Now Very Bad…

Category: Reviews

  • Pines: Book One of the Wayward Pines trilogy (2012)

    Pines: Book One of the Wayward Pines trilogy (2012)

    Pines
    Pines by Blake Crouch

    My rating: 5 of 5 stars

    Wow. What an amazing book.

    I’m really enjoying my reading lately – I just keep bouncing from author to author. I’ve never been so open to suggestion. I read a thriller or sci-fi novel, love it, and see who the author rubs shoulders with. So many of these writers play in each others sandboxes. I always loved guys like William Gibson & Neal Stephenson, and Ernest Cline & Wil Wheaton turned me on to John Scalzi. Hugh Howey’s worlds led me to Jason Gurley, Michael Bunker and Marcus Sakey, from which I got to Brett Battles and now Blake Crouch.

    Most of the time these are authors I’m already aware of; Scalzi’s Redshirts was on my wish list for years before I finally read it. But it’s when I see the same names popping up it convinces me to take the plunge. (I should point out that I am quite a slow reader, so I put more thought into what I’m going to read than some might. My kindle is filled with books I haven’t gotten to yet…)

    In the case of Pines, I’d seen this popping up with increasing frequency based on my recent reads, which convinced me to give it a try even though it appeared to be a bit out of my usual areas of interest; by which I mean it looked like horror. I’m not a big horror fan, so the thriller aspects of a horror story have to be very compelling to keep me engaged past my squeamishness comfort level. Compelling is certainly a good word for Pines…

    Pines tells the tale of Secret Service Agent and Gulf War veteran Ethan Burke, who finds himself in the rustic town of Wayward Pines, a slice of Rockwellian Americana nestled in the mountains of Idaho. He came there to investigate the disappearance of two agents, but a brutal car accident has killed his partner and left him a confused wreck with partial amnesia. He can’t locate his belongings, his identification or anyone who seems completely sane. The more he learns the less he knows, but he is certain of one thing: this place is dangerously strange…

    Intentionally filled with the atmospheric influence of Twin Peaks, Pines (the 1st book in the Wayward Pines trilogy) does indeed have an eerie quality, although I’m not sure I’d call the novel horror. There’s a “something is very wrong here” vibe to everything, and from that environment and the descriptions, your interest may not be totally piqued. I found the beginning of the novel to be interesting but a bit familiar. But things changed quickly.

    I may never have read a book to which the word momentum so readily comes to mind. The book starts off a little slowly, but I didn’t realize it was because a train takes a while to get to the top of the mountain. I was steadily more drawn in as the protagonist begins to get a grip on what’s happening, but when it hit the tipping point I was completely snagged and had to stay up far later than was wise because I needed to know where we were going.

    The author does a fine job taking the familiar, Twilight Zone type premise and giving it a great twirl. Pines is extremely engaging. It comes as absolutely no surprise that Fox has adapted the novel into a 10-part series to air in 2015. http://www.fox.com/wayward-pines/

    Highly recommended. Time to start book two…

    [schema type=”book” url=”http://www.blakecrouch.com/” name=”Pines” description=”Secret service agent Ethan Burke arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho, with a clear mission: locate and recover two federal agents who went missing in the bucolic town one month earlier. But within minutes of his arrival, Ethan is involved in a violent accident. He comes to in a hospital, with no ID, no cell phone, and no briefcase. The medical staff seems friendly enough, but something feels…off. As the days pass, Ethan’s investigation into the disappearance of his colleagues turns up more questions than answers. Why can’t he get any phone calls through to his wife and son in the outside world? Why doesn’t anyone believe he is who he says he is? And what is the purpose of the electrified fences surrounding the town? Are they meant to keep the residents in? Or something else out? Each step closer to the truth takes Ethan further from the world he thought he knew, from the man he thought he was, until he must face a horrifying fact—he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive. Intense and gripping, Pines is another masterful thriller from the mind of bestselling novelist Blake Crouch.” author=”Blake Crouch” publisher=”Thomas & Mercer” pubdate=”2012-08-21″ isbn=”1612183956″ ebook=”yes” paperback=”yes” ]

  • Pulp Fiction (1994)

    Pulp Fiction (1994)

    140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

    Very clever. Possibly too clever for its own good, as the hugely stylized film can come off as pretentious (which it is). Still brilliant…

    Pulp Fiction

    Spoiler-free Movie Review of Pulp Fiction:

    Ahh, Pulp Fiction. Hard to remember a time when we didn’t know of this movie or feel its influence. It was a huge wake-up call to old Hollywood when it dropped in 1994. Does it still work as well twenty years later? Hell, I’m not sure it was still as effective twenty months later.

    Pulp Fiction

    It’s so stylized and affected that it was kind of born with a short shelf life. Without wishing to take anything away from what is still a very fine film, I’d argue that Pulp Fiction achieved more with its shock value than it could sustain with its quality.

    Pulp Fiction

    It’s just such a weird film of contradictions; the dialogue feels so hip and of the moment that it is almost instantly dated, which makes no sense when you consider that the whole style of the film is retro-pastiche. It’s heralded for its visionary originality even while virtually every part of the picture is a homage to something that has come before.

    Pulp Fiction

    Which raises the question is it still theft if you tell everyone about it? Director & co-writer Quentin Tarantino has always been extremely forthcoming about his influences, positively delighting in drawing a spotlight to unheralded works that he loves. Possibly no filmmaker has been more complimentary to the cinematic legacy before him or more generous with praise and resources, using his fame to further support his influences. But is that something we should congratulate him for or demand from him? Is he doing a good thing or merely the right thing considering how freely he appropriates the work of others? Even if you give credit, isn’t Pulp Fiction just a cinematic mix-tape?

    Pulp Fiction

    Putting aside these considerations, Pulp Fiction is still a fantastic picture. The non-linear story structure was really refreshing, even if it led to many other lesser filmmakers trying it on. The same can be said for the “too cool for school” dialogue and characters, and it is probably this reason that leads me to view the film a little harsher in retrospect. Nothing in the film is necessarily any more self-aware or intentionally cool than that in Tarantino’s previous effort, Reservoir Dogs, but it all combines for an overwhelming effect here.

    Pulp Fiction

    The casting of John Travolta was a stroke of genius, even if it did inadvertently lead to Battlefield Earth, and the rest of the casting is similarly inspired. Not only did the film revive the career of Travolta, it signaled a new direction and credibility for Bruce Willis. Incidentally, the first choice for the character of Vincent Vega was Michael Madsen, not Travolta. It’s hard to imagine that Madsen was ever anyone’s first choice for anything, ever, anywhere, but can you even picture him in this role? I’d go as far as to say that the picture would have been dead on arrival. That’s how important I think the casting was to this picture.

    Pulp Fiction

    The picture is quite simply startling in its frank visualizations of violence, if perhaps less so than Reservoir Dogs. I guess I’d have the same comment about a lot of the elements of this film; great, but less great than Reservoir Dogs. I just frankly think it’s a better picture – more direct and less image-conscious.

    Pulp Fiction

    Pulp Fiction gets credit for bringing independent film to the multiplex and kicked off a golden age for same. This is complete nonsense, of course – the film was backed by Disney-owned Miramax and featured Bruce Willis. But is is completely true that it brought an indie sensibility to a larger audience. Unfortunately, it brought a whole lot of baggage with it, not least of which being amoral anti-heroes, violent shoot-outs with “cool” criminals and casual use of the n-word. But it did create an environment in which edgier material could find a home, and for that we should all be grateful.

    Pulp Fiction

    Pulp Fiction has been with us for twenty years and it’s still a good movie. At least I think it is. I’m not watching it again to find out since I saw enough of this movie in college to last me a lifetime. Seriously, if this movie came out when you were in school you’d know you couldn’t walk from one end of a dorm hallway to the other without hearing the music, film or somebody quoting it. Maybe that’s the real reason I seem sort of down about the film that I once loved so much. For my money, though, I’d go with Jackie Brown…

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Pass

    The Representation Test Score: D (3 pts)

    (http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

    Pulp Fiction Representation Test

    [schema type=”movie” name=”Pulp Fiction” description=”The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster’s wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.” director=”Quentin Tarantino” actor_1=”John Travolta” actor_2=”Uma Thurman” actor_3=”Samuel L. Jackson” actor_4=”Bruce Willis” actor_5=”Ving Rhames” actor_6=”Tim Roth” actor_7=”Frank Whaley” actor_8=”Eric Stoltz” actor_9=”Harvey Keitel”]

    Main Cast John Travolta Vincent Vega, Uma Thurman Mia Wallace, Samuel L. Jackson Jules Winnfield, Bruce Willis Butch Coolidge
    Rating R
    Release Date Fri 14 Oct 1994 UTC
    Director Quentin Tarantino
    Genres Crime, Drama, Thriller
    Plot The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster’s wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
    Poster Pulp Fiction
    Runtime 168
    Tagline Girls like me don’t make invitations like this to just anyone!
    Writers Quentin Tarantino (story) and, Roger Avary (story) …
    Year 1994
  • The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

    The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

    140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

    Overshadowed by Pulp Fiction upon release, Shawshank is an absolute masterpiece. Career highlight for Darabont, Freeman, Robbins, Deakins…

    The Shawshank Redemption

    Spoiler-free Movie Review of The Shawshank Redemption:

    Where do you start with a movie this good?

    The Shawshank Redemption

    The Shawshank Redemption was viewed favorably by critics upon its limited release on September 23, 1994, but was all but ignored when it went into wide release on 10/14/1994. I was an enormous Stephen King fan in high school and the first few years of college, so I was familiar with Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, the novella on which this film is based. I loved the story, but even I couldn’t get anyone to go see the movie with me. The reason? A little movie called Pulp Fiction came out the same day.

    The Shawshank Redemption

    I wonder if anyone today would make the same choice. Pulp Fiction was a landmark film and arguably changed filmmaking (although I’m not sure if for the better), but I don’t think I’ll get much argument when I suggest that Shawshank is a much better film.

    The Shawshank Redemption

    With a movie this classic, it’s hard to know to where to attribute the success. The story, the characters, the acting, the direction, the music, the cinematography, the art direction – these are all top shelf.

    The Shawshank Redemption

    Some people still haven’t seen the film; I know I’ve had more than one discussion with someone who just doesn’t want to watch a prison movie. I get that. But please try – it’s just so much more than that.

    The Shawshank Redemption

    For those few, The Shawshank Redemption finds banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) sent to Shawshank State Penitentiary in Maine in 1947 for murdering his wife and her lover. Shawshank is a brutal prison with merciless guards, headed by Captain Byron Hadley (Clancy Brown) whose methods are approved of by Warden Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton), not to mention the frequent assaults by other prisoners such as Bogs Diamond (Mark Rolston). Andy would likely not survive in prison were it not for his financial acumen, which makes him useful to the warden.

    The Shawshank Redemption

    The real reason Andy is able to get along in prison, however, is his friendship with fellow convict Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding (Morgan Freeman). The camaraderie of these two is the linchpin of the film. Both men are serving life sentences, but while Red has allowed the bars to cage him in, Andy seems to retain some piece of spirit that can’t be contained. Andy’s unshakable determination to hold on to hope touches even the hardened cellmates but even his spirit can’t last forever in such a place, can it?

    The Shawshank Redemption

    Frank Darabont had been a successful screenwriter for years before getting his first chance to direct here, due partly to his friendship with author Steven King. Rob Reiner, who with Stand By Me had so successfully directed the adaptation of another of King’s novellas from the same source book (Different Seasons), wanted to film off  of Darabont’s screenplay, and probably would have done a fantastic job, but Darabont wisely held on tight.

    The Shawshank Redemption

    There is a humanity to the screenplay that is ably served by the pacing and direction of Darabont. Cinematographer Roger Deakins captures the bleak interiors of the prison without ever suggesting an ugly picture. I’ve never seen dull colors appear so vivid – it’s the recurring humanity at work again. Thomas Newman also contributes an uplifting score.

    The Shawshank Redemption

    But this is truly an acting tour de force. Robbins conveys a depth of emotion behind Andy’s aloof exterior, and displays the suggestion that there is still a piece of hope stirring in him beneath all of the hurt. And Freeman displays his usual amazing gravitas. He’s arguably no more or less brilliant here than he was in Glory or any other of his pictures, but I find this the most rewarding of his roles. He was completely robbed of the Academy Award for Best Actor when Forrest Gumped up the works that year, although I still think Robbins was equally deserving of a nomination.

    The Shawshank Redemption

    It’s a shame that The Shawshank Redemption didn’t get the respect it deserved twenty years ago, with a lackluster box office and a complete shut-out come awards season, but thankfully it was not long before the public realized just how amazing of a film it is. An absolute classic that plays at least as well as it did twenty years ago. “Remember, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

    The Shawshank Redemption

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Fail

    The Representation Test Score: D (3 pts)

    This is kind of unfair – it’s a movie set in the 1940’s in a men’s prison – there aren’t a lot of opportunities to be inclusive or representative.

    (http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

    Shawshank Redemption Representation Test
    [schema type=”movie” name=”The Shawshank Redemption” description=”Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.” director=”Frank Darabont” actor_1=”Morgan Freeman” actor_2=”Tim Robbins” ]

    Main Cast Tim Robbins Andy Dufresne, Morgan Freeman Ellis Boyd ‘Red’ Redding, Bob Gunton Warden Norton, William Sadler Heywood
    Rating R
    Release Date Fri 14 Oct 1994 UTC
    Director Frank Darabont
    Genres Crime, Drama
    Plot Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.
    Poster The Shawshank Redemption
    Runtime 142
    Tagline Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.
    Writers Stephen King (short story “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”), Frank Darabont (screenplay)
    Year 1994
  • Nothing O’Clock (2013)

    Nothing O’Clock (2013)

    Nothing O'Clock
    Nothing O’Clock by Neil Gaiman

    My rating: 5 of 5 stars

    Every tv or film series that is even moderately successful ends up having spin-off novels of varying quality. This is particularly true in the sci-fi genre. Doctor Who is somewhat more than moderately successful, so there are quite a lot of them. Because spin-off works in general have a reputation as being quickly produced extensions of the shows they represent, I’ve generally avoided them. But there are certainly stand out exceptions that make you sometimes rethink your preconception (and hopefully adjust your personal level of snobbery). Nothing O’Clock is most certainly one of these.

    As part of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who last year, Puffin released 11 short stories in e-book format; one for each Doctor and written by different children’s authors. (A twelfth story for the new Doctor will be released in November 2014. No word on whether the War Doctor will get one…)

    For the eleventh story, they tapped Neil Gaiman, a phenomenal (and phenomenally successful) writer who has some experience both in the genre and in the series. Gaiman penned two episodes of the series in recent years during Matt Smith’s run as the Eleventh Doctor, and so he is very familiar with that iteration character and that of companion Amy Pond. In fact, it’s all too easy to imagine this story playing out on screen. In the audiobook version, which is how I partook of the story, this is aided in no small way by narrator Peter Kenny.

    The story is a nice combination of familiarity and freshness. It feels like just another in a long line of adventures for these well-known characters, but everything else about the tale is brand new and very typically Gaiman.

    The author introduces a new enemy, the Kin, an alien race determined to take over the Earth. (This is not a spoiler.) They are creepy as anything Gaiman has come up with before, and that’s not faint praise. The author has a real knack for spooky.

    The dialogue and characterization of the Doctor & Amy Pond is so good that I found myself googling a few lines to see if they had already been on the show – that’s how authentic Nothing O’Clock feels. This story would make an excellent episode, and so the length of the story feels exactly right.

    My only possible criticism of the story would be that it has probably unfairly raised my expectations for other Doctor Who stories. I’ll take that…

    [schema type=”book” url=”http://www.neilgaiman.com/” name=”Nothing O’Clock” description=”Thousands of years ago, Time Lords built a Prison for the Kin. They made it utterly impregnable and unreachable. As long as Time Lords existed, the Kin would be trapped forever and the universe would be safe. They had planned for everything… everything, that is, other than the Time War and the fall of Gallifrey. Now the Kin are free again and there’s only one Time Lord left in the universe who can stop them!” author=”Neil Gaiman” publisher=”Puffin” pubdate=”2013-11-21″ ebook=”yes” ]

  • Rewinder (2014)

    Rewinder (2014)

    Rewinder
    Rewinder by Brett Battles

    My rating: 4 of 5 stars

    Another Kindle Owners’ Lending Library selection, and possibly my favorite so far, Rewinder is a new time-travel adventure by thriller author Brett Battles. I haven’t read any of the author’s previous works, but that is sure to change as I absolutely loved Rewinder.

    The story is set in an alternate version of the present time in which the British Empire has lost none of its potency and continued to expand further across the globe. The American colonies are just that – colonies. The American Revolution never occurred in any meaningful way and our protagonist Denny Younger lives in the Shallows, a lower-class area in the western part of New Cardiff (our Los Angeles). The class system is hugely important at this time in history, enough so that Parliament has replaced traditional titles such as labor class or gentry with a numbering system. Denny is on the lower end, an Eight, and likely to remain so for the rest of his life.

    But when he takes the Operational Placement Examination he is not placed in the power plant alongside his father as expected but instead flagged as a promising candidate for the Upjohn Institute. Within a day he has been elevated to a higher class and whisked off to the institute where he will learn to be a Rewinder – a time travelling researcher. Rewinders verify family lineage – firsthand. Their mission: “to observe and record. It’s not just what we do. It’s all we do”. They observe events and never interfere. At least those are the rules…

    Rewinder is a fascinating and exciting book. The plot is tight and the story written by a clearly skilled hand. It moves along at a quick pace and is easy to follow. I’m sure that if I spent more time picking apart the intricacies of the time travel elements I’d find some problems – there nearly always are in stories that feature such foundations, but the novel is so enjoyable that I didn’t bother myself with looking for problems.

    The dialogue is good, the characters better. It has the unique distinction of making both the original and altered histories interesting. If the author had written a tale in either timeline that didn’t involve time travel it still would have made a good setting.

    It’s sometimes hard to find great books that aren’t part of a larger series. Rewinder is the sort of book that you appreciate for being a great standalone novel, but would be equally happy to see expanded into a series because the author has done such a fine job of realizing a great setting. Highly recommended.

    [schema type=”book” url=”http://www.brettbattles.com/” name=”Rewinder” description=”You will never read Denny Younger’s name in any history book, will never know what he’s done. But even if you did, you’d never believe it. The world as you know it wouldn’t be the same without him. Denny was born into one of the lowest rungs of society, but his bleak fortunes abruptly change when the mysterious Upjohn Institute recruits him to be a Rewinder, a verifier of personal histories. The job at first sounds like it involves researching old books and records, but Denny soon learns it’s far from it. A Rewinder’s job is to observe history. In person. Embracing his new duties with enthusiasm, Denny witnesses things he could never even imagine before. But as exciting as the adventures into the past are, there are dangers, too. For even the smallest error can have consequences. Life-altering consequences. Time, after all, is merely a reference point.” author=”Brett Battles” publisher=”Createspace” pubdate=”2014-08-17″ isbn=”1500766941″ ebook=”yes” paperback=”yes” ]