Iain Pears, best known for An Instance of the Fingerpost and a series of art mysteries like The Immaculate Deception, comes up with an entertaining cautionary tale with Arcadia. In the future, a genius mathematician named Angela Meerson invents a machine which is supposed to access parallel universes. In this dystopian future, the Earth is overcrowded with 35 billion people struggling to live. Parallel universes could solve that problem: the Government could send excess population to new worlds. But Angela thinks her machine doesn’t access parallel works; she thinks it’s a time machine. Angela destroys all of her notes and data and goes through the machine. She ends up in Europe in 1936.

Angel invents another machine, one that creates a “pocket universe.” When a young girl named Rosie accidentally enters this new world, her presence triggers unanticipated forces. The story bounces around from the future to the pocket universe–called Anterwold–to post World War II Britain. I enjoyed the characters and the importance of Story in this novel. And, as a bonus, Iain Pears throws in a murder mystery. If you’re in the mood for a clever adventure novel, Arcadia will provide hours of enjoyment. GRADE: A-

No, this is not a movie based on the Philip K. Dick classic SF novel of the same name. This Eye in the Sky is a suspenseful movie of a drone mission. Terrorists are assembled in a house that’s under observation. Helen Mirren plays the Colonel in charge of the drone mission. Alan Rickman, a British General, plays the mediator with the politicians. The chain of command is lengthy and bureaucratic. The basic moral decision is: what is acceptable collateral damage? If you have an interest in the future of warfare, Eye in the Sky shows you some astonishing technology. And some moral dilemmas. You can read Patti Abbott’s more detailed review of Eye in the Sky here. GRADE: B+

Tonight’s NCAA Men’s Basketball championship features two very good teams. North Carolina is a 2-point favorite over feisty Villanova. The 2016 Tournament provided plenty of entertainment. This Championship game should be go down to the final buzzer. My head says North Carolina but my heart says Villanova. So I’m picking Villanova to defeat the favored North Carolina team. Who do you think will win?

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