With the library system down online this week for new software to be installed it is a little hard to remember what books I was looking forward to because I didn't have them on my "to read" list, I just had them on hold. But reading an article on CNN I was reminded of a couple and also I acquired some new additions. So:
On Beauty - Zadie Smith
Shalimar the Clown - Salman Rushdie
Christ the Lord - Anne Rice (I don't know that this is necessarily going to be good, but I'm very interested to read what she does with this. Assuming Jesus doesn't turn into a Vampire, we might be surprised here)
One Bullet Away - Nathaniel Fick
My War: Killing Time in Iraq - Colby Buzzell
All Rivers Flow to the Sea - Alison McGhee (I wish this was an adult novel, rather than young adult, but McGhee is a favorite author of mine)
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
the fall semester
There is only one cd coming out this fall that appears to be interesting enough and good enough that I intend on going to the store and buying it: Fiona Apple's long awaited Extraordinary Machine. The cd will be released on October 4 and it's been six years since she released When the Pawn... Apple has long been a favorite of mine, I've seen her in concert and I really like both of her albums. I've just been so apathetic about buying and listening to music lately that I didn't even buy the new Tori Amos album that came out this summer. At one point that would be unthinkable as she has long been my favorite artist, though I think she's taken a backseat to Jennifer Knapp, and I haven't replaced the stolen copy of A Diamond in the Rough: The Jennifer Knapp Collection, and this is also odd since I have one of the song testimonials in the liner notes.
Books: The only book I actually plan on buying this fall is the new George Martin book: A Feast for Crows. Possibly the new Louise Erdrich novel The Painted Drum, depending on how I'm feeling and how much spare cash I have. Otherwise it will be a lot of library books as usual, which is fine. I still read an absurd amount of books, I just can't buy them all anymore. It's real life.
Robert Jordan is releasing the new Wheel of Time novel: Knife of Dreams. Terry Brooks is releasing Straken, which concludes yet another Shannara trilogy. Christopher Paolini has the new volume Eldest, which is the sequel to his bestselling Eragon. Eragon showed some promise (considering he was 15 when he wrote it), but Eldest has been rather poorly reviewed from what i've seen, so I can only hope it is a couple of bad reviews that I've read. I'm nervous that it really will be kind of bad. I'm geekish enough to admit that I'm looking forward to James Luceno's Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader. There should be some nice Jedi Purge going on in that book plus some Palpatine/Vader interaction. There is, of course, and endless amount of books that are just coming out, have already come out, or are years old that I want to read, so I'll just highlight Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men as another I'd like to read.
There are always a bounty of movies to see, even in a dry season. This fall looks to be no different, if only I can make it back to the theatre.
September: The Constant Gardener, The Exorcism of Emily Rose (this one will either be a horror classic or it was be horrible, I don't know if there is middle ground), An Unfinished Life, Proof, Corpse Bride (this is another feast or famine movie), and I'm only listing this last movie because it stars Jodie Foster and we really need more Jodie Foster movies: Flightplan. I just wish it looked better.
October: In Her Shoes (but only because it is directed by Curtis Hanson), Elizabethtown. Wow. Is that all? Okay, here are a couple that could be good: Domino, North Country, and Goodnight, and Good Luck
November: Jarhead, The New World, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Walk the Line, Syriana, and a big ol "why the hell not?" for Rent. I have no expectations for Rent. Maybe I'll be surprised.
Books: The only book I actually plan on buying this fall is the new George Martin book: A Feast for Crows. Possibly the new Louise Erdrich novel The Painted Drum, depending on how I'm feeling and how much spare cash I have. Otherwise it will be a lot of library books as usual, which is fine. I still read an absurd amount of books, I just can't buy them all anymore. It's real life.
Robert Jordan is releasing the new Wheel of Time novel: Knife of Dreams. Terry Brooks is releasing Straken, which concludes yet another Shannara trilogy. Christopher Paolini has the new volume Eldest, which is the sequel to his bestselling Eragon. Eragon showed some promise (considering he was 15 when he wrote it), but Eldest has been rather poorly reviewed from what i've seen, so I can only hope it is a couple of bad reviews that I've read. I'm nervous that it really will be kind of bad. I'm geekish enough to admit that I'm looking forward to James Luceno's Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader. There should be some nice Jedi Purge going on in that book plus some Palpatine/Vader interaction. There is, of course, and endless amount of books that are just coming out, have already come out, or are years old that I want to read, so I'll just highlight Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men as another I'd like to read.
There are always a bounty of movies to see, even in a dry season. This fall looks to be no different, if only I can make it back to the theatre.
September: The Constant Gardener, The Exorcism of Emily Rose (this one will either be a horror classic or it was be horrible, I don't know if there is middle ground), An Unfinished Life, Proof, Corpse Bride (this is another feast or famine movie), and I'm only listing this last movie because it stars Jodie Foster and we really need more Jodie Foster movies: Flightplan. I just wish it looked better.
October: In Her Shoes (but only because it is directed by Curtis Hanson), Elizabethtown. Wow. Is that all? Okay, here are a couple that could be good: Domino, North Country, and Goodnight, and Good Luck
November: Jarhead, The New World, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Walk the Line, Syriana, and a big ol "why the hell not?" for Rent. I have no expectations for Rent. Maybe I'll be surprised.
Friday, August 19, 2005
The World of Marathons
Sandy Treadwell's book "The World of Marathons" tries to capture exactly what the reader would expect from the title: the emergence of major marathons all across the globe. While there are blurbs on the back cover from elite marathoners and a forward by Fred Lebow (race director of the NYC Marathon), the coverage of each marathon is not necessarily from the elite perspective, but rather a bit from a mid-packers. How exactly a mid-packer is defined is up to interpretation, but the focus of this book is not for a Bill Rodgers (though he did blurb the book), or, to use a more modern example, a Deana Kastor or Paula Radcliffe.
"The World of Marathons" gives a moderately detailed description of worldwide marathons. Each marathon gets its own small chapter, which includes a couple of color photographs, a course map, and race details, as well as text which covers a little bit of the race history and what the particular marathon is like. The text covers details such as crowd support, things eccentric to that marathon (free beer at one), and attempts to give a sense of the marathon. Some marathons included are: NYC, Chicago, London, Paris, Venice, Moscow, and others (including an African marathon, I believe). In general, this book only covers the big, major marathons in various countries and while some of the marathons may be rather small they are important for the country and gives a sense of how other parts of the world are trying to organize a marathon.
The primary drawback to this book is simply its age. Published in 1987, much of the information is out of date. If I was planning a trip to a foreign marathon right now, I could not trust the information included in this book. What is the Stockholm Marathon isn't run anymore? What if the organization is now poor, or that the field has shrunk by several thousand? The book just feels very dated.
On one hand this is a fairly interesting book and it gives a nice overview of some marathons across the world as well as some inside America, but on the other hand the book tries to give the impression that it is topical and has up to date information. At one point it did, but it has been nearly twenty years since publication. An American marathon hopeful will also not likely find this book very helpful because the focus is mostly on foreign marathons.
I can't really recommend this book because while it does give a nice overview of worldwide marathons, the information is twenty years old and many things about any one (or more) of the marathons may have changed and some may even no longer be running. It is a coffee table sized book and in that respect the book is okay. Just don't go into it looking for current information.
"The World of Marathons" gives a moderately detailed description of worldwide marathons. Each marathon gets its own small chapter, which includes a couple of color photographs, a course map, and race details, as well as text which covers a little bit of the race history and what the particular marathon is like. The text covers details such as crowd support, things eccentric to that marathon (free beer at one), and attempts to give a sense of the marathon. Some marathons included are: NYC, Chicago, London, Paris, Venice, Moscow, and others (including an African marathon, I believe). In general, this book only covers the big, major marathons in various countries and while some of the marathons may be rather small they are important for the country and gives a sense of how other parts of the world are trying to organize a marathon.
The primary drawback to this book is simply its age. Published in 1987, much of the information is out of date. If I was planning a trip to a foreign marathon right now, I could not trust the information included in this book. What is the Stockholm Marathon isn't run anymore? What if the organization is now poor, or that the field has shrunk by several thousand? The book just feels very dated.
On one hand this is a fairly interesting book and it gives a nice overview of some marathons across the world as well as some inside America, but on the other hand the book tries to give the impression that it is topical and has up to date information. At one point it did, but it has been nearly twenty years since publication. An American marathon hopeful will also not likely find this book very helpful because the focus is mostly on foreign marathons.
I can't really recommend this book because while it does give a nice overview of worldwide marathons, the information is twenty years old and many things about any one (or more) of the marathons may have changed and some may even no longer be running. It is a coffee table sized book and in that respect the book is okay. Just don't go into it looking for current information.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Olympos
With "Olympos" Dan Simmons brings to a close the two book epic he began in 2003 with "Ilium". Simmons picks up the various plot threads that he weaved together in "Ilium" and once again pushes them apart in vastly different directions. At the start of the novel we know that the story takes place thousands of years in the future where evolved humans, or "post-humans", have left Earth and set themselves up as Greek Gods on Mars. Mars has been terra-formed to reflect the climate and topography of ancient Greece where the Trojan Wars have been taking place with, for a time, an almost perfect match of Homer's "Iliad". Back on Earth the "old style humans" were discovering who they are and a few have learned that they are about to begin a fight for their very survival. Meanwhile, there are moravecs (robots with a human core) traveling the galaxy to Mars to find out what is going on with the planet. This brings us to the start of "Olympos" where a Thomas Hockenberry, a scholar from the 20th Century has been recreated as an observer to the new Trojan Wars has managed to alter the course of history and the future. Now the gods war amongst themselves.
The story of Olympos is three-fold (at least), but when you boil the plot elements to their most basic form, each storyline is essentially the same. The moravecs are striving to stop the universe from unraveling because of all of the messing with quantum technology to terraform Mars and to make the post-humans into gods. The old-style humans are fighting for their own survival against a race of monsters which have awaken from their slumber. Hockenberry is trying to save the Greeks (the new, old greeks) and himself while helping the moravecs. Achilles is trying to save his love and return her to life. Essentially, everyone is trying to save something and even though the paths split once again in "Olympos", Dan Simmons manages to tie them all together again in the end.
If the brief description here of the plot is confusing, it should be. "Ilium" almost absolutely has to have been read first for "Olympos" to make any kind of sense. Even with "Ilium" read, "Olympos" is a fairly confusing novel. Simmons takes the story to very unexpected places and at times I think that Simmons might be reaching a little too far. He has very interesting ideas about alternative universes, history, and he has created very real characters to inhabit this world (or series of worlds). But there are some pretty wild jumps that Simmons makes here, and at times it is difficult to follow all of the jumps and accept them. My only actual complaint, however, is that the ending felt rushed. Imagine that, after 1200 pages and two books the ending felt rush. "Olympos" was build, build, build and then "oh yeah, we're done, wrap everything up!".
The complaint about the ending is very minor, however. What matters is the journey. What matters is that for nearly 700 pages of "Olympos" I was completely wrapped up in the story and Simmons did a masterful job describing the action and the history and how things connect. Granted, I feel Simmons did a better job of this with "Ilium", but there was no feeling at all of a let-down except for the ending and the rest of the book was so good that it overshadowed the ending.
Reading "Ilium" and "Olympos" is a serious time investment, but for a speculative fiction or fantasy reader, it is one well worth making. These books could use a prequel or a sequel, however, because there are a lot of questions that Simmons did not really explore.
The story of Olympos is three-fold (at least), but when you boil the plot elements to their most basic form, each storyline is essentially the same. The moravecs are striving to stop the universe from unraveling because of all of the messing with quantum technology to terraform Mars and to make the post-humans into gods. The old-style humans are fighting for their own survival against a race of monsters which have awaken from their slumber. Hockenberry is trying to save the Greeks (the new, old greeks) and himself while helping the moravecs. Achilles is trying to save his love and return her to life. Essentially, everyone is trying to save something and even though the paths split once again in "Olympos", Dan Simmons manages to tie them all together again in the end.
If the brief description here of the plot is confusing, it should be. "Ilium" almost absolutely has to have been read first for "Olympos" to make any kind of sense. Even with "Ilium" read, "Olympos" is a fairly confusing novel. Simmons takes the story to very unexpected places and at times I think that Simmons might be reaching a little too far. He has very interesting ideas about alternative universes, history, and he has created very real characters to inhabit this world (or series of worlds). But there are some pretty wild jumps that Simmons makes here, and at times it is difficult to follow all of the jumps and accept them. My only actual complaint, however, is that the ending felt rushed. Imagine that, after 1200 pages and two books the ending felt rush. "Olympos" was build, build, build and then "oh yeah, we're done, wrap everything up!".
The complaint about the ending is very minor, however. What matters is the journey. What matters is that for nearly 700 pages of "Olympos" I was completely wrapped up in the story and Simmons did a masterful job describing the action and the history and how things connect. Granted, I feel Simmons did a better job of this with "Ilium", but there was no feeling at all of a let-down except for the ending and the rest of the book was so good that it overshadowed the ending.
Reading "Ilium" and "Olympos" is a serious time investment, but for a speculative fiction or fantasy reader, it is one well worth making. These books could use a prequel or a sequel, however, because there are a lot of questions that Simmons did not really explore.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Prozac Nation (movie)
I first read Elizabeth Wurtzel's memoir "Prozac Nation" when I was in college and I was transfixed. The force of Wurtzel's personality and the passion in which she wrote honestly jumped off the page as she described her fight with depression and how she acted out and ultimately how Prozac helped her regain control of herself. Since Wurtzel grew up in the 80's, Prozac was not yet the common medication that it currently is, and was only just beginning to be described. I believe I first saw a preview for the film version of "Prozac Nation" when I was in college and I do know that I've been looking for a release of the movie for at least four years now. The film never caught a theatrical release, was only recently shunted off to a cable premiere, and is now out on DVD. Honestly, what took so long?
Elizabeth (Christina Ricci) is about to enroll at Harvard University as a freshman. She has a journalism scholarship. From the start it is clear that she is somewhat depressed and that she doesn't seem to fit in with the crowds. She says as much during her opening narration. It is also quite clear that her mother (Jessica Lange) is somewhat nuts and certainly oblivious to her daughter's pain. Perhaps it is not that her mother is oblivious, but is purposefully trying to ignore the issue in the hopes that it is suddenly "all better" and that it'll go away. Elizabeth finds solace in her friendship with her new roommate Ruby (Michelle Williams) as the initially seem to be a perfect fit. She even meets a guy (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) whom she falls for.
Everything seems to be perfect, but considering the source material, the title "Prozac Nation", and that there wouldn't be much of a movie if nothing went wrong, something has to change. What changes is that Elizabeth is unable to deal with the pressures of life. The stress of school, her journalism, her relationship, her friendship, her mother, her father, and everything else seems to crash down upon her and Elizabeth more than anyone else starts to unconsciously and unthinkingly sabotage herself.
"Prozac Nation" never did receive very much critical acclaim, so this isn't a story about the little movie that could. The reviews have been mostly negative, scoring a 29% positive on the Tomatometer (at the time of this review). "Prozac Nation" isn't that bad. It lacks the searing performance of Angelina Jolie in "Girl, Interrupted", but it isn't that kind of movie. Ricci is given something to work with in this movie and does a good job with the role of Elizabeth Wurtzel. She seems to nail the depression and alienation quite well, though I think the screenwriter didn't quite round the character off as well making Elizabeth a little shrill and not quite as sympathetic as she could have been. Then again, maybe that really is Wurtzel. The best performance of the film, however, goes to Michelle Williams, as Ruby. Ruby is entirely human and warm and believable as a friend and roommate who becomes frustrated by Elizabeth. It's been several years since she played this role, but I hope it helps to find Williams some quality parts. This film is directed by Erik Skjoldbjaerg (the original "Insomnia", not the American remake).
This isn't the best film you will run across, but it is far from the worst and I found myself enjoying the performances of Christina Ricci, Michelle Williams, and even Jason Biggs (yes, he's in it, too). Biggs is very restrained here and far from his "American Pie" days. If the story itself sounds interesting or Christina Ricci is an actress you would like to see more of, then this is worth seeing.
Grade: C+/B-
Elizabeth (Christina Ricci) is about to enroll at Harvard University as a freshman. She has a journalism scholarship. From the start it is clear that she is somewhat depressed and that she doesn't seem to fit in with the crowds. She says as much during her opening narration. It is also quite clear that her mother (Jessica Lange) is somewhat nuts and certainly oblivious to her daughter's pain. Perhaps it is not that her mother is oblivious, but is purposefully trying to ignore the issue in the hopes that it is suddenly "all better" and that it'll go away. Elizabeth finds solace in her friendship with her new roommate Ruby (Michelle Williams) as the initially seem to be a perfect fit. She even meets a guy (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) whom she falls for.
Everything seems to be perfect, but considering the source material, the title "Prozac Nation", and that there wouldn't be much of a movie if nothing went wrong, something has to change. What changes is that Elizabeth is unable to deal with the pressures of life. The stress of school, her journalism, her relationship, her friendship, her mother, her father, and everything else seems to crash down upon her and Elizabeth more than anyone else starts to unconsciously and unthinkingly sabotage herself.
"Prozac Nation" never did receive very much critical acclaim, so this isn't a story about the little movie that could. The reviews have been mostly negative, scoring a 29% positive on the Tomatometer (at the time of this review). "Prozac Nation" isn't that bad. It lacks the searing performance of Angelina Jolie in "Girl, Interrupted", but it isn't that kind of movie. Ricci is given something to work with in this movie and does a good job with the role of Elizabeth Wurtzel. She seems to nail the depression and alienation quite well, though I think the screenwriter didn't quite round the character off as well making Elizabeth a little shrill and not quite as sympathetic as she could have been. Then again, maybe that really is Wurtzel. The best performance of the film, however, goes to Michelle Williams, as Ruby. Ruby is entirely human and warm and believable as a friend and roommate who becomes frustrated by Elizabeth. It's been several years since she played this role, but I hope it helps to find Williams some quality parts. This film is directed by Erik Skjoldbjaerg (the original "Insomnia", not the American remake).
This isn't the best film you will run across, but it is far from the worst and I found myself enjoying the performances of Christina Ricci, Michelle Williams, and even Jason Biggs (yes, he's in it, too). Biggs is very restrained here and far from his "American Pie" days. If the story itself sounds interesting or Christina Ricci is an actress you would like to see more of, then this is worth seeing.
Grade: C+/B-
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo
You don’t go into theatre to see “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo” and expect to see a modern classic of American Film. You go into a theatre to see the new “Deuce Bigalow” movie to see a dumb movie that may very well be funny. After all, Adam Sandler’s career was made on such movies, as was Jim Carrey’s. Rob Schneider, however, is neither Adam Sandler nor Jim Carrey. So while the dumb comedy genre has the potential to deliver big laughs, this movie doesn't. To be fair, I have seen “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo” and it was surprisingly funny and far better than I expected. It offered a fairly ridiculous premise: Rob Schneider becomes a male prostitute. Right. That’s what I thought. And yet because of Schneider’s good nature and the absurd nature of his “clients”, the movie worked more often than it should have. In a place where a little went farther than it should have, Columbia Pictures decided to finance another “Deuce Bigalow” movie.
Here is the story so far: Deuce (Schneider) is still working as a fish expert, having given up the life of a gigolo when he married his wife Kate. Kate, unfortunately, was eaten by a shark two years ago because Deuce did not realize there was meat sauce on the lettuce he was feeding a sea turtle off of the coast of Mexico. Still with me? We open the movie with Deuce getting himself into a little bit of trouble because of two kids who are serious punks and mess with his research which causes a marine accident with some elderly blind people. When Deuce gets a phone call from his friend T.J. (Eddie Griffin) in Amsterdam, Deuce accepts the invitation to join T.J. and visit for a while. T.J. is living large as a pimp but is down on hard times (so to speak) because there is a murderer stalking the gigolos of the city. After stumbling upon a victim and somehow getting his friend implicated, Deuce decides to help T.J. discover who the real killer is by going back into business as a gigolo and investigating the crimes. Honestly, that is probably more than you need to know and it is as much as I can bear to tell about the story.
Like a “Police Academy” movie, the plot really does not matter one bit. It is an excuse to get our hero (hero?) from one situation to another and to drive the humor along. The real question should be: is this movie funny? The answer: No, not really. Much of the movie is rather stupid and parts that I think were supposed to be funny were not actually funny. Again, for the sake of honesty there were several parts that I laughed out loud at and several more that I quietly chuckled too myself. The laughs were few and far between and did not deliver nearly as much dumb humor as one would hope for. “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo” was neither fun nor funny, and the only recommendation I can give is to stay away from this movie and instead watch nearly anything else, except perhaps, “Boat Trip”.
Grade: D
Here is the story so far: Deuce (Schneider) is still working as a fish expert, having given up the life of a gigolo when he married his wife Kate. Kate, unfortunately, was eaten by a shark two years ago because Deuce did not realize there was meat sauce on the lettuce he was feeding a sea turtle off of the coast of Mexico. Still with me? We open the movie with Deuce getting himself into a little bit of trouble because of two kids who are serious punks and mess with his research which causes a marine accident with some elderly blind people. When Deuce gets a phone call from his friend T.J. (Eddie Griffin) in Amsterdam, Deuce accepts the invitation to join T.J. and visit for a while. T.J. is living large as a pimp but is down on hard times (so to speak) because there is a murderer stalking the gigolos of the city. After stumbling upon a victim and somehow getting his friend implicated, Deuce decides to help T.J. discover who the real killer is by going back into business as a gigolo and investigating the crimes. Honestly, that is probably more than you need to know and it is as much as I can bear to tell about the story.
Like a “Police Academy” movie, the plot really does not matter one bit. It is an excuse to get our hero (hero?) from one situation to another and to drive the humor along. The real question should be: is this movie funny? The answer: No, not really. Much of the movie is rather stupid and parts that I think were supposed to be funny were not actually funny. Again, for the sake of honesty there were several parts that I laughed out loud at and several more that I quietly chuckled too myself. The laughs were few and far between and did not deliver nearly as much dumb humor as one would hope for. “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo” was neither fun nor funny, and the only recommendation I can give is to stay away from this movie and instead watch nearly anything else, except perhaps, “Boat Trip”.
Grade: D
Friday, August 12, 2005
On Bullshit
On Bullshit is an interesting little volume. Written by Professor Harry G. Frankfurt, this is a 67 page work of philosophy examining what is bullshit and how it is used. This is probably a fairly understandable work of philosophy, but it is well thought out and occasionally funny. Considering the subject matter, the inherent humor should not be a surprise.
It is difficult for me to really absorb what Prof. Frankfurt is saying in this book and I imagine it would take several read throughs to really grasp the concepts. I say this knowing full well that if I was used to working my mind in a meaningful manner this would be much easier for me.
Then again, this is a 67 page book about bullshit.
Prof. Frankfurt has one of the great opening passages that I've read:
Several sentences later he writes
I want to read a book that opens like this.
It is difficult for me to really absorb what Prof. Frankfurt is saying in this book and I imagine it would take several read throughs to really grasp the concepts. I say this knowing full well that if I was used to working my mind in a meaningful manner this would be much easier for me.
Then again, this is a 67 page book about bullshit.
Prof. Frankfurt has one of the great opening passages that I've read:
One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit. Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes his share. But we tend to take the situation for granted.
Several sentences later he writes
In consequence, we have no clear understanding of what bullshit is, why there is so much of it, or what functions it serves. And we lack a conscientiously developed appreciation of what it means to us.
I want to read a book that opens like this.
Monday, August 08, 2005
World Track and Field Championships
While I haven't been to a movie theatre in more than a month I have been enjoying some decent television watching. Right now PAX TV is airing the World Track and Field Championships every day. Overall the coverage is decent, though it is only an hour a day. Sprints still get far too much coverage for my tastes and not enough distance. The 10k finals the other day only got the last three laps so all I knew is that Paula Radcliffe (marathon world record holder), who was trying to double up with the 10k and the marathon to help England, was in the back of the lead pack and struggling. I didn't get to see how she got there. Pooh on poor distance coverage.
I should feel lucky that all four laps of the 1500 were broadcast, but thus far only the heat with Alan Webb. Again, where were the other heats? What about the women's 800 heats (I saw one semifinal heat). I am guessing that I'll only get one heat of the 1500 semi's today, a brief bit of the men's 10k final, and if I'm very lucky some of the women's 3000 meter steeplechase. I question the coverage of the marathon on the 13th and 14th, but we'll see.
Do I complain too much? A little. I get that the sprints are the big deal and that most people don't want to sit and watch 13 minutes of a men's 5000, let alone a half hour of the women's 10k (then again, the Olympic coverage of the marathon was perfect: two complete races from start to finish...it's a thing of beauty). I should be just happy that there is daily coverage of the world championships. And I should be happy that I'll get to see a clip of the marathon this weekend.
But I want more. I want a stupid amount of distance coverage.
I should feel lucky that all four laps of the 1500 were broadcast, but thus far only the heat with Alan Webb. Again, where were the other heats? What about the women's 800 heats (I saw one semifinal heat). I am guessing that I'll only get one heat of the 1500 semi's today, a brief bit of the men's 10k final, and if I'm very lucky some of the women's 3000 meter steeplechase. I question the coverage of the marathon on the 13th and 14th, but we'll see.
Do I complain too much? A little. I get that the sprints are the big deal and that most people don't want to sit and watch 13 minutes of a men's 5000, let alone a half hour of the women's 10k (then again, the Olympic coverage of the marathon was perfect: two complete races from start to finish...it's a thing of beauty). I should be just happy that there is daily coverage of the world championships. And I should be happy that I'll get to see a clip of the marathon this weekend.
But I want more. I want a stupid amount of distance coverage.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
I, Robot: The Movie
I hate to be a book snob when reviewing a movie, but when the title of the movie is "I, Robot" and is said to be "inspired by" the classic science fiction collection by Isaac Asimov, one would have a reasonable assumption that the movie would bear some similarity and passing understanding of the source material. Then, when the director of the movie is Alex Proyas, the director of the excellent "Dark City", there is a level of intelligence that is expected from the film version of "I, Robot".
I don't know what happened.
This is such a disappointment. Without spoiling a single plot detail I can reveal almost exactly how much this movie resembles the book: The Three Laws of Robotics, a couple of character names (most notably Susan Calvin), the title, and that there are, in fact, robots. That just about covers any similarity the astute viewer may find with the book. This is unfortunate because any one of a number of the "I, Robot" stories could have been used as a launching pad for an intelligent science fiction movie. Or, even the later Elijah Bailey Robot novels would have worked. But this? There is the barest framework of a plot, the barest scrapings of Asimov's ideas, and wrapped tightly around this is a silly action movie.
The problem is only half about the movie itself. By calling itself "I, Robot" there is a level of expectation of what sort of movie this will be and what it will be about. Imagine, perhaps if Peter Jackson made Lord of the Rings with Arnold Schwarzenegger as Gandalf and Gandalf ran around hitting the Orcs with moves you might only see in "Conan the Destroyer". That's a moderately fair comparison in making "I, Robot" into nothing more than a flashy action movie and how exactly Alex Proyas did this is completely beyond my understanding.
My guess is that the studio took a lot of control away from Proyas' vision. That's the only thing that makes sense to me. But let's think about "I, Robot" as something other than an offshoot of Asimov's work. How does it work as a mindless action movie? On these terms "I, Robot" isn't that bad. It's nothing special and we've seen it dozens of times. Will Smith does fine as a the wise cracking detective investigating a murder of a human where the only possibly suspect is a robot except a robot couldn't do it because of the three laws. Smith is actually quite a bit more serious in this role than one might expect. He cracks wise often enough, but overall is toned down and has a seething anger towards robots just under the surface. It works. The action probably works better on a larger screen than a smaller television, but for a simple action movie I suppose "I, Robot" can pass muster.
Forget that this movie is science fiction because it really isn't. Forget that this movie is inspired by Asimov's classic work because it really isn't. Forget that this should have been and could have been an excellent, intelligent and still entertaining movie, because it isn't. If you're looking for just a decent action movie with very few claims to be anything else besides some lip service paid to the plot...here you go.
I don't know what happened.
This is such a disappointment. Without spoiling a single plot detail I can reveal almost exactly how much this movie resembles the book: The Three Laws of Robotics, a couple of character names (most notably Susan Calvin), the title, and that there are, in fact, robots. That just about covers any similarity the astute viewer may find with the book. This is unfortunate because any one of a number of the "I, Robot" stories could have been used as a launching pad for an intelligent science fiction movie. Or, even the later Elijah Bailey Robot novels would have worked. But this? There is the barest framework of a plot, the barest scrapings of Asimov's ideas, and wrapped tightly around this is a silly action movie.
The problem is only half about the movie itself. By calling itself "I, Robot" there is a level of expectation of what sort of movie this will be and what it will be about. Imagine, perhaps if Peter Jackson made Lord of the Rings with Arnold Schwarzenegger as Gandalf and Gandalf ran around hitting the Orcs with moves you might only see in "Conan the Destroyer". That's a moderately fair comparison in making "I, Robot" into nothing more than a flashy action movie and how exactly Alex Proyas did this is completely beyond my understanding.
My guess is that the studio took a lot of control away from Proyas' vision. That's the only thing that makes sense to me. But let's think about "I, Robot" as something other than an offshoot of Asimov's work. How does it work as a mindless action movie? On these terms "I, Robot" isn't that bad. It's nothing special and we've seen it dozens of times. Will Smith does fine as a the wise cracking detective investigating a murder of a human where the only possibly suspect is a robot except a robot couldn't do it because of the three laws. Smith is actually quite a bit more serious in this role than one might expect. He cracks wise often enough, but overall is toned down and has a seething anger towards robots just under the surface. It works. The action probably works better on a larger screen than a smaller television, but for a simple action movie I suppose "I, Robot" can pass muster.
Forget that this movie is science fiction because it really isn't. Forget that this movie is inspired by Asimov's classic work because it really isn't. Forget that this should have been and could have been an excellent, intelligent and still entertaining movie, because it isn't. If you're looking for just a decent action movie with very few claims to be anything else besides some lip service paid to the plot...here you go.
Friday, July 29, 2005
The Looniness of the Long Distance Runner
After agreeing to sponsor a friend of his for the NYC Marathon, Russell Taylor decides that he would like to run that marathon the following year. Taylor is nearly 40 years old and is not a runner. "The Looniness of the Long Distance Runner" is Taylor's account of training for the NYC Marathon. The subtitle for this book covers exactly how crazy he is: "an unfit Londoner's attempt to run the New York City Marathon from scratch".
Russell Taylor is, apparently a humor writer, and so this book is filled with humorous observations on running, training, races, and why exactly he is doing this. Some of it is actually quite funny and I honestly found myself chuckling out loud a couple of times. Unfortunately, when I wasn't chuckling I was reading and hoping that something interesting would be on the next page. Often enough there wasn't. As a runner I am drawn to books about running and about marathons so I figured this book would be a natural fit, but it was a struggle to get through this one. Taylor includes a section of his training diary and that section was the single least interesting part of the book. It just dragged on and on and on. Sort of like this review.
Then Taylor gets to the races. As a part of his training Taylor ran several races and his racecourse descriptions and his feelings during the race (he made some interesting decisions as to which ones to run) were fascinating and funny. Once again I started enjoying parts of the book. The marathon itself seemed a little skimpy in the description.
I just can't recommend "The Looniness of the Long Distance Runner" to anyone. There are far better books about one man's journey to race (try "To the Edge" by Kirk Johnson for a more interesting book about an ultramarathon), and unfortunately when the humor stops there isn't much here to hold my interest. Pass on this one.
Russell Taylor is, apparently a humor writer, and so this book is filled with humorous observations on running, training, races, and why exactly he is doing this. Some of it is actually quite funny and I honestly found myself chuckling out loud a couple of times. Unfortunately, when I wasn't chuckling I was reading and hoping that something interesting would be on the next page. Often enough there wasn't. As a runner I am drawn to books about running and about marathons so I figured this book would be a natural fit, but it was a struggle to get through this one. Taylor includes a section of his training diary and that section was the single least interesting part of the book. It just dragged on and on and on. Sort of like this review.
Then Taylor gets to the races. As a part of his training Taylor ran several races and his racecourse descriptions and his feelings during the race (he made some interesting decisions as to which ones to run) were fascinating and funny. Once again I started enjoying parts of the book. The marathon itself seemed a little skimpy in the description.
I just can't recommend "The Looniness of the Long Distance Runner" to anyone. There are far better books about one man's journey to race (try "To the Edge" by Kirk Johnson for a more interesting book about an ultramarathon), and unfortunately when the humor stops there isn't much here to hold my interest. Pass on this one.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Spoiling Harry Potter for Tom Hanks
I love it! I first saw this on July 20th, the day after I finished the new Harry Potter (thank goodness!) and it made me laugh out loud. That may not be a good thing considering I'm in a cubicle in an office, but I think this is great.
Be warned, however, that this short video will completely spoil the main surprise of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
You have been warned.
Now go watch it if you haven't seen it and you already know.
Here it is!
Be warned, however, that this short video will completely spoil the main surprise of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
You have been warned.
Now go watch it if you haven't seen it and you already know.
Here it is!
Netflix Lists
I've just started using this feature on Netflix where I can create lists of movies. I guess it can be used for anything, but I'm using it for stuff that I want to see someday but don't want to put in my queue. With a queue that can hold 500 movies why would I possibly want to not put something in it? Excellent question, I'm glad you asked. I had my queue maxed out once, that's how I know it can hold 500 moviess. When I maxed out the queue I realized two things: first, I'll never be able to make it through this list of movies and I won't feel like I'm making it through the list. Second, I can't add to the queue if it is full. So I purged and purged and purged and I'm down to a reasonable level.
So, now I still have 174 movies in the queue, but it feels like I'll be making progress moving through the DVDs this time around.
And plus the lists are a way to sort things. I have a list for documentaries (if I get the itch to see some Ken Burns flicks I'll just move them over to the queue) and for TV on DVD (a reminder to watch Farscape someday) and stuff like that.
I think it's going to be quite useful for me. It reminds me that yes, I did want to see this movie but it doesn't stick in my queue for two years.
So, now I still have 174 movies in the queue, but it feels like I'll be making progress moving through the DVDs this time around.
And plus the lists are a way to sort things. I have a list for documentaries (if I get the itch to see some Ken Burns flicks I'll just move them over to the queue) and for TV on DVD (a reminder to watch Farscape someday) and stuff like that.
I think it's going to be quite useful for me. It reminds me that yes, I did want to see this movie but it doesn't stick in my queue for two years.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Manifesto
Stephen King had an interesting column in Entertainment Weekly this week. Every few weeks he covers pop culture stuff and often I breeze through the article and by the time I'm done I've already forgotten it. This one stuck a little bit. He writes about what he likes in pop culture today and a lot of it resonated. He likes the classic country feel of Alan Jackson, but also the new "hick hop" of Cowboy Troy (country mixed with rap). With a parting shot at self important critics, he then closes the article with reference to Confederate Railroad's "Trashy Women" and that sold the entire article for me. It's been so long since I've heard that song and while not something I want to listen to every day, it's a nice tacky fun way to end.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Over There
Anyone planning on watching Over There on FX this week? Over There is, supposedly, a gritty and realistic look at the current war in Iraq but it is not intended to be political and rather will focus on the soldiers themselves. This is fiction based on reality. I don't know anything about the storylines or what the story arc is going to be, but I do like military movies and books, so I'm intrigued.
Plus FX is doing it and they have been doing some highy regarded work in The Shield, Rescue Me, and Nip/Tuck. Not that I've watch a single episode of any of it. The Shield interests me, in part because it stars the Commish and this season has Glenn Close in a guest role. A Netflix, I suppose.
Plus FX is doing it and they have been doing some highy regarded work in The Shield, Rescue Me, and Nip/Tuck. Not that I've watch a single episode of any of it. The Shield interests me, in part because it stars the Commish and this season has Glenn Close in a guest role. A Netflix, I suppose.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Harry Potter and the Discussion of Plot Details
If you have not read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and do not want to know what happens in the book I would strongly advise you to wait until I post a new blog entry about something else because I'm going to be writing about major spoilers from the book and what I think about them.
You have been warned...all four of you.......
I'll start with the title. I spent most of the book thinking that I cleverly figured out that the HBP was Lily Potter, Harry's dead mum. It probably would have been too obvious if it was Lily. Slughorn, the new potions professor (Snape finally got his dream job of Defense Against the Dark Arts), said that Lily was one of his favorite students and was a natural at Potions and used unorthodox methods to work the potions. Harry seems to have an affinity for the HBP. Lily was at least muggle born, I don't remember if she was Half Blood.
But it was Snape, which makes more sense because Slughorn didn't talk about Snape all the time the way he did with Lily. And Snape was always the potions master and brilliant at it and Lupin had gone to Snape to help keep the werewolf in him under control. I don't know if this will have a larger impact in the series or it was just something to do for the book.
Speaking of Snape...
Here's what throws me about the big ending of the book: Snape murderers Dumbledore with the killing curse, the one that the only one who ever lived after being hit with it was Harry himself. But early in the book, like chapter two or three Snape is revealed to have been a Death Eater all along and that he fooled Dumbledore. He tells this to Draco Malfoy's mother (his father, Lucius, is now in Azkaban prison) and Beatrix Lestrange, the killer of Sirius Black (and torturer of Neville Longbottom's parents). To seal the deal, Snape agrees to take an Unbreakable Vow to help Draco Malfoy do whatever it is he is commanded to do by Voldemort. An Unbreakable Vow is one which the person bound by it must either fulfill or die. Breaking the vow will kill the bound wizard.
Why give this scene away for free? What I mean is that Jo Rowling has spent five books telling us that Snape is a good guy. He may dislike Harry and Harry's father and Sirius and pretty much everyone else, but he is a redeemed former Death Eater working for Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. Why give away a scene like that telling the reader he is evil if Rowling will give us hints for five books that Snape, while sneaky and nasty, is a good guy and a protector?
Because he still is.
What if Snape then tells Dumbledore about what he vowed to do and Dumbledore agrees that he must go through with it no matter what the cost? What if that is what Hagrid saw Snape and Dumbledore arguing about? What if Dumbledore was not pleading for his own life, but rather for Snape to do it?
It's never shown on screen, but I think this is how it happens. Snape takes the vow to convince Lestrange and Malfoy that he still serves Voldemort. He is still under orders from Dumbledore to do this. Snape tells Dumbledore about the vow and about everything he learns from Malfoy. When the time comes Malfoy can't murder Dumbledore and if he doesn't Voldemort will kill him. If he doesn't, and Snape doesn't help, Snape will die from the Vow. Dumbledore pleads, just as he pleaded with Malfoy for Draco to leave Voldemort behind and let the Order hide him and Narcissa. But Dumbledore pleads for Snape to kill him as this will save Draco, keep Snape in place, and give Harry the last bit that he needs to finally be able to confront Voldemort and win. And live. So Snape kills Dumbledore. His reaction? Rage. Disgust. At whom? Not at Dumbledore, but at himself, at Malfoy, at everyone. Dumbledore was the only person to really trust Snape for years and Snape just had to kill him.
Now Snape really is outcast. Nobody will ever trust him again. He isn't a Death Eater but has to pretend to be. When he ran he could have attacked and stopped Harry but instead only blocked Harry's curses. Snape didn't strike out except to stun on his way out of Hogwarts.
My interpretation: Snape is conflicted and internally brutalized because of what he just did and he never turned his back on the Order and is still fighting Voldemort as he can and what was done was done with knowledge of Dumbledore and, dare I say, the blessing.
The other thing that makes me think this is that had Jo Rowling never revealed early on that Snape was still a Death Eater the murder of Dumbledore would have been even more shocking and would have been a true betrayal. But now we're expecting it and Rowling never gives something this big that early in a book unless there is a reason for it.
Side: I also think that Draco will be redeemed, that he'll turn away from Voldemort. He won't be a major player, but he'll betray Voldemort.
You have been warned...all four of you.......
I'll start with the title. I spent most of the book thinking that I cleverly figured out that the HBP was Lily Potter, Harry's dead mum. It probably would have been too obvious if it was Lily. Slughorn, the new potions professor (Snape finally got his dream job of Defense Against the Dark Arts), said that Lily was one of his favorite students and was a natural at Potions and used unorthodox methods to work the potions. Harry seems to have an affinity for the HBP. Lily was at least muggle born, I don't remember if she was Half Blood.
But it was Snape, which makes more sense because Slughorn didn't talk about Snape all the time the way he did with Lily. And Snape was always the potions master and brilliant at it and Lupin had gone to Snape to help keep the werewolf in him under control. I don't know if this will have a larger impact in the series or it was just something to do for the book.
Speaking of Snape...
Here's what throws me about the big ending of the book: Snape murderers Dumbledore with the killing curse, the one that the only one who ever lived after being hit with it was Harry himself. But early in the book, like chapter two or three Snape is revealed to have been a Death Eater all along and that he fooled Dumbledore. He tells this to Draco Malfoy's mother (his father, Lucius, is now in Azkaban prison) and Beatrix Lestrange, the killer of Sirius Black (and torturer of Neville Longbottom's parents). To seal the deal, Snape agrees to take an Unbreakable Vow to help Draco Malfoy do whatever it is he is commanded to do by Voldemort. An Unbreakable Vow is one which the person bound by it must either fulfill or die. Breaking the vow will kill the bound wizard.
Why give this scene away for free? What I mean is that Jo Rowling has spent five books telling us that Snape is a good guy. He may dislike Harry and Harry's father and Sirius and pretty much everyone else, but he is a redeemed former Death Eater working for Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. Why give away a scene like that telling the reader he is evil if Rowling will give us hints for five books that Snape, while sneaky and nasty, is a good guy and a protector?
Because he still is.
What if Snape then tells Dumbledore about what he vowed to do and Dumbledore agrees that he must go through with it no matter what the cost? What if that is what Hagrid saw Snape and Dumbledore arguing about? What if Dumbledore was not pleading for his own life, but rather for Snape to do it?
It's never shown on screen, but I think this is how it happens. Snape takes the vow to convince Lestrange and Malfoy that he still serves Voldemort. He is still under orders from Dumbledore to do this. Snape tells Dumbledore about the vow and about everything he learns from Malfoy. When the time comes Malfoy can't murder Dumbledore and if he doesn't Voldemort will kill him. If he doesn't, and Snape doesn't help, Snape will die from the Vow. Dumbledore pleads, just as he pleaded with Malfoy for Draco to leave Voldemort behind and let the Order hide him and Narcissa. But Dumbledore pleads for Snape to kill him as this will save Draco, keep Snape in place, and give Harry the last bit that he needs to finally be able to confront Voldemort and win. And live. So Snape kills Dumbledore. His reaction? Rage. Disgust. At whom? Not at Dumbledore, but at himself, at Malfoy, at everyone. Dumbledore was the only person to really trust Snape for years and Snape just had to kill him.
Now Snape really is outcast. Nobody will ever trust him again. He isn't a Death Eater but has to pretend to be. When he ran he could have attacked and stopped Harry but instead only blocked Harry's curses. Snape didn't strike out except to stun on his way out of Hogwarts.
My interpretation: Snape is conflicted and internally brutalized because of what he just did and he never turned his back on the Order and is still fighting Voldemort as he can and what was done was done with knowledge of Dumbledore and, dare I say, the blessing.
The other thing that makes me think this is that had Jo Rowling never revealed early on that Snape was still a Death Eater the murder of Dumbledore would have been even more shocking and would have been a true betrayal. But now we're expecting it and Rowling never gives something this big that early in a book unless there is a reason for it.
Side: I also think that Draco will be redeemed, that he'll turn away from Voldemort. He won't be a major player, but he'll betray Voldemort.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Ice Princess
Casey Carlyle (Michelle Trachtenberg) is a science geek. There is no simpler way to say it. She is an excellent student who gets straight A's and her physics teacher believes that she has the chance to gain a major physics scholarship. To make the most of this chance she needs to spend the summer before her senior year of high school working on a project which demonstrates a practical application of physics and her teacher suggests that she "makes it personal". Casey may be a science geek, but the earliest scenes of the movie show Casey gracefully skating on a pond near her home. Inspiration for her physics project hits while watching a skating competition on television with a friend. Casey realizes there has to be a mathematical formula for the jumps and spins performed by a skater and this can be used to help improve the form of a skater.
Casey goes to the Harwood Skate Center run by Tina Harwood (Kim Cattrall) a former world class skater. After a brief bump in the road, Casey is allowed to film Tina's skaters and work on her science project. After Casey thinks she has her work figured out she goes to the rink with a friend to film her practical application. She attempts to land a jump and amazingly enough, she does, and with perfect form. Casey begins taking lessons from Tina and starts focusing more on skating than on her studies. It becomes something of an obsession, much to the dismay of her mother Joan (Joan Cusack), who is much more into intellectual pursuits and is something of a feminist. Casey, however, is starting to pursue her dream of seeing how far she can go in figure skating.
Much of this movie is fairly standard stuff. Whatever obstacles are placed in Casey's way will be overcome with some pluck and perseverance. There is a boy to impress. Casey is something of the "ugly duckling" of her school because of her brains and how she starts babbling about science when gets nervous. There are moments, particularly in the skating scenes, that we fully expect to see and we are not disappointed. Somehow, though, there is enough charm and realism and good performances that "Ice Princess" works. Michelle Trachtenberg does a very fine job as Casey and makes her a believable student as well as skater. I'm sure a double is used, but very often it looks like Trachtenberg herself skating. The movie also avoids several cliches by having a popular student (Hayden Pannettiere) who snubs Casey early on also be Tina's daughter and a skater. But Gen befriends Casey when they finally have something in common and it turns out that Gen is a decent person and not the standard snob that I expected when the character was first introduced.
The DVD contains a series of deleted scenes which are pleasant enough, but do not add to our understanding of the characters or make the movie work better. There are two music videos, and a commentary track featuring some of the kids who were in the movie. As far as special features go, this is pretty standard and is probably worth watching just once.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by "Ice Princess". I thought it was going to be horrible to watch and I was very wrong. I am as far from the target audience as you can get (a 26 year old male), but enjoyed the movie. It's not great or deeply original, but it is very pleasant. It is a true family film and I suspect that the teenage and pre-teen girls will love it. Rated G, parents have nothing to worry about if they let their children watch "Ice Princess" unsupervised.
Grade: B
Casey goes to the Harwood Skate Center run by Tina Harwood (Kim Cattrall) a former world class skater. After a brief bump in the road, Casey is allowed to film Tina's skaters and work on her science project. After Casey thinks she has her work figured out she goes to the rink with a friend to film her practical application. She attempts to land a jump and amazingly enough, she does, and with perfect form. Casey begins taking lessons from Tina and starts focusing more on skating than on her studies. It becomes something of an obsession, much to the dismay of her mother Joan (Joan Cusack), who is much more into intellectual pursuits and is something of a feminist. Casey, however, is starting to pursue her dream of seeing how far she can go in figure skating.
Much of this movie is fairly standard stuff. Whatever obstacles are placed in Casey's way will be overcome with some pluck and perseverance. There is a boy to impress. Casey is something of the "ugly duckling" of her school because of her brains and how she starts babbling about science when gets nervous. There are moments, particularly in the skating scenes, that we fully expect to see and we are not disappointed. Somehow, though, there is enough charm and realism and good performances that "Ice Princess" works. Michelle Trachtenberg does a very fine job as Casey and makes her a believable student as well as skater. I'm sure a double is used, but very often it looks like Trachtenberg herself skating. The movie also avoids several cliches by having a popular student (Hayden Pannettiere) who snubs Casey early on also be Tina's daughter and a skater. But Gen befriends Casey when they finally have something in common and it turns out that Gen is a decent person and not the standard snob that I expected when the character was first introduced.
The DVD contains a series of deleted scenes which are pleasant enough, but do not add to our understanding of the characters or make the movie work better. There are two music videos, and a commentary track featuring some of the kids who were in the movie. As far as special features go, this is pretty standard and is probably worth watching just once.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by "Ice Princess". I thought it was going to be horrible to watch and I was very wrong. I am as far from the target audience as you can get (a 26 year old male), but enjoyed the movie. It's not great or deeply original, but it is very pleasant. It is a true family film and I suspect that the teenage and pre-teen girls will love it. Rated G, parents have nothing to worry about if they let their children watch "Ice Princess" unsupervised.
Grade: B
characteriskilledbyblank.com
I have the book. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is in my grubby little hands. I was able to pick it up around 6 pm on saturday. I had no interest in going to one of those midnight Harry Potter parties where folks are dressed like Dementors and stuff, and the book would still be at the stores in mass quantities when I was able to get it. I had hoped to pick the book up a little bit earlier in the day than I did, but such is life.
I also know who the big death is. Not because I've read that far, I'm only on page 244. Sandy, my wife, was looking at HP spoilers saturday morning and while she wasn't telling me what happened in the book (just kept teasing me that she would) the link to a spoiler website was left in the drop down cache of previously viewed websites. She didn't realize that, nor did it occur to me. So, when I went online later that afternoon when she was out at the store I clicked the drop down to get hotmail (too lazy to type it in myself) and I see the website address: characteriskilledbyblank.com. Replace "character" with the name of the character who gets killed and "blank" with the name of the killer and you have a website address that is one big spoiler.
But it's okay. I'm not sure it ruined any suspense for me because "character" was one that I had seriously considered as the one to die. I just thought it might be in book 7, but this actually makes a little bit more sense the more I think about it. The real surprise is "blank". I didn't see this one coming, and I don't want to say more about it because...well, it just wouldn't be fair.
But Rowling is doing interesting stuff with her characters and to be honest I question the choice of "blank". Not because it is "blank" but because of something else.
Arg! It's tough when you want to talk about it but don't want folks to have major storyline points revealed two days after the book is released!!!!
I also know who the big death is. Not because I've read that far, I'm only on page 244. Sandy, my wife, was looking at HP spoilers saturday morning and while she wasn't telling me what happened in the book (just kept teasing me that she would) the link to a spoiler website was left in the drop down cache of previously viewed websites. She didn't realize that, nor did it occur to me. So, when I went online later that afternoon when she was out at the store I clicked the drop down to get hotmail (too lazy to type it in myself) and I see the website address: characteriskilledbyblank.com. Replace "character" with the name of the character who gets killed and "blank" with the name of the killer and you have a website address that is one big spoiler.
But it's okay. I'm not sure it ruined any suspense for me because "character" was one that I had seriously considered as the one to die. I just thought it might be in book 7, but this actually makes a little bit more sense the more I think about it. The real surprise is "blank". I didn't see this one coming, and I don't want to say more about it because...well, it just wouldn't be fair.
But Rowling is doing interesting stuff with her characters and to be honest I question the choice of "blank". Not because it is "blank" but because of something else.
Arg! It's tough when you want to talk about it but don't want folks to have major storyline points revealed two days after the book is released!!!!
Friday, July 15, 2005
quoting the movie reviewers
Have you ever wondered how fresh and original the men and women who review movies are? They (we, if on an odd moment take myself more seriously than I possibly should) complain that movies aren't original and praise the ones that are. But what is it that the reviewers actually say?
Here is a sampling:
I think that I may be enjoying reading this too much. I found it here and it makes me think about what it is that I say when I write up my l'il reviews for the blog and Amazon. What phrases might be a bit overused? How can I word things better (I know, Ice Princess is going to be tough)?
I can't even take credit for discovering the article, because I found the link on the Rocchi Report.
Here is a sampling:
FRESH & ORIGINAL
“Excellent...refreshing...stellar...a real winner.” (The Last Place On Earth) - Houston Weekly
“Fresh and funny.” (Inside Deep Throat) – Peter Travers
“…fresh, dazzling and often hilarious!” (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) – Paul Fischer
“A fresh family film with high-octane fun.” (The Pacifier) – Guy Farris
“Fun, fresh, confidently original and engrossing.” (Batman Begins) – Lisa Schwarzbaum
“A smart, touching and original film.” (The Ballad of Jack and Rose) – David Ansen
“Clever, funny and original.” (Bewitched) - Francine Brokaw, LA Family Magazine
“Moving. Funny. Original.” (Me and You and Everyone We Know) – Thelma Adams
“A wonderful offbeat and original comedy.” (Me and You and Everyone We Know) - Carina Chocano
“It's original, complex, delicate, tender, poetic, daring! (Me and You and Everyone We Know) – Roger Ebert
“One of the most original, daring, intriguing and honest films of the year.” (The Talent Given Us) – Roger Ebert
“The most original film in years!” (Sin City) – Dean Richards
“Original. Classic.” (Constantine) – Shawn Edwards
“Totally original.” (Mail Order Wife) - Russell Scott Smith, NY Post
“Totally original and exhilarating, fresh, dazzling and often hilarious!” (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) – Paul Fischer
“Utterly original from top to bottom.” (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) - Sam Hallenbeck
“The most wondrously original, most outrageously entertaining cinematic spectacle of the year!” (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) – Todd David Schwartz
I think that I may be enjoying reading this too much. I found it here and it makes me think about what it is that I say when I write up my l'il reviews for the blog and Amazon. What phrases might be a bit overused? How can I word things better (I know, Ice Princess is going to be tough)?
I can't even take credit for discovering the article, because I found the link on the Rocchi Report.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Gardens of the Moon
"Gardens of the Moon" is the first book in a proposed ten volume series titled "The Malazan Book of the Fallen". To call this an epic fantasy would not do justice to the potential scope of this book and series. Steven Erikson has most often been compared to George R.R. Martin ("A Song of Ice and Fire") and for good reason. Erikson is writing a long running series set in a medieval styled realm with a good deal of political talk mixed heavily with battle. The tone of the book is very dark and gritty, despite characters displaying good humor. This first volume is a bit daunting to begin because Erikson dumps the reader into the intrigue of his world with very little warning or exposition. What we know from the start is that there is a woman seeking to overthrow the Emperor of the Malazan Empire, many underhanded dealings regarding the missions given the mage soldiers, a young boy named Ganoes Paran who wants to be a soldier, and a hardened veteran who is angering this woman who is already claiming to be Empress. But this is just the exposition given in a short prologue. The meat of the novel begins several years later.
Several years later Paran is a captain in the Malazan Army. He is assigned to lead the legendary Bridgeburners. The Bridgeburners are being sent on every nasty mission the Empress Laseen can come up with, mostly in the hopes of the Bridgeburners being destroyed by attrition. Her problem with the Bridgeburners is that they are a reminder of the deposed Emperor and of the old battlefield glories of Malazan. They are a beacon to any who may consider revolt against the Empress. But Laseen's reach and ambition is far beyond getting rid of the Bridgeburners. She has turned her eyes to the city of Darujhistan. Darujhistan is one of the largest cities in the world, but while Laseen has turned her eyes to that city Malazan also faces a threat from a non-human race called the Tiste Andii and their magic. There is also another sub-plot regarding a young girl who has her soul taken and been turned into a ruthless killer, and another storyline featuring several different characters in Darujhistan.
Confused yet? This is only the tip of the iceberg, but to go into greater detail may spoil some of the surprises found in "Gardens of the Moon". It is also a book that is very difficult to adequately describe in a relatively short space. The viewpoint that Erikson gives the reader is that of the common soldiers and mages and peasants. We seldom get to see things through the eyes of those who hold real power. Laseen is never given a viewpoint, nor are the nobles or many commanding officers of any real rank. But this is where the sense of discovery comes in. As far as I can tell, Steven Erikson has built up a very rich world but he only gives us bits and pieces of what is really going on. With each character and with each chapter we get a little bit more of the overall story and more often than not what we think is going on is only a small piece of the whole, and since this is Book One, what we learn by the end is still only a small piece of an even greater whole.
While some time is spent trying to figure out who these characters are and how they relate to each other and the world, this is fascinating fantasy novel and one of the best opening novels to a series in some time. It compares well to "A Game of Thrones" except that it is a bit more confusing from the start. I understand that this series starts to come together a bit more in the next two books, and that may be a high price to pay for some readers who want to fully understand what is going on early, but I feel that the time invested in reading this book (and ultimately the series) is going to be worth it. Because the US publishing of this series is behind that of the UK, we are only just getting Book 4 where the UK is already on 6 and waiting for 7 (maybe 8), which means that we can expect to see each subsequent volume in a reasonable amount of time (unlike George Martin).
The bottom line for this book is that it is well worth the time spent reading it and it marks the beginning of what may be one of the best fantasy series ever written. I have read elsewhere that each subsequent book is better than the one before it. If that is the case, and this book is already quite good, it bodes well for the future of this series. While a 10 Book series may seem daunting, know that Erikson is almost done and he has a specific plan on how to finish it and seems to be churning out high quality books at a fairly good clip. If you like the fantasy of George Martin then this is certainly one to check out.
Several years later Paran is a captain in the Malazan Army. He is assigned to lead the legendary Bridgeburners. The Bridgeburners are being sent on every nasty mission the Empress Laseen can come up with, mostly in the hopes of the Bridgeburners being destroyed by attrition. Her problem with the Bridgeburners is that they are a reminder of the deposed Emperor and of the old battlefield glories of Malazan. They are a beacon to any who may consider revolt against the Empress. But Laseen's reach and ambition is far beyond getting rid of the Bridgeburners. She has turned her eyes to the city of Darujhistan. Darujhistan is one of the largest cities in the world, but while Laseen has turned her eyes to that city Malazan also faces a threat from a non-human race called the Tiste Andii and their magic. There is also another sub-plot regarding a young girl who has her soul taken and been turned into a ruthless killer, and another storyline featuring several different characters in Darujhistan.
Confused yet? This is only the tip of the iceberg, but to go into greater detail may spoil some of the surprises found in "Gardens of the Moon". It is also a book that is very difficult to adequately describe in a relatively short space. The viewpoint that Erikson gives the reader is that of the common soldiers and mages and peasants. We seldom get to see things through the eyes of those who hold real power. Laseen is never given a viewpoint, nor are the nobles or many commanding officers of any real rank. But this is where the sense of discovery comes in. As far as I can tell, Steven Erikson has built up a very rich world but he only gives us bits and pieces of what is really going on. With each character and with each chapter we get a little bit more of the overall story and more often than not what we think is going on is only a small piece of the whole, and since this is Book One, what we learn by the end is still only a small piece of an even greater whole.
While some time is spent trying to figure out who these characters are and how they relate to each other and the world, this is fascinating fantasy novel and one of the best opening novels to a series in some time. It compares well to "A Game of Thrones" except that it is a bit more confusing from the start. I understand that this series starts to come together a bit more in the next two books, and that may be a high price to pay for some readers who want to fully understand what is going on early, but I feel that the time invested in reading this book (and ultimately the series) is going to be worth it. Because the US publishing of this series is behind that of the UK, we are only just getting Book 4 where the UK is already on 6 and waiting for 7 (maybe 8), which means that we can expect to see each subsequent volume in a reasonable amount of time (unlike George Martin).
The bottom line for this book is that it is well worth the time spent reading it and it marks the beginning of what may be one of the best fantasy series ever written. I have read elsewhere that each subsequent book is better than the one before it. If that is the case, and this book is already quite good, it bodes well for the future of this series. While a 10 Book series may seem daunting, know that Erikson is almost done and he has a specific plan on how to finish it and seems to be churning out high quality books at a fairly good clip. If you like the fantasy of George Martin then this is certainly one to check out.
Monday, July 11, 2005
Ice Princess....yay?
Friday afternoon I received an e-mail from somebody at Buena Vista Home Entertainment asking me if I would like a free DVD copy of Ice Princess. The only stipulation is that I have to watch it, and review it on Amazon.
I accepted.
Last november Buena Vista offered me King Arthur, which I happily accepted. That was pretty cool. Three weeks after that I had another offer, this time for The Village. I turned it down with the explanation that I had already reviewed it on Amazon and that I hoped that I would still have other opportunities to review movies for B.V. That was six months ago and this is the first time I've heard from them since. I think what I should have done is accepted the offer, deleted my old review on Amazon and posted a new review after watching the DVD. I probably missed out on some offers in the past six months.
And so, I'm accepting Ice Princess. If I turn it down, I may not get the chance for another free movie.
I accepted.
Last november Buena Vista offered me King Arthur, which I happily accepted. That was pretty cool. Three weeks after that I had another offer, this time for The Village. I turned it down with the explanation that I had already reviewed it on Amazon and that I hoped that I would still have other opportunities to review movies for B.V. That was six months ago and this is the first time I've heard from them since. I think what I should have done is accepted the offer, deleted my old review on Amazon and posted a new review after watching the DVD. I probably missed out on some offers in the past six months.
And so, I'm accepting Ice Princess. If I turn it down, I may not get the chance for another free movie.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge
Five years after the events of the first Elm Street movie, Fred Krueger (Robert Englund) is back. Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton) and his family have moved into the house that was previously owned by Nancy’s family. The legend around school is that Nancy went crazy after seeing her boyfriend murdered across the street. These are, of course, the events of the original “A Nightmare on Elm Street“. Jesse has horrible nightmares where his classmates are being killed and he is being terrorized by a guy with a burned face, a striped shirt, and a metal claw for a hand. We know this villain as Freddy Krueger. It seems that after being vanquished by Nancy in the original, Fred has been waiting to haunt the dreams of another teenager on Elm Street. With Jesse it begins again.
It starts at nightmares, but slowly Freddy Krueger is influencing Jesse’s actions and when Jesse goes to sleep, Fred Krueger comes out to play. Jesse’s friend Lisa (Kim Meyers) is concerned and wants to help, but Jesse won’t fully explain what is going on inside him. But as Jesse’s behavior becomes more erratic, a teacher is killed, and he can’t trust himself to sleep, it is clear that something is wrong. Freddy Krueger may get his revenge.
Directed by Jack Sholder this sequel (the first of many) of “A Nightmare on Elm Street “ is a disappointment. The original movie could be considered just a “slasher flick”, but it was also a good movie. I was surprised by that. But this sequel is nothing more than a cheap slasher flick, though not with as much slashing as one might think. It is missing the psychological games that Fred Krueger played in the first movie and even messes with some of the “rules” that the first movie seemed to have set up. Fred Krueger could kill in dreams, but here he is possessing Jesse. But this isn’t really the problem. The problem is that the movie isn’t scary, suspenseful, creepy, or even just good. Robert Englund, when he gets the chance, is able to play Krueger as this creepy boogieman who can rightfully frighten anyone, but this movie doesn’t give Englund much to do and when the camera is off Krueger the movie is worse. My last problem with the movie is the ending. I won’t spoil it in case anyone wants to find out for themselves, but while it does make a little bit of sense, it is incredibly weak and anti-climactic.
Hopefully Part 3 will be better. Part 2 wasn’t the worst movie ever, but it was a disappointing sequel to a good movie.
It starts at nightmares, but slowly Freddy Krueger is influencing Jesse’s actions and when Jesse goes to sleep, Fred Krueger comes out to play. Jesse’s friend Lisa (Kim Meyers) is concerned and wants to help, but Jesse won’t fully explain what is going on inside him. But as Jesse’s behavior becomes more erratic, a teacher is killed, and he can’t trust himself to sleep, it is clear that something is wrong. Freddy Krueger may get his revenge.
Directed by Jack Sholder this sequel (the first of many) of “A Nightmare on Elm Street “ is a disappointment. The original movie could be considered just a “slasher flick”, but it was also a good movie. I was surprised by that. But this sequel is nothing more than a cheap slasher flick, though not with as much slashing as one might think. It is missing the psychological games that Fred Krueger played in the first movie and even messes with some of the “rules” that the first movie seemed to have set up. Fred Krueger could kill in dreams, but here he is possessing Jesse. But this isn’t really the problem. The problem is that the movie isn’t scary, suspenseful, creepy, or even just good. Robert Englund, when he gets the chance, is able to play Krueger as this creepy boogieman who can rightfully frighten anyone, but this movie doesn’t give Englund much to do and when the camera is off Krueger the movie is worse. My last problem with the movie is the ending. I won’t spoil it in case anyone wants to find out for themselves, but while it does make a little bit of sense, it is incredibly weak and anti-climactic.
Hopefully Part 3 will be better. Part 2 wasn’t the worst movie ever, but it was a disappointing sequel to a good movie.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Shark Tale
I'll admit it. I only watched the first 20 minutes of the movie last night. It just wasn't any good. I think the problem that I'm running into is that in animated movies where the characters are animals, they should act as much like animals as possible. Like Finding Nemo. But with Shark Tale, this exact story could have been done live action with the actual actors and there would have been almost no difference, and this includes behavior. Oscar (Will Smith) dreamed about having a widescreen tv, a playstation, and every behavior was human but performed by a fish. It kind of takes you out of what happens. But I'm sure a 7 year old would love it.
My other problem is not limited to this movie, but when the entire plotline can be resolved by a character not doing something incredibly stupid which he knows is stupid, it just bugs me. Like Oscar was given a precious gift from his friend/girlfriend voiced by Renee Zellweger. It was worth 5000 clams (get it?) and Oscar went to give the money to his boss because Oscar owes the money. But his boss was at the racetrack and instead of giving the money to his boss, he gambles it. And his boss is now only a short distance away.
Hello?
That kind of thing just irritates me a little bit more these days.
My other problem is not limited to this movie, but when the entire plotline can be resolved by a character not doing something incredibly stupid which he knows is stupid, it just bugs me. Like Oscar was given a precious gift from his friend/girlfriend voiced by Renee Zellweger. It was worth 5000 clams (get it?) and Oscar went to give the money to his boss because Oscar owes the money. But his boss was at the racetrack and instead of giving the money to his boss, he gambles it. And his boss is now only a short distance away.
Hello?
That kind of thing just irritates me a little bit more these days.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
This Man's Army
Andrew Exum enlisted in the Army thinking that military service would be a good way to pay for his education at the University of Pennsylvania as well as serve his country in peacetime. He thought that he would likely serve in peacekeeping duties in Europe or perhaps Africa, but not actually see combat. There was value, in his mind, of Army service even in the peacetime. He had enlisted in the Army ROTC as a student and became an officer in 2000. September 11 changed the nature of what his service would be.
"This Man's Army" is Captain Exum's story of his time as a soldier. He details his reasons for enlisting, what sort of upbringing he had, and what his experience was in training and on the battlefield. Exum offers a fresh perspective of the life of an Army officer. While books like Anthony Swofford's "Jarhead" and Joel Turnipseed's "Baghdad Express" offer accounts of the modern day disillusioned soldier (both about Gulf War I), Captain Exum is a motivated leader of men who takes pride in his work, his platoon, and his Army. He does not blindly accept political rhetoric, and unlike many military men Exum is far from being a staunch Republican. He struggles to fit what he must do as a soldier with his beliefs as a Christian, but accepts that there are times that fighting for the greater good can supercede personal belief.
Readers looking for a book filled with combat and blazing guns should look someplace else (perhaps Evan Wright's excellent "Generation Kill"). "This Man's Army" is the experience of Captain Andrew Exum, and while the nature of his service did include quite a bit of risk, stress, being shot at, and completing valuable missions in Afghanistan; there are not many gun battles or what would traditionally be thought of as "battlefield combat". Yet, "This Man's Army" is compulsively readable and was a book I did not want to put down. Exum's descriptions of his training, going through Ranger school, and his style (and experiences) of leadership is fascinating. While I am glad that Exum is out of harm's way now, I wish he was still able to serve in the Army because our military and our country needs more men of his character and apparent ability. He is the sort of man I want protecting our country.
Captain Exum also gives an excellent description of how a soldier comes home and tries to adapt to a life where he does not have a rifle in his hand. How he has to adapt to paying for things again, fight the feeling that he is "entitled" to things because of his service, and just become a civilian again.
Something else that I found very interesting was that if he wasn't injured (outside of combat), Exum would have been part of the mission which rescued Private Jessica Lynch. Having to watch that on television was a very difficult thing for Captain Exum, not the least of which because he was still in uniform.
Overall I found "This Man's Army" to be an excellent account of Andrew Exum's time in the military and what one possible experience of a modern day soldier is. It isn't exactly what one might consider a traditional war memoir, but this is also a different kind of war. I would recommend this book without hesitation, just with the understanding that there is a very small amount of actual combat or field action.
"This Man's Army" is Captain Exum's story of his time as a soldier. He details his reasons for enlisting, what sort of upbringing he had, and what his experience was in training and on the battlefield. Exum offers a fresh perspective of the life of an Army officer. While books like Anthony Swofford's "Jarhead" and Joel Turnipseed's "Baghdad Express" offer accounts of the modern day disillusioned soldier (both about Gulf War I), Captain Exum is a motivated leader of men who takes pride in his work, his platoon, and his Army. He does not blindly accept political rhetoric, and unlike many military men Exum is far from being a staunch Republican. He struggles to fit what he must do as a soldier with his beliefs as a Christian, but accepts that there are times that fighting for the greater good can supercede personal belief.
Readers looking for a book filled with combat and blazing guns should look someplace else (perhaps Evan Wright's excellent "Generation Kill"). "This Man's Army" is the experience of Captain Andrew Exum, and while the nature of his service did include quite a bit of risk, stress, being shot at, and completing valuable missions in Afghanistan; there are not many gun battles or what would traditionally be thought of as "battlefield combat". Yet, "This Man's Army" is compulsively readable and was a book I did not want to put down. Exum's descriptions of his training, going through Ranger school, and his style (and experiences) of leadership is fascinating. While I am glad that Exum is out of harm's way now, I wish he was still able to serve in the Army because our military and our country needs more men of his character and apparent ability. He is the sort of man I want protecting our country.
Captain Exum also gives an excellent description of how a soldier comes home and tries to adapt to a life where he does not have a rifle in his hand. How he has to adapt to paying for things again, fight the feeling that he is "entitled" to things because of his service, and just become a civilian again.
Something else that I found very interesting was that if he wasn't injured (outside of combat), Exum would have been part of the mission which rescued Private Jessica Lynch. Having to watch that on television was a very difficult thing for Captain Exum, not the least of which because he was still in uniform.
Overall I found "This Man's Army" to be an excellent account of Andrew Exum's time in the military and what one possible experience of a modern day soldier is. It isn't exactly what one might consider a traditional war memoir, but this is also a different kind of war. I would recommend this book without hesitation, just with the understanding that there is a very small amount of actual combat or field action.
Friday, July 01, 2005
The Family Trade
“The Family Trade” is the first volume in a new series by Charles Stross called “The Merchant Princes.” I would assume this series is going to be a trilogy, but I could not find this stated. In theory, the type of world Stross created would allow for as many volumes as the author can think up stories. There will definitely be a sequel, “The Hidden Family”, and the structure of this first book is such that it feels like the beginning of a trilogy.
Miriam Beckstein is an investigative reporter for a technology magazine in Boston. When Paulette, a co-worker and researcher at the magazine brings Miriam an exhaustive stack of research on a story Miriam is working on, what they discover is strong evidence of corruption and money laundering. Bringing it to her editor, Miriam is promptly fired and soon receives death threats. Paulette, for being involved is also fired. The cause has nothing to do with the offense except that the company that owns the building the magazine works in (and possibly the magazine) may be implicated. Miriam goes to her adoptive mother to tell her about being fired and her mother says it is time Miriam knew a little bit more of how she ended up in the care of the family she did. She also gives Miriam a shoe box containing some of her true mother’s belongings.
When Miriam gets home she opens the box and discovers a locket. The locket has a strange pattern and when she focuses on the pattern she finds herself in the middle of a forest with no sign of civilization except for a horseman riding towards her holding a machine gun. She focuses back on the locket and returns home. This is the true beginning to the story. As an investigative reporter, Miriam needs to figure this out, to find out what happened or if she is simply going crazy. While going crazy might work for a short story, it would be a pretty poor opening for a fantasy novel if the fantasy world isn’t real. It is, of course, and she begins to investigate what this medieval styled world is like and what is all about. She soon learns that she is part of the aristocracy there, but that things are darker and more dangerous than what she expected.
As a long time fantasy reader I think the idea behind this book is fascinating. I want to know how these worlds are connected, why, who and how this was discovered. I want to see further interaction between the worlds as Miriam discovers how this works and what her place is in either world. I even want to know what happens in the next book. I just want someone else to write it.
See, “The Family Trade” is a very interesting concept and Miriam Beckstein is a smart woman who behaves in a much more realistic way than most fantasy characters who get plopped into a strange new world. Most behave as if they know everything or as if they can know nothing. Miriam seems to learn and it makes sense how she figures things out, even if there may be jumps in logic which don’t work for me but might work for a reporter. The problem is the writing, especially early on, is just cheap and weak. Here’s an example of page four of the paperback and where I almost gave up:
“Back upstairs, fortified by an unfeasibly large mug of coffee, she had to work out what to wear. She dived into her closet and found herself using her teeth to tear the plastic bag off one of the three suits she’d had dry cleaned on Friday --only to discover it was her black formal interview affair, not at all the right thing for a rainy Monday pounding the street--or at least doing telephone interviews from a cubicle in the office”
Bear in mind this is just after Miriam fled downstairs and switched on the coffee percolator. The beginning of the book was all like this and while it did get somewhat better, this was still the same tone that was used throughout the book and it simply downgraded what is, at heart, an interesting story.
In the hands of another author I am sure I would have loved this book and would be excited to read the second volume. As it stands, I didn’t and I’m not. I am interested enough in the core story that I’m actually considering it, but I can only hope that the writing style improves somewhat.
The bottom line is that as a first book in a series, this is not a complete story. The pace is fast enough that this is a book that will be finished fairly quickly and the idea is interesting enough that I still do want to know what happens next. The way Stross phrases sentences, ideas, and paragraphs just leaves a little to be desired.
Miriam Beckstein is an investigative reporter for a technology magazine in Boston. When Paulette, a co-worker and researcher at the magazine brings Miriam an exhaustive stack of research on a story Miriam is working on, what they discover is strong evidence of corruption and money laundering. Bringing it to her editor, Miriam is promptly fired and soon receives death threats. Paulette, for being involved is also fired. The cause has nothing to do with the offense except that the company that owns the building the magazine works in (and possibly the magazine) may be implicated. Miriam goes to her adoptive mother to tell her about being fired and her mother says it is time Miriam knew a little bit more of how she ended up in the care of the family she did. She also gives Miriam a shoe box containing some of her true mother’s belongings.
When Miriam gets home she opens the box and discovers a locket. The locket has a strange pattern and when she focuses on the pattern she finds herself in the middle of a forest with no sign of civilization except for a horseman riding towards her holding a machine gun. She focuses back on the locket and returns home. This is the true beginning to the story. As an investigative reporter, Miriam needs to figure this out, to find out what happened or if she is simply going crazy. While going crazy might work for a short story, it would be a pretty poor opening for a fantasy novel if the fantasy world isn’t real. It is, of course, and she begins to investigate what this medieval styled world is like and what is all about. She soon learns that she is part of the aristocracy there, but that things are darker and more dangerous than what she expected.
As a long time fantasy reader I think the idea behind this book is fascinating. I want to know how these worlds are connected, why, who and how this was discovered. I want to see further interaction between the worlds as Miriam discovers how this works and what her place is in either world. I even want to know what happens in the next book. I just want someone else to write it.
See, “The Family Trade” is a very interesting concept and Miriam Beckstein is a smart woman who behaves in a much more realistic way than most fantasy characters who get plopped into a strange new world. Most behave as if they know everything or as if they can know nothing. Miriam seems to learn and it makes sense how she figures things out, even if there may be jumps in logic which don’t work for me but might work for a reporter. The problem is the writing, especially early on, is just cheap and weak. Here’s an example of page four of the paperback and where I almost gave up:
“Back upstairs, fortified by an unfeasibly large mug of coffee, she had to work out what to wear. She dived into her closet and found herself using her teeth to tear the plastic bag off one of the three suits she’d had dry cleaned on Friday --only to discover it was her black formal interview affair, not at all the right thing for a rainy Monday pounding the street--or at least doing telephone interviews from a cubicle in the office”
Bear in mind this is just after Miriam fled downstairs and switched on the coffee percolator. The beginning of the book was all like this and while it did get somewhat better, this was still the same tone that was used throughout the book and it simply downgraded what is, at heart, an interesting story.
In the hands of another author I am sure I would have loved this book and would be excited to read the second volume. As it stands, I didn’t and I’m not. I am interested enough in the core story that I’m actually considering it, but I can only hope that the writing style improves somewhat.
The bottom line is that as a first book in a series, this is not a complete story. The pace is fast enough that this is a book that will be finished fairly quickly and the idea is interesting enough that I still do want to know what happens next. The way Stross phrases sentences, ideas, and paragraphs just leaves a little to be desired.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Into the West
I'm actually glad that the fourth episode of Into the West won't be airing this weekend. It'll give me the chance to completely catch up before the miniseries completely resumes the week after next. Into the West is a multi-generational miniseries following two families in the mid 1800's as America begins to grow and settle the West. The first family is the Wheeler family. The Wheelers are Virginia wheelmakers and the youngest son, Jacob, has dreams of seeing what "no white man has seen before" and sets off to join Jedidiah Smith and other mountain men. The other family is of the Lakota tribe as they have to deal with the white men coming onto their land and beginning to change their way of life.
Thus far I've only watched the first two episodes with the third on my DVR. These are each 2 hour episodes, so Into the West is a time commitment, but I think the level of quality is there so its worth it. While it seems at times that the Wheelers are getting a little bit more air time than the Lakota, there are serious storylines going on with the Lakota tribe with Dog Star and Loved by Buffaloes.
I think this show really shows some of the hardships that life contained back then and how difficult American expansion was for all. On episode two there was a wagon train to the West and lives were lost fording a river, during a bad storm when they were out on the plains, and by cholera...which on one hand seems like a lot for one wagon train to endure, but from what I remember from history class and the focus on the West it really isn't far from reality for many who tried to go West. Many lives were lost. The show also shows the struggle of the Natives to accept white ways or hold on to their own and the struggle includes how rifles changed everything.
Very interesting show. If you mix this with Ken Burn's documentary The West, you get a very large portrait of the era. Education through entertainment.
But the bottom line is that I do find Into the West to be an interesting program and that the stories are compelling. This is a well made show and I hope there are more like it.
Thus far I've only watched the first two episodes with the third on my DVR. These are each 2 hour episodes, so Into the West is a time commitment, but I think the level of quality is there so its worth it. While it seems at times that the Wheelers are getting a little bit more air time than the Lakota, there are serious storylines going on with the Lakota tribe with Dog Star and Loved by Buffaloes.
I think this show really shows some of the hardships that life contained back then and how difficult American expansion was for all. On episode two there was a wagon train to the West and lives were lost fording a river, during a bad storm when they were out on the plains, and by cholera...which on one hand seems like a lot for one wagon train to endure, but from what I remember from history class and the focus on the West it really isn't far from reality for many who tried to go West. Many lives were lost. The show also shows the struggle of the Natives to accept white ways or hold on to their own and the struggle includes how rifles changed everything.
Very interesting show. If you mix this with Ken Burn's documentary The West, you get a very large portrait of the era. Education through entertainment.
But the bottom line is that I do find Into the West to be an interesting program and that the stories are compelling. This is a well made show and I hope there are more like it.
Friday, June 24, 2005
Harry Potter and David McCullough
After reading the two most recent Harry Potter books this week to refresh myself for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince I was reminded just how good and captivating these books really are. I haven't read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix since the weekend which it came out. I remember thinking at the time that it started a little slow and ended a little quick, but this time around it felt just right. Harry is a pompous ass during Year 5, quick to anger and snap at friends and teachers and is always suspicious that the world is out to get him. In other words, a typical fifteen year old. I think that was part of my problem reading this the first time around because I was tired of reading about Harry whining and so much could be avoided if he would just shut up for a second and realize that Hermoine is always right and that people really are looking out for him for a reason. But Rowling's choice here makes sense and the book is probably better off because of it.
I also forgot just how dark the book goes. Bad things are happening at Hogwarts with Professor Umbridge and the Ministry of Magic making things very difficult for Harry and Dumbledore since they don't believe Voldemort is back. In previous books, Hogwarts was a haven for Harry even with Malfoy and Snape there. It was harmless. Now school is just as dangerous and nasty as any other location.
Another thing that I really liked is that some side characters are getting further development. Ginny Weasley is more than the youngest sister with a crush on Harry. Neville Longbottom becomes a stronger character in each book and here we get more of his family's background (talk about brutal, his parents were tortured into insanity by Voldemort's followers, that's why he was raised by his grandmother), and even Fred and George Weasley get a little more time to shine here.
Now I'm really looking forward to Book 6 coming out in a few weeks!
There is no good way to make this segue, so I'm not even going to try...
Powells.com has a nice interview with historian David McCullough. McCullough is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of the biographies of John Adams and Truman. It is very interesting to read about McCullough's motivations and interests in researching the books that he writes and why his new book 1776 is more about the military campaign of that year than anything political. I've read reviews that found the political aspects of the book lacking, but it seems that was the point and not what McCullough wanted to focus on. Should be an interesting book, I have it on reserve at the library (which means I should expect it in November).
I also forgot just how dark the book goes. Bad things are happening at Hogwarts with Professor Umbridge and the Ministry of Magic making things very difficult for Harry and Dumbledore since they don't believe Voldemort is back. In previous books, Hogwarts was a haven for Harry even with Malfoy and Snape there. It was harmless. Now school is just as dangerous and nasty as any other location.
Another thing that I really liked is that some side characters are getting further development. Ginny Weasley is more than the youngest sister with a crush on Harry. Neville Longbottom becomes a stronger character in each book and here we get more of his family's background (talk about brutal, his parents were tortured into insanity by Voldemort's followers, that's why he was raised by his grandmother), and even Fred and George Weasley get a little more time to shine here.
Now I'm really looking forward to Book 6 coming out in a few weeks!
There is no good way to make this segue, so I'm not even going to try...
Powells.com has a nice interview with historian David McCullough. McCullough is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of the biographies of John Adams and Truman. It is very interesting to read about McCullough's motivations and interests in researching the books that he writes and why his new book 1776 is more about the military campaign of that year than anything political. I've read reviews that found the political aspects of the book lacking, but it seems that was the point and not what McCullough wanted to focus on. Should be an interesting book, I have it on reserve at the library (which means I should expect it in November).
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Elizabethtown pictures
I don't know what Elizabethtown is about, but is written and directed by Cameron Crowe and that front page picture looks beautiful. Really, it doesn't matter so much what the movie is about because it is Cameron Crowe and he's made some excellent movies: Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire, Say Anything; a very interesting miss: Vanilla Sky; and one movie I can't seem to place: Singles.
The bottom line is that if it was written and directed by Cameron Crowe it's a movie I want to see.
The bottom line is that if it was written and directed by Cameron Crowe it's a movie I want to see.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Recapping The Wheel of Time
With Book Eleven: The Knife of Dreams coming out this fall I have a couple choices how to go into the newest Wheel of Time novel. I could re-read the other ten volumes in the series and spend the rest of my summer and fall reading Robert Jordan and probably be tired of the whole thing when the book comes out. I could read nothing and not remember a lot of plot threads. Or, I can find some recaps of the action that has gone before. I remember the big things (cleansing saidin), but not the little ones (Egwene's plan for Tar Valon).
But when I was poking around on Dragonmount, I found this recap. It gives general information of the actions and whereabouts of each of the characters leading into the new book. It is useful because I remember very little about Crossroads of Twilight except that for 4/5 of the book everyone was wondering what that odd source of power was which was Rand at the end of Winter's Heart. Urg.
There is also another timeline which is more of a chronology. There is a lot of info here.
This all should help me get ready for the new book without having to read another ten books just to know what's going on.
Now if Jordan will only wrap this series up...
But when I was poking around on Dragonmount, I found this recap. It gives general information of the actions and whereabouts of each of the characters leading into the new book. It is useful because I remember very little about Crossroads of Twilight except that for 4/5 of the book everyone was wondering what that odd source of power was which was Rand at the end of Winter's Heart. Urg.
There is also another timeline which is more of a chronology. There is a lot of info here.
This all should help me get ready for the new book without having to read another ten books just to know what's going on.
Now if Jordan will only wrap this series up...
Monday, June 20, 2005
Kevin Smith
This weekend, in between running a marathon, I read Silent Bob Speaks: The Collected Writing of Kevin Smith. It is exactly what the title says it is, a collection of Smith's essays and articles that have been printed and posted on various websites, including his own. Whether or not you like this book is almost certainly going to depend on whether or not you like Kevin Smith and his movies. Between his films and the commentary tracks he records for the DVDs, I got a good sense the Smith is a wise cracking, funny, and very likeable guy. He is very regular, like your buddy from high school, you know the funny guy who smoked too much but made everyone laugh. That's the feeling I have of Smith and because of this, and the dialogue and humor in his movies, I am probably more inclined to like his work even if it is being bashed everywhere else.
With that said, I really liked this book. Much of what is included can be found somewhere else for free and those who are obsessive about Smith have likely already read it...so in that sense there is nothing new here except for maybe one article that wasn't published but was supposed to be. But I haven't read any of these (except for the Jersey Girl production diary), so it's all new to me.
It's funny, honest (brutally at times), and like his movies and commentary tracks (as well as how he comes off in An Evening With Kevin Smith), I think that Smith's personality comes off very well here. And yes, Smith is as full of praise for Ben Affleck as he always is, only this time you get just a little bit more of a reason and how Affleck is a very decent man (no matter what one thinks of his movies, and to be honest, I don't mind Affleck, though I prefer Damon).
It's almost a book that reviews itself because if you don't like Kevin Smith you won't like the book and if you do, you probably will and already plan on reading it.
With that said, I really liked this book. Much of what is included can be found somewhere else for free and those who are obsessive about Smith have likely already read it...so in that sense there is nothing new here except for maybe one article that wasn't published but was supposed to be. But I haven't read any of these (except for the Jersey Girl production diary), so it's all new to me.
It's funny, honest (brutally at times), and like his movies and commentary tracks (as well as how he comes off in An Evening With Kevin Smith), I think that Smith's personality comes off very well here. And yes, Smith is as full of praise for Ben Affleck as he always is, only this time you get just a little bit more of a reason and how Affleck is a very decent man (no matter what one thinks of his movies, and to be honest, I don't mind Affleck, though I prefer Damon).
It's almost a book that reviews itself because if you don't like Kevin Smith you won't like the book and if you do, you probably will and already plan on reading it.
Friday, June 17, 2005
Elantris
“Elantris” is the debut novel from Brandon Sanderson. Blurbs on the cover from Orson Scott Card and David Farland say this book is “the finest novel of fantasy to be written in many years” and “one of the finest debuts I’ve seen in years.” When I read a novel I generally do not pay attention to when it was written and I know that I haven’t read all of the debut fantasy novels which have come out in the past several years. I do know when I’ve read a very good book, however, and “Elantris” is certainly that.
The prologue to the novel was all of five paragraphs but it gave all of the information needed to understand the background of what the story would be. It tells of a beautiful city named Elantris which glowed like magic and where amazing magics were possible and commonplace. Elantris was populated by godlike beings who could wield these powers as I might use a pen. But these beings were once regular humans, soldiers and serfs, princes and beggers and merchants. When something called the Shaod came upon them they were transformed into Elantrians and into a newer, greater existence. But ten years ago something happened.
That something is that the blessing turned into a curse and Elantris and its population started to rot away. The city now abandoned except for the poor souls still called by the Shaod is covered in slime and muck and the Elantrians are the cursed, neither dead nor truly alive.
This was a beautiful set up and pulled me right in from the start. Sanderson introduces Raoden, a prince and heir to the throne of Arelon. The city of Kae lies in the shadow of Elantris and the glory of Arelon has fallen with Elantris. Raoden is a man who gives his people hope, but when he is called by the Shaod he is doomed. His father, the king, does not reveal what happened to Raoden, but rather holds a funeral for his not beloved son. Meanwhile, Sarene, a princess from another country has arrived to marry Raoden not knowing what has happened. Her marriage contract considers her married upon the betrothal and even continues after Raoden’s death, so she remains in Kae. But Raoden must find a way to survive, such as it is, in Elantris. Sarene is the only one who sees the coming doom from the religion of Darethi and an invasion from Fjordell.
Brandon Sanderson has done something remarkable here. He has created an incredibly original work and unlike so many other works of fantasy this novel is complete in itself. It is not, as I understand it, the first volume of a trilogy or larger series. It is an epic work of fantasy in one self contained novel. It’s one of the better fantasies that I have read. Sanderson does a good job in making all of the primary characters understandable, and sympathetic…even the “bad guys”. The motivations are explained well and the characters are well developed and revealed. Simply put, with one novel Sanderson has made a fan of me. I was surprised by just how good this book was. If Sanderson writes another, I will definitely read it.
The prologue to the novel was all of five paragraphs but it gave all of the information needed to understand the background of what the story would be. It tells of a beautiful city named Elantris which glowed like magic and where amazing magics were possible and commonplace. Elantris was populated by godlike beings who could wield these powers as I might use a pen. But these beings were once regular humans, soldiers and serfs, princes and beggers and merchants. When something called the Shaod came upon them they were transformed into Elantrians and into a newer, greater existence. But ten years ago something happened.
That something is that the blessing turned into a curse and Elantris and its population started to rot away. The city now abandoned except for the poor souls still called by the Shaod is covered in slime and muck and the Elantrians are the cursed, neither dead nor truly alive.
This was a beautiful set up and pulled me right in from the start. Sanderson introduces Raoden, a prince and heir to the throne of Arelon. The city of Kae lies in the shadow of Elantris and the glory of Arelon has fallen with Elantris. Raoden is a man who gives his people hope, but when he is called by the Shaod he is doomed. His father, the king, does not reveal what happened to Raoden, but rather holds a funeral for his not beloved son. Meanwhile, Sarene, a princess from another country has arrived to marry Raoden not knowing what has happened. Her marriage contract considers her married upon the betrothal and even continues after Raoden’s death, so she remains in Kae. But Raoden must find a way to survive, such as it is, in Elantris. Sarene is the only one who sees the coming doom from the religion of Darethi and an invasion from Fjordell.
Brandon Sanderson has done something remarkable here. He has created an incredibly original work and unlike so many other works of fantasy this novel is complete in itself. It is not, as I understand it, the first volume of a trilogy or larger series. It is an epic work of fantasy in one self contained novel. It’s one of the better fantasies that I have read. Sanderson does a good job in making all of the primary characters understandable, and sympathetic…even the “bad guys”. The motivations are explained well and the characters are well developed and revealed. Simply put, with one novel Sanderson has made a fan of me. I was surprised by just how good this book was. If Sanderson writes another, I will definitely read it.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
With the very mixed reviews I had seen for "Mr and Mrs Smith" I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, except for some sort of mindless summer action movie that may or may not be any good. That's not much to go on, but the director is good (Doug Liman, "The Bourne Identity") and the premise was interesting.
The premise of this movie has Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as John and Jane Smith in a marriage of five or six years and whatever passion there once was has long since disappeared. They are bored with each other and with their relationship. But each harbors a secret: Mr. and Mrs. Smith are assassins working for competing firms and neither knows this secret of the other. The trailers suggest that they will be given a contract to take out the other and it is only in the middle of the mission that they realize who they are hired to kill. That isn't exactly how things play out. Rather than the two Smiths being given missions to take out the other, the Smiths are each set to target someone I’ll call “The Hostage”. When attempting to eliminate “The Hostage” Jane Smith sees that there is somebody else around and with a weapon. She shoots, he shoots back. It was Mr. Smith, but at the time this isn’t known. Each only knows that there was a competing player on the scene and only later learns that it is the spouse that was the other player. This is the big set up for the Smiths to finally talk about their marriage and deal with all that was simmering under the surface…all the while trying to kill each other and stay alive themselves.
What results is a surprisingly entertaining movie. There is plenty of action, at which Doug Liman excels, and it is easy to see that the movie started out with a wide comedic tone. Pitt and Jolie are both believable (as far as it goes) in their roles and their chemistry is very real. I expected the action from Liman and from the film trailer, but this was a very funny movie as well. It isn’t played as a broad comedy in which we might find a younger Adam Sandler, but rather as very scene appropriate humor but it was enough that the audience was laughing. I certainly was, as was my wife.
“Mr. and Mrs. Smith” is not some grand examination of marriage as has been suggested from time to time, but it is far better than most “Summer Action Movies” in which category I would place movies like “The Fast and the Furious” and “XXX”. There is plenty of action and humor, but it is very well done and the fairly empty plot seems to be deeper than it is just because of the chemistry of Pitt and Jolie. That’s really what sells this movie is how well Pitt and Jolie play off each other. That, and the fact that we believe that Angelina Jolie really could kick some serious butt.
By no means is this a perfect movie, but Liman mixes the action, humor, and the marriage on the rocks portions of the movie with great skill. While the plot is fairly weak and excuse for the actors to play, it works just well enough to give the summer a fun action movie and one which is better than most.
Grade: B
The premise of this movie has Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as John and Jane Smith in a marriage of five or six years and whatever passion there once was has long since disappeared. They are bored with each other and with their relationship. But each harbors a secret: Mr. and Mrs. Smith are assassins working for competing firms and neither knows this secret of the other. The trailers suggest that they will be given a contract to take out the other and it is only in the middle of the mission that they realize who they are hired to kill. That isn't exactly how things play out. Rather than the two Smiths being given missions to take out the other, the Smiths are each set to target someone I’ll call “The Hostage”. When attempting to eliminate “The Hostage” Jane Smith sees that there is somebody else around and with a weapon. She shoots, he shoots back. It was Mr. Smith, but at the time this isn’t known. Each only knows that there was a competing player on the scene and only later learns that it is the spouse that was the other player. This is the big set up for the Smiths to finally talk about their marriage and deal with all that was simmering under the surface…all the while trying to kill each other and stay alive themselves.
What results is a surprisingly entertaining movie. There is plenty of action, at which Doug Liman excels, and it is easy to see that the movie started out with a wide comedic tone. Pitt and Jolie are both believable (as far as it goes) in their roles and their chemistry is very real. I expected the action from Liman and from the film trailer, but this was a very funny movie as well. It isn’t played as a broad comedy in which we might find a younger Adam Sandler, but rather as very scene appropriate humor but it was enough that the audience was laughing. I certainly was, as was my wife.
“Mr. and Mrs. Smith” is not some grand examination of marriage as has been suggested from time to time, but it is far better than most “Summer Action Movies” in which category I would place movies like “The Fast and the Furious” and “XXX”. There is plenty of action and humor, but it is very well done and the fairly empty plot seems to be deeper than it is just because of the chemistry of Pitt and Jolie. That’s really what sells this movie is how well Pitt and Jolie play off each other. That, and the fact that we believe that Angelina Jolie really could kick some serious butt.
By no means is this a perfect movie, but Liman mixes the action, humor, and the marriage on the rocks portions of the movie with great skill. While the plot is fairly weak and excuse for the actors to play, it works just well enough to give the summer a fun action movie and one which is better than most.
Grade: B
Sunday, June 12, 2005
The Movie Poll
Courtesy of Wendy.
Total Number of films I own on dvd:
127: Movies I own, including documentary and music dvds
17: DVD sets of television shows
38: Movies my wife owns, including TV on DVD
My DVD collection can be seen here
The last film I bought:
This is a tough one for me because I really haven't been buying many DVDs recently. Maybe when I win the lottery this will change. The last one I can remember buying is the Seventh Season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was on sale at Target for $17. I couldn't pass it up. I still haven't watched it.
The last film I watched:
On DVD: Dumbo: The Sixtieth Anniversary Edition
In the theatre: Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Five films I watch a lot or that mean a lot to me:
The Sandlot
The Princess Bride
The Godfather
Fried Green Tomatoes
The Spitfire Grill
I don't think I'm going to "tag" or "ping" or whatever it is to suggest that other people should do the same, though anyone can feel free.
Total Number of films I own on dvd:
127: Movies I own, including documentary and music dvds
17: DVD sets of television shows
38: Movies my wife owns, including TV on DVD
My DVD collection can be seen here
The last film I bought:
This is a tough one for me because I really haven't been buying many DVDs recently. Maybe when I win the lottery this will change. The last one I can remember buying is the Seventh Season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was on sale at Target for $17. I couldn't pass it up. I still haven't watched it.
The last film I watched:
On DVD: Dumbo: The Sixtieth Anniversary Edition
In the theatre: Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Five films I watch a lot or that mean a lot to me:
The Sandlot
The Princess Bride
The Godfather
Fried Green Tomatoes
The Spitfire Grill
I don't think I'm going to "tag" or "ping" or whatever it is to suggest that other people should do the same, though anyone can feel free.
Friday, June 10, 2005
Being Julia
“Being Julia” is really only notable as a film because it is the movie which garnered Annette Bening an Oscar nominee to once again pit her against Hilary Swank in the category of Best Actress in something of a rematch of the 1999 Academy Awards when Swank won the Oscar for her performance in “Boys Don’t Cry”. Once again Bening was nominated against Swank and once again Swank won, this time for “Million Dollar Baby”. This time Bening was nominated, I think, as much for her performance as for the fact that Bening was playing her own age. As an actress this seems to be fairly rare in a lead performance. Julia Lambert (Bening) is an aging star of the theatre in 1930’s London. She is concerned that she is starting to look old because she is certainly feeling it. She is tired, ready for a vacation, but a star can’t just shut down a show and take a vacation. Her husband and theatre manager Michael (Jeremy Irons) says that he will try to shut down the show if possible, but also introduces her to a young American named Tom Fennel (Shaun Evans).
Julia and Tom have an affair and it is like Julia is coming to life again. She has more passion in her acting and feels no need of a vacation. For this movie to have any sort of conflict, of course, things do not go smoothly and Julia’s reactions are of course that of an actress. I think this is part of the joy of Bening’s performance and part of the reason she picked up the nomination. She delightfully and perfectly overacts as Julia Lambert. I’m not sure that I buy the climax scene near the end of the picture, but Bening is so perfect in just barely overplaying the role that the humor in the situation comes clear and out into the open.
As the movie progressed I was more and more impressed with Annette Bening. I’ve always liked her as an actress, but this was just delightful. Hilary Swank still deserved the Academy Award over Bening for this role, but Bening was just charming and devious as Julia. The funny thing, though, is that I find myself talking more about Bening and her performance than I am about the movie. There’s a reason for that. As a movie, as a film telling a story it is completely ordinary and if not for Bening this movie would be forgotten even quicker than I suspect it already will be.
The other bit of performance of note is Michael Gambon. Gambon, in a role which he also seems to overact just a little bit (but again, in a perfectly delightful way), is wonderful here. Exactly why his character is in the movie should come clear deeper into the movie, but I looked forward to Gambon as much as Bening.
The bottom line is that the movie itself is not very impressing, but Bening and Gambon are worth watching the movie for. After a while the plot, which is rather silly, faded to the background with the star, Annette Bening standing front and center. I think that was the point here and it worked.
Grade: B (B for Bening).
Julia and Tom have an affair and it is like Julia is coming to life again. She has more passion in her acting and feels no need of a vacation. For this movie to have any sort of conflict, of course, things do not go smoothly and Julia’s reactions are of course that of an actress. I think this is part of the joy of Bening’s performance and part of the reason she picked up the nomination. She delightfully and perfectly overacts as Julia Lambert. I’m not sure that I buy the climax scene near the end of the picture, but Bening is so perfect in just barely overplaying the role that the humor in the situation comes clear and out into the open.
As the movie progressed I was more and more impressed with Annette Bening. I’ve always liked her as an actress, but this was just delightful. Hilary Swank still deserved the Academy Award over Bening for this role, but Bening was just charming and devious as Julia. The funny thing, though, is that I find myself talking more about Bening and her performance than I am about the movie. There’s a reason for that. As a movie, as a film telling a story it is completely ordinary and if not for Bening this movie would be forgotten even quicker than I suspect it already will be.
The other bit of performance of note is Michael Gambon. Gambon, in a role which he also seems to overact just a little bit (but again, in a perfectly delightful way), is wonderful here. Exactly why his character is in the movie should come clear deeper into the movie, but I looked forward to Gambon as much as Bening.
The bottom line is that the movie itself is not very impressing, but Bening and Gambon are worth watching the movie for. After a while the plot, which is rather silly, faded to the background with the star, Annette Bening standing front and center. I think that was the point here and it worked.
Grade: B (B for Bening).
who writes what i like to read
After seeing this list on a blog of a friend of Jerry's, I was inspired (more or less) to put together my own list of my favorite books and authors: or, who I like to read. I think that I'm going to keep the format and talk about the authors first, and then move on to the books which were not written by one of my favorite authors. This post will just be the authors and later I'll update again with the books.
Authors:
Louise Erdrich: I couldn't possibly begin this list without mentioning Louise Erdrich. Her first novel Love Medicine was on a course syllabus for American Literature when I was in college and that was the year I was ambitious and read all of the novels in the summer before class started. Good thing because we never got to this book during class and it remainds one of my favorites. From the opening scene with a woman walking out into a snow storm it has remained with me. Other novels of note include Tracks and The Last Reports on the Miracle at Little No Horse.
Alison McGhee: McGhee, like Erdrich is another Minnesotan. That fact is completely coincidental to the reality that these two authors are my favorite two authors. Another thing both Erdrich and McGhee share is that their first novels use the multiple narrator format. McGhee's debut, Rainlight, is one of those rare novels that I not only like, but fall in love with. It introduced the small town of Sterns in the Adirondack Mountains where her other novels have been set, and I've been hooked ever since.
Ann Patchett: When Bel Canto was published it became something of a sensation. I believe it was on the best sellers list and won a few awards and a couple years later I actually read it. Patchett has this gentleness to her writing but it is so persuasive that she sucks the reader in and it is only hours later that you realize you've been totally immersed in the story. The other book of Patchett's was her debut The Patron Saint of Liars, which along with having a fantastic title is an excellent graceful book.
Don DeLillo: Another author I discovered in that American Lit class. In this instance the book we were reading was his second novel (of 13) End Zone. DeLillo is a different sort of writer than the three writers listed above. He is the post modern writer. While there comes a point after reading so many of his novels that his characters all start to talk and act the same, it is what the characters are saying that is so interesting. Novels of note include White Noise, The Names, Libra, and Underworld.
Kathleen Norris: Changing styles here, Kathleen Norris not a novelist like the previous four authors, but writes non-fiction. Her books are contemplative in nature and deal with faith, having faith, what it means to have faith, and how she has come to faith. Her best two books (to me) are The Cloister Walk and Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith.
Barbara Kingsolver: Best known, perhaps, for The Poisonwood Bible which was a selection on Oprah's Book Club, Kingsolver is a favorite of mine...at least with her fiction. The fiction is excellent with novels that have something of an environmental theme/bend to them but generally not heavy handed.
Philip Roth: With a career spanning decades it is only the recent work which I have read and which has captures my attention. The Human Stain, American Pastoral, and The Plot Against America are all excellent and The Human Stain especially was fantastic.
There are numerous authors of fantasy and science fiction which I will read on a drop of the hat, but I think that is for another posting.
Authors:
Louise Erdrich: I couldn't possibly begin this list without mentioning Louise Erdrich. Her first novel Love Medicine was on a course syllabus for American Literature when I was in college and that was the year I was ambitious and read all of the novels in the summer before class started. Good thing because we never got to this book during class and it remainds one of my favorites. From the opening scene with a woman walking out into a snow storm it has remained with me. Other novels of note include Tracks and The Last Reports on the Miracle at Little No Horse.
Alison McGhee: McGhee, like Erdrich is another Minnesotan. That fact is completely coincidental to the reality that these two authors are my favorite two authors. Another thing both Erdrich and McGhee share is that their first novels use the multiple narrator format. McGhee's debut, Rainlight, is one of those rare novels that I not only like, but fall in love with. It introduced the small town of Sterns in the Adirondack Mountains where her other novels have been set, and I've been hooked ever since.
Ann Patchett: When Bel Canto was published it became something of a sensation. I believe it was on the best sellers list and won a few awards and a couple years later I actually read it. Patchett has this gentleness to her writing but it is so persuasive that she sucks the reader in and it is only hours later that you realize you've been totally immersed in the story. The other book of Patchett's was her debut The Patron Saint of Liars, which along with having a fantastic title is an excellent graceful book.
Don DeLillo: Another author I discovered in that American Lit class. In this instance the book we were reading was his second novel (of 13) End Zone. DeLillo is a different sort of writer than the three writers listed above. He is the post modern writer. While there comes a point after reading so many of his novels that his characters all start to talk and act the same, it is what the characters are saying that is so interesting. Novels of note include White Noise, The Names, Libra, and Underworld.
Kathleen Norris: Changing styles here, Kathleen Norris not a novelist like the previous four authors, but writes non-fiction. Her books are contemplative in nature and deal with faith, having faith, what it means to have faith, and how she has come to faith. Her best two books (to me) are The Cloister Walk and Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith.
Barbara Kingsolver: Best known, perhaps, for The Poisonwood Bible which was a selection on Oprah's Book Club, Kingsolver is a favorite of mine...at least with her fiction. The fiction is excellent with novels that have something of an environmental theme/bend to them but generally not heavy handed.
Philip Roth: With a career spanning decades it is only the recent work which I have read and which has captures my attention. The Human Stain, American Pastoral, and The Plot Against America are all excellent and The Human Stain especially was fantastic.
There are numerous authors of fantasy and science fiction which I will read on a drop of the hat, but I think that is for another posting.
Karen Traviss, Star Wars
Good news for fans of Star Wars and of author Karen Traviss. Coming in Spring 2006, Traviss is writing a sequel to her Star Wars novel Republic Commando: Hard Contact. This one will be titled Republic Commando: Triple Zero. The novel is set in the timeline of the Clone Wars (so before Episode Three) and while I read Star Wars books there are few that I actually have any sort of anticipation for. Karen Traviss is one of the authors who I actually look forward to her contributions, out of the 30 or 40 Star Wars novels I have read so far, she is one of the best authors writing in the Extended Universe.
Apparently Ms Traviss has also blogged about this, so I'm a little behind in the news. It's cool how excited Traviss seems about this.
I've been meaning to read her first novel, City of Pearl, for some time now.
Apparently Ms Traviss has also blogged about this, so I'm a little behind in the news. It's cool how excited Traviss seems about this.
I've been meaning to read her first novel, City of Pearl, for some time now.
Robin Hobb's website
From time to time I make the rounds of the author websites I have bookmarked. Some of them I don't go to very often because I know they don't get updated with any sort of frequency and also that I know what they have coming out in the near future. But I decided to check out the website of Robin Hobb, author of the Farseer Trilogy, the Liveship Traders, and the Tawny Man Trilogy. I knew that her new book, Shaman's Crossing, was coming out this summer/fall, but it's been a while since she's had a website update.
She has, and has she ever!
Her previous website was a simple text page that she designed herself with one or two links to other information. But it was pretty simple and basic, much what you'd expect when an author designs her own website. No shame in that, since her business is writing.
Well, it's undergone a complete redesign, and I think she's had some help. Now rather than just simple text it is sort of a treasure hunt to find the info you are looking at. On the front page is a floor plan with various rooms labeled and you click onto each room to see a photograph and you can then click various images in the photograph. It's pretty interesting and was entertaining. I suppose after that you'd just remember which has the info you'd like to revisit in the future. It's not too complex, but just a little different.
She has, and has she ever!
Her previous website was a simple text page that she designed herself with one or two links to other information. But it was pretty simple and basic, much what you'd expect when an author designs her own website. No shame in that, since her business is writing.
Well, it's undergone a complete redesign, and I think she's had some help. Now rather than just simple text it is sort of a treasure hunt to find the info you are looking at. On the front page is a floor plan with various rooms labeled and you click onto each room to see a photograph and you can then click various images in the photograph. It's pretty interesting and was entertaining. I suppose after that you'd just remember which has the info you'd like to revisit in the future. It's not too complex, but just a little different.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Oprah's Book Club
So the new selection in Oprah's Book Club is a collection of three novels by William Faulkner: As I Lay Dying, The Sound and the Fury, and Light in August. I like how recently she has been going to some of the classics and perhaps getting people to read these books. I've read As I Lay Dying and thought it was excellent.
I was flipping through some of the Amazon.com reviews of this three book set and some reviewers were complainging that Oprah should be supporting new writers and not dead authors that everyone has heard of. While I sort of understand this sentiment because the publishing business is awfully tough and some good writers could use the extra exposure, I don't think it is entirely fair.
Many readers may have heart of Faulkner and John Steinbeck, Garica Marquez, and Pearl Buck, but this doesn't mean that these readers have read the authors. Out of the six books chosen so far for Oprah's new book club, I have read just the one by Faulkner. I have a degree in English and focused my classes on Literature and American Lit when available (small college, it might have been different in a larger university). I've read other novels by Steinbeck, and Garcia Marquez. I don't believe I've read Pearl Buck. But despite the large amount of fantasy and science fiction that I read, I think I would still consider myself moderately well read.
So, I think Oprah's focus on the classics is a very good thing. It is a reminder that I should go back and read some of these books for the first time. If they can be rightfully considered classics, then it shouldn't matter that attention is being given to these books outside the high school or college classroom. That attention should be given.
Since these books aren't really "news" anymore compared to the next Dan Brown or Harry Potter book (both of which I am looking forward to), I think that they are being brought back into the public attention can only be a good thing. In theory, they are classics for a reason and while everyone has different taste in books sometimes books that should be read are books you want to read.
Now where did I put that copy of East of Eden?
I was flipping through some of the Amazon.com reviews of this three book set and some reviewers were complainging that Oprah should be supporting new writers and not dead authors that everyone has heard of. While I sort of understand this sentiment because the publishing business is awfully tough and some good writers could use the extra exposure, I don't think it is entirely fair.
Many readers may have heart of Faulkner and John Steinbeck, Garica Marquez, and Pearl Buck, but this doesn't mean that these readers have read the authors. Out of the six books chosen so far for Oprah's new book club, I have read just the one by Faulkner. I have a degree in English and focused my classes on Literature and American Lit when available (small college, it might have been different in a larger university). I've read other novels by Steinbeck, and Garcia Marquez. I don't believe I've read Pearl Buck. But despite the large amount of fantasy and science fiction that I read, I think I would still consider myself moderately well read.
So, I think Oprah's focus on the classics is a very good thing. It is a reminder that I should go back and read some of these books for the first time. If they can be rightfully considered classics, then it shouldn't matter that attention is being given to these books outside the high school or college classroom. That attention should be given.
Since these books aren't really "news" anymore compared to the next Dan Brown or Harry Potter book (both of which I am looking forward to), I think that they are being brought back into the public attention can only be a good thing. In theory, they are classics for a reason and while everyone has different taste in books sometimes books that should be read are books you want to read.
Now where did I put that copy of East of Eden?
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Penguins
I really can't say that I have any desire to see Madagascar. The whole animated talking animals thing just doesn't do a whole lot for me, at least when the trailer doesn't seem to suggest there is any heart in the movie. Unlike, say, The Lion King. The only thing here that catches my interest is the penguins. There is something I find inherently funny about sociopathic penguins all scheming and plotting. I don't suppose there will be an edited version of the movie with just the penguin scenes. I'd go see that.
I think the only reasonable solution to this is to see (in the theatre if possible, more likely on DVD) The March of the Penguins. This is a documentary narrated by Morgan Freeman along the lines of a Winged Migration. It's a chance to see penguins do what penguins do. I'll just have to pretend that they are plotting to hijack the camera crew.
I think the only reasonable solution to this is to see (in the theatre if possible, more likely on DVD) The March of the Penguins. This is a documentary narrated by Morgan Freeman along the lines of a Winged Migration. It's a chance to see penguins do what penguins do. I'll just have to pretend that they are plotting to hijack the camera crew.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Ship of Magic
“Ship of Magic” is the first book of Robin Hobb’s Liveship Traders trilogy. It is set in the same world as her previous trilogy: The Farseer, but deals with another aspect of the world and this first book, at least, is almost completely separate with only occasional mentions of a “war up north” which was a major plot point of the Farseer. “Ship of Magic”, unlike the Farseer, is told in the third person point of view rather than the first person of FizChivalry (The Farseer Trilogy). The focus here is on multiple characters and multiple storylines which are initially separate but start to slowly come together.
Althea Vestrit is the daughter of Captain Vestrit, owner of the Liveship Vivacia. A Liveship is not merely made of wood and sailed by the talent of the crew, but it is a ship that is actually alive, it has personality and can think and is so prized that Trader families would put their families generations into debt because of how valued and important these ships are to Bingtown and to the Traders. The Liveships are faster and sail better than any other ship on the water. When her father dies, and he is near death, Althea expects to inherit Vivacia and eventually learn to be her captain. But when he does die the ship is left to the husband of her sister, and Kyle Haven thinks Althea is no proper lady and has no place on a ship. After a very big argument and fight with her family, and with Kyle, Althea leaves Bingtown with the intent to eventually working her way back to be able to own Vivacia in her own right.
There is also a pirate captain, Kennit, who seeks to be ruler of the pirates and also to capture a liveship of his own. At least a third of “Ship of Magic” is about Kennit and his adventures and piracy and his dreams of a better, different life. The final third of the book is focuses on Kyle Haven’s son, Wintrow. Wintrow is Kyle’s only son, but was promised to be a priest of Sa. But when Kyle finally gains control of Vivacia, he also commands Wintrow to join him as a sailor with the intent the Wintrow become a man and eventually take over Vivacia. But Wintrow is not the son that Kyle wants him to be, nor is he the man that Kyle considers a man.
“Ship of Magic” is a slow moving novel with more focus on the characters and their development than about swiftly moving a plot along. By the end of this novel there is quite a bit of plot development, but with the pacing and the characterization it is almost a wonder that Hobb moved the story along at all. It is almost as if the reader were a ship floating along in the ocean of the novel. But while the pacing may be an issue for some readers, if the reader is familiar with her earlier work, this will not be a surprise and Robin Hobb does such a good job of slowly pulling the reader into her world that by the end we are looking for the next book in the series.
Since this book is not directly related to the Farseer Trilogy there is no problem with reading this book first, but I do recommend reading the books in publication order (starting with Assassin’s Apprentice). Either way, this is a different sort of a fantasy novel, but one which I find to be a treat. There is much magic here, but it is in the storytelling rather than in a wizard waving a wand.
Althea Vestrit is the daughter of Captain Vestrit, owner of the Liveship Vivacia. A Liveship is not merely made of wood and sailed by the talent of the crew, but it is a ship that is actually alive, it has personality and can think and is so prized that Trader families would put their families generations into debt because of how valued and important these ships are to Bingtown and to the Traders. The Liveships are faster and sail better than any other ship on the water. When her father dies, and he is near death, Althea expects to inherit Vivacia and eventually learn to be her captain. But when he does die the ship is left to the husband of her sister, and Kyle Haven thinks Althea is no proper lady and has no place on a ship. After a very big argument and fight with her family, and with Kyle, Althea leaves Bingtown with the intent to eventually working her way back to be able to own Vivacia in her own right.
There is also a pirate captain, Kennit, who seeks to be ruler of the pirates and also to capture a liveship of his own. At least a third of “Ship of Magic” is about Kennit and his adventures and piracy and his dreams of a better, different life. The final third of the book is focuses on Kyle Haven’s son, Wintrow. Wintrow is Kyle’s only son, but was promised to be a priest of Sa. But when Kyle finally gains control of Vivacia, he also commands Wintrow to join him as a sailor with the intent the Wintrow become a man and eventually take over Vivacia. But Wintrow is not the son that Kyle wants him to be, nor is he the man that Kyle considers a man.
“Ship of Magic” is a slow moving novel with more focus on the characters and their development than about swiftly moving a plot along. By the end of this novel there is quite a bit of plot development, but with the pacing and the characterization it is almost a wonder that Hobb moved the story along at all. It is almost as if the reader were a ship floating along in the ocean of the novel. But while the pacing may be an issue for some readers, if the reader is familiar with her earlier work, this will not be a surprise and Robin Hobb does such a good job of slowly pulling the reader into her world that by the end we are looking for the next book in the series.
Since this book is not directly related to the Farseer Trilogy there is no problem with reading this book first, but I do recommend reading the books in publication order (starting with Assassin’s Apprentice). Either way, this is a different sort of a fantasy novel, but one which I find to be a treat. There is much magic here, but it is in the storytelling rather than in a wizard waving a wand.
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