Summer reading, viewing reveal hits, misses
- Brett Hiner: A Work in Progress
- July 20, 2023
- 406
Contrary to what Target, Amazon and social media posts would lead you to believe, we are only a little over one month into the actual summer season, yet as you read this, school is about three weeks away from starting. I saw my first “back-to-school” advertisement/sale before a firework ever went off, and it is the first thing to smack you in the face when you walk into Walmart.
I recognize the start of the school year does not technically mean the summer season is over, but you would have a hard time convincing students, sitting at their desks on Aug. 16, that they still have a month of summer left.
So in the spirit of resistance and the hope some folks can still sneak in a few books to read and/or movies/shows to watch before the school bells toll, here are some midsummer hits and misses from my summer thus far.
Movie miss:“The Flash”
I so desperately wanted to like this film. The setup was well designed, the marketing was spot-on, and for those of us who can recall the summer of 1989 and the bat insanity that enveloped movie houses, Michael Keaton’s return was highly anticipated. And certainly, it is Keaton’s performance that sells the movie; there is not one moment I thought he was in it for a paycheck, and with some subtle nods to his earlier performances in the cape and cowl, his aged Bruce Wayne is both sincere and believable and doing exactly what a man of his age should be doing.
Sadly, Ezra Miller’s alternate Flash, inspired I am guessing from either Sean Penn’s Spicoli (“Fast Times at Ridgemont High”) or Keanu Reeve’s Ted (“Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”), plays a little like fingernails on a chalkboard. It feels clichéd and overdone, all in an attempt to distinguish alternate Flash from his time-skipping Flash for an audience of surfers. If that sounds confusing, do not worry about it. Skip this one.
Movie hit
I have yet to see the latest “Mission Impossible” film (let me guess, Tom Cruise runs … a lot), but I would be stunned if anything this summer is as solid as “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.” What is so surprising about this documentary is the absolute rawness and candor with which Fox talks about his Parkinson’s diagnosis. We see his daily workouts, intimate moments with family, and a routine that often involves falls/tumbles that lead to broken wrists, shoulders and orbital bones. Never looking for sympathy, Fox speaks directly to the camera with his sharp wit and comedic timing as on point as ever.
When he takes a moment, while recording his audio book, to reflect on the passing of his father, you can feel his heartbroken struggle over those simple “three sentences” in the book that carry “10,000 pounds of weight.” But he continues to fight through all of his internal and external battles because, as he shares, “People express to me that I make them feel better. I make them do things they might not otherwise do. And that's the most powerful thing you could ever feel, and that's a huge responsibility.” I think Marty McFly would be proud.
Movie near hit
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is better than two of them but not near as enjoyable as “Raiders” or the “Last Crusade.” If you are willing to suspend belief — and who isn’t … remember the melting faces in “Raiders”? — regarding time travel, you will enjoy watching Harrison Ford giving Indiana a worthy sendoff.
Book miss
Do not be silly. There is no such thing. Although it took me quite some time to accept, especially with books that were purchased, it is OK to put a book down and not finish. We only have so many hours on earth to read. Why waste it reading a book for pleasure that you do not like?
Book hit
While not my favorite memoir-style narrative, “The Book of Charlie” by David Von Drehle is a book filled with the perspective of the 109-year-old Charlie White. From the opening pages, Charlie White tells his interviewer, “Life can be savored even though it contains hardship, disappointment, loss and even brutality. The choice to see its beauty is available to us at every moment.”
That notion, while maybe a bit too idealistic, is supported by Charlie’s life — a life filled with the kind of tragedy one would expect to hear about from a man born in 1905. It is difficult to imagine a life that existed pre-automobile yet also was around to see the invention of the 3-D printer, a device used in the medical field of which Charlie played such an important part.
While not an all-time favorite book of mine, it is a story and life I will often think about when faced with the curve balls often tossed along our paths.
Book hit two
“The Last Folk Hero: The Life and Myth of Bo Jackson.” I am not a Bo Jackson fan per se, but author Jeff Pearlman has been a favorite sports writer of mine since reading his “The Bad Guys Won” back in 2011. The beauty of “The Last Folk Hero” is he writes of Bo’s near impossible feats (hitting an infield fly so high he was on third base before the ball came down and was caught) and the artistry in storytelling for which sports allow.
He argues Bo may be the last great athlete to have existed before every step, throw, shot, catch, et cetera was captured by thousands of different camera phones and plastered all over the internet. Modern technology has diminished our ability to be storytellers, especially when it comes to discussing what we see on the fields/courts of competition. If ever there was an athlete that warranted water cooler conversation on Monday morning, it was Bo Jackson.
So with a few weeks of “summer” left, the summer reading pile is still pretty high, but hope springs eternal … regardless of what Walmart thinks.
Brett Hiner is an English/language arts teacher at Wooster High School, where he also serves as the yearbook advisor and Drama Club advisor/director. If he’s not at work or doing something work related, he is typically annoying his children and/or wife. He can be emailed at workinprogressWWN@gmail.com.