Day Watch (Dnevnoĭ Dozor), 2007

I had been wanting to watch this again ever since reading the books. I am still waiting for the first one, Night Watch, to come in from the library, but I think it got stuck (lost?).

Anyway, the DVD really sucks in comparison to the film I saw at Boardman's Art Theater. And it's not just the quality of the medium (which is significant, just not alone in the list). Right off, I was hugely disappointed in the old-style, blocking subtitles. What happened to the artsy, tasteful, really cool subtitles?!? Another thing, I did not remember the soundtrack being so bland (in fact, muted in most cases); was the original film like that?

In and of itself, the flick was not as great as I remembered it. I am going to have to chalk it up to being 2 years later and my memory emphasized the more catchy aspects. And I really subconciously buried how much the movie differed from the book. In fact, how can they even think of doing Twilight Watch on the silver screen?!?

One good think about the DVD was the extra features. Watching the "making of" really reminded me what an awesome job the actors did, especially Galina Tyunina who had to act as Anton. Interesting views from the actors themselves, and we got a glimpse at the awesome reception this work received in the homeland. Good stuff.

I still really appreciate how the movie brings the book to life. I still want to see the others.

The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, by Barry Hughart

The chronicles actually include three pieces by Barry Hughart; this review will cover the first two, "Bridge of Birds" (1985) and "The Story of the Stone" (1988). I'll read and review the last of the trilogy later.

I loved these books! They are extremely witty, alive with fantastical ancient stories of China ("that never was"), and full of adventure. Just very pleasant and satisfying reads.

Master Li is a hoot. I enjoy that the stories are told from the prospective of Number Ten Ox, his "esteemed former client and current assistant". Number 10 tells a great, epic tale; for a simple peasant, he has quite wonderful understanding of the world around him, yet he belabors his point with very simple language. I love how Mr. Hughart spins a very crafty web using these two eclectic characters, and manages to pull in various supporting characters who are strong in their own right. The supporting cast really helps to give the story a sense of depth while at the same time providing plenty of comic relief; Barry Hughart weaves both these elements together with mild suspense plot twists into an excellent story-telling extravaganza.

Not being familiar with any Chinese mythologies, I have no idea how important the "August personage of Jade" is, but Hughart conveys a clear sense of awe for the local gods, and their interaction with the various folks running around China. In the "Bridge of Birds", we get a taste of that divine interplay with some interesting results, often humorous, and always dramatically showing how mankind yearns for the beuatiful, the wonderful, the fantastic, the excellent. "The Story of the Stone" takes a slightly darker twist on the same story, dealing more with death and the afterlife, yet still sprinkled liberally with Master Li's gunslinger style and Number Ten's ... oxish, yet innocent charm. I really enjoyed the descriptive elements Hughart writes with; not so much the attention to detail about the environment, but rather the incredibly lucid insight into various thought processes that allow the reader to dive into the character's heads. Master Li is my hero! =)

I eagerly look forward to reading the third installment, but right now I am taking a break with something completely different.

Cosmos Incorporated, by Maurice G. Dantec

This was the second of three books that I experimented with, and it also failed the "first chapter" test. I felt that the author went way too overboard trying to be technical and "computeristic". Some interesting potential, but even I who am into the geeky computer jargon thing got lost with this one. I wanted a semi-believable escape into a surrealistic future, not a reference manual.

Hell and Earth, by Elizabeth Bear

I picked up a few books in the library's NEW section, just to see what I could see. I told myself I would read the first chapter, and if I liked it, I would read it. Only one of the three passed that litmus test. This was not one of them.

The opening chapter was too... pedantic is the only word that comes to mind. It did not draw me in. Where are the faeries? What's the connection? Who is Queen Mab? I do not know what this book was trying to be, but it was not it for me.

The Age of Heros, by Brandon Sanderson

I really like the way Mr. Sanderson wrapped up his Mistborn series. He draws together a lot of loos threads; and for once, the loose threads that he intentionally leaves hanging do not bother me that much. They are not the kind of jangling bits of plot line that inherently shout SEQUEL, which I so hate. Although the 15th and 16th metals are huge open doors....

I again appreciated the running journal entries that preceded each chapter; they added depth and extra back-story. There were some really interesting developments in this last book, and it shows that Brandon had time to think about and mature his story. And I felt that he did an excellent job at it.

It would be sorta kinda interesting to read more about Mistborn, but I fear that it would get ground into the earth, like how Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" series just killed itself by too many sequels, or the Edding's Belgarath series which got to be a bit too repetitive. I am glad Sanderson stopped here - great books.

Homeworld2, 2003

5 years after the game was released, I finally bought it. $10, including s/h. =)

I decided against Sins of a Solar Empire, which is much newer and produced by IronClad with StarDock, both of which I have a lot of respect for. I was very tempted to go with SOS just to support them. So why didn't I?

Homeworld2, much like Homeworld, has awesome graphics. Not as good as EVE Online (in terms of ship detail and scale), but the scenery is excellent (although highly unbelievable), the ship ion trails are great, the action is lively - that was one thing I really missed in SOS, as it was very hard to track ships while riding piggy-back, which I do a lot. While I enjoy the planetary aspect of SOS (and the more diverse tech tree), Homeworld focuses on being a space game.

My one biggest pet peeve with Homeworld, and my one major reason for not giving it two thumbs up, is that the different races have exactly the same ships!! What the heck!?! And it pisses me off that after thousands of years and I don't know many eons, I still have to research basic things like "advanced torpedoes". That is just plain stupid. I wished the game would doing something a little more realistic; the idea of capturing and acquiring Mover technology is a step in the right direction, and there should be much more focus on that. And what about those stupid Bentusi? "All-wise"? I love the high-tech nature of their background (pacifist dogs), but they are just plain naive.

Due to the fact that both the races have more or less exactly the same tech tree and ships, the "player vs cpu" option is just about pointless. I used it to get me ready for the singler-player. That is one good thing about Homeworld - the single-player campaign is very well developed. SOS has no single-player. At least the SOS player vs. cpu is interesting enough. It was more built for online play, and at that I would have to venture it excells. But I am not an online player. Maybe some day...

Homeworld scores high in looks, sounds effects and musical score. Replay is practically shot. I like it, but I no longer love it.

And the battlecruisers just seem weak. I wanted them to have much more punch. I liked the heavy cruisers from the first one much better. The Infiltraor/Marine frigates are somewhat novel, but underplayed. And how do you "infiltrate" something like a hyperspace gateway with marines??

Guess I'll start looking around for the MODs already. =) I really like the Babylon5 mod for the first Homeworld (although I never played a version that was fully developed). And I never found a mod with a fully developed single-player campaign, either, which would be really cool.

The Twilight Watch, by Sergei Lukyanenko

The last book of Lykyanenko's series is great! An excellent way to cap off some wonderfully entertaining, intelligent, witty, grisly, epic stories. Imagine how bummed I was when I heard that Timur Bekmambetov is putting off the movie productions because they are too similar to Wanted! What the heck is he thinking!?!? Too similar?!? Is Star Wars too similar to Star Trek? Is Barney too similar to The Wiggles? (Don't answer that last one)

Anyway, Sergei did an excellent job detailing a lot of the backstory. While not always intellectually satisfying (I think I found some loopholes), the explanation of "power" that is available to Others was intriguing. And the author just happened to hit that special nitch of anthropological discussion that was appropriate in a sci-fi setting; I personally find that thrilling. *grin* Call me weird. The movies and books are almost sold as horror/thriller flicks, but that is not the flavor you get after reading the books at all. Even the movie was not "horror" at all. Strange, maybe. Alien. But horror?

The ending was strange. One of the loopholes. We have one of the cast of characters who is suddenly elevated to "most supreme" status and everyone wants to take him down. Yet, he is young, therefore a little immature and inexperienced. Even so, given the what we have learned about Twilight Power, how is it even possible that "everyone" could become Others - the net potential of power would dip, no, rather landslide to a negative rating. No more power.... or maybe that is what they want? Another thing... the spell was supposed to work for everyone in the caster's line of vision? Regardless of many hundreds of miles away they were? Whatever... if that was so, than half the world would have been transformed already.

Anyway, great book, great series. Now I really want to see the movies! And I do not say that often about a book/movie deal. Get off your butt, Timur! *grin*

The Night Watch, by Sergei Lukyanenko

After reading this book, I start to see how the movie relates. So, first off;
Lukyanenko wrote 3 books, in the following order: Night Watch, Day Watch, Twilight Watch. They are all part of the Night Watch series, and are sometimes called Night Watch, Night Watch II and Night Watch III. The movie that I saw (DayWatch) actually takes one small section from Night Watch, dealing with the Chalk of Fate (there are 3 books within each novel). I suspect the movie NightWatch, being a prequel to DayWatch, deals with the other 2 book the precede the Chalk of Fate in Night Watch. Yes, that was quite confusing to me as well. And there are still discrepancies between the movie and the book; ironically, having seen the movie, my mental images of Anton, Egor, Svetlana and the rest of the cast have been permanently affixed.

So, anyway, The Night Watch. I like the way Lukyanenko writes. While sometimes dull, the main character's introspection provides a lot of rich background to the story. I did not realize this when I read the book called Day Watch (all along I thought the book was related to the movie, but it is only slightly related). The idea of remoralization is rather interesting, and Lukyanenko starts to build a picture of a kind of "good vs evil" plot. But the "good" guys are not perfect, and the "evil" guys are not all bad. This makes the story seem a little more real, and little more believable. The magic system is a bit far-fetched, but I found it refreshingly so. The Twilight is a huge mystery, and it seems that even the most powerful folks do not fully understand it. I find the various players, their skill levels and individual personalities quite fascinating. In a way I am glad I saw the movie first, because it set the stage for my mind to have awesome special affects preprogrammed! *grin*

Saint Antony's Fire, by Steve White

I have never really been a big fan of alternative history, and this book just reinforced that idea. And the whole thing with the stereotypical alien is just way too over-the-top for me. What is this, a circus?

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, 2007

Blah. I am tempted to leave it at that.

There are so many divergences from the comics that I easily loose track of the connection. Perhaps that is the intent? Interesting how Stan Lee's cameo was only to be refused at the glorified wedding. That my favorite part, and that is saying something.

Way too much CGI. With all the other horrible liberties taken, I am surprised they stuck with Norrin Radd's background. And more on that.... Doug Jones, another very interesting fellow. He wears a lot of make-up in his other movies, so much so that one would never recognize him as the same man who was in Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth, and others.

And I'll leave it at that.

XXX: State of the Union, 2005

This was not bad for a B-Movie. Unfortunately, it is not a b-movie. I'm sorry, but Ice Cube is no replacement for Vin Diesel. The tech was unbelievable, the acting so-so (the college-kid sidekick was horrible), the plot extremely thin, special-effects anything but special. For instance, the "half mil car" with something 1000 horsepower or whatever. The Bugati Veyron has 1001 horses and can achieve over 250 mph, but only with special adaptations that allow the car to stay on the road. The movie's roadster looked rather plain for such a car, and somehow it was able to jump a bank, waddle around on the train tracks for a while before loosing the tires and riding the rails bare??!? Whatever.

I did not like Dafoe or Jackson, either. Everytime I see Dafoe doing something military, I think of his poorly-casted role as John Clark in Clear and Present Danger, and Jackson always harkens me back to Pulp Fiction.

Quantum of Solace, 2008

I really like Daniel Craig as a James Bond character; a pleasant change from Brosnan (*gag*). The car scene at the beginning was appropriately great; good bang 'em up. And the chase scenes on top of, to the side of and through buildings was excellent. I am curious how many of his own stunts Craig does. Very impressive stuff regardless.

But the story was a bit lame. And I have always hated Bondesque boat chases - they are so contrived and nothing resembling reality. Granted, a lot of the movie is that way, but I can live with most of it. But not boat chases. And back to the story.... it just did not grip me at all. Maybe I missed it, but I have no clue what "Quantum" was even supposed to be.

Personally, I rather trade the Brosnan-era, including all the fun gadgets, for the hard-hitting, gadgetless Craig era. I just hope the story writers get with it.

Sins of a Solar Empire, by Stardock/Ironclad

In light of my earlier post on Stardock, I was playing the demo for Sins. It is a good game, and I am hugely disappointed there is no single-player story. Grrr!!

I cannot help but feel like this game was hugely inspired by Homeworld, with a little bit of Galactic Civilizations thrown in. The graphics are great (not awe-inspiring, but great) and the gameplay is refreshingly easy to grasp. The ships scale well (fighters and bombers are really small, planets are big). The sounds leave something to be desired, and I was hoping more from explosions (it is appropriate that the capital ships leave debris, but they all explode and fragment the same way). Also, as I am only playing the demo, I have read that it is possible for one of the races to upgrade to a level where you can target specific sub-systems. I hate that. This should be something that any race, any ship can do. Even if you only target a physical part of the ship (aft, port, starboard, bow). I was also disappointed by the tech tree - it is not bad, but I want more of out of it, especially since there is no single-player scenario. On the other hand, I was really impressed that some of the games can take hours upon hours; this can be a bad thing, if all you are doing is waiting. The slow pace of the game is good to some degree; or rather, good for certain aspects. It is nice that you can complete a black market deal without having to just close the window and frantically jump to the system that is under attach. The flip side is that the weapons are notoriously weak; it takes a long time to pummel other ships and planets. It is an interesting choice, especially when you figure that genre-setting building blocks like Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica allowed capital ships to annihilate fighters and corvette-class ships with a single shot; even fighters had enough firepower to obliterate another fighter. But not in this game.

The nuance of "persuasion" and "culture" are interesting; I have not yet been able to fully test how effective it is in the demo, but I can at least see my culture spreading.

I am very tempted to buy this game. I like the direction that Stardock and Ironclad are going, but I really miss the single-player element. We will see....

Jhegaala, by Steven Brust

I was joyed to see a new book by Brust; I have really enjoyed his other pieces, and looked forward to this one. I have to admit, I was at first a bit confused about where this story in the Vlad timeline, but it became a little obvious once we learned he was carrying Spellbreaker. A little.

I really like the way Brust writes. I like Taltos as a character, especially. As mentioned previously, Vlad is a swash-buckling sort of guy. I also like the intrigue the Brust builds into his story and players. One thing that struck me about Jhegaal was that there was not a lot of ton of action involving the super-powers, or even the warlocks, sorcerror/wizzard types ("elves" or Dragaeran). This was mostly about the Easterners, Vlad's homebodies. And Brust does a great job painting this folk as being more alien to Vlad, which sets the scene for a great little mystery/drama.

One thing that is a little jarring to a reader like me is the months-turned-years wait between reading of the various stories. I am glad I got to read the Amber in one monster volume; reading about Vlad in piece-meal, amidst a lot of other sci-fi (not to mention Real Life) contributes to me forgetting about the Phoenix stone and other artefacts that Vlad has picked up on his brief but illustrous journey. To that end, I can easily see Vlad being a D&D character, for better or worse. When does that come to the PC? =)

Last Argument of Kings, by Joe Abercrombie

I really felt that #2 (Before they are hanged) and #3 (last argument of kings) could have easily been combined into one book (before they argue?). Having finished Abercrombie's trilogy, I can say that I am glad I read his work. His English origins peek through his writing at times, and perhaps, unfortunately, contributes to his phallic interests (what do I know). Other than that, I rather enjoyed his writing. To be honest, I was also a bit bothered by the blood and gore - a bit too much for me.

Another thing I found very interesting is the huge stack or layers of lies upon which the characters are built, specifically Bayaz. At first, we think he is a good guy, but by the end, your perceptions may be challenged. Mine were. But that is not saying much; who is the good guy? I was reminded of Vin Diesel's Riddick character, a force of evil fighting evil.

Throughout, Glotka was a very interesting character; an easy-to-hate, deformed, crippled, ruthless torturer who has a spark of conscience and noble mettle.

Another very minor thing I liked was Joe's choices for titles, not only for the book, but also for the chapters. I like the way he thinks, in that regard. Instead of fantastical conjurations that beg a stretch of imagination, Joe just puts it out there; if someone is going to talk about carrying lots of knives, that is what the title says.

Before They are Hanged, by Joe Abercrombie

I really like the small little details that Joe infuses his writing with; all the nitty-gritty details make his story telling come to life. On the other hand, he has a distracting obsession with male genitalia.

I found myself liking and feeling sorry for Logen Ninefingers. He seems to be the most realistic of the cast; ironically, one of his sayings is "you gotta be realistic." The weight of his guilt is heavy, a burden he drags with him everywhere.

I was not all the crazy about the other characters. Bayaz is becoming weak, Luthar is overly pompous (as if Joe is trying too hard to accomplish that). Ms. Maljinn is interesting, bad spirit that she is.

The Blade Itself, by Joe Abercrombie

I really like the style with which Joe writes. And "Joe" sounds like a most unusual author name. =)

Anyway, the book has some good points and bad points, but very little in between. Abercrombie is very descriptive, making the world seem much more realistic and easier to imagine. I like the details. He has a strange fascination with "fruit", and I found that a tad distracting. He also like to sprinkle cuss words lavishly like pepper and salt; on the one hand, it does seem relevant for today's society, but I do not find it that entertaining.

It is satisfying that the characters live up to some of their stereotypes, but Abercrombie also tries hard to make sure that some stereotypes are intentionally broken. For instance, the all-powerful wizard is indeed all-powerful. But he's not some old frail guy with a pointy hat and robes. No, we meet this swarthy, bald fellow chopping meat with blood spattered all over his kitchen smock. Ninefingers has a dark reputation, but he comes across as some big dumb brute; his dark side is hidden well, especially since the characters are surprised when they experience it. The nobility is satisfactorily proud and arrogant, the soldiers seem well-trained and able to fight (the King's Own, that is), and the Inquisition is appropriately evil and just rotten to the core. =) The mystery of the older Empire and the elder gods is interesting, as was the walk inside the "Maker's House". Lots of room for exploration, but lots of focus on the main story with a good flow.

The Well of Ascension, by Brandon Sanderson

Another good read by Sanderson. My one biggest complaint is that we still have no idea what the Well of Ascension actually is. I am not a big fan of a story where the climax just gets started on the last few pages.

I continue to like Sanderson's style of writing; there is something about his story-telling that draws me in, that compels me forward. Ironically, I find it hard to personally identify with any of the characters, but I do find them entertaining. The development of the Kandra background is quite intriguing, and the tie to Koloss makes for a very interesting character soup. The various twists are excellently played out.

The pairings of the allomantic metals is a great concept, but there do seem to be some holes. I like how the author allows the characters to discover things and have the reader learn as the characters do. But there are an odd number of such metals, hence not all of them can have pairs. I found it unbelievable that the Ministry knew nothing about Duralumin, and that Zane was able to duplicate and master it so quickly (even with the Kandra's help).

Overall, I like the story. I did not love it, though. I do look forward to the third book.

Kung Fu Panda, 2008

Jack Black.... either you love him or hate him. Maybe his appeal to the younger generation is what turns me off. Maybe we should call him Jack "thingy" Black.

I did, however, really enjoy the story. Not to pick on Mr. Black, but I felt he brought way too much American flavor into what is essentially a very Chinese/Buddhist story. The ancient turtle (Oogway) was the quintessential eastern mystic, and Tai Lung was great as the really pissed off, uber bad guy. Did this story remind anyone of Karate Kid? =)

We brought our daughter, and I think the film was a bit too dark, too violent and too serious for her age-group. I did appreciate the wit and some of the more adult themes, but wish I would have not exposed my little girl to this film at this point in her life. I am glad we saw it together, instead of her seeing this piece without me.

The whole thing with the noodle shot was quite good. There were quite a few knowing laughs when the father (a duck) attempts to tell his son (a panda) something about their relationship he has not told him before. I enjoyed the voice acting (with the one noted exception); I almost felt bad for Jackie Chan when I found out he did the monkey.

Fireproof, 2008

It is hard to believe that such an obviously Christian film is receiving mainstream time on the silver screen. And it is a very well-done film; the cinematography is very tasteful and shot with high quality, the plot is well-written with a good amount of believable and unbelievable. I was not crazy about all the actors, but for the most part, they did not hinder too much. The bits with Mr. Rudolph are simultaneously humorous and tactful.

Personally, I think this film addresses one of the biggest problems in America today. And I am told that other nations are also struggling with this problem as well. Giving up on your sacred vows is just too easy; worst, the Church is more or less demonstrating that this is ok. I thought the film did a great job showing how an average (a rather upper-middle-class suburbia white kind of average, though) marriage might start to fall apart. My wife and I thought that most of the screenplay was true to life in that regards. Unfortunately so. And even though the main character was tasked with a challenged of winning back his wife, the script writers did an excellent job showing that just going through the steps isn't quite enough. Marriage is hard work. Good marriages are even harder.

I am very curious what the atheistic/agnostic/pantheistic crowd thinks of this film. I can see how it would have a hard time impacting those "outside the church". It may even have a hard time reaching those inside. I could not agree more with the central message, and I am glad it is being told. Obviously, this film will not change America by itself. But at least it is a step in the right diretion.