Man, that Alan Moore definitely went full tilt with this one.
It spans centuries and dimensions of space. It is one of the most meta-textual things I've ever read. It references like, 85% of the western literary canon and probably 50% of everything else, too. It somehow seamlessly combines Queen Gloriana, Cthulu, James Bond, Mary Poppins, and many, many more into a cohesive story line. It has an entire section rendered in 3D art, and comes with a sweet-ass looking set of plastic and cardboard glasses to use.
That last part blew me away. Not only is it impressively rendered 3D, it is incredibly detailed...just as detailed, in fact, as the rest of the 2D art. There are parts where art is layered on top of different art, and the two sets of images can be discerned by looking with only your left eye while the right one is closed, and vice versa. The level of planning that must have gone into the scripting, drawing, lettering, coloring....all of it is monumental and beautiful. You feel like you're inside the blazing world - like you can reach out and hold it in your hands.
LOEG: BD is graphic novel, epistolary, alternate history, fantasy, magical realism, spy thriller, romance, smut, Twilight Zone-esque, the past, the future, all of time and space and literature and everything known and unknown all rolled into one.
Just fucking read it, already.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Things I Saw On Today's Jaunt
I jaunted today. A nice three mile jaunt. In the hot sun. Hanging out with some mosquitoes. And tiny, dagger-edged stones in my shoes that refused to dislodge themselves.
I really am trying to make it sound pleasant, even though I only jaunted because I am fat and no longer wish to be fat. Jaunting is hard work, yo.
But one of the few benefits to jaunting is that you get to hang out with nature and observe the flora and fauna and all that cool shit.
So, a list of things I saw whilst jaunting:
-the biggest mushroom to ever exist in recorded history, growin' out of a stump
-the smallest Monarch butterfly to ever exist in recorded history, hangin' out on the service drive
-old lady golfers wearing matching outfits
-a blooming tree that smells like heaven - looked it up when I got home, and apparently it is called a honey locust tree; scientists, please get to work on bottling that exact smell so I can take a bath in it, thx
-a used syringe on the side of the road: well, they can't ALL be pleasant, now can they?
-a boy duck and a girl duck having a picnic under a tree
And a list of things that I didn't see but wish I had:
-tiny elves using the giant mushroom as shade from the sun
-a friendly talking dog named Grover
-someone riding a unicycle over the bridge
-Ghostbusters traipsing through Hillside Cemetery
-a mischievous gopher tearing ass through the golf course, possibly dancing seductively for passersby
All in all, not the best jaunt, but not the worst either.
I really am trying to make it sound pleasant, even though I only jaunted because I am fat and no longer wish to be fat. Jaunting is hard work, yo.
But one of the few benefits to jaunting is that you get to hang out with nature and observe the flora and fauna and all that cool shit.
So, a list of things I saw whilst jaunting:
-the biggest mushroom to ever exist in recorded history, growin' out of a stump
-the smallest Monarch butterfly to ever exist in recorded history, hangin' out on the service drive
-old lady golfers wearing matching outfits
-a blooming tree that smells like heaven - looked it up when I got home, and apparently it is called a honey locust tree; scientists, please get to work on bottling that exact smell so I can take a bath in it, thx
-a used syringe on the side of the road: well, they can't ALL be pleasant, now can they?
-a boy duck and a girl duck having a picnic under a tree
And a list of things that I didn't see but wish I had:
-tiny elves using the giant mushroom as shade from the sun
-a friendly talking dog named Grover
-someone riding a unicycle over the bridge
-Ghostbusters traipsing through Hillside Cemetery
-a mischievous gopher tearing ass through the golf course, possibly dancing seductively for passersby
All in all, not the best jaunt, but not the worst either.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
What if Hollywood did a modern re-telling of...
...Double Indemnity?
(disclaimer: I do not think this would be an advisable course of action. The classic noir can't really be improved upon, in my opinion. This is simply a hypothetical exercise and time-waster, nothing more.)
Re-Casting:
Walter Neff (originally played by Fred MacMurray): Jason Sudeikis
Phyllis Deitrichson (originally played by Barbara Stanwyck): Charlize Theron
Barton Keyes (originally played by Edward G. Robinson): Tom Hanks
Mr. Dietrichson (originally played by Tom Powers): Harvey Keitel
Lola Dietrichson (originally played by Jean Heather): Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Nino Zachetti (originally played by Byron Barr): Richard Madden
My thinking in regards to re-casting...
Jason Sudeikis as Walter Neff may sound like an incredibly odd choice, but there are a few key reasons I'd like to see him in the role. Before Double Indemnity, MacMurray had taken comedic roles almost exclusively. I think that, because of Sudeikis' history as a comedic actor, no one would expect him to take on a serious role - or to do well at it. I think he could pull it off, though. And he looks remarkably similar to Fred MacMurray, which doesn't hurt. Choosing a Phyllis was difficult - it needed to be a talented actress, slightly older (late 30s, early 40s), beautiful but capable of looking "cheap". I think Theron is a good fit here - Monster proved she has acting chops, and I don't doubt she can play a convincing femme fatale. Choosing Tom Hanks as Keyes was mostly influenced by his excellent performance in Catch Me If You Can - also working in the capacity as an investigator of fraud.
Re-scripting:
If the story is set in modern day, there are obvious changes that would need to be made. I think the incorporation of new technologies into the story could be done effectively, but only if it is worked into the script in a natural, subtle way. For example, instead of meeting each other at a set place, Phyllis and Walter could contact each other using cheap, throwaway cell phones. When Walter is recording his confession, it could be via webcam instead of the dictaphone. Keyes could use GPS tracking, wire-tapping, and internet spying techniques to observe Neff and Dietrichson...of course, this would mean that Neff, being aware of these types of surveillance, would find work-arounds. And it seems more realistic that Keyes would head a team of fraud investigators, rather than working alone.
I think that the basic plot of the film should stay basically the same - femme fatale convinces an otherwise good guy to help her bump off her husband and collect the insurance money. The story itself has now become a cliche...I think that it could still work, if done in a meta-textual way. The characters should be aware of how crazy their scheme is, but convince themselves (as a result of hubris) that they are too smart and organized to be caught. I guess the closest analogy I can think of would be a modern day heist film - the idea of "pulling a heist" is a Hollywood cliche, yet it can still make for a compelling film.
(disclaimer: I do not think this would be an advisable course of action. The classic noir can't really be improved upon, in my opinion. This is simply a hypothetical exercise and time-waster, nothing more.)
Re-Casting:
Walter Neff (originally played by Fred MacMurray): Jason Sudeikis
Phyllis Deitrichson (originally played by Barbara Stanwyck): Charlize Theron
Barton Keyes (originally played by Edward G. Robinson): Tom Hanks
Mr. Dietrichson (originally played by Tom Powers): Harvey Keitel
Lola Dietrichson (originally played by Jean Heather): Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Nino Zachetti (originally played by Byron Barr): Richard Madden
My thinking in regards to re-casting...
Jason Sudeikis as Walter Neff may sound like an incredibly odd choice, but there are a few key reasons I'd like to see him in the role. Before Double Indemnity, MacMurray had taken comedic roles almost exclusively. I think that, because of Sudeikis' history as a comedic actor, no one would expect him to take on a serious role - or to do well at it. I think he could pull it off, though. And he looks remarkably similar to Fred MacMurray, which doesn't hurt. Choosing a Phyllis was difficult - it needed to be a talented actress, slightly older (late 30s, early 40s), beautiful but capable of looking "cheap". I think Theron is a good fit here - Monster proved she has acting chops, and I don't doubt she can play a convincing femme fatale. Choosing Tom Hanks as Keyes was mostly influenced by his excellent performance in Catch Me If You Can - also working in the capacity as an investigator of fraud.
Re-scripting:
If the story is set in modern day, there are obvious changes that would need to be made. I think the incorporation of new technologies into the story could be done effectively, but only if it is worked into the script in a natural, subtle way. For example, instead of meeting each other at a set place, Phyllis and Walter could contact each other using cheap, throwaway cell phones. When Walter is recording his confession, it could be via webcam instead of the dictaphone. Keyes could use GPS tracking, wire-tapping, and internet spying techniques to observe Neff and Dietrichson...of course, this would mean that Neff, being aware of these types of surveillance, would find work-arounds. And it seems more realistic that Keyes would head a team of fraud investigators, rather than working alone.
I think that the basic plot of the film should stay basically the same - femme fatale convinces an otherwise good guy to help her bump off her husband and collect the insurance money. The story itself has now become a cliche...I think that it could still work, if done in a meta-textual way. The characters should be aware of how crazy their scheme is, but convince themselves (as a result of hubris) that they are too smart and organized to be caught. I guess the closest analogy I can think of would be a modern day heist film - the idea of "pulling a heist" is a Hollywood cliche, yet it can still make for a compelling film.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
The week from hell
I'd really like to write something positive, especially in light of it being Geek Pride Day. I just don't feel like I have it in me, though. Not today, at least. I'm trying to remain optimistic that this year will be a good one for me - that I'll find a better job, lose weight, waste less time on trivial crap, and focus on the things that make me happy. But so far, age 25 has been absolute shit. Every single day (including my birthday, honestly) has sucked in one way or another. And now I owe the state 100 some odd dollars because I forgot to renew my tags and managed to get pulled over the day after my birthday. I don't even have the energy to bitch about how fucked up it is that the legal system in Michigan is essentially set up to keep those who are poor, poor. At the very least, I guess I can say that I don't think things can get much worse after the past few days. I have an unexpected day off tomorrow (fall-out from missing the deadline for tag renewal on my car)...and even though I've rectified the situation and COULD work tomorrow if I felt like it, I think I'm just going to enjoy my day off instead. Sleep in. Relax. Watch Dr. Who or something. All I want is one single day where things don't go catastrophically wrong - hopefully barricading myself inside the apartment all day will keep me safe from the bad luck that has plagued me this week.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Re-reading LOEG: Black Dossier and noticing similarities to...
both Unwritten and Sandman. So much intertextuality going on between those three works and, well, pretty much all of the English canon.
I'm specifically speaking of the part of Black Dossier that chronicles the long, strange history of Orlando.
Orlando is an immortal, and a transitional hermaphrodite - s/he changes genders at random intervals, with no control over when these changes occur. Orlando is described as androgynous. This reminds me quite a bit of Desire of the Endless. Immortal, androgynous, and rather self-involved. Orlando spends most of recorded history fighting in wars s/he has no stake in - picking sides at random, fighting mercilessly, switching alliances without real reason.
Beyond the Desire/Orlando comparison, there are other similarities to Sandman. The fictionalization of real historical events, and the insertion of a fictional character into those events in an important, game-changing sort of role. This same thing happens in Unwritten.
In Orlando's tale, the titular character is interjected into many of the major battles of history, as well as some fictional ones. S/he is an operative of Queen Titania's first "league" (presumably the origins of the modern day LOEG), the same Queen Titania of Shakespearean lore, also seen in Gaiman's re-telling of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Orlando also claims to be the "Roland" on which "The Song of Roland" is based (Roland, presumably, being a bastardization of "Orlando") - the lone survivor of the battle of Roncesvalles - a plausible claims considering what we know of Orlando's immortality and history as a soldier of fortune.
This same Roland is important in Unwritten, as well. Tommy Taylor first realizes that he can bridge the gap between the fictional and real worlds by (unintentionally) summoning Roland into existence. Unwritten also inserts the "Cabal" into historical events spanning all of known human history.
The Cabal is interested in controlling outcomes by manipulating stories, Orlando simply wants to earn a quick buck and stave off the boredom that inevitably comes with immortality, and the Endless are just doing what they are meant to do, and humans are more set-dressing (or maybe pawns) than anything. In every one of these cases, though, immortal beings manipulate the real and fictional universes with varying degrees of success and for significantly different reasons.
I'm specifically speaking of the part of Black Dossier that chronicles the long, strange history of Orlando.
Orlando is an immortal, and a transitional hermaphrodite - s/he changes genders at random intervals, with no control over when these changes occur. Orlando is described as androgynous. This reminds me quite a bit of Desire of the Endless. Immortal, androgynous, and rather self-involved. Orlando spends most of recorded history fighting in wars s/he has no stake in - picking sides at random, fighting mercilessly, switching alliances without real reason.
Beyond the Desire/Orlando comparison, there are other similarities to Sandman. The fictionalization of real historical events, and the insertion of a fictional character into those events in an important, game-changing sort of role. This same thing happens in Unwritten.
In Orlando's tale, the titular character is interjected into many of the major battles of history, as well as some fictional ones. S/he is an operative of Queen Titania's first "league" (presumably the origins of the modern day LOEG), the same Queen Titania of Shakespearean lore, also seen in Gaiman's re-telling of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Orlando also claims to be the "Roland" on which "The Song of Roland" is based (Roland, presumably, being a bastardization of "Orlando") - the lone survivor of the battle of Roncesvalles - a plausible claims considering what we know of Orlando's immortality and history as a soldier of fortune.
This same Roland is important in Unwritten, as well. Tommy Taylor first realizes that he can bridge the gap between the fictional and real worlds by (unintentionally) summoning Roland into existence. Unwritten also inserts the "Cabal" into historical events spanning all of known human history.
The Cabal is interested in controlling outcomes by manipulating stories, Orlando simply wants to earn a quick buck and stave off the boredom that inevitably comes with immortality, and the Endless are just doing what they are meant to do, and humans are more set-dressing (or maybe pawns) than anything. In every one of these cases, though, immortal beings manipulate the real and fictional universes with varying degrees of success and for significantly different reasons.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
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