#notabookfriday

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Not A Book Friday

So, in multiple places (including The Brokenwood Mysteries own publicity) I was told that if I liked Midsomer Murders I should try Brokenwood Mysteries. So, I finally did. I heartily disagree that this 10 season (so far) series is like Midsomer Murders, I think that it’s better. And, I think that a better description of the series would be that it’s a lot like Murder She Wrote, with just a bit of Midsomer Murders in there too. Cabot Cove, but, with some very competent police officers instead of a mystery writer solving the crimes.

It’s set in Brokenwood, a town that’s in the North Island of New Zealand. And, there is a lot of death in Brokenwood. Luckily Detectives Mike, Kristen, and Sam (as well as later Daniel) are on the case. And, with the help of the quite amazingly awesome and hilarious Gina, the ME, are on the case. Solving these, unique and sometimes very zany cases.

The cases were always fun of course, and different for sure. I also really liked how we did see some characters over and over, and not just the ‘sounding board’ character (by the by, the character of Jared Morehu was definitely my favourite). But, also, there was Trudy, or Frodo, or Ray. They all wound up being sorta involved (or sometimes accused) of multiple crimes on the show too. Such a fun series. *Taps fingers in waiting* So…. Series 11 then….? Heh.

The Brokenwood Mysteries

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Today, June 30: in 1960, the premiere of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Like most public libraries, our film collection is a huge draw; we have a history of including the offbeat and the classics, a collection to start a course in film history.

Psycho changed film forever. First, no one was allowed to enter once the film had started, permanently departing from the accepted practice of buying a ticket and staying through multiple shows. 

“Hitchcock wanted to prevent that. With ‘Psycho,’ Anthony Perkins was top-billed, but Janet Leigh was the biggest star in the film. Hitchcock didn’t want audiences to enter during the second half and wonder ‘Where’s Janet Leigh?’ the whole time. So he inaugurated the idea that audiences had to attend from the start of the film, which he said at a press conference was a ‘daring presentations movement.’”

The female lead (Leigh) was killed off 47 minutes into the film;  more than that, the plot was scandalous for the time, and the cinematography fascinates to this day. Watch the storyboard sequence for the shower scene here, and watch the theatrical trailer below. 

[nevinslibrary]

Not A Book Friday

A dead body is found on a beach. The local constabulary is called in. DS Ellie thought that she would get the DI spot that opened up. Instead, DI Alec has been brought from the outside. And, he has some serious baggage. To be fair, DS Ellie may have some baggage of her own. There’s the media and the family wanting a solution to the mystery immediately, and, there were a ton of twists and turns.

I did guess where they were going as I got to the last few episodes of the season, but, I’ve read and watched a lot of mysteries in my life. And, even though I guessed right, the ride itself was just intense. With David Tennant and Olivia Coleman just awesome (as well as Jodi Whittiker and Arthur Darvill) I could not stop watching this series. (And, am looking forward to the next two seasons!).

Broadchurch

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Not A Book Friday

I’ll admit, there’s a really weird reason why I watched this movie. I mean, it’s a classic, and it has Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman in it as Woodward and Bernstein. But, it actually wound up on my to watch list because it also has Ned Beatty in it (and, he actually did this movie before he was so awesome in Superman).

There’s not a lot to say about it that hasn’t been said. It’s the fictionalized version of the real stuff that went on with Watergate, Richard Nixon, and it’s especially about Woodward and Bernstein, the two journalists who get most of the credit for cracking the Watergate case. It’s also a classic for a reason, the acting is amazing, the cinematography is as well. Oh, and I really liked Ned in this one too.

All the President’s Men

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Not A Book Friday

I was surprised that I hadn’t seen this movie before. And, I gave it a try mostly because Morgan Freeman was in it. He and Brad Pitt are partnered to go after a serial killer who seems to be killing based on the seven deadly sins. It was interesting, and the look of it was amazing, but, I do have to say that I was surprised by how intense it was. On occasion I had to give the movie a pause and take a bit of a break. I’m glad I watched it, but, phew… maybe won’t be giving it a second watch any time soon.

Se7en

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Not A Book Friday

Said this before, will probably write it again. I’m very surprised that I haven’t recommended this series before.

It’s about Bo, a Succubus who for most of her life hasn’t know that she’s a Succubus, or the fact that there is this entirely humongous world of other Fae who all live and work and interact with the regular humans daily. Not knowing she’s a Succubus also got scary as she hit puberty and such because suddenly she was ravenous for something. And, when she fed to help that go away, she killed people.

We join Bo as she’s in a new place (which, while they never state explicitly is Toronto, they never say it’s somewhere else either, so, let’s call it Toronto) but, soon she’ll find out that Toronto is different. She meets Kenzi (human, and soon to be her BFF), Dyson (wolf and police detective), Hale (siren and police), Trick (whew… this one’s a hard one, he’s owner of the bar where everyone hangs out, and, honestly, everything else about him is an awesome bunch of spoilers), and Lauren (human and doctor, trust me, all those other people often, often need a doctor). And suddenly, her world has changed. Should she run, or maybe if she stays she can find a home and even learn how to feed instead of kill people as she sucks their chi.

Okay, that summary was longer than I thought it would be. And, that is part of the lure of the show I think. It is a complicated show. In the first season it’s very like a lot of its contemporaries, ‘fae of the week’ baddie that Bo and all have to take down (or redeem), but, then, it gets more delightfully complicated. Both in the Fae storylines as well as the romance storylines too. It’s also really awesome because of all the actors that come and go, both the regulars, and the episode specific actors. A lot of them have gone on to even bigger things, both in Canada and in the US. And, they’re amazing in this show too. Just start with the first season, you’ll most definitely be hooked.

Lost Girl

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Not A Book Friday

Based on the book series all about Chief Inspector Barnaby, or, well, I think that technically at the beginning it was heavily based on the book series. Now that the TV series is 24 seasons in, it’s become its own sort of thing too.

It’s an interesting balance, because it’s set in the small cozy seeming villages of the made up ‘Midsomer County’. But, there’s murder, oh there’s so much murder. Actually, I was sorta surprised that in some of the episodes there’s more than one, or even two murders. Yikes.

My favorite part though, has to be John Nettles. He plays the lead Detective Barnaby, and, again, such amazing balance. On the one hand, he’s this seemingly unassuming (oh, the episode where he gets put on a diet by his wife and daughter is hilarious) and subtly funny guy, but, also, he’s a good, no a really great detective. And, it’s written in a way that he’s not some ‘out of left field magical’ sort of detective, but, that when something else in his life clues him into the answer, it so far (I’m just starting in on Season 3 or 4 I believe) it makes sense to me that he got the solution to B from A.

It’s a pretty laid back mystery show compared to some of those that are playing these days, and, there are so many places to watch it at the moment too. It seems to be on Tubi and PlutoTV at the moment. And even Hoopla Digital has many of the seasons to borrow (although each episode takes a borrow… so, to get through 20+ seasons may take many many months… heh…). No matter how you do it though, it’s definitely worth a watch.

Midsomer Murders

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Not A Book Friday

Roy loves baseball, and is quite the prodigy. But, when he’s 19 and on the way to have a tryout for the Chicago Cubs, his life is changed.

It’s 16 years later, and Roy gets a second chance with the New York Knights. He’s a very old rookie, and while he doesn’t have it easy (since he’s older, he’s also creakier). But, he still has his amazing swing (literally knocks the cover off the ball). And, it seems like he may not just get to live his own dream, but, perhaps save the flagging Knights from a shady majority owner.

I didn’t realize until recently that this is actually based on a novel (by Bernard Malamud), and that book may have been based on a comeback by Philadelphia Phillies player Eddie Waitkus. No matter where the stories came from, this is one movie that is actually as good as the book (does happen some times). I mean, with Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, and Barbara Hershey how can it not be great. It’s definitely a classic, and up there with Field of Dreams when it comes to classic sports movies.

The Natural

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Make It So Friday

This was a look at what happened in between Season 3 of The Original Series, and, the first Star Trek Movie. Or, rather, it’s the stories of what happened with Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy between the two pieces of media.

We get to see Kirk after he has been bumped from Captain to Admiral, the good and the bad of it. He also apparently sorta gets a girlfriend-ish, sorta, it was unclear at some points. Spock makes some humongous decisions about his life in Starfleet and on Vulcan. And then there’s McCoy. Wow does McCoy get into some serious trouble in this one.

It was a fun book about all these guys, although, I do wish that it had actually been three books so that we’d have gotten to see more of characters like T’Sura on Vulcan, or McCoy’s “new friend” Keridwen Llewellyn. Both were such interesting characters that I definitely wanted more of on the page! On the whole though, it was a really fun read, and, come to find out, it’s sort of the start of a 4 part series that continues the stories started in this book. Fun.

You may like this book If you Liked: Moments Asunder by Dayton Ward, The Autobiography of Mr. Spock by Una McCormack, or Captain to Captain by Greg Cox

The Lost Years by JM Dillard

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Not A Book Friday

Thoroughly Modern Millie

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Not A Book Friday

Okay, okay, just bear with me. It's not perfect. But, the sheer number of amazing actors in this humble Hallmark movie is sort of stunning actually. First, there's Roger Moore playing a hilariously grumpy and awesome character. Yes, that Roger Moore, James Bond Roger Moore (the best James Bond Roger Moore, sorry not sorry, it’s totally true!)

Then, it has Sam Heughan as the Prince, yep, that one, from Outlander. Definitely playing the prince at his most prince-lyness. And then, it also has Katie McGrath, most well known for being Lena Luthor on Supergirl and Morgana on Merlin (which it seems like she was doing at the same time she did this movie). There are also a couple of kids that are sometimes great actors and sometimes hard to watch.

The storyline is pretty straightforward Hallmark-esque too. Jules Daly and her niece and nephew (who she has custody of) are invited to Castlebury so that the kids can have a Christmas with their paternal grandfather and uncle. Then, Jules starts falling for the Uncle (her deceased brother-in-law’s brother). And, while, it may be a semi-not surprising storyline, it’s some of the hilariously awesome lines in the movie that make the movie super enjoyable. It's a movie that doesn't put too much pressure on you (to think or to try and figure something out) and is just a fun watch all around.

A Princess for Christmas

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Not A Book Friday

Just who is Red Hood? Once upon a time the Joker wore something like the Red Hood does. Is it the Joker? Or is it someone even closer to Batman?

I ah… happened to know most of the beats of this movie before they happened because it was based on the Red Hood comics by Judd Winnick. I won’t spoil it here, but, I will say that the movie was surprisingly close to the comic when it came to the story beats (I personally thought that was a good thing), maybe because Judd Winnick also wrote the movie? One thing that seemed different was maybe down to the difference in the media type (movie vs. comic), but, it just seemed like it was a more intense story when I was watching it on the screen.

Batman: Under the Red Hood

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Not A Book Friday

I was surprised that I hadn’t watched this before. (Or read the story it was based on either). Especially since, when it comes to noir, this is sorta one of the noir original core movies that these days other directors look back to to get their ideas and feeling from.

THe story is about Sam Spade and Miles Archer. They start by looking for Ruth Wonderly’s missing sister for Ruth. Except, later that night Miles is killed. And Ruth has checked out of her hotel. And, so, he then wants to find out who killed his partner, perhaps Ruth’s (now Brigid) partner Floyd? Then, enter yet another case for Sam, to find a "black figure of a bird"

It all comes together, and, as I was watching I had no doubt about why it is considered such a classic. I like some of Bogart’s movies, and don’t like others of his movies, but, this one was definitely and firmly in the like column. Mary Astor was pretty cool in it too, not to mention. Sydney Greenstreet. Yes, sign me up to watch all his movies now… (he’ll need to get in line behind all of Cary Grant’s movies, all of Rosalind Russell’s movies, and all of Jean Arthur’s movies). An amazing movie. Totally amazing.

The Maltese Falcon

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Not A Book Friday

Wait, wait, it does have a connection to an eclipse, I swear. The whole thing starts when a plant appears during a solar eclipse. So.... if there were any new plants that appeared out of nowhere on Monday.... definitely do NOT feed them your blood and then red meat, and then eventually dentists bodies that you don’t like and stuff. That would be bad. Oh, and they sing about all this.

Seymour is a worker at a flower shop who is a bit meek and had a crush on Audrey, who is going out with the brutish and abusive Dentist Scrivello. So, when the plant starts talking to Seymour and prodding him to start feeding him something other than animal meat…

The movie is based on the 1982 stage musical of the same name (kudos to that puppeteer and all those high school puppeteers who have done it since then), and the stage play itself is based on a 1960 non-musical movie which, if you want to watch it, a warning, is seriously dark. This movie though, has been just a bit ‘disnified’ (although it was put out by WB).

And, related to that, there is one part I have to say that I don't love about this movie, it's the theatrical ending. That is not the ending of the musical, and, the musical ending is most definitely *chef’s kiss*. (Although, I had watched this movie quite awhile ago, maybe even pre-2000s and definitely pre-2010s, and come to find out that in 2012 there was a director’s cut put out. Don’t know how I missed that).

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

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Not a Book Friday

This animated movie was such a cool way to have the two original TV Bat family actors play their roles again. And, boy oh boy did it not shy away from the 1960s version of Batman and Robin at all.

Gotham City is threatened by the big four villains of that series, Catwoman, Penguin, Riddler, and the Joker. And, their plan has a wicked way that it’s going to change Batman himself.

It was hilarious, and all the characters were spot on. Not all the characters were voiced by the same actors as in the original of course, but, it was cool to hear Adam West and Burt Ward again though. And then there was the Aunt Harriet running gag. Every time it had me cracking up so hard. Hilarious!

Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders

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Not A Book Friday

This second season of the Harry Wild series was so amazing that, even though I recommended the first season a bit ago, I’m going to recommend this season as well. There are lots more cases for Harry and Fergus, murders, a missing person, and somehow, someway, this season felt like even more of a family affair than the first season. That’s probably partially because one of the cases has to do with Harry’s ex, another starts when Harry’s daughter-in-law asks for help (yeah, that particular scene/interaction cracked me up) and, then there’s Fergus’ long lost (okay, less lost and more she left) mother. She reappears and the undercurrent of most of the season is, ‘why is she back’.

The cases were interesting, and the mother subplot. Wow, totally wow. So, season 3 then? *taps foot*

Harry Wild Season 2