The Apocalypse Grows Up
I have a thing for apocalyptic themes in fiction and film. Yes Virginia; I have a dark side and the midi-chlorians are not to blame. 
In most cases, I find these stories to be mindless fun. For example, Mad Max does not really provoke much critical thought, and that is OK. It is what it is. However, through luck or providence, I have stumbled across some real mind-benders of late.
The first of these is Plague Year by Jeff Carlson. If you’ve read Prey by Michael Crichton, Plague Year is it’s natural follow-up, yet darker and smarter. A relatively short, dense read; Plague Year picks up a few years after the accidental release of the “machine plague”, a manufactured nano-virus that disassembles the human body and uses it’s components to replicate itself. Smart and engaging, it will make you think twice about mixing biology and nanotechnology.
Next on the list is Germ by Robert Liparulo. While the author’s voice leans towards the formulaic, the story is anything but. The BBEG has manufactured Ebola that targets an individual’s DNA. The virus piggybacks on the common cold as it’s distribution mechanism.
The primary characters are well-conceived and well-executed. Our heroes are hunted by a very unique agent of the BBEG, which makes the chase interesting and intriguing to follow. Aside from the formulaic structure, the major drawback with the story is an unnecessary dip into a bit of trite conspiracy theory. Still, the core premise makes it worth the read.
Last, and anything but least, is The Swarm by Frank Schatzing. I haven’t finished reading it yet but, barring an implosion in the last 300 pages, I am fairly certain this is the best novel I’ve read in five years. Here is the setup:
Whales begin sinking ships. Toxic, eyeless crabs poison Long Island’s water supply. The North Sea shelf collapses, killing thousands in Europe. Around the world, countries are beginning to feel the effects of the ocean’s revenge as the seas and their inhabitants begin a violent revolution against mankind. At stake is the survival of the Earth’s fragile ecology — and ultimately, the survival of the human race itself.
I won’t say any more about the plot because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone. Instead, I’ll tell you that The Swarm is to our oceans what Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson) was to cyberspace. Yes. I just said that. Let it soak in.
The Swarm is a treatise on ocean ecology disguised as a thriller novel. Schatzing includes a three-page forward which cites all of the scientists who educated him and helped create the scientific firmament on which this outstanding novel is built. After reading this book, you will come away with a much better understanding of how dependent humanity is on our oceans. And, along the way you will be greatly entertained by an intense, well-crafted and well-paced story.
Peace,
Doug
The Boss returns to E Street
Oh happy day! Bruce Springsteen has just announced an new album entitled Magic. Due on October 2nd, the new disc reunites The Boss with the E Street Band. If you pre-order “Magic” on iTunes, the first track (Radio Nowhere), is free. The tune feels like the best of Born to Run and The Rising come together. So, this teaser has me really excited for the new album. Here is the complete track listing.
01. Radio Nowhere (iTunes)
02. You’ll Be Comin’ Down
03. Livin’ in the Future
04. Your Own Worst Enemy
05. Gypsy Biker
06. Girls in Their Summer Clothes
07. I’ll Work for Your Love
08. Magic
09. Last to Die
10. Long Walk Home
11. Devil’s Arcade
I’ve really enjoyed We Shall Overcome and Live in Dublin, Springsteen’s recent departures with the Seeger Sessions band. However, Bruce always sounds best with Clarence, Little Steven, Max, Patti and the rest of E Street backing him up.
Finally, word has it that the entire band will kick off a world tour in October … complete with festival seating as with tour for The Rising. I sat three rows from the stage at the Cincinnati stop on that tour. Barely a year after 9/11, that show was the single most moving live music event I’ve ever attended. It was full of emotional moments running the gamut from bittersweet sadness to sheer, unabashed joy and celebration. So, I am looking forward to the new tour as much or more than the new album.
Rock on Bruce and E Street!
Idiocracy … the future of Bush’s America
I had heard much of the buzz about Idiocracy, the new opus from Mike Judge. Based on the writer/director and most of the cast, I expected a cult hit of Office Space proportions. Like Office Space, the studio and distributors did not lend much support to the film’s release. However, Office Space went on to be one of the most successful DVDs of all time.
Idiocracy is the tale of Private Joe Bauers (Luke Wilson) and hooker Rita (Maya Rudolph) who submit to a military experiment in suspended animation. The test is supposed to last a year, but circumstances keep them in stasis for 500+ years … just long enough for the United States to devolve into a nation of dumbass thugs and rednecks. And there you have the setup for a long, long string of jokes.
The movie brutally skewers corporate greed and mindless consumerism. While many of the bits are original and genuinely funny, Idiocracy feels incomplete. Perhaps, with a little more studio support, the film could have become the comedic equivalent of 2001 – A Space Odyssey. The film certainly feels like it has that sort of potential bubbling just beneath the surface. With that said, it is definitely a great laugh, particularly for cynics.
Foreigner Rocks Las Vegas
One of the best things about living in Las Vegas is the music. Unlike most towns that get primarily the major headliners, Vegas has so many venues that just about everyone still making a living playing music passes through here at some point during the year. In three years in Sin City, I’ve seen Tantric, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Taylor Dayne, Burning Spear, Luis Miguel and Liz Phair (three times). Work and travel forced me to pass on opportunities to see Sting, Rush, Willie Nelson, Gretchen Wilson, Juanes, Henry Rollins and many, many others.
Last night, my Dad and I made the long trek across town to Sunset Station to see FOREIGNER. I expected to enjoy myself listening to some old favorites. I’d heard Lou Graham was no longer the front man, so I expected to enjoy Mick Jones’ guitars and tolerate whoever had been plugged in to replace Graham. Man, was I in for a surprise.
Though the set was short (only 14 songs), the show simply rocked. We had great seats so the music was never muddy and you could see how much passion these guys had playing. The only truly original member of the band is Jones, and it quickly became clear that he IS Foriegner. Jones’ blistering, creative, intricate guitar work and arrangements defines the band’s sound.
The rest of the band is immensely talented as well, particularly Kelly Hansen. Hansen replaces Lou Graham as the band’s frontman. He hits every note Graham did and brings kinetic energy as a showman. As a result, the show was the best concert I’ve seen since Springsteen and E-Street on The Rising Tour in 2002.
The Eagles and other Foreigner contemporaries have gotten richer touring to cash in on a wave of 70s nostalgia. Most reports say that these reunion tours are tepid and lackluster … at best. In contrast, Jones has injected Foreigner with a mix of young, raw talent and proven bandmates. The result is electric.
In short, see these guys if you can.
A Tale of Two Movies: 16 Blocks & Ultraviolet
Today is my birthday. Happy Birthday to me! To celebrate, my wife, my parents and I decided to hit the movies. Because of the special day, I got to chose. I picked 16 Blocks and UtraViolet. Granted, both movies are different thematically and stylistically, but you’d be harder pressed to find two more different films.
16 Blocks is an intense, original police thriller. Bruce Willis is back. He plays Jack Mosley, a washed up drunk of a cop and does so in a way that makes us forget his big-budget action hero work. Mos Def plays a small-time thief who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Def plays the role with an accent reminiscent of Mike Tyson, yet it comes off as endearing rather than annoying. Director Richard Donner keeps you guessing in subtle, original ways. The film is equal parts action, emotion and suspense. It is the best police drama I’ve seen in ten years.
UltraViolet is a mess. Spun like a comic book adaptation, the film is not based on a comic. On the “let’s make a movie like a comic book” angle, it is a success. But in making a movie that truly looks like a comic book, they’ve proven why Bryan Singer was a genius for making the X-Men films look so "real". Making a film with a comic book pallette is hard on the eyes. Making a film with true comic book action & pacing will make the viewer nauseous. The first fifteen minutes of this movie prove all of these point beyond question. The rest of the film prove that comic book dialogue only really works in comic books.
So the casual reader makes no mistake, I love comic books. And, I love that so many great comic book franchises have made it to the big screen. Most of them, most notably Batman (minus Joel Schumacher), Spider-Man and the X-Men, have been done with great care and met with both critical and box office success. But the one thing all of these films had in common is their ability to place the fantastic in our world in a way that the viewer believes.
Ultraviolet is completely unbelievable. Even as a campy action-fest, it fails. Too bad, I really like Milla Jovovich and I’d hoped this film would return her to the rarified air of The Messenger and The Fifth Element (ironically enough … wilth Bruce Willis).
Must See TV and one excellent read.
Well, LOST does not disappoint in the season opener. Creepy, interesting and well worth 40 minutes a week (with TIVO). If the pilot is any indication, My Name is Earl has a great promise. After all, it stars Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee, two View Askew alums. The jury is still out on Surface and Invasion, both of which seem to be trying to grab the creepy throne from LOST. Of the two, Surface looks like the best bet so far.
If you want to catch the best sci-fi show on TV, be sure to see Battlestar Galactica. It is currently wrapping up an excellent second season. Excellent writing and acting. Taut, intense and thought-provoking storylines. Feature film special effects. This is not your father’s Battlestar Galactica.
Last but not least, the heir-apparent to NYPD Blue is not a police procedural. Rather, it is Rescue Me, which is also wrapping up it’s second season. Dennis Leary is excellent as FDNY firefighter struggling with alcoholism, Catholic guilt and dysfunctional family members in post 9/11 New York. Equally hilarious, heroic and heart-wrenching, Rescue Me is the best straight up drama on TV, bar none.
Finally, you owe it to yourself to to check out Dies The Fire by S. M. Stirling. The first of a planned trilogy, Dies The Fire asks the interesting question … What would happen if electricity, gunpowder and combustion engines suddenly stopped working? I was first introduced to Stirling in the Niven/Pournelle Man-Kzin Wars series of books. His writing is very strong and I really enjoy seeing him working in a world of his own devising.
Since picking it up, I’ve had a terrible time putting it down. Others like Donald McQuinn (Warrior), Gordon R. Dickson (Wolf and Iron), Nevil Shute (On the Beach) and Walter M. Miller Jr. (A Canticle for Leibowitz) have written along very similar lines. I’ve read all of these books and think Dies The Fire may be the best of the lot.
Enjoy!
Fantastic Four :: Just Right
Tonight, we finally got to see The Fantastic Four. After getting a lot of shoulder shrugs from folks who’d seen it, I expected to be somewhat underwhelmed. Thankfully, that was not the case. Don’t get me wrong, this film was not Batman Begins or even Spiderman or X-Men, but I think it was an almost perfect Fantastic Four film.
For starters, the FF have always been a throwback to the golden age of comics. While I never was a huge fan of the book, I appreciated the characters and their longevity. And truth be told, I’ve always had a soft spot for Ben Grimm a.k.a. the ever lovin’ Thing. At the core, the FF is a story about family and this is portrayed perfectly in this film. The cast pulls off the tense, but tight-knit family dynamics of the FF in a very subtle, real way that pulls the viewer in and makes you root for them. Roger Ebert complains, but this just shows the film is not targeted for general audiences, but rather loyal FF readers.
That said, there are some quibbles about the film’s take on the origin stories, particularly that of Dr. Doom. And, I am sure some folks will whine about the fact that Alicia Masters is black in the film. However, like the costumes in the X-Men films, I think minor changes to the continuity are OK if they make comics more accessible to a new generation.
Effects and fight choreography were excellent. My only beef is that The Thing should have been a bit more “larger than lifeâ€. The costume/prosthetics were amazing, and allowed Michael Chiklis to really act inside out. So, the complaint is not that the suit is not well-designed. Rather, the problem is scale. As shot, it is 80% scale “The Thingâ€. That said, Chiklis was perfectly cast as Ben Grimm. I love Chiklis in general, but he was born for this role.
Overall, I liked this film and recommend it to both comics fans and general audiences who like a good action adventure yarn.
Guy’s Dog
A drunken dog vents his bitterness over his lot in life (and his dim-witted owner). All he wants is to be human. Is that too much to ask? But as the saying goes, one should be careful of what they wish for — it might just come true.
Hands down, one of the most clever and funny bits of online film I’ve seen in some time. Enjoy!
Batman Begins :: Simply The Best Comic Book Adaptation … Ever
First, Robert Rodriguez’s adaptation of Frank Miller’s Sin City. Now, Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins. Never has there been such a strong back to back showing for movies derived from graphic novels.
Where to begin?
Let’s start where all great works of art should … the story. While the Burton films had a gritty charm, they were still highly stylized and had an almost art-house feel … albiet on a grand scale … in their overall voice and pacing. As for the Schumacher films, well the less said the better. Their only saving grace was Val Kilmer. That said, all four of the modern Batman films shared a live-action comic book sensibility.
With Batman Begins Nolan borrows heavily from Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One graphic novel. The result is hyper-real. For the first time in the genre, you actually feel that such a superhero could exist in the real world. This feel runs through the entire film with the exception of one subtly grand chase scene. As a result, there is little need to “suspend disbelief”. Everything is inherently plausible when one witnesses how tragedy could so shape the will and life of one man.
Speaking of that man, Christian Bale was born to play Batman. An amazingly skillful actor, he inhabits Batman/Bruce Wayne. This is a deep, rich role which was well-mined by Bale, who should recieve Oscar consideration for his performance. I expected Katie Holmes to be annoying eye candy, but was very pleasantly surprised. Her role was well written, well acted and integral to the story. Michael Caine is a perfect Alfred. Gary Oldham is the perfect Commisioner Gordon.
I was also a bit concerned about three classic Batman villians appearing in the film. After the Guhvahnator played Mr. Freeze to Uma Thurman’s Poison Ivy, I was concerned about more weak team-ups. I wont play the spolier here, but suffice to say that everything falls together perfectly. Again, kudos to Christopher Nolan’s script and direction.
Costume and set design were superb. Most striking is Gotham City itself. It looked like a real city, perhaps Chicago or New York. While I love the hyper-stylized Gotham of Burton’s films, I believe Nolan’s Gotham much, much more. It is organic and real. Even the surreal, gritty “Shangri-la” seen early in the film feels real. The only thing that seems a bit unreal is the Batmobile. That said, the origin of this piece of Bat-tech is believably explained by Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). The same can be said of the costume (sans Shumacher’s famous latex nipples) and the rest of the arsenal.
Finally, fight coreography is amazing. What makes it so is the simple, nasty realism. There are no Matrix-like effects or Day-Glo bad guys as per Schumacher. Everything is clean and believable while remaining visually “muddy”. This is a good thing. There are no dramatically stylized punches or exchanges. Everything is in close and vicious. You cannot see precisely what is happen, but it feels like you are watching real fights. Yet, all of this is done without gratuitous gore.
Sandy Collora set the bar high with his independent labor of love … Batman: Dead End. Until today, I considered it the finest Batman film ever made. Batman Begins has stolen the crown. Word on the street is Nolan and Bale are signed for at least two more installments. I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us next.
Hellboy :: Lost Army
While waiting for Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson to arrive from Amazon.com, I dug into Hellboy: Lost Army. As with Hellboy: Odd Jobs, Hellboy: Odder Jobs and Hellboy: The Bones of Giants, Christopher Golden weaves a story well worthy of the trust given him by Mike Mignola, Hellboy’s creator.
In addition to breathing new life into old legends (the lost army of Persian warlord Cambyses), Golden gives Hellboy a romantic life only hinted at Mignola’s work and Guillermo del Toro’s film. Finally, I know who the hell Anastasia Branfield is!
I’ve come to enjoy Golden’s writing style, so I plan to check out his non-Hellboy work. Now, to start with Of Saints and Shadows (vampires) or Wildwood Road (ghosts)?
Hellboy :: Bones of Giants
I just finished this book. Christopher Golden really handles Mike Mignola’s “Hellboy” universe with amazing skill. As with Hellboy: Odd Jobs and Hellboy: Odder Jobs, short story collections edited by Golden, The Bones of Giants expands the Hellboy story in a natural, organic way. Hellboy and Abe Sapien speak as if Mignola had written them himself. The story moves forward with clean, quick pacing and the holds one’s interest from the first page through the last.
If you are a fan of the Hellboy graphic novels or the Guillermo del Toro film, you owe it to yourself to check out The Bones of Giants. Next up on my “reading for fun” list is Hellboy: The Lost Army. But first, I have to finish Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro. My future father-in-law introduced me to the book and I’ve found it a fascinating read.
