The 3-0 Mighty Miami Dolphins hung 70 points on the Denver Broncos last week. This week Miami faces the 2-1 Buffalo Bills in a game that may come down to who scores last. The Bills are 2 1/2 point favorites. How will your favorite NFL team do today?
Flora and Son is a 2023 musical comedy-drama film written and directed by John Carney, featuring original songs by Carney and Gary Clark. The film stars Eve Hewson, Jack Reynor, Orén Kinlan, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. John Carney is best known for his films Once, Begin Again, and Sing Street.
Flora, a struggling single mother living in Dublin, is having trouble with her estranged son Max, a rebellious teenage petty thief. Flora finds Max a hobby when she rescues an old guitar and, with the help of a Los Angeles-based online guitar teacher, ignites a love of music-making in both her son and herself.
Eve Hewson plays Flora as a feisty, kick-ass woman who struggles with her role of mother. Flora has always been a rebel and that attitude has rubbed off on her teenage son, Max. But, together, mother and son find common ground to build a productive and loving relationship through working together by song writing.
My only quibble is that for a movie based on music, the actual songs in this movie seemed weak to me. Nothing memorable, nothing stirring. While the actors and story line are first-rate, the music is not. Worth watching for the scenes in Dublin, too! GRADE: B+
If you love vintage paperbacks and digest magazines as much as I do, you’ll really enjoy the latest issues of Justin Marriott’s Paperback Fanatic and Richard Krauss’s The Digest Enthusiast!
Paperback Fanatic arrives in a new larger format. If you love paperback cover artwork, Paperback Fanatic features over a 100 covers that accompany the articles delving into the history of paperbacks and paperback writers. There’s also a broad range of information for just about every paperback collector’s interest. Here’s just an abbreviated list of the articles in this new issue:
Paperback news, reviews, columns, interviews, and articles on vintage paperbacks makes Paperback Fanatic an invaluable resource. I particularly enjoyed Justin Marriott’s “The Unforgotten: British Writer Andrew Garve.” I’ve read several of Garve’s crime and thriller novels, but after reading Justin’s informative article, I want to read more!
The Digest Enthusiast emulates the digest magazine format it celebrates. Here’s a sample of what you’ll find inside this latest issue:
Steve Carper uncovers the history of the highly collectable Handi-Books and their indie publisher James Louis Quinn.
Anthony Perconti tackles DC’s Blue Ribbon Digests—1981’s Best Comics Stories and Jonah Hex.
Howard Browne’s baby, Fantastic, graduates from quarterly to bi-monthly status in our close examination of a foundational year: 1953 part one.
Tom Brinkmann peels off a visual survey of pin-up sensation Jeanne Carmen’s digest and magazine résumé in a Bad Mags Extra!
Peter Enfantino cracks open 1956 (part one) with an inside look at Manhunt, the gold-standard of detective fiction digests.
Robert A.W. Lowndes proves himself a giant of the digests in a behind-the-scenes overview of his decade with Health Knowledge, along with our exclusive, contextual publication grid.
Reviews of RAWL’s gateway digest into Health Knowledge, Exploring the Unknown No. 1 and Startling Mystery Stories No. 3.
A jam-packed edition featuring over a 100 magazine covers; new fiction by John M. Kuharik and Robert Snashall, illustrated by Brad W. Foster and Michael Neno; cartoons by Bob Vojtko; and more.
164 pages, published in color and b&w print editions, and Kindle, by Larque Press LLC.
Both of these wonderful publications deserve our support! I bought both The Paperback Fanatic and The Digest Enthusiast on AMAZON. GRADE: A (for both)
I own several CD collections that collect a band’s singles so I decided to listen to a couple of them last week. The Pretenders: The Singles (1987) includes the singles released before the mid-1980s. “Brass in Pocket,” “Talk of the Town,” and “Back On the Chain Gang” still sound great. Surprisingly, I had not heard the version of “I Got You Babe” with Chrissie Hynde and UB40. Chrissie Hynde sparkles in the Official Music Video on Youtube!
The Police: Every Breath You Take: The Singles (1986) includes the hit singles that made The Police an international rock band. “Roxanne,” “Message in a Bottle,” “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” “Every Breath You Take,” and “Wrapped Around Your Finger” dominated the early part of the 1980s.
The Police’s final studio album, Synchronicity (1983), was No. 1 in the UK, Canada, Australia, Italy and the US, selling over 8 million copies in the US. Its lead single, “Every Breath You Take”, became their fifth UK Number One hit, and their only US Number One. Of course, Sting had a dozen Top 40 hits as a solo artist. Sting, with the assistance of Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart, hit Number One with 1994’s “All for Love” from the movie The Three Musketeers. Do you remember these singles? Any favorites? GRADE: A (for both)
TRACK LIST:
| The Pretenders | Stop Your Sobbing | ||
| The Pretenders– | Kid | ||
| The Pretenders– | Brass In Pocket | ||
| The Pretenders– | Talk Of The Town | ||
| The Pretenders– | I Go To Sleep | ||
| The Pretenders– | Day After Day | ||
| The Pretenders– | Message Of Love | ||
| The Pretenders– | Back On The Chain Gang | ||
| The Pretenders– | Middle Of The Road | ||
| The Pretenders– | 2000 Miles | ||
| The Pretenders– | Show Me | ||
| The Pretenders– | Thin Line Between Love And Hate | ||
| The Pretenders– | Don’t Get Me Wrong | ||
| The Pretenders– | Hymn To Her | ||
| The Pretenders– | My Baby | ||
| UB40 With Chrissie Hynde– | I Got You Babe |
TRACK LIST:
| Roxanne | 3:10 | ||
| Can’t Stand Losing You | 2:47 | ||
| Message In A Bottle | 4:49 | ||
| Walking On The Moon | 5:01 | ||
| Don’t Stand So Close To Me ’86 | 4:48 | ||
| De Do Do Do De Da Da Da | 4:07 | ||
| Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic | 4:20 | ||
| Invisible Sun | 3:43 | ||
| Spirits In The Material World | 2:57 | ||
| Every Breath You Take | 4:12 | ||
| King Of Pain | 4:57 | ||
| Wrapped Around Your Finger | 5:13 |
Kevin Wilson’s short story collection features a wide array of characters and situations. My favorite story in Baby, You’re Gonna Be Mine (2018) is “Wildfire Johnny” where the main character has an item that allows him to go back in time 24 hours. How he uses that power will surprise you.
The title story, “Baby, You’re Gonna Be Mine,” opens with a phone call to Gina from her son, Adam, her only son. “All of our equipment got stolen, Mom.” Adam is in a struggling band and now he’s coming home to live with his mother. Very awkward.
Kevin Wilson can also creep the reader out with a story like “A Signal to the Faithful” where a young boy, Edwin, passes out during his role as altar boy during a Mass. Edwin is approached by Father Naylon to assist at the funeral mass for his beloved Aunt at a rural town in Kentucky. The priest convinces Edwin’s mother to allow Edwin to travel with him. Despite his fainting problem, Edwin accompanies Father Naylon on the overnight journey with some dire consequences.
Kevin Wilson writes quirky stories that explore the strange aspects of Life and Love. If you’re in the mood for some bizarre stories full of dark humor and surprises, give Baby, You’re Gonna Be Mine a try. GRADE: B
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Scroll through the weapons — 1
Housewarming — 21
Wildfire Johnny — 39
A visit — 83
A signal to the faithful — 109
Sanders for a night — 147
No joke, this is going to be painful — 165
Baby, you’re gonna be mine — 183
The horror we made — 217
The lost baby — 235
Acknowledgements — 271
Mrs. Doubtfire: The Musical takes the concept of a male actor pretending to be a woman and blends it with a dysfunctional family. Forget the movie version of Mrs. Doubtfire if you go to see this musical.
“Mrs. Doubtfire is a musical based on the 1993 film of the same name, which in turn is based on the 1987 novel Alias Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine, with music and lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick and a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell. The musical is set in the city of San Francisco, California.”
Rob McClure reprises his Tony-nominated Broadway performance on tour alongside co-star (and real wife!) Maggie Lakis in this musical. MRS. DOUBTFIRE tells the story of an out-of-work actor whose antics lead to his wife divorcing him. He transforms himself into a female nanny persona so he can be with his kids every day. Plenty of silliness and slapstick humor results. Set the bar low and you’ll enjoy this energetic musical. GRADE: B+
MUSICAL NUMBERS:
| Act I “What’s Wrong with This Picture” – Lydia, Miranda, Daniel, Ensemble “I Want to Be There” – Daniel “Make Me a Woman” – Daniel, Andre, Frank, Ensemble “What the Hell” – Lydia, Natalie, Christopher “The Mr. Jolly Show” – Mr. Jolly, Ensemble “Easy Peasy” – Daniel, Ensemble “The Mr. Jolly Show” (Reprise) – Mr. Jolly, Ensemble” About Time” – Daniel “Rockin’ Now” – Daniel, Frank, Andre, Lydia, Christopher, Natalie, Ensemble | Act II “Entr’acte” – Orchestra “The Shape of Things to Come” – Miranda, Female Ensemble “Big Fat No” – Stuart, Daniel, Male Ensemble “Let Go” – Miranda “Clean Up This Mess” – Danie “Playing with Fire” – Wanda, Ensemble “He Lied to Me” – Flamenco Singer, Flamenco Dancers “Just Pretend” – Daniel, Lydia “As Long as There Is Love” – Full Company |
I’ve enjoyed Julie Schumacher’s clever and snarky novels about the English Department at Payne University (where students wear T-shirts with PAYNE U: WHERE EDUCATION HURTS). Schumacher captures the chaos and wackiness of the current academic scene. Dear Committee Members (you can read my review here), where the English Department is in turmoil, and The Shakespeare Requirement (you can read my review here), where the English Department is under siege by the Machiavellian head of the wealthy Economics Department, Roland Gladwell. Gladwell plans to gut the English Department and take over their offices and conference rooms. Typical academic turf war!
I once took a trip to New York City with two other faculty members and a dozen students to visit Wall Street and other sites with business connections. It was a nightmare. One student stayed out all night and showed up in the morning dazed and confused from the alcohol and drugs he enjoyed during his binge. We had to sober him up and I had to put him on a train back to Buffalo.
Beleaguered head of the English Department, Professor Jason Fitger, gets pressured by the Dean (or face budget cuts) to accompany a group of students for a three-week tour of England. The students all have issues: one young woman has never been away from her cat before. There’s a student with a juvenile detention record. A pair of artistic twins. A couple who have broken up and remain unreconciled with the predictable awkwardness of the situation. And, of course, the student who thought he was going to the Caribbean and only packed T-shirts, shorts, and sun screen.
It doesn’t help that Fitger hates England. Fitger’s ex-wife (and her possible lover, Thor) cause Fitger to reevaluate his decisions about his life. For a rollicking adventure in England with plenty of laughs, give The English Experience a try. GRADE: B+
The 1-1 Buffalo Bills travel to Washington, D.C. to take on the 2-0 Commanders and Tropical Storm Ophelia. The Bills are favored by 6 1/2 points but the wind and the rain may affect the game. How will your favorite NFL team do today?
If you’re a fan of the John Wick series, you’re going to be disappointed with this prequel to the saga where we’re supposed to learn more about the history of The Continental hotel for assassins.
This 3-episode series is in the 1970s during the middle of a labor strike that leaves New York City overflowing with garbage–an apt metaphor for these shallow and sordid 90-minute duds. The Continental starts with story of how a young Winston Scott (Colin Woodell) winds up fighting for his life after his brother Frankie (Ben Robson) steals something valuable from assassin hotel.
Despite featuring some High Table villains like the masked Adjudicator (Katie McGrath) and eerie sharpshooters Hansel (Mark Musashi) and Gretel (Marina Mazepa), The Continental’s big villain is the disappointing Mel Gibson as Cormac, the New York hotel’s manager. Sure, the body count is high, but this series just doesn’t have class of the institution it’s supposed to be about. GRADE: C-
Mary Kelly (no relation) is best known for her Inspector Brett Nightingale and Hedley Nicholson series of mysteries. But as Martin Edwards points out in his informative Introduction, Mary Kelly was a dynamic writer for decades. She won the Golden Dagger Award for The Spoilt Kill in 1961.
Due to a Death (1962) features a blood-covered narrator named Agnes who is trapped in a loveless marriage, flashbacks that influence the investigation of the murder of a young girl, and a mysterious stranger new to the quaint English village where a murderer lurks.
Classic British Library Crime Classics deserves praise for reprinting this innovative and suspenseful mystery novel. GRADE: B+