Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 375, in which I interview Richard Sparks about his new novel, New Rock, New Role, as well as the joys and woes, the trials and tribulations and triumphs of the writerly life.
More about New Rock, New Role
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Podcast Review of True Detective 4
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 374, in which I review the fourth season of True Detective on HBO Max.
- Written blog post review of True Detective 4.1-4.3
- Written blog post review of True Detective 4.4-4.6
Monday, February 19, 2024
True Detective 4.3-4.6: Death of the Cure
I'm going to start this review of the concluding episodes -- 4 to 6 -- of the fourth season of True Detective on HBO Max by telling you what I really didn't like about the ending.
And therefore warning you about spoilers ahead ...
Tsalal was trying to get a cure out of the ice. More specifically, the DNA of some extinct microorganism which could lead to a cure of a host of deadly and debilitating human diseases. In my book, both as an appreciator of science fiction and someone who would like to see more people healthy -- especially given the pandemic that's been around since late 2019 -- I think Tsalal's goal was a worthy one indeed.
In order to get at these long gone microbes and their DNA, some of the permafrost had to melt. And pollutants helped that melt along. Unfortunately, the same pollutants cause plenty of death and debilitation of their own. So the people who lived in that part of Alaska killed the scientists at Tsalal. It started with one person, Annie K, attacking the scientists. Rather than just stopping her, the scientists killed her. And Annie's people in turned killed the scientists.
The story is a little more complicated than that, I know, but that's the jist of it. And because of what I said about the cure, as both a great element of a science fiction story, and something we could really use in reality, I wish this fourth season of true detective could have come up with more, with some way of ending the season with some hope that perhaps the cure could be salvaged.
Other than that, I thought the season was outstanding. What Pete did to his father was well deserved. The ambiguous ending of maybe Navarro walked off into the snowy wild or that was just Danvers' cover story to protect Navarro was well played. And the cold and the darkness that dominated the story until very end was so well presented I'm still shivering at least a bit.
I'm up for another provocative, disturbing season of True Detective whenever it arrives.
See also True Detective 4.1-4.3: Alaska, with a Touch of Science Fiction
And see also True Detective 3.1-2: Humanistic Disturbances of the Soul ...True Detective 3.3: Unquestioned Witnesses ... True Detective 3.4: All Hat, No Answers ... True Detective 3.5: Tour de Force Scene in the Present ...True Detective 3.6: Great Conversations ... True Detective 3.7: Merge! ... True Detective 3.8: The Best Ending
And see also Season Two: True Detective: All New ... True Detective 2.2: Pulling a Game of Thrones ... True Detective 2.3: Buckshot and Twitty ...True Detective 2.4: Shoot-out ... True Detective 2.7: Death and the Anti-Hero ... True Detective Season 2 Finale: Good Smoke but No Cigar
And see also Season One: True Detective: Socrates in Louisiana ... True Detective Season One Finale: Light above Darkness
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
Podcast Review of Reacher 2
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 373, in which I review the second season of Reacher on Amazon Prime Video.
- podcast review of Reacher 1
- written blog post review of Reacher 2
Monday, February 12, 2024
It's Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles novel just published
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Podcast Review of 'The Greatest Night in Pop'
Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 372, in which I review The Greatest Night in Pop: The Untold Story Behind 'We Are the World'.
- my written blog post review of The Greatest Night in Pop
- the "We Are the World" video
- 30-minute documentary made shortly after "We Are the World"
Sunday, February 4, 2024
The Greatest Night in Pop: The Making of 'We Are the World'
There's almost nothing as satisfying on the screen as seeing a documentary that shows you how something else you saw and on the screen and loved was put together. The Greatest Night in Pop does that with the 1985 video and recording, "We Are the World". In part because our family was just getting started, in part because we cared about feeding people in need of food, in part because we were fans of so many of the artists who made that music, the video has been among my wife's and my favorites since the day we first saw it in March 1985. It still brings tears to our eyes. As did The Greatest Night in Pop documentary, many times.
As we were watching it on Netflix the other night, I realized what an important kind of new video and recording the 1985 performance brought into being. Not a concert of great artists, but a single song performed by great artists. The performance of George Harrison's "As My Guitar Gently Weeps" in the 2004 Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame inductions with Tom Petty, Stevie Winwood, and Prince (who delivers the best guitar playing I've ever seen) is even better than the Beatles' original recording, and owes a debt of gratitude to the way "We Are the World" brought together more than two score of artists nearly two decades earlier to make such eternal music.
Prince didn't make it to that recording, though he was very much desired, and The Greatest Night in Pop tells us at least a part of that story. It also shows how Dylan, not really getting how he fit in the recording, sung his part perfectly after Stevie Wonder did a good mimic of Dylan singing like Dylan had in his heyday in the 1960s. Cyndi Lauper, understandably nervous in the company of such greats, belts out a great line and ends with a "yeah, yeah, yeah". She wonders if that was ok and is assured by Quincy Jones that it was just right. The key of the song was of course right for some of the singers but not for everyone. Bruce Springsteen, coming to the recording session with a hoarse voice just after a tour, sounds like he has "broken glass" in his throat, as someone remarks. But it's just right for the subject of the recording. Michael Jackson, who co-wrote the song with Lionel Richie, wants to add a "sha-la-la" to the chorus. Smokey Robinson tells us in current time, when the documentary was recorded, how he had lots of experience working with Michael Jackson at Motown, and we see him walk up to Jackson in the "We Are the World" recording studio and talk him out of the "sha-la-la". Diana Ross says how much she loved Daryl Hall's singing. Who knew?
The Greatest Night in Pop is a treasure-trove of such nuggets of musical history. I expect my wife and I will be watching it a lot more than once.
Saturday, February 3, 2024
Reacher 2: Even Better than Reacher 1
Hey, I liked Reacher 2 even better than Reacher 1, which means I immensely enjoyed every moment in the eight-episode second season, and my only regret is that I couldn't watch the eight episodes all at once, and keep the adrenalin flowing for the nearly eight hours. (Right, I watched each episode as it was put up on Amazon Prime Video, and saw the finale episode a few weeks back, but didn't get around to reviewing it until now.)
And adrenalin is the word for this second season of Lee Child's book series brought to life, which I haven't read. There's barely a minute or two that goes by in any episode without maximum octane action, punctuated with Reacher's razor-sharp commentary and rapid-fire retorts. People get pushed out of helicopters, have high-speed car chases, and exchange gunfire and physical blows in a plot that brings back Reacher's military team that we meet for the first time. This opens up all kinds of possibilities ranging from a rekindled (or, actually kindled) romantic relationship, more humor, and some rivalries.
One of my favorite threads in this sharp suit of a story involves the NYPD detective Guy Russo played by the one and only Domenick Lombardozzi (The Wire, Ray Donovan, etc). Since I'm trying hard to not provide any spoilers -- it gets tedious warning you about them, I know -- I'm not going to tell you anything specific about how Russo's story plays out, except to say it's one memorable story that you're not going to forget.
The villain, Shane Langston played by Robert Patrick, is memorable, too, one of the most driven, vicious evil masterminds I've seen on the screen in a long time. As I said in my review of Reacher 1, Jack Reacher definitely has some Bondian characteristics, and Langston is close to a worthy Bondian antagonist. Patrick has played many a policeman, of all ages over his long career, and it's good to see him branch out.
Alan Ritchson was perfect again as Reacher, Maria Sten was back and fine again as Neagly, and it was fun to see Serinda Swan in and out of bed with Reacher. Kudos too for Shaun Sipos's wise-cracking David O'Donnell. I have no idea who other than Ritchson will be on hand for season 3, but bring it on.
See also Reacher 1: Peach Pie, Stirred Not Shaken
Friday, February 2, 2024
True Detective 4.1-4.3: Alaska, With A Touch of Science Fiction
True Detective is back with its fourth season. So far, as of the first three episodes, it's quite good. Not as brilliant as the first season, which was a masterpiece, but at least as good as the second and third seasons, each in their way memorable. And this fourth season has something which is always especially appealing to me, a touch of science fiction.
The crime involves the disappearance of eight scientists from the fictional Tsalal Research Station in Alaska. In the second episode, it's briefly noted that those scientists were trying to sequence the DNA of an extinct microorganism that could have enormous health benefits for we humans, stopping "cellular decay," "curing cancer, autoimmune diseases, genetic disorders, an absolute fucking game-changer." This sure sounds like some welcome science fiction to me. It's also something that harkens back a little to the not-bad Helix series, which had two seasons on the SyFy Channel back in 2014-2015.
The placement in Alaska also calls forth recollections of all kinds of movies and TV series, ranging from the superb Christopher Nolan 2002 Insomnia with Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank (what a cast!) to the 2022 ABC-TV series Alaska Daily, also starring Hilary Swank, which was wisely cancelled after one season (I stopped watching it after three episodes).
I've been glued to screen of this season of True Detective, on HBO Max. In Insomnia, the sun never left the sky as Pacino's Detective Dormer struggles to investigate a murder way up north without getting a decent night's sleep. In True Detective, detectives Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) struggle to solve the crime in just the reverse situation in which the sun in December never rises in Alaska. It's great to see Foster back on the screen, she hasn't lost a beat. This is the first time I recall seeing Reis, and she's putting in a strong performance, too. The supporting cast is good, as well, with Finn Bennett as Peter Prior the rookie cop and Isabella LeBlanc as Danver's daughter Leah especially notable. I also for some reason liked Donnie Keshawarz as James Bryce, the high school teacher and Danver's former lover, maybe because he delivered the incredible news about what DNA from the extinct microorganism could do.
The key to the incandescence of the first season was the chemistry between the two detective partners, played Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. This fourth season of True Detective starts with just the opposite of that between Danvers and Navarro. They have a history, which we gradually learn about, which nearly makes them enemies, and they have to bury the hatchet, at least temporarily, and combine their expertise to work this case.
Like all the seasons of True Detective, there's a degree of gore which I could live without in a TV series or a movie. Also an element of mystical horror which is not my cup of tea, either. But the science fictional element makes up for that in this fourth season, and I'm very much looking forward to the rest.
And ... hey, I didn't even have to warn you about spoilers.
See also True Detective 3.1-2: Humanistic Disturbances of the Soul ...True Detective 3.3: Unquestioned Witnesses ... True Detective 3.4: All Hat, No Answers ... True Detective 3.5: Tour de Force Scene in the Present ...True Detective 3.6: Great Conversations ... True Detective 3.7: Merge! ... True Detective 3.8: The Best Ending
And see also Season Two: True Detective: All New ... True Detective 2.2: Pulling a Game of Thrones ... True Detective 2.3: Buckshot and Twitty ...True Detective 2.4: Shoot-out ... True Detective 2.7: Death and the Anti-Hero ... True Detective Season 2 Finale: Good Smoke but No Cigar
And see also Season One: True Detective: Socrates in Louisiana ... True Detective Season One Finale: Light above Darkness
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
