Movie Review: Newsies (1992)

Newsies (1992) directed by Kenny Ortega

In 1899, the New York City newspaper scene is dominated by publishers William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. But they are dependent on their distribution network, which comes down to the Newsies, the boys and young men who sell the newspapers on street corners, at events, and anywhere they can. Of course, the publishers have no respect for the Newsies. In a bid to make more money, Pulitzer (Robert Duvall) decides to up the newspaper prices on the boys. They buy the papers at half price and sell them for a penny, keeping any profits and eating the cost of any papers they don't sell. A ten percent increase isn't a lot but it is. The Newsies already have a hardscrabble life, including Jack Kelly (Christian Bale), who wants to make enough money to move out west where he tells the other boys that his parents have gone. He has been in and out of the Refuge, a reform school that's more of a prison. Jack befriends newcomer David (David Moscow) just as the price inflation hits. They decide to strike, though David is more the brains behind what to say and Jack is the flamboyant mouthpiece rallying the troops. For the strike to be successful, they need to enlist other Newsies from other papers, to keep their story visible (thanks to a reporter (Bill Pullman) for a rival paper), and to avoid getting arrested by the cops.

The movie is a fun musical with a lot of dance numbers, almost all of which are the Newsies dancing. The numbers have a lot of energy and enthusiasm. The songs are nice but not great and the plot follows a familiar arc. Bale is very charming and anchors the show. The rest of the cast is good but not outstanding. Duvall's character is a bit underdeveloped, leaving him as more of a generic bad guy. The filmmakers could easily have switched to calling him William Randolph Hearst (who only appears for less than a minute at a poker game in the middle of the film) and nothing else would change. A love interest for Jack, David's sister Sarah (Ele Keats), is tacked on to give Jack a little extra motivation and a kiss at the end. She could have been dropped from the story and all that would be lost is some of the run time. That said, it is enjoyable and an interesting story.

Mildly recommended.

TV Review: Legends (2026)

Legends (2026) created by Neil Forsyth based on The Betrayer: How An Undercover Unit Infiltrated The Global Drug Trade by Guy Stanton and Peter Walsh

In the early 1990s, Margaret Thatcher's government wanted to step up drug enforcement, especially with the deaths of two young people that played prominently in news coverage. The job falls to Customs House, which keeps an eye on stuff and people coming into the United Kingdom. Specifically, the project is given to Don (Steve Coogan), a higher up who has had experience going undercover to expose criminal operations. His first problem is that no one in Customs has any training in undercover work. He puts out an internal advert and has to whittle down interested employees (who know no details about what they will be doing). He winds up with four agents. Guy (Tom Burke) is a family man who is bored with his regular job but doesn't want to endanger his family. He works alone, infiltrating a Turkish crime family bringing in heroin. Kate (Hayley Squires) and Bailey (Aml Ameen) work together to infiltrate the Liverpool distribution system. Erin (Jamine Blackborow) works behind the scenes supporting their cover stories (called "Legends" by Don) and tracking down license plates, companies, people, and any other information needed. The system is volatile since the field workers quite often make it up as they go along, leading to a lot of harrowing situations.

The show moves at a brisk pace but it also keeps things grounded and the characters' problems (professional and personal) in focus. The cast is very good, portraying bravado and vulnerability. Some bits at the end are "big speeches" about themselves and the importance of their work. By that point in the story, they feel justified. The complications that arise make for exciting drama. The show is very satisfying.

Highly recommended.

As I write this (June 2026), this is only available streaming from Netflix.

Book Review: Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman

Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman

Joe Leaphorn is a detective with the Navajo Tribal Police. His latest case involves two missing Native American boys. Ernesto Cata was preparing for a Zuni tribal ceremony, the other boy was his good friend George Bowlegs, a Navajo. A large pool of blood leaves little to the imagination of Leaphorn, whose investigation takes him through a lot of the local culture, both Zuni and Navajo. He also deals with an archeologist on the verge of discovering amazing things about the people who lived on the reservation thousands of years ago. His investigation takes him to an oddball hippie commune too. Trying to discover what happened and if there is a culprit involved is a twisty road for Leaphorn.

The book provides an interesting enough mystery but really shines in its depiction of Native American culture, with the sort of detail rarely found in fiction books (or maybe I just read the wrong books). Hillerman weaves it deftly into the plot. With the Navajo boy wanting to be part of the Zuni tribe, the religious ceremonies and beliefs for both are described and are part of the crime. I was almost more interested in that than the mystery. Leaphorn is an interesting if typical investigator--a bit world-weary and jaded, but with enough honesty and integrity to see that justice is done.

Mildly recommended.

This is discussed on A Good Story is Hard to Find episode #380. Check it out!

Cute Kid Pix May 2026

More photos that didn't make their own post...

To celebrate Star Wars Day, May the Fourth, we made Wookie Cookies, which are basically Rice Krispy treats with Cocoa Krispies subbed in, along with a chocolate icing stripe and white jimmies to make Chewbacca's bandolier. We had a few challenges. First, the recipe says to make a sheet of cookie and then use a gingerbread-man cookie cutter to cut out the Wookie shapes. We have a plastic cookie cutter that's a bit shallow, so making the cuts was very hard. Then, I couldn't find white jimmies by themselves at the store, so I had to buy a rainbow sprinkles pack and take out all the long white sprinkles I could from the mix. The recipe calls for melting chocolate chips in a plastic bag and piping the bandoliers but I saw a squeezable icing packet at the store and bought that to save some work.

All the effort was worth the result, though I probably won't go through all that effort again.

Plate of Wookie cookies

A lone Wookie

We bid on a silent auction item for a Gabriel Network fundraiser and won a basket from Mission BBQ, which included a bottle of Cheerwine. It's not actually wine, it's a cherry-flavored cola that was tasty. We also used the steak-and-beef seasoning for hamburgers and liked it a lot. 

Spoils of donation

My daughter received some awards for her robotics work at school. The Howard County executive hosted a big congratulations event at a local outdoor concert venue. They had free food for attendees but only our daughter braved the lines to get some nachos.

Her robotics team

Another group photo

We were shocked to see her little brother's school get an award, but only because the mascot on the jumbotron was wrong! His school has a bulldog mascot, not a knight! They mixed up Patapsco Middle School with Patuxent Valley Middle School. I'm sure they'll blame AI.

Maybe there's a dog inside the armor?

For Mother's Day, we made basket tacos for dinner (Mom did not want to fight crowds at a restaurant). It was a fun project but a lot more work (two hours of effort) than the results justified. We enjoyed the tacos but, like the Wookie cookies, we probably won't make this recipe again.

Prepping tortillas

Prepping fillings

Making guacamole

Getting the finished product out of the slow cooker

Tasty but costly

My wife and I did a quick road trip thanks to a spontaneous holiday granted by her work. We went found a string of geocaches. We targeted caches that are part of a 250th Anniversary of of the United States geo-tour. I 

A tricky hide!

Rural Heritage Museum buildings

The coin and me

Celebratory lunch at RAK Brewing

Over Memorial Day weekend we took the kids out west to see Fort Frederick (which will get its own post). On the way we stopped at South Mountain Creamery to have an ice cream snack and visit the cows.

Dirt Road ice cream!

Getting licked

My youngest had his Spring Concert which was fun.

Ready to play

We tried out a local mini-golf course that was a little bit frustrating. The holes are generic and themeless, with a lot of weird hills and slopes that make shots difficult. Others enjoyed it more than I did.

Getting ready

Uphill battle

Decorative stones along the course

Book Review: Usagi Yojimbo Vol. 29 by Stan Sakai

Usagi Yojimbo Volume 29: Two Hundred Jizo by Stan Sakai

More adventures from the rabbit ronin!

The Artist--Usagi teams up with an artist who has studied outside of Japan. The artist is a wanted man (in the bad way) for bringing different styles to the Japanese art world. He plans to travel to the new capital in Edo to make his case. Usagi goes along to keep him safe, but can he? The story is less interesting than this tidbit of historical Japanese isolationism.

Buntori--Usagi has visions of a previous combat and discovers the discarded skull of a warrior. This story seems more like filler than any plot advancement or character development. I enjoyed it but it was not as good as other Usagi stories.

Murder at the Inn--Inspector Ishida is escorting a prisoner to the city when he's attacked by the prisoner's gang. Usagi comes to the rescue and travels with Ishida as protection. They take shelter from a storm in a wayside inn. Other guests are there. Late in the night, one guest is killed and suspicion goes all around. Ishida is on the case and does a good job resolving the situation. The story is well-plotted and unfolds naturally.

Two Hundred Jizo--A local artisan is making two hundred statues of the god Jizo to protect his village from bandits who are terrorizing them. He had a dream where Jizo told him to do it. Usagi is skeptical but sticks around to help with the bandits. The story plays out as faithful readers would expect, so a good read.

Ice Runners--Usagi runs into an unusual summer sight--a group is racing through the forrest carrying something obviously valuable in a covered litter. The group is attacked and Usagi leaps to the rescue. In the aftermath, he discovers they are rushing a piece of ice from the mountains to the city as a gift for a visiting dignitary. Getting that ice into town before next morning is their highest priority, even above burying their fallen comrades. Usagi goes along as security, leading to another predictable but interesting ending.

Shoyu--Usagi gets involved in a rivalry between two soy sauce (the titular Shoyu) makers. He wanders into town late at night and discovers a group setting fire to a factory. Usagi raises the alarm and helps put out the fire. The local cop is corrupt and lazy, doing nothing other than threatening Usagi as an outsider who has no real evidence of a crime. On the other hand, Usagi is thanked by the factory owner who shows him around the next day (with a full explanation of how soy sauce is made) and the adventures continue. The ending is classic Usagi storytelling.

Afterward--Stan Sakai presents a tale he couldn't work into the regular series. It was inspired by another comic artist asking why there weren't any skunks in the Usagi world. So Stan made up a typical story with a fun payoff at the end.

Recommended, highly for Usagi fans. 

Movie Review: Dracula (1931)

Dracula (1931) directed by George Melford based on the novel by Bram Stoker

No, you did not read the line above wrong. This is not the Tod Browning-directed Bela Lugosi film, though the sets and props from that film were used here. This movie was made at the same time but in Spanish with a Spanish cast. When the Lugosi crew wrapped their day, the Spanish crew came in and filmed the same scenes, often using the exact same blocking and nearly identical (except for the language) dialogue. But there are plenty of departures too, which makes this interesting to watch.

The biggest question is how does anyone compare to Lugosi as the most famous vampire of all. Carlos Villarias has a very similar face and eyes and benefitted from seeing the dailies of Lugosi's performance. He doesn't have the long, bony fingers like Lugosi (so creepy!) and Villarias's eyes are a bit more expressive. Several characters in the story note how Count Dracula reacts like a wild animal to some situations (like being confronted with a cross). Villarias looks a lot more wild and dangerous than the more smooth and suave Lugosi. It's much easier to believe the "wild animal" descriptions of him. Both versions have extreme close-ups of the vampire's eyes and both are about as expressive in those shots, though Villarias has better glances in other situations. I can't comment on Vilarias's accent since I do not know Spanish and can't tell if he affects an eastern European-flavored delivery. Even with the language barrier, I can tell he does a good job delivering famous lines like "I never drink...wine" or "Listen to the children of the night. What music they make!" He does a very good job as the Count, I found his performance very enjoyable. It's hard to compete with the now-iconic Lugosi version.

Other characters have more or fewer differences from their English-speaking versions. The most notable change is Renfield, who was played by Dwight Frye in the English version. Frye is a fairly maniacal after he is turned by Dracula in Transylvania. Frye's Renfield does not do much to support the Count in England since he spends almost all his time in Seward's sanitarium. Pablo Alvarez Rubio in the Spanish version gives a much bolder and exciting performance. He has a much more maniacal laugh and does much more in support of his master, even as he waffles at times, wanting to protect Seward's daughter. Rubio's role is much larger than Frye's, probably because he gives a much better performance. The Spanish version of Mina is called Eva and is played by Lupita Tovar. She also is more expressive and active, displaying her emotions out in the open for Juan Harker (Barry Norton). Her wardrobe is more daring too, with some plunging necklines that reminded me of the Mary Shelly look at the beginning of Bride of Frankenstein. Van Helsing and Seward are fairly similar to their English-language counterparts, though the Spanish Van Helsing looks much younger. The late confrontation between Dracula and Van Helsing, where Dracula tries to mind-control Van Helsing like he had done to so many others, is a great scene in either version, but a bit better here.

This version of the film is almost a half hour longer than Lugosi's. That half hour is full of quality material, expanding characters and giving some more creepy atmosphere. If you liked Lugosi's version, you should definitely give this a try. I borrowed a Dracula DVD from my local library that had both versions on it to rewatch the Lugosi film. I finally gave in and watched the Spanish version (I've borrowed that DVD two times). I am very glad I did. It doesn't replace the Lugosi but is a very enjoyable companion piece.

Recommended, highly for Dracula movie fans (I know book fans have a lot of concerns about the truncation of the story to fit a movie version--same problem with the Spanish version).

TV Review: Stranger Things: Tales from '85 Season 1

Stranger Things: Tales from '85 Season 1 created by Jennifer Muro and Eric Robles based on the series created by the Duffer Brothers

Set between the second and third seasons of Stranger Things, the story here introduces a new kid, Nikki (voiced by Odessa A'zion), who joins up with Eleven (voiced by Brooklyn Davey Norstedt) and her friends. Nikki's mom is a substitute teaching science at Hawkins Middle School while the regular teacher is on a short sabbatical. What isn't on sabbatical is a group of new terrors from the Upside Down who didn't get eliminated in the sealing of the rift. As the baddies attack various kids, Eleven and the gang fight them. Nikki witnesses one fight and joins up, since she's a misfit too. She's a tinkerer and has a garage full of inventions that happen to be helpful in fighting the monsters of Hawkins. But can she survive the meta-problem of being a character not in the regular continuity?

The show is animated which has strengths and weaknesses. The entire cast is replaced visually with drawings. None of the original actors have returned to reprise their roles, which is a bit jarring. The creature effects work well. The script is okay. It introduces new people and monsters and features a twist or two to keep the suspense going amidst the action. But it can't really change anything big or introduce anything really new without breaking the larger narrative it's nested into. I mostly enjoyed the show but wasn't wowed. They write the characters like they are in the live action show  but there's nothing amazing or breath-taking. 

Mildly recommended--you definitely need to see the show before watching but it's not as good as the show. I may watch Season 2 when it comes out, but it won't be a priority.

As I publish this (May 2026), this is only available streaming on Netflix.