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In books:
The Crow, by Allison Croggan
How much do I love this third installment of the series? Well enough that I read it in about three days flat, and through a lot of scary parts, like the last third or so of the book, where the main character goes undercover to investigate an army made up of brainwashed child soldiers, and still enjoyed the reading experience immensely. The stakes of the entire series are raised in this third book, especially with up-close and personal looks at the uber-villains (who have, until now, been nebulous baddies manipulating from behind the scenes), and descriptions of war and its consequences that definitely tugged at the heartstrings. Throughout this, the main character is fleshed out from a whiney, troubled teenager to a full-fledged, brave and noble hero (and a worthy counterpart to his sister, the heroine of the first two books). I'm pretty sure that the author went and read some scary stuff courtesy of Amnesty International for the sequences about the child soldiers; I certainly hope she is not writing from first-hand experience. In any case, despite the scary parts, a wonderful page-turner with a true sense of nobility and purpose at its heart.
I would also like to say one thing to this author: until I "see" it, I refuse to believe a certain plot development. I'm just saying.
Heartsick, by Chelsea Cain
I often say to people that I will read just about any book with well-developed and believable characters. This book, despite having well-developed and (largely) believable characters, really gave me a run for my money on this statement. The serial killer at the center (I shudder to say "heart") of this story is a fascinating character, in the way that a black hole is fascinating: it sucks everything towards it, and even though I wanted to look away, I just couldn't. I had to know, know what she knew, how she was pulling the puppet strings of... well, everyone, and how she'd gotten away with it. And... now that the book's over, I know. And I kind of wish I didn't.
Since this is a book club book, I mentioned that I'd read it early to another one of the club members, G., who had recommended it to me, vociferously. We talked about the general depravity and mayhem of the story, and G. asked me, "Well, did you like it?" I had to think about that, and have since come to the conclusion that I tentatively do, but in the way I like Joe Hill or Junji Ito's works: I can see the talent and am affected (for better or worse) by their writing, but I don't like the fact the books are actually inside my house. Letting those ideas in, so close, bothers me a bit.
So, uhm, yeah. Recommended, but definitely not a read for the Christmas season. (Or perhaps it is if you're tired of the whole shebang?)
In comics:
Air: This story just gets better and better. However, I can't wait for the first trade paperback so I can read all the issues back to back and see how some plot details hinge upon one another, without a month between installments. This comic is an excellent choice for people who are a little weary of cape comics, but haven't given up on fantasy/sci-fi comics yet, or for Salman Rushdie fans.
In manga:
Tsubasa, Vol. 25: I am so lost on this plot. What's going on? We're in the past, and then in the present, and everyone's looking serious and grim, and then there's past!Sakura again, and she's adorable, and Yuuko's there and wearing amazing outfits as usual (I can haz cosplay nau?), and hey, there's that Bad Guy again, and that must mean the meta-plot's doing something, except that nothing's happening in the present, except everyone's got super cool outfits... and, oh, I give up. I'll just sit down and read this over a week or so when the whole thing's done, and maybe then it will make sense. In the meantime, I can look at the pretty pictures and practice my kanji. @_@;;
In movies:
Australia: I actually saw this one a while ago and didn't get a chance to write about it until now. This was a highly enjoyable film, although there were times when it felt like it should have been a 12-part mini-series, instead of a three-hour movie. Nonetheless, it was fun and exciting, and the cinematography was simply luxurious. The villain, who I quickly grew tired of, was the kind of guy who I wanted to shake and yell at, "Subtlety: Look into it!". Fortunately, the heroes and their allies were clever, brave, and resourceful, and that made up for the villain's leering and posturing. This is definitely a movie you should try to catch on the big screen, particularly for the cattle stampede sequence (yikes!) and the WWII attack (double yikes!) which were much more visceral and nerve-wracking than they would be on the small screen. All in all, a pleasurable evening at the movies. Hugh Jackman in a tux is most definitely easy on the eyes.
Milk: I went and saw this yesterday after the news about the Prop 8 hate-mongers and their current crusade... and this was the perfect antidote. In some ways, it seemed like this movie was made too soon; the events in it transpired so recently, and they *should* be ancient history by now (I mean, we should have gotten over the bigotry towards lesbians, gays, bisexual, and transgendered persons in the thirty years ensuing). On the other hand, this film gives good reason to keep on fighting bigotry in all its insidious permutations. It also showcases some incredible acting, and perhaps the most fabulous casting job I've seen in a biographical movie, ever: when the credits rolled and the pictures of the actual people portrayed were shown, I almost couldn't tell the difference between the actors and their subjects. The other reason I was keen to see this movie is because the setting was definitely one I should be familiar with: I was born about halfway through the story, chronologically speaking, and in approximately the same city. I was hoping to see something that seemed familiar and was a little disappointed on that count. However, my parents weren't exactly regulars in the Castro district, so I guess I was expecting too much. All that aside, this was a timely and poignant story, and a well-crafted movie that I'm glad I saw on the big screen (there is a series of shots at the ending that made the big screen trip well worth it). Go see this, to remember why fighting hatred is important and why we shouldn't give up and roll over in the face of political despair.
The Crow, by Allison Croggan
How much do I love this third installment of the series? Well enough that I read it in about three days flat, and through a lot of scary parts, like the last third or so of the book, where the main character goes undercover to investigate an army made up of brainwashed child soldiers, and still enjoyed the reading experience immensely. The stakes of the entire series are raised in this third book, especially with up-close and personal looks at the uber-villains (who have, until now, been nebulous baddies manipulating from behind the scenes), and descriptions of war and its consequences that definitely tugged at the heartstrings. Throughout this, the main character is fleshed out from a whiney, troubled teenager to a full-fledged, brave and noble hero (and a worthy counterpart to his sister, the heroine of the first two books). I'm pretty sure that the author went and read some scary stuff courtesy of Amnesty International for the sequences about the child soldiers; I certainly hope she is not writing from first-hand experience. In any case, despite the scary parts, a wonderful page-turner with a true sense of nobility and purpose at its heart.
I would also like to say one thing to this author: until I "see" it, I refuse to believe a certain plot development. I'm just saying.
Heartsick, by Chelsea Cain
I often say to people that I will read just about any book with well-developed and believable characters. This book, despite having well-developed and (largely) believable characters, really gave me a run for my money on this statement. The serial killer at the center (I shudder to say "heart") of this story is a fascinating character, in the way that a black hole is fascinating: it sucks everything towards it, and even though I wanted to look away, I just couldn't. I had to know, know what she knew, how she was pulling the puppet strings of... well, everyone, and how she'd gotten away with it. And... now that the book's over, I know. And I kind of wish I didn't.
Since this is a book club book, I mentioned that I'd read it early to another one of the club members, G., who had recommended it to me, vociferously. We talked about the general depravity and mayhem of the story, and G. asked me, "Well, did you like it?" I had to think about that, and have since come to the conclusion that I tentatively do, but in the way I like Joe Hill or Junji Ito's works: I can see the talent and am affected (for better or worse) by their writing, but I don't like the fact the books are actually inside my house. Letting those ideas in, so close, bothers me a bit.
So, uhm, yeah. Recommended, but definitely not a read for the Christmas season. (Or perhaps it is if you're tired of the whole shebang?)
In comics:
Air: This story just gets better and better. However, I can't wait for the first trade paperback so I can read all the issues back to back and see how some plot details hinge upon one another, without a month between installments. This comic is an excellent choice for people who are a little weary of cape comics, but haven't given up on fantasy/sci-fi comics yet, or for Salman Rushdie fans.
In manga:
Tsubasa, Vol. 25: I am so lost on this plot. What's going on? We're in the past, and then in the present, and everyone's looking serious and grim, and then there's past!Sakura again, and she's adorable, and Yuuko's there and wearing amazing outfits as usual (I can haz cosplay nau?), and hey, there's that Bad Guy again, and that must mean the meta-plot's doing something, except that nothing's happening in the present, except everyone's got super cool outfits... and, oh, I give up. I'll just sit down and read this over a week or so when the whole thing's done, and maybe then it will make sense. In the meantime, I can look at the pretty pictures and practice my kanji. @_@;;
In movies:
Australia: I actually saw this one a while ago and didn't get a chance to write about it until now. This was a highly enjoyable film, although there were times when it felt like it should have been a 12-part mini-series, instead of a three-hour movie. Nonetheless, it was fun and exciting, and the cinematography was simply luxurious. The villain, who I quickly grew tired of, was the kind of guy who I wanted to shake and yell at, "Subtlety: Look into it!". Fortunately, the heroes and their allies were clever, brave, and resourceful, and that made up for the villain's leering and posturing. This is definitely a movie you should try to catch on the big screen, particularly for the cattle stampede sequence (yikes!) and the WWII attack (double yikes!) which were much more visceral and nerve-wracking than they would be on the small screen. All in all, a pleasurable evening at the movies. Hugh Jackman in a tux is most definitely easy on the eyes.
Milk: I went and saw this yesterday after the news about the Prop 8 hate-mongers and their current crusade... and this was the perfect antidote. In some ways, it seemed like this movie was made too soon; the events in it transpired so recently, and they *should* be ancient history by now (I mean, we should have gotten over the bigotry towards lesbians, gays, bisexual, and transgendered persons in the thirty years ensuing). On the other hand, this film gives good reason to keep on fighting bigotry in all its insidious permutations. It also showcases some incredible acting, and perhaps the most fabulous casting job I've seen in a biographical movie, ever: when the credits rolled and the pictures of the actual people portrayed were shown, I almost couldn't tell the difference between the actors and their subjects. The other reason I was keen to see this movie is because the setting was definitely one I should be familiar with: I was born about halfway through the story, chronologically speaking, and in approximately the same city. I was hoping to see something that seemed familiar and was a little disappointed on that count. However, my parents weren't exactly regulars in the Castro district, so I guess I was expecting too much. All that aside, this was a timely and poignant story, and a well-crafted movie that I'm glad I saw on the big screen (there is a series of shots at the ending that made the big screen trip well worth it). Go see this, to remember why fighting hatred is important and why we shouldn't give up and roll over in the face of political despair.
