Slight delay in getting the reviews going again. There are plans and there’s seldom a shortage of material to review. The core issue is time. Reviewing anything based on literary work means locating and reading the original. Working from home means the commute doesn’t have time to read. Besides, attention is needed when walking from the bedroom to the laptop; some kitties will stop to stretch in front of me.

Barbie is still on the agenda. The movie was huge in 2023 and ignoring it means ignoring a film that audiences loved. I suspect it’s going to be a review similar to The LEGO Movie, but time will tell.

I want to take a look at more bombs to see what was missing and how they can be remade. One of the first I want to tackle is R.I.P.D, which was also an adaptation. That may turn into a two-part look, the first as an adaptation and the second to see why it failed to register with audiences.

Speaking of time investment, Netflix will have a live action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender. That will mean watching the original series, and it lasted several seasons. As a bonus, I can also add The Last Airbender to the review list.

Amazon Prime has a couple of series that have me interested. The first is the second series of Good Omens. Considering that the first series covered the original novel completely, I want to know what the second series does. Keep in mind that Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman did leave room for a second book with the arrival of a tome of more nice and accurate prophecies by Agnes Nutter. The other series is a remake of Mr. & Mrs. Smith starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine, due out next month.

The Bond Project will return, with the next one planned being You Only Live Twice. If Goldfinger was the prototype of the 007 formula, You Only Live Twice perfected it. There’s also the fun of Bond, played by Sean Connery, going in disguise as a Japanese man. Once You Only Live Twice has been covered, Thunderball is next, which will open the door to Never Say Never Again.

Finally, there are always the mainstays, the franchises I can dive into to get reviews. Star Trek, Star Wars, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe all have plenty of new works to examine. When in doubt, I can dive into a series or a season to review. I do want to get a look at Star Trek: Picard before 2025 arrives.

There will always be adaptations. Fifty-two weeks isn’t enough to catch up, so I can be a little choosy. Here’s to a productive, informative 2024!