And If Time's Elimination, Then We Got Nothing To Lose

It has been a thrilling ride so far, starting my blog with some computer games, but quickly moving on to books, of which I hope to have discussed at least a considerable amount. Movies based on books and movies not necessarily based on, but inspired by books, filled the rest of the quotum for this year.
The last couple of days were filled with watching The League of Gentlemen, , The Hebrew Hammer, Yes Man, Let The Right One In, Micmacs à Tire-Larigot, A Bit of Fry & Laurie and Dollhouse.
May 2010 bring you all joy, prosperity and many a volume to peruse whilst you listen to your favourite band or artist.

Any astute reader might have noticed already that most of the recent headers for my posts have been lyrics, but also a slight indication of what the post entailed.
Hopefully you found it entertaining enough to return to read more of my endeavours.

So adieu to 2009, may it herald in a splendid 2010.

Can't Tell If This Is True Or a Dream

Christmas is here, and as always the stations are showing nothing but feel good movies, reruns and your regular countdown to New Year's Eve.
Fortunately the Muppets also participate in this Holiday habit.


And to add to the 1000 best songs ever, which for the Netherlands will indubitably boil down to One, Child in Time or


Now, Ludmila finally finished her journey with the no longer conjoined Heath twins, after which I started on The Waste Lands, which reads a heck of a lot faster than DBC Pierre's novel.

There'll Be Scary Ghost Stories And Tales of the Glories

Trailer number two is up for Alice In Wonderland.



I am once again as giddy as a child at Christmas, which luckily is right around the corner. But with so many movies and finally the Holidays to look forward to, this truly is a good time to not loaf around but actually pass some time with my friends, watching movies and overall having a darned good time.

No Need to Feel Inane, No Need To Feel Afraid

I promised you some musings on James Moore and here they are:

Writ in Blood


Book the first, in which the stage is set for every single drop of blood that shall flow throughout the trilogy. Every chapter in this book consists of three parts:
I. The daily doings of Simon MacGruder, retired quarry worker and self proclaimed historian of Serinity Falls, a quiet little rural town.
II. A choice chapter of Serenity Falls history, usually pertaining to one of the nastier parts of its legacy. From adultery to murder, manslaughter and the first hint of supernatural activity.
III. The misadventures of Jonathan Crowley, parapsychologist and supernatural 'problem solver.' When he starts grinning. You start running.


The Pack


Just like most every trilogy, part the second is used to set up the entire stage, linking the characters introduced in Writ in Blood with each other, by means unexpected. It also alludes to the inevitable buildup towards the climax that shall be book the third. As such, with a pack of wild dogs the size of a your average Pinto acting as the main antagonist in this book, the horror comes more from the allusions and the creeping dread that forms itself in the back of your mind. Stick along for the ride and buckle up. It might get a bit bumpy up ahead.


Dark Carnival


It all comes full circle in Dark Carnival, fortunately. All hell breaks loose as the dead return to life, the living get to be very dead and those that were never quite human to begin with, being stuck in the middle of it all. Twists around every bend, Twisting until bending turns into breaking and then some. If the second book was a bit slow, it was only because all the true gory stuff was saved up for this volume. Ghouls and goblins beware, you're in for a scare.

Which leaves me with the glorious travels of Milochka, as she heads out of Ubli.
Just a couple more pages in Ludmila's Broken English and then the time has finally arrived to delve into the book case for the next endeavour.

So what shall it be, o illustrious reader?
A continuation of The Dark Tower?
Maybe Pullman's His Dark Materials?
Or some children's books to lighten the load?

Enlighten me

I'm Looking Forward to the Future, But My Eyesight is Going Bad

Life is getting back into groove once more, attending classes, working on projects and some part time work on the side keeps me quite busy. But the weekends are always fun.
With bands playing and friends to revel in it all, there was not a dull moment had last weekend and with a birthday party next weekend. (instead of worshipping the Myran bishop)
I have still got a couple of pages left to read in Dark Carnival, but it has certainly reached its visceral peak, which makes reading Ludmila's Broken English such a relief in comparison. Then again, with my reading being interrupted regularly with bouts of Guild Wars and other gaming, it might just diffuse the atmosphere enough to keep me from fully enjoying everything I read. But seeing as I have already read the aforementioned ones, it really did not detract from the reading experience for me.

Rest assured that I will try to read with less interruptions with the next couple of books. (which should not be that hard with Pullman and King being main contenders for the next title on my list)

I'll Show You Something, That'll Make You Change Your Mind

It has been way too long since my last post.
Day and night have switched places many times over and the paradigm has shifted.
We once more entered the Carnaval song contest, assuming we could do whatever we wanted, seeing as we would stand a snowball's chance in hell to get in the top five this year with a non standard 'chanson'. Greater still was our surprise when we found out at the end of the evening that we had wound up in fourth place. High enough to once again hit the studio and record the song for prosperity.
Rehearsal and studies have gotten in the way of reading, I have been catching up with some Pratchett, which is nice but not really noteworthy and James Moore, but that review will have to wait until I finish the third novel of the trilogy, which should not take me more than two weeks at the most.

So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind

Last Friday I went to see Green Day at Ahoy with some friends of mine. And man, did they rock out.
We decided to get a head start on traffic, so we arrived shortly after 2 PM and spent the intermittent time whiling away at the shopping mall next to Ahoy stadium. After a mediocre dinner we returned to the waiting line at 5, to find a couple hundred people already there. (half of which had been there when we arrived a few hours hence)
A couple of five minute rain bursts later we were heading inside to our position for the concert, five meters from off center left stage. The show kicked off with Prima Donna playing some very nice rock and roll ditties and after half an hour they had us warped up just enough to keep us nice and cosy until the main act could enter the stage.
So right on cue, on walks this guy in a pink bunny suit, holding two bottles of beer.
He moves over the entire stage, downing both bottles in a single gulp, getting the crowd riled up with a very humorous rendition of YMCA, after which he stumbled off stage again.
Finally, Billy Joe enters the fray, a veritable whirlwind of energy. Jumping, running, bouncing off things and generally getting the audience to go along with his antics. What followed was a show consisting of two and a half hours of non stop music, fun, pyrotechnics, people getting called on stage to participate, super soakers, fire hoses, air pressure guns shooting t-shirts at the crowd, silly costumes, video wall movies, BJ moving through the crowd to great dismay of security, moshing and everybody screaming along at the top of their lungs.
I had so much energy rushing through me at the end, that I could have gone for another couple of hours. But as always, all good things must come to an end. So with an acoustic rendition of When September Ends/Good Riddance, everyone went home satisfied.

Life's a Show And We All Play Our Parts

Life has been hectic the last week, what with finishing stuff for Abunai! this weekend and trying not to get swept away by it all.
Luckily surcease from stress is close at hand when I pick the next paperback or hardcover from the never ending pile.

Alice Sebold - The Lovely Bones

The story starts off bittersweet, with the entire premise being that it is not a detective novel, but one of acceptation. Young Susie Salmon dies at the hands of her neighbour and the rest of the book is spent with her watching from the heavens, commenting on everybody's actions, even judging them for what they do.
The book continually shifts focus from her family to her classmates and even towards her murderer.
I am truly wondering how Mr. Jackson will turn this into a heart rending film, with the same sort of magical realism that breathes throughout the book.

From literature to penny dreadful


Mitchell Graham - The Fifth Ring

Young boy living in rustic village comes into possession of a ring of great power, which reveals its powers to him bit by bit.
Sounds familiar? That was exactly what I thought when I picked it up from the bargain bin.
I started reading it out of sheer curiosity, trying to figure out whether it was as plagiaristic as I suspected. Unfortunately it was, but it reminded me more of Jordan's first book than Tolkien's. Fortunately, you can get through it quite quickly, making it an amusing read if you have the patience to read a rehash.

It's Something Unpredictable, But in the End it's Right

This weekend was the most wonderful one I had in a long time.

Friday was the main event: the wedding. Everybody that attended dressed in style, rode out to the hotel where we awaited the arrival of the happy couple. A brief lunch break was in order and then we were off to the actual ceremony. They both uttered the two most important words that were to be spoken that day. With the second "I do!" still ringing through the air, the applause resounded throughout the guests and the groom could kiss his lovely wife.
We moved on to a side room to congratulate the newlyweds and their relatives, after which we headed out for group pictures and a healthy helping of wedding cake.

Whilst they headed into the Efteling for more pictures, the rest of the guests retired to 't Maoske, where we were busy with the sound check for the band, talking with everyone we had not seen for a while and simply kicking back for a bit until the married couple would arrive.

They were welcomed with songs and cheers, were guided to their seats, after which they were laden with wedding gifts, too diverse to even try to enumerate.
After that came dinner, delicious and filled with conversation. And it was then that the groom finally heard from his bride where they would be spending their honeymoon.

The evening was filled with even more joy, as well as 150+ guests. Good music, plenty of drinks and even better company got me going throughout the night.
The band did (what I would consider) its best gig ever, with everyone blowing out all stops, rocking until the cows came home.

Then we partied some more, until - as all things must come to an end - finally we all had to return home. And I am quite sure that every single person who was there had the time of their lives.

It's Seven o'Clock And I Want to Rock

I finally had some time to read some of the books from the last couple of years worth. I headed in the right direction with the Dark Tower, re-reading The Drawing of the Three, in English this time, to get me some continuity once I get around to reading The Waste Lands. After that it was on to Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club. I had seen the movie, but the book was a bit more visceral. (although the translation I read was a bit literal at points, detracting a bit from the gritty atmosphere by making me chuckle)
But alas, Bookfest - bringer of cheap birthday gifts and lots of papery goodness - was in the neighbourhood once again, filling my bag with books and my queue with said books. On top of that, I really want to read Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones before I go watch Peter Jackson's adaptation.
Fortunately, these still only amount to a grand total of ten odd books, which could be cleared in less than a week, if I put my mind to it.

Tonight the band will have their grand rehearsal, the last one before the big gig tomorrow evening. We are certain to rock and roll all night. (and the party the next day as well)

T-minus 30 hours and counting

Another One Bites the Dust

Yesterday was a splendid, albeit long, day.
As I have mentioned before, one of my buddies decided to get married next Friday, so of course we had to throw him a bachelor party.
6.30 We opened their front door with a key he himself lent us, cranked up the volume on the instruments and had some buddies on the outside fire up the cans of calcium carbide. Two moderate explosions and one angry next door neighbour later the soon-to-be happy couple was awake and downstairs to the soothing sounds of our cacophony. After some pancakes and eggs sunny side up for breakfast, our bachelor was in a merry mood and at nine o' clock we were off with a band of fifteen merry men.
First stop, a recording studio where he was to record his first solo single.
A couple of takes later we were off to a couple of exhilarating games of laser tag, which left us drenched and parched.
Then off to lunch and the beer tasting. Some very bad jokes, a lot of glasses of beer and some sodas (for those of us who actually had to transport the others) we headed towards our penultimate activity: dinner.
Two hours of all-you-can-eat buffet seemed like a good idea at the time. And it proved to be so.
Then we hit the bars and clubs, busting some moves on the dance floor, kicking it back at another bar, shouting along to the songs being played at yet a third. At the end of the night his blushing bride-to-be joined us, along with a copule of her friends and the merriment continued until we finally dropped our party boy off at his home, where we would meet hime less than 12 hours later for our next rehearsal.
If we keep up this trend, we will actually party for an entire week once the last of the band members gets hitched.

Here goes to my voice returning within the hour. (T minus 6 days)

And She's Hotter Than Reality By Far

Just a small message this time.
The people from The Guild have posted their music video online to celebrate the start of season three tomorrow.
The Whedonesque fan in me is giddy with glee, as Jed Whedon works his magic once again, making me unable to wipe that silly grin off of my face whilst viewing the video.

So, without further ado here is:

Indulging in the Pleasures of This World

I am back again from the week that rocked.
Five days of semi-non stop promotional activities, lots and lots of liquids to keep from dehydration and an even larger group of first year students trying to immerse themselves in the recreational melting pot that is introduction week.
It was heaps of fun, introducing all the youngsters to roleplaying games and Japanese culture, some more reluctant than others. Luckily, most of them participated, or at the least, kept up a façade of interest throughout the demos we ran.
And then came the partying. Not many things can ruin the mood when you put together lots of students, drinks and music. And of course, none did.
Karaoke, late nights, early mornings and barely any sleep depravation might have made my week a little more tiring than others, but I would do it over again in a heartbeat.

To top it all off, this weekend's rehearsals were a cut above the rest. The final song of our repertoire took a couple of hours, but with the aid of some additional singers, it will sound terrific. (T minus 12 days and counting)

God Knows

I have been botching up rehearsals lately. Some of the new songs for the upcoming show are really getting to me. I miss the cue on Everybody Needs Somebody to Love and do not even get me started on The Wild Rover. The latter usually has me pause for too long, whereas the alternative, no pauses whatsoever and an equal amount of breathing space, might actually improve the song.
Fortunately, the musicians are actually picking up the slack, with the brass and reed section getting their parts just right and the ersatz drummer kicking the bass drum like never before. Amidst this all, the strings section (guitar, keyboards and bass) is doing some of best performance since the inception of the band.
Which leaves me the weakest link. Time to pick up the pace and practice at home as well as during the weekly sessions, as the clock is ticking. (T-minus 19 days and counting)

Luckily, time for books is still present.

Nagaru Tanigawa - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

If you are not familiar with Suzumiya Haruhi, you are either not into japanese animation or you have been hiding under a very, very big rock for the past couple of years. If any series has rekindled the the fanboys out there, it most certainly is this one. And at last the starting novel is available in a language I can read without referring to a dictionary every couple of lines.
A pity that it was not a more interesting book to wait for. The story is a bit bland, with most of the high school harem genre jokes making an appearance in the first couple of chapters. As with every light novel I have read so far, the twists were omnipresent, but none were surprising. Maybe it was the lack of depth to any character in the book or perhaps I lack the 'enlightenment' of those who have watched the anime, but it just did not float my boat.
Then again, when a writer has to compete with Kouhei Kadono, Kazuki Sakuraba, Keiichi Sigsawa and NisiOisiN, you might get disappointed a bit sooner than you would expect.

Now I am off for a week of introducing the new arrivals at Eindhoven to a wondrous world of roleplaying, served with a side dish of Japanese culture, whilst making sure their inebriated caretakers do not teeter too menacingly towards flights of stairs or poke their eyes out on deceptively soft pillows.

The Sauna Substitution

Another scorching afternoon marked the next rehearsal with the band. Our strings section was newly returned from holiday abroad, but unfortunately some of us had some bad luck as well.
Our percussionist was supposed to head out for rollerblading in Marseille tomorrow, but an unfortunate skating accident last week left him with a broken wrist and some very nice nurses taking care of him, whilst we were stuck without a drummer.
Well, he is still the drummer, but his arm will not be healed in time for the next couple of gigs.

Fortunately two persons were ready to jump into the fray.
So most of the time was spent going through the percussion schematics for each song with both of them, quarreling whom should play along with which song. Satisfactory arrangements were made and after a couple of hours the brass and reed section joined us for renditions of our all time favourites. Things are looking up as far as the repertoire is concerned, now if we could fit in some creative writing for this year's Carnaval song, all would be splendid.

Shake a Tail Feather

Yesterday I went to the Efteling again with some friends and their five year old niece. Suffice to say that the girl can be a handful to walk around with. But she was on her best behaviour all day. Then again, we had as much fun as she did on all the rides. Nothing beats strolling past all the fairy tales and taking in the atmosphere.
It also marked the date of my first ride on the Python. Squeamish as I am about roller coasters of the loop-de-loop kind, my friends persuaded me to go on it. Even though my irrational fear of being stuck upside down in the middle might not go away as easily as that ride, it at least made me realize that I can get on roller coasters and have a good time even while hanging upside down in the process.
(Now if only that pesky fear of heights would not be so persistent)

Chaos Reconstruction II

Vacation seems to take up most of my time with reading, watching movies and playing games. Business as usual. And as such, some reviews were in order.


Brick

I have waxed lyrically on Rian Johnson's other film, The Brothers Bloom, in one of my earlier posts. This movie is based on the same principle. Take two styles of movies and mash them up into an amalgamation of both. And Brick does that in spades.
Imagine a high school setting with your typical stereotypes: the jock, the spoiled little rich girl, the 'outcasts', the geek and the wise-ass protagonist. All of which are thrust into film noir cinematography, as the lingo and the plot twists soon reveal. Nothing is what it might seem and the entire movie just sweeps you off your feet. Kudos to mr. Johnson, I will be downloading your scripts and read them from cover to cover.



Anthony Burgess - A Clockwork Orange

From cinematics to the bibliophilic. Burgess' novel was a lot easier to get into than when I last read it. (a good ten years and a lot less experience with English novels ago)
The book takes some getting used to, with the lingo up the bazoomny on every page.
But after a couple of chapters you get the hang of whatever it is they're saying, no matter the situation. I must say I quite enjoyed the story, grim and grimy as it is, as well as the full circle storytelling that happens.


Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea

From books again to cinematics, of an animated kind this time.
Studio Ghibli released their latest creation, an adaptation of the Little Mermaid.
In lovely pastels and water colors, the Ghibli magic does its work once more.
Although the story is a bit childish and the imagery might have been a bit better, but I quite enjoyed it. Bring your little brothers/sisters, they will love it.




J.K. Rowling - The Tales of Beedle the Bard

To finish the final part of J.K. Rowling's saga, this little booklet gives you every little bed time story you want to read to aspiring witches and wizards (who should be in bed by seven, of course)
But it did prompt me, along with the Half-Blood Prince movie, to reread book six in the series. Hopefully I can find the lapses in the story.

Watch Me

And of course in some higher quality.



And of course for the Dutchies among you, the Museum of the 20th Century in Hoorn has an exposition fully dedicated to Alice going right now. Good times for all the fans of reverend Dodgson's book.

When Time Stands Still

As promised, my assessment of


Elizabeth Kostova - The Historian

The book starts off, as many a book does, with the introduction of the protagonist, a girl who remains nameless throughout the entire story. It starts like the gothic novels, by creating an atmosphere of dread, crampedness and the dusty, yet enticing, allure of libraries. As her father before her, she is studying history, through which she comes in to contact with a mysterious book, containing a wood cut print of an ornate dragon.
This is simply the prelude to what will encompass the greater part of the book: the travels of her father Paul and his search for his mentor Bartholomew Rossi, whom received a similar book. Along the way he is accompanied by Helen, an anthropology student and their trip takes them across the greater part of eastern Europe, to find his whereabouts. And all signs point towards the involvement of the Ordo Dracul, or at the least the one for whom they were named.
I will not spoil the plot any further, but as this could as well have been gleaned from reading the back cover, I do not think that any major revelations have been given.
The book is told in an epistolary fashion, through letters and diary entries, although the entire novel is more akin to a frame narrative, with the protagonist writing it as her memoirs, telling of her own travels in search of her father, the stories of her father and in turn the stories he learns from the people he meets and the letters and diaries he encounters.
It all makes for a very interesting adventure novel, which unfortunately, just like its inspiration, ends with a decidedly unsatisfactory ending. But then again, it is not a bad ending, just a little abrupt.
Should the book be bequeathed to you, do give it a read, you just might like it.


Cause in this world of troubles

More rehearsals, as always, this one decidedly less spectacular and moist than the last one. We jammed for the greater part of two hours, after which the brass section joined us for coordination of a new song. Unfortunately, this had them studying the notes for the rest of the session. We decided that we shall reconvene next Monday, to really get it together.
But it also heralded the renewal of my stint in music, as I decided, once I arrived back home, to pick up my dusty pile of scores and play some songs on my keyboard. Now if only I would rehearse the ones I am supposed to play.

The Sauna Sessions

Our band decided, once again, to rehearse during one of the hotter days of the last couple of weeks. Needless to say, we learned the hard way why music is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration.
Oddly enough the last two rehearsals were among the more productive ones we have had so far. Songs we had not played since 2006 sounded remarkably better than then. Apparently practice can make perfect. Some inpromptu renditions of Seven Nation Army, (with me warbling the vocals to the point that it did not matter that I did not know the lyrics) Brain Stew, We Will Rock You and Another One Bites The Dust. Last Tuesday had us playing a blues version of Vastenaovend Kaaiendonk, our 2006 Carnaval song, which was totally awesome, albeit quite loud.
This Saturday we will hopefully continue this merry music making, getting ready to add some brass to the songs we will perform during our next gig. (last time S&L, this time S&Y)
And if we can slip in some songs some people might not be expecting, even better.

Books That Go Bump In The Night

The Twilight Watch - Sergei Lukyanenko

I finally got around to reading the last book of the original trilogy and it certainly did not disappoint. More misanthropy, snide remarks and plotting lead to a couple of very interesting stories. And of course Anton still has to bear the brunt of it, not knowing whether he is really doing the right thing. But the fact that he seems so human, makes him recognizable. Even if he shifts into the Twilight every other page, Anton leaves the real spell slinging to the other Watch members, be they Light or Dark.
The book finally comes full circle with the confrontation between one of the first Others you encounter and Anton.


Boogiepop and Others: Boogiepop Doesn't Laugh - Kouhei Kadono

In contrast to the human behavior of Lukyanenko's protagonist stands Boogiepop.
Emotionless, distant and meticulous, this defender of justice keeps the streets safe, although most of the populace assume that it is simply an urban legend. The entire book consists of short stories, which are arranged in an anachronous order. Every story has a different protagonist that comes into contact with the recurring characters, being Boogiepop, tough girl Kirima Nagi and the chimeric humanoids Manticore and Echoes.
It is mostly a suspense story, with action taking over some of the scenes.
It really is a book you should read twice, if only to get a good grasp on the continuity of the story

All hope's lost, it can't be undone
This weekend also heralded my return to the ever enjoyable realm of MMORPGs, more specifically Guild Wars. Some friends and I decided to start, if only for the fact that you need a healthy alternative for all that UV-soaked fun you are having at the beach. And as such, I sincerily hope that grinding missions in Nightfall, with some friends sitting next to you doing the same, will be easier than dying in solo mode.

And of course I would not be me if during my daily travels some other forms of entertainment were not available. I am currently alternating between Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier, an RPG with beat'm'up comboing possibilities, and Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian, which has the makings of an enjoyable vampire novel, well-inspired by and heavily borrowing from Stoker's masterpiece.

The Mirror's Distortion

This blog is getting to be more and more about movies and less about books lately. But I will chalk this one up to the book first and foremost.

As some of you might know, Tim Burton has some upcoming projects. I am not going to direct my attention to 9 or Frankenweenie.
No, my attention was immediately drawn to his other project.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-glass has always been one of my favourite books. The story is creepy, over the top and the visual style of the writing is integrated in the book.
All this makes me grin like an idiot every time I read it.
And now Burton is going to let loose his own style on said world. Judging by the first screen shots this can only end well. So for it has this vibe of being somewhere in between the old Disney version and American McGee's Alice, which can only be a good thing.
Next to that, the cast is absolutely salivating, even more so than the 1999 mini series, which was already stacked with excellent celebrities.
No Burton is fully complete without Johnny Depp and his partner Helena Bonham Carter, or the musical accompanyment of Danny Elfman, all of which will be present.
But it is the rest of the cast which had me jumping for joy.
Largely unknown actress Mia Wasikowska will play Alice, which, judging by the picture, suits her just fine. But then we get the supporting cast: Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar, Christopher Lee as the Jabberwock, Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit, Matt Lucas as Tweedledum/-dee and the ever charismatic Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat. Now if only we could have Alan Davies as a card soldier trying to chase him.
This all proves to be a very, very, very interesting spring season for 2010.

On the same page, Frank Beddor's final part of the Looking Glass Wars has finally been announced. ArchEnemy will be released on October 15th, and with a bit of luck it will be available here as well on that date. If you have not read LGW (or of course, the novel that spawned it all), please give this Star Wars in Wonderland a go.

The Brothers Bloom

After reading the synopsis for the movie, I was convinced that it would be enjoyable.
And it was, but not as I imagined it to be at first. I envisioned it to be a 'long con' movie akin to the BBC's Hustle, but I could not have been further from it. Although I must admit that the roguish charm of it all did seem particularly in place.
The story starts off with a look at the youth of Stephen and Bloom Bloom. Through manipulation, misdirection and sheer ingenuity Stephen directs his 'marks' to do anything he wishes to. This sets the stage for the even grander adventures of the brothers, once again narrated in between, to eventually lead to the main plot of the movie. (As for myself, I would not have been adverse to additional segues into their childhood)
Their 'mark' is Penelope Stamp, an eccentric rich girl. Their goal 3.5 million dollars.Aided in this endeavour by Stephens knack for taleweaving, Blooms charm and their associate Bang Bang's explosive knowledge, the success of the con is but a car crash away.
An ocean cruiser, scarred mentors, mysterious Europeans.And all this served with a scoop of 1930s flair, the best magic trick ever and a dash of surrealism.

If you enjoy con jobs, Pushing Daisies, Hustle or that 1930s feel, you should definitely go watch it.
Definitely one that will end up on my DVD shelf.

Burning Grudges Behind Me

Time for some more bona fide books to talk about.

Ju-On - Kei Ohishi
If the movie had been only half as enjoyable as this book, then I might have actually recommended it to others to watch. The story jumps narrative perspective from protagonist to protagonist, coloring it with their opinions, observations and most of all, letting the supernatural get to you whilst wishing that history would not repeat itself.

Missing 2 - Gakuto Coda
Part 2 of the Missing series starts off where the last one ended. No nasty introductions this time, which leaves more pages for the actual story. Apparently chain mail letters can be deadly. And if Kidono does not counteract the curse soon, she just might be its next victim.
Nice to whet your appetite for a real book, but not much of a promising read of itself.

Currently, I am being preoccupied with Sergei Lukyanenko's Twilight Watch, the last book in the original trilogy. Maybe, just maybe, that giant pile of books is finally starting to shrink a little.

Silver Screen Folios

As I mentioned earlier, some books do make it to the big screen. Albeit that some come out of this transition less mangled than others.
So without further ado

Coraline
Stop-motion animation is a huge hit with me, ever since I first saw the trailer for The Nightmare Before Christmas. And even if Burton's directing is not present in this film, it still amazes from the very first frame until the last credit rolls by. Neil Gaiman's book has been adapted quite truthfully, with the obvious addition of certain scenes that show you the splendor of the world beyond the door. (as a picture, truly does speak a thousand words here)
The only thing I really did miss was the char coal drawing of the house, which was replaced with some very nice white-outing.

From the page to the screen

Reading has been on the backburner just a wee bit, what with a convention just passed and some games to be played (sadly not enough), some series watched (almost there) and some reacquaintance with old friends.
But there was still some reading involved in this maelstrom of activities. And although it was not totally planned, they do tie in nicely to the films that are currently showing in the theaters.

Coraline - Neil Gaiman

What can I say. Simply put, it is a kids' ghost story, with a nice dash of surrealistic Gaiman added to the mix. The story is sweet, enjoyable and I will probably end up reading it a couple of times in between other books, simply because it will only take an hour to finish.
And with a stop motion rendition of said book, how can you go wrong?

Digital Fortress - Dan Brown

I should have known beforehand that this would not be the book that would blow me away. The premise is believable enough, unless you actually understand the subject he is spouting nonsense about. Fortunately for me, one of my friends works for the cryptology department at the university and we could actually laugh about whatever mistake was made in the book.
All the crypto-babble aside, the book might not be even that bad, albeit predictable. A mysterious assassin, a government conspiracy, a know-it-all professor and some likely suspects. Sounds like a typical Brown novel to me. Considering that this was written prior to Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code, I am inclined to forgive the similarities. But maybe, mister Brown should really read a book by his esteemed colleague, mister Crichton, to see how you can actually incorporate babble of any kind without making it sound improbable.
Mayhap that the new Angels & Demons movie is actually enjoyable. (at least this one is restricted to the Vatican and the CERN complex)

A Dark Shadow Appears

Isabel Allende had me drooling for more with her rendition of Zorro.
No fancy swordplay for this masked caballero - at least not as much as you would expect.
Her story actually starts before the birth of Diego de la Vega and his milk brother Bernardo.
The passion between Alejandro, the soldier, and his soon-to-be wife Toypurna, the indian, literally ignites the pages., But more than that, the story does not take on a totally supernatural side, even with the spirit walks and shamanic intrigue of it all. After a Huck Finn worthy childhood, both Diego and Bernardo are sent to Spain to learn about the more civilized side of society. Needless to say that the encounters with brigands and lowlifes (highborn as they may be) could not have been more exemplary for the simple life they have led so far in Alta California. His first love, unanswered as with any romantic. His first real swordplay, flamboyant as expected. And his first encounter with injustice, outraged as any upstanding man would be. To protect his patron and his daughters, they cross Spain and the Atlantic, crossing paths with gypsies and pirates.
The return to his homestead can only be bitter sweet, as nothing is as he left it. As any great hero, the confrontation with his childhood adversary, as well as the man who wronged him in his ascendance to manhood, will lead to the climax of said story. The circle is complete, the boy has become the hero and although all is not well with the world, at least a glimmer of hope shines for any that need.
Allende's story is reminiscent of many hero tales, but also delves deeper in the psyche of said hero. Questioning his motives and his behavior where appropriate.

Heroes and Villains
The second thing that had me salivating was the latest doujinshi by OpenMinded. If you thought that their work in Bedtime Stories was mind blowing, then you will certainly appreciate what they have done with their latest brain child. All stories are set in the fictitious city of Samaritan, where all is not as well as it seems.
The entire setting is rife with moral ambiguity, as heroes employ shady tactics and villians might actually have a code to live up to. Through the use of printed media, YouTube virals and posters and city guide information in the book itself, they have made a setting that transcends what is presented. Though some characters are more likeable than others, all leave you with a sense of kinship and a wish to see more of them.
OpenMinded has proven, without a doubt, that they have transcended mere adaptation of the 'manga vibe' and have come into a style that is entirely their own. The drawings may appear to some more European than one would like, but it is exactly this style and the typical grand Japanese method of storytelling that defines that this is truly is a mesh of the best one could want: accessible art with great story.

I read and read, but it's never enough

A couple of books have been read in the meantime.

God's Other Son - Jon Imus

Quite the story. The premise of the story is a misguided boy turned televangelist and every sordid little detail in his life. It read a lot like the Giphart, Grunberg and Campert novels I read for Dutch class.

The Nymphos of Rocky Flats - Mario Acevedo

Starting out with vampires and nymphomania, the story quickly devolves in the pulpy novella I picked it up for. Acevedo tries to put his spin on the vampire genre and I must say that I quite like his ideas. Unfortunately, the involvement of aliens did tone down my impression a bit.

A Metropolitan Murder - Lee Jackson

This failed to impress me. Victorian London is one of my favourite settings, but the characters, the mystery and the deductions were less than impressive. Thank the deities I only borrowed it from the library.

Pokemon is getting along nicely. The league has been defeated and the first steps have been made towards IV and EV perfection. Only one trade to go before I can finally finish my team.

Massively Multi-threading RPG

As always, I am interested in way too many RPGs to focus on one at a time. As a result I am still trying to make progress in Persona 3 FES, Pokémon Pearl, Final Fantasy VI, I even managed to get in some leveling time in FF IX. My Pokémon team is about ready for the League. Just a couple of levels to go until they all reach the big 6-0, which should be sufficient to get rid of any pests awaiting me at the Indigo Plateau. Unfortunately, the game assumes you will not be using a Fire-type monster, as the entire route to the top consists solely of Water-, Rock- and Fighting-type critters, not the best location to level your lone Rapidash or Infernape (as those are the only two options you have prior to beating the game; barring any trades)
But perseverance will prevail, just as it has with Persona and eventually it will be OHKO for any and all that oppose me.
Now, time to remove the shrink wrap from my new copy of Chrono Trigger and see if I might squeeze in another game among the myriad already present

Kamikakushi, how things can be spirited away.

A bit of time has passed since the last post, but books have been read, games played and life happened to me whilst I was busy making other plans.
Firstly, my aunt passed away last Friday, she had been bad with her health for a while, but it still came as quite a shock. I do not think that I can express how much she meant to me in words, so I shall not try to. I will miss her dearly and hope she has gone to a better place. Her memory will be with us, always.

On to less personal matters.
Persona 3 is steadily coming along, with the in game calendar reaching the end of August before I knew it. The level grinding has become a bit less tedious as the team has been expanded with three new members, leading to a bit of variation in the party department. Nonetheless, the wipeouts have been as numerous as before, with one mid boss taking about five tries, each worth half an hour of gameplay at the least, because he kept charming my healers and thus gaining back its HP in larger quantities than I could dish out. Needless to say I saved the second I defeated it.
Pokémon Pearl has me chasing the Legendary Sprites in an attempt to complete my 'dex, so I can finally transfer my item hunters and egg hatchers from the Ruby cartridge. 7 Gyms down, only one left and after that the long and winding road to the Elite Four, which will hopefully give me time to level the current party (exempting the full HM user) into the 60+ region.
Let's see them beat that without using at least two moves.

My time spent reading books has been with the second Scrapped Princess novel and the first Missing volume. Scrapped Princess was a hoot, showcasing once more that an annoying girl like Pacifica cannot be disliked by anyone, even after they find out she is the one to bring about the destruction of the world. The ending chapters are both epic and saddening, as you know that despite their best efforts, the Casulls will still be fugitives when the day is done.
Which of course made me a bit sad when I remembered that volume three is probably the last one I'll be able to read for a long time.
Missing 1: Spirited Away did not have the same impact on me as Scrapped Princess, but the journey into the shadow realm kind of reminded me of Persona. The book tries a bit too much, setting the relationships between the main cast, trying to get in a mysterious organization, unknown benefactors, supernatural happenings and perhaps a little romance. But I think I will let it slide for this time, as it was probably meant as a setup novel for the series, so my hopes are high for the second novel, as all the time introducing characters can finally be spent doing some storytelling.
The week's end will probably see me finishing Kino no Tabi 1 and Scrapped Princess 3, with perhaps some real literature thrown in for good measure.

Knight of Brabantia

My friend and I were in for a big surprise this weekend. Friday night was the society ball for the local Carnaval groups and as we were chosen to perform this year's song, we hadbeen told it was 'mandatory' for us to attend. At said event we soon found out that people were being rewarded for their contribution to Carnaval by means of a certificate. Nothing out of the ordinary so far, as some of the band members are avid builders and their group has come in first in most of the parades since their insurrection. We were entirely blindsided when they announced our names and called us to the stage, were we received aforementioned certificate, a medal and were 'knighted in the order of the Princely Smulnar.'
Fortunately, all this fame and glory has not gone to my head, so one need not fear my retribution should one forget to address me appropriately. (^_-)

Bookfest, Please!

I just finished reading the novelization of Onegai Teacher, but it failed to impress me much.
The entire book is presented as episodes in between the anime, that serve to add some back story to the relationship between Kei and Mizuho. Now I was expecting service to be present in the book to some extent and the first four stories did give no surprises in that respect, but the final story and the epilogue did. I am still not decided whether I should be appalled by the semi explicit implicity of these two, or to applaud Go Zappa for going beyond the boundaries of the series and introducing not only sexual innuendo but the carnal acts as well.
Fortunately, the next books on my never shrinking pile will probably be Gakuto Coda's Missing and some combination of Nurarihyon no Mago, Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro, Tsubasa and some Tsukihime for good measure.

On to the reason for my neverending supply of reading material.
Approximately once every month the Bookfest will come to a city in Belgium or The Netherlands, bringing with it folios, paperbacks, deluxe editions, computer programming books, comic books and whatnot, all at a very reasonable price.
Needless to say that I usually try to visit at least a couple of them each year.
Yesterday was one of those occassions and verily, it did deliver unto me some nice new volumes. Not too much, but enough manga to get me through a rainy day and some books to while away the weary travel to and fro university. (as if Pokémon and banter with friends could not entertain me otherwise)

Now I need only prepare for a weekend filled with birthday parties and conventions to attend.

Twas brillig when I typed this post

I finally finished Seeing Redd last night and it was one of the best books I read the last couple of months. Granted, I have not been reading that much lately, but everything else still paled in comparison to the spectacle that was Frank Beddor's second LGW novel.
To give an impression of the series: Imagine Star Wars
Now transfer that to Lewis Carroll's Wonderland, or at least something that mostly resembles it.
You have your young prodigy that has lost her parents (our protagonist, Alyss Heart); her childhood love and brave palace guard (Dodge Anders) and a malevolent force bent on taking over as the 'rightful ruler' of Wonderland (enter long lost aunt Redd, nee Rose)
The sequence goes as expected, princess defeated, sent into exile to Earth and the entirity of the Queendom goes to ruins. She lives for 13 years as Alice Liddell and inspires Charles 'Lewis C' Dodgson to write a novel. Returning in secret, she defeats her aunt with the aid of her loyal followers, Dodge, advisor Bibwit Harte and her personal bodyguards, Hatter Madigan and Homburg Molly.
Redd escapes, with her most trusted assassin, by jumping into a maelstrom of power.
This, of course, is just a short summary of the first part of the Looking Glass Wars, the book of the same name.
The second book continues in the same vein, with conspiracies, Dark Imagination, razor card rifles, whip-grenades and everything you might find in a science fiction novel instead of this more fantasy themed setting.
Now it will be a long wait until the third book is finally released, but that just leaves me more time to reread the other two and reacquaint myself with reverend Dodgson's books.

Eidolon, Esper, Persona, Pokémon, it's all the same

I've been occupying myself the last couple of weeks with Persona 3: FES. And I must say, it has been an interesting game so far. For an avid grinder like myself, the idea of being forced out of a dungeon, because your party is tired, seems a bit distracting from gameplay. But the game has so many distractions that you scarcely mind staying out of harm's way for a couple of days. You go to the movies, exercise at the gym, sell all that hard earned loot and make sure you do not miss those scripted events or you will have to load your last save game again.
Saving seems to be the only thing that has been bugging me about Persona 3. The game has 2 save points, one located in your dorm and one located just outside of your random dungeon. Usually this does not pose such a problem, but once the Full Moon events of the game get started, it can be a hassle. Last night I was playing through the third sequence and when I finally got to defeat the boss, my main got hit by a critical strike that hurt him for his HP and then some. Needless to say, I was quite p'd off, but worse yet, I had to load and go through the same set of cut scenes once more, without any option to skip them. All in all I spent an hour (including the first run) to finally kill the darn boss, and I still played the game for about two hours after that. I guess I am hooked, as I imagine it will not be the last time that such a scenario might occur, but nonetheless I will definitely keep playing this, as I am a sucker for a good RPG.

On the same front I have been steadily making progress with Final Fantasy VI Advance. The advent of some new spells and Espers made me giddy with joy. And as it stands, my party is killing Cactuars left and right to get those sorely needed AP to fill up their magic lists. After that it will be a quick trip to the Veldt and levelling in the Dinosaur Forest to abuse the stat boosts of those friendly pieces of magicite.

As if this would not keep me occupied, it just so happens that some friends and I have started our own internal Pokémon competition, so I guess I'll finally have to blow the dust off my cartridge and show those Elite Four that you should have a more balanced team than just the one type.