Bullet Train (2022)

Ladybug (Brad Pitt) walks through Tokyo while talking to his handler on his cell phone.  He is only recently back on the job and rambles about his therapist, Barry, while he makes his way to the train station.  Today's job is to be a simple snatch & grab.  He is to get a briefcase and get off the train.  Easy peasy.  Of course, it doesn't go quite so smoothly.  Though he gets his hand on the case, he is intercepted by a vengeful Mexican assassin as he tried to exit the train.  Also on the train are The Prince (Joey King), Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) & Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), Kimura (Andrew Koji), and the Hornet (Zazie Beetz).  Most of them are also after the briefcase and will kill to get it.  Though Ladybug is the main character, the plot follows each of the others and often provides a flashback of what brought them to the bullet train.  The macgoffin of the movie - the briefcase - belongs to the White Death (Michael Shannon), a murderous Russian who killed his way into being a Yakuza boss.

Here is an action-packed romp, a film full of interesting characters, entertaining fights, and some witty repartee.  Oddly, there is a lot of time spent on luck, fate, destiny, and such.  Ladybug views himself as having the worst luck - which certainly seems to be the case here.  The White Death sees what fate has dealt him and set about killing the various troubles in his path.  The Elder (Hiroyuki Sanada) sees fate turning in his favor after many years of waiting.  Prince operates as if she were playing a game in which she needs to anticipate moves and get the various players to the right spot at the right time.  Where Brad Pitt had an extended cameo in The Lost City, both Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum appear here.  Even Ryan Reynolds had a cameo!  Though mostly an action flick, there is plenty of humor.

Great popcorn fun and recommended!

Death Valley Days: Gold Rush in Reverse

Lt. Edward Beale (Stanley Lachman) of the US Navy is in California when gold is discovered.  Lt. Losier (Doug McClure) of the Army declares his intention to take a sample to Washington, DC, to let the country know of the find.  Beale is determined that the navy will have that honor.  As such, he buys a sample by selling a bottle of quinine from his medical kit.  However, Losier has already left and the ship on which he served doesn't have enough sailors to leave port; they deserted to join the gold hunters!  As such, he catches another ship and sails to the Mexican coast.  He rides from San Blas to Mexico City to Vera Cruz, fighting ladrones (bandits) for the entire 800-mile trip.  From Vera Cruz he sails aboard the USS Germantown.  Still concerned that Lt. Losier is on his tail, he only pauses for the night in Mobile, Alabama, before racing on toward Washington.  As luck would have it, Losier's ship had hit bad weather and he was delayed by months.  So it was that the US Navy delivered the news to Washington that gold had been discovered in the newly annexed California.

The story is more exciting than the history.  Indeed, Beale did cross Mexico, but the plentiful gunfights are fanciful addition.  Beale spoke Spanish and posed as a Mexican rancher during his incognito crossing.  However, this is a true story.  Entertaining and worth watching.

The Love Bug (1969)

Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) is a washed-up racecar driver who is viewed unworthy to even drive in demolition derbies.  His housemate, Tennessee (Buddy Hackett), thinks it's time Jim face facts and get a job as a mechanic.  Tennessee then waxes about his time in Tibet and the enlightenment he gained.  While wandering the streets of San Francisco, Jim spots a pretty woman at an upscale car dealership.  Carole (Michelle Lee) is a saleswoman for Peter Thorndyke (David Tomlinson).  Thorndyke also happens to be a racecar driver.  While at the dealership, Jim comes across a VW Bug.  It has been acquired as part of a two-car deal where the other car was a Rolls Royce; the bug was to be for the maid.  It had been returned as 'defective.'  While Thorndyke was derisive toward the bug, Jim defended it.  Little did he realize that the car appreciated that.

It is almost immediately evident that the VW is conscious and has attached itself to Douglas like a duckling to its mother.  Of course, Jim is blind to this.  Only Tennessee realizes that the car - which he names "Herbie" - is alive!  Not only is Herbie alive, but he has abilities like no other car.  Jim is soon racing Herbie throughout California and winning!  Obviously, he thinks that his skill as a driver is responsible; Tennessee and Herbie know better.  Soon, a rivalry between Jim and Thorndyke occurs on the racing circuit.  Thorndyke is not against using underhanded means to win.

Lighthearted, family friendly, G Rated entertainment!  It is no surprise that this movie spawned a franchise and an automotive icon.  Great popcorn fun!

Flynn's World

It is late at night when Flynn is summoned by Jenny, his 13-year-old daughter, to a nearby cemetery.  There, they find Billy, Jenny's boyfriend, with his ear nailed to a tree.  Billy refused to say who nailed him to the tree, even if it costs him his ear.  The following day, Flynn is sent to meet with the president of Harvard, who would like Flynn to investigate potential threats to an elderly professor.  Flynn finds that the man, once a beloved academic, has somehow become a pariah.  Moreover, threatening letters, phone calls, and even websites abound.  What could be the cause of this?  Lastly, a particular detective has an outstanding conviction record and yet the demographics of his arrests is 100% minorities.  Peculiar.

Where previous Flynn novels have tackled monetary shenanigans (The Buck Passes Flynn) and the undeserved power of the rich and powerful (Flynn's In), this one explores the decline of academia, racism, and the first inklings of co-ed sports.  The story of the Harvard professor involves both anger at his failure to retire (he's 76) and his clinging to old-fashioned thinking that Western Civilization is objectively better than those being promoted.  Of note, the faculty is shown to break into little cliques based on their race, ethnicity, or age.  This Balkanization of academia is viewed negatively.  Clearly, McDonald preferred an earlier version of Harvard's faculty; it should be noted that Gregory McDonald attended Harvard.  In another of the storylines, Flynn shows displeasure at co-ed sports, notably wrestling in this particular instance.  Were McDonald still alive, one supposes he would be against transgenderism, at least as regards sports.  Lastly, the corrupt cop proves to be a Nazi.  Wow, subtle on the racism storyline!

Though better than the previous two entries, it has some serious problems.  First, it takes place when it is written: the late 1990s.  With Flynn's first appearance being in 1976.  In the late 1990s, his daughter is still only 13.  Hmm.  Also, it is again mentioned how his parents were murdered by Nazis at the end of the war when he was 14.  So, born in 1931, he would be in his late 60s by now.  Yeah, I am reminded of comic book characters who never age.  Bart Simpson has been in the 4th grade for more than 30 years.  Second, the mysteries are not really mysteries.  While investigating the nailed ear case, Flynn spoke to a person who knew the reasons but failed to offer them.  The resolution for the Harvard professor was just as disappointing, the main culprit being unbelievable.  As for the corrupt cop, good grief.  Let's just stick a secret Nazi on the police force and have Flynn figure it out.  Ugh.

The much-maligned Grover, Flynn's dull-witted assistant, has an opportunity to shine by attaching himself to the good professor.  Yes, by the end, Flynn finds that there may be hope for Grover.  This was a nice change of pace as I had grown tired of Grover the clown.

Having now read all the Flynn novels, I'd say that McDonald should have stuck with Fletch instead.  Flynn was a terrific support character in Confess, Fletch, and would have been fun to see return as many other characters had.  As the central character, he was not a particularly good detective, never lived up to his super spy hype, and all too often offered asides meant purely for the reader.  He had to be surrounded by dullards to seem smart, which is exactly what happened.

The Island at the Top of the World (1974)

It is 1907 and Professor Ivarsson (David Hartman) has made a hasty trip from Norway to England to answer the summons of Sir Anthony Ross (Donald Sinden).  Sir Anthony plans an expedition to Northern Canada and/or Greenland, an area where Ivarsson has explored repeatedly.  His reason?  His son was last seen in Fort Conger, a final outpost for those seeking the North Pole.  Moreover, he has a scrap of paper from the 1850s that talks about a mysterious island under a cloud on the polar ice.  Still not interested, Ross offers a carved whale bone that provides a primitive map to the island.  Ivarsson is sold and agrees to come along.  The pair travel by coach, by train, and by boat to France.  Through torrents of rain, they again take a coach to see Captain Brieux (Jacques Marin), the designer and pilot of the Hyperion, a sleek airship.  Off they go, crossing the channel and thence to Greenland, and finally Fort Conger on the northern reaches of Ellesmere Island.  Indeed, Donald Ross had been there and set out with Oomiak (Mako) to look for the mysterious island; only Oomiak returned.

When I saw this as a kid, it was one of the greatest movies of all time.  It had a cool airship, fights with killer whales, a whale graveyard, a volcano, and Vikings!  Of course, one does not look for strong characters or engaging character arcs as a kid.  To the more mature viewer, Ivarsson is just a walking explainer.  He understands Old Norse and the language of the Inuit.  He can identify the Norse gods, give some background to the culture, propose an explanation for this lost colony, and so on.  He is there to explain the story to the audience, which does not speak well to the director's ability to tell the story.  It got a little silly when he was the one guiding the party through an empty waterway.  Can't we give that mundane task to someone else?  Sir Anthony is impatience incarnate.  He wants speed at all costs, even when it proves counterproductive.  Beyond that, he is defined by his single-minded desire to find his son, which is great but makes for a bland character.  The romance between Donald (David Gwillim) and Freyja (Agneta Eckemyr) felt tacked on, as it didn't have an opportunity to develop.  It started in the middle, which was necessary with the story format.  As such, she was more the token female in this adventure.

The Vikings were surprisingly well-done.  Most importantly, they weren't running around in horned helmets.  Rather than Old Norse, the actors used a variety of Nordic languages (really, how many audience members would know the difference?), which was close enough.

Of note, John Whedon was one of the writers; he was the grandfather of Joss Whedon, director of The Avengers (2012).

Some old-fashioned Rated G family entertainment.  It was Disney, so what else would you expect?  A lot of bland characters on an epic adventure!  Good popcorn fun!

Genesis II (1973)

It is 1979 and Dylan Hunt (Alex Cord) is a NASA scientist who is working on suspended animation to allow for long-duration spaceflights.  All animal tests have been successful and Dylan volunteered to be the first human subject.  His lab is deep in the Carlsbad Caverns, which house many such labs.  No sooner has he been put into hibernation that an earthquake buries the lab.

It is 2133 and a team of PAX scientists find the ruins of Dylan Hunt's lab.  Moreover, they discover Dylan is still alive.  As the drugs necessary to rouse him are no longer available, he spends nearly two weeks in a gray haze as he slowly recovers.  Kept mostly isolated, he is nursed to health by Lyra-A (Mariette Hartley).  She tells him how there was a Great Conflict that wiped out most of civilization and also created mutants, like her.  She is a Tyranian, human in appearance but possessed of two hearts and much greater strength.  Their one identifying characteristic is having two navels.  Lyra-A is a spy and warns Dylan that he is among the descendants of those who caused the Great Conflict; he should escape to Tyrania with her.  Without investigating her story, he agrees.  Tyrania proves to be a city like Rome, where the Tyranians are the masters and the ordinary humans are held as slaves.  Can Dylan free himself and the slaves?

Though much technology has survived, the know-how to operate and repair it has been lost.  A nuclear powerplant is providing less power, the workings of electronic devices is not understood, medical knowledge has been lost, and so on.  As such, Dylan is a godsend to whichever faction can get hold of him.

The world is connected with an underground subway called the subshuttle.  Interestingly, it is like the hyperloop.  The map for it shows that it connected the whole world and the people of PAX control it.  As this was a pilot for a TV show, the plan would have been for Dylan and associates to arrive at various places around the world and solve whatever civilizational problems arose from the Great Conflict.

The name of Dylan Hunt is noteworthy.  John Saxon played Dylan Hunt in the second pilot for this show, this time titled Planet Earth.  Finally, it was the name of Kevin Sorbo's character in Andromeda, a show where the galatic civilization crumbled after a war and the hero is revived in the distant future.  Looks like the third time was the charm.

Just okay.

Flynn's In

Inspector Flynn receives a call from the Police Commissioner who asks him to pack a bag and head to the Rod & Gun Club, which is located in a neighboring state.  Also, tell no one where he is going.  Flynn wakes his wife and tells her where he is going.  Next, he calls retired Detective Walter "Cocky" Concannon to see if he is up for a drive to the country.  Indeed, he is.  The pair arrive at the retreat for the ultrawealthy and politically powerful to learn that a member has died.  Of course, in order to avoid any legal entanglements at the club, the body was moved to a nearby motel.  Flynn quickly determines that the 'accidental death while cleaning a shotgun' story doesn't fly.  The man was clearly murdered, but by whom?  There are plenty of suspects.  No sooner have Flynn and Cocky begun the investigation than there is another body.  Once again, the corpse is spirited away to prevent a scandal.  With the Police Commissioner onsite and seemingly approving of such antics, Flynn is overruled in his desire to call in the state police.

As with the previous Flynn novel, McDonald explains the workings of the world through Flynn and his observations.  The rich and powerful are mostly amoral fools who nonetheless rule the world.  Laws and ethics don't apply to them.  That wouldn't be so annoying if there was actually a mystery that Flynn solves.  Instead, he finds a basketful of motivation for each person just before that person is murdered.  The members cover up the murder but remain at the lodge, knowing full well that the murderer is still on the loose.  Like I said, fools.  When the murderer is discovered, it came out of the blue.  Though the author repeatedly tells us that Flynn is brilliant, he doesn't show us that he is.  He's no Sherlock Holmes.

While Flynn is stuck at the rich man's lodge, he is often on the phone with the increasingly dull-witted Grover.  Grover is on the case of a hit-and-run, which seems to interest Flynn quite a bit.  Does this somehow tie into the various murders at the Rod & Gun Club?  No, not at all.  No idea why it is even included.  When Flynn was first introduced in Confess, Fletch, the murder tied in with the painting investigation in a surprise twist.  No such thing here.  Just a pointless tangent.

One interesting part of the novel was the ongoing game of chess between Flynn and Cocky.  The moves are all listed as the two discuss the case.  When Flynn makes the final move, Cocky looks at the board bewildered and concedes defeat.  A serious chess fan could setup a board and see how the game went.  Neat idea.

By the end, it was just too ludicrous.  Flynn is all talk and no action.  His deductions lead nowhere and really just tell us how bad these rich and politically-connected fools are.  Skip.