All posts by Carl V. Anderson

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To read or not to read…

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Okay, in the Weather or Not comments section my brother-in-law, Mike, posed the following question:
“I am embarking on a long journey in a few months and have decided to try this reading thing everyone seems to be ranting and raving about. I know how to read but my reading level is probably not much greater then a five year old. Just Kidding. Any suggestions on a good and interesting book?” I decided to go ahead and move this to a post, make my recommendations, and open it up for all of you readers…or non-readers who may have snuck in a good book once in your life…to give him suggestions.

The biggest problem with recommending books is when you don’t know what the person likes to read. Of course, if you haven’t read alot you may not know what you like to read. The Neil Gaiman short story collection, Smoke and Mirrors, is a good mix of odd stories, some of which are amazing, some just so-so, but they all move along at a fairly good pace and are very interesting. Roald Dahl, famed children’s author of such books as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda (all of which have been made into movies), wrote several short story books for adults that are full of Twilight Zone-ish tales that are very, very good. They are horror stories for the most part but not bloody/slasher horror stories. More give-you-the-willies type horror stories. The Best of Roald Dahl is a really good gathering of the best of his 4 short story collections. You can never go wrong with The Adventures of the Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison, of which I have several copies. This book contains 3 novellas, all roughly 120 pages long, that detail the first 3 adventures of the infamous Slippery Jim DiGriz. These are very fun, adventurous stories that even have a little romance in them. I’ve read these aloud to Mary and she loved them. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman is, of course, one of my all-time favorites. Any short story collection by Edgar Allan Poe. A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs is a 150 page story that Mary and I both just finished reading and it was great…very good adventure/sci-fi story. Anyway, I’m sure I’ll come up with more. What about all of you? Suggestions?

Film

Constantine part duex

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So, despite mother nature’s attempt to thwart our free movie going pleasure, James and I headed out in daddy’s 4×4 and went to the movies. The weather was a pretty big factor in keeping people indoors so, although fairly full, the line wasn’t too long and we got excellent seats.

I promised no spoilers and I will keep my word. The brief summary of the plot is: John Constantine…wants to go to heaven…on his way to hell….kills demons in an effort to reverse his planned date with destiny. This is a comic book movie. DC Vertigo comics rather than Marvel this time. The DC Vertigo line is a very dark, gritty line of comics and I think they did a good job translating this into the movie. I have not read Hellblazer, the comic series on which this is based, so I did not have any preconceived ideas going in that many fanboys no doubt had.

From a technical perspective this movie was great. Great special effects, very well done, nice use of iconic imagery, etc. From an entertainment perspective the movie was so-so. James called it ‘interesting’ and I agree with this term, though not in the derogatory sense that you may think. The movie was very interesting. It kept my attention the whole time watching to see how the plot would resolve itself. I felt that they did a good job establishing who the character was without resorting to the usual voice-over routine. The film also presented some very different takes on traditional religious ideology. My only complaint is that I wanted to be more emotionally involved with the film and up until the climax the movie seemed to stay on a fairly steady course, emotionally speaking. I was ‘interested’ but not ‘involved’.

I heard some guys complaining about the choice of Keanu Reeves. There are many who feel about Keanu Reeves the same way I do about Ben Affleck….they can’t stand him. While both actors are admittedly fairly one dimensional, I like Keanu’s brooding, pensive character that he plays in most of his movies. I enjoyed him in the role and I really enjoyed Rachel Weisz. She has a very earthy beauty and she played well opposite Keanu.
If you enjoy comic book movies or dark, atmospheric movies then you may want to see this. I think the special effects warrant a viewing on the big screen, especially in the rendering of hell, which was quite incredible. I’ll be interested to see how this fares in theatrical release.

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Constantine

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Heading out to see a Constantine sneak preview for free with James tonight. Will post thoughts, but no spoilers, afterwards! Its snowing like a mother here but we got the 4 wheel drive and are braving the weather. The theatre swears it isn’t closing so I’m sure we’ll be joined by all the other comic/scifi/horror geeks despite the awful weather.

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Weather, or not

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What an amazing winter. This past week began with snow, progressed to 60 degree temperatures by Friday, and now is ending gray, rainy, and dismal. As many others do, I find myself emotionally tied to the weather. Not in the sense that I get depressed when its dreary, etc. With me the weather brings strong emotional reactions which also frequently involve books. If its snowing I feel almost overwhelmed with the desire to read a book while cuddled up in my favorite blanket with a cup of hot chocolate. If it is raining I feel the same way sans hot chocolate. Sunny? Good day to sit outside and read. Those feelings often stay with me all day even if I’m not able to act on them. I remember as a teenager that I read a lot. I grew up in a small Nebraska town and books were often an enjoyable escape, especially during those emotionally/hormonally weird teenage years. Because of this I think I have emotional images burned in memory of how good it felt to be lost in a book. I love weather, period, and I really think alot of this has to do with being a reader. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way.

Does anyone else have certain books or genres of books that they only want to read during certain times of the year? I’ve read Dracula many times but only during the fall/winter. Most horror feels like cold, rainy weather reading to me. Spring brings the desire for good fantasy and summer is definitely Wodehouse weather. Now its not that I don’t read these types of books at other times but I still associate the feeling of these seasons when I read them. Movies are the same way. Am I the only one who thinks the Lord of the Rings trilogy feels like winter viewing? The movies were all released in December and the extended edition DVD’s were November releases so I cannot get away from associating them with winter.

I didn’t mean to get this carried away, I only intended to comment on our weird Kansas City weather. Comments, as always, are welcomed and encouraged.