THIS SERIES APPEARED TO BE of the “horror” genre when I first looked it over. I almost missed out on a great series as I have eschewed pure horror films since The Exorcist gave me nightmares way back when. There is suspense and there are moments where your pulse rate increases, yet it’s funny and not threatening to the point of discomfort. The acting is terrific (e.g. Matthew Rhys and Kate O’ Flynn), and I appreciated this genre mix more with every new episode. Widow’s Bay is a small island off the East Coast. It’s far enough away that residents born on Widow’s Bay don’t visit the mainland: it’s only a couple hours by boat, but local legend says the Island takes it very

I’VE REALLY COME TO LIKE this movie franchise (It’s more a movie and sequels than a series). Millie Bobby Brown is the name of the lead (Enola). She’s going to do a lot more and become an even bigger deal. You get Helena Bonham Carter and Henry Cavill, too. Supporting cast is solid. The writers took some license with the family Holmes history (unless there’s an original story that suggests otherwise), but I like what they do with it:  remarkable people often emerge from dysfunctional or atypical parenting. There’s a touch of irony in the fact that the stories take place during the suffrage movement in England (which may coincide with Conan Doyle’s time) while a very patriarchal franchise now spotlights the forgotten sister of the

  I WENT INTO IT with certain expectations that come with that franchise. It met them and I was satisfied. John Krasinski does the spy genre well–probably because his character does not go badass as part of his nature–he does it as part of his work. It was a well-made  film and the action traveled as you might imagine it would.  Michael Kelly and Wendell Pierce are in their usual roles and do their usual very good work. It’s reasonable to imagine another sequel based on the concluding events. WRH

[Note: This material is for education or entertainment only. It does not constitute investment advice of any kind. See a licensed investment professional for investment advice.] In the last fifty years, stock market expansions were driven by developments in technology half the time, and periods of excessive leverage every time. Today’s continued market expansion (featuring regular new highs amid inflation, global turmoil, and a deficit that has already increased by 1.5 trillion in only six months), is the answer to the riddle–borrowed from J. R. R. Tolkien and The Hobbit. The traditional answer is a human: it first crawls on all fours, then learns to walk on two, then uses a cane later on. This market is using a cane. The chart above shows the NASDAQ

ONCE AGAIN, having found a recent Ray Fiennes period piece on Amazon, I briefly read the synopsis, then ordered it. It’s World War I and a small town in England needs a choral director. He’s highly qualified for the job, but he harbors pro-German sentiments.  And perhaps there are other things as well. Another lovely UK film with a great actor and supporting cast. You get to go back in time and experience  rural English tradition and lifestyle four generations ago. Music was a social experience and a cohesive one. I had to pay a few bucks to rent it as it was only made last year. Money well spent. WRH

  IN MY FAVORITE Ryan Gosling film (and probably my favorite Sci-Fi film), he plays a replicant, a humanoid in BladeRunner 2049.  In this film, which is softer Sci-Fi, he plays a brilliant underachiever who “merely” teaches science. When a strange stellar deterioration (sick stars to cut through the science) threatens life in our solar system and beyond, some very serious people show up and cite his published works on highly relevant material. The rest is imaginative and yet satisfying; any serious Sci-Fi fan will, like any film lover, suspend their disbelief a little in exchange for a story that ventures far from home but never betrays its Earthborn heart. WRH