Chadwick Boseman (best known for playing Jackie Robinson and Thurgood Marshall) stars as T’Challa, King of Wakanda. Wakanda is an African nation that hides its true identity by cloaking its modern city and high technology from the world. An evil arms merchant (is there any other kind?), Ulysses Klaue (played by Andy Serkis), stole vibranium, the most precious metal in the Universe (most of it is in Wakanda). T’Challa, his General Okoye (Danai Gurira), and his love interest Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) head for South Korea where Klaue plans to sell the vibranium to a CIA agent (played by Martin Freeman). We learn that Klaue had help in his theft: Michael B. Jackson as Erik Killmonger (love these names!). But Killmonger has a deeper strategy than just selling arms.

I expect Black Panther to make oodles of money. The night we went all five AMC theaters were Sold-Out. My only quibble is with the Final Confrontation which I found tedious and its Aftermath which I found mawkish. If you’re looking for action, Black Panther delivers. GRADE: A-

Chad Calkins edited this memoir from the 1950s which gives us a new picture of Science Fiction and Mystery writer Fredric Brown. Elizabeth Charlier Brown is Fredric Brown’s second wife. Fredric Brown paid alimony and child support to his first wife and his two sons. Elizabeth Charlier Brown’s memoir describes their nomadic life. Fredric Brown, in the words of his wife, was a “rolling stone.” He never wanted to stay in one place very long. So the couple moved to New York City, Albuquerque, Taos, Santa Fe, Los Angeles, and Tucson over the years. My main interest was in Fredric Brown’s writing process. He played a harmonica when his writing dragged (later, Brown played a flute!). Fredric Brown would take long bus rides in order to concentrate his mind on a story problem or a plot twist.

Fredric and Elizabeth Brown had plenty of friends: Mack Reynolds, Walt Sheldon, Jack Williamson, Dorothy B. Hughes, Lenore Glen Offord, Reginald Bretnor, and Micky Spillane. If you’re a Fredric Brown fan, you’ll enjoy how Brown wrote his classic books like Madball and The Lights in the Sky Are Stars as well as The Lenient Beast, Rogue in Space, and Martians, Go Home.. Elizabeth Charlier Brown shares insights into the life of a wonderful writer. Jack Seabrook provides an informative “Introduction” to both Fredric and Elizabeth Brown. Don’t miss this one! GRADE: A

On page 180 of This Is Me, Jack Vance (2009) where Vance is talking about the authors he likes, you’ll encounter this line: “Bill Crider, who writes about Sheriff Dan Rhodes in Clearview, Texas, is a pleasure to read.” The moment I finished reading that line I called Bill to tell him one of his favorite writers was a fan of his books. This incident led to some communication between Bill and Jack Vance, moments that Bill cherished.

Bill Crider also cherished his lovely wife, Judy. When Judy died after a long fight against cancer, Bill’s life and health took a big hit. When I saw Bill after Judy’s death, he had a lost look that wasn’t there before. Bill’s wonderful daughter, Angela, started accompanying Bill to BOUCHERCONs and other events. Angela’s presence allowed Bill precious time to visit with friends and fans.

In October 2017, Diane and I drove to Toronto to enjoy BOUCHERCON. Jeff and Jackie Meyerson, Patti and Phil Abbott (as well as Megan), Maggie Mason, and many other friends showed up. Bill and Angela were there. Bill looked and acted almost like his old self. He cracked jokes and entertained audiences who attended his panels. A few weeks later, I was able to hang out with Bill (and Scott Cupp and Joe Lansdale) in San Antonio at the World Fantasy Convention. Bill looked weaker and more wan than he did in Toronto. He tired easily. But it was obvious, Bill was enjoying every minute of time with his friends.

When Bill announced on his blog that he was entering hospice care, all of us who knew and loved Bill felt the growing sense of loss. Now it’s official and the world is a much sadder place. Rest in peace, Bill.

I saw the movie version of Waitress back in 2007 when it starred Keri Russell as the woman who could bake incredible pies. Of course, the waitress has problems: an abusive husband and a baby on the way. In 2013, Waitress was turned into a musical with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, and a book by Jessie Nelson. The musical opened on Broadway in 2015 (Diane and her friends saw it). Now, the touring company arrived in Buffalo and played to sold-out performances. I like Sara Bareilles’s songs, some more than others. My favorite songs in Waitress: The Musical are “Bad Idea” and “I Didn’t Plan It.” This is an amiable musical. Of course, you hate the waitress’s abusive husband and cheer for her to turn her life around. You’ll also enjoy her quirky friends. If Waitress: The Musical shows up in your neighborhood, I recommend you go to see it. And, you can also enjoy the movie! GRADE: A-
SONG LIST:
Act I
“What’s Inside” – Jenna and Company
“Opening Up” – Jenna, Becky, Dawn, Cal and Company
“The Negative” – Becky, Dawn and Jenna
“What Baking Can Do” – Jenna and Company
“Club Knocked Up” – Nurse Norma and Female Ensemble
“Pomatter Pie” – Band †
“When He Sees Me” – Dawn, Jenna, Becky and Company
“It Only Takes a Taste” – Dr. Pomatter and Jenna
“You Will Still Be Mine” – Earl and Jenna
“A Soft Place to Land” – Jenna, Becky and Dawn
“Never Ever Getting Rid of Me” – Ogie, Dawn and Company
“Bad Idea” – Jenna, Dr. Pomatter and Company
Act II
“I Didn’t Plan It” – Becky
“Bad Idea” (Reprise) – Jenna, Dr. Pomatter, Becky, Cal, Dawn, Ogie and Company
“You Matter to Me” – Dr. Pomatter and Jenna
“I Love You Like a Table” – Ogie, Dawn and Company
“Take It From an Old Man” – Joe and Company
“Dear Baby” – Jenna †
“She Used to Be Mine” – Jenna
“Contraction Ballet” – Jenna and Company †
“Everything Changes” – Jenna, Becky, Dawn and Company
“Opening Up” (Finale) – Company

I first read Help I Am Being Held Prisoner when it was first published in 1974. Now, HARD CASE CRIME has reprinted this Westlake classic and provided it with a great cover by Paul Mann. Harold Albert Chester Kunt finds himself in prison as a result of a practical joke that went awry. While in prision, Kunt falls in with a group of convicts who secretly have a tunnel that leads out of the prison. They leave the prison on a regular basis without the guards knowing it. But, of course, they return to prison to keep up appearances. With this comic setup, Westlake creates a cunning comic caper novel where Kunt’s convict “friends” want to rob a bank in a nearby town. And they plan to include Kunt in the heist.

Help I Am Being Held Prisoner ranks up there with Westlake’s more famous and hilarious Dortmunder series. The plot is clever and the comic situations just keep you laughing. It doesn’t get much better than this! Highly recommended. GRADE: A

Somehow I missed A Big Hand For the Little Lady when it hit the theaters in 1966. This western has an amazing cast: Joanne Woodward, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Burgess Meredith, Charles Bickford, Kevin McCarthy, Robert Middleton and Paul Ford. The action centers on a high stakes poker game. Henry Fonda, a compulsive gambler, manages to get into the game with the money he and his wife saved over a decade. The money was supposed to go to buy a farm outside San Antonio, but Fonda can’t resist the call of the cards. At a critical moment in the game, Fonda suffers a heart attack. His wife, Joan Woodward, decides to play her husband’s hand–even though she doesn’t know how to play poker! There are some nifty twists and turns in A Big Hand For the Little Lady that will keep you guessing. I suspect A Big Hand For the Little Lady shows up on Turner Classic Movies from time to time. I borrowed this DVD from my local Library. Very entertaining! GRADE: B+

Andy Grammer is an entertaining pop singer whose music is light and frothy. The Good Parts is Grammer’s third album. Andy Grammer came out in 2011 and Magazines and Novels was released in 2014. I think The Good Parts is better than those two early albums. Grammer’s infectious “Fresh Eyes” hit Number Nine and his latest single, “Smoke Clears” is moving up the charts. There’s not a lot of contemporary pop music music I find enjoyable, but these songs are music to my ears. Check out the video below. GRADE: B+
TRACK LIST:1
1. Smoke Clears 2:58
2. Freeze 3:07
3. The Good Parts 3:39
4. Spaceship 3:00
5. Fresh Eyes 3:18
6. 85 . 3:22
7. Always 3:02
8. Workin On It . 3:34
9. Grown Ass Man Child 3:08
10. This Ain’t Love 3:25
11. Civil War 3:25
12. Grow 3:07
13. Give Love (feat. LunchMoney Lewis) 3:27

I was born in 1949 so I thought it would be fun to see what the best Science Fiction stories in Bleiler and Dikty’s anthology revealed. I was familiar with Ray Bradbury’s “Mars is Heaven!” (part of his The Martian Chronicles. I was also familiar with “Ex Machina” by Lewis Padgett (aka, Henry Kuttner) which is one of the Gallagher stories about a genius who can solve any problem but only when he’s drunk. Henry Kuttner also wrote my favorite story in this anthology, “Happy Ending.” I also enjoyed “The Strange Case of John Kingman” by Murray Leinster about a man who has six fingers on each hand and has lived 162 years. All in all, I found Best Science Fiction Stories: 1949 a real treat. I’m tempted to review Best Science Fiction Stories: 1950 in a future FFB! GRADE: A-
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Trends in Modern Science-Fiction, by Melvin Korshak
Preface, by Everett F. Bleiler & T. E. Dikty
“Mars is Heaven!”, by Ray Bradbury
“Ex Machina”, by Lewis Padgett
“The Strange Case of John Kingman”, by Murray Leinster
“Doughnut Jockey”, by Erik Fennel
“Thang”, by Martin Gardner
“Period Piece”, by J. J. Coupling
“Knock”, by Fredric Brown
“Genius”, by Poul Anderson
“And the Moon Be Still as Bright”, by Ray Bradbury
“No Connection”, by Isaac Asimov
“In Hiding”, by Wilmar H. Shiras
“Happy Ending”, by Henry Kuttner

British playwright Joe Orton, on August 10, 1967, had his brains bashed out with a hammer wielded by his lover, Kenneth Halliwell. Halliwell then swallowed 22 sleeping pills and killed himself. I bring up these facts because Orton’s plays, with their violence and sex and contempt for authority, foreshadow Orton’s grim end. I read The Complete Plays because of a review of “What the Butler Saw” by Terry Teachout in the Wall Street Journal. For the 1960s, Joe Orton plays were Hot Stuff. Swearing, sex, mayhem, and railing against morality and religion. But Time has not been kind to these plays. The best ones, “Loot” and “What the Butler Saw,” resemble screwball comedies with wacky characters and dizzy plots. The other plays were a slog. If you’re interested in British drama from 50 years ago, Orton shows you what was trendy back then. GRADE: C
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction by John Lahr
The ruffian on the stair
Entertaining Mr. Sloane
The good and faithful servant
Loot
The Erpingham camp
Funeral games
What the butler saw.