Humbleodeon- Book and Movie Reviews

[ivor]

Do you look? 

I don't have or drive a car.

I'm in "no adequate mass transportation land." 

[Aggie]

Or the "no adequate transportation land mass"....  North America doesn't have the masses to support decent mass transport, 'specially up here (maybe Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are adequate... not sure.  Calgary is marginal, IF you're on the train line). 

[Sibling Chatty]

Around here, mass transportation is picking up a friend to share the 15 mile drive to a supermarket, where you can actually buy food, not just pre-packaged 'stuff'. Movin' to the country has drawbacks, but housing's cheap.

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

And you can eat a lot of peaches, according to the Presidents of the United States of America.   

At least around here, urban planners and municipal officials have started to tune into the need for intelligent municipal planning:  things like "lay out your city so people can live close to where they work", which sounds obvious enough, but goes completely against the decades of growth through "bedroom communities" that we've had previously.

I thought I had it bad with the trip to my local grocery store (about 5 km).

But still... POTUSA wasn't wrong about the peaches, were they?   



"movin' to the country / goin' to eat a lot of peaches"
...
"and if I had my little way / I'd eat peaches every day"

[Sibling Chatty]

Nope, and if I get my lazy butt out there and prune the peach trees, and remember to THIN the peaches or the blossoms before they become baby peaches, I can grow my own. We have 4 small peach trees.

I'm gonna plant some seeds from the neighbor's tangerine tree's tangerines, too. And eventually add another pecan tree. The one we have is a huge native pecan, but i'd like a variety that puts out a bigger, maybe papershell pecan. Easier to shell and eat!

You need to know that according to a 4 year old I knew at the time, that song's lyrics are "Movin' to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches. Gonna eat some peaches, eat 'em with the Sneeches."

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210462/sneetches.html

Makes sense to me.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

The one we have is a huge native pecan, but i'd like a variety that puts out a bigger, maybe papershell pecan. Easier to shell and eat!

Aaaah, but I'm certain you already know this ... but the native, smaller nuts are richer in flavor than the larger papershell ones.

I certainly did not know that until my sister-in-law's mother gave us a pecan pie (all homemade) made from native pecans.

Now, I'm one of those that has never, ever had a pecan pie that I did not find at least edible. (I really, really like pecan pie.  Even "bad" ones are pretty good, in my estimation. <heh>)

But, a pie made from native pecans was absolutely the most fabulous flavor of any pie I've ever eaten. (and I come from a Strong HomeMade Pie Tradition on my mother's side.  )

And when I volunteered to shell more native nuts so as to have enough for more pies, I realized the labor of love that first pie was.

But, it was soooooooo worth it-- to me at least!

You may keep your papershells with their larger gorgeous-looking pecan halves.  They are VERY tasty, indeed.

But nothing like that subtle, rich flavor of a native nut.  Mmmmmmmmm!  :drooling:

[Swatopluk]

Maybe we should do a thread split. We walked a bit far away from movie&book reviews.

[ivor]

I'll reel it back in for you Swato.

Bob, could you please make a movie about your experiences with the native pecans and how they compare to non-native pecans when used in pecan pie so that we may review it.

Thanks,
MB

[Swatopluk]

Let's for a change review some piece of pure entertainment

Sakuya - The Demon Slayer (Japan 2000)
Japan in the Edo/Tokugawa period. The increasing wickedness of humans and the neglect of religious duties disturbs the natural cosmic balance. The Kami (gods/good spirits) are weakened and the Oni (demons/evil spirits) are strengthened.
In reaction Mount Fuji (a god also and protector of Japan) erupts in anger, destroying a protective shrine nearby and hereby releasing an army of demons under the leadership of the queen of the earth spiders. A wasteland realm of darkness spreads around the mountain (think Mordor). The shogun orders the formation of a corps of demon slayers led by the Sataki clan.
The best and sometimes only weapon that can kill the demons is a special sword called [-----] but does so at a cost. It's power is derived from the life force of the wielder (symbolized by a candle in a temple that becomes shorter everytime the sword is used). When the life force is drained completely, the wielder dies and the next in line has to take over. At the beginning of the movie this happens to the father of Sakuya fighting a clan of Kappas (water demons), and the young girl has to finish the job. But afterwards she finds a newborn Kappa and is simply unable to kill the helpless infant. Instead she decides to raise it as a younger brother (and as we learn later male heir apparent of the Sataki line). The baby (called Taro) grows fast (3 months) to the level of a ten year old boy looking perfectly human except for a large green spot on the top of his head. Sakuya decides to go for the jugular and confront the demons on their own turf. On the way she and Taro confront the mad puppet player (turning life girls into dolls) and a cat demon disguised as a white-haired grannny (an extremly common character in Japanese movies). They are joined by two ninjas send by the authorities for their protection. Not the best choice because one them openly shows an extreme dislike for Taro because of his demon descent. This and a nasty episode occuring right after arrival in the demon realm allows the spider queen to tempt Taro to change sides. The boy is torn between loyalty to his adopted family and his demonic origin. That the demon slaying swords begins to show some bad extra habits isn't going to make the situation easier.
The confrontation with the queen and her host take up about the last third of the movie and the special effects (conventional and CGI) run really wild (without looking too cheesy).
The movie is clearly targeted at a younger audience (and there is a really annoying and superfluous scene with dancing Kami looking like the result of a hostile takeover of Studio Ghibli by Disney). The story is obviously not new either.
What makes the movie worth a look (apart from the exotism of genuine Japaneseness) is its avoidance of a simple black/white scheme. It is the humans that disturbed the balance and the fight for its restauration taints those doing it. There are some parallels to Lord of the Rings but also differences. Like the ring the sword has a problematic personality that can't be completely controlled, and the wielder has to balance the needed powers against the fatal effects on him/herself. What is lacking is the element of corruption. The wielder has to take the decisions deliberately. (S)he has to step halfway into the demon world to make use of the weapon (allowing on the other hand the half-humanization of the demon Taro)  but the end result is simply death not becoming a full demon. Unlike Sauron the spider queen has a real claim and has only to be fought for overstepping. Her temptation of Taro is therefore not just a deception but has a genuine ring to it. Unfortunately the movie goes for action instead of further deepening this aspect.
Action and effects lovers get definitely their money's worth in the lenghtened opening and the grand finale. Computer imagery is used extensively complementing/enhancing the conventional effects. This creates a surreal atmosphere in the monster scenes. The computer-generated light effects would seem excessive but at the same time they hide the natural cheesiness of monster masks and makeup (especially visible in the confrontation with the demon cat that does mostly without the light show).
Yes, it is popcorn but of an interesting enough flavour to merit a look (not necessarily a buy).
I give it 7.4/10

And now for something completely weird

Hausu (Japan 1978)
Seven Japanese schoolgirls visit the lonely landhouse of the old aunt of one of them. Unfortunately the aunt has white hair and a cat and in Japan that can only mean one thing...
Terry Gilliam on LSD meets Yellow Submarine in Haunted House for Burnt Offerings is probably the closest description for the impression this movie makes on the viewer. Sets, real landscape and cartoon backgrounds are in permanent change, when one by one the girls meet their fate in bizarre ways accompanied by special effects that quite probably owe a lot to the Gilliam style in Monty Python's Flying Circus and possibly to the Beatles' Yellow Submarine. The lighting has a psychedelic quality too. The plot is obvious an old hat and the way it is handled more or less routine. 7 different characters, most with appropriate nicknames: Mac(overweight and always hungry), Melody (musically gifted), Fanta (romantic dreamer), Kung Fu (kicks ass), Sweet(always helpful), Gari (spectacles, brain), Oshare (it's her aunt). Do I have to tell you, who gets eaten by the piano?
To rank this movie is highly dependent on what you take it for.
Despite some nudity and a little gore this is not a typical teenie slasher but more of a traditional haunted house flick with the finale having some similarity to Burnt Offerings (the house renewing itself through its victims).
If you are just looking for a straight horror, the weird effects and the occasional black humor will turn you off and you may think it to be a very bad movie. If you want a LSD trip without taking the actual drug the more straight horror parts may disturb you slightly.
Provided the weirdness is fully intended, I would give it quite high marks in the 7-8/10 range despite the girls being a bit annoying in the beginning. I strongly recommend to rent or borrow it first because it is clearly an either-love-it-or-hate-it affair.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Ahh... Swato gets to review the rare lost gems, while I get to review...

Eragon (the movie)

How can I say this in an non offensive way? coming from the book the movie is the worst possible thing I have seen in a while.

It is an abomination.

I wrote a review on IMDB that I will not transcribe here, in any case here is the link:

http://imdb.com/title/tt0449010/usercomments-280

Be warned, I hated the movie.

[Sibling Chatty]

Thatk you, anon. No matter who wants to see it, it's coming off the Netflix list. (My gift subscription, I choose the movies, and allow some requests. I just vetoed that one.)

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

My Brother and I are what could be called "hard to gift" personalities. 

This year, I got him a new OSU (Oklahoma State) sweat-shirt in OSU orange-and-black.  (also got my sister-in-law a matching one) they are both HUGE fans--which has zero to do with gravity. (sister-in-law is easy, though: any sort of nice chocolate.  ANY choco, for that matter-- she never met chocolate she didn't like <heh>)

Anyway, my brother, in turn, got me Star Trek, the animated series in return. All 22 episodes in a nice white collector's box.

This was a Saturday-morning cartoon series made in the 70's, using the original voices of the original series, with Shatner as Kirk, etc.

Since it was animated, they kept to the original themes of Star Trek, but had new and interesting aliens and situations, not cheaply possible in the 70's without looking cheezy.

Roddenberry is listed on the credits, so his hand (and vision) is evident in the stories so far.  Each is only about 20 minutes long, and the animation is typical 70's style:  minimalist movement of the backgrounds.

However, there is little cartoon-y feel about the animation.  No surreal or larger-than-life aspects of the characters.  It's very similar to comic-book adaptation series of the same period, like the original Spider Man animated series, the original Fantastic 4, the original  Sea-Quest.  It is very similar to the original Johnny Quest style as well.

So far, the stories are as good as I remember: akin to good to very good SciFi short stories using well-known characters and background.  Plots are not complex, as would be expected with 20 minutes to develop and resolve.  But, the subjects are not shallow at all-- in keeping with the better plots of the original TV series.

But, for Trek-fans, it is a must-have.  For the mildly curious, I would suggest renting one or two of the discs first. (And I cannot fathom it NOT being available for rental very soon.)

I'll review more, and in more detail, as I watch through all of the 22 episodes, and look at the special content.

(I also received one of those small portable DVD players.  Has a 8" screen, and a battery. Just the ticket for looking at low-detail content, like animated TV series, in bed just before going to sleep.  Mine is a <$100US unit from BestBuy.  It's their house-brand, but so far the quality is acceptable.  And the size is darn convenient for placing on my chest, with my head propped up with nothing more than a plumped-up pillow.  More on this, too, if I notice anything positive/negative. Likely I'll be using it to watch the rest of Trek.)

[Vita Curator]

I am writing to agree with Anon on his critique of Eragon.  A bunch of us that read both Eragon and Eldest  went to see it over Christmas.  We all are enjoying Christopher Paolini's trilogy (even though it is obvious that Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter have influenced him immensely {to be nice about it}) and thought that we would like the movie.  Yuck!  The worst movie that I have ever seen!  PU!  With a capital P and a capital U!   Cheesy, cheesy, cheesy.  Poorly written, poorly acted (expect for Jeremy Irons, who portrays Brom, my favorite character in the book).  The whole thing is as Anon so eloquently states "an abomination"!

Instead, go and see The Pursuit of Happyness (Happyness is spelled that way for a reason).  I wrote about it in Open Water and I will post it here also, what a terrific movie!

I highly recommend this movie, I hope that many of you have the chance to get out and see it; it was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.

It is based on a true story and the main character, Chris Gardner (played by Will Smith), is such an inspiration!  His strength of character, determination and perseverance to try and break out of the cycle of poverty is simply awe-inspiring.  Anyone that tends to cry at movies, please take plenty of tissues, I had tears streaming down my face several times.

Two quotes by Thomas Edison came to mind as I watched this:  "Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" and "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

Again, if you are looking for a very worthwhile, inspiring movie to see over the holidays, go and see this one!

Happy New Year Sweet Poppets!  

[Aggie]

I apologize my lack of ability/ambition in movie reviews, but I wanted a little feedback from anyone else who has seen 'I Huckabees'.  I know many people were quite enamoured by this movie - please tell me why!

I watched it this weekend, and wasn't quite sure to expect going in, but was overall disappointed.  Both myself and my fiancee' drew separate parallels to 'What the Bleep Do We Know!?'; although the intent and style of the two movies were completely different, there was the same feeling that one was being served a under-heated can of Big Thoughts Chowder for People Who Don't Think Big Thoughts in a fancy bowl. I kept waiting for it to get better, or pay off in the end - no dice. Total 'meh'.

See also any of the low-star reviews at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0356721/usercomments, which pretty much sum it up for me.

OK, something positive now....  I watched 'Treasure Planet' a couple of weeks ago (raiding the children's DVD shelf at the library again - yay for free movies!), and while I don't want to be over-enthusiastic, I expected it to be total junk - and found it to be pretty entertaining!  A good choice for little space-pirates, maybe...  and a surprisingly good effort from Disney, especially if it's been a while since you've read the original (haven't read it in ages, so wouldn't have noticed storyline-mangling).  Won't hold up to most of the adult-entertaining children's animated movies like Shrek, but worth a rent if you have young'uns, perhaps.

Also watched 'Robots' this weekend, and while it's nothing special, I did appreciate the anti-corporate, anti-consumerist theme woven through the main plot.  Very surprising in children's entertainment these days.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Two weeks ago I went to see Pan's Labyrinth (thanks to either Vita or Opas -sorry I don't remember which - for the warning about extreme violence) and I loved it. The idea of a fairy tale in the middle of an historical tragedy (the fascist regime of Franco in Spain) is quite innovative. Beautiful photography and good performances.

This weekend I saw Volver from Pedro Almodóvar, (which is a very characteristic movie coming from him), tragedy, folkloric comentary/humor and a touchy subject (and I will not touch it to avoid spoiling the plot). Nicely done, good performances from all the cast.