Great Santini

Just finished watching this film starring Robert Duvall. Great actor, like him most in Secondhand Lions, a more recent (comparatively) work. In this movie he plays the role of W.P. Mitchium, "The Great Santini", a legendary marine fighter pilot who brings his military bearing into his home life. The beginning of the movie holds promise, Santini is a great prankster, pulling two stunts within the first ten minutes of the story. In his first, he crashes an officer only party of some sophistication by acting extremely inebriated. As Mitchium stumbles to center stage, he doubles over and strategically empties a can of cream of mushroom soup upon the stage. He then calls his fellow pilots to come over to his "vomit" armed with spoons to clean it up. This results in the officers' wives making a quick exit of the room to avoid the disgusting spectacle.

Mitchium's home life is more painful to watch. He is determined to shape his gentle mannered oldest son, Ben, into a better marine pilot than even the "Great Santini". His oldest daughter, Maryann, is a smart mouth who sarcastically back talks the rest of her family. His wife is long suffering to her odd and over the top husband. Colonel Mitchium is a ham, telling all who will listen of his greatness. He tries to treat his family the same way he treats his fellow marines - instilling order, discipline, and a fury to desire and settle for only the best life has to offer.
This could have been a great movie and could see its premise being used today for a comedy: Clueless Military dad comes home to a totally unrelatable family. The movie's plot points concerning his attempts at bridge building failing until his family shows him the ropes step-by-step. Instead, the producer and director aimed to make W.P. Mitchium into a character who would run into brick walls until they killed him or he broke through. It would have been an uplifting film if they allowed Robert Duvall to have an opportunity at redemption, separating his military tough as nails persona from a gentle loving persona at home. However, Mitchium is a doomed figure, and the movie does not leave the audience with the feeling that their life is any richer or wiser having seen it.

Sorry, Robert Duvall, this was not one of your better films. You played your role memorably, but the scripted ending was not satisfying. Sometimes, a great actor cannot rescue an otherwise flop of a film.

Malice, a brilliant tale of the cutting edge.

A word of introduction: A fascinating fashion that I hope catches on in other author's styles is exemplified in this novel. Simply put - it is a book that intersperses graphic novel bits into the main narrative. This technique has been best used in the Doppleganger Series by G.P. Taylor, which I may review later on in a future blog post...

Malice is a chilling tale set in England. It concerns a comic book whose very existence is shrouded in rumor and mystery. There are whispers of a ritual that allows you to enter into the realm of Malice. Each issue is sealed in black wax paper, written in ink that fades a few days after exposure to air. Grendel is the artist, his style is abrupt, chaotic, and disturbing. Luke is a daring tween who procures a copy and reads it with his friend Heather. She leaves, shaken; and to reassure Heather that it is merely a story, Luke performs the ritual and asks that "Tall Jake take him away". Darkness falls upon the house, and a few days later, Luke disappears without a trace. Heather tells two of Luke's friends, Seth and Kady, that he invoked the ruler of Malice and that she thought he was taken. Seth and Kady find Luke's copy of Malice full of blank panels. When they obtain a newer copy, they see Luke inside the magazine, being pursued by malignant shadows. Seth also calls upon Tall Jake to take him to Malice - he has to know whether his friend was really kidnapped into another world. He wakes up inside the world of Malice, where the rules of our world do not apply. There are three types of children in the realm: the learners, who adapt and survive; the inexperienced who fail and die; and the mysterious group called Havok, who are determined to make Tall Jake pay for taking them into Malice in the first place. Kady and the reader watch issue by issue the progress of Seth and his new friend Justin, who read the comic a year before entering Malice. A black ticket gets you anywhere in the area of Malice, a white ticket will get you anywhere as well as being valid for a ride home. Will Seth's determination and Justin's streetwise knowledge be enough to defeat T.J. and return to everyday reality?We will have to wait until Chris Wooding runs out of mind games to play with his readers: It will be the first of a series - Havok is yet to come out as the second book, but it ends promisingly and only slightly discomforting. Not a total cliffhanger, but also not enough to let the reader off his hook easily.

Dreamdark:Blackbringer

How lovely, I am on vacation. Thus I am at liberty to read and write at my own leisure. However, an indiscretion in blocking a basketball shot caused my right little finger to swell at the first digit, adding inconvenience to my typing experience...

However it has not impaired my eyesight and reading faculties; I have had the pleasure of finishing Laini Taylor's first book in the Dreamdark series. In the Dawn days, the 7 Djinn dream-weaved The Tapestry into existence. This tapestry of magic was what held the world together and gave the world order. Something went wrong soon after - the tapestry was meddled with by a jealous entity known as Blackbringer. It was he who is the father of all devils and snags through his sabotage of the fabric of reality. Faeries were dreamed into existence to combat these mistakes Belletrix, the female champion of Maugruwen, the greatest of the seven Djinn. After the end of the Devil Wars, in which the djinn and their champions bottled up the rogue devils, the djinn deserted the world and Belletrix faded from memory. Unfortunately, mankind was overlooked as a threat, and the seals placed over the vessels did not protect against human meddling.

Enter Magpie Windwitch, granddaughter of the West Wind, and her seven crows. Together, they make it their self appointed task to hunt and recapture the devils who were set free by foolish "mannies", or humans. As the story opens, Magpie has already rebottled twenty-three of the vermin. Tipped off by the West Wind Magpie investigates an abandoned fishing skiff to check for any devil's involvement. She and her travelling family of crows are startled to discover no mess or footprints on the ship, the usual signs of devil's handiwork. Even more unusual, the bottle has been sealed by Maugruwen himself, something unmentioned in faerie history. It is the return of the Blackbringer, who is cloaked in darkness and whose nocturnal stalkings swallow all in its path. Magpie returns to the faerie capital, Dreamdark,to search for information on this mysterious horror whose existence was thought to be a legend. Magpie searches for Maugruwen, the ancient Djinn King, to warn him; the Blackbringer has a vendetta against the djinn -it already destroyed one of the weaker sleeping djinn.

In Dreamdark, other faeries with unusual talents and skills cross paths with Magpie. Poppy Manygreen, a childhood friend who can communicate with plants, and Talon Rathersting, a flightless prince of the guardian clan of Dreamdark. Talon's father and brothers are devoured by the darkness of the Blackbringer. Talon's talent is unprecendented in the history of faerie - he has the skill to knit skins for himself out of spidersilk. He is able to live out his dreams of flying through wearing the skin of a falchon. Previously, only Djinn and elementals like the Winds could fashion temporary flesh in which to roam the earth.

As Magpie and her companions learn more about the origin of the Blackbringer, they discover just how outmatched they are. If that is not enough, The Tapestry, woven by the seven Djinn is unraveling. Magpie, Talon, and Poppy can sense the fabric of reality rending, but what can the created possibly do to save their Creators who dreamed them into existence?

Overall, it is a creative book and I highly recommend it. It is a refreshing breath of air to me to know that there are young writers with the ability to shape words into a whole that sparks readers' minds to life. Laini Taylor, you have made my life that much brighter. Thank you and may your pen's ink never run dry!

Neverwhere, a tale of a London that lives and breathes

Concerning Neverwhere, a book by Neil Gaiman

There are many books in this world that offer entryway into an author’s mind, a place of wonder, humor, and creativity. Neverwhere is a portal into a world that effortlessly treads the thin line between the bizarre and the drudgery of the day to day.
The protagonist, Richard Mayhew, is a man for whom everyday is spent splitting his time between his undistinguished and unrewarding job at a firm, and his control freak girlfriend, Jessica, who is a museum director and thus demands that he become a man of culture. He is an individual whose life has been a series of events that happened before his eyes without him having an active say in the matter. This all changes in one night - while walking with Jessica to an upscale restaurant, a girl dressed in rags falls out of a portal in a brick wall to land at Richard’s feet.
In a rare moment of self-assertion, he defies his girlfriend’s wishes to ignore the ragamuffin and insists on taking the bleeding girl back to his apartment. While dressing her wounds, she introduces herself as “Door”, and explains that she was being pursued by some dangerous men, but refuses to say any more. Strange men who identify themselves as Croup and Vandemar arrive at his doorstep and ask after the whereabouts of the mysterious girl. Their impression on him is reminiscent of a fox and a wolf stalking a wounded prey. Door makes arrangements to leave as soon as possible ‘so as not to involve Richard in her world.’
The next day he wakes up to a London in which he does not exist – his office is stripped bare, his apartment leased to another couple, his ATM card is not valid. He had become too involved in the business of London Below, the realm of those who slipped through the cracks of our world. In this plane of reality, Richard reunites with Door on her home turf. Misters Croup and Vandemar killed her family and are now hunting her down. She is the last Opener – the lone survivor of a clan gifted with the knack for opening anything with a mere touch. Door and Richard are joined by the unique Marquis de Carabas, a resourceful rogue who has a habit of being paid in ‘favors’, and Hunter, the beautiful living legend who glories in hunting exotic and rare beasts. Their mission is to survive the grasp of misters Croup and Vandemar long enough to find and help the reclusive angel Islington.
Neil Gaiman’s characters are rich and full of life; he is imaginative in his descriptions of the chaotic order and rules of London Below. From the truce of the Floating Market to Old Bailey and his birds, this world both defies credibility and demands belief. Gaiman is the madman whose mental landscapes are detailed with striking images. The influence of his genius is to draw you into insanity with the illusion that it is perfectly rational. Earlscourt subway station in London is presented as an entity rather than merely a place. This is a London that lives, breathes, groans, and sighs – one in which once you enter, you are reborn, and your previous existence losing its savor and spice. The irrational has intertwined with the logical to become the new reality. There is no going back.

Writer's Redefinition Already?

To all my patient, long-suffering, and faithful readers. I have been reading, really, but have not uncovered anything that inspired me as worthy of recommendation. I have a fail safe supply of reviews. Or do I? you'll see eventually...

Anyway, I haven't updated this since Sunday, and wanted to give you something to read.
Thus, my blog will expand to things other than merely reviews. Your comments can direct me to review media or stories of your choice. Speak up - it gives me something to do and keeps me accountable.

Thank you for your readership, I shall now give a poetry piece of mine own creation from the top of my head. Just so that your time is not merely spent reading an announcement.

I saw you standing the other day with a strange smile upon your face.
I was performing my daily tasks, I looked up, not sure how to react.
You've said no words, spoken no greeting.
Is it truly you, or merely a reflection so fleeting.
I smile back, quickly, I cannot be sure.
I return the courtesy, as is common rule.
You turn away, I second-guess my initial recognition.
It is not true, only a figment of my imagination.
And yet, this mistaken identity is not in vain.
I whisper under my breath a prayer in your name.
Petitioning that the heavenly father looks after thine health,
It is people like you who constitute my true wealth.
For what is man if he is alone? No one to notice him or check in by phone?
That is a life that is empty and void, and one that I would wish upon no girl or boy.
Existence is frail, and so prone to pain. As we question our purpose on this mortal plane.
You are important, no matter how small you may feel.
For to me, you are special; for joy and for heartbreak, our friendship is real.
I saw someone that resembled you today, but that's not the same.
For thou art thyself, in body, soul, and name.
No other can fill in for thy face,
let these verses remind you,
that to me, you are irreplaceable;
No doppelganger would do.

Thanks again,

Fall-Shi-un

Brothers Bloom

When I first heard of this movie, it intrigued me: Two brothers who grew up to become one of the greatest con men teams. Their first con was originated when Stephen was 13 and his younger brother, Bloom, was 10. The movie opening sets the lighthearted tone for the rest of the film. It grabs your attention and endears itself as the brothers get their start in the art of swindling gullible members of society.

The whole movie is a con job, making you wonder what is truly real. Stephen is played by Mark Ruffalo as a genius planner, always in love with the story element of the con. "The perfect con is where everyone gets what they really wanted at the beginning." Bloom is portrayed by Adrian Brody; he's the role player whose job is to act as a blind to the women involved in the cons. However, he has become so good at acting out his parts that he has no feeling of his own identity. An Asian in her 20's with no apparent past,"Bang Bang", is their third accomplice, speaking with her actions rather than her command of the English language. She is the Bloom Brothers' explosives and firearms expert. Rachel Weisz plays Penelope, an eccentric young heiress who collects hobbies. She is a recluse who has spent most of her life at her estate learning how to do card tricks, play many instruments, and juggle chainsaws while on a unicycle.

Bloom is called back by Stephen to perform one last con. Bloom wants to live an unscripted life, but has been so long under his older brother's wings that he is purposeless without Stephen. The plan is to get Penelope's money through a wild journey spanning the globe. We, the audience, know that a con is going on but are unsure when the characters are being truly vulnerable, or merely playing their parts to perfection.

The film is full of laughs as the Brothers guide their victim from New Jersey to St. Petersburg to Mexico. Bloom starts to fall for Penelope outside of his written role, leading the audience to wonder if he will expose the con or fulfill his loyalty to his roots.

Overall, it was a great movie for a Sunday night. Mark Ruffalo takes center stage as the clever rogue who is charming in his persuasion and smile. Adrian Brody is a sympathetic character, one who is both pathetic and attractive at the same time. He must raise some maternal chord in women, because his looks do not favor him. Adrian has a long nose, thin of face and frame, but he manages to connect on some intangible level with the observer. Rachel Weisz is "cute" as my sister put it; she lights up the screen with her grin and youthful enthusiasm with intrigue and adventure. The movie ends in a manner true to its nature, leaving the viewer questioning where stories and cons end and unadorned reality begins.

What is true and what is deception? That is the burden placed upon the beholder; it will leave that person with a healthy dose of skepticism with which to wrestle even as the credits roll.

Initial What?

This post is dedicated to all those who have supported me in this online venture of time and effort. (Mostly time, it is what will tell the truth about how long this will last)

First, to Ann Barton, my teacher of Jou 121 @ Franklin College who expects much of me.

Secondly, to William Bridges @ greenmarketpress.com, he spoke in class and followed up with me on writing and editing. Very encouraging person overall.

Thirdly, fond thanks to my older sister Kels, who faithfully blogs @ bits&pieces on this site. She helped me get set up in this new frontier.

I don't expect much in readership, most people are lucky to get read at all in the blogosphere. This is to be a work in progress, so I appreciate you, my reader, for your time and patience.

I have a naive interest in reviewing books especially, though I might delve into the exciting mediums of music and movies occasionally. My interest in reviewing is simply that I love to read. This bibliomania has the side effect of making me take long leaves of absence from this plane of reality. I hope to bring back succinct and intriguing accounts of such occurrences, that I might provoke the reader into a similar sojourns into the realm of fiction.

A christening to you my reader:
May your readings find fruit and your mind grow deep roots.
As I attempt to explain the truth that needs not name.
Absolutes exist, whether you choose to look or no.
Let not your pursuit desist, in finding this to be so.
Don't take words at face value, they design to deceive
the casual reader, revealing only to authors and those who believe.
I wish well to any, to every, to all.
In hopes that my writing will invoke curiosity and lightly enthrall.