Hail, Caesar! (2016)

The Coen brothers take on the 1950s Hollywood and it’s a delightful experience.   I wouldn’t say this is their best work but it’s certainly a good film that holds true to their film making style.   George Clooney plays one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, Baird Whitlock,who is kidnapped by a secret society of Reds.   Who’s job is it to “fix” this situation but Eddie Mannix (played by Josh Brolin) who sets out to find Whitlock as well as address other problems.  The character that steals the show though is Hobie Doyle (played wonderfully by Alden Ehrenreich).  Hobie is a country bumpkin cowyboy actor that the studio decides to try and make the next big star.   Watching Hobie take direction from Ralph Finnes’ distinguished director is comedy gold.   It’s always a pleasure to see another Coen Brothers film and this is no expectation.   Grade: A-

Imajica by Clive Barker

This ambitious project must be considered Barker’s grand magnum opus.   It’s insanely good and as wild as a story can get.   The main character is John Furie Zacharias also known as “Gentle”.   He’s basically a wizard (or Maestro) that doesn’t realize it because his mind has been wiped.   During the course of the story he learns who he is and it’s his destiny to bring about the Reconciliation of Earth.   Earth is the Fifth dominion of five Dominions or parallel worlds making up the Imajica.   Earth long ago was separated from the others.   Gentle hopes to reconnect Earth and in essence return magic and wonder to its people.  The book is jammed with explorations on Gender, Sex, God, Resurrection and so much more.  It’s fantasy of the highest order.   It’s world building brilliance.  And like most of Barker’s work, it contains fantastic characters with many of the same issues.  The love story is complex and at times you’re not quite sure if even the characters know what they want.   If you like Clive Barker and his brand of storytelling then this is a must read.   If you want your epics to contain lots of battles and you want the worlds to be populated with typical monsters than this might not be for you.   It’s a constantly evolving work of imagination and a rewarding read.   I loved it and would love to see HBO or Netflix bring it to life as a series for adults.   Probably won’t happen but it would be cool.   Grade: A-

Deep Space Nine (Season 2)

It’s pretty much what you’d expect from a returning season of a well-produced Star Trek show.  The producers improve upon what they set up in the first season, expand the character arcs and build on the universe they’ve created.  The best episodes are: Cardassians (with a Cardassian boy who was raised by Bajorans), Second Sight (a Sisko love story), Armageddon Game (an excellent mystery with O’Brien and Bashir being killed for helping rid a dangerous weapon), Paradise (Sisko and O’Brien are prisoners on a planet without technology), Blood Oath (Dax and a trio of Klingons seek out to kill an evil Klingon out of revenge), Crossover (an alternate universe story where the Klingons and Cardassians rule the Universe), and Tribunal (where O’Brien is taken prisoner and must face charges of crimes against Cardassians).  In fact there really aren’t any bad episodes.  My least favorite was probably Melora but that’s only because Bashir the lover boy gets on my nerves.  Overall a good second season for a show I think is on par with Next Generation.  Grade: A-

Tinkers by Paul Harding

There’s a reason this small little book won the Pulitzer.  The writing is fantastic.  Harding explores a dying man’s memory of his father, a poor man with epilepsy who is driven away from his family.  The two narratives are beautifully rendered and to think so much life can be crafted in such a small book.  It really is a remarkable accomplishment.  As a father I couldn’t help but reflect on the themes this story evoke and I can’t recommend this one enough.  Grade: A

Ash Vs. the Evil Dead (Season 1)

Bruce Campbell is back playing his most famous creation, Ash.  Except instead of a two-hour sequel to Army of Darkness we’re treated to an entire television series.  Does it work?  Yes.  And no.   It does have the same comedic gore factor that made the original Evil Dead 2 and 3 work but at the same time when the point of view diverts away from Ash it feels like you’re missing something.  Also what the producers and writers are trying to do with Ash in this show is expand and make him an even more interesting character, which is fine, but I don’t think they succeeded that much.  Maybe Season 2 will work better.  I will say though when it’s working it is great.  When it’s not it does feel forced and not that funny.   You have to see it if you like the films but if you’re not a fan, still give it a go, but you’ll probably not appreciate the style.  Grade: B

The Revenant (2015)

Never has a film felt like it was made just so its star could win an Oscar for acting.  Don’t get me wrong, this is a good film but what’s at its heart is Leo.  The very last moment seems to dare the Academy to refuse him his first Oscar.  Considering that this year seems kind of ho-hum for male performances, I suspect Leonardo DiCaprio will win.  But as for the film itself, it’s a pretty simple story with the kind of remarkable scope that only a director like Alejandro Inarritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki can create, breath taking in its capture of the wild and in the rawness of survival.   If it weren’t for the technical aspects of this film it might not be as regarded.  It’s a revenge film and I don’t feel like it really said anything about revenge or gave any new perspectives.  Ultimately the aspect that didn’t work for me is that it lacked story development.  Sure it jolts you into the story right away but when you have flash backs, and a chance to really delve into Hugh Glass’ relationship with his son and those he is tracking, you’re instead met with a vague dream.  I also feel like Mr. DiCaprio might not have been the best choice for this role.  He has the acting chops, certainly, but I never really believed he was a father.   Still the camping-trip-caught-on-film is worth seeing because it is a beautifully made and Leo is very intense.  (Yes, I think he does a good job, I just don’t think a millionaire running around in the freezing cold and using other method acting tricks automatically defines “greatness” in acting.)   You will be thrilled and its cinematography will amaze you.   Will the ending satisfy you?   That depends.  For me, not so much.  Grade: B+

The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

This is the first book of the Wheel of Time not completely written by Robert Jordan (although from my understanding Mr. Sanderson had a huge support system, chunks of manuscript to work with and lots of detailed notes).  Brandon Sanderson does a pretty terrific job.  He actually compliments Jordan’s style and voice quite well even if you can tell someone else is writing (which is completely fine).  To know that this epic tome will have an end is wonderful and this first part of the conclusion gives me a lot of hope.  First it’s very entertaining.  The best story line deals with Egwene al'Vere as she lives as a prisoner in the White Tower but continues to fight for the right to be the true Amyrlin.  And then there’s Rand’s main plot that grows to a moment that is impressive if a bit of a stretch.  Still this is all very good.  A lot is going to happen and I can’t see how it unfolds.  Grade: A