Powerful Pages: The Outsider by Stephen King (2018)

Powerful Pages: The Outsider by Stephen King (2018)

Stephen King's latest is at once vivid and refreshing while also paying tribute to the maestro's biggest strengths.  Rich characters and a well-drawn setting are the key ingredients, but a thoroughly engrossing first act and an approach that blurs the lines between a legal thriller and a supernatural opus also present themselves as major assets.  The big bad is new and unique, and equally creepy, and the book moves at a quick pace--which isn't always a staple of King's fiction.  I felt like this book deftly combined the hard-boiled aspects of Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers (both of which were totally devoid of supernatural shenanigans) with the passion for things that go bump in the night that has always elevated King's fiction.  While End of Watch, the bookend to the Bill Hodges trilogy, also intertwined the thriller and horror genres to potent effect, it leaned closer to the thriller side of the coin in tone and attitude.  The last two acts of The Outsider, on the other hand, surely represent balls-to-the-wall horror--and may even summon memories of King's leaner and meaner terrors born of the 70s and 80s, long before a bit more whimsy softened those harder edges a bit.  In the end, I found this one to be a real page-turner that made the most of all of King's tools, and I think that The Outsider stands as a nice bridge between his most bloodcurdling work and his most exciting offerings.

Final Grade: A

Powerful Pages: Lightning in a Bottle by Monte Dutton (2017)

Powerful Pages: Lighting in a Bottle by Monte Dutton (2017)

Monte Dutton is a promising author who I consider a friend, a fellow outsider who is more interested in spinning an entertaining yarn and delivering readers a good time than assembling the necessary ingredients for whatever is en vogue within the industry this week.  He has a strong background writing pieces about Nascar, so it is no surprise that his adventures on the printed page finally brought him to a meditation on auto racing.  With Lightning in a Bottle, Dutton has conjured up precisely the type of driver his semi-fascist racing entity FASCAR needs--even if this frisky upstart also happens to be precisely the type of driver the powers that be are hoping to avoid.  Barrie Jarman is bold and ambitious, an "aw shucks" country boy whose easy-going demeanor masks a keen intellect.  A quick study with a quicker tongue, Barrie has a God-given ability to tear it up at the track--any track.  He's also fiercely protective of his identity and his need to express himself, and going along to get along isn't one of his many skills.  His adventures on the racing circuit are the backbone of a brisk yarn that also concerns itself with family dynamics, the cost of success, the war against corporate tyranny, and a host of political issues.  If that sounds heavy, fear not, for Dutton's warm approach coupled with his light touch keep things moving and interesting at all times, and he never substitutes a sermon for a punchline.  His ear for dialogue and his racing IQ are on full display throughout, and one might argue that these are the books greatest strengths.  In terms of plotting and excitement, I can't identify any real flaws, but sometimes the broad strokes and rollicking pace work against the material.  There were numerous points where I wanted a closer examination of the various conflicts at play, and I also yearned to savor Barrie's triumphs a bit more.  However, I'm not willing to take Monte to task; I liked Barrie too much for that, and I laughed way too damn much to complain.  While Barrie's presence and drive are the beating heart of Lightning in a Bottle, I must admit that the narrator, his seen-it-all Uncle Charlie, quickly emerged as my favorite character.  Monte has captured lightning in a bottle with Barrie, no doubt about that, and I'm eager to read more about this hell-raising one-of-a-kind, but Uncle Charlie's grass roots philosophy dressed up as dry humor took the checkered flag in the race to my funny bone.  Fresh and captivating, Lightning in a Bottle is a quick read that will tickle and inspire you in equal measures.

Final Grade: A-

Powerful Pages - Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons (1989)

Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons (1989)

Sprawling yet intimate, Carrion Comfort is the sort of novel that earns epic status with a deeply rewarding journey of astounding depth.  Unfolding over the course of several decades and spanning the globe, the tale is dense but personal, complex yet infinitely relatable.  Inventive and starkly realistic in equal measures, it offers readers a new breed of vampire so distinct that they aren't really vampires at all.  Profoundly disturbing and equally brutal, Carrion Comfort dishes out a smorgasbord of woeful surprises and fiendish chills.  Simmons can be a bit overwrought, but his attention to detail and his vivid characterizations combine to flesh out a massive narrative with precision and impeccable clarity.  His zeal for history manifests itself here in a heartbreaking examination of the Holocaust that is the very foundation upon which this groundbreaking horror opus is constructed.  Fittingly, the emotional whirlwind that ensues catapults readers to dizzying heights.  This book is shocking and moving, boasting crushing defeats amid occasional triumphs as it veers from fascinating character study to white-knuckle thriller without warning, with frequent descents into outright terror upping the ante even further.  No one is safe, and the stakes couldn't be higher in this massive undertaking.  Carrion Comfort isn't just a great read, it's the type of novel that elevates the genre, and it should not be ignored by those who enjoy horror--or compelling literature in general, for that matter.

Final Grade: A+

 

Short Attention Span Review - Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Short Attention Span Review - Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

I don't know how Marvel is doing it at this point.  I'm a lifelong fan of their comics, so it should come as no surprise that I'm a big fan of their box office dominance.  More importantly, I love the way they've brought their characters to life on the big screen in such remarkable fashion.  Yet it's hard to fathom how they keep managing to kick things up a notch.  Perhaps it's because they have recently grown accustomed to taking chances, and those chances are paying dividends.  Much like Guardians of the Galaxy, this venture represents a major gamble in terms of tone, with comedy being a huge part of the proceedings.  Marvel has seen great success with the comic relief they have inserted into their films from the start, but as with GOTG, this one is just as reliant (if not more reliant) on laughs than thrills.  However, while I would say that Thor: Ragnarok is 50% comedy, it is also 50% action-packed, and the God of Thunder has never been so badass.  Bonus points: "Immigrant Song" has long been my favorite Zeppelin track, and it seems about ten times cooler now.  Thor: Ragnarok is a big win across the board.  You will laugh, you will be thrilled, you will marvel (forgive me) at the kaleidoscope of color and sound that takes a familiar property on a trippy new ride that goes big often and delivers the goods at every turn.  The cast is insanely good--Hemsworth has never been so fun to watch or so damn gnarly, and Ruffalo makes stealing the show look easy no matter what he's asked to do these days.  Cate Blancett makes for a nasty villain, Tessa Thompson is ridiculously good as Valkyrie, Idris Elba is Idris Elba (and Idris Elba is cool as shit), Jeff Goldblum has too much fun and slays it, and my man Karl Urban has a surprisingly potent turn as one of the more conflicted characters in the film.  I know, I know, I'm gushing, but Thor: Ragnarok is totally fucking rad, dudes.  This kind of kooky shit excites the hell out of me.

Final Grade: A+

It's too early for me to make a definitive ruling in this matter, but as a diehard Marvel fanboy, I can assure you that is entirely possible that Thor: Ragnarok is the the best movie the MCU has given us.  It is easily Top 5 on that front, it's not too early to make that call.

Short Attention Span Review - Annabelle: Creation (2017)

Short Attention Span Review - Annabelle: Creation (2017)

How rare is this?  A prequel to a spinoff emerges as a superior film?  No shit?  No shit, peeps.  I liked Annabelle, though it was far from a revelation.  I expected a similar approach this outing for the creepiest doll since Chucky, but Annabelle: Creation aimed higher.  Quite a bit higher, in fact.    It felt a lot more like The Conjuring in terms of scope and impact.  Expertly crafted, thoroughly unnerving, and jam-packed with big scares, I'm ready to classify this as one of the better horror films I have partaken of in recent memory.  From the somber opening, the dread is palpable, and this is one of those fright flicks that only gets harder to endure as it somehow gets everything right.  Good performances, nifty effects, a riveting plot courtesy of a powerful script, an ominous score--it's all there, friends.  There's no time for humor and no need for cheap jolts.  This gruesome conjuring (forgive me) is creepy as hell from start to finish and offers up a few dark surprises along the way.  Bonus points: the inevitable tie-in to Annabelle is executed perfectly.  Highly recommended!

Final Grade: A

Look out!  This one has some serious bite, folks.

 

Short Attention Span Review: Annabelle (2014)

Short Attention Span Review: Annabelle (2014)

Annabelle is a basic bitch, truth be told, but that doesn't render her ineffective.  In fact, I found a lot to like in this simplistic throwback.  A bit classical in its approach, Annabelle doesn't arrive with any grand aspirations.  This one didn't aim to reinvent the wheel, and there were no attempts to ratchet up the tension with a hyper-kinetic array of malevolent jolts.  No, we're dealing with a straight-forward and measured endeavor here.  In that regard, Annabelle reminded me a lot of the claustrophobic character-driven spookshows of yesteryear.  Throw in a tough female lead and some quality effects work, and you're in for a good time at the movies.  Intriguing and creepy in equal doses, this unassuming addition to The Conjuring family won't take you anywhere you haven't been before.  Yet, if you're a fan of the genre, you will get to revisit the old neighborhood in an efficient and moderately unnerving trip into terror.  That's good enough for me.

Final Grade: B-

When things got out of hand, Annabelle's owners reached out to this priest, and he had the situation under control for approximately 90 seconds.

 

Short Attention Span Review: Den of Thieves (2018)

Short Attention Span Review: Den of Thieves (2018)

Honestly, I went into this one expecting a small caliber thrill ride, a generic cops and robbers flick with an emphasis on action.  To my surprise, I got a lot more.  It's not exactly Heat, but it might pass for Heat on steroids.  Den of Thieves boasts a nifty plot with at least one quality twist, and it is bookended by two spectacular action setpieces.  Gerard Butler headlines the show, giving anyone who has ever wondered what a corrupt and perhaps even deplorable version of Leonidas would be like the answer they seek.  This dude hunts bad guys at the expense of everything else, sacrificing both his humanity and his family ties in a single-minded quest to nail his prey.  Furthermore, there is no doubt that he does this because that's how he gets his rocks off, not because he has strong ideas about morality or some innate purpose born of aggresive nobility.  The bank robbers are led by a ripped Pablo Schrieber, a game 50 Cent, and a positively dazzling O'Shea Jackson, Jr., who damn near steals the show in spite of all the firepower on display.  This crew kills several cops in the opening reel--and yet they emerge as more humane than their counterparts with badges over the course of the film.  It's an interesting dynamic, and the complex medley of sleazy good guys and endearing bad guys allow writer and director Christian Gudegast to paint a vivid picture.  However, though the end result is a riveting showcase, it's a riveting showcase without a genuine rooting interest.  That is the movie's biggest flaw, but it never derails the excitement or lessens the drama.  It just won't leave you feeling warm and fuzzy at the end of the day, regardless of who comes out on top.  In summary, Den of Thieves falls short of being a rip-roaring crime epic, but rises well above the mediocre trappings of the action genre as we know it in 2018.

Final Grade: B

The scariest charater in this cops and robbers movie is Gerard Butler as the head honcho of a police task force.  He was pretty damn wretched in a lot ways, but Butler's charisma and commitment made this crude tough guy a joy to watch.