Game of Thrones, Season 1

Game of Thrones, Season 1 just came out on DVD, and I must say it's awesome! The show had me at the first two minutes before anyone spoke. And when they did, I was sold. The characters are complex and the plot surprising. (Here I must confess that I haven't read the books -- yet, though I have checked out the first one to read yesterday.)

Season 1 tells the story of Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell and his family. Early on, he is asked by King Robert Baratheon to become his Hand and to protect his interests at court. Ned (as he is familiarly called) is an honorable soldier and loyal friend -- and agrees reluctantly to do so. Arrayed against them is the Queen's family, the Lannisters who have legendary wealth and guile. 

The central intrigue (to which we as an audience are privy to) is that the Queen is having an incestuous relationship with her twin brother -- a court secret for which people have died. But there is also the mystery of the dread"White Walkers" North beyond the Wall manned by the "Night's Watch."

The show has a late Medieval feel to it. It is more realistic in style, than not. But the fantasy elements are there, beyond the world being not ours, but its own. (Think about dragons and the "white walkers.") Know that there's a lot of blood and sex in this show -- but then, I imagine so was the Medieval period . . .

The series is a must-see, and it has gotten me started on the novels. The second season should be starting very soon on HBO.

John Carter of Mars, part 02

Last Friday, my wife and I went to see John Carter in 3D. As anyone who reads this blog knows, it's something I've been looking forward to watch for the past few weeks. It was Lisa's first 3D film (mine was the Phantom Menace a few weekends ago); her first response after watching some previews in 3D was this:

"Why would anyone want to watch films in anything else but 3D?"

As far as I can tell, the movie combines elements of both Princess of Mars and Gods of Mars into one plot. (I'm currently reading Princess of Mars, but only about a third of the way into it.) I was very pleased with it, and I really can't find anything much to fault in it. 

The visuals were engaging: the movie avoided cheap 3D effects and focused instead on the scenery and the characters. There was chemistry between the two leads, John Carter and Deja Thoris. Besides being a science fiction thriller, the movie is a romance. The script gave them motivation for romance, and (in my mind) it was earned. For me and most everyone (I believe), the best part of the movie was the Tharks (Green Martians with four arms each). Regardless of whether you've read the Barsoom series or merely heard about it, the first thing you think about is the Tharks. And they don't disappoint in this film. Their CGI animation is expertly done, and you can't help but admire them whenever they are onscreen. The script hints at their heartless barbarism, without making them too unpalatable. (ERB makes them into real heavies at the start . . .) Their individual characters are distinct and credible.

And finally, the mysterious Therns ended up being good villains. They were both sinister and Machiavellian in nature. Their real agenda is hinted at, but there is always a sense that there is more hidden. At one point, their leader says that they are not about destroying worlds, but about managing their deaths. Also, there is an ambivalence to their portrayal -- it's not that they are evil per se, but rather more scheming and opportunistic in nature. Their technology and their powers make them seem god-like. Real nice big baddies . . . .

Seriously. Fun. Movie.

The first weekend box office reports are in, and it doesn't look very good for our film. But this can be attributed to the criminally bad marketing campaign that launched its release. And of course, the title doesn't help much. (Which is why I call it John Carter of Mars.) Please support this movie. Go ahead, treat yourself. See it in the movie theater. Maybe even in 3D.

Again. Seriously. Fun. Movie.

Reading Anime 009: Trinity Blood (2005) by Tomohiro Hirata

One of my student shelvers recommended this title to me. Stylistically, it's much more typical of what I'd thought of as anime: characters with overly large eyes, spiky hair, poofy clothes, etc.

In this world, humanity has doomed itself by nuclear war. From its ashes, arise a race of vampires created by an extraterrestrial virus. Against them fights the agents of the Vatican. Apart from creating the opportunity for there to be vampires, nuclear war hasn't been all that bad for humanity, after all. Humanity has its airships, its androids and holograms, etc. There are still nation-states: the Vatican, Albion, etc. And this Vatican is not only very militant, but also socially enlightened -- at least in terms of gender equality, women share equal power with men in this church polity. Arrayed against them are the Fleurs de Mal (vampire terrorist group?) and the Rosenkreuz (apocalyptic terrorist group?).

Finally, it's interesting enough . . . definitely imaginative -- but it's, well, kind of silly really. Part of its appeal (I think) has something to do with the androgyny of its characters and the new romanticism of its neo-Gothic setting. But while there is some appeal (especially in its imagination and invention), I have problems taking it very seriously. Too much surface, not enough substance . . . .

Reading Anime 008: Ghost in the Shell 2 (2004) by Mamoru Oshii

Wow. Seeing the two films Ghost in the Shell and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence back to back, one can really see how far the animation and storytelling has advanced in just one decade. Some years after the events narrated in the first film, Batou and his partner Togusa investigate a series of murders in which pleasure bots suddently and inexplicably murder their owners . . . .

Where Ghost in the Shell had depth, its sequel gains solidity. There is a feeling of mass, in both the animation and the writing. If one is to be the Neuromancer of the series, the other is its Blade Runner (or maybe its Mona Lisa Overdrive). There is a sequence in the middle of the film where the action loops back upon itself twice that is reminds me somehow of the Matrix, I don't know why.

Both a philosophical and lyrical film. (Something that I'd say is unusual in science fiction, except I have seen more of it lately in other works.)  It speculates on the nature of humanity and artifice, of memory and souls, etc. It references Confucius, Psalms, Milton and Descartes. An intelligent, accomplished film that makes you think. Needles to say, highly recommended.

Reading Anime 007: Ghost in the Shell (1995) by Mamoru Oshii

So this is a departure from the Studio Ghibli films I've been watching so far. It's an adult cyberpunk film in the William Gibson tradition. (By adult, I mean there's almost a soft porn aspect to it.) The premise is that there is a special ops department SECTION 9 that handles counter cyber-terrorism operations. (And all their agents are cybernetically enhanced.)

What is unusual is that people can be hacked; their memories and hence their identities, their "ghosts" in the parlance of the film, can be altered by outside agency. The agents are in pursuit of a mysterious agency known only as "the Puppeteer." What emerges is that the Puppeteer is a sapient digital entity, a "bug" that resulted from a secret project #2501. What it seeks is asylum to protect it from the agency that created it and to merge with one of the cyborg agents (Maj. Kusanagi).

On the whole, it's a good film. A little hard to understand, at first. The writing is intelligent, and the art is innovative. The level of detail at some points is impressive. My sense is that this is one of those movies that rewards repeated viewing. (I'm still not sure I follow it entirely.) My only problem is that I find that the music can be somewhat off-putting. (But this is probably more a matter of my Western ears, rather than the music itself.)

What if we had our own con? Part 02: Note to Self

Just wanted to make a note of this. Derek posted a list of gaming cons on his Harvester blog. It's worth taking a look, not only to see if there's anything possible to go to (depending on coverage at work, ugh!), but also to consider for scheduling a con.

Here's the link: http://derekas.blogspot.com/2012/01/rpg-con-listing-for-northern-indiana.html

Have meant to write more about my thoughts on a gaming con here or on Google+, but have been slammed with work lately. Stay tuned.

New Blogger Features!

OK, this is cool. My blogger account recently got upgraded, and one cool feature is that you can view usage stats for your blog. Here are my stats for the past month:

Members: 4 (3 out of 4 are local to South Bend; other is friend from college)
Page Views by Country: USA 103, Russia 33, Germany 30, Costa Rica 4, United Kingdom 3, Canada 2, Indonesia 1, India 1, Kenya 1
%age by Browser: Firefox 47%, Internet Explorer 38%, Opera 5%, Chrome 4%, Safari 2%, GranParadiso 1%, Netscape <1%
%age by Platform: Windows 75%, Macintosh 16%, Linux 6%, iPad <1%, iPhone <1%

Why is this cool? Because until today, I thought I was largely writing in a vacuum, for just four people who are my personal friends. It's wild that there are people around the planet reading my blog. Even if it's only casually or incidentally. Go figure.

Reading Anime 006: My Neighbor Totoro (1988) by Hazao Miyazaki

As with Pom Poko, I fell in love with this movie immediately. It is a story about two sisters who move with their father into a new house. Their mother is in the hospital for reasons unknown, and this clearly is the issue of the film. The movie is about the imagination and how it helps children to cope with the sometimes harsh realities of life.

At first, they think the house is haunted -- and it is, by soot gremlins. And acorns mysteriously appear throughout the house. Their father indulges them in this -- he's an archeology professor, who, while he dotes on his children, must also leave them alone sometimes because of his work.

One afternoon, the 4-year-old Mei wanders off and discovers a hidden grove occupied by the sleeping Totoro. She tells her father and sister Satsuki about the discovery -- and at first, they don't believe her. Later while Satsuki waits in the rain with her sister at the bus stop, she sees for herself Totoro. Both girls then see the Cat Bus appear and whisk Totoro away again.

My favorite character is Mei. She is pure child. She echoes and imitates her older sister, and she wants to be involved in everything going on! (I believe she is meant to be our favorite.) An aspect I love about this film is that this is an identifiably Japanese family and setting, yet is still emotionally intelligible to a Western audience -- because they feel like they could be any family. Their story is rather ordinary, but still very poignant. (As I said, I can relate to this film because reminds me of similar circumstances in my life growing up.) The animation is identifiably as the Studio Ghibli house style, but there is a Seussian aspect to its depiction of Totoro and friends.

Clearly in this movie, the creatures depicted are to be taken as imaginary in nature. But Totoro, the soot gremlins, and the Cat Bus are real to Satsuki and Mei -- and that's what really matters. The film helps us to see how they are necessary and healthy for the children to believe in. It indulges us and them in the imaginary world, granting it an authenticity and emotional depth that is very satisfying.

Highly recommended.

John Carter of Mars, Part 01

There seems to be a buzz developing online about the movie John Carter due to be released on March 9. The film is based on Edgar Rice Burrough's first Barsoom novel Princess of Mars. The story is about a Civil War veteran who is mysteriously transported to the dying planet of Mars (known by the inhabitants as "Barsoom"). He finds himself in the middle of the life-and-death struggle between Red and Green Martians for limited resources.

The film has been poorly marketed by Disney. Starting with the title John Carter. Only science fiction fans would recognize the reference. I just read today that the original superior title John Carter of Mars was rejected because it tested poorly with women (I guess). The Super Bowl trailer conveyed little to nothing about the film. But I saw the 3D trailer for it last weekend in the movie theater, and it looked awesome!

Reading Anime 005: Howl's Moving Castle (2004) by Hazao Miyazaki

This film was more like what I expected anime to be like. By this, I mean there were stylistic elements that I took to be more typical of traditional anime. In particular, I'm thinking of how Howl himself was drawn compared to other characters in the film.

It shares the same dream-like, fairy-tale logic as in Spirited Away. I liked the parable of Sophie, how she was transformed from a plain nineteen-year-old girl to a wise ninety-year-old woman. The movie begins by introducing the wizard Howl and his moving castle (which no one seems to think particularly remarkable). Early on, he meets Sophie and rescues her from some blobby monsters by taking flight with her.

The setting is a fantasy European-ish country, with a steampunk feel. Sophie runs the family hat shop. She sees herself as the Plain Jane of her family. One evening the fat Witch of the Waste enters the store and curses her to be transformed into an old woman. Sophie leaves her family and ventures out to find Howl's Moving Castle. There she meets the scarecrow Turnip-Head, the hearth fire-demon Calcifer, and the little-boy apprentice Markl. Inside the castle is a magic door that opens out on to other vistas based on a color-wheel dial beside it.

What happens in the film is that Sophie learns how to be compassionate, to love, and to create her own sense of family. There are some interesting surprises and twists that accomplish this. (And I won't spoil it by revealing them.) An interesting film, well-worth watching. Enjoy!

Reading Anime 004: Porco Rosso (1992) by Hayao Miyazaki

Based on the previews, this was a film I was looking forward to seeing it. 

The movie is about an Italian pilot who has been transformed by a curse into a pig-like humanoid. It is set in the Adriatic Sea between the World Wars. He hires himself out as a flying bounty hunter to fight against the seaplane pirates who menace the islands thereabout. He and the American pilot Curtis fight for the affections of the fair Gina, chanteuse and owner of the local nightclub.

I was somewhat disappointed by the film. As usual from Studio Ghibli, the film was splendidly animated. But again, I felt the story was rather thin. There really wasn't much meaningful conflict in it, I thought. (Fascist Italy lingered as a menace in the background, but never really materialized as a threat. Which left us solely with the seaplane pirates as comic villains.) 

Many of these films I plan on re-watching later to see if I appreciate them more on second watching. My hope is this one is one that I do end up liking more.

New Blog!

I've started a second blog devoted to the Star Wars Saga Edition RPG and all things Star Wars at <myblueharvest.blogspot.com>.

Reading Anime 003: Pom Poko (1994) by Isao Takahata

(Decided to hold off reviewing Nausicaa and Princess Mononoke until I can rewatch them again.)

From the very first minute or so I loved this film. It is about a community of racoons whose forest is being displaced by urban development. Like the creatures from Japanese folktales, these racoons have the ability to change form. It shows their varied efforts to stop the development and save their forest -- each ultimately doomed for failure. Given the way the film ends, you would expect this movie to be a downer, but it isn't.

The story is told in a variety of voices and styles. It is both sweet and satirical both at the same time. Like other Studio Ghibli films, its main themes are pacifistic and environmental in kind. A comical note in the film is the importance of the male racoons' pouches -- but also apparently true to Japanese folktale. Of the films I've seen, this one is easily my favorite one to date. Highly recommended.

Missing Post

Careful readers of this blog will note that my previous anime post about Nausicaa of the Valley of Winds somehow mysteriously disappeared. I accidentally deleted it while deleting the draft of another post. My plan is to rewrite and repost my review later this week and then continue the series.

What if we had our own con? Part 01

Today I had this thought while in a webinar: "What if we had our own con?" It's been something I've been thinking of off-and-on for the past few years -- at least since my first Indy Gen Con, maybe before ...

Ken and Sarah at the Griffon used to run one for many years, they've told me -- with mixed results. The campus gaming group at IUSB used to run a mini-con called "Titanicon" until its members graduated. I'm not aware of there being anything else in our immediate area ...

Is it something worth trying again? What would be involved? What would it take to make it successful? Stay tuned.

Reading Anime 002: Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) by Hayao Miyazaki

This was a "meh" movie for me. At least on first watching. I might like it more on subsequent viewings. It's about a thirteen-year-old witch, Kiki, who must leave her home and live in another city by herself. Her only real talent is flight, so she establishes her own delivery service. She begins the movie as an ingenue lost in a big city and ends it belonging to her new surroundings and somewhat wiser.

The setting is European, but not identified with any particular nationality. The animation is beautifully done. (One of the themes in the movie is rural vs. urban.) There is certainly more to the plot than in Spirited Away, but there is less at stake. Spirited Away feels more thematically significant to me. 

Reading Anime 001: Spirited Away (2001) by Hayao Miyazaki

Spirited Away is a charming movie and an opportune choice for my first anime in the series. At its heart, it is a coming-of-age fairy tale. 

Ten-year-old Chihiro and her family are moving to a new town. They become lost and come across what appears to be an abandoned theme park. But it is not really empty, but rather is the boundary between material and spirit realms. Her parents become trapped by gluttony and transformed into pigs.

At this point, Chihiro must navigate the fairy-tale logic of this spirit realm and rescue her parents. She is befriended by a young boy Haku (whose alternate form is that of a dragon) who instructs her that the realm is ruled by the witch-hag Yubaba from her magical bath house.

To succeed in her quest, she must indenture herself and yield her name to Yubaba. In the bath house, she befriends a number of spirits -- some of them rather mysterious -- and she unravels the secrets of this spirit realm, thereby freeing her parents and returning with them to the material world. 

Like any fairy tale, the actual plot is bare. But the world is extravagantly imagined and so animated. But the logic it follows is that of the dream. The plot is associative, rather than strictly logical. One element leads to another, leads to another, not so much by causal necessity, but more so by stream-of-consciousness.

To my surprise, I found this movie to be, well, charming. I accepted its dream logic, rather than fighting it. And I thought it was beautifully conceived and animated. Did I want more plot? Yeah. But ultimately not to the detriment of the film and my enjoyment of it.

(It won the 2001 Academy Award for Best Animated Film.)

Anime 500 Challenge

While checking in library materials this morning, I came across the book 500 Essential Anime Movies: The Ultimate Guide by Helen McCarthy. Now I'm a sucker for a good list book, and this one intrigued me, so I checked it out. Browsing through it, I decided to take up this challenge: to explore the genre by watching as many as I reasonably can.

Now I must confess that I've never really understood anime as a genre. I know it's a popular genre within nerd/geek culture, but I've never really taken to it myself. (I've never really understood the aesthetic and it's appeal. So the real point of this challenge is for me to really watch them and to reserve my judgment of the genre until the very end.)