Trying to reboot a classic movie is risky business. Although Mary Poppins Returns features a wonderful cast–Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, Dick Van Dyke, Colin Firth, and Julie Walters–the script just isn’t magical enough. Mary Poppins makes a great entrance with her talking umbrella, but things slow down to a crawl with the sub-plot of Micheal and Jane Banks (Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer) trying to save their home from foreclosure by an evil banker (Firth). Several musical numbers look great on the screen, but the music in Mary Poppins Returns is instantly forgettable. No “A Spoonful of Sugar” or “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocous” graces this sequel. I hope Mary Poppins returns, but with a better movie next time. GRADE: B

Santa brought me an iPad Pro for Christmas and I’m enjoying the larger screen (bigger than iPad 1 and iPad 2 which I’d been using for years). Mostly, I use iPads to read ebooks. I’m closing in on 200 ebooks (most free) in my Kindle Cloud. I set the font to Large Print size and find I can read ebooks rapidly. Yes, I prefer Real Books, but some books are only available as ebooks. Do you read ebooks? If you do, what kind of device do you prefer? Are you an APPLE fan?

As the disappointing 2018 Buffalo Bills season comes to a close, there’s still one more meaningless game to play. The 7-8 Miami Dolphins come to snowy Buffalo with little motivation to win this game. The Dolphins, like the Bills, have been eliminated from Playoff contention. The 5-9 Bills are actually favored by 3 1/2 points. I’m guessing both teams will just be going through the motions in this one. How will your favorite NFL team do today?

For something completely different for FFB, you might want to try FANTASTIC FOUR: BEHOLD…GALACTUS!. This oversized book weighs 12.6 pounds! Its dimensions are 14.5 x 2 x 22 inches! And, yes, it costs $50! Worth every penny!

In this classic series of MARVEL comics, the Fantastic Four take on Galactus in a supersized volume.! Stan Lee and illustrator Jack Kirby introduced the Galactic World-Eater and his enigmatic herald, the Silver Surfer back in 1966 (in The Fantastic Four #48). This sequence of Galactus and the Silver Surfer about to consume the Earth is one of the greatest comic book sagas ever told! In addition to that iconic story, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby brought Galacus back, but what does Galactus want this time? As the advertising for this book says; “The answer lies in the Microverse! John Buscema’s powerful pencils illustrate the arrival of new herald, Gabriel the Air-Walker, signaling doom for the human race! Then, John Byrne takes over as Terrax leads the Devourer back to Earth – and the entire Marvel Universe pitches in to help the FF save the planet from becoming his next meal! With Kirby, Buscema, and Byrne art showcased on enormous pages, Galactus has never looked bigger – or better!”

I’ve read plenty of Big Fat Books, but Fantastic Four: Behold…Galactus! is the Biggest Big Book I’ve encountered! Highly recommended! GRADE: A+

What were your Favorite Books of 2018?

What were your Favorite Films of 2018?