Movie Review: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great action movie that still entertains

Cons: Some dated production elements, but minor overall

The Bottom Line:

A classic story

The movie does show its age

But still entertains

Fun if Dated Adventure

I’ve grown up hearing about many classic movies and actors, including Errol Flynn and his version of The Adventures of Robin Hood from 1938.  It’s been on my list of movies to see someday.  Well, someday finally happened, and I’m glad I did because I enjoyed it.

If you are at all familiar with the legends of Robin Hood, you’ll know the story this movie tells.  We meet Robin Hood (Errol Flynn) just as Prince John (Claude Rains) decides to take over England due to the absence of King Richard during the Crusades.  It helps that Prince John has received word that King Richard has been captured.  Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Basil Rathbone) encourages John to really crack down on the citizens, making life unbearable with the help of the High Sheriff of Nottingham (Melville Cooper).

And it’s into this world that Robin Hood starts his campaign to help the citizens by attacking Prince John and Sir Guy any and every chance he gets.  It’s also how he first encounters Maid Marian (Olivia de Havilland).  Will he continue to successfully fight against the tyranny of Prince John?

While much of the story was familiar, there were a couple of surprises, like Sir Guy, who takes the place I normally associate with the Sheriff of Nottingham.  And, while I knew Maid Marian was the love interest, they had more of a sub-plot here than I was expecting.

This movie does put things in more of a historical context than I was expecting as well, bringing up the tension between the Normans and the Saxons.  I appreciated that.

Among the more familiar elements, we get to see how Robin Hood first met and recruited both Little John (Alan Hale) and Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette) to his band.

This is definitely a movie from the 1930’s.  When exposition is needed, we get it printed on the screen.  That’s not something that is done at all today.  I can’t think of the last movie outside of Star Wars that did that.  Meanwhile, the acting is also dated, as are the stunts and effects, when needed.

And yet, that is part of the movie’s charm.  As long as you go into the film with the right expectations, you can get caught up in the story.  I do wish we’d gotten a bit more about who some of the characters are.  For example, I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out who Will Scarlett (Patric Knowles) was since he’s never been a big part of the Robin Hood stories I know.  (And yes, I did feel stupid when I did since he was always wearing all red.)

Anyway, there are plenty of sword fighting scenes and, the further I got into the movie, the more I was drawn into the story and came to care about what would happen to the characters.  True, the suspense factor is never super high, but there is enough to keep us engaged.  Likewise, I got used to the acting styles.

I have to give the film credit for how it looks.  It was shot in early technicolor, and it is visually gorgeous.  Everything is so vibrant.  Again, it was a style in movies for a time, but I find that I miss it.  It isn’t right for every film, but it is nice to look at.

The Adventures of Robin Hood is fast approaching its 90^th anniversary.  The fact that this is still entertaining is a testament to how well it was made.

Book Review: Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles by Elizabeth Crowens (Babs Norman #1)

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: fun spending time with old Hollywood stars

Cons: Mystery is poorly plotted. 

The Bottom Line:

Old Hollywood stars

Are the draw for this story

But plotting is poor

Old Hollywood with a Dash of Mystery

Being the movie fan I am, Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles immediately caught my attention when it came out last year. What could be better than a mystery involving classic Hollywood stars, right? Sadly, this book was lacking a well plotted mystery. 

The year in 1940, and Babs Norman and Guy Brandt have set up a detective agency. But it is struggling to bring in any money, which is why Babs has just been evicted from her apartment. But the potential for positive cash flow comes when they learn that Hollywood isn’t going to the dogs since their dogs are disappearing. Basil Rathbone’s dog has been kidnapped as has the dog that plays Asta in the Thin Man movies. Since a new Thin Man movie is supposed to start production soon, the studio is desperate to get their canine star back. Can Babs and Guy figure out what is going on?

If you are looking for a book filled with Hollywood stars from the Golden age of Hollywood, this book is definitely for you. At times, I felt like actors and actresses outnumbered the fictional characters. And they are very involved in the plot since we have a bit of a competition between the actors who play Sherlock Holmes and Nick Charles to see who can solve things. Yes, Babs, as our main character, is also involved and ultimately does piece things together, but the actors do provide some important information. 

Unfortunately, the plot just isn’t that good. There are lots of ideas included, but they aren’t well developed. Often, I felt like things were shoved in instead of being more organically introduced. And there are a few storylines/complications that are more about the antics of the stars than about furthering the mystery, giving us uneven pacing. Things did reach a satisfactory ending. 

And we can’t forget the subplot that felt forced into things and unresolved.

While I did feel the historical aspect was mostly well done, I did find a factual error early on that made me question other things. And it was something that took me just a few seconds to learn for myself. 

The writing was also only passable. It kept us outside the story, more an observer than a full participant. It also kept us from getting to really know the characters. 

If you are a fan of old Hollywood and want to rub elbows with the stars of the era, you’ll enjoy Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles. But if you are looking for a well-developed mystery, you can skip this book. 

Movie Review: Signed, Sealed, Delivered - One in a Million

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Acting, usual good resolution

Cons: Weaknesses along the way

The Bottom Line:

Retrieving letter

As mailboxes are robbed

Not franchise’s best

The Middle Lets Down the Rest

It took until the sixth movie in the Signed, Sealed, Delivered series, but it has finally happened.  I finally found a movie that I didn’t particularly care for.  Don’t get me wrong, there were aspects of One in a Million that I enjoyed.  But there were parts of I didn’t, especially the middle.

This movie opens on a Monday.  But not just any Monday.  It’s the Monday after Oliver and Shane (Eric Mabius and Kristin Booth) finally went on their big date.  Or was it a date?  Either way, it was awkward at best and a disaster at worst, and that’s carrying over to this work day as things are getting off to an awkward start.

Then Oliver is called into a meeting.  It seems that someone has been stealing the mail from various mailboxes around town and leaving weird clues behind.  The POstables are being called on to try to figure out who is responsible.  Meanwhile, the waitress from their date/non-date has shown up and asked Shane if she can intercept the letter she mailed over the weekend before it gets delivered.  Oh, and Rita and Norman (Crystal Lowe and Geoff Gustafson) have a misunderstanding in their relationship.

There were a couple of things that went wrong for me in this movie.  The first was Oliver and Shane’s relationship.  I sure thought it was pretty clear at the end of the last movie that they were going out on a date.  And yet, that wasn’t clear to Oliver (who did the asking) in this movie.  It felt like a manufactured misunderstanding just to drag out the romantic tension.  And Rita and Norman’s subplot felt like it was there just to give them a storyline.

Then there’s the storyline of the guy stealing the mail.  About half way through, Oliver and his dad (Gregory Harrison) figure out who it is, and then we get some scenes that are supposed to be funny.  I get what they were going for.  But they just had me rolling my eyes, thanks in large part of Lane Edwards’ Lester.  Now, don’t get me wrong, it isn’t the performance.  It’s the way the character is written.

So, what did I like?  The storyline with the waitress turned out to be very sweet.  In fact, despite my complaining, I did like how all the various storylines were resolved.  They were all handled with the usual realistic optimism the series is known for.

And the acting continues to be great.  The four main cast members are so great at bringing their characters to life.

I’m disappointed in One in a Million, but I’m still looking forward to finishing out this long running series.  I love the characters, and every franchise has an entry or two that don’t quite work.  I’m sure the next one will be back to Signed, Sealed, Delivered’s usual standards.

This movie is part of the Signed, Sealed, Delivered Collection Movies 5-8

April 6th's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome again to the weekend!  It's time for this week's Sunday/Monday Post.  As always, I will be linking up to:

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

Another month end close is in the books at work.  Things seemed to be well.  No real surprises, which is always a good thing.

I survived another year without anyone playing an April Fool's Day prank on me.  Didn't see too many online, either.  Might have had something to do with being busy at work.  You see or pull off any fun ones?

It was cool this week, especially for So Cal at the beginning of April.  We're talking upper 50's most of the week.  That's winter weather!  Fortunately, we are in the 70's today and it's supposed to climb a little more the next few days.  Sounds wonderful!

Saturday morning was my walking book club (a few people who meet at a localish library to talk about books we've been reading while walking the neighborhood).  It was nice to be outside, and we had someone new show up.  Hope she continues to keep coming.

Pun of the Week:

For several years, the young magician insisted on a trap-door trick in every show he did.  He was just going through a stage.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - March Reading Summary

Tuesday - Book Review: People of Darkness by Tony Hillerman

Wednesday - Movie Review: Mame

Thursday - Book Review: Ranch Dressing by Diane Vallere

Friday - Friday Post featuring Egg Drop Dead

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: Signed, Sealed, Delivered - One in a Million

Tuesday - Book Review: Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles by Elizabeth Crowens

Wednesday - Movie Review: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Thursday - Egg Drop Dead by Vivien Chien

Friday - Friday Post

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Would you believe I almost had nothing to talk about this week?  I know, shocking.  But then I got wind of an ebook deal I had to snag, which lead me to finding another one.

The deal I had heard about was Murderous Means, the sixth Southern California Mystery from Lida Sideris.  Have I read any of the books in the series?  No.  I do have a couple of the books, however.  And there was no way I was going to pass up the ebook for 99 cents.

While I was on Amazon buying that, I also stumbled on the fact that Death in Reel Time, the second Family History Mystery from Brynn Bonner, was on sale for $1.99.  Have I read the first, which I got a few months ago?  Of course not!  But did I let that stop me from going ahead and getting this one?  Of course not!

What I'm Currently Reading:

As I'm typing this on Saturday afternoon, I'm currently between books.  That's because, after walking book club, I stayed at the library and finished reading The Library Game by Gigi Pandian.  That's right, I decided to go ahead and read one of the books from last week's haul right away.  I'm shocked at myself as well.  I really enjoyed it.  Now, to write the review, although I have a little time since I won't be reviewing it for a week and a half.

Up next will be The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman.  This will be a reread for me (if you want to see my review, here it is).  I haven't read any of these books in years, so I'm looking forward to diving in again, especially since this first book in the series is one of my favorites.  I'm leading a discussion of it at Malice Domestic (a mystery convention) in just under three weeks, so this is a good time to refresh my memory of it.

That's it for me.  Have a great week!

April 5th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Tracker – Nice to see a couple of characters come back.  And a decent episode.  Not too dark for me, and definitely not too weird.  I normally don’t like prison themed episodes, so the fact that I didn’t think this one went too dark really says something.  Like that the prisoners weren’t stupid enough to spill their guts to a stranger.  I was rolling my eyes that they would think they could get away with that.

Suits LA – I know the original show was never about the court room itself, but I’m still so shocked that we have the trial over with already.  I guess I’m used to most modern shows where it would last until the end of the season.  So where are we going next week?  Frankly, I feel like a lot of things were resolved, so I’m curious about that in everything, not just the murder trial, which has been the driving force of the series so far.

Poppa’s House – I thought this episode sounded promising from the previews, but the court scene went on way too long and wasn’t that funny at all.  I found the B story with the women to be much better than the A story about the record.

Rescue: HI Surf – We actually had one rescue that took up most of the episode.  And it felt anticlimactic to me.  Maybe that’s why we don’t have this as a normal part of the episodes.  I liked how they wrapped things up.  Yes, a bit of a cliffhanger with Will, but I’d be okay if the show didn’t come back.  Which means I will probably drop the show if it does come back.

Night Court – I was just thinking about those guest stars and wishing they’d bring them back before I started watching this episode.  Then I remembered why I didn’t like them.  As much as I love Julia Duffy from her Newhart days, I do not like what they have this character doing.  Do still like Ryan Hanson’s character.  The other storyline with the horse was pretty good, and there were some nice lines.

Wild Cards – Puns!  Okay, so they weren’t original, but they were still fun.  And I was impressed with the set up.  I’m not quite sure I bought her moving so long after death, but whatever, it was still a very fun way to get us into the mystery.

The Challenge – Honestly, I didn’t know who to root for in that competition.  I didn’t want the team that did so many eliminations to go home, but I was hoping the other team would get a star back.  The team that won is going to be tough to beat in the finals.  Glad they didn’t throw another twist at us.  It’s been obvious this is when the final was going to come all season.

Survivor – So close to getting rid of Sai.  But maybe she’ll take that as a warning and tone things down a little.  However, if we’ve seen anything from her (like at the beginning of the episode), she’ll lose it when they get back to camp.  Like the fact that so many were vulnerable.  I always prefer that to the small groups they sometime still have at this point in the season.

The Amazing Race – I’m surprised that the parents got so many votes.  They were number one.  They were good, but not that good.  And I was sorry it took them out.  Having the double U-Turn after the Driver’s Seat was a bit rough.  I appreciate them trying new things, but I prefer the race without the twists/gimmicks/whatever you want to call them.  And I sympathize with the guy who was fighting dehydration.  Been there just mildly, and it isn’t any fun at all.

April 4th's Friday Post

Welcome to Friday!  Once again, this week, that means it is time for a Friday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

For the first three, this week, I will be pulling from Egg Drop Dead by Vivien Chien

This is the fifth in her Noodle Shop Mysteries.  I actually finished it over the weekend, and I really enjoyed it.

Here's how the book begins:

"I am not going to wear a qi-pao to Donna Feng's party, Mother!"

No, this isn't the motive for murder.  But is it any surprise if I tell you that the party ends with murder?  This is one of my murder mysteries after all.

Meanwhile, on page 56, we get this cryptic conversation:

Megan was home and greeted me with a somber smile.  "How'd it go?"  She was sprawled on the couch flipped through a fashion magazine.
Kikko wiggled her tail at my arrival and got off the couch to greet me.
"Not well," I told her. "You're never going to believe what I'm about to tell you."

What secrets are about to be revealed?  I'll leave it for you to find out.

I really enjoyed this book.  I hope you'll come back next Thursday to read my full review.

Meanwhile, let's look at this week's Book Blogger Hop.  And the question is:

Who is your favorite "hobbit" from J. R. R. Toliken's Middle-Earth books?

Ah, but you're assuming I really know the hobbits.  The last time I read The Hobbit was 25 years ago.  I never made it through Lord of the Rings, and I haven't seen the movies since they were in the theater.  Sorry, I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you.

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

Book Review: Ranch Dressing by Diane Vallere (Samantha Kidd #15)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Samantha in another fun mystery

Cons: All cons rounded up and driven out of town

The Bottom Line: 

A week on the ranch

Starts with finding dead body

Book’s fun as always

Murder Down on the Ranch

It’s finally happened. I’ve caught up with Diane Vallere’s books! Me being here at Ranch Dressing, the fifteenth in her Samantha Kidd series, represents the results of a lot of hours of pleasant reading, and this book was no exception. 

For those who haven’t yet met Samantha, she’s a former fashion buyer who has found herself caught up in a series of mysteries after returning to her hometown of Ribbon, Pennsylvania. Quite a few of these are related to the fashion industry in some way. Along the way, we’ve watched her fall in love and get married to Nick Taylor, a shoe designer. 

Although it’s her father-in-law, Nick Senior, who gets Samantha involved in this case. He’s interested in buying a dude ranch in New Jersey, and she and Nick Junior are going along to support him. The entire ranch lifestyle is so far outside of Samatha’s wheelhouse, she doesn’t even have any jeans to wear. But she is determined to keep a low profile and be supportive. 

Her resolve is tested their first night on the ranch when she finds the current owner’s body inside the horse barn. As she gets drawn into the case, can she find a way to get the staff to open up to her?

In addition to fun mysteries, Diane Vallere’s books include great character growth for her characters, especially her heroines. The arc Samantha has been on the last few books really plays into who Samatha is when this book starts. As a fan, I appreciated seeing that play out here. If you were to jump in with this book, you’d miss some of that payoff, but there aren’t any real spoilers for previous books. Still, I’ll always recommend reading a series in order. 

Since this takes place outside Samantha’s hometown, a couple of the supporting players are reduced to cameos. But that gave Samantha and Nick’s relationship a bit more time to shine, which I enjoyed. And it allowed us to get to know some of the ranch staff which was nice because they were an interesting lot. 

Of course, this is a mystery, and this book never forgot that fact. I was quite confused in the best way possible by what was going on as I read the book. Yet the clues and red herrings lead to a logical and satisfying solution. 

Author Diane Vallere is a huge Trixie Belden fan. Any other fans of that kids’ mystery series will very much enjoy the Easter egg she placed in this book. 

As always, this book was filled with humor. I get a few laughs, chuckles, and grins as I read. 

Fans of Diane’s books will be happy to know that her next release, the next in this series, will be coming in a couple of months. If you aren’t caught up yet, that means you’ve got time to read Ranch Dressing before that happens. You’ll be glad you went on this trip with Samantha. 

Enjoy more fashionable mysteries with Samantha Kidd. 

Movie Review: Mame

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Lots of fun

Cons: Rushed ending, Lucy’s uneven performance and weak singing

The Bottom Line:

Enjoyable parts

But ending is too abrupt

And the star is weak

More Mixed Than I Was Expecting

I’d heard the reviews for years – the movie musical Mame wasn’t that good.  But, being the I Love Lucy fan that I am, I’d still always been curious about it since it stars Lucille Ball.  I finally set down to watch it, and I can see flaws, but not that ones you usually hear.

The movie is set in the 1920’s and focuses on Mame Dennis (Lucille Ball).  Single and rich in New York City, her life is one carefree party until the day her orphaned nephew Patrick (Kirby Furlong) shows up on her doorstep.  She quickly falls in love with her ward, and does her best to raise him right.  However, her best and society’s standards are two very different things.  Will she be forced to change her lifestyle?  And what will happen when the market crashes in 1929?

Most of the critics pick on Lucille Ball, and they aren’t completely wrong.  Parts of the movie are comedic, and she is perfect at those scenes.  In fact, some of what happened would have felt at home in an I Love Lucy episode.  She pulls off some of the more serious scenes, but there are a couple of scenes that she can’t quite pull off.  The worst part of her performance is her singing.  While she can’t sing, she refused to let them dub her vocals.  The singing it patched together from many different studio takes.  While it isn’t bad, it isn’t nearly as strong as the singing of her co-stars.

And she has some impressive co-stars.  Bea Arthur and Jane Connell reprise their roles from the Broadway production.  Robert Preston plays Mame’s love interest.  And a young Bruce Davison plays Patrick when he reaches adulthood.

Mame lives a very wild lifestyle, and Patrick gets influenced by that at a young age.  This is a PG rated movie, but adults of young kids still might want to watch it first for a couple of scenes in the first half.

Honestly, I was mostly enjoying the movie.  There are some very funny scenes, and I was really growing to like the characters.  While the songs aren’t especially memorable, there are still some fun song and dance numbers.

Then I hit the final act.  Mame does something in the name of protecting Patrick that really crossed a line for me.  Yet, the ending is so rushed after that we don’t get to see any of the fallout she would have received.  We go from Patrick being furious with her to the final scene without any transition to show us how he forgave her.  It is very jarring.

Maybe if I had seen a stage production of Mame, I would see even more reasons why the movie is bad.  But judging it just based on the movie itself, it is a film with many fun moments ruined mostly by a very rushed ending.

Book Review: People of Darkness by Tony Hillerman (Leaphorn and Chee #4)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Meeting Chee, great plot

Cons: Set up requires a bit of patience, but it is rewarded

The Bottom Line:

New main character

Payoff worthy of set up

Becomes page turner

Introducing Jim Chee

I’ve been waiting to meet Jim Chee, the other main character in Tony Hillerman’s famous mystery series set in and around the Navajo Reservation. With book four, it is finally time for him to step into the spotlight. And People of Darkness is a great introduction. 

It seems an odd assignment. Chee is asked by a rich man’s wife to locate an old box her husband cherished. Only she doesn’t know what is in it. And she doesn’t want him to involve the local police. She’s even hiring him off the books. The more Chee begins poking around, the more questions he gets. And every person who tells him to stop just makes him more curious. What will he uncover?

This is one of those books that introduces several seemingly random storylines and characters. I’ll admit I was a bit annoyed as this was set up, even though I figured it would all come together. It was just that things were so far removed it was hard to care. But as the book reached its climax, I couldn’t help but be in awe at exactly how everything came together. The ride was well worth it, and it drew me in more and more the further I got into the book. 

I liked Jim Chee. There are similarities and differences between him and Joe Leaphorn. I know I have a few books to go before they start really interacting, and I’m looking forward to that. Having said that, I did enjoy the reference to Leaphorn we got here. 

The rest of the cast is interesting as well. I wish I thought a couple would come back, but I suspect they were only around for this book. I did think we spent a bit too much time with one character, and I’m not sure it really paid off. But that might just be me being nitpicky. 

As always, the Navajo culture plans a big part in the story. I really liked how that was incorporated. And I’m beginning to feel at home in that world after reading several of these books. 

Once again, I listened to the audio version of this book. I enjoy George Guidall’s narration, and he did a fine job here again. I did struggle a bit with one aspect, and it’s not the narrator’s fault. Chee is very close in narration to “she,” and there were a few times I got stopped by misunderstanding them. Again, that was minor. 

I know I have a long way to go with this series, but I’m happy to have finally met the other key player in the series. If you haven’t read People of Darkness yet, you are in for a treat. 

Check out the rest of the Leaphorn and Chee Mysteries.