Gary Wagner

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I’m a fan of Ron James’s comedy. I own Ron James CDs. I watched his specials. But I didn’t like his book. Ronnie lived far too long in Toronto. He swallowed every woke urban foolishness, from the pandemic mask mandate to existential climate change. Believed every goofy thing he saw on the CBC. It’s too bad, because Ron is a bright guy. The last things he should be lecturing his fellow Canadians about are residential schools, the oil sands, pipelines, and the Toronto Maple Leafs. I expected amusing stories, insights from his time on the road, and maybe some tips on how to be funny. Came away disappointed. I’ll give the book away to a friend, and hope he forgets to give it back.

Well, they tried. The good actors could not save this movie, which tried to be a mix of James Bond, Robert McCall, Sylvester Stallone, and Rowan Atkinson. The poor actors just coasted along. As usual, “action” movies that rely too much on special effects don’t have much energy left for writing, dialogue, or believability. There are some entertaining stunts and clever sets, but overall the story is not very good. If you are looking for a top notch action thriller, this isn’t it.

Not Crichton’s best effort. Not surprising they waited until he was dead to try publishing it. The story has its moments, but is not very credible. If, like me, you are a fan and wanted to complete your collection then get it. If you want something as good as ‘Andromeda Strain’ or ‘Jurassic Park,’ you will be disappointed. Still, on a blustery winter night, you could do worse. Just make sure you have a large whiskey to go with it.

Spoiler alert. Don’t read this review if you intend to watch this show or are part way through it. Modernizing ancient legends rarely goes well. The woke brigade making this series just could not resist inserting gender fluid characters, climate change hokum, homophobia, evil industrialists who are actually immortal giants (just regular sized ones), social media influencers, incredibly stupid parents (a shot at Boomers), and a high school full of 30 something year old students. The scenery, admittedly, is terrific. Some of the special effects are impressive. All of the actors are gorgeous, except the gay guy with the moldy beard. Magne / Thor spends a lot of time pointing his hammer at things, including a mirror. But, overall, the Ragnarok doesn’t actually happen. After years of threats, conflicts, and nastiness the enlightened young gods decide not to fight the evil giants after all. They make nice. Give peace a chance. Then, because the producers knew no one would be satisfied with that lame ending, they create a dream sequence (that was actually quite good) where the Ragnarok does take place in Magne’s imagination. Just like in his comic books. Not real, though. Even the bad people become good. Just like in the real world. Sure. Three years, and the writers cop out when those watching thought there might be an interesting climax. It’s really a premature capitulation.

The premise was interesting, but the story line, dialogue and unrealistic situations were tiresome. Some of the characters were very simplistic and not very credible. The husband only had two lines: “Are you alright?” and “Where are you?” The police, for example, were so inept they could not find Erin even though she never changed her appearance and lived at the same address throughout. Always had bruises and cuts, but nobody put two and two together. Really? If you don’t expect much, it would be a way to pass the time. Otherwise, give it a miss.

Not the best Connery 007, but it has a few interesting moments. Sean was clearly uninspired, even with a larger paycheque. Spent too much of the special effects budget on cheesy space sequences, but that was the space era. Japanese viewers likely cringe a lot. The writing and directing was not as good as the four previous films, and the director went on to make Roger Moore versions that turned Bond into a comic book hero.