Movie, TV & Book Reviews

Movie, TV & Book Reviews

By C. Clark

Movie: 28 Years Later

I’ve always loved the film 28 Days Later, and 28 Weeks Later was enjoyable too. So when 28 Years Later dropped on streaming recently, I was super excited. It was evening when I noticed it was available, and I debated whether to wait until daytime—lately, scary movies have been messing with my sleep.

I decided to go ahead and watch it… and sadly, I was disappointed.

Let me first say, I love Ralph Fiennes and will watch anything he’s in. But maybe my taste in movies has changed over the years. I now crave stories that feel at least somewhat realistic. I found myself repeatedly saying, “Why would he (Spike, the young boy) do that?” I tried to justify it—he’s young, maybe he didn’t know better—but even that didn’t quite work.

[Spoiler Alert]

Spike decides to leave their island to take his mom to a doctor on the mainland. Not the brightest idea, but okay, I went with it. After arriving, they decide to rest on the ground for the night. That’s where it lost me. In the very first scene, Spike and his father had to hide from infected people in the attic. That was literally just the day before—no way he would’ve forgotten that danger so quickly.

There were several other scenes that felt similarly unrealistic and jarring. It’s been a while since I watched 28 Days Later, but I don’t recall anything so blatantly implausible. Still, I see it has an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, and I’m glad—especially since Ralph Fiennes is in it.

TV Series: Ransom Canyon

Josh Duhamel is another favorite of mine, so I gave Ransom Canyon—a Western romantic drama—a try. I’m not usually into romance, preferring series like Lioness, The Last of Us, House of the Dragon, or Game of Thrones. But I wanted something different, and I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone.

Minka Kelly (new to me) plays her character beautifully, and the relationship between Quinn and Staten had me hooked. [Spoiler Alert] I was thrilled when they finally got together. I was disappointed by the last episode, but I suppose they needed a cliffhanger to set up season two—which, by the way, has already been renewed!

There was even a plot twist I did not see coming—and that’s saying something, because I usually guess what’s going to happen next. I can’t wait for Season 2. And since it’s on Netflix, it gets a big 👍🏽👍🏽 from me.

Book: Career Forward

As you may know, I’ve been actively exploring my next career move, so when I saw Career Forward by Grace Puma and Christiana Smith Shi, I didn’t hesitate. I bought it based on the title alone—didn’t even check the table of contents (which I usually do before buying a book).

I wasn’t familiar with either author, but their résumés are impressive:

• Grace Puma: Former EVP and COO at PepsiCo, with prior roles at United Airlines, Kraft Foods, Motorola, and Gillette. She’s been recognized on Fortune’s “Most Powerful Latina” list and as “Executive of the Year” by Latina Style magazine.

• Christiana Smith Shi: Former President of Nike’s Consumer Direct division and a former senior partner at McKinsey & Co. She’s now leading a digital transformation consultancy, and is a Stanford and Harvard Business School alum (Baker Scholar, no less).

These women have powerful stories and important insights, and I’m grateful they took the time to share their expertise. I'm glad to have their book in my collection.

However… I wasn’t able to finish it.

Reading about their experiences triggered something in me. As a woman who has worked in Corporate America, some of their stories hit too close to home. Their experiences mirrored parts of my own, and my emotional reaction made something very clear:

Right now, I’m not interested in going back to Corporate America. Maybe someday—if the right company and project come along—but not today.

And who knows? One day, I might pick the book up again. For now, I'm listening to what my spirit is saying, and that's motivation enough.