I confess: I love to watch Storage Wars. I enjoy the quirky characters. But when the door goes up on those storage units, I’m just as eager as any of the bidders to see what’s in there! I know there have been allegations that some of the units were “salted” with collectibles to increase the “Wow Factor.” No matter. I’m still addicted to the thrill of the hunt and these new episodes that start tonight look great! Do you enjoy Storage Wars as much as I do?

The cliff-hanger at the end of Season Two was the arrest of Longmire’s best friend, Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips). Clearly, Longmire is going to be faced with clearing his friend and making amends. The root of this subplot goes all the way back to Season One when we find out Longmire’s wife had been murdered and the suspect of that attack was also murdered. I’m a big fan of Robert Taylor’s acting as Sheriff Walt Longmire of Wyoming’s fictional Absaroka County. I like the cast. The writers of the scripts are a cut above average. If you’re interested in the series, I recommend you start at the beginning since there are some long story arcs. If you’re a fan like me, you can’t wait to see what happens tonight.

Diane and I finally saw The Muppets: Most Wanted at the $3 show. When the movie first came out, Western NY was in the grip of the Polar Vortex (remember that?) and travel bans were in place. I thought The Muppets: Most Wanted used the Pink Panther movies as a template. The most dangerous frog in the world, Constantine, breaks out of a Gulag prison and pretends to be Kermit. Kermit finds himself in the Gulag prison run by Nadya (Tina Fey). Tina Fey’s doo wop version of “The Big House” was the highlight of the movie for me. Meanwhile, Ricky Gervais tricks the Muppets into taking a world tour. On the tour, Gervais and Constantine commit some heists which leads to The Biggest Theft in the World. There’s plenty of silliness in this movie. If you’re in the mood, The Muppets: Most Wanted will mildly entertain you. GRADE: B-

Who doesn’t love a good time travel story? X-Men: Days of Future Past blends the “old” X-Men series (with Patrick Stewart as Professor X) with the “new” X-Men series (James McAvoy as the young Professor X). Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is sent back to 1973 in a last ditch attempt to change Time from a destructive future for humans and mutants. The real star of X-Men: Days of Future Past is the incandescent Jennifer Lawrence as the shape-chaning Mystique. She even looks beautiful in blue. This blending of the two X-Men franchises works well. I enjoyed the retro Seventies look. If you’re looking for action, adventure, and intelligent storytelling X-Men: Days of Future Past will delight you. GRADE: A

“John Trinian” (aka, Zekial Marko) is best known for the scripts he wrote for The Rockford File, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Mission: Impossible, and Toma. But he also wrote some excellent novels in the early Sixties that have been out-of-print for decades. North Beach Girl (1960) captures the sense and sensibility of Beat culture. Scandal on the Sand (1964) features a character study mixed with drugs and violence. Rick Ollerman’s “In Pursuit of a Pleasant Oblivion” traces all the phases of Trinian’s tangled writing career. I found out that once Toma was canceled it morphed into Baretta starring Robert Blake. Ki Longfellow’s “The Last Great Pulp Fiction Writer” takes the reader on a vivid trip into the past when Longfellow hung out with Zekial Marko. And Belle Marko’s melancholy “Memories of My Father” is a touching tribute to a talented, but troubled man. Stark House should be celebrated for this latest Noir Classic, both for returning two scarce novels back to print, but also providing an intriguing context for this forgotten writer and his work.

Mystery Girl was Roy Orbison’s last album he recorded before his death in 1988. This new Deluxe Edition includes demos and fragments of songs in addition to the finished work. The DVD provides song-by-song commentary. The real bonus is the inclusion of eight Roy Orbison videos. Four of them have never been released before this. If you’re a Roy Orbison fan, this is a must-buy! GRADE: A
TRACK LIST:
Disc 1
1 You Got It (3:30)
2 In the Real World (3:43)
3 Dream You (3:40)
4 A Love So Beautiful (3:33)
5 California Blue (3:57)
6 She’s a Mystery To Me (4:16)
7 The Comedians (3:26)
8 The Only One (3:55)
9 Windsurfer (4:02)
10 Careless Heart (4:12)
11 The Way is Love (4:12)
12 She’s a Mystery To Me – Bono (4:51)
13 (All I Can Do is) Dream You (4:33)
14 The Only One (5:12)
15 The Comedians (3:24)
16 In the Real World (3:38)
17 California Blue (4:41)
18 Windsurfer (3:50)
19 You Are My Love (2:35)

DVD
1 Mystery Girl: Unraveled
2 The Way is Love
3 California Blue [Demo Version]
4 You Got It
5 She’s a Mystery To Me
6 You Got It
7 California Blue
8 She’s a Mystery To Me
9 A Love So Beautiful

John Harris is one of my favorite SF artists. I love his use of color and the surrealism of his futuristic paintings. You probably won’t be surprised by this admission, but I’ve bought books solely because they had a John Harris cover. The Art of John Harris: Beyond the Horizon includes an informative “Forward” by John Scalzi. If you’re a fan of vast landscapes, spooky spaceships, and gigantic future cities John Harris provides plenty of eye-popping examples in this collection. For fans of SF artwork like Rick, Carl, and me this book is a must-buy! GRADE: A

With the success of the new Godzilla movie, you just knew the old Godzilla movies would be remastered and re-released in Blu-ray. This Double Feature includes one of my favorite Godzilla movies: Godzilla Vs. Mothra A mysterious meteorite crashes to earth and from a giant egg an insect-like monster emerges. There’s a back story of an advance civilization 12,000 years ago that worshiped Mothra, but the real focus are the battles between Godzilla and Mothra. Sure, it’s guys in weird suits fighting and obliterating cities, but it’s fun. I’m sure all the Godzilla movies will be out on Blu-ray shortly. Great nostalgia!

Heidi Reeder’s useful book on commitment examines the elements that build, or erode, commitment. I found Reeder’s research about Good Things and Bad Things in relationships and jobs intriguing. According to Reeder, there has to be a five to one ratio of Good Things to Bad Things for someone to stay committed. Once the ratio of Good Things to Bad Things falls under five, commitment declines fast. In a marriage, for example, kind words, complements, and taking out the garbage without being asked are all Good Things and will build commitment. Lies and arguments are Bad Things that will act like acid to damage the marriage. The five to one ratio holds for a job, too. You need to find at least five Good Things about the job to out-weight one Bad Thing or you’ll end up looking for a new job. Reeder’s detailed analysis is based on several psychological research studies. She supplies plenty of practical advice to improve relationship and working conditions. Commit to Win can help all of us to achieve our goals and to stay committed when times get tough. Whether you want to lose weight or exercise more, this book can help you make it happen. GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
PART I: THE POWER OF COMMITMENT
Chapter 1: A Fresh Look at Commitment
Chapter 2: The Commitment Equation
PART II:THE ELEMENTS OF COMMITMENT
Chapter 3: Treasures: What Do You Value?
Chapter 4: Troubles: What’s Holding You Back?
Chapter 5: Contributions: How Much Have You Given?
Chapter 6: Choices: What Are Your Alternatives>
Part III:ENGAGING THE COMMITMENT EQUATION
Chapter 7: All In
Chapter 8: Moving On
Chapter 9: Assisting Others
Acknowledgements
Notes
Index