Music & Movies

Yeah djfroggy- I rented it about a month ago. It was visually amazing, but it could have been better plotwise. It didnt define the rules of the world they were in or limit the direction in any way, so that it ends up meanering without being anything more than visually engaging. But if that's enough for you, then certainly rent it!

I've been wondering about Neil Gaiman recently. The Sandman was epic, brilliant, amazing. I highly recommend it to anyone. It starts out very dark in the first book but quickly becomes enormously imaginative and deep. Wonderful. I also loved Neverwhere, Good Omens, Stardust. Coraline was magnificent. But I didnt much care for American Gods, as it was very slow and far more normal than I am used to from him. Endless Nights IMHO was just horrible, and I strongly believe it was ghost-written, as possibly Mirrormask was. Perhaps Dave McKean had more to do with the writing. I'm reading Cages now, and it's well written and reminds me of Gaiman but so far without an interesting overall story.

I quite enjoyed American Gods, but I haven't read Endless Nights yet. *shrugs* For anyone interested, Neil Gaiman keeps a web-log:

http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/

He seems a bit preoccupied with a film project lately.

Anansi Boys is another good one. I loved Good Omens and liked Stardust, but I'm not fond of graphic novels. Everyone says I should read the Sandman series- is it absorbing enough to keep a word-addict's mind busy?

I haven't read Anansi Boys yet, but I loved Neverwhere (book and film), Good Omens, Coraline and American Gods.

Maybe I was in a bad mood when I read American Gods. Everyone else seems to like it.

If I could recommend one graphic novel series it would be The Sandman. And possibly also the first 4 books of Elfquest.

Yeah, Gaiman was on Attack of the Show a couple weeks ago discussion the movie he's been working on, Beowulf. And I completely agree with you, Professor. The only reason I was so fired up to see Mirrormask was because I keep hoping for another Sandman.

They're making a movie of Beowulf?!? How did I miss that - it's my #1 favourite book! I've only ever come across a rather low budget animation of it in the past - a proper Hollywood movie would be a knock-out! I've always thought it needs the full cgi big budget treatment like LoTR.

Wyrd oft nereth unfaegnes eorl, thonne his ellen deah (Fate oft spares the undoomed man, while his courage holds) - if they need a movie poster tag-line from the original

Psimagus: You're in luck then. (Though not in the way you'd think). What they said they're doing is that they filmed the entire movie with live actors, then they CG'd over it. It's hard to explain, but Google "a scanner darkly" a check out the trailer for that (same deal, also looks very cool).

i've never heard of any of these movies! :O

Neverwhere (book and film)

There's a film?!? Where?!?? I'll have to keep an eye out for it. I saw a DVD of Mirrormask in Wal-Mart the other day, so it is available.

i've never heard of any of these movies! :O

Well, all you really need to know about Beowulf is probably best gleaned from my highly compressed verse translation of that epic:

To slay a fiend 'e sailed the sea
and won renown most valiantly.
And then 'e also killed its mum
when she come round to give 'im some.

'e ruled awhile an' all were well,
but in the end (though sad to tell)
a dragon got 'im, and 'e died.
So that were that - at least 'e tried.

There you go, 2600 lines of Anglo-Saxon rendered into 8 of English - that's progress, that is

Bottom line is it's got an archetypically kick-ass hero, a couple of monsters, plenty of gore and mutilation involving swords, axes and bare-handed rending limb from limb, heaps of treasure, a dragon and a tragic ending - roughly in that order.
Oh for Peter Jackson and a $300 million budget!

You should contact them about writting the screen play psimagus. I always love Grendel! Did you ever come across John Gardner's Grendel? it's a retelling of the story from the point of view of the dragon.