Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers, End of Watch by Stephen King

On January 17, 2020January 14, 2020 By Rick McIn books, TVLeave a comment

Stephen King is an excellent writer — but I’m often scared off from his horror books.

I generally don’t like horror.

But he called Mr. Mercedes (2014) his first hard-boiled detective book. It’s non-supernatural, but still scary.

Many jobless people are standing in line for a job fair, but then a Mercedes plows into the crowd killing 8 people and severely injuring many.

Bill Hodges, a recently retired detective from the local police department living the life of a retiree, receives a letter from an individual claiming to be the person responsible for the job fair incident, referring to himself as “Mr. Mercedes.”

Hodges is divorced, lonely and fed up with his life, occasionally considering suicide. …

Bill Hodges is age-62 in the book.

Brendan Gleeson, about the same age, played him on the 2017 TV series. Perfect casting. (Gleeson played Alastor Moody in Harry Potter. He’s going to be playing Trump in an upcoming miniseries.)

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

It’s a trilogy. I’ll keep reading.

Finders Keepers (2015) … I read before the first book in the trilogy
End of Watch (2016)

End of Watch was a terrific conclusion to the Bill Hodges story.

Stephen King is as good a story teller as anyone working today.

I particularly like the character of his sidekick Holy Hodges.

I love Derry Girls 1 & 2

On January 10, 2020March 24, 2020 By Rick McIn humour, TV1 Comment

Derry Girls is a Northern Irish sitcom about students at Our Lady Immaculate College (girls school) in Derry, Northern Ireland, during the 1990s, the final decade of The Troubles. …

Of the five awkward, hilarious friends, Orla McCool is my favourite. She might be undiagnosed autistic, perhaps Asperger’s. She might simply be charmingly odd.

Siobhán McSweeney is brilliant too as Sister Michael, the principal of the school.

Click PLAY or watch watch Orla’s STEP AEROBICS talent show performance on YouTube.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first series holds an approval rating of 100% …

Derry Girls was the most watched series in Northern Ireland since modern records began in 2002 …

You – season 1

On January 8, 2020January 6, 2020 By Rick McIn TVLeave a comment

The first season of the American psychological thriller television series You, based on the novel of the same name by Caroline Kepnes, should be fantastic.

It’s very smart. Tech-savvy. Well written. Well cast.

93% on Rotten Tomatoes.

But I may not continue to season 2 as I simply don’t like psychopath Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg.

Elizabeth Lail as Guinevere Beck is more engaging. But not enough.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I really DO like sidekick Ethan Russell. His girlfriend Blythe, played by the openly transgender actor Hari Nef, is intriguing too.

Stranger Things – season 2

On January 6, 2020January 4, 2020 By Rick McIn TVLeave a comment

Like most people, I loved season 1.

Season 2 is good as well, but not as good.

The cast is great. The setting very entertaining.

Plot and storyline, silly and lame. I’m not sure I’ll continue to season 3.

The second season has been recognized by Parrot Analytics as the most in-demand digital original series of the world in 2017 …

On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has an approval rating of 94% …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The Witcher – season 1

On January 4, 2020January 4, 2020 By Rick McIn TVLeave a comment

Violence. Sex. Some exotic, brilliant visuals. … A bit of comic relief.

So much potential.

The Game of Thrones TV series took a complicated story with hundreds of characters … and made it easy to follow.

Season 1 of The Witcher on Netflix is FAR more confusing, by comparison. Deliberately confusing. It’s told in a non-linear manner so you have no idea of the time frame of each episode.

Rotten Tomatoes 56% approval. Critics are mixed.

However, 3 main personalities are fascinating:

Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra)
Princess Cirilla / Ciri, (Freya Allan)
Geralt of Rivia — The Witcher — (Henry Cavill)

The first season explores formative events that shaped the three lead characters, leading up to their first encounters with each other.

So — Witcher is no Game of Thrones.

But is it worth watching?

Everyone is expecting season 2 to be easier to follow. I’ll give it a try.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell

On January 3, 2020December 30, 2019 By Rick McIn books, TVLeave a comment

The Last Kingdom is the first historical novel in The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell, published in 2004.

It’s set 866 – 876.

The story is fiction — but historical characters are included.

It’s very violent.

Vikings are raiding England. In fact they want to keep control of as much land as possible by installing vassal leaders in each Kingdom.

This story introduces Uhtred Ragnarson, born a Saxon then kidnapped by raiding Danes who raise him from age 11, teaching him how to be a warrior. …

Uhtred is captured by the Danish Earl, Ragnar the Fearless. Ragnar, intrigued and amused by the boy’s attempted attack on him during the battle, retains him in his household as a thrall. …

I might continue to book 2 in the long series. The character of Uhtred Ragnarson is entertaining.

For me the Ken Follett books starting with The Pillars of the Earth are better British historical fiction. I read all of those.

BBC announced that production would begin in autumn 2014 on a television adaptation, to be titled The Last Kingdom.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I watched the start of season 1.

But I’d say the TV series Vikings is better.

Black Mirror – seasons 4 / 5

On December 14, 2019December 14, 2019 By Rick McIn TVLeave a comment

Black Mirror is a British science fiction anthology television series …

It examines modern society, particularly with regard to the unanticipated consequences of new technologies. Episodes are standalone, usually set in an alternative present or the near future, often with a dark and satirical tone, although some are more experimental and lighter.

Black Mirror was inspired by older anthology series, such as The Twilight Zone, …

Very intense. Some bits of dystopia are hard to watch.

Of the six episodes in series 4, I liked Metalhead best. Truly terrifying. Very unique.

… filmed entirely in black and white, and follows the plight of Bella (Maxine Peake) trying to flee from robotic “dogs” after the unexplained collapse of human society. The dogs were influenced by Boston Dynamics‘ robots such as BigDog.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Born Standing Up – Steve Martin

On December 12, 2019December 16, 2019 By Rick McIn books, humour, movies, TVLeave a comment

With friends in Idaho, summer 2019 I saw Martin Short and Steve Martin LIVE in An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life.

It was hilarious.

That was Steve’s return to stand-up after decades.

Steve is age-74 now. Everyone of my generation loved his comedy. Indeed, I thought he was an overnight success — like Robin Williams.

Not so as I learned in his 2007 memoir Born Standing Up. Steve Martin paid his dues. He had many, many very hard years breaking into the business.

It chronicles his early life, his days working for Disneyland, working at low tier coffee shops and clubs as a comedy act … and the reason why he quit stand-up comedy altogether at the height of his fame in 1981. …

The audiobook is read by Steve. I recommend it.