May 31st's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to this week's Sunday/Monday Post.  As usual, I will be linking up to:

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

We've got a lot to cover, so let's get to it.

Let's start with the reason I didn't post last week.  I went out of town for Memorial Day.  I met up with my parents a couple of hours away from me.  We did do a little bit of touristy stuff one day, but other than that, we stayed around their trailer playing games.  It was wonderful!

This past week, I went from being a hybrid employee to being fully remote again.  My company told us that we could work from home full time.  I've got to admit, it has been a bit more bittersweet than I was expecting.  I am going to miss seeing people in the office three days a week.  But I'm not going to miss the drive to and from the office or getting ready for work.  And I don't have a long or bad commute to really complain about.

I also know that I need to make a point to get out and do stuff on weekends.

Which is what lead me to head to an art festival about 30 minutes from me on Saturday.  I went because a mystery author organization was taking part, but they never posted a schedule, so I don't know who was signing when.  I did stop by while I was there, but I didn't stick around all day to potentially say "hi" to other authors I know.  Instead, I came home after a couple of hours.  I enjoyed looking at some of what was for sale, but I didn't wind up buying anything.

And my blog passed 8 million hits in the last couple of days.  Now, if you are thinking to yourself, "But Mark didn't brag when he passed 7 million hits," you'd be right.  That was about two months ago.  The bots sure have found my blog, and they continue to hit it.  I don't think the numbers are remotely accurate, but I do still want to mark the milestone.

I think that pretty much catches you up.

Joke of the Week:

The roundest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference.  He acquired his girth from too much pi.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - TV Show Review: Cheers - Season 2

Monday - Movie Review: Jaws 3

Tuesday - Book Review: My Nightmare is Yours by Diane Vallere

Wednesday - Book Review: Hollywood Kills, edited by Adam Meyer and Alan Orloff

Thursday - Short Story Review: Welcome to Cozy Town by Marla Cooper

Friday - Friday Post featuring One Final Turn

Saturday - Movie Review: True Justice - Eye for an Eye

This Coming 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 Montlciar

Friday - Friday Post

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I'm sure it's not surprise when I say I have books to tell you about.  Specifically, four of them.  What is surprising to me is that I have none from this week.  They are all from the week before.

The first is my preorder of Newsboy by John James.  John was the first lead singer of the Christian band Newsboys, and this is his memoir.  I've only ever been a casual fan of the band, but thought I'd pick it up.

I placed a couple of orders recently, and purchased the next couple of books I need in Sally Carpenter's Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol Mysteries to get free shipping.  Ironically enough, book six, The Notorious Noel Caper, arrived before book five.  I'll probably save this one for December, although my December is getting a bit crowded.  I definitely won't read this one before I get and read book five.

Switching over to the library, I got the audio version of Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes.  I had to have something to listen to last weekend while driving to see my parents, right?  (We will ignore the fact that this audio book was much longer than my drive, okay?)  I've finished this one.  It wasn't quite what I expected, but it's been on my radar for a while, so I'm glad I listened to it.  More to come when I get my review written.  (And I'm behind on reviews.)

Finally, I got an eARC of Pour Choices, the second in Adrian Andover's Mixology Lounge Mysteries.  Since I enjoyed the first so much, I'm looking forward to reading this one.

What I'm Currently Reading:

I'm currently working on Lost and Clowned by Dana Mentink.  At the rate I'm going, I'll probably finish it on Tuesday, but we will see if I get to it faster than that.  I'm enjoying it so far.  The main character is part of a traveling circus.  I'm curious to see where it is going to go.

That's it for me.  Have a great week!

Movie Review: Eye for an Eye - A True Justice Mystery

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Good mystery

Cons: Took a while to remember characters; what season is this?

The Bottom Line:

Sequel finally

Murder among parents’ group

Overall, I liked

“We Are Going Back to High School.”

I was a bit surprised when I saw that we were getting a second True Justice movie on Hallmark.  Then again, I was also surprised to find that it had been two and a half years since the first one aired.  Somehow, I was thinking it had been longer.  Anyway, we revisited these law student detectives in Eye for an Eye.

For them, it’s been a few months since the four friends cleared Casey’s (Katherine McNamara) brother of murder.  They’ve been filling their time with true crime shows and their school work when Liam (Alexander Nunez) finds them another case.  Seems that a parent association in a small town about half an hour away has erupted into murder.  The president was killed, and another mom has been convicted of the crime.  But as the friends start looking into things, they find evidence that makes them think justice hasn’t been served.  Can they figure out what really happened?

There was one thing that bothered me.  It was small.  But it kept driving me crazy.  The murder happened three months before our characters got involved.  The body was found in the snow.  During that time, the trial had already taken place.  Granted, right there, that is very fast.  But it was just as snowy in the present day as it was during the flashbacks.  Now, granted, I don’t live where in snows, but the characters (and production) acted like it was a few weeks at most instead of months.

I do wish we’d had a bit more of a reintroduction to the characters in this movie.  The assumption was made that we remember exactly who everyone was.  Now, I could have rewatched the first movie, but I didn’t, so it has been almost two and a half years since I met the characters.  I think I got everyone and their relationships figured out as the movie went along, however.

The mystery itself was good.  There were enough suspects to keep me engaged.  The characters’ attempts to gather evidence was fun without being too cartoonish.  Realistic?  No.  But I’m not watching these movies for realism.  The ending made sense, and I liked how the subplot wrapped up.

The acting was decent as well.  If you are familiar with Hallmark movies, you’ll know what to expect here, and you’ll be able to get lost in the story.  I should mention that Hallmark staples Benjamin Ayres and Nikki DeLoach reprise their supporting roles.  And Nikki DeLoach helped write the movie once again.

It was nice to revisit the True Justice characters with Eye for an Eye.  I hope if we get a third movie, it doesn’t take as long to get to us.

May 29th's Friday Post

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

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

This week, I will be sharing teasers from One Final Turn, the last Electra McDonnell Novel by Ashley Weaver.

This series features a safe cracker who finds herself working for British Intelligence during World War II.

And here's how the book begins:

No one could ever say I'd lived a dull life. I was, in fact, a biographer's dream.

That makes for a fun and honest beginning, doesn't it?

Meanwhile, over on page 56, we find this:

"And you didn't notice anyone following you back form the cafe?" he asked instead.
"No. Archie was very careful about making sure no one followed us back."

I'll be sharing my thoughts on this book on Tuesday.  I hope you'll come back to see what I thought then.

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

Does the headline “Must-Read Books” grab your attention?

No, it usually doesn't.  Ironic, since I used that phrase to promote the short story I reviewed on Thursday.  But it is such an overused phrase that I don't pay any attention when someone says that.

Have a great weekend!

Short Story Review: Welcome to Cozy Town by Marla Cooper

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Pitch perfect short story send up of cozy mysteries

Cons: Nothing worth dwelling on

The Bottom Line:

Welcome to murder

Laughing at the cozy tropes

Genre fans must read

Pitch Perfect Send Up of Cozies

Obviously, I love cozy mysteries. At the same time, I’m very aware of the absurdity of them and the abundance of tropes. So when Marla Cooper released Welcome to Cozy Town, a short story that is a loving spoof of the genre, I knew I had to read it. And it’s exactly what I hoped it would be.

Marla Cooper has been out of the mystery scene for a few years, but she is the author of two cozy mysteries that I read and loved when they came out. She’s working on rereleasing those two books this year and giving us a third in that series. All this to say that this short story is coming from someone familiar with the genre and someone who loves it.

The story introduces us to Violet, who has just inherited a bed and breakfast from a great-aunt she didn’t know she had in a town she’d never heard of before. But, considering she’s in need of a fresh start, the timing is perfect. However, when her first guest is found murdered in his bed, Violet can’t help but wonder what is going on. Especially since everyone in town seems to be taking it in stride. What kind of town has Violet moved to?

Honestly, my teaser doesn’t do this story justice. The mystery serves as a great host for the humor. There are laughs on every page, as Violet encounters the tropes that the residents of the new town take for granted. Her reactions are priceless. And we get some explanations that made me laugh as hard as Violet’s reactions.

All of this is done with love. This isn’t a mean-spirited jab but a playful wink and nod to the ridiculousness of a genre we all love. That makes it all the more fun as far as I’m concerned.

The mystery doesn’t suffer from all the humor. Oh, it is a bit ridiculous, but it perfectly fits the story and I’m not sure I would have had it any other way.

If there is any criticism it’s the characters. We have so much going on here we don’t get a real feel for them. But it’s a short story, so I’m being nitpicky.

This is a longish short story - it took me about an hour to read.

And, of course, there’s a recipe at the end.

Cozy fans will laugh their way through this story. Put on your bullet proof vest and relax with Welcome to Cozy Town.

Book Review: Hollywood Kills edited by Adam Meyer and Alan Orloff

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Sixteen well written stories

Cons: There is a sameness to the stories

The Bottom Line:

Stories for good cause

But feel the same by the end

Space out to enjoy

Stories for a Good Cause

While I wasn’t directly impacted by the wild fires that hit the Los Angeles area in January of 2025, I have friends who were.  So, the idea behind the Hollywood Kills short story anthology appealed to me.  The authors wrote stories, agreeing to donate their royalties to a recovery fund.  And, since I keep saying I am going to start reading the short story collections I am buying, I decided to start with this one.

This book contains sixteen stories set in and around Hollywood.  Over the course of the series, we meet just about everyone who works in the entertainment business from writers to character actors to caterers to directors to casting directors.  Unfortunately, for all of these people, they are about to find themselves playing some deadly games.  And yes, we do occasionally leave the Southern California area to find murder and mayhem on location.

I was already a fan of a couple of the authors in this anthology, and I enjoyed both Ellen Byron and Wendall Thomas’s stories.  I also found it fun that Ellen’s story features the main character from her Golden Motel series, making it a prequel.

Individually, each of these stories were good.  The plots were entertaining and kept me on edge.  The characters were fleshed out for the page time they had.  And the writing was always engaging.

The problem was, when I took the book as a whole, it started to feel the same, which took away from my enjoyment.  I haven’t run across this in the admittedly few other anthologies I’ve read.  I think it’s because this anthology was rushed out to start raising funds, and the authors were pre-selected.  I suspect some of these stories might have been left out of this book had been opened to submissions instead of asking authors to write stories and taking what they submitted.  This might have taken care of my feelings.

Now, let me be perfectly clear.  None of these stories are bad.  It’s just that, when read back-to-back, they don’t stand out.  And there are some creative stories here that broke the mold.

So, pick up Hollywood Kills.  But, instead of sitting down to read it, maybe read a story or two every week.  It will take longer to get through, but you’ll enjoy it more that way.

Book Review: My Nightmare is Yours by Diane Vallere (Madison Night #13)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Madison in another entertaining mystery

Cons: I didn’t find any nightmares - I mean cons

The Bottom Line:

Retro studio

But star client is murdered

This was dream for me

I Found This Book a Dream Not a Nightmare

One of the pluses when a series runs for a long time is that supporting characters from one book can show up again further into the series, starring for another time in the main plot. That’s what we get with My Nightmare is Yours, the thirteenth Madison Night Mystery from Diane Vallere. 

For those not familiar with the series, Madison is a decorator in the Dallas, Texas, area who specializes in mid-century modern designs. She grew into this specialty because of her lifelong love of Doris Day movies. Over the course of the series, we’ve watched her overcome quite a bit personally and professionally and build a mostly solid relationship with police captain Tex Allen. 

Several years (and many books) ago, Madison worked for Ned and his then wife, Connie, redesigning their house. While Connie and Madison have stayed friends after the divorce, Madison hasn’t had much to do with Ned. But now he is back, wanting to hire her to turn a 1950’s ranch house into a period recording studio as he hopes to transition from music promoter to music producer. Unfortunately, the morning he hires Madison, Madison and Connie find the dead body of young singing sensation Vanessa Wright, one of Ned’s two clients. With the evidence pointing at him, Madison finds herself in a unique position to find the truth. What will she uncover?

Those familiar with Doris Day’s career with notice a similarity between this book and Doris’s second movie. As always, that is intentional. I did my homework and watched My Dream is Yours before reading this book. While it isn’t necessary at all, it might help you spot an Easter egg or two hidden in the book for added fun. 

As I said at the outset, Connie and New appeared in an earlier book in the series, and Connie has popped up several other times since then. However, my memory of their earlier cases was a little rusty, but it didn’t impact my enjoyment of this book at all, so I can confidently say you can jump in here if you so desire. 

As always, we are treated to an entertaining mystery. The plot kept me guessing until we reached the logical climax. There was plenty going on here to keep my interest the entire way through with some fun new characters. 

Each book also features opportunities for Madison to grow, and this one is no exception. I really like seeing how she matures with each case. That includes her relationships with the other regulars, most noticeably Tex. We’ve got a great cast of supporting characters in the series. 

This was another winner from an author I always enjoy. When you pick up My Nightmare is Yours, you’ll find the book anything but a nightmare. 

Enjoy the rest of the Madison Night Mysteries. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Movie Review: Jaws 3

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: A few decent scenes

Cons: Too many bad one and laughable effects

The Bottom Line:

Shark in water park

A few sequences are good

But it’s mostly bad

“Let’s Go Swimming.”  “No, I Hate the Water.”

I knew fans point to the Jaws franchise as one where quality declines all the way through, but especially in the third and fourth films.  I’ve always been curious just how far things dropped.  Having now watched Jaws 3(D), I can say they fell pretty far with this one.

While none of the actors from the first two are back, we do get two of the characters.  We catch up with the Brody Brothers in Sea World in Florida.  Mike (Dennis Quaid) is working there building the various enclosures the park needs.  He’s also dating Dr. Kathryn Morgan (Bess Armstrong), who is in charge of the animals in the park.  Sean (John Putch) wants nothing to do with the water.  In fact, he’s visiting while on break from college in Colorado.

The park is connected to the ocean, although the animals and performers are usually in a lagoon that is fences off from the ocean proper.  However, unbeknownst to everyone, a great white has gotten into the lagoon.  How long will it be before anyone realizes what has happened?

I will give the movie this.  Yes, it took a little bit of time before the characters realize they are dealing with a shark, but they weren’t dumb for long.  Yes, so they make a few dumb choices once they know, but that’s a different discussion.  But I appreciated that they didn’t drag out this early part of the story.

I do think the idea of a shark in a water park has potential.  And, it was nice to get away from Amity.  That poor island needs a break.  It also allows them to not have to bring back any of the actors, who weren’t interested in returning.  But fans of the franchise will struggle since we have nothing familiar here.  This really is a sequel in name only.  The Brodys mention a few of the events from the first two movies, but it really could be anyone.

Anyway, as I was starting to say, I did like the water park setting.  I’m a bit surprised that Sea World allowed their name and location to be used in the film.  I wouldn’t think this would be the kind of publicity the park would want.  Even saying there is no such thing as bad publicity, I wouldn’t think they’d want to be associated with this film.

But back to my main point.  The setting had some creative touches that brought some new action sequences and set pieces to the movie.  I enjoyed them for what they were.  Usually, we could see them coming, but they were still entertaining.

I will also give the cast credit.  While it appears Dennis Quaid was high the entire time they were filming (he’s admitted as much), I found the performances fine.  A couple of real-life animal handlers and trainers were in the film, which is fun.  Among the cast I haven’t mentioned already are Louis Gossett Jr. and Lea Thompson.  This is actually Lea Thompson’s debut.

So far, it’s sounding like I mostly enjoyed the film.  Sorry to mislead you, but that’s not the truth at all.  The original Jaws is famous for not showing the shark early on.  That’s a wonderful story telling choice, as long as the director knows how to handle it well.  That’s not the case here.  We get a few good sequences, but most of the time, we don’t get the buildup and tension we need to actually be in suspense.

There’s a reason I put the D in quotes earlier.  Yes, this movie was originally released in 3D back in the 1980’s, so the technology was very different from what we have today.  I watched the movie on TV, and it was converted to 2D.  Yes, we could definitely see some of the 3D shots and what they would have been.

But here’s the problem.  Some of the regular shots just don’t look good because of the conversion.  We got cloudy and out of focus scenes as a result.  It’s distracting and takes away from the film.

And some of the effects?  Even by 80’s standards, they are pretty cheesy.  I’m thinking especially of the climax, which had me laughing.  Frankly, I have several questions about how realistic most of the climax was, in fact.  Yes, I’m nitpicking over a movie about a killer great white shark.  I realize that is just crazy, but it made me roll my eyes as I was watching.

Unless you are looking for a D monster movie, there’s no reason to see Jaws 3(D).  It adds nothing to the legacy of the franchise and the couple of entertaining sequences aren’t enough to justify sitting through it.

TV Show Review: Cheers - Season 2

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Laughs from an excellent cast

Cons: We have too few great comedies like this on TV any more

The Bottom Line:

A romance begins

As writing, cast get stronger

Be prepared to laugh

“Every Family Has Their White Sheep.”

It had been longer than I intended between when I first watched season 1 of Cheers for review and when I sat down to watch season 2.  I’m glad I finally did because I laughed through this season.

If you aren’t familiar with this classic sitcom from the 80’s into the mid-90’s, it is set in a Boston bar, focusing on the relationships of the staff and regular customers.  Cheers is owned by Sam Malone (Ted Danson), a former baseball pitcher.  Also bar tending is Coach (Nicholas Colasanto).  The waitresses couldn’t be any different from each other.  There’s salt of the earth Carla (Rhea Perlman) and sophisticated intellectual Diane (Shelley Long).  As far as the bar patrons go, there’s Norm (George Wendt) and Cliff (John Ratzenberger).  John Ratzenberger is the only cast change this season.  After appearing in all but one episode in season one, he finally joins the opening credits cast, where he deserves to be.

This season picks up exactly where season one ended.  After a year of flirting and fighting, Sam and Diane have finally admitted their attraction for each other while in Sam’s office.  What we learn in the opener is that the rest of the bar has at least heard some of what was happening in there.  Anyway, as Sam and Diane embark on their new relationship, they find plenty of bumps in the road.  Of course, it doesn’t help when Diane decides to help her former homicidal blind date prepare for an audition.  And Diane’s best friend comes to town, causing quite a stir.  The two take a break when Sam throws out an “I love you.”  And the duo tries to set up Coach on a blind date in order to get some alone time.

While watching the season, I felt like Sam and Diane took up a lot of story time.  And, if the writers had written to that, they’d have good reason.  The two leads have amazing chemistry and play off each other so well.

But in looking back at the season, we get quite a bit for the rest of the cast.  Carla has a baby, and while she’s out on maternity leave, Cliff falls for her sister.  Norm continues to struggle to find a new job, landing one doing Sam’s taxes.  And Norm has to deal with an old rival for his wife, the unseen Vera.  Coach takes on coaching a little league team.  And Carla struggles when her ex-husband gets remarried.

The show also gets a new set this season.  After spending all of season one in the bar, we finally travel to Diane’s living room.  We are there in several episodes, but that’s the only set we visit outside of the bar.  When you think about all the stories we get from characters talking around a bar, and all the laughs, it’s pretty amazing.

And the laughs are plentiful.  Yes, sometimes, the punchlines are obvious, but the cast makes them feel fresh and get laughs out of me.  And others?  They go in a direction you never expect, eliciting laughter.  They also aren’t afraid to go for the physical humor, which is fantastic.  The writing is sharp, with the writers making the best use of the cast.

I know that I praised Ted Danson and Shelley Long earlier.  Honestly, the entire cast is fantastic together.  They play off each other perfectly, getting so many laughs.  There is no way the show could have worked this well with others as these characters.  Yes, we get some cast changes and additions coming in future seasons, but this is a fantastic start.  Notable guest stars include Dick Cavett as himself, Fred Dryer, Markie Post, Harry Anderson, and Christopher Lloyd.

Fortunately, audiences found the show this season.  Cheers was famously extremely low rated in season one.  Today, it would have been canceled by the end of season one at the latest.  But the ratings picked up this season on the way to being the juggernaut it was later in its run.

Season two consisted of twenty-two episodes and they are all part of this DVD set in their native full screen and stereo.  Nothing super fancy, but it’s in keeping with the way the show was produced and aired.  And it sounds and looks great.  Extras are just okay, however, with most of them being great moments from the season centered around specific characters.

Cheers is already firing on all cylinders in season 2.  If you haven’t watched this classic sitcom yet, you are truly missing out.  I have a feeling I will be moving on to season 3 before too much more time passes.

March 23rd's Weekly TV Thoughts

Quiz with Balls – Ralph’s bits were pretty funny when the life guards were up.  And those questions were hard!  I think I struggled with most of the categories.  Often, there are some that are easy for me, but not here.  I’m impressed anyone made it to the end, to be honest.

Survivor – I would have been okay with any of the final three winning.  Or Tiff for that matter.  Sorry, Rizzo, but you really rub me the wrong way, and calling yourself god doesn’t help.  I am happy with got some moments with others along the way, but seriously, can we get a real reunion again?  Please?  I miss those.  Happy for Aubrey.  And I laughed about the slip up with letting out the results of the fire making challenge too early.  Jeff handled that so well when he came back.

May 22nd's Friday Post

Welcome to this week's Friday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

My teasers for the first three this week will be coming from My Nightmare is Yours by Diane Vallere.

This is lucky number thirteen in a series from one of my favorite authors.  And Diane has lots of series she juggles, so her name is familiar if you spend any time around here.  This book is from her Madison Night series.  Madison is a decorator specializing in Mid-Century Modern decor.  And she is a huge Doris Day fan.

The quotes this week are short and sweet.  For example, here's how the book begins:

The photo was unfortunate on many levels.

That definitely caught my attention.  Meanwhile, at 56% into the book, we find this:

“What about Kingston?” I asked.
“For a blind date, he was very attentive.”

The book will be out on Tuesday, and I'll have a review then, so I hope you'll come back.

Meanwhile, let's hop on over to this week's Book Blogger Hop.  The question is:

What do you think about rising prices for hardcovers, paperbacks, and eBooks?

EBook prices are outrageous, especially since it is a license for the book and not actually purchasing it.  

Having said that, I do also respect that authors should be paid for their hard work.  And editors and publishers do need money as well.  I don't feel like the other book formats are rising significant above general inflation.  Still, it does hurt to see how expensive books are.  It makes me more selective at what I buy, unless I can find it on sale.

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

Book Review: Harm Not the Earth by Liz Milliron (Laurel Highlands Mysteries #4)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong mystery and characters who are growing

Cons: Some timeline issues that bugged me

The Bottom Line:

Body near River

Inquires under radar

Characters growing

Murder of Environmental Activists

While it can be frustrating to start a series when there are already multiple books published, the joy comes from being able to revisit the characters again soon after finishing the previous entry. That’s how I felt when I sat down to enjoy Harm Not the Earth, the fourth in Liz Milliron’s Laurel Highlands Mysteries. 

The series features an unlikely duo. Jim Duncan is a Pennsylvania State Trooper who has been given the latitude to pursue some of the cases he encounters while on patrol. Meanwhile, Sally Castle is an Assistant Public Defender. Not only are the duo friends who have solved some cases together, they have also recently started dating, which can make things tricky when their personal and professional lives collide. 

As this book opens, Jim and Sally follow up on a report and find a dead body in their off hours. Since the death is outside of Jim’s normal patrol area, the man who takes on the case doesn’t welcome his help. But Jim becomes even more determined to figure out what is going on when he realizes he knew the victim, having volunteered with his environmental organization. Then a second victim turns up. Sally jumps in to help, hoping to make sure things are resolved before Jim gets into too much trouble. Can they determine what is going on?

While I didn’t know who the victim would be when I picked up the book, I wasn’t surprised when the potential motives included environmental issues. The title of the book was a pretty big clue. I was very happy with how it was handled. We didn’t get lectures, and most of the characters professed to have a balanced view of things - wanting to use resources or let others enjoy without destroying nature. Of course, some might be lying and there is disagreement over what the best ideas are. This is a mystery, after all. But, again, we don’t get lectures, and this isn’t the only motive Jim and Sally uncover. 

All this to say the plot kept me engaged. We had some good, well-developed suspects and a few good twists that took me by surprise. I’d zeroed in on the culprit a little early, but not too early, and I was still intrigued to see if I was right and how they were going to prove it. 

Unfortunately, there were some timeline snags in this book. Nothing that impacted the logic of the story, but still things that bugged this timeline guy. 

This isn’t a cozy, and the content is a little beyond that sub-genre as a result. But as long as you keep that in mind, you’ll be fine. 

Since Jim and Sally have just started dating, they are still figuring out their relationship and how their professional lives are going to impact it. I appreciated the natural progression of things here and how that built on the previous book. And they both face some professional decisions, which I also enjoyed watching them work through. 

I already have the next in this series waiting for me to pick it up. I’m looking forward to seeing where the characters go after Harm Not the Earth. 

Enjoy the rest of the Laurel Highlands Mysteries. 

Movie Review: Best Served Cold - A Hannah Swensen Mystery

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Creative mystery for Hannah to solve

Cons: A few low budget moments

The Bottom Line:

Missing attorney

And case of fraud at trial

In this fun movie

“Maybe It’s a Mannequin.”  “It’s Never a Mannequin”

We’ve gotten two Hannah Swensen mystery movies in fairly quick succession on Hallmark this year.  Two months after we last checked in with them, we get Best Served Cold.  And yes, this is another fun mystery in the franchise.

After a brief prologue from six weeks ago, we check in with the characters as Hannah’s boyfriend, district attorney Chad Norton (Victor Webster), has just been given a big case.  The pawn shop in town was selling fake gold coins, and he’s prosecuting the owners.  He’s taken on the case at the last minute since the attorney assigned to it, Lucas, has gone missing. 

Hannah (Alison Sweeney) thinks something fishy is going on, so she starts trying to find Lucas.  Instead, she finds a dead body.  How will it impact the case?

This book is theoretically based on Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder, one of the more recent entries in the novel series.  I say theoretically because I don’t remember any of these elements in the book.  Granted, it has been five years since I read it.  But the teasers for the book don’t sound like anything in this movie.  As an aside, I think Hannah’s opening monologue explains a lot of what went wrong the one time I tried to make the title dessert.

But that’s no criticism of the mystery we got here.  I found it very creative and different in a good way.  I was engaged the entire way through, and I loved how the movie ended.  Very creative and well done if implausible in real life.

Hannah works with her mother, Delores (Barbara Niven) several times, and she gets some scenes to shine.  The rest of the usuals get only a very supporting part here, and there are some we don’t see.  I feel like we are dealing with some budget issues with these movies at this point, but I could be wrong.  While I missed seeing more of the regulars, I did like the story we got.

Yes, this is a Hallmark movie, so we get more of the low budget issues, but they are kept to a minimum.  Most of the acting and writing are well done.  Alison Sweeney once again wrote this movie, as she’s done with the last several.  I’m sure that’s one reason the dialogue is so strong.

Best Served Cold is another hot movie in the Hannah Swensen franchise.  Fans will be delighted watching these characters back in action.

Book Review: Reckoning at the Riviera Royale by P.J. Fitzsimmons (Anty Boisjoly Mysteries #5)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Anty, laughs, and a puzzling mystery

Cons: Sometimes the humor could be toned down a little

The Bottom Line:

Clearing big suspect

Circus of alternatives

Laughs and clues combine

The Elephant in the Case

I juggle various series and sometimes that means I don’t get back to series as quickly as I’d like to. But when I sat down to read Reckoning at the Riviera Royale, I was already smiling. This being the fifth Anty Boisjoly Mystery from P.J. Fitzsimmons, it was exactly the fun locked room case I was expecting. 

Anty is a man in the upper classes in British society in 1929. He’s recently found himself getting involved in some rather impossible crimes and finding his way to the solution. All of that is served with a heavy dose of dry wit since these books are accurately described as a cross between P.G. Wodehouse and Dorothy L. Sayer. 

This book finds Anty off to the French Riviera at the invitation of his mother. They have a strained relationship, but Anty goes because he thinks this will be a good chance to confront his mother over a nagging question about his father’s death.

But when he arrives, he discovers there’s been a more recent death. There’s a floating circus on the island where Anty is, but the headliner has been killed, trampled to death by his elephant. The animal is set to be executed for this crime, but Anty isn’t buying it. Can he find the real culprit in time to spare the beast?

While this is the wildest case Anty has tackled yet (pun always intended), it feels perfectly at home in the series.  And, yes, the story takes the mystery completely seriously.  Anty is working to solve a real crime with real motives, no matter how outlandish the main suspect might seem.  The solution fits perfectly with this series, and I found it satisfying.

This series has very few returning characters.  In addition to Anty, there’s his valet, Vickers, who is a character all by himself.  Since this book is set in France, we don’t see the inspector that Anty has dealt with in the past, making it just these two.  The series isn’t strong on story arcs, meaning you can read the books in any order.  I pick up this series because I enjoy Anty’s antics and the way he pulls out solutions to impossible crimes.

Now, this isn’t the say the characters are bad.  They are created for their comedic abilities, but they still feel real for this universe.  And they make me care about the outcome while keeping me confused as to who might have done it.

Have you gotten the feeling that the comedy is front and center with this series?  Because it most definitely is.  At times, I do feel like it is a little too clever for its own good, but most of the time, I’m laughing at the wit and word play.

If you are looking for something that is equal parts locked room mystery and comedy, you need to give this series a try.  Reckoning at the Riviera Royale is a circus in the best way possible.

Laugh and puzzle over the rest of the Anty Boisjoly Mysteries.

Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Action and acting

Cons: Pacing in mostly predictable story

The Bottom Line:

Guardians are back

Fighting to save one of them

Predictable film

Quest to Save Rocket

Somewhere along the way, I got behind on Marvel movies again (and newer movies in general).  Part of it is the cable movies I’ve been watching.  But part of it is pure laziness.  I wasn’t going to see stuff in the theater and I wasn’t even trying to catch it on streaming.  But I’m trying to catch up now.  We’ll see how long it lasts, right?

All of that to say that I finally sat down to watch Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.  And I may have found another reason why I let myself get behind.

When this movie opens, it finds the Guardians on a planet, trying to recover from a recent, devastating loss that has hit their leader, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), especially hard.  But when an outside force attacks, leaving Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) fighting for his life, Peter and the rest jump into action to try to find a way to save him.  But the only way forward is going to put them on the radar of a truly evil man.  Will this mission cost all of them their lives?

As I was watching this movie, the biggest thing I struggled with was the fact that I didn’t care.  I mean, you know where the story is going to go, the only question is the how.  Now, I will confess that a couple of things along the way did surprise me, but most of the big questions fell into this predictability.

It also didn’t help that we had extended flashbacks finally filling us in on how Rocket became the racoon we all know and love.  I will give them this, it was definitely relevant to this story.  But I still felt like we could have gotten that same information in less time.  Considering the movie is two and a half hours long, finding something to leave on the cutting room floor would have been nice.  Then again, it wouldn’t have given Bradley Cooper as much to voice in the movie.  I feel like one purpose of these many flashback scenes was to show how truly evil the villain was, but we got that from the modern storyline.  We really didn’t need to devote as much time to the flashbacks as we got.

I think another part of the problem was that we just had too much randomness in the film.  Some of the stops along the way felt weird just to be weird.  Maybe these stops served a purpose, but it just felt like a chance to visit another alien planet.

Now, I will give the film this – the effects looked good to me.  Sadly, we can’t always say that about modern special effects.  And the acting was all good.

And this isn’t to say that the film was bad.  I did get drawn in.  I found the action scenes lots of fun.  And a few moments of humor made me smile and chuckle.  But it wasn’t enough to really make me feel like I’ve missed anything by waiting this long to watch the movie.

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 definitely continues the struggles that Mavel has had in the post Endgame era.  It’s not that this is a bad film.  But I’m also not sorry I haven’t watched it sooner.

May 17th's Sunday/Monday Post

Welcome to this week's Sunday/Monday Post, where I will be linking up to:

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

Another quiet week around here.  Nothing outside of work.  The temps have been mostly in the 70's, which is pretty standard for this time of the year, to be honest.  As much as I'm ready for summer heat, this is what we often get.

The exception to that was Saturday, when I went down to Knott's Berry Farm.  I hadn't been in decades (like since I was a kid).  It's included with my season pass for Six Flags.  I was going to go last year and never got around to it, but with a free weekend and perfect temps, I headed down this weekend.

It was definitely more crowded than I was expecting.  And I'm not sure how trustworthy their line estimates are.  But I have fun.  I hit three of the biggest coasters there.  But two of them were at the end of the day, and one was the first thing I did when I got there.  It was a little weird being at a theme park I'm not super familiar with since I usually go to Disneyland or Six Flags Magic Mountain, both of which I know extremely well.  I might have done more walking/exploring than anything else, especially when I would turn somewhere and go "Now, what's down here?"  I was in a long line when the park closed, so I got home early Sunday morning.  I should be in bed by now, so shall we get to it?

Joke of the Week:

What happens when you throw books into the ocean?

You get a title wave.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: The Flash

Tuesday - Book Review: Murder, She Wrote - Murder Most Trivial by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early

Wednesday - Movie Review: Avatar - The Way of Water

Thursday - Book Review: Murder on the Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood

Friday - Friday Post featuring Reckoning at the Riviera Royale

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3

Tuesday - Book Review: Reckoning at the Riviera Royale by P.J. Fitzsimmons

Wednesday - Movie Review: Best Served Cold - A Hannah Swensen Mystery

Thursday - Book Review: Harm Not the Earth by Liz Milliron

Friday - Friday Post featuring My Nightmare is Yours

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

Strap in.  I've been very bad this week buying Kindle sale books.  (Or good, if you like to get books at a steal.)

Up first is Killer Brownies, which had just crossed my radar.  A culinary cozy set on the California coast?  I'm there.  This is the first in a series from Amelia Pine.  Looks like it is currently still on sale, but no idea how long it will be 99 cents.

Sadly, this next isn't on sale still.  Crooked Lane doesn't seem to leave their books on sale for very long.  Anyway, I've heard great things about A Field Guide to Murder by Michelle L. Cullen.  The main character is a retired man who tries to find out what happened to his neighbor, helped by his caretaker.  Sounds like it could be lots of un.

Outline for Murder by Anthony J. Pucci has been on my radar for a little while.  The main character is a high school English teacher.  It came out a while ago, so if I like it, I've got quite a few more books to go.  As of my typing this, it looks like it is still free, but I don't know how much longer that will last.

I was looking at the attendees at a convention this week, and one author I hadn't heard of before was Kim Griswell.  Her series is set along the Oregon coast, which caught my attention.  I don't find as many cozies set on the west coast to begin with, and Oregon and Washington are usually overlooked.  And, since the first book was 99 cents, I decided to give it a shot.  Again, as of right now, Murder at Last Chance Cove is currently still on sale, but no idea how long that will last.

Finally comes On the Rocks by Mia Gold.  I got this one from author Julie Mulhern's weekly freebie newsletter.  A bartender in the Bahamas as the main character was pretty much all it took to get me to download it.  I mean, at free, it's risk free, right?

What I'm Currently Reading:

Heading to a theme park by myself.  You can guess what my plan to do in line was, right?  I read on the Kindle app on my phone.  Of course, to do that, I will be pushing things around a little.  Jumping into the gap will be Hot Stuff by Don Bruns.  It's book six in a series about two twenty-something best friends who get dragged into cases.  There are seven in the series, so I'm hoping to finish it this year.  

I have a feeling by Monday, I will be working on One Final Turn by Ashley Weaver.  I just talked about getting this book last week.  I told you I was planning to read it soon!  I'm looking forward to seeing how this series about a lock picker in London during World War II ends.

Have a great week!

May 16th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Just one show this week.  Feels a little weird to be saying that in May since I'm still used to this being sweeps month, which doesn't seem to be the case any more.  Anyway....

Survivor – I was expecting two people to go home tonight, so I was surprised when Jeff didn’t announce it was going to happen.  But then when I realized how early they were going to tribal, it made sense.  Essentially, we had two episodes.  Neither person going home was too big a surprise.  Rick was all over the place, which is going to drive people crazy.  And Cirie would have been too hard to beat.  Same argument as Tiff.  I suspect Rizzo makes it to the end, unfortunately.  But I don’t think he’s going to win.  We’ll find out next week, I guess.

May 15th's Friday Post

We've made it through another week!  Time for this week's Friday Post, where I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

This week, my teasers for the first three will be coming from Reckoning at the Riviera Royale by P.J. Fitzsimmons.

This is the fifth book in a series set in 1929.  And the first time we are leaving England behind for the French Riviera.  Yes, it's a mystery series, but it is highly comedic as well.  And I think these quotes really capture the tone of the book.

Here's how it begins:

It had been a little over a year since I’d seen my mother and, I assumed at the time, slightly longer since she’d last committed murder.

That's a beginning that will capture your attention, right?

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

“It’s not stealing, Mister Boisjoly…” claimed Mimpley.

“...it’s only cheating,” completed Biddicomb.

“You do yourselves a disservice, ladies,” I countered. “It’s both.”

I always enjoy this series, and this book was no exception.  I'll have my full review up on Tuesday, so I hope you'll come back to read it.

For now, let's move on to this week's Book Blogger Hop.  The question is:

Are you team dog-eared pages or strictly no creases? 

I bet if you looked at most of my books, you couldn't tell which ones I'd read and which ones I hadn't.  I don't bend spines back.  I don't dog-ear pages.  I don't mind buying a used book that is clearly used, but anything I buy new, I try to keep in as good as shape as I can for as long as I can.

Have a great weekend!

Book Review: Murder on the Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood (Marlow Murder Club #4)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: The main characters in an entertaining mystery

Cons: Climax a bit of a stretch

The Bottom Line:

Deadly River cruise

Trip track down the killer

Play adding to fun

Murder is Dramatic

It wasn’t conscious at the beginning of the year, but I seem to be focusing on reading series I’ve already started this year instead of being distracted by every shiny new book that comes along. That’s one reason why I returned to Robert Thorogood’s Marlow Murder Club for their fourth case - Murder on the Marlow Belle. 

The first book showed us how these three women formed an unlikely friendship over a string of murders in the town of Marlow. There’s Judith Potts, an older woman who generally likes to be alone constructing crossword puzzles. There’s Becks Starling, the vicar’s wife. And there’s Susie Harris, dog walker and host of a local radio program. This is now the fourth time they’ve found themselves looking into a suspicious death in their community. 

This time, Verity Beresford seeks out Judith. Verity’s husband, Oliver, never returned from the maiden voyage of the Marlow Belle. The boat had been rented by the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society, which Oliver heads. But then Oliver’s body turns up, and Judith can’t help but wonder if Verity was trying to divert suspicion from herself by asking for help. Can Judith and her friends figure out what really happened?

Yes, Judith is the real star of the books, although each of the ladies contribute a little toward the solution, as always. I did feel that Susie took more of a back seat in this book, while Becks does get a subplot that allows her to shine. Still, their personalities come through the page, and I can’t help but laugh at their antics and conversations. 

On the other hand, I am bugged by some of the comments that seemed to lean toward male bashing. I’m not sure if they were intended as a joke or not, but they certainly didn’t come across that way. 

The mystery was good. The suspects were strong and there were enough twists to keep me guessing. However, I found the climax a bit of a stretch. It does makes sense, at least. 

Since the victim was part of the local drama society, we spent some time behind the scenes at their current production. As a fan of the stage, I had a lot of fun reading about that. 

And that ending? I’m glad the next is due here in the states in a couple of months. 

Murder on the Marlow Belle might not be the strongest mystery in the series, but it is still fun. Fans of these ladies will still be glad they read it. 

Enjoy the rest of the Marlow Murder Club novels. 

Movie Review: Avatar - The Way of Water

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Visuals are cool

Cons: Movie is slow and relies too much of the cool visuals

The Bottom Line:

The old threat returns

Movie too long and plodding

Not a much watch film

Sequel Does Little to Change My Mind on the Franchise

I wasn’t one of those who feel under the spell of the original Avatar.  I didn’t watch it in theaters and waited until I could record it on TV.  I wasn’t planning to watch the first sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, but when I spotted in on TV, I changed my mind.  It did little to change my mind on the franchise, however.

For this movie, we are back on the planet Pandora.  Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) has fully embraced his new life living with the Na’vi.  He and his wife, Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) have several children, and he is happy. 

That is, until the old commanders return to the planet.  Earth is still trying to colonize it.  But the leader is a clone of Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), and he is out to personally get Jake.  So Jake takes his family and flees to the islands.  Will they make their new realm their home?  Or will the Sea People reject them?  What will happen when Miles tracks him down?

Now, I fully admit that part of my issue with the film was the fact that it had been five years since I saw the original.  I was hazy on the details of the characters and their relationships.  That backstory might have helped me connect with what happened here.

But that wasn’t the only issue.

Most of the characters are blue aliens brought to life by motion capture CGI.  It might just be me, but I have a hard time telling them all apart.  When you are spending much of the film going “Wait, is that…?” it makes caring about the outcome harder.

Not that I’m blaming the actors.  They do a good enough job of bringing their characters to life.

There is a lot of debate right now about villains.  Do they need backstory, especially something that shows how they became evil?  While I subscribe to the view that we don’t, I really felt like the villains in this film were very one dimensional.  I had to wonder why everyone was going along with some of what they were being told to do.  There just seemed so little point.  So, some backstory here would definitely have helped.

Visually, the movie looks good.  It’s a lot of CGI.  I’d say the movie is more animated than real.  Most of it looks great, including the fanciful sea creatures we meet along the way.  Yeah, my eye starts to get more critical the further I go, but even so, there are some shots that are just outstanding.

But here’s the biggest issue I have with the movie.  It’s long.  Too long.  The movie clocks in at over 3 hours, and I could easily get 30 minutes cut without too much effort.  There’s an entire sub-plot that could have been trimmed.  And, I’m sure some other cuts could have been made to tighten things.  Having said that, there is a lot going on here, story wise.  It is complex, so trimming things further might have meant a major rewrite.  It certainly does seem like we have one more storyline than we need, especially when things slow down in the middle.

Yes, I’ll probably wind up watching the third Avatar movie at some point.  But I don’t think I’ll be rushing out to watch it.  The Way of Water has too many flaws to make me want to jump right into more of the franchise.

Book Review: Murder Most Trivial by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early (Murder She Wrote #63)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Familiar faces in a fun mystery

Cons: Pacing a little off early on

The Bottom Line:

Filming a game show

Hunting a killer on set

Characters we love

Can Jessica Answer the Killer Question Correctly?

My favorite episodes of Murder, She Wrote were always the ones set in Cabot Cove because I enjoyed the relationships that Jessica Fletcher had with her friends, but especially Seth Hazlitt and Mort Metzger. So, seeing that they were going to play a starring role in Murder Most Trivial, even if the book takes our characters to Los Angeles, made me anxious to read it.

When Jessica, Seth, Mort, and Mort’s wife, Maureen, take part in a trivia contest at the grand opening of an Irish themed pub in Cabot Cove, they never expect to win, much less that the prize will be a trip to Los Angeles to be contestants on Trivia Pub Live, a new live trivia game show. However, things take a deadly turn when one of the crew is found dead after the first day of tapping. Will the team be able to find a killer and stay in the competition?

The main mystery takes a little while to get going, but the time is spent on a few subplots and setting up the main mystery. Once the mystery gets going, the book kicks into high gear, and I was never disappointed. There are plenty of suspects and lots going on, which means everyone has to sort through what is and isn’t important to solving the mystery. I was satisfied with the resolution to the mystery. And I liked how the subplots played out as well. 

We really do get lots of the other Cabot Cove characters in this book, and I enjoyed getting to see Seth and Mort off the clock. Well, mostly off the clock since they were unofficially getting involved in the case. I even laughed a couple of times at their interactions. 

And those aren’t the only familiar faces we see. We also get one of Jessica’s nieces and her husband. I immediately remember who they were, too, which made it extra fun. 

There are a lot of suspects here, but I was able to keep them straight. Some come alive more than others, but that’s mostly a factor of how much page time they get. 

We also get a tour of Los Angeles via filming locations for various mystery TV shows. I’ve got to admit, I haven’t sought many of these places out, so I enjoyed this tourism via the page in my local area. Don’t worry, these scenes lead into discussions of the happenings in the mystery so they don’t slow things down. 

Once again, we are treated to a fun mystery with a fantastic sleuth. Fans of the show or the books will enjoy Murder Most Trivial. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Movie Review: The Flash (2023)

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Emotions at the end work

Cons: Very little else does

The Bottom Line:

Flash gets solo film

But more time spent on others

He deserves better

“Do You Want to Get a Bite?  I’m Still Hungry.”

Yes, I’d heard all the issues with The Flash and the rumors of reshoots even before it came out in 2023.  But, I always intended to give this movie a shot at some point.  It was pretty much as bad as I’d heard.

No, I don’t remember all the behind-the-scenes drama and delays at this point.  But it was one of the last movies in the failed Zack Snyder DC Universe.  That killed interest as well since, by the time it came out, we knew we were getting new versions of these characters.  Really, the movie was doomed.  Not that it was good.

Anyway, the story sort of focuses on Barry Allen, aka The Flash (Ezra Miller).  He’s a science tech in a crime lab who is attempting to clear his father (Ron Livingston) of a crime he didn’t commit – killing Barry’s mother Nora (Maribel Verdú).  But then Barry gets the idea to go back in time to keep his mother from being killed.  What could possibly go wrong?

Of course, we all know what could go wrong.  But in this case, it means a movie that is mostly set in an alternative universe.  Act one sets things up in pretty good fashion.  Yes, there’s an action sequence that could have been cut if they really wanted to speed things up, but that’s a minor issue.  It does what it needs to do to get the story going.

Act two is where the movie really falls apart.  Yes, it is fun at first watching Barry figure out what he’s done and then have to start interacting with a new version of himself.  But here’s the things.  This is called The Flash.  It’s supposed to finally be a chance for us to get to know the big screen version of the character.  But we quickly go meet Michael Keaton’s version of Batman and then rescue Supergirl, as played by Sasha Calle.  And who is our villain?  General Zod (Michael Shannon).  If we were going to have a Flash movie, shouldn’t these cameos from other characters be kept to a minimum?  And shouldn’t we have had one of his villains as the threat we are facing for much of the movie?  Barry felt like a supporting character in his own movie, which is ironic given his complaint early on during that first act action scene.

Now, I’m going to contradict myself.  The movie could have done with less Barry.  Essentially, we have two versions of the character through much of the film, both played by Ezra Miller.  And I found both versions annoying much of the time.  Now, I’m not talking about the acting.  This is the way the character is written to be played.  But seriously, could we make him less awkward?

And, to be clear, none of the complaints are aimed at any of the actors.  It is the script that lets them down.

Meanwhile, if I hadn’t watched the show, I wouldn’t have gotten that Kiersey Clemons’s Iris West is a pretty important character in Barry’s life.  She’s an afterthought.  Yes, the lead character’s comic book love interest is sidelined in his big movie.

The special effects are also poor.  Laughably poor at times.  You get a sense of where how things are going to look from that first act action sequence, and they don’t get any better.  For a big budget movie like this, it’s very surprising.

Given all I’ve been saying, I was surprised at just how much the climax touched me.  Yes, we still managed to get the emotional impact we should have.

Going into this movie, I did try to separate my expectations from the TV show The Flash, which I mostly enjoyed, especially the first few seasons.  While not exactly a story that show told, I still feel like that show did the similar story so much better.  Granted, they have multiple episodes to tell a story instead of only two and a half hours.  But this movie didn’t really even try to tell Barry’s story.

And yes, we get more cameos from various versions of DC characters, including those from the Zack Snyder series.  We could have done without most of them since they didn’t really add anything to the story.

The only reason to watch The Flash is if you are a die hard superhero fan, especially since this version of the character is no longer important.  You can just skip this mess of a film.