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Posted 7:00 AM by Gerald So

Jacket design: Henry Sene Yee

Shopping on Independent Bookstore Day, I browsed this year's Edgar Awards nominees and bought Celadon Books' JOHNNY CARELESS, the first novel by Kevin Wade, playwright, screenwriter, and a longtime producer on CBS's Blue Bloods.

Visit SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT for my full review.

FUTURE BOY by Michael J. Fox and Nelle Fortenberry

Posted 11:30 AM by Gerald So

Published October 14 by Flatiron Books, FUTURE BOY is Fox's memoir of filming BACK TO THE FUTURE while completing Season 3 of FAMILY TIES, written with his longtime producing partner.

The 150-page book with photographs delivers in describing how Fox juggled his high-profile TV role of Alex Keaton and what would be his breakout, best-remembered movie role of Marty McFly. I'm a fan of FAMILY TIES, the first BACK TO THE FUTURE, and of Fox's writing style from his previous memoirs.

I recommend the book to anyone who wants to relive 1985 vicariously through one of Hollywood's most popular actors putting his talent, instinct, and stamina to the test.

SUPERMAN (2025)

Posted 6:00 PM by Gerald So

I didn't get to see James Gunn's SUPERMAN in theaters, but I've just watched it on 4K disc. It meets its mandate of reviving the superhero movie for DC. It's rooted in Clark and Lois's love story yet full of far-out science fiction. Its two tones work because Superman in concept is both: the space alien raised in America's heartland.

As casting news dripped out, I wasn't sure about including heroes besides Superman, but they let viewers compare and contrast. Without then we'd only have Superman's version of doing good, and we might not grasp its nuance. Multiple heroes also let the plot be epic in scope. Superman couldn't be everywhere, but he didn't have to be. I also liked Gunn's fresh take on Eve Tessmacher.

In my Christmas 2024 post about the teaser trailer, I wrote I wasn't onboard with yet again riffing on John Williams' theme. I also could have ditched the Richard Donner-style swooshing credits. I give them a final-paragraph mention because neither detracts much from the movie. Gunn uses them like Bryan Singer before him, to show this is the Superman familiar to us from the Donner movie. From there, Gunn shows that brand of Superman can meet this moment in history. Neither Singer nor Zack Snyder did.

Rewatching DREAM ON

Posted 6:30 AM by Gerald So

Created by Marta Kauffman and David Crane, the raunchy HBO half-hour sitcom DREAM ON premiered four years before their NBC mega-hit FRIENDS and ran six seasons totaling 120 episodes. Brian Benben stars as New York book editor and divorced dad Martin Tupper, trying to move on as his ex-wife Judith (Wendie Malick) is engaged to fantasy man Dr. Richard Stone.

Old TV and movie cuts depicting Martin's thinking are the show's signature. Casual sex is the show's point in part, but it is cleverly shot. Despite the double entendre of tupper, Martin packs condoms and an unassuming way you imagine would be widely appealing.

While most of Martin's sex partners appear only once, their chemistry is often more than physical attraction. I remember some vividly. Martin tries a few commitments during the series, but remains tacitly in love with Judith.

The first two seasons got a 2004 DVD set. The full series only recently reunited on The Roku Channel.

Here's an interview with Brian Benben from Fresh Air with Terry Gross, dated October 26, 1994.

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THE RETURN directed by Uberto Pasolini

Posted 7:30 PM by Gerald So

THE RETURN is based on the final chapters of Homer's epic poem THE ODYSSEY and stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche as Odysseus and Penelope. Several epics were required reading in college (THE ILIAD, THE AENEID, Dante's INFERNO...) THE ODYSSEY was my favorite because Odysseus was not a demigod but a man, one even more renowned for his cunning than his fighting prowess. I learned of the movie premiering December 6, 2024. It came to DVD and Blu-ray January 18, 2025. I pre-ordered and watched it two weeks ago.

THE RETURN focuses on the end of the poem. Odysseus has made it back to his kingdom Ithaca ten years later than expected. Many believe him dead. Suitors are fighting in the palace for Penelope to remarry.

THE RETURN de-emphasizes the mythic aspects. No gods appear to aid Odysseus. He hesitates to reveal himself and reclaim Ithaca because he's incredibly weary from the voyage and unsure he is the man he was. Most of the people don't recognize him and treat him like a beggar, but we the audience know he is king. Already admiring the story, I was able to recognize plot points while completely transported by the Greek filming locations.

THE RETURN just might interest you in THE ODYSSEY, my highest praise for adaptations.

Shifting Gears

Posted 6:00 AM by Gerald So

Premiered on ABC January 8, SHIFTING GEARS is a new sitcom starring Tim Allen and Kat Dennings as combative father and daughter Matt and Riley Parker, reunited after Matt has been widowed and Riley's marriage has broken up.

While I can and have left Tim Allen, my esteem for Kat Dennings is boundless. I also like the show's supporting players Seann William Scott and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell.


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NCIS: ORIGINS So Far

Posted 7:30 AM by Gerald So

I think the show is well done enough. Kyle Schmid, Austin Stowell, and Robert Taylor bring their well-known characters to life.

I'm not sure we need a darker NCIS set in a bygone era. NCIS: ORIGINS replaced NCIS: HAWAII but hasn't done as well as HAWAII in the ratings. I think Gibbs' story was told thoroughly enough in the nineteen seasons Mark Harmon starred in NCIS. Obviously CBS disagrees.

FOX's MURDER IN A SMALL TOWN

Posted 11:30 AM by Gerald So

This new show piqued my interest because it stars Kristin Kreuk and because it's adapted from a book series (by the late L.R. Wright). Rossif Sutherland plays former big city cop Karl Alberg, who moves to the seaside town of Gibsons hoping to de-stress. He becomes the police chief, but unlike Jesse Stone and others, he's not haunted or plagued by hindering hangups.

Refreshing, too, Kreuk doesn't play a deputy to Alberg with whom he begins a forbidden romance; she plays a librarian only connected to the culprits because everyone lives in Gibsons.

Like COLUMBO, MURDER IN A SMALL TOWN reveals culprits early and spends the rest of its time fleshing them out as people. This is a slower-paced, character-driven show that almost seems out of place on broadcast TV today. I'm glad it's on, though, and I hope it stays.

The first episode guest-starred James Cromwell, and the fourth episode guest-starred Erica Durance.


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The Misdirection of MATLOCK

Posted 8:30 AM by Gerald So

Sunday night CBS gave a sneak peek of its Matlock series starring Kathy Bates. Madeline Matlock presents herself as a do-gooder attorney cheated and mistreated by her ex-husband and in need of money as a result.

She hustles her way into a job with a New York firm and proceeds to help the firm with a case. Toward the end of the pilot, though, we learn "Matty" is not at all who she appeared to be.

I'll leave it at that to avoid spoilers. Clever as the twist was, I felt egregiously hoodwinked, made to empathize and root for Matty based on an utterly false backstory, down to her use of the earnest, folksy Matlock name. This show shouldn't be called MATLOCK.

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ABC's HIGH POTENTIAL

Posted 7:30 AM by Gerald So

Based on the French TV series HPI, ABC's HIGH POTENTIAL sees Kaitlin Olson play Morgan, single mother and night janitor for the LAPD. In the pilot, Morgan happens to spot a problem on an investigation board and alters the board to point police in the right direction. This annoys the lead detective (Daniel Sunjata) but impresses his superior (Judy Reyes). Under pressure from recent department failures, the boss orders him to work with Morgan.

The pilot depicts the friction between the police and Morgan and between Morgan's home life and potential new work. The show reminds me of MONK and PSYCH, but just as Adrian Monk is different from Shawn Spencer, Morgan is different from both, and I think Olson will keep her engaging.

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Advance review of ROBERT B. PARKER'S BURIED SECRETS by Christopher Farnsworth

Posted at 4:00 PM by Gerald So

Putnam Books approved me to review a NetGalley of the next Jesse Stone sequel, due to be published February 4, 2025.

THE UNION

Posted 5:30 AM by Gerald So

After failing to retrieve a stolen cache of spy identities, Roxanne Hall (Halle Berry) recruits her high school flame Mike McKenna (Mark Wahlberg) to help her buy the cache at a black market auction.

I was considerably against watching THE UNION after Wahlberg's stinging 2020 Spenser reimagining. Then I read a positive review and thought why not? He'd be playing a character to whom I had no attachment, and I like Halle Berry. The movie also features J.K. Simmons, Mike Colter, Jackie Earle Haley, Dana Delany, and Lorraine Bracco as characters whose most distinctive qualities are the names playing them.

The movie feels action-heavy, character-light, yet long enough I wondered why time wasn't spent on character. If it had been, I might have cared more about the people possibly being villains, being doublecrossed and killed. On the other hand, if the movie had been twenty minutes shorter, I might've liked it as a breezy romp.

As it is, I think I happened upon the one positive review and it misled me. Despite Wahlberg I didn't hate THE UNION, but it doesn't stand out in the pack of PG-13 B-spy flicks or in Wahlberg's or Berry's bodies of work.


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BATMAN: CAPED CRUSADER

Posted 9:30 AM by Gerald So

As a fan of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, I followed word of this new show from the beginning. Originally in development for HBO Max, it promised to be even grittier than its inspiration. At first I thought it would be new adventures of Batman as portrayed by Kevin Conroy. When Warner Bros. merged with Discovery and Conroy died from cancer, I wasn't sure the show would land elsewhere, but I'm glad it did.

With its more defined 1930s–40s period, BATMAN: CAPED CRUSADER mirrors the film noir of the time. Almost every major character leads a double life. While the show isn't serialized and each episode showcases a different rogue, there is character development in the course of the season.

Some of the characters have been gender-, ethnicity-, or attitude-swapped from their original portrayals. Some of this plays to good effect; some of it seems shallow. The show may stand out most because characters die, I think to demonstrate they can die. In some cases I felt they should've had more time, but I was supposed to feel that.


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BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F

Posted 6:00 AM by Gerald So

Just shy of 50, I've enjoyed my share of Eddie Murphy movies. I was hyped for COMING 2 AMERICA, but when it premiered, I didn't watch it. I still haven't. I like the original so much I don't think it needs a sequel. Sequels replay the hits, bring back storied characters. banking on the nostalgia of people my age. Without exception, the originals are superior. I really don't need to watch sequels. If I want to replay the hits, I can literally replay the originals.

Now that you know my perspective, I did just fire up Netflix and watch BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F. I liked it fine. It did all of the above, as well as adding a thoughtfulness you expect as you age. There are no sour notes. The familiar players hit their shots, and the new ones come to play.

Indeed it's like watching a championship team reconfigure slightly and win another championship. How excited and invested can you get if you've seen it happen before? By contrast, rewatching an original reminds you of before you'd seen as much, and because you hadn't seen as much, your enjoyment, surprise, and excitement were truly fresh.

A fifth Beverly Hills Cop is in the works, and I'm sure they can do a good job with it. They have a successful formula they've repeated and can repeat again.


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Now Hear This

© by Gerald So | 4:00 AM

I'm posting audio reads of my book blog reviews to YouTube to grow their audience. First, a reading of my review of Ace Atkins' June 25, 2024 novel, DON'T LET THE DEVIL RIDE:




Second, my review Alison Gaylin's September 10, 2024 second Sunny Randall sequel, ROBERT B. PARKER'S BUZZ KILL:




And my latest advance review, of Mike Lupica's November 26, 2024 second Spenser novel, ROBERT B. PARKER'S HOT PROPERTY:

ROBERT B. PARKER'S HOT PROPERTY by Mike Lupica

© by Gerald So | 7:00 AM

Book design by Katy Riegel

Thanks to Putnam Books, I got to advance-review a NetGalley of Mike Lupica's November 2024 second Spenser. Our hero investigates when recurring attorney Rita Fiore is shot.

I thought the book's synopsis overhyped Rita's importance to Spenser, but her being at death's door makes Spenser value their friendship more and raises her standing in the Parker canon.

Want to chat further? Join my public Matrix room Fans of Robert B. Parker.

ROBERT B. PARKER'S BUZZ KILL by Alison Gaylin

© by Gerald So | 6:30 PM

Thanks to Putnam Books, I got to advance review Alison Gaylin's September 10 second Sunny Randall sequel.

DON'T LET THE DEVIL RIDE by Ace Atkins

© by Gerald So | 6:30 AM

Ace Atkins' move to William Morrow was announced in April 2022 with the first of a two-book deal being a suspense thriller about a woman who uncovers her husband's double life. Thanks to publicist Jessica Cozzi, I got to advance-review the book, DON'T LET THE DEVIL RIDE, going on sale June 25.

REACHER Season 2 Halftime Report

Posted 8:30 AM by Gerald So

REACHER Season 2 premiered last Friday and I caught up to Episode 4 this week. Season 2 is based on the eleventh book, BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE, about an unknown enemy killing members of Reacher's former Army unit, the Special Investigators.

I was most impressed with Season 1's supporting cast and remarked that I'd judge future seasons on the chosen story and supporting characters. My issue with Season 2 is said allies are all super-competent at something, similar to Reacher himself. They don't set themselves apart as well as Season 1's cast did. Bigger, badder, better is a common sequel tactic after all.

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I've Finally Seen: INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY

Posted 11:30 PM by Gerald So

After some debate, I pre-ordered DIAL OF DESTINY on 4K Blu-ray,

In 1969 New York, retired professor Jones is drinking alone at a bar when his goddaughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) finds him and convinces him to look for an artifact that dropped from a train thirty years earlier while Indy and her father Basil Shaw were fighting Nazis.

I expected worse from this movie after its mixed reviews and box office disappointment. I ended up preferring it to CRYSTAL SKULL, but none of the original trilogy. I realize that's not saying much, but then, CRYSTAL SKULL had a important character, John Hurt's Harold Oxley, speak jibberish almost the entire time.

Critics blasted Helena Shaw as as unlikable, but come on. We're not supposed to like her for much of the movie. I'll remember this one for the unrealistic expectations Disney placed on it because they badly needed a post-pandemic blockbuster. Story-wise, it's fine, an adventure of older Indy.

Everyone says this will be the finale. That's what they said about CRYSTAL SKULL...

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