Larche Osborne-Simmons

Question: What do you get when you merge a superhero adventure, a spy story, and a political thriller into one damn-near flawless movie? Answer: Captain America: The Winter Soldier As an added bonus, this is the Marvel movie we need for these complicated times. Think of it as a warning. The one problem I had with this movie? At the end, the good guys could achieve victory only by delivering McGuffins to absurdly positioned locations. Still, this movie is so good, I can easily overlook this flaw.

I think King an exceptionally talented author. Although I am not a fan most of the genre he works with, some of his stuff is amazingly good. The Stand goes far, far beyond being just "amazingly good." The Stand is far and away King's greatest creation. Most modern books will be forgotten within a generation, unremembered except for the librarians who shelve them. But this book? I am certain people will be reading and admiring this book for a very long time. This book is a thing of beauty for people who enjoy thought-provoking stories that ask painful questions. This book makes me envious of King's creativity and talent.

I've always loved this movie since I first watched it as a young boy. Quatermass and the Pit -- I think I might like the American title Five Million Years to Earth a bit more -- is clever, captivating, and sometimes even scary. Absolutely worth watching, and then watching again after a fair passage of time, and some while later yet once more. I think it difficult to grow tired of this movie. I have this consuming fear that some Hollywood hack will attempt to "improve" the story with a modern remake.

I cannot help but admire Joyce Carol Oates skills. While, unfortunately, some of the minor characters – notably a corrections officer conducting a death row tour – are painfully stereotypical, like cardboard cutouts, the primary players are wondrously, deliciously painted. The story is fascinating, but I think this book might have profited by being a little shorter. By the time I worked my way thought the book, I felt I had experienced all the pain suffered by the characters, and their pain is deep indeed. Their pain is like that of the tragic heroes from some Greek tragedy. By the time I neared the end, I constantly thought, “Get it own. Speed it up, Ms. Oates.” Even so, Carthage is hard to put down. I must add that this story can be so bone-crushingly depressing. I am convinced that many readers will temped to slit their wrists before reaching.

Amazing movie. Think the Maltese Falcon mashed into 1984. Addictive film noir with fascinating and incomprehensible -- at least to me -- science fiction elements. While the action occurs completely withing the title city, characters speak of distant galaxies as if they were situated mere miles away. In fact, it seems as if the hero of the film can simply drive his Ford Mustang to other galaxies. Yet the movie is set in a world very similar to our own as the hero speaks of serving at Guadalcanal during the Second World War. I look forward to seeing it yet again.