Star Trek bursts onto the screen with all kinds of action. From this breathless beginning, we follow James T. Kirk growing up as a rebellious kid and a troubled young man. Captain Christopher Pike, played with scene-stealing excellence by veteran actor Bruce Greenwood, recruits the young Kirk (Chris Pine) for Star Fleet Academy. There, Kirk meets Bones (Karl Uban), Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana), and Spock (Zachary Quinto), all well cast. There’s one incredible coincidence in the plot, but by the time it happens, you’re well into the story and will forgive anything. You’re going to love this movie! GRADE: A

Art Scott, audiophile and Emperor of DAPA-EM, posted this comment about last week’s FORGOTTEN BOOK, Fire Lake: “Whatever happened to Jonathan Valin?  For one, he became increasingly engrossed in High End Audio, and became a lead reviewer for The Absolute Sound.  Also, he self-published The RCA Bible, the definitive reference work for collectors of “Living Stereo” LPs (like me).”  Valin used his love of records, especially those “Living Stereo” collectors’ items in another Harry Stoner novel, The Music Lovers, featuring a “Living Stereo” album on the book’s cover!  In this one, Stoner is hired to find 35 vintage records that have been stolen.  Valin explores the culture of obsessive/compulsive record collecting as part of the mystery.  Once again, if you haven’t read Jonathan Valin’s Harry Stoner mysteries, you’re missing out on some great reading.

I thought Booker T. was dead. After all, I grew up listening to Booker T. and the MGs in Sixties and it has been 20 years since Booker T.’s last CD. But Potato Hole makes the wait worth it. Now backed by the Drive-By Truckers, Booker T. can still create great rock instrumentals. Neil Young plays blistering guitar on nine of the ten tracks. From the first few notes of the first song, “Pound It Out,” I knew this CD is going to be good. GRADE: A.

After correcting 100 term papers, my brain was fried so I decided to escape into a Marvel animated feature. The Ultimate Avengers tells the tale of how the Avengers were formed and features a dramatic battle with alien forces. Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow, Giant Man, Wasp, the Hulk, and, of course, Captain America don’t quite work together right off the bat. There’s the usual Marvel conflict between the superheroes. But when the chips are down…

In 1969, Simon and Garfunkel were at the height of their popularity and their powers. Most of their classic hits–“Homeward Bound,” “At the Zoo,” “Feelin’ Groovy,” Scarborough Fair,” “The Boxer,” “Mrs. Robinson,” “I am a Rock,” “The Sounds of Silence,” and “Bridge Over Troubled Waters”–were behind them. Only their breakup and solo careers loomed on the horizon. If you’re a Simon and Garfunkel fan, you’ve probably been waiting decades for this legendary performance to be released. Both singers are in fine voice, but you can barely hear the band, which may explain why it took Columbia 40 years to release this. GRADE: B

At the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, across the street from the world-famous Anchor Bar (Home of the Original Buffalo Chicken Wings), flutist Emmanuel Pahud, harpsichordist Trevor Pinnock, and cellist Johnathan Manson played a terrific concert. If you listen to Pahud’s CD of the complete Bach flute sonatas, you’ll get a good facsimile of much of what we heard. But there were a few delightful surprises. Trevor Pinnock also played Purcell’s “Suite No. 4 in A minor, Z66” and Jonathan Mansion played Bach’s “Sonata in E Major, BWV 1035” which you’ll hear in the recently released movie, The Soloist, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jamie Foxx. If these guys are performing in your area, don’t miss them!

What do you want in a Summer Action Movie? Explosions? Check. Fights? Check. Special effects? Check, check. Wolverine has all you want in a Summer Action Movie, plus Hugh Jackman. He was born to play Wolverine. I know Roger Ebert and other critics have dismissed Wolverine, but they’re wrong. I enjoyed Wolverine and you will too. GRADE: B+

During the 1980s, Jonathan Valin’s Harry Stoner private eye series scintillated readers. The novels were well-written, intelligent, and original with most of the action happening in and around Cincinnati. In Fire Lake Stoner deals with his druggie former college roommate. The murder of a motel night clerk convinces Stoner that his friend is in serious trouble which leads to Stoner taking a perilous journey into the local drug underworld. Sadly, the Harry Stoner series–The Lime Pit, Final Notice, Dead Letter, Day of Wrath, Natural Causes, Fire Lake, Extenuating Circumstances, Second Chance, The Music Lovers, Missing–are all out-of-print but they’re not forgotten by the readers who were moved by the gritty world Jonathan Valin created.