When the series came out on AMC almost everyone I knew was watching TWD. I tried, multiple times, to make it through the pilot and turned if off as soWhen the series came out on AMC almost everyone I knew was watching TWD. I tried, multiple times, to make it through the pilot and turned if off as soon as the first zombie entered the scene. How cheesy... Eventually the show about a group of survivors clicked and I binge-watched the first two seasons, then stuck with it until they killed Glen. It was interesting to read the source text and see how many of the key moments of season 1 were all contained in the first book. While the series, for me, was stronger because of the character development and the evolving challenges they faced to survive, the graphic novel is delivered with such breathless speed that the reader is propelled forward with Rick Grimes and company....more
To help improve my language skills I read a Spanish translation of Collins' novel. Los Juegos del Hambre gave me a lot more time to contemplate the baTo help improve my language skills I read a Spanish translation of Collins' novel. Los Juegos del Hambre gave me a lot more time to contemplate the background story which I had breezed over in English. I questioned what society would profit off the government-endorsed extermination of children which is both a form of political suppression and entertainment. Then I recalled that the Republican party in the United States has, for generations, protected their NRA funding by blocking any sensible gun legislation, offering empty "thoughts and prayers" when children are murdered with AK-47s. These self-proclaimed religious "right" Republicans have also blocked climate science measures, putting future generations of humanity in peril. Never mind their profiteering off imprisonment, immigrant detention centers, and coordinated voter suppression of minorities to protect their status while generating irrational fear among their voter base to stay in power. A world in which a government profits from killing children to oppress the greater population is not fictional... perhaps the entertainment part is?
Katniss Everdeen is an independent teenager who fills in for her father as a provider for her family. She becomes an unwilling heroine of her Appalachia-inspired district when she volunteers as a tribute to replace her younger sister in the annual Hunger Games. Two children per district are given up in exchange for resources as part of an organized suppression of the districts following a failed uprising against the Capitol. The story tracks the evolution of Katniss from a child into a “brand”. She earns sponsors while simultaneously developing a strong motivation to lead the rebellion that carries her into the following books in the series. I can't help but admire Katniss as she handily claims the mantle of action hero from young men, while remaining a female protector. This is the first in a series and focuses on the establishment of the characters, but only touches upon the political aspects that are fleshed out in the later books of the series. Hunger Games also tackles issues of income inequality, social justice, and the delicate balance of a corrupt government wielding control over a much larger population. "May the odds be ever be in your favor."...more
Like others, I watched the series and picked up the first novel to add a new dimension to the characters. The concept is interesting, but so much moreLike others, I watched the series and picked up the first novel to add a new dimension to the characters. The concept is interesting, but so much more forgivable as a TV series. A space station has been circling a post-apocalypse earth for at approximately 300 years, and is somehow able to support a population large enough that they can throw away 100 teenagers. These kids are dropped on earth with no skills, survival training, nor resistance to any type of diseases. This is YA, but I anticipated a little more from it considering the series which expands the characters and diversity of the cast. ...more
The fascinating thing about this text is that it reads like the source material for numerous male orphan heroes, including Harry Potter, Luke SkywalkeThe fascinating thing about this text is that it reads like the source material for numerous male orphan heroes, including Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker and Superman. A child fated for greatness who, with little to no training, rises on inborn skills rises to make the world a better place. A boy king who is qualified by fate to rule an island nation. Impressive that these stories have been carried down for centuries, but others made more with the Arthurian legends, even Kennedy's White House. Like many oral fables which were eventually written down, this volume is a series of loosely joined stories--sketches, more accurately--which can become repetitive and sometimes confusing where superhuman characters achieve incredible feats. There are many battles, knights, mythological figures, and "smiting". One mild surprise, these supposedly religious people who go in search for the holy grail are actually highly superstitious heathens spoiling for war and plunder....more
For the 50th anniversary of the James Bond franchise I decided to pull the original text of “You Only Live Twice” off the shelf. I understand it is onFor the 50th anniversary of the James Bond franchise I decided to pull the original text of “You Only Live Twice” off the shelf. I understand it is one of the weakest of the series and without having read the others I have to second that opinion. I grew up on Bond movies (one of my earliest memories is watching “The Man with the Golden Gun” at the drive-in) and have seen the majority of the films. It was refreshing to see a human Bond in these pages. Can you imagine the movie version of Bond taking luggage through the airport? Being excited about a mission? In emotional conflict over a woman? Being a drunken boor? This is Ian Fleming’s Bond.
More than half of the short novel tracks his being drunk on sake and clueless about Japanese culture. The fast-paced final chapters cover his mission; to destroy his arch nemesis Ernst Starvro Blofeld, who has taken up residence in Japan. He is doing this as a personal favor. I can swallow the majority of the story, but come on, Blofeld is able to scout out a location in Japan, win over the government, set up a “Castle of Death” where the Japanese go to kill themselves (the Japanese are overwhelmingly suicidal?), recruit members from the Black Dragons, import tropical plants and piranha from around the world, and set up his compound in under 9 months? Then he does not recognize Bond when he comes to kill him? The same man who had just murdered James’ wife. Really? I just can’t get behind it.
The one thing I am taking away is M’s “eulogy” of Bond, when he is believed to be dead, which not only gives his history (he’s an orphan?) and his succession of careers in the spy game. This was not one of the better movies, but the title is great and Soft Cell’s version of the theme song even better. Stick with the music....more
We are living in the age of “alternative facts” and millions of people are more likely to believe fake news that agrees with their own opinion than chWe are living in the age of “alternative facts” and millions of people are more likely to believe fake news that agrees with their own opinion than challenge their views when reading well-researched journalism that disagrees. It was refreshing to read a novel where people use deductive reasoning and their own observations to piece together the truth. As a child I loved mysteries and devoured them by the shelf-full, so it came as a shock that I had never a read single Sherlock Holmes story. Doyle grandfathered many of the standards of the detective novel, and within the pages of The Hound of the Baskervilles can be seen almost every Scooby-Doo plot: some greedy person leverages localized mythology and scary creatures to frighten others away from something of value. The entire novel is told from Dr. Watson’s point of view, and a modern day critique (although a style of the time) is that every chapter is relayed in exactly the same manner despite the format: exposition, letter, and diary entry read exactly the same quoting characters as if taking dictation. The majority of the novel is spoken, making it for a quick and engaging read (and easily translated to TV or film), with Holmes delivering a long monologue to wrap up the details of the case in the final pages. While there are dead ends and red herrings sprinkled throughout, the reader is given many clues along the way to help unravel the mystery along with Watson and Holmes. ...more
Was there any point in reading the source material for a movie so iconic that it can be recognized by Janet Leigh's scream? This brief book with its sWas there any point in reading the source material for a movie so iconic that it can be recognized by Janet Leigh's scream? This brief book with its series of consecutive murders reads quickly, and even knowing the "reveal" it was still enjoyable. Norman Bates, a middle age and unstable loner at the edge of town fits the profile of a serial killer, and getting inside his head in how he rationalizes his "mother's" actions gives some insights that Hitchcock did not fully explore. It also makes more sense than having the younger, and handsome, Anthony Perkins play the killer.
However, the characters are flat, with the victim, Mary, who only appears briefly before her untimely death, being the only complex woman. Her sister, Lila, seems to be only there to drive the plot with her anxiety and never even takes credit for her pushing the investigation. Norman's mother, Norma, is an extreme caricature. With the exception of Norman Bates, the men are interchangeable.
A modern reading of the novel reveals some issues with the text. In the final pages, Sam Loomis, who is the first victim's fiancé, summarizes the doctor's opinion of Norman Bates. Let's leave aside the question of how the doctor was able to get all the details of the 20-year old double homicide of Norman’s mother and her lover out of his patient, or why the doctor was sharing this information with Sam. Bates is described as a transvestite, which is incorrect, and along with a similar serial killer in The Silence of the Lambs, would be considered transphobic today. Norman does not dress up as a woman, he dresses up to become his mother; this is a huge difference. Similarly, he does not have multiple personality disorder, in which the personalities operate independently from each other, but more possibly suffered from schizophrenia, in which he lives in an alternative reality where his mother survived....more
It is amazing that this novella about the enlightenment of a curmudgeon has been adapted so many times but has remained fairly true to the source. TheIt is amazing that this novella about the enlightenment of a curmudgeon has been adapted so many times but has remained fairly true to the source. These ghostly visitations and characters are so entrenched in our culture that “Scrooge” and “Bah Humbug” are clearly defined in our lexicon outside of this text. Some believe that this man-we-love-to-hate character was based on Dickens’s own father, with whom he had a fraught relationship; sometimes authors use their craft to work on complicated relationships. Having read much of Dickens work this piece benefits from brevity (not so long winded and wandering as some of his episodic fiction), and is told in very cinematic prose long before film. This is a piece to be performed, and he did so frequently, acting it out with the character’s voices. It might not be his best writing, I found it hard to swallow Scrooge’s rapid transformation, and could do without the waxing rhapsodic of the benefits of traditional family life. However, the message that we are better people when we help others, and must think about the legacy we leave and the people we touch, is a message that is just as relevant today. This rags to riches story or a young man who becomes distracted by endless pursuit of money villainizes greed and reminds us of our own mortality. Curious if this story has ever influenced anyone to change their ways… but it’s the thought that counts. Kudos to Dickens for drawing attention to the plights of poor children....more
I will need to add this novel to the very short list of books that were bested by the movie version, though this one was based on the film. Lucas’ useI will need to add this novel to the very short list of books that were bested by the movie version, though this one was based on the film. Lucas’ use of alliteration is so overdone that it becomes annoying. If I weren’t so familiar with the iconic movie that I can play the scene in my head alongside the text, I would have given up on this book after the first few pages; cheesy dialogue is much worse on the page than on the screen. The book does warm up as the story builds, but for those looking to “fill in the blanks” of character and motivation—where books have an advantage over film—you won’t find that here, which was my main disappointment. Considering the success Lucas had with the movie, you’d guess he’d get a good ghostwriter or at least an editor…...more
I honestly remember this being written up in the paper when I was in grade school. My chums and I wanted to go to stay overnight in the infamous Long I honestly remember this being written up in the paper when I was in grade school. My chums and I wanted to go to stay overnight in the infamous Long Island house and disprove their findings. Much later in life I drove past the original location and was surprised at how innocuous this house was, situated on a middle-class block. The movie version of this story, which was much more interesting, (and only the first movie, the rest are incredibly bad) got a better location in NJ to shoot with a huge yard and boathouse. The book is a little silly and overwrought, but is sort of enjoyable. Bleeding walls? Floating pigs with red eyes? Swarms of houseflies? Indian burial grounds in your basement? It’s all here…...more
When I started reading this book I was unaware that the author also wrote the screenplay. I was initially surprised at how closely the movie kept to tWhen I started reading this book I was unaware that the author also wrote the screenplay. I was initially surprised at how closely the movie kept to the book, but I found the film, which is an American horror classic, easier to forgive. The story vacillates between an atheist mother who is desperately trying to help her afflicted 12 year old daughter and a stoic priest who has had his faith challenged. The child’s illness tests the limits of medical knowledge and psychiatry. The priest, Damien Karras, is also a trained doctor and has an internal struggle between science and superstition. The mother becomes convinced that her daughter is possessed by a demon, and the weird noises, unusual languages and levitating furniture (common for most preteens), confirms the diagnosis. The child, who may have been possessed via an Ouija Board, needs an exorcism, even if her daughter only believes that she is possessed. While this book is a page turner, it rings increasingly hollow and the frantic mother grasps for straws, the priest struggles with his own doubts and ego, and the child’s possession continues to be questioned. Harder to swallow are the physical feats such as having the girl’s head spin 360 degrees. However, credit is due to the author for pursuing questions about belief, the place of religion in liberal society, and the power of the mind....more
As a gothic teen I gorged myself on pulp horror books and movies including Flowers in the Attic. We all make mistakes in life, but Corinne, who elopedAs a gothic teen I gorged myself on pulp horror books and movies including Flowers in the Attic. We all make mistakes in life, but Corinne, who eloped against her the wishes of her religious, intolerant, but incredibly wealthy parents, decides to return home after becoming a widow and tries to erase her past. True, parents do sometimes murder their children so they can be unburdened, but to do so gradually and intentionally over months in order to reclaim her inheritance is especially cold. The sordid story was transferred to a more digestible film with a very attractive cast.... hello, Jeb Stuart Adams. ...more
This is one of the very few books I have ever read based on a movie; the last two were Videodrome and Star Wars, to give you some context. It was a peThis is one of the very few books I have ever read based on a movie; the last two were Videodrome and Star Wars, to give you some context. It was a perfectly fine verbatim capture of the film, but the movie is much stronger, interesting, and gripping than the novel (and has the sexy Lt. Hawk who can call me any time he is visiting NYC). If it had filled in some of the back story, such as Picard’s capture by the Borg, which is covered in the series and only briefly in the movie, than I might have enjoyed the book more, but the novelization does not deliver....more
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