Saturday, January 13, 2018

The Midnight Line

The most recent release of Lee Child's next book in the Jack Reacher series. It's typical Reacher, but this time around the entire book was well written - either he had no ghost writer help or the entire thing was ghost written (is that the correct tense?). Amazon says, "Reacher takes a stroll through a small Wisconsin town and sees a class ring in a pawn shop window: West Point 2005. A tough year to graduate: Iraq, then Afghanistan. The ring is tiny, for a woman, and it has her initials engraved on the inside. Reacher wonders what unlucky circumstance made her give up something she earned over four hard years. He decides to find out. And find the woman. And return her ring. Why not?

So begins a harrowing journey that takes Reacher through the upper Midwest, from a lowlife bar on the sad side of small town to a dirt-blown crossroads in the middle of nowhere, encountering bikers, cops, crooks, muscle, and a missing persons PI who wears a suit and a tie in the Wyoming wilderness.

The deeper Reacher digs, and the more he learns, the more dangerous the terrain becomes. Turns out the ring was just a small link in a far darker chain. Powerful forces are guarding a vast criminal enterprise. Some lines should never be crossed. But then, neither should Reacher.". All in all, I say: READ IT if you've read the others.

The Diner at Webb Gin

I love Diner's which is why I was so bumbed out by this place. ALL the bread has dairy in it - all the fish and chicken they buy already made from someplace and just heat up - has dairy in it. They also cook almost everything in dairy - so I was left to next to nothing to eat. The prices make it too hard to be all like it's ok I'll just get a side of fries and be super happy that everyone else is having a great meal. All in all, I say: ENJOY - just don't invite me.

The Greatest Showman

Hugh Jackman (Logan) plays PT Barnum, the circus guy. It's a musical, but the dancing and singing was good. It wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. It didn't feel like it lasted very long and I enjoyed a couple of the songs. I just couldn't stop thinking about the poor animals. All in all, I say: SEE IT if you like musicals.

Shut Eye

On Hulu - Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice) is a con man - he and his wife (Georgia native KeDee Strickland from Secrets & Lies) are tarot card reading, palm reading, fortune telling hustlers. When they moved to CA from Vegas they thought they would get a couple of high rollers and then move on with all the money. Instead they ended up working for the Gypsy Mob. The mishaps of the characters and the fact that Jeffrey's character sees things kept me watching two seasons straight. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Dunkirk

Christopher Nolan (Interstellar) wrote and directed the movie based on the true story of the troops that withdrew from battle with the Nazi's. I already knew the story. The cinematography was good - there were too many actors to name. There was one performance I liked - Tom Hardy (Taboo) all he did was fly a plane and maybe speak 2-5 lines, but he did the best work in this. I will be honest and just say I was bored. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Lady Bird

Greta Gerwig (Jackie) writes and directs this somewhat biographical look at her relationship with her mother. Saoirse Ronan (Hanna) plays a 17 year old in her last year at a Catholic school in Sacramento, California, and she's applying to colleges. Her mother Laurie Metcalf (Big Bang Theory) is struggling to keep the family together after her husband loses his job and as it seems her daughter may be losing her mind. It has some funny moments - the script is its strength. The acting was good - I just felt like some of the situations were a little overly dramatic, but that's writer's prerogative. All in all, I say: RENT IT

The Mountain Between Us

Idris Elba (Luther) is a doctor who is lost in his life. He boards a small plane, the pilot has a heart attack, and crash. Kate Winslet (Avatar 2) is also a passenger. She's a war journalist trying to get home for her wedding. They help each other survive. The cinematography is excellenet. The acting is excellent. The script is ok - perhaps that's what was missing. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad - if that makes sense. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Spoiler: The dog lives