DVD/Movie Review - Spider-Man (2002)

Spider-Man (2002)
(DVD Spider)

 

After viewing the newer film versions of Spider-Man (starring Tom Holland), co-worker Scott recommended that I also check out the earlier film versions starring Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as the Amazing Spider-Man, also known as teen-age science wiz Peter Parker. I watched the earliest version last. Tobey Maquire stars as the teen-age superhero with Kirstin Dunst as his love interest, Mary Jane Watson. Of the three movies, the second movie was my favorite, mainly because of the casting. Alfred Molina plays the infamous villain, Doctor Octopus, and Rosemary Hunt plays Peter’s Aunt May. The story lines are good and the acting is well done. The third movie, Spider-Man 3, pales in comparison to the first two movies, but Tobey Maguire is fun to watch in his portrayal of “your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.”

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007) (also with Tobey Maguire), the two The Amazing Spider-Man films (with Andrew Garfield, 2012 and 2014), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) (with Tom Holland).]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

 

Recommended by Kim J.
Bennett Martin Public Library – Public Service

 

Have you watched this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Music Book Review: Kitharologus: The Path to Virtuosity by Richardo Iznaola

Kitharologus: The Path to Virtuosity
by Ricardo Iznaola (Music 787.872 Izn)

 

This is an unusual book primarily aimed at classical guitarists, but many of the exercises contained here will also help to tighten up technique for steel-string and electric guitar fingerpicking. Aimed mostly at right-hand technique, Kitharologus takes readers through a wide variety of string combinations to gain independence and fluidity. Most of the exercises use open strings to keep the focus on the right hand, though there are a few left land stretching exercises later in the book. The first appendix at the back of the book lays out a suggested practice routine.

 

Unless you’re planning to be a professional-level classical guitarist, you probably don’t need to learn every exercise in this book. However, even incorporating just a few of the exercises into your practice routine, especially ones that address any weaknesses you may have already identified in your right hand, can make a huge difference in your overall playing.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Pumping Nylon, by Nathaniel Gunod, Fingerstyle Guitar: Lessons in Technique & Creativity, by Brian Gore or Playing With Ease: A Healthy Approach to Guitar Technique, by David Leisner.]

[ http://www.iznaolaguitarworks.com/ ]

Recommended by Scott S.
Polley Music Library

Check out this, and all the other great music resources, at the Polley Music Library, located on the 2nd floor of the Bennett Martin Public Library at 14th & "N" St. in downtown Lincoln. You'll find biographies of musicians, books about music history, instructional books, sheet music, CDs, music-related magazines, and much more. Also check out Polley Music Library Picks, the Polley Music Library's e-mail newsletter, and follow them on Facebook!

 

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Things My Son Needs to Know About the World by Fredrik Backman

Things My Son Needs to Know About the World
by Fredrik Backman (Biography Backman)

 

Backman is perhaps best known for his prose fiction, starting with A Man Called Ove, and including such recent bestsellers as Beartown and its sequel Us Against You.

 

In Things My Son Needs to Know About the World, Backman offers up a series of interconnected personal essays (hence it is cataloged as a biography in the libraries’ collection), all connected to the theme of sharing his adult wisdom with his young son. Each chapter is one long essay, paired with a series of humorous side notes. The titles of the chapters may be somewhat accurate, but Backman goes off (seemingly) on tangents with each one — “What you need to know about motion-sensitive bathroom lights”, “What you need to know about stuff”, “What you need to know about why that Felicia girl’s mother hates me”, and “What you need to know about when I hold your hand a little too tight”, for examples. Backman’s writing in this book is both hilarious, yet poignant. Wise, yet self-deprecating. Absurdist, yet at times almost gut-wrenching in its honesty.

 

I really didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this short volume (193 pages), but in the end, I found this to be very touching, and I laughed at it more than any other book I’ve read in the past few years.

 

Highly recommended, especially for anyone interested in exploring parenthood issues from a dad’s point-of-view.

 

[If you enjoy this, you may also enjoy anything else written by Fredrik Backman, but be aware that most of his other writings are far more serious.]

 

[ official Things My Son Needs to Know About the World page on the official Fredrik Backman web site ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Spooked! How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America by Gail Jarrow

This review is being published on the actual 82nd anniversary of the historic "War of the Worlds", which took place on October 30th, 1938, beginning at 7:00 PM Central Time. If you have access to the internet, I encourage you to celebrate this anniversary by finding one of the many audio copies of this show archived online and listen to it tonight, starting at 7:00 PM here in Lincoln, NE. Try to place yourself in the mindset of listeners back in 1938, when radio was the primary method of in-home entertainment!

Spooked!:How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion ofAmerica
by Gail Jarrow (j 791.447 WarYj)

This marvelous volume from author Gail Jarrow does a terrific job of looking back at the October 30th, 1938 radio broadcast of “The War of the Worlds”, starring Orson Welles and the panic it is supposed to have caused in the listening public at the time. This radio play is an updated and relocated adaptation of H.G. Wells classic science fiction novel of invaders from Mars. In the radioplay, instead of landing in the English countryside, the aliens first land in Grover’s Mill, NJ. The radio play was done in “as it happens” style, combining fake news reports, interruptions to regular broadcasts, and a full cast of performers treating the alien invasion as a real event. Unfortunately, due to a variety of odd circumstances, many listeners tuned in late and the verisimilitude of the radio program led many to believe the events truly were happening. Jarrow’s book explores the history of the broadcast and also the repercussions in days and years after the “panic broadcast” let to such a misunderstanding. All the information is presented in quick, bite-size nuggets, and the book is filled with gorgeous photos and illustrations. Definitely a fun read for anyone who’s a fan of this classic Halloween broadcast, or of radio and pop culture history in general.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try listening to the original 1938 radio broadcast — available online from several sources, the original novel The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, or Aliens Are Coming!: The True Account of the 1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast by Meghan McCarthy.]

[ Wikipedia page for the 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast ] | [ official Gail Jarrow web site ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

In a Dark, Dark Wood
by Ruth Ware (Ware)

 

Leonora “Nora” is a crime writer and almost recluse, living in London. She agrees to go to a school friend’s “Hen Night” only because another mutual friend is going. Being held in a remote cabin, odd things begin to happen and then Nora wakes up in the hospital. She’s been injured in a car accident and doesn’t remember what happened. As she begins to piece together she learns someone has died. Nora isn’t sure what or who to believe.

 

This is a suspense novel and not a bad one. The main character isn’t the most likable, but that makes it all the more believable. Did Nora snap? Did Nina? Or was it Flo? Not a horror novel, but it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Sharp Objects, by Gillian Flynn, In a Cottage, In a Wood, by Cass Green or Thin Ice, by Paige Shelton]

[ official In a Dark, Dark Wood page on the official Ruth Ware web site ]

 

Recommended by Marcy G.
South Branch Library

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Mystery Fans -- Don't forget, the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group will be holding its monthly gathering on-line, using Zoom meeting software. Our October discussion topic is "The Works of Patricia Highsmith". Come join us tonight, 6:30-7:45 to join in the discussion of this classic author's impressive body of works, plus our monthly Round Robin, in which you can share whatever else you've been reading lately! Zoom link available at the Just Desserts schedule page.