Jim Bray, CFP Automotive Editor

4K Wonder Woman 1984 – or whatever it's called – is a victim of "sequel-itis"

Warner Brothers' latest Wonder Woman movie is a bold attempt at following up the terrific original from 2017 but, it falls well short of being close to its quality. There's a reason I love "origin stories," such as the first Superman (1978), Batman Begins, the first Spider-man, Guardians of the Galaxy 1, etc. etc. etc. Sure, they spend half the running time building background and the world and its characters, but we also get to see the heroes at the beginning, when they're learning their abilities and also learning that (to coin a phrase) "with great power comes great responsibility".

New book and disc combo promise help to budding audiophiles

Want to enter the world of audiophile listening but don't know where to start? There's a new book and accompanying high resolution disc combination available now that can help you learn where to start, where to focus your time and attention, and even how to listen critically. The book is "The Stereo", an "Audiophile's Guide" coming from the word processor of long-time audiophile and entrepreneur Paul McGowan, who also happens to be one of the movers and/or shakers behind Boulder, Colorado's PS Audio company. It isn't for everybody, but if you plan to drop even just a few grand on a higher end audio system, the $58US the pair costs could be an excellent investment that could actually save you money by helping you not waste it.

Toyota Highlander a nice three row SUV choice

With a new trim level and other upgrades for 2021, Toyota thinks its three row Highlander SUV/Crossover thingy is now an even more compelling buy than it was already. And it probably is, though it's fighting in a tough arena these days, with excellent competing vehicles such as Kia's Telluride and the Mazda CX-9. And while it's probably the least interesting of these three vehicles to drive, it does offer all the usual Toyota goodness when it comes to build quality and features that are included in the price. This is about midway through the current Highlander version, which came out in 2018, and this year Toyota has upped the creature features ante (no, there's no horror movie playing on the LCD screen…) with the new XSE trim level, which the company says adds sportier performance and style.

Mazda's CX-9 and Mazda6: two ways to enjoy the company's great turbocharged engine

One's a big, three row SUV and the other's a midsize sedan. And they're both Mazdas, turbocharged for maximum "Zoom-Zoom" effect. How can that be a bad thing? Regular readers of my columns (you both know who you are!) know undoubtedly that I'm a big fan of all things Mazda. I love their typically Japanese build quality; I mostly love the way Mazdas look – and most of all I love how Mazdas drive. While it appears that they've put their "Zoom-Zoom" marketing strategy to rest in recent times, it still applies to the feeling you get when driving one of their vehicles, whether the smallest or the largest in their stable.

Lexus RX 350 Black Edition pairs lots of luxury with a not particularly exhilarating drive

When looking for a Lexus vehicle – SUV, car, whatever – do you look for luxury and quality construction foremost, before other aspects such as driving dynamics? 

If so, you'll probably love the current RX 350 SUV/Crossover. It's been a top seller for years now, one of if not Canada's top selling Lexus model. And it's a very nice vehicle, indeed, comfortable and cozy and full of creature comforts. But it ain't no Cayenne or X5, etc. Not that it claims to be. So, if you care about having a bit of fun with your right foot, this may not be your vehicle. On the other hand, one can't argue its success, nor its excellence.

LG's new gram series of laptop PC's packages performance in a small footprint

LG seems to be on a roll these days. Whether it's smart phones, appliances, televisions or whatever, the company offers innovation and quality that used to be reserved for tech companies from different parts of the world such as Japan, Europe and North America. It's kind of the way the car market is going as well: South Korean companies used to be known for junk (remember the Hyundai Pony?) but have come a long way in a relatively short time. Heck, I remember when LG was "Lucky Goldstar" (well, I remember Goldstar products) and you'd buy their equipment not in high tech stores but places like Sears or Canadian Tire, where they'd share shelf space with brand names such as Candle or Lloyd's.

Is the new Sienna the world's first sports minivan?

Minivans and sports cars. Shall the twain ever meet? I mean, when one talks of utility vehicles – as opposed to SUV/crossovers – one can be forgiven for thinking of minivans, pickup trucks, "real" vans and delivery vehicles, etc. But, while I've seen some rather lame – er, sorry, physically challenged – analogies to minivans and sportiness over the years, they're few and far between. And, in my never humble opinion, they're mostly BS.

Jeep Cherokee a great vehicle to have when it snows a lot

When the snow flies and the drifts get deep, it's nice to have a vehicle with robust four-wheel drive to get you through it. And it's especially nice when it's a vehicle with good ride height that can navigate the deep December doo-doo as if it were born for it. Such is the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Elite 4x4 – at least for the most part. We had about a foot and a half of snow dumped on our little corner of the Rocky Mountain foothills just before Christmas, and it was enough to keep less capable vehicles either off of the road or stuck in the snow; heck, I helped push multiple vehicles into or out of their parking spots during that time, just on my little hilly cul-de-sac.

Mazda celebrates 100 years with special edition CX-5

My favourite compact ute is back with some new tweaks for 2021, as well as a couple of new editions, one of which is a celebration of Mazda's centennial. It's the CX-5, which started life a bit underpowered but was still lots of fun to drive, and Mazda has wisely upped the oomph ante over the years, a tad at least. But with the introduction of the company's lovely optional 2.5 litre turbo four a while back, acceleration angst is now a thing of the past. And that's wonderful! It's also a pretty luxurious vehicle in the upper trim levels. A Signature trim was introduced for 2019, which also included that turbo four (which Mazda also makes available nearly right across its line). That version didn't come with paddle shifters, though Mazda has now corrected that oversight with the 2021 CX-5. And the paddles work well, though if you don't shift it into sport mode the transmission will go back to sleep again if you aren't prodding it enough to satisfy it. And that's fine.

Lord of the Rings trilogy makes for a spectacular 4K set

Fans of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy are in for a treat with the new 4K treatment the films have received just in time for Christmas. It's a spectacular package, a nine-disc set that includes both the theatrical and the extended versions of Jackson's three classic fantasy films. And if that isn't enough for Middle Earth for you, Warner Brothers has also released the Hobbit trilogy in 4K. I'm a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and have auditioned all the video versions, from the original DVD's of the theatrical versions to these brand new 4K transfer. I'm also a fan of the original J.R.R. Tolkien books, but upon rereading the Fellowship of the Ring a couple of years ago I discovered I now find the books unnecessarily bloated and actually prefer Jackson's versions – the extended editions, at least.

Toyota Venza: a tall wagon evolves into a taller and higher-tech SUV

Out goes the "car", in comes the "SUV" – and that's the tale of the Toyota Venza. Well, part of it. Time was when the Venza occupied a kind of unique niche in the car marketplace, at least in North America: a tall station wagon. Station wagons are rare here, unfortunately, though other parts of Parent Earth still do brisk business with them. Here, we get a few wagons, mostly German (not that there's anything wrong with that!), but even sedans and coupes are threatening to become an endangered species in these parts in favour of SUV's.

National Teen Driver Safety Week focused on at least one wrong issue

It appears that, these days, there's a week, or a month, or a day, for just about any cause one can imagine. And last week, October 18 to 24 was apparently named National Teen Driver Safety Week, at least judging by the press releases I've received on the topic. These releases offer a variety of tips for teenagers as they get behind the wheel of their vehicle, things such as remembering to mute your phone (in fact, in one release I got they say you should put it into Airplane Mode!), planning your route in advance, keeping both hands on the steering wheel, etc. One organization, in their press release, even called upon the young drivers' passengers to rat 'em out: "Speak Up: As a passenger, help by speaking up if your driver decides to interact with a mobile device. Feel confident to ask them to stop immediately, and demand that they pull over and then use their phone safely."

New behind the wheel? Here's some advice for new and inexperienced drivers

Back to School season may be the "most wonderful time of the year" if you're a parent whose kids have been driving you up the wall for the past several months, but it's also a time when many people are heading back to classes – or work, or whatever, as well. This means, as I'm sure you'll have noticed, that our highways and byways are filling up again – not, perhaps, as much as they were back before our forcible, free trial of tyranny began, but more than were on the roads during the early heights of the health hype. This prompted the folks at OK Tire to offer some tips they think can help the more inexperienced drivers among us to have safer and/or more pleasant driving experiences than they might otherwise.

Roman Holiday hits Blu-ray – but not in 4K

A classic William Wyler film has just escaped onto home video wearing a brand-new set of clothes, but it isn't the set of clothes I really wanted to see it in. It's Roman Holiday, Wyler's 1953 romantic comedy starring Gregory Peck and a young up and comer named Audrey Hepburn, in a performance that ended up winning her an Oscar, one of three the classic "fish out of water" tale took home. William Wyler created his share of masterpieces over his long Hollywood career, from Wuthering Heights to The Best Years of Our Lives to the 1959 Ben-Hur and, despite its slow start, Roman Holiday is another.

WALTR2 lets iOS users bypass annoying iTunes app

[url=https://canadafreepress.com/images/uploads/bray073120-336.jpg]https://canadafreepress.com/images/uploads/bray073120-336.jpg[/url]iPhone users and those with other iOS devices who want to get their media files onto their gadgets without getting frustrated enough to throw them against the wall have a way to avoid that darn iTunes program all together. And, at least to me, that's a really good thing. There is a number of ways you can do this, getting files onto the device directly, and I found a good one that's easy to use and, mostly, works very well. It's called WALTR2 which, perhaps not too surprisingly, is the sequel to WALTR, which I've never tried. And I used it to get nearly 128 gig of my music onto my iPhone! And more.

Datacolor's SpyderX lets you tweak your monitor at home

Want to make sure your video monitor is displaying as it should? If so, you might be interested in Datacolor's SpyderX, a nifty tool by which you can optimize your display easily and quickly. And it seems to work, though I'm no expert on such topics. But after having tried the Spyder X on my computer and even one of my flat panel 4K TV's, I'm confident to say the product does work well. Why would you care? Well, there's the pursuit of excellence, of getting the most out of the after-tax disposable income you've spent on your technology. And there's also accuracy, if you're a professional designer who uses colour in your work – if you specify a particular colour (Pantone colour standards etc., notwithstanding), you should do everything you can to ensure that what you see on your screen is exactly what you intended. Remember WYSIWGY?

Toyota's Camry offers multiple compelling versions of the family sedan

Toyota's mid-sized mainstream sedan has always been a good car, but it hasn't always been a really compelling car to drive. Those days appear to be over, at least partly. Camrys have also been known as excellent, well-built and engineered cars, something you can buy and drive comfortably and affordably over the long haul. But if I were looking for a Japanese car in this market segment, one that's also interesting to those who enjoy extending their right feet a little, I'd have sent you scrambling for the Mazda6, though you can no longer get it with a V6 engine. Still, "Zoom-Zoom" and all that.

New Toyota Highlander Hybrid is a very nice place to spend some time

It may not be the most compelling vehicle to drive, but Toyota's Highlander is a wonderful place in which to go from point A to point B, and its hybrid version may even save you some gas money. But, oh, does it wallow! And that CVT! Still, that could just be me. I don't like driving a vehicle that handles curves like a hovercraft, but I can see why people would love this vehicle. It's modern, it's powerful enough, it's equipped very nicely, and it has an interior that's nothing short of exquisite. And it's apparently all-new for 2020.

Best Picture Oscar-winners get a new lease on life with terrific 4k disc packages

One of the big hits of 2000, and one of the year's most honoured films, has now premiered on 4K disc in a 20th anniversary collectible that's a joy for the eyes and ears. And it's accompanied onto the video store shelves by an even better movie, the best film of 1995, and if you have the hardware in your home theatre, you really should check them out. Dreamworks' Gladiator, now in a nice steelbook presentation from Paramount Pictures (there's also a conventional plastic-cased edition), is an epic tale of honour, loyalty, bravery, lust, and treachery during the Roman Empire. It's kind of like Spartacus meets Ben-Hur in a way, as our hero – played in an Oscar-winning performance by Russell Crowe – is betrayed and left for dead (well, they thought he was dead…) but then, after a circuitous route that sees him go from slave to hero, he gets his revenge on his tormentor, who also just happens to be Caesar.

Toyota's Tacoma TRD an exceptional off-roader

It may be a tad long in the tooth for this generation, but Toyota's Tacoma pickup truck is legendary for its durability on and off the road. And if you want to make it even nicer, one of the TRD packages may be right up your alley. The Tacoma has a history that stretches back to the famous old Hilux (and maybe even farther!), a compact pickup truck that was so durable the folks at the BBC's Top Gear even had it ride down to earth on an imploding building's roof to try killing it, after having put it through numerous other torture tests that it survived. Indeed, while the truck was a wreck cosmetically, it still started and, were its body and frame not ready for receiving the last rites, it probably would have driven!