Kringle Down by Shane Lacy Hensley

Title: Kringle Down (Kringle Down #1)

Author: Shane Lacy Hensley

Publisher: 2020

Genre: Horror

Pages: 41

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads; COYER

Where I Got It: Kindle

1990, Red Onion Mountain, Southwest Virginia. A bright flash of light slashes through the night sky. Something crashes on the mountain near the infamous "pot mine," where two tired ATF Agents and their cleaning ladies have just finished scrubbing up a gruesome crime scene. What they find on that snowy Christmas Eve is more murder, mayhem, and mystery than you can shake a bloody candy cane at.

J picked up this collection for me thinking it might be a fun read for my trip. And I sped through the first one in no time at all. This is an action-packed horror take on Santa and his elves. I loved this slim story as an alternative to the sweet holiday romances I have read this year.

Title: The Revenge (Kringle Down #2)

Author: Shane Lacy Hensley

Publisher: 2021

Genre: Horror

Pages: 34

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads; COYER

Where I Got It: Kindle

ATF Agent Max Harkins survived a bizarre encounter in Kringle Down. Now cartel czar Ernesto Cabeza wants to make him pay. But Max has a plan. If he can just get "Santa" to go along with it.

Not quite as successful as the first story, but a strong action horror story to further the adventures of Max Harkins. We finally get to the meet the drug cartel boss and see hime deal with Santa and the elves. We also get to see a new Santa emerge from the chaos.

Title: Krampus (Kringle Down #3)

Author: Shane Lacy Hensley

Publisher: 2022

Genre: Horror

Pages: 43

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads; COYER

Where I Got It: Kindle

Little Jose Salazar is a monster. Now he’s missing, and his father, the new head of the Gulf Cartel, thinks a certain evil spirit of Christmas is behind it. To get his son back, Hector needs an army, a plan, and the help of a very reluctant Agent Maxwell Harkins.

Another episode in the unusual adventures of ATF Agent Max Harkins. This time, we get a very spooky appearance by some old friends, a new mission, and some glorious creepy fun. I really enjoyed this fun story to bookend the adventures. And the big reveal of the elves was just the absolute best. Overall, I really enjoyed this short series of gory fun.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Title: Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1)

Author: Patricia Briggs

Publisher: Ace Books 2006

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Pages: 288

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project

Mercy Thompson is a shapeshifter, and while she was raised by werewolves, she can never be one of them, especially after the pack ran her off for having a forbidden love affair. So she’s turned her talent for fixing cars into a business and now runs a one-woman mechanic shop in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State.

But Mercy’s two worlds are colliding. A half-starved teenage boy arrives at her shop looking for work, only to reveal that he’s a newly changed werewolf—on the run and desperately trying to control his animal instincts. Mercy asks her neighbor Adam Hauptman, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack, for assistance.

But Mercy’s act of kindness has unexpected consequences that leave her no choice but to seek help from those she once considered family—the werewolves who abandoned her...

Finally started this series after being encouraged by a friend. Very solid urban fantasy featuring a strong heroine, sexy men, a big mystery, and lots of action. I was very hooked about 30 pages in the book. I had to orient myself to the world before really diving in, but once I got it, I sped through the rest of the book. I really fell for Mercy. She’s a loner but has a wide net of acquaintances. I loved seeing how she connected and reconnected with various people throughout the book. There’s a ton of action in this volume and we learn quite a bit about Mercy’s world. I am very intrigued to keep reading these books.

Mercy Thompson

• #1 Moon Called

• #2 Blood Bound

• #3 Iron Kissed

• #4 Bone Crossed

• #5 Silver Borne

• #6 River Marked

• #7 Frost Burned

• #8 Night Broken

• #9 Fire Touched

• #10 Silence Fallen

• #11 Storm Cursed

• #12 Smoke Bitten

• #13 Soul Taken

Next up on the TBR pile:

NMJ #25: John Wick

Title: John Wick

Year Released/Rating: 2014 R

Starring: Keanu Reeves; Michael Nyqvist; Alfie Allen

Directed By: Chad Stahelski; David Leitch

Written By: Derek Kolstad

Genre: Action

Star Rating:  5/5 stars

Where I Got It: Server

Trivia:

• According to Keanu Reeves, he did 90% of his own stunts in the film.
• The security guard who waves Wick onto the airport runway is reading "Shibumi" by Trevanian, a 1970s thriller, also about a retired master assassin dragged back into the game. The story Viggo tells about how Wick killed three men "with a pencil" might also be a reference to Shibumi, whose hero kills with everyday objects.
• Keanu's fifth time playing a role named John.
• The tattoo on John Wick' s back translates to "Fortune helps him who is strong."

Summary: An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him.

Review:

 This has been on my radar for awhile now... so glad we downloaded it. What a great action revenge flick. The action sequences were amazing: choreographed perfectly, shot great. No shaky cam here. John Wick was a great character. Loved him! And all the supporting players were fun especially Perkins. Definite must see for action fans.

Best Bits: 

• Viggo Tarasov: I heard you struck my son today. Aureilo: Yes, sir, I did. Viggo Tarasov: May I ask why? Aureilo: Well, sir, he stole John Wick's car and, uh, killed his dog. Viggo Tarasov: [pause] Oh.
• Viggo Tarasov: In a bar, I once saw him kill three men... with a pencil.
• Viggo Tarasov: They know you're coming. John Wick: Of course... But it won't matter.
• Francis: Are you here on business, sir? John Wick: Afraid so, Francis. [pause] Why don't you take the night off? Francis: Thank you, sir.

NMJ #14: The Hobbit The Desolation of Smaug

Title: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Year Released/Rating: 2013 PG-13

Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage

Directed By: Peter Jackson

Written By: J.R.R. Tolkien, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro

Genre: Fantasy, Action

Star Rating:  5/5 stars

Where I Got It: Server

Trivia:

• The insult Thorin screams in Dwarvish at Thranduil in Khuzdul basically translates as "I dump my feces on your head."
• The only time Legolas blinks is when he realizes he has been wounded. This is in keeping with the character, as the only time Legolas blinks in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is when he is strongly surprised.
• Orlando Bloom is two years older than Lee Pace who plays his father, King Thranduil.
• Thranduil's sudden scars reflect a little-emphasized facet of J.R.R. Tolkien's lore: elves' "Fëa" (a metaphysical concept analogous translatable as "soul") occasionally influences the "Hröa" (the fleshly, physical body), particularly under moments of extreme stress. This can manifest as extreme physical changes that reflect the mind's state, in this case deep war scars.
• Bilbo steals the keys to the prison from an Elf addressed as Elros. Elros is also the name of Elrond's brother. The two brothers had both human and Elvish ancestry on both their mother's and father's side, and as such were perfectly half-Elf and half-Man. While Elrond chose to be an immortal Elf, Elros chose to become a mortal man. He thus became the progenitor of the Numenorian race, and an ancestor of Aragorn.
• A pair of Megaloceros giganteus (Irish elk) antlers flanks the Elf king's throne.
• This film is features the first occurrence of seeing the character Legolas bleed on screen.

Summary:

 The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug. Bilbo Baggins is in possession of a mysterious and magical ring.

Review:

Yes I realize that I am super behind in watching this one. I finally got around to it. And boy was it good. I really love the interaction between Bilbo and Smaug. The last 30 minutes is really the best part of the film. I can't wait to see how it ends.

Best Bits: 

• Legolas: [Looking at two pictures in a locket that he has confiscated from Gloin. The picture on the left has a long thick beard] Who is this? Your brother? Gloin: That is my wife! Legolas: [Looking at the infant in the other picture] And who is this horrid creature? A goblin mutant? Gloin: That is my wee lad, Gimli!
• Kili: Aren't you going to search me? I could have anything down my trousers. Tauriel: Or nothing.
• [Smaug is smothered with a deluge of molten gold]mSmaug: [rises up] Revenge? REVENGE? I will show you revenge! [takes flight towards Lake Town] I am fire! I am... death!
• [observes a carving of the Arkenstone] Bilbo Baggins: What's that? Balin: That is the Arkenstone. Bilbo Baggins: And what is it? Thorin Oakenshield: That, Master Burglar, is why you are here.

NMJ #12-13: Cat 8

Title: Cat 8

Year Released/Rating: 2013

Starring: Matthew Modine, Maxim Roy, Ted Whittall

Directed By: Kevin Fair

Written By: Donald Martin

Genre: Action

Star Rating:  3/5 stars

Where I Got It: Netflix

Summary: A research program abandoned by the best solar physicist when the Pentagon wanted to put it to military use has been resumed by his former deputy. Her incompetence and the Defense secretary's haste cause it to be tested too soon, stirring unprecedented solar flares, ultimately a plasma causing disasters on all continents. Only the genius can think of a way out, only to be victimized by the secretary, who needs to cover up. Even when it turns out the earth's core has stopped spinning, spelling an unimaginable seismic apocalypse, the genius must still evade special forces to stay free and save the world again.

Review:

Interesting idea, but not great tv movie at all.  But I do love my disaster porn. So I guess it was a good two afternoons watching...

NMJ #11: I, Frankenstein

Title: I, Frankenstein

Year Released/Rating: 2014 PG-13

Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Miranda Otto

Directed By: Stuart Beattie

Written By: Stuart Beattie, Kevin Grevioux

Genre: Action, Fantasy

Star Rating:  2/5 stars

Where I Got It: Netflix

Trivia:

• This film acknowledges Frankenstein's Monster as "Adam" making it one of the very few screen adaptations to call him this name.
• There are three instances of "Adam" in the novel, all by the creation, all in third-party reference: "Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel..." (Chapter 10) "Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence..." (Chapter 15) "I remembered Adam's supplication to his Creator. But where was mine?" (Chapter 15)

Summary: Frankenstein's creature finds himself caught in an all-out, centuries old war between two immortal clans.

Review: 

This popped up on Netflix. I thought it might be fun to watch while sorting craft supplies. I was wrong. This was bad. Confusing plot, cardboard characters, and ridiculous action. Even Bill Nighy couldn't save this one...

Best Bits: 

• Adam: I am like no other.

NMJ #8: Guardians of the Galaxy

Title: Guardians of the Galaxy

Year Released/Rating: 2014 PG-13

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper

Directed By: James Gunn

Written By: James Gunn. Nicole Perlman

Genre: Scifi Action

Star Rating:  5/5 stars

Where I Got It: Amazon rental

Trivia:

• When Dave Bautista found out he got the role of Drax the Destroyer, he broke down in tears, overjoyed at getting a Marvel comic-book role. He immediately signed up for extra acting classes in order to prepare for the role
• Zoe Saldana nearly broke Chris Pratt's ribs while filming a fight sequence. During training, Pratt and Saldana would wear protective gear so that they could actually hit each other. However, when the day came to film the actual scene, Pratt forgot to wear his protective gear and did not tell Saldana because he thought she would hold back if she knew. Saldana (under the impression that he was wearing the gear like he usually did) kicked him square in the ribs, which made Pratt fall to the ground. According to him, he had a bruise for the remainder of filming.
• According to James Gunn, Star-Lord's obscene gesture was an improvisation by Chris Pratt.
• Benicio Del Toro's uncredited cameo as The Collector in "Thor: The Dark World (2013)" was written to set the stage for the film. Benicio Del Toro described the Collector as "Liberace in outer space."
• Stan Lee's cameo was originally going to feature him as one of the Collector's boxed trophies, giving Groot the middle finger. Disney executives didn't like this and had James Gunn change it to Stan Lee being an alien Casanova.
• Josh Brolin is uncredited and in fact was the last person cast. He was offered the role while filming Everest (2015). He based the characterization of Thanos primarily on Marlon Brando's role of Kurtz in Apocalypse Now (1979).
• James Gunn's brother Sean Gunn was an acting double for Rocket Raccoon during filming.
• The Collector's residence is riddled with various species: a Chitari and Dark Elf (from previous Marvel space films) can be seen, a cocoon holding Adam Warlock, a cosmic being who became a member of the Guardians (the cocoon is seen empty in the post-credits scene), a dog in an astronaut in a CCCP's uniform (former USSR) who snarls at Rocket. This is Cosmo, a Russian dog who became a member of the Guardians (and is constantly on bad terms with Rocket), Howard the Duck makes an appearance in a case, and slime creatures from James Gunn's previous film Slither (2006).

Summary: A group of intergalactic criminals are forced to work together to stop a fanatical warrior from taking control of the universe.

Review:

Finally! Mom, the twins, and I finally sat down and watched this. I'm so glad I finally saw it. This was a great movie. Full of action, comedy, and great characters. I loved the subtle references to the other Marvel movies and characters. But the references weren't essential to understanding the film. Thank goodness! Starlord was amazing, but my favorite character by far was Rocket. My favorite scene was when he was drunk at the bar. That scene showed so much vulnerability and humanity from a CGI character. So great. I can't wait to see the second one.

Best Bits: 

• Groot: I am Groot. Peter Quill: Well that's just as fascinating as the first 89 times. What is wrong with Giving Tree here? Rocket Raccoon: Well he don't know talkin' good like me and you, so his vocabulistics is limited to "I" and "am" and "Groot," exclusively in that order. Peter Quill: Well I tell you what, that's gonna wear real thin, real fast, bud.
• Korath the Pursuer: Star-Lord! Peter Quill: Finally!
• Drax the Destroyer: I can barely see. [Groot releases glowing spores from his body to light up the way ahead] Drax the Destroyer: Where did you learn to do that? Peter Quill: I'm pretty sure the answer is: "I am Groot".
• Rocket Raccoon: [about Drax] Metaphors go over his head. Drax the Destroyer: NOTHING goes over my head!... My reflexes are too fast, I would catch it.
• Rocket Raccoon: That's for if things get really hardcore. Or if you wanna blow up moons. Gamora: No one's blowing up moons.Rocket Raccoon: You just wanna suck the joy out of everything.
• Gamora: And Quill... Your ship is filthy. Peter Quill: She has no idea. If I had a blacklight, this place would look like a Jackson Pollock painting
• [Quill has just retrieved the prosthetic leg Rocket asked for in order to break out of prison] Rocket Raccoon: You actually got it? I was just kidding about the leg, I just thought it'd be funny!

IMDB #4: Pirates of the Caribbean

Title: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Year Released/Rating: 2003 PG-13

Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush

Directed By: Gore Verbinski

Written By: Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, Jay Wolpert

Genre: Action Adventure

Star Rating: 4/5 stars

Where I Got It: We own it

Trivia:

• Johnny Depp wore contact lenses which served as sunglasses so he wouldn't be squinting in the sun all the time.
• The scene where Orlando Bloom impersonates Johnny Depp's performance was devised by Bloom who asked producer Jerry Bruckheimer if he could put it into the movie.
• When returning from a night shoot on one of the Caribbean islands, Keira Knightley's boat struck a reef and went down. The only people aboard were Knightley, her mother Sharman Macdonald and the boat's skipper, all of whom escaped unharmed and were rescued within a few hours. However, the incident ultimately determined that the rest of the island night shoots needed would complete filming in a studio, rather than on location.
• The East India Company (the real-life counterpart of the film franchise's East India Trading Company) really did brand pirates with a "P" but it was put on their forehead instead of their arm.
• The "Fort" in Port Royal is actually not on St. Vincent's, but at a closed down amusement park (Marineland) in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
• The name "Barbossa" might have been derived from the real Turkish pirate "Barbarossa". Barbarossa, also known as "Redbeard", was once a pirate in the Aegean and the Mediterranean seas before he became a fleet admiral of the Ottoman Empire navy.

Summary: Blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate "Captain" Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead.

Review: A fun movie, but just don't think about it too much.  The best part of the movie is definitely Geoffrey Rush's Captain Barbossa.  He is such a hoot.  Love him!  The rest of the cast is ho-hum in comparison.  It's still a fun movie to watch for a night in.

Best Bits: 

• Jack Sparrow: Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid.
• Norrington: No additional shot nor powder, a compass that doesn't point north, [looks at Jack's sword] and I half expected it to be made of wood. You are without doubt the worst pirate I've ever heard of.  Jack Sparrow: But you have heard of me.
• Will Turner: This is either madness... or brilliance.  Jack Sparrow: It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide.
• Elizabeth: Captain Barbossa , I am here to negotiate the cessation of hostilities against Port Royal .  Barbossa: There are a lot of long words in there, Miss; we're naught but humble pirates. What is it that you want?  Elizabeth: I want you to leave and never come back.  Barbossa: I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request. Means "no".
• Jack Sparrow: Parleley, parlelellyleloooo, par le nee, partner, par... snip, parsley...  Ragetti: Parley?  Jack Sparrow: That's the one. Parley. Parley.  Pintel: Parley? Damn to the depths whatever man what thought of "Parley".  Jack Sparrow: That would be the French.

IMDB #3: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Title: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Year Released/Rating: 1981 PG

Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman

Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Written By: Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas, Philip Kaufman

Genre: Action Adventure

Star Rating: 5/5 stars

Where I Got It: We own it!

Trivia:

• The original name of the lead character in the script was Indiana Smith. His name was changed to Jones on the first day of production.
• In the submarine pen, the German who comes upon Indiana says, in German, "Good day" "Tired? Why do you sleep? Wash yourself! And straighten your shirt, so that you don't look like a pig at your court martial..." "Stand up... [straight]" He is cut off by Indiana's punch.
• Although the Nazis speak German in many scenes, most of the lines were dubbed for the German versions of the film because the actors spoke very bad German with a very strong American accent. Some lines were simply wrong. On the recent DVD release, no German lines are wrong. The majority of the German lines seems to be spoken by native German speakers with a slight south German accent.
• In filming the Well of Souls sequence, the producers scoured every pet shop in London and the South of England for every snake they could lay their hands on. Hence there are snakes that are identifiable from many different geographical areas. However, once all the snakes were on set, it became clear that there were not nearly enough of them, so Steven Spielberg had several hoses cut into lengths, and these were used as well. Looking closely, you can tell which are the real snakes and which are not. A sheet of glass separates Harrison Fordand the arched (and highly dangerous) cobra when he falls in. The snake actually did spray venom onto the glass.
• The submarine pen on the island where the Ark is taken and finally opened is not a set, but in fact an actual German U-Boat pen left over from World War II in La Rochelle, France. Producer Robert Watts was amazed at how preserved the submarine pen was (even down to the graffiti on the walls) that he described it as "a actual set in existence".
• Body Count: 67 (including the monkey).

Summary: Archeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the US government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis.

Review: 

One of my all time favorite movies.  How can you not love Indiana Jones?  This is just a fun action adventure movie.  We introduce the twins to it last year and they loved it.  A must see for everyone.

Best Bits: 

• Belloq: What a fitting end to your life's pursuits. You're about to become a permanent addition to this archaeological find. Who knows? In a thousand years, even you may be worth something.  Indiana: Ha ha ha ha. [under his breath]  Indiana: Son of a bitch.
• Sallah: Indy, there is something that troubles me.  Indiana: What is it?  Sallah: The Ark. If it is there, at Tanis, then it is something that man was not meant to disturb. Death has always surrounded it. It is not of this earth.
• Indiana: Do we need the monkey?  Marion: I'm surprised at you. Talking that way about our baby. He's got your looks, too.  Indiana: And your brains.
• [Upon opening the Well of the Souls and peering down]  Sallah: Indy, why does the floor move?  Indiana: Give me your torch.  [Indy takes the torch and drops it in]  Indiana: Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?  Sallah: Asps... very dangerous. You go first.
• Indiana: Meet me at Omar's. Be ready for me. I'm going after that truck.  Sallah: How?  Indiana: I don't know, I'm making this up as I go!

Total Eclipse by Rachel Caine

Title: Total Eclipse (Weather Wardens #9)

Author: Rachel Caine

Publisher: Roc 2010

Genre: Paranormal

Pages: 305

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seriously Series; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading;

How I Got It: I own it

Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin, her husband, the djinn David, and the Earth herself have been poisoned by a substance that destroys the magic that keeps the world alive. The poison is destabilizing the entire balance of power, bestowing magic upon those who have never had it, and removing it form those who need it. It's just a matter of time before the delicate balance of nature explodes into chaos-and doom.

Holy crap!  What a way to end the series!  I sped through this volume on the edge of my seat.  I couldn't wait to see how Joanne got herself of the end-of-the-world situation she got herself into.  The volume did not disappoint.  Like most of of the books in the series, this one hits the ground running.  The action starts right away and never stops.  I loved that!  We get a whirlwind of activity and yet we still connect to the characters.  I loved seeing some of the side characters reappear, but glad that Caine focused on our main group.  I was even satisfied with the ending and epilogue.  Usually I hate epilogues, but this one was nice.  Overall, I really liked this series.  The middle books meander a bit from the main story arc, but everything gets back on track for a couple of explosive books at the end.

Weather Warden:

1. Ill Wind
2. Heat Stroke
3. Chill Factor
4. Windfall
5. Fire Storm
6. Thin Air
7. Gale Force
8. Cape Storm
9. Total Eclipse

Cape Storm by Rachel Caine

Title: Cape Storm (Weather Wardens #8)

Author: Rachel Caine

Publisher: Roc 2009

Genre: Paranormal

Pages: 308

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Seriously Series; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: I own it

Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin and her new husband, the Djinn David, are running from a malevolent hurricane bent on destroying her. Joined by an army of fellow Wardens and Djinn onboard a hijacked luxury liner, Joanne has lured the storm into furious pursuit. But even their combined magic may not be enough to stop it-nor the power-mad ex-Weather Warden controlling it...

After the whirlwind that was Gale Force, I liked the slightly slower pace of this volume.  I liked getting back to being focused on the main characters of the series.  Instead of attempting to update everyone, we get more Joanne, David, and Lewis.  I really really love Lewis in this volume.  He has taken complete responsibility for the Wardens and for the Earth itself.  I also love the villain in this volume, very over the top and slightly cartoonish, but in a good way.  And I was very excited about where the whole series is going.  I'm very excited to read the last volume in the Weather Wardens series.

Weather Warden:

1. Ill Wind
2. Heat Stroke
3. Chill Factor
4. Windfall
5. Fire Storm
6. Thin Air
7. Gale Force
8. Cape Storm
9. Total Eclipse

MoM #29: Shaolin Soccer

Title: Shaolin Soccer

Year Released/Rating: 2001 PG-13

Starring: Stephen Chow, Wei Zhao, Yat-fei Wong

Directed By: Stephen Chow

Written By: Stephen Chow, Kan-Cheung Tsang, Min Hun Fung, Chi Keung Fung, Wei Lu

Where I Got It: Netflix

Genre: Action, Comedy

Star Rating:  3/5 stars

Trivia:

• This was the most successful Hong Kong-made movie ever in Hong Kong, making HK$60 million (about US$4.7 million) at the local box office.
• Banned in mainland China because it did not await certification before being released in Hong Kong.
• Stephen Chow dubs his own voice for the American release.
• Mui is the only character who can speak Mandarin.

Summary: A young Shaolin follower reunites with his discouraged brothers to form a soccer team using their martial art skills to their advantage.

Review: 

J had been harping on me to to watch this one for awhile now.  It was ridiculously silly in parts.  I can't believe that I actually watched it.  Pretty silly... But there were a few actions scenes that were good.  I'll give it that.

Best Bits: 

• Sing: What are you going you look like ET?  Mui: Trust me, I can do it.
• Sing: I'm not here to fight, I'm here to play soccer!
• [talking to a TV camera] Sing: I want to say hello to my parents and my Kung Fu master, but they're all dead.

MoM #10: Men in Black 3

Title: Men in Black 3

Year Released/Rating: 2012 PG-13

Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin

Directed By: Barry Sonnenfeld

Written By: Ethan Cohen, Lowell Cunningham

Genre: Action, Comedy, Scifi

Star Rating:  3/5 stars

Where I Got It: Library Loan

Trivia:

• This is Will Smith's first film in 3.5 years, since the release of Seven Pounds in December 2008. This is the longest he has gone without appearing in a movie since his film career started in 1993.
• The number CRM-114 makes two appearances in this movie in the form of text that appears on the outside wall of the Lunar Max prison (seen after Boris breaks out) and the ID for the bunker on the beach at Cape Canaveral. These numbers are a nod to director Stanley Kubrick, who used this number in his movie Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
• The zip line escape system shown at the Apollo launch pad really did exist. It was installed for the Apollo program and enhanced for the Space Shuttle program. In some pre-launch emergency scenarios, the crew would have ridden steel cages down the zip lines to explosion-proof bunkers. Astronauts practiced using the system as part of their training, but it was never used in an actual emergency.
• The white weird looking 'alien' fish which can be seen in the Chinese restaurant's kitchen scene is in fact an actual fish, Psychrolutes marcidus (or blobfish)
• Frank the Pug does not appear in this film, but his picture is seen in two places: J's apartment, and a carnival poster at Coney Island (seen when J is pulled over).

Summary: Agent J travels in time to M.I.B.'s early days in 1969 to stop an alien from assassinating his friend Agent K and changing history.

Review: 

Not really an amazing movie, but fairly entertaining.  I always like the combination of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.  Unfortunately, we don't get much of them together in this movie. Josh Brolin does a decent job of imitating Jones' K, but I just didn't completely buy it.  Plus, Boris the Animal is too much of a cartoony villain.  Not sinister in the least.  Okay for a free rental, but not worth actually paying for.

Best Bits: 

• [from trailer]  Agent J: All right, pay attention... [neuralyzes a crowd] Okay. You know how you kids won the goldfish in that little baggy at the school fair, and you didn't want that nasty thing in your house so you flushed it down the toilet? Well, this's what happened...  [points to an alien fish towed away]
• Andy Warhol: Dammit K, trying to blow my cover?  Agent J: Whoa, Andy Warhol's one of US?  Andy Warhol: Who's the dumbass?  Agent J: You know, I'd have no problem pimp-slapping the shiznit out of Andy Warhol.
• Griffin: The bitterest truth is better than the sweetest lie.
• [the crew of Apollo 11 are watching the fight between on the launch tower between the agents and bad guys]  Buzz Aldrin: If we report this, they're going to scrub the launch.  Neil Armstrong: [Passively] I didn't see anything.
• Agent J: You know, we been doing some pretty smart stuff over the past day or so, how about we do something stupid? Let's go get some pie!
• Agent K: Do you know the most destructive force in the universe?  Agent J: Sugar?  Agent K: Regret.

Gale Force by Rachel Caine

Title: Gale Force (Weather Wardens #7)

Author: Rachel Caine

Publisher: Roc 2008

Genre: Paranormal

Pages: 306

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Seriously Series; Dusty Bookshelf

How I Got It: I own it

Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin is on vacation when her Djinn lover, David, asks Joanne to marry him. She’s thrilled to say yes, even if some others may be less than happy about it.

Unfortunately, Joanne’s pre-marital bliss is ended by a devastating earthquake in Florida. And she can’t ask David and his kind for assistance. Because the cause of the quake is unlike anything Joanne has ever encountered—and a power even the Djinn cannot perceive.

Hmmm...  I feel like the series is losing a bit of steam, but I'm determined to finish it this close to the end.  Only two more books to go.  I still love Jo and David, but their constant being in the middle of these huge catastrophes is starting to take its toll.  Maybe it's because the timeline for the entire series is so short.  Or maybe it's because each threat is crazier than the last.  For whatever reason, I just want, no need some closure to this whole idea.  I still enjoyed the book.  It had the same well drawn out action sequences.  We still got snarky comments from Jo.  The book still had all the fun side characters (Kevin, Cherise, Ashan, Venna).  I just think we need to start wrapping some of this up now.

Weather Wardens:

1. Ill Wind
2. Heat Stroke
3. Chill Factor
4. Windfall
5. Fire Storm
6. Thin Air
7. Gale Force
8. Cape Storm
9. Total Eclipse

The Impossible Cube by Steven Harper

Title: The Impossible Cube (Clockwork Empire #2)

Author: Steven Harper

Publisher: ROC 2012

Genre: Steampunk

Pages: 380

Rating:  4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Steampunk; New Authors; Library Loan; Bingo - 5 from series

How I Got It: Library loan

Once, Gavin Ennock sailed the skies on airships and enchanted listeners with his fiddle music. Now, the clockwork plague consumes his intellect, enabling him to conceive and construct scientific wonders—while driving him quite mad. Distressed by her beloved’s unfortunate condition, Alice Michaels sought a cure rumored to be inside the Doomsday Vault—and brought the wrath of the British Empire down on them.

Declared enemies of the Crown, Alice and Gavin have little choice but to flee to China in search of a cure. Accompanying them is Dr. Clef, a mad genius driven to find the greatest and most destructive force the world has ever seen: The Impossible Cube. If Dr. Clef gets his hands on it, the entire universe will face extinction.

And Gavin holds the key to its recreation…

Fun fun!  I am really loving these quick action adventure reads.  I am extra excited that this series is all steampunky goodness.  Harper has the right mix of character and action to make me keep reading.  The characters are intriguing.  I especially loved the addition of Feng and Dodd to this volume.  Harper's characters expand and grow, but they still retain their core of being.  I loved continuing to follow Alice and Gavin (with Dr. Clef, Click, and Kemp) on their journey to China to bring about the end of the Clockwork Plague and a cure for Gavin.  Plus, we get great stopovers in Luxembourg, Berlin, and Kiev. The encounter with the Gontas and Zalzinaks was fabulous.  I can't wait to see what happens in the next volume.

Clockwork Empire

1. The Doomsday Vault
2. The Impossible Cube
3. The Dragon Men
4. The Havoc Machine

The Doomsday Vault by Steven Harper

Title: The Doomsday Vault (Clockwork Empire #1)

Author: Steven Harper

Publisher: ROC 2011

Genre: Steampunk

Pages: 391

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Steampunk; Library; Eclectic -- Action Adventure; 52 Weeks -- W12

How I Got It: Library loan

In a clockwork Brittania, Alice's prospects are slim. At 22, her age and her unladylike interest in automatons have sealed her fate as an undesirable marriage prospect. But a devastating plague sends Alice off in a direction beyond the pale-towards a clandestine organization, mad inventors, life-altering secrets, and into the arms of an intrepid fiddle-playing airship pilot.

I picked this up on a whim at the library.  It looked interesting.  And it was amazing!  I loved it!  Cross the Gail Carriger Parasol Protectorate series with George Mann's The Affinity Bridge.  I loved the twists and turns.  The action never stops...  And the characters are too much fun.  Alice has such spunk and life!  Gavin is the perfect hero.  I couldn't wait to see these two get together.  Of course, it had to be difficult and fraught with other complications.  The side characters round out the whole story.  I can't wait to see where this series goes.

Clockwork Empire

1. The Doomsday Vault
2. The Impossible Cube
3. The Dragon Men
4. The Havoc Machine

NMF #26: The Bourne Legacy

Title: The Bourne Legacy

Year Released/Rating: 2012 PG-13

Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton

Written By: Tony Gilroy, Dan Gilroy, Robert Ludlum

Directed By: Tony Gilroy

Genre: Action, adventure, mystery

Star Rating:  5/5 stars

Where I Got It: Redbox rental

Trivia:

• Before this movie was seriously considered, director Paul Greengrass jokingly suggested to make a fourth Bourne movie called "The Bourne Redundancy".
• Shipped to theaters under the code name "Marcher". This was also the fake title filming took place under.
• The message scrawled on the mirror in the hotel room, 'No More', is an anagram of the fake surname Cross gives to Marta, 'Monroe'.
• Daniel Craig visited his wife Rachel Weisz during their shoot in Manila. Producer Frank Marshall was glad to see them together, saying: "It was pretty cool to have James Bond on the 'Bourne' set with Aaron Cross. We had a great time. It was really fun."

Summary: An expansion of the universe from Robert Ludlum's novels, centered on a new hero whose stakes have been triggered by the events of the previous three films.

Review: I enjoyed this volume way more than the previous Bourne movie.  The shaky cam was limited to the last action sequence.  The plot line was a nice change of pace.  The characters were decent.  I loved seeing Jeremy Renner as the "new Bourne."  It was a thoroughly fun ride.  Great little action film to enjoy some night.

Best Bits: 

• [last lines]  Dr. Marta Shearing: Are we lost?  Aaron Cross: No, I was just looking at our options.  Dr. Marta Shearing: Oh, I was kinda hoping we were lost.
• Drone Spec: What kind of weapon system is this guy operating?  Dita Mandy: He's probably got a rifle.  [Drone operators exchange incredulous glances]  Byer: It's a high-powered rifle.
• Aaron Cross: [to Dr. Shearing] Now, I've got a plan, and it's just not that complicated. What I'm going to do is wait for the next person to show up to kill you. Maybe they can help me.
• Dr. Marta Shearing: You've been shot!  Aaron Cross: It's all right.

NMF #22: Special

Title: Special

Year Released/Rating: 2006 R

Starring: Michael Rapaport, Paul Blackthrone, Josh Peck

Written By: Hal Haberman, Jeremy Passmore

Directed By: Hal Haberman, Jeremy Passmore

Genre: Drama, Fantasy

Star Rating:  4/5 stars

Where I Got It: Amazon streaming

Summary: A lonely metermaid has a psychotic reaction to his medication and becomes convinced he's a superhero. A very select group of people in life are truly gifted. Special is a movie about everyone else.

Review: An interesting little action drama indie flick.  The idea of a man who claims to have superpowers is intriguing.  I love the slow progression into madness, or is it?  The way we experience the movie, I can never really tell and that's just awesome.  It's even shot like a dream making it much more interesting to the audience.  I enjoyed this random little movie.

Best Bits: 

• Jonas Exiler: That was exciting. You have a genuine flair for making a scene, don't you, Les?
• Les: [has just run full-speed into a wall] I'm, uh, I'm not like most people.   Cop #1: Yeah, I can see that.
• Les: Your force field is good; my teleporting is better.

Thin Air by Rachel Caine

Title: Thin Air (Weather Wardens #6)

Author: Rachel Caine

Publisher: Roc 2007

Genre: Paranormal action adventure

Pages: 320

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Seriously Series; Dusty Bookshelf; Book Bingo -- 4 from series

How I Got It: I own it

After preventing Mother Earth from destroying the planet, Joanne Baldwin lost her memories thanks to Ashan the djinn-and they will remain lost forever unless Joanne can recover her identity-and destroy the demon who is impersonating her, fabulous shoes and all...

For most of this series, I have enjoyed the books but they haven't blown me away.  This one changed all that.  This is the best book in the series (at least so far.).  Taking away Joanne's memory makes her more human and relatable.  She's like the rest of us now.  I loved seeing that vulnerable side to her. We re-meet so many interesting characters.  We wrap up a few story lines and open a few more.  I am really loving how the story is progressing.  Can't wait for number 7!

Weather Warden:

1. Ill Wind
2. Heat Stroke
3. Chill Factor
4. Windfall
5. Fire Storm
6. Thin Air
7. Gale Force
8. Cape Storm
9. Total Eclipse

NMF #21: Explorers

Title: Explorers

Year Released/Rating: 1985 PG

Starring: Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Bobby Fite

Written By: Eric Luke

Directed By: Joe Dante

Genre: Adventure, Scifi

Star Rating:  5/5 stars

Where I Got It: Netflix

Trivia:

• As the boys look through the junkyard for the pieces for their ship, Rosebud (the sled from Citizen Kane) can be seen sitting at the top of a pile.
• When the helicopter pilot looks at the newspaper, one of the headlines says "Kingston Falls 'Riot' Still Unexplained". Kingston Falls was the town where the events in Gremlins(also directed by Joe Dante), took place.
• The film was never finished, and was released as a work in progress when the studio decided to move up the release date and release the film as it was, telling director Joe Dante that he was finished and they were going to go ahead and release what he had at that point.
• Wolfgang's "talking" rat is named Heinlein, after science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein, who wrote many stories about young boys experimenting with spaceflight.
• Inside Wolfgang's basement, the toy monkey from the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, can be seen.
• Feature film debut for both Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix.
• River Phoenix, who had grown up in communes in South America, was somewhat unfamiliar with popular culture and slang words. During rehearsals it became a running joke when he would attempt scripted well-known words and phrases and usually pronounce them incorrectly.

Summary: Ben Crandall, an alien-obsessed kid, dreams one night of a circuit board. Drawing out the circuit, he and his friends Wolfgang and Darren set it up, and discover they have been given the basis for a starship. Setting off in the ThunderRoad, as they name their ship, they find the aliens Ben hopes they would find... but are they what they seem?

Review: This is a great movie.  I feel like I would've completely fallen in love with this movie if I had watched it during childhood. Even watching it during my 30s, I really enjoyed the movie.  We get three precocious children making contact with an alien race.  There are enough science fiction references to keep the adult geek in me entertain.  Plus, we get some awesome 80s-ness.  I think we need to introduce the boys to this movie during the summer.  Something tells me they would love it!

Best Bits: 

• Wak: Look, I know I must look weird to you but how do you think you look to me? Listen, I watched four episodes of "Lassie" before I figured out why the little hairy kid never spoke. I mean, he rolled over, sure, he did that fine but, I don't think he deserved a series for that.
• Ben Crandall: [stuttering, astounded at the violent film footage] But thi - see, this isn't real! A-a-and we don't really kill people! Well, we do, b-but n-not aliens, 'cause we haven't met any!
• Ben Crandall: I've waited all my life to say this.  Darren Woods: Be my guest.   Ben Crandall: We come in peace.
• Heinlein the Mouse: [pressing buttons] I would like... cheese... go... to... hell...
• Ben Crandall: What's that?  Wak: Uhh... Space Pirates.