I’m a huge Van Morrison fan so factor that into my review of Duets: Reworking the Catalogue. I admit this is an uneven CD. Some of the duets worked for me, but some of them didn’t. The song selection is a curious mix of classic Van Morrison songs and some oddities. There’s something here for everyone’s musical tastes: ballads, blues, jazz, and rock & roll. Well worth a listen! GRADE: B+
TRACK LIST:
1 Some Peace Of Mind – Bobby Womack (5:14)
2 If I Ever Needed Someone – Mavis Staples (3:49)
3 Higher Than The World – George Benson (3:49)
4 Wild Honey – Joss Stone (6:22)
5 Whatever Happened to P.J. Proby – P. J. Proby (3:42)
6 Carrying A Torch – Clare Teal (4:53)
7 The Eternal Kansas City – Gregory Porter (4:11)
8 Streets of Arklow – Mick Hucknail (4:57)
9 These Are The Days – Natalie Cole (3:51)
10 Get On With The Show – George Fame(4:42)
11 Rough God Goes Riding – Shana Morrison (4:24)
12 Fire In The Belly – Steve Winwood (6:40)
13 Born To Sing – Chris Farlowe (3:59)
14 Irish Heartbeat – Mark Knopfler (5:15)
15 Real Real Gone – Michael Bublé (4:00)
16 How Can A Poor Boy? – Taj Mahal (6:33)

AMAZON is offering the DVD version of Treasure of the Sierra Madre for $4. That qualifies as a Bargain of the Week. The movie version is based on B. Traven’s hellish novel about good and greed. Humphrey Bogart, Tom Holt, and Walter Huston hunt for a lost mine and find nothing but trouble. Treasure of the Sierra Madre was released in 1948. It was one of the first Hollywood movies to be filmed in Mexico. John Huston won an Oscar for Best Director and another Oscar for Best Screenplay for this movie. I think it’s terrific…especially for $4!

It’s been 30 years since The Breakfast Club first appeared on the movie screens of America. That surprise hit movie lead to Sixteen Candles (my favorite John Hughes movie) and then to Weird Science. Hughes used Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy in these films to great effect. If you’re in the mood for a walk down Memory Lane, this collection captures the essence of the Eighties. What’s your favorite John Hughes movie? GRADE: A

Here’s my Bargain of the Week: Fantastic 4, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Electra, and Daredevil. BJ’s Warehouse had this set priced at $7.99. That’s $2 per movie. Okay, I admit Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer is a clunker. But the other three movies are worth watching. Daredevil is returning as a Netflix series next month. There’s a new Fantastic 4 movie scheduled for release August 7, 2015. I wish MARVEL would reboot Electra. If you’re looking for a value-priced package, this is it.

Kage Baker died tragically of uterine cancer in 2010. She’s best known for her science fiction series about The Company, a time-traveling business from the future. I decided to read the first book in The Company series, In the Garden of Iden published in 1997. A child in Spain in the 16th Century is saved from torture by the Inquisition by a member of The Company. The child, who doesn’t know her name is given one: Mendoza. The Company trains Mendoza as a botanist and makes her immortal with their advanced medical technology. Then Mendoza and a team of Company agents are sent back to Renaissance England to recover what will become extinct plants. This is Kage Baker’s first novel so she makes several mistakes. The novel is too chatty: too much talk and not enough action. The love affair between Mendoza and a mortal is…well..boring. For a 300+ page novel, not much happens. Kage Baker would go on to write much better books and stories. But In the Garden of Iden is a clunker. GRADE: C

With March Madness in full swing, I thought I’d celebrate today’s FFB with a quirky mystery collection: Murder at the Foul Line. Mixing basketball and murder, these stories deliver a variety of thrills. I liked Lawrence Block’s “Keller’s Double Dribble,” a story about Block’s lethal hit-man. George Pelecanos’ “String Music” captures the essence of the sport. If you’re a basketball fan who likes mysteries or a mystery fan who likes basketball, Murder at the Foul Line has a line-up that can’t be beat.
Table of Contents:
Introduction / Otto Penzler
Keller’s double dribble / Lawrence Block
Nothing but net / Jeffery Deaver
Bank shots / Sue DeNymme
The taste of silver / Brendan DuBois
Fear of failure / Parnell Hall
Cat’s paw / Laurie B. King
Mrs. Cash / Mike Lupica
White trash noir / Michael Malone
Galahad, inc. / Joan H. Parker and Robert B. Parker
String music / George Pelecanos
Mamzer / R. D. Rosen
Shots / S.J. Rozen
In the zone / Justin Scott
Bubba / Stephen Solomita.

I picked up this animated video because I saw Neil Gaiman’s name on it. Gaiman wrote the scripts, John Romita, Jr. provides the artwork. The premise is that Earth was visited by super-aliens. They left the Eternals to protect their planet. However, the Eternals find themselves hunted by their ancient enemies. Fans of the Marvel Universe will enjoy this. And, of course, Neil Gaiman fans will want to see this. I’m hoping for a sequel. GRADE: B+

Believe it or not, the Wall Street Journal has a Book Club (who doesn’t? Oprah has a lot to answer for). Next month’s WSJ Book Club book is Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon. I immediately reread The Maltese Falcon. Plenty of smoking and drinking. Plenty of double-dealing. I came away with a strange urge to reread Raymond Chandler. If you want to see the WSJ Book Club in action, just click here.

I’ve read all of Joseph Epstein’s essay collections over the years. I consider Epstein one of the best essayists alive. Since March Madness begins this week, I thought this would be the perfect time to celebrate Masters of the Games, Joseph Epstein’s new collection of his sports essays. Cast your eye on the range of subjects below. Not all of them deal with basketball, but that sport is well represented (and I like the cover). If you need an intelligent sports fix, I highly recommend Masters of the Games. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduciton: Obsessed with Sport
ESSAYS:
A Boy’s Favorite Author
This Sporting Life
Confession of a Low Roller
Balls-Up
Ep, the Bills Are Six-Pont Dogs
The Thrill of Defeat
Open Another Can of Quarterback
The Old Ball Game
Wrigley Field
Red Smith
JOCKS
Joe DiMaggio: Where’d He Go?
Michael Jordan: He Flies Through the Air
Hank Greenberg: Designated Mensch
Bob Love: The Unknown Superstar
STORIES
The Goldin Boys
Danny Montoya
Out of Action
SHORT TAKES
Hats Off
A Sartorial Double fault
The Running of the Bulls