Movie **** Star Wars – The Last Jedi (2017)
Rey fights the First Order with the unwilling help of Luke Skywalker. Well-made addition to the franchise, but the franchise, in my opinion, is sorely in the need of breaking some new ground.
Rey fights the First Order with the unwilling help of Luke Skywalker. Well-made addition to the franchise, but the franchise, in my opinion, is sorely in the need of breaking some new ground.
Careful recreation of the Stephen King classic that made us all afraid of clowns.
Fun Tony Stark interaction trumps thwarting the Vulture.
Excellent origin story that’s more fun than the Nazi antagonist plot. Would have liked more of Diana’s amazement at life off her island of Amazons.
Surprisingly good adaptation with Emma Watson a credible Belle and Dan Stevens as Beast. No remake, however, will replace the magic of Jean Cocteau’s French 1946 classic.
Book – **** YA love story playing off Beauty and the Beast in a delightful way. A very quick read.
Well-made sci.fi. of cyber-enhanced Major, Scarlett Johansson, a created weapon. Despite controversy about the casting of Johansson in the original comic books Asian main role, she does an excellent acting job. I bought her conflict over her uncertain origins.
Power Rangers (2017) After successfully introducing the main characters and giving them their powers, their characters are lost inside the machines they do battle in, becoming another episode of Transformers.
Book – ***+ An enjoyable early fantasy by Cinda Williams Chima with a main character, Jack, who discovers himself a wizard when he stops taking the medicine that’s suppressed his latent talents his whole life.
Book – ***+ Book Three of Cinda Williams Chima’s Seven Realms series had a strong beginning and middle, but failed to wrap up the series or complicate the plot for more adventures by the end which was filled with more pageantry than plot.