Movie Review: Supergirl (1984)

Stars: 1 out of 5

Pros: Brenda Vaccaro’s performance is fun

Cons: The rest of the movie is a mess

The Bottom Line:

Story has plot holes

Honestly, not much works here

You can skip this one

“You’re Superman’s Best Friend?”  “No, He’s My Cousin.”

I’d heard bad things about 1984’s Supergirl, but I was still curious about it.  And, since it was available on one of my streaming services, I figured I should give it a chance.  You know those bad things I’d heard about it?  They were all true.

Our story opens in Argo City, a giant floating ship filled with refugees from Krypton.  Among them is Kara-El (Helen Slater), who, when we meet her, is playing with the sphere that powers the entire ship.  Shocking, it gets away from her, dooming all those on the ship unless it is retrieved from Earth, where it landed.  So, Kara-El goes to retrieve it.

Unfortunately, before she lands, it is found by Selena (Faye Dunaway), a witch.  It actually makes her able to do magic, so Selena wants to keep it, figuring it will help her plans to take over the world.  Will Kara-El be able to find it?

This movie had so many plot holes you could have floated Argo City through each of them.  Okay, so Kara-El wasn’t the one who took the sphere in the first place, but still, why would anyone do that if it is what is keeping everyone alive?  Why, when Kara-El lands on Earth, did she bother taking on a secret identity since her parents and friends’ lives were dependent on her bringing the sphere back as quickly as possible?  How did Selena find a way to tap into some of the Superman mythos at random?  Why did Kara-El emerge from her pod in a costume so much like Superman’s?

Okay, so Kara-El’s secret identity was there to introduce us to characters from the Superman stories.  Her roommate is Lucy Lane, as played by Maureen Teefy.  And Lucy just happens to be dating Jimmy Olsen, as played by Marc McClure, the only actor from the Superman movies to show up here.  But still, that seemed to slow down what was supposed to be a ticking clock story.

I don’t know that I feel like the plot ever made up for the plot holes.  While it wasn’t quite as bad as a random series of events, it did throw in some truly random things, as if the writers really didn’t know what to do and had to fill screen time while including things Superman fans know about.  Even so, you can pretty much guess where it is going early on.  It’s just the details you’ll have no way of predicting.

Then there’s the acting.  Most of the cast is playing things so over the top it doesn’t work.  There’s fun camp, and then there’s this.  The exception to this is Brenda Vaccaro who plays Selena’s sidekick with the right level of camp and sarcasm.  I found her fun.  I’ve seen Helen Slater in other things, most noticeably in the recent TV show Supergirl, so I know she can do a wonderful job when given good material.  This wasn’t it.  Same holds true for others in the cast.

Of course, the effects are dated.  This came out in 1984, after all.  Even then, I’ve seen better effects from that time period.  Or maybe, I was just enjoying those movies more so I was more forgiving.

There’s a reason you haven’t heard much about 1984’s Supergirl.  And there’s no reason to seek this out to watch it.

Book Review: Crown of Chaos by Sarah E. Burr (Court of Mysteries #9)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Page turning story

Cons: Is Jax turning arrogant?

The Bottom Line:

War council is here

Bringing chaos in fire, death

Page turner for fans

Is War on the Horizon?

The Court of Mystery series from Sarah E. Burr has become a mix of mystery and political intrigue.  The ongoing political storyline comes to a head in Crown of Chaos, the ninth book in the series, and I couldn’t put it down.

This series is a bit different.  It’s set in a fictional continent made up of independent nations.  The main character is Jacqueline Arienta Xavier, Jax to her friends, the ruler of the most powerful of the kingdoms.  As she’s tried to introduce some reforms into her own country, she has encountered resistance from some of the other rulers.  This has led her to call for a War Council, a rarely used provision to bring all the leaders to one place.  And that war council is finally set to take place as this book begins.

There is more to the story.  Much more.  So, I suggest you start with The Ducal Detective, the novella that introduced the characters and setting.  You’ll be here before you know it.

As I said, the war council is finally happening, and Jax is happy to be able to present the evidence of the treason that has been happening in the realm.  But even before the council gets started, Jax learns of betrayal among those she thought were allies.  The first session ends with no progress, but things only get worse when a fire and a murder complicate things.  Can Jax figure out what is happening?  Or is she in over her head?

I’ve found the last couple of books struggled to find the balance between the political intrigue and murder mystery, causing the pacing to be off.  That wasn’t the case here.  If you pick up this book at random, you might still feel like the story starts slowly, but for fans, they will be hooked.  We’ve been building to this book for the last several entries, so I was there for the drama unfolding.  Things only kick into high gear later in the book, and I couldn’t wait to figure out how Jax was going to piece things together and get out alive.  Another character gets some of the story told from his point of view, which really gives us the full picture of what is going on.

This isn’t to say that the book is always light.  There are some darker moments, but they are earned and make sense with the direction the series has taken.

There’s a subplot that has been bothering me for the last couple of books, and I am hopeful it has been resolved or is getting near being resolved.

We don’t have all the regulars in this book.  Like Jax, I missed them, but there was more than enough chaos without them.  We still got some updates on what is happening with them in addition to the growth that we saw for the characters who did make the trip.  I’m very curious to see where Jax is going.  I’m noting some arrogance from her that hadn’t been so prominent previously.  It will be interesting to see if that continues going forward.

While this book may have been what we’ve been building to for the last several books, it opens to door to the next arc, leaving me anxious for more.  Jax’s fans will be glad they read Crown of Chaos.

Settle in for the rest of the Court of Mysteries saga.

Ornament Review: Gardener Mickey - All About Mickey #4 - 2025 Hallmark Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Mickey representing gardeners

Cons: I can’t garden as well as Mickey

The Bottom Line:

Highlighting hobby

Mickey shows off his green thumb

Its appeal grows

I Hope Mickey Has a Greener Thumb Than I Do 

I was planning to only buy the ornaments in the All About Mickey series that I really connected with. Yet, somehow, I wound up with Gardener Mickey after Christmas. And I’m glad I got it. 

Each ornament in this series features Mickey enjoying a hobby or interest outside of his movie career. And this year, he’s showing off his gardening skills. He’s dressed in blue overalls with a hat on his head. In one hand, he has a trowel. In the other, he’s holding a potted plant. There aren’t any flowers on it, but it is green and looks healthy. 

And I’m sure all the gardening Disney fans were anxious to get it. Why did I hesitate? Because my attempts at gardening end in a dead plant. Usually, I forget to water, but sometimes I water too much. And the planters I had on my balcony were killed off by a squirrel and I couldn’t get him to leave my planters alone. I wish I could grow some flowers. But I just can’t get them to stay alive. 

But this is about Mickey and not me. 

As I was saying, gardeners will love this one. It’s a cute homage to an important skill and rewarding hobby. 

Mickey is standing for this ornament, but his feet are position such that he is balanced precariously if you set him out. He will likely fall over easily, but it’s best to plan to hang him from your tree.

When you do that, you’ll find he hangs a little to the right, but not enough to be a big issue.  Tree branches will easily hide it.

You’ll find the series marker on the bottom of his feet. 

Gardener Mickey really is a cute ornament. Which is why I am glad it wound up being added to my collection. 

You know it’s All About Mickey, so get more of the ornaments. 

Book Review: Hot Stuff by Don Bruns (Stuff Series #6)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Growth for the leads, especially Emily; good mystery

Cons: A couple characters under developed; pacing at the beginning

The Bottom Line:

Sous chef stabbed to death

What is Emily hiding?

Penultimate book

James and Skip are in Another Hot Situation

I’m closing in on the end of Don Bruns’s Stuff series. While I haven’t enjoyed every entry, I did find myself enjoying Hot Stuff, the penultimate book.  

The series follows James Lessor and Skip Moore, best friends and roommates who are struggling just to make ends meet in Miami. James especially has dreams of riches, and he’s come up with a few elaborate schemes that have not worked and have put the two in the path of killers. Along the way, the two have become licensed private investigators. 

When Skip is out with his girlfriend, Emily, at a fancy restaurant, the sous chef is stabbed. Emily and the victim, Amanda, had been friends, and she had set Amanda up with James on a couple of dates. The owner of the restaurant doesn’t trust the police to solve the case, so he hires Skip and James to go under cover in the kitchen to figure out if someone on the staff killed Amanda. But Emily is hiding something about Amanda. Can Skip and James solve the case without driving a wedge between Skip and Emily?

The characters in this series can be a bit immature at times. I’m happy to say that they’ve been slowly maturing as the series progresses, and that holds true again here. I especially appreciated the spotlight that Emily got in this book. She had quite a bit to deal with, and we got to see her mature through it. The majority of the characters are new. There were a couple that I had a hard time keeping straight, but for the most part they were well developed. 

The mystery is entertaining. It felt a bit slow to start to me, but I was fully engrossed before too long. The climax was logical and wrapped things up to my satisfaction. 

While these books aren’t cozies, the language and violence is kept to a minimum. Anything else is implied. 

I’m very curious to see how this series will wrap up. Hopefully, I enjoy the last book as much as I did Hot Stuff. 

Get more stuff with the rest of the Stuff Series.

June 7th's Sunday/Monday Post

Hello, and welcome to this week's Sunday/Monday Post.  I'll be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Wow, I'm late getting this drafted this week.  I might not post until late on Saturday, but I usually at least have it drafted by now.

This past week was busy at work.  Thanks to our slightly off fiscal year, I had extra reporting to do.  I thought I was finished when I logged off on Saturday, but I think I need to redo one of the reports come Monday.  Shouldn't be too bad.

Thursday after work, I went over and got passes for paddle boarding again.  And I paddle boarded that evening.  My goal is be over there every Thursday this summer.  We'll see how that goes.  And I'll probably mix some Saturdays in as well, although it is harder when I'm trying to do other things on Saturdays.

Speaking of which, today, my small group went over and cleaned the church.  Then, I headed down to Burbank to the game store down there to join up with a group to play some games.  I almost left at one point, but I wound up staying until about seven thirty.  Been doing some other stuff, which is why I am just now getting to this blog post.

At least I have all my reviews for this coming week drafted, although I am still behind on book reviews.  I've got to buckle down and get some blog work done soon.

Pun-Official Holiday of the Week:

June 11 – Have an a-maize-ing time today.  It’s Corn on the Cob Day.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - May Reading Summary

Tuesday - Book Review: One Final Turn by Ashley Weaver

Wednesday - Movie Review: Superman III

Thursday - Book Review: The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair

Friday - Friday Post featuring Crown of Chaos

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Book Review: Hot Stuff by Don Bruns

Tuesday - Ornament Review: Gardener Mickey

Wednesday - Book Review: Crown of Chaos by Sarah E. Burr

Thursday - Movie Review: Supergirl (1984)

Friday - Book Review: Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I've got five new books to talk about this week.

Two of the books are eARCs from NetGalley.  The first of those is A Taste for Murder by Matt Baker (no relation).  This looks like an import that will finally be published in the US in August.  Either way, it sounds like something I would enjoy.  Hopefully, that will be the case.

The other ARC is Hell Hath No Fury, the fifth Detective Honeywell Mystery from Annette Dashofy.  I always enjoy her books, so I'm very much looking forward to reading this one.

I also got a couple of books for reading later this year.  They are both in series I'm actively working on catching up on.

The first of those is Thicker Than Water, the sixth Laurel Highlands Mystery from Liz Milliron.  I still have book five to go, but I should be getting to this one in a few months.

The Cambodian Curse and Other Stories is a short story collection from Gigi Pandian featuring the characters from her Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt series.  I have the last book in the series on the July TBR pile, but I'll get to this story collection this fall.

Finally, my preorder of Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg arrived.  This is the first in a new series from him.

What I'm Currently Reading:

When Murder by Design arrived, I decided I'd go ahead and read it.  I usually enjoy Lee's books, and he's got another entry in another series coming later this year, so I didn't want to fall behind.  Of course, I got almost nothing read today, so I'm still about 10 pages in.  But I'm sure I'll get hooked soon.

That's it for me.  Have a great week!

June 6th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Wondering where my TV Thoughts post was last week?  I didn't have any shows to watch.  It's that weird time of the year when I only have a show or two on anyway, and the one show I have at the moment didn't air on Memorial Day.  American Ninja Warrior is back next week, so I'll have two shows, both on Mondays, for a little bit anyway.  I think I'll be checking out a few others shows later in the summer.

Quiz with Balls – I wonder if that was intended to air closer to Memorial Day.  It felt a bit weird to be airing June 1^st.  But it was a fun episode.  I was really happy with some of my solid answers (like the Peanuts question), but there were quite a few I would have gotten wrong.

.

June 5th's Friday Post

It's Friday!  Time for another Friday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

The teasers for the first three will be coming from Crown of Chaos by Sarah E. Burr.

This is book nine in a series that takes place on a fictional continent.  The main character is a ruler of one of the countries.  Yes, there are murders (this is me), but there's also political intrigue, especially as the series progresses.

With all that said, let's take a look at how this book begins.

The snap echoed all around, reverberating off the trunks of frost-covered trees. Duchess Jacqueline Arienta Xavier tightened her grip on the leather reins, her anxious gaze darting to the Captain of the Ducal Guard. “What was that?” Her voice was a harsh whisper.

That certainly draws you in right away, doesn't it?

Meanwhile, at 56% into the ebook, we find this quote:

Jax chewed on her lower lip, hesitant to share another theory she had been forming. But if anyone would support her, it would be Perry.

Was it a good theory?  I'll leave it for you to find out.  I really enjoyed this book in the series.  Assuming I get my review written, I'll be reviewing it this coming week.  The exact date is yet to be determined.

So, let's move over to the Book Blogger Hop.  This week's question is:

What’s the quirkiest or most unexpected place you’ve ever read a book, and why?

As I've shared on here I've read in line in amusements parks.  What else am I supposed to do while waiting in line by myself?  It helps pass the time and is productive.  I've also been known to read on my lunch hour in my car.  The passenger seat, of course.  I don't want to fight the pedals in the driver's seat.  I can't think of any other unusual places I've read.

That's it for me.  Have a great weekend!

Book Review: The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair (Sparks and Bainbridge Mysteries #5)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Moves an ongoing storyline forward; some twists in second half

Cons: Very slow at the beginning

The Bottom Line:

Different client

Focus on Gwen’s storyline

Makes book uneven

Needed a Bit More Focus to Work Well for Me

When it comes to the Sparks and Bainbridge Mysteries, you have to be willing to accept that the mystery is going to come with a high dose of soap opera as we follow what is going on in the lives of our two lead characters.  Usually, I’m on board for that, but in the case of The Lady of Burma, it didn’t quite work for me.

If you are new to the series, it is set in London in 1946, and the lead characters are Iris Sparks, who spent the war in British Intelligence doing things she is legally obligated to not talk about, and Gwen Bainbridge, who lost her husband during the war.  Together, the two have opened The Right Sort Marriage Bureau, a matchmaking service.  Now, you won’t think this would lead to all kinds of murder and mayhem, but that’s exactly what happens.

Along the way, we’ve gotten to know what else is going on in Iris and Gwen’s complicated lives.  For this book, the most important thing you need to know is that Gwen’s efforts to lose her status as a ward of the state after collapsing when she found out she lost her husband are coming to a head.  Her hearing to be declared sane is just days away as the book opens.

And the Lady of the title?  I’m so glad you asked.  She’s a client who wants Iris and Gwen to find a wife for her husband.  Yes, you read that right.  You see, she is dying of cancer, and she doesn’t want her husband to stay single all his life.  However, when she turns up dead, Iris can’t help but wonder exactly what happened to her.

I spent the early part of the book wanting the story to get somewhere.  Yes, we were watching Gwen get ready for her hearing, but it wasn’t really going anywhere.  Heck, I was beginning to wonder if we’d ever met the Lady of the title.  While the ending does resolve the storylines, it felt very rushed to me.  I feel like better pacing would have helped with this.

Usually, we have some storylines for both of the leads.  In this case, Iris’s story was very light.  She was mainly working on the murder while Gwen was dealing with her personal life.  That’s not to say that the two friends don’t have scenes together, but I felt like they were much less connected than normal.

As the book went along, I definitely got hooked.  There were some twists in the second half that made it hard to put the book down.  It’s why I am saying that the pacing needed to be tweaked overall.

And those following since the beginning will definitely be glad they read this one since Gwen’s struggle to regain control of her life has been an ongoing story in the series.

I know the series has many devoted fans.  I certainly do enjoy the books.  But The Lady from Burma wasn’t the strongest entry in the series.

Do check out the rest of the Sparks and Bainbridge Mysteries.

Movie Review: Superman III

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Some acting

Cons: Uneven, cheesy, just generally disappointing

The Bottom Line:

Good performances

In subpar super movie

Overall cheesy

“I’m From Metropolis.  I See Superman Every Day.”

While I’ve never watched the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, I knew their reputation.  So, even though I wanted to watch Superman III, I also knew not to set my expectations too high.  Even so, this movie disappoints.

After spending several minutes on an unexplainable series of near misses and hits in Metropolis, we meet up with Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) as he pitches a story about a man attending his fifteen-year high school reunion.  Yep, Clark wants to head back to Smallville.  Inexplicably, Perry White (Jackie Cooper) agrees to the idea, and Clark sets out.  While there, he reunites with his high school crush, Lana Lang (Annette O’Toole).

Meanwhile, computer programming savant Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor) catches the eye of his boss, evil rich mogul Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn).  Ross wants to use Gus’s abilities to program computers to bend others to his will.  And his will is making more money.  Will Superman be able to stop him?

You might be wondering where Margot Kidder’s Lois Lane is in all of this.  That’s an excellent question.  She heads off on vacation near the beginning of the movie, and pops up in the last scene to set up a romantic triangle that I’m assuming doesn’t pay off in the next movie.  Essentially, she has a glorified cameo. 

They were setting up Lana as a new long term love interest here.  It’s very obvious to anyone paying attention.  Honestly, I would have liked to see that play out in another movie.  Sadly, Annette O’Toole wasn’t invited back for the next one because she was excellent as Lana.  Fortunately, she was able to transition this to playing Martha Kent on Smallville.  Because of knowing that connection and enjoying her work on that show, I was curious to see this movie.

So that’s covered the romance of it all.  What about the rest?  Honestly, the movie is just strange all the way around.  There are long sections that don’t really add much to the movie.  Some of them were attempts at humor that fall flat, at least today.  Some of them are character moments, but they go on too long.  One extended scene is used as set up for the climax, but I feel like we could have gotten something without the extended time.

Part of it is because Clark/Superman is in a parallel story to the villains without really knowing much about them or what they are up to until it is time for act three.  It feels like we are just plodding along as a result.

In the middle of the movie, Superman gets broken.  Again, this part of the movie went on too long, and I found the resolution to it a bit unsatisfying.

Which brings us to the climax, where the movie devolves (if that is possible) to a cheesy science fiction movie, complete with an all-powerful computer.

And the effects?  Can we say 1983?  Okay, so I’m sure they were state of the art at the time, but they are dated now.  I’d be more willing to go along with them if the movie were better overall.  But there is one part of the climax that is nostalgically bad, if that makes any sense.  Well, old video game players will get it.

Having said all this, I couldn’t help but think how modern some parts of the film felt.  Even back then, we were talking about the dangers of computers and what they could do to our society.  Then there’s the fact that the villain is a rich guy who wants to get richer.  Somehow, he didn’t feel nearly as much a lecture as an equivalent villain would in today’s movies.  Maybe because he was part cartoon.

And no, I don’t think any of the actors were bad.  They were playing the parts as they were supposed to.  It’s the way they were written.  Those who are playing their characters straight were pretty good.  And I did like the scene where Superman/Clark had to confront what he’d turned into from an acting standpoint.  Christopher Reeve was good there even if the scene was pretty hokey.

I do want to circle back to the humor.  While much of it fell flat for me, there were some moments I enjoyed.  And, overall, I did appreciate the lighter tone of the film.

I know the fourth movie is viewed as even worse than this one.  I’m almost afraid to watch it.  But I’ve come this far, so I’ll give it a watch.  Know what you are getting into if you decide to watch Superman III.  Yes, what you’ve heard about it is true.

Book Review: One Final Turn by Ashley Weaver (Electra McDonnell #5)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Mission is good (when we focus on it), series ends satisfactorily

Cons: The romance really bugs me (still)

The Bottom Line:

Personal mission

As series comes to a close

Romance is still bad

I Expected This Ending.  But That Doesn’t Mean I Liked It

I was anxious to pick up One Final Turn.  As the title suggested, this is the final book in the Electra McDonnell series from Ashley Weaver.  Because of the various cliffhangers we got at the end of book four, I needed to know how things were going to work out.  Sadly, they ended about where I thought they would.

If you’ve missed this series, this isn’t the best place to start.  After all, it is wrapping up storylines we’ve been following since book one.  But a brief introduction: Electra “Ellie” McDonnell is a safe cracker and lock pick in World War II London.  She’s been recruited to work in the war efforts under Major Ramsey, who is in British intelligence.  While she can’t stand the man, she’s also fallen in love with him.  Over the course of the series, Ellie’s also worked on a personal project – figuring out what happened to her father during the first world war.  He was murdered and her mother accused of the crime, but Ellie doesn’t believe it.  Meanwhile, her cousin has been taken captive by the Germans.

And this book opens as Ellie is getting ready to head to Portugal.  The country is neutral, and it is where people are expecting her cousin to head now that he’s rumored to have escaped.  The hope is that they can rescue these escapees and gain information on the route they took to escape, keeping it open for others.  While Major Ramsey is also on the mission, he isn’t in charge, which is a good thing since he has recently fired Ellie.  But once they’ve arrived, will they be able to get beyond the tension between them to complete their mission?

As far as the mission went, I was frustrated by the first half.  I felt like the same thing was happening repeatedly.  We weren’t really getting anywhere until the second half of the book.

Instead, the story was truly focused on Ellie and Ramsey’s relationship.  If you’ve been reading my reviews, you know that is my least favorite aspect of the series.  It is just bad.  Their relationship up to this point has been a good working relationship but a toxic romance.  Nothing in this book changed my mind in the slightest, unfortunately.  In some ways, it was worse.

Fortunately, when we got into the second half of the book, the mission really picked up.  I was fully on board with the twists and surprises we got along the way.

And I do think fans who have followed the series so far will be satisfied with the ending we get here.  That includes the resolution to the story about Ellie’s parents.

While the romance may have irritated me, there was still enough that I enjoyed here that I’m not sorry I picked up One Final Turn.  Those who have been reading the series will be glad they stuck with it.

Here are the rest of the Electra McDonnell Novels.