“The Instrument of Death” is the latest Sherlock Holmes pastiche novel by David Stuart Davies which has been published by Titan Books.  This time, the most renowned fictional consulting detective faces off against a killer who can hypnotize others to do his deadly bidding.  I had heard of the name of Dr. Caligari before but did not know anything about him.  Dr. Caligari was introduced to German moviegoers in 1920 and was apparently some mad doctor with some creative and clever methods of murder in his arsenal. “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” is thought by some  to be the first significant of cinematic horror.

Davies chooses to shift between first and third person narrative throughout this novel.  Dr. Watson is providing his usual observations in many chapters while the reader also gets to see Caligari’s malevolence in others.

I have lamented the habit of several pastiche authors to keep having Holmes meet other figures of historical or literary significance so habitually, but I didn’t know enough about Caligari to be distracted by yet another example of this overused practice.  It’s a novel that is competently written but not much beyond that.  Davies is credited with being one of the United Kingdom’s leading Holmes experts, so I would think there would be something a little more special here, however that’s not to be.  I am relieved that it was nothing that provoked a lot of irritation though.  It’s another Sherlock Holmes novel with a mildly interesting premise but misses the mark of being anything truly memorable.

After another visit to the always intriguing rooms of 221 B Baler Street comes to a close, I will next be accompanying the Doctor and Romana as another script Doctor Who script from the iconic Douglas Adams is adapted and presented by James Goss.  “Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen” will be the next to be enjoyed before being added to my vast collection of novels of that particular series.

“Breakthrough” is a Christian drama film directed by Roxann Dawson from a screenplay by Grant Nieporte.  It is based on events chronicled in a memoir entitled “The Impossible” by Joyce Smith and Ginger Kolbaba.  Joyce Smith is the mother of a teen-ager who fell through a frozen lake where he was immersed for over fifteen minutes.  The boy, named John Smith, made a recovery for the record books.

The cast includes Chrissy Metz, Topher Grace, Josh Lucas, and Marcel Ruiz.  The performances were very engaging from everyone involved.  Apparently, John Smith was adopted at a very young age.

The movie explores some interesting dynamics among the family members and classmates.  Even Joyce Smith’s aggressive faith could be a little problematic at times.

Dawson does a pretty good job as a director, and there wasn’t much in the dialogue that I found to be objectionable.  This film does pull on the heartstrings quite a bit.  It is the latest in the growing list of Christian films that have been produced more.

This turned out to be worth the time and money.  There was a bit in the film about the aftermath of John Smith’s ordeal which I appreciates.  The ending soliloquy was pretty standard for this genre of film.  It’s not really all that unpredictable, which is oar for the course on movies based on real events.  It is quite enjoyable for the most part.

“Destroyer” is a crime film starring Nicole Kidman, who is lacking much of her usual glamorous beauty in this role.  Tatiana Maslany, Sebastian Stan, Bradley Whitford, and Toby Kebbell are also part of the cast.  Karyn Kusama directed this film which was written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi.

Kidman plays an LAPD detective haunted by an undercover assignment that went disastrously sideways.  She sees an opportunity to even the score with the ringleader of a gang of bank robbers she infiltrated many years before.  Detective Erin Bell has fallen apart in the years afterward.  She had a partner killed in that assignment.  A partner she had fallen in love with.

The film has some moments where it drags a bit, and some of the flashbacks were a little jarring.  It’s a gritty and somewhat depressing movie, however it was actually pretty well done for the most part.   Kidman changed her appearance pretty drastically for this role. This Erin Bell looks pretty rough during the present day scenes.

This film does take some pretty close attention to keep up with what time period you’re watching.  It doesn’t leave one with any warm vibes, but it was quite compelling most of the time.  I don’t know if enjoyable would be the right impression to express, but it is interesting.  Kidman was nominated for an Academy Award this past year, and I would agree that nod was well-deserved.

“Power Play” is a Doctor Who audio play from Big Finish Productions from the Lost Stories range.  Gary Hopkins is the writer of this episode which would have been shown on television in the 1980’s of he direction of the series would have gone in a different direction.  Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant return as the Doctor and Peri.  Deborah Watling is also on hand as former companion of the Second Doctor, Victoria Waterfield.

Victoria initially traveled with the Doctor and Jamie McCrimmon after they have to defeat the Daleks in 19th Century London.  Victoria shares the name with the era in which she was born.  She ended up several years in her future when she was taken in by a 20th Century family in a television story known as “Fury From The Deep”.

This is a story that is almost a little busy for my liking.  Victoria has become some activist against nuclear power.  There is an alien hitman and alien policemen.  Victoria is influenced to somehow want to kill the Doctor, however she does not recognize him in his sixth incarnation.  Of course, Victoria missed out on the explanations of the Doctor’s origins and his ability to regenerate.

I had some trouble staying interested in this one until well into the second half.  I did enjoy the moments such Victoria’s recognition of the Doctor after she tries to kill him due to an alien influence and trying to save a friend.  No disrespect to the deceased Deborah Watling, but Victoria isn’t really a favorite companion of mine so I wasn’t really enamored with her return.  I think it was fine to include her in the recordings featuring the Second Doctor, but I basically shrugged off this notion of having her meet a later version.

Of course, it is Colin Baker’s exuberant performance that helps prevent me from totally losing track.  Bryant also has some interesting moments as well.  The casting seemed to perform well enough, although that is more often the case than not for Big Finish presentations.

The episode is fine, but it didn’t quite make the impact I hope for when listening to these things.

 

“12 Rules For Life: An Antidote To Chaos” by Jordan B. Peterson is one of my few literary forays into non-fiction.  I have been following Dr. Peterson through YouTube for a few months now and cheered most of what has to say.  He has had a long career as a psychologist and professor currently teaching at the University of Toronto where he has bedeviled some of his fellow faculty and many others.

Some of the rules such as “make friends with people who want the best for you” or “pursue what is meaningful-not what is expedient” are pretty straight-forward, however there are still pretty lengthy explanations to follow.  “Do not bother children when they are skateboarding” and “pet a cat when you encounter one in the street” do require a bit more interpretation.  I won’t get into all twelve rules here, but one should peruse he table of contents.  There are quite cleverly stated, even the less ambiguous ones.

Peterson has a lot to say in this one, and he does so eloquently.  There were a few times I had to remind myself as to which rule I was reading.  He’s a psychologist and academics, so he has a propensity for verbosity, on the page anyway.  Fortunately, Peterson is quite gifted in his presentation of both professional and personal encounters.

This book has garnered a lot attention and criticism, however I think Peterson is spot on with his ideas.  The simple takeaway seems to be center around the idea of people being responsible for finding their own sense of peace and order.  Of course, he does acknowledge that help from others can be a key component, but one must be discerning about who they turn to for that help. The book seems to be a refusal to merely accept the circumstances that could be unsettling or threatening one’s well-being and encourages the recognition of every persons’ uniqueness.

A lot of what is said has lined up with some of my own opinions and ideas about people, relationships, and responsibility.  I can also see how people have found this volume quite inspiring.  Peterson is realistic and somewhat blunt in his observations, but he also has a sense of optimism that comes through at the right moments.

I was pleasantly surprised by the plethora of Biblical references here.  As a practicing, and at times struggling Christian, I was impressed about how deftly he worked many Biblical stories and concepts into his expositions.

The Bible should always be the first place we go for inspiration and knowledge of God, however I think most would do well to have Peterson’s book not too far out of reach.

I was glad to have finally purchased this volume and to get through it.  It does solidify my hope that I will one day have the opportunity to meet the good doctor.

After reading what could be a defining piece of literary work from a real-life thinker, time to check in with one of my favorite fictional thinkers.  Sherlock Holmes has to face “The Instrument of Death” in the latest novel by David Stuart Davies.

“The Silence” is a horror film that just premiered on Netflix this week.  Carey and Shane Van Dyke co-wrote this piece which was directed by John R. Leonetti.  The cast includes the Stanley Tucci, Kiernan Shipka, and Miranda Otto.

Some underground colony of prehistoric creatures that resemble pterosaurs are disturbed and emerge out into the open to feast and breed.  These things are blind and rely on sound to locate their prey.  Of course, there’s a family with a deaf girl who is quite adept on dealing with silence.  Stanley Tucci is the patriarch of this clan as they adjust to their new life as refugees trying to head north where it is determined these creatures are vulnerable to the cold.  Also John Corbett is in this playing the more obviously adept best friend at survival situations.

This is a mixture of familiar elements from other films such as the recent “A Quiet Place” and so forth.  It’s not terribly original, but it does manage to be somehow quite compelling regardless.  Tucci almost always has an engaging performance that somehow lifts even the most ill-considered of scripts into something at least tolerable.  There were some moments that gave me the creeps.  It’s not going to be considered any sort of classic, however I wasn’t too out by it.

“Hellboy” has returned to the big screen with a new actor, new writers, new villains.  I miss the days of Guillermo Del Toro and Ron Perlman.  Anyway, this version is brought to us by Neil Marshall directing a script written by Andrew Cosby.  David Harbour dons the red prosthetic pectorals and horn stubs in the lead role.  Hellboy originated from Dark Horse Comics in 1993.  He hit the big screen first in 2004 with Ron Perlman in the part under the superior direction of Guillermo Del Toro.

I will stipulate that the reservations I have about this version have little to do with Harbour’s actual depiction of the character.  I think Harbour did the best he could.  I just think it could have had a better plot.  Milla Jovovich plays a medieval immortal sorceress who is dismembered with her various body parts buried and guarded by various secret societies all over the world for centuries.

I had not read the comics, but I did enjoy the Del Toro films.  I was a little taken aback by the continuous dismemberments and blood splatter.  I have a pretty stout skin when it comes to that, so I got used to it.  There did seem to be more placed on the visual extravaganza than on the actual plot.

There was the usual between the heroic demon and his adopted father, played by the prolific and talented Ian McShane.

I guess I should summarize the background finally.  Hellboy is a half-demon who was prophesied to take over the world with unimaginable fear and suffering, however he somehow was convinced by the tender care of an adoptive father to reject his more evil tendencies and work to protect us mere mortals from the supernatural as an agent for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense.

It’s an absurd concept as expected from a comic book series, so there is a lot of forgiveness that needs to be afforded on the outset.  Th problem here is that the movie feels like it goes on forever.  It falls short on coherence even for a comic book film.   It just felt like a bit of a mess at times.

There were a few amusing one-liners but not enough to cover up the cracks in the writing.  It has a talented cast which does keep it from being a complete disaster.  It’s a film that doesn’t really sink to the bottom of the cinematic trash can, but it bounces around the rim a bit.  Maybe the overall affection for the character of Hellboy by the fans will help it do well enough to justify another shot.  Just because I was a little disappointed in this effort doesn’t quite mean that I will give up hope that a potential next installment will be an improvement.

“An Ideal World” is a Doctor Who audio play from Big Finish Productions and is one of The Early Adventures featuring Peter Purves presenting another rendition of the First Doctor, since William Hartnell is no longer with us.  Ian Potter is the writer of this installment which also features Maureen O’Brien reprising her role as Vicki as well as helping out Purves with narration.

The Doctor, Steven, and Vicki find another beautiful world with lethal lifeforms lurking.  They also meet a group of human colonists who have traveled a very long way to seek out a new planet.

The guest cast includes Carolyn Pickles, Angela McHale, and Tom Stourton.  As usual they do a fine job of keeping up with the regulars.

I had a little trouble staying interested about midway through the story.  It was a competent entry into the range but not much really grabbed my attention and kept it locked in.

Purves still does quite well capturing the essence of Hartnell’s version of the Doctor.  In spite of my lack of enthusiasm for this particular adventure, my interest in this range overall has not waned at all.

 

“Pet Semetary” is one of Stephen King’s most lauded horror novels published in 1983. There was a film adaptation released in 1989. And then there is this second adaptation released in 2019.  This thing apparently needed two directors in the form of Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer.  Jeff Buhler wrote the screenplay, which was from a story by Matt Greenburg.  One would think with so many people involved, it would have made a more impressive impact on me.  Jason Clarke, Amy Seimitz, and John Lithgow are some of the more significant cast members in this one.

Anyway, a big city doctor moves his family to a small town in Maine.  He learns of this pet cemetery in the woods behind his new house.  Even further beyond that is where those that are buried there don’t stay back and come back with a more demonic and murderous agenda.  It’s one thing when a pet returns with a more aggressive attitude, however the grief over a dead child can cause even further compelling temptations leading to blood-soaked outcome.

The girl at the center of this actually does put forth a fairly creepy performance. Yes, this time it’s the daughter. If this Jete Laurence carries her acting career into adulthood, I am sure she could have solid career provided that she can pick her projects with some wise counsel.  The performances are not necessarily bad.  Clarke has been around a while, and he does fine.  Lithgow is great as always. The actual acting from everyone is pretty good.

There were plenty of familiar elements that I can recall from the novel and previous onscreen iteration that made it into this one.  I thought the relationship between Clarke’s and Lithgow’s characters was somewhat rushed.  In the book, they developed a pretty solid if new friendship before Jud Crandall introduced the good doctor to the more profound secrets of the cemetery.  In this version, I had some trouble buying into their bond developing so quickly.

I was left with a sense that this latest adaptation was pointless.  Maybe the horror genre as a whole is pointless, but there are some gems in the pile of nightmarish coal as far as quality of writing and fun scares.

What it comes down to is that this is not exactly a terrible film, but it does drive home the thought that the book is still better by a long shot.

 

“The Highwaymen” is a Netflix film written by John Fusco and directed by John Lee Hancock.  Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson star as two former Texas Rangers tasked with bringing in the infamous and murderous Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934.  Kathy Bates plays Governor Miriam Ferguson who reluctantly signs off on the involvement of the two Rangers.  She was apparently responsible for dissolving that agency for a time.  I first learned that Texas had a female governor in 1934.  That was an interesting historical discovery for me.

It’s an interesting film but it could be a little slow.  Costner and Harrelson seem to work well together.  There is some amazing scenery as they depict the chase.  Costner plays legendary Ranger, Frank Hamer.  Harrelson plays the seemingly unreliable partner, Maney Gault.

I liked it for the most part, but it had some moments that dragged a bit.  It takes a while for the full revelation of Bonnie and Clyde.  We see some of their misdeeds from a distance.  I was also struck by how many of the public idolized them at that time.  Their funerals had attendees well over 10,000.

I liked the film for the most part,  but it didn’t quite grip me as much as I hoped.