Indiana Jones – Dial of Destiny

Cathryn and I always enjoy getting out to see a good movie on the big screen, even though there’s been barely anything to go see. If you’re a superhero fan then there’s been plenty of flicks to entertain you. But with the lack of attendance at local theatres and so many movies going directly to venues like Netflix and Prime, seeing a movie out is becoming a rare occurrence.

You would think that a blockbuster series like Indiana Jones, strategically released during Canadian and American holidays, would rake in the dough. But the Dial of Destiny grossed only tens of millions instead of the usual figures around ten times that amount.

Having seen all the previous Indy movies, we came away from this one a bit disappointed. Perhaps it was the same old Nazi villains, or Indy’s old friends, or the old Harrison Ford himself. There’s lots of computer magic in this film, even parts where they’ve dubbed in a younger face on the old one-time action movie star. It wasn’t hard to imagine the actors in front of the green screen through the sequence of chase scenes – so much looked way too fake.

But who could expect so much action from an old fart. After seeing Ford in the Yellowstone prequill, 1923, I wondered how and why he would take on another Indiana Jones roll. I guess the repetitious plot has finally worn itself out, much like Ford himself.

Having said all that, the movie is still somewhat fun and entertaining, and worth the trip out to eat dry and overpriced popcorn. Thankfully, I now qualify for seniors discount on movie tickets.

The Accident – Linwood Barclay

The Accident
by Linwood Barclay (Goodreads Author)

Edmond Gagnon‘s review – Jun 10, 2023 

Reading the intro on the back of this book, I was leery, thinking it would be a yawner with a ho-hum plot. But thankfully, I was wrong. I guess what put me off was that the story was about Joe Citizen investigating a car accident that caused the death of his wife.
As I tread cautiously into the first few chapters, Linwood Barclay’s mastery as a story teller quickly grabbed my attention. What appeared to be a common tale told by a common man, slowly evolved into a good whodunnit mystery thriller.
Our protagonist in this story is not a super hero or even a dogged police detective. He is the guy next door who has a natural curiosity about his wife’s death. He has questions. And in seeking answers to the ones that keep him up at night, he starts to unravel a complex and complicated plot that keeps readers guessing throughout the whole book.
Kudos to fellow Canadian author Linwood Barclay for a very good read.

The Eye of God – James Rollins

The Eye of God (Sigma Force, #9)
by 

James Rollins (Goodreads Author)

Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Jun 01, 2023  ·  edit

really liked it

The Eye of God (Sigma Force, #9)
by James Rollins (Goodreads Author)

Edmond Gagnon‘s review – Jun 01, 2023  

An entertaining read, action-packed and fast paced, but all too predictable.
The familiar story…an elite special force sets out to save the world, getting hunted, shot and or stabbed along the way. Count on at least one or two of the secondary characters getting bumped off but the mai characters save the world at the very last minute (not really a spoiler alert) and live happily until the next mission comes along.
Rollins is a good author but he’s relied on the tried and true method of telling the same old story to secure readers. Personally, I prefer something out of the ordinary to pique my interest.
Having said that, I did enjoy the material about matter from outer space and the many things we really don’t know about our own universe.

Air – The Nike/Michael Jordan Movie

It seems there’s nothing on at the movie theatres these days except action hero and children’s films. Cathryn and I have been itching to see something worthwhile on the big screen since out last visit to see Top Gun Maverick.

The trailer for ‘Air’ looked interesting even though we knew it wouldn’t be worthy of the big screen. But we were looking to get out of the house and I had a popcorn craving.

If you’re looking for a sports or basketball movie, this is not it. With Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Jason Bateman and Viola Davis, we figured there would at least be some good acting and interaction between characters.

It was a cool story that I’m sure many people aren’t aware of…inspired by real events when Nike went after rookie Michael Jordan to expand their basketball shoe line.

70’s music and attire give the movie a ‘real feel’ for those who lived it. It’s a serious but sometime comedic flick.

Cathryn and I enjoyed the movie and we both give it an 8 out of 10.

Greenwood

Greenwood
by 

Michael Christie (Goodreads Author)

Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Apr 27, 2023  

This book has received great reviews from other readers, and it’s probably worthy of 4 or 5 stars, but I just couldn’t do it. Granted, I only read the first 115 pages so maybe I’m being unfair.
Regardless, this book moves slower than watching a tree grow. Starting in the future, the story covers several decades, revealing more as time reverses itself. Kind of a cool concept I thought, but it only led to confusion as I tried to wrap my head around new characters introduced and the piles of back story for each and every one of them.
In my opinion the book could have been easily reduced by 100 pages, but that’s just me.
Please read other reviews posted for this yawner since it has appealed to many other readers.

Skim – by Steve Byrne

Skim: Milk, Money & Murder
by Steve Byrne

Edmond Gagnon‘s review – Apr 04, 2023 

What a great novel for author Steve Byrne’s first time out.
Skim is a prohibition era yarn, set in the City of Windsor during it’s nefarious rum-running days.
The story is about one man, a war hero, who wants to do better by his family and chooses to get involved with local gangsters who are tied into the renowned Purple Gang, and their illegal whiskey business.
Maurice “Moose” Ducharme uses his milk route to deliver black market Canadian Club whiskey to his booze-thirsty clients, taking a big risk by getting in deep with the local crime syndicate.
Being a bit of a Winsor history buff, the story kept me turning pages and routing for the underdog.
For anyone interested in local history, prohibition, and Windsor’s dark past, this book is must read.

85 Grams – Art Williams: Drug Czar

85 Grams: Art Williams: Drug Czar
by Daryl Ashby

Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Jan 04, 2023 

Being a retired police officer who spent five years in narcotics, some of that time working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, I found this book interesting and somewhat comical at times. The story takes place a few years before I was a Narc, but the good guys vs the bad guys scenario that played out in the plot rang very true to me.
Granted, most of the drug dealers I had contact with where nowhere near as smart and cunning as Art Williams, the Mounties main target. I was blown awaybyt the lengths he went to stay under the radar, yet taunt the police at the same time. It was like he was always one step ahead of them.
The story contains personal accounts from various people who knew Art Williams before he ‘disappeared’ under mysterious circumstances.
I don’t want to give away the whole story but can easily recommend this book as and entertaining read.

Camino Winds – John Grisham

Camino Winds (Camino Island, #2)

John Grisham (Goodreads Author)

Edmond Gagnon‘s review Nov 08, 2022  

As far as I’m concerned, this novel doesn’t live up to Grisham standards. It was a slow starter and not what I’d call a page turner. But if you’re looking for a book that you can pick up and put down every other day or so, Camino Winds is a decent story.


The plot tries to accelerate and get you to the conclusion quickly but falls short and is more of a police procedural, with average citizens taking on investigative rolls, while trying to solve their friend’s murder.


The story combines the fury of a level 4 hurricane with the curiosity of a local group of authors and a book store owner. Use your imagination to fill in the blanks.

A Measure of Darkness – John & Jesse Kellerman

A Measure of Darkness (Clay Edison, #2)
by Jonathan Kellerman, Jesse Kellerman

Edmond Gagnon‘s review, Oct 03, 2022  

I gave up reading this novel after 220 pages but I should’ve stopped way earlier. Nothing was happening and I didn’t see a satisfactory ending in sight.
I’ve read Jonathan Kellerman before and like his Alex Delaware character, who gets a phone cameo in this yarn. Maybe it’s just this story but I found the Clay Edison character a bore. Even his job as a Deputy Sheriff who’s main job was to discover the identity of murder victims. Boring.
The story started with a bang and several murders which seemed like plot would blast off from there, but then it fell flat as Edison spends hours searching the internet and making phone calls to track down a murder victim’s identity. I didn’t quite get all that and I’m a retired cop.
Maybe it all comes together at the end and he actually helps solve the murder case. Guess I’ll never know. I can live with that.

The Pepper Cat Restaurant

We finally made it to the Pepper Cat Restaurant in Amherstburg and it was well worth the long trek from Windsor. Formerly the Beacon Ale House, you have to try this new restaurant. It’s advertised as upscale dining but the prices were not ridiculous.

Our visit was in the late afternoon for kind of a late lunch or early dinner so we decided to sample their appetizer menu. We leaned heavy on seafood with the mussels, done in a white wine and garlic sauce – with lots of juice that was great to soak up with their focaccia bread – perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

We ordered everything at once for a real smorgasbord – escargot that came with perfectly melted and gooey cheese on top. And their crab cakes, a decent size and lightly breaded. A special treat was the grilled octopus, something that is normally difficult to cook, but it was done perfectly – tender inside and char-grilled on the outside.

The spread filled up three of us and was all washed down with local craft beers that they have on tap. We had a gift card that halved our bill but found their appie prices were in line with other restaurants, and the portions were sizeable. The size of the octopus leg had us wondering how big the monster was before we ate it.

We had a friend in from Cambodia who loves seafood, and he was delighted by the food and liquid sampling. The chairs were super comfortable and the service was great. The chef even visited our table at our request. Cathryn and I highly recommend the Pepper Cat and rate it a 10 out of 10.