Joseph Baneth Allen's Blog, page 30
September 4, 2024
Arkangel
Just finished reading "Arkangel - A Sigma Force Novel" by James Rollins, published by William Morrow.
I discovered James Rollins a little over 20 years ago when I happened upon his first Sigma Force novel, "Sandstorm" in the new books section of the Barnes & Noble near where I live, and I've been a fan of Rollins' Sigma Force novels which combine hard science, action, and pulse-pounding adventure.
"Arkangel" opens with the execution of a Vatican archivist within the shadow of the Kremlin which exposes a conspiracy going back three centuries—to the bloody era of the Russian Tsars. Before his murder, he manages to dispatch a coded message, a warning of a terrifying threat, one tied to a secret buried within the Golden Library of Tsars, a vast and treasured archive that had vanished into history.
The coded message comes at a bad time for Sigma Force. Unknown forces have blown up part of the Smithsonian where the team is headquartered and their is a push in the halls of government to bring the organization out in the open to dispel public fears of a terrorist attack.
As combative forces race for the truth behind this death and alarming discovery, Sigma Force is summoned to aid in the search—not only for this missing trove of ancient books, but to follow a trail far into the Arctic, to search for the truth about the lost continent of Hyperborea and a revelation that could ignite a global war.
The growing conflict—both on Russian soil and deep in the Arctic reignites a centuries-old war between the newly resurgent Russian Orthodox Church and the Vatican, while sabers rattle across the nations of the Arctic Circle, threatening to turn those icy seas into a fiery conflagration.
Seichan also realizes that she is in the final battle with former Guild assassin Vakta has begun and threatens her new found life.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/Arkangel-Sigma...
I discovered James Rollins a little over 20 years ago when I happened upon his first Sigma Force novel, "Sandstorm" in the new books section of the Barnes & Noble near where I live, and I've been a fan of Rollins' Sigma Force novels which combine hard science, action, and pulse-pounding adventure.
"Arkangel" opens with the execution of a Vatican archivist within the shadow of the Kremlin which exposes a conspiracy going back three centuries—to the bloody era of the Russian Tsars. Before his murder, he manages to dispatch a coded message, a warning of a terrifying threat, one tied to a secret buried within the Golden Library of Tsars, a vast and treasured archive that had vanished into history.
The coded message comes at a bad time for Sigma Force. Unknown forces have blown up part of the Smithsonian where the team is headquartered and their is a push in the halls of government to bring the organization out in the open to dispel public fears of a terrorist attack.
As combative forces race for the truth behind this death and alarming discovery, Sigma Force is summoned to aid in the search—not only for this missing trove of ancient books, but to follow a trail far into the Arctic, to search for the truth about the lost continent of Hyperborea and a revelation that could ignite a global war.
The growing conflict—both on Russian soil and deep in the Arctic reignites a centuries-old war between the newly resurgent Russian Orthodox Church and the Vatican, while sabers rattle across the nations of the Arctic Circle, threatening to turn those icy seas into a fiery conflagration.
Seichan also realizes that she is in the final battle with former Guild assassin Vakta has begun and threatens her new found life.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/Arkangel-Sigma...
September 2, 2024
Logan's Run Annual
Just finished reading "Logan's Run Annual" published by Brown Watson back in 1978.
I may be complete wrong about this assumption, but television show Annuals are a British tradition and are usually given to children for their birthdays and/or Christmas holidays - probably Chanukkah as well too. Television annuals are still being published today, and my first encounter with an "annual" was when my cousin Hannah mailed me a copy of the "Doctor Who - 1980" annual, and I still have that annual safely tucked away on one of the shelves in the one of the bookcases in my home office. Hannah bought the annual for me at a bookstore in New York City.
The "Logan's Run Annual" is faithful to the "Logan's Run" television show which ran for only 14 episodes back in 1978 that combines a background of the television show - which was adapted from the movie - and combines short stories with comic strip adventures - which are faithful to the television show. It also contains some biographies of the show's stars.
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/LOGAN%60S-RUN-...
I may be complete wrong about this assumption, but television show Annuals are a British tradition and are usually given to children for their birthdays and/or Christmas holidays - probably Chanukkah as well too. Television annuals are still being published today, and my first encounter with an "annual" was when my cousin Hannah mailed me a copy of the "Doctor Who - 1980" annual, and I still have that annual safely tucked away on one of the shelves in the one of the bookcases in my home office. Hannah bought the annual for me at a bookstore in New York City.
The "Logan's Run Annual" is faithful to the "Logan's Run" television show which ran for only 14 episodes back in 1978 that combines a background of the television show - which was adapted from the movie - and combines short stories with comic strip adventures - which are faithful to the television show. It also contains some biographies of the show's stars.
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/LOGAN%60S-RUN-...
Zagor - The Lost Mine
Just finished reading "Zagor - The Lost Mine" by Mauro Boselli and Stefano Andrucci, published by Epicenter Comics in 2022.
Zagor is an Italian comic book created by editor and writer Sergio Bonelli (pseudonym Guido Nolitta) and artist Gallieno Ferri. Zagor was first published In Italy by Sergio Bonelli Editore in 1961.
Zagor's real name is Patrick Wilding, the son of Mike and Betty. He is a western-tarzanesque character living in a fictional forest named Darkwood, located in Pennsylvania, north eastern United States. His name Zagor comes from his Indian name "Za-Gor Te-Nay", whose fictional meaning is "The Spirit with the Hatchet". Though the writers do not mention exact dates, Zagor is supposed to be active during the first half of the 19th century, or around 1825–1830. Zagor fights to maintain peace all over his territory, protecting the Indian tribes and hunting down criminals regardless of their skin color.
Zagor is not a typical western character, as his stories mix horror and science fiction by side with a bit of humour coming mostly from his sidekick Chico, a short, fat Mexican man who became his best friend. His full name is "Don" Chico Felipe Cayetano Lopez Martinez y Gonzales.
"The Lost Mine" opens with Zagor and Chico walking through a desert in West Texas when they arrive in the small village of Tortillas when they run into a a pair of cowboys out shooting and within minutes break up their attempts to harass a Comanche Chief - Grey Wolf - who is masquerading as Pedro - a Mexican half breed. Zagor intervenes and in less than a day is reunited with his old friend Digging Bill, who is looking for a lost treasure buried somewhere in the Wichita Mountains - deep within the heart of Comanche territory.
Zagor and Chico agree to help Digging Bill to find the mind, and along the way find that Pedro is actually Grey Wolf - a Comanche Chief who is desperately looking for his children who were kidnapped and sold into slavery to a ruthless Comanchero overlord who also has is eye on the lost treasure mine. This Zagor adventure also introduces Texas Ranger Captain Adam Crane to the Zagor "universe."
The artwork in "The Lost Mine" is reminiscent of the old style Warren black and white comics of the 1970s-1980s.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/165832951948
Zagor is an Italian comic book created by editor and writer Sergio Bonelli (pseudonym Guido Nolitta) and artist Gallieno Ferri. Zagor was first published In Italy by Sergio Bonelli Editore in 1961.
Zagor's real name is Patrick Wilding, the son of Mike and Betty. He is a western-tarzanesque character living in a fictional forest named Darkwood, located in Pennsylvania, north eastern United States. His name Zagor comes from his Indian name "Za-Gor Te-Nay", whose fictional meaning is "The Spirit with the Hatchet". Though the writers do not mention exact dates, Zagor is supposed to be active during the first half of the 19th century, or around 1825–1830. Zagor fights to maintain peace all over his territory, protecting the Indian tribes and hunting down criminals regardless of their skin color.
Zagor is not a typical western character, as his stories mix horror and science fiction by side with a bit of humour coming mostly from his sidekick Chico, a short, fat Mexican man who became his best friend. His full name is "Don" Chico Felipe Cayetano Lopez Martinez y Gonzales.
"The Lost Mine" opens with Zagor and Chico walking through a desert in West Texas when they arrive in the small village of Tortillas when they run into a a pair of cowboys out shooting and within minutes break up their attempts to harass a Comanche Chief - Grey Wolf - who is masquerading as Pedro - a Mexican half breed. Zagor intervenes and in less than a day is reunited with his old friend Digging Bill, who is looking for a lost treasure buried somewhere in the Wichita Mountains - deep within the heart of Comanche territory.
Zagor and Chico agree to help Digging Bill to find the mind, and along the way find that Pedro is actually Grey Wolf - a Comanche Chief who is desperately looking for his children who were kidnapped and sold into slavery to a ruthless Comanchero overlord who also has is eye on the lost treasure mine. This Zagor adventure also introduces Texas Ranger Captain Adam Crane to the Zagor "universe."
The artwork in "The Lost Mine" is reminiscent of the old style Warren black and white comics of the 1970s-1980s.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/165832951948
August 27, 2024
Tex - Patagonia
Just finished reading "Tex - Patagonia" released by Epicenter Comics back in 2017.
Now I'm going to have to start this review with a bit of a disclaimer or Zack, Jeff H., and Selma Franz - my baby sister, are going to hit the literal roof. "Tex - Patagonia" is out of print and if you can find it on eBay or other book websites, it sells for several hundreds of dollars on upwards to $500.00 or more. I had set up an alert of eBay to notify me when one became available for less than $100.00 and I was able to snatch it up. Just because I may want something doesn't mean that I will actually spend the money to get it.
I'm going to provide a bit of background on Tex since the series is not too well known here in the United States because it is an Italian comic.
Tex Willer is the main fictional character of the Italian comics series Tex, created by writer Gian Luigi Bonelli and illustrator Aurelio Galleppini, and first published in Italy on 30 September 1948. The series is among the most popular Italian comics, with translations into numerous languages around the world. The fan base in Brazil is especially large, but it is very popular also in Finland, Norway, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, France, India, Serbia, Bosnia, Israel and Spain.
Tex Willer's first adventure appeared on 30 September 1948, as a comic strip. The "first" Tex is an unwilling outlaw with a strong code of honour: he kills only for self-defence. Almost immediately, however, Tex becomes a ranger. Because of his marriage with the beautiful Navajo woman Lilyth, he becomes Chief of the Navajos, known as Aquila della Notte (Eagle of the Night), and a defender of Native American rights. He also becomes the respected Indian agent of the Navajo tribe. Tough, loyal, a skilled shot, and an enemy of prejudice and discrimination, Tex is very quick and smart and has a marked disregard for strict rules; however, he has no pity for criminals of any stripe, nor regard for their rights if they do not immediately cooperate with the law.
If you're WOKE, and easily offended by accurate portrayals of how people thought and lived in the American West in the late 1800s, I'd skip this series if I was you.
Tex's closest friend in almost every adventure since becoming a ranger, is Kit Carson, loosely inspired by the historic figure of the same name. A main role has been held by Tex Willer's son, Kit Willer, and by the Navajo warrior Tiger Jack; though the importance of the last two has diminished. Other recurring characters include El Morisco (a kind of warlock-scientist of Egyptian origin, living in north-eastern Mexico), the Mexican Montales (originally a bandido who fought against a corrupt government, and afterwards a successful politician), the Canadian trapper Gros-Jean, the Irish boxer Pat Mac Ryan, the Mountie Colonel Jim Brandon, San Francisco Police Department Captain Tom Devlin, the Apache chief Cochise, and the Navajo wizard Nuvola Rossa (Red Cloud).
In "Tex - Patagonia" Tex receives a briefing in his village from Senor LuJan, a military attache at the Embassy of Argentina in Washington, D.C.. Senor LuJan brings an urgent request from one of Tex's old comrades who is now a Colonel in the Argentine Military and requesting his old friend's help in resolving an issue with the native peoples of Patagonia. Tex is reluctant to go, but agrees and his son Kit joins him on the adventure.
It turns out to be a desperate race to win a fragile peace that is betrayed and turned into an equally desperate flight for survival for native tribes into the safety of Chile.
Again, if you're WOKE, don't read this Tex outing.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.epicentercomics.com/index...
Now I'm going to have to start this review with a bit of a disclaimer or Zack, Jeff H., and Selma Franz - my baby sister, are going to hit the literal roof. "Tex - Patagonia" is out of print and if you can find it on eBay or other book websites, it sells for several hundreds of dollars on upwards to $500.00 or more. I had set up an alert of eBay to notify me when one became available for less than $100.00 and I was able to snatch it up. Just because I may want something doesn't mean that I will actually spend the money to get it.
I'm going to provide a bit of background on Tex since the series is not too well known here in the United States because it is an Italian comic.
Tex Willer is the main fictional character of the Italian comics series Tex, created by writer Gian Luigi Bonelli and illustrator Aurelio Galleppini, and first published in Italy on 30 September 1948. The series is among the most popular Italian comics, with translations into numerous languages around the world. The fan base in Brazil is especially large, but it is very popular also in Finland, Norway, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, France, India, Serbia, Bosnia, Israel and Spain.
Tex Willer's first adventure appeared on 30 September 1948, as a comic strip. The "first" Tex is an unwilling outlaw with a strong code of honour: he kills only for self-defence. Almost immediately, however, Tex becomes a ranger. Because of his marriage with the beautiful Navajo woman Lilyth, he becomes Chief of the Navajos, known as Aquila della Notte (Eagle of the Night), and a defender of Native American rights. He also becomes the respected Indian agent of the Navajo tribe. Tough, loyal, a skilled shot, and an enemy of prejudice and discrimination, Tex is very quick and smart and has a marked disregard for strict rules; however, he has no pity for criminals of any stripe, nor regard for their rights if they do not immediately cooperate with the law.
If you're WOKE, and easily offended by accurate portrayals of how people thought and lived in the American West in the late 1800s, I'd skip this series if I was you.
Tex's closest friend in almost every adventure since becoming a ranger, is Kit Carson, loosely inspired by the historic figure of the same name. A main role has been held by Tex Willer's son, Kit Willer, and by the Navajo warrior Tiger Jack; though the importance of the last two has diminished. Other recurring characters include El Morisco (a kind of warlock-scientist of Egyptian origin, living in north-eastern Mexico), the Mexican Montales (originally a bandido who fought against a corrupt government, and afterwards a successful politician), the Canadian trapper Gros-Jean, the Irish boxer Pat Mac Ryan, the Mountie Colonel Jim Brandon, San Francisco Police Department Captain Tom Devlin, the Apache chief Cochise, and the Navajo wizard Nuvola Rossa (Red Cloud).
In "Tex - Patagonia" Tex receives a briefing in his village from Senor LuJan, a military attache at the Embassy of Argentina in Washington, D.C.. Senor LuJan brings an urgent request from one of Tex's old comrades who is now a Colonel in the Argentine Military and requesting his old friend's help in resolving an issue with the native peoples of Patagonia. Tex is reluctant to go, but agrees and his son Kit joins him on the adventure.
It turns out to be a desperate race to win a fragile peace that is betrayed and turned into an equally desperate flight for survival for native tribes into the safety of Chile.
Again, if you're WOKE, don't read this Tex outing.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.epicentercomics.com/index...
August 25, 2024
Crime Club
Just finished listening to "Crime Club" released by Radio Spirits.
"Crime Club" was created by Doubleday-Doran & Company for the sole purpose of promoting the sale of published mystery novels by adapting them into half-hour radio shows on a weekly crime series program. [For simplicity sake, I'm just going to refer to the publisher as Doubleday, as it is known as today, going forward with this review.]
Doubleday debuted it's monthly "Crime Club" monthly subscription series back in 1928, and it was so popular that Hollywood took notice with several radio series and movies, but it wasn't until 1946 that this incarnation of "Crime Club" hit the airwaves during the Golden Age of Radio, again going through several incarnations and changes until it hit the right formula.
The Librarian, an unnamed host, introduced and concluded each of "Crime Club" adaptations and the show gave secret society vibes.
My favorite episodes in this collection are: "Death Blue Out The Match," "The Topaz Flower," "Murder Makes A Mummy," "Coney Island Nocturne," and "Serenade Macabre."
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
Note: If any of these episodes inspire you to seek out and read the original novel, be prepared to spend a pretty penny online at eBay or other websites.
https://store.radiospirits.com/crime-...
"Crime Club" was created by Doubleday-Doran & Company for the sole purpose of promoting the sale of published mystery novels by adapting them into half-hour radio shows on a weekly crime series program. [For simplicity sake, I'm just going to refer to the publisher as Doubleday, as it is known as today, going forward with this review.]
Doubleday debuted it's monthly "Crime Club" monthly subscription series back in 1928, and it was so popular that Hollywood took notice with several radio series and movies, but it wasn't until 1946 that this incarnation of "Crime Club" hit the airwaves during the Golden Age of Radio, again going through several incarnations and changes until it hit the right formula.
The Librarian, an unnamed host, introduced and concluded each of "Crime Club" adaptations and the show gave secret society vibes.
My favorite episodes in this collection are: "Death Blue Out The Match," "The Topaz Flower," "Murder Makes A Mummy," "Coney Island Nocturne," and "Serenade Macabre."
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
Note: If any of these episodes inspire you to seek out and read the original novel, be prepared to spend a pretty penny online at eBay or other websites.
https://store.radiospirits.com/crime-...
To Be A Jew Today
Just finished reading "To Be A Jew Today - A New Guide To GOD, Israel, and the Jewish People," by Noah Feldman, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Now it may surprise some readers of my reviews here on social media platforms to learn that Mom and Dad were not thrilled whenever I read books about various religions when I was growing up. While they always stepped up to the plate and told my teachers where they could shove it when it came to the books I read, they were concerned that I might actually move away from Judaism, but I did understand why they thought that because at the time, I was the only Jewish child in the Camp Lejeune School system in the 1960s and 1970s and anti-Semitism ran high on base, so they were afraid I might convert to escape hatred - which was odd considering I would beat anyone to a bloody pulp who made anti-Semitic comments to me. No, oddly enough this didn't get me in trouble only because no Christian boy would admit that a Jesus-killing Jew beat him up back then. Mom and Dad never quite understood that I was trying to discover the root cause of why people hated Jews aside from the fact that anti-Semitics were stupid people filled with self-hatred and loathing. [I am way oversimplifying this observation.]
Feldman is Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Chairman of the Society of Fellows, and founding director of the Julis-Rabinowitz Program on Jewish and Israeli Law, all at Harvard University.
Feldman's exploration is both vast and intimate, addressing the colossal questions of God's existence, the significance of Israel, and the intricate tapestry of Jewish communal life with the precision of a seasoned scholar and the empathy of a fellow traveler. He does not shy away from the contentious or the controversial; instead, he embraces these as central to his "theology of struggle" that he identifies as core to Jewish experience. This approach not only validates the myriad ways one can be Jewish today but also elevates the discourse around Judaism to a level of nuance and sophistication rarely seen in contemporary writings.
At the heart of Feldman's thesis is the transformative impact of Israel's founding on Jewish identity. With a historian's eye and a philosopher's insight, he elucidates how this event has reconfigured the Jewish self-understanding, intertwining the destinies of Jews worldwide with the state of Israel in ways that are profound and irreversible. This analysis is particularly valuable, offering a nuanced perspective on a topic often mired in political and ideological battles.
Moreover, Feldman's analogy of the Jewish people as a "large, messy family" is both endearing and illuminating. It captures the essence of Jewish communal life, with all its contradictions, challenges, and charms. This metaphor serves as a gentle reminder of the shared bonds that unite Jews across the globe, despite the diverse paths they may walk.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/To-Be-a-Jew-To...
Now it may surprise some readers of my reviews here on social media platforms to learn that Mom and Dad were not thrilled whenever I read books about various religions when I was growing up. While they always stepped up to the plate and told my teachers where they could shove it when it came to the books I read, they were concerned that I might actually move away from Judaism, but I did understand why they thought that because at the time, I was the only Jewish child in the Camp Lejeune School system in the 1960s and 1970s and anti-Semitism ran high on base, so they were afraid I might convert to escape hatred - which was odd considering I would beat anyone to a bloody pulp who made anti-Semitic comments to me. No, oddly enough this didn't get me in trouble only because no Christian boy would admit that a Jesus-killing Jew beat him up back then. Mom and Dad never quite understood that I was trying to discover the root cause of why people hated Jews aside from the fact that anti-Semitics were stupid people filled with self-hatred and loathing. [I am way oversimplifying this observation.]
Feldman is Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Chairman of the Society of Fellows, and founding director of the Julis-Rabinowitz Program on Jewish and Israeli Law, all at Harvard University.
Feldman's exploration is both vast and intimate, addressing the colossal questions of God's existence, the significance of Israel, and the intricate tapestry of Jewish communal life with the precision of a seasoned scholar and the empathy of a fellow traveler. He does not shy away from the contentious or the controversial; instead, he embraces these as central to his "theology of struggle" that he identifies as core to Jewish experience. This approach not only validates the myriad ways one can be Jewish today but also elevates the discourse around Judaism to a level of nuance and sophistication rarely seen in contemporary writings.
At the heart of Feldman's thesis is the transformative impact of Israel's founding on Jewish identity. With a historian's eye and a philosopher's insight, he elucidates how this event has reconfigured the Jewish self-understanding, intertwining the destinies of Jews worldwide with the state of Israel in ways that are profound and irreversible. This analysis is particularly valuable, offering a nuanced perspective on a topic often mired in political and ideological battles.
Moreover, Feldman's analogy of the Jewish people as a "large, messy family" is both endearing and illuminating. It captures the essence of Jewish communal life, with all its contradictions, challenges, and charms. This metaphor serves as a gentle reminder of the shared bonds that unite Jews across the globe, despite the diverse paths they may walk.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/To-Be-a-Jew-To...
Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter
Just finished reading "Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter" by Dan Abnett and Tom Mandrake, released by Titan Comics.
"Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter" is a cult movie released by Hammer Films back in the 1974 and was intended to launch a series of movies that chronicled the adventures of Captain Kronos. Sadly, those sequel movies never materialized and we had to wait nearly 50 years before we were able to to this comic books sequel to the original movie which continues the adventures of Kronos, the hunchback Professor Hieronymus Grost, and surprisingly Carla, who was left behind at the end of the movie - she has joined the team.
This graphic novel finds Kronos, Grost, and Carla arriving in the town of Serechurch where they learn of a deadly plague of vampires is running the town. Yet all is not as it seems and it seems that there are two different competing vampire clans with their own different motives when it comes to the town of Serechurch.
"Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter" is a worthy sequel to the original movie and does carry the story forward while providing insights to each Kronos, Grost, and Carla, yet sadly this appears just to be a one-time series.
I, and I suspect, other fans fans of this cult movie, would like to see the series continue on in some other format, and we can always hope for a limited run Netflix series.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that my good friend Steve Orchard did get me Caroline Munro's - who played Carla in the movie - autograph.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/Captain-Kronos...
"Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter" is a cult movie released by Hammer Films back in the 1974 and was intended to launch a series of movies that chronicled the adventures of Captain Kronos. Sadly, those sequel movies never materialized and we had to wait nearly 50 years before we were able to to this comic books sequel to the original movie which continues the adventures of Kronos, the hunchback Professor Hieronymus Grost, and surprisingly Carla, who was left behind at the end of the movie - she has joined the team.
This graphic novel finds Kronos, Grost, and Carla arriving in the town of Serechurch where they learn of a deadly plague of vampires is running the town. Yet all is not as it seems and it seems that there are two different competing vampire clans with their own different motives when it comes to the town of Serechurch.
"Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter" is a worthy sequel to the original movie and does carry the story forward while providing insights to each Kronos, Grost, and Carla, yet sadly this appears just to be a one-time series.
I, and I suspect, other fans fans of this cult movie, would like to see the series continue on in some other format, and we can always hope for a limited run Netflix series.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that my good friend Steve Orchard did get me Caroline Munro's - who played Carla in the movie - autograph.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/Captain-Kronos...
The Gray Man
Just finished watching "The Gray Man" released by Netflix.
"The Gray Man" is based on the first novel in Mark Greaney's long running Gray Man series of novels and did have a limited run in theaters earning under $500,000 before Netflix switched the movie, which cost $200,000,000.00 to make, exclusively to their platform.
Now, as frequent readers of my reviews here on various social media platforms know, I don't subscribe to any streaming services, and gasp, I don't have cable. So, when "The Gray Man" popped up on my eBay feed, I decided to take a chance on the movie and get it.
I'm always a bit torn when I purchase a blu-ray from China because I used to get onto Dad when he purchased bootleg DVDs of first run, still in-theater movies at the Beach Boulevard Flea Market. His justification was the if he didn't then Mom wouldn't be able to see the movies. Mom had severe aphasia from a stroke and thought that people saw her as stupid because she couldn't speak very well, so she didn't like going out unless I was with her and she would only speak in front of family and Jeff H. and Zack, who she considered family as well.
I don't have that justification. My "get out of jail card" on this is that I don't believe that eBay would allow for the sale of bootleg blu-rays and DVDs and that the vendors on eBay are long time vendors.
I went into this movie "blind" because I have not read any of Gearney's Gray Man Novels. I do like action, adventure novels, but more along the lines of James Rollins Sigma Force novels.
To summarize the movie:
In 2003, senior CIA official Donald Fitzroy visits a prisoner named Courtland Gentry in Florida. Eight years earlier, Courtland was a minor convicted of killing his abusive father to protect his brother. Fitzroy offers him his freedom in exchange for working as an assassin in the CIA's Sierra program, an elite black ops unit, which will allow him to exist in the gray. Hence the title of the series.
In 2021, Courtland, now known as Sierra Six, is working with fellow CIA agent Dani Miranda to assassinate a target named Dining Car suspected of selling off national security secrets in Bangkok during the national Songkran festival. Unable to do so stealthily without harming civilians, he attacks Dining Car directly, mortally wounding him. Before dying, he reveals he was also in the Sierra program as Sierra Four. He hands Six an encrypted drive detailing the corruption of CIA official Denny Carmichael, the lead agent on the assassination mission.
Carmichael is elusive about the true purpose of the mission and the contents of the drive when confronted by Six, and Six refuses evacuation from Bangkok with Carmichael's men. Sending the drive to former Sierra Program handler Margaret Cahill in Prague, he calls a now-retired Fitzroy to request extraction.
Carmichael hires mercenary Lloyd Hansen, a former CIA agent kicked out for his sociopathic tendencies, to track down Six and retrieve the drive. Hansen does so by kidnapping Fitzroy's niece Claire, forcing Fitzroy to authorize Six's murder by the extraction team. However, Six kills them and escapes.
Frustrated, Carmichael sends his subordinate Suzanne Brewer to oversee Hansen and keep him in line. Hansen keeps Claire hostage in a mansion in Croatia, at his base of operations. He also puts a massive bounty on Six's head to get mercenaries and assassins to hunt him down.
Six heads to Vienna to find the serial number of Claire's pacemaker from Laszlo Sosa, but he betrays him for the bounty. Six escapes from Sosa's entrapment just as Hansen arrives with his team (and Hansen kills Sosa), while Six kills all of Hansen's teammates and is rescued by Miranda from Hansen. Her reputation is shot thanks to the Bangkok mission and she initially plans to bring him in to salvage her CIA career.
Six convinces her to drive him to Cahill's apartment in Prague, where she decrypts the drive. It reveals the extent of Carmichael's corruption on behalf of a mysterious benefactor working for a shadow government. Hansen sends several teams of assassins to Cahill, and a terminally ill Cahill blows up her home, so Six and Miranda can escape.
Six is arrested and handcuffed in the square. A massive shootout in Prague resulted in all the police officers present slaughtered and Six escaped on a tram. After a long chase and gun battle, Six is once again saved by Miranda, in Cahill's bulletproof car. They infiltrate a hospital to track down Claire through her pacemaker's wireless signal.
Subsequently, an Indian-Tamil mercenary, code-named "Lone Wolf", hired by Hansen, tracks and overcomes Six and Miranda, retrieves the drive, and then brings it to Hansen for the offered bounty. Six and Miranda follow the pacemaker to Hansen's base. She creates a distraction while he infiltrates the mansion rescuing Fitzroy and Claire. Mortally wounded as they flee, Fitzroy sacrifices himself attempting to kill Hansen. Miranda manages to reclaim the drive after Lone Wolf, disgusted by Hansen's sociopathy and amoral tendencies, surrenders the drive to her before leaving.
Hansen takes Claire hostage and drags her into a hedge maze. After a standoff, he lets go of Claire and fights with Six. Before Six can kill him, Brewer shoots Hansen. She then tells Six that she plans to pin Carmichael's actions on Hansen to gain leverage over him. Furthermore, Brewer pledges for Claire's safety, but only if Six continues to work for the CIA.
Six and Miranda are forced to cooperate in the cover-up, where ultimately no action is taken against Carmichael. After the debriefing at the CIA headquarters, Miranda threatens to kill Carmichael if any harm comes to Claire. Six escapes custody and frees Claire, who was being held at a secret location, and escapes.
It's a well made movie, but standard genre fare. There is supposed to be a sequel and a Lone Wolf spin-off movie in the works, though there are no planned release dates yet for either movie.
Recommended.
Three Stars.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/235689339832...
"The Gray Man" is based on the first novel in Mark Greaney's long running Gray Man series of novels and did have a limited run in theaters earning under $500,000 before Netflix switched the movie, which cost $200,000,000.00 to make, exclusively to their platform.
Now, as frequent readers of my reviews here on various social media platforms know, I don't subscribe to any streaming services, and gasp, I don't have cable. So, when "The Gray Man" popped up on my eBay feed, I decided to take a chance on the movie and get it.
I'm always a bit torn when I purchase a blu-ray from China because I used to get onto Dad when he purchased bootleg DVDs of first run, still in-theater movies at the Beach Boulevard Flea Market. His justification was the if he didn't then Mom wouldn't be able to see the movies. Mom had severe aphasia from a stroke and thought that people saw her as stupid because she couldn't speak very well, so she didn't like going out unless I was with her and she would only speak in front of family and Jeff H. and Zack, who she considered family as well.
I don't have that justification. My "get out of jail card" on this is that I don't believe that eBay would allow for the sale of bootleg blu-rays and DVDs and that the vendors on eBay are long time vendors.
I went into this movie "blind" because I have not read any of Gearney's Gray Man Novels. I do like action, adventure novels, but more along the lines of James Rollins Sigma Force novels.
To summarize the movie:
In 2003, senior CIA official Donald Fitzroy visits a prisoner named Courtland Gentry in Florida. Eight years earlier, Courtland was a minor convicted of killing his abusive father to protect his brother. Fitzroy offers him his freedom in exchange for working as an assassin in the CIA's Sierra program, an elite black ops unit, which will allow him to exist in the gray. Hence the title of the series.
In 2021, Courtland, now known as Sierra Six, is working with fellow CIA agent Dani Miranda to assassinate a target named Dining Car suspected of selling off national security secrets in Bangkok during the national Songkran festival. Unable to do so stealthily without harming civilians, he attacks Dining Car directly, mortally wounding him. Before dying, he reveals he was also in the Sierra program as Sierra Four. He hands Six an encrypted drive detailing the corruption of CIA official Denny Carmichael, the lead agent on the assassination mission.
Carmichael is elusive about the true purpose of the mission and the contents of the drive when confronted by Six, and Six refuses evacuation from Bangkok with Carmichael's men. Sending the drive to former Sierra Program handler Margaret Cahill in Prague, he calls a now-retired Fitzroy to request extraction.
Carmichael hires mercenary Lloyd Hansen, a former CIA agent kicked out for his sociopathic tendencies, to track down Six and retrieve the drive. Hansen does so by kidnapping Fitzroy's niece Claire, forcing Fitzroy to authorize Six's murder by the extraction team. However, Six kills them and escapes.
Frustrated, Carmichael sends his subordinate Suzanne Brewer to oversee Hansen and keep him in line. Hansen keeps Claire hostage in a mansion in Croatia, at his base of operations. He also puts a massive bounty on Six's head to get mercenaries and assassins to hunt him down.
Six heads to Vienna to find the serial number of Claire's pacemaker from Laszlo Sosa, but he betrays him for the bounty. Six escapes from Sosa's entrapment just as Hansen arrives with his team (and Hansen kills Sosa), while Six kills all of Hansen's teammates and is rescued by Miranda from Hansen. Her reputation is shot thanks to the Bangkok mission and she initially plans to bring him in to salvage her CIA career.
Six convinces her to drive him to Cahill's apartment in Prague, where she decrypts the drive. It reveals the extent of Carmichael's corruption on behalf of a mysterious benefactor working for a shadow government. Hansen sends several teams of assassins to Cahill, and a terminally ill Cahill blows up her home, so Six and Miranda can escape.
Six is arrested and handcuffed in the square. A massive shootout in Prague resulted in all the police officers present slaughtered and Six escaped on a tram. After a long chase and gun battle, Six is once again saved by Miranda, in Cahill's bulletproof car. They infiltrate a hospital to track down Claire through her pacemaker's wireless signal.
Subsequently, an Indian-Tamil mercenary, code-named "Lone Wolf", hired by Hansen, tracks and overcomes Six and Miranda, retrieves the drive, and then brings it to Hansen for the offered bounty. Six and Miranda follow the pacemaker to Hansen's base. She creates a distraction while he infiltrates the mansion rescuing Fitzroy and Claire. Mortally wounded as they flee, Fitzroy sacrifices himself attempting to kill Hansen. Miranda manages to reclaim the drive after Lone Wolf, disgusted by Hansen's sociopathy and amoral tendencies, surrenders the drive to her before leaving.
Hansen takes Claire hostage and drags her into a hedge maze. After a standoff, he lets go of Claire and fights with Six. Before Six can kill him, Brewer shoots Hansen. She then tells Six that she plans to pin Carmichael's actions on Hansen to gain leverage over him. Furthermore, Brewer pledges for Claire's safety, but only if Six continues to work for the CIA.
Six and Miranda are forced to cooperate in the cover-up, where ultimately no action is taken against Carmichael. After the debriefing at the CIA headquarters, Miranda threatens to kill Carmichael if any harm comes to Claire. Six escapes custody and frees Claire, who was being held at a secret location, and escapes.
It's a well made movie, but standard genre fare. There is supposed to be a sequel and a Lone Wolf spin-off movie in the works, though there are no planned release dates yet for either movie.
Recommended.
Three Stars.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/235689339832...
August 18, 2024
Jonny Quest 01
Just finished reading "Jonny Quest 01" by Joe Casey and Sebastian Piriz, released by Dynamite Comics.
"Jonny Quest 01" takes up immediately after the events in "Jonny Quest 00" where Dr. Quest, Race, Jonny, Haji, and Bandit survived the storm at sea where Dr. Quest was trying to test out his quantum counter. They are back on Palm Key, but things are not adding up. The island is abandoned and they are being attacked by flying drones, which they do not recognize. Spoiler alert, they have moved forward in time and encounter an older version of Jonny who informs them that there are worse villains then the ones they have previously encountered.
Stylistically, this comic does capture the look and intensity of the original cartoon.
Strongly recommended.
Four Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Jonny-Quest-1-...
"Jonny Quest 01" takes up immediately after the events in "Jonny Quest 00" where Dr. Quest, Race, Jonny, Haji, and Bandit survived the storm at sea where Dr. Quest was trying to test out his quantum counter. They are back on Palm Key, but things are not adding up. The island is abandoned and they are being attacked by flying drones, which they do not recognize. Spoiler alert, they have moved forward in time and encounter an older version of Jonny who informs them that there are worse villains then the ones they have previously encountered.
Stylistically, this comic does capture the look and intensity of the original cartoon.
Strongly recommended.
Four Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Jonny-Quest-1-...
Ghostbusters Frozen Empire
Just finished watching "Ghostbusters - Frozen Empire" released by Sony.
"Ghostbusters - Frozen Empire" opens three years after the events of "Ghostbusters Afterlife" with the Spengler family chasing a ghost dragon in the streets of New York City.
Callie Spengler, her boyfriend Gary Grooberson, her children Trevor and Phoebe, and their close friends Lucky Domingo and Podcast, relocate to New York City to aid Winston Zeddemore and Ray Stantz in re-establishing the Ghostbusters. After the group captures a ghost from Hell's Kitchen in Lower Manhattan, Walter Peck, the Ghostbusters' long-time opponent and now the city's Mayor, threatens to close them down.
To appease Peck, Callie removes the underage Phoebe from the team. Upset, the teen attempts to control her emotions by playing chess in a nearby park, where she encounters and befriends Melody, the ghost of a teenage girl who died in a fire.
Meanwhile, Ray and Podcast are collecting cursed objects for examination. Nadeem Razmaadi visits and sells them a strange brass orb with ritual markings written in Mesopotamian Arabic inherited from his grandmother. Ray determines it is an apotropaic trap due to copper alloys typically being used in rituals against the supernatural since the Bronze Age.
"Ghostbusters Frozen Empire" pays homage to both "Afterlife" and "Ghostbusters II," while putting forth a new concept, the Ghostcorps. It also moves the Ghostbusters universe forward. It will be interesting to see if there is a third movie in this revitalized franchise.
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Ghostbusters-F...
"Ghostbusters - Frozen Empire" opens three years after the events of "Ghostbusters Afterlife" with the Spengler family chasing a ghost dragon in the streets of New York City.
Callie Spengler, her boyfriend Gary Grooberson, her children Trevor and Phoebe, and their close friends Lucky Domingo and Podcast, relocate to New York City to aid Winston Zeddemore and Ray Stantz in re-establishing the Ghostbusters. After the group captures a ghost from Hell's Kitchen in Lower Manhattan, Walter Peck, the Ghostbusters' long-time opponent and now the city's Mayor, threatens to close them down.
To appease Peck, Callie removes the underage Phoebe from the team. Upset, the teen attempts to control her emotions by playing chess in a nearby park, where she encounters and befriends Melody, the ghost of a teenage girl who died in a fire.
Meanwhile, Ray and Podcast are collecting cursed objects for examination. Nadeem Razmaadi visits and sells them a strange brass orb with ritual markings written in Mesopotamian Arabic inherited from his grandmother. Ray determines it is an apotropaic trap due to copper alloys typically being used in rituals against the supernatural since the Bronze Age.
"Ghostbusters Frozen Empire" pays homage to both "Afterlife" and "Ghostbusters II," while putting forth a new concept, the Ghostcorps. It also moves the Ghostbusters universe forward. It will be interesting to see if there is a third movie in this revitalized franchise.
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Ghostbusters-F...
