#Tamlyn watches mysteries

[gaelic-diary-holder-returns]

My rankings of Sherlock Holmes inspired media by how Sherlockian they are. As in not shows about Holmes but shows but shows with leads inspired by Holmes.

Law and Order: Criminal Intent - Criminal Intent is probably the greatest American detective show ever made and lead Bobby Goran is truly on Holmes' level of weirdness and empathy. He also has the best Irene Adler inspired nemesis out of the bunch.

Holmes of Kyoto - Holmes of Kyoto reimagines the Sherlock Holmes premise to the Japanese art world but retains a lot of what makes the original interesting.

Lord El Melloi’s Case Files - While an interesting take on a fantasy world Sherlock Holmes, Waver and his assistant are too tied to greater Fate franchise to really be too much like Holmes and Watson.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - CSI season one was apparently supposed to be modeled on Holmes lore but despite it's focus on empirical evidence Grisham is much too unique to really qualify as a Sherlock based character

Case Closed - While Case Closed really enjoys trying to call itself a Sherlock Holmes inspired story, It takes most of it's inspiration from the Agatha Christie style of detective fiction.

[gaelic-diary-holder-returns]

Honestly though if people like Simon Templar or Perry Mason were real the tabloids would have a field day with them, so I think in the context of the genre it makes perfect sense.

my favorite thing about the mystery genre is that we all accept the concept of "world famous detective" without hesitation even though that is absolutely not a real category of celebrity

[silveragelovechild]

FIFTEEN COMMENTS ABOUT “BABYLON 5 - THE GATHERING”

1. “Babylon 5” was a 1990s scifi series created, written and produced by J. Michael Straczynski.

2. It’s often compared to “Star Trek Deep Space Nine” which ran about the same time, but in my opinion, B5 is by far the better series - with complex characters and a weaving storyline.

3. The show pioneered the use of CGI for spaceships and special effects. While not as defined as we see today, I think they holdup pretty well.

4. I understand that back in the day, new viewers found it hard to keep track of Babylon 5’s the complex plot, but I think it’s perfect for modern audiences used to streaming and binge watching.

5. The TV movie “The Gathering” (1993) was a pilot for the proposed series. It set up the premise and introduced all the characters that we would see evolve over the course of the 5 year run of the show.

6. Jeffery Sinclair (Michael O’Hare) is commander of Babylon 5. Its a five mile long space stations that’s a kind of “United Nations in Space”. The Earth had been involved in an interplanetary war ten years earlier. They hope the station will help to prevent future wars.

7. Delenn (Mira Fullan) is the Ambassador for the Minbari Federation. The Minbari are an ancient and powerful race. Their key physical characteristic is that have a bone like structure that grows out of the back of their heads and around to the temples. Their manner of dress is reminiscent of Japanese Kimonos. The Minbari fought the Earth ten years early then abruptly surrendered. Delenn is helpful but she secretive. (The character was planned to be male played by a woman. But that idea was dropped.)

8. Ambassador Londo Mollari (Peter Jurasik) represents the Centauri Empire. It is a race in decline far past its former glories. Londo knows this and drowns his sorrow with alcohol and gambling. In the pilot movie he’s largely played for laughs, but that will change over time during the series. The Centauri dress flamboyantly with medals, and broaches, and braids on their coats. The men have longish hair combs “up” to form a kind of cock’s comb. We’ll learn that their women by contrast have shaved heads.

9. Ambassador G’Kar (Andreas Katsulas) is the argumentative Ambassador of the Narn Regime. In the past, the Narn World was occupied by the Centauri Republic (who enslaved its people and stripped the world of its resources). The Narn eventually regained their independency but their wounds run deep. G’Kar would like nothing more than to punish the Centauri. Narn have dark mottled skin and may be amphibians.

10. Ambassador Kosh (voiced by Ardwight Chamberlain) of the Vorlon. The Vorlon are one of the oldest races in the galaxy and are very mysterious. They wear bulky environmental suits and no one has ever seen what a Vorlon really looks like.

11. The inciting incident of the movie is the attempt on Kosh’s life when he first arrives. While trying to find an antidote to the poison given to him, Babylon 5’s Dr. Kyle (Johnny Sekka) opens the encounter suit. He (but not the audience) sees something glowing but due to Doctor confidentially he refuses to tell anyone what he saw.

12. Security Chief Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle) asks the stations resident commercial telepath Lyta Alexander (Patricia Tallman) to see if she can glean anything from Kosh’s mind. She does and sees a vision of Commander Sinclair as the culprit.

13. Along for the ride are Laurel Takashima (Tamlyn Tomita) the no nonsense Lt. commander and second in charge of the stations; and Carolyn Sykes (Blaire Baron) a space trader and love interest for Sinclair. But, like Dr. Kyle, these two won’t be in the show once season one starts.

14. Tensions rise when a Vorlon battle ship arrives to destroy Babylon 5 if Kosh dies. The mystery is eventually resolved but not before both the Minbari and Narn are implicated in the plot.

15. In the final moments, the real assassin tells Sinclair “You have a hole in your mind” which sets up the major mystery for season one. It got me hooked and if I’ve perked your interest, the entire series is available for free on HBO Max.

[danwhobrowses]

Why ‘The Karate Kid Part II’ Deserves More Respect

So guess what film I finished watching today? Of course, the Karate Kid franchise is considered iconic mainly for its first entry; Wax on Wax off, Skeleton fights, Sweep the Leg and the Crane Kick all cemented its legacy that allowed Cobra Kai to also be such a success. But imagine my shock when the approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes for Part II is 45% - 21% lower than the Jaden Smith ‘The Karate Kung Fu Kid’ version (and Part III is scored 15%, which is also super harsh but hard to debate outside of the magnificence of Terry Silver). Originally this was just gonna be a general post of how much I enjoyed retreading Part II, but upon seeing that score I had to give it my ‘Deserves More Respect’ posts.

It is an off-chance, but if you haven’t watched this film there will be spoilers within, I encourage you to watch it before reading, and maybe watch it again if you have so it’s fresh in the mind

Let’s start with a controversial point shall we? There are several parts where Part II is actually better than the original. Now I know! There’s a lot about the original which is iconic, but nostalgia does blind you to other shortcomings and while it’s easy to sell the first part because of its mystique, a sequel has the added pressure of rising above and developing on old and new themes set by the predecessor. The Premise In case you decided against refreshing your memory. Karate Kid Part II starts with a recap of Part I, a bit of content that was meant to be Part I’s final scene (in the script, not for filming) and then a timeskip. Ali with an i is gone - brutally dumping Daniel for some Football Player before Senior Prom and after crashing his car, Daniel’s mother is in Fresno for work and Miyagi has received a letter from his home Okinawa in news of his father’s fading health. The stage is set for Daniel and the audience to learn more about the iconic Mr. Miyagi and the life he left behind. Okay, so there is bad in this film Part II deserves respect, but it’s not perfect. It definitely gets messy near the end with Daniel’s antagonist Chozen, he mainly took beats from Johnny Lawrence in physically confronting Daniel when he could with a bunch of no-named goons and he fought pretty similarly to Johnny in catch counters and leg strikes. The opening recap did take a lot of time too, while the ending remained somewhat abrupt having just beaten up Chozen to embrace Kumiko (who had a delayed recovery after being punched once). While not bad, a fair amount of retreaded content felt like downgrades of the original; Chozen and Sato lacked the charisma of Johnny and Kreese, the crane kick was far more impressive than the drum technique and the Tournament setting was grander than the O-Bon festival. But, there are Iconic Moments in this film too Part I may have the Crane Kick and the Skeletons and the Training and Sweep the Leg. But people may forget that Part II had awesome moments too.

Like Daniel chopping through 6 Sheets of Ice! If that isn’t one hell of a power play I don’t know what is. It is a moment genuinely impressive in and outside of the 80s cheese universe of Karate Kid, and it gets referenced in Season 2 of Cobra Kai.

Also referenced in Season 2 is Miyagi vs Kreese. While this is the intended ending for Part I, it certainly acted better at the start of Part II, especially given that is foreshadows the situation Daniel finds himself in at the end of the movie. This moment is equally iconic as it completely encapsulates the character of both senseis - Kreese the confident brute brought to a sniveling mouse when size and power failed him and Miyagi the cool-headed and vastly more intelligent fighter still with the cheeky prankster lightness to him as he honks the scared shitless Kreese on the nose. Perfect.

While I did want to cite the Tea Ceremony as well I think the more iconic moment for Part II had to be Miyagi chopping the log during the storm. The storm itself is a very well-done scene which unmasks several characters in the face of adversity. True tension, worry and stakes are sold as the village are in danger of the cruel whims of nature, an act which is all too real for Sato when the house he’s in collapses on him in the calm before his scheduled deathmatch with Miyagi. Not only is this again some great foreshadowing by the rule of three (Daniel asking if Miyagi can chop a log like Sato is doing with a banner and then Miyagi and Sato meeting and seeing Sato fail to chop a log) it proves a pivotal point where Sato turns from aggrieved antagonist to repenting ally. A great show of power and friendship as Miyagi metaphorically breaks the rift between their friendship that weighs Sato down. Okay, we hear you, but how is it better? I do have to preface that I do still love Part I, I have to because in pointing out where Part II is better I have to pick at Part I’s faults. While the ending is messy Part II definitely has much better pacing, until the skeletons scene Part I doesn’t really pick up because it has to set up, Part II while it does recap doesn’t need to worry about it. Giving Miyagi the main plot was definitely Part II’s strongest suit. Part I profited from Miyagi being the ‘mysterious old teacher’ but learning a lot more about his humanity and history was engrossing and it allowed positive development for Miyagi and Daniel, especially their bond as a surrogate father and son when Daniel personally goes out of his way to support Miyagi on a very personal matter. The main characters maintain their charm as well, still a lovely array of life lessons in Part II more than just finding balance, Miyagi teaches Daniel through words and action on taking time to breathe, to refocus when imbalanced, to forgive rather than to harbour hate, mercy, selflessness and humbleness

“never put passion before principle. Even if win, you lose.” - Mr. Miyagi

The scenes involving Miyagi and his father were some of the most deep and emotive of the series up until Cobra Kai, some still haven’t been topped such as Miyagi’s dad’s first words to his son or when Daniel talked about when his father died.  And say what you will about Chozen, he does have a lot of Johnny vibes but a lot of the character we believed was Johnny due to nostalgia goggles was more fitting of Chozen’s manner. The story did a great job in making sure Chozen was always an asshole, at times Johnny did at least display honour and grace but Chozen was always sore about stuff and quick to claim dishonour even when he was in the wrong. Contrary to Johnny it’s more about his family than it is about a girl, which allowed a lot more freedom in the plot. Whether you felt Elizabeth Shue’s Ali with an i was prettier than Tamlyn Tomita’s Kumiko is up to personal preference, but the messy-haired Kumiko definitely had a slightly improved presence in Part II than Ali did, with actual focus on her own feelings outside of attraction to Daniel, her ambition to become a dancer directly linking to the O-Bon Festival - which in turn related to the Drum technique - as well as the delicately beautiful Tea Ceremony scene and actually contributing to the final fight (granted Ali wouldn’t be allowed to). Also Daniel didn’t try to eat her face which is a general improvement to the romantic subplot, extra applause has to go to Tomita here too because this was legitimately her first role - Shue had her second so that’s impressive too - and both women had good careers going forward. The increased stakes definitely worked in the favour of Part II as well, as sequel culture is forced to do, but by moving to Okinawa (actually filmed in Hawaii) we opened the door to better suit Miyagi’s world while keeping Daniel the fish out of water. I can’t speak too much for appropriation because there is still kinda some ‘white saviour’ undertones but I didn’t feel like Japan was treated negatively in this light, its culture of the O-Bon Festival and the Tea Ceremony was treated with the utmost respect and explained without pandering, the flute music had definitely stepped up its game for the soundtrack as did the imagery. Can also appreciate that Daniel does go for the Crane kick when fighting Chozen but is parried. Added hat tip has to go to costuming too. A lot of costumes would have to have distinct Kamon such as Sato’s twin fish and Miyagi’s bonsai on a lot of their clothing

Between Sato and Miyagi the colours of their clothes often code their emotions towards each other, with Sato usually in grey and Miyagi in white or cream, when Sato and Miyagi prepare for death they are in black and when Sato wants forgiveness he moves to a lighter shade. While Part I also used black and white to differ Johnny and Daniel, Part II put Chozen and Daniel in the more Japanese-themed Red and Blue. While both men wear red, blue and whites at time, Chozen’s clothes almost devolve from the white he debuts in as his darker side comes out before flat out embracing yellow after his chance to prove his honour in the storm is refused (and he’s in white then), while Daniel often moves to Red or red tones even in his blue shirt. Kumiko also moves from white to blue, sometimes even purple, in set up to the final fight to have the primary colours stand out in the colourful crowd of the O-Bon festival, but even in the blue Kumiko had red to pair her connection with Daniel. Also her Yukata at the festival is just stunning, the Great Wave off Kanagawa print is a nice touch.

Anything else we should know? It might not be much else about the film itself I can tell you, but I do appreciate something I’m starting to call ‘The Rocky Connection’ when it comes to Karate Kid. Like Part I’s ‘You’re the Best (Around)’ was shortlisted for Rocky III, Part II’s song ‘Glory of Love’ was shortlisted for Rocky IV’s theme, losing to ‘Hearts on Fire’, Bill Conti also chose to score this film instead of Rocky IV. I like to pair this with Daniel’s Rocky-esque character, he has that same kind of swagger but a lot more naive and childlike. Martin Kove also gets a nod because those bleeding hands were legit, he had an accident on-set and the footage was kept for the final cut. Tamlyn Tomita wasn’t the only film debut for Part II, B.D. Wong of...well, several famous roles including but not limited to Shang in the animated Mulan, Dr. Wu in the Jurassic Park franchise, Hugo Strange in Gotham and many more, also had his debut here in a minor speaking role when he’s handing out flyers for the dance party to Kumiko and Daniel before the Ice Chopping Scene. So, why does it deserve respect A film that adds to a beloved character in a respectful fashion without having really any god awful moments does not deserve a 4.5/10 rating. It may not have as emphatic an ending or as great a villain but it has a captivating plot and a good pace, better stakes and much more emotionally driven and responsive scenes. A lot of effort and dedication went into this film to explore new dimensions of the main characters in a fashion which was enjoyable and at times heartwarming. And characters are given human moments, even Miyagi confesses himself not to be perfect and it keeps each character grounded. Even to this day parts of Part II are remembered fondly rather than the campness that Part III had outside of Terry Silver and his magnificent ponytail, the fondness also continues to reflect in Cobra Kai with homages and fan theories of Daniel going to Okinawa again and even re-encountering Chozen. Not to mention it grossed $113m on a $13m budget and got nominated for a Best Original Song Oscar (losing to Top Gun) Part II was a good and enjoyable film which deserves far more credit than to be rated this low, for that it deserves respect.

[aion-rsa]

5 Criminally Underrated Alan Parker Movies You Need to See

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A working-class Londoner who started out in advertising, Parker knew how to play to the crowd but wasn’t afraid to take risks or challenge convention.  

That was evident from his feature debut, Bugsy Malone, an inspired pastiche of Hollywood gangster films that saw Parker defy genre norms with the recruitment of an all-child cast wielding ‘Splurge’ guns firing whipped cream instead of bullets.  

It was a decision that drew anger in some quarters with noted critic John Simon famously branding the film “an outrage” in New York Magazine.  

“Wholesome youngsters have been duped into acting like adults,” he said, “stupid, brutal, criminal adults, at that.”  

Bugsy Malone flopped in the US but Parker soon established himself stateside with Midnight Express and Fame, two box office hits and examples of Parker’s unrivalled versatility and habit of defying expectations.  

In time, Bugsy Malone enjoyed critical reappraisal, emerging as a firm favourite with audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.  

Over a varied and wide-ranging career, Parker is often remembered for crowd-pleasing efforts like The Commitments and Evita. 

However, arguably his most fascinating work came when he took risks – as these five films attest.

Shoot the Moon

After the success of Fame, Parker was brought back down to earth with this underappreciated family drama which bombed at the box office despite earning rave reviews from critics. 

Based on an early script from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest screenwriter Bo Goldman, Shoot the Moon centered on the crumbling marriage of George and Faith Dunlap and the impact their eventual separation has on their four children. 

Goldman had unsuccessfully, pitched the movie to several major studios for nearly a decade before Parker got involved.  

Together, they rewrote the script, drawing from personal experiences to depict the film’s deteriorating relationships and, crucially, recruited Albert Finney and Diane Keaton to star as George and Faith, respectively. 

Arriving at a time when films like Ordinary People and Kramer vs Kramer were bringing divorce and family dysfunction to multiplexes, Parker’s film unfairly ended up lost in the shuffle. 

It remains a powerful, if at times, deliberately difficult watch, bolstered by career-best turns from Finney and Keaton, whose emotionally raw performances earned them both Golden Globe nominations.  

Birdy

Adapted from William Wharton’s acclaimed novel of the same name, Birdy was one of the first films to address the horrors of Vietnam, pre-dating the likes of Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July. 

Matthew Modine stars as Birdy, a serial daydreamer left mentally shattered by Vietnam, who spends his days couped up in a mental hospital acting like a parakeet, visited daily by his wounded best friend Al (a young Nicolas Cage) who is determined to bring him back to reality.

Modine originally read for the role of Al by was convinced to take on the  role of Birdy by Parker who correctly identified a “”introverted honest quality” to the star that was essential to making the character, who remains monosyllabic for much of the film, an endearing protagonist.

Told out of chronological order through flashbacks, Parker’s film is a dizzying odyssey through a damaged mind, addressing themes of friendship, obsession and the impact of trauma.

The filmmaker deploys a bag of tricks to bring this unique tale to life – Birdy is notable for being the first film to utilise Skycam technology, a computer-controlled cable-suspended camera system used to capture the moment Birdy imagines taking flight.

The result is his most complex and rewarding film, one that won the Grand Prix Spécial du Jury prize at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival.

Angel Heart

Like many of the surprise turns in Parker’s eclectic career, Angel Heart was greeted with mixed reviews and middling box office returns upon release in 1987. 

That perception changed in the years that followed, with many now regarding it as Parker’s best film and certainly Mickey Rourke’s best performance. 

Rourke is at his mesmerising best as Harry Angel, a 1950s private eye hired by Robert De Niro’s mysterious Louis Cyphre to track down a pop singer who owes a substantial debt. 

As Angel’s investigation continues, however,it becomes apparent that something sinister is afoot, with every possible witness or lead ending up the victim of bloody, ritualistic murder. 

Read more

Movies

Revisiting Alan Parker’s Angel Heart

By Brogan Morris

Movies

Looking Back at Angel Heart

By Tony Sokol

Adapted from William Hjortsberg’s 1978 novel Falling Angel, Parker script saw the action move from the book’s original setting of New York to New Orleans.

That proved something of a masterstroke, imbuing the film’s already distinctive blend of film noir thriller and Satanic horror with a decaying Southern Gothic feel. 

Though a controversial sex scene involving pints and pints of blood feels a touch unnecessary when watching the film back, Angel Heart is near enough a masterpiece; a moody, psychological thriller that has influenced countless filmmakers, with Christopher Nolan one noted admirer.

Mississippi Burning

Parker made a habit of playing fast and loose with the facts when it came to adapting non-fiction. Midnight Express previously drew criticism for its portrayal ofvTurkish characters, as well as for deviating from survivor Billy Hayes’ real-life story. However, it remains an engaging piece of filmmaking. 

It’s a similar story with Mississippi Burning, which purports to be based on a real-life investigation into the killings of three civil rights activists in 1964 America but proved more fiction than fact and suffered at the hands of many critics as a result. 

Leaving aside the debates over the film’s authenticity, Mississippi Burning still succeeds in shining a light on a dark period in American history, albeit from a distinctly white perspective. 

It’s a vividly realised depiction of 1960s America, full of striking imagery that touches on issues of segregation in the south and the looming spectre of the Ku Klux Klan and its burning crosses. 

While Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe prove a magnetic duo as the film’s central pairing of older, more cynical, FBI agent and his younger, idealistic charge, the standout performance comes from Frances McDormand as the local deputy sheriff’s downtrodden housewife.

Come See the Paradise

Come See the Paradise divided critics upon release but is worth seeking out, at the very least for the fact it remains one of the only major studio movies to focus on the Japanese-American internment camps of the Second World War.

Dismissed by some as a sappy love story, Parker’s movie is more ambitious and complex than that; an interracial romance set against the backdrop of one of the most complex and ethically charged periods in American history.

A vividly-realised period piece, Dennis Quaid does solid work as Jack McGurn, the Irish-American projectionist who falls for his Japanese-American boss’s daughter only for them to end up separated in the ensuing conflict.

However, it’s the film’s other star-crossed lover, Tamlyn Tomita’s Lily, who proves most fascinating. Best known for The Karate Kid Part II at the time, Come See the Paradise had a personal edge for Tomita, whose father spent time in a real California internment camp.

Through Lily, Parker presents the stark human injustice faced by the interned,  people who not only lost civil liberties but also their sense of identity. It’s just a shame Tomita is not afforded nearly as much screen time as Quaid.

The post 5 Criminally Underrated Alan Parker Movies You Need to See appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[douxreviews]

Quantum Leap - Season Four Review

Since season three was mostly leaps of the week, they made an attempt to shake things up with season four by playing with the formula a bit.

But as always, Quantum Leap is at its best when it does arc episodes about Sam and Al, as they again did in the premiere and the finale. There were a few other strong episodes as well.

4.1 "The Leap Back" (June 15, 1945)": In the fourth season premiere, Sam got to play a brand new character: Dr. Sam Beckett. For the past three seasons, we've been leaping with a Sam who had partial amnesia and was completely disconnected from his real life. Here, he was finally dynamic, brilliant scientist Sam, and surprisingly, married Sam.

Mimi Kuzyk did a terrific job as Sam's wife Donna, another brilliant scientist who kept her existence a secret from leaping Sam because she knew that it would make it harder for him to complete his missions. That was darned selfless of her, and that made her feel worthy of him in short order, since our Sam is quite a guy. I also thought Donna waiting for Sam gave us an obvious parallel to Beth, who waited years for prisoner of war Al to come back from Vietnam.

We finally got a lengthy visit to the actual Quantum Leap Project, with interior decoration that made it look as if Al's handlink exploded. We finally met Gooshie, Dr. Beeks and Ziggy, who changed gender in this episode. As Sam became reacquainted with his life and his wife, he and Al reversed roles and Al got to be the leaper who had to fix what once went wrong (and in Al's lifetime, 1945), while Sam's glee as he got to be the hologram was adorably funny. "Revenge is mine. Thus sayeth the hologram!"

Of course, Sam had to re-leap to save Al, so the status quo was too quickly re-attained. Honestly, I would have loved seeing Sam at home and observing and Al leaping for a few episodes.

4.6 "Raped (June 20, 1980)": You'd think an episode about a man occupying the body of a young woman who'd been raped would be uncomfortable, awkward, preachy, and/or cliched — but no. Instead, it was one of the best episodes of the series, because they did it right.

Sam leaped in because Katie, the victim, was having difficulty testifying against her attacker. Scott Bakula's performance as Sam in Katie's body was terrific; calm and matter of fact, Sam fought on Katie's behalf, refusing to accept the way the townspeople and police kept blaming the victim.

Although I always dislike the way trials on television seem to happen instantly after a crime, the strongest scene was Sam testifying on the stand by simply repeating Katie's own words, as Al held her hand. Even though the reason Al did that was so that Sam could see her, it was also a physical way of showing Al and Sam showing their support of Katie. Excellent episode.

4.7 "The Wrong Stuff (January 24, 1961)": Quantum Leap took on animal experimentation as Sam leaped into a test chimp, and they did a good job acknowledging all aspects of a difficult topic. This is the only episode in which Sam leaps into a non-human. I really liked the little nod to Planet of the Apes when Sam tried to write a note.

4.22 "A Leap for Lisa (June 25, 1957)": The lesson of "A Leap for Lisa" is that whenever they go back to the well and do an episode about Al's past, it's a winner. I'd mostly forgotten this one and it was such a pleasant surprise, the best episode in the season, with the possible exception of "Raped."

Sam leaped into 23-year-old Al and it appeared that he was supposed to save Al's married girlfriend Lisa from dying in a car crash, but Al was so bemused by encountering his younger self in the waiting room that he arrived late, in time to watch Lisa die. Sam's interference changed history so that Al would be convicted of the murder of his commander's wife, Marci, and at one point, when probability went up to 100% that Al would die in the gas chamber, the hologram of Al vanished and was replaced by another observer named St. John (Roddy McDowall, and I loved that they brought in an A-list actor to play the part). When Sam solved the murder, young Al had to leap into his earlier self in order to save himself, Lisa and Marci.

It was so much fun to see Al talking to "Bingo," his younger self, in the waiting room. It was also fascinating that Sam initially leaped into Al in the middle of a From Here to Eternity erotic dream on the beach, too. Has Sam ever leaped into someone dreaming before? Did that happen because his mind is linked to Al's?

What's also fun is how this episode inadvertently relates to Star Trek. Charles Rocket's character was called "Commander Riker," a character on Star Trek: The Next Generation; Terry Farrell, who played Lisa, would join the cast of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine the following year (1993), and of course, Scott Bakula went on to star in Star Trek: Enterprise in 2001.

Honorable mention

4.11 "The Play's the Thing (September 9, 1969)": A nice episode about ageism. I liked how Sam saw nothing wrong with being a younger man in love with an older woman, and how he immediately and passionately defended Jane's choices and helped her achieve her dreams. Anna Gunn from Breaking Bad had a nice supporting role as Jane's daughter in law.

4.15 "A Song for the Soul (April 7, 1963)": Scott Bakula in an African American girl group, as he backed up the daughter of a preacher who wanted to break into the big time. (The daughter, not the preacher.) This one was sweet. Plus I think it was the first time Sam leaped into a black woman. I particularly liked the sedate gray outfit Al wore in church. (Well, "sedate" for Al.)

4.16 "Ghost Ship (August 13, 1956)": Despite an occasional uncomfortable resemblance to Airplane!, this was a good one about a plane stuck in the Bermuda Triangle. It also featured a very young Carla Gugino.

4.19 "Moments to Live (May 4, 1985)": Sam leaped into a star of daytime drama, and Kathleen Wilhoite and Pruitt Taylor Vince kidnapped him for embarrassing reasons. Well written with good acting, and I'm glad that they (mostly) didn't play kidnapping and mental illness for laughs.

What didn't work

There were a few episodes that I thought were poor, and a couple that made me outright uncomfortable. Starting with...

4.12 "Running for Honor (June 11, 1964)": Al as a homophobe? Yes, I get that even somewhat recently, a majority of people were against gays in the military, but I'd like to think that anyone who dressed the way Al did would be a bit more open-minded. At least Sam was understandably disgusted by his attitude and what happened in the episode changed Al's mind, and I doubt anyone would do an episode like this today. We've come a long way in 25 years.

4.13 "Temptation Eyes (February 1, 1985)": Another attempt to do something new, although I don't think it worked. Tamlyn Tomita played a genuine psychic who fell in love with the real Sam, he fell for her, and they actually got to spend a few weeks together. But the acting and writing were poor and cliched, making it more of a miss than a hit. And that's too bad, because I'd always thought it would be nice if Sam got a vacation in the middle of all that leaping.

4.14 "The Last Gunfighter (November 28, 1957)": My word, this one was terrible. It was like they wanted to do an old west shoot-out but couldn't, so they did it anyway. What town in 1957, even one with a corrupt sheriff, would allow two old men to have a gunfight in the center of town? Innocent bystanders, anyone?

4.18 "It's a Wonderful Leap (May 10, 1958)": Another unsuccessful attempt at something new, this time with Liz Torres from Gilmore Girls as a genuine guardian angel. What bothered me more than I can say was Al doing fat jokes along with even worse Latino jokes. Liz Torres deserved better than this.

4.20 "The Curse of Ptah-Hotep (March 2, 1957)": Intended to be a rip-off of King Tut's tomb and Howard Carter with mysterious deaths, but with the budget of a one-hour TV show, anyone with any knowledge whatsoever of archaeology would find this episode painfully bad. I mean, the mummy comes to life and everything. And John Kapelos, who is usually pretty good, played an Egyptian archaeologist (the John Rhys-Davies role in Indiana Jones) with an accent that sounded like a cross between Russian and Spanish. I haven't finished rewatching the series yet, but this might be my least favorite Quantum Leap episode ever. Certainly my least favorite in season four.

Bits and pieces:

-- Notable actors (other than the ones already mentioned): Neal McDonough, James Morrison, Glenn Morshower, Joseph Gordon-Levitt at the age of ten, Harry Groener, Eriq LaSalle, Bob Saget and Amy Yasbeck.

-- Famous people: There was a little boy named Donald Trump in a New York City cab with his father in "It's a Wonderful Leap." I saw it coming and said out loud, "No, no, please don't."

-- As usual, there were a number of homages to movies, including The Rainmaker, The Defiant Ones, the Indiana Jones movies, and A Few Good Men.

To conclude

Although there were still many strong episodes in season four, I think seasons two and three were a bit stronger. Am I wrong?

Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

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Rapid-Fire Reviews: We Cast Our Vote for ABC's The Mayor and Marvel At How Truly Bad Inhumans Is

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Rapid-Fire Reviews: We Cast Our Vote for ABC's The Mayor and Marvel At How Truly Bad Inhumans Is

Rev your DVRs, the 2017 fall TV season is here!

Ahhh, don’t you just love the start of a new season, with so many fresh new shows making their debuts, hoping to earn a season pass from viewers in an ever-crowded landscape. And with so many new series on so many new platforms, it can be overwhelming trying to decide which ones to devote your previous time to, which is where we come in.

Our TV Team is offering up their quick and dirty thoughts on all of the new broadcast dramas and comedies debuting in September and October with our rapid-fire reviews. First up? ABC’s new offerings…

The Mayor Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 9:30 p.m. Time-Slot Competition: Bull (CBS), This Is Us (NBC), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox), DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (The CW) Stars: Brandon Michael Hall, Lea Michele, Bernard David, Marcel Spears and Yvette Nicole Brown

Tierney Bricker: The Mayor earns my vote for the best new comedy of the season. Brandon Michael Hall has charisma for days, and it’s so fun to see Lea Michele play outside of Ryan Murphy‘s sandbox for a change. (But please get her on American Horror Story ASAP, please and thank you!).

Chris Harnick: This is cute and funny and fits right in with ABC’s comedy brand. Definitely poised to be one of the shows to watch this year.

Lauren Piester: If I could hug a TV show, I would hug The Mayor. And I’d hug it so hard that it would be like “This is weird.” It’s nice and timely but optimistic as opposed to depressing, and the cast is delightful. Yvette Nicole Brown might have found her best role yet. 

Billy Nilles: Without a doubt, this is the best new comedy of the season. Brandon Michael Hall is poised to be the year’s breakout star as Courtney Rose, the upstart rapper whose mayoral campaign publicity stunt proves more successful than he bargained for. The idea is fresh, the comedy is sweet and charming, and Yvette Nicole Brown, as Courtney’s mom Dina, has never been better. The Mayor absolutely has my vote.

The Good Doctor Premiere Date: Monday, Sept. 25 at 10 p.m. Time-Slot Competition: Scorpion (CBS), The Brave (NBC) Stars: Freddie Highmore, Antonia Thomas, Nicholas Gonzalez, Chuku Modu, Beau Garrett, Hill Harper, Richard Schiff and Tamlyn Tomita

Tierney Bricker: This is not really my jam, but I don’t fault anyone for wanting to put it on their toast, if you know what I mean? You probably don’t. Also, Highmore continues to be one of the most underrated actors on TV. 

Chris Harnick: Freddie Highmore is going from killing people to saving people with ABC’s ambitious new drama. FYI: He also said that quote during every interview/appearance at TCA. Some of the other casting for this feels out of place, but if you were a fan of House and Highmore, set your DVR, but be warned: There are still kinks to be worked out for sure.

Lauren Piester: Everything about this show in theory sounds annoying, because the “doctor who’s bad with people but good with medicine” has been done to death (and by the same creator, too). But The Good Doctor is actually sweet and thoughtful and comforting and the pilot might have made me cry just a little bit. Add in the hot doctors sleeping with each other and that’s everything I need from a medical drama. 

Billy Nilles: It certainly feels like creator David Shore has done this show before, but Freddie Highmore‘s Dr. Shaun Murphy is certainly much more sympathetic than Dr. House ever was. There’s a lot of heart here, especially coming from Richard Schiff as Shaun’s mentor and protector Dr. Aaron Glassman, but there isn’t much originality. 

Marvel’s Inhumans  Premiere Date: Friday, Sept. 29 at 9 p.m. Time-Slot Competition: Hawaii Five-0 (CBS), Taken (NBC), The Exorcist (Fox), Jane the Virgin (The CW) Stars: Anson Mount, Serinda Swan, Ken Leung, Eme Ikwuakor, Isabelle Cornish, Ellen Woglom and Iwan Rheon

Tierney Bricker: You know how in movies they will have characters go see a fake movie or play a trailer for a fake movie a la Tropic Thunder? This show feels like that for superhero shows, with Jessica Jones watching for 10 seconds before changing the channel. Good idea, not the best execution, unfortunately. 

Chris Harnick: If you are curious about Inhumans, check out Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee‘s excellent Marvel comic series from 1998. That’s my polite way of saying stay as far away from this as possible.

Lauren Piester: I like the giant teleporting dog, I guess. But I also hate the giant teleporting dog? 

Billy Nilles: A hero who can’t speak because his voice is powerful enough to destroy planets. A giant teleporting dog. A secret city on the moon in danger of being exposed to Earth. If you want balls-to-the-wall insanity, Inhumans has it in spades. If you want thoughtful writing and production value worthy of the Marvel name, well, you might want to look elsewhere.

ABC

Ten Days in the Valley Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 1 at 10 p.m. Time-Slot Competition: Madam Secretary (CBS) Stars: Kyra Sedgwick, Erika Christensen, Abigail Pniowsky, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Francois Battiste, Felix Solis, Josh Randal, Kick Gurry, Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Ella Thomas

Tierney Bricker: I feel like ABC’s been looking for a successor to Revenge (but season one Revenge, not the rest of the seasons of Revenge) and I feel like this soapy and ridiculous-yet-totally-watchable thriller starring Kweeeeen Kyra might just be their best shot. 

Chris Harnick: Is this this year’s The Family? Seems like it. There’s a solid leading actress (Kyra Sedgwick) saddled with a mystery in a very meh show. Maybe Sedgwick should’ve chatted with Joan Allen.

Lauren Piester: I’m confused…yet intrigued. There is a LOT going on in this show, but if you like mysteries and the entertainment industry, there is fun to be had. 

Billy Nilles: This is a very busy premiere, introducing about seven subplots in one hour, and it can feel like a lot at times. But Kyra Sedgwick’s turn as harried TV producer Jane Sadler successfully sheds the image seven seasons of The Closer cultivated and the whodunnit surrounding the disappearance of her young daughter is enough to keep me coming back for me. Here’s hoping the creators keep their word and actually end this limited series after the titular ten days.

Kevin (Probably) Saves the World Premiere Date: Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 10 p.m. Time-Slot Competition: NCIS: New Orleans (CBS), Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders (NBC) Stars: Jason Ritter, Kimberly Hebert Gregory, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, J.August Richards, India de Beaufort, Chloe Easti and Dustin Ybarra

Tierney Bricker: Kevin might save the world, but Jason Ritter’s charm-for-days can’t save this show for me. Womp-womp. Cute yet forgettable, like a straight-to-On Demand movie.

Chris Harnick: ABC is smart to want to be in the Jason Ritter business, he’s one of the most charming actors on TV and certainly the best part of this weird pilot. It’s OK, not great, and not something I will be watching. If you like Jason Ritter, you’ll be into this, for a bit at least.

Lauren Piester: There’s nothing truly objectionable going on here and it could be a sweet show, but something in the pilot felt off, like no one’s sure what the tone is supposed to be. But this is at least better than that other ill-fated guardian angel show with Jane Lynch. 

Billy Nilles: This spiritual series, which tasks title character Kevin with having to find 35 worthy souls to help save the world (at least I think that’s what the quest is), will live or die based on Jason Ritter‘s winning charm. He bounces off his supporting cast with ease, generating instant chemistry, but the “guardian angel making him look crazy” schtick could get old fast. Hopefully the show can find a way to avoid that because there could be something really special here if done right.

Which of ABC’s new fall shows are you looking forward to? Tweet @EOnlineTV with your pick!

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Online Amazon Reviews Posted by Tuesday March 21, 2017 written by Stella Carrier (images and text from Amazon.com

shoes for crews review 

www.shoesforcrews.com

Falcon

547 Reviews

Men's, Black

Style# 6007

These Falcon shoes that are a size 9.5 Wide in Men’s were actually my second purchase  when I bought these on February 17, 2017. This was because I had ordered some Panther II shoes on October 9, 2016 that were not as comfortable. The positives to these Falcon shoes are that they are a definite improvement from the previous shoes that I ordered. Additionally, I currently am blessed to work at a University food service job that has quality work conditions yet also requires good non-stick shoes due to the fact that some of the floors can get a little slippery due to the high demand of food required to be served from the high volume of customers that sometimes come in during the week .These Falcon shoes do the job of helping to keep me slip-free when I take food back to the serving station that I work at andor haul dishes back to the dishroom (where it can sometimes get slippery despite best intentions). These Falcon tennis shoes stay comfortable for my feet both during my work shift and during the timeframe that I wear them walking to and from work.

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Public Reviews Written by You Show:   Most recent reviews  Most recent comments    Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11-20 Draw 50 Buildings and Other Structures: The Step-by-Step Way to Draw Castles and Cathedrals, Skyscrapers and Bridges, and So Much More... Offered by Random House LLC Price: $7.99 Eclectic House Drawings, March 20, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Draw 50 Buildings and Other Structures: The Step-by-Step Way to Draw Castles and Cathedrals, Skyscrapers and Bridges, and So Much More... (Kindle Edition)This kindlebook of Draw 50 Buildings and Other Structures: The Step-by-Step Way to Draw Castles and Cathedrals, Skyscrapers and Bridges, and So Much More... by Lee J. Ames has a multitude of different images/drawings of a diverse range of houses. Some of the images that are shown for a person to draw; Leaning Tower (Pisa Italy), Big Ben (London England), Transamerica Building (San Francisco USA), Rheims Cathedral (Rheims, France), Chalet (Switzerland), Pagoda (China),Georgian House (New Hampshire U.S.A.), House, 1621 (Kent, England),Log Cabin, and more. Comment | Permalink How To Draw Cars - Step By Step Price: $9.99 Whether You Want To Draw Just For Fun or Other Ideas, March 20, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: How To Draw Cars - Step By Step (Kindle Edition)This kindlebook of How To Draw Cars - Step By Step by Tim Rugendyke and Lukas Niklasson has details on both the materials and type of images to draw. For instance, ballpoint pens, clutch pencils, and colored pencils are some of the materials that are listed as good mediums for the drawings. Some of the marker brands recommended for drawing the cars are the copic markers, pantone markers etc. The authors also use various examples where a person could be shown in various steps (such as the 8 step tutorial on the Dodge Charger, Dukes of Hazard style). Comment | Permalink Future Trance - Hands Up Classics 10 used & new from $21.74 Galvanizing Music Tunes, March 20, 2017 This review is from: Future Trance - Hands Up Classics (Audio CD)This 3 disc collection of Future Trance-Hands Up Classics Box-Set is a various artist box set representing club, dance, and trance music. Evacuate the Dancefloor by Cascada and Jump With Me by Megastylez are some of the catchy dance tunes on this set. Currently, a full listing of this set can be found on Amazon Germany. Comment | Permalink Courage Under Fire DVD Price: $2.99 Bravery Under Duress, March 20, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Courage Under Fire (Amazon Video)Courage Under Fire stars Denzel Washington as Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling, Regina Taylor as Meredith Serling,Meg Ryan as Captain Karen Emma Walden, Lou Diamond Phillips as Staff Sergeant John Monfriez, Matt Damon as Specialist Andrew Ilario, Scott Glenn as Washington Post Reporter Tony Garten (as well as more actors/actresses featured in the film). I admit that it was an easy decision for me to check out the Courage under fire film because of the Magnificent Film that I saw last year that featured Denzel Washington (I went by the recommendation of a female coworker who admires Washington as an actor), and other actors/actresses in the Magnificent film. Nathaniel Serling has a challenging job of making sure to uncover the truth around what happened to Captain Walden while also balancing his family life with his wife Regina Serling who is naturally concerned about him. Andrew Ilario is one of the first men that Serling questions due to the fact that he was there and up close to Walden when certain events happened. Serling has an uncomfortable encounter with Monfriez that has him wondering why he is so defensive about what happened to Walden. Serling is also trying to sort out his own personal feelings around a recent event that happened when he gave out an order to Sergeant Patella (Sean Astin) that went much differently than planned. Nathaniel has to deal with all of this while also making sure to professionally and maturely handle himself around Washington Post Reporter Tony Gartner. Comment | Permalink The Ghost Writer DVD Price: $2.99 A Job That Is More Than It Appears, March 20, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: The Ghost Writer (Amazon Video)I unintentionally discovered this the Ghostwriter film at a Family Dollar store near where my husband and I reside but the dvd did not play properly once I got past the movie credits that were Letters to Juliet and Remember Me. As a result, I took a chance and bought this movie via Amazon video yet I am glad to have done so. The positives of the Ghostwriter film; As an aspiring writer it was fascinating to catch a glimpse into how the world of ghostwriting worked when the character of The Ghost (Ewan McGregor) is in talks for his next assignment with former British Prime Minister Adam Peter Bennett Lang (played by Pierce Brosnan). I recognized one of the characters named Rick Ricardelli (Jon Bernthal) who played an agent brokering/negotiating the ghostwriting deal because of his appearance in the 2016 Accountant film. Anyhow, The Ghost character (Ewan McGregor) realizes early on that his ghostwriting gig may end up being more than it initially appears to be when he meets former Prime Minister Adam Peter Bennett Lang, Adam Lang’s wife Ruth Lang (Olivia Williams) and Amelia Bly (Kim Cattrall) a personal assistant of Adam Petter Bennett Lang. A mutual friend of both the former prime minister and his wife died less than three days later and The Ghost (Ewan McGregor) must work under tense conditions to get the memoir completed that he was tasked to do. Of course, there are more plot points as well as actors/actresses involved in a who done it type of film. The caveats; While the film was well-done and a scandalous slant to their personal lives thrown in for realistic measure I was correct in my guess as to who was responsible for the whole debacle. My husband had a different idea on who he thought was responsible for the outcome but he acknowledged that I was correct in my initial who done it assessment but for a different reason than expected. I would have loved for both my husband and I to be surprised by who did it, not just my husband. I also did not like the ending and felt that it could have ended on a more complicated andor open to mystery type of note. Aside from those caveats, this was a brilliant film to watch. It is listed towards the end of the movie that this the Ghostwriter film is based on the book “The Ghost” by Robert Harris. Comment | Permalink Four Rooms DVD Price: $2.99 Zany Rooms, March 20, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Four Rooms (Amazon Video)Four Rooms is a crazy yet watchable film that has the character of a bellhop by the name of Ted (Tim Roth) involved in some risky activities pertaining to his first night on the job. The Four Rooms begins with him attending to the needs of some women who are witches involved in a coven (Madonna as Elspeth,Ione Skye as Eva, Valeria Golino as Atheno,Alicia Witt as Kiva, Sammi Davis as Jezebel,Lilli Taylor as Raven,Amande De Cadenet as Diana. Jennifer Beals, Antonio Banderas, Marisa Tomei, Kathi Griffin, and Quentin Tarantino are some of the other people who feature in different roles within the movie. Events get crazier after Ted’s duties with the coven. The most hectic was probably the scene involving The Misbehavers (Antonio Banderas as the dad/husband, Tamlyn Tomita as the mother/wife, Lana Mckissack as Sarah,Danny Verduzco as Juancho, Salma Hayek, Patricia Vonne). In the misbehaviors scene the dad threatens and pays Ted good money to look after his kids and one can guess how that goes. Comment | Permalink Moneyball DVD ~ Brad Pitt Price: $4.75 119 used & new from $0.16 A Compelling Family Movie, March 20, 2017 This review is from: Moneyball (DVD)I unintentionally came across this Moneyball movie at the Family Dollar store near where my husband and I live. This film stars Brad Pitt (Rusty Ryan in Ocean’s Twelve, The Big Short) as Billy Beane, Jonah Hill as Peter Brand an assistant to Billy Beane (I remember Hill most recently from the War Dogs film and Wolf of Wall Street). I admit that I did not know that Chris Pratt (first Guardians of the Galaxy,upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy 2 film etc)played in the film as a baseball player by the name of Scott Hatteberg until after he is introduced as part of the new team that is being assembled. The character of Billy Beane is also shown juggling his professional life while trying to raise his daughter Casey Beane (played by Kerris Dorsey) who he co-parents with his ex-wife Sharon Beane (Robin Wright who also plays in the House of Cards with Kevin Spacey). Of course, there are more actors/actresses who feature in the film and the following are some of the bonus features of the dvd; Blooper-Brad Loses It, Deleted Scenes, Billy Bean Re-Inventing the Game, Moneyball Playing the Game. The end of the film lists that Billy Beane turned down the Red Sox Offer of $12,500,00 and chose to stay in Oakland California. Some of the credits list that Bennet Miller directed the film, Brad Pitt produced Moneyball, and this film is based on the book by Michael Lewis. I am thrilled to say that this is another film that my husband sat with me to watch and also liked. Comment | Permalink The Monuments Men DVD ~ George Clooney Price: $7.99 108 used & new from $1.71 More Than Just An Art Recovery Expedition, March 20, 2017 This review is from: The Monuments Men (DVD)This film The Monuments Men features an all star cast of people and even on the front of the dvd cover itself such as; George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate Blanchett. All of the men and the woman play roles in having to recapture art that had been stolen by some of the Nazi soldiers in World War II. The movie also shares some of the hardships that they had to endure on their way to working to triumph over regaining the lost art. Some of the special features of the film; George Clooney’s Mission and Marshalling the Troops. The film carefully illustrates that one reason why the men were able to put up a good fight in spotting the art had to do with some of the men having extensive expertise in the field of art related to the art they were tasked to recover. This was one of the films that my husband watched and enjoyed with me. Comment | Permalink

Public Reviews Written by You Show:   Most recent reviews  Most recent comments    Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11-20 Creative Visualization for Writers: An Interactive Guide for Bringing Your Book Ideas and Your Writing Career to Life by Nina Amir Edition: Paperback Price: $14.05 43 used & new from $8.31 Author Mindset Guide, March 21, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Creative Visualization for Writers: An Interactive Guide for Bringing Your Book Ideas and Your Writing Career to Life (Paperback)I start this review by making it clear that I am reviewing Creative Visualization by Nina Amir as an amateur reviewer who has a passion for writing. I found out about this book after I had seen it featured in a Writer’s Digest magazine article. Some of the following fun tidbits included in this book;Creating a writing schedule to stick to through Monday to Sunday with included time log with an accompanying exercise for focusing on the time blog to write (pages 56-57), a goal template sheet to use for writing objectives (pages 91-94) etc. Last, but not least, there are affirmations for a writer to encourage themselves such as: I’m a positive, joyous, and passionate person. I know I am good enough, have enough, and am enough to succeed. (pages 198-199). Of course, there is so much more in this book. I admit that for my dream and intent to be a writer also has to do with spiritual reasons. For instance, I notice that the more I write regardless of any positive andor challenging attention/judgement that I face the more I am able to be more in touch with both my rational thoughts as well as my intuition. Additionally, I have noticed that many of my dreams have taken on an increased spiritual andor mystical qualities the more that I write. I am blessed to have a job that allows me to take time off for spring break this week. As a result, this is going to give me an important headstart on reflecting on my writing goals for the rest of my current lifetime. Comment | Permalink Creative Writing Career: Becoming a Writer of Movies, Video Games, and Books: Creative Mentor, Book 1 Offered by Audible, Inc. (US) Tale Writing In Mentor/Audio Form, March 21, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Creative Writing Career: Becoming a Writer of Movies, Video Games, and Books: Creative Mentor, Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition)This audible version of Creative Writing Career: Becoming a Writer of Movies, Video Games, and Books: Creative Mentor, Book by Justin Sloan and Thomas Block uses information shared from different authors for people who have a passion for storytelling. Details are shared on seeing the structure of a favorite story can help in story creation. One of the writers that is interviewed is credited with such movies as Help For The Holidays, Cupid’s Bed & Breakfast, the script for the Extracurricular Activities film etc. There is advice shared to aspiring writers/writers to also use favorite movies/scripts for writing inspiration. Another interview out of the multiple interviews available on this audible version features Chris Jalufka is a former scriptwriter and has worked in the film and advertising industries. Comment | Permalink Improve Writing: How To Improve Your Writing Tonight! - 10 Simple Yet Powerful Techniques To Quickly Enhance Your Creative Writing Skills And Productivity! ... Hypnosis, Visualization, Concentration) Price: $2.99 Writing Enhancement Goals, March 20, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Improve Writing: How To Improve Your Writing Tonight! - 10 Simple Yet Powerful Techniques To Quickly Enhance Your Creative Writing Skills And Productivity! ... Hypnosis, Visualization, Concentration) (Kindle Edition)This kindlebook of Improve Writing: How To Improve Your Writing Tonight! - 10 Simple Yet Powerful Techniques To Quickly Enhance Your Creative Writing Skills And Productivity! ... Hypnosis, Visualization, Concentration) by Mick McPherson caught my attention due to my intent and determination to improve my writing. Ideas such as starting with the title and strive to finish the research beforehand are discussed. Visualization techniques for improved writing are also shared. Comment | Permalink 99 Perseverance Success Stories: Encouragement for Success in Every Walk of Life Price: $3.99 Triumph Success Stories, March 20, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: 99 Perseverance Success Stories: Encouragement for Success in Every Walk of Life (Kindle Edition)This kindlebook of 99 Perseverance Success Stories: Encouragement for Success in Every Walk of Life by Michael Stawicki and Jeannie Ingraham contain achievement outcome stories of people who persisted in their dreams. Some of the well-known stories in this exalting kindlebook; Walt Disney, J.K. Rowling, Emily Blunt, Alan Rickman. There is also a happy outcome story in this kindlebook of a woman named Inas Khammi who immigrated from Iraq to San Diego, California. Her family was part of a religious minority group (listed as Chaldean Catholic) that was listed to have been heavily persecuted before fleeing for the U.S. She was given 345 dollars for her first eight months in the U.S. but she was determined to be more self-reliant. Eventually, a caseworker helped her with getting connected to another counselor who helped her with starting a childcare business. Eventually, she succeeded in making $6,000 a month. There was also a motivational example of the writer in the kindlebook who had to persist rejection from multiple places for nearly 10 years before their work was accepted for publication. This inspired me to make sure to create and finish a story as a writer that I would be willing to submit for at least 9-10 years or longer if necessary. Comment | Permalink Writing Through Revelations, Visions and Dreams Price: $9.99 Stella Pope Duarte’s Journey As It Dovetails With Her Writing, March 20, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Writing Through Revelations, Visions and Dreams (Kindle Edition)This kindlebook of Writing Through Revelations, Visions and Dreams by Stella Pope Duarte tells of a woman’s journey as a writer and how both her life and dreams have played a significant part in her journey as a writer. Stella Pope Duarte also shares of her journey juggling her family life with her career life working in academia. The story that truly touched me was when she mentioned about an elevator dream that she had in relation theprogression/spiritual evolution occurring in her life. Reading about her elevator dream helped me further understand some of the mystical dreams that I have been having. Comment | Permalink Blessed Are the Weird: A Manifesto for Creatives Price: $5.95 Being Ok With Being Unique, March 20, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Blessed Are the Weird: A Manifesto for Creatives (Kindle Edition)This kindlebook of Blessed Are the Weird: A Manifesto for Creatives by Jacob Nordby is a condescending-free and therapeutic guide to get if you are still in the process of embracing your uniqueness but you know that you must surrender the preference to fit in with the majority in your external environment. There is a section where he lists a multiple number of the well-liked andor famous celebrities who would be labeled creative yet different. He also quotes a very true yet also encouraging chapter for writers that pertains to Hemingway writing that it is important to be ready to write frequently without applause. Nordby mentions about hearing the calling of your soul, which I am in the process of working out. He also shares what happened when he met with a person who had attended one of his creative unbootcamps (which he lists to be an introductory class for aspiring writers). Comment | Permalink Novice to Expert: 6 Steps to Learn Anything, Increase Your Knowledge, and Master New Skills Offered by Audible, Inc. (US) Encouraging For Various Goals, March 20, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Novice to Expert: 6 Steps to Learn Anything, Increase Your Knowledge, and Master New Skills (Audible Audio Edition)This audiobook from audible of Novice to Expert: 6 Steps to Learn Anything, Increase Your Knowledge, and Master New Skills by S.J. Scott,Greg Zarcone, and Oldtown Publishing packed an abundance of informative content in the span of just three hours and two minutes. I confess that I actually know and I’m very aware (both logically and intuitively) what I want out of my life in various areas. As a result, I am aware that my passion of writing is going to indirectly help in these various areas. However, I am still elated to have come across getting both the kindlebook and audible version of Novice to Expert: 6 Steps to Learn Anything, Increase Your Knowledge, and Master New Skills because of the various resources mentioned. I know that in addition to knowing what I want that I must knock andor go through the right/appropriate doors (metaphorically speaking)and this audible/audiobook gives me an outside the box way of doing so. There are details involved in uncovering the best classes and free resources to uncover in this goal (for example Lynda.com and massive open online courses for the classes, podcasts, joining groups related to the goal). I admit that the only caveat is making sure to consistently schedule in time for my goal and work it around my job that I am blessed to have. For instance, I did find some writing groups online that are close to where my husband and I currently reside through meetup.com (including even one of my facebook friends that are in one of the meetup groups pertaining to writing), However, I know that it is up to me to creatively find one that fits around my employment schedule andor decide to just join an online writing group. Additionally, my goal and intent to improve my writing is not just about becoming a published author but for other reasons I prefer to avoid disclosing for now but have to do with both practical (i.e. the way I express myself online, writing improvement when I enroll in future online courses etc.)and outside the box reasons. As a result, I understand how important is for me to listen to the audible again within the next 24 hours or less to digest the abundance of resources recommended in this guide. I like that there are even mentorship and coaching type of resources for if a person wants to turn to a mentor andor a type of life coach for advice related to their goal/endeavor. Comment | Permalink Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race Offered by Audible, Inc. (US) Radiant Audio, March 20, 2017 This review is from: Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race (Audible Audio Edition)The audible version of Hidden Figures (showing the images of celebrities Taraji P. Henson,Janelle Monae, Octavia Spencer) caught my attention after I saw it featured online on a website that I was on. I decided to take a chance on it to broaden my mind. I am glad to have taken a chance on the audio despite the not so cheap price. One reason; the narrator shares one of the stories where one of the women admitted to have grown up in Hampton Virginia around successful role models who worked an accomplished living in field of education andor the federal government (NASA, National Advisory for Air Committee, mention of the Langley base in Virginia andor the sciences etc.) . This positively shaped her worldview on what was possible. Many of the women who applied at Langley were mentioned to come from accomplished employment backgrounds in education as well as having mathematical talents. There was mentioned that Langley employed multiple women in the field of computers. One of the women, Dorothy Vaughan is mentioned to have worked as a math teacher in Farmville, Virginia. Dorothy Vaughan’s in- laws were considered part of the financial upper-class in the area and mentioned to own a barbershop, a pool hall, and a service station. Their (Vaughan’s in-laws) activities made headlines at times through such media as what was mentioned in the audible version the Norfolk Journal and Guide. However, Vaughan was mentioned to be a modest person and aimed to carefully balance her family life with her career life. Vaughan’s academic accomplishments resulted in her becoming a valedictorian of her high school and attaining a full ride scholarship to Wilberforce University. The audio discussed that Vaughan performed so well to the point that one of the professors recommended her for a graduate program in Howard University. However, economic conditions after her graduation at Wilberforce University influenced Vaughan to hang up her graduate school dreams and pursue a career in teaching instead. She worked as a waitress at a hotel in Richmond Virginia until 1931 when she eventually moved on to her teaching job in Farmville Virginia. The audio shared that around this time Vaughan attracted the romantic attention of one of the area’s most eligible bachelors in Farmville Virginia. Of course, there are much more informative details in this audio. The Hidden Figures audible version by Margot Lee Shetterly, Robin Miles, and Harper Audio is a worthwhile purchase for people of various backgrounds (racial, socio-economic etc.) because of the theme of achieving success despite coming from a challenging environment/background as well as the abundance of historical information. I admit that I do not discuss my own full/paternal background not out of shame but more out of only knowing/being certain of my late biological mother and some of her background as well as showing some respect for both my adoptive father who is still alive and my late adoptive mother. Comment | Permalink The Writer's Block Myth: A Guide To Get Past Stuck & Experience Lasting Creative Freedom Price: $2.99 Path To Originality, March 20, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: The Writer's Block Myth: A Guide To Get Past Stuck & Experience Lasting Creative Freedom (Kindle Edition)This kindlebook of The Writer's Block Myth: A Guide To Get Past Stuck & Experience Lasting Creative Freedom by Heloise Jones is a helpful kindlebook on ways to tap into innovation for writing. For instance, Jones includes the following in her chapter titled 7 Greenlights For Success a.k.a. The Writer’s Permission Slips; read voraciously,changing scenery such as taking a new route andor going on a retreat,carving out time for your writing as time for yourself, envisioning your best creative life, making an evidence journal etc. Comment | Permalink I Think We're Alone Now Price: $1.29 Delightful 80’s Pop/Dance Tune, March 20, 2017 Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: I Think We're Alone Now (MP3 Music)I admit that this song I Think We’re Alone Now by Tiffany played in one of my sleeptime dreams less than 18 hours ago. However, I remember also first enjoying this pop song when I was 7 years old (around the time I also got into Heaven On Earth by Belinda Carlisle) and I had even bought a cassette tape of Tiffany’s music around the time I was between 15-17 years old. Anyhow, I like this song I Think We’re Alone Now by Tiffany because of the light-hearted and summer like vibe of this song that is an elegant blend of an 80’s pop/dance mashup.

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Keeping with the theme of Mystery shows, I binged the Jesse Stone movies this week before the left Tubi. Tom Selleck isn't a fav actor of mine, but Jesse Stone was the last gasp of the TV Movie as an art form and it's one of my favorites so I couldn't pass up watching them. The movies were decent neo noir and I liked that they had good continuity in terms of characters and plot. I really wish they hadn't ended as abruptly as they did.

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Just finished Murder In Provence, a cozy english mystery about a French judge played by the same actor who played Inspector Thursday on Endeavor. It was a nice slow paced but interesting procedural drama with nice witty repartee which is a nice change from so many English cozies lately that are weird period pieces (i'm looking at you Sister Boniface)

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Honestly I’m surprised all the Poirot and Father Brown fan girls never got into Albert Campion he’s my fave out of the three

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Got a free trial to Hallmark to watch The Curious Caterer which is based upon Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldy Shultz novels and boy was it bad, Goldy’s espresso habit and the Rocky Mountain setting were both taken out and also Goldy was played by an ex model, she should be sort and fat since she’s a chef for goodness sake.

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So I tried to watch the new Murder Is Easy, and I have some thoughts. Honestly I went in with an open mind. I own the old 1980s version on DVD where they changed the protagonist to be an American hacker so I figured changing him again to be a Nigerian diplomat was probably going to be less cringy honestly and yet I really have to ask why write a huge sub plot about about anti black racism into an obscure and relatively lame whodunit when it takes place in the very white english countryside? It sort of falls short.

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Finishing up my watching something other than anime cleanse, I just finished The Eleventh Hour a series of four short techno-thrillers starring Sir Patrick Stewart as a Home Office science troubleshooter who travels around with his trusty bodyguard played by Ashley Jensen from Agatha Raisin getting involved in dangerous situations. It's a great watch and while it's clearly not Michael Crichton it's serious and very English.

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The Last Stop on my week long anime cleanse I plan to go back to live blogging anime next week with Getter Robo is Mike Hammer on Freevee honestly I don't recommend it. While it does a good job making a paranoiac vigilante like Hammer more palatable to a modern audience it can't seem to decide whether it's an 90s action show or a 40s noir adaptation.

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Continuing on my break from anime, I've been streaming The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes on and off for a few days. It's honestly not the greatest mystery series out there although Britbox's collection of traditional mystery is rather limited but it does have a great format since each episode features a different detective from a different classic mystery series and some of the plots are really interesting it's simply uneven. Still if you have britbox I recommend