Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews

  The GOD PROBLEM How a Godless Cosmos Creates By Howard Bloom Reviewed by      Geoffrey W. Sutton In the beginning …that is about 13.787 billion years ago our universe began. Bloom invites us to return to the beginning so we might observe how the universe created itself without recourse to supernatural explanations. Time is a stairway. On each post-big-bang step we pause to observe what’s new. What’s unfolding. Eventually, humans emerge on earth and begin to use models to represent their world to modify their environment. Soon humans are standing on the steps of time and looking at the stars. Bloom captures various moments when our forebears began to unravel the mysteries of the cosmos. At first, the progress is small. Primitive ideas slowly become more complex. At times, Bloom meanders and repeats phrases like a parent reminding child of life’s truisms.  Then, a few centuries ago, Bloom is off and running from one scientist to another scooping up...

  She Said is a 2022 biodrama, which tells the story of the New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey who exposed the Harvey Weinstein’s sexual abuse and harassment of women. The film is based on the book of the same name, which was authored by Kantor and Twohey (2019). The story begins in 2017 when Kantor got a tip that actor Rose McGowan had been sexually assaulted. She was age 23 at the time. As the investigation progresses, we learn of other women who may have been abused. Some are too afraid to go on record. And some are bound to silence based on settlement agreements. Eventually, the reporters collect enough evidence to publish a story, which appeared in the NY Times 5 October 2017. I recommend She Said as an informative look into the struggles women experience with sexual harassment and sexual abuse in the workplace. Although the focus is on women in the film industry, the story aptly illustrates the power differential that exists in other industries and or...

  Miep Geis Shines A Small Light is a riveting intensely emotional dramatic telling of the Anne Frank story focused on the moral courage of the Viennese-born Miep Geis who helped hide and support the Frank family and four other Jews in an annex above the offices where Miep worked for Otto Frank. A Small Light is an eight-episode series. In the beginning, Miep is 24 and living with the Dutch family who adopted when she was a sick child. The family encourages her to marry Cas. The parents are serious. Cas is her nonbiological gay brother. Miep goes in search of employment, which is hard to come by in 1930s Amsterdam, nevertheless, Otto Frank takes a chance on her lack of experience and hires her as a secretary for Opekta, which produces pectin for making jam. Otto Frank had moved his family to Amsterdam from Germany to escape Hitler’s treatment of the Jews. When the Nazis arrive, Otto Frank, his wife Edith, two daughters Margot and Anne and four others hide above the business. ...

  Treasure Island    By Robert Louis Stevenson My eldest granddaughter is practicing for her part in a musical version of Treasure Island so, I downloaded a copy, which I had not read since childhood. It's been called a boy's adventure story but nowadays, that stereotype no longer applies. Following is a summary and a description of the key characters. Treasure Island is a children's novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1883. Set in the 1780s, it tells the story of Jim Hawkins, a young boy who finds a treasure map while working at his parents' inn. With the help of his friends, he sets out to find the treasure, which is hidden on a remote island. Along the way, they encounter a variety of obstacles, including pirates, mutiny, and the natural dangers of the island. In the end, Jim and his friends are successful in finding the treasure, but they must also learn to deal with the consequences of their actions.   The main characters in Tre...

  The World at War The Ultimate Restored Edition The World at War is a popular documentary of World War II produced by Thames Television in 1973. The war is presented as a series of stories in 26 episodes with narration by Laurence Olivier. The World at War is more than a collection of combat scenes. Interviews with soldiers and civilians offer a glimpse of the effects of war on the people who lived through it in the cities and villages of Europe and Asia. Of course there are interviews with high level American, British, German and Japanese leaders. Some of the featured interviewees include: Mark Clark Jock Colville Karl Donitz Karl Wolff James “Jimmy” Doolittle Lord Eden of Avon Averell Harriman Toshikazu Kase Vera Lynn Lord Mountbatten Albert Speer James Stewart Paul Tibbets Takeo Yoshikawa Stephen Ambrose Of particular note are the insights of Gertraud “Traudl” Junge who served as a personal secretary to Adolf Hitler. She remained in his bu...

  The Jurassic Park film series began in 1993 and ended in 2022. There are six major films in the series. 1. Jurassic Park 1993 2. The Lost World: Jurassic Park 1997 3. Jurassic Park III 2001 4. Jurassic World 2015 5. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom 2018 6. Jurassic World: Dominion 2022 About the Series Box Sets Available Six Movie Collection 4K Blu-Ray ON AMAZON Six Movie Collection Blu-Ray DVD and Digital    on AMAZON Genre : Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Origins : Jurassic Park is a novel created by Michael Crichton. John Hammon is a wealthy investor whose company, InGen, owns Jurassic Park, which is a theme park on a beautiful island with dinosaurs created by geneticist, Dr. Henry Wu. Crichton's second book is Jurassic World. The film series is based on the characters created by Michael Crichton. Jurassic Park Trilogy   1. Jurassic Park 1993 Novelist: Michael Crichton (1990) wrote the first of two books available - on AMAZON Film Director: Steven Spielberg Some lead...

  Code Name: Lise:  The True Story of the Spy Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Woman By Larry Loftis Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton Lise was the code name for Odette Samson. She's living in Somerset England with her children at the outset of World War II. Her husband is off at war. Because she was raised in France, her language and experience make her a potential candidate to help the resistance organised by Britain's War Office referred to as SOE (Special Operations Executive). The story moves quickly from training to deployment. Relying on a trove of records that include interviews and official communications, Loftis creates a vivid thriller of a determined young woman focused on carrying out her risky responsibilities as a courier under threat of the Nazi boot. As the story progresses, she falls in love with her commanding officer, Peter Churchill. Despite many thrilling escapes, she and Peter are eventually captured by Hugo, Germany's master spy catcher. Disg...