Kelson Reviews Stuff - Page 65

I enjoyed it, but I have no interest in seeing it again. It already felt like deja vu since there were so many references to the first two movies with Christopher Reeve. There were some great moments, but overall it was just kind of okay.

It’s always a risk to go back and watch something you enjoyed when you were younger. Your tastes change as you grow up (or you actually develop a sense of taste). There are some cartoons and movies I refuse to watch because I want to remember liking them. Sometimes they work out(ex: Real Genius). Sometimes they don’t (ex: Something Wicked This Way Comes).

Edward Scissorhands still holds up: The contrast between the inventor’s mansion and the pseudo-50s achingly “normal” suburbia, Danny Elfman’s fairy-tale music, the neighborhood’s curiosity, then acceptance, then ultimate rejection of this strange visitor, Peg’s determination to make things work out, Kim’s slow realization that her boyfriend isn’t a very nice guy, and that this scary blade-handed stranger is, the cop’s efforts to smooth things over—all with Tim Burton’s distinctive quirky style.

(Re-watched in the theater as part of a “flashback features” series.)

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Van Helsing, and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow should make a trilogy of sorts.

All three are cheesy action/adventure films that can be quite enjoyable if you watch them with the right attitude. The first two both take characters from classic literature and weave them into a story about Victorian-era secret agents – and both have rooftop battles with Mr. Hyde in Paris. Sky Captain uses tropes from the serials instead of actual characters, but again deals with semi-secret paramilitary organizations that have more advanced technology than the general public. And, like LXG, it finishes at a villain’s secret fortress in the Himalayas.

Since it’s been over a year since I read the book, and I knew to expect a historical drama/horror rather than a documentary, I actually thought it was a fairly decent Jack the Ripper film (if there is such a thing). Unfortunately they ripped out some of the key parts of the book — all the symbolism in London’s architecture, for instance, wouldn’t have fit onscreen anyway, but I rather liked the flash-forwards to the 20th century during his psychotic break after the final murder. One of the main points was that this version of Jack believed he was ushering in the future. They kept the line, but left out everything that supported it.

The first issue of the New Spring comic book was surprisingly good. I wasn’t sure how well Robert Jordan’s writing would translate to the medium, and of course a lot of details are lost, but Chuck Dixon has done a good job adapting the story, and Mike Miller’s art is incredible.

The book opens with a brief description of the world, then a series of splash pages showing the scope of the Aiel War, starting with thousands of Aiel pouring over the Dragonwall. From there it moves to Lan’s story, then to Moiraine’s. Two pages stand out for me: The panorama of Tar Valon, and Gitara’s Foretelling, the latter of which is most effective because it contrasts with the very realistic style of the rest of the book.

Believe it or not, I’d recommend this. Who would’ve thought I’d be excited about The Wheel of Time again?

Katie adds the following notes on other cool stuff:

• You can tell some of the Aiel in their panoramas are female, even though there’s no mention of it.
• Hyperattentive series readers will be able to tell all sorts of stuff quickly, based on minute detail. (e.g. shield designs, armor style, local fashion)
• Looks like there’s going to be icons on out-in-the-middle thoughts/dialogue to let you know who’s saying it. Nice carryover of the chapter symbols.
• Moiraine and Siuan make a cute couple.