James Gunn, the Director of the two Guardians of the Galaxy movies for MARVEL now delivers a very wild DC movie: The Suicide Squad. Viola Davis plays the manipulative Amanda Waller who offers prisoners freedom in exchange for their participation in kamikaze missions. The previous Suicide Squad sucked (you can read my review here), but Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is a completely different kettle of starfish.

Amanda Waller assembles a team whose mission is to destroy a facility in a hostile South American country that houses a space alien: an extraterrestrial giant starfish. Gunn doesn’t hesitate in killing off the members of the team. If fact, you have to wonder while watching The Suicide Squad who is going to survive the mission to the end.

If you’re in the mood for a Summer Popcorn Action movie, The Suicide Squad delivers plenty of mayhem and chaos! GRADE: B+

CAST:

• Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn:
  A crazed criminal and former psychiatrist.^[5] Robbie said the film would show a new side of the character compared to her previous DC Extended Universe (DCEU) appearances due to her being in a new place and surrounded by new characters.^[6] Director James Gunn likened Harley’s relationship with Bloodsport to the comedy duo Abbott and Costello, with Harley being Costello.^[7] Robbie wears a new costume that features Harley’s traditional red and black color palette, with Gunn taking inspiration from the character’s costume in the video game Batman: Arkham City (2011). He wanted her jacket to have “motorcycle gang style”-writing on the back, and chose “Live fast, die clown” over other potential options “Clown AF” and “World’s Best Grandpa”.^[8] Gunn also removed Harley’s “Rotten” facial tattoo from previous DCEU films because both he and Robbie disliked it.^[9]
• Idris Elba as Robert DuBois / Bloodsport:
  A mercenary with a technologically-advanced suit and weapons that only he can use. After being convicted of shooting Superman with a Kryptonite bullet, he shortens his prison sentence by joining Task Force X so he can reunite with his daughter Tyla.^[10] Gunn said each member of the Suicide Squad in the film was inspired by a different film genre,^[10] and described Bloodsport as an unsentimental portrayal of a 1960s action hero like Steve McQueen, without the “moral repercussions” of those characters.^[7] Elba was reportedly originally cast to replace Will Smith as Deadshot, but the character was changed to Bloodsport to allow Smith to reprise his role in the future;^[11][12] Gunn did not change the story that he had written for Elba, and just chose Bloodsport because he liked the character in the comics. The character’s comic book ability to manifest weapons is adapted in the film as different gadgets and transforming weaponry that come from his costume.^[8]
• John Cena as Christopher Smith / Peacemaker:
  A ruthless, jingoistic killer who believes in achieving peace at any cost.^[5][7][13] Gunn told Cena not to read any Peacemaker comics before filming, and Cena originally approached the role with an “angular, drill sergeant, Full Metal Jacket-esque personality” before Gunn told him to act like a “douchey, bro-y Captain America“.^[14] Gunn added that the character was straight out of a 1970s television series like Wonder Woman.^[10]
• Joel Kinnaman as Col. Rick Flag:
  The field leader of the Suicide Squad.^[5] Kinnaman said the film was an opportunity to give the character a blank slate, and said Flag was sillier, less jaded, more naive, and funnier compared to his portrayal in the first Suicide Squad (2016).^[15]
• Sylvester Stallone as the voice of Nanaue / King Shark:
  A man-eating fish-human hybrid.^[16][17][18] Steve Agee developed King Shark’s portrayal as a stand-in on set,^[19][20] with the character then created with visual effects.^[21] Gunn initially used a hammerhead shark design from the comics, but found it awkward to film the character with other actors due to his eyes being on the sides of his head.^[22] Gunn settled on a great white shark design similar to the one seen in the Harley Quinn (2019–present) animated series, though this was a coincidence as that series was released after filming for The Suicide Squad began.^[20] Gunn gave King Shark a dad bod to make him look less like a mammal,^[23] as well as small eyes, a big mouth, and a small head to avoid the “cute anthropomorphic beast” design seen in popular characters like Baby Groot from his Guardians of the Galaxy films and The Mandalorian‘s Baby Yoda.^[24]
• Viola Davis as Amanda Waller: The director of A.R.G.U.S. who runs the Task Force X program.^[25]
• Jai Courtney as George “Digger” Harkness / Captain Boomerang:
  An unhinged Australian thief who wields boomerangs.^[26] Courtney stated that unlike Rick Flag, Captain Boomerang has not changed since the events of Suicide Squad, being “the same shitbag liability we came to learn about in the first one. He’s out there causing trouble as you would expect.”^[27]
• Peter Capaldi as Dr. Gaius Grieves / The Thinker: A highly-intelligent supervillain who works with the Corto Maltese government on Project Starfish.

I rarely re-read books (too many new ones arrive here every day!) but I was in the mood for a Jack Vance “Fantastic Adventure in the Far Future” so I chose Maske: Thaery from 1976. Vance was at the height of his writing powers in the mid-1970s so this novel of conspiracy and treachery kept the pages turning.

Jubal Droad, from the Droad caste on the planet Maske, has a chance encounter with an arrogant nobleman, Ramus Ymph. Jubal’s confrontation with Ramus Ymph leaves him badly injured. After he recovers, Jubal seeks a position from the powerful noble Nai the Hever. Nai the Hever, intrigued by Jubal’s information about Ramus Ymph, hires Jubal to be a member of Thaery’s secret intelligence agency, unit D3. Jubal’s lust for revenge overlaps with the intelligence agency’s interest in Ramus Ymph, leading Jubal on a planet-hopping adventure to track down his nemesis and discover his schemes.

After a couple of near-death experiences, Jubal manages to follow Ramus to a strange land where Ramus negotiates with the tree-worshipping Waels for the use of their land in exchange for much-needed food and other resources. The conclusion of Maske: Thaery blends Vance’s sinister sense of Justice with the possibility of more adventures on Maske. Sadly, this remains a stand-alone SF novel, but a very good one. GRADE: B+

Based on the MTV LIVE series, VH-1 Storytellers (2000) reveals how songs got written, recorded, and performed. If you’re curious about how these songs and artists came together, this CD supplies some of the answers. There’s also a VH-1 DVD series featuring these artists. Do you remember these songs? Any favorites here? GRADE: A

TRACK LIST:

A couple weeks ago I reviewed Ed Hoch’s A Funeral in the Fog (you can read my review here). A Funeral in the Fog featured stories about Hoch’s investigator of supernatural mysteries, Simon Ark. Ark might be 2000 years old.

In a comment on A Funeral in the Fog, Art Scott mentioned he had some input into the plotting of another Simon Ark story, “The Witch of Park Avenue.” I had read “The Witch of Park Avenue” years ago so I decided to reread the story. And, of course, once I started read Ed Hoch’s The Quests of Simon Ark (1984) I couldn’t stop.

Once again, Simon Ark explores weird happenings and solves mind-bending mysteries. With each story, my admiration of Ed Hoch’s creativity and talent increased! Highly recommended! GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction — ix

Village of the Dead — 1

The Man from Nowhere — 24

The Vicar of Hell — 45

The Judges of Hades — 78

Sword For a Sinner — 121

The Treasure of Jack the Ripper — 162

The Mummy from the Sea — 188

The Unicorn’s Daughter — 213

The Witch of Park Avenue — 238

Simon Ark Checklist –267

If you’re a fan of musicals, you’ll love Lorne Michaels’ Schmigadoon! A couple–Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong–stumble into a fairyland where the inhabitants constantly break into song. And yes, plenty of dancing, too! Schmigadoon! is a parody of musicals from the 1940s and 1950s.

When they try to leave Schmigadoon! the couple is told by a leprechaun (Martin Short) that they can’t go back to the Real World until they find their True Love. That requirement causes plenty of plot twists.

The excellent cast includes:

• Dove Cameron as Betsy McDonough, one of Farmer McDonough’s seven daughters, inspired by Ado Annie from Oklahoma!
• Jaime Camil as Doc Jorge Lopez
• Kristin Chenoweth as Margaret/Mildred Layton, the preacher’s wife, based mainly on Mrs. Shinn from The Music Man.
• Alan Cumming as Mayor Aloysius Menlove, the closeted mayor of Schmigadoon.
• Ariana DeBose as Emma Tate, Schmigadoon’s schoolmarm, based on Marian Paroo from The Music Man.
• Ann Harada as Florence Menlove, the mayor’s loyal but frustrated wife.^[8]
• Jane Krakowski as Countess Gabriele Von Blerkom, a rich debutante based on the Baroness from The Sound of Music.
• Martin Short,^[9] as Leprechaun a magical imp based on Og from Finian’s Rainbow.^[8]
• Aaron Tveit as Danny Bailey, the town’s rapscallion, a carnival barker based on Billy Bigelow from Carousel.

Diane and I have watched four episodes of Schmigadoon! and can’t wait to watch the rest! Are you a fan of musicals? GRADE: A

Jacqueline Rose documents the violence in our world, especially towards women. She points out that despite the rape charges against Trump–and the sexual transgressions he committed and bragged about–women still voted for him. “…In the words of a Souther Baptist woman, asked on BCC television how she could vote for Trump given his moral failings, [she answered] “We are all sinners.” (p.17)

Rose provides harrowing statistics about how many women are killed each hour and how many rapes occur each minute. Even worse are the vicious attacks of transgender people and Asians. The sad fact is that violence is rising all over the United States. Not a day goes by in Western NY when a shooting isn’t reported on local TV and in the newspaper. Right now there have been 39 homicides in Buffalo and 122 people shot and wounded.

I’m convinced the problem is too many guns in the hands of unstable people. And, of course, the drug gangs have the best weapons.

How is the violence in your neighborhood? How are you dealing with the rise in violence? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction: On Violence and On Violence Against Women 1

1 I Am a Knife – Sexual Harassment in Close-up 35

2 Trans Voices – Who Do You Think You Are? 81

3 Trans and Sexual Harassment – The Back-story 137

4 Feminism and the Abomination of Violence 169

5 Writing Violence-From Modernism to Eimear McBride 199

6 The Killing of Reeva Steenkamp, the Trial of Oscar Pistorius – Sex and Race in the Courtroom 229

7 Political Protest and the Denial of History – South Africa and the Legacy of the Future 265

8 One Long Scream – Trauma and Justice in South Africa 293

9 At the Border 325

Afterword 359

Acknowledgements 369

Notes 373

Index 411

I read Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland when it was published in 1990 and when I finished it, I thought, “It took Pynchon 17 years to produce this disappointing work.”

In 1973, Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow generated a lot of controversy. The Pulitzer Advisory Board was offended by Gravity’s Rainbow’s content, some of which was described as “‘unreadable, turgid, overwritten, and in parts obscene.” No Pulitzer Prize for Literature was awarded that year. Then, in 1990, Vineland was published to very mixed reviews. I thought it sucked.

Peter Coviello loves Vineland and managed to talk Columbia University Press into paying him to write a defense of Thomas Pynchon’s novel. The Pandemic has lured me into a lot of crazy stuff–reading Charles Stross’s 1800 page novel, reading books that have been on my shelves for decades, etc.–so rereading Vineland after 30 years somehow seemed like a Good Idea. It wasn’t.

The same silliness I encountered the first time I read Vineland didn’t go away. “The Vibrating Palm”–an exotic ninja move that causes its victim to drop dead a year after its application–is just one of the nutty parts of this story. Evil Brock Vond and his DEA stooges engage in mysterious conspiracies. Young Prairie yearns to meet her mother, Vond’s lover and an informant.

I slogged through Vineland for a second time, not liking it despite all of Peter Coviello’s enthusiasm. He found the novel funny, I did not. Are you a Thomas Pynchon fan? How often do you reread books? GRADE: C (for both books)

Table of Contents

Prologue: Whatever’s Fair — 1
Part I
1. The Great Southcoast Plaza Eyeshadow Raid (’94) — 15
2. They Woke, the Thanatoids Awoke (’02) — 38
Part II
3. Scabland Garrison State (’08) –69
4. Secret Retributions (’19– …) — 104
Acknowledgments — 125
Notes — 127
Index — 139

Diane and I occasionally buy a bag of popped Skinny Pop popcorn. Skinny Pop tastes good and is deemed “healthy” by looking at its Nutrition Facts. When we were in BJ’s Warehouse the other day, we saw Skinny Pop Microwave Popcorn for the first time. Of course, we had to try it.

The instructions give a time interval for microwaving. I set our microwave for two minutes and it did the job. However, the bag of Skinny Pop Microwave Popcorn was super-hot! I had to use oven mitts to remove it from the microwave. Opening the bag is tricky, too, unless you want to get burned.

However, once the bag cooled off, the popcorn inside was tasty. Skinny Pop Microwave Popcorn bag is a little smaller than normal microwave popcorn bags we’re used to. No matter. Just less calories, right?

Do you like popcorn? Do you have a preferred brand? GRADE: B

“Tell me the truth,” I said.

“What truth?” he echoed. He was making a rapid sketch in his notebook and now he showed me what it was: a long, long train with a black cloud of black smoke swirling over it and himself leaning out the window to wave a handkerchief.

I shot him between the eyes. (p. 163)

This is the beginning of Natalia Ginzburg’s The Dry Heart, a love story that Merve Emre thinks should have many more readers. In fact, all the writers who submitted essays on B-Side books, think the books they’re recommending should be widely read.

Ursula K. Le Guin thinks John Galt’s Annals of the Parish has aspects that Jane Austen would appreciate. Lorraine Daston believes that we should all indulge in The Vehement Passions by Philip Fisher. Kathryn Lofton tells how reading Edith Hamilton’s Mythology launched her on a course to become an academic.

Reading B-Side Books: Essays on Forgotten Favorites once again resulted in generating a list of books to buy. Do you see anything here you’d like to read? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Foreword, by Sharon Marcus, series editor — xv
Acknowledgments — xxi
Introduction, by John Plotz — 1
Part I: Childhood, Through a Glass Darkly — 5
1. A Girl of the Limberlost (Gene Stratton-Porter), by Rebecca Zorach — 7
2. TheYoung Visiters (Daisy Ashford), by Caleb Crain — 12
3. The Diary of “Helena Morley” (Elizabeth Bishop, trans.), by Elizabeth Ferry — 18
4. Brown Girl, Brownstones (Paule Marshall), by Adrienne Brown — 23
5. An American Childhood (Annie Dillard), by Salvatore Scibona — 29
6. The Last Samurai (Helen DeWitt), by Toril Moi — 34
Part II. Other Worlds — 41
7. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by Seeta Chaganti — 43
8. The House on the Borderland (William Hope Hodgson), by Namwali Serpell — 49
9. Lolly Willowes (Sylvia Townsend Warner), by Ivan Kreilkamp — 57
10. Mythology (Edith Hamilton), by Kathryn Lofton — 62
11. Other Leopards (Denis Williams), by Emily Hyde — 68
12. Solaris (Stanislaw Lem), by Kate Marshall — 74
13. Riddley Walker (Russell Hoban), by Paul Saint-Amour — 78
Part III. Comedy — 85
14. The Beggar’s Opera (John Gay), by Yoon Sun Lee — 87
15. Lady Into Fox (David Garnett), by Maud Ellmann — 92
16. Prater Violet (Christopher Isherwood), by Stephen McCauley — 98
17. “Rogue’s Gallery” (Mary McCarthy), by Sean McCann — 103
18. Gringos (Charles Portis), by Carlo Rotella — 109
Part IV. Battle and Strife –115
19. The Road to Calvary (Alexei Tolstoy), by Upamanyu Pablo Mukherjee — 117
20. The Forbidden Zone (Mary Borden), by Steven Biel and Lauren Kaminsky — 122
21. Nikola the Outlaw (Ivan Olbracht), by Jonathan Bolton — 128
22. The House of Hunger (Dambudzo Marechera), by Isabel Hofmeyr — 134
23. The Short-Timers (Gustav Hasford), by Steven Biel — 140
24. A Flag at Sunrise (Robert Stone), by Ben Fountain — 145
25. TheVehement Passions (Philip Fisher), by Lorraine Daston — 152
Part V. Home Fires — 157
26. Annals of the Parish (John Galt), by Ursula K. Le Guin — 159
27. The Dry Heart (Natalie Ginzburg), by Merve Emre — 163
28. Life Among the Savages; Raising Demons (Shirley Jackson), by Sharon Marcus — 169
29. My Uncle Napoleon (Iraj Pezeshkzad), by Pardis Dabashi — 174
30. We Think the World of You (A. J. Ackerley), by Kevin Brazil — 179
31. All Aunt Hagar’s Children (Edward P. Jones), by Elizabeth Graver — 184
Part VI: Mysteries and Trials — 189
32. The Diaries of Lady Anne Clifford, by Ramie Targoff — 191
33. The Riddle of the Sands (Erskine Childers), by Margaret Cohen — 197
34. Stamboul Train (Graham Greene), by Penny Fielding — 203
35. The Hours Before Dawn (Celia Fremlin), by Leah Price — 211
Part VII: Journeys of the Spirit — 219
36. A Life of One’s Own (Marion Millner), by Vanessa Smith — 221
37. Butcher’s Crossing (John Williams), by John Plotz — 226
38. Journey in Search of the Way (Satomi Myōdō), by Theo Davis — 233
39. I Remember (Joe Brainard), by Andrew H. Miller — 239
40. Transformatrix (Patience Agbabi), by Stephanie Burt — 246
List of Contributors — 251

Joss Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist. Her second album, the similarly multi-platinum Mind Body & Soul (2004), topped the UK Albums Chart and spawned the top ten hit “You Had Me“, Stone’s most successful single on the UK Singles Chart to that point. Both the album and single received one nomination at the 2005 Grammy Awards, while Stone herself was nominated for Best New Artist, and in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2004, Stone was ranked fifth as a predicted breakthrough act of 2004. She became the youngest British female singer to top the UK Albums Chart. Stone’s third album, Introducing Joss Stone, released in March 2007, achieved gold record status by the RIAA and yielded the second-ever highest debut for a British female solo artist on the Billboard 200, and became Stone’s first top five album in the US.

The Soul Sessions presents “Blue-Eyed Soul” with Joss Stone’s heart-felt delivery. My favorite song on The Soul Sessions is Stone’s version of The Dells’s hit, “For the Love of You.” If you’re in the mood for some soulful songs, I recommend The Soul Sessions. Do you like soul music? GRADE: B+

Tracklist: