Snippets and things

No major topic today but I have a few snippets to blog about.

Ahem

On my recent road trip to see Florence and the Machine, (which was excellent!) my partner confessed that watching Conan the Barbarian  had ruined fantasy movies for her. At least for the time being.

Florence is a massive fan of this blog. As soon as she starts to read it.

 That made me consider that in the future I must pick my review movies that I will watch with her more carefully. Try to keep her exposed to a better sort of film. I doubt I will as I love schlock horror and fantasy too much. But I am sure the promise of a nice Rose and peanut butter Whittakers chocolate will dull the pain of my bad monster movie cravings

She has forgiven me for Conan of course, but I have not forgiven myself.


I am really looking forward to seeing   Brave, Prometheus  and  The Raven  over the next few months.

 I intend to see all at the cinema rather than wait for them on DVD. I love movies, but going out is expensive you I pick and choose what I think I should see on the big screen I chose poorly with  Immortals,  that was a big screen spectacle.  Some movies I can happily wait until they are released on DVD.  Like  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire hunter.   Now who would have thought any one would be saying that sentence ever?

Anyway to round off I some times write up a daily quiz for my work mates. One of the questions I asked in the last quiz was "Which American president used to slay vampires before he took office?"  The team got that right of course, however one particularly special member of the team asked

"Is that true?"

To which I answered.

"Yes."

Good night everyone.

A farewell to wild things

On 08 May 2012 Maurice Sendak author and illustrator of children's books died. His most famous work is "Where the wild things are" which was one of my partners favourite book as a child. Personally I was always a fan of Bears in the Night and the Mercer Mayer book  One Monster after another. 

But I remember enjoying  Mr. Sendaks  The Midnight Kitchen.  I don't remember much about it except that there were bakers that looked like Oliver Hardy and the boy in the story wore bread. I think I liked it because the boy in it got to make an aeroplane out of bread, and the story was a bit mental.

Sendak was an award winning writer, illustrator, costume and set designer for the theatre. He was a dazzlingly creative man who like most successful people was also considered highly  controversial by some.

Portrayals of naked children, phallic milk bottles and accusations , caused librarians to draw over his pictures to obscure nudity, and psychologists to write angry columns that that in Where the wild things are Sendak was creating themes of desertion and punishment for young Max. But by the majority he is recognised for his wonderful imagination and his creative talent. He has brought joy and entertainment to generations of children and that is the legacy that is important.

For me Sendak is a lot like Mercer Mayer. They both recognise that children don't always want happy safe stories. Children want stories that are a bit scary and grotesque at times. Goblins and monsters are fun as well as bears and faeries. I think (and hope) that children remember books like these well into adulthood, and in turn buy them for their children. 

He was a creative talent that was marvellous and stimulating. His crazy imagination was the vehicle for children to journey through his stories like Willy Wonkas boat in  Charlie and the Chocolate factory,  and I know he was 83, and all that, but his death still made me a little sad.

I would like to hear what children's book was your favourite? leave a comment and let me know?

The royal hunger battle of the twilight games

So the most recent literary zeitgeist has hit the world and typically bloggers and critics have taken sides in raving about it or deriding it. And like most parties I have arrived fashionably late.

The Hunger Games trilogy of books has been a massive success. And with that success has come a great deal of criticism. That the books are highly derivative of Koushun Takami's novel Battle Royale.  I have also heard more than one comparison to the Twilight series of books as well.  Although neither of these comparisons has stopped anyone I know from reading and enjoying the series. Included in this is my lovely girl.  She asked me to take her to see the movie based on the first of the trilogy and so I did.

Here is a synopsis of The Hunger Games:

In a dystopian future there is the country of Panem which is split into the Capital and thirteen districts. Each district is a specialized region which supports Panem with a specific resource; coal, horticulture, agriculture etc. In the past the districts revolted against the oppressive authority of the Capital, but the revolution failed. Now every year each district must offer up one boy and one girl aged between twelve and eighteen as tribute to the Capital as a punishment for their disobedience. These tributes are then pitted against each other in a death match for the amusement of the Capitals populaiton and a reminder to the districts of the cost of rebellion.  In district 12 Katniss is a girl who is struggling to support her mother and younger sister after the death of her father. When her little sister is picked as the tribute by lottery, Katniss volunteers to go in her sisters place and fight in the hunger games.

Queue blood sport Hyjinks

At first I found it a little confusing. Like a lot of movies that are based on films there are narrative restraints. So there were a few things I needed clarified from my partner through quiet whispers. But not many, and once the narrative got under way it was fine.

I found the production design was magnificent. Not because the costuming or sets were exceptionally original, on the contrary they are all very familiar. From the uniforms of the Capitals police which are reminiscent of THX-1138 (which has been copied again and again since) to the sets and costuming of District 12, which could have been from The Grapes of Wrath. Very few things in movies are there by accident, and the contrast between the poverty stricken population of District 12, and the opulence, and decadence of the Capital will strike a chord in modern America's (and Europe's) struggle with its recessive economy. hen these two meet at the lottery to determine who the tributes will be I saw reflections of  1984. I found it very subtle and clever. Everything has a familiarity about it, and while you could argue that makes the film highly derivative, I found it more reminiscent. I have argued before that science fiction can be a very successful vehicle for political and moral subtexts, and for me The Hunger Games continues this tradition quite successfully through its subtle and deliberate comparisons to earlier movies.

The cast is also filled with familiar faces; Donald Sutherland, Stanly Tucci, Josh Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson. Also there are less familiar faces, Elizabeth Banks (as you have never seen her before), Lenny Kravitiz, and relative new comer Jennifer Lawrence. You may know her from her work in the drama Winters Bone or maybe as Mystique from  X-men: First class. I enjoyed her performance as the determined Katniss, although I  was particularly impressed with Josh Hutcherson. Of course Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson and Donald Sutherland are great. 

It is not a greatly sophisticated story, but then it is not meant to be. But it isn't childish either. It is a simple story of love and sacrifice that inspires others to greater things. A classic tale of heroism and courage against oppression, which is why I think it is so successful. It's a good story.

I now want to comment on the  Battle Royale and Twilight comparisons.

First just because a woman writes a successful series of novels that are targeted at a teenage audience that have a female protagonist, it doesn't make it a Twilight rip off. I have not read the novel yet, but from the movie the two stories could not be more different. The hero of The Hunger Games,  Katniss is strong, clever and compassionate. Her drive to survive is based on a single minded determination to return and protect her family. But she retains her humanity throughout her trials. Bella Swan on the other hand is a self absorbed, highly dysfunctional creature, whose motives are entirely driven by her egocentric fantasies. If my nieces asked me for my opinion as to which to read, I would hand them The Hunger Games without hesitation.

In regards to Battle Royale I have only seen the movies not the books. But that being said I do not agree that The Hunger Games is a rip off of Battle Royale.  At first glance they are very similar, both have authorative regimes which organize gladiatorial combats to the death between teenagers.  But that’s where the similarity ends. In Battle Royale the politics is more of a set piece to the very personal struggles of the children as they are pitted against their friends, partners and classmates. The narrative breifly touches on the dysfunctional nature of society and the government’s attempt to control its population, but it focuses of the individuals as they try to survive. But it doesn't matter if any of the children survice as the greater population seems unaware of what is going on, so on retrospect the whole exercise has certain pointlessness about it.

In The Hunger Games the whole event is a carefully crafted piece of propaganda by the government. It is a reward, the carrot  for a bored disengaged wealthy minority, and a reminder of the stick for the oppressed majority. The film focuses on Katniss's very personal struggle and how her struggle becomes a symbol for the struggles of the majority, but barely scratches the psychology of the children’s circumstances. Both are good, but quite separate.

The GOP finally has a decent candidate

I enjoyed The Hunger Games  and I look forward to the novels and the rest of the trilogy. I don't think it will be the cult classic Battle Royale  is, but then I do think that it may be the vehicle for many young people to seek out similar stories, from  Theseus  to George Orwell.

Six and a half Monkeys

Strange days, finally brought to you with Probot and brandy.

 My brother haggled with the fur trimmed merchant over the price of a shield. As I waited I hefted a blade forged in the far west. On closer inspection it was not what I thought. I returned it with a polite dismissal and wandered through the throng of people in that bizarre bazaar. 

And there it was staring at me. Some sort of white fox demon. It had the unblinking green eyes of a snake. We stared at each other for a moment taking each other in. It was humanoid, with the feminine curves of a woman, but an androgynous smooth body.  I stared at it for a moment before steeling myself to approach it.  I walked up to it  rubbed  its talons together eagerly .  I stood before it and it glance up at me with those cold yellow eyes.

"Excuse me, can I take a photograph please?"

Of course I am talking about Armageddon, New Zealands comic and pop culture convention. People come from all over the country to buy comics; DVDs, collectibles and to meet celebrities from film and TV.  New computer and console games are launched, as are comics and merchandise.

The last time I went was in Auckland, maybe eight years ago(?) with two friends and a young woman who was the date of one of the lads.  I went because my friends like comics, and I left because I accidentally walked into a room full of sweaty guys all desperate for the touch of a another human being waiting to watch some live wrestling. It was deeply disturbing, and I have Goth friends so take that on board. That ended my interest in comic expos and coincidentally enough that was also the beginning of the end of my friends relationship.

A few weeks ago my brother was coming down to pick up some stuff his partner bought on trade me. I had been storing it for him, and as a thank you he gave my girl and I free tickets to Armageddon. We went on Sunday and it was a crazy crowd of strange and wonderful creatures, and the people in costume were interesting as well.

So here is my account of my adventures there.

I decided to throw myself into the spirit of the thing and see if it was a sea of weirdos smelling like armpits and stale mountain dew or something fun. There were more stalls than I remembered and it had more of "expo" feel about it, more professional . Also the many people in costume added to the convention feel of it.

As I wandered about I discovered and swiftly purchased the entire set of the game of thrones series of books for $45. It was a fantastic bargain as they are over $20 each in store. That was at  the Mighty Ape stall. I also visited Trinity treasures which sold replica weapons from films ad TV. I spoke to Ben who worked the Trinity Treasures stall about business.
"It is a bit quieter today but it has been pretty steady. All our stock is made in Pakistan and we import it over to sell." I was surprised to hear him say it was quiet as the stall seemed to be constantly busy every time I walked by, but whether it was busy with customers or just the curious like myself I couldn't say.

There were collectibles; comics, DVDs, Games, and books. Any thing associated with pop culture was there. There were also a few makeup and digital art schools offering you the chance to be the next Peter Jackson, or maybe the next Uwe Boll.

One stall that took my interest was a writer promoting his first novel. Russell Meek has written The Madness of Hallen,  and he has also self published his work. He said it had been productive promoting his book at the expo, but he was really looking for the major opportunity to promote his work to the general public. Unfortunately Russell didn't have eftpos and I had spent all my cash so I couldn't get a copy of his novel. But it is at Arty Bees in Wellington, and I will pick up a copy to review. I would have liked to discuss the pros and cons of him self publishing his book, but he had interested readers so I left him to it.

Russell Meek

Another important element to these expos are the celebrities. Their fans can meet, get photographs and autographs by actors, artists and writers from their favourite comic or TV series. Of those on show I only recognised Julie McNiven from  Supernatural  and the cast from  The Almighty Johnsons. While it interesting to see them I wasn't that interested to wait in line to speak with them or to buy a photograph. Then while I was talking with my brother I did discover what the fuss was about. There at the end of the expo was this smiling man in a dark suit. For a moment I could not quite work out what he was there for. Then I noticed the large photograph of a soldier on the wall behind him, which seemed achingly familiar.

 Then it all clicked into place. The photograph was of Sergeant Benton from Doctor Who, and the man was the actor who played him, John Levene. I grew up watching Sgt Benton protecting the Doctor from all manner of monsters and aliens. So after a moment of indecision I asked John Levene (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0505244/) if I could have a photograph. Mr. Levene was exceptionally gracious and friendly and the experience was a great one. 

John L and John P

I then gave money to Boba Fett who was collecting for Ronald McDonald House, proving that bounty hunters have heart to, but then I guess he was an orphan so it made sense.

I ended my day by interviewing some cosplayers. I don't really understand this, as it seems to be more than just dressing up.

I spoke to three lovely ladies; Danielle, Rio and Paige, and asked them what it was about?

Rio, Danielle and Paige

"Cosplay is a chance to dress like a character from anime that you like." Danielle said. She was Tsukiyomi Ikuto from Shugo Chara an anime show from TV Tokyo.  "I like him because he is a mysterious character, I identify with him because I'm a bit mysterious."

Him? It does not seem to matter in cosplay what gender the character is as long as you identify with them. I am not a fan of anime myself, and there does seem to be a great deal of androgyny in the renderings of the characters, at least to me anyway. So gender is not so important to identity.


Paige was Haruhi Suzumiya from Melancholy.
"I love it. I would watch it all the time if I could. It puts me in such a good mood."
Each of the girls had imported their costumes from China at great expense. And they felt it was worth it. They enjoyed dressing up as their favourite characters and looking to see who had dressed up as which character. As we spoke another girl walked past as Haruhi Suzumiya.  I asked the girls if they thought that there was a market for anime in New Zealand? Whether this market was yet to be tapped by TV or Sky or the fledgling QuickFlicks. "Definitely!" Danielle said "we watch it on you tube or cartoon network, but TV Tokyo was the best way to watch it."

The girls seemed nice enough and were having fun. I asked them if they had any unwanted attention by dressing up, but they said everyone had been very friendly. It seems that there is no snobbishness between those who can afford to buy their costumes or make them at home. it is more about the attempt and the community then being 100% accurate to the character.


Rio was not a cosplayer, she was a Lolita. Now apparently this is a fashion form the rokoko period, and is based on the fashion inspired by the court of Marie Antionette. Rio was a Lolita doll. This means she was dressing to look like a living doll, doll eye contacts and all. All the girls were lovely and friendly, but I couldn't quite get my head around the Lolita thing. Mostly because I have read Nabokovs work and it kept popping into my head.

All in all it was a fun day out. We did it in too parts and I did have a couple of beers before part two which helped. My girl enjoyed it too, but after lunch she decided to remain in the sun with a glass of Rose. I had great fun and would certainly consider going again.