We finally saw Kung Fu Panda 3 at the cheap theater. This animated adventure came out a couple months ago and did decent business in the dead of Winter. The first Kung Fu Panda movie was fun as Po, the only panda in a Chinese village, learns he has a much larger destiny. The second Kung Fu Panda movie gave the audience more action and adventure. This third episode in the Kung Fu Panda franchise features Po facing an enemy from the Spirit World. Po has to learn who he truly is in order to confront the threat. I found this weighty story a bit dull and tedious. Jack Black voices Po, Other characters are voiced by: Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, J. K. Simmons, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Bryan Cranston, Kate Hudson, James Hong, and Jean-Claude Van Damme. GRADE: B-

I’ve really enjoyed March Madness this year! There were Bracket Busters on Day One. Plenty of upsets and buzzer beaters! Tonight’s games should continue the excitement. I’m going with Villanova (2-point favorites) over Oklahoma but that could easily go the other way. Syracuse boasts about its fan base and certainly there are plenty of Syracuse graduates in Western New York rooting for this surprising team. Many critics complained when Syracuse was selected for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament a month ago. Now, after a couple of incredible upsets, Syracuse is in the Final Four facing the mighty North Carolina team. I think the Syracuse dream ends here. North Carolina will win (9 1/2 point favorite). Who do you think will win?

Do you have a book on your shelves that you’ve had for decades but never got around to reading it? I’ve had Double in Trouble, a “collision” of private eyes Shell Scott and Chester Drum, since the 1960s. I’ve read plenty of Shell Scott novels and plenty of Chester Drum novels. But somehow I never got around to reading their shared novel until this week. The plot involves a Congressional Committee looking into corrupt unions. Murders occur. Shell Scott investigates in California and Chester Drum investigates in Washington, D.C. Their investigations collide and more shooting erupts. Prather and Marlowe alternate writing the chapters. I prefer the chapters written by Marlowe. If you’re looking for an unusual pairing of characters and an unusual private eye novel, Double in Trouble fits the bill.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical delighted me. I’m a big fan of Jerry Goffin and Carole King’s music. I play their compilation CD frequently. Check it out here. The other song writing team in Beautiful that competed with Goffin and King at the Brill Building was Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. I knew they wrote “I Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” for The Righteous Brothers, but I had no idea how many great songs they produced until I bought Born to Be Together. This CD collects some memorable hits! Who can forget “We’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place” by The Animals? Classic! Do you have a favorite Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil song?
TRACK LIST:
1. BORN TO BE TOGETHER – The Ronettes
2. ANGELICA – Scott Walker
3. LOOKING THROUGH THE EYES OF LOVE – Gene Pitney
4. YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVIN’ FEELIN’ – The Righteous Brothers
5. I’M SATISFIED – Lou Rawls
6. YOU BABY – Len Barry
7. SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES – The Drifters
8. BLESS YOU – Tony Orlando
9. ON BROADWAY – Clyde McPhatter
10. PROUD – Johnny Crawford
11. UPTOWN – The Crystals
12. WE’LL LOVE AGAIN – Ruby & The Romantics
13. LOVE HIM – Doris Day
14. GOOD, GOOD LOVIN’ – Bobby Hebb
15. I WANNA MAKE YOU HAPPY – Dusty Springfield
16. THE GIRL WHO SANG THE BLUES – The Everly Brothers
17. WE’VE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE – The Animals
18. SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME – Slade
19. LOVE IS ONLY SLEEPING – The Monkees
20. NEW WORLD COMING – Mama Cass Elliot
21. ROCK AND ROLL LULLABY – B.J. Thomas
22. SOMETHING BETTER – Marianne Faithfull
23. JUST A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Carmen McRae
24. MAKE YOUR OWN KIND OF MUSIC – The Happenings
25. THIS IS A LOVE SONG – Bill Medley

I was hoping to really like this new first novel, The Cold Between. A series of murders involves the cranky Captain of the Central Corps starship Galileo and his emotional crew. There’s a wormhole, a conspiracy, and a whole lot of lovin’ going on. In fact, I could classify The Cold Between as a science fiction romance novel. Lots of “relationship” issues. Yes, there’s action in this space opera. But it’s pretty spread out over the book’s 518 pages. Bonesteel’s first attempt at a novel has flaws that a good editor should have corrected. If there’s another Central Corps novel published, I might give it a try…or I might not. GRADE: C+

I love Sally Field so factor that into your assessment of this review. Hello, My Name is Doris tells the story of a sixty-something woman named Doris Millis (Sally Field). Doris works in the accounting department of a corporation. Doris meets the new art director, a thirty-something called John Fremont (Max Greenfield). Doris falls in love with John at first sight. Romantic comic situations ensue. This could have been a stronger and funnier movie without all the other wrinkles in the plot. For example, Doris is a hoarder. This adds nothing to movie. If you’re looking for a mildly entertaining comedy about an older woman in love with younger men, you’ll enjoy Hello, My Name is Doris. What’s your favorite Sally Field movie? GRADE: B

Dashiell Hammett’s mother once told him, “Don’t waste your time on women who can’t cook because they’re not likely to be much fun in the other rooms either.” (p. 5) Nathan Ward’s little book contains plenty of information about Hammett, his writing, and the people in his life. Ward also comes closest to answering “Why did Hammett stop writing?” I enjoyed Ward’s analysis of many of Hammett’s classic stories and novels. If you’re a fan of Dashiell Hammett, this little book packs a lot of information into 200 pages. Well worth a look. GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Prelude: Scars
PART I: The cheaper the crook
1, The devilish art
2. A company man
3. $5,000 blood money
4. Out of uniform
5. Dearest woman
6. The last case
PART II: The ex-detective
7. A little man going forward
8. The old man
9. Blackmasking
10. The price of Peggy O’Toole
11. The big ship
12. Among the ghosts
13. Babylon and back
Afterword: A hundred bucks
Acknowledgements
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index

Ginnifer Goodwin voices the character of Judy Hopps, a perky rabbit who has a dream of becoming a police officer in Zootopia. In Zootopia, all animals–both prey and predictors–live in peace. In a world populated by anthropomorphic mammals, there is crime. When 14 animals disappear, Judy Hopps follows the clues to discover the plot behind the kidnappings. Jason Bateman voices Nick Wilde, a red fox con artist. Their relationship, the dynamics of various animal groups, and the message of most Disney films (“We must all work together”) could have veered into mawkishness. But Zootopia brings its animated characters to life on the screen. The mystery is clever, too. I really liked this surprising hit. GRADE: A

After David Harwell’s recent death, I thought I would honor his long and successful career as an editor by featuring one of his best anthologies: The Science Fiction Century. This 1000-page tome from 1997 displays the best science fiction of the 20th Century (in Hartwell’s opinion). Check out the Table of Contents below to see the range of stories in this massive volume. Hartwell provides informative introductions to each story and helps place it in the historical continuum of science fiction from the past century. If you’re looking for a landmark anthology, The Science Fiction Century is one of the best.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
ntroduction by David G. Hartwell
“Beam Us Home” by James Tiptree, Jr. (Galaxy Magazine, April 1969)
“Ministering Angels” by C. S. Lewis (Saturday Review of Literature, May 28, 1955)
“The Music Master of Babylon” by Edgar Pangborn (Galaxy Science Fiction, November 1954)
“A Story of the Days to Come” by H. G. Wells (Pall Mall Magazine, 1899)
“Hot Planet” by Hal Clement (Galaxy Magazine, August 1963)
“A Work of Art” by James Blish (Science Fiction Stories, July 1956)
“The Machine Stops” by E. M. Forster (Oxford and Cambridge Review, November 1909)
“Brightness Falls from the Air” by Margaret St. Clair (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, April 1951)
“2066: Election Day” by Michael Shaara (Astounding Science Fiction, December 1956)
“The Rose” by Charles L. Harness (Authentic Science Fiction Monthly #31, March 1953)
“The Hounds of Tindalos” by Frank Belknap Long (Weird Tales, March 1929)
“The Angel of Violence” by Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg (1978; translated from the Polish)
“Nobody Bothers Gus” by Algis Budrys (Astounding Science Fiction, November 1955) — Hugo nominee
“The Time Machine” by Dino Buzzati
“Mother” by Philip José Farmer (Thrilling Wonder Stories, April 1953)
“As Easy as A.B.C.” by Rudyard Kipling (The London Magazine, March 1912)
“Ginungagap” by Michael Swanwick (TriQuarterly 49, 1980) — Nebula nominee
“Minister Without Portfolio” by Mildred Clingerman (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, February 1952)
“Time in Advance” by William Tenn (Galaxy Science Fiction, August 1956)
“Good Night, Sophie” by Lino Aldani (1963, translated from the Italian in 1973)
“Veritas” by James Morrow (Synergy: New Science Fiction, Number 1, 1987)
“Enchanted Village” by A. E. van Vogt (Other Worlds Science Stories, July 1950)
“The King and the Dollmaker” by Wolfgang Jeschke (1961, translated 1970)
“Fire Watch” by Connie Willis (Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, February 1982) — Hugo & Nebula Award
“Goat Song” by Poul Anderson (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, February 1972) — Hugo & Nebula Award
“The Scarlet Plague” by Jack London (London Magazine, June 1912)
“Drunkboat” by Cordwainer Smith (Amazing Stories, October 1963)
“Another World” by J. H. Rosny aîné (1895, translated 1962)
“If the Stars Are Gods” by Gordon Eklund and Gregory Benford (Universe 4, March 1974) — Nebula Award
“I Still Call Australia Home” by George Turner (Aurealis #1, April 1990)
“Liquid Sunshine” by Alexander Kuprin (1913, translated from Russian in 1982)
“Great Work of Time” by John Crowley (Novelty, May 1989) — World Fantasy Award, Nebula nominee
“Sundance” by Robert Silverberg (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, June 1969)
“Greenslaves” by Frank Herbert (Amazing Stories, March 1965)
“Rumfuddle” by Jack Vance (Three Trips in Time and Space: Original Novellas of Science Fiction, 1973)
“The Dimple in Draco” by R. S. Richardson (Orbit 2, June 1967)
“Consider Her Ways” by John Wyndham (Sometime, Never, 1956)
“Something Ending” by Eddy C. Bertin (1971, translated 1982)
“He Who Shapes” by Roger Zelazny (Amazing Stories, January 1965) — Nebula Award
“Swarm” by Bruce Sterling (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, April 1982) — Hugo & Nebula nominee
“Beggars in Spain” by Nancy Kress (Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, April 1991) — Hugo & Nebula Award
“Johnny Mnemonic” by William Gibson (Omni, May 1981) — Nebula nominee
“Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman” by Harlan Ellison (Galaxy Magazine, December 1965) — Hugo & Nebula Award
“Blood’s a Rover” by Chad Oliver (Astounding Science Fiction, May 1952)
“Sail the Tide of Mourning” by Richard A. Lupoff (New Dimensions 5, April 1975) — Hugo & Nebula nominee