It's Monkey Week over at Engrish.com.
Everything really is better with monkeys...
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
You can't take the sky from me...
Firefly is probably my favorite tv show of the last couple years. For the most part I'm terribly disillusioned with the state of tv. Survivor and the whole "reality" tv craze has heralded the end of watchable tv in my opinion. I miss shows with writers and plots and characters. Which explains why every tv show that I've enjoyed over the last several years has ended up cancelled (Firefly, Wonderfalls and Sports Night to name a few). Heaven forbid a show require some actual thought on the part of the audience. And let's make doubly sure that it's not given any time to build an audience. If it's not a ratings powerhouse in the first week it's on, make sure it's cancelled... <sigh>
Anyway. Firefly. Brilliant concept, stellar cast, wonderful writing. The cinematography was really top notch for a tv show. The world was well realized, everyone meshed just right and you could really come to love the characters. I haven't watched either of Joss Whedon's other shows, but as far as I'm concerned Firefly is really his greatest work to date despite the cancellation. Lately we've been watching the episodes with the commentary tracks and that's been a great experience as well.
Serenity (the Firefly movie due out next year) gives us a chance to spend a bit more time in that universe and I can't wait. If you haven't seen the show, pick up the DVDs. They're worth it. (It's a sci-fi show with western trappings in appearance, but in reality it's a show about people trying to get by in a world that is content to ignore them or worse. It's in turns funny, scary, touching and just all around great.)
Anyway. Firefly. Brilliant concept, stellar cast, wonderful writing. The cinematography was really top notch for a tv show. The world was well realized, everyone meshed just right and you could really come to love the characters. I haven't watched either of Joss Whedon's other shows, but as far as I'm concerned Firefly is really his greatest work to date despite the cancellation. Lately we've been watching the episodes with the commentary tracks and that's been a great experience as well.
Serenity (the Firefly movie due out next year) gives us a chance to spend a bit more time in that universe and I can't wait. If you haven't seen the show, pick up the DVDs. They're worth it. (It's a sci-fi show with western trappings in appearance, but in reality it's a show about people trying to get by in a world that is content to ignore them or worse. It's in turns funny, scary, touching and just all around great.)
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Speaking of creativity...
This is either brilliant or just strange. Actually it's both. So there. (link via Boing Boing
Creativity
This is interesting. At the moment I don't have a whole lot to say about it. One of the reasons I started this blog was to give myself a creative outlet. It's been quite a few years since I've written much of anything and I'd missed it and I wanted an opportunity to get back into some sort of creative groove. There are lots of places you can look for inspiration. I have a book that I found pretty helpful a few years back called Walking on Alligators. There are myriad sites around the web (like this, or this) that offer insights into writing and creativity. And of course friends and family are often quite useful for the bouncing of ideas.
I suspect the best way to be creative is just to actually do something. People that want to write are told to write. Artists need to paint or take pictures or work in whatever medium they're exploring. The mere act of doing something is often pretty good at sparking some sort of creativity. Of course, you may end up with just the beginnings of an idea that really don't go anywhere for quite some time, but seeds can be more useful than fully grown plants sometimes.
It's an interesting topic. And it can be approached from lots of angles and there really aren't a whole lot of "right" and "wrong" steps. Certainly there are general, broad strokes that work for everyone and are necessary, but you've still got to find your own little niche. Your own vein. And that's the great thing. Everybody has something to contribute.
I suspect the best way to be creative is just to actually do something. People that want to write are told to write. Artists need to paint or take pictures or work in whatever medium they're exploring. The mere act of doing something is often pretty good at sparking some sort of creativity. Of course, you may end up with just the beginnings of an idea that really don't go anywhere for quite some time, but seeds can be more useful than fully grown plants sometimes.
It's an interesting topic. And it can be approached from lots of angles and there really aren't a whole lot of "right" and "wrong" steps. Certainly there are general, broad strokes that work for everyone and are necessary, but you've still got to find your own little niche. Your own vein. And that's the great thing. Everybody has something to contribute.
Monday, September 13, 2004
Sunday, September 12, 2004
The Perfect Storm
The Perfect Storm is on tonight. I plan on taping it despite the commercials ruining some of the necessary atmosphere built up in the movie. (Nope, no Tivo here...) I remember reading the book before I saw the movie (on DVD, we didn't make it to the theater for that one, which is a shame as I suspect the big screen really made some of the moments just awesome - in the actual sense of the word, not the 80s lingo) and enjoying it. As much as you can enjoy that story anyway...
One of the things that really got to me in the book was the appearance of one of the fishermen to his son after they were lost at sea. I believe in the afterlife and I suspect that that situation was one in which the father would have been given the opportunity to visit his son however briefly. It was a touching moment and one that really helped drive home the sense of loss those people went through.
I grew up in Kansas and have had my fair share of storms (albeit just plain wind - no water added) and they can be anything from exciting to frightening and are often a mixture of both. When I was in High School, my best friend and I were out in his bright orange Pinto during one of the larger tornados to hit our area. That car rocked pretty good as we drove on one of the overpasses in town.
New England is an area I like quite a bit and every once in a blue moon I think it would be nice to live there. But I'm not sure I could handle the winters. Or the humidity for that matter. It's certainly a wonderful place to visit though.
One of the things that really got to me in the book was the appearance of one of the fishermen to his son after they were lost at sea. I believe in the afterlife and I suspect that that situation was one in which the father would have been given the opportunity to visit his son however briefly. It was a touching moment and one that really helped drive home the sense of loss those people went through.
I grew up in Kansas and have had my fair share of storms (albeit just plain wind - no water added) and they can be anything from exciting to frightening and are often a mixture of both. When I was in High School, my best friend and I were out in his bright orange Pinto during one of the larger tornados to hit our area. That car rocked pretty good as we drove on one of the overpasses in town.
New England is an area I like quite a bit and every once in a blue moon I think it would be nice to live there. But I'm not sure I could handle the winters. Or the humidity for that matter. It's certainly a wonderful place to visit though.
Saturday, September 11, 2004
Ico
Wanda and the Colossus appears to be the sequel to Ico. At least in spirit if not in fact - as there is very little revealed about the nature of the game. All we really know is that it's from the same development team.
Ico is one of my favorite games on the PS2. When I got around to selling off a bunch of my older games in order to get some games for the Gamecube, Ico was one of the few I held on to. It was such a beautiful, well realized world that I knew I'd want to spend time there again and again. In a lot of ways it's much like Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. I think one of the best ways to make an enjoyable game is to know the world you're setting the game in. Even if you don't show off all of the aspects of that world, players can tell that the details are there. Ico didn't give away much about the world you were in, but you could tell it was there from the glimpses of back story you got at the beginning to the castle itself that the game took place in.
It was amazing to look back at certain points in the game and see places you had been or look forward to places you knew you were going to see. The gameplay itself was clever and encouraged thinking and moments of quiet contemplation rather than brute force. True, there were moments of combat and they could be harrowing as you were trying to protect this relatively frail girl that you couldn't understand. But the best moments in the game came as you worked with her to overcome some puzzle that allowed you to move through the castle to freedom.
That's one of the things that really made Ico shine - the little touches. You could tell the team behind the game had a specific story they wanted to tell and they knew exactly how they wanted it to look. In gaming circles there is a lot of talk about when games will be considered art and this game is almost always mentioned as one of the candidates to prove that such an idea is more reality than wishful thinking.
So, if you haven't played it, do yourself a favor and track a copy down. And then look forward to Wanda and the Colossus I suspect the same magic will be there.
Ico is one of my favorite games on the PS2. When I got around to selling off a bunch of my older games in order to get some games for the Gamecube, Ico was one of the few I held on to. It was such a beautiful, well realized world that I knew I'd want to spend time there again and again. In a lot of ways it's much like Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. I think one of the best ways to make an enjoyable game is to know the world you're setting the game in. Even if you don't show off all of the aspects of that world, players can tell that the details are there. Ico didn't give away much about the world you were in, but you could tell it was there from the glimpses of back story you got at the beginning to the castle itself that the game took place in.
It was amazing to look back at certain points in the game and see places you had been or look forward to places you knew you were going to see. The gameplay itself was clever and encouraged thinking and moments of quiet contemplation rather than brute force. True, there were moments of combat and they could be harrowing as you were trying to protect this relatively frail girl that you couldn't understand. But the best moments in the game came as you worked with her to overcome some puzzle that allowed you to move through the castle to freedom.
That's one of the things that really made Ico shine - the little touches. You could tell the team behind the game had a specific story they wanted to tell and they knew exactly how they wanted it to look. In gaming circles there is a lot of talk about when games will be considered art and this game is almost always mentioned as one of the candidates to prove that such an idea is more reality than wishful thinking.
So, if you haven't played it, do yourself a favor and track a copy down. And then look forward to Wanda and the Colossus I suspect the same magic will be there.
Friday, September 10, 2004
The Day After
And the soreness sets in. Alas physical activity. You are a cruel, cruel mistress. Especially for such a sedentary soul as myself.
The Final Cut looks promising. I must admit, I enjoy the "serious" Robin Willimas quite a bit. I think he's quite the talented actor, but whoever is calling the shots had better be prepared to control the mighty beast that is Robin Williams.
Managed to catch Medical Investigations last night. That may be one of the few shows worth watching on network tv this fall.
And it's Friday. And I've managed to secure Monday off so happy 3 day weekend to me. ^_^
The Final Cut looks promising. I must admit, I enjoy the "serious" Robin Willimas quite a bit. I think he's quite the talented actor, but whoever is calling the shots had better be prepared to control the mighty beast that is Robin Williams.
Managed to catch Medical Investigations last night. That may be one of the few shows worth watching on network tv this fall.
And it's Friday. And I've managed to secure Monday off so happy 3 day weekend to me. ^_^
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Company parties
So today was a version of the company party. Got out early for some varying sports and then dinner. Dinner was pretty good and some of the games weren't too bad. I enjoyed the volleyball and the horseshoes. In the past, family members have been included in the festivities, but not recently. I miss the picnics my Dad's old company threw. Lots of food and games for all ages and they had some pretty cool prizes too. I managed to win a raquetball racket and a mini Pacman game over the years. I still have the Pacman game...
At any rate, it took up most of the day, but good times were had. So there you go.
At any rate, it took up most of the day, but good times were had. So there you go.
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
Random Wednesday
Pay no attention
There is nothing to see here
Best just move along
Not much worth mentioning today. Mostly because I am far too tired to find something to say. I'm not even going to point you to some other more interesting corner of the net. I suspect you're all more than capable of finding it on your own. Although if you managed to wander here from there, I might be overestimating your ability on that count...
But it is Wednesday. And that means relatively little in the grand scheme of things.
There is nothing to see here
Best just move along
Not much worth mentioning today. Mostly because I am far too tired to find something to say. I'm not even going to point you to some other more interesting corner of the net. I suspect you're all more than capable of finding it on your own. Although if you managed to wander here from there, I might be overestimating your ability on that count...
But it is Wednesday. And that means relatively little in the grand scheme of things.
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Harry Potter Moment
101 Ways to Annoy Lord Voldemort.
My own suggestions:
-Stare at his forehead until he asks what you're looking at. Reply, "Nothing" in a meaningful way.
-Name your house elf Lord Voldemort. Constantly mix the two of them up.
My own suggestions:
-Stare at his forehead until he asks what you're looking at. Reply, "Nothing" in a meaningful way.
-Name your house elf Lord Voldemort. Constantly mix the two of them up.
Monday, September 06, 2004
End of Monday
The three day weekend comes to a close. It was a good weekend. Got quite a bit done around the house. Spent some time with friends. And watched Hidalgo. Two out of three ain't bad.
Sunday, September 05, 2004
You win some, you lose some
My boss brought in some fresh Roma tomatoes the other day, so my wife and I decided to try and make spaghetti sauce this evening. Try would certainly be the operating word there. We'll have to mark this one down as a failure. Not of the soul destroying variety, but certainly the wow, that wasn't right kind. It was a step up from tomato juice on the evolutionary tree, but several jumps down and possibly a branch or two over from spaghetti sauce.
Alas. There's always next time.
Every so often I get the bug to try and mess with recipes in the kitchen. I think, this could use some tomtatoes. This could use a mushroom or three. That could use a bit of sour cream. It's pretty rare that I follow through on such urges, but it's fun to think about and every so often fun to do. Cooking is one of those things that I think would make a fun occupation. I've had little dreams of my own sandwich shop specializing in sandwiches that are horrible for you and a bowl of chili to go with them. Maybe some day...
Well, the crib is back together and most of the furniture is in place. We could probably use a small night stand sort of table, but things are just about perfect. I think we should paint a big light house on one wall, but I'm not sure that will make it out of committee. It's been a pretty successful weekend as far as actually accomplishing things, but horrible on the goofing off side. I suspect tomorrow will make up for that. ^_^
Now, if I could just find some way to move the ocean from California to my back yard, things would be perfect...
Alas. There's always next time.
Every so often I get the bug to try and mess with recipes in the kitchen. I think, this could use some tomtatoes. This could use a mushroom or three. That could use a bit of sour cream. It's pretty rare that I follow through on such urges, but it's fun to think about and every so often fun to do. Cooking is one of those things that I think would make a fun occupation. I've had little dreams of my own sandwich shop specializing in sandwiches that are horrible for you and a bowl of chili to go with them. Maybe some day...
Well, the crib is back together and most of the furniture is in place. We could probably use a small night stand sort of table, but things are just about perfect. I think we should paint a big light house on one wall, but I'm not sure that will make it out of committee. It's been a pretty successful weekend as far as actually accomplishing things, but horrible on the goofing off side. I suspect tomorrow will make up for that. ^_^
Now, if I could just find some way to move the ocean from California to my back yard, things would be perfect...
Saturday, September 04, 2004
Saturday - in which our Hero is very tired
Well, the baby's room is now a very new shade of blue. Oddly, it resembles the girls' room quite a bit. An unintended happenstance. It was supposed to be a lighter shade, but the second coat really darkened it up some.
So we are all very tired and somewhat befuddled from paint fumes. But the hard part is done. Now I just have to remember how to put the crib back together. It's good the baby isn't due for another couple months, because I suspect it will take me that long to get it back the way it belongs...
This will make for another short post, but at this point that's ok.
So random thought for the day: Speedy zombies = much happiness.
So we are all very tired and somewhat befuddled from paint fumes. But the hard part is done. Now I just have to remember how to put the crib back together. It's good the baby isn't due for another couple months, because I suspect it will take me that long to get it back the way it belongs...
This will make for another short post, but at this point that's ok.
So random thought for the day: Speedy zombies = much happiness.
Friday, September 03, 2004
Long Weekend
Ahhh... 3 day weekends make the world go round.
Of course, as this is Labor Day weekend, we will be spending a good chunk of tomorrow painting the baby's room. At least we have roped some friends into lending a hand. Mweh heh.
Nothing really to ramble on about today. Mowed the lawn (hopefully for one of the last times this year) and am now kicking back.
So there you go. Have a great weekend. Give your kid/spouse/significant other an extra hug and make something a little different for dinner this weekend.
Of course, as this is Labor Day weekend, we will be spending a good chunk of tomorrow painting the baby's room. At least we have roped some friends into lending a hand. Mweh heh.
Nothing really to ramble on about today. Mowed the lawn (hopefully for one of the last times this year) and am now kicking back.
So there you go. Have a great weekend. Give your kid/spouse/significant other an extra hug and make something a little different for dinner this weekend.
Thursday, September 02, 2004
The Horror!
I mentioned briefly yesterday that I was a fan of the horror genre. So I thought that today I might go over some of my favorites from various mediums.
I feel the need to stop at this point and mourn the loss of the Saturday night Creature Feature. This was a staple in my childhood. Crematia Mortem would guide my poor soul through whatever horror was to be shown that weekend. I've heard tell of the creation of a horror cable channel, but as I don't have cable this will do nothing for me. Besides there was something about staying up late (or better yet recording for multiple viewings) and losing yourself in the moment. Good times. Neil Gaiman will be hosting a series of scary movies this October on the Fox Movie Channel and my wonderful in-laws will be taping it for me, so there are occasional glimpses of the way it should be, but not enough. Although what passes for programming on tv is certainly terrifying enough...
So that covers a good chunk of what I've found scary over the years. And believe me, I've left a lot out. Cheap horror movies are what my friends and I thrived off of in High School. It's a pity my wife doesn't get the same enjoyment out of them that I do. There have been some real corkers released over the years.
In other news, if you haven't heard Coin Operated Boy by the Dresden Dolls, you're listening to the wrong radio station.
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is probably the best piece of literature written about a haunted house. There are a couple film versions (which have their pluses and minuses), but the book is definitely the way to go. Eerie and compelling.
- Stephen King's books are typically full of frightening moments. I'm cheating a little here by not naming any specific one, but it's my blog, so deal with it. King's characters get put through the ringer with gleeful efficiency. And there is enough variety of what's doing the spooking (although the supernatural and aliens are pretty recurrent) that there's something for everyone. And you can also find plenty of nasty humans of you don't care for some of the traditional horror villains. If I had to pick a couple to spotlight, well, Pet Sematary and The Stand are always a good choice. And keep an eye on his short fiction as well.
- Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is to this day the only movie that actually scares me. I will occasionally jump in other horror films, but this movie scares me. I can't explain what it is about the movie that does it, but it does it well. The atmosphere is oppressive, the actors are spot on and the story told (while not faithful to King's book) is creepy as all get out.
- The Ring or more appropriately Ringu is a great campfire tale. A Killer Videotape. In this age of digital media here's a tale suited to our generation. I'll leave the arguing about which version is better to others. The American version is told in a fashion that we're more used to (you get more of an explanation as to what is going on for one thing) but the Japanese version is more disturbing. Although the ferry/horse sequence in the remake is absolutely brilliant.
I feel the need to stop at this point and mourn the loss of the Saturday night Creature Feature. This was a staple in my childhood. Crematia Mortem would guide my poor soul through whatever horror was to be shown that weekend. I've heard tell of the creation of a horror cable channel, but as I don't have cable this will do nothing for me. Besides there was something about staying up late (or better yet recording for multiple viewings) and losing yourself in the moment. Good times. Neil Gaiman will be hosting a series of scary movies this October on the Fox Movie Channel and my wonderful in-laws will be taping it for me, so there are occasional glimpses of the way it should be, but not enough. Although what passes for programming on tv is certainly terrifying enough...
- The Silent Hill series is probably the current king of the hill when it comes to survival horror. Resident Evil certainly has its moments, but for overall horror Silent Hill wins. A town where nothing is what it seems. A town that draws broken people to it like moths to a flame. A town that most will never escape. That is Silent Hill. The games let you experience the stories of several tormented souls that have found their way to Silent Hill one way or another. Turn the lights off and the sound up and be prepared to sleep lightly that night...
- Fatal Frame is also worth mentioning. While the horror quotient of Silent Hill is higher, the spookiness factor of Fatal Frame isn't to be discounted. A ghost story with a twist is probably the best way to describe this game. The twist being that the only weapon you have in the game is a camera. Taking the old idea that a camera can steal your soul, Fatal Frame allows you to hurt the restless souls found in the game with your Mother's camera. Also best played in the dark with the sound up. If you can...
- Tales from the Darkside was one of my favorite tv shows growing up. Similar in many ways to The Twilight Zone, but more geared for horror. And often quite funny, in a black comedy sort of way...
- The Blair Witch Project is oddly enough a better campfire tale than a movie. At least for being scary. I found it spookier relating the story (as well as much of the backstory for the show) than sitting in the theater watching it. <shrug> Go figure.
So that covers a good chunk of what I've found scary over the years. And believe me, I've left a lot out. Cheap horror movies are what my friends and I thrived off of in High School. It's a pity my wife doesn't get the same enjoyment out of them that I do. There have been some real corkers released over the years.
In other news, if you haven't heard Coin Operated Boy by the Dresden Dolls, you're listening to the wrong radio station.
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Games and more games
GamerDad has a series of articles up at the moment covering Gen Con. Several of the games sound pretty good, from the upcoming DOOM board game to Zombies!! (Ok, I admit, I have a thing for the horror genre. Scary movies, scary games, scary books, it's all good...)
Gaming has always been a staple of life. Be it board games, card games, video games you name it I've dabbled around with it. The girls are starting to get big enough that we can get them involved as well. McKenna has some mad MarioKart Double Dash skills and she's starting to develop some decent strategy skills from a board game called Gobblet. A friend of mine comes over once a week for some form of entertainment ranging from games to movies. Munchkin is a popular choice for gaming as are Catan and Carcassonne.
I'm glad that gaming is starting to go more mainstream. You can learn a lot from games - strategy, lateral thinking, hand/eye coordination - and you can also just have a great time and bring people closer together. I've often been tempted to try my hand at making some sort of game but just haven't jumped in and done it.
So, go read about Gen Con, look for something new and get some family or friends together and make a night of it.
Gaming has always been a staple of life. Be it board games, card games, video games you name it I've dabbled around with it. The girls are starting to get big enough that we can get them involved as well. McKenna has some mad MarioKart Double Dash skills and she's starting to develop some decent strategy skills from a board game called Gobblet. A friend of mine comes over once a week for some form of entertainment ranging from games to movies. Munchkin is a popular choice for gaming as are Catan and Carcassonne.
I'm glad that gaming is starting to go more mainstream. You can learn a lot from games - strategy, lateral thinking, hand/eye coordination - and you can also just have a great time and bring people closer together. I've often been tempted to try my hand at making some sort of game but just haven't jumped in and done it.
So, go read about Gen Con, look for something new and get some family or friends together and make a night of it.
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Azumanga Daioh
Azumanga Daioh Volume 4 came out on DVD today. The disc a month release schedule has made getting your next Azumanga fix quite nice. I think the first time I really heard anything about this show was one of the first issues of Newtype USA. They had some character art and I remember looking at the episode guide and seeing that one of the later episodes dealt with Osaka's perfect yawn.
And how could you not be intrigued by a show like that?!
The show is a wonderful slice-of-life series revolving around a group of high school girls. It's been compared to Seinfeld in that it's a show about nothing so much as everyday life. I'm not sure the comparison holds up much past some superficial similarities though. Each episode is made up of smaller segments that reflect the show's origin, a 4 panel comic strip. The strips tended to end with a punchline and so many of the episode segments rely on similar gags or setups. If you've read the four graphic novel volumes, much of their content is repeated in the show, but it's fun to see it come alive through the animation even though you know the joke.
We've been listening to the dub and have yet to be disappointed with it. This is one of those shows though where the sub/dub crowds have drawn their lines in the sand. As much of the humor relies on Japanese specific puns, the translation team tries to do their best to get the humor across. I certainly have no complaints with some of the changes they've made and the liner notes included always try and reference the original joke so that you understand why they made the decision they did. Personally, I'm of the opinion that translating the joke so that the spirit remains intact if not the actual joke itself is fine. But to each their own.
The visuals in the series are great and the soundtrack is catchy too. The characters are nicely drawn and their personalities are bound to remind you of somebody you went to school with. To me, that's the great achievement here - you'll remember those years, wondering who you'd be and enjoying all the moments you had with your friends. The teachers, in counterpoint, show you that growing old, while encompassing new experiences, is really just more of the same.
So, if you enjoy manga or anime, you really can't go wrong with either form of Azumanga.
Update Oddly enough, volume 4 is the disc with the episode about the perfect yawn. There really are no coincidences.
And how could you not be intrigued by a show like that?!
The show is a wonderful slice-of-life series revolving around a group of high school girls. It's been compared to Seinfeld in that it's a show about nothing so much as everyday life. I'm not sure the comparison holds up much past some superficial similarities though. Each episode is made up of smaller segments that reflect the show's origin, a 4 panel comic strip. The strips tended to end with a punchline and so many of the episode segments rely on similar gags or setups. If you've read the four graphic novel volumes, much of their content is repeated in the show, but it's fun to see it come alive through the animation even though you know the joke.
We've been listening to the dub and have yet to be disappointed with it. This is one of those shows though where the sub/dub crowds have drawn their lines in the sand. As much of the humor relies on Japanese specific puns, the translation team tries to do their best to get the humor across. I certainly have no complaints with some of the changes they've made and the liner notes included always try and reference the original joke so that you understand why they made the decision they did. Personally, I'm of the opinion that translating the joke so that the spirit remains intact if not the actual joke itself is fine. But to each their own.
The visuals in the series are great and the soundtrack is catchy too. The characters are nicely drawn and their personalities are bound to remind you of somebody you went to school with. To me, that's the great achievement here - you'll remember those years, wondering who you'd be and enjoying all the moments you had with your friends. The teachers, in counterpoint, show you that growing old, while encompassing new experiences, is really just more of the same.
So, if you enjoy manga or anime, you really can't go wrong with either form of Azumanga.
Update Oddly enough, volume 4 is the disc with the episode about the perfect yawn. There really are no coincidences.
Monday, August 30, 2004
Lovecraft's 15 minutes
This is the trailer for The Eldritch Influence. At first glance, it looks like it does for the Lovecraft fans/mythos what Comic Book: The Movie did for comic fans. One can certainly hope. I enjoyed Comic Book: The Movie quite a bit.
As this is the second post that deals with Lovecraftian oddities, it's probably fairly obvious that I'm a fan. Stumbled across his work in High School and have enjoyed it ever since. Were I either slightly *cough cough* younger, or married to someone that was a little more willing to participate in pen and paper RPGs I'd be a big fan of the Cthulhu RPG from Chaosium. It was starting up (I think) just as I was leaving that particular pastime behind. I think every so often about giving it a go, but it's more of a pipe dream.
But I still enjoy visiting Lovecraft's world through his own writings and the writings of others that enjoy playing in the playground. Neil Gaiman's recent A Study in Emerald was quite enjoyable (just as much for the ads as the story) as are several of the stories found in other anthologies. In fact, the Shadows Over Baker Street anthology looks to be doubly enjoyable.
One of the things that I really enjoy about his work, is that despite the great variance in his writing ability, you almost always get glimpses of the world that he was building. From the almost universally known Necronomicon, to good ol' Miskatonic U. to the surreal New England depicted in Innsmouth. Even if the writing was subpar, the fantasy wasn't. The fact that elements of his world have entered pop culture speaks quite well to that. Hollywood didn't have quite the love affair with his stories that they're currently having with Philip K. Dick, but there were a few gems produced. And it would be interesting to see what someone like David Fincher would create with some of his pieces.
Oddly, the only Lovecraft I have in the house is a biography of the man himself and a trimmed photocopy of The Thing on the Doorstep. I keep waiting for a nice anthology of his works that collects more than just a couple stories from his various periods. If one exists certainly point me in its direction.
As this is the second post that deals with Lovecraftian oddities, it's probably fairly obvious that I'm a fan. Stumbled across his work in High School and have enjoyed it ever since. Were I either slightly *cough cough* younger, or married to someone that was a little more willing to participate in pen and paper RPGs I'd be a big fan of the Cthulhu RPG from Chaosium. It was starting up (I think) just as I was leaving that particular pastime behind. I think every so often about giving it a go, but it's more of a pipe dream.
But I still enjoy visiting Lovecraft's world through his own writings and the writings of others that enjoy playing in the playground. Neil Gaiman's recent A Study in Emerald was quite enjoyable (just as much for the ads as the story) as are several of the stories found in other anthologies. In fact, the Shadows Over Baker Street anthology looks to be doubly enjoyable.
One of the things that I really enjoy about his work, is that despite the great variance in his writing ability, you almost always get glimpses of the world that he was building. From the almost universally known Necronomicon, to good ol' Miskatonic U. to the surreal New England depicted in Innsmouth. Even if the writing was subpar, the fantasy wasn't. The fact that elements of his world have entered pop culture speaks quite well to that. Hollywood didn't have quite the love affair with his stories that they're currently having with Philip K. Dick, but there were a few gems produced. And it would be interesting to see what someone like David Fincher would create with some of his pieces.
Oddly, the only Lovecraft I have in the house is a biography of the man himself and a trimmed photocopy of The Thing on the Doorstep. I keep waiting for a nice anthology of his works that collects more than just a couple stories from his various periods. If one exists certainly point me in its direction.
Sunday, August 29, 2004
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