Movie Review - Lupin the 3rd: The First

Lupin the 3rd is an interesting manga and anime. It's been around for half a century and has had so many different interpretations for different age groups (everything from family friendly to mature adults only) and yet has not changed its essence or even style. And there have been so many adaptions from TV series to movies to live action movies to the most recent cgi film. The most modern and recent versions look very similar to the original. What other franchises can claim this?

Lupin the 3rd: The First is a 2019 cgi action adventure Japanese film. It is unrated, contains action and mild violence, and is appropriate for tweens and up.

The Good

Characters. The characters in this film are true to the versions we've been enjoying for the past half century, and they're still interesting.

Action. The movie had tons of action. It's really well done and all of it advances the story and is fun to watch.

Visuals. This film looks really nice. The characters look just how you would expect them to look, the scenery is well designed, and the cinematography is well done with a lot of movement and different angles to keep things interesting.

The Bad

Concept. This is another film about former Nazis looking for a superweapon to resurrect the Third Reich yada yada yada. It's a very tired concept that while well done in this film is still a tired concept.

What I Would Like To Have Seen

A more original concept.

Overall

Lupin the 3rd: The First is a 2019 cgi action adventure Japanese film. It is unrated, contains action and mild violence, and is appropriate for tweens and up. The characters are classic and are true to the versions fans have been enjoying for half a century. The movie had tons of action. It's really well done and all of it advances the story and is fun to watch. This film looks really nice. The characters look just how you would expect them to look, the scenery is well designed, and the cinematography is well done with a lot of movement and different angles to keep things interesting. The main negative is the concept. This is another film about former Nazis looking for a superweapon to resurrect the Third Reich yada yada yada. It's a very tired concept that while well done in this film is still a tired concept. I recommend this film give it 4 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

     

 

Book Review - No Sunscreen for the Dead (a Serge Storms novel) by Tim Dorsey

Whenever Audible has sales, I take a chance and try out books from authors I've never heard of or series I know nothing about. Sometimes I find gems and sometimes I find something better left in the pasture.

No Sunscreen for the Dead by Tim Dorsey is a comedy adventure spy book in the Serge Storms series. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Humor. This book isn't laugh out loud funny or filled with jokes, but its humor comes from the tone and absurd ideas Serge comes up with to help other people. If only he were a real person.

Story. The story is really strong with great characters, a strong plot, unusual takes on situations I've heard numerous times, and a great pace.

The Bad

...

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the officials hadn't been portrayed quite so silly and I wish the bad guys at the end has been more competent.

Overall

No Sunscreen for the Dead by Tim Dorsey is a comedy adventure spy book in the Serge Storms series. The story is really strong with great characters, a strong plot, unusual takes on situations I've heard numerous times, and a great pace. This book isn't laugh out loud funny or filled with jokes, but its humor comes from the tone and absurd ideas Serge comes up with to help other people. If only he were a real person. If not for the incompetent FBI and intelligence characters and the less than competent and menacing bad guys, this would be a perfect story. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

  

 

Movie Review - Tenet

It's nice to have new movies in theaters again, even if they aren't the films I was excited to see.

Tenet is a 2020 science fiction espionage film. It is rated PG-13 for language and violence and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

Entertaining. Despite its flaws, this movie is very entertaining and I enjoyed myself up to the end.

Robert Pattinson. I'm not a big fan of this actor, but he did a great job in this film adding much needed levity and rationality to an otherwise confusing and somewhat tense film where everyone else acts oh so seriously.

Unique Take on Time Travel. I'm sure this isn't an original take on time travel, but it's the first time I've seen or read it, so it was a nice change. It wasn't necessarily that clever, and I don't see people copying it like they did Star Wars or The Matrix, but it helped make the film more entertaining.

Not A Video Game. Christopher Nolan likes to do as much of the film in camera and with practical effects as possible, and it is really refreshing to watch a movie and not a video game (where most of the movie is created digitally).

The Bad

Protagonist. The protagonist in this film is very boring and not especially likeable. His character is never developed, and he doesn't do anything to make him especially heroic.

Pacing. Christopher Nolan has a bad habit of using a constant pace in all his films--the same pace for exposition as for action scenes. While it's fast enough it never drags, it also never has you at the edge of your seat.

Poor Storytelling. The plot and concept of the film is very simple. It's the poor storytelling that purposely obfuscates information and what is going on that is complicated--a contrived, forced complication.

Twist was Not So Twisty. All the twists and reveals being very meh, because the concept was pretty simple.

No Suspense. There was not a single instance in this film when I felt the protagonists might have a chance of losing, so there was never any real suspense or peril.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I would have loved to have better action scenes, more suspense, and a more clever use of the unique concept. There are so many places the filmmakers could have gone, and they picked the most obvious ones.

Overall

Tenet is an entertaining science fiction espionage film. It offers a unique take on time travel, Rob Pattinson is an interesting character, and it's so nice to see a film and not a video game (meaning Christopher Nolan likes to do as much of the film in camera and with practical effects as possible, while most other movies rely too heavily on digital effects). Unfortunately, John David Washington is a very boring protagonist who is never developed and never does anything especially heroic, the pacing is very metered, the twists are not very clever, and there is never a moment you don't think the good guys will win. The plot and concept of the film is very simple. It's the poor storytelling that purposely obfuscates information and what is going on that is complicated--a contrived, forced complication. I would have loved to have better action scenes, more suspense, and a more clever use of the unique concept. There are so many places the filmmakers could have gone, and they picked the most obvious ones. I give this film 3 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

  

 

Book Review - The Unknown by Brett Battles (Jonathan Quinn, Book 14)

I accidentally stumbled upon the Jonathan Quinn series and have loved each and every one of them. The past few books seemed to have lost a little magic with so many major characters having been killed in previous books, that I was afraid the series was on an unchangeable path downward. Then the 14th book was published.

The Unknown (Jonathan Quinn, Book 14) by Brett Battles is a spy thriller. It is available as an eBook, audio book, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Shift of Direction. The main ideas of this series is Jonathan Quinn is hired to clean up bodies after an assassination. That was interesting for about three books, and then the author realized he needed to go in a different direction. The last few books have focused on dealing with the aftermath of several main characters dying. While those deaths made for shocking endings, the series didn't seem to know where to go from there. But this book put it back on a great path with a different type of mission that fits in the world Brett Battles created.

Story. The story is solid. The characters are well developed. The adventure is well constructed. Nothing felt like it was coming out of left field or was a cheat. It is well paced and held my attention the whole time. I'm excited to read the next book.

Action. The action was really exciting and didn't feel like a repeat of what's come before.

SciFi Element. These stories are fairly grounded and realistic. The scifi element introduced is something very far into the future, and yet the way it was introduced and handled made it feel like it fit.

The Bad

...

What I Would Like to Have Seen

...

Overall

The Unknown (Jonathan Quinn, Book 14) by Brett Battles is a spy thriller that pulls you in from the first page and doesn't let go until the last. All my favorite characters (minus the ones who've died in previous books) were back as was The Office, the black ops government agency involved in questionable cloak and dagger required for every spy thriller. The action is exciting, the scifi element was used in a believable way for this otherwise realistic world, and the story was very enjoyable and well structured. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 eReaders.

     

 

Movie Review - Mission: Impossible – Fallout

I loved the first Mission Impossible film with Tom Cruise, then the second and third happened and I figured the franchise was over. Then the next two were actually good and got me excited again.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is a 2018 action adventure film based on the Mission: Impossible tv series. It is rated PG-13 for violence and language and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

Action. What's amazing about Tom Cruise is he does his own stunts, and the things you see on the screen are practical versus the CGI everyone else relies on. It's so nice to see real stunts. And these were pretty amazing.

Story. This movie had a lot more story than most Mission: Impossible flicks. It delivered twist after twist after twist and all of them made sense and were fairly grounded. All of them I saw coming, but they were still enjoyable.

The Bad

Pacing. This movie is 2 1/2 hours long, and it feels like it's 2 1/2 hours long.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish this movie had been as entertaining as the last two. I'm not sure what was different, but something was.

Overall

Mission: Impossible – Fallout was an exciting action flick with incredible stunt work and a much more elaborate, grounded story than I was expecting. While it contained all the action and troupes you expect from the series, it was different enough that I didn't feel like it was just another movie churned out of the same mold. I give this film 3.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

   

Book Review - Dogs of War: A Joe Ledger Novel by Jonathan Maberry

I picked up this book on a sale. As I read it, the names of the characters seemed awfully familiar. Then I realized I had read an earlier book in the series. The fact I didn't immediately recognize the series and characters had me worried that this book would be equally unmemorable.

Dogs of War: A Joe Ledger Novel is a science fiction, action, techno thriller by Jonathan Maberry. It's available in all formats: eBooks, Audiobooks, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Ray Porter. I know I sound like a broken record, but Ray Porter's narration was the number one reason I picked this up, and it was the best part of the story. He was at the top of his game giving each character such a unique voice and putting so much emotion into his performance.

Science. I love the edge of reality--it's such a fun place for science fiction to play--and this novel had much cutting edge and experimental science. Some of it like nanotech has been overdone, but others such as the unique use of disease and the novel designs of drones were a lot of fun.

References. This book is number 9 in the series and ties up events from the previous eight novels. I've only read two books in this series, but that was okay, because the author does an excellent job of summarizing events from previous books with enough detail that newcomers can follow it, but not so thoroughly that fans will get bored.


Ties Up The Series. This book takes most of the events from previous novels and ties them up into one giant conspiracy. Being a conspiracy theory fan, I really appreciated and enjoyed that. And it was done in a very logical, unforced way which I also appreciated. 

Great Villains. This book had some really great villains, all of them very different, and all explored sufficiently to make them interesting.

The Bad

Unoriginal Threats. This is a doomsday book with one group plotting to destroy the world for their own benefit. They use the usual back of tricks--disease, nanotech, robots, and AI. Some of it was novel, but a lot of it was pretty standard and a little stale.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I enjoyed the story, but I wish it hadn't been quite so predictable and taken all the obvious turns. I wish it had surprised me.

Overall

Dogs of War: A Joe Ledger Novel is an exciting science fiction conspiracy thriller about a small group with extensive resources using cutting edge science to destroy the world for their benefit and an elite government black ops team who fights to stop them. If that setup sounds familiar, the way it plays out won't surprise you. It's fun, it's exciting, it's incredibly well read, but nothing I haven't seen before. I give it 4 out of 5 eReaders.

    

Movie Review: Snowden

I remember when the story of Edward Snowden broke, I wasn't at all surprised. I guess I'm just cynical, but I assumed the government had been illegally spying on everyone and collecting information they had no right to possess for decades. What I was surprised at was how callous and flippant the government was in its response. There was no embarrassment or attempt to conceal what they were doing. They just smiled, said it was for everyone's good, and kept doing it.

Snowden is a 2016 historical thriller drama based on actual events. It's rated R for some harsh language and brief nudity and is appropriate for teenagers and up.

Overview

This film tells the story of Edward Snowden, an employee/consultant for the CIA and other US intelligence agencies, who discovered the US was spying on its citizens and the citizens of other countries without following legal search procedures and exposed it resulting in his exile to Russia.

The Good

Acting/Casting. This movie was really well cast with each actor and actress doing an excellent job of creating memorable characters that I found myself caring about either positively or negatively.

Storytelling. This movie presents its message very clearly in a very linear fashion. It begins with Snowden's loyalty and love of country and desire to serve and shows that love challenged by revelation after revelation. The explanations to cover up the apparent problems are clearly laid out and then clearly shown to be lies. The viewer understands what is going on in Snowden's mind and all the conflicts he is dealing with.

Not Heavy Handed. This subject would be very easy to take a heavy-handed approach with, but I didn't feel it was so biased it hurt the film. The filmakers' personal view that the military industrial complex and greed are the root of the corruption is very clear,  but I didn't feel they hit me over the head with it. They also didn't blame a single political party, but showed both parties were involved and guilty.

The Bad

Pacing. This movie was over two hours long, and it felt like it was over two hours long.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish I knew how much of this was actually true and how much was exaggerated or even invented.

Overall

Snowden is a well-told dramatization of actual events that affect everyone on this planet. The writing, acting, and storytelling were all excellent expressing a very clear message. While the story did drag in spots and the movie felt like it was over two hours long, I still give this film a solid 4.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

 

Book Review: Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz

I've enjoyed spy thriller stories and action adventures since I first saw them parodied on Saturday Morning cartoons. I saw my first James Bond flick at a younger age than I probably should have. In the last few years I've become a voracious reader of crime comic books like Criminal, Sin City, and Whiteout: Melt and crime/spy thriller novels such as The Dispatcher, The Wheelman, and Johnathan Quinn. So when I saw Orphan X was on sale and and was narrated by Scott Brick, I got pretty excited expecting to discover another great writer.

Orphan X is an adventure spy thriller written by Gregg Hurwitz. It's available in all formats: eBooks, Audiobooks, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

Overview

Orphan X is the story of an ex-government-trained assassin who left because of moral objections and personal loss. He now spends his time and uses his skills to help those who have no one else to turn to. But the government is not content to just "let him go".

The Good

Writing. The writing is good. The author does an excellent job of painting each scene in the readers' minds and making the action come alive. He also spends sufficient time developing each character so the readers understand who they are and what motivates them.

Cover story. This book contains a minor subplot which is basically the protagonist's cover as an ordinary man so his enemies can't find him. The characters and minor conflicts from bullies at school to an assistant DA who is targeted by organized crime to the home owners' association and their bizarre rules are probably the most entertaining and interesting parts of the novel.

The Bad

Characters. The main characters are well developed, but none of them are interesting. The minor characters who are part of the protagonist's cover are the most compelling, but unfortunately they have little page time. The main character, the villains, the victims, are all shallow and one-dimensional. They look like the author saw a crime triller or read a spy novel and said, "That was cool! I want to write that." And did.

Motivation. The motivation for the characters is pretty prosaic and tired. The main character is pretty bland and generic and sounds like dozens of other action heroes. The victims are all minorities with the stereotypical problems of minorities from domestic disputes to immigration concerns and debt. Not a single one is memorable. The villains are little more than the mustached bad guy of mellow dramas tying someone to the train, only they have much better and cooler tech than a steam-powered locomotive. Again, this feels like a bad remake of shows and books I've seen and read before.

Twist. This novel is supposed to have a twist at the climax, but it's something that a reader with even half a brain saw coming from before the middle of the book. In fact, it's the only answer that actually makes sense, because the author neglected to offer any even semi-likely alternatives.

Surprise Ending. I think the end was meant to be a shocker and a twist with the unexpected reveal, but the character involved wasn't interesting enough for me to care, and having a character fake his death only to reappear happens in almost every spy or crime thriller if it lasts very long.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the author would have done something original and interesting with the main story. He tries to make Orphan X seem all powerful and clever, but nothing he does is different than what every other version of this character does. The story itself is supposed to be intense and filled with intrigue and twists, but instead it's the same ride I've taken many, many times with each twist an expected and overused turn. Which is a shame, because the author is a good writer with talent, just not much imagination or originality.

Overall

Orphan X is a competent book that is entertaining but nothing special. This is the first in a series I have no desire to read. One was enough. I don't regret reading it, but I'm not going to waste my time or money reading anymore. I give it a 3.5 out of 5 eReaders.