17 posts tagged “reviews”
So,I've been meaning to post about this book for awhile, but the Fourth of July seems like the perfect opportunity to finally go for it, given the central commentary Little Brother makes about our country's conflicting obsessions with freedom and security. I don't say this lightly, but this is a book that everyone should pick up and read as a primer on current technologies, considerations of the predicted evolutions of "The War on Terror", and just as an entertaining story to boot.
In near-future San Francisco, Marcus Yallow and some of his friends get hauled in by the Department of Homeland Security for being at the wrong place and the wrong time when a terrorist attack destroys a bridge. Though not guilty of the terrorist attack, Marcus's interest in technology and cryptography makes him a primary suspect, which leads to harsh "questioning" by his captors. After he his finally released, he decides to turn the tables on the paranoid police state crackdown of his hometown by creating a stealth network, which ultimately propels the plot to an inevitable confrontation between the forces of security and the forces of privacy.
This is Orwell's 1984 for the next generation (as is obvious by the allusion in the title). Like its predecessor, Little Brother raises troubling questions about a government gone too far, which ultimately feels familiar to any modern American. If you're looking to do something really patriotic this Independence Day, it might be worth putting down the sparkler for a moment and picking up a copy of this book, even if only for future insight into the complicated times in which we all live now.
Whatever, the reason was that people weren't showing up in droves to see this movie, they were really, really missing out. It's been a few years since I listened to the amazing audiobook production of the series (His Dark Materials), but I was not disappointed by this adaptation. The acting was phenomenal and the special effects were beyond impressive -- I'm still not sure how they pulled off all those deamons as well as they did. The movie suffered a little for an incredibly rushed storyline (but at least it didn't bog down) and some of the music was simply atrocious in a movie of this caliber.
I'm eager to see how the second and third books are rendered into films and I can't wait to see how they'll deal with some of the more challenging issues that crop up further into the series. I'm also looking forward to rereading (or perhaps re-listening to) the books, to see how they really measure up with their movie counterparts.
Speaking of the movies, have you all seen The Spiderwick Chronicles trailer? I haven't read the books for that series yet, but it looks like fun. Plus, a gryphon! (What more do I need in a movie? I mean, I suffered through Narnia for just a few gryphon cameos, proving that I will watch just about anything for some sweet, sweet gryphon action.)
Had a great day off from from work yesterday, lighting up Independence Day with Anthony, Matt, Anica and some pandas. (I'm still pretty clueless why they refer to themselves as pandas, since Anthony or Matt haven't enlightened me yet. Unless it's one of those secret society things?)
We kicked the good times off with Anthony and Matt inviting L and I to see Transformers with them. (I was originally planning on holding off and seeing it with my brother when he got back from Wisconsin, but I figured I might as well as go while the going was good.) I wasn't expecting a whole lot from a movie based on a two-decade-old toy franchise, but it was surprisingly well-done. (Quite a bit better than TMNT, for sure.) Even with all the blatant product placement (I choose you, Mountain Dew bot!) and frickin' awesome special effects, that managed to squeeze in a workable plot.
Following the movie, we nabbed dinner out and then adjourned back to our place for various geeky activities. Anthony and I tested out the limitations of Pokemon Battle Revolution on the Wii (and I must admit that it is far better for multiplayer than it's weak single player mode). L also showed off TEH OVERLORD. We wrapped the whole holiday off by watching and roasting the late Dungeons and Dragons animated series. (We all pretty much agreed that Uni is the most annoying cartoon character ever.)
On a different note, my birthday's coming into view next week and I'll tell you all what I'd like to see for it: more blogging from my neighbors. What's up with the lame ghost town that Vox has become? Are you all too busy having fun without me to stop and blog about it once in awhile? I feel awfully self-conscious shouting into the tubes of the Internets all by my lonesome. So please start sharing those fun summer stories and anecdotes that I know you've all been holding back on!
The troops were gathered last night (the Pants, Ernie, Anthony, L and myself) to march on the local $2 theater to see an abysmal movie adapted from an even more abysmal book, or in short, Eragon.
Not that we have anything against dragons or dragon movies. (Quite the contrary, actually. Just ask the Pants for her opinion of Reign of Fire, if you don't believe me.) No, what we took issue with was a teenage boy becoming a bestselling sensation by blatantly cribbing The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars and then turning that trash into multi-million dollar movie. I can only fathom that the books and movie have done as well as they have because they are purely the product of a pubescent boy's wet dream of having power and respect without having to earn it. Either that, or a Faustian bargain with El Diablo himself.
The movie was predictably bad and not even a particularly memorable mashup of LotR and SW. Saphira (a terribly original name for a blue dragon, I must admit) was very striking on screen (and darn cute as a baby), but it was sad to see her play the part of a whiny teenage boy's bitch. (Speaking of adolescence, what was up with her rapid growth spurt? I guess there was no time in the film to spend making us actually want to care for these characters.) I also enjoyed Emo Kid, as he was the one interesting human character, which must've been the reason they decided not to do much with his character?
I am hoping beyond hope that a movie adaptation of Temeraire will redeem the dragon film genre, as I love those series of novels. If there is any justice left in the world, Peter Jackson will do for that series what he did for Lord of the Rings. In the meantime, there's not much to do but continue pissing on the sad, sad pile of Eragon until it fades into obscurity (where it should have remained in the first place).
(Please note, the title of this post is not intended to be offensive to those of a homosexual orientation. It merely is intended to capture the homo-erotic undercurrents that seemed to suffuse the entire film.)
What are your three favorite snacks?
Submitted by Sunscreem.
Here are my three of my favorite snacks, of the non-edible variety. (Even though we all know that Everything is Edible.)
- WarioWare: Twisted! for the Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS. Topsy-turvy fun on my handheld system doesn't get any more crazy delicious than this.
- StumbleVideo for the Opera Internet Browser on the Nintendo Wii. Who needs cable television when L and I can "surf" the best of YouTube and Google Video from our couch?
- Lazy Sunday on Saturday Night Live. It's an old favorite clip that I recently revisited. I don't take 15-minute "breaks" at work anymore, instead I take 15-minute "snack attacks, mother fucker!"
As a bonus, I really enjoyed Wired's cover feature this month: Snack Attack!
Sure, we might all have dangerously short attention spans, but at least -- what I was I talking about again?Movies, TV, songs, games. Pop culture now comes packaged like cookies or chips, in bite-size bits for high-speed munching. It's instant entertainment - and boy, is it tasty.
Not since Sandman (which Emily graciously introduced me to back in college) have I encountered a comic / graphic novel series that has captivated this much. The characters are richly developed, spun from the fairy-tale characters we all think we know so well, but infused with an all-too-human element of tragedy. Placing these deceptively familiar characters in modern-day New York, fleeing from the conquest of their homelands, sets the backdrop for stories rich with drama, love and loss, and (like Sandman) how much individuals can or cannot change over the course of their lives.
One of the things I love most is that Willingham is not afraid to drastically change his series, killing off major characters or radically changing their situations. Too often, I feel, a series is treated as a static, unchangeable thing. Nothing ever really happens, as opposed to life, where things can change as slowly or quickly or unpredictably as they want. Series like Fables and Sandman and the new Battlestar Galactica portray life far more realistically in that major things change from time to time. The series evolves as life does.
Give Fables a read, I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised. Even with the amount of neutering that Disney has done to so many fairy tales, you'll find that these fables still have teeth. And they aren't afraid to use them.
L and I agreed that it was better than Underworld (and let's not even touch the travesty that was Evolutions). Recommended for those looking for an action-romance with a dash of werewolves and a great setting.
What movies have everyone else seen lately? Any yays or nays? (I heard the Pants was raving about Flushed Away and I know Anthony was planning on seeing Epic Movie.)
The first season kicks off with the murder of Veronica's best friend which sets off a cascade of difficulties for her, including her mother's disappearance, her father losing his job as town sheriff and her boyfriend breaking up with her. Unfolding a piece at a time over the course of the first season, this show sucks you in and doesn't let go. The second season follows a similar pattern, but raises the stakes even further, challenging Veronica to solve the mystery of a bus crash that killed eight students.
Whether you want a smart, witty, funny, puzzling or downright poignant television series, Veronica Mars has it all. Give it a shot and you might just be surprised by this sophisticated show about teenagers and high-school with a twist. As for me, I'll be eagerly awaiting the release of season three on DVD.
Here's your inspirational quote for the day:
Perhaps the most delightful, life-affirming discovery of all is how willing Americans are to embrace their passions and broadcast them to the world, regardless of what that world might think. Geeks, in a word, have become chic.
But it's not just computer nerds or chess dweebs who have found a voice for their interests. If you define a geek as a person with any oddball proclivity, then geeks are flourishing in every stratum of American society.
Geekiness has become an acceptable, proud badge of honor in America, the mark of someone who's actively engaged in some facet of the world around them. If this isn't something to celebrate, I don't know what is.
(Excerpt from Who Are You People? by Shari Caudron.)
A great quote from a great book about fanatical passions, from pigeon racing to Barbie collecting and from ice fishing to furry conventions. Or maybe I just liked it because it reaffirmed my sense of superiority in being a geek? Either way, it was a fun read.
Weeks since my last update, just what have I been doing lately??
- Didn't get a Wii, but I have started playing Oblivion on L's 360. Even if it's a bit campy at time, I'm lovin' the crunchiness of the system. (And Argonians are just sexy.)
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Finished reading the third book in a kick-ass fantasy meets alternate history series, Temeraire. Definitely my favorite series of the year. Love dragons? Love historical fiction? Throw away Eragon and read this!
- Saw the rockin' production of The Adventures of Silence, starring the Pants, Ernie and my very own L. These gals were awesome! I'm never going to pick a fight with the Pants when she's donned chainmail nor Ernie when she's posing as an old male wizard.
- Work's been fabulous -- I'm still getting paid to play with LEGOs and to tweak Dragonfly (adalib.org 2.0). I'm damn lucky to have the job that I do.
- All the Christmas shopping's done (minus a couple minor things), courtesy of the Internet tubes. Who wants to fight the manic crowds worshiping at the Church of Capitalism (also known as the Mall) when it's so much easier online?
- Currently listening to Breaking Benjamin's latest CD (courtesy of our library's awesome Young Adult audio collection), Phobia. Wow. Just wow.
- Best of all, had some great conversations with friends, including hitting the Pita Pit with Colleenist, playing phone tag with BlueDelt, doing the girl talk with Ernie and the Pants, attending a book signing with my brother, chewing the dOrange old guard fat with Piscis and L, and IMing the Mattiepie. You guys and gals are too awesome for words -- thank you!
Alright, I promise to TRY not to slack off in my blogging, so you won't have to endure one of these lists again. But feel to free to kick me every so often if you fear one of these long list-type posts is building up.
I leave you with something truly random -- BACON ON A CAT!
