The 21-Word Review: Avatar, Fire and Ash (Disney+)

Imagine the unique films that we would have if James Cameron had not gotten obsessed with this series for several decades.

Wilkinsons on the Web glow-up

Wilkinsons on the Web has been languishing in a late-90s design - about which I was extremely proud at the time - for way too long. Around 2010, I thought perhaps one of my children would take up coding and refresh it for me. Alas, they are off doing PhDs in other fields.

So I let my new favorite child Claude take a shot at it.

Changes will be rolling out slowly, but it's really coming together well. And maybe now I'll get fewer request from people who want to buy my "old" website.

The 21-Word Review: The Verge by Patrick Wyman

I can count on one hand the number of history books that I haven't finished. This one has earned a finger.

The 21-Word Review: Evil Under the Sun (Amazon)

Who could resist both Maggie Smith and Diana Rigg in their youth. Not their prime. They were always in their prime.

The 21-Word Review: Delicieux (Amazon)

My high school plus Duolingo French couldn't keep up, but there's no shame in reading subtitles. I left tthe film hungry.

The 21-Word Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Tragic and heartbreaking and terrifying and I couldn't stop reading until the relatively happy end (that we know is just temporary).

The 21-Word Review: Dust Bunny (HBO)

Original, interesting, well cast, well acted, and will bring back childhood traumas  of both the monster under the bed and dusting.

The 21-Word Review: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (Netflix)

I will admit to watching it on an iPad in a lit room, mostly because I really don't like gory stuff.

The 21-Word Review: Predator Badlands (Delta)

Call me a purist, but I prefer my Predators evil, stealthy, mostly unseen, and wearing a helmet most of the time.

The 21-Word Review: Merrily We Roll Along (Netflix)

While saddened that Broadway has, by necessity, become a celebrity focused art, I do like the trend towards broadcasting pro shots.

The 21-Word Review: Marty Supreme (HBO)

Sometimes a character is so unlikeable that it carries over to the actor portraying him. Let's hope Dune 3 redeems Timothy.

The 21-Word Review: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Not terrible. More like watching a few series episodes than a movie. Which may say more about TV quality than movies.

Wilkinsons on the Web, Re-Re-Reborn

 Thanks to a generous helping of AI, the Wilkinsons on the Web site is up, running, and (for now) spam free. And on the latest version of the webserver software, not something deprecated 10 years ago.

Now let's see what else Claude can do to enhance the site.

The 21-Word Review: Project Hail Mary

Read the book? Your brain will fill in the gaps. Didn't read it? The plot may seem a little too ... happy.

The 21-Word Review: Wicked for Good (Peacock)

I suspect I'm going to have my theater nerd card revoked by watching this at home. And napping a bit midway.

The 21-Word Review: What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

I think it was the sci-fi aspect that attracted me, but it's not a sci-fi book. Not gripping, but entertaining and worthwhile.

The 21-Word Review: The Smashing Machine (HBO)

Amongst the litter of terrible performances and forgettable films, it's easy to forget that Dwayne Johnson can actually act passably well.

The 21-Word Review: War Machine (Netflix)

There are only about thirteen original stories in the human experience, repeated throughout history. The one that's used here is "Predator".

The 21-Word Review: Running Man (Delta)

The disappointment that was the original version of this movie has haunted me for decades. This version's not perfect, but closer.

The 21-Word Review: Song Sung Blue (Peacock)

Watch it for the music, obviously. The story's great, too, but you'll be surprised the obscure song lyrics that you remember.

The 21-Word Review: The Rip (Netflix)

It's amazing how Matt and Ben are now the old, grizzled veterans. Does that mean I'm old and grizzled, too?

The 21-Word Review: Bugonia (Peacock)

I like Emma, but this is the second of her partnerships with Yorgos that I've not liked, so maybe it's him.

The 21-Word Review: One Battle After Another (HBO)

Yep, great movie. But the best thing about it is that now I understand the related Saturday Night Live toy sketch.

The 21-Word Review: The Taking by Dean Koontz

For me, this book will always conjure laying on a hammock on a private beach in St John listening to waves.

The 21-Word Review: Hero of Two Worlds by Mike Duncan

If you like the author's popular podcasts, you'll enjoy his writing style in this fascinating biography. I do and I did.