What the hell is it with people who complain about spoilers online? First off, I’ve never felt that knowing some detail or other before reading a book or seeing a movie has ever “spoiled” it for me. Bad directing, that’s spoiled movies for me. Plenty of movies. Bad acting? Sure! Bad writing? Oh, too many, believe me. But knowing ahead of time, that somehow usually doesn’t bother me. It certainly doesn’t “spoil” the experience of the film. Maybe it’s because the majority of films are so predictable anyway. I’m developing a sense that most films are made the way newspaper …
Category: REVIEWS
SAW
Tonight Lime and I stopped in at the DVD-room and watched a movie. I urged her for us to start in on the mammoth Lord of the Rings Extended Edition series, but she didn’t feel like it and ended up asking the woman who words there for a recommendation. The woman, who recommended the excellent Save The Green Planet to us a while back (read about that here), told us that SAW was an excellent film. So we took her word for it, though I had some misgivings. “Isn’t this a serial killer movie?” “No,” the girl replied to the …
It’s Obligatory
Because I’m such an SF fan, people expect me to have something to say about Star Wars. I mean, it’s the final episode, the series is over (let’s hope Lucas really means it), and a chapter on SF movie history is closed, right? Bullshit. Star Wars was fine and all, at first. It was a noble, heroic, knightly story with some Zen shit thrown in. Cool, weird little aliens and a mechanized monster of a villain. And yeah, a filial connection between the villain and the hero. You have your noble savage (the wookie), your WWII fighter pilot, your Sir …
Old News About Andre Norton
Blog of Death had an entry in march for Andre Norton, who passed away earlier this year. I am a few months late, and have nothing much to add: I wasn’t a fan of her writing, personally, though I’d only tried a couple of novels at the time I decided that. But the woman did write a lot, and publish a lot, and she was a woman of SF, which get her kudos in my book.
Sunny Murray Interview
Here’s a fascinating but sad interview with Sunny Murray, which includes a bizarre mention of a conspiracy against avant-garde jazz by no less than the American mafia. Hmmm. I shall have to research that a bit more.
Regenesis
I don’t know if the 13-episode miniseries ReGenesis got much airplay outside of Canada, but I just finished watching it (downloaded, which is the only format in which it’s accessible to me) and I have to say it was absolutely worthwhile. It was so riveting that one evening I watched three, or was it four, episodes in a row, just to finish the series. I am not sure exactly how believable some of it was, but on the other hand, I nonetheless found the story fascinating. The idea that engineered diseases, planted by some very unusual terrorists and spreading like …
JazzFest Disappointment
I kid you not, I remember the days when people like Joe Lovano, Steve Lacy, John Scofield, Courtney Pine, and their ilk used to play the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival. I don’t know if the funding was cut, or the attendance died out, but this year’s schedule seems a little disappointing, considering what I remember. I was hoping for at least one big name show, something American perhaps. I mean, a big show by someone who colors a little outside the lines, that is. Wait, there’s Dave Holland. He’s alright. But Arturo Sandoval? Bonobo? And don’t even get me started about …
Book Meme
Thieved from Ritu’s place… 1)Total number of books owned? I have no bloody idea, but it took a serious hit because about five boxes were lost in transit, and even the pittance of insurance offered was never collected upon. In my apartment in Korea I have about 230 books, plus about 20-odd on loan to different people around the country. I think I must have thrice that at home. Of the 230 in my house now, I’ve half-read about 30 (especially omnibus editions like the collected HG Wells, Douglas Adams’ omnibus HHGG, and so forth) and fully read about 60 …
Tolkien Summary for Lazy Students
For those students who always turn up asking people for summaries of Lord of the Rings for book reports, here is an excellent summary. I mean, who has time to read such a long trilogy?
Check this out!
Kang Tae Hwan, on bugsmusic. Not easy listening, in any sense of the word, but pretty fascinating that a band like this exists at all in Korea. It’s right up there with the German freejazz guys who used to pass through my hometown during Festival time. Where and when can I see these guys (him and his free jazz trio) play?