This movie reminded me, in some ways, of "Watership Down" because it was an "Inexpert Abridgement". It is a movie that is meant as a companion to the book and is pretty incomplete without a reading. First. I urge you to read it first. You might not want the images that this movie provides for some of the characters.
I'm really familiar with this movie from childhood so I'm fine with the images it provides me. I'm happy with the movie even though "The Hobbit" is one of my favorite stories. That's the good thing about such abridgements, they can't really be awful, because no one took the time to write it for the change in format.
But that also means it can't really be good. It's not. And would be worthless without background familiarity with the story.
I still like the music, though. Especially the goblin's songs.
Monday, January 18, 2010
The Secret of NIMH (movie, pre-read)
Ah, a Don Bluth film. You can really tell a Bluth film from any other animation. He has a very signature look, more identifiable than Disney. Something about how his females look, their expressions and movements; the villains, too; and every single one seems to have Dom DeLuise in it. Also, Bluth isn't afraid to be dark and serous, unlike Disney. There can be blood, and there is in this one.
The Secret of NIMH is very epic and emotional. It seems so grand and great, like a Greek myth. There's mysticism and magic, especially in the beginning to set the stage for this Odyssey of a mother mouse who has to save her child. It stands out in my memory as a great movie, but I couldn't really remember why. Now that I've seen it again, I'm not as impressed. There's a lot of journeying about and adventure, but not for much purpose... Mrs. Brisby, the mother, actually seems to do more harm than good to her family as she attempts to avoid some unpleasantness or other. I suppose in the end she does do more than her Legendary late husband, though. In the end, it's not really as grand as it sound with "The" starting the title and "Secret" being prominent. It is not my favorite Bluth film, and in fact, isn't as good as any others of his that I can recall seeing.
This movie tries to strike a very weird balance between science fiction and mystic fantasy. Where the magical powers of Nicodemus came from is never really explained. The scientific explanation for the rats is interesting, though absolutely impossible and there is no mechanism explained so it seems mostly mystic as well.
It's still "Decent Entertainment and I'd still like to read the book. Perhaps it's good; maybe it's better.
The Secret of NIMH is very epic and emotional. It seems so grand and great, like a Greek myth. There's mysticism and magic, especially in the beginning to set the stage for this Odyssey of a mother mouse who has to save her child. It stands out in my memory as a great movie, but I couldn't really remember why. Now that I've seen it again, I'm not as impressed. There's a lot of journeying about and adventure, but not for much purpose... Mrs. Brisby, the mother, actually seems to do more harm than good to her family as she attempts to avoid some unpleasantness or other. I suppose in the end she does do more than her Legendary late husband, though. In the end, it's not really as grand as it sound with "The" starting the title and "Secret" being prominent. It is not my favorite Bluth film, and in fact, isn't as good as any others of his that I can recall seeing.
This movie tries to strike a very weird balance between science fiction and mystic fantasy. Where the magical powers of Nicodemus came from is never really explained. The scientific explanation for the rats is interesting, though absolutely impossible and there is no mechanism explained so it seems mostly mystic as well.
It's still "Decent Entertainment and I'd still like to read the book. Perhaps it's good; maybe it's better.
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
The one thing you really can't deny about "Good Omens" is that it is really, really "Funny". Unless, of course, you are a very devout fundamentalist Christian. Then you could, possibly, get offended. It does make light of the religion, after all, and makes fun of it. Really great fun, but fun nonetheless. I will still recommend the story... unless you are looking for a Christianity-basing extravaganza. Then you might want to look for something else, because that is not what this book is. I, not being christian, found it to actually lend legitimate interpretations to the faith and don't feel that it is very offensive, if at all.
I do find it to be interesting, entertaining, and wise. And bloody funny. I read the first section to just about everyone I know. One can really tell that the writers loved the writing of the book, which makes it a joy to read. It could be that I overestimate their wisdom just because they make me laugh and I, apparently, find laughter logical. Now I haven't read more than one of Gaiman's books (though I have seen some of his movies), but if you are a fan of Terry Pratchett, you'll probably like this book.
Similar to Gaiman's "American Gods", "Good Omens" seems to have a somewhat lengthy ending. It wasn't so long that I was too tired of this book, however, and I miss the story and would like more. Alas, no more is forthcoming as Pratchett is starting to suffer from the awful Alzheimer's (NOOO!). I suppose I'll have to pick up another Discworld book, eventually.
The plot is very well tied up. There aren't any real loose threads to speak of. But it bounces around a lot and can be pretty hard to follow by the end. It's complicated and there's a massive collection of characters, none of which you could really call "The Main Character". So I was thankful for the character list (actually, I didn't read it until I had finished because I didn't want it to spoil anything! But it was a thoughtful inclusion).
I don' know. Can't complain, can praise. Read it if you want something enjoyable.
I do find it to be interesting, entertaining, and wise. And bloody funny. I read the first section to just about everyone I know. One can really tell that the writers loved the writing of the book, which makes it a joy to read. It could be that I overestimate their wisdom just because they make me laugh and I, apparently, find laughter logical. Now I haven't read more than one of Gaiman's books (though I have seen some of his movies), but if you are a fan of Terry Pratchett, you'll probably like this book.
Similar to Gaiman's "American Gods", "Good Omens" seems to have a somewhat lengthy ending. It wasn't so long that I was too tired of this book, however, and I miss the story and would like more. Alas, no more is forthcoming as Pratchett is starting to suffer from the awful Alzheimer's (NOOO!). I suppose I'll have to pick up another Discworld book, eventually.
The plot is very well tied up. There aren't any real loose threads to speak of. But it bounces around a lot and can be pretty hard to follow by the end. It's complicated and there's a massive collection of characters, none of which you could really call "The Main Character". So I was thankful for the character list (actually, I didn't read it until I had finished because I didn't want it to spoil anything! But it was a thoughtful inclusion).
I don' know. Can't complain, can praise. Read it if you want something enjoyable.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Abundance is Natural?
Hello. My name is Ed and I am a "hippy". Or something of one. I am about to alienate some of my fellow idealists. I apologize in advance. I'm sorry.
Many idealists, by their very nature, aren't very practical. This should not be an excuse for some of the gibber I have heard come out of my corner and I'm not set out to defend some of the remarks my friends have made (you know what they are). Some of them are so bad they make me want to hide and say I don't know these people! I'm not with them! except no one would ever buy it.
Here's my example of the day. Believe it or not, this is an actual argument someone made:
Well, it's probably because those starving, ungrateful African's wont eat stars. Don't look at me, I think they're delicious, if a little hot.
There is a limit to how much one can ignore the world at large and still affect it. A common thing to ignore is the over-population plague that has infected the entire epidermis of this poor planet. Probably because its so big it's gotten hard to see, like trying to see the forest through the leaf jammed in your eye. It's too painful to look at and there is no good solution for this huge problem. The easiest way to stay sane is to ignore it by claiming it doesn't exist.
Without offending too much, let me say I see some of the truth in the philosophy that "abundance is natural"; sometimes it is. Maybe. However, telling the average human that a resource is abundant is akin to saying: "Look! It's a pit of infinite gold! Go nuts and start printing money 'cuz you'll never run out!" The end is too far off for most people to care very much. Insisting that a resource is scarce, on the other hand, promotes responsible planing and thought.
"Abundance is Natural" philosophy also gently assures people that their level of consumption isn't the problem. Instead, poverty is because of money or greed or a poor wealth redistribution system. It would be more acurate to say that there is poverty because of the "Abundance is Natural" philosophy. Only nothing is infinite.
Starvation is sad and stuff. No one likes it. But it has been happening since the Paleozoic. A species will uncontrollably grow past its resource availability, then it will die off. The sad thing about people is that we should be able to do better. We should be able to say, "you know what... we're, um, a little low on food. Perhaps we should stop reproducing, huh?" and then hold off a little while.
We do insist that we are real smart so often, after all.
Many idealists, by their very nature, aren't very practical. This should not be an excuse for some of the gibber I have heard come out of my corner and I'm not set out to defend some of the remarks my friends have made (you know what they are). Some of them are so bad they make me want to hide and say I don't know these people! I'm not with them! except no one would ever buy it.
Here's my example of the day. Believe it or not, this is an actual argument someone made:
The universe is full of abundance: trillions (or more) galaxies full of trillions (or more!) stars. There's over six billion people on the planet. Obviously, with so much abundance, there is no shortage of anything, it's the nature of life and existence to have abundance. So why is there poverty.
Well, it's probably because those starving, ungrateful African's wont eat stars. Don't look at me, I think they're delicious, if a little hot.
There is a limit to how much one can ignore the world at large and still affect it. A common thing to ignore is the over-population plague that has infected the entire epidermis of this poor planet. Probably because its so big it's gotten hard to see, like trying to see the forest through the leaf jammed in your eye. It's too painful to look at and there is no good solution for this huge problem. The easiest way to stay sane is to ignore it by claiming it doesn't exist.
Without offending too much, let me say I see some of the truth in the philosophy that "abundance is natural"; sometimes it is. Maybe. However, telling the average human that a resource is abundant is akin to saying: "Look! It's a pit of infinite gold! Go nuts and start printing money 'cuz you'll never run out!" The end is too far off for most people to care very much. Insisting that a resource is scarce, on the other hand, promotes responsible planing and thought.
"Abundance is Natural" philosophy also gently assures people that their level of consumption isn't the problem. Instead, poverty is because of money or greed or a poor wealth redistribution system. It would be more acurate to say that there is poverty because of the "Abundance is Natural" philosophy. Only nothing is infinite.
Starvation is sad and stuff. No one likes it. But it has been happening since the Paleozoic. A species will uncontrollably grow past its resource availability, then it will die off. The sad thing about people is that we should be able to do better. We should be able to say, "you know what... we're, um, a little low on food. Perhaps we should stop reproducing, huh?" and then hold off a little while.
We do insist that we are real smart so often, after all.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The Marine (movie)
This movie is God Awful. Hulk Cry. Instead of watching it, make a fire-pit and roast a hot dog: it's almost all pyrotechnics and explosions and stupid hack-work fight scenes (with John Cena jumping through the air like Superman).
But hey, if that's what you're into.
"The Marine" is "A Meathead", which, really would have been a better title for this movie. He looks a little like Arnold Schwarzenegger when he wasn't 50 and he doesn't talk because he knows he's as bad an actor as Arnold before he could speak English.
The good part of this movie is how easy it is to make fun of. Just sit back and make noises as "Meathead" runs through the swamp after the most stereotyped villains ever thought of. There are little plot twists which, apparently, the writers thought were clever, but really aren't. At all. None of the actors actually seem to be speaking to each other, but rather to the camera, and every single one of their lines are more cliche then the actual word "cliche".
But hey, if that's what you're into.
"The Marine" is "A Meathead", which, really would have been a better title for this movie. He looks a little like Arnold Schwarzenegger when he wasn't 50 and he doesn't talk because he knows he's as bad an actor as Arnold before he could speak English.
The good part of this movie is how easy it is to make fun of. Just sit back and make noises as "Meathead" runs through the swamp after the most stereotyped villains ever thought of. There are little plot twists which, apparently, the writers thought were clever, but really aren't. At all. None of the actors actually seem to be speaking to each other, but rather to the camera, and every single one of their lines are more cliche then the actual word "cliche".
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