Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)

It turns out that I am not much for spectagular CGI pomp and circumstance, and that I need less in the way of family dramas and more in the way of a story, even for a movie that is all about the visual. I read several reviews, and I can see that I am in the minority when it comes to this, and while I thought the first movie was good and also visually stunning, I am not one for dragging the story out, and there seemed to be a lot of that her. For example, while this is the final installment in a trilogy, it would surprise me not if there was another one in the works. So why did I even bother? That is an excellent question, and it is really a matter of filling out my bingo card--there were only four movies that were nominated for the 2026 Oscars that I had not seen (Cutting Though Rocks, Children No More, and THe Ugle Stepsister remain), and it was available on a long flight that got me to the table, and while I am not sorry I saw it, it probably deserved the win in Visual Effects (although a little sad about that), and no, I would not seek out another, but would probably watch if it were again nominated--which is how I ended up seeing the first two. My favorite for visual effects was Sinners, with The Lost Bus as my second choice. So in summary, if you like lush visuals with lots of action, this is a good one.

The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson

This book has three perspectives--one is keeping true to the traditions of your culture as a way to re-anchor yourself, the second is incorporating American Indian values of respecting the earth, our only potential home, in the era of climate change butting heads with corporate greed, and the last is an interesting way to portray the effects of generational trauma. These elements weave together in the story of Rosalie Iron Wing, a Dakhóta woman whom we first meet during a major turning point in her life. Wilson, who is herself Dakhóta, composes a narrative that moves back and forth in time, filling in Rosalie’s backstory and family history. During these movements through time, we meet Marie Blackbird, Rosalie’s great-great-grandmother. Marie describes running from US Indian Agents who, among other things, took children away from their families and placed them in boarding schools to convert them to Christianity. Rosalie is, body and mind, a product of the transgressions and violations her family and the Dakhóta have endured, from the loss of their lands to the loss of their traditional food and their children. This book asserts that much of the past does not go away, but continues to exist in the present. It details the way history runs through the bloodstream, through the DNA, through the bones, through the water, and through the land, affecting every life that steps forward into the present. We primarily experience this idea through the eyes of the Dakhóta, but during one scene, Rosalie’s white husband, John, takes her to see a monument commemorating the Sioux Indian War of 1862, one of the many events that transformed and devastated Rosalie’s family—but also John’s family. I did not like the time travel in this, skipping between times throughout the book--I find it a little dizzying, especially when it is all over the place and not just two time periods, but overall would recommend.

Taquería El Jarocho, Mexico City, Mexico

This is a Michelin Bib Gourmand taqueria--where it is important to note that while they open at 9:30, they do not start serving off their more extensive menu until later in the morning. But you can always have tacos!

El Jarocho has eighty years of history backing it up, and has been run by three generations of the same family. It was originally a tortilleria, and they're known for their guisado-style tacos, offering a wide variety of proteins and vegetables stewed in a number of different ways. And don't skip their campechano taco with chopped steak and topped with crispy chicharron--that was Joel's favorite--mine was the mile verde tacos. Fresh tortillas are made in-house.

Last Night In Brooklyn by Xochitl Gonzalez

I read a review that this is a modern telling of The Great Gatsby story, moved from Long Island to Brooklyn, the place in New York to be now. I myself didn't catch that, and while it definitely holds water, that was not my take away from it. That says more about me than it does Gonzalez, because I didn't love Gatsby and I didn't love this either. Here goes. Brooklyn, 2007. Alicia (the new Nick) is 26 years old and feels like she’s stuck. She’s doing what is expected of her rather than what she wants to do. She’s saving for a wedding she’s not sure if she wants. But one night she attends a party in the Fort Greene neighborhood, and her life changes dramatically. She finds herself in the orbit of her magnetic neighbor, an up and coming designer who calls herself La Garza (the Great Jay Gasby). Alicia watches her neighbor from across the street, marveling at the epic parties she throws. When Alicia is invited into La Garza’s world, she finally realizes what she wants and what she’s been missing. La Garza has almost mythical reverence surrounding her. Alicia finds herself torn in many directions as the whole spun out of gold fairy tales cames spinning down. The setting of the book is as much a part as a character. Brooklyn in 2007 is on the verge of gentrification. The Barclays Center is about to be built, pushing out some of the neighborhood’s oldest residents. The country is already feeling the effects of a possible recession, even as the optimism of the Obama campaign is rising, especially for black and brown people. The big difference for the reader is that while The Great Gatsby was published in 1925, at the peak of the high times and long before the Crash of '29, this version comes to us almost 20 years after the events depicted, we know where that ends.

Cold Storage (2026)

My spouse and I have developed a ritual of watching very light weight action moview when we are starting an international vacation. We are usually going over water and facing a significant time change, which also involves cocktails and trying to get some sleep--not so this time however. We were Mexico City bound and not a drop of intoxicating liquid on board. In our defence, while this is a very silly movie that leans into horror heavily, it stars a favored action hero (Liam Neeson--although his last movie I was also not a fan of, so maybe not) and it has a good IMDB rating (go figure). What I did not know in advance of this is that it is adapted from a 2019 novel and is based on a real-life event. The breakup and descent of the NASA space station Skylab in 1979 and the space agency’s diligent recovery of the orbiter’s debris did happen. What did not happen is that starting in Western Australia, the movie depicts an uncollected piece of debris emitting the aforementioned gnarly, green, tendrilly fungus, which almost instantly infects all the humans in the immediate vicinity and causes their bodies to explode. Gross. After a small NASA contingent (led by Neeson and the incompable Lesley Manville) manages to trap, freeze, and contain the rampaging green stuff, we cut to the government warehouse where the fungus lies dormant in, yes, cold storage. Only the government warehouse is shut down, the building goes up for sale, and decades later, in the present day, it’s a self-storage emporium. So there are some excellent actors, but this is basically a gory film with a thin plot line and nothing can save it.

Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

This is a friend to romance novel, which while I am not an avid reader of this genre, is a favored plot line. Then there is something about the Bridgerton books is compelling me to binge read them all. When I read The Duke and I I had no idea that I was going to eventually binge all of the books. Unexpectedly, I love the show (although why I am surprised is beyond me, because I love the Regency period novels and film adaptations) and Colin and Penelope’s romance was one I was looking forward to. This is not aptly named however--in the relationship that develops, neither party romances the other so much as act themselves. Colin Bridgerton has been wandering the world while trying to figure out his place in life. These rich men who hope to make a difference but do not need to work to support themselves--it can make them a bit tedious and Colin is no exception. He is tired of being thought nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of everyone’s preoccupation with the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can’t seem to publish an edition without mentioning the Bridgertons. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same – including his sister's long time friend Penelope Featherington. Their friendship--which was at arms length for him and an adoration for her--slowly blossoms into something more, and something that he doesn't quite understand. It takes him quite some time to figure out just what a treasure she is and to come to her support when her secret is outed. He so obviously under valued what she brought to his life and he clearly needs her as a partner. Now I enter the half of the Bridgerton children whose lives have yet to be chronicled by the Netflix series. I am enjoying both versions.

Casa Azul, Frieda Kahlo Museum, Mexico City, Mexico

The Frieda Kahlo Museum is the blue house where she was born, died, and spent most of her life within these walls. It is a gorgeous space and it is filled with some of her possessions, some of her clothes and jewelry, and some of her art. A hard to beleive fact is that as many people visit this museum as do the National Museum of Anthropology, a museum that encompasses the history of Mexico. Frida’s father, Guillermo Kahlo – Hungarian-German by birth – had the house built in 1904. The historian Beatriz Scharrer, “in the style of the time: a central courtyard surrounded by all the interior rooms, and the exterior totally French.” The home was the meeting place for many of the great personalities who lived or met with Diego and Frida. Among them, Leon Trotsky, Henry Moore, Remedios Varo, and André Breton.

The kitchen has been preserved in its original condition, and remains an important part of the entire house. All the objects within it, including dinnerware and cookware, reflect the impact of Mexican culture on the artists’ daily lives. It is very beautiful in itself and it was very cool to visit. I bought tickets well in advance and if you think you want to go, so should you.

Behold The Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue

This is a novel that focuses on the lives of immigrants who are working to make a life in the United States. It is set in 2008, on the edge of the financial collapse that happened that year. The protagonist Jende Jonga is a Cameroonian migrant to America along with his wife Neni and their six-year old son Liomi. He is a driver for Clark Edwards, an investment banker at Lehman Brothers on Wall Street. While Jende is waiting for the result of his asylum application, he settles self-effacingly into his job, offering up stories of his homeland for his boss’s amusement. Jende is a small man at work, at the beck and call of Clark, his wife Cindy and their two sons; but he is a big man at home. The humiliations of being a driver allow him to pay his wife’s college tuition and send money back to Cameroon. The Edwards' are self-absorbed and selfish but there are also slim bridges of genuine affection that exist between them and the Jongas. But it is 2008 and Edward works for Lehman Brothers. Edward too is trapped in a powerful system, this time a financial one, and there is little room for maneuver and when the Edwards' lives are upended, so too are the Jonga's lives.

Enola Holmes 3 (2026)

Let me start off by saying that this is more good clean fun than it is pristine cinema, and I enjoyed this one as much as the prvious two installments in the series that is about fictional Sherlock Holmes' fictional sister. The film opens on the island of Malta where Enola is about to marry Lord Tewkesbury. However, the ceremony is quickly derailed when Enola’s brother, Sherlock Holmes, is kidnapped. The film pivots from a wedding into a swashbuckling rescue mission, weaving in overarching themes of British colonialism, sunken treasure, and the return of the formidable villain Moriarty. The style of storytelling style is energetic, with quick cutaways to headlines both real and imagined. There is a lot of breaking the fourth wall and if you don't care for that, skip this, because it really is part of the charm. The action scenes are dynamic and exciting, the puzzles are clever, the romance is endearing, and Enola’s commitment to fairness is gratifying. Enola is true-hearted, passionate, determined, and fearlessand we can see that her betrothed appreciates all that and more about her. When she speaks directly to us, it feels good to be part of her story.

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes

My SIL gave this book to my nieces and it is aimed at the elementary school aged reader. This Newbery Honor classic, illustrated by a Caldecott Medalist and published originally in 1944, is a beautifully written tribute to the power of kindness, acceptance, and standing up for what's right. The narrative centers on Wanda, who claims she has a closet full of 100 beautiful dresses at home despite always wearing the same one to school. Her classmates, led by a girl named Peggy, tease her about her claim. Another classmate, Maddie, feels uneasy about the teasing but stays silent because she fears becoming the next target. Eventually, Wanda's family pulls her out of school due to the relentless bullying. When the class realizes the truth—that Wanda's "hundred dresses" are 100 exquisite drawings she made for an art contest—they are overcome with regret. Wanda is marginalized because of her poverty, but also because her name is Polish, and what a great story in this time of ICE terrorizing people of color on the streets of American cities for nothing more than the color of their skin. And people doing nothing--unless you are from Minneapolis and you fought like it was a war and some of them were murdered for it.