Generous Beth Fedyn sent me The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 1/4 Years Old knowing I enjoyed A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. Hendrik Groen lives in a nursing home in Amsterdam with 160 residents in varying degrees of health. Hendrik’s friend, Everet, suffers from diabetes and struggles to control it.

Then, there are details like this: “Mrs. Surmann decided to dry her wet slippers in the microwave. She set the timer for twenty minutes and then went to watch TV. The slippers melted and set off the fire alarm.” (p.187) Hendrik shows both the positives and negatives of nursing home life. Some of this book is funny and some is very sad. If you liked A Man Called Ove, you’ll enjoy the curmudgeonly wit of Hendrik. Thanks again, Beth! GRADE: B+

With The Avengers: Endgame just days away, I decided to go back and rewatch The Avengers: Infinity War (2018). If you remember, The Avengers: Infinity War features an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, and Chris Pratt.

In essence, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy attempt to stop Thanos from amassing the all-powerful Infinity Stones. THANOS wants to reduce the population of the Galaxy by 50% and uses the power of the Infinity stones to achieve his goal. Now, in The Avengers: Endgame we’ll see how the post-THANOS world looks…and if Captain Marvel can help save the day! Are you excited about The Avengers: Endgame? Are you going to see it? We have our tickets!

Dylan Struzan’s brilliant account of the rise of Organized Crime in America, based on 50 hours of interviews with Vincent “Jimmy Blue Eyes” Alo, reveals how Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Dutch Schultz, Bugsy Siegal, Al Capone, Nucky Johnson, and other gangsters built their criminal empires. In 1919, the National Prohibition Act passed making it illegal to produce, distribute, or sell alcohol products. That opened the gates for gangsters to supply liquor that Americans craved. It also generated millions of dollars of profit for those gangsters involved in Black Market liquor, speakeasies, and gin mills. Of course, turf fights raged as gangsters fought to expand their territories.

Dylan Struzan’s graphic accounts of Vincent Alo’s exploits in the underworld ruled by Lansky and Luciano–bootlegging, violence, and murders–shows the dynamics of these criminal enterprises. I found a A Bloody Business credible and fascinating guide to the mobsters’s methods and techniques. The timing of this book could not have been better: 2019 is the Hundredth Anniversary of Prohibition. And now we have a scintillating history of the consequences of the ill-fated Eighteenth Amendment. Highly recommended! GRADE: A

This latest DC animated feature centers on two characters: Jessica Cruz (aka, Limelight) and Thom Kellor (aka, Star Boy). Both characters struggle with mental problems. Jessica Cruz deals with incredible anxiety every day. Thom Kellor suffers from schizophrenia, but 31st Century medicine allows him to control his condition. But, when Star Boy gets thrown back to the 21st Century, he doesn’t have the necessary medication. He is sent to Arkham Prison by Batman. Meanwhile three villains from the future arrive on Earth and cause havoc. Even Superman is injured fighting them.

I enjoyed Justice League vs. The Fatal Five because the story included superheroes dealing with personal problems. To watch a young woman like Jessica Cruz deal with crippling anxiety to take on Mano, Persuader, and Tharok was thrilling. Kellor’s schizophrenia plays an important role in the plot. And Emerald Empress and Validus come off as powerful adversaries. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Miss Martian, and Mr. Terrific have their hands full battling these Bad Guys from the Future.

Special features include 2 Bonus Justice League cartoons, a Sneak Peek at the upcoming Batman Hush, The Unity of the Hero, and audio commentary on Justice League vs. The Fatal Five. These DC animated features just keep getting better and better! GRADE: A

As a kid, I eagerly read Li’l Abner in my local newspaper, the Niagara Gazette. This 190-page collection of comic strips features 26 stories from several eras. Al Capp wrote witty storylines for his comic creations. Lil Abner and Daisy are legendary characters. Their interplay is both touching and humorous.

Set in the town of Dogpatch U.S.A. with its poverty and backwardness, Al Capp uses satire to mock the pompous nature of congressmen, the concept of men’s dominance and superiority over women, and the foibles of Life. Al Capp invented Sadie Hawkins Day, Fearless Fosdick, Moonbeam McSwine, Schmoos, Lower Slobbovia, Kickapoo Joy Juice, and Barney Barnsmell. Although this collection was first published in 1978 by Holt, Rinehart and Winston plenty of the jokes and wit stand up to the test of Time. Did you read Li’l Abner? Are you a fan? GRADE: A

I’ve been reading Loren D. Estleman’s novels for decades. I admire Estleman’s versatility: he can write Westerns as good as his mysteries and crime fiction. In Black and White Ball (2018), Estleman brings two of his successful characters–Amos Walker (private eye) and Peter Macklin (hit-man)–together for a suspenseful adventure. Amos Walker is hired by the wife of an embezzler to find her run-away husband. But, Walker finds the embezzler moments after he’s been executed. This leads to a meeting with a lawyer with Organized Crime connections who wants Walker to speak to one of his clients. Walker refuses, but later finds himself threatened by a gun in Peter Macklin’s hand.

Macklin’s second wife is divorcing him. But someone has sent Macklin a threat to kill his wife. Macklin needs someone to protect his wife while he hunts down the person who wants to kill her. Walker initially resists, but Macklin convinces him to take the case. I liked the interaction between Walker and Macklin, two aging pros who really know their business. If you’re looking for a different kind of mystery, I recommend Black and White Ball. GRADE: B+
Peter Macklin Series:
Kill Zone (1984)
Roses Are Dead (1985)
Any Man’s Death (1986)
Something Borrowed, Something Black (2002)
Little Black Dress (2005)

Amos Walker Series:
Motor City Blue (1980)
Angel Eyes (1981)
The Midnight Man (1982)
The Glass Highway (1983)
Sugartown (1985)
Every Brilliant Eye (1986)
Lady Yesterday (1987)
Downriver (1988)
General Murders (1988; short stories)
Silent Thunder (1989)
Sweet Women Lie (1990)
Never Street (1997)
The Witch Finder (1998)
The Hours of the Virgin (1999)
A Smile on the Face of the Tiger (2000)
Sinister Heights (2002)
Poison Blonde (2003)
Retro (2004)
Nicotine Kiss (2006)
American Detective (2007)
The Left-handed Dollar (2010)
Amos Walker: The Complete Story Collection (2010; short stories)
Infernal Angels (2011)
Burning Midnight (2012)
Don’t Look for Me (2014)
You Know Who Killed Me (2014)
The Sundown Speech (2015)
The Lioness Is the Hunter (2017)
Black and White Ball (2018)

In 1972 Peter Lord and David Sproxton founded Aardman Animations, a firm that specialized in stop-action animation (animating at 24 painstaking frames per second). Nick Park joined them 1985. Aardman pioneered a quirkY style of stop-motion animation that is the secret of the success award-winning films including Chicken Run, the highest-grossing stop-animated film of all time. The Wallace & Gromit series produced hits like Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and A Grand Day Out (1989), The Wrong Trousers (1993) and A Close Shave (1995).

In A Grand Success! Lord, Sproxton, and Park provide the highlights (and low-lights) of the 45-year history of Aardman. From their first short films, made on their kitchen table to advertisements and music videos–my favorite is Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer”– A Grand Success! shows how these artists developed their own quirky style. They grew their business by taking smart risks. The maneuvering with DreamWorks and SONY show how treacherous Hollywood can be. Fascinating reading! Do you have a favorite animated movie? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Foreword by Matt Groening p. ix
Introduction by Nick Park p. xiii
Prologue: Let’s put on a show… p. 1
1 Teenage Kicks p. 17
2 Meta-Morph-Osis p. 38
3 A New Decade p. 61
4 Nick Park p. 84
5 Moving on Up p. 100
6 Oscar Fever p. 120
7 Growing Pains p. 141
8 A Pitch in Time p. 163
9 Lost in New York p. 175
10 Chicken Run p. 181
11 A Fable Too Far p. 206
12 Rabbits and Rats p. 213
13 Such Sweet Sorrow p. 232
14 Up in Smoke p. 239
15 A Statement Building p. 244
16 Shaun the Sheep the Superstar p. 266
17 Bristol p. 289
18 Celebrities on Set p. 305
19 Where Do We Go from Here? p. 320
Acknowledgements p. 340
Index p. 341

David Thomson raved about Truly Madly Deeply (1990) in his recent book Sleeping With Strangers. I somehow missed Truly Madly Deeply when it first came out so I picked up a copy and watched it. Truly Madly Deeply is about bereavement. Nina (played by Juliet Stevenson), is an interpreter who has just lost the love of her life, Jamie (Alan Rickman), a cellist, to a sudden illness. The scenes with Nina and her grief counselor are heart-wrenching. Meanwhile, Nina’s flat is falling apart: rats scurry around, the plumbing fails, and the cupboard doors won’t close. Nina’s life seems to be spiraling out of control.

Then, Jamie shows up. Is Jamie a ghost or is he a figment of Nina’s fevered imagination? Director and scriptwriter Anthony Minghella created a movie that is both thoughtful and clever. Well worth watching! GRADE: B+

DUM, DE DUM, DUM… Just like Law & Order with its famous “dum, dum, doink, doink,” Dragnet had its own sound and brassy music. Dragnet first aired in December 1951 and lasted until August 1959–an eternity in television. During that time, 276 episodes were broadcast. As a kid in the 1950s, Dragnet both fascinated me and scared me. Jack Webb’s staccato delivery and the sudden gunplay branded Dragnet as a cop show that meant business.

While I was rummaging around in a Salvation Army Thrift Store, I found this 4-Episode DVD of Dragnet. Here’s what’s on it:
1. “The Big September Man” (5/8/52)
2. “The Big Break” (2/19/53)
3. “The Big Little Jesus” (12/24/53)
4. “The Big Crime” (9/9/54)

This Golden Movie Classics DVD says the Dragnet episodes are “digitally remastered” and that that it’s “sound enhanced.” I enjoyed this little trip down Memory Lane. Are you a fan of Dragnet? Do you like cop shows? GRADE: B+