DVD Review: The Hurricane Heist

The Hurricane Heist
[DVD Hurricane]

This film starts off with an action-packed flashback to Hurricane Andrew, and doesn’t let up on the action for more than a few moments from that point onward. Co-written by a team of writers, and directed by Rob Cohen (creator of the Fast & The Furious film series), this film is a caper wrapped in a disaster story.

Will (Toby Kebbell) and Breeze (Ryan Kwanten) are two brothers who lived through the trauma of Hurricane Andrew that killed their father back in 1992. Will has gone on to become a meteorologist, working in the field in a specially-designed vehicle to track and study storm cells. Breeze has become a mechanical engineer. when a new 2018 Hurricane “Tammy” threatens their hometown, Will is eager to study it, and Breeze is lackadaisical and willing to evacuate like the rest of the town’s populace. Meanwhile, Casey (Maggie Grace) is a federal officer working at the nearby Federal Mint facility that is responsible for shredding over $600,000,000 in old bills that have been gathered at the site — only the shredder has broken down.

Turns out…that’s part of a big-time heist scheme designed to allow a team of bad guys to come into the mint and steal the money under the cover of the town’s hurricane evacuation. Casey, who’s left the facility to get Breeze (as a contracted repairman) tumbles to the scheme and escapes the bad guys, then teams up with Will to try to figure out how to rescue Breeze (and the other mint staff) and foil the heist. All while one of the worst hurricanes in U.S. history is raging around them.

The acting is terrific across the board in this film. I wasn’t familiar at all with either of the actors playing the brothers, and knew Maggie Grace only from the TV series LOST. Ben Cross and Ralph Ineson, as two of the “bad guys” were both recognizable, but otherwise it was a cast of “unknowns”, which was refreshing.

The stunt-work and physical effects work were intensive, as was the CGI. For me the level of believability for The Hurricane Heist was pretty much nil, but that didn’t bother me — this was a film where you turn your logical brain off and just get carried along by the plot/action. It was a lot of fun.

I particularly enjoyed watching the special features on this disc. Among them, there are interviews with director Rob Cohen, who share some unflinchingly honest comments about the state of Hollywood movie-making today.

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Book Review: Sasha Dolls Through the Years by Dorisanne Osborn

Sasha Dolls Through the Years
by Dorisanne Osborn (745.592 qOsb)

The Sasha doll was originally made in the 1940’s by Swiss artist Sasha Morgenthaler. They continue to be popular in Europe and have a strong following among doll collectors in the United States. Their have painted faces with Mona Lisa smiles, poseable heads, arms and legs. They are surprisingly expressive with their simple lines.

Sasha Dolls Through the Years is a difficult book to find; it’s an excellent resource, thoroughly researched and with page after page of clear color photographs, describes in detail the history and evolution of the Sasha dolls, their faces, their body styles and compositions, and their clothing and accessories.

This book is mostly of interest to doll aficionados, but it’s one of the many gems here at Lincoln City Libraries.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Fashionable Terri Lee dolls, by Peggy Wiedman Casper, Paper dolls of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s : identification & value guide, by Carol Nichols.]

[ official www.sashadoll.com web site ]

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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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: Thornhill by Pam Smy

Thornhill
by Pam Smy (j Smy)

A chilling mystery told through a combination of diary entries from 1982, and drawings from 2017, “Thornhill” is a wonderful ghost story that will delight and haunt young and grown alike. It deals with bullying, and the complications of growing up in a young girls orphanage in the 80’s. The beautiful watercolor and ink illustrations are haunting and brimming with detail, and will enthrall readers with every page.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Invention of Hugo Cabret: a novel in words and pictures, by Brian Selznick, The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte or The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart.]

[ publisher’s official Thornhill web page ] | [ official Pam Smy blog ]

Recommended by Elanor J.
Gere Branch Library

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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: Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews

Clean Sweep
by Ilona Andrews (Andrews)

Clean Sweep is the first book in the Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews. This series takes place around a magical inn in Texas that caters to supernatural and alien guests. Dina, the Innkeeper with a capital ‘I’, grew up in a family of Innkeepers, so she knows all about her duty to keep unusual guests safe–including from each other–and how to use the amazing powers she possesses on inn grounds.

Things are slow at the moment, with Dinah’s only guest being a galactic tyrant enjoying her peaceful retirement. (Or at least peaceful since the assassins gave up on trying to breach the inn’s defenses.) But when neighborhood dogs start showing up torn to bits on suburban lawns, Dinah struggles with her need to keep a low profile and not go around playing neighborhood detective. Maybe she can get her new, recently-out-of-the-military, not-bad-looking-at-all neighbor to do something about it. After all, Dinah can tell he has dangerous secrets of his own.

This is a fun urban fantasy and science fiction series that is published chapter-by-chapter on the authors’ website before being printed up as each book. “Ilona Andrews” is the pen name of a husband and wife team known for writing action-thriller romances with plenty of heat and magic. Clean Sweep is a great starting point for new readers. The second Innkeeper Chronicles book Sweep in Peace does feature character appearances from one their recently completed series which starts with the book On the Edge, so it’s not a bad idea to start with that series as another option.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, beginning with Cold Front, the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton, beginning with Guilty Pleasures, the Southern Vampire Mysteries series by Charlaine Harris, beginning with Dead Until Dark, or the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, beginning with Moon Called.]

[ official Innkeeper Chronicles page on the official Ilona Andrews web site ]

Recommended by Garren H.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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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!

New Lincoln Community Playhouse Booklist: Ring of Fire

The Lincoln City Libraries created a new “recommended reading” list in association with the first 2019-2020 production at the Lincoln Community Playhouse – the musical Ring of Fire, based on the life and music of Johnny Cash. Ring of Fire opened this weekend (September 6 2019), and is being performed through September 22^nd 2019. Whether or not you see the show, you may find some books, CDs and DVDs on this list that will spur your interest!

Check out the list of recommended reading for fans of the Johnny Cash musical Ring of Fire, at the following link:

Ring of Fire

DVD Review: The Kid Who Would Be King

The Kid Who Would Be King
[DVD j Kid]

A fun and engaging youth-oriented take on the King Arthur mythology, with a little heavy-handed lecturing thrown in for good measure.

Louis Ashbourne Serkis (son of Andy Serkis, famed for his special-effects-aided performance as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films), stars as Alex, a pre-teen living with his single mom in a British suburb. He’s not one of the popular kids, but he does stand up for his bullied friends, including Bedders (Dean Chaumoo), a portly but cheerful nerd. When the two main bullies at the school try to fight him after class, Alex flees, and ends up in a seemingly abandoned and collapsing construction site. He discovers a sword sticking up out of a stone, and sucessfully draws it, with no audience to see him.

The action of pulling Excaliber does bring Merlin out of hiding, who realizes he must find Arthur’s inheritor and assemble a team of knights to do battle with Morgana, who is also returning to the mortal world…in search of Excaliber herself.

It takes a while for the young-appearing Merlin (portrayed by Angus Imrie as a teen, and by Patrick Stewart as an older version) to convince Alex and Bedders of the truth, and they end up surprisingly teaming up with the bullies, Lance and Kaye, to go on a quest for Alex’s missing father, who may hold the secret of where to defeat Morgana.

The kids are engaging, particularly Serkis as a very earnest young Alex, and Imrie as an intense Merlin. The special effects, as our heroes battles Morgana’s resurrected undead minions, are pretty impressive. There are humor, sadness, treachery, honor and nobility. There are multiple quests, and character growth for most of the young leads. The cinematography is noteworthy, with scenes along the coast and in the English countryside that are gorgeous, and a final battle between the forces of good and evil on the grounds of the middle-school which all the kids attend.

Yeah, there are silly and unbelievable things, but in the end, I enjoyed The Kid Who Would Be King very much. There were moments that were breathtaking, such as the Lady of the Lake presenting the sword to Alex after he’s faltered in his quest. And those moments more than made up for any failing in this kid-oriented film!

[ If you liked this film, you may also enjoy Excaliber (1981) — my favorite retelling of the Arthurian legend, starring Nigel Terry and Nicol Williamson, though it is definitely not for kids. And Camelot, the classic 1967 musical, starring Richard Harris, is another fun telling of this tale. ]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Kid Who Would Be King web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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!

New BooksTalk Booklist: China Travelogue

In January and February, 2019, Linda V., from the Anderson and Bethany Branch Libraries, presented a pair of booktalks to the Bethany BooksTalk groups, sharing a slideshow of her recent trip to China, as well as some book and DVD selections thematically tied to her slideshow.

Check out her list of recommended reading and viewing at the following link: 

China Travelogue - Parts I & II