(no subject)
I just got my braces set which means that my teeth hurt so much that I'm seriously starting to contemplate knocking myself unconscious. Which would be a pretty extreme move so best left as a fall-back plan rather than the main course of action. For now, I'm just going to think happy thoughts, I'll see that that works.
Oh, a happy thought. I met roguem on Sunday. Like, in person. Still feels a bit surreal. An amazing girl, she is. Funny, clever and pretty. You practically don't get any better. Seriously, roguem, you rock. Hard, plain and simple.
Oh, movies. Another happy thought.
Allen Coulter's 'Hollywoodland'
A decent picture. No fireworks but it's ok. It clocks 126 minutes, meaning that it is at least 6 minutes too long, but, while it isn't the most scintillating movie production of the year, it's never actually boring either.
It's basically two separate stories, one of a famous tv actor (Ben Affleck), the other of a down-on-his-luck detective investigating his death (Adrien Brody). Both have very nice performances to carry them through (my only complain here is Robin Tunney's pretty jarring Southern accent), but the connection between them is sometimes nothing more than a very thin thread, which goes against the very point of the movie. And, even though I have nothing against open endings in general, this one doesn't feel entirely right.
On the whole, a good movie, but not overwhelmingly so. Worth watching for acting and cinematography alone, if not much else.
Giuseppe Tornatore's 'Nuovo cinema Paradiso'
Now, this one is a true gem. The most enchanting movie I've seen in a long long time. About the pure love for cinema, the sense of wonder only cinema can create, about the joy it can bring and the way it can brighten up people's lives. It tells about the time already gone, when cinema was this place of magic and awe and amazement and happiness, unmatched by any other.
We don't appreciate cinema like that anymore. Which perhaps isn't surprising given the fact that it's been around for over a century, has become common entertainment a long time ago and got majorly downgraded with the emergence of television. Not surprising but still sad. Because the wonder and the magic are still there, we just don't see them anymore. It's good there the movies like this one to make us remember.
I have nothing else to say. Words fail me. It's simply a masterpiece.
And a book. These happy thoughts just keep on coming.
'The Algebraist' by Iain M. Banks
I read this one a while ago, but I've never got around to actually reviewing it. Which is a shame because it seems that the more time passes the more critical I am it. A month ago, the review would her certainly been more praising and perhaps that's what the book actually deserves.
'The Algebraist' is a good book, written tightly and with obvious skill. And I certainly like Banks's style. Now, that man really knows how to form nice sentences.
There are two main problems here. Problem One, it seems that Banks routinely has trouble with writing satisfying endings. Well, that 'routinely' is a pretty bold move on my part since I've only read two of his books, but it's still some pattern. I admit that 'The Algebraist' turned out better on that front that 'Look To Windward', where the tension was building deliciously up and up and up and then went pzzzz and the book just ended. That was annoying. Yes, 'The Algebraist' fares a bit better, but mostly because the stakes really aren't that high there so there are less expectations. Problem Two, the evil guy is much too evil. He just had to go down, there was no other option. No suspense. Actually, now that I think about it, there was precious little suspense about anything in this book. I stopped caring about whether Fassin will find this famous Dweller List or not - which was the main plot point, btw - around the middle of the book and it didn't actually stopped me from enjoying the rest. It really is this nicely written. And I admit the whole trick with the Dweller List at the end was clever. Probably scientifically impossible, but very imaginative.
What the book surely wins at, is the most entertaining alien race that I've ever met in science fiction. The Dwellers, impossibly old creatures who, with lifespans of millions of years really have drastically different set of life priorities that humans. They pursue wars as exciting hobbies, deem clothes more important than government, hunt their own young and aren't particularly phased about practically anything. Except perhaps regattas. And they are the most dangerous race to ever exist. Just lovely.
'The Algerbaist' left me in a bit of a fix. I'm not really sure what to think about it. It's, I don't know, very good, just not really engaging? I enjoyed it quite a lot, but I didn't care much for the characters? Does that even make sense? Quite a conundrum. Better check for yourselves.
And for a nice finish, my dear volleyball boys won again. And it's the final round, just six teams left, people, so that's, like, extra good. Especially that the Brazilians got finally slayed by Bulgarians so we are the only undefeated team left. Go, we.
Well, happy thoughts or not, my teeth still hurt. Time to try this unconscious thing, I think.
Oh, a happy thought. I met roguem on Sunday. Like, in person. Still feels a bit surreal. An amazing girl, she is. Funny, clever and pretty. You practically don't get any better. Seriously, roguem, you rock. Hard, plain and simple.
Oh, movies. Another happy thought.
Allen Coulter's 'Hollywoodland'
A decent picture. No fireworks but it's ok. It clocks 126 minutes, meaning that it is at least 6 minutes too long, but, while it isn't the most scintillating movie production of the year, it's never actually boring either.
It's basically two separate stories, one of a famous tv actor (Ben Affleck), the other of a down-on-his-luck detective investigating his death (Adrien Brody). Both have very nice performances to carry them through (my only complain here is Robin Tunney's pretty jarring Southern accent), but the connection between them is sometimes nothing more than a very thin thread, which goes against the very point of the movie. And, even though I have nothing against open endings in general, this one doesn't feel entirely right.
On the whole, a good movie, but not overwhelmingly so. Worth watching for acting and cinematography alone, if not much else.
Giuseppe Tornatore's 'Nuovo cinema Paradiso'
Now, this one is a true gem. The most enchanting movie I've seen in a long long time. About the pure love for cinema, the sense of wonder only cinema can create, about the joy it can bring and the way it can brighten up people's lives. It tells about the time already gone, when cinema was this place of magic and awe and amazement and happiness, unmatched by any other.
We don't appreciate cinema like that anymore. Which perhaps isn't surprising given the fact that it's been around for over a century, has become common entertainment a long time ago and got majorly downgraded with the emergence of television. Not surprising but still sad. Because the wonder and the magic are still there, we just don't see them anymore. It's good there the movies like this one to make us remember.
I have nothing else to say. Words fail me. It's simply a masterpiece.
And a book. These happy thoughts just keep on coming.
'The Algebraist' by Iain M. Banks
I read this one a while ago, but I've never got around to actually reviewing it. Which is a shame because it seems that the more time passes the more critical I am it. A month ago, the review would her certainly been more praising and perhaps that's what the book actually deserves.
'The Algebraist' is a good book, written tightly and with obvious skill. And I certainly like Banks's style. Now, that man really knows how to form nice sentences.
There are two main problems here. Problem One, it seems that Banks routinely has trouble with writing satisfying endings. Well, that 'routinely' is a pretty bold move on my part since I've only read two of his books, but it's still some pattern. I admit that 'The Algebraist' turned out better on that front that 'Look To Windward', where the tension was building deliciously up and up and up and then went pzzzz and the book just ended. That was annoying. Yes, 'The Algebraist' fares a bit better, but mostly because the stakes really aren't that high there so there are less expectations. Problem Two, the evil guy is much too evil. He just had to go down, there was no other option. No suspense. Actually, now that I think about it, there was precious little suspense about anything in this book. I stopped caring about whether Fassin will find this famous Dweller List or not - which was the main plot point, btw - around the middle of the book and it didn't actually stopped me from enjoying the rest. It really is this nicely written. And I admit the whole trick with the Dweller List at the end was clever. Probably scientifically impossible, but very imaginative.
What the book surely wins at, is the most entertaining alien race that I've ever met in science fiction. The Dwellers, impossibly old creatures who, with lifespans of millions of years really have drastically different set of life priorities that humans. They pursue wars as exciting hobbies, deem clothes more important than government, hunt their own young and aren't particularly phased about practically anything. Except perhaps regattas. And they are the most dangerous race to ever exist. Just lovely.
'The Algerbaist' left me in a bit of a fix. I'm not really sure what to think about it. It's, I don't know, very good, just not really engaging? I enjoyed it quite a lot, but I didn't care much for the characters? Does that even make sense? Quite a conundrum. Better check for yourselves.
And for a nice finish, my dear volleyball boys won again. And it's the final round, just six teams left, people, so that's, like, extra good. Especially that the Brazilians got finally slayed by Bulgarians so we are the only undefeated team left. Go, we.
Well, happy thoughts or not, my teeth still hurt. Time to try this unconscious thing, I think.