Sure, this film is fluff, but it’s Shakespearean fluff. I loved this film when it first came out in 1993. Director (and actor) Kenneth Branagh was married at the time to lovely Emma Thompson. Branagh and Thompson light up the screen in this entertaining movie. The cast includes fetching Kate Beckinsale before she got involved with vampires, the pre-Matrix Keanu Reeves, and Denzel Washington. This Blu-ray version includes subtitles in English, Spanish, and French as well as a Much Ago About Nothing featurette and the original theatrical trailer. I picked up this Blu-ray version at BJ’s Warehouse for $9.99. A bargain! GRADE: A

I’ve read all of Jack McDevitt’s wonderful Alex Benedict/Chase Kolpath SF mysteries. Firebird is the latest book in the series. Benedict is a merchant in historical artifacts. Kolpath is his pilot. They’re confronted with the mystery of a missing physicist with the unlikely name of Christopher Robin. Robin was a controversial figure who insisted there were an infinite number of dimensions and he was going to find the doorway to them. Then, he disappeared. Benedict and Kolpath follow the clues and find something very unexpected. There’s also a subplot about Artificial Intelligences. If you enjoy mysteries with a science fiction twist, Firebird, and all the previous books in this series (especially the Nebula Award winner, Seeker), will give you hours of enjoyment. GRADE: B+

Spies are back in fashion. Once the Cold War ended, spies in movies and fiction fell out of favor. But now with global terrorism and financial conspiracies, spies are again a hot commodity. Tonight on PBS (check your listings for the time in your area) David Hare’s Page Eight, starring the underrated Bill Nighy, Rachel Weisz, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Ewan Bremner and Judy Davis, explores the intersection of politics and spies. Supposedly, this is the first installment of a trilogy of spy thrillers from this ensemble. Check out the trailer below.

Back in the 1970s, I read Pauline Kael’s movie reviews because they were unique. Here was a critic who really loved movies even if her tastes were a little quirky. Now the Library of America has brought out The Age of Movies, 800 pages of Pauline Kael’s reviews and articles, many of which I hadn’t read before. There’s a wonderful article in this book on Cary Grant, “The Man from Dream City.” The infamous (and wrong-headed) review of The Deer Hunter is included, too. If you’re a fan of movies and smart, sophisticated movie reviews, you’ll want a copy of The Age of Movies. Deb wrote she’s working on her holiday gift lists. I can think of a lot of friends and relatives who’d like to see a copy of Pauline Kael’s selected writings under their tree. GRADE: A

The just published Shannach–The Last Farewell to Mars collects some of Leigh Brackett’s best short fiction. As always, Haffner Press has produced an attractive package featuring a great Frank Kelly Freas cover (there’s plenty of Freas and EMSH artwork from the original magazines included, too). This 572-page tome will give you reading pleasure for hours. If you’re a Leigh Brackett fan, her previous Haffner Press collection, Lorelei of the Red Mist: Planetary Romances, is still available. Order now!
Table of Contents
“Introduction” by Anne McCaffrey
The Truants (Startling Stories Jul ’50)
The Citadel of Lost Ages (Startling Stories Dec ’50)
The Woman from Altair (Startling Stories Jul ’51)
The Shadows (Startling Stories Feb ’52)
The Last Days of Shandakor (Startling Stories Apr ’52)
Shannach—the Last (Planet Stories Nov ’52)
Mars Minus Bisha (Planet Stories Jan ’54)
Runaway (Startling Stories Spr ’54)
The Tweener (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction Feb ’55)
Last Call from Sector 9G (Planet Stories Sum ’55)
The Queer Ones (Venture Mar ’57)
All the Colors of the Rainbow (Venture Nov ’57)
The Road to Sinharat (Amazing Stories May ’63)
Purple Priestess of the Mad Moon (ss) F&SF Oct ’64)
Come Sing the Moons of Moravenn (The Other Side of Tomorrow, ed. Roger Elwood, 1973)
How Bright the Stars (Flame Tree Planet, ed. Roger Elwood, 1973)
Mommies and Daddies (Crisis, ed. Roger Elwood, 1974)
“Afterword” by Leigh Brackett

Chris Isaak grew up listen to the songs put out by Memphis’s Sun Records run by Sam Phillips. So many great artists started at Sun Records: Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis! Now, with Beyond the Sun Isaak pays homage to that classic music with a marvelous collection of Sun Records songs, some familiar and some not. I’ve always liked Chris Isaak, but most people only know him from his early hit, “Wicked Game.” Isaak is a musical chameleon. He can sing and perform in almost any style. That may have hindered his career because Isaak isn’t associated with any particular branch of music. If you love these old songs as much as I do, you’ll be delighted at the interpretations Chris Isaak gives them. And, the sound on this CD is great! Check out the video below. GRADE: A
TRACK LISTING
CD 1:
1. Ring Of Fire
2. Trying To Get To You
3. I Forgot To Remember To Forget
4. Great Balls Of Fire
5. Can’t Help Falling In Love
6. Dixie Fried
7. How’s The World Treating You
8. It’s Now Or Never
9. Miss Pearl
10. Live It Up
11. I Walk The Line
12. So Long I’m Gone
13. She’s Not You
14. My Happiness
CD 2:
1. My Baby Left Me 2:01
2. Oh, Pretty Woman 2:52
3. Doin’ The Best I Can 3:17
4. Your True Love 1:57
5. Crazy Arms 2:48
6. Lovely Loretta 2:47
7. Everybody’s In The Mood 2:16
8. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry 2:05
9. Love Me 2:45
10. Doncha’ Think It’s Time 2:04
11. That Lucky Old Sun

Chris Isaak – Beyond the Sun EPK from VanguardVideo on Vimeo.

Robert Frost, in another context, made a comment about playing tennis without a net. That’s what I felt as I pushed through The Night Circus. Yes, there’s magic on practically every page. The Night Circus is an incredible place, full of marvels. Everything is possible. And that’s the fatal flaw of fantasy fiction. Without some limits, anything can happen. And it does. Although there is a competition between two master magicians, there’s no suspense, no thrills, no tension. It’s just magical incident piled upon magical incident. The Night Circus may be the first book in a projected trilogy. I won’t be reading the rest of the series. The Night Circus has 387 pages, but it felt twice as long when I was reading it. GRADE: C

I had hoped to like Margin Call more than I did. Margin Call is loosely based on the financial meltdown at Lehman Brothers. Kevin Spacey plays a character who has been part of the firm for 34-years and who acts of the conscience of the company. Stanley Tucci’s character, who works in the Risk Management office, discovers a disturbing trend in the trades the firm is making. But before he can completely prove his case, Tucci is fired. Zachary Quinto plays another analyst who takes Tucci’s findings and tweaks them until the truth becomes evident: the firm is already in jeopardy because of their trades in toxic assets. Simon Baker (The Mentalist) and Demi Moore aren’t given much to do. Jeremy Irons shows up as the CEO who will do ANYTHING to save the firm (and his stock options). There’s a subplot about a pet that I found completely gratuitous and phony. Still, this talented cast makes the most of a weak screenplay to portray the beginning of the financial crisis. GRADE: B

I once had a film professor who exclaimed in class, “Why would any female want to read Moby Dick? There aren’t any women in the book!” Well, actually, there are. But you get the point. Once the whaling ship goes to sea, the all-male cast of characters dominates the book. Nathaniel Philbrick writes a moving tribute to Moby Dick (his favorite novel). Why Read Moby Dick? is a love letter to readers about this quirky book. I’m amazed Philbrick found someone to publish it. In these times of ebooks and neglect of the classics, Philbrick’s argument for reading Herman Melville’s odd novel is compelling. I know I wanted to drop everything and reread Moby Dick after finishing Philbrick’s insighful book. GRADE: A