Pop stuff: Doctor Who - An Adventure in Time and Space; Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. reconsidered!

What I'm watching, reading, hearing, etc.

Doctor Who: An Adventure in Time and Space
Set for American release in May, this BBC TV film aired late last year as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations for "Doctor Who."


It's not a Doctor Who adventure, but a docudrama that looks behind the scenes at the beginnings of the show and the interesting stories and personalities that led to its creation.

"Mad Men"-like in its period details, the film -- penned by sometime "Who" scripter Mark Gatkiss -- nails the early 1960s at the BBC and in Britain. Brian Cox plays Sydney Newman, the American producer who hatched the early idea -- a pseudo-educational time-traveling series helmed by a friendly grandpa type -- and handed it off to his young assistant Verity Lambert (Jessica Raine), who turned it into much more than that.

David Bradley is a dead-ringer for First Doctor William Hartnell, a skilled stage actor who thinks he's above all this rubbish, but who comes to love the Doctor and all the celebrity that comes with the role.  Sacha Dhawan plays Waris Hussein, the series' early director.

So, there you have it, the Doctor and his two companions, in real-life, navigating a challenging new advenutre: An old man, a woman and an Indian national, all working to come up with something new in an industry overseen by cybermen middle-aged white men dedicated to the status quo. It's a great story, well-written and played.

There are fun nostalgic touches all the way through: The early days of Dalekmania; Delia Derbyshire in the BBC Radiophonic Workship creating the program's famous theme, and a cameo by William Russell, who played original companion Ian Chesterton, as a BBC security guard.  But, mostly, this is a dramatic story, and a touching one at that.

Longtime Doctor Who fans will love the history, while newer ones will enjoy learning about the show's origins. Non-fans, I think, will enjoy the story and the film's ability to capture its period so well.


Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Well into its first season, Joss Whedon's S.H.I.E.L.D. series has a a lot going for it. Joss Whedon for one. Plus, an enjoyable cast, fun characters, occasionally zippy dialogue. But it still seems to lack a strong identity, both as its own show and apart from the Marvel movie franchise.

I keep waiting for something more to happen, and it doesn't help that the characters on the show are continually name-dropping Thor, Captain America and the Hulk and referring to the "Battle of New York" that ended the first Avengers film.

Obviously, Whedon and crew want to establish that this show takes place in the Marvel Universe. But all those reminders only really serve to emphasize that these characters are on the periphery of that world, not in the center of it. We keep hearing about Nick Fury and the big superheroes, but never see them. And the more it happens, the more this show and its characters seem like the B league.

Last week, Lady Sif (Jaime Alexander), from the Thor movies showed up and some minor movie-like Marvel mayhem ensued. It gave the show a shot of energy and showed that, despite everything we've seen to date, these black-suited spooks occasionally do run into real superheroes. not just stand around talking about them.

But rather than reminding us all the time that Agent Coulson kinda sorta knows Tony Stark, this series might be better off making us forget all that. Clark Gregg, as Coulson, is a fun actor to watch and different from your typical lead character in an action series. He's quiet, not dynamic. He's middle-aged with thinning hair, not young and strapping. But he's smart and funny and shrewd.

The rest of the crew is also good, for the most part, and has the potential to become much better if this show can put more focus on them instead of the characters who aren't there and likely will never show up.

Super scientists Fitz and Simmons are goofy and geeky and adorable in a Willow-Xander type of way. Chloe Bennett as novice agent Skye is funny and down to earth and provides a real person's perspective to all the strange and super goings on. Ming-Na Wen deserves an award of some sort for making an extremely stereotypical and cardboard character sympathetic and somewhat real. The weak link is Brett Dalton as hunky Agent Ward. I guess he's the misfit by being the dullest and most normal of the lot. Useful when you need someone beaten up, but not a vital part of the group when it comes to character development and repartee.

It'd be great to see the show's creators take these characters and run with them -- far, far away from the rest Marvel Universe. The plot thread concerning Coulson's mysterious and miraculous recovery from injuries sustained in the Avengers movie has been drawn out far too long, and is weakened by its association with the film -- another reminder that this show isn't yet standing on its own two feet.

This is a fun crew and deserves better than they've got to date. If their world needs to contain superheroes -- and I don't know that it does -- let's actually see them, not just hear about them. Marvel has many character that likely won't -- and probably shouldn't -- appear on the big screen, but might work just fine on TV.

But standing around talking about Thor, like nerds pretending they're friends with the high school quarterback who never gives them the time of day, is just sad. This show could be a lot more.

Pop stuff: Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Mr. Peabody & Sherman
I got a bigger kick than expected from this big screen adaptation of the "Peabody's Improbable History" segments from the Rocky and Bullwinkle shows. Generally, when you take something so short and sweet, and blow it up into full-length feature, you lose the charm of the original, but that's not the case here.

The film moves along at a fast clip, with Mr. Peabody, the dog, and Sherman, his boy, time traveling by Wayback Machine right from the get-go. But, despite being fast-moving, this film is much less frantic and loud than many of today's movies for kids. The tone of the adventures is much like that of the original cartoons, complete with bad puns that make you laugh despite yourself.

Since this is a feature, and since the source material wasn't, we need some back story on these characters to round them out and invest them with some emotional weight. This is done on the fly  with a light -- not heavy -- hand. We learn who Peabody is and how he came to adopt a boy, but it's quickly handled so we can do some more time traveling, which is the whole point.

The time travel sequences remind me a bit of Asterix adventures in the way different cultures and historical figures are gently satirized. Plus all the puns. There's some genuinely funny stuff here.

The voice cast is excellent, too. Ty Burrell, the dad on "Modern Family" does a fair job imitating Bill Scott's erudite and elongated speech patterns as Peabody, while his TV daughter Ariel Winter provides the voice of Sherman's initially snotty schoolmate Penny Peterson. Sherman is voiced by Max Charles.

Other voices that pop up include Stephen Colbert as Penny's dad, who looks just like Stephen Colbert, and Leslie Mann plays Penny's mom. Mel Brooks provides the voice of Einstein, Lake Bell is the Mona Lisa, and Patrick Warburton brings his manly tones to the hilariously macho Agamemnon.

Children won't learn much accurate history here and the seemingly obligatory take-home message about family loyalty and acceptance will likely zip right by them, but they'll be amused and entertained by the adventure, and parents will likely get a nostalgic buzz and chuckle, too.

Pop stuff: Inside Llewyn Davis; Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

What I'm reading, hearing, watching, etc.

Inside Llewyn Davis. Set in the pre-Dylan Greenwich Village folk scene of the early 1960s, this is the quietest, sanest Coen Brothers film to date. There are few of their manic touches on display. Mainly, what we see are the misadventures of the lead character -- a talented, but undistinguished singer and songwriter whose greatest obstacle to success seems to be himself.

Like many in the real folk scene were, Llewyn is preoccupied with being pure and uncommercial. His very lack of success means he's doing things right. To do better would be selling out, he tells the permanently cranky Jean (Carey Mulligan), the wife of a friend he may or may not have impregnated.

Jean's husband, Jim, (Justin Timberlake), does "sell out," hitting the charts with the lively, hilarious rock/doo-wop novelty tune, "Please Mr. Kennedy." The recording session where Jim, Llewyn and a fellow struggling folkie (Adam Driver) create the tune is one of the film's highlights.

But Jim's approach to music and art is more genuine and less self-conscious than Llewyn's "art." Jim is upbeat, maybe a tad overly earnest, but happy, at least, while Llewyn is none of the above. In fact, if he gets any more jaded and cynical, he may end up like a junkie jazzman he meets on the road, a walking cautionary tale played by Coen regular John Goodman.

The film is quiet, yes, but still engaging and well-paced. It's rare to spend this long inside one character's head, as we do here -- to come to understand his flaws and their roots. The performances are excellent, particularly Mulligan's and Oscar Isaac's in the lead role.

Really, Llewyn's biggest problem is that he's lost his musical foil, a partner who committed suicide. He blames those around him for not being able to move on. The film sends a message about art and authenticity, about what's really cool and genuine, and what's original. All questions that Bob Dylan -- an artist unafraid to be himself, or to be commercial -- forced the folk community to ask. In the film, Llewyn hears this new singer singing, and seems to hear the deeper possibilities of the music. Maybe he'll finally be able to move forward, too.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. I love a laugh as much as the next guy. But, generally, the idea of non-situational comedy on TV doesn't grab me. I can't take those standup shows on Comedy Central with the too-loud audience laughter and the too-predictable jokes. All of which probably  explain why I'm such a latecomer to this charming show featuring Jerry Seinfeld and various guest comics.

What I like about the show is that it's not strictly played for laughs. Not that there's much in the way of serious conversation, but Jerry and his guests aren't trying overly hard to be funny. They are simply drinking coffee, conversing, and  being funny in the process. The laughs are organic, not forced.

The show appears online and also via the Crackle channel available on Roku and other streaming devices. Among the most entertaining eps to date are those featuring Larry David, Louis CK, Patton Oswalt and Gad Elmaleh.

Car nuts will want to check it out, too: In each episode, Jerry picks up his guest in a classic (or, sometimes, not-so-classic) car.

Pop stuff: Beatles - The Night that Changed America; The Lego Movie!

What's I'm watching, hearing, reading, etc.

 
The Beatles: The Night that Changed America, CBS, Feb. 9. As likely every American within earsthot of a TV or radio knows, last weekend marked the 50th anniversary the Beatles' first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

That original broadcast was seen by a then-record 73 million people. It revitalized rock'n'roll, created a beachhead for the British Invasion and influenced thousands of teenagers to pick up guitars and start their own bands. The whole pop revolution, of course, also influenced a generation's fashion, politics and even spiritual outlook. And, there's a good case to be made that it all started on "Sullivan." At least in America.

So, it's a historical event well worth noting, and one that was a lot more fun and pleasant than most. This special, premiered Feb. 9 and rebroadcast last night, was arranged by the folks who bring us the Grammy Awards and looks to be the American media's primary nod to the anniversary, which is odd. You'd think the network news programs or PBS might have done a more serious study of the Beatles' early impact on America and where it led, but the opportunity seems to have passed them by.

Instead, all we're left with is essentially a cheesy awards show with no awards: junky/glitzy sets, lots of audience shots, seemingly random selection and pairing of performers. The payoff for viewers were the performances by Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, solo and together, placed at the end of the broadcast.

Why L.L. Cool J as host? Because he's hosted the Grammys, I guess. But that's on the tip of the baffling iceberg. Most of the musical acts were seemingly selected based on current popularity and availability -- not for having anything to do with the Beatles. The results included a tepid rendition "All My Loving" by Maroon 5, the head-scratching (and big-hatted) duo of Brad Paisley and Pharrell Williams doing no justice to "Here Comes the Sun," a flimsy "Yesterday" by Katy Perry featuring a spare arrangement that laid bare the thinness of her vocal abilities, and a predictably over-the-top "Let it Be" by Alicia Keys and John Legend, substituting strained vocals for soul.

Somewhat better were ELO's Jeff Lynne (really, the only Beatlesque guest on the bill) and Ringo's brother-in-law Joe Wash performing "Something" and Walsh and new blues guy Gary Clark on "While My Guitar Gentely Weeps." Best of all was Stevie Wonder reprising his 1970 cover of "We Can Work it Out," still sounding fabulous. Lynne and Dave Grohl deserve a nod, too, for at least taking on a deep track and making it rock: "Hey, Bulldog," off the Yellow Submarine soundtrack album.

More fun than all this were the brief interview segments featuring Paul and Ringo interviewed by David Letterman as they toured the former Ed Sullivan Show theater, now host to Letterman's show. The crowd shots of Paul, Ringo and, especially, a nimble Yoko Ono, grooving along to the musical performances were entertaining, too.

After all this, the appearance of first Ringo, and then Paul, on stage was much welcome. More spry than ever at age 73, Ringo bounded on stage to perform a lively "Matchbox," followed by "Boys" and a nice, sing-along rendition of "Yellow Submarine." He was in modest voice, as ever, but really seemed into it. His warmth and sense of fun rubbed off on the audience, both in the theater and at home.

Macca's performance was more perfunctory. These days, he plays old Beatles tunes nearly as often as a Fabs tribute band. But he was in better voice than during his recent Grammys appearance. The tune selection was very routine: "Birthday" and "I Saw Her Standing There, " followed by "Sgt. Pepper" and "With a Little Help Friend My Friends" (which marked Ringo's reappearance on the stage, of course) followed by the obligatory "Hey Jude." It would've been nice if the duo had performed a John or George tune in recognition of their absent comrades, but no go. Still, it's fun to see even two Beatles on stage together, and Paul and Ringo seem to hold one another in genuine affection.

Did the Beatles need such a tribute? I don't think so. Their legacy stands. And the legacy of the first Sullivan appearance is better served by just watching the show again - all the Beatles "Sullivan" appearances are available, complete with period TV ads, on DVD. Also recommended is "The Beatles: First U.S. Visit" documentary, which includes the band's performances on the "Sullivan Show" and lengthy looks at all the surrounding mania.


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The Lego Movie. Michael Chabon wrote an essay a few years back about playing Legos with his kids (we always said "playing Legos," not "playing with Legos"), in which he despaired over how much  today's Lego sets, and today's children, rely on directions in their building.

Why, when we were kids (both Chabon and I, apparently), we used to just build crap out of Legos. They came in a box without set instructions on what to do with them.  The fun thing about the toy was that you didn't need directions - you just played. It wasn't  like an Aurora model kit where, if you applied the wrong piece in the wrong spot, it would be Testored there forever. If you didn't like what you made, or were tired of it, you'd simply take the Legos apart. And you could build stuff that Aurora never dreamed of.

The brilliant minds behind "The Lego Movie" get this, and have made a film that wisely tells kids to ignore the directions and just play. It's a tribute to experimentation and creativity free of self-consciousness. It's only once we start growing up that we start worrying if we're doing the right thing, and what others might think.

The film's plot hinges on Emmett, a generic construction worker living in a generic Lego world, and his efforts to prevent his all Lego creation from becoming permanently Super-glued in place under the dictatorial rule of Lord Business. Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Alison Brie, Morgan Freeman and many others are on hand to provide the voices, with Will Arnett perfect as the hilariously self-involved Batman.

The film's creators have the world's biggest tub of Legos to play with, not to mention a load of licensed characters to lampoon. I'm not sure how many hours of legal wrangling it all took, but it's a blast to see Batman interacting with Star Wars characters and Gandalf being mistaken for Dumbledore. Shaquille O'Neal provides the voice for his brick-sized doppelganger and Abraham Lincoln rockets around in a Jack Kirby-style "space chair."

It's the type of free-for-all, stream-of-consciousness storytelling kids engage in while playing: "I'm going to build a submarine," "I want to build a spaceship," "Check out this double-decker couch!" Amazing, and silly, things can happen when you get into that zone. And this film is a valuable reminder to both children and adults to relax, let loose, have fun, and see what you can come up with.

The folks at Lego who make the toys should be attention, too. Let's have more sets not based on pop culture characters, and not meant to built just one thing. Leave the creativity up to us. Just give us a tub with lots of pieces.

Pop stuff: Nebraska and Anchorman 2

What I'm watching, reading, hearing, etc.

Two very different nights at the movie this past weekend.

My wife and I caught "Nebraska," which is in contention for a number of Academy Awards, and rightfully so.

It's a quiet film -- in black and white, even -- about an old guy who's convinced that the sweepstakes letter he's received in the mail will pay off big money, and he sets off from his home in Billings, Montana for Lincoln, Nebraska, to collect.

At first, Woody (played by an extremely understated Bruce Dern) tries to hitchhike. A longtime drunk, he's not allowed to drive himself. But his worried son, David (Will Forte), ultimately agrees to drive, though he's convinced the letter is bogus.

Woody is a guy who never got excited by much -- not work, not his marriage, not his kids. He doesn't say much either. And, when he does, it's often not very nice. But to see his old man excited (in his way) and hopeful, triggers something in David. He's hopeful, too, that maybe he'll get a chance now, in middle age, to finally figure out his dad.

The duo pass through some rough yet beautiful, spare and quiet territory to reach their destination.

It's a film that could be very sad, and sometimes is, but mostly it is hopeful, and also very funny. There's a great, unexpected caper scene that you'll remember pretty much forever, and June Squibb as Woody's long-suffering, and insufferable, wife is side-splittingly hilarious. Where has this woman been all our movie-going lives?

Also very funny, in a completely different way, is Will Ferrell and the gang's second outing as Ron Burgundy and his 1970s news crew cohorts in "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues," which I saw as part of my occasional "guys' dumb movie night" outings. It was an apt choice.

Ferrell is his generation's Chevy Chase -- a guy who can play straight and goofy at the same time, who has absolutely no shame when it comes to seeking a laugh. He's proud to look dumb, and we're happy to see him that way.

For a sequel, it's a solid movie, with lots of laughs and good pacing. There's some cringe-worthy stuff involving Burgundy's discomfort and cluelessness involving race, and a sequence in which he goes blind (I can't really explain), but it's clear that the only one being ridiculed is Burgundy, himself.

Even so, dumb as he is, you've got to admit Burgundy is pretty talented. Who else do you know who can figure skate and play jazz flute at the same time?

And, ultimately, it's Ron who exposes to us in this film the empty sensationalism of 24-hour TV news. This picture actually has a point!

Pop stuff: All is Lost; Asterix and the Picts!

What I'm watching, reading, hearing, etc. ...


All Is Lost. Apart from a few lines of dialogue at the very beginning and a well-justified expletive a little more than halfway through, there is no speech in this remarkable, riveting film.

The lead character, played by a haggard-but-still-handsome Robert Redford, isn't identified by name.

We don't know his background. All we know he's making a voyage on a sailboat when things go
terribly wrong. The boat strikes an abandoned shipping container floating in the sea and is badly damaged. The boat starts taking on water, but "our man," (as he's listed in the credits) manages to patch the hole and pump out the water. Then the storm hits, and it's one thing after another.

The use of music is very subtle. Mainly what we hear is wind and water and, as we watch Redford in action -- discouraged, but never stopping in his efforts to stay afloat and alive -- we're left to  consider our own efforts to overcome challenges and survive.

Thematically, the film is nearly identical to the excellent "Gravity" from earlier this year, where Sandra Bullock, also essentially carrying a film solo, fights for survival in outer space. But the quietness, and the primal challenges presented in "All is Lost" prove less-distracting than all the space hardware and mind-boggling special effects of the other film, allowing us a little more room to do our own thinking about what the film means, and how the character's struggles mirror our own.

Near the end, things don't look so good for Our Man. We're left wondering if those opening words at the start of the film will be his last. He's left having done everything he possibly could, but isn't sure if it's enough.

It's a place where any of us get to in our daily efforts just to survive, to stay positive and to keep trying. What can we do when we can do nothing more?


Asterix and the Picts. This is the 35th Asterix book (or "album," as the French like to say) and the first billed to a new creative team: writer Jean-Yves Ferri and artist Didier Conrad.

Original artist Alberto Uderzo, who created the feisty Gaul with writer Rene Goscinny in the late 1950s had stated in the past that he didn't want the Asterix series to continue after his death, but had a change of heart, selling the rights to the characters in 2006 and paving the way for a new team to take over (Goscinny died in 1977).

Ferri and Conrad follow in some daunting footsteps, to be sure. Asterix, his hefty pal Obelix, and the rest of the cast of irreverent, super-powered, Roman-baiting Gauls are beloved the world over. The U.S. seems to be one of the few nations where people just didn't "get" the characters, though the books are now finally widely available here. Back in the 70s, when I was growing up, you couldn't find an Asterix book outside of big city bookstores that carried the imports. I was introduced to the series by overseas relatives and relied on them for my supply.

Along with many fans, I have great affection and nostalgia for the characters and no real issue with seeing the series continue -- though that doesn't mean I won't complain about the new guys and make perhaps unreasonable comparisons to the series' glory years.

This isn't a bad book, by any means. I'll say right off the bat that it looks great.

Conrad is up to the challenge of following Uderzo, who is one of the greatest comics artists of all time. His comic pacing is strong and he brings warmth and expression to characters' expressions.

Without sitting down with older volumes and making direct comparisons, it's tough to distinguish his art from Uderzo's. To me, his line if a bit sharper, maybe, but it's very difficult to tell. I suppose, given time, Conrad eventually will make his own mark on the series, gently inserting more of his own style.

Ferri also has a tough job, as Uderzo knew when he himself took on the job of writing Asterix scripts following Goscinny's death. At their best, the Asterix tales were fast-paced and antic in their humor and action. Goscinny would build up a head of steam, and humor would boil over in a mad chaos of activity on the page, providing Uderzo opportunity to go wild with characters' expressions and actions. At times, things could reach Looney Tunes levels of zaniness.

But "Asterix and the Picts" never comes close to reaching that level. Instead, it strolls merrily along with some fun scenes here and there and the expected puns and the gentle poking-of-fun at national foibles (in this story, it's the Scots who get sent up). A runnning joke involving a census taker who visits the Gaul's village falls flat.

The new team's challenge is so great, and my love of Asterix is so strong, I wanted to like this book much more than I actually did.

Not by any stretch did the team fail, or "ruin" Asterix, but  they needed a stronger entry out of the gate. I was hoping for a splash, something that would highlight the beginning of a new era.

This book is much quieter than that -- the new team sheepishly knocks at the door instead of kicking it open. But, now that they've got the first one out of the way, let's hope they loosen up and go wild next time around.

Pop stuff: American Hustle: Beatles - Tune In Expanded

What I've been watching, reading, hearing, etc.

 
American Hustle. This caper film starts off with a gem of a scene as we see aging con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) assemble what has to be -- next to Donald Trump's -- one of the world's most elaborate comb overs. It's sure to be a classic clip in years to come, and it gets American Hustle off to a promising start.

And there's other fun stuff to like: Some great 70s music and garish outfits to match, some humorous conflict between Irving and FBI man Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), who has enlisted Irving's help in an undercover sting operation. But the energy and pacing soon flags.

Director David O. Russell, also at the helm for last year's overrated "Silver Linings Playbook" just can't seem to keep things clipping along. In a film like this, where the audience should constantly be kept guessing who's conning who. But there are moments when things here nearly grind to a halt and our minds are left to wander and dwell on what we see. Which, sometimes, just seems like a bunch of actors standing around in silly wigs and clothes.

It's not until the fantastic Jennifer Lawrence turns up well into the film that things pick up again. Lawrence is endearing and hilarious as Irving's eccentric and unpredictable wife, Rosalyn, who throws all sorts of wrenches into his, and everyone else's, plans. She livens up every scene she's in, and isn't in nearly enough of them.

The film works in fits and starts and there are some great performances, too, by Louis C.K. as Richie's beleaguered boss at the Bureau and Jeremy Renner as a young mayor unknowingly pulled into operation. And Bale reveals himself as a great comic actor.

Amy Adams, as Irving's moll Sydney, unfortunately, is left with little to do other than to prance around in provocative outfits throughout, though she and Lawrence throw off some nice sparks in the one scene in which they're brought together.

Not a bad film by any means, and often fun, but it would've been better with some trimming and sharpening up.

 
The Beatles: All These Years - Volume 1: Tune In Special Expanded Edition. I'm 350-some pages into this behemoth biography by Beatles scholar Mark Lewisohn, and John Lennon has just met Paul McCartney. Notice that I didn't use the word "finally," because, long read that it is, this book is not a slog. Not for me, anyhow.

That's a good thing, since I have a lot more reading to do. The extended version of Lewisohn's book is actually collected in two parts, both hefty hardcovers, and totals 1,728 pages, including notes and index. I've been reading all the notes, too, so I'm really getting the full meal deal.

As the New Yorker mentioned in its review of the short version of Lewisohn's Tune In (a mere 944 pages) must be "the most granular" biography ever written about a non-politician, and, indeed, it's incredibly detailed. But it's not dull.

Lewisohn is a good and engaging writer who is taking the time to build a world around the Beatles. This book isn't about what John Lennon ate for breakfast on a particular day, or that time Paul McCartney had a runny nose -- though Lewisohn probably knows that stuff, too. What it's about is where the Beatles came from and what makes/made them tick. I worried that early chapters would be mind-numbingly boring, going back a couple generations to learn about the band's great grandparents, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Lewisohn tours the family trees, but in entertaining fashion. We see characteristics in these forebears that shaped their famous offspring. We also learn much about the history and character of Liverpool and why the Beatles could have come from no place else. And we see how the second World War and its effects on the Beatles' hometown and British society also contributed to the environment that helped, or made, the Beatles happen.

Instead of reading one big book, it's a little like reading four or five biographies at once (Lewisohn also tells the story of Beatles' manager Brian Epstein in great detail), with a few additional reference books -- about Liverpool, the war, the history of rock'n'roll -- on the side.

Lewisohn brings all these pieces together and his research and sourcing is nigh-impeccable. As I mentioned, I'm (only) 350 pages in, and a few myths have been already been convincingly exploded. The story of how John Lennon was forced into choosing between living with his father or mother, for one, and even whether that first meeting between Paul and John was the first meeting. 

There are two more volumes to go in Lewisohn's epic biography. This one ends in 1962, with the Beatles on the cusp of fame. I figured if I was going to read something so detailed, I might as well go with this expanded edition -- available via Amazon UK -- rather than the single, shorter book, though I'm sure it's a fine alternative for those a tad less obsessive than myself. Looking forward to a lot more reading in the weeks to come, though it's going much quicker than expected.

Pop stuff: What I'm reading, watching, hearing, etc.

Gravity. Some critics say it's boring, Neil Tyson DeGrasse says it's fakey, but I liked it.

Seeing humans confront the dangers and vast mysteries of outer space without superpowers or sci-fi weaponry is a nice change of pace. The film brought me back to the era when all kids wanted to grow up to astronauts and the U.S. still had a sense of national unity, purpose and adventure.

If you're going to see it, do it now. It's one of the few 3-D movies worth seeing in that format. The visual effects are mind-blowing and immersive, while Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are as engaging as ever.



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Room 237. I got a kick out of this documentary, which explores some of the wacky critical theories people have about Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of "The Shining."

Maybe "conspiracy theories" is a better phrase for it.

Much like any creative work, one can let his or her imagination run wild over what Kubrick's film is really about. Is it a commentary on the plight of American Indians? Some folks think so. Was Kubrick dropping hints throughout the film that he was involved in faking the first moon landing? Could be.

Crazy stuff. But what I loved most about the movie is that instead of the usual talking head interviews, everything is done in voiceovers while footage from various Kubrick movies and other films plays. The effect is hilarious, emphasizing -- in a lighthearted way -- the absurdity of the commentators' ideas and overblown critical theories in general.



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The Haunting. Speaking of scary movies, this 1963 adaptation of Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" is one of my favorites.

My wife and I watched it with our 15-year-old son the other night -- his first time seeing it. It still holds up, largely due to it's minimalism. It's in black and white. There are no special effects. There's no violence or gore. All the suspense and terror is conveyed via the great performances, imaginative camera work and the sounds of things -- who knows what -- going bump in the night.

Claire Bloom provides a still-edgy subtext  to the state of affairs as she taunts/flirts with Julie Harris - the troubled and frightened main character of the piece.



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When They Were Boys: The True Story of the Beatles Rise to the Top by Larry Kane. I'm about three-quarters through Kane's third book about the Beatles (I guess one is technically just about John Lennon) and have mixed feelings about it.

There's no question that Kane -- who accompanied the Fabs on their three tours of the United States in 1964, 1965 and 1966 -- has interesting stuff to say about the band. He also has a huge inventory of interviews he conducted with the group back in those days, when he was a radio newsman. But this book is an odd hodge-podge of those materials and recent interviews with various observers and hangers-on from the Beatles Liverpool and Hamburg days.

There's little new info for fans who have read the key Beatles bios and Kane's writing seems disorganized, repetitive and full of peculiar quirks.

He seems to have an odd nickname for everyone -- Beatles fan club secretary is called "Freda the Believa" -- and he insists on calling the Fabs "John's Boys, " in effort to show John Lennon's early domination of the group.

Another odd thing is that Kane doesn't seem to present straight transcriptions of his radio interviews with the Beatles -- many of which were released on LPs several years back. I'd have to go back and listen, but the quotes in this book and those I remember the Beatles speaking on those releases don't line up. And I doubt that Kane's sources always paused to call him "Larry,"as in "Let me tell you, Larrry," as they do in the transcriptions featured in this book. We get it. You were there. You really talked to these folks.

Also peculiar: Kane complains a lot about Paul McCartney's unwillingness to answer tough questions and about the sycophantic "bubble" that surrounds the ex-Beatle. You get the sense that Larry is peeved that McCartney wouldn't sit down for a long interview with him.

Ringo doesn't get much attention at all, yet there's a long, fairly interesting section that looks at the firing of Pete Best, a topic that seems to fascinate a lot of fans just as the Kennedy assassination continues to trouble some people's minds. I don't find the episode that compelling -- just mildly interesting. It's important to remember that when the Beatles ditched Pete, they hadn't released their first single, let alone become the creators of Sgt. Pepper and cultural icons who still get written about today. They were just a band switching drummers - not trying to ruin a guy's life and consign him to being a footnote of history.

Anyway, I suspect Kane's book will be quickly eclipsed by Mark Lewisohn's upcoming doorstop about the Beatles' early years, in which we'll learn much more about Pete Best and probably his grandfather, too.

Pop stuff: What I'm reading, watching, hearing, etc.

Star Trek Into Darkness
It must be summer, because the sequels are on the screen and the sound of big explosions fills the air. This second installment of J. J. Abrams' classic Trek reboot gets the season started with several big bangs and lots of destruction. The U.S.S. Enterprise takes some severe photon (or whatever) hits, and Scotty's not pleased.

All that's beside the point, really though, because the main focus here is on the interactions between beloved characters lovingly played. As on the original TV show, the interactions between Kirk and Spock, Bones and Spock, pretty much everyone and Spock, is what's fun.

With his nearly clone-like resemblance to Leonard Nimoy and his permanently arched eyebrows, Zachary Quinto is a blast to watch as everyone's favorite pointy eared straight man. A new wrinkle is added in that this Spock is also in a relationship with Lt. Uhura (played by Zoe Saldana), which brings up all sorts of, from Spock's Aspergian perspective, illogical emotions and circumstances. A scene in which these two have a tiff is a comic highlight of the film. Vulcan's are the ultimate clueless males when it comes of understanding a woman's emotions, it seems.

As with the first film, this is essentially a two-hour riff on classic Trek, but one that's a lot more action-packed and funnier than the ones the sci-fi nerds on my school bus used to have (I'm not casting aspersions. I was a comic book nerd. I didn't really get all this stuff about the prime directive and Klingon words for mayonnaise, etc.)

It's tough to describe too much of the plot of "Into Darkness" without spoiling surprises, but it's fast-paced and entertaining throughout. It's not a great movie, or even that coherent. The tone morphs from sci-fi adventure in an opening sequence that may be the best part of the film, into big explosion thriller, into epic space battle, into superhero showdown. Don't worry about it, the popcorn goes down easily enough. And, as I said, the performances are the main thing.

I will say that we get to see the first Abrams-era appearance of the Klingons, which I suppose may be a big deal. And BBC-philes will enjoy Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch as the film's villain and Doctor Who's Mickey, Noel Clarke, in a small but important role.


Volume 3 by She & Him
Maybe it's because I don't watch "The New Girl," but I've so far avoided coming to hate Zoe Deschanel. My only encounters with the doe-eyed demon are on these records of gem-like pop she records with M. Ward. And iPhone commercials. Those are annoying. But if you're annoyed by ubiquity, aren't iPhones more obnoxious than Ms. Deschanel?

Anyway, I've found little to dislike about the She & Him collaborations, all of which feature Deschanel's strong, catchy original tunes with a few well-chosen covers mixed in.

This isn't revolutionary music. For the most part it's firmly set in 1965 sound-wise, with strong girl group harmonies, Fender-reverbed guitar, Hal Blaine-style thundering drums and lyrics that rarely venture from the topics of love gone good or bad.

Along with being a great guitar player, M. Ward knows his stuff as the producer of these albums. There are small touches throughout that demonstrate how deeply he's listened to classic pop of the past. These are songs that sound like they might've been recorded at Gold Star or Western Studios in Los Angeles during the heyday of Brian Wilson, Phil Spector and the Wrecking Crew.

But it all serves Deschanel's songs, which are, as I mentioned very good. On all these albums, I hear tunes that sound familiar and realize they're new. The melodies are very strong, as are Deschanel's lead and multi-tracked backup vocals.

Vol. 3 launches strongly with "I've Got Your Number, Son," powered by Deschanel's high, flutely backup vocals, those Blaine-like drums and a driving piano riff. "Never Wanted Your Love" and "I Could've Been Your Girl," are strong tunes in a similar vein. On "Somebody Sweet to Talk To" and "Together" the sound ventures into the 1970s a bit. The first of these sounds like "Rumours"-era Fleetwood Mac, while the second has a pre-disco R&B feel to it.

Covers include an excellent version the Ellie Greenwich nugget "Baby" and Blondie's "Sunday Girl" from 1979.

As with the previous She & Him LPs, this one is strong throughout and, at least around my place, will make a great soundtrack for what I hope is a sunny summer. Zooey deniers who love great pop shouldn't deny themselves the same pleasure.


A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
I went through a brief period of reading big books with maps in the front during my middle school years, but have ready nary a fantasy book since. It's just not my thing.

But, a couple years back, after reading an article in the New Yorker about George R.R. Martin and the "Game of Thrones" phenomenon I was intrigued enough to give this book a try. It took me a while to get around to it, and another little while to read it, but I did and I'm now a fan.

While I dreaded a long and painful slog, I found the book both easy and engaging to read.

There are, as you've no doubt heard, a zillion characters. But I was generally able to keep track of them all and what they were up to.

And the intrigue of Martin's plot kept me eagerly reading on

The New Yorker article made a comparison between "Game of Thrones" and "The Sopranos," and this is apt. The tricky relationships between the families in the story, and the way they maneuver around one another in order to maintain standing, increase their power, and not get "whacked" is similar to the mob.

You get to know these people and come to either hate or worry about them. Sometimes both.

In this first book, at least, the action is very realistic, though there are hints of magic to come. By building up his world and making it real, Martin ably sets the stage for us to accept some of the more fantastical elements it's clear that he'll be introducing later on.

I thought I might just read this first book and then check out the "Game of Thrones" TV show. But I've now decided to read the series and then watch it. It may take me another year or two, but when I'm finished reading, viewing the series should be more rewarding, although I keep hearing that the show takes a lot of liberties with the books. This way, I'll be able to complain about it!

Pop stuff: Live and Let Die; Miss Minoes

What I've been reading, watching, hearing etc.


Live And Let Die Many of the James Bond movies are available again via Netflix and Amazon streaming and my son and I have resumed our viewing of the whole works, in order.

We love the early Sean Connery entries, of course, and I maintain that "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," with pinch-hitting George Lazenby in as 007, is one of the best films in the series (good story and stunt, great score, best Bond girl, ever, in Diana Rigg). But things took a terrible turn with "Diamonds are Forever," (1971) with Connery's brief return. It's an awful movie with a goofy, pedestrian plot, cheap production values and lackluster performances.

"Let it Be" (1973) doesn't start out much better. Like "Diamonds," it looks cheap, more like a TV cop show than a Bond film. And new Bond Roger Moore doesn't do much beyond arch an eyebrow for the first 45 minutes of the film. Plus, there's a lot of early 70s, queasy-making racial stuff to deal with as Bond takes an oh-so-funny trip to Harlem, where he gets to be the only white guy in a British film production firm's idea of a blaxploitation film (lots of uses of the word "honky," lots of floppy pimp hats).

But in the last third, things finally kick into gear with the awesome speedboat chase (the only thing apart from Paul McCartney's theme tune that I remembered from seeing this film on TV as a kid) and we're back in crazy, campy Bond territory again.

The chase is way too long, but it's funny and fun to watch, and it's followed by a nice confrontation with the film's villain (poorly written by nicely played by Yaphet Kotto, later of "Homicide" fame) in an underground lair complete with shark lagoon and monorail (that's where all the production money went).

My son and I have already watched "Man With the Golden Gun" (1974) out of sequence (it also looks pretty cheap, but Moore and the story are already a good notch or two above "Live and Let Die"), so "The Spy Who Loved Me" is next. It's the first Bond movie I saw in the movie theater. Should be fun to re-visit it. I hope...


Miss Minoes A 2001 Dutch release dubbed into English, this is a fun family film about a cat transformed by mysterious chemicals into a young woman.

In an American film, this scenario would result in all sorts of over-the-top antics and the character taking extreme measures to keep her condition a secret, here everything is refreshingly more simple and subtle. A young reporter who discovered Miss Minoes, the cat woman, doesn't try to keep her a secret.

She's just a woman who's really cat, that's why she sleeps in a box, hangs out on the roof and tends to chase mice and other moving things.

Misadventures, of course, ensue, but not in a manic way, and it's a nice change from the typical, ADHD-paced kids flick.

Along the way, Carice van Houten, in the lead role, does a nice job working cat-like behaviors into her performance -- darting under the table and chasing after moving objects and mice, nuzzling the people she likes, hissing at those she doesn't.

If you've got kids, and/or cats, it'll be a hit. Sensitive-to-language parents should be advised, however, that Dutch people, even little kids, apparently toss the "s" word around with relative abandon.

Actually, there are only three instances of this in the film, but I was a little surprised by them in such an otherwise tame film. Nothing my kids haven't heard me say before.

Pop stuff: Alex Toth, Emil and the Detectives

What I've been reading, watching, hearing, etc.


Genius, Illustrated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth This is the second of IDW's massive hardcovers dedicated to the art and biography of Toth, an "artist's artist" in the word of comics. It picks up Toth's story in the early 1960s, when he drifted away from comics and entered the world of TV animation, designing the classic adventure 'toons of the Hanna-Barbera stable: Notably Space Ghost, Johnny Quest, the Herculoids and other fondly remembered by Baby Boomers series.

Toth's dazzling ability to convey character and action with an economy of lines was perfectly suited to this new medium. At the same time, he kept a hand in comics with occasional adventure, war and suspense stories for DC, Marvel, Charlton, the fledgling Warren line and others.

The book includes a wealth of art from these stories, often from Toth's original penciled and inked pages. A highlight is "The Case of the Curious Classic," a masterclass in comics storytelling that Toth wrote and illustrated for, of all things, DC's toy-associated Hot Wheels series in 1970. Over 16 pages -- each with a uniform, eight-panel grid -- Toth tells a rather complex, tightly plotted mystery tale that engages his love of classic automobiles and adventure and never lets the reader slip his grasp.

A couple of Toth's classic war stories -- "Burma Sky" and "White Devil...Yellow Devil" -- also are included in full, original art, along with his tutorial on how TV animation is produced from the 1970s "Super Friends" tabloid edition DC published in 1976.

The story of Toth's life woven throughout is nearly as triumphant as art. The artist was famously temperamental and troubled, which accounts for his inability to stay under the thumb of any one employer for long. But we see him mellowed and happy after a second marriage to a woman he adored. After Guyla Toth's death in 1985 there are dark times again and Toth becomes reclusive and, apart from occasional covers and pin-ups, inactive in comics art. But, again, there's light again as his grown children draw him, helping him enjoy another happy period at the end of his life.

A third book in this unprecedentedly detailed look at an American comics artist's life is still to come and will collect images from and provide more detail about Toth's years in animation.


Emil And The Detectives We bought and streamed this 1964 film for family movie night last weekend. It may be the only live-action Disney film I missed seeing as a kid, not sure how. But I do recall very much enjoying the book it's based on.

It's an unusual Disney production -- shot entirely on-location in Berlin (the Emil book was first published in Germany) and has a very European feel and look to it. The performances by kids and adults in the cast are all entertaining and excellent and the story doesn't feel dated at all -- just a simple adventure/mystery tale about a group of young boys who blunder into a bank robbery scheme.

It's a notch above many family and children's films we've screened -- new or old -- and well worth a look. The transfer looks great, too.

One note: You can't rent and stream the film via Amazon, but you can buy it for $9.99. It's also available on DVD. Not on Netflix, unfortunately.

Pop stuff: What I'm reading, hearing, watching, etc.

The Golden Age of DC Comics
This is a big, lovely book, and much easier to read -- and lift -- than the preposterously proportioned and priced tome it spun out of: The 750-page, nearly 20-pound "75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking," published in 2010.

Still big at 400 pages, this one will look nice on your coffee table without crushing it. It also includes images not featured in the larger tome. Similar volumes, also born out the larger parent book, focusing on DC's Silver, Bronze and so-called "Dark" and "Modern" ages are set to follow later in the year.

So, what we have here is a big picture book, focusing on DC's Golden Age, and it's packed with lovingly reproduced images of covers, page art, original art, house ads, toys, movie posters, radio premiums, photos and all sorts of other familiar and rare pictures that conjure up that era .

It's nice to look at, no question. And maybe that's enough. But I did feel, for all its pages, the book skimps on historical perspective.

The introductory essay by comics writer and former DC publisher Paul Levitiz is cursory and dry. It drops the names of key creators, but doesn't really detail what made them special. It also doesn't deal with any of the contentious aspects of DC's history, either.

No doubt, Levitz' hands were tied: In order to use all these images, he couldn't risk upsetting DC's management or attorneys. But, as a result, the book's version of history seems a little whitewashed.

For example, DC's treatment of Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster is covered in a brief paragraph in which Levitz describes the ongoing  lawsuits over compensation and ownership of the character "unfortunate."

And sections focusing on Jack Cole's "Plastic Man," Will Eisner's "The Spirit," and the early Mad Magazine are included without explaining that DC didn't publish or own those properties during the Golden Age, and only now owns the rights to them.

Similarly, a section on Captain Marvel barely mentions that DC sued the character out of existence back in the early 50s because the company perceived him as too similar too (and, in reality, more popular than) Superman.


For the real nitty gritty on these years, you'll need to go to other books and back issues of Alter Ego magazine. But if you want to spend an afternoon steeped in the sights and ephemera of comics' Golden Age, this book will take you there. Several old pictures depicting news stands and spinner racks of the 1940s, all packed with now impossibly rare comics, are especially tantalizing.

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Regions of Light and Sound of God by Jim James
This first full solo album by My Morning Jacket's lead singer (he did a tribute EP of George Harrison tunes a few years back) touches on various aspects of spirituality and is filled with a yearning for a life that's deeper, more satisfying and lasting than our ordinary day-to-day existence.

The tone is more searching than strident, starting off with "State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)," which examines the impact of technology on our daily lives. Do our computers and smart phones help us or distract us from what's really important? "We got our wires all crossed / The tubes are all tied / And I'm straining to remember / just what it means to be alive," James sings.

The song, like several others on the album, draws on elements of 1970s R&B and disco, updating them for the 21st century with experimental/electronic touches that will be familiar to MMJ fans. Arrangements on the album range from full strings and backup vocals to very spare, almost demo-like takes.

While the spiritual content summons up memories of Beatle George, James vocals here frequently remind me of John Lennon's early solo work, particularly the way he draws out his phrases on "Of the Mother Again" and "Actress."

It's good to hear a musician exploring deeper themes in such a thoughtful way. Even the non-spiritually inclined are likely to appreciate James' observations of what it means to live meaningfully in a world that can be so distracting and unkind.

Pop stuff: What I'm reading, watching, hearing, etc.

Alex Toth's Zorro: The Complete Dell Comics Adventures

If you've read much about Toth, you knew he was an opinionated cuss and very critical of comics and comic art --  including his own.

One of his biggest frustrations with comic book stories, and the Zorro scripts he was given at Dell in particular, was that they tended to place words over image. Toth felt that, in a visual medium, pictures should drive the story, not words.

In these stories, which should be a perfect match for Toth's love of swashbuckling adventure and his ability to put beautiful, flowing action on the comics page, you can't help but relate to his frustration.

We should be getting big panels of Zorro sword-fighting up and down staircases, swinging into action. leaping off balconies and running across moonlit rooftops. Instead, we get page after page crammed with six panels of talking heads practically crouching under crowded word balloons.

Part of this is a product of the time, the late 1950s, when comics tended to be word driven and pictures came in second. Dell's editors didn't appreciate the caliber of artist they had on hand. If only they'd let Toth follow through on his desire to cut some of the words and move forward more of the story with his visuals, which there's no question he could have done.

So, as much as people tend to praise Toth and his work on this series, in my view it's not the artist presented at his best. It's not even that entertaining of a read. Occasionally, there a nice plot twist or a funny scene. But I kept thinking how much better it could be.

Speaking of which, the production values in this new color edition from Hermes Press is taking some hits in online customer reviews. Some folks prefer the black and white/gray-scale version published by Image Comics in 2001. I missed that one, though it's still available and I may need to pick it up. Toth's art looks very good in black and white -- he was a master at balancing the two tones. The Hermes edition reviewed here looked ok to me, but there's no question that the colors, "remastered" from scanned art, overpowers the line art and images are somewhat murky and blurred in spots.

If you love Toth, there's no question you'll want to see these stories in one form or another. But be prepared to be a little underwhelmed. The stories here don't compare with much of his other work, including the great Zorro pin-ups and stand-alone illustrations he did throughout his career just for fun. In these, at least, he had room to let his imagination, and Zorro's cape, flow.

Pop stuff: What I'm reading, hearing, watching etc.

Petra Goes to the Movies by Petra Haden
The follow-up to her a capella cover of the entire The Who Sell Out album, Haden's new one features her one-woman-choir versions of 16 film tunes, most of them originally instrumentals.

To replicate the sounds of bands and orchestras, Haden puts her versatile voice to  work singing all the interweaving parts. Sure, some of it sounds like a novelty album, which I guess it sort of is, but it's also a masterpiece of singing and overdubbing. Not too many folks could pull this off.

Some of the tunes, particularly those with jazz elements, sound a bit like the Swingle Singers, but mostly Haden sounds just like herself. Anyone familiar with her earlier work will know the twisted mind and fabulous voice behind the rendition of the "Psycho Main Title" found here. That tune is worth the ticket price. Haden also does a nice version of "Goldfinger." Are John Williams' "The Man from Krypton" from the first "Superman" film is also great fun.

Elsewhere, things are prettier and more traditional. Haden sings a lovely straight vocal on "It Might Be You," a nice song from "Tootsie" on which she's joined by the brilliant guitarist Bill Frisell.

On "This is Not America," from "The Falcon and the Snowman," she's joined again by Frisell and by her father, the legendary jazz bassist Charlie Haden. Pianist Brad Mehldau appears on "Calling You" from "Baghdad Cafe." But mostly it's just Haden, and amazingly so.


The Fortune of War by Patrick O'Brian
I've been very gradually working my way through Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin novels for several years now, but seem to have quickened my pace of reading with each entry. At some point, I'll lose all control and end up reading the rest of the series (20 books in all, plus one unfinished entry) in one mad rush, but I'd hate to see it all end.

These books, as any O'Brian aficionado will  waste no time in telling you, are a joy to read.

Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the series centers on the wonderful friendship between two quite different men: Captain Jack Aubrey, an outgoing, jovial, sometimes brash man of action, and Stephen Maturin, Aubrey's ship-board surgeon, who's quiet, sometimes brooding and prone to extreme self-reflection.

There's plenty of action, and nautical lingo, as the duo sail from adventure to adventure and battle to battle, but there's plenty to think about, too. Aubrey and Maturin are among literature's most-fleshed-out, "real" characters. We get to know them better and better as the series goes on. And they change and grow. I like both of these guys. A lot. I celebrate their good fortunes and sympathize when they're injured -- both physically in battle, and psychologically through misfortune and heartbreak.

It took me the first couple of books to get comfortable with O'Brian's use of period language and naval terms, but once it became familiar, my reading of the books sped up and my interest grew and grew.

I highly recommend these novels to anyone who loves good writing, and urge you not to be put off due to the language, or the idea that they are somehow of a "genre" and therefore not worth your attention.


Argo
My wife and I finally got a chance to see this acclaimed film about an offbeat secret operation used to free a small group of Americans during the Iran hostage crisis in the late 1970s.

It's a captivating, entertaining stoty -- one of those that will put you on edge, even though you know the outcome.

Ben Affleck's direction is as subtle as his performance -- quiet, not showy, but very effective. There are lots of nice period touches, right down to the film's titles, that put me back in those times.

Readers of this blog and fans of comics artist Jack Kirby may know that he played a minor, unwitting, role in this odd episode of the American history and the film gives a nod to that, too. Nice touch.

I'm not going to spoil any of the story. I'll just say you should see the film while it's still playing on a few screens nationwide. It's worth of all of the awards it's received and likely to receive.