Going Postal is a mini-series (two episodes) based off of Terry Pratchett’s book by the same name. The movie follows Moist Von Lipwig, an unscrupulous con man, who is given a second chance at life. All he has to do is revive the post office. Simple as it may sound, the post office is threatened by the notorious owner of the Clacks – Reacher Gilt – who will stop at nothing to see his competition annihilated.
Prior to watching Going Postal, I had never heard of Terry Pratchett. While the movie itself is strange, the story line is unique and intriguing. I was incredibly impressed with the caliber of acting and the quality of the dialogue/plot. Most movies these days rely more heavily on action scenes and less so on developing a solid story line. I think that is one of the reasons I enjoyed Going Postal so much; it had a plot.
If you can get past the initial oddity of the movie (especially the first 10-ish minutes), you will find a well-acted, well crafted, and entertaining story.
This is definitely getting added to my “Favorites” list.
Adam, a high school student, struggles to come to terms with his father’s sudden disappearance and the revelation that his father was a scientist for a secret government organization. If that surprise isn’t bad enough, Adam realizes that the biological changes he’s experienced – a sudden allergy to sun and a perpetual state of hunger – might just be the result of his father’s experimentation. Now a “prisoner” within this secret organization, Adam learns that the world is full of far more than just humans and that it might take someone with augmented DNA – an Augment as they are called – to protect and save the human race from extinction.
Blackcoats: Dead Man Walking is the first book in the Blackcoats series by Michael Lachman. While reading, I couldn’t help but think of Men in Black in terms of the secret government organization that deals with paranormal activity. The banter between the characters made for some good laughs, and it was a novel experience for me reading a book with references to modern books and movies. (The majority of books I read are fantasy and/or set in the medieval time period, and they don’t reference Harry Potter or Terry Pratchett.)
I will be honest, it is in reading this book, that I realized my preferred genre is fantasy and medieval stories; apparently, I’m not the sci-fi genre fan I thought I was. This is in no way a reflection on Lachman’s writing. Lachman is a good writer; his writing flows smoothly and makes for an easy read. Despite the fact I prefer fantasy, I was still drawn-in and curious to find out what happened next. The quality of Michael Lachman’s writing makes me confident he will go far as an author, and I look forward to seeing what else he writes in the future. Who knows? If Lachman ever branches off into the world of fantasy, I know I’d definitely be interested in reading it!
Blackcaots: Dead Man Walking is appropriate for all ages; there is no sex or language, and I recommend it to any parents whose kids enjoy sci-fi. This is a book you can read with them and enjoy yourself.
I was provided with a copy of “Blackcoats: Dead Man Walking” free of charge in exchange for my review. I received no monetary compensation.
I must say, I really liked Jumanj: The Next Level. I honestly wasn’t expecting it to be any good as is the way with most sequels. However, I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I think I enjoyed this one more than Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (the first Jumanji sequel). This one is more funny, although it could be because I had the benefit of watching it in a packed theater. There is something about sitting in a full theater with a laughing crowd.
The premise of Jumanji: The Next Level is that one of the main characters – Spencer – is dissatisfied with his life, and so he resurrects Jumanji, which is the last place he recalls feeling important. His friends, concerned when they cannot get a hold of him, realize what he has done and go in after him. However, things don’t go quite as planned and Spencer’s granddad (played by Danny DeVito) and an elderly friend (Danny Glover) get sucked in to the game as well.
What I found most hilarious was watching Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kevin Hart channel Danny DeVito and Danny Glover, respectively. It was funny to see adult men pretending to be older men in a younger body. Kevin Hart in particular did a great job of maintaining Danny Glover’s calm demeanor and personality.
While the movie was funny, my favorite thing about the movie was the message. Eddie, Spencer’s grandfather, is aging. He is recovering from hip surgery and doesn’t want to let anyone help him. He is an old, cranky man who resents growing old. However, by the end of the movie, he realizes that maybe getting old isn’t such a bad thing. My favorite line in the movie is Eddie’s statement:
Getting old is a gift. I forget that sometimes, but it is. What more could a guy possibly want?
In a world where we are so focused on remaining young in appearance, it is nice to be reminded that aging truly is a gift. It is a sign of a life lived and adventures had. Not everyone lives long enough to grow old; be thankful for the life you’ve lived.
Parents should note that there is some crude humor referencing male anatomy as well as some profanity.
A couple of days ago, I was really grumpy and decided it was best to avoided human contact. So, I barricaded myself in my room and watched 3+ hours of Raising Dion, Netflix’s new TV series. I had started the series the week before and was about halfway through. Those 3+ hours of binge watching took me to the end of the series.
The series is about a boy named Dion (in case you didn’t figure that out) who finds he possesses magical powers. Together with his mother, Dion must learn to manage his powers while facing a mysterious magical creature (The Crooked Man).
There are so many things I liked about this show that it is impossible to list them all here. The show is well-acted, intense at times, and filled with humor. But my favorite aspect of this show was the values. Two things in particular stood out to me:
“You can’t shrink yourself to make other people comfortable.”
“You can be a hero if you want.”
“You can’t shrink yourself to make other people comfortable.”
This was said to Dion when he was suppressing his powers so he wouldn’t scare his mom. He was afraid the added stress of his powers would make his mom feel sad.
I thought this quote was appropriate because in today’s society, we focus a lot on changing who we are to make other people comfortable. We tiptoe around certain topics and avoid certain words because we are afraid of hurting someone’s feelings. However, in reality, we are not responsible for other people’s feelings.
This does not mean we can be rude and insensitive. This simply means that we are allowed to have opinions and values that differ from others, and if they are offended because we don’t agree with them, that is their problem and not ours. We should not feel obligated to hide our opinions, beliefs, or values simply because other people may feel upset.
The conversation continues in which Dion is told that his mom “is allowed to feel sad,” which I thought was a good reminder for us. It is okay if we feel sad or angry or scared. Just because a feeling is unpleasant doesn’t mean we should ask other people to shrink themselves by changing their values, beliefs or opinions, so that we can avoid experiencing an unpleasant feeling.
“You can be a hero if you want.”
Dion says this to Charlotte, another individual with powers, who lives in fear The Crooked Man will get her.
This particular quote stood out to me because we can all be heroes if we want to be. Our past does not determine our future. We have the ability to choose where we want to go from this point in our life. Our circumstances, no matter how dire, do not confine us to one outcome. If we want something, we can choose to go after it, to become it. We can choose to overcome despite the fear, the challenges, and the struggles in life. Our present and future are what we choose to make it.
If you are looking for a good show to watch, you might consider checking out Raising Dion. I know I am looking forward to seeing what the second season brings.
Sensitive Reader Alert: For those of you who have not discussed same-sex attraction with your children, you might want to skip episode 7. Kat Neese, Dion’s aunt, is a hard working woman who will do anything to help her sister and her nephew. There is a scene in episode 7 when Kat and her girlfriend are cuddling in a bed. While this scene is mild in terms of relationship scenes – clothes are on, there is no sex – if you haven’t discussed same-sex relationships with your children, it will raise questions.
I saw Solo a couple of weeks ago. The show was well acted and has more of a plot than most Star Wars movies. As much as I hate to say it, I was a little disappointed with the movie. While I thought the actors did a fabulous job, the overall story was not as much fun as I remember Star Wars movies being. There was not a lot of humor and the action violence was more serious/intense than I remember Star Wars films being. Also, there were more innuendoes than in previous Star Wars films.
The only reason I enjoyed the film was because I grew up watching the original Star Wars trilogy, so it was fun to see where Han Solo came from and how he met Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian. That alone made the movie worth watching; however, I’m not sure it made it worth paying to see it in the movie theaters.
I saw Solo a couple of weeks ago. The show was well acted and has more of a plot than most Star Wars movies. As much as I hate to say it, I was a little disappointed with the movie. While I thought the actors did a fabulous job, the overall story was not as much fun as I remember Star Wars movies being. There was not a lot of humor and the action violence was more serious/intense than I remember Star Wars films being. Also, there were more innuendoes than in previous Star Wars films.
Reading4Fun 