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Various Reviews
Jan. 16th, 2007 08:45 amHi,
I saw Pan's Labyrinth on Sunday. It was pretty darn good. I wasn't as completely taken with it as some other people were, but it was a very good movie and pretty much flawless in pure technical terms.
I got some reading finished. First up, the Manga:
Lupin III Vol. 1, 3, and 4 by Monkey Punch (yeah, that's his name). Right, so this is the classic manga that's spawned a TV series and a host of movies and whatnot. Lupin III is a master thief/spy/private investigator/ladies man and he and his gang lurches from adventure to adventure being chased by Inspector Zenigata. The character is very popular and long-lived (these comics are from the late 60's). Sadly, I was a little disappointed. The main problem is that the drawing style is very heavily influenced by Sergio Aragones. On it's own, this isn't a problem, but the characters aren't terribly distinct. It can be very hard to tell characters apart. Also, Mad magazine crossed with manga is a little jarring. So, maybe I'll just stick to the anime.
On the other hand, Planetes by Makoto Yukimura is a fantastic opening to a great series. The premise is that it's the near future and human colonization of space is expanding. The problem, as always, is garbage. Specifically, the space debris orbiting the Earth and posing a hazard for ships. This means someone has to go around and collect it. The story focuses on the crew of one of these "garbage trucks". The manga does a great job of showing and describing a near-future, hard science, space setting. It carefully weaves between adventure, introspective character pieces and some comedy. I liked it quite a bit.
Oh, and there's actually a book in here too: Daughter of Hounds by Caitlin R. Kiernan. Strangely, we kind of close the circle here -- I am reminded of Pan's Labyrinth. A little girl gets swept up into a fantasy world that isn't all friendly fairies and happy endings. In fact, it's a bit more nightmarish than Pan's Labyrinth since the world she's swept up into is the world of ghouls and their changeling brood. There's a lot of nods to H.P. Lovecraft and some of the most damning descriptions of New England I've ever been pleased to read. In particular, if the Rhode Island board of tourism ever sees this book, they'll probably slap Ms. Kiernan with a lawsuit. I really enjoyed the rather gritty, gangland nature of the ghouls and other supernatural creatures and the juxtaposition with the (fairly) innocent children who hold the keys to their success. Certainly a treat for fans of Unknown Armies, the Mythos and perhaps Harry Dresden fans.
later
Tom
I saw Pan's Labyrinth on Sunday. It was pretty darn good. I wasn't as completely taken with it as some other people were, but it was a very good movie and pretty much flawless in pure technical terms.
I got some reading finished. First up, the Manga:
Lupin III Vol. 1, 3, and 4 by Monkey Punch (yeah, that's his name). Right, so this is the classic manga that's spawned a TV series and a host of movies and whatnot. Lupin III is a master thief/spy/private investigator/ladies man and he and his gang lurches from adventure to adventure being chased by Inspector Zenigata. The character is very popular and long-lived (these comics are from the late 60's). Sadly, I was a little disappointed. The main problem is that the drawing style is very heavily influenced by Sergio Aragones. On it's own, this isn't a problem, but the characters aren't terribly distinct. It can be very hard to tell characters apart. Also, Mad magazine crossed with manga is a little jarring. So, maybe I'll just stick to the anime.
On the other hand, Planetes by Makoto Yukimura is a fantastic opening to a great series. The premise is that it's the near future and human colonization of space is expanding. The problem, as always, is garbage. Specifically, the space debris orbiting the Earth and posing a hazard for ships. This means someone has to go around and collect it. The story focuses on the crew of one of these "garbage trucks". The manga does a great job of showing and describing a near-future, hard science, space setting. It carefully weaves between adventure, introspective character pieces and some comedy. I liked it quite a bit.
Oh, and there's actually a book in here too: Daughter of Hounds by Caitlin R. Kiernan. Strangely, we kind of close the circle here -- I am reminded of Pan's Labyrinth. A little girl gets swept up into a fantasy world that isn't all friendly fairies and happy endings. In fact, it's a bit more nightmarish than Pan's Labyrinth since the world she's swept up into is the world of ghouls and their changeling brood. There's a lot of nods to H.P. Lovecraft and some of the most damning descriptions of New England I've ever been pleased to read. In particular, if the Rhode Island board of tourism ever sees this book, they'll probably slap Ms. Kiernan with a lawsuit. I really enjoyed the rather gritty, gangland nature of the ghouls and other supernatural creatures and the juxtaposition with the (fairly) innocent children who hold the keys to their success. Certainly a treat for fans of Unknown Armies, the Mythos and perhaps Harry Dresden fans.
later
Tom
