(no subject)
Finally, some reviews! Discuss in the comments? ^_^
Everyone should read these books:
Vellum and Ink (The Book of All Hours) (Hal Duncan)
You know how it's easy to trash a book, to explain why it was bad? It's much, much harder to explain why a book is good, why it moved you, why you found it so compelling. These two books, as promised by the blurb, were truly like nothing I'd ever explerienced before.
The Book of All Hours is the text of all creation, and in it are written all the different versions of reality, all the endless possibilities. It is a book of maps, a book of the future, of the past, of different branches of time; it is written on the skins of angels with the blood of gods. So what happens when someone tries to rewrite it, to make things right? And if there are seven parts to a soul, what happens when they are joined?
It's incredibly hard to describe the plot, because it's not so much one plot as a plot broken up into different version, variants of the same story. The seven characters appear in different incarnations, in different times and places, and at times each page is part of a different story. It's a testament to the author's skill that I was never once confused about where I was; each character's every incarnation has a distinct voice, and Duncan manages, with only a few details, to bring each reality to life. There are myths woven into brutal, violent episodes of history, some that we know in this world and some that are ever so slightly skewed, dreams and possible futures.
Reading this left me drained in the best possible way. I saw the end rushing toward me, and the tears welled up because I'd effectively come to the end of so many stories simultaneously, yet the ending was perfect in its simplicity. I really can't say much more on the subject, just that this is definitely something I'll be reading again.
Final verdict: 9/10
Back to the classics:
Good Omens (Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman)
Honestly, what can I say about this book that would accurately convey my love for it? I adore both Pratchett's and Gaiman's solo work, and this book brings together the best of their respective styles.
I feel I must mention that I've very glad they went with Pratchett's version of Death; as much as I like Gaiman's goth chick version, I can't imagine she would have translated well into prose. Mostly because she doesn't speak in capital letters.
Final verdict: 9.5/10 (parce que rien n'est parfait en ce bas monde)
Mamma Mia!
Reasons I expected to like this movie:
1) ABBA was part of the soundtrack of my childhood (specifically the album Gold, which accompanied us on all long car trips well into my elementary school years), and it's already been proven (see Muriel's Wedding) that a movie heavy on ABBA cannot help but win;
2) It was filmed on Santorini (or close enough), which is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been -- the light, people, the light there is incredible;
3) Hello, Amanda Seyfried! 8D
-- We interrupt this review to note that while the writer felt sort of pervy for noticing Ms. Seyfried's hotness in Veronica Mars, when she was playing a 16-year-old, she has no such qualms when said actress is playing an adult and is wet and luscious and wearing a bathing suit. --
The first ten minutes or so kind of put me off, because there was this air of forced joviality to the whole production, and I wasn't yet in the right frame of mind to accept such potentially serious subject matter being taken so lightly, but then things began to fall into place. And really, who can resist Colin Firth singing?
Final verdict: 8.5/10
Rome (seasons 1 & 2)
I finished watching the first season during my Christmas vacation, so technically I should have reviewed it then, but it ended up on the long list of stuff I read/watched last year and didn't review, so I figured I might as well lump the whole series together.
I won't comment on the whole historical accuracy of the production, never mind the timeline of actual historical events, because while I suppose I know more about ancient Rome than the average person, I always found the Greeks more interesting. That being said, Brutus and whoever it was joking about not having a birthday cake was a bit too much "Hello Modern Audience!" Unless, of course, the Romans did observe the custom of celebrating birthdays with a cake, in which case please excuse my ignorance. I loved the attention to detail in the sets and the costumes, found it real and gritty and could almost imagine the stench.
The sex and the violence, which everyone seemed to find excessive in this series, didn't bother me at all, save for some of the torture bits. After all, ancient Rome was a pretty violent place, so it rang much truer than it would have had there been less blood.
As far as characters go, may I just say that Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus were perfect together and perfect throughout the series? I found all the main characters compelling, and even though much of the scheming (Atia, I'm looking at you!) was played rather over-the-top, it worked. And speaking of Atia, I thought she was perfect, as was Octavia's exasperation at both her mother and her brother.
The only actor I didn't like all that much was the second Octavian (I had to laugh when he said "Don't you recognise me, mother?", because the obvious answer the writers were implying is, "Of course not, you're being played by a completely different actor!"). for one thing, I don't see why they didn't keep the first one, given that this one didn't look all that much older or manlier, and even though I can see how Octavian was playing a role himself, trying to be a second Ceaser, he was way too stiff. Besides, the physical difference was too great to be at all believable, especially when only a few years are supposed to have gone by and Octavian was nearly an adult to begin with.
It's late and I'm tired, so I'll stop here for now, but suffice to say that I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would; what I was ready to put on as background noise for when I was sewing became something I would put my sewing down to watch.
One last thing: I apparently fail at being a slash fan, because when Octavian ended up in the closet with Caesar, and the cook was listening at the door, it never even crossed my mind that she would naturally assume those noises to be sexual in nature. I imagine that this is because the prevailing image of the Romans is "We are manly men and WE DO NOT FUCK BOYS!" Whereas the Greeks were all, "BOYS! :D~~~"
Final verdict: 8/10
Everyone should read these books:
Vellum and Ink (The Book of All Hours) (Hal Duncan)
You know how it's easy to trash a book, to explain why it was bad? It's much, much harder to explain why a book is good, why it moved you, why you found it so compelling. These two books, as promised by the blurb, were truly like nothing I'd ever explerienced before.
The Book of All Hours is the text of all creation, and in it are written all the different versions of reality, all the endless possibilities. It is a book of maps, a book of the future, of the past, of different branches of time; it is written on the skins of angels with the blood of gods. So what happens when someone tries to rewrite it, to make things right? And if there are seven parts to a soul, what happens when they are joined?
It's incredibly hard to describe the plot, because it's not so much one plot as a plot broken up into different version, variants of the same story. The seven characters appear in different incarnations, in different times and places, and at times each page is part of a different story. It's a testament to the author's skill that I was never once confused about where I was; each character's every incarnation has a distinct voice, and Duncan manages, with only a few details, to bring each reality to life. There are myths woven into brutal, violent episodes of history, some that we know in this world and some that are ever so slightly skewed, dreams and possible futures.
Reading this left me drained in the best possible way. I saw the end rushing toward me, and the tears welled up because I'd effectively come to the end of so many stories simultaneously, yet the ending was perfect in its simplicity. I really can't say much more on the subject, just that this is definitely something I'll be reading again.
Final verdict: 9/10
Back to the classics:
Good Omens (Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman)
Honestly, what can I say about this book that would accurately convey my love for it? I adore both Pratchett's and Gaiman's solo work, and this book brings together the best of their respective styles.
I feel I must mention that I've very glad they went with Pratchett's version of Death; as much as I like Gaiman's goth chick version, I can't imagine she would have translated well into prose. Mostly because she doesn't speak in capital letters.
Final verdict: 9.5/10 (parce que rien n'est parfait en ce bas monde)
Mamma Mia!
Reasons I expected to like this movie:
1) ABBA was part of the soundtrack of my childhood (specifically the album Gold, which accompanied us on all long car trips well into my elementary school years), and it's already been proven (see Muriel's Wedding) that a movie heavy on ABBA cannot help but win;
2) It was filmed on Santorini (or close enough), which is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been -- the light, people, the light there is incredible;
3) Hello, Amanda Seyfried! 8D
-- We interrupt this review to note that while the writer felt sort of pervy for noticing Ms. Seyfried's hotness in Veronica Mars, when she was playing a 16-year-old, she has no such qualms when said actress is playing an adult and is wet and luscious and wearing a bathing suit. --
The first ten minutes or so kind of put me off, because there was this air of forced joviality to the whole production, and I wasn't yet in the right frame of mind to accept such potentially serious subject matter being taken so lightly, but then things began to fall into place. And really, who can resist Colin Firth singing?
Final verdict: 8.5/10
Rome (seasons 1 & 2)
I finished watching the first season during my Christmas vacation, so technically I should have reviewed it then, but it ended up on the long list of stuff I read/watched last year and didn't review, so I figured I might as well lump the whole series together.
I won't comment on the whole historical accuracy of the production, never mind the timeline of actual historical events, because while I suppose I know more about ancient Rome than the average person, I always found the Greeks more interesting. That being said, Brutus and whoever it was joking about not having a birthday cake was a bit too much "Hello Modern Audience!" Unless, of course, the Romans did observe the custom of celebrating birthdays with a cake, in which case please excuse my ignorance. I loved the attention to detail in the sets and the costumes, found it real and gritty and could almost imagine the stench.
The sex and the violence, which everyone seemed to find excessive in this series, didn't bother me at all, save for some of the torture bits. After all, ancient Rome was a pretty violent place, so it rang much truer than it would have had there been less blood.
As far as characters go, may I just say that Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus were perfect together and perfect throughout the series? I found all the main characters compelling, and even though much of the scheming (Atia, I'm looking at you!) was played rather over-the-top, it worked. And speaking of Atia, I thought she was perfect, as was Octavia's exasperation at both her mother and her brother.
The only actor I didn't like all that much was the second Octavian (I had to laugh when he said "Don't you recognise me, mother?", because the obvious answer the writers were implying is, "Of course not, you're being played by a completely different actor!"). for one thing, I don't see why they didn't keep the first one, given that this one didn't look all that much older or manlier, and even though I can see how Octavian was playing a role himself, trying to be a second Ceaser, he was way too stiff. Besides, the physical difference was too great to be at all believable, especially when only a few years are supposed to have gone by and Octavian was nearly an adult to begin with.
It's late and I'm tired, so I'll stop here for now, but suffice to say that I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would; what I was ready to put on as background noise for when I was sewing became something I would put my sewing down to watch.
One last thing: I apparently fail at being a slash fan, because when Octavian ended up in the closet with Caesar, and the cook was listening at the door, it never even crossed my mind that she would naturally assume those noises to be sexual in nature. I imagine that this is because the prevailing image of the Romans is "We are manly men and WE DO NOT FUCK BOYS!" Whereas the Greeks were all, "BOYS! :D~~~"
Final verdict: 8/10