After the producers of The Closer launched Major Crimes, I wasn’t sure the spin-off program on TNT would succeed. But the talented cast–Mary McDonnell (Sharon Raydor), G. W. Bailey (Louie Provenza), Tony Denison (Andy Flynn), Michael Paul Chan (Michael Tao), Raymond Cruz (Julio Sanchez), Kearran Giovanni (Amy Sykes), Phillip P. Keene (Buzz Watson). and Graham Patrick Martin (Rusty Beck–held on to The Closer audience with a blend of serious and humorous episodes. I’m still a bit skeptical of the Rusty sub-plot, but most viewers seem to like it. There’s been no word as to Major Crimes being renewed for 2014, but if it is I’ll be watching.

I’ve been a fan of Daniel Silva’s books for years. His latest novel, The English Girl, features the kidnapping of the English Prime Minister’s mistress. Daniel Silva’s master spy, Gabriel Allon (whose cover is an art restorer), is racing against the clock to rescue the woman before the kidnapper’s deadline. Of course, there are plenty of twists and turns that keep the pages turning quickly. If you haven’t read any of Daniel Silva’s spy novels, The English Girl is the perfect place to start. You don’t have to read these books in order. But once you read one of Daniel Silva’s books, you’re going to want to go back and read the rest. GRADE: A

Ashton Kutcher’s resemblance to Steve Jobs is uncanny. And, for the most part, I felt like I was watching the real Steve Jobs ranting and raving and firing employees. Yes, Jobs shows Steve Jobs, warts and all. The fun part of the movie centers around Apple’s beginning in a garage (literally!). Steve Jobs’ partner, Steve Wozniak, played to perfection by Josh Gad captures the geeky spirit of Apple’s origins. Wozniak loves circuit boards and making something new. But as Apple becomes more successful, Steve Jobs gets darker and more obsessive…and less fun. Wozniak leaves Apple and shortly thereafter, Steve Jobs is fired. I found the movie well done, but limited. Not much is made of Steve Jobs’ cancer. Jobs’ introduction to the iPod is presented, but nothing about the iPhone and iPad (both fascinating stories). Jobs captures some aspects of Steve Jobs’ life, but plenty is left out. GRADE: B

While weeding my collection for a donation for SUNY at Buffalo’s George Kelley Paperback and Pulp Fiction Collection, I discovered a fistful of digest-sized Galaxy Science Fiction novels. This was a series of books that started in 1950 and continued to the Sixties (see list below). The early issues in the series were priced at 25 cents (a bargain in my book!). I reread Jack Williamson’s classic The Legion of Space and it brought back a lot of memories of space operas from the 1930s. Sure, the science is completely bogus. But the story-telling is still entertaining. If you haven’t read Jack Williamson’s high-adventure Legion of Space series, this is the place to start.
GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS:
1.1950 Eric Frank Russell. Sinister Barrier (1943)
2.1950 Jack Williamson. The Legion of Space (1947)
3.1951 Arthur C. Clarke. Prelude to Space (1951)
4.1951 S. Fowler Wright. The Amphibians (1925)
5.1951 S. Fowler Wright. The World Below (1949)
6.1951 Raymond F. Jones. The Alien (1951)
7.1951 Clifford D. Simak. Empire (1951)
8.1952 Olaf Stapledon. Odd John (1936)
9.1952 William F. Temple. Four Sided Triangle (1949)
10.1952 Jay Franklin. Rat Race (1950)
11.1952 Wilson Tucker. The City in the Sea (1951)
12.1952 Sam Merwin, Jr.. The House of Many Worlds (1951)
13.1953 John Taine. Seeds of Life (1953)
14.1953 Isaac Asimov. Pebble in the Sky (1950)
15.1953 Leslie Mitchell. Three Go Back (1932)
16.1953 James Blish. The Warriors of Day (1953)
17.1953 Lewis Padgett. Well of the Worlds (1952 in Startling Stories, March 1952)
18.1953 Edmond Hamilton. City at World’s End (1951)
19.1953 James Blish. Jack of Eagles (1952)
20.1954 Murray Leinster. The Black Galaxy (1949)
21.1954 Jack Williamson. The Humanoids (1949, expansion of “With Folded Hands…”, in Astounding Science Fiction July 1947)
22.1954 Sam Merwin, Jr.. Killer To Come (1953)
23.1954 David Reed. Murder in Space
24.1955 L. Sprague de Camp. Lest Darkness Fall (1939–1941)
25.1955 Murray Leinster. The Last Spaceship
26.1956 Lewis Padgett. Chessboard Planet
27.1956 Malcolm Jameson. Tarnished Utopia (1956, originally in Startling Stories, March 1942)
28.1957 Fritz Leiber. Destiny Times Three
29.1957 Ron Hubbard. Fear
30.1957 Fletcher Pratt. Double Jeopardy
31.1957 C.L. Moore. Shambleau
32.1957 F.L. Wallace. Address: Centauri
33.1958 Hal Clement. Mission of Gravity
34.1958 Manly Wade Wellman. Twice in Time
35.1958 Frank Riley (author) and Mark Clifton. The Forever Machine
36.1959 (236) Olaf Stapledon. Odd John (1936, second time, see above)
37.1959 (242) Raymond F. Jones. The Deviates
38.1959 (256) George O. Smith. Troubled Star
39.1959 (263) Laurence Janifer (as “Larry M. Harris”) and Randall Garrett. Pagan Passions
40.1960 (270) Poul Anderson. Virgin Planet
41.1960 (277) Philip José Farmer. Flesh (1960)
42.1960 (284) Sam Merwin, Jr.. The Sex War (1960, expansion of “The White Widows” in Startling Stories, October 1953)
43.1960 (291) Philip José Farmer. A Woman A Day (1960, expansion of “Moth and Rust” in June 1953 Startling Stories)
44.1960 (298) A. E. van Vogt, The Mating Cry (1960, revision of The House That Stood Still, 1950)
45.1961 (305) Brian Aldiss, The Male Response (1961)
46.1961 (312) Cyril Judd. Sin in Space (1952, originally as Outpost Mars)

Rick Robinson is curious about my Big Fat Book Summer Reading. I’ll be posting more Big Fat Book reviews over the coming weeks, but let me share with you The Alchemists. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the banking system, The Alchemists presents one of the clearest descriptions of how our monetary system works. But, that’s just a small part of The Alchemists. The bulk of the book addresses the world’s financial melt-down that we’re still struggling with. Neil Irwin tells his stories through three of most powerful men on the planet: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Mervyn King of the Bank of England, and Jean-Claude Trichet of the European Central Bank. Together, these three bankers kept the Western World from going off the financial cliff as the housing bubble popped in 2007. After reading The Alchemists, I’m more sympathetic toward Ben Bernanke, who I have been critical of for not doing more to improve the economy. Neil Irwin shows the powerful political forces who resist increasing the money supply (the classic Keynesian solution to a Recession/Depression). The countries who went in the opposite direction–cutting spending–find themselves in worse economic shape today. I’m sure all three of these bankers would have liked to do more to get people back to work and to get their economies growing faster, but the politicians make improvement dicey. We’re just going to have to struggle along. GRADE: A

Rick Robinson is curious about the Big Fat Books I’ve been reading this summer. Here’s the first one: Steven Moore’s The Novel weighs in at 1,013 pages! Steven Moore seemingly has read everything. After finishing The Novel I had a list of books as long as your arm that I want to read. The years 1600-1800 cover a lot of ground, but I found Moore a dependable guide through the thicket of books. If you’re remotely interested in the development of the novel, you’ll find The Novel full of history and surprises. If Steven Moore brings out another volume of The Novel (perhaps 1800-1900), I’ll buy it and read it. Steven Moore’s first book in this series, The Novel: An Alternative History, Beginnings to 1600 (2010) was a mere 704 pages. GRADE: A

When I was a kid, my favorite DC Comics super-hero was The Flash. Most of the stories turned on some scientific principle (The Flash’s secret identity is Barry Allen, a chemist). Over the years, The Flash Has morphed into a cranky super-hero. In the Justice League video series, The Flash was the character most likeLY to talk trash to his fellow super-heroes or the super-villains. But The Flash is more subdued in Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox as he tries to change the Past by going back in Time to prevent the violent murder of his mother. Good Intentions lead to complications as you veterans of Time Travel stories all know. I was surprised at the mature story-telling in this movie. It was serious and the body-count is high. If you’re a fan of DC Comics and The Flash in particular, you’ll really like this movie. GRADE: A-

Sure, King & Maxwell is Summer fluff. But I find Jon Tenney as Sean King and his partner, Michelle Maxwell (played by Rebecca Romijn) who are ex-Secret Service agents turned private eyes entertaining. Sure, there’s a high quota of silliness. But, hey, it’s Summer TV! I thought the chemistry among the characters jelled as Season One progressed. The story arc about how the politician’s assassination that got Sean King fired from the Secret Service suggests a deep conspiracy. I’ll be watching King and Maxwell if it returns next summer.

Toni Collette and Steve Carell play a couple trying to decide if they should blend their families (Carell has a pouty daughter and Collettee has a dorky son). The “family” travels to Carell’s beach house for a summer vacation. Fourteen-year-old Duncan (played ably by Liam James), Collette’s dorky son, dislikes Carell’s character (and the animosity is mutual). Hating the entire situation, Duncan finds a refuge at the Water Wizz, a local water park. The eccentric owner, played by Sam Rockwell, takes Duncan under his wing and hires him. Duncan finds his co-workers at the Water Wizz more like a real family than the people at the beach house. Although the plot is predictable, the cast carries you along to a satisfying conclusion. If you’re in the mood for a coming-of-age movie, you’ll really like The Way Way Back. GRADE: B+

Elysium is set in 2154 when the Rich have left our polluted, dying planet and reside on a super-luxurious space station. Matt Damon plays Max, a drone who decides to get to Elysium when he’s accidentially exposed to a cancerous susbstance and only has five days to live (they can cure cancer on Elysium). Jodie Foster is unconvincing as the Defense Secretary of Elysium. There’s plenty of action, but director Neil Blomkamp who directed the nifty District 9, plays it safe in Elysium. As our local movie review wrote: “Good, but not great” (borrowing from Bill Crider’s classic line). But I’m a sucker for Summer action movies so I had a fun time watching Elysium. GRADE: B+