Carl Alves's Blog, page 4
October 29, 2022
Lock and Key Season 3 Review
The third and final season of Lock and Key was a complete and utter disappointment. This show clearly went one season too long. I’ve never been a big fan of the show, but it always held my interest. Mostly it was the concept of the show, with all of the keys and how they can be used was very creative conceptually. It was enough to overcome many of the show’s flaws, but this season was just a trainwreck.
There were so many things wrong with the final season, it’s hard to figure out where to start. The show’s writing has always been weak. There are gaps in logic that have always been problematic, but the characters’ dialogue has also been subpar. To make matters worse, this subpar dialogue is delivered by some really lousy actors. I had never heard of any of these actors prior to watching the show, and I don’t anticipate seeing much of them afterward. With a couple of exceptions, they seemed to be scraping the bottom of the barrel of Hollywood talent.
Storywise, the show falls apart this season. When it first started, only a few of the characters knew about the keys, and the show worked better that way. By season 3, it seemed as if every character on the show, no matter how insignificant they were, knew about the keys. Not only was the wedding scene unnecessary, but then Duncan is gone for the rest of the season, so what was the point of it? Kinsey’s boyfriend had about five minutes of screen time all season. Tyler’s new girlfriend driving across the country because he hadn’t shown up for work for a few days was utterly ludicrous—and they weren’t even a couple at that point. This season was just so bad in so many ways. Fortunately, the episodes were short, and mercifully it came to an end.
There were so many things wrong with the final season, it’s hard to figure out where to start. The show’s writing has always been weak. There are gaps in logic that have always been problematic, but the characters’ dialogue has also been subpar. To make matters worse, this subpar dialogue is delivered by some really lousy actors. I had never heard of any of these actors prior to watching the show, and I don’t anticipate seeing much of them afterward. With a couple of exceptions, they seemed to be scraping the bottom of the barrel of Hollywood talent.
Storywise, the show falls apart this season. When it first started, only a few of the characters knew about the keys, and the show worked better that way. By season 3, it seemed as if every character on the show, no matter how insignificant they were, knew about the keys. Not only was the wedding scene unnecessary, but then Duncan is gone for the rest of the season, so what was the point of it? Kinsey’s boyfriend had about five minutes of screen time all season. Tyler’s new girlfriend driving across the country because he hadn’t shown up for work for a few days was utterly ludicrous—and they weren’t even a couple at that point. This season was just so bad in so many ways. Fortunately, the episodes were short, and mercifully it came to an end.
September 4, 2022
Sins of Empire by Brian McClellan
The opening novel in the Gods of Blood and Power trilogy was a very enjoyable read. If you are into epic fantasy, this is a novel you will want to check out. What I enjoyed the most was the world building. Although the genre is epic fantasy, to me it’s really Civil War era America steeped in magic and sorcery, with some steampunk sensibilities thrown into the mix in its stylistic approach. It’s a really cool mishmash of genres. The level of world building blending older technology, magic, and various cultures is what sets this novel apart.
But that is not the only positives I take from the novel. The characterization was quite strong as well from Mad Ben Styke, a broken down old war hero who has been endured harsh treatment in a labor camp for the past decade, to Vlora, a powder mage who runs a company of soldiers and has magical abilities through the use of gunpowder, and Taniel, another powder mage who was supposed to have died a decade earlier, but instead has been pulling strings of and events in the background. There is lots of action, particularly toward the end of the novel, but it mostly takes a backseat to the world building.
One thing that I thought could have been done better was the abrupt shift that takes place about 4/5ths into the novel, where it seemed as if all of the storylines were discarded and swept aside for the conflict that dominates the final part of the novel. There could have been more foreshadowing built in so that it didn’t feel as abrupt. Despite that, there was so much to like in this novel that it will not disappoint. I highly recommend it and look forward to reading the next in the series.
But that is not the only positives I take from the novel. The characterization was quite strong as well from Mad Ben Styke, a broken down old war hero who has been endured harsh treatment in a labor camp for the past decade, to Vlora, a powder mage who runs a company of soldiers and has magical abilities through the use of gunpowder, and Taniel, another powder mage who was supposed to have died a decade earlier, but instead has been pulling strings of and events in the background. There is lots of action, particularly toward the end of the novel, but it mostly takes a backseat to the world building.
One thing that I thought could have been done better was the abrupt shift that takes place about 4/5ths into the novel, where it seemed as if all of the storylines were discarded and swept aside for the conflict that dominates the final part of the novel. There could have been more foreshadowing built in so that it didn’t feel as abrupt. Despite that, there was so much to like in this novel that it will not disappoint. I highly recommend it and look forward to reading the next in the series.
August 28, 2022
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King
I’ve read several short story collections from Stephen King. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams does not quite rank up with the better ones. While there are quality short stories in this collection, there isn’t the consistent quality that I would typically expect from King. The stories that tend to fall flat were the ones that he chose to use present tense narrative. King has traditionally kept his narratives in past tense, and it feels like he’s chasing a trend here instead of leading the pact. Examples of stories that I didn’t enjoy so much were “Ur” and “Herman Wouk is Still Alive”.
There were some gems in this collection as well. I really enjoyed “Blockade Billy”, a baseball mystery story. “Bad Little Kid” was a terrific story about this mean red-headed kid who ruins a man’s life, leading him to murder the little bastard, then being on the hook for murder. “Obits” had a fascinating concept about an internet writer who has the power to kill people by writing obituaries about them. “Drunken Fireworks” was a fun story about this drunken mother and son duo having a fireworks arms race against a wealthy family who lives across the lake from them. There were definitely more good than bad stories but there were more subpar ones than I am used to from a King collection. Still, there’s enough good in here that you will want to read this collection.
There were some gems in this collection as well. I really enjoyed “Blockade Billy”, a baseball mystery story. “Bad Little Kid” was a terrific story about this mean red-headed kid who ruins a man’s life, leading him to murder the little bastard, then being on the hook for murder. “Obits” had a fascinating concept about an internet writer who has the power to kill people by writing obituaries about them. “Drunken Fireworks” was a fun story about this drunken mother and son duo having a fireworks arms race against a wealthy family who lives across the lake from them. There were definitely more good than bad stories but there were more subpar ones than I am used to from a King collection. Still, there’s enough good in here that you will want to read this collection.
August 27, 2022
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Vampire Slaying by Grady Hendrix
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Vampire Slaying is set in South Carolina in the early nineties. The main characters are a group of housewives whose lives are pretty dull and who form a book club specializing in true crime and novels featuring serial killers. Their mundane world changes when—you guessed it based on the novel’s title—a vampire moves into the neighborhood. Except, this isn’t a vampire in the traditional sense. I think monster would be a more apt description. Regardless, when James Harris moves into their neighborhood, everything changes for Patricia Campbell and her book club as they now have a monster in their midst, one that is fully accepted by their families and the community because of the prosperity he brings. The tone goes from very light in the early going, to dark and sinister as the book moves along and some truly horrific things happen.
This is the second book I’ve read from Grady Hendrix. Although the novels were thematically different, as well as markedly different in tone, style, and voice, what they share in common is general awesomeness. This was a captivating story, well written, and deeply engrossing. The idea of a novel whose main characters are southern housewives from the nineties is not the sort of thing I would have thought would appeal to me but Grady Hendrix makes it work. The characters were well written and were easy to get invested it. Well, at least the female characters were. The male characters were complete and utter morons, which was my only real negative about this book, because I thought the men in this novel were over the top in their idiocy. This is a novel that worked on many different levels and I would strongly recommend reading it.
This is the second book I’ve read from Grady Hendrix. Although the novels were thematically different, as well as markedly different in tone, style, and voice, what they share in common is general awesomeness. This was a captivating story, well written, and deeply engrossing. The idea of a novel whose main characters are southern housewives from the nineties is not the sort of thing I would have thought would appeal to me but Grady Hendrix makes it work. The characters were well written and were easy to get invested it. Well, at least the female characters were. The male characters were complete and utter morons, which was my only real negative about this book, because I thought the men in this novel were over the top in their idiocy. This is a novel that worked on many different levels and I would strongly recommend reading it.
August 14, 2022
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
In The Only Good Indians, four Blackfeet in their youth kill a pregnant female elk. Years later, the elk comes back for revenge in a quest to destroy each of their lives. There were some things I liked about this novel, and other things I didn’t like so much. Starting off with the good, I thought the narrative voice sounded fresh and authentic. I guess it helps that Stephen Graham Jones is Blackfeet and was able to use his background to give the novel that authenticity in the narration. The dialogue, in particular, was quite good. The story had good drama and horror elements, and moved at a brisk pace.
The things that I didn’t like so much was the storytelling viewpoint. I didn’t care for the present tense usage, but I especially didn’t care for the use of second person point of view, which should be banned forever from fiction. It was especially annoying when the author intermingled them so frequently that it was hard to tell whose viewpoint the story was in. There were also some serious logic gaps and plot holes in the story. I also felt the action scenes could have been described better.
All that said, I enjoyed the story. In particular, the characterization was very strong. Even though I had some misgivings and it was a little rough around the edges, this is a novel that I would recommend.
The things that I didn’t like so much was the storytelling viewpoint. I didn’t care for the present tense usage, but I especially didn’t care for the use of second person point of view, which should be banned forever from fiction. It was especially annoying when the author intermingled them so frequently that it was hard to tell whose viewpoint the story was in. There were also some serious logic gaps and plot holes in the story. I also felt the action scenes could have been described better.
All that said, I enjoyed the story. In particular, the characterization was very strong. Even though I had some misgivings and it was a little rough around the edges, this is a novel that I would recommend.
Stranger Things Season 4 Review
Season 4 of Stranger Things had a darker and more horror feel to it than any of the previous seasons of the show, which I appreciated. There were allusions to Stephen King and Nightmare on Elm Street—even going so far as bringing in Robert Englund to play one of the roles in the Max possession episode, which I thought was the best episode of the season. That horror feel was something that was pervasive throughout the season and enjoyable.
One thing that didn’t work so well was the flood of new characters that they brought into the season. Of course, many of them served as cannon fodder so that they could be killed off. Through four seasons, the show has exhibited a pattern of only willing to be kill off newly introduced characters, and not any of the bigger characters, which I think is a shortcoming of the show. They teased the death of Hopper last season and Max this season, but they won’t take that kind of risk.
Another thing that didn’t work for me was the lack of believability of some of the more ordinary parts of the show. I’m perfectly fine stretching disbelief about the upside down, people with superpowers, and any of the supernatural elements of the show, but this season, a government agency going into a California neighborhood and shooting it up with machine guns, rival government agents killing each other and torturing other members, and that entire scene when Mike and company went to Utah to see Dustin’s girlfriend was a bridge too far and really hurt the season.
But mostly this was a really good season. I would probably rank it behind season 1. There were three separate story lines that coalesced in the end. The season had great tension and cool moments. As the child actors have grown, they have become less interesting, but the strength in the characters are with the older characters, in particular Steve, Robin, and Murray really shined this season. I would have liked this season to be the last for Stranger Things before they wear out their welcome, but clearly the ending set up for a season 5.
One thing that didn’t work so well was the flood of new characters that they brought into the season. Of course, many of them served as cannon fodder so that they could be killed off. Through four seasons, the show has exhibited a pattern of only willing to be kill off newly introduced characters, and not any of the bigger characters, which I think is a shortcoming of the show. They teased the death of Hopper last season and Max this season, but they won’t take that kind of risk.
Another thing that didn’t work for me was the lack of believability of some of the more ordinary parts of the show. I’m perfectly fine stretching disbelief about the upside down, people with superpowers, and any of the supernatural elements of the show, but this season, a government agency going into a California neighborhood and shooting it up with machine guns, rival government agents killing each other and torturing other members, and that entire scene when Mike and company went to Utah to see Dustin’s girlfriend was a bridge too far and really hurt the season.
But mostly this was a really good season. I would probably rank it behind season 1. There were three separate story lines that coalesced in the end. The season had great tension and cool moments. As the child actors have grown, they have become less interesting, but the strength in the characters are with the older characters, in particular Steve, Robin, and Murray really shined this season. I would have liked this season to be the last for Stranger Things before they wear out their welcome, but clearly the ending set up for a season 5.
June 13, 2022
Ozark Season 4 Review
Ozark ranks for me as one of the best shows in the past five years, and might even crack my top 10 list of all time. It reminds me of Breaking Bad in many ways. In both shows there is someone who is a novice who enters the world of the drug trade and fumbles and stumbles their way through it. Eventually the novice becomes very good at plying the drug trade and rises to power, but there is a nonstop barrage of obstacles in the way.
That was the case in season 4 as well. There were several times where Wendy and Marty Byrde got into situations where I had to ask myself, “How the hell are they going to get out of this?” But, as usual, they prove to be super resourceful, although Wendy acted irrationally in the final season and more or less lost it. Ruth Langmore also acted in utterly insane and reckless ways.
The cast and the writing in the show were definite strengths. In particular, Marty and Ruth Langmore were my two favorites. What I enjoyed about Marty is that he was always so even keel and logical, even in the face of some incredibly difficult and stressful situations. Ruth, on the other hand, was neither of these things, but she oozed attitude and moxy. Of course, these things got her into all sorts of trouble. The one character that really irked me was Jonah Byrde. His story line, where he was a money laundering mastermind at age 15, was just a bridge too far for me to cross.
Ozark ended the same way it had been for four seasons. Even when everything was seemingly going great, you just knew it wasn’t going to last, and things would ultimately burst at the seams. Both the season and the ending were really well done and fitting thematically. The show had run its course, and I am glad they decided to end it at this point.
That was the case in season 4 as well. There were several times where Wendy and Marty Byrde got into situations where I had to ask myself, “How the hell are they going to get out of this?” But, as usual, they prove to be super resourceful, although Wendy acted irrationally in the final season and more or less lost it. Ruth Langmore also acted in utterly insane and reckless ways.
The cast and the writing in the show were definite strengths. In particular, Marty and Ruth Langmore were my two favorites. What I enjoyed about Marty is that he was always so even keel and logical, even in the face of some incredibly difficult and stressful situations. Ruth, on the other hand, was neither of these things, but she oozed attitude and moxy. Of course, these things got her into all sorts of trouble. The one character that really irked me was Jonah Byrde. His story line, where he was a money laundering mastermind at age 15, was just a bridge too far for me to cross.
Ozark ended the same way it had been for four seasons. Even when everything was seemingly going great, you just knew it wasn’t going to last, and things would ultimately burst at the seams. Both the season and the ending were really well done and fitting thematically. The show had run its course, and I am glad they decided to end it at this point.
June 2, 2022
A Dark Matter by Peter Straub
This is a long novel that centers on the retelling of an event that took place one day in the 1960s in Madison, Wisconsin. There were things I liked about it, and other things that I didn’t like as much. On the good side, the novel starts off strong. It had me intrigued from the beginning and wanting me to read more. Part of that was the characterization, which I thought was particularly strong. The main characters in the novel were a group of high school/college aged kids in the sixties, who followed a cult like guru named Spencer Mallon. The main character is a successful author, who did not take part in the formative event the novel is focused on. The other part was the quality of the writing, which I thought was very high level.
For me, the big problem with the novel was that it was overly long. The novel is over five hundred pages to retell what happened on a single day. There just wasn’t much substance here to fill all of those pages. There was too much fluff that could have been trimmed. In fact, I think it would have been a tighter and more interesting read if the author and editors had lopped off a couple hundred pages. The other thing that didn’t work as well as I would have liked is that when the ultimate reveal of the day happens at the end, it seems a bit of a letdown. It didn’t quite live up to the hype that I was expecting. Ultimately, I thought this was a decent read but I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would when I first started reading.
For me, the big problem with the novel was that it was overly long. The novel is over five hundred pages to retell what happened on a single day. There just wasn’t much substance here to fill all of those pages. There was too much fluff that could have been trimmed. In fact, I think it would have been a tighter and more interesting read if the author and editors had lopped off a couple hundred pages. The other thing that didn’t work as well as I would have liked is that when the ultimate reveal of the day happens at the end, it seems a bit of a letdown. It didn’t quite live up to the hype that I was expecting. Ultimately, I thought this was a decent read but I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would when I first started reading.
May 27, 2022
The Fifth Ward: Good Company by Dale Lucas
Each novel in this series by Dale Lucas is wonderfully written, shows great imagination, and stands alone. Raise your hand if you can say that about other fantasy series. Missing are dragons and the fate of the world in the balance. Not there is anything wrong with that. But I love how the author has narrowed the scope and stakes, yet has still created a wonderfully compelling read and a story world that I would return to over and over again. These books are just enjoyable to read.
I am not sure if this ends the series or not, but there still seems to be more stories that could be told in this world. In this novel, Rem and Torval must transport a famous bandit called the Red Raven to the kingdom where he is wanted in order to claim their substantial reward. But nothing is at seems when the Red Raven appears to have an intimate relationship with the woman who is supposed to marry the Duke who has authorized the capture of the Red Raven. Rem and Torval now find themselves in a struggle that has wider ramifications and have to decide on what side they stand on.
There is lots of good action and intrigue in this novel. There is also strong characterization as you go throughout the cast of characters, something that is not easy to achieve beyond a few of the major characters, but the author skillfully navigates this. The action builds to a strong climax, and the ending is satisfying. If you enjoy fantasy and haven’t yet checked out Dale Lucas, then you should.
I am not sure if this ends the series or not, but there still seems to be more stories that could be told in this world. In this novel, Rem and Torval must transport a famous bandit called the Red Raven to the kingdom where he is wanted in order to claim their substantial reward. But nothing is at seems when the Red Raven appears to have an intimate relationship with the woman who is supposed to marry the Duke who has authorized the capture of the Red Raven. Rem and Torval now find themselves in a struggle that has wider ramifications and have to decide on what side they stand on.
There is lots of good action and intrigue in this novel. There is also strong characterization as you go throughout the cast of characters, something that is not easy to achieve beyond a few of the major characters, but the author skillfully navigates this. The action builds to a strong climax, and the ending is satisfying. If you enjoy fantasy and haven’t yet checked out Dale Lucas, then you should.
May 22, 2022
Movie Review: Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is yet another addition in the slow decline of the Marvel franchise. It’s been a while since the lords and masters at the Walt Disney company have produced anything worthwhile with Marvel (Spiderman No Way Home doesn’t count since it was produced by Sony). This movie was just lackluster in so many ways.
For starters, it was confusing and hard to follow. I felt as if they were just throwing out as many weird things as they could without any rhyme or reason or explanation. Half the time, I didn’t know what the heck was going on, and I felt the writers and director didn’t feel it was worth their while to provide a proper explanation.
Another thing that annoys me about recent Marvel ventures is that they use a popular character (Dr. Strange) and put them next to an unknown character (American Chavez) in order to get them over with the fans. It doesn’t work. American Chavez was a poor character who I couldn’t possibly care less about. This movie could have used more Wong and less American Chavez.
Finally, when I first realized that Scarlett Witch was the villain in this movie, I knew exactly how it was going to end. Spoiler alert: it was the same exact way that Wandavision ended. It was both completely predictable and utterly unsatisfying. I just feel that the Marvel universe under the reigns of the evil overlords at Disney is saturated and has run its course. They no longer seem capable of making good movies and shows. I should just pull the plug on watching these movies, but I am sure I will keep coming back for more.
For starters, it was confusing and hard to follow. I felt as if they were just throwing out as many weird things as they could without any rhyme or reason or explanation. Half the time, I didn’t know what the heck was going on, and I felt the writers and director didn’t feel it was worth their while to provide a proper explanation.
Another thing that annoys me about recent Marvel ventures is that they use a popular character (Dr. Strange) and put them next to an unknown character (American Chavez) in order to get them over with the fans. It doesn’t work. American Chavez was a poor character who I couldn’t possibly care less about. This movie could have used more Wong and less American Chavez.
Finally, when I first realized that Scarlett Witch was the villain in this movie, I knew exactly how it was going to end. Spoiler alert: it was the same exact way that Wandavision ended. It was both completely predictable and utterly unsatisfying. I just feel that the Marvel universe under the reigns of the evil overlords at Disney is saturated and has run its course. They no longer seem capable of making good movies and shows. I should just pull the plug on watching these movies, but I am sure I will keep coming back for more.
