Past, Present and Future

What is a fairy tale?

I hope Santa was good to you and yours last week. I received some nice new books and will report on those when I've finished reading. I do, however, want to give you my view on two seemingly dissimilar movies that could both be seen as fairy tales rather than realistic views of the world or history. The first was Paul Gross's paean to Canada in the blood and mud soaked fields of Passchendaele. This particular film has been panned by critics for many reasons including a poor script, bad acting, predictable characters and, with the home front, numerous plot holes and stereotypical people and situations. Hmmm - guess they didn't like it. My view - it could have done with better editing and needed to lose about 1/2 hour of screen time. If you were looking for a truthful view of the battle and the traumas suffered by the participants and those left behind, then this isn't for you. I found that the horrors of the scenes at the front perfectly balanced the almost detached life back home on the prairies. There was the expected Colonel Blimp and well as the German hating rednecks. The silly and contrived love story did get a bit too much in some places, but then it was a very different society than today. The battle scenes were suitably nasty and, I felt, really gave a good idea of the hell that was the Western Front. I recommend seeing the film once and taking it for what it is - a fairy tale with an expected ending and, unfortunately, unremarkable characters. The next film is certainly one to see and a solid Oscar contender, Slumdog Millionaire. Although it does offer a close look at the reality of the slum dwellers of India's cities, the whole film is a delicious fairy tale that has it's roots deep in the Bollywood traditions of good and evil, love triangles and ultimate redemption. I cannot recommend this film to you highly enough. The acting, story and music all combine to make an amazing whole. If you don't see this one, you are missing something. The soundtrack is awesome!

An igloo too far?

Why does Christmas bring out the worst in me? I listen to Weird Al singing 'Christmas at ground zero' and watch things like 'Bad Santa'. I DO try and do the right things though - who would had thought  it - a good Jewish boy enjoying Christmas. I get the tree decorated, fill the fridge with eggnog, wrap the presents, listen to good seasonal songs and watch 'It's a good life' and 'White Christmas'. However - you knew this was coming - here is a little treat for those that like some violence with their Reindeer and Elves. Dan Verssen Games has made available their seasonal game of 'Elves under Hoof'. This is a nice easy and fun downloadable and printable board game for those jaded with the deluge of Christmastime 'stuff'. For those other who prefer the antics of a hyper-active rabbit, then Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Holiday Hare is for you. I think you can actually get it for free if you look hard enough. It's  hard to find new  relevant books to read about this time of year, but there is certainly one book for these snowy and miserable days. I really recommend 'Fallen Angels' by the incomparable Larry Niven. This is a very sober but entertaining  (sounds strange, I know) look at a future where the environmentalists appear to have taken over and the fate of two lost astronauts rests in the hands of very unlikely saviors. This story is a fairly quick read, but one that will stay with you and make you more aware of what we can and could do to our planet.

At last!!

Yes, finally, the book reviews I have been promising. Considering that '1634: The Baltic War' was a huge paperback of more than 1000 densely written pages, it's no surprise it took a while. By comparison 'Saint Anthony's Fire' only took a few short days to whip through. The Baltic War is a direct sequel to 1633 and takes the continuing adventures of the time-displaced town of Grantville further into the turmoil of the 30-years war in a ravaged Europe. This is one of the better books in a very 'spotty' series of related stories that really relies on the collaborating writers that support Eric Flint's vision of a changed past. I like the book although it can be a very confusing read due to the plethora of characters and plots. If you are not a fan of either historical fiction or alternative fiction - then stay far, far away. Even though the story is strong with history and the various nefarious plots of the main characters, there is a certain 'tongue-in-cheek' feeling throughout that sometimes descends into comedy or outright  farce. It helps to keeps things moving along and breaks up the heavy stuff. The interesting thing is, unlike 'Guns of the South', having semi-modern armaments does not ensure victory. The fate of the Spanish Armada is the focus of Saint Anthony's Fire and the telling of this story goes into very strange places indeed. I won't go into much detail as this is a book that needs to be read - no spoilers! I am in two minds about this one (no jokes please) as, on one hand, it's a straightforward sci-fi tale but, on the other hand, is a swashbuckling tale of English sea-dogs. I think I like the book and definitely will reward another reading. I could see this in a filmed version as the story seems to read much like a script. The tale itself is fairly simplistic and follows a very predictable line. However, a good, fast and exciting read that takes you easily from page to page.

Rumors and whispers

Sometimes we can only rely on hints as to what may be happening in TV land. For instance, I wasn't aware that Knight Rider was canceled - that's a good thing. The next episode of the US Life on Mars is scheduled for the end of January - smells like cancellation there as well - pity. Doctor Who may be meeting an earlier companion that may be the elusive River Song from the library. It appears that an incarnation of Romana is in the wings - interesting. With the semi-success of Survivors and the impending arrival of the Triffids, there are whispers of other treats on their way - Doomwatch anyone? I would really like to see the children/teen time travel drama of Timeslip return.I remember it being such a clever and well crafted series that would do very well today. There are other rumblings in TV land of the return of Roj Blake and Blake's 7 - I hope THAT one is true. I do have one complaint though - where is all the new stuff? There have been so many good stories written since those far off days of the '70's that haven't been used for TV. There are even the classic stories out there that we can use. The Foundation series or the Robot series from Asimov. Maybe we can use some of Larry Niven's stuff such as The Mote in Gods Eye or Footfall. My next post will be not one, but two book reviews. Yes, I finally finished some books. In closing this entry - we have a closing. The second season of The Sarah Jane Adventures is done with and what a great series it was. Well done BBC.

Debriefing

It's been an interesting end to the week. Our overextended military in Afghanistan has lost three more comrades and, as usual, the civilians in Canada are demanding the return of our troops NOW! I believe that our soldiers have done their time at the 'sharp end' and need to be rotated to a quieter area while our allies in NATO take over for a while. I'm also fed up with terms that seem to make this war seem almost a police action. Actually, that's what the US called the Korean War. This is not a policing matter, ask any soldier, this is war to the hilt, brutal and dirty. We should not shy away for this fact and call things as we see them - a roadside bomb is a bomb or a mine not a IED (Improvised Explosive Device) - sounds almost benign, doesn't it? Oh well - rant over.  Board game meet report coming up - now! Apart from the snow I had to drive home in - it was a great day. Considering the weather and time of year, we had a large turnout of gamers. It was refreshing to see things through the eyes of my 15 year old nephew. As he mentioned to me, he had no idea that there were so many different types of games and how friendly and welcoming people were. Once you're a gamer, you're one of the family. I'm looking forward to the next one. Personally, I had a good day and won a door prize and did well in the raffle - as the picture above shows. That's about $360 of gaming goodness. Boy, are wargames expensive.

Busy weekend

Sorry, still haven't finished my new books, It's not that I'm a slow reader, but I've been busy preparing for this weekend. It's another board-game get together. I really do look forward to these as it is not only nice to get out of the house (the wife appreciates it), but also is a good way to meet people and stimulate your brain cells. This time I will be taking my 15 year old nephew. He is history mad and this will be the perfect forum for him to develop his knowledge and a fun way to spend a day. If you have any interest in games at all - no matter what level - I invite you to to check it out. Maybe, this time, I will win something in the raffle - yeah, right! On another note and Doctor Who related. It is always a pleasure and a nice surprise to see an old face. In the latest episode of the spin-off 'Sarah Jane Adventures' we saw the return of The Brigadier. Yes, Lethbridge-Stewart himself (played by Nicholas Courtney) appeared in the episode and we saw a happy reunion between him and his protege Sarah Jane. His character first appeared way back in 1968 and it was so much fun to see him return. Incidentally, this new season of the 'adventures' has been a blast and the latest episode ended on a real 'oh crap!' moment. Only a few more weeks till the Dr. Who Christmas special - I can't wait.