THE ART OF RICHARD LUONG

The game Cthulhu Wars pits various factions of the Lovecraftian mythos against each other for world domination -- and naturally, it also requires miniatures for the Great Old Ones, minions, monstrosities, and other entities in the game.  Artist Richard Luong has done plenty of art based on the creatures and worlds of H.P. Lovecraft and so was recruited to design the miniatures and cover for Cthulhu Wars.  The process and artwork is featured in the Kickstarter-funded book The Art of Richard Luong.

I was a bit surprised to find that this art book is all about Luong's work in Cthulhu Wars.  The early chapters feature Luong's two-page, full-color painting of each main entity for the factions in Cthulhu Wars; after that are black-and-white images of the miniatures (front and back) for each faction, accompanied by Luong's notes for designing the miniatures.

The later parts of the book feature sketches from Luong, assorted artworks, and the final miniatures that resulted from Luong's designs and notes.

Luong's artwork is quite remarkable, capturing the horror, scale, and otherworldly nature of the denizens of this game world battled over by eldritch entities.  I'm a little disappointed that this work didn't feature more of Luong's work; it could have more accurately been called "The Art of Cthulhu Wars."  But the artwork featured here is excellent, as is the insight into the designs for all of the figures.  (Seeing the final result is a big plus as well.)  The Art of Richard Luong is a must-have for fans of Cthulhu Wars -- or for Lovecraftian art in general.

 Overall grade: A
Reviewed by James Lynch

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

In DC Comics, Batman and Superman have been portrayed as both allies (fighting together for good) and enemies (with diametrically opposite views on how to fight crime).  Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice tries to combine both of these concepts, plus lay the groundwork for a Justice League franchise (while borrowing from the comic books Batman: The Dark Knight and The Death of Superman).  The end result is terribly, horribly flawed.

Following the events of Man of Steel, Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) has become convinced that Superman is too dangerous a being to be allowed to live.  Meanwhile, Clark Kent/Superman (Henry Cavill) believes Batman is a dangerous vigilante operating beyond the law.  The public seems to be on both sides of this division of views, highlighted by Senator Finch (Holly Hunter) calling for hearings about Superman.  Meanwhile, a chatty Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) has gotten access to General Zod's corpse and the downed Kryptonian ship, Lois Lane (Amy Adams) is investigating a mysterious prototype weapon found in the Middle East, and a mystery woman (Gal Godot) has Bruce Wayne's eye as she looks into Lex as well.

While these storylines could have come together well, the execution is pretty awful.  The actors do what they can, but director Zack Snyder has a terrible sense of pacing and throws together poorly-done CGI, unnecessary slow motion, and scenes that are artificial and inauthentic.  (It doesn't help that Eisenberg's Lex Luthor comes across as manic-depressive rather than evil or brilliant.)  The movie is relentlessly grim, in both color scheme and tone, and at least a half hour could have been cut out of the movie and improved it greatly.  The romance feels forced, and there are numerous plot holes that a small child could have pointed out but somehow eluded the movie studio.

Marvel movies, with their flaws, managed to capture the heroism and fun of the comics.  Much as I'd like to see a good Justice League movie, Batman v Superman is a pretty scary preview of what that could be like.  This movie failed on almost every level (though Gal Gadot could make a good Wonder Woman, with better material) and I couldn't wait for it to end.

Overall grade: D
Reviewed by James Lynch

THE BRONZE

Life can be rough for athletes after their career ends.  Some continue in other areas of their sports, some find other interests, and some try to keep trying to relive their glory days.  The latter is the beginning for the expletive-filled comedy The Bronze.

Back in 2004, Hope Annbelle Greggory was an American Olympic gymnast.  When she injured her ankle and continues on to win the bronze medal, she became America's sweetheart.

Jump ahead to 2012, and Hope (Melissa Rauch) is still obsessed with her former fame and career -- in quite a unique way in the opening scene.  She lives in Amherst, Ohio, cursing at and insulting everyone who doesn't treat her as a superstar.  She has no time for young up-and-coming, ultra-nice gymnast Maggie Townsend (Haley Lu Richardson), and she refers to gym owner Ben Lawfort (Thomas Middleditch) as "Twitch" due to his facial tics.  Hope lives with her postman father Stan (Gary Cole) -- yelling at him as much as everyone -- and she gets money from an allowance from him, along with stealing money from letters before her father can deliver them.  She drinks, does, drugs, and will have sex in exchange for very little.  And she always wears the tracksuit she got in the Olympics.

When her father cuts off her allowance and locks up his mail truck, Hope sort of starts looking for a job.  Then an unexpected opportunity comes along: Before Hope's former and Maggie's current coach killed herself, she sent a letter to Hope leaving her $500,000 -- conditional on Hope training Maggie.  At first Hope is fine slacking off and even hurting Maggie's shot at the Olympics, getting Maggie to eat so much junk food she develops a "beer gut."  But them Olympics gold and silver winner Lance Tucker (Sebastian Stan) turns up as in charge of the American gymnastics team and wants to take over Maggie's training, so Hope starts taking her coaching job seriously.  Then it's a path to the Olympic trials, then the Olympics, and whether Hope will help Maggie eclipse her former fame.

The humor in The Bronze comes almost exclusively comes from Hope's never-ending stream of cursing, insults, and selfishness -- and that's far from enough to sustain the film.  Melissa Rauch doesn't bring much to make her character any more likable or sympathetic through the film, giving us a protagonist who's pretty terrible from start to finish.  There are scattered funny moments through the movie -- notably a gymnastics-filled sex scene -- but the story arc is predictable, the romantic subplot feels inauthentic and tacked on, and The Bronze is, in the end, forgettable except for the copious amount of profanity.

Overall grade: C-
Reviewed by James Lynch

10 CLOVERFIELD LANE

So, is it psychological horror or an extraterrestrial menace?  This is the central question of 10 Cloverfield Lane, a claustrophobic suspense film that could almost be a three-person play.

The movie opens with Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) rapidly cleaning out her city apartment (but leaving her -- engagement?  wedding? -- ring behind) and driving off.  Driving in the countryside, her car is rammed by another vehicle, and when she wakes up she's in a room made out of cinder blocks, hooked to an IV and handcuffed to the wall.

She soon meets Howard (John Goodman) and learns that she's in his underground bunker.  He tells her that there's been some sort of attack on America -- maybe the Russians, maybe Martians -- the air is contaminated and everyone above ground is dead.  He rescued her from her wrecked car and expects -- sometimes demands -- her thanks and obedience.  He keeps the keys to outside on him at all times, along with a gun.  He expects them to be in the bunker for at least a year or two.  And the only other person in the bunker is Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), a local guy who helped Howard build his bunker.

Naturally, Michelle is skeptical.  She wonders if Howard caused her car accident, she wonders if there really was any attack, and she swears she hears cars and other sounds from outside.  But while Howard's stability seems to come and go, there are also plenty of warning signs outside as well.  The trio soon find themselves bouncing back and forth between paranoia and being an impromptu family.

10 Cloverfield Lane has a simple and effective setup, as the three characters are forced together in a waiting game whose rules seem to keep changing.  The cast is good, especially John Goodman, and there's plenty of suspense generated by their "what if?" situation.  The resolution isn't quite as interesting as what happens beforehand, but 10 Cloverfield Lane is interesting and entertaining.

Overall grade: B+
Reviewed by James Lynch

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR

Horror movies would not exist or be much shorter if the characters in them would just follow instructions.  Instead, they always seem to ignore warnings and read from forbidden books, feed Gremlins after midnight, or engage in dubious burial practices.  The latter is a key plot point in The Other Side of the Door, a supernatural horror film that's very familiar.

Maria (Sarah Wayne Callies) and her husband Michael (Jeremy Sisto) are an American couple living in Mumbai, India.  They have a young daughter named Lucy (Sofia Rosinsky) and seem like they should be happy -- but that's not the case.  Maria is always depressed, because (as we learn in a flashback) they also had a young son named Oliver, and when the car went into the river Maria had to leave Oliver to drown while she saved Lucy.

After Maria almost overdoses on sleeping pills, the housekeeper Piki (Suchitra Pillai) has an unusual solution for her: If Maria goes to a remote temple in the forest and spreads Oliver's ashes at its steps, when night falls she will be able to speak to Oliver through a locked door and say her final goodbyes.  But Piki makes Maria promise that no what she hears, she is not under any circumstances to open the door.

Of course Maria makes the trip -- and of course she winds up swinging open the door.  It's not long afterwards that strange things begin happening: Aborigine-type men appear and chant, Oliver's favorite stuffed animal begins turning up, things in the house keep moving, Lucy claims she's playing with Oliver, and mysterious figures start appearing.  Soon these events become much more menacing, Maria's nightmares seem to be coming true, and things keep getting worse and worse...

The Other Side of the Door isn't a terrible horror movie, but it has far too elements that have been used many times before.  The grieving parent whose bringing back a deceased child with terrible results has been used plenty of other times -- from "The Monkey's Paw" to Pet Sematary -- and nothing original or surprising is done with that cliche here.  I was hoping the Indian setting would lead to more exotic elements, but that's almost never the case here.  Instead, we get dark figures either lurking in shadows or creeping forward, over and over.  This movie was a letdown.

Overall grade: C-
Reviewed by James Lynch

ZOOTOPIA

There are plenty of cartoon animals who wear clothes and act like humans -- and in Zootopia, predators and prey live together and generally get along.  This being a Disney movie, there are also lessons about not judging others, dreams coming true, and some mystery to boot.

Ever since she was little, bunny rabbit Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) dreamed of leaving her family's carrot farm in the sticks and becoming a police officer in the massive metropolis of Zootopia.  She worked hard, got great grades, and finally made it.

However, life in the big city is hardly what she wants.  Lots of the larger animals look down her (literally and figuratively), and the water buffalo Police Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) sticks Judy on traffic ticket duty while the other police officers look into the disappearance of 14 predators.  Mayor Lionheart (J.K. Simmons) thinks Judy's assignment is a token program, while Deputy Mayor Bellwether (Jenny Slate), a sheep, is thrilled a small animal is getting a chance at a serious job.

 Judy gets the chance to prove herself when she agrees to find the missing Mr. Otter within 48 hours -- or resign if the fails.  To do this, she blackmails the con artist fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) into helping her.  Their investigation leads the reluctant duo into underworld critters, predators turning savage, medical mysteries and assorted conspiracies.  And life lessons.

 Zootopia is more cute than funny.  The voice talent and animation are good, and there are plenty of jokes and references for adults: Tommy Chong as a hippie yak, references to The Godfather and Breaking Bad, and the character Gazelle who looks a whole lot like her voice actor Shakira.  But the story is very predictable and there are more chuckles than outright laughs.  Zootopia is entertaining and very, very light.

Overall grade: B-

Reviewed by James Lynch

REDSHIRTS by John Scalzi

It's somewhere between a joke and a cliche that on the original Star Trek series, a character wearing a red shirt is pretty much doomed when sent on an away mission.  This concept gets taken to a comedic and metafictional extreme in Redshirts, a novel by John Scalzi.

It's the year 2456, and Ensign Andrew Dahl has been assigned to the Intrepid, the flagship in the Universal Union (Double U).  He's become fast friends with some fellow new recruits -- Duvall, Hester, Hanson, Finn -- and is ready to explore the universe on an elite starship.

It's not long before Dalh starts to notice that things on board the Intrepid are more than a little odd.  There's a mysterious Box that can magically create the solution to any problem -- in a dramatic amount of time.  During certain events something called the Narrative takes over, making characters say and do things that make no sense.  Some of the more experienced crew members have not only noticed that new members die with alarming regularity, but also calculated the odds of dying based on which command staff are on the mission.  Astrogator Kerensky keeps getting sent on away missions, gets injured or diseased, and miraculously recovers -- until the next one.  And a crew member named Jenkins hides himself in the ship and has the crazy idea that all the strangeness is somehow related to an ancient television show called Star Trek...

John Scalzi wrote for Stargate: Universe and was president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, so he knows his sci-fi cliches, and has plenty of fun with them in Redshirts.  Where the novel becomes in danger is when it gets too meta, as Dahl and his friends get more than a little mixed up with science fiction television to try and gain control of their own destinies.  The characters are pretty thin (good luck getting a physical description of any of them) but that's balanced by some nicely dark humor ("but then he tripped and one of the land worms ate his face and he died anyway") and three post-novel codas that are surprisingly moving.  Redshirts is an uneven novel, but it still manages to supply plenty of chuckles for those familiar with the... excesses of Star Trek, and science fiction in general

Overall grade: B-
Reviewed by James Lynch

FANTASY FREAKS AND GAMING GEEKS by Ethan Gilsdorf

Plenty of adolescents become obsessed with "geeky" interests in high school, only to drift away from them when other interests and imperatives come about.  But what about returning to those interests -- or discovering how they've changes and what else is there?  Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks is the autobiographical journey of Ethan Gilsdorf as a once and possibly future geek.

As a teenager, Ethan got immersed in Dungeons & Dragons to match his interest in Tolkien and escape from his "Momster" (who became almost a monster after a brain aneurysm) but drifted away from that imaginary world when other things came about (like his first kiss).  Years later, he found himself wondering: With the rise and popularity of geek culture, what else is out there?  What are the geeks like now?  And would those worlds draw him back in?

His exploration of those questions became a quest not only of international travels but also a wide assortment of imaginary worlds.  Ethan explores electronic massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) like World of Warcraft, engages in live-action role playing (LARPing) in Forest of Doors, goes to the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA) massive gathering at Pennsic, attends Dragon*Con and GenCon, helps build a real medieval castle in France, tours where the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed, and returns to D&D.  Along the way he chats with people about how their interests have affected their lives, searches for that elusive geek love, and wonders about the appeal of these imaginary lands -- and whether he'll return to them.

I wish I enjoyed Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks more than I did.  As a travelogue of the imaginary, Ethan does manage to cover a lot of ground (though skips the massive worlds of superheroes, Star Wars, and Star Trek), discovers a wide variety of fans, and keeps coming up with variants of "Ethan" to name his pretend characters.  However, Ethan's angst about whether or not to return to these imaginary world borders on existential angst and shirt-rending.  This book is of potential interest for people looking to learn about what's out there in the worlds of fantasy (and what the people who immerse themselves in them are like) but could have used a lighter, more objective tone at times.

Overall grade: C+
Reviewed by James Lynch

THE WITCH

In colonial times, there was good reason to fear the wild, untamed forests -- and sometimes fanatical religious beliefs as well.  The Witch seeks to scare audiences with both of those elements, but...

In New England, 1630, a heavily religious family -- father William (Ralph Ineson), wife Katherine (Kate Dickie), teenage daughter Thomasin  (Anya Taylor-Joy), adolescent son Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw), young twins Mercy and Jonas (Ellie Grainger and Lucas Dawson) -- are cast out of a plantation, so William decides to start a farm.  A time later they have corn, goats, and a dog (and newborn son Samuel), but they are struggling -- with much of the corn being rotten -- leading William to go hunting for food with Caleb in the forbidden forest right behind the farm.

There are other tensions within the family.  Thomasin feels guilt when Samuel vanishes -- taken by the witch in the forest -- while Thomasin was playing peek-a-boo with him.  Caleb is unaccustomed to growing up -- and he keeps staring at Thomasin's breasts -- and feels guilty.  The twins are continually annoying, leading Thomasin to tell them she's a witch to scare them quiet.  William secretly sold his wife's silver cup, without telling her.  And with all this going on, other family members start vanishing, suffering, and begin to suspect each other of being in league with the devil.  And that witch is out in the forest...

While this setup has the potential for contrasts between civilization and wilderness, or faith and suspicion, The Witch falls apart in the execution.  The movie lacks any real tension, settling for blasting the soundtrack before big scenes and manages to be quite tedious in-between.  The movie mistakenly shows us the witch (removing the possibility that the evil is in the family's head and not an external force) and then gives us far more of an evil rabbit (serriously) and black goat than the evil creature.  And while the actors aren't bad, they're not given anything interesting to do or say through the movie.  The Witch is a complete dud of a horror movie, lacking both scares and interest.

Overall grade; F
Reviewed by James Lynch

DEADPOOL

With the immense popularity of Marvel and DC superhero movies, it was only a matter of time before there was a comedy take on the genre, aware of the genre's issues and silliness.  And while Kick-Ass existed in its self-contained, somewhat realistic universe, Deadpool is firmly set in the Marvel universe while happily breaking the fourth wall and making fun of itself.

Told in non-chronological order, Deadpool has what could be a fairly traditional origin story.  Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is a former special forces member turned mercenary, trying to help people while insisting he's not a good guy.  (Wade also never seems to stop making jokes and smart-ass comments.)  He winds up starting a romance with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), a hooker with a heart of gold and a love of snark.  Their romance is interrupted by the discovery that Wade has stage four cancer that's spread all over his body.

Wade leaves Vanessa, wanting to spare her from his deterioration.  He winds up submitting to an experimental treatment from Ajax/Francis (Ed Skrein), who offers not just to heal Wade but also to give him superhuman abilities.  However, while the process works -- Wade gets the ability to heal from any injury or illness, including his cancer -- there are several catches.  The treatment is incredibly sadistic, and Ajax (who has his own superpowers: enhanced reflexes and inability to feel pain) plans to control his successful test subjects (including Wade) and sell them to the highest bidder.  Also, the treatment leaves Wade horribly disfigured, and while Ajax can cure that, he chooses not to.  Of course Wade escapes, taking on the identity of Deadpool and planning to track down Ajax (killing and torturing along the way to get information) and force him to fix his face; he also decides not to see Vanessa again until his face is fixed.

If this sounds like a typical superhero movie, that's because it doesn't include the humor (not to mention massive amounts of both violence and profanity) which starts with the opening credits and rarely lets up.  While there are plenty of comic book references, the scattershot jokes range from 1980s movies to 1990s singers to, yes, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.  The X-Men's Colossus (a cgi character voiced by Stefan Kapicic) is a goody two-shoes, while his trainee Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) is a sullen teenager.  There's also plenty of comedy coming from Deadpool's bartender friend Weasel (T.J. Miller) and blind roommate Al (Leslie Uggams).  There's plenty of talking to the camera, referring to the movie itself (whether turning it into a franchise or not being able to afford more X-Men characters).

Deadpool is a mix of action and comedy, and both work pretty well.  Ryan Reynolds is perfectly cast as the merc with a mouth who never seems to stop joking or irritation those around him; however, virtually every other character is paper-thin, easily summarized in a single sentence (or sentence fragment).  But while the movie can be superficial, it's also pretty entertaining and funny.  Deadpool provides some nice escapism, mixed with lots of blood and cursing.

Overall grade: B+
Reviewed by James Lynch

BEST WORST MOVIE dvd

While I've never subscribed to the "so bad it's good" theory of movies that are so terrible they become enjoyable, I have seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show numerous times and enjoyed bad movies being mocked on Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Rifftrax.  But how does an awful film become a cult phenomenon -- and how does such a movie affect the people who were directly involved in it?  Best Worst Movie explores the second life of Troll 2 -- a 1990 horror movie that for a time occupied the very bottom spot on the IMDB -- as a cult phenomenon.

Directed by Michael Paul Stephenson (the child star of Troll 2), Best Worst Movie is an celebratory look at what happened with that wretched movie about 19 years after its release.  Much of the cast tried to distance themselves from the movie -- George Hardy became a dentist, while Connie Young left the movie off her resume -- and were surprised to discover that it had developed a cult following.  Midnight showings were held around America (often with The Rocky Horror Picture Show the next night) and the cast members soon found themselves invited to screenings of a movie they didn't understand while making it and might have happily forgotten.  But people seem to love it despite or because of its flaws ("We had a great time watching it" one fan exudes) -- and soon George Hardy is selling Troll 2 merchandise at conventions, showing up at screenings, and promoting the movie in his hometown.

While a few critics discuss the movie (excusing its flaws with the sincerity that went into making the film), most of Best Worst Movie centers on Troll 2's stars and fans.  George Hardy is relentlessly cheerful, smiling and laughing while promoting the movie as "the worst movie ever made."  Director Claudio Fragasso is thin-skinned to any criticisms of his movie, and actress Margo Prey seems unbalanced even before she sincerely compares Troll 2 to Casablanca.  As for the fans, they happily wear "Nilbog" t-shirts, cover themselves with green liquid, and praise the stars as they assemble for numerous viewings of their beloved awful film.

The lesson of Best Worst Movie seems to be that a cult classic has to happen organically.  Troll 2 took on new life in theaters thanks to word-of-mouth from fans, while George Hardy's attempts to promote Troll 2 merchandise at science fiction and horror conventions were disastrous.  Ultimately, Best Worst Movie doesn't attempt to salvage the reputation of Troll 2, but it does make the viewer understand why people still love to watch it.  (DVD extras include several extra scenes.)

Overall grade: B

Reviewed by James Lynch

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS dvd

Vampires have inspired numerous interpretations -- horrific creatures, romantic figures, angst-driven souls -- but what if, in modern times, they tried to live in the modern world?  This is the basis for What We Do in the Shadows, a mockumentary about what can happen when the traditional vampire comes face to face with the modern world.

What We Do in the Shadows begins with four centuries-old vampires living as flatmates in Wellington, New Zealand.  Viago (Taiki Waititi) is a bit of a dandy who laments his lost love -- and tries to get his flatmates to follow through on their responsibilities on the chore wheel.  Vladislav (Jermaine Clement) has a hypnotic gaze and considers himself dangerous; he also obsesses over his losing battles with a supernatural entity called the Beast.  Deacon (Jonny Brugh) considers himself the cool one in the group; he also has a human familiar: Jackie (Jackie van Beek), a bored housewife who serves Deacon in the hopes he'll someday turn her into a vampire.  Finally there's Petyr (Ben Fransham), the oldest vampire; he resembles the creature from Nosferatu and rarely leaves his stone coffin in the basement.

The vampires have invited two cameramen to film them at their daily activities, whether wandering around town looking for victims, entertaining themselves in their flat, looking for a fight with werewolves ("We're werewolves, not swear-wolves"), or preparing for the Unholy Masquerade ball for supernatural beings.  Changes start when their victim Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Maceur) becomes a vampire and starts bringing them into the modern age -- as well as telling everyone that he's a vampire.  ("Twilight!")  There's also Stu (Stu Rutherford), a friend of Nick's who quickly becomes more popular with the vampires than Nick, and who they all agree not to eat.

 What We Do in the Shadows is quite a funny take on the vampire genre.  All the standards of vampirism are there -- killing for blood, bursting into flame in sunlight, hypnotism, flying, turning into bats, needing to be invited someplace, not having a reflection -- but they all become part of the vampires' almost mundane existence in their home and about town.  There are lots of funny lines, and stars Taiki and Jermaine also direct the film with a simple and straightforward touch that makes the situations even funnier.  What We Do in the Shadows is a light comedy (about inhuman killers) that's quite enjoyable.  (Sadly and surprisingly, there are no extras on the dvd.)

Overall grade: B+
Reviewed by James Lynch

HAIL, CAESAR!

Nostalgia can be both good and bad, bringing folks back to a seemingly better time while often tempting folks to just live in the past instead of doing something great for the present.  The latter is, alas, the trap Joel and Ethan Coen fall into with their new film Hail Caesar!

It's the 1950s, and Eddie Manniz (Josh Brolin) is an executive fixes at Capitol Studios.  His job, which extends into all hours of the day and night, is to oversee the studio's assorted films and to fix the problems the actors get into.

And there are plenty of problems.  Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) is starring in the studio's big religious picture Hail, Caesar! but he has an older scandal hanging over his head; he also gets kidnapped by a group called the Future.  Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich) is a Western movie star whose country accent is terrible in his high society movie, driving director Laurence Laurentz (Ralph Fiennes) crazy.  DeeAnna Moran (Scarlett Johansson) faces the scandal of being a single mother, leading to the solution of having her adopt her own baby.  Mannix also has a possibly better job offer from a military company, and his battle with smoking leads him to confession every day.  There are also cameos by Channing Tatum as a musical's star singer-dancer Burt Gurney, Jonah Hill as studio legal patsy Joseph Silverman, and Tilda Swinton as identical twin gossip reporters Thora and Thessaly Thacker.

The Coen brothers have a great reverence for the 1950s movies, whether it's the snippets of the fake movies or the chain-smoking tough guy Mannix doing what he has to in order to keeps the wheels of the studio running.  Unfortunately, there's not more to Hail, Caesar! beyond this superficial adoration of the time period.  The truly stellar cast isn't given any real depth for any characters, and there aren't enough laughs or amusing scenarios to make this an effective comedy.  There are potentially interesting threads (the religious imagery and themes alongside the Communists) but they're given zero development.  Hail, Caesar! is ultimately nice to look at but not much more.

Overall grade: C
Reviewed by James Lynch

I LOST IT AT THE VIDEO STORE by Tom Roston

For those of us old enough, there was a time when physically traveling to a video store was just about the only way to find and watch movies that weren't in the movie theaters.  Blockbuster had walls of the newest releases, small stores had almost-random assortments of titles, independent stores often had obscure and foreign films, and "be kind -- rewind" was a well-known instruction.  But how did these stores affect filmmakers?  What did they mean for the movie industry, what led to their disappearances, and is there absence a good or bad thing?  Tom Roston assembled over twenty people involved in the film industry and spliced together their interviews in I Lost It at the Video Store: A Filmmakers' Oral History of a Vanished Era.

This book has Roston's interview subjects chatting about their experiences clerking in video stores, explaining the business side of the direct-to-video market, sharing stories about their favorite video stores, exploring how watching movies on VHS enabled and affected their own films, and what ultimately killed the video store -- and what followed after its demise.  While a few chapters are monopolized by their subject -- one is nothing but Kevin Smith, another is all about Reservoir Dogs -- most of the book consists of a few sentences or paragraphs from the interview subjects, put together in a semblance of a conversation.

There are times I Lost It at the Video Store would have benefited from simply letting its subjects talk uninterrupted instead of mixing their thoughts together.  That said, I really enjoyed this book.  It supplies a first-hand look back at a now-vanished, once-dominant place that had its own culture and impact on many greats in cinema, as well as thoughtful disagreement on whether its vanishing is for better or worse.  This is an informative and entertaining look back at the virtually extinct place that was the video store.

Overall grade: A-
Reviewed by James Lynch

MADNESS ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS

Trains are not the most common or practical means of travel, but they are an interesting setting for horror: Characters are effectively trapped on the train between stops, they can meet interesting travelers (and dangerous creatures), and there are the possibilities of the mystery and intrigue of foreign cities when the train is the famous Orient Express.  Madness on the Orient Express, edited and introduced by James Lowder, is a successful Kickstarter Chaosium, Inc. collection of sixteen Lovecraftian tales which all involve, in some manner, the Orient Express.

While it would be simple for all the authors to have the protagonists run into creatures and cultists on the Orient Express, there are quite a few different takes for this location.  "The God beneath the Mountain" is concerned with creating routes for the Orient Express.  A few stories cast the Orient Express as the simple conveyance to a destination, such as "There Is a Book" and "La Musique de L'ennui" (which is more concerned with The Phantom of the Opera than the famous train).  Harry Houdini is the protagonist of "Bound for Home," while competitive cooks face a grisly turn in "A Great and Terrible Hunger."  And the Orient Express has a faded grandeur while taking a tired woman on a journey in "Daddy, Daddy."

Then there are the stories where the Orient Express is key.  In "Engineered" the train tracks -- of this and all trains -- have an ominous hidden pattern.  A battle between cosmic factions is played out on the train in "Inscrutable."  The past and present come together oddly in "A Finger's Worth of Coal," and the collection ends with the surreal "Stained Windows."

I never ran or played a Call of Cthulhu adventure set on a train, but now I'm considering it.  The stories here are mostly of pretty good quality, and the variety they bring into the same famous setting keeps the book quite diverse.  Madness on the Orient Express is a nice, horrific series of trips on the world's most famous train.

Overall grade: B+
Reviewed by James Lynch