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Review of The Last Season

Review of The Last Season by Eric Blehm rating *****

Two years ago, my wife and I took a vacation to California to complete the Majestic Mountain Loop: Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite. I knew nothing about Kings Canyon at the time but found it to have some of the most stunning sights. I took the two images that grace the home page of this site during our visit to Kings Canyon. So, a story about a backcountry ranger who went missing in Kings Canyon piqued my interest.

You know from the outset that this story revolves around the mystery of what happened to Randy Morgenson, the missing ranger. The author lays out four plausible scenarios: suicide, accident, murder, or an intentional disappearance.

Randy grew up in the Sierra Nevadas. So, his ranger position seemed like a good fit. The isolation of his job, however, came with some big negatives. He spent months away from his wife, who eventually filed for divorce. That unfortunate development spurred on the suicide theory. Adding to his troubles was low pay that was barely enough to justify the time spent away.

Randy was a writer and amateur photographer. Part of his job was to document his day-to-day activities in a logbook. The author uses those journal entries and interviews with Randy’s wife, friends, and fellow rangers to paint a clear picture of Randy.

As the story unfolds, none of the scenarios seem any more plausible than the others. It’s a mystery that the author keeps going to the final pages.

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Review of Murder Among the Mormons

Review of Murder Among the Mormons
Rating *****

Murder Among The Mormons is a story about greed, deception, and self-preservation. It all starts when a man named Mark Hofmann announces the discovery of a historical document that calls into question the beginnings of the Morman church. The document, later known as the salamander letter, goes through a rigorous analysis by church historians and is determined to be authentic. It’s the beginning of a long string of discoveries of rare documents by Mark Hofmann.

Mark’s uncanny ability to find rare and valuable documents raises suspicions, but the worn and tattered letters and papers he brings forward all pass inspection by numerous experts. As you might inspect, there are plenty of buyers for such material, and Mark starts a thriving rare documents business.

Things start to unravel for Mark when the police charge him for the deaths of two individuals with whom Mark had done business. The storyline is remarkably similar to the one covered in the rare art documentaries in my previous post on abstract art.

This three-part docuseries covers the story from all angles: the victims, the experts, the people who knew and trusted Mark and finally Mark himself through audio from interviews done shortly after his conviction. The audio interviews provide a rare look inside the mind of a psychopath.

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All about abstract art

A little over a year ago I purchased a 27-inch digital picture frame by Meural. I love the versatility of this frame. I take a lot of pictures. The Meural allows me to create playlists of my images. But that’s not all I use it for. I also use to display images from other sources, such as the Hubble space telescope and from other photographers. Additionally, I use it to display artwork. It’s like having an art museum in my home. Here’s a sample of some of the artists and artwork I have viewed over the past year: Van Gogh, Picasso, Leonardo Da Vinci, Monet, Rembrandt, Jackson Pollock, and many more. Additionally, every week Mueral, through a yearly subscription, sends me artwork and playlists from various artists around the world as well as museum curated picks. There’s more you can do with this frame, but that’s not what this post is about. I want to talk about abstract art.

The best way to describe abstract art is that it’s all in the eye of the beholder. It’s subjective. I’m no art expert. I couldn’t paint a telephone pole standing in an open field. But I’m pretty sure that I could create a painting that looks a lot like a Jackson Pollock. Give me a large canvas and a couple buckets of paint, and I could create a masterpiece.

This brings me to the real reason for this post, my recommendation for three excellent documentaries that deal with the subject of abstract art.

First up is the Netflix documentary Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art. This excellent documentary tells the story of how an art studio, its owner, and one particular art dealer, managed to sell nearly 80 million dollars of fake art to unsuspecting art enthusiasts. It turns into a massive white-collar crime where no one is really held accountable. Watching it unravel is worth your time.

The next documentary to add to your list is Who The &%$# is Jackson Pollock. You can find this one on Amazon Prime. This is a story about a painting bought for a few dollars that just might be a real Jackson Pollock painting worth millions.

The last of this three-film abstract art trilogy is the documentary My Kid Could Paint That. You can find this one on Amazon Prime also. This film tells the story of how a four-year-old girl, with a little assistance from her father, created paintings that would eventually sell for thousands of dollars. Is she an art prodigy? Or is she just a young child slapping paint on a canvas? Is she creating the work on her own, or is her father the real artist? This film was released in 2007. The little girl in the film, Marla Olmstead, is all grown up. She’s still painting. You can view her paintings at www.marlaolmstead.com.

Take the time to watch these three documentaries. Maybe you’ll have a whole new appreciation of abstract art.

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Review of Nomadland the film

Review of Nomadland written and directed by Chloe Zhao
Rating ****

I’ve waited nearly a year to venture back into a movie theatre. Nomadland was the film I felt I needed to see on the big screen. Before heading out to the AMC movie complex, we considered the possibility that there might be an issue with seating restrictions due to covid. As it turns out, we ended up having a private showing of Nomadland on an Imax screen.

As a fan of the book and national parks, I was looking forward to this film. I think we all have a bit of nomad in us. Who hasn’t thought about how nice it would be to hit the road and see the country? The truth, of course, is that the romanticized view of this lifestyle doesn’t always jell with reality.

This film captures the reality:

  • The crowded RV parks
  • The seasonal part-time work
  • The negative impact on your health due to poor sleep and diet

What was missing for me was the grandeur of nature. There were a few scenes that captured it. There just wasn’t enough of them. I felt the film needed to show more of the beauty. 

There are tradeoffs in the nomad lifestyle. The film spent too much time on the hardships without showing the flipside, like waking up surrounded by nature.

Still, I give the director credit for making a film with a limited cast and a mostly ad-lib script. Frances McDormand held the film together. Was it Best Actress worthy? Is this film worthy of a Best Picture nomination? I would say that the answer to both is probably yes, but I believe that there are better films and performances out there.

Speaking of better films. If you want to see a movie that captures the grandeur of hitting the road, I recommend the Netflix documentary Expedition Happiness: two people, a dog, and a retrofitted bus.

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Review of The Pale Faced Lie

Review of The Pale Faced Lie by David Crow
Rating *****

Nature vs. nurture. What factors determine a person’s character and potential? Some parents do all that they can to ensure their children have everything they need to succeed. Then there are parents like the two in this story.

David Crow did not choose his parents. His father was a habitual criminal who enlisted his son to aid in some of his crimes. His mother was a psychologically damaged individual barely able to care for herself, let alone her three kids. David grew up in extreme poverty with poor nutrition and little to no healthcare, despite needing glasses and treatment for an ear infection that ultimately damaged his hearing. He was disadvantaged at every step. Even when he left home and tried to make his own way through life, his parents were there to hinder and discredit his achievements. David Crow’s memoir is a testament to overcoming obstacles.

There have been a few similar memoirs based on dysfunctional family life: Educated, The Glass Castle, and Hillbill Elegy. This book belongs in the same league. I enjoyed this one as much or more than those better-known titles, mostly because of the humor and wit.

David Crow grew up on an Indian reservation, believing that he was a full-blooded Cherokee. He learned much later that no one in his family had Indian heritage. His father was abusive both mentally and physically. David’s memoir starts with his earliest memories and follows him into adulthood. Some of the more insightful passages occur when David sees his mischievous deeds through the lenses of others, like the time he pranked a neighbor at the direction of his father.

I woke up that night with a knot in my stomach, thinking about what Mary and my paper route customers had said and how angry they were. For the first time, I saw my behavior from someone else’s point of view.

How is it that someone like David can succeed in life despite the disadvantages? I believe it has to do with reading. I learned the value of reading later in life. The George R.R. Martin quote says it all for me:

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who doesn’t read lives only one.

If you develop a love of reading, you can escape your surroundings. You can travel, learn, and experience cultures and peoples beyond your limited visual horizon. After reading a Pale Faced Lie, I now have a little more insight into what it’s like living with limited means.

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Review of The Dig

Review of the Netflix film The Dig written by Moira Buffini and directed by Simon Stone Rating *****

I usually disapprove of filmmakers who twist the truth to add conflict or embellish a story. However, I have enjoyed a few good movies that I knew beforehand or learned later contained fabricated characters and scenes: Argo, Braveheart, Gladiator. You can add this film to the list. I’d also put this film in the same category as those other movies.

The story involves the discovery of an archeological treasure buried beneath earth mounds located on the estate of a wealthy widow. There is plenty of conflict to keep the story moving: the threat of interruption from war, weather, class distinctions, disputes over ownership, the actual dig itself done with little more than shovels and trowels. It’s the characters who populate the story, though, that make it so compelling.

It all starts with the screenplay by Moira Buffini based on the novel by John Preston. She provides the blueprint for all that follows. The Dig is one of those rare films where everything falls into place: script, acting, direction, cinematography, score. I was even impressed with the editing.

The drama unfolds slowly but with purpose and consequence. There are no wasted scenes. You know you are watching an expertly crafted film when subtext is the method used for delivering many story elements, such as the underlying sexual tension present with several characters.

The acting was understated but impactful. Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan, and Lily James were exceptional. The direction by Simon Stone stood out. And then there is the cinematography by Mike Eley. Mike found a way to make digging in dirt look beautiful. One brief scene stood out for me. It’s a brief shot of Basil Brown seen in silhouette lighting his pipe. The whole scene, which lasted all of five seconds, must have taken an hour or two to set up, but it added to the overall feel of the movie. You can catch that scene in the trailer below.

As for the invented elements, I’ll give them a pass. I still want to travel to the British Museum and see the actual artifacts.