Blade Runner 2049. Denis Villenueve, dir. There’s a new and improved Blade Runner, and unlike Deckard, Joe K. is most assuredly a replicant, but just as lethal. This sequel isn’t as groundbreaking as the original, arguably the best sci-fi movie ever made, but it’s a great story. Ryan Gosling does a fantastic job as K, AKA Joe K., one of the many 2.0 version replicants whose programming is supposed to guarantee subservience to their human masters. There are a lot of old ones around still, which is why K is still in business, but they and the newer models still have a disobedient orneriness.

Ana de Armas plays Joi, K’s AI lover; Robin Wright plays Lt. Joshi, K’s conflicted boss; and Jared Leto has basically a cameo as Niander Wallace, the villain with a god complex who supposedly made Tyrell’s replicants more subservient. Oh, and Harrison Ford reprises his role as Rick Deckard, but only at the end in the film’s climax, so don’t be disappointed.

And hard sci-fi lovers everywhere shouldn’t be disappointed. I won’t mention the plot only to say it’s simple and powerful. It’s also intense, without a moment’s rest from the intensity (choose your bathroom breaks carefully, because this movie is long), as we follow K on his road to inner discovery and finding his humanity. Subtleties abound. Fans of the first movie will revel in the references to it, but this cinematic tale can stand on its own, like all good sequels, whether in books or movies, so people born after the first movie can enjoy this one (and maybe then see the original?).

And the best movies are based on books, as Hollywood has discovered with sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick. In this movie, the images are fantastic, the soundtrack pounding but appropriate (and romantic enough at times), the dialogue sometimes hard to understand but like that of a hard-boiled detective story, and the action often ugly and lethal but fitting comfortably into the plot (and perhaps creating the R rating as much as the visuals?). The final product is superb.

I love this movie. It makes Star Wars and Star Trek movies seem like fantasy and baby food for the mind. This is serious sci-fi that bears well the current banner of dystopian and post-apocalyptic neo-noir films and books. Old Philip must be smiling in whatever sci-fi metaverse he now inhabits.

***

Sci-fi book sale: More than Human: The Mensa Contagion and Rogue Planet are now on sale at Smashwords from October 1 through October 31. Their prices are reduced to $1.99—that’s one-third off. In the first novel, an ET virus changes the world, but in a good way, and leads to the colonization of Mars. In the second, there’s a wee bit of “Game of Thrones” fantasy mixed into the hard sci-fi as Prince Kaushal leads his Second Tribe in their fight against the First Tribe’s brutal theocracy. Both books are stand-alone, not part of a series. Use the Smashwords coupon numbers when you check out. Note that the second book is also available in paper format at Amazon. Lots of exciting fall entertainment for a reasonable price!

In libris libertas!

Stronger. David Gordon Green, dir. The superlative title is taken from “Boston Strong,” the ubiquitous cheer after the Boston Marathon bombing. The main character is Jeff Baumann who lost his legs in the attack. Played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who maybe gives an Oscar-worthy performance, Mr. Baumann comes across as an ordinary guy with a lot of rough edges. His family comes across much worse, and the girlfriend Erin Hurley, played by Tatiana Maslany, comes across better than all of them. Of course, Mr. Baumann had a lot on his plate to contend with, so you have to admire his courage.

This movie is both depressing and uplifting. After living many years in the Boston area, I didn’t want to see it, but I did. It’s an emotional roller coaster ride, but I reacted better than I did with 9/11 when I learned about friends and colleagues who died (the first two planes took off from Boston). These are powerful emotions that I have trouble with as a reasonable and logical person, but terrorism is neith logical nor reasonable.

The Vietnam War. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, dirs. OK, this is more a serialized documentary, probably the best doc I’ve ever seen. Of course, I might be biased because I lived through a lot of this. Even so, it’s a learning experience.

Millennials, do you wonder why baby boomers aren’t activists? Don’t fret because we were, are, and forever will be. This war changed everything, and you weren’t even born! Our parents’ generation fought World War Two and then the Korean War. One can argue that the latter was a precursor to Vietnam, but those fighting didn’t question it as much as Vietnam, and there weren’t ever the kind of protests as those against the Vietnam War, as people at home and in the fighting soon came to realized their government was lying to them.

But back to the learning experience with the doc: I learned that we can add Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy to the list of leaders who thought the dominoes were falling in Southeast Asia. LBJ and Nixon thought that too (the latter started his career supporting McCarthyism—not Eugene but the other jerk—but so did Bobby Kennedy). Lying to the American public seems to be a skill most politicians develop. Kennedy actually OK’d a coup without consulting his advisors. Nixon did worse by telling the corrupt South to delay their participation in the Paris talks until after he beat Humphrey, promising he would prosecute the war against the North more than LBJ had if they did him that favor. Ad infinitum. The worst of American politics was displayed during the Vietnam era.

The doc rightly focuses on those fighting in the conflict—how the North started boldly as a movement for independence, not a Communist uprising, and became corrupt; how the South wanted nothing to do with Communism, and became corrupt; and how soldiers on both sides fought to defend corruption. This was a human tragedy all around, but especially for the Vietnamese people, when you consider how many combatants and civilians died in the conflict.

The series also portrays the discord at home in the U.S. The war tore this nation apart more than any other since the Civil War. It even tore families apart—my brother and I never reconciled our opinions about the war. What’s going on today seems to diminish in importance compared to that national upheaval, the longest war until Afghanistan came along. The times are a-changin’, but a lot of thing stay the same, because we make the same mistakes and will probably continue to do so until I’m no longer alive to care.

***

Sci-fi book sale: More than Human: The Mensa Contagion and Rogue Planet are now on sale at Smashwords from October 1 through October 31. Their prices are reduced to $1.99—that’s one-third off. In the first novel, an ET virus changes the world, but in a good way, and leads to the colonization of Mars. In the second, there’s a wee bit of fantasy mixed into the hard sci-fi as Prince Kaushal leads his Second Tribe in their fight against the First Tribe’s brutal theocracy. Both books are stand-alone, not part of a series. Use the Smashwords coupon numbers when you check out. A print version of the second book is available on Amazon. Lots of exciting fall entertainment for a reasonable price!

In libris libertas!

Wind River. Taylor Sheridan, writer and director. This has been on my must-see list for a while. After seeing it, I can say it’s an intense movie where the snow and cold play a big role. Set in Wyoming, it’s based on true events (you never know how much Hollywood changes them, of course) and features a tough forestry service hunter Cory Lambert (played excellently by Jeremy Renner) who helps FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) find the men who raped and killed an eighteen-year-old Native American girl. Olsen is miscast; she just doesn’t strike me as a kick-ass FBI agent and is bumbling to boot. Much better is Graham Greene as Ben, the law on the reservation. This modern Western is gritty, deep, and revealing about the plight of Native Americans in the U.S. Their distrust of white men is well justified and their reservation’s squalor is deplorable, yet they exhibit a nobility, pride, and sensitivity that is remarkable. Highly recommended.

***

Last day for book sale: Some authors bundle a series or part of a series.  Here’s an alternative: from now through September 30, all three books in the “Clones and Mutants Trilogy” are on sale only AT SMASHWORDS, $1.99 for each ebook, reduced from $2.99—that’s one-third off.  The clones make their appearance in Full Medical as part of a complex government conspiracy, they combine forces with the mutant in Evil Agenda to thwart another plot, and they all save the world in No Amber Waves of Grain.  These aren’t comic book characters like X-Men—they’re real people who work to halt an apocalyptic future.  Use the link and go directly to Smashwords, enter the coupon codes during checkout, and get hours of fall reading for only $3.  (Amazon addicts, did you know Smashwords also sells .mobi files for your Kindle? They handle all popular ebook formats and distribute to many retailers and lenders—Apple, B&N, and Kobo include.) Pass the word about this sale to your relatives and friends. And, for librarians purchasing ebooks for their libraries, I’ve reduced the price of most of my ebooks on Smashwords fpr library purchases. Use the link to see my entire catalog.

In libris libertas!

It, Chapter One. Andy Muschietti, dir. I didn’t like It. I’m not scared of clowns—in fact, the horrors of real life are more frightening for me, not those created in horror stories and movies. This is a juvenile story with horror-gore and special effects added that just doesn’t resonate with me, so I can’t understand all the hubbub.

Stephen King is often called the master of horror. His best book is On Writing, if you can get past the memoir part at the beginning. In his chosen genre, he’s at his best when he finds the horror in everyday things, like Misery. For the creepy, horrible monster stuff, though, he’s become formulaic. This film, just one chapter of his story, is more like The Goonies on steroids. It’s more violent and gory, but—ho-hum—it all gets old and boring very fast. Where’s Dean Koontz when you need him?

I’ll admit that the kid actors, especially Jaeden Lieberker as Bill Denbraugh, are great. Bill Skarsgard, who plays the clown Pennywise, overacts, though. The other “adults” are OK, but why are the parents in that old Maine town of Derry all psychos? (By the way, the movie was filmed near Toronto, not in Maine.) The clown at least has an excuse—he’s the monster-in-residence. And is the creepy pharmacist supposed to be King himself? If I heard correctly, the girl calls him Mr. King.

I lost interest about halfway through this movie. Droll, very droll. I guess the crowds were looking for anything that might wake them up from this summer’s lethargy at the box office. Methinks I’ll forego Chapter Two of this duology.

***

Book sale: Some authors bundle a series or part of a series.  Here’s an alternative: from now through September 30, all three books in the “Clones and Mutants Trilogy” are on sale only AT SMASHWORDS, $1.99 for each ebook, reduced from $2.99—that’s one-third off.  The clones make their appearance in Full Medical as part of a complex government conspiracy; they combine forces with the mutant in Evil Agenda to thwart another plot, this time conjured up by an old villain; and they all save the world from a Korean industrialist who grew up in North Korea before they united with South Korea, in No Amber Waves of Grain.  These aren’t comic book characters like X-Men—they’re real people who work to halt an apocalyptic future.  Use the link and go directly to Smashwords, enter the coupon codes during checkout, and get hours of fall reading for only $3.  (Amazon addicts, did you know Smashwords also sells .mobi files for your Kindle? They handle all popular ebook formats and distribute to many retailers and lenders—Apple, B&N, and Kobo include.) Pass the word about this sale to your relatives and friends. And, for librarians purchasing ebooks for their libraries, I’ve reduced the price of most of my ebooks on Smashwords fpr library purchases. Use the link to see my entire catalog.

In libris libertas…

[First a bow to great science…]

Ode to Cassini

Copyright 2017, Steven M. Moore

Disappearing under Saturn’s robe,

There goes the Cassini probe.

With mechanical courage it took flight

And began its journey into the night.

It nobly pursued the scientists’ quest;

Now it will receive a deserved rest,

Out there among the rings,

Dreaming as only machines can dream.

[And now an ode to QWERTY…]

California Typewriter. Doug Nichol, director. My home state California is a big state with a lot going on, some good, some bad, but who knew it was the typewriter capital of the world? Sort of. This documentary takes its name from ye olde fix-it shoppe in Berkeley where two old guys and one guy’s daughters give typewriters new life. But it’s really about a bunch of old men obsessed with typewriters (OK, there are a few young ones and some old and young women too). Notable among them you’ll find Tom Hanks and John Mayer. John and the sculptor, Jeremy Mayer (no relation, I presume), who makes sculptures out of old typewriter parts (he destroys them instead of fixing them), offer the most profound statements, though. The film is really about writing and the technology’s advance. It kept me riveted as much as a Hollywood blockbuster. It could do the same for you, especially if you’re nostalgic about these machines. It’s not just for nerdy writers and people with their OCD disorders directed at typewriters, though. And it’s a welcome respite from a rather dreary Hollywood summer of throw-away movies.

***

Book sale: Some authors bundle a series or part of a series.  Here’s an alternative: from now through September 30, all three books in the “Clones and Mutants Trilogy” are on sale only AT SMASHWORDS, $1.99 for each ebook, reduced from $2.99—that’s one-third off.  The clones make their appearance in Full Medical as part of a complex government conspiracy, they combine forces with the mutant in Evil Agenda to thwart another plot, and they all save the world in No Amber Waves of Grain.  These aren’t comic book characters like X-Men—they’re real people who work to halt an apocalyptic future.  Use the link and go directly to Smashwords, enter the coupon codes during checkout, and get hours of fall reading for only $3.  (Amazon addicts, did you know Smashwords also sells .mobi files for your Kindle? They handle all popular ebook formats and distribute to many retailers and lenders—Apple, B&N, and Kobo included.) Pass the word about this sale to your relatives and friends. And, for librarians purchasing ebooks for their libraries, I’ve reduced the price of most of my ebooks on Smashwords for library purchases. Use the link to see my entire catalog.

In libris libertas…

[Before reading this review, please read my “Monday Words of Wisdom: Special Edition.” This movie takes on new meaning in the dark and somber aftermath of what happened in Charottesville.]

Detroit. Kathryn Bigelow, dir. I wasn’t enthusiastic about going to this movie. I’d seen Zero Dark Thirty; Bigelow’s emphasis in that movie changed the story too much. And, when the director becomes the story, I feel the movie already has one strike against it.

Another reason for my lack of enthusiasm is that Zero Dark Thirty was one-sided. While I’m 100% against terrorism, I recognize that many Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, bin Laden’s homeland, magnify the universal and historical gap between the poor and rich elites, whether these be initiated by old colonial powers or current despotic and medieval regimes and theocracies.

A third reason finds its basis in this question: can a white person in this country ever manage to communicate the story about the sixties unrest occurring in America’ large cities from Boston to LA? As a white author, I don’t think I could do it, although I’m not a fan of the anti-cultural appropriation crowd. I haven’t experienced racial discrimination en carne propia (a Spanish expression from another minority currently under attack that means “in my own flesh”). I could analyze this history like a doctor analyzes her or his patient, but this analysis would probably fail because I didn’t experience the pain.

Ms. Bigelow manages to portray the pain. Some viewers might think the white cops, the villains, are given too much screen time. I think this is positive—the director doesn’t try to hide the bigotry and hatred of their racism—but the focus is more on the personal stories of black frustration in the inner city, and it’s powerful history and a warning for our present.

Of course, Ms. Bigelow also directed The Hurt Locker. You take some facts and fill in the parts you don’t know, and you have a film inspired by true events. Add some good acting and get a good director, shake and do not stir, and you just might have an Academy Award winning film. Detroit is high on my list for the latter.

Unfortunately the movie is depressing. First, the cops got away with murder. Second, and more importantly, the racial tensions, hate, and bigotry exhibited in the film still continue. Dr. King’s dream of a colorblind society with equal opportunity for all still doesn’t exist in America. Instead of preparing people for the new jobs of the 21^st century, we leave them living desperate lives or put them in jail. Desperate people do desperate things, and the people creating the desperation are to blame.

(more…)

Dunkirk. Christopher Nolan, dir. It’s hard to tell how much Hollywood destroys history in this one. The story told here focuses on three persons—a no-name Frenchman posing as a Brit (Damien Bonnard), a British fighter pilot Farrier (Tom Hardy), and the crusty skipper, Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance), on his way to Dunkirk with his son and the son’s friend. This focus makes the huge evacuation a personal story for these men who are probably only representative of the many personal and untold stories related to the operation.

The movie doesn’t portray the big picture, in fact. It’s available in IMAX, but there aren’t small boats, the Brits lined up on the beach don’t look desperate enough, and I’m sure the air battle waged to protect the ships was much more intense. That said, this is worth seeing. Ubiquitous Hollywood war movies generally focus on the U.S. role, but this is all mostly British with a wee bit of French, a fitting tribute to the fact that the Brits, defying all odds, stood their ground against the Nazis. Dunkirk was a huge loss—continental Europe became part of the Third Reich—but at the same time it was the beginning of the end for Hitler, who was never able to overrun Britain. Later the Brits would bring Nazi Germany to its knees with the continuous bombing raids on the fatherland carried out by the RAF.

There were slow points in the movie and at times the dialogue was either lost or garbled, but this movie is more visual, and there is plenty of action. Obviously there are scenes of violence. And thanks go to Hollywood for not sticking syrupy romance into the plot. I only remember one woman, a nurse who was directing soldiers who had carried the wounded into the hold of a ship early on in the movie.

The film isn’t without controversy, though. Mr. Bolton, the pier master, played by Kenneth Branagh (a small role for a famous star, to be sure), was based on a historical character, Mr. Clouston, and he was instrumental in saving 200,000 troops at Dunkirk. Commander Clouston died on the last boat out of Dunkirk. Why the name change? His son is justifiably furious. Emma Thomas, Branagh’s wife, tried to weasel out of it. I’ll take this opportunity to recognize the father here. Hollywood should learn to NOT change history, even if the tinkering is small. The name change was unconscionable. I apologize to all the heroes of Dunkirk and their families on behalf of Hollywood; Thomas said all names were changed to protect the heroes. Huh? How ‘bout honoring them? I hope Hollywood recognizes that many Yank moviegoers wouldn’t condone these historical changes…ever.

***

Rembrandt’s Angel (a mystery/thriller from Penmore Press). To what lengths would you go to recover a stolen masterpiece? Scotland Yard’s Arts and Antiques Inspector Esther Brookstone goes the extra mile. She and paramour/sidekick Bastiann van Coevorden, an Interpol agent, set out to outwit the dealers of stolen art and recover “An Angel with Titus’ Features,” a Rembrandt painting stolen by the Nazis in World War Two. Their efforts lead to much more, as they uncover an international conspiracy that threatens Europe. During their dangerous adventures, their relationship solidifies and becomes a full-blown romance. This book is available in ebook format at Amazon and at Smashwords and its affiliate retailers. It’s available as a print version at Amazon, B&N, or your favorite bookstore (if not there, ask for it). Happy reading!

In libris libertas…

War for the Planet of the Apes. Matt Reeves, dir. Andy Serkis (of Lord of the Rings fame, as Gollum) does another incredible job as Caesar, the leader of the apes. I liked the ape actors better than the human ones, and for good reason (see below).

Starting with Boule’s book, these stories have never been good or believable sci-fi. Sure, a virus can cause major changes (see my More than Human: The Mensa Contagion, for example), but producing intelligent apes who spend most of a movie on horseback doesn’t qualify as a reasonable futuristic extrapolation. For this movie’s plot, some reviewers have mentioned a parallel with The Ten Commandments (curiously Charlton Heston was in that one as well as the first Planet). I’d go further: This is the biblical Exodus story!

I was sitting in the theater thinking, “The screenwriter has plagiarized this story from somewhere. It’s too familiar.” Walking to the parking lot, it hit me. Can you plagiarize the Bible? Guess so. That aside, you can’t help cheering for the apes; human beings are definitely the bad guys here. The apes are the Jewish slaves from the Exodus story; the nasty humans are the enslaving Egyptians.

I’m not sure who the little girl represents. She’s the only good human around, that’s for sure, but both she and the evil human colonel can recognize the humanity in the apes, especially Caesar. Maybe Reeves wrote her in so not all humans are bad, or he was trying to avoid critics who might scream that he’s sexist. Unlike the original with Heston, there aren’t really any women in Reeves’s trilogy.

This movie is better than the average summer drivel that’s been served up by Hollywood. Wonder Woman beats it as an action flick, though. We’ll see how Spidey does—I wasn’t impressed by the previews.

Aren’t you getting tired of these franchise remakes? Maybe the remake of Murder on the Orient Express will finally kill you with indigestion—I hope not. Can’t they do anything original anymore in Glitter City?

***

Rembrandt’s Angel (a mystery/thriller from Penmore Press). To what lengths would you go to recover a stolen masterpiece? Scotland Yard’s Arts and Antiques Inspector Esther Brookstone goes the extra mile. She and paramour/sidekick Bastiann van Coevorden, an Interpol agent, set out to outwit the dealers of stolen art and recover “An Angel with Titus’ Features,” a Rembrandt painting stolen by the Nazis in World War Two. Their efforts lead to much more, as they uncover an international conspiracy that threatens Europe. During their dangerous adventures, their relationship solidifies and becomes a full-blown romance. This book is available in ebook format at Amazon and at Smashwords and its affiliate retailers. It’s available as a print version at Amazon, B&N, or your favorite bookstore (if not there, ask for it). Happy reading!

In libris libertas!

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Ronning and Sandberg, dirs. One thing I strive for in my series of books is consistency. In the five movies in this movie series, there is none. I guess Disney doesn’t care as long as the movie makes money. If you take it as a stand-alone, it’s a mixed bag, with other flaws I will describe.

Depp is his usual mumbling, bumbling self as Jack Sparrow, of course. Bardem is OK as Salazar, although he tends to overact. Rush is much better as Barbossa (obviously the better actor in the trio). And I didn’t care at all for the romantic duo, so I won’t even tell you who they are.

If you think this looks awfully like the previous movies (emphasis on the “awfully”), you’re right. Magic and fantasy take precedence, of course, and the movie plays the usual havoc with history, a characteristic of Hollywood in general and Disney in particular. I’m just tired of the whole series—more tired of it than the Star Wars one. Maybe people go for the driving music (it gave me a headache) and the visuals (often blurred and lost in obscurity).

I guess that production crew of thousands listed in the credits must stay employed. Speaking of the credits, there’s an end piece after the credits that tries to set up another “sequel” (without the consistency, though, it’s hard to call any one movie the sequel to the previous one). If you haven’t reached the two-Excedrin level with the music, which accompanies that long list of credits, wait for the end piece and tell me via email what sequel they’re trying to set up—another ho-hum movie adrift in blockbuster seas?

Wonder Woman. Patty Jenkins, dir. I’m not sure this is the celebration of feminism that reviewers want it to be, but it’s a lot of fun, and it features a kick-ass female who reminds me of some of my own characters. Gal Gadot does a great job as Diana and Chris Pines excels as Steve, the British spy who lands a stolen German plane in the Amazons’ lagoon. Viewers can debate which actor, Gadot or Lynda Carter, is more ravishing, but they’re both ex-beauty queens. I suspect Gadot does a lot of her own stunts; she taught combat during her tour in the Israeli army. Look for more Gadot in future films.

This is an origins story that’s a bit long and convoluted with some obvious questions like: What became of the German battleship? Why did the villain send the heroes to the WWI frontlines instead of killing them outright in London? Why doesn’t Wonder Woman grow old if she grew from a child to a woman? And why did her mother worry about her safety in training as an Amazon warrior knowing her secret past?

Again, the driving, pounding music gave me a headache, but that’s par for the course in these Hollywood action thrillers. Visual effects are fantastic, though.

If you like these movies derived from comic characters (the first for Wonder Woman if you discount her brief appearance in Batman v. Superman—which just about stole the show, I might add), this is a great movie to see.

***

Rembrandt’s Angel. To what lengths would you go to recover a stolen masterpiece? Scotland Yard’s Arts and Antiques Inspector Esther Brookstone goes the extra mile. She and paramour/sidekick Bastiann van Coevorden, an Interpol agent, set out to outwit the dealers of stolen art and recover “An Angel with Titus’ Features,” a Rembrandt painting stolen by the Nazis in World War Two. Their efforts lead to much more, as they uncover an international conspiracy that threatens Europe. During their dangerous adventures, their relationship solidifies and becomes a full-blown romance. Published by Penmore Press, this novel is available in ebook format at Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, B&N, and Apple, and in print through Amazon or your local bookstore (if they don’t have it, ask them to order it). Great summer reading!

In libris libertas! 

Alien: Covenant. Ridley Scott, Dir. What! Another prequel to that great sci-fi movie Alien? This one “fits” in between Prometheus and that first movie. Whereas the first move featured a bunch of gruff, seasoned interstellar miners who didn’t pay much attention to Ripley—they all worked for an evil corporation—this tale is about a colony ship carrying hundreds of colonists in cryosleep and thousands of frozen human embryos. I liked that old mining ship better. And here there’s no evil corporation. (Funny how sci-fi movies have the theme of an evil corporation. I guess the screenwriters didn’t want to duplicate the first movie or bring to mind Avatar.)

The crew here also seems to be badly unprepared for the voyage too—screamers not knowing what to do in an emergency, a religious fruitcake (nothing is made of this in the movie, though, so why was it included?) who inherits the job of captain, and a protagonist who’s a bit teary all the way (with her lack of fortitude, she can’t begin to compare with Ripley, except for one scene towards the end that plagiarizes the second movie). Covenant is the starship’s name and is basically run by Mother. AI, supercomputer? No one knows. Mother is a bit stupid, though, because she isn’t able to distinguish between the two androids. Sure they look alike—both played by Fassbender in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide roles—but Mother shouldn’t be bothered by physical look-alikes because she only “sees” their inner electronics. Fassbender’s probably the best actor here, by the way, but that’s not saying much.

Bottom line: this is a mixed bag, and I’m getting a bit tired of this whole franchise. The good: The fantastic visuals and eerie music. The bad: All the acting. The ugly: Ridley’s obsession with the idea that humans were created by aliens. While the latter is a common theme (I liked the short sci-fi story where we’re all descended from space vermin, “rats” fleeing a doomed starship—does anyone remember the title?), and was carried to the extreme in Arthur C. Clarke’s last Rama book, it always begs the question of who created those creative aliens. Zeno’s Paradox doesn’t apply here, and I can’t even place it in the Darwin evolution v. creationist debate’s spectrum (aliens aren’t gods), but if you care, you can ask Scott.

***

The Collector. In #5 of the “Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series,” the detectives set out to solve the murder of a Manhattan art dealer. After twists and turns, they discover that the crime leads to something perverse financed by stolen artworks from the Gardner Museum in Boston as collateral. This intriguing and profoundly disturbing mystery/thriller/suspense novel is the crime-fighting duo’s toughest case so far. It also introduces Scotland Yard Arts and Antiques Inspector Esther Brookstone, the protagonist of my new book Rembrandt’s Angel (Penmore Press). The ebook The Collector is on sale now at Smashwords in all ebook formats; use coupon code SV28G. My new novel Rembrandt’s Angel is available in ebook format on Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, B&N, and Apple and will be available in print format on Amazon or at your local bookstore via Ingram (if they don’t have it, ask them to order it).

In libris libertas!