Disney Pin Review: Vanellope Racing - All Star Trading Cards #5 - 2020 Release

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Tries to capture older video game graphics

Cons: Becomes too indistinct as a result

The Bottom Line:

Vanellope races

But this pin blends in too much

No rush to get it

Racing Toward Mixed Results

Last month, we discussed how there are some sports I don’t really think of as sports.  Another one of those is race car driving.  It seems like the car does a lot of the work.  I do understand the reflexes and stamina involved to drive long distances, however, so I am more willing to accept it as a sport over Billiards.  Anyway, this is all just a long discussion to introduce this month’s All Stars pin – Vanellope driving her race car.

As always, the pin is rectangular to imitate a sports trading card.  Vanellope is front and center driving her race car in a pin-on-pin technique.  Behind her, we see some of the sweet lands she races through.  Up in the corner, she’s signed the card for us, and down on the bottom, Racing is writing in the middle of a sparkly blue stripe.

I get what they were going for, and I admire that they gave it this much thought.  It almost looks like the graphics from an older racing game.  You know, when everything wasn’t quite sharp enough to be distinct.  Not that I’m knocking old video games – I love some of those systems.

However, it doesn’t quite work.  Vanellope’s car all but fades into the background, and Vanellope herself takes some work to make out.  Instead of capturing the look they were going for, we have an indistinct looking pin.  It could have been easily fixed by just changing the background, too.  I think I could have liked it much better with different colors.

If you love the character or want all the pins in this series, you’ll be glad you tracked this pin down.  Otherwise, you can let Vanellope’s racing pin pass you right by.

May 15th's Weekly TV Thoughts

 American Ninja Warrior Women’s Championship – So great to see these women doing so well.  I was happy that all the finishers made it through in the first round.  It would have been disappointing to finish and not get to move on.  As I say that as a fan of some of the women who didn’t make it beyond that point.  As soon as they told us about Jessie LaBreck’s deal with her fiancé about the pool, I started rooting for her.  Surprised that Jessie Graff didn’t make the finals.  Can’t be too disappoint that Meghan won.  I’ve loved rooting her on for years as well.

The Equalizer – Wow!  That was intense.  I love how they kept the team in New York for so much of the episode.  So few sets used, but the most suspenseful episode of the season to date.  The ending was a gut punch.  I’m glad Robyn told her aunt what she’s really up to.  Something tells me she tells her daughter in the season finale as part of a cliffhanger.  Of course, I’m also thinking she is going to be arrested as part of the cliffhanger.

Legends of Tomorrow – I could have done without one scene, but the rest was pretty good.  Lots of great one liners.  The sibling plot was a bit predictable.  But I suspect Sara and Gary are in seriously more trouble.  I was curious where they might go with Amelia, but we got our answer tonight, looks like.

Batwoman – Storylines I expected them to drag out, they aren’t.  Sophie’s already revealed she knows who Batwoman really is.  And Alice has recognized Kate.  I’m very interested in where that storyline is going to go.  I’m assuming we aren’t about to lose Commander Kane.  That’s another story they have brought to a conclusion faster than I expected.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist – I was wondering how they were going to get some singing in during the flashback.  Pretty creative way they did it.  I don’t know why, but I didn’t see that ending coming.  It’s Max.  I’ve always been on team Max.  I thought I could get over that this season, but they are making it obvious we should be rooting for Max.  I just hope the writers don’t keep dragging it out.

The Flash – The news had just broken that Cisco was going to leave the show this season, and they are setting it up already.  And he’s taking his girlfriend with him, or at least it looks like it.  I feel like the rest of the episode was kind of pointless.  Okay, so it gave Barry and Iris some development, but we ended up pretty much back where we started.  The fact that they can revive everyone is the only thing new we learned, which undid the end of the last episode.  That I don’t mind at all.  I was with Barry and felt very sorry for that character.

Supergirl – You know, if this is the best they can do, I’m not sorry this is the final season of the show.  I mean, it was obvious after the first commercial break that we were just seeing fears, so it was pretty boring.  I almost fast forwarded to the end when everyone finally got beyond it.  And the rescue was over so quickly.  Did I miss something, or did we not find out how she rescued her dad?  I mean, last we saw, his leg was injured and he was in the lab that I thought blew up?  I am assuming he was on the ship, not that we saw that.  So much that needs to be better.

United States of Al – That was the best episode of the show so far.  Yes, I know it was a low bar, but still.  I laugh several times, and it was sweet, too.  I hope it is a sign of things to come.

Wipeout – If you had let me bet on this episode, I never would have predicted that outcome.  My money was on the newlyweds, although I did think she might be a weak link.  But I didn’t expect her to be that weak a link.  I was actually kind of surprised that so many teams seemed to struggle with the middle course this time.  There was no drama since only one team in each heat made it beyond the first section.

Book Review: "S" is for Silence by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone #19)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Excellent mystery and sharp characters

Cons: Needlessly graphic sex scenes

The Bottom Line:

A missing woman

Excellent cold case story

But graphic content

Kinsey Tries to Solve a Very Cold Case

There is something fascinating about cold cases.  We can’t help but wonder what exactly happened all those years ago, and why the answers were never discovered.  When authors tap into that curiosity well, the result is something like “S” is for Silence, which is a great entry in Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone series.

On July 4, 1953, Victoria Sullivan vanished without a trace and was never heard from again.  Her abusive husband lived under the shadow of suspicion, and her then seven-year-old daughter, Daisy, has lived with the questions about what happened to her mother and why.  And so, thirty-four years later, she hires PI Kinsey Millhone to try to finally solve this mystery.  Kinsey is reluctant to take on the case.  After all this time, what can she find?  Yet, as she begins to poke around, she suspects that the people she is talking to know more than they’ve ever told the police or are telling her.  Can she figure out what happened?

This book deviates from the normal books in the series because it includes multiple points of view.  While all the of the “modern” 1987 story is still narrated from Kinsey’s first-person point of view, we get chapters from the various players in 1953 written in limited third-person point of view.  It was a nice change for the series and really worked well for this book.

The story itself is strong as always.  Naturally, we know Kinsey is going to figure out what happened (how boring would the book be if Kinsey didn’t solve the cold case?), but each clue Kinsey discovers uncovers another tantalizing secret.  I was caught up in the story.  The climax was extremely creative and suspenseful while wrapping things up satisfactorily for me.  I was completely surprised by who the villain turned out to be, too.  I had someone else pegged.  I do wish we’d learned a bit more about some of the other supporting players and what happened to them after the case was solved, but that’s a minor point.

And that is a testament to how strong the characters are.  As I read these books, I am always in awe at how Sue Grafton is able to create characters in just a few words.  They pop into the book fully formed.  Even though who just have a scene or two are alive and memorable.

This book mostly takes place in Santa Maria.  We have a few scenes in Kinsey’s native Santa Teresa, but the recurring characters pretty much just get cameos.  That’s a disappointment, but again, a minor one.

My issue with this book is the content.  As enlightening as the 1953 flashbacks can be, they also contain some explicit sex.  It is established early on that Victoria is not faithful to her husband.  Unfortunately, we find out more about that in much more detail than I needed as the book progresses.  If that had been left out, I would have easily given this book a solid 5 stars.  Yes, I’ve read other books with sex in them, but trust me, this went further than those books did.  And we could have easily gotten the point with much less.

I’m still listening to the audio books, and once again Judy Kaye was the narrator.  She does a fabulous job of bringing Kinsey and the characters to life without intruding on the story.  And yes, that does mean I’ve fully made the transition to her as the narrator for the series.

It’s a shame that the book contains those needless scenes because the plot is excellent.  I still recommend “S” is for Silence for series fans, but be prepared to skim some of the scenes when you get to them.

Enjoy the rest of the Kinsey Millhone Mysteries.

Book Review: A Trail of Lies by Kylie Logan (Jazz Ramsey #3)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters, excellent mystery

Cons: Listing any cons would be a lie

The Bottom Line:

Helping boyfriend’s mom

Was there body in backyard?

Excellent again

Tracking the Truth

The first two books in Kylie Logan’s Jazz Ramsey series have made my favorite books of the year list, so I was looking forward to A Trail of Lies, the third in the series.  I wasn’t disappointed.

Jazz Ramsey is back on with her boyfriend, Nick, and the last few months have been wonderful.  However, he is away now on a top secret and dangerous assignment for the police.  Which is why Kim, Nick’s mother, calls Jazz in the middle of the night.  Kim has spent her entire life as an alcoholic, and Jazz tries to have as little to do with her as possible.  However, Kim is upset, claiming that she’s killed a man in her backyard.

Naturally, Jazz rushes over, only to find that there is no body.  Jazz brings in a couple of the cadaver dogs she works with and gets mixed results on whether there has ever been a dead body in the backyard.  Then a dead body does appear in a park, and Kim suddenly stops talking.  With Nick in and out, Jazz needs to figure out what is going on with Kim.  Can she cut through the lies and Kim’s drunken haze to figure out what is really going on?

Before I started this series, I knew Kylie Logan for her fun cozies.  This series is more of a traditional series.  While the violence is still kept to a minimum, there are a handful of foul words.  Most importantly, the tone is more serious than her cozies.  On the other hand, since Jazz’s hobby is training dogs, there is still plenty of animal cuteness.  And her job working at a Catholic all girl’s school helps keep the tone from getting too dark.

Kim’s alcoholism is a perfect example of what I’m talking about.  It is treated realistically.  We see it from Jazz’s point of view, who is only dealing with Kim because of her relationship with Nick, but as the book progresses, we get to know Kim better, and we see how it has impacted Nick over the years.  It’s ironic that Nick gets so much character development here since this is probably the least amount of time he’s had in a book in the series to date.  And yet it works wonderfully.  But again, this isn’t a dark, depressing book.  How can it be when Jazz has a new puppy she is training to make us smile regularly.

The characters are wonderful.  Jazz is a realistic main character who I love spending time with.  You can’t help but root for her to figure out what is happening.  She’s surrounded by family and friends who help round out her character and get brief moments to shine themselves.

And the mystery is strong.  Kim’s drunken haze makes us wonder what exactly she saw from the very beginning, and as Jazz investigates, the questions only grow.  Yet things come together for a logical climax.

A Trail of Lies is another excellent novel from Kylie Logan.  The rich characters and compelling mystery will keep you turning pages and leave you anxious to visit Jazz again as soon as possible.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Movie Review: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong tribute to a kind, caring man

Cons: Beginning is a bit rough

The Bottom Line:

A loving tribute

To Mr. Rogers the man

Will warm many hearts

A Beautiful Story About Everyone’s Favorite Neighbor

Being the Mr. Rogers fan I am, I was intrigued when I heard about A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, until I learned it wasn’t a biography movie of Fred Rogers.  Still, I heard enough good things about it that I had to see it eventually, and I’m really glad I did.

The movie is really the story of Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), a journalist who is assigned a quick article about Fred Rogers.  It’s just supposed to be 400 words, part of a larger story about American heroes.  Lloyd is generally known for digging up dirt on anyone he profiles, so it is a bit of a surprise when Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) agrees to meet with him.  The interview doesn’t go quite as Lloyd envisioned and Mr. Rogers spends more time asking about Lloyd than Lloyd does asking about Mr. Rogers.

However, that one interview leads to more encounters and Mr. Rogers keeps reaching out to him.  And the timing couldn’t be better as Lloyd’s estranged father (Chris Cooper) is trying to come back into his life, causing issues with Lloyd’s relationship with his sister (Tammy Blanchard) and wife (Susan Kelechi Watson).  How will his relationships be changed by everything?

This is one of those movies inspired by true events.  I do know the writer who was the inspiration for the movie had a different name, and some of the events early in the movie didn’t happen.  So who knows how much of this is real vs. fictional.  As a result, I’m taking the “true events” part with several grains of salt.

Having said that, the story presented here is very good.  Emotionally, it satisfies without feeling manipulative or maudlin, which it easily could have been.  The beginning was a little rough, and I wasn’t sure about it, but as the movie went along, I got more into the story.

The one thing the movie gets perfect for me is Mr. Rogers.  As much as it sounds like they dramatized parts of the story, I can easily picture him behaving the way he did in this movie.  He is kind and compassionate and wanting to help.  That sounds like Mr. Rogers, right?  I love that picture of him.

Plus it was fun to see quasi-behind the scenes of the show.  I really enjoyed those scenes, including some scenes in the Neighborhood of Make Believe.  Let’s admit it, we always watched the show for those segments, right?  There are other nods to the show that made me smile.

The acting was uniformly good.  I’ll admit I had a hard time looking past Tom Hanks to see Mr. Rogers, but that’s probably more me than his acting as there was nothing wrong with his performance.  Everyone else helped keep the tone of the movie perfect and pull us into the film.

In the end, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is a loving tribute to a man those of us who grew up with him still look up to.  And that makes me very glad I watched it.

Book Review: Death by Equine by Annette Dashofy

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong mystery and characters in a fun setting

Cons: Uneven start; police not believing Jessie

The Bottom Line:

Dead vet at the track

A compelling mystery

For fans old and new

Tragic Accident or Murder?

With all the murder mysteries I read, I always enjoy it when an author comes up with a new murder method.  That’s definitely the case in Annette Dashofy’s stand-alone Death by Equine.  Yes, as the title suggests, the murder weapon this time around is a horse.

Veterinarian Jessie Cameron has agreed to fill in for her mentor, Doc Lewis, at Riverview Racetrack so Doc can take a much-deserved two-week vacation.  However, the night before Doc is supposed to leave, he is killed by one of the horses at the track.  Jessie’s work at the track makes her begin to question the supposed accident that killed Doc.  Could there be more to it than the police are seeing?  The more Jessie investigates, the more she begins to see her mentor in a different light.  Did she really know the man?  What secret she is uncovering led to his death?

If you’ve read any of Annette’s Zoe Chambers mysteries, it’s obvious how much she loves horses, so this setting for the mystery isn’t a big surprise at all.  I am not a horse or a horse racing enthusiast, but I enjoyed learning more about that world as the mystery unfolded.

I did feel that the book took a little while to get going, or maybe it’s just the impatience of knowing that Doc was murdered (or we wouldn’t have a book) before Jessie got there.  I’m probably just being overly picky here, especially since Jessie uncovers plenty of secrets and motives before the story ends and I was hooked for most of the book.  The climax is wonderfully suspenseful and kept me turning pages.

While cops not believing the main character is a trope of the amateur detective novel, I did roll my eyes a few times at the police here.  The evidence that Jessie was uncovering and the events that were happening seemed very obviously connected to a murder.  Then again, it gave Jessie motive to continue investigating Doc’s death.

The characters were wonderful, which is no surprise to anyone familiar with Annette Dashofy’s other books.  She always creates strong characters.  Not only does this help us love Jessie, but it means that the suspects keep us from figuring out what exactly is going on.

If you are already a fan of Annette’s books, you pretty much know what to expect here content wise.  There is a smattering of foul language and the opening chapter is a tad more violent than a cozy would be.  However, that is in keeping with her other books.  I’ve described her other books as cozy adjacent and traditional, and that’s the case again here.

Death by Equine is a fun novel.  Fans of Annette Dashofy will enjoy it, and if you have been meaning to read one of her books, this is a great place to jump in.  You’ll find herself a new fan of this author by the time you are done.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Ornament Review: Boat Builders - Mickey's Movie Mousterpieces #9 - 2020 Hallmark Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Captures a moment from a fun short

Cons: Not super steady on his feet

The Bottom Line:

Mickey’s built a boat

Now he’s ready to set sail

Fun piece for fun short

A Salute to This Ornament

One thing I’ve enjoyed about the Mickey’s Movie Mousterpieces series is the excuse to go back and revisit the Mickey shorts highlighted.  After all, I need to watch them to fully appreciate the ornament, right?  While “Boat Builders” might not be one that immediately springs to mind as a Mickey Mouse classic, it really is a lot of fun, and this ornament is fantastic.

The short premiered in 1938, and it features Mickey, Donald, and Goofy deciding to make a boat from a kit.  As you can imagine, the usual hilarity ensues, but the trio manage to get it put together only to have disaster strike as they try to launch it for the first time.

This ornament comes from the end of the short as Mickey gets all dressed up for the big launch.  Instead of his normal outfit, she’s wearing a blue admiral’s coat and a fancy red hat with white feathers.  He’s raised one hand in salute.  It’s a great pose and one that will be easy to identify even if you haven’t watched the short recently.

Mickey has his back arched as he gives the salute.  Despite that, he is still perfectly balanced and will hang straight on your tree.  While he will stand on his feet, he isn’t super steady.  I suspect it is because of the pose.  If you are going to set this ornament out, be sure it isn’t a surface that will be bumped regularly, and you should be fine.

You’ll find the 9 in a Christmas tree series marker on the bottom of one of his feet.

Since Mickey’s shorts are historic for so many reasons, I’ve enjoyed the Mickey’s Movie Mousterpieces series.  Boat Builders is another excellent addition to the series.

Be sure to view the rest of Mickey’s Movie Mousterpieces.

Book Review: While the Clock Ticked by Franklin W. Dixon (Hardy Boys #11)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fast paced and fun

Cons: Weak characters

The Bottom Line:

A locked room puzzle

Hardys face lots of danger

A fun diversion

Can Frank and Joe Solve the Case Before Time Runs Out?

When I first looked over the list of Hardy Boys titles as a kid, While the Clock Ticked was one of them that stood out to me.  I knew I had to read it.  I enjoyed it as a kid, and I’m glad to say it is still fun as an adult.

When a man comes to the Hardy home, Frank and Joe are only too happy to offer their detective services in place of their vacationing father.  The man just bought a home, and he is receiving threatening notes inside a secret room.  Not only does he worry about who is threatening him and why, he is also puzzled by how the notes are getting into the secret room, which only opens on a timer.  Meanwhile, the Bayport harbor is being plagued by thieves.  Can the Hardy Boys figure out what is happening?

If you are at all familiar with these books, you can probably guess at least part of what is going on.  But that’s not an issue.  There is plenty of action to keep the reader engaged along the way.  After all, the Hardys have to face the usual assortment of close calls and near-death experiences before they can solve the case.  We’d be disappointed if they didn’t.  The locked room element of the case makes for a great puzzle that is hard to solve without the Hardys’ help.

As an adult, I can see how the characters are pretty thin.  But as a kid, they seemed real to me.  And I still get caught up in that childhood nostalgia when I pick up the book.  They are real enough to make me worry about them even as I know they will be fine.  There are plenty more books after this one after all.

There are some dated references, which isn’t surprising for a book revised in the 1960’s.  I only caught one or two here, and I bet most kids won’t be bothered by them at all.

While the Clock Ticked is still a fun book that will keep kids of all ages engaged.  It’s not a great read, but it is a pleasant diversion.

May 8th's Weekly TV Thoughts

 The Equalizer – Great episode to come back to.  Dante’s reaction at the end seemed a bit strange to me.  I mean, thank you for saving my life wouldn’t be out of line.  But it sets up a great conflict for the next few episodes for sure.  Not sure how they will get out of that with the DA.  I am going with saving the girl was the most important thing, too.  But I wonder what happened to the mother.  Did she run off?  Or was she killed?  I guess we’ll never know.

Legends of Tomorrow – Gary is an alien?  Seriously?  I mean, I don’t like the character as it is, but this is just lazy writing.  You can’t tell me they had this in mind before this week.  It just doesn’t make any sense.  Meanwhile, we’ve got Sara lost in space with the rest of the Legends on earth.  Shades of Supergirl so far this season?  At least we are hunting aliens through time.  That should be better than the demons we’ve been after last season.

Ellen’s Game of Games – Fun games and contestants.  However, how can you not know that Disneyland is older than Disney World?  Then again, he got several I wouldn’t have know.

Batwoman – So does this mean Angelique is really gone this time?  Because I thought she’d been written out a time or two before this.  The highlight, as always, was Alice.  I was laughing so hard at her interactions with Batwoman.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist – I was laughing so hard at the scene before the race started.  I think I identified a bit too much with the excited racers.  Very interesting watching the relationships devolving on the show.  I hope they are going to revive some of them before the season is over, but it makes for great drama now.

The Flash – I knew they couldn’t have Killer Frost and Caitlin as two characters for too long.  Special effects can only go so far.  I never expected her to go to prison, especially for life.  I expected some kind of out – something different than that one, anyway.  Something tells me we haven’t seen the last of her.  Could have done it without the very thinly disguised political lecture, however.  But again, I have to admire Frost for wanting to do the right thing even if it cost her dearly.  That wasn’t the only gut punch either.  We’ve got Nora turning dark as well.  What is her deal?

Supergirl – Knowing that we weren’t getting Kara this episode might have helped some, but I didn’t hate this as much as I did the last episode.  I enjoyed the ending.  It still felt long and drawn out to get there, however.  And aliens were out of place still.  I hope they have this resolved before they take their mid-season break for several weeks.

United States of Al – I know I get on shows for preaching, but I actually did enjoy this episode.  And it felt like a natural extension of the show and what it is about.  Of course, they had to ruin the serious with that song at the end.

Wipeout – They had some of the best commentating early on in that episode during the first segment.  I was laughing more than I had at any of the other episodes so far.  Then they had two teams drop out later on.  I wonder why?  I mean, I know it does happen, but two in one episode is more than I would expect.  Was there something in particular happening when they filmed that?  Or was it just really bad luck?

Disney Pin Review: National Space Day - Celebrate Today #5 - 2020 Release

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Perfectly matched character to Space day

Cons: Stitch hiding part of Space

The Bottom Line:

Celebrating Space

Perfect Disney character

Marvel at expanse

This Pin is in the Final Frontier

Since there are so many fun national holidays, I have to wonder how Disney decided which ones to highlight for 2020’s Celebrate Today pin series.  However, I don’t have to wonder about how they matched the character to the pin for May.  I mean, who better to help us celebrate National Space Day than Stitch?

National Space Day is the first Friday of May.  The day is designed to celebrate the wonder of the universe around us.  Personally, I’d love to go out and look at stars that night.  I miss looking at stars.  It’s really hard to find a place that gets you away from light pollution these days, especially in Southern California.

As I said, this pin features Stitch, the space alien from Lilo and Stitch.  A perfect match, right?  The pin finds him in space in his full alien look.  He’s in his spaceship, which means we see him in a little bubble over a red round base.  Yes, it’s a cartoony space ship, not a more realistic looking one.  Behind him, we can see some stars in the blackness of space.  National Space Day is written behind him, although he is blocking part of Space.

What’s cool is that Stitch is a pin on pin – and he moves.  He slides up and down, to simulate weightlessness in space.  This is the only pin in the series to feature anything like that, and I appreciate the added thought that went into this pin.

In the lower right corner is the day for National Space Day in 2020 – May 1^st.  Remember, it is the first Friday of May, so last year, it was celebrated on the 1^st, but this year, it is being celebrated on May 7^th.

I’m not the biggest Stitch fan, so this pin doesn’t appeal to me for that reason.  However, I really appreciate that they used him for this pin.  As I’ve been saying, it’s a perfect match.

So do something special today to celebrate the incredible universe around us.  And get this pin to remind you to celebrate it every year.