Movie Review: Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) directed by Ron Howard

An origin story for Han Solo, lovable rogue of the original Star Wars trilogy, is presented in this action-packed story. Han starts off as a street kid hustling in hopes of getting off Corelia with his girlfriend Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke). Things do not go off as planned and they are separated at the spaceport. Han begins a life of random adventures trying to get enough money to buy his own ship, return home, and save his girl.

That very basic premise starts a series of fun but predictable action set-pieces that explain as many little bits of Han's backstory as possible. He picks up his co-pilot Chewbacca, he makes uneasy friends with Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), he gets to fly the Millennium Falcon, he does the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs, he says a bunch of iconic lines, etc. The movie has no surprises and very little to add to Han as a character. Even so, the action and wheeling-dealing is fun. The movie is like a bland, unremarkable James Bond film that goes through the motions without doing anything great or new. It's entertaining as you are watching but more or less forgettable, except for hitting the regular stuff. Alden Ehrenreich does a very good job playing Han, with enough charm, earnestness, slyness, and brashness to be convincing.

Minor, new characters are hit and miss. The girlfriend obviously won't work out because Leia is in the future; Clarke gives a good performance anyway. Woody Harrelson plays a sort of mentor to Han and has to hit all these "fatherly" beats, which he does fairly well. Paul Bettany plays a higher-level gangster but Bettany is clearly just cashing the paycheck. Sadly, Lando is saddled with a robot co-pilot with whom he's allegedly in love, though that's only established by repeatedly saying it, not by any convincing actual interaction. It doesn't work because it's such a dumb idea. The robot is rather grating in its demands for "equal rights for droids" though most of the characters in the movie roll their eyes at this along with the audience. The filmmakers seem to want the droid to embody both comic relief and a serious statement about equality but fail to deliver either way.

The film is both enjoyable and worthless, a kind of summer blockbuster cash-in for a popular franchise. It only has the spirit of the franchise when it's directly using content and ideas already seen in other franchise movies. While Rogue One was a fresher perspective on the Star Wars saga, this was more like a greatest hits highlight reel.

Mildly recommended--for Star Wars fans to watch once to fulfill their duty. I was mostly happy with the film but I did go in with astronomically low expectations.

Book Review: Laffayette! by Nathan Hale

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Laffayette! by Nathan Hale

The Marquis de Lafayette came from France to America to help the colonists break free from British control back in the late 1700s. He became a general under George Washington, participated in many battles, and helped get resources from the French government. This book describes a good chunk of the American War for Independence. Lafayette's role is told in detail with an aside on Benedict Arnold, who was also a key figure in the war and an interesting contrast to Lafayette.

The book has the standard historical accuracy with nice bits of comedy thrown in. The author still keeps the structure where American spy Nathan Hale is telling stories to both his executioner and a British officer. Those three characters provide commentary and jokes throughout Lafayette's story. The end has a bibliography and an extremely short biography of author Nathan Hale who wrote and illustrated the book.

Recommended.

Book Review: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

William Kamkwamba grew up in a small town in Malawi. The town's marketplace has electricity, most of the time, but the farms are too far out and too poor to be wired up. People would come into town to charge their cell phones, sometimes at businesses that ran power cords from the shop to a table on the street. The local primary school was okay. Getting a secondary-school education meant paying a lot of money and walking to schools far away. As William grew up, one summer of bad weather ruined his father's crops (maize for sustenance, tobacco for profit), along with everyone else's. The government had sold off its surplus and provided no help. A slow and devastating famine swallowed up lives and hope. Money was short and William couldn't continue his education.

But it didn't stop him from learning. He was a tinkerer, playing with radios and whatever was at hand. He discovered some scientific text books at the local primary school's library (which had three shelves of books). In the books, he saw windmills. William was fascinated by the idea of providing electricity for his family and maybe a water pump for the farm so that a drought wouldn't ever wipe them out again. He began to experiment; he rummaged through scrap piles for parts; he dreamed of a better life for himself, his family, and his country.

Happily, his dreams came true after going through many hardships. In addition to the famine that cost so many lives, he had to deal with friends and neighbors who thought he was crazy. All the perseverance and ingenuity paid off when he built his first windmill from some bicycle parts, some PVC pipe, and an assortment of spare parts. And a lot of help from friends and others. His story is a personal triumph but also one that shows the support and love he received along the way.

The book is very inspiring and well worth reading. It gives a glimpse into sub-Saharan life and into the ambition that we all could have. William was not particularly talented but he did work very hard to achieve his dreams, in spite of the challenges he faced.

Recommended.

Game Review: Onitama by Arcane Wonders

Onitama designed by Shimpei Sato and published by Arcane Wonders

Onitama is a two-player game with simple rules but a chess-like subtlety. Thematically, the players are two aspiring masters who want to demonstrate their martial arts skills at the Shrine of Onitama. I have no idea whether the place is real but the rulebook includes a lot of flavor text and great art.

Each player has five pieces, a master and four apprentices, who start on one side of a five-by-five grid. The master is in the center square, which is the Temple Arch for that player. Players move their pieces in hopes of winning by one of the two possible ways. First, a player can capture the other player's master, this is called the Way of the Stone. Second, a player can move their master onto the other player's Temple Arch Square, this is called the Way of the River.

The blue Master piece

A red Apprentice piece

At the beginning of the game, each player is dealt two cards that show how a piece can move. A black square in the center indicates the piece and lighter colored squares show where that piece can move to. If an opponent's piece is on one of those spots, it is captured by moving there. Also, the movement cannot be blocked by other pieces in the way (much like a knight in chess).

Sample cards (click to enlarge)

A fifth card is drawn to determine the first player. The move cards have a blue or red stamp in the lower right corner. This fifth card is set to the right side of the mat for the player going first.

The interesting twist is that when a player uses a card to move a piece, that card then goes over next to the other player and is replaced by the extra card. As the cards are played, the players get to use each other's cards.

A game in progress

In the picture above, once the red player uses Crab or Turtle, he will move that card over by the blue player. The Horse card replaces Red's played card. After the blue player moves, he will take the Crab or Turtle card for possible use on his next turn.

The basic mechanics are very simple but the possibilities are tremendous. Players have to think ahead to what moves their opponent can make and if a card might give them an ability to win. The game isn't as complicated as chess but does have the feel with a shorter playing time (usually around fifteen minutes). The game comes with sixteen move cards, making for lots of variety and replayability.

We've enjoyed the game a lot and highly recommended it.

Basilica of the Assumption, Baltimore

The Basilica in Baltimore is officially known as the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Unofficially, it's called America's first cathedral as it was the first built after the Constitution was ratified (I think Florida probably had at least one earlier cathedral). The structure was built from 1806 to 1821under the guidance of John Carroll, the country's first bishop and cousin to Declaration of Independence signer Charles Carroll. Bishop Carroll wanted to celebrate the freedom to worship and decided to imitate the neoclassical style of the buildings that were going up in Washington, D.C., rather than the Gothic style from the old world (though of course, neoclassical is from the older times of the old world!). The building is on a hill that used to overlook Baltimore harbor, but the view is obstructed nowadays because of all the tall buildings. Still, it is an impressive structure.

The Baltimore Basilica (hard to get the whole thing with all the buildings close by)

They couldn't fit the top of the spire in either!

National Historic Landmark status

Neoclassical style imitates the ancient Roman and Greek architecture, with impressive columns and domes.

Roman Catholics imitate Roman architecture

When he heard about the bishop's plan, architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe offered his services. He had designed the Capitol Building in D.C. and was a natural fit for the job. He put several domes in the cathedral. The main, largest dome has windows to let light in. To make the dome a little lighter (weight-wise), small reliefs of flowers are carved into the inner surface. The main dome just has the reliefs. The other domes have Mary's Assumption and Jesus's Ascension depicted.

Main dome

Arches supporting the dome

Fresco of Saint John the Evangelist (the other three evangelists have frescos too)

Mary's Assumption

Jesus's Ascension

The main altar has a half dome that looks like it has the same relief flowers cut into it. Closer examination reveals that they are stickers. The tour guide mentioned that occasionally they peel, a fact we managed to spot.

Main altar

Uh-oh!

The altar dates back to the 1800s and the angels on either side are wooden statues painted to look like marble.

Side view of the main altar

Angel statue

Behind the main altar on the left and right are altars to James the Lesser (apostle of Jesus) and Saint Michael the Archangel. The altars were erected while James Michael Gibbons was bishop!

Saint James the Lesser altar

Saint Michael the Archangel altar

Flanking the main altar are the pulpit, from which the celebrant would give sermons, and the cathedra, the special chair of the bishop. It's from cathedra that the word "cathedral" comes.

Pulpit

Cathedra

The basilica has two items that show its special status. First is the umbraculum, an umbrella that is used by the Pope when he visits and is a symbol of his authority.

Umbraculum

The second item is the tintinnabulum, a bell on an ornate pole. It is used in processions.

Tintinnabulum

Yet another symbol of the church's specialness is the cardinal's hat that hangs near the tintinnabulum. Since Baltimore was the first diocese in the United States, it is considered significant and many times the bishop or archbishop is elevated to a cardinal.

Cardinal's hat

Our tour took us downstairs into the crypt. Originally, the crypt was mostly unfinished and had the graves of previous bishops along with storage space for statues and other items not in regular use. In the early 2000s the church underwent a restoration that included fixing up the crypt into a more useable space.

Some of the bishops buried here

Entrance to the mausoleum 

The crypt

An altar was put in for visitors to have Mass.

Crypt altar

The crypt still has plenty of items in storage (or possibly on display).

Bust of Pope Pius X

Architect Latrobe

Statue of Jesus

Picture of Mary Lang

Bust of Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley

Upstairs is a statue of Saint Pope John Paul II, who visited the basilica in 1995.

John Paul II beckons you!

They also have an altar dedicated to Saint Joseph, which made me happy.

Saint Joseph altar

One of my children wanted to use the bathroom upstairs which is located in a side hall. We were amazed to discover a stairway that went nowhere! The kids insisted on climbing it, just to make sure there wasn't some secret exit to one of the balconies.

The stairs only go up

At the top

Book Review: Amulet Book Eight by Kazu Kibuishi

Amulet Book Eight: Supernova by Kazu Kibuishi

Emily fights the good fight as she resists the directions, persuasions, and manipulations of the voice in her amulet. She is trapped in the Void and her external form (a fiery phoenix) is wrecking havoc on Alledia. Her internal strength is enough to get her back in control. Meanwhile, the fight against the Shadows grows to cosmic proportions as Emily's brother Navin travels to another planet that's also getting overwhelmed by the Shadows. Navin has joined the Resistance, which clearly isn't limited to Alledia. He's fighting the good fight too. Can they both win?

The story is still fascinating, with good world-building and world-expanding. The art is quite beautiful. This book is not the conclusion of the story but is the penultimate chapter. I can't wait for the next book, though that will probably be a long wait.

Highly recommended.

Movie Review: Hellboy (2004)

Hellboy (2004) written and directed by Guillermo del Toro

At the end of World War II, the Nazis are desperate enough to fund an occultist who promises to bring a supernatural weapon that will wipe out their enemies. Unfortunately, the occultist is Gregori Rasputin (as in the mad monk who caused so much trouble for the Russian Czars and died in 1917, in this story resurrected). His plan is to release the Ogdru Jahad, ancient evil ones imprisoned in another dimension eons ago. The Ogdru Jahad will most likely wipe out the Allies and the Axis powers, which is okay with Rasputin. Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (John Hurt) leads a group of American soldiers who disrupt the summoning ceremony. The only thing to make it through from the other side is a small red baby with horns and a huge stone right fist. The baby is taken in by Bruttenholm and named "Hellboy."

Jumping to modern day, Hellboy (Ron Perlman) has become a semi-mythical figure, like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster, appearing in blurry photos on newspapers and daytime TV talk shows. He's a paranormal investigator for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Hellboy wishes his existence wasn't a secret. He also wishes to be with his girlfriend Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), who used to be a ward of the B.P.R.D. but recently has been trying to get control over her powers (she's pyrokenetic, i.e. she can create fire magically) at a minimum-security asylum. Hellboy and Liz are drawn back together by the reappearance of Rasputin, who is trying again to release the ancient evil ones, this time using Hellboy to open a portal between earth and the prison of the Ogdru Jahad.

While the story does have large, mythic overtones, it hardly takes itself too seriously. Hellboy is a lot more blue-collar than ivory-tower, making a nice contrast to the mysterious and oppressive reality he deals with. He speaks plainly and sometimes lets his emotions get the better of him. He loves Liz but is unsure of the best way to show it, leading to comic results. He's a lot more human than the horns (which he grinds down) make him seem. The comedy and drama are well-balanced and natural.

The movie has a very deliberate color palette and a specific kind of set design and make-up The movie clearly has director del Toro's fingerprints all over it. He has an artistic vision that is easy to see. He also reuses themes and visuals, refining them or recrafting them in subsequent movies. This movie benefits from previous works (the clockworks and color schemes are more refined than in Cronos) and anticipates later works (Hellboy's partner Abe Sapien is a fish-man much like the creature in The Shape of Water). Some of the CGI looks dated but overall does a good job. The film is visually well-crafted.

Recommended for Hellboy fans and del Toro fans.

N.B. I watched the original theatrical version, not the director's cut, which I just discovered as apparently the only available version at Amazon.