James Review -Dog Man (2025)

 

People know Captain Underpants, the hero who fights in his undies, the school principle Mr. Krupp. However, Dav Pilkey, the creator of Captain Underpants, also did a bunch of stories about a "supa cop" named Dog Man, part-man and part-dog. Dog Man was once two separate individuals, Greg the Dog and Officer Knight, until a disastrous bomb defusing operation left Greg's body and Knight's head in bad shape, so Greg's head was sewn onto the body of Knight's body to create the hero known as Dog Man. And that is the backstory for this character.

Just like with Captain Underpants after that series lasted for multiple books, Dog Man, after multiple books, gained a film adaptation from Dreamworks and released at the end of January 2025. I got my hands on it on DVD for my birthday and watched it with my parents, then I saw it again during the first week of February of this year and just watched it again fairly recently. Dog Man is one of those adorable kids films worth a watch, full of humor and cartoon craziness and with plenty of sad moments to boot.

The Dog Man movie opens with Officer Knight and Greg (voiced by Peter Hastings) tracking down Petey the world's evilest Cat (voiced by Pete Davidson), who plants a bomb on a warehouse, and when the duo try to defuse it, things go wrong and both dog and cop are injured to a point where the doctors sew Greg's head on Knight's body to create Dog Man. The movie adapts elements of the first three books in the Dog Man series while including stuff from later books such as Grandpa, Petey's father, who showed up in book seven, and the villain roster sees Petey as the starting antagonist before the main villain role gets taken over by Flippy the Fish, voiced by Ricky Gerivas, who wants to "destroy all do-gooders".

I love the Dog Man movie and it got me into the Dog Man world since my dad got me the first Dog Man book along with 20,000 Fleas Under The Sea during Christmas season, just months after we saw the movie. It's probably one of my favorite animated movies of all time, right next to Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie. Solid 9.9. Anyone who loves dogs should read Dog Man and watch this film when they have time.

-James M

James Review -Daredevil (2003) starring Ben Affleck

 

Before the DCEU and Batfleck, there was the 2003 Daredevil film.

In the 2000s, following the success of Blade and X-Men, superhero films were pretty much all the rage even though there were plenty of non-superhero projects. 2002 saw the release of Sam Rami's Spider-Man and the following year of 2003 saw the release of Ang Lee's Hulk along with the subject of today...

Daredevil.

The Man Without Fear.

The Devil of Hell's Kitchen.

Matt Murdock was blinded by an accident with chemicals when he was a boy, but he gained the extraordinary ability of echolocation, able to hear heartbeats to tell when someone is honest or is lying. After his father, a famous boxer, was killed by goons, Matt took up crime-fighting after years of training and became Daredevil. By day, he's a lawyer. By night, he's a vigilante. Created by Stan Lee, who also made Spider-Man, Daredevil is one of the many characters who is the Batman of Marvel comics. Daredevil stories were originally light-hearted, especially in an era where comics were aimed at younger readers, but, as times changed, Daredevil became darker and aimed at an older crowd and stopped pulling punches with Daredevil's enemies, such as Bullseye, becoming sadistic and murderous.

And this is where we get to the 2003 film. Beforehand, Daredevil had shown up in 1989's Trial of The Incredible Hulk, played by Rex Smith, and cropped up in the 1990s Spider-Man animated series with his voice provided by Edward Albert. Work on the film began in 1997, but due to the project passing to different studios, Daredevil more or less had a period of development hell until 20th Century Fox got the rights. Ben Affleck was cast as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, the role of Elektra went to Jennifer Garner, and the late Michael Clarke Duncan was cast as Kingpin Wilson Fisk. Fisk is usually a Spider-Man villain, but starting in the 80s, the Kingpin became a member of Daredevil's rogues gallery as well and, in his live-action appearances, has only faced the Daredevil but never Spider-Man. Long story, its due to rights stuff.

Bullseye, Daredevil's most iconic enemy, shows up in this film, played by the incredible Irish actor Collin Ferrel, who was perfectly cast in my opinion and is a heck of a scene-chewer. He's sadistic, cold-blooded and kills Elektra, even though she came back in the spin-off and 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine. Bullseye mostly serves as the film's secondary antagonist, leaving the role of the main antagonist to Duncan's Kingpin, which is the only time in a live-action Marvel project where Wilson Fisk is Black, and, every moment he is on-screen, Duncan is intimidating as the Kingpin and doesn't hold back during the final battle with Affleck's Daredevil.

The soundtrack in this film is nicely-orchestrated, setting the tone for the film's story and the action scenes, delivering an energetic vibe often expected in 2000s action films, and the movie was filmed in Los Angeles even though Hell's Kitchen in New York is actually a real place. The action scenes in Daredevil are relatively thrilling, stylized and the battle in the church between Daredevil and Bullseye is pretty epic. Matt's fight with Kingpin at the end is suspenseful and the latter doesn't hold back, nearly beating The Man Without Fear. Daredevil 2003, the theatrical version, was a flop when it released, but it is actually a fun movie despite the tonal inconsistencies. However, there is an R-rated director's cut, which I have yet to see, where the film is more serious and some scenes in the PG-13 version are left out, such as Matt and Elektra making love at one point. 

If you love superhero films and are looking for an early 2000s Marvel film that is fun, watch Daredevil on Disney Plus. Its worth the watch, worth your time and energy. 9/10.

-James M 

James Review -Tron Ares (2025)

 

After the first Tron released, it only took 18 years for the world to see a sequel. After Tron Legacy, Disney began working on a threequel, which ended up in a period of development hell until it finally came to us in 2025...

This is Tron Ares.

Starring Jared Leto and Ralph Peters, the final entry in the Tron trilogy, instead of focusing on the Flynn family or the iconic program hero Tron, follows the program known as Ares (played by Jared Leto) as he goes from a soldier of the Dillinger Systems grid to someone learning to be human and fighting for human life. And yes, the Dillinger family, through Ralph Peters' character, is one of the central antagonists of this movie. While the Flynns aren't front and center, Sam Flynn is mentioned as having stepped down from running ENCOM (but he isn't dead) and Kevin Flynn (with Jeff Bridges reprising the role) shows up for a time as Ares explores a version of the original Grid from the 1982 movie. 

Tron hasn't been the most successful sci-fi franchise in the world. The first film was a moderate box-office success and didn't compete with other films such as Blade Runner or E.T., and it got mixed reviews from critics at the time, despite becoming a cult-classic as time passed. Tron Legacy made tons of money, but wasn't highly successful and got mixed reviews from critics like the first film did. Tron Ares was a box office bomb and wasn't highly received, but time will tell if a fourth movie will come out.

Despite its reception, Tron Ares is a fun movie full of incredible special effects work and the recreation of the original version of the Grid is impressive, not to mention that Kevin Bridges popping in is a wonderful treat for longtime Tron fans and I do not believe Mr. Leto is a bad actor. The fact that a film that got mixed reception and wasn't highly financially successful in the 1980s got a trilogy is undeniably fantastic, compare that to Blade Runner, released the same year as Tron, which was a box office bomb, but got a sequel in 2017 that ended up being a box-office bomb as well and the world has yet to see a third Blade Runner. Its amazing that we got Tron 3 before Blade Runner 3.

In all honesty, Tron Ares is one of those films deserving a 4.5 stars for its efforts, likely worth a rewatch in the future. Anyone out there wanting to give it a chance? Its on Disney Plus right now and, guess what, Tron Ares became number one on that service for a time. See ya later.

-James M

James Review -Tron Legacy (2010)

 

The Grid, a digital frontier created through the most revolutionary film technology created in the 80s. Try picturing clusters of information as they moved through the computer. Were the circuits like freeways and what would they look like? How different could it have been from when it was first created? Then, one day, the viewers got back in... and the world had evolved in ways one couldn't imagine.

In 1982, Disney released Tron, starting off a sci-fi franchise that would never be forgotten. In 2010, after years of waiting, the fans finally got to return to the Grid and not only got to see Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn again, but his son Sam (played by Garret Hedlund) and the rogue program CLU 2 (played by Jeff Bridges). Set decades after the Master Control Program's defeat, the story follows Sam as he is sucked into the Grid on a journey to find his missing father while teaming up with an ISO named Quora as they battle CLU and his forces, who are controlling the Grid. The prologue of the movie takes place in 1989 and shows a de-aged Jeff Bridges as a young Kevin Flynn talking to Sam and, during the later scenes, the de-aging technology is used during Bridges' scenes as CLU, making him a younger evil counterpart to the protagonist's father. Tron Legacy is one of the first Disney-released movies to use de-aging, which was starting to come about in the 2000s before the film entered development.

Moving past de-aging, Tron Legacy is a beautiful-looking sequel to the original movie and has many callbacks to it, such as the identity disk line originally used by Sark, and the special effects for the Grid are finely polished. Since the 1980s, CGI has evolved, allowing the digital world to look different from when it was last seen. While you often see characters with whiter faces, there are clearer colors and textures and the world of The Grid comes with streets and buildings, including a club named after the MCP's quote "End of Line". The two games Disk Wars and Light Cycle racing have received upgrades, now taking place in arenas with crowds watching the spectacles. The iconic title character Tron returns as well, however, he has been corrupted by Clu and assumes the identity of Rinzler. While Bruce Boxlietter returns to the role, he only has a few lines for the new Tron, it's better than nothing.

Tron Legacy gets a 9.9 and is a must-see film. It may have issues and may have bombed at the box office, but its still a fun ride like the original movie. Until next time, Programs.

-James M

James Review -Tron (1982)

 

The 1980s were quite the time. The Cold War was at its height until the Soviet Union began to fall. However, pop culture had never been more engaging as comics became more than just for kids and action-packed movies became more thrilling than ever as the world was introduced to Blade Runner and The Terminator. However, in the early half of the 1980s, the future of filmmaking was changing. In the past, films were made with practical effects with occasional crossovers of live-action and animation, but with the age of computers as we know them today, movie viewers were about to see something that would define films for later years; CGI. And one of the first movies to use it was Disney's Tron.

Released in 1982, Tron is the story of programmer Kevin Flynn (played by Jeff Bridges) trying to hack into the system of the computer company ENCOM, run by the sneaky Ed. Dillinger (played by the late David Warner). Flynn's efforts lead to him being digitized and brought into the world of the Grid, controlled by the ruthless Master Control Program and his loyal commander Sark (also played by David Warner), and he teams up with Tron, a program created by Alan Bradley to fight for the users, in order to stop the MCP, get out of the Grid, and expose Dillinger for his shady practices. During the 1980s, the video game genre was growing and Tron is a video game movie just as it is a sci-fi movie about computers, especially with the start of the film taking place in an arcade before we go into the Grid.

The real world scenes are primarily done with practical sets and locations while the scenes with the Grid were made with black-and-white footage, black sets and CGI animation. Initially, all of the characters in the Grid were going to be blue, but this was changed to have the bad guy programs such as Sark carry a red lighting scheme so they can be distinguished from Flynn, Tron and the other heroes. Looking at the CGI in the film, especially towards the end, Tron looks a bit like a video game, maybe a Playstation game in the 2000s, and it feels right with how much of a role video games play in the movie. In fact, Tron would get an Arcade game to go along with the film, consisting of a few sub games such as Light Cycle and Disk Wars.

Having seen it a couple times in 2011, rewatched it in 2013 and then rewatched it in 2025, Tron is an exceptionally beautiful 1980s family-friendly action-adventure film and one of Disney's best works in my opinion. However, when it came out, it was a moderate box office success and received mixed reviews. And before CGI was embraced, the use of it was slammed and Tron was disqualified from a visual effects award because the academy saw the use of computer-generated effects as cheating, which is pretty harsh. If only they knew how useful CGI would become in later years, even though there are times when the use of it can be criticized. Tron would get a sequel, but it would take 28 years for it to get off the ground and it would take fifteen more years after that for a threequel to come out.

Tron is one of those movies that deserves more appreciation and gets a 9.5. Jeff Bridges is the top highlight and this was before he starred in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first movie Iron Man as Obadiah Stane aka the Iron Monger, even David Warner deserves the respect for playing not only Dillinger, but Sark and the Master Control Program. This is not the last time we will talk Tron, soon, we will discuss the sequel from 2010.

See you later, fellas.

James Review -Blade (1998)

 

The years before the genesis of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were not without comic book movies, especially Marvel films. The 80s saw the release of Howard The Duck, The Trial of The Incredible Hulk and a Punisher flick and the 90s had a Captain America film, even though there were some Marvel-related film projects in the 70s such Nicholas Hammond's Spider-Man movie despite the fact it was a pilot to a TV series. But, at the tail end of the 90s, after the failure of Warner's Batman & Robin, New Line Cinema released... Blade.

Vampires, alongside superheroes, have been pop culture staples for years and, in the early 70s, Marvel created the daywalking vampire hunter known as Blade. Blade aka Eric Brooks became a staple of Marvel mythology and, many years later, a movie would be produced with the title role going to Weasley Snipes. On release, Blade was a massive hit, revitalizing the comic book movie genre, paving the way for X-Men and Sam Rami's Spider Man trilogy and... eventually the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Blade is an R-rated action horror superhero flick, telling the story of Eric "Blade" Brooks and his crusade against the blood-sucking vampires who terrorize the innocent, leading to him coming into conflict with the man who bit his mother, leading to Eric becoming half-vampire. Fun fact, the people who worked on The Matrix actually worked on this movie, and I am not talking about the Wachowski Brothers. This film is full of story, visceral and engaging 90s action, wild CGI special effects, and remarkable acting from start-to-finish and some energetic music that kicks in during the movie's biggest moments such as the final battle. And the icing on top, every line delivered is powerful including the biggest quote of the ages: "Some motherf***ers are always trying to skate uphill." And delivered by Mr. Snipes himself.

I had the privilege of seeing this movie with my father on Disney Plus around Halloween season in 2025 and, as a vampire movie, it fits Halloween pretty well and I suggest to any brave movie-viewers to watch it during Halloween if you like. The score for Blade is a 9 and I will see the sequel when dad and I find the time. And if you didn't know, Weasley Snipes' Blade returned in the Marvel Cinematic Universe through Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024, nearly two decades after the final entry in the Blade trilogy known as Blade Trinity. See you later, fellas.

-James M

James' Review -Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

 

Long ago, when his stories began, Batman was dark and serious with a tragic backstory. However, in the decades after first appearing, the Dark Knight became light-hearted and less serious due to real-world fears of comics being a bad influence on children. Eventually, in the 1970s and the 1980s, after the conclusion of the Adam West Batman show, DC began to steer their caped crusader back into his darker roots and comics became more than just for kids. In the late 80s, with Frank Miller, DC created Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.

The story follows an older Batman as he emerges from retirement and takes on a gang of mutants before coming into conflict with The Joker one more time, then he battles Superman after The Joker dies. Oh, and there's a female Robin. I got this comic after signing up for a college class that involves graphic novels and manga, even though I planned to take a break from getting comics for a time early in 2026. And yet, this one is worth the read. Dramatic, intense, dark, The Dark Knight Returns is entertaining and pulls no punches with iconic moments such as Batman taking down the mutant gang leader as he says, "This isn't a mudhole. Its an operating table. And I'm the surgeon."

Frank Miller set out to make Batman serious and he succeeded, his writing is powerful and the imagery is so strong, you can't look away. I enjoyed reading it and I can't wait to read it again when I get the chance, Batman is one of DC's best characters to date, no matter what stories he has told in either the campy tone or the dark and serious edges of stories like this. I'd highly recommend this to Batman fans who have not touched it yet, but be warned, this isn't for the kiddies. This comic was an influence on future Batman stories for years to come, especially Zack Snyder's Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice in the DC Extended Universe, and it received a two-part animated movie adaptation along with a brief segment in an episode of Batman: The Animated Series season three aka The New Batman Adventures. 9/10. 

See you next time, crusaders of justice. And remember... He is vengeance, he is the night, HE IS BATMAN!!!

-James M

2025 Life in our household Wrap Up

 

2025 was an interesting year spent concentrating on our health with hubby recovering from his heart attack, and subsequent diabetes diagnosis and me working through gall bladder issues. We eliminated much of the foods we'd been overdosing on.  No more ice cream, candy, sodas,  pasta and bread, vast quantities of milk and chocolate, chocolate, chocolate.  Hello Keto friendly foods, lots of water, and longer grocery trips perusing the shelves, reading ingredients, and finding low carb choices, which surprisingly resulted in some very tasty meals and salads, salads, salads.  LOL! All of which saved me from intestinal issues when I had my gall bladder removed in October and resulted in a smooth recovery.   Turns out my gall bladder was almost nonfunctioning, full of polyps and stones.  I feel so much better now.  Both hubby and I lost weight, his skin cleared up, no more acid reflux, and the tums consumption reduced to an all time low. 

We actually took a real vacation this year, drove up the coast to Eureka and spent time in the woods, then headed up to Lincoln City, Oregon, spent time on the beach and explored the Evergreen Museum in which we got to tour the Spruce Goose. A fun time for all of us.

Surprisingly we had a stellar year with the business, breaking all time records. Hubby and I worked as a tag team, me covering more while he worked less, then he in turning covering more when I worked less. Our employees pulled out all the stops and it didn't hurt that a couple of our competitors retired and sent their customers our way.  James helped out when he could, but his primary job was completing his college courses (all A's by the way)  all the while busily creating fan fiction and digital art. 

Which brings me to my other loves - journaling and reading.  I lost the impetus when it came to story writing, but I didn't let it stop me when it came to creativity.  I got into journaling big time this year with common place books, as well as junk journaling, book reviews, food diary, poetry, etc.  Discovered the joy and fun of decorating said journals pages from stickers to whole page designs.  I'll be feeding my muse more in 2026, filling the well, in anticipation of breaking through that proverbial writer's block to get back to my stories and characters. 

And reading which is as necessary to me as breathing.  I enjoy reading fiction along with a smattering of nonfiction and hubby's love is nonfiction, James is primarily comic books, along with required college reading.  I read 93 books, out of which 15 were rereads and only 7 were ebooks which meant I did a great job at clearing my shelves.  Only they had lots of babies so my TBR shelves in the kitchen are full again. LOL!   I'll talk more about my year in reading in a separate wrap up post. 

2025 Reading Wrap Up

 

I had a interesting, emotional filled, action packed reading year filled with mystery, fantasy,  science fiction, non fiction, thrillers, dragons, and romance. I traveled through outer space to the Antarctic to Eastern Europe to fictional lands in the middle of the ocean. I read 93 books, out of which 15 were rereads and only 7 were ebooks. Plus 34 were new to me authors.  Which means I did a great job at clearing my shelves, only I don't remember which ones were new versus dusty.  Guess I should have kept better track of that.  And now that I look back at the books completed, I'm contemplating changing some from 4 stars to either 5 stars or 3. What a conundrum. 

The stories (in no particular order) that really stood out this year were:

Stuart Turton's 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - a fantasy mystery which kept me on my toes keeping track of the characters and the storyline. Very convoluted, but intriguing and unique mystery which went all over the place.  Was everyone in on it?  Too many people, secrets, behind the stairs politics, above the stairs agreements, black mail, murder, and love affairs.  The characters never quite knew who to trust. Loved the description and imagery.  

and from one of my favorite writers, Cassandra Clare’s Sword Catcher - the beginning of a 4 book series which is full of dark magic and secrets and was excellent. The story captured me from the very beginning and held my attention the whole way through. Made me mad, confused, glad, and sad. Who would rue the day?  To be continued in the next book, The Ragpicker King which fortunately I have. 

The Last Love Note by Emma Grey - A story about grief, love, loss. A story about powering through, resilience, humor, honesty, and family.  Never letting go, but moving forward, finding your way without the love of your life, and somehow falling in love again with the one was right in front of you all along.   I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more. One of those stories I'll have to get in paperback to read again.

I discovered Fredrick Backman this year and will definitely be reading more of his stories. My Grandma Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry was such a sweet, heartwarming, hilarious, intense, imaginative story.  Made me laugh, made me cry, made me wonder, as well as want to shake a couple adults for their attitudes. All the feels. At first, all the bickering between everyone turned me off. But once I got past that, the story took off. 

Plus Britt Marie was Here turned into a very moving story.  She’d  lived her life for some one else and lost herself in the process.  She’s socially awkward, a bit ocd, and maybe a little autistic (imho). She ends up in a small town, full of misfit, oddballs, juvenile delinquents, and more and finds her backbone as well as a found family. It’s sad and funny and the ending is a bit vague which left me wondering. 

I finally gave in and read Robin Hobb’s Assassins Apprentice #1 in the Farseer Trilogy which was  excellent. Hobb’s writing is really good and flows and her world building, empathy, and emotions were so well done, you’d think you were watching a movie. Looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy, then exploring Ship Traders.   

Oh my goodness! I couldn't put down Dean Koontz The Forest of Lost Souls.  One woman pitted against a megalomaniac and his cohorts and small town politics.  Full of mysticism, nature, good and evil with wonderfully written characters and descriptions. Once I started it, had to finish, reading long into the night. Well worth losing sleep over. 

A unique fantasy/science fiction story by a new to me author was Gareth Brown's The Book of Doors in which a woman finds a book and stumbles upon a door which opens a world of travel, lying, killers, time loops, and all kinds of trouble. For every emotion, there is a book which in the wrong hands can either reek havoc or in the right hands bring healing. Full of chilling twists and turns that captures your attention and keeps you hanging on for the ride. 

And Dan Brown does it again with The Secret of Secrets in the Robert Langdon universe.  His girlfriend unwittingly captures the attention of the CIA and steals her ideas and her book about human consciousness and death experiences to create spies out of the  people on the edge of life who can see what's happening around them before they come back to their bodies. Fantastic story full of science, mystery, history and even the Golem created by a 16th century rabbi in Prague.  

And last but not least, two non fiction reads: 

All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum and me written by a museum guard, Patrick Bringley, which gave me an appreciation for art and how to look at it. It was a delicious read with made me want to back to New York and explore The Met for several days. 

and Victoria Erickson's Edge of Wonder: Notes from the Wildness of Being  - A little non fiction book of  beautiful poetry written in a way that was inspirational, warmhearted, made me think, and really spoke to me. No iambic pentameter for me. LOL! So good, I wanted to buy a dozen extra copies and send them out as gifts. 

I'd love to gather all these authors in a room and listen to them for days.  

2025 Books Read

 

2025 Books Completed 

January 

1. Arthur Ransome - Swallows and Amazons  (351) ****
2. Ursula Le Guin - The Dispossessed (387) ****
3. Steve Berry  - The Emperor's Tomb  (436)  ****
4. S.A. Chakraborty - The Kingdom of Copper  (625) ****
5. Heather Webber - At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities -  (320) ****
6. Alan Dean Foster - Icerigger  (320) ****
7. Haruki Murakami - The City and Its Uncertain Walls (445) **
8. Rebecca Yarros - Onyx Storm (527) *****

February

1.  Michiko Aoyama - What You Are Looking For is in the Library ( 300) ****
2.  Travis Baldree - Bookshops and Bonedust (336)  ****
3.  J.D. Robb - Bonded in Death (359)  *****
4.  Emma Grey - The Last Love Note (355) *****
5.  John Scalzi - Starter Villain (264)  ****
6.  David Nichols - You are Here (355) ****
7.  Kristin Hannah - Comfort and Joy (272)  ****
8.  Lucy Gilmore - The Lonely Hearts Book Club (353) *****

March

1. Paula Munier - Home at Night (338) ***
2. Julia Bryan Thomas  - The Radcliffe Ladies Reading Club (366) ****
3. Louise Penny - The Grey Wolf #19 Armand Gamache (418) ****
4. Naomi Novik - Black Powder War #3 Temeraire (344) ****
5. Louise DeSalvo - Art of Slow Writing (366) ****
6. Falon Ballard - Lease on Love (ebook)(349)
7. Cassandra Clare - The Sword Catcher (604) *****
8. Stuart Turton - The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (464) *****

April 

1. Lian Tanner - Museum of Thieves (312) ****
2. Nora Roberts -  Northern Lights  (reread, 637)
3. Kazuo Ishiguro - The Buried Giant (317)  ****
4. Karen Marie Moning - The House at Watch Hill (365) *****
5. Ariel Lawhon - The Frozen River (432) ****
6. Nora Roberts - The Next Always: #1 Inn Boonsboro (324)
7. Nora Roberts  - The Last Boyfriend #2 Inn Boonsboro (319)
8. Nora Roberts - The Perfect Hope # 3 Inn Boonsboro (308)

May 

1. Evie Woods - The Mysterious Bakery on Rue De Paris (321) ****
2. Nora Roberts - Visions in White #1 Bride Quartet (reread, 325)
3. Nora Roberts - Bed of Roses #2 Bride Quartet (reread, 335)
4. Nora Roberts - Savor the Moment #3 Bride Quartet (reread, 325)
5. Nora Roberts - Happy ever After #4 Bride Quartet (reread, 333)
6. Nora Roberts - Midnight Bayou (reread, 338)
7. Anne Bishop - Written in Read #1 Others (reread, 467)
8. Nalini Singh - Archangels Ascension #17 Guild Hunter (399) ****
9. Nora Roberts - Hidden Nature (435) ****

June: 

1. Lisa Jewel - Breaking the Dark (384) ***
2. Elin Hinderbrand - Swan Song #4 Nantucket (384) ***
3. Nora Roberts  - Dance Upon the Air #1 Three Sisters (reread, 373)
4. Nora Roberts - Heaven and Earth #2 Three Sisters (reread, 346)
5. Nora Roberts - Face the Fire #3 Three Sisters (reread, 358)
6. Ali Rosen - Unlikely Stars (306) ****
7. Nora Roberts - Born in Fire #1 Born In (reread, 385)
8. Nora Roberts - Born in Ice #2 Born In (reread, 352)
9. Nora Roberts - Born in Shame #3 Born in (reread, 357)
10. Emily Henry - Great Big Beautiful Lie (418)  **

July:  

1. Fredrik Backman - My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry (370) *****
2. Rebecca Searles - In Five Years (251) ****
3. Laura Griffin - One Last Breath (442) ***
4. Lucy Foley - The Paris Apartment (356) ****
5. Clare Pooley - Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting (332) ****
6. Brad Meltzer - The Zero Game (468) *****
7. Susanna Clark - Piranesi (245) ****
8. Samantha Harvey - Orbital (207) *

August 

1. Paul Barach - Fighting Monk and Burning Mountains (nonfiction, 327) **
2. Katherine Center - The Things You Save in a Fire (310) ***
3. Patrick Bringley - All the Beauty in the World (nonfiction, 226) *****
4. Peter S. Beagle - I'm Afraid You've Got Dragon (275) ****

September 

1. Carly Fortune - Every Summer After (304) ***
2. Mark Lawrence - The Book That Wouldn't Burn (559) ***
3. William Gibson - Neuromancer (304) ****
4. Ann Patchett - Bel Canto (318) ****
5. J.D. Robb - Framed in Death (355) ****
6. Seanan McGuire - Silver and Lead October Daye series (393) ****

October 

1. Sarah Brooks - The Cautious Travellers Guide to the Wastelands (313) *****
2. Sarina Bowen - Dying to Meet You (356)  ****
3. Mari Mancusi - New Dragon City (343) ****
4. Gareth Brown - The Book of Doors   (403) ****
5. Dean Koontz - The Forest of Lost Souls (392) *****
6. Katy Hays - The Cloisters (312) ****
7. Sarah Beth Durst - The Spell Shop (376) ****
8. Dan Brown - The Secret of Secrets (675) *****
9. Sonali Dev - There's Something about Mira (ebook) (314) ****
10. Lucy Score - Story of My Life (530) *****
11. Jennifer Faye - Love Blooms (ebook)(287) ***

November 

1. Robin Hobb - Assassins Apprentice #1 Farseer Trilogy (438) *****
2. Andrew and Lee Child - In Too Deep Jack Reacher series (224)  *
3. Fredrik Backman - Britt Marie was Here (324)  *****
4. Hazel Prior - How the Penguins Saved Veronica (333)  ****
5. Julie Caplin - The Northern Lights Lodge #4 Romantic Escapes (Ebook) (346)  ****
6. Julie Caplin - The Little Cafe in Copenhagen #1 Romantic Escapes (Ebook) (415) ****
7. Nora Roberts - The Seven Rings #3 Lost Brides Trilogy (454) ****

December 

1. Rebecca Yarros - The Reality of Everything (472) ****
2. Julie Caplin - A Little Place in Prague #12 Romantic Escapes  (ebook)(385) ****
3. Brittney Morris - Spiderman-Miles Morales Wings of Envy (audiobook)(263) ****
4. Edited by Jonathan Montaldo -  Dialogues with Silence: Thomas Merton (nonfiction)(189) **
5. Scott Reintgen - The Last Dragon on Mars #1 Dragonships   (378) ****
6. Mary Oliver - Upstream (nonfiction) (178) **
7. Victoria Erickson - Edge of Wonder (Nonfiction)(152) *****
8. Tony Bertauski - Clause: Legend of the Fat Man (ebook)(390)

My rating system is a mishmash of Goodreads and others.  

5 star - The writing was compelling, the world building was outstanding and the story flowed. Couldn't put it down. Evoked an emotional response and made me feel my feelings. Unique.   

4 star - The writing, world building, and characters was great and enjoyed the story. As a series opener, would make me want to read the whole series.  As a new to me author, would make me want to read more of their stories. Would reread again in the future. 

3 star - It was good, but...

2 star - Read half way or through the whole thing or may have skipped to the end to see what happened. May have had morally grey characters without any redeeming qualities, or something about the story turned me off. 

1 star - It failed to live up to my expectations.   

2025 December Reading Wrap Up

 

December has been an interesting reading month with books running the gamut from uplifting to disappointing. 

Rebecca Yarros - The Reality of Everything (472) 4/5 stars.  I don't know what Jackson saw in Morgan because this gal was deep in the throws of grief after two years, but he was able to see through her grief, her panic attacks, and sadness to her strength, her perseverance, and her humor.  Morgan felt betrayed by her friends who were so caught up in their own grief over the death of their friend, their brother, that they didn't see her, so she moved to a fixer upper house on the coast of Florida. A lonely house on the sand dunes next to Jackson and his little girl.  Yarros's stories always hit me in the gut, drawing you into the lives of the characters and their emotional journey's as they navigate life amidst the chaos of the story. 

Julie Caplin - A Little Place in Prague #12 Romantic Escapes  (ebook)(385) ****  Anna was selected as one of two people for a beer brewing contest in which she must create and design a beer competing against who? Her ex husband Leo evidently. In the city of Prague.  And to top it off, the only housing available is a single flat for both of them.  Prague, the restaurants, the rest of the tenants in the building, complete the picture and against that backdrop, Anna and Leo try to regain their lost friendship and resolve past issues. It's truly a romantic escape. 

Brittney Morris - Spiderman-Miles Morales Wings of Fury (audiobook)(263) ****   James and I listened together in which Miles  teams up with Peter Parker to battle Vulture and his grand daughter Beatrice, who launched a virus against the citizens of New York and turned them into zombie birds. Great narrator who made the story much more interesting! 

Edited by Jonathan Montaldo -  Dialogues with Silence: Thomas Merton (nonfiction)(189) ** I love Thomas Merton but this little book turned out to be more depressing than anything else. I think he was going through a dark night of the soul or maybe it was the way the book was edited. The pictures were simple but powerful, but his prayers were all downers. 

Scott Reintgen - The Last Dragon on Mars #1 Dragonships   (378) ****  This middle grade science fiction adventure didn't let me down. Lunar Jones (don't you love that name) is a scavenger, roaming the sands of mars for scrap to sell to support all the orphans who live in his house. He stumbles upon a secret base which leads to an extraordinary experience. Full of scary twists and turns. 

Mary Oliver - Upstream (nonfiction) (178) **  Full of essays in which Ms. Oliver explores nature and I was greatly put off when she talked about watching pregnant turtles nesting and as soon as they left, she stole some of the eggs for her breakfast. There were a few other things about her experiences that turned me off. 

Victoria Erickson - Edge of Wonder: Notes from the Wildness of Being  (Nonfiction)(152) ***** Beautiful book of poetry written in a way that was inspirational, warmhearted, made me think, and really spoke to me. 

Tony Bertauski - Claus: Legend of the Fat Man (ebook)(390) Clause and evil Jack Frost, and two factions of elves are torn apart by their rivalry, then enter Arctic explorer Nicolas Santa, his wife, and son who are trying to find the North Pole and it makes for a wonderful imaginative story, about science vs magic, darkness versus boldness, being lost in the wildness of the arctic, and family. Fun read! Look forward to reading more in the Claus Universe. 

James' Review -Deadpool 2 (2018)

 

Happy holidays out there, folks. 

Remember Deadpool? Merc with A Mouth? Ryan Reynolds' top movie role? Sorta the Austin Powers of Marvel but R-rated? Who can forget him and his amazing first movie in 2016? Today, we're here to discuss his 2018 sequel, Deadpool 2. And, after that, no more Deadpool because I don't like Deadpool anymore. HA! KIDDING! There is no way I don't love Deadpool, you can't fall outta love with Marvel's most iconic folks. Anyways, so what is the story all about?

A while has passed since Wade "Deadpool" Wilson saved his fiancée Vanessa and killed Ajax aka Francis and the merc is killing bad guys. One night, he comes home to the girl of his dreams and plan to start a family, only for a criminal to come in and kill Vanessa despite Wade's efforts. Vanessa's death badly impacts Mr. Pool and he attempts to join her in the afterlife, but he can't die. After trying to blow himself up, Deadpool winds up at the X-Mansion when Colossus finds him. Long story short, Wade becomes an X-Man. An X-Man trainee, of course. One assignment sees him, Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead go to an orphanage where Wade meets the abused pyro mutant boy Firefist aka Russel Colins. He starts killing the staff, but ends up incarcerated at a high-security prison... with Russel, after Colossus intervenes in Deadpool's attack.

Meanwhile, a cyborg from the future, Cable (played by Josh Brolin), arrives in the present day and eventually reaches the prison where Wade and Russel are at. And when Cable attacks, Wade steps forward to protect Russel from the cyborg and their battle leads to them blowing through the prison wall and Wade has another near-death experience. Following this, Wade begins putting together a "super-team" called the X-Force in another effort to stop Cable from killing Russel, who is soon being relocated from the prison that he and the merc with the mouth were in. However, the team falls apart pretty badly during their mission and, by fall apart, I mean they die nasty deaths while only Deadpool and Domino, whose superpower is luck, survive to intercept the transport and encounter Cable.

During Wade's battle with the cyborg, Russel opens a cell and unleashes Juggernaut, a super strong mutant, who derails and smashes the transport, tears our red-black antihero in half and heads off with the pyro kid. While Wade recovers at Blind Al's place, Cable shows up and reveals why he is after Russel. As it turns out, Russel will kill the headmaster of the orphanage he was at and find enjoyment in killing people, becoming a full-blown terrorist, and goes on to kill Cable's wife and child. A nice little twist on the story this movie is parodying from Terminator. Cable is deadset on killing Russel, but is humble enough to let Wade have some time to talk down the boy.

After regrowing his legs, Wade, Cable and crew head to the orphanage right as Russel and Juggernaut are starting their rampage, leading to an intense battle. Colossus and NegaSonic Teenage Warhead arrive with the latter's companion Yukio to help and Colossus battles Juggernaut, the latter of whom is defeated with an electric shock to the backside. 

In the meantime, Russel is about to kill the headmaster until Wade talks to him. However, Cable opens fire on the boy and the merc with the mouth slaps mutant power neutralizer collar on his neck before jumping in the line of fire, making a friggin sacrifice play. Wade dies and is reunited with Vanessa, however, Cable uses his time device and rewinds time to before the start of the battle, slips a coin into Wade's Deadpool suit pocket and said coin ends up saving our, uh, protagonist's life. So Deadpool lives to kill bad guys and get into crazy stuff another day. The headmaster gets killed when he's run over by Dolpinder in his taxi, all is well, and then Wade fixes Cable's time device before going back in time to save Vanessa and one of the X-Force members named Peter Wisdom amongst other things as the movie ends.

While the first Deadpool was intense and action-packed with comedic beats, the second is more action-packed and intense while continuing to carry some comedic moments throughout. And coming out at a time when Logan had released a year prior, Deadpool 2 spoils the ending of the movie at the start with Wade commenting about how Wolverine got an R-rated movie and upped the ante by dying and this is while the regenerate degenerate is trying to, uh, find a way to die and join his dead girlfriend. However, despite the somber moments from Vanessa's death to Cable's tragic backstory, Deadpool 2 is nothing short of fun and full of charm for older Marvel fans and Ryan Reynolds' acting hits the right beats, even when some jokes fall flat. The first film made pops laugh 5 to, maybe, 6 times, this one got around 14 laughs from him. Sometimes, a sequel is better than the original. I hold this film in great regard and suggest it to anyone looking for a good R-rated action flick or an action-packed comedy movie.

See ya later.

Deadpool will return... in 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

James' Review -Batman The Animated Series & The New Batman Adventures

 

He is vengeance. He is the night. He is Batman.

For decades across many comics, the caped crusader has fought injustice in Gotham and mesmerized many readers. However, his comic roots are not the only area where to find Batman. In the 1960s, a campy version of the Dark Knight, played by Adam West, graced the small screen alongside Burt Ward's Robin at a time when comic book adventures of superheroes in DC were more goofy after a big scare in the 1950s. In the 1980s, Batman returned to his darker roots and in 1989, the world saw Michael Keaton's Batman. After the success of Tim Burton's movie, a sequel dropped in the early 90s.

And it was in the 90s when a new Batman arose, starting a new era for DC on TV. But even though the DC Animated Universe wasn't fully established until crossover events came up and the Justice League aired, this was the beginning of Batman the Animated Series, starring the late Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Starting in early September of 1992 all the way to September of 1995 before returning in September of 1997 as The New Batman Adventures and ending in January of 1999 with a total of 109 episodes, BTAS, developed by Bruce Timm, followed Batman as he battled iconic enemies such as The Joker and the now-iconic Harley Quinn, Penguin, Riddler, Red Claw, Killer Croc and Two-Face. The show, despite being family-friendly, carried a dark tone with some lighter stories and tackled deep, mature themes and was a fantasy superhero noir story. However, episodes like the two part Heart Of Steel were sci-fi based and were pretty akin to The Terminator or Blade Runner. In fact, I consider Heart Of Steel one of my favorite BTAS stories. 

Kevin Conroy, cast as Batman/Bruce Wayne, provides the character with two different voices to make them sound distinct when they interact with different people. Bruce talks in a soft, kind voice while Batman speaks in a deep, almost menacing voice, especially when talking to people who know Bruce Wayne. Alongside Kevin, other members of the cast include Mark Hamil of Star Wars fame as The Joker, Bob Hastings as Comissioner Jim Gordon, Robert Costanzo as Detective Bullock, and Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn. One episode features 1960s Batman actor Adam West as Simon Trent aka The Grey Ghost, the episode is called "Beware The Grey Ghost" and it's one of the best episodes ever.

My father and I spent a few years watching it and just recently finished seeing BTAS season three aka The New Batman Adventures with the episode "Mad Love", which adapts a comic story from a tie-in comic series, focusing on Harley Quinn and The Joker. Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures (which is technically seen as season three of the former) are impressive and incredibly well-animated by 1990s kids show standards and all three seasons are worth watching in their entirety. Full of action, thrilling stories full of plot and depth, Batman fans of future generations would enjoy seeing every moment of animated 90s Batman goodness. 9.9/10. 

RIP to Kevin Conroy, an incredible actor.

-James M

James' Review -Logan (2017)

 

For many decades, the team at Marvel Comics have created many iconic characters that have been viewed highly by fans in the pop culture community, from Spider-Man to Captain America to Iron Man. However, one character in the cast of the mutant team -The X-Men- has proven to be the most popular of all Marvel heroes; Wolverine aka Logan aka James Howlette aka Weapon X.

In the early 2000s, 20th Century Fox, with the rights to the X-Men characters, produced and released the first X-Men film, which starred Australian actor Hugh Jackman as Wolverine alongside Patrick Stewart as Professor X and James Marsden as Cyclops. Once again, out of all the heroes of the X-Men and other Marvel legends, Wolverine was popular and, in 2009, Fox released X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which focused on Logan. The film failed. A few years later in 2013, Fox released another Wolverine-focused movie directed by James Mangold and was somewhat more successful than its predecessor.

However, there was one issue when it came to Wolverine. The X-Men films were PG-13, geared towards a younger crowd, and the two Wolverine-focused movies received the same rating despite 2013's The Wolverine receiving an R-rated director's cut. In 2017, the game changed with today's topic, Logan. Set in the X-Men film universe (a version of it) and in the not-too-distant year of 2029, Logan follows Hugh Jackman's Wolverine on his final adventure as he fights to protect Dafnee Keen's Laura/X-23 from dark forces in a dystopian future where the X-Men are no more and mutants are near extinction. And unlike prior films, Logan was R-rated, allowing the Wolverine to be unleashed.

Loosely based on the comic "Old Man Logan" and influenced by old western movies, Logan is a deep, dark and somber action movie that doesn't hold back on the action and the moving plot. Patrick Stewart returns as a dying Professor X and Hugh Jackman plays both Logan and his clone X-24, who kills Charles midway through the movie and is the final enemy for Wolverine. Initially, this film was intended to be the end of Hugh Jackman's time as Wolverine in the X-Men films, but plans changed once Deadpool & Wolverine was in production and Hugh returned to play an alternate version of the character. The end of the movie is a gut punch as Wolverine dies after a grueling and brutal battle with his clone and he shares a touching moment with Laura, who is his daughter.

Prior to the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, I was planning on watching this film as perhaps one of the only R-rated comic book adaptations and, before seeing the aforementioned DP&W, I saw this with my dad a few months after we saw Deadpool 2 (which dropped a year after Logan) and it's available for viewing on Disney Plus. Despite the gritty tone and the extreme bloody violence depicted throughout, Logan was nothing short of fun to watch and the action scenes were pretty incredible. 

Next to Hugh, Dafne and Patrick, English actor Richard E. Grant shows up in the movie as the villain and it was thrilling to see him there, especially after I saw him in Loki season one, which dropped a few years after this film released. And watching this a few years before the year it takes place, it's pretty special. My score for Logan is 4.5 stars and I kinda want to see some of the wild west movies that influenced it, cowboys are always the best next to aliens. See ya around, folks.

-James M

2025 November Reading Wrap Up

Robin Hobb’s Assassins Apprentice #1 in the Farseer Trilogy (438) was excellent. Hobb’s writing is really good and flows. Her world building, empathy, and emotions are so well done, you’d think you were watching a movie. Looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy and explore more books in that world.  5 Stars

Andrew and Lee Child's In Too Deep, #29 in the  Jack Reacher series (224) was unfortunately a miss with me.  I’m sad to say Andrews’s writing isn’t up to par with his father, so I won’t be continuing the series from here. I’ll have to go back and read earlier novels in the series because I missed a bunch.  This always happens, same as with Tom Clancy and other writers who let others take over their series. They are subpar and I can tell the difference in the writing styles.  2 Stars

Fredrik Backman’s Britt Marie was Here (324) was a very moving story.  She’d  lived her life for some one else and lost herself in the process.  She’s socially awkward, a bit ocd, and maybe a little autistic (imho). She ends up in a small town, full of misfit, oddballs, juvenile delinquents, and more and finds her backbone as well as a found family. It’s sad and funny and the ending is a bit vague which leaves me wondering.  5 Stars

Hazel Prior’s  How the Penguins Saved Veronica (333) is a really sweet story about a 85 year old, bored and set in her ways, who goes to the Antarctic to save penguins and discovers herself. 4 stars

Julie Caplin’s The Northern Lights Lodge #4 Romantic Escapes (Ebook) (346) is a great escape, a bit of a mystery,  and a wonderful meet cute.  Lucy is hired to temporarily manage a failing lodge in Iceland and discovers someone is trying to sabotage the owners and close the place down.  4 stars  Liked it enough to explore more books in the series.

Julie Caplin’s The Little Cafe in Copenhagen #1 Romantic Escapes (Ebook) (415)  which is a great story in which the lead character, as well as her associates, all learn to find their voices and speak up for what they want and go after it, along with learning about hygge.  4 stars

Nora Roberts’s  The Seven Rings #3 Lost Brides Trilogy (454) was full of lively ghosts who make the story rich with color.  4 stars

Stats:

7 books in which three were new to me authors for a total of 2534 pages. 

2025 October Spooktacular Wrap Up

 

I did a lot of reading during October and recovering from gall bladder surgery.  Quite a mixture of scary, thrilling, mysterious, with some lighthearted moments thrown in.

My October Spooktacular Wrap Up:

The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks was a fascinating close room take of what happens when the unthinkable does.  5 stars

Dying to Meet You by Sarina Bowen was full of mystery and secrets and bad guys and what happens when your ex husband appears after 15 years.  4 Stars

New Dragon City by Mari Mancusi which was a great middle grade story about survival, lore, hate, acceptance, and resilience. Lots of dragons involved. 4 Stars

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown which was a scary good book about a woman who stumbles upon a door created by the Book of Doors which opens a world of travel, lying, killers, time loops, and all kinds of trouble.  5 stars

The Forest of Lost Souls by Dean Koontz – a megalomaniac, a criminal depute, shady cohorts, mysticism, nature, and through in a battle between good and evil. Once started reading, couldn’t put it down.  5 Stars

The Cloisters by Katy Hays  – Lies upon lies upon lies along with a bunch of weird things happening surround the discovery of 15th tarot cards, a strange curator, weird friend, secrets and more. 3 1/2 stars for immature idiot characters.

The Spell shop by Sarah Best Durst which was a sweet fantasy story which I needed after all the scary and or weird stories.

The Secret of Secret by Dan Brown which was a fantastic story full of science, mystery, history, lies and deceit, including the Golem which kept me reading long into the night.  5 Stars

I had a book hangover after finishing Dan Brown so chose some light reading or what I thought was a light read.

Ebook There’s Something about Mira by Sonali Dev which was a fascinating mix of culture, mystery, finding your backbone (mira), learning to trust (Kirsh), and adventure.  4 Stars

And last but not least the ebook – Story of My Life by Lucy Score with hilarious, loveable characters, found family, with love and revenge and writing all mixed.  5 Stars

Ten books  of which 6 were new to me authors. 2 ebooks versus 8 physical books. Total of 4014

 

2025 September Reading Wrap Up

 

For September, I ready 6 books for a total of 2233 pages in which 2 were new to me authors 

1) Every Summer After by Carly Fortune:  304 pages   3 stars 

"“I fell in love with you when I was thirteen, and I never stopped. You’re it for me.” Sam closes his eyes for three long seconds, and when he opens them, they are glittering pools under a starry sky.”

2) The Book that Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence:  559 pages   3 Stars

“All of us steal our lives. A little here, a little there. Some of it given, most of it taken. We wear ourselves like a coat of many patches, fraying at the edges, in constant repair. While we shore up one belief, we let go another. We are the stories we tell to ourselves. Nothing more.”

3) Neuromancer by William Gibson  304 pages   4 Stars

“His teeth sang in their individual sockets like tuning forks, each one pitch-perfect and clear as ethanol.”

4)  Bel Canto by Ann Patchett  318 pages   4 Stars

“If what a person wants is his life, he tends to be quiet about wanting anything else. Once the life begins to seem secure, one feels the freedom to complain.”

5)  Framed in Death by J.D. Robb  355 pages    5 Stars

“You can respect somebody without loving them, but if you don’t respect somebody you love, it’s never going to hold up.”

6)  Silver and Lead by Seanan McGuire 393  pages   4 stars

“Trauma moves in cycles. We pass it down, one to another, and there’s no time limit on how long that damage can endure.”

Reading Log as of September 25, 2025 - Neuromancer

 

Neuromancer by William Gibson, a science fiction published in 1984 (304) was supposedly a reread but I didn't remember a single thing. Of course that was only 12 years ago which seems like a lifetime. I made the mistake of reading this at bedtime so it kept me up several nights in a row until 1 - 2 a.m. engaged and immersed in this weird cyber world. Reminded me completely of the matrix movies. People could hack into the internet and be somewhere else, bodily present yet not. A world of artificial intelligence, space travel, espionage, secrets, double crossing, intelligent computers, and of course, body hacking.  Is it real or is it an illusion? Are the characters real or constructs? Is Case actually alive or in the real world at the ending? Hell of a story!  4 Stars 

"Case was the best interface cowboy who ever ran in Earth’s computer matrix. Then he double-crossed the wrong people…"