The Nice Guys generated plenty of mixed reviews so I was in no hurry to see it. But a rainy day and a free bag of popcorn offer from Regal Theaters motivated me to see this comic private eye movie. Ryan Gosling plays a single Dad with a 13-year-old daughter (Angourie Rice) who is actually a licensed private investigator. He specializes in finding missing people. Russell Crowe plays “the muscle.” He’s very good at beating people up. Gosling and Crowe team up on a search to find the missing daughter of the Attorney General (Kim Basinger). Yes, there’s a porno movie McGuffin, there’s some graphic violence, and some humor. Ryan Gosling tries too hard to be funny. There’s a giant talking Bee. Gosling makes a shockingly insensitive remark to a mother whose daughter was murdered. The plot is overly-convoluted. And releasing The Nice Guys at a time when audiences flock to Angry Birds, Captain America: Civil War, and X-Men: Apocalypse was a marketing mistake. This film should have been released in October. I’d wait until The Nice Guys gets to Netflix. GRADE: B-

Tom Hollander plays the kindly Doctor Thorne. Doctor Thorne lives with his niece, Mary (Stefanie Martini), who has a complicated past. Their neighbors, the Greshams–Frank (Richard McCabe) and Lady Arabella (Rebecca Front)–are in financial difficulties and need to marry their son, Frank (Harry Richardson), to a wealthy woman. Dcotor Thorne is one of my favorite Anthony Trollope novels and this wonderful mini-series scripted by Julian Fellowes (of Downton Abbey fame) delights with its cast and setting. A visual feast! If you’re a fan of 19th Century storytelling, you’ll find Doctor Thorne terrific entertainment. And, if you’re an AMAZON Prime person, it’s FREE! GRADE: A

Love and Friendship is based on a Jane Austen novella–“Lady Susan”–and stars the fetching Kate Beckinsale in the leading role. Lady Susan has a “reputation” that borders on scandalous. Lady Susan Venron focuses on marrying off her daughter, Frederica (Morfydd Clark), and avoiding the social sanctions of her enemies. I was surprised at the humor in this film. Kate Beckinsale is having a lot of fun with all the machinations and schemes she unleashes on her family and “friends.” I thoroughly enjoyed Love and Friendship and so will you. GRADE: A-

Back in the 1990s, publishers were keen on books that were “The Best of the 20th Century Blah-Blah-Blah” in various genres. Dozens of books of this type flooded the bookstores (remember them?) The Oxford University Press got into this market in 1994 with books like Tom Shippey’s The Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories. Shippey’s choices hit all the right notes: H.P. Lovecraft rubs shoulders with Ray Bradbury and Poul Anderson. And examples of many of the classic fantasy characters found their way into this collection: Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, C. L. Moore’s Jirel of Jory, and Manley Wade Wellman’s Silver John. If you’re looking for a solid collection of classic fantasy stories, The Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories delivers. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Demon Pope (1888), Richard Garnett
The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth (1908), Lord Dunsany
Through the Dragon Glass (1917), Abraham Merritt
The Nameless City (1921), H. P. Lovecraft
The Wind in the Portico (1928), John Buchan
The Tower of the Elephant (1933), Robert E. Howard
Xeethra (1934), Clark Ashton Smith
Jirel Meets Magic (1935), Catherine L. Moore
The Bleak Shore (1940), Fritz Leiber
Homecoming (1947), Ray Bradbury
See You Later (1949), Henry Kuttner
Liane the Wayfarer (1950), Jack Vance
The Desrick on Yandro (1952), Manly Wade Wellman
The Silken-Swift (1953), Theodore Sturgeon
Operation Afreet (1956), Poul Anderson
The Singular Events which Occurred in the Hovel on the Alley off of Eye Street (1962), Avram Davidson
The Sudden Wings (1962), Thomas Burnett Swann
Same Time, Same Place (1963), Mervyn Peake
Timothy (1966), Keith Roberts
The Kings of the Sea (1968), Sterling E. Lanier
Not Long Before the End (1969), Larry Niven
The Wager Lost by Winning (1970), John Brunner
Lila the Werewolf (1974), Peter S. Beagle
Johanna (1978), Jane Yolen
The Erl-King (1979), Angela Carter
Beyond the Dead Reef (1983), James Tiptree Jr.
Subworld (1983), Phyllis Einstein
Bite-Me-Not or Fleur de Fur (1984), Tanith Lee
The Night of White Bhairab (1984), Lucius Shepard
Thorn (1986), Robert Holdstock
Troll Bridge (1992), Terry Pratchett
Select Bibliography
Sources
Source Acknowledgements.

A Shadow All of Light reminds me of Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories. These new tales are narrated by Falco, an ambitious young man who becomes an apprentice to master shadow thief Maestro Astolfo. Fred Chappell creates a world where shadows take on a life of their own. All the stories in this collection possess cunning and mystery. Just when you think you know what’s going on, Chappell will trick you with a clever plot twist. If you’re looking for marvelous stories full of wonder and wit, A Shadow All of Light will delight you. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
“Thief of Shadows”
“The Diamond Shadow”
“Shadow of the Valley”
“Maze of Shadows”
“The Creeper Shadows”

The Science of Growth: How Facebook Beat Friendster–And How Nine Other Startups Left the Rest in the Dust explores why some companies succeed and grow to dominate their market while others fade and fail. The Chairman of my department asked me to teach a course in ENTREPRENEURSHIP in the upcoming Fall Semester so I figured The Science of Growth would provide some fresh material and insights for my lectures. Ammirati shows how decisions about growth are key to the survival and health of the organization. For example, White Castle had a winning business model a decade before McDonalds arrived in the fast food industry. But, White Castle was debt-adverse and grew slowly. McDonalds aggressively borrowed money and expanded quickly. Today, there are 31,000 McDonalds and only 500 White Castles. If you’re interested in the elements that help startups grow, this book provides plenty to think about. GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Acknowledgments
Foreword: Richard Florida
1 Introduction
SECTION I PREREQUISITES FOR SCALING
2 Founder’s Core Vision
3 Scalable Ideas
4 Solves a Real Problem
5 An Excellent First Interaction
SECTION II CATALYSTS FOR ACCELERATING GROWTH
6 Double Trigger Events
7 Drafting off Platforms
8 Optimizing Algorithms
9 Viral Growth: Measuring and Optimizing
SECTION III ELEMENTS FOR SUSTAINED LONG-TERM GROWTH
10 Be Data Informed (Not Data Driven)
11 Financing Strategies
12 High-Performing Teams
13 A Culture of Discipline/Focus
14 Maximizing the Value of Network
15 Conclusion
Appendix: Company Overviews
Notes
Index

Lorene Scafaria wrote and directed The Meddler. Scafaria also wrote and directed Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and Seeking a Frined for the End of the World. I mention this because what I’m about to criticize isn’t some rookie mistake. Scafaria should know better.
The Meddler begins with a mind-numbing half hour of filler. Susan Sarandon is a widow from New York City who has moved to Los Angeles to be near her narcissistic scriptwriter daughter. Scafaria’s script has Sarandon volunteering at a hospital, taking care of dogs, and spraying plants with water. The movie actually begins when Sarandon meets a retired cop played by J. K. Simmons who raises chickens and rides a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. For five brief minutes the movie screen was alive with two stars acting. Then Scafaria’s script sends Sarandon to New York City to watch her daughter’s TV pilot. Yawn. Finally, Sarandon flies back to California, there’s some nonsense with pregnancy tests, and the movie ends.

I complained in my recent review of Money Monster that George Clooney and Julia Roberts were on-screen together for about one minute. In The Meddler Susan Sarandon and J. K. Simmons are on-screen together for maybe five minutes out of the 100 minutes of running time. Movies who waste their stars deserve to fail. The story in The Meddler should have been about Susan Sarandon and J. K. Simmons. Instead, we don’t get story, we get incidents: Sarandon gets into a car accident, Sarandon gets her car stolen, Sarandon eats some marijuana. Incidents are not stories. The actual story in this movie is five minutes long, the rest is filler. GRADE: C

Cyndi Lauper singing Country & Western classic songs. You have to admit it’s a strange idea. But, believe it or not, Cyndi Lauper manages to carry this High Concept off. My favorite song on this CD is “Hard Candy Christms” with the wonderful Alison Krauss helping Cyndi out. The only clunker is “Night Life” because Willie Nelson cannot sing anymore, but he tries (and fails) on this song. If you’re in the mood for something different, give Cowgirl Cyndi a try. I’m providing a sample below. GRADE: B+
TRACK LIST:
1. “Funnel of Love” Charlie McCoy · Kent Westbury 3:15
2. “Detour” (featuring Emmylou Harris) Paul Westmoreland 2:55
3. “Misty Blue” Bob Montgomery 3:19
4. “Walkin’ After Midnight” Alan Block · Don Hecht 2:16
5. “Heartaches by the Number” Harlan Howard 3:10
6. “The End of the World” Sylvia Dee · Arthur Kent 3:12
7. “Night Life” (featuring Willie Nelson) Walt Breeland · Paul Buskirk · Willie Nelson 2:58
8. “Begging to You” Marty Robbins 3:24
9. “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly” (featuring Vince Gill) Lola Jean Dillon · L.E. White 3:42
10. “I Fall to Pieces” Hank Cochran · Howard 3:00
11. “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” (featuring Jewel) Patsy Montana 3:13
12. “Hard Candy Christmas” (featuring Alison Krauss) Carol Hall 3:54