie — The Monkees 2:27
Another Saturday Night — Sam Cooke 2:24
Out of Limits — The Markets 2:17
Sleep in the Grass — Ann Margret and Lee Hazelwood 3:25
Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian) — Paul Revere & The Raiders 2:55
Gypsies Tramps and Thieves — Cher 2:40
Summer Breeze — Seals & Crofts 3:30
The Lonely Surfer — Jack Nietzsche 2:37
Hal Blaine 3 Piece Suite Joke :11
Whipped Cream — Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass 2:38
Dedicated to the One I Love — The Mamas and The Papas 3:31
It Ain’t Easy Being Green — Ray Charles 3:01
Julie, Do Ya Love Me — Bobby Sherman 2:58
Forget Marie — Lee Hazelwood 2:01
[Untitled]
[Untitled]
Disc 4
The Beat Goes On — Hal Blaine’s Hollywood Drum Band 3:39
Surfin’ Hootenanny — Al Casey 2:11
James Bond Theme — Billy Strange 2:00
Walking and Talking — Bobby Tedesco 6:03
Floreando — Al Delory 3:39
De Patie Melt — Don Randi & John DePatti 2:28
Safari West — Buddy Collette 7:01
Deep Drum — Hal Blaine 3:12
Lost in the Shuffle — Mike Deasy 3:08
Cute — Frank Capp 3:08
Concierto de Aranjuez — Dennis Budimir 4:55
Ciao Bella — Emil Richards 5:50
Blues Cha Cha — Michael Rubini 3:30
Beginner’s Luck — Lyle Ritz 3:20
Afternoon in Paris — Chuck Berghofer 6:32
Begin the Blues — Barney Kessel 4:26
Room 2000 — Tommy Tedesco 2:19
Grease Patrol — Plas Johnson 6:25

Generous Beth Fedyn sent me The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 1/4 Years Old knowing I enjoyed A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. Hendrik Groen lives in a nursing home in Amsterdam with 160 residents in varying degrees of health. Hendrik’s friend, Everet, suffers from diabetes and struggles to control it.

Then, there are details like this: “Mrs. Surmann decided to dry her wet slippers in the microwave. She set the timer for twenty minutes and then went to watch TV. The slippers melted and set off the fire alarm.” (p.187) Hendrik shows both the positives and negatives of nursing home life. Some of this book is funny and some is very sad. If you liked A Man Called Ove, you’ll enjoy the curmudgeonly wit of Hendrik. Thanks again, Beth! GRADE: B+

With The Avengers: Endgame just days away, I decided to go back and rewatch The Avengers: Infinity War (2018). If you remember, The Avengers: Infinity War features an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, and Chris Pratt.

In essence, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy attempt to stop Thanos from amassing the all-powerful Infinity Stones. THANOS wants to reduce the population of the Galaxy by 50% and uses the power of the Infinity stones to achieve his goal. Now, in The Avengers: Endgame we’ll see how the post-THANOS world looks…and if Captain Marvel can help save the day! Are you excited about The Avengers: Endgame? Are you going to see it? We have our tickets!

Dylan Struzan’s brilliant account of the rise of Organized Crime in America, based on 50 hours of interviews with Vincent “Jimmy Blue Eyes” Alo, reveals how Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Dutch Schultz, Bugsy Siegal, Al Capone, Nucky Johnson, and other gangsters built their criminal empires. In 1919, the National Prohibition Act passed making it illegal to produce, distribute, or sell alcohol products. That opened the gates for gangsters to supply liquor that Americans craved. It also generated millions of dollars of profit for those gangsters involved in Black Market liquor, speakeasies, and gin mills. Of course, turf fights raged as gangsters fought to expand their territories.

Dylan Struzan’s graphic accounts of Vincent Alo’s exploits in the underworld ruled by Lansky and Luciano–bootlegging, violence, and murders–shows the dynamics of these criminal enterprises. I found a A Bloody Business credible and fascinating guide to the mobsters’s methods and techniques. The timing of this book could not have been better: 2019 is the Hundredth Anniversary of Prohibition. And now we have a scintillating history of the consequences of the ill-fated Eighteenth Amendment. Highly recommended! GRADE: A

This latest DC animated feature centers on two characters: Jessica Cruz (aka, Limelight) and Thom Kellor (aka, Star Boy). Both characters struggle with mental problems. Jessica Cruz deals with incredible anxiety every day. Thom Kellor suffers from schizophrenia, but 31st Century medicine allows him to control his condition. But, when Star Boy gets thrown back to the 21st Century, he doesn’t have the necessary medication. He is sent to Arkham Prison by Batman. Meanwhile three villains from the future arrive on Earth and cause havoc. Even Superman is injured fighting them.

I enjoyed Justice League vs. The Fatal Five because the story included superheroes dealing with personal problems. To watch a young woman like Jessica Cruz deal with crippling anxiety to take on Mano, Persuader, and Tharok was thrilling. Kellor’s schizophrenia plays an important role in the plot. And Emerald Empress and Validus come off as powerful adversaries. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Miss Martian, and Mr. Terrific have their hands full battling these Bad Guys from the Future.

Special features include 2 Bonus Justice League cartoons, a Sneak Peek at the upcoming Batman Hush, The Unity of the Hero, and audio commentary on Justice League vs. The Fatal Five. These DC animated features just keep getting better and better! GRADE: A

As a kid, I eagerly read Li’l Abner in my local newspaper, the Niagara Gazette. This 190-page collection of comic strips features 26 stories from several eras. Al Capp wrote witty storylines for his comic creations. Lil Abner and Daisy are legendary characters. Their interplay is both touching and humorous.

Set in the town of Dogpatch U.S.A. with its poverty and backwardness, Al Capp uses satire to mock the pompous nature of congressmen, the concept of men’s dominance and superiority over women, and the foibles of Life. Al Capp invented Sadie Hawkins Day, Fearless Fosdick, Moonbeam McSwine, Schmoos, Lower Slobbovia, Kickapoo Joy Juice, and Barney Barnsmell. Although this collection was first published in 1978 by Holt, Rinehart and Winston plenty of the jokes and wit stand up to the test of Time. Did you read Li’l Abner? Are you a fan? GRADE: A

I’ve been reading Loren D. Estleman’s novels for decades. I admire Estleman’s versatility: he can write Westerns as good as his mysteries and crime fiction. In Black and White Ball (2018), Estleman brings two of his successful characters–Amos Walker (private eye) and Peter Macklin (hit-man)–together for a suspenseful adventure. Amos Walker is hired by the wife of an embezzler to find her run-away husband. But, Walker finds the embezzler moments after he’s been executed. This leads to a meeting with a lawyer with Organized Crime connections who wants Walker to speak to one of his clients. Walker refuses, but later finds himself threatened by a gun in Peter Macklin’s hand.

Macklin’s second wife is divorcing him. But someone has sent Macklin a threat to kill his wife. Macklin needs someone to protect his wife while he hunts down the person who wants to kill her. Walker initially resists, but Macklin convinces him to take the case. I liked the interaction between Walker and Macklin, two aging pros who really know their business. If you’re looking for a different kind of mystery, I recommend Black and White Ball. GRADE: B+
Peter Macklin Series:
Kill Zone (1984)
Roses Are Dead (1985)
Any Man’s Death (1986)
Something Borrowed, Something Black (2002)
Little Black Dress (2005)

Amos Walker Series:
Motor City Blue (1980)
Angel Eyes (1981)
The Midnight Man (1982)
The Glass Highway (1983)
Sugartown (1985)
Every Brilliant Eye (1986)
Lady Yesterday (1987)
Downriver (1988)
General Murders (1988; short stories)
Silent Thunder (1989)
Sweet Women Lie (1990)
Never Street (1997)
The Witch Finder (1998)
The Hours of the Virgin (1999)
A Smile on the Face of the Tiger (2000)
Sinister Heights (2002)
Poison Blonde (2003)
Retro (2004)
Nicotine Kiss (2006)
American Detective (2007)
The Left-handed Dollar (2010)
Amos Walker: The Complete Story Collection (2010; short stories)
Infernal Angels (2011)
Burning Midnight (2012)
Don’t Look for Me (2014)
You Know Who Killed Me (2014)
The Sundown Speech (2015)
The Lioness Is the Hunter (2017)
Black and White Ball (2018)