“Ready Player One” is a dystopian science fiction novel by Ernest Cline and was first published in 2011.  Wade Williams is a teen-ager who is trying to make it through a worldwide epidemic of poverty, overpopulation, and all of the crises that the Chicken Littles had been shrieking about. It is set in 2040’s, however many relics of pop culture from decades past still linger.

The denizens have the OASIS in which to escape, an extremely engrossing and complex virtual reality simulation that houses millions of people looking to retreat from their depressing, desperate reality.  The creator of the OASIS has died and left a quest for the those known as gunters, people who live for the ongoing game.  A prize awaits that could change of the world if the right person can claim it.

It’s an interesting novel in a lot of ways.  It’s one I would recommend for fellow readers to try, but there is a lot of 80’s pop culture references poured with abandon throughout the tale.  Cline, at times, can take a bit too much time in exposition which sometimes slows the action down.

Wade Williams is just as good as any other protagonist, I suppose.  He did seem to be a bit too unbelievably wily at times for me to buy into him being around 17 or 18 years old.  Some of the side plots were not a major surprise such as the expected romance that blossoms with another competitor.  Wade is soon smitten by someone whose real presence he has yet to experience.  I didn’t find anything too unique or engaging about dear Wade other than his seemingly impossible reservoir of knowledge of 80’s pop culture.

Although he does pull off a pretty impressive heist on the real world corporation that seeks to take control of the OASIS for more treacherous reasons.  Once again, it was a little hard to buy into a teen-ager being quite that slick.

It’s a fun novel for the most part. Even the aspects I found to be somewhat exasperating were not unforgivable.  I still would call this book better than the movie, although the movie wasn’t that bad either.

The next brief stop on the eternal literary journey will be an indulgence with a series that I enjoyed as a youngster. The novelization of the Doctor Who serial “The Monster of Peladon” by Terrance Dicks is the lucky winner.

“The Many Deaths of Jo Grant” is a Doctor Who audio drama from Big Finish Productions and is an episode of the range known as The Companion Chronicles.  Cavan Scott and Mark Wright co-wrote the script which stars Katy Manning returning as Jo Grant. Nicholas Asbury provides the back-up performance as Rowe.  Rowe is a strangely versatile character since Jo is living through several predicaments that apparently result in her demise, often sacrificing herself for the Doctor. In all of these occurrences, Rowe is there in various guises so it’s easy to figure out he’s up to something.

This episode really showcases Manning’s skill at voice work and narration. It is impossible for Manning to sound exactly like the late Jon Pertwee, or rather the Third Doctor, however she delivers his dialogue in a manner that easily brings him to the mind of the listener.  Her performance when speaking for the Doctor really reflects the affection she had expressed over the years for Pertwee.  Manning is getting up there in age, however her vocal skills have yet to show any diminishing, at least in this particular release.  This one did come out in 2011, but I still enjoying her even in the newer releases.

This episode really highlights how much Jo Grant was willing to sacrifice for the Doctor’s life and cause.  It also managed to convey how much the Doctor cared for her as well.  The chemistry and affection was very evident during this era of the television series in the 1970’s, and it seems it was effectively recreated even without the presence of Jon Pertwee.

I found this one to be rather more enjoyable than I expected.  It did seem to capture the spirit of the Third Doctor’s era while effectively showing the relationship and loyalty between the Time Lord and Jo Grant in a manner that feels somehow fresher. The resolution of the story also ends up being a bit of a surprise as well.

I would recommend this particular release to not be overlooked.

“Rosa” is the third episode in the eleventh series of the revived Doctor Who and is written by Chris Chibnall and Malorie Blackman.  Jodie Whittaker is still playing the Thirteenth Doctor and manages to have a feel interesting moments. I really still see what seems to be somewhat imitative of  some her recent predecessors in the role.  I have read some criticism of her acting that I think is a little unfair. Whittaker still isn’t my first choice for a Doctor nor have I bought into the notion that changing the Doctor’s gender was the necessity that was presented by Chris Chibnall and other producers of the show, but I don’t really find her acting to be that bad.

This episode has the Doctor and her friends meeting Rosa Parks in Alabama 1955 the day before her bold decision to not give up her seat on a bus.  It’s Doctor Who, so of course some extraterrestrial presence is trying to alter history enough to derail the Civil Rights movement.

I was a bit disappointed that the villain was some racist from the future who had been released from prison and still just didn’t black people.  I would have preferred a much more interesting motive behind his shenanigans.  I did like that he had some limitations imposed where he could not just kill Rosa Parks which would have been more straight forward method of accomplishing his task.  This character known as Krasko, played by Joshua Bowman, figured he could cause a derailment of established history by making subtle changes to the circumstances surrounding Rosa’s infamous arrest.  I thought that was a rather creative direction to take other than having some brute blundering around intent on just blowing away his obstacles.  Even the Doctor had to acknowledge Krasko’s cleverness for the subtleness of his schemes.

Another interesting result of my viewing of this episode is that I took a look at Rosa Parks’ Wikipedia page and noticed that she ended up being involved in other significant aspects of the Civil Rights Movement.  She apparently was very active in the movement even before her unfortunate encounter with bus driver, James Blake. Vinette Robinson was the actress who took on the role in this story, and there is not much to say other than she did a good job.  It was kind of amusing to watch her not knowing what to make of the Doctor’s very unusually diverse crew. By that, I mean I am sure there were not many parties of four wandering around 1950’s Alabama with a young black man, a woman of Pakistani descent, and an older man with British accents taking direction from an attractive blonde in a peculiar ensemble of clothing.

There were parts I thought were a little cliché in its dealing with this unfortunate aspect of American history, and I think there were some missed opportunities to make this episode a bit more interesting.  Saying that, it did pique my interest to read a more accurate account of Rosa Parks’ part in that history, and she is considerably more impressive than merely having a stubborn moment of defiance on a bus.  I found it interesting that a British television institution like Doctor Who would pay such a tribute to a woman whose impact is far more significant to American culture.

The new Doctor still seems to be finding her way, and the writers are still struggling with to utilize three companions effectively.  I am surprised how fond I am becoming of Bradley Walsh’s character, Graham O’Brien.  I like the conflicting relationship he has with Ryan Sinclair, played by Tosin Cole.  Ryan is the grandson of Graham’s recently deceased wife.  I hope there is a more consistent affection that develops between the two characters.  Yasmin Khan, played by Mandip Gill, is pretty and generally likeable, but there just still doesn’t seem to be enough for her to do in the story.  I hope the writers start to figure out how to make her more relevant if she stays in the show as it progresses this year.

Anyway, the episode is a bit more interesting than I expected, but I think there were potential directions in the story that were overlooked that could have made it even more compelling.

“Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween” is a family friendly horror comedy based on the series of novels by R.L. Stine.  Rob Lieber and Darren Lemke came up with the idea for this fairly entertaining cinematic escapade which was directed by Ari Sandel.

A couple of young boys who collect junk as a bit of a start-up business find a dusty old book in a dilapidated abandoned house which brings them into the presence of a mischievous ventriloquist’s doll named Slappy. Slappy possesses a taste for bad puns and some wicked telekinesis.  The older sister of one of the junk collectors gets pulled into the chaos when Slappy’s misbehavior starts to go full throttle.

The visual effects were pretty convincing and occasionally had moments of real creativity.  Since this movie is aimed at kids and families, the scares were kept at a minimal.

The young actors at the center of this piece were pretty charming and seemed to work well together.  There were some scenes such as a weird battle with Gummy Bears that could have been better executed or really left out.  There were some genuinely amusing zingers bandied about at times though.  Not all of the dialogue landed well, however enough of it did for me to be reasonably entertained by the performances.

The character of R.L. Stine is not ignored either, however I think his involvement in this film is not as significant as the first one.  Jack Black was fine if a little hammy.  But he’s almost always hammy.  Of course, it’s a comedy for kids, so hammy acting is kind of par for the course here. Anyway, I actually think that I have yet to see the first one, so I am curious enough to watch out for it.

The script isn’t great obviously, but the movie ended up being reasonably fun.

“The Children of Seth” is a Doctor Who audio play from Big Finish Productions and is one of the Lost Stories range.  Marc Platt adapted this script which was originally conceived by Christopher Bailey in the 1980’s.  Peter Davison returns as the Fifth Doctor alongside Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton.

The Doctor, Nyssa, and Tegan answer a summons to a world that is about to go to war with a mysterious enemy known as Seth.  It’s one of those stories that contain some pretty complex political machinations.  I had some trouble following this one.  I think the concepts were once again a little too hard to picture in the mind’s eye.  I likely need to listen again and concentrate a bit more, but there is likely a problem with the editing and presentation if this cannot grab a listener on the outset.

There are some fine performers in this one with Honor Blackman and David Warner being the most notable.  The regular cast interacts well.

I don’t think this release is just outright terrible, but it is relatively a weaker one in my opinion.  It may just take another listen or two to appreciate more strengths in this particular episode.

“Halloween” is the sequel to a little 1978 film called “Halloween”. The writers and producers made the bold decision to ignore the sequels that have been produced in the past decades.  David Gordon Green is the director who also co-wrote the script alongside Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley.  Prolific horror movie makers, Blumhouse Productions, is the studio backing this version.

Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her role as Laurie Strode, the sole survivor of Michael’s first killing spree, who is now a somewhat agoraphobic and paranoid grandmother, itching for the chance to finally kill Michael should he escape his long incarceration.  Laurie is estranged from her daughter, however she seems to have maintained a somewhat stable relationship with her teenaged granddaughter.  Will Patton plays the cop who helps with the hunt for Michael Myers after he makes his predictable escape.

Most of this movie actually works pretty well.  There is some of the silliness of clichéd goofy teenaged behavior that often bedevils this genre.  Not all of Michael’s victims were all that sympathetic or interesting.

There was a pretty interesting plot twist involving the psychiatrist who took over for the late Dr. Loomis, who was played by the late Donald Pleasance.

This is a Michael Myers that has been stripped back down to the basics.  He is just a killing machine with new real reason behind it. There is also no explanation for his obsession with Laurie Strode, but that’s okay.  It does seem implausible that he remains as lethally resourceful as ever in spite of being behind bars for four decades, but even that is understandable.  Who wants to see Michael Myers flounder around with indecision and confusion just because of an enforced 40 year sabbatical?

Jamie Lee Curtis also does well conveying the conflicting emotions of being frightened of Michael Myers and determined to finally finish him.  It was fun to see her actually go hunting for her nemesis.  She made Laurie a pretty complicated and compelling character, however I do not really recall her in a role that misfired.

Ultimately, this film had a lot of good decisions made from its creators and performers. It’s not perfect, or that close to it, but it should well enough for the fans of this franchise or this genre.

“Dark Passage” is a film released in 1947 and stars Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and Agnes Moorehead.  It was directed by Delmer Daves after it was adapted from a novel by David Goodis,.

A man convicted of the murder of his wife escapes from San Quentin and finds himself in the company of an art student who has some sympathy for his plight, believing him to be innocent of the crime.  Bogart’s character, Vincent Parry, find out about a plastic surgeon known to do some side work.  With a new yet older appearance, Parry tries to escape the city, but his efforts keep getting interrupted.

The story seems to rely on quite a bit of coincidence that is a little hard to swallow easily. Bogart is just too cool to really hold much against this movie.  The story itself was pretty interesting, and the performances were engaging for the most part.

There was nothing to really hate about this film, but there were some aspects that could have been a little better thought out.  It’s one of those films where seeing Bogart and Bacall together again tends to compel me to forgive much of the flaws.  It’s still worth checking out because it’s Bogey and Bacall.

“The Time War 2” is a Doctor Who audio boxset released by Big Finish Productions and stars Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor.  Rakhee Thakrar plays his companion, Bliss, alongside McGann in this collection of four episodes.  The epic battle between the Time Lords and the Daleks looms ever closer as the Doctor tries desperately to avoid being pulled into it.  The Time Lords won’t let him out that easily, and an old adversary now known as the Twelve makes matters even more complicated.

Jonathan Morris kicks this collection off with “The Lords of Terror” where the Doctor takes Bliss to her home planet where its history has been altered, and it seems that the Daleks aren’t the ones responsible. The Doctor finds that his own people are quite willing to break some rules and cross some lines in order to come out on top which will test his allegiance.  Morris usually has some interesting story ideas, and this episode is no different.  The chance to explore Bliss’s background is appreciated.  I find Bliss likeable but not really all that unique as far as companions go. Of course, a really unique yet seemingly genuine companion that still fits with some audience expectation is probably getting harder to pull off considering the vast history of Doctor Who. Thakrar is a solid enough actress though and does well paired with McGann.

Guy Adams writes the next two stories in this set.  “Planet of the Ogrons” has the Doctor meet what an Ogron who also claims to be the Doctor.  The talented impressionist and actor Jon Culshaw lends his voice to this Bizarro version of the Doctor.  Julia McKenzie introduces the listener to the Twelve. The Twelve is the next version of a Time Lord known as the Eleven.  The Twelve has the rather unique problem of dealing with the presence of her previous incarnations rattling around in her head.  She does seem to have a better handle on her other selves than her predecessor played by Mark Bonnar. This bit is all rather confusing but still fun.  I guess Big Finish is now totally on board with the notion of Time Lords changing genders during regeneration that was recently introduced in the television series.  It’s not my favorite idea ever for the series, but McKenzie is a great actress and handles her part well so I can roll with it.  Also the role of another Time Lord Tomason, now played by Nikki Amuka-Bird, was a man when last heard in the previous boxset. The basic plot sounds pretty ridiculous even for Doctor Who, but  enjoyed this one more than I expected.  This may actually be my favorite in this particular set.

Adams next brings us “In the Garden of Death” where the Doctor, the Twelve, and Bliss are in a prison camp with no memories as to their identities or past until they are in the presence of the Daleks.  It’s an interesting idea, however I had a little trouble buying into the notion of the Daleks providing some more subtle approaches to their interrogation techniques. It wasn’t a terrible script by any means.  The cast performs well.  It does bring back the recently deceased Jacqueline Pearce as Cardinal Ollistra.  Obviously, she got in some audio performances not long before her death.

“Jonah” by Timothy X Atack is the final story in this particular set.  The Doctor has been pressed into being the captain of a submarine on an ocean planet where the Twelve knows of a secret the Daleks want to discover.  The Doctor is being referred to as Captain Jonah.  It’s a solid concluding story that sets the scene for “The Time War 3”

The boxset as a whole is enjoyable.  McGann, unsurprisingly, performs consistently well through all the stories.  The sound effects are also well done, but Big Finish has done enough of these for that to almost go without saying.  Fans who have been salivating at the idea of exploring the Eighth Doctor’s role in the Time War should find this collection satisfying.  I wasn’t really a fan who felt a great need to revisit the Time War, but now that Big Finish has gone for it, I might as well join the party.

“The Ghost Monument” is the second outing for Jodie Whittaker in Doctor Who.  The Doctor and her three new friends were transported out to deep space at the end of their first adventure together. Things look pretty dire until they are rescued by the two surviving participants in some sort of intergalactic race that is supposed to end on a planet known as Desolation.  The Doctor and her new crew are split up among the two ships briefly until everyone is reunited on this planet.  The holographic image of the creator of this event informs the survivors they have one more task to complete which is to reach something called the Ghost Monument, which strangely resembles an old British police box.

The photography is pretty spectacular. The special effects seem to have improved a bit more, which is nice. Unfortunately, most of the rest of the elements fall short of being spectacular.  It doesn’t reach the level of being utter rubbish.  There are some things that work fairly well.

The dynamics between the three companions is interesting.  I was a little worried that the older man played by Bradley Walsh will come off as a bit of a weak link, but he actually contributes some ideas to the problems the TARDIS team face.  Ryan, played by Tosin Cole, is the grandson of Graham’s recently deceased wife from the previous episode. Ryan’s reticence over his connection to the only other person who knew and loved his grandmother is performed well. Walsh seems to spend most of his career hosting game shows, however he has a pretty interesting role in this series.

This is not the first time the Doctor has had three companions, but it tends to be a risky decision due to the difficulty in making sure everyone has their fair share of shining moments.  I like the character of Yasmin Khan, played by Mandip Gill, but she may be overshadowed by the far more interesting dynamic between Graham and Ryan.

I am having some trouble with this new Doctor. She is not completely unlikeable or wretched and the focus has not been too intense regarding this new regeneration changing the gender of a character that has been around for 55 years.  I know I wanted some familiar characteristics to come out as being recognizably the Doctor, however the writer seems to be trying too hard.  The glib arrogance done so well by previous Doctor does not seem all that natural when Whittaker delivers the lines.  I actually think the writing is more the problem than Whittaker herself.  Her Doctor has a bit more trouble with seizing authority convincingly in a crisis than some of the previous incarnations. I still have hope that I can get used to her, and that Whittaker is able to come up with something more unique for her Doctor other than it being the first time a woman has been cast in the role.

I am gratified that I am seeing some approaches being taken that I hoped would be done.  The Doctor does display the familiar ability to recognize and operate alien equipment and still has the unmistakable haphazard curiosity which has been at the root of the peril he…or now she…has faced for centuries.  It is still early days for the Thirteenth Doctor, so I am hopeful that Whittaker will find more solid footing in her performance whereas the show can survive.

Chris Chibnall is not my favorite idea for a showrunner yet.  He has a history of mediocre episodes in the show’s history since its 2005 return. I am glad that the story arc idea appears to be abandoned for the most part.

The second episode is the first time I have heard the new version of the theme, and I am not that impressed with it.  The new logo caused some stir among the other fans, however I don’t necessarily mind it.

I usually try to avoid major spoilers, but I cannot help but comment on the revelation of the new TARDIS console room.  That may take a bit of getting used to but no more than the previous redesigns.  The Doctor’s delight upon entering the new TARDIS was a bit charming and infectious.

I didn’t find the story to be great but it served a couple of important purposes well enough.  It got the Doctor back into the TARDIS and had some interesting developments among the companions.  I am getting concerned that this whole series will just be tolerable or mediocre this year.

“A Star Is Born” has about five different version out in the word. The latest telling is directed by Bradley Cooper, who also stars in it alongside Lady Gaga.  No need to draw this out. It is powerful.

The live performances are well executed.  Lady Gaga is quite phenomenal for her first big screen venture.  Cooper is consistently a solid actor, however his first directorial effort was also very impressive.

I am not sure what the previous versions focused on, but the depictions of substance abuse and mental illness seemed mostly authentic.  Of course, I am not around any celebrities on a regular basis, but I was pretty convinced that the potential hazards of fame on that level was pretty accurate.

Dave Chappelle appears in this movie and does fine, but his introduction felt a bit tacked on.  He has some interesting moments with Cooper, but his character didn’t seem that germane to the story.

As crude as Andrew Dice Clay can be in his stand-up routines, I usually find myself liking his presence in films like this.  He plays the father of Lady Gaga’s character and really put in a solid performance.  He can be a surprisingly compelling actor given the right material, and it was good to see him in this.

This is not a film that leaves the viewer with much cheer, but there is a lot to appreciate here regardless.  I also think Lady Gaga looks great without her usual stage appearance. I thought Bradley Cooper sounded great in his musical numbers as well.  It was pretty ironic that roles were a bit reversed for the movie since Lady Gaga is the seasoned singer and songwriter in real life while Bradley Cooper would be the novice in that form of entertainment.  I appreciate Lady Gaga’s insistence that the music would be performed live.  She can look pretty strange at times, but her talent is something that is easily recognizable even to a mere member of the unwashed public such as me.

There were a couple of times I thought the story was a little rushed, but the film is a fairly long one anyway.  The acclaim this version has gotten is pretty well deserved in my view.