Reading: EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: IRIS VOLUME 1 - David Wohl (writer), Eduardo Francisco (illustrator)

Combining volumes #0-#6 of the popular and violent comic series, Executive Assistant: Iris Volume 1 tells the story of the uniquely beautiful and efficient secretary/personal assistant Iris, loyal to the end to her employer Mr. Ching, a notorious global businessman and criminal. Also doubling as Ching's bodyguard and assassin-for-hire, Iris has been groomed since childhood to kill - but when her boss sends her out to take care of some extracurricular "business" to swing negotiations on a big business deal his way, Iris inadvertently starts a chain of events that for the first time, will have her questioning both loyalties and lifestyle. Violent and bloody, the dark, moody artwork of this graphic novel fits the subject matter perfectly, as Iris cuts a bloody swath through her boss's enemies - artwork good enough that the superfluous, almost offensively silly objectification of nearly all the female characters (and what little clothing they wear) is intrusive and unnecessary; even annoying, marring an otherwise seriously juicy revenge tale with a seriously kick-ass heroine.  3/5 stars

Note: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Reading: YASMINA AND THE POTATO EATERS: PART 1 - Mannaert Wauter

Yasmina is a young girl living in a small apartment with her father in Belgium. She is also, especially for an eleven-year-old, already an accomplished chef with a passion for food, made even better by the fact she chooses to make healthy meals with fresh ingredients ... many of which Yasmina sort of pilfers from the rooftop garden of the top-floor tenant of her building, as Yasmina's dad works a low-wage job barely getting them by. Yasmina is skilled, her dishes unique and flavorful thanks also to the ingredients she gets from a couple of locals, friends, growing fresh produce in their own community gardens. But unbeknownst to the young chef and her friends, an insidious industrialized company plans to flood the market with a variety of addictive, potato-based processed foods, and soon gardens are bulldozed to make room for growing potatoes. When Yasmina's rooftop antics are found out and she's forced to purchase produce from a store, the young girl finds - to her horror - that the town and people she's known and loved aren't the same anymore, thanks to this new product. This wonderful graphic novel ends with quite a cliffhanger for Part 1, leaving the reader wanting more, but with beautifully-detailed art befitting the gritty western-European flavor of the characters and story (not to mention a plucky, engaging heroine in the form of Yasmina), it's still a joy getting there.  4/5 stars

Note: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. 

Reading: UNICORN BOWLING - Dana Simpson

Who wouldn't want to have a best friend like Marigold Heavenly Nostrils? Just ask her BFF, Phoebe Howell - a nine-year-old with a sharp wit and (often) sharper tongue, who sometimes butts head-to-horn with the unicorn but more often regards the magical, pixie dust-spewing creature as her closest confidante and ally. Unicorn Bowling is the ninth collection of comics featuring the dynamic duo, though this was my first experience with the characters - and while charming and often funny, creator/author Dana Simpson seems to be going for a Calvin & Hobbes kind of vibe that just doesn't come off that potent in the end. Phoebe has her sarcastic side, for sure, and is quick with a funny line or jab - her unicorn buddy all sugar and spice on the outside but able to hold her own when she has to. But whereas Calvin & Hobbes - and the sense of humor the comic series contains - is just as appealing for adults as kids, Phoebe and Marigold skewer decidedly younger in their audience. For that group, I dare you to show this book to any little girl or boy in that age range or younger, and NOT expect that child to want a unicorn of his or her own.  3/5 stars

Note: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Watching: SECRETS IN THE HOT SPRING

Year: 2018
Rating: N/R
Director: Kuan-Hui Lin (as Guan-Hui Lin)
Xiaogin (Ting-hu Zhang) is a smart young man with all the ambition of a sloth. At his third high school in five years, Xiaogin seems destined to be a lifelong student; a surly, quiet loner living with his grandparents since the death of his parents when he was little, he's made two acquaintances at school that he can almost tolerate - the so-handsome-he's-beautiful Little Princess (so named because he's everyone at school assuming he is gay) and nerdy wannabe-ladies-man Lu Qun - and during winter break from school these three mismatched mates find themselves shuffled off to a rundown hot springs hotel out in the sticks to work. A rundown hotel once owned by Xiaogin's parents, no less, and now run by the young man's other grandparents ... that also, supposedly, happens to be haunted. Sure enough, odd things begin to happen, much of it centered around something weird going on with the hot springs out back, and as the young, scared silly goofballs try to solve the mystery the slapstick moments ratchet up and - though silly - the film becomes a horror comedy that, while not perfect, has its hilarious moments resulting in an unexpectedly touching ending. Much of the film's success is due to the three young male leads, all perfectly cast and with Zhang, as Xiaogin, adding particularly to the film with his own brand of snarky humor. Again, not perfect, but perfectly enjoyable and - at times - laugh-out-loud funny. (In Mandarin with English subtitles) 8/10 stars

 

Watching: FRIDAY THE 13TH

Year: 2009

Rating: R

Director: Marcus Nispel

It boggles the imagination to watch a remake/reboot/re-whatever of what's become one of the most iconic slasher films of all time ... only to have the film come out feeling more like a Texas Chainsaw Massacre riff (only without the massacre, for in truth this is hardly a gory horror film by today's standards) than an update of Friday the 13th. After a mildly interesting opening dropping some hints as to the story of Jason and his mama, viewers are treated to a gaggle of college-aged goofs out hunting for a goldmine of a private marijuana plantation to swipe for their own and monetary benefit. Sadly, Jason finds them too, and dispatches the gang in typical slice-and-dice style ... before we fast-forward a couple weeks and land on another stereotypical bunch of hot, hormonal young adults, this time heading into the woods to spend the weekend at the ritzy-but-isolated cabin belonging to the parents of one of their number. This is when we also meet hunky Clay Miller (Jared Padalecki), a loner on a motorcycle distributing flyers regarding his sister, who went missing in the area (and was part of the original Scooby gang in the film's opening sequence). Clay goes toe to toe with Trent (Travis Van Winkle), the alpha male rich dude whose parents own the cabin - while, meanwhile, Jason Voorhees seems to live a hermetic existence in the woods that some of the local residents seem to be well aware of(!), until he kills a local yokel and dons his hockey mask for the first time, before turning his attention to the townies. Other than in the opening scene, Camp Crystal Lake is but a distant memory here; no camp counselors in sight either, and the filmmakers have even given Jason this creepy labyrinth of underground tunnels to live in, totally stripping Voorhees of his ethereal, supernaturally-evil vibe and bringing him down to The Hills Have Eyes level instead. No surprises and not particularly scary, with wafer-thin stock characters and not very creative killings, this Friday the 13th update is even a bigger dud than expected. 4/10 stars

Watching: "What We Do in the Shadows"

Loosely based on the 2014 film of the same name - a film usually found, I am guessing, on the "all-time favorites" list of anyone who has ever seen it, it's that good/funny - the TV version of "What We Do in the Shadows" keeps the basic mockumentary premise of live cameras that follow the day-to-day lives of housemates who happen to be vampires. Moving the action from Australia to upscale Staten Island, New York, the series features housemates Nandor (Kayvan Novak) - the unspoken leader of the group - as well as married couple Laszlo and Nadja (Matt Berry and the freaking-hilarious Natasia Demetriou), all centuries-old European vampires relocated to the States to ostensibly take over America. Also along for the ride is housemate Colin Robinson (Matt Proksch), an emotional vampire who feeds on human emotion and is so white/vanilla he's practically invisible. Not bound by normal vampire constrictions, Colin has a day job in an office, where he feeds daily on the emotions of his co-workers - either by sucking the life out of them with incredibly long/boring stories, or being so annoying, he feeds on the energy of their white-hot anger. The final house resident is Guillermo (Harvey Guillen); Nandor's human familiar, Guillermo has been in service to his master for over a decade, his only goal to one day have his master turn him into a full-fledged vampire for his loyalty and service (hint: it ain't ever gonna happen, dude). Typical episodes include a lonely Nandor trying to apply for U.S. citizenship when he finds out his home country dissolved in 1401; the visit of The Baron, a scary and ruthless vampire royal come to check on the progress of Nandor, Laszlo and Nadja in taking over America, and a chubby local virgin college girl Nadja takes under her wing (pun intended) as a possible fledgling vamp. The pilot was good, every episode since laugh-out-loud funny, the series proving a more-than-worthy successor to the brilliant film; season two is already on the way. With top-quality effects that will make you believe these vampires can float, turn into bats, or even host a vampire orgy, "What We Do in the Shadows" is a brilliant show with bite (yep, did it again) deserving of the massive love and affection it (and the film) gets from its fans; having seen all ten episodes of season one, my heart already bleeds (okay, I'll stop) for season two. (FOX/TV-MA) 9.5/10 stars

Reading: MY BROTHER'S HUSBAND VOLUME 1 - Gengoroh Tagame (writer), Anne Ishii (translator)

This award-winning, breakthrough manga with a seemingly simple storyline is set in suburban Tokyo, where divorced, work-from-home dad Yaichi has built a strong relationship raising his outspoken grade school-aged daughter Kana. Yaichi's orderly world changes one day, however, when a guest arrives: Mike, a gentle giant of a man from Canada with a big smile and full beard, who happens to be the widow of Yaichi's gay twin brother Ryoji, recently passed away. The death of Ryoji, who was estranged from Yaichi and had been living in Canada for awhile, is something Yaichi is also trying to deal with, but the last thing he expected is his brother's husband come to visit - though custom and Kana's instant love for her uncle make it a done deal that Yaichi must invite Mike to stay with them while in town. To say that Yaichi is uncomfortable - with Mike's relationship to his brother, his brother's death, his own feelings toward his brother's lifestyle - is an understatement, but the longer Mike stays and the more Kana grows to adore him, the more Yaichi starts seeing Mike and all he represents through Kana's unfiltered gaze; the more Yaichi comes to realize his own shortcomings and the traditional prejudices that reside in him. My Brother's Husband Volume 1 shines a light on a Japan that, today, still holds very traditional, closed-minded views on the subject of homosexuality and gay marriage - but more importantly, narrows the perspective down to one man slowly coming to the realization, through his daughter's eyes, that even with all his outward showing of acceptance, deep down he still has so much to learn.  4.5/5 stars

Watching: JUANITA

Year: 2019

Rating: TV-MA

Director: Clark Johnson

Alfre Woodard in anything new is a cause for celebration, and here she breathes life and some fire into Juanita, a single mom of three adult children living in Columbus, Ohio who is about to lose her mind. Whether watching her grand-baby or dealing with her job at a local hospital or trying to help fix every screw up her kids pull, Juanita is close to the breaking point; even her ongoing sexual fantasies featuring hunky Blair Underwood (who plays - and pokes fun at - himself here) aren't going well, and Juanita decides she's had it; she needs to get away, no matter how and no matter where. The solution? Pack a bag, kiss your family goodbye, and board a Greyhound for the first town you find on the map that sounds interesting - in Juanita's case Butte, Montana. She arrives there in the middle of the night, and after getting a ride from an upbeat lady trucker named Peaches (a wonderful Ashlie Atkinson), Juanita lands just after daybreak outside a small French diner in the town of Paper Moon. Frustrated at being unable to get simple eggs and toast at the restaurant (which only has a French breakfast menu), Juanita butts heads with owner/chef Jess (Adam Beach - like Woodard, another actor who brightens up anything he's in) and ends up cooking her own home-grown breakfast. Soon Juanita is cooking full-time at the cafe, bringing in a ton of business, and the woman who wanted a no-strings adventure and never to be tied down again finds herself attracted to not only the small town and its residents, but also the attractive chef who now employs her. Backstory on Jess and a peek at local Native American traditions depicted in the film make Juanita a unique, wonderful experience; certainly these scenes are the most interesting in the film, as otherwise Juanita - with all its good intentions and able execution - simply doesn't have the emotional impact it's going for. Nicely-told, well-acted and with pleasant touches of comedy, the film just never quite reaches out to touch the heart and make you care deeply about the characters. You root for Juanita, but deep-down know that soon as the end credits roll the film itself is largely forgettable. 6/10 stars

Watching: THE SILENCE

Year: 2019
Rating: PG-13
Director: John R. Leonetti
When a couple of idiots, in the name of research, accidentally open up an underground cave filled with ancient, blind winged creatures who hunt by sound, the earth is soon decimated and doomed to silence in this Netflix-produced thriller starring current hot-property Kiernan Shipka ("Chilling Adventures of Sabrina"). Here she plays Ally, a 16-year-old who lost her hearing in a car accident at age 13 and now travels the desolate landscape of what used to be the east coast USA with her family in search of help or a safe place to live. A little too uncomfortably similar to John Krasinski's A Quiet Place, The Silence hauls out every end-of-world trope in its execution, oddly enough not even utilizing Ally's deafness as any real aid in helping to defeat the creatures who hunt by sound; indeed, the device of her hearing loss seems added to provide a reason for why the family can all speak in ASL (American Sign Language). Stanley Tucci is good as Ally's father, but even he seems nearly as bored as Shipka does here, the filmmakers putting their actors through the usual end-of-world movie paces (having to locate medicine for a sick/hurt family member, running across a band of hicks who may be even more dangerous than the creatures themselves, Ally sleeping all alone and defenseless in an upstairs bedroom while the family huddles downstairs to sleep for protection, even though there is strength and numbers and as a group they were all recently attacked), but it's all wooden as the performances themselves. Nothing new or original, and even a so-so fan of A Quiet Place like me would recommend that as the superior film to watch over this retread of stuff we've seen before.  5/10 stars

Watching: TRIANGLE

Year: 2009
Rated: R
Director: Christopher Smith
Jess (Melissa George), a stressed-out single mom to a young boy, barely arrives in time to join some friends for a relaxing day out on a yacht. In fact, Jess looks and seems far from relaxed even as they set sail, and sure enough before long a crazy out-of-the-blue freak storm comes up and capsizes the yacht, its passengers left huddled on the floating, upside-down craft and searching the horizon for help ... which they find in the form of a passing ocean liner. Swiftly climbing aboard, the small band of friends find the ship seemingly deserted, even though fresh food and drinks are laid out, and Jess begins to have an overwhelming sense of deja vu that she - or they - have not only been on the ship before, but are in terrible danger ... and the body count starts to build soon afterward, proving Jess more than right. Triangle has a few good jump scares and very tense moments worthy of a thriller, but we're told what's going on way too early in the plot, the rest of the film a convoluted loop of events that leave you almost more confused, at times, than afraid. And though it has some nice moments and tries its best to be hip and smart, without giving anything away in the end the film becomes a repetitive, unsatisfying downer that may leave more than a few viewers scratching their heads as the end credits roll.  4/10 stars

Reading: BLOOM - Kevin Panetta (writer), Savanna Ganucheau (illustrator)

Ari has wrapped up high school and summer has begun. Having lived in a small coastal tourist town on the east coast all his life, above the small, struggling bakery his parents own that Ari has worked in since childhood, it's now time for Ari's to start his New Life: a move to the big city with his friends and their rock band. One obstacle: his father, who needs Ari's help with the family business and does not want him to move away. But Ari is bored with baking and wants a fresh start, so decides the best thing is to help pave the way by posting flyers around town and finding his own replacement before leaving. Enter Hector, a culinary student with a passion for baking who's in town for the summer, who jumps at the chance of working for the bakery - and as Ari helps to train him, the two guys working side by side every day with Hector's upbeat love for his work in direct opposition to Ari's desire to flee it, the two young men somehow become friends. Maybe closer than friends. Maybe even more. Every bit of my heart loved Bloom, a simple, beautiful love story written by Panetta with the same understated grace - yet impact - also so thoughtfully inked into Ganucheau's artwork of simple black and white drawings awash in shades of blue. The best graphic novel I have read to date, Bloom treats its subject matter with zero spotlight, simply telling a genuinely romantic, realistic love story that just happens to be between two men, with such simple grace ... that somehow still manages to sucker-punch even the hardest of hearts in the end. Even the baking scenes, wonderfully and meticulously illustrated, tell a story as well as make you hungry. Truly a piece of art, Bloom is both a treasure and pleasure I am so glad I found and read. You should, too.  5/5 stars

March Wrap-Up: Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Only five books and two films for March - work and illness both getting in the way - but March also saw this reader do some incredible traveling. From Salem in the days just before witch hysteria took over, to the broiling desert-like wastelands of the Australian Outback where a dead body is found next to a monument grave, to journeying back in time to the day of being a snark-filled kid dealing with bullies and hated teachers, to a young Japanese boy's childhood crush potentially growing into full love as a man, to a Victorian England manor home plagued by witchcraft and demons ... March was the final confirmation I needed that it had been a long, LONG time since I'd read a book that caught me heart and soul. A book that kept pulling me back like a mermaid's song whenever I had to put it down, had me squawking out loud at/to characters while reading - or even force me to set it aside for a day or two because I knew what was coming and didn't want it to happen.

March taught me again, at last, why I love books in the first place. The worlds the right ones can take you away to, the escape from your every day life because you are caught up in the lives of those on paper; those on paper whom, through a writer's hard work and talent, seem as real to you as your best friend or next door neighbor. March reminded me of why I read, and why I feel sad to the point of hurting for those who don't. It's not about escape, it's about adventure. You can travel across worlds, time, and dimensions via a good book. Unlike enjoying a movie, with books you make the commitment to know and hang with the characters for a length of time - something watching a film wouldn't allow. You become invested, even addicted. For the first time in years I have found myself with book hangover, not once but twice in March alone! Even the graphic novel I just finished, my first book for April, resonated with this cynic and left him pining for such a romance as depicted in it.

Please click on the images to enlarge, if you need to see them better. This was my March, which BIG-TIME made up for quality anything lacking in quantity. The Lost Man still haunts my thoughts, hoping Nathan and his family are all okay and staying that way - and even after finishing The Silent Companions maybe ten days ago now, I still check any shadow that so much as flickers out of the corner of my eye.

Reviews to come for those not already on here. Meanwhile, I know if you are even on this blog chances are you are already a reader - just please always encourage your own friends, family, and especially kids to read. If a parent, read to children when they're young and get them hooked. And always keep striving to find books that suck you into their world and won't let go ... because oh, the places you'll go!

Bring it on, April!