I turned 67 on Thursday, and rather than relax and luxuriate in the hundreds of greetings arriving via social media, I made it my most productive day of the week. The number doesn’t bother me; it’s far from a milestone. I did make sure to knock off early enough to read some and then go to dinner with Deb and Kate. I received two nifty baseball-themed shirts from them, and we supped on fine Indian food.
It had to be productive because I was running out of days to be useful with a two-week vacation impending. We returned from the southwest late Monday, and with Jostens Advisers University still fresh in my mind, I spent Tuesday reworking my first two weeks of Yearbook class planning. Yes, it means I am focusing more on school and the novel will remain partially outlined until time frees up. I even had to do some work for the incoming MICA class, so summer is already winding down for me.
I then spent Wednesday returning to the Lancaster, PA area to visit with my Starlog chum Dave McDonnell. I made a similar pilgrimage last year and continue to enjoy his company as he regaled with stories and anecdotes, displaying a memory for detail that I envy. He also donated another 138 books to my classroom library, so those shelves will be groaning with goodness once I return to school.
I then devoted Thursday to building lessons for The Hobbit, which moves from 9th grade summer reading into the curriculum. Thankfully, I had a ton of resources and just needed to sift through them all, deciding what might work best for the class.
Friday began with an early screening of Fantastic Four: First Steps and then more trip prep work, much as Saturday was.
So, the movie.
Clearly, the best live-action version of the classic Stan Lee/Jack Kirby creation, and I love how Kirby received his due throughout and at the end. The film itself, clocking in at 1:55, is tight and entertaining. However, it didn’t wow me the same way as Superman did. This film offered traditional takes on the foursome, even if Ben isn’t the brooding figure Lee wrote him to be. It’s also odd he was given an original love interest (Natasha Lyonne) as opposed to Alicia Masters, especially considering she and the Silver Surfer had some nice moments together in the original comics.
Still, the arrival of the Herald (Julia Garner) and then Galactus voice by Ralph Ineson) fails to have the intended impact. The Surfer lacked much of a personality until it was too late in the film, and Galactus’s insatiable hunger or his role in the cosmos is mostly glossed over.
Some of the timing doesn’t work, especially the journey of Galactus’ ship through our solar system and the ridiculous 36-hour period as the world builds devices in the hope of stopping their destruction.
Everyone gets a moment or two, and the sense of family is strong throughout.
Both this and the James Gunn Superman turn on the general public, loving or then distrusting the heroes. In the former, Sue (Vanessa Kirby) makes an impassioned speech that seems to turn everyone around in a heartbeat, while actions do the heavy lifting. In both cases, I am bothered by the universality of the people portrayed. It doesn’t work that way. There will always be those who remain loyal or see the other side of the argument. There had to have been mothers who got Sue’s refusal to sacrifice her son to Galactus’s demands, but we don’t see them.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, notably its divorce from Earth-616, so they could have a unique look and feel, nor required previous knowledge to bog things down. The costuming and effects were top-notch, and Michael Giacchino delivers another outstanding score. The end credits sequence was a lovely tribute to the past.
What We’re Watching
We completed the final season of Bosch, and it was a strong story, finely acted, and changed the status quo in a way that felt fitting as a finale. Of course, we have three seasons of Bosch: Legacy to get to, followed by the well-reviewed Ballard.
We also binged our way through the final episodes of The Bear, which featured several outstanding episodes. In some ways, the lengthy wedding episode was the most comedic of the season, but it was also filled with some lovely character bits. The finale was a filmed stage play, and I don’t know how the actors managed all that yelling over one another, making inarticulate points, without stumbling. It, too, seemed to reset the status quo, and now we count down the wait for the already-approved fifth season.
We continued to work through Silo season two (the upper levels versus lower levels plotline is not grabbing me, while I much prefer Juliette’s adventures in the adjacent silo) and the penultimate season of Grantchester. When we return, we’ll scour our Watchlist to pick new series to dig into.
I also caught the first two episodes of Strange New Worlds, and it’s clear that they are using canon as a source of inspiration while also ignoring it, effectively creaintg a variant universe. Bad enough we had the Gorn, but the arrival of Trelayne in the second outing was too much. The first half of the episode had some great character bits, and I so much wanted more of that.
What I’m Reading
I finally finished Zadie Smith’s The Fraud, which was based on true 19th-century incidents, but I found it intellectually interesting; however, I wasn’t drawn to the characters or the incredibly short chapters, which didn’t help with the pacing.
I did like Krysten Ritter’s sophomore novel, a thriller called Retreat that featured her audiobook narration. It had some nice twists and turns, as well as some problematic parts.
I am trying to finish Sarah Kay’s new book of poetry before the vacation, where I have the Kindle library loaded with things I’ve been trying to read for a whie. And I am this close to finishing Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell.
#Tags: Bosch, Cranford, David McDonnell, Elizabeth Gaskell, Fantastic Four: First Steps, Grantchester, Krysten Ritter, Retreat, Sarah Kay, Silo, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, The Bear, The Fraud, The Hobbit, Zadie Smith