Book Review: Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 8 by Hiromu Arakawa

Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 8 by Hiromu Arakawa

The big battle wraps up as we discover the Fuhrer President King Bradley (no, they don't explain how he can be Fuhrer, President, and King all at the same time) seems to be part of the grand conspiracy revolving around the Philosopher's Stone. Other dots are starting to connect as the story goes on. To give the story a twist, some people show up from the country of Xing. A large desert separates the Xing from the lands Bradley controls, so only people on serious missions cross the wasteland. Both of the new visitors want the same thing--to become immortal by using the Philosopher's Stone.

The story is getting more interesting as it goes along. I'm still having a great time and will read more.

Recommended.

Movie Review: Unbreakable (2000)

Unbreakable (2000) written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan

The life of David Dunn (Bruce Willis) is falling apart. He's estranged from his wife (Robin Wright Penn) but still living together because of their young son Joseph. David is on the verge of leaving them when something unbelievable happens. On a train ride from New York, David's train wrecks and everyone on board dies except for David. David has no injuries whatsoever. He tries to go back to his life but he receives a strange note from Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson). Elijah is a comic-book expert who thinks David is an exceptional person, someone meant to be a hero. Elijah has lived his life with a debilitating condition where his bones are extremely fragile. He's so weak, shouldn't there be someone else, a polar opposite, who is unnaturally strong? And doesn't the world need people greater than normal, people who are heroes?

The story is told in a very quiet but direct way. When David is leaving the hospital after the crash, Joseph puts his parents' hands together. As soon as Joseph turns away, they let go, showing that they are not really together except for their son. Shyamalan tells a lot of the story in a similar fashion, showing an artist's touch. Big, over the top moments don't happen on screen except once or twice, and then to great effect. The actors all deliver great performances. The story is finely crafted and visually rich.

Even better is the thematic elements. David is a lost soul, without a real purpose or direction to his life. And he knows it but he doesn't know what to do about it. Elijah thinks David is meant to be a hero; his son wants him to be a hero. Accepting that vocation is a long and hard road for David and a fascinating journey for the viewers. The ending is a classic Shyamalan twist and his most powerful.

Highly recommended.

TV Review: Doctor Who: City of Death (1979)

Doctor Who: City of Death (1979) directed by Michael Hayes and co-written by David Fisher, Douglas Adams, and Graham Williams under the pseudonym David Agnew

Fourth Doctor Tom Baker and companion Romana (Lalla Ward), who is also from Gallifrey, visit Paris circa 1979 for some relaxation. Their fun times are interrupted by two things. First, minor time loops start happening, indicated someone mucking about with technology far in advance of Earth 1979 A.D. Second, thieves are planning to steal the Mona Lisa, again using technology far in advance of what the locals have. Naturally, the two are related. The Doctor does his usual bit of running around, getting captured, and saying witty things.

The episode is a little slow in parts. It does feature actual Paris locations and the filming has lots of interesting angles and camera movements. The dialog does have the fingerprints of Douglas Adams (he of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fame) all over it. Adams, in addition to being a co-writer, was also script editor for the show at this point. He definitely gave a lighthearted touch to the story, though the story itself is pretty standard Doctor Who fare. I enjoyed it but it is not great by any stretch. Tom Baker is charming as always.

Recommended.

Book Review: Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Meg Meeker

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: Ten Secrets Every Father Should Know by Meg Meeker

A lot of ink (digital and actual) has been put down about the relationships between fathers and sons. But what about fathers' relationships to their daughters? The literature is rather slim. This book provides some practical advice and motivation to fathers so that they will be more involved in their daughters' lives, even from an early age.

The book emphasizes a point that is generally neglected: Fathers are a role model to their daughters of what men should be like. Daughters will measure guys according to their fathers' behavior. If fathers treat their daughters with respect and take care of them, they will in turn expect that from other men. The intent isn't to create a princess who needs everything from others, but a woman who knows what she wants, what's expected of her, and what she can do.

One of the biggest issues is to protect girls from the toxic environment that is modern culture. The standard women who appear in entertainment or advertising are ridiculously thin, voluptuous, and underdressed. As models to strive for, such women are the opposite of helpful. Cutting girls off from such culture is impossible, but developing the right attitude towards that culture is a job for mothers and fathers. Establishing ground rules and sticking to them is critical, even in awkward situations, like parties where too much drinking goes on. Fathers need to take charge, to take care of their daughters.

The book is alarming as it looks at problems girls face: for example, sexual promiscuity and eating disorders. The author uses both statistics and examples drawn from her medical practice to discuss the issues and tell how fathers can be a positive influence in their daughters' lives. The stories are shocking and depressing, though often they do have happy endings. It's a very hard world. Girls need support, especially from their family.

This is a very valuable and interesting book to read, especially for men with daughters.

Recommended.

A Special Dinner by My Daughter

My daughter decided to have a special dinner for the family. She planned pies with customer-chosen fillings. First, she made the crusts. We had some leftover pie crust (the refrigerated kind from the store) from the holidays. With a couple of muffin tins, she was well on her way.

Making pie crusts

Cutting the dough

Shaping the crusts

She also made a generic sauce to go with the pies. The filling choices included bacon, chicken, ham, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and more.

Generic but tasty

Before the main course (and to provide time to make the pies), she offered drinks and appetizers.

On offer

Taking orders

I had the onion soup, which was delightful, especially with a Merlot.

First course

Since I had onion with the soup, I ordered a bacon/chicken/pepper pie, which was also delightful.

My pie

Kids ordered from a kids' selection, including a pizza pie. My youngest was happy for a pizza pie.

Doesn't want to miss a crumb

Working on the pies

Dessert was not on the menu. We had plenty of options from Christmas celebrating--we didn't mind leftovers!

It was a great meal and we loved it. Thanks, my number one daughter!

Book Review: My Hero Academia Vol. 2 by Kohei Horikoshi

My Hero Academia Volume 2 by Kohei Horikoshi

See my review of Volume 1 here.

Having gotten into hero high school through the fluke of inheriting the hero All Might's power, Midoriya faces plenty of challenges. The classes are not just academic. The students face plenty of practical tests of their abilities. One test pairs up students in a two-on-two competition. Naturally, Midoriya is teamed up with the cute blonde girl he can hardly talk to because he has a crush on her. They have to face off against Midoriya's sworn enemy Bakugo, who'd like nothing less than to get Midoriya knocked out of school, literally or figuratively. A later test is interrupted by villains who invade the school in hopes of taking down All Might, who has accept a teaching position, partly so he can mentor Midoriya in using the inherited ability.

The story introduces a lot of characters, mostly students. It reads like more set up than forward motion in Midoriya's plot. Even so, I am enjoying the variety of odd powers and some clever use of them.

Recommended.

Movie Review: 47 Meters Down (2017)

47 Meters Down (2017) co-written and directed by Johannes Roberts

Boring older sister Lisa (Mandy Moore) invites younger sister Kate (Claire Holt) on her Mexican vacation that Lisa had planned with her boyfriend. They have some fun hanging out at the hotel. One night, Lisa admits that her boyfriend dumped her because he thought she was boring, so Kate takes Lisa on a night of fun. They meet two guys who love to go diving in a cage to watch sharks underwater. Lisa takes a lot of convincing and guilting to go on the excursion with the guys. Once they are out there, things inevitably go wrong and they get stuck in the cage 47 meter below the surface. Can the sisters make it out of the shark-infested depths?

Of course all sorts of complications set in, forcing the sisters to do various things that look...unadvisable. They are inexperienced divers and are panicking, so their behavior follows some warped or ill-formed logic. Their characters are cliche and neither the writing nor the acting gets past cliche. The other human characters, who are the diving experts, don't seem to have a clue about what to do and contribute almost no help. I understand the filmmakers wanted to keep things from the sisters' perspectives but it seemed unrealistic that the rescue effort was so slow and ineffectual. The other characters in the story, by which I mean the sharks, are completely perfunctory and just show up for jump scares. The human characters spend a lot of time narrating what viewers see, like "there's a shark by you!" or "I should take this spear gun." The movie is very predictable with only a few moments of the sort of tension that should be throughout the whole running time. The big twist at the end seems obvious given the paint-by-numbers plotting.

Watching the movie feels like the movie makers saw Jaws and loved the bit with Richard Dreyfuss in the shark cage. Then they decided to make a whole movie out of that without really researching diving or shark cages or shark behavior. It wasn't convincing or engaging. It's a shame because the premise of being trapped underwater is interesting and the film makers clearly avoided treating the sisters like eye-candy. The movie has a lot of unfulfilled potential.

Not recommended.