Summer reading kicked into high gear this week with a bunch of books. First, there was Fludd, by Hilary Mantel, our last book group pick until fall when we resume our meetings. Up until page 97 or so this novel about Catholic village life in England in the 1950s was too atmospheric for me. I couldn’t find a character to love, although I chuckled at some of the fobiles of the church. Then one of the local nuns got up ...

Two summers ago "Fantastic Four," the franchise that gets even less respect than it deserves, made $330 million and change worldwide when no one was looking, thus making a sequel inevitable. That's precisely how "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" feels: inevitable. It is passable comic book stuff, dumb and loud. Loud. LOUD. In the first one, based on the characters hatched by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, scientist Reed Richards turned into Mister Fantastic, a flesh-colored variation on ...

A bar of soap is something I threatened with many times in my house, and a rightly repeated element in the movie “Georgia Rule.” A tale of three women, representing three generations. Fonda plays Georgia, a decent and stern widow who resides in Idaho. Most of the neighbors are Mormon unlike Georgia, however she fits right in with her framed mottos “Count Your Blessing” and doesn’t miss a chance to stuff the soap bar into your mouth if you ...