I'M STILL HERE, I'VE JUST BEEN BUSY

Here's a picture of me taken today with a dog. It was re-homed an hour later. Don't ask me why I'm not smiling because I'm quite happy. So was the dog. I had to push it off my knee.

More stuff either tomorrow or Thursday.

DVD: OUTLANDER

Something familiar here. Let me think...

Ah yes, I remember. The name of the king is Rothgar and his kingdom (a small walled village really) is Heorot. Why this is a Science Fiction origin story for the Beowulf legend and none the worse for it.

This is the sort of film that gives Science Fiction Action movies a good name. Why do I like it so much? Let me count the ways.

The Viking society of the period looks authentic. I'm not saying that it is authentic, but it certainly looks it.

There's a good rationale for the alien looking like a human being. That's because he is human. There's a good reason why he's crash-landed on Earth and why he's hunting the monster. Also why he's quite morose for much of the film. But tough, this is an action movie and our hero can kick bottom with the best of them. The monster is a terrific creation slightly resembling Marveldog the man-eating monster from Alan Moore's Miracleman series. If you've seen the trailers you might think it's a dragon breathing fire but it isn't. It uses an intense bio-luminescence which looks great and is a good idea to boot.

Great cast. Jim Caviezel makes a good hero and is well-supported by British actress Sophia Myles as King John Hurt's sassy daughter, Jack Houston as the man who would be the next king and marry the ex-king's daughter -you can see the tension already- Ron Pearlman doing gruff, tough and aggressive, and a plethora of character actors with a variety of accents, most of whom get eaten, minced, maimed, and deaded in a variety of ways.

The monster is used sparingly and some time is spent with Viking/hero interactions which some people see as a flaw but I enjoyed. The action sequences are convincing as are the excellent special effects. I've a teensy problem with the satisfying but predictable end but that's really the worst I can say.

So, not the greatest movie ever made, hence the 4 star rating, but one hell of a good time. Loved it. Going to watch it again soon. Buy it. Now. Stop reading, go and buy it. Okay, I'm finished.

(This has just been submitted to Amazon as a 4-star review.)

GRAPHIC NOVEL: ALAN MOORE & DAVID LLOYD 'ABSOLUTE V FOR VENDETTA (DC, 2009)

I would say, as an assumption, that people who buy DC's expensive Absolute editions do so because they want a definitive edition, printed on good quality paper, in an enlarged hardcover with dustjacket and slip-case, and extras such as introductions, unused unseen art etc, of their favourite comic books. I know I do and can see, from where I'm sitting typing, Absolute editions of 'Crisis on Infinite Earths', 'The New Frontier', Dark Knight, Batman: Hush, the four Sandman volumes, Ronin, and now V for Vendetta. I'll get back to this in the second half of the review.

V for Vendetta is, along with Marvelman/Miracleman, the first of Alan Moore's major works in the field of comics. It was begun at the time of Moore's early feelings of unease at the UK's ruling Conservative Party and concluded when those feelings had coalesced into outright disgust. Like the best Science Fiction, the best comics reflect concerns of the time in which they were written -and, yes, I'm aware I'm bringing together a genre and a medium- and V for Vendetta is political Science Fiction. In his introduction, written in 1988, Moore expresses his anxiety for the immediate future becoming a Conservative-led right wing intolerance as Margaret Thatcher forsaw a Conservative Britain into the next millenium and mentions that he's considering leaving the country. In the event, the Conservatives barely lasted until the middle of the 90's and Britain stands proudly, for all its flaws, as one of the most liberal, open. and tolerant of western societies. If you just limit this to England, I would argue, on evidence, that this is the most liberal, open, and tolerant of western societies. And Alan Moore is still ensconced happily in Northampton in the middle of England.

Yet, perhaps surprisingly, V hasn't really dated at all and its fear of fascism remains eternally valid. If you doubt that, then I refer you to the racist outpourings of the British National Party. V remains one of Moore's genuine masterpieces, erudite, compassionate, insightful, obsessive; all enhanced by David Lloyd's sympathetic distinctive 'realistic' artwork (with its echoes of British black and white weekly kids adventure comics) which is possessed of a great clarity and enhanced by a subdued colour palette. Perhaps what is even more amazing is that in the era of Ronald Regan, DC published a comic in which the hero is a psychotic anarchist whose intention is to destroy the existing social order.

Now, as for this edition, inevitably given the widely known dispute between Moore and DC, there is no new contribution by Alan Moore. A shame as it would be fascinating to read but, as I said, inevitable. Compared to other Absolute editions -the four Sandman volumes are packed with them, Crisis on Infinite Earths required an additional book- there is relatively little; a few sketches, a couple of reprint pieces by Moore, the inclusion of minor material printed in Warrior, panels blown up to full page pieces, all very nice but doing little to enhance the original material. Not that it matters as this is a beautiful edition of one of the masterpieces by Alan Moore the greatest comic book writer ever How could you resist.

Before I leave you, I'll just mention the soon to be published Absolute Promethea vol.1. This is a work which I feel will grow in reputation and I'm looking forward to receiving my copy of this, one of Moore's most optimistic works. I'm not expecting any new contributions from the Great Man but I do hope to see lots of gorgeous unpublished art by the brilliant J H Williams. I'll let you know.

Post Script

This review has just been submitted to Amazon.

BOOK, DVDs: RECENT AMAZON REVIEWS

Zelazny turns to crime, 22 Sep 2009

So, is this recently discovered thriller (written in the early 70's) by the legendary Science Fiction writer as good as his SF of the period?

Well... It shares a number of characteristics in common. There are the unmistakable attention-grabbing chapter openings and the well constructed sentences. There are the extremely, if occasional, long paragraphs such as a main character delivering plot exposition for a page and half without a break. There's the not always sympathetic character who (like the author at the time) smokes a lot -so many I was surprised he wasn't dying of lung cancer by the end of the book. There's the casual erudition and display of knowledge which is relevant to the plot -in this case Paintings (with a capital P for Art). And the purveying air of cynicism by the protagonist.

Otherwise... It's a moderately efficient thriller which wouldn't have been harmed by about 10,000 words of pruning. There's a twist which I'm sure Zelazny was neither the first nor the last to use and which I spotted early on. The story develops into something more and morally higher than it first appeared which you will have to find out for yourself as I'm not doing any spoilers here.

I had to make a little effort to keep reading early in the book but by the end was racing through it. However, the answer to the question mooted above is: no. Whatever this novel's virtues and it does possess them, Zelazny does not bring the magic apparent in his Science Fiction and I speak as someone who has just ordered the first four volumes of his complete short stories and whose favourite novel is Lord of Light. I also speak as someone who enjoys crime novels a great deal.

You aren't wasting your time buying this, and it is a nice pulp-pastiche edition from Hard Case Crime, but you aren't getting the real Roger Zelazny.

4 stars, a very strange kid's movie.

Let's get the basics sorted out right now. The target audience is approximately 9-14 years old, though it can also be enjoyed by older age groups and I certainly liked it. I would be very wary, however, of showing it to younger children without the presence of an adult. Apart from the scary aspects of which there are many and I'll mention them later, it deals directly with the death of a parent and could be upsetting on that level alone. Also it's immediately preceded by what may be a trailer for a sequel and is far scarier than anything in the film.

Okay, on with the show. Kitaro is a character who has been around in Japanese culture, in one form or another, since the 1930's and is half-human, half-yokai. The yokai are essentially forest spirits who appear in a variety of forms and with a variety of natures. In appearance they can be cute, human-like, spooky, hideous, and downright pants-wettingly scary. Their natures are friendly, mischievous, selfish, nasty, or downright malevolent and all shades in between.

The movie opens with a protest against a development which infringes on the forest and also involves destroying peoples' homes. A young boy writes to Kitaro (in whom his sister doesn't believe) for help. Kitaro turns up in time to save people from yokai employed by the selfish Ratman who is in turn employed by the developer. But this is only to set the scene for the real story which involves an evil stone falling into the hands of the boy's unemployed father with disastrous consequences such as being hunted by wolfman-like foxe spirits. I won't say more as it would only spoil what follows which involves a lot of action, some scary yokai, humour, a little tentative romance, and tragedy.

Visually this is an engaging film with very good special effects and some of the most weird and wonderful creatures ever seen in a live-action movie. While not perfect and not following rigorously through on an important sub-plot, I enjoyed this much more than I was expecting. Older kids will certainly enjoy it as will anyone with a taste for the fantastic.

It's in Japanese with English sub-titles (surprisingly not dubbed given its target audience) and the only extra is an hour-long collection of pieces from You Tube in which the trailer is repeated several times -could have been edited out.

The most original vampire movie you will ever see, 20 Sep 2009

This is simply an amazing piece of work that succeeds because it avoids every cliche of the horror movie. It is not structured like a horror movie and it does not behave like a horror movie. While the violence is explicit and the horror is real, there is no attempt to build up to a shock. The viewer can anticipate almost every moment and there is little attempt to surprise and shock. Events proceed clearly photographed in a pristine manner. For example we know one character becomes intensely disfigured at one point but the reveal is gradual and partial before the full genuinely gruesome exposure. It isn't filmed like a horror movie, it isn't scored like a horror movie, and the actors don't act as if they're in a horror movie. All this makes it completely refreshing as it overturns your every expectation of what a horror movie should be.

While steeped in traditional vampire lore and also going in unexpected directions, the take is radically different. Eli the vampire is not a monster, just someone who has been 12 years old for a long time and who needs human blood to survive. That she kills after drinking is a consequence of her condition. Despite what she does, and some of it is very brutal, she is and remains a figure of pity. The young actress who portrays her does a stunning job.

I could write a long review extolling the many virtues such as the use of music and the photography but I'd end up giving away too much and this really should be experienced with as few preconceptions as possible. Alas, I had read the equally excellent original novel, to which this film is very faithful, a couple of years ago. However, while I doubt if I'll be rereading the book, this is a movie I'm sure I will be returning to more than once.

STUFF I GOT: DVDs, MUSIC DOWNLOAD, GRAPHIC NOVELS, BOOKS

And in reverse order we start with Alan Moore & David Lloyd's Absolute V for Vendetta. DC Comics Absolute editions are wonderful things to have -larger than originally printed, packed (usually, sometimes more, sometimes less) with additional material in a hardback and cased. This is one of the earlier work that made Moore's name as the greatest comics writer of our time. I've also got the first volume of Moore's more recent work The Absolute Promethea on order which features amazing artwork by JH Williams.

Fables The Dark Ages by writer Bill Willingham and a variety of artists is the latest in the Fables series. The premise is that the Fables (creatures from myth, fairy tales, legends, folk tales and more recent fiction like the Wind in the Willows) have been driven from their worlds to earth by an evil emperor. In this, vol.12, the Fables have won the war against the Empire and now have to face the unexpected consequences of victory which are far darker than they could have imagined or even currently know. This is a scene-setter for what's to come but is no less entertaining than what's gone before and Fables is probably the best comic DC/Vertigo have got at the moment.

I've reviewed the Roger Zelazny thriller for Amazon but it hasn't appeared yet and, assuming it does, I'll reprint that here.

The Big Bang Theory was an impulse when I saw it on Amazon for under £9.00. I've enjoyed the episodes I've seen but never made a point of watching it regularly. If I had I would have probably bought the DVD sooner as it's one of the funniest series I've ever seen. The fact that the main characters are geeks -into superhero comics and science fiction movies (as well as fantasy gaming)- has nothing to do with it, more the wonderful dialogue, intelligent jokes, and likeable if intensely annoying characters. Sheldon is an amazing creation who must be seen to be believe. Season 2 is out in mid-October and I've already ordered it.

I've just got, as a download, Alela Diane's latest album To Be Still and have only played it once. I suspect it will take a few more to fully appreciate it. It's nominally folk in that it's mostly acoustic but the songs are all self-penned and come across as a sort of mix between Sandy Denny's Fairport Convention and Joni Mitchell. Delicate and pleasant but needs careful listening.

Folk-Rock was big when it evolved in the late 60's but I believe there's no real difference between it and Folk Music these days as many 'authentic' folk artists will employ rock instrumentation and folk music anthology albums blend both without needing to make note of any difference. Just thought I'd mention it.

Also arrived but I'll probably save it for a proper review is Outlander, a DVD featuring Vikings and a human-like alien versus an alien monster. Looking forward to it.

BOOKS: "I THINK I'M GOING BACK..."

Photo: Henry Kuttner & C.L. Moore

Oddly, just when I think I'm opening up to new music, I find myself more attracted to the kind of books I read when I was much younger. I'm talking Science Fiction here. for at least half my life I lived and breathed SF and I still can't quite leave it behind. I still regard myself as a Science Fiction fan even though my days as someone actively involved in SF Fandom are long goneand I don't read that much SF these days.

That said, I've recently bought and read Henry Kuttner's (and no doubt written with his wife CL Moore) The Dark World (see my Amazon review) and Fury. I'm about to read his Elak of Atlantis sword and sorcery stories from the late 30's. I've ordered a massive collection (900pps) of his & Moore's short stories. I've also ordered (from Amazon.com) 4 volumes of the complete short stories of Roger Zelazny and (from the same publisher, Nesfa Press) the complete short stories of Cordwainer Smith.

I've got the latest Iain Banks (one of my favourite mainstream authors, along with Haruki Murakami) contemporary novel Transition to read downstairs and yet all I want to do is read pulp fiction about Elak of Atlantis. Maybe I'm just in a nostalgic mood which will pass.

And yet, and yet, I've been buying quite a few compilation CDs of rock artists I've liked for years. But what really worries me is that I put on my Amazon wish list a compilation by Peter Paul & Mary who I liked when I was 14 and hadn't yet heard of Bob Dylan. Now that is surely going too far.

I shall write more on this when it isn't so late at night and I am less influenced by almost a full bottle of Banrock Station's Shiraz-Mataro, my favourite Australian plonk.

Post Script

It's the following morning, I'm sober, and I've removed the PP&M CD from my Wish List. It really is just too twee musically for me. If I'd bought that, what would be next -Barry Manilow?

CD/ BOOK/ DVD: LATEST AMAZON REVIEWS

The Essential Heart (2-discs, Columbia, 156mins, 2002)
Rating: 5 stars.

As the man said, unless you have all their original albums in which case you wouldn't want this anyway, this is the only Heart album you need.

And what an album it is. 2-CDs packed to the gills: 37 tracks with a running time around 156 minutes -you'd have a job squeezing another track on it- and truly the best, the essential Heart. If there's anything left off others might claim to be essential, then I've never heard it. A mix of memorable anthemic rockers, ballads, and general AOR tunes sung by the brass-lunged Ann Wilson, backed very ably by her musician and singer sister Nancy and generally good backup musicians. When Ann bawls out, "If looks could kill/ You'd be on the floor-ah", you don't doubt it for a minute, her voice alone would probably be enough to send anyone flying. All the hits are here, along with the best of the rest, and spanning 19 years so many I don't have time to list all of the great tunes. If I had to pick a top 5, I couldn't. Even with a limit of 10 I couldn't fit in all the tracks I love, and the rest are all pretty good.

Bold, brassy, electric guitar and voice-driven rock, this set is on fire.

Tony Nourmand, Film Posters Horror (Taschen, £7.99, 190pps, 2007)
Rating: 4 stars

I'm surprised I've never come across this before but better late than never. This is an very cheap price for a large 190pps book that is packed with a wide range of full colour reproductions. It ranges in time from the early silents to the 90's. Often different versions of posters for the same movie are shown, including many international versions. The range of horror movies covered is also international in scope. As you can imagine, the sheer range of visual styles on display is impressive, from the subtle and stylish, surreal and witty, to the in your face gore which reflects the range of those films selected for inclusion. There is an introduction, brief comments on each movie displayed, and a handy index of films.

At the price Amazon is currently asking, this is a steal for fans of the genre and of movie posters in general.

Now, unlike the other review, I hope Amazon does not include this under other film poster books. This review is for Film Posters: Horror, and a fine book it is too.


Nightmare City (dir. Umberto Lenzi, 1980, 92mins)
Rating: 3 stars.

To be honest, the only reason for watching this film is for constant carnage and gore. Oh sure, there are breaks where people talk to each other and officials vainly try and do something. But mainly it's infected people charging around killing other people in a variety of bloody ways. Are they zombies? They can only be killed by severe cranial damage which suggests a la Romero that they are. On the other hand, while unable to talk, they can plan traps, infiltrate by pretending to appear normal, operate guns and machinery and drive cars which is not typical zombie behaviour. But who cares as long as they are ripping people up, eating flesh and drinking blood which they do in great abundance. This may have the highest on-screen number of individual kills in any film I've ever seen.

On the other hand, the actors are wooden, the dubbing actors are even worse, and the film looks flat and bland with no visual style at all. The ending is totally stupid and annoying. There's little in the way of extras, mainly a not too bad interview with director Umberto Lenzi.

But if you like gory movies, then this is the one for you. I can't think of any other reason to watch it.

Post Script

Just for a change, none of the images above are the cover images of the items reviewed. Matango, Fungus of Terror isn't even in the posters book (though it should be, but I just love the movie.

BOOKS: PULP SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

About a year ago I reviewed for Amazon Robert E. Howard's The Complete Chronicles of Conan (Gollancz, 2006), being just what it says but with the virtue of containing the original text rather than any rewriting by people like L. Sprague de Camp or (shudder) Lin Carter. At the end of the review I added that I hoped they would do a companion volume featuring some of Howard's other pulp heroes. Today, while looking up something else, I came across Conan's Brethren (see above) which will be published by Gollancz in the middle of October and is just what I wished for.

In the 'Customers who bought this also bought...' section I came across Henry Kuttner's Elak of Atlantis which led me to his The Dark World, a couple of pulp adventures from the 40's. Kuttner was one of the better SF writers to emerge in during that period (his classic is Mutant), often writing in collaboration with his wife C.L. Moore. By then I couldn't resist his SF adventure novel Fury (1947), sadly the plain yellow Gollancz edition going cheap.He died far too young in 1958 at the age of only 43 when he was just hitting his peak. I haven't read anything by him in decades but I'm looking forward to reading these ancient pulp action fantasies of his which I should be receiving over the next couple of weeks.

The publisher of the Kuttner books is new to me but they are doing a series of pulp reissues and I've added Moore's Northwest of Earth to my Amazon wish list for future consideration.

Post Script

I've since deleted the above book because the stories, plus those of Jirel of Joiry, are available together in an Gollancz Fantasy Masterworks omnibus pb entitled Black Gods & Scarlet Dreams which I've just ordered in a 'like new' condition for £5.60 (inc. postage) from an American dealer. It's not as nice looking an edition but it's much better value and the Fantasy Masterworks is an excellent series.