Past, Present and Future

So Easy To Go Astray

I seem to be so easily led nowadays. I had a 25% off coupon from Chapters and used it a couple of weeks ago to get some new reading material. Lo and behold, there was another coupon in my in-box this week. My lack of will power became evident as I went off for some more books. Now I have a nice collection of unread books for my entertainment and I hope to have some interesting reviews for you in the next few weeks. I also made it quite clear that 'V' was off my viewing agenda for the near future - unfortunately, I lacked sufficient willpower to go ahead with my promise. Bit of a mistake really; the third and fourth episodes didn't do much for me and I really cannot see why I bothered. As I mentioned before, there have been too many alien invasion stories since the original 'V' was seen. Stop reading if you haven't seen these last episodes as I don't want to 'spoil' your pleasure. The surprises that were supposed to jump out at us at the end of each episodes just didn't seem to work. The mother/daughter relationship was no surprise at all and the Dalek invasion fleet (oops, V invasion fleet) at the end of the last episode was just a very obvious development.

Next post will be a review of a terrific read - Leviathan. Be there or be square.

Wonderful?

I've been rather tied up with my new game, but I'm back. I haven't been able to read or watch as much as I should, so this may be a short post. First up is the rather interesting preview of the revamped 'The Prisoner' - it looks.....odd but watchable. Here is also the trailer  (test footage) for the new Tron film - hmmmm. Tron really needed to be updated and I hope that this time they have it right. It was always a great idea but very much a film of it's time. The other big film event coming is the re-imaging of Alice In Wonderland by Tim Burton and I am looking forward to this one. Pity that it's not the American Mcgee version - although I can see some of his imagery in Burton's offering. I just hope that Johnny Depp as the mad hatter doesn't dominate the film too much - it is only a minor character really. When I have time to read more, I'll give you my latest book reviews.

Not in front of the children

Another interesting few days stuffed with movies and TV. First up is the new film 'Coraline' that seemed to come and go with no fanfare - which is a pity. On the surface, this is a beautifully filmed and well put together children's morality tale set in a very idealized world and a very off-centre alternative. Once you really sit and watch, you realize how dark and rather scary this other world is. I am sure that little children will enjoy the film, but I'm not so sure they will sleep all that soundly. There are genuinely frightening scenes and, although you know Coraline will triumph, it's always in the balance until the final act. I do recommend this movie to you as it works on both the adult and child levels.

If you hate spoilers - stop reading now. The eight weeks of the second season of Ashes to Ashes has come and gone and what a couple of months that was. I believe that this second series was superior to the first and the quality of the writing and acting was superb. The tension was pushed to the limit and even I was surprised and somewhat shocked by the ending. I really didn't expect a third series - I can't wait. It seems to me that the writers of the the US Life on Mars didn't appear to think it would be a success as, due to the 'Bobby in the shower' ending, no excuse for a sequel would be available. Just starting the fourth and final series of the 1970 classic 'Timeslip' and can't but reflect how intelligent the writing was and although the acting could be terrible in places, the story never faltered and gave many intriguing twists and turns. Where is this quality now - all we seem to have is rubbish from Disney starlets. To finish up - a very simple request - see 'Gran Torino' - it's probably one of the best movies I have seen in many years. Clint Eastwood's last acting job is a joy to watch. Just be aware of the swearing and racial terms used. The sensitive amongst you may be rather taken aback.

So much 'stuff'

So many things have caught my attention in the past few days; books, films, TV and wargaming have all competed for my limited attention span. I've been re-reading some books that I have ignored and forgotten for a long time. The Harry Harrison 'Eden' series may be a little flawed scientifically, but makes a great story and one worthy of your time. I'm also fighting through the classic alternate history 'For Want of a Nail'. The idea that the American Revolution failed is not a new one, but this book is like a textbook on how to do alternative history right. It's a little heavy in places but stick with it - it's worth it. On the TV front - 'V' is back! Yes! That rather cheesy TV series from the '80's is set to return with all the expensive special effects that modern technology can provide. Will it be any good? No idea. Mind you I didn't really go for the new Galactica series - in fact, I found it rather boring and 'Caprica' didn't seem to offer much either. I did have a fun time remembering my younger years after finding a copy of the amazing childrens show 'Timeslip' from 1970 that still holds up well considering the filming in black and white and the absolutely terrible special effects - as usual British TV had no money to spend on this stuff at all - look at early Dr. Who - the Tardis walls were painted curtains! In closing, I must recommend to you a new 2 part Channel 4 special that I hope will make it into the Dominions. Entitled '1066: The Battle for Middle Earth', it's a fresh look at that momentous year. Told through the eyes of the ordinary people caught up in events dictated by others, the salient events of the last days of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom are shown in very bloody detail. Why 'Middle Earth'? To the Anglo-Saxons, THIS is Middle Earth. Where did you think Tolkien got his inspiration from?

The other view

Some of the most interesting sci-fi and fantasy stories are the ones that show us the lives and thoughts of the 'bad guys'. Think of Darth Vader, for example. The main draw of the new Star Wars trilogy was the story of how the Dark Lord came about. Maybe Ms. Rowling will give us a book about how poor Tom became the ultimate evil and nearly destroyed the world of Mr. Potter. In some cases, we also have the stories that show us the potential dark sides of our heroes and cultural icons. These stories can change our outlook toward characters we had already formed hard opinions about. Sometimes we also have preconceived images of the inherent 'goodness' or 'badness' of certain childhood figures. When I was a child, I was always advised by my parents to go to a policeman when in trouble or in need of help. The recent incident at the G20 demonstrations in London that resulted in a death of an innocent man has changed that view completely. The video that was taken of the incident indicates very clearly what happened when a over zealous thug in a policeman's uniform decided to lash out at anyone in range. This 'brave' man attacked a civilian ambling along with hands in his pockets from behind and without warning. At the least, going by the result, this was manslaughter, at the worst, murder. I will admit that this incident changed my view of the London 'bobby' and I may never look at them again without this incident foremost in my mind. There goes another innocent childhood view 'out the window'. George Dixon must be turning in his grave.   

Khaaaaaaaaaaaan!!

Khan Noonian Singh is dead! Now the universe is safe for the Federation. It was announced today that the veteran actor Ricardo Montalban passed away at the very respectable age of 88. Yes, I know he did Fantasy Island as well, but his turn as Khan was brilliant both on TV and in the movie. Just to make this day even sadder, that great actor Patrick McGoohan has also left us. No matter what else he did, he will always be remembered as number 6 in The Prisoner - if anyone has a copy of all the episodes, I would love to borrow it. For those old enough, you may also remember Danger Man or, as it was known in the US, Secret Agent - damn clever stuff. You will be missed gentlemen - be seeing you!

Remember!

The lost generation

Tomorrow may be Remembrance Day, but today is worth remembering too. On this day in 1918 the guns were still firing, the aircraft still dueled in the air and the soldiers continued to die in the trenches. A Lieutenant Colonel Patton was destined for the heights of glory and a certain Italian socialist named Benito dreamed of a new Roman Empire. Phillipe Petain, the savior of Verdun, would ultimately be reviled as a traitor and collaborator and, in a small hospital behind the German lines recovering from a gas attack, lay a young, brave and proud soldier. Young Adolph, who had received the Iron Cross for bravery under fire, was willing to lay his life down for his adopted homeland (he was Austrian) and would take his country to the edge of hell. The legacy of the First World War and the disastrous Treaty that ended the fighting had a ripple effect that changed our world profoundly. The 'what if's' that surround the end of the war can make for sobering thought. What if President Wilson's 14 points were accepted? What if the US had been part of the League of Nations? What if the allies insisted that Germany surrender? Because they never signed a surrender, the Nazi party could contend that the German army never lost but was 'stabbed in the back'. Maybe someone could have given Adolf an overdose of something. Tomorrow, when we sit quietly and remember all of those fallen in war since the end of that butchery called the First World War, please remember the lost opportunities to improve our world. There was, in the UK, a phrase that represented the thanks of a nation - 'homes fit for heroes'. I've heard it differently - 'heroes fit for homes'. Remember them!

A poorer World

Just a quick cry of 'why'? Michael Crichton has passed away today. He leaves behind a body of work that has influenced many other writers of books and screenplays. From 'The Andromeda Strain' to the last released book 'Next' via 'Jurassic Park', he has made his mark on the World. He will be missed. Thanks for sharing your imagination with us Michael.

Not quite finished

I'm still wading through the first of my new reads from last week - not because they are hard to read, but because I'm getting organized for a wargame orgy on Saturday. A full day of blowing things up and dealing with bad guys - great! So...book reviews when I can. On the TV front, there were some awards given out in the UK yesterday on the National TV Awards. For the fourth year running Doctor Who has taken an award and, although this is a reason to celebrate, there was a down side. Yes, it's confirmed, David Tennant will be stepping down after his Christmas Special and the 4 programmes next year. 2010 will see a brand new Doctor and, I suppose, a new companion. His shoes will be hard to fill as David has been the most popular Doctor ever - I'll really miss him. On a lighter note, Top Gear won another award and they made the mistake of letting the Stig collect the award - so, no speech then. Hmmm...Halloween tomorrow. I'll be hiding so don't bother looking for me.