Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
I had a wonderful dinner with my family back in PA. I considered saving this post until tomorrow,
but I mostly had it written anyway so here it is. I am on target this month with two TV shows,
two movies, two books, and a tiny bit of overflow. Overall this month was a pretty good
entertainment month. I dabbled in some
popular picks as well as took in some more random choices.
Warning: Although I
tried not to delve into plots too deeply, there are potential spoilers in the
reviews below. Read at your own risk.
TV Series: Daredevil:
Season 2 (2016)
As you know, I loved season 1 of Daredevil. I enthusiastically entered into season 2 only
to be a little disappointed. This season
starts with a mass murderer on the loose, gunning down rival gangs in the
city. Daredevil engages this new
vigilante, known as The Punisher, on several occasions. The Punisher is honestly the better fighter,
so he bests Daredevil a number of times but does not kill him. The resulting Punisher and Daredevil dialog
scenes with each trying to convince the other his way is better (kill vs. no
kill) are enthralling. Once again,
Marvel showed spectacular judgment in casting choices with Jon Bernthal as The
Punisher. Whenever he was on the screen,
I could not take my eyes off him. He
brought the perfect balance between cold, calculated revenge and sympathetic,
grieving father. If season 2 had been
solely about The Punisher, I think it would have again been a fantastic
season. Instead, they introduced another
character Elektra in episode 5. This was
a completely separate story involving an ancient Japanese cult trying to track
down and retrieve a powerful weapon known as the Black Sky. Unfortunately, these scenes varied between
annoying (Elektra was a brat) and boring (despite their supposed history I felt
no chemistry between Daredevil and Elektra).
Although The Punisher’s story never disappeared, Elektra’s storyline
dominates the remainder of the season. I
had to drag myself through the middle of the season, perking up when The
Punisher came to the forefront and sulking when we stuck to Elektra. There eventually is a development in the
Elektra story that suddenly makes it much more interesting. It comes way too late to salvage this season,
but it may make an interesting turn for next season. Season 2 ended with a number of open
storylines, so now I am excitedly waiting for season 3 (not scheduled until
2018). My final conclusion is watch
season 2, but be prepared to push your way through the middle.
TV Series: Stranger Things: Season 1 (2016)
If you love Stephen King, you will love this show. While it was not written and produced by
King, the Duffer brothers openly admit they were heavily influenced by his
early work. The basic premise of this
show is strange things start happening in Hawkins, Indiana and they just keep
getting stranger. People go
missing, a young girl with psychic powers shows up, a faceless monster is on
the loose, and government officials try to hide the truth from the town. The casting was well done with a few familiar
faces. The acting was great. The show had fantastic plot executed with a
pacing that was perfection. While the
first part of the series does open lot of confusing questions, the action kept
moving steadily forward filling in the blanks as it went. My attention was kept every single episode to
such an extent that I often arrived at the end without feeling like an hour had
passed. Effects were well done with
everything somehow looking like it was actually filmed in the 80s but still using
modern non-cheesy effects. It has a
thrillingly spooky and weird tone without ever becoming too scary. The end nicely wraps up all the major plot
points while still leaving a couple open threads to build Season 2. I cannot wait to see what happens next.
Movie: Inside Out (2015)
I have loved almost all of the Pixar movies, and this one is
no exception. According to this movie,
each of us has five major emotions – Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust –
that control our responses to life. Each
memory is made and colored by one of the five emotions, including some very
special “core” memories that constitute the essence of each person. When Riley, age 11, moves across the country,
she has trouble adjusting to the change and her emotions suffer some
upheaval. Previously, the command center
was under Joy’s control. Now Sadness is
struggling for power and starting to tinge previously Joy-ful memories. The struggle between the two characters ends
with both of them becoming lost in long-term memory where they are unable to
help when Riley’s core memories start to crumble. The rest of the movie shows us whether Joy
and Sadness can work together to get back to central command and save
Riley. This movie was great on a
children’s level with bright colors, funny moments, fast-paced action, and a
good message about the appropriateness to recognize all emotions. This movie was even better on an adult level
with a profound underlying theme of how emotions and memory work. I laughed and cried during it. Like other Pixar movies, it is a feel good
movie that makes you want to watch it again.
One of my favorite parts comes at the end where we are treated to a
particularly funny montage showing the emotional makeup of other character’s
command centers. Bonus material includes
an animated short about Volcano love set to catchy ukulele music. I highly recommend this whether you have
children to share it or not.
Movie: The Gift (2015)
This thriller was decidedly average. Jason Bateman was strong as the husband Simon,
a more dramatic role from his usual fare, and Joel Edgerton did a good job as
the slightly off-color old school friend Gordo.
No one else really impressed me much, particular Rebecca Hall as the
wife Robyn who was not particularly engaging despite dominating the script. The storyline was interesting, but I feel
like the plot opened a lot of questions, particularly around Robyn, that were
never answered. The whole story is based
on them moving from Chicago back to Los Angeles to salvage their marriage and make
a fresh start. We get lots of hints of
things that went wrong in Chicago, but it is never stated exactly what happened. She had a miscarriage and a drug problem, but
how were the two related, why did she seemingly lose her job over the whole
thing, and how much did her husband contributed to the situation? Once in LA, Gordo shows up, hinting at Simon’s
sinister past. We eventually learn the
details of what happened between them in high school, and are provided with
ample evidence that underneath Simon has not changed. The ending includes an appropriately creepy
plot twist that basically emphasizes that karma can be a bitch. This movie had a slightly suspenseful weird
vibe to it, but never crossed over into the intense anticipation territory and
certainly never made it to scary. I do
not necessarily consider this bad, but it might be disappointing to some who
watch the previews and expected more. My
final conclusion was this movie was fine but not great. I did not regret seeing it, but I cannot provide
a strong recommendation for it.
Book: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (2015)
I have been enjoying all the mysteries that I have been
reading lately. With all the hype
surrounding this book, I figured it was time to put this one in my reading
pile. This book gets an A for
interesting, but a C for surprising conclusion.
I have never considered myself very good at solving mysteries, but I had
this one figured out very early in the novel.
Although there was one tiny section toward the end that made me second
guess myself, ultimately I decided my first suspect was right and it was. Initially this made me feel a little
disappointed, but upon reflection I enjoyed the book. I was satisfied when we wrapped up to the bad
guy reveal and punishment. The book concept
was original, exploiting the psychology behind how we absorb the things we see
or do not see about all the strangers we pass every day. The characters, while maybe not likable
always, were definitely interesting. You
know from the first couple pages that the main narrator was a drunk who has
blackouts frequently. You know
immediately she is not going to be reliable source of storytelling. Although there is a bit of a curious onlooker
about her, she seems to genuinely be trying to help but ends up getting more
involved than she ever meant to be. The
missing girl’s story, told through flashbacks, reveals an angry and unlikable
character, who has suffered some horrible heartbreaks in her past. It does not absolve her from her actions
leading to the situation, but it at least makes her understandable. I would recommend this book. Do not read it for the twists, but enjoy it
for the interesting story.
Book: The Girls by Emma Cline (2016)
I am on a role lately of reading books that have been hyped
on the internet. This one is a
reimagining of the Charles Manson family murders in the 1960s as told by a
young girl running on the fringes of the group.
It is not a gory retelling of the actual murders, though there is some
description of the crime itself. Instead
the bulk of the novel is a probe into the teenage psyche attempting to puzzle
out the reasons why young girls are attracted to cults and participate in the
horrors that go along with that existence.
Evie is fourteen and having a rough summer. Her parents are divorced, her Dad does not
see her much, and her Mom has begun dating a string of men she does not
like. Her best friend dumps her abruptly
over a clumsy accident that angered a boy the friend likes. Evie’s own crush has a girlfriend with whom
he runs away and rumor has it impregnated.
All this leaves Evie alone wandering the city for something to do. She sees The Girls around town and becomes
infatuated with one of them Suzanne.
Suzanne represents a freedom from caring that Evie yearns to embody but
cannot. Although Evie does interact with
the cult leader, Russell, she is less concerned with him than Suzanne. I think this missed connection is why this
novel ends up more an angsty coming-of-age tale, and less a thriller. Evie does not understand why The Girls would
commit the murders for Russell any more than we do. Overall I liked it, but it definitely plays
safely around the fringes of the Manson cult instead of jumping full into the
horror.
Overflow:
TV Series: Galavant:
Season 1 (2015) – Yes. It is
perfect for those nights when you do not want
to think too hard and just laugh.
Movie: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) –
Yes. It is a classic.
Book: Managers as Mentors: Building Partnerships for Learning by Chip R.
Bell and Marshall Goldsmith (Third Edition, 2013) – Yes. There are no groundbreaking new ideas, but it
covers some basic management lessons in a well-executed manner.
See you next week!
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