Book Review: The Winds of Dune (Dune #17)

 

The Winds of Dune, published in 2009, is the 17th book in the Dune saga (if you read them chronologically) and the second in the Heroes of Dune trilogy of novels. It is one of several novels written by the duo of Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The events in the story are set mostly between books 2 and 3 of the original Dune trilogy, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. As the novel Paul of Dune (set between the original Dune novel and Dune Messiah) did, this one jumps time periods. Most of the events are set after the end of Paul's reign after he walks off into the desert at a time when Alia is trying to hold the government together. Paul's former friend, Bronso if Ix (Bronso Vernius), has begun criticizing Paul and his rule. The story flashes back to events that occurred earlier during Paul's rule when we discover the plot against Paul and who was involved. 

The hardcover version is just under 450 pages. If you have read the prior novels (which is necessary to understand the story in this one), especially those written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, this one has a similar style and tone and reads as quickly or slowly as the others. The story is intriguing and fills in the gaps between the original novels. I will not spoil the story for those who have not read it, but we discover that not everything is as it seemed with Paul's rule and the events that led to his downfall. We also get more insight into Alia, who is now a teenager but has all the memories of the prior Reverand Mothers of the Bene Gesserit. The story also shows the cracks that develop in the relationships between Alia, Lady Jessica, Duncan Idaho, and Gurney Halleck and the widening rift between Jessica and the members of the Bene Gesserit. If you are a fan of the Dune saga, it is absolutely worth reading.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Fighting with my Family

 

Fighting With My Family is a 2019 biographical drama/comedy written and directed by Stephen Merchant starring Florence Pugh, Lena Headey, Nick Frost, Jack Lowden, and Vince Vaughn. It is a semi-biographical movie about the WWE career of professional wrestler Paige (Saraya Bevis), played by Pugh. It is based upon a documentary by the same name about Paige and her family of professional wrestlers in England that Dwayne Johnson (The Rock), who was a producer of the movie, along with making a few cameos, saw and convinced director Stephen Merchant to take it on as a project. Paige is played wonderfully in the movie by Florence Pugh. Lena Headey plays Paige's mother, and Nick Frost plays Paige's father (and steals every scene he is in).  Jack Lowden plays Paige's brother, who is also a wrestler trying to make it in the WWE, and Vince Vaughn plays a WWE trainer.

The basic story is that Paige and her brother, who wrestle in their family's small promotion in Norwich, England, are trying to get a tryout with the WWE. They get a tryout, and she is picked to go to WWE's developmental unit in the United States, and he does not. So it becomes a fish out of water story as she tries to make her break while her brother deals with being left behind at home. It mostly skips her rise to popularity in NXT, just showing her training and getting adjusted to life as a pro wrestler for the WWE, then ends with a very fictionalized version of her first match on the main roster. For a film about pro wrestling, it is very well done. It is an excellent combination of funny and heartfelt and takes a story about a profession that is over-the-top in absurdity at times very seriously.

The A/V quality of the Blu-Ray is very good, especially for a movie that does not make use of CGI or special effects. The extras consist of about 8 minutes of deleted and extended scenes, an 8-minute (give or take) making-of featurette, a gag reel, and a feature commentary track with the director. There are also two versions of the movie, the theatrical version as well as a director's cut. There was not much bonus material, but what was included was good. It would have been nice if Paige and Florence Pugh had been included on the commentary track instead of just the director.

Overall, it is a good movie. It is enjoyable even if you are not a huge fan of professional wrestling, but I think the people who enjoy it the most will be pro-wrestling fans. For those who are more old-school WWE/WWF fans, some clips from "back in the day" get sprinkled throughout the movie, and some cameos with some of the main roster WWE stars aside from The Rock. It is definitely worth checking out.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Shameless Season 5

 

The 12-episode fifth season of Shameless aired during the winter and spring of 2015. The season saw another change in character arcs, most notably for Fiona and Frank (although not exclusively for those two). Fiona is still self-destructive but makes more effort to get her life sorted out. Frank is still horrible, yet becomes a little less so throughout the season (especially at the end). Lip finds himself still acclimating to college, being torn between his "south side" life and the life he wants after he graduates. The combination of puberty and teen peer pressure is hitting Debbie hard, and Carl is fully embracing his inner delinquent. V and Kevin are having problems as new parents, and Sammie is a pain for everyone. There is also a storyline about the gentrification of the neighborhood and even more cast turnover as Joan Cusack's character arc comes to a close. Ian and Mickey's relationship is more complicated, with Ian's mental problems getting worse. And, of course, the big reveal from the season 4 finale that Jimmy is still alive plays out. I will not spoil any of the season's major events, but it ties up some of the old story arcs and sets up new ones.

The Blu-Ray set is a two-disc set. This release is similar to those for the prior seasons but with fewer extras. The bonus material includes a handful of deleted scenes, some behind-the-scenes material, and a commentary track on the episode William Hm Macy directed. The show continues to be well-written and acted. As has been the case since the show started, there is a lot of sex, swearing, and dark humor in the show. By now, you know what you get with the series in that respect, however.

Overall, I would say if you have liked the prior seasons, you will probably like this one, with the proviso that the characters have evolved from their season-one versions, and not everyone is likely to be a fan of how those arcs played out. On the other hand, if you have hated the prior seasons, there is probably nothing about this season that will convert you into a fan.

DVD/TV Series Review: The Good Wife Season 2

 

The 23-episode second season of The Good Wife aired during the 2010/2011 TV season. It continued the format that worked well in the first season. Namely, it used a part procedural and part serial format. There were the case-of-the-week stories which played out in the courtroom scenes, and then larger themes throughout the season, like the power struggle with the new managing partner, Peter's campaign to regain the State's Attorney position, and Alicia and Will doing the will-they-wont-they dance, creating a love triangle of sorts.

The season picks up right where season 1 left off, with Will leaving the messages for Alicia during the press conference. We see the result, which creates unease between the two during the first part of the season. For the most part, Peter and Alicia's arc play out separately (his taking place mainly in the campaign headquarters with Eli Gold (played brilliantly by Allan Cumming), and hers in the law firm or in court). There is some crossover as Alicia and Peter try to reunite their marriage, and Eli pressures her to get more involved in the campaign. The big additions to the cast this year are Scott Porter (who would go on to be one of the leads in Hart of Dixie), who plays a rival to Kalinda as an investigator brought on by the new managing partner, Derek Bond (played by Michael Ealy), and for those of us old enough to remember the 1980s, the great Michael J. Fox plays a recurring role as a rival lawyer who is often on the opposing side to the firm.

The DVD set is a six-disc set. It includes many extras that are spread throughout these six discs. There is a featurette entitled "Real Deal Inside the Episode," which details the process the writers and production staff work through to get an episode made. Then there is a short featurette called "Conversation with the Kings," which is an interesting discussion with co-creators and executive producers Michelle and Robert King. They discuss how carefully they and the writers craft each episode to advance that week's plot while simultaneously developing each character. There are also a handful of deleted scenes, a 20-minute discussion with some of the cast members and showrunners, a glimpse of the season-one DVD release party, six behind-the-scenes videos by Alan Cumming (each around 5 minutes), and three campaign music videos that were used in the show (one full length, and the other two basically just the clips shown in the show).

If you liked season 1, then chances are you will like this season. If you did not, you probably will not get on board because of this season. It does take liberties with the courtroom scenes, as all legal shows/movies do, but it gets a lot right which is nice for any lawyers who love to nitpick things. It is definitely worth checking out.