Ringing in the New Years!

In the only style I know

BY COLIN ENQUIST

Hopefully everyone had a good holiday, and will have a good New Years Eve. Thought I should quickly go through a big chunk of the media I got around the holidays. Some were presents, others were boxing day shopping! I will quickly review the ones I have watched since the 25th.

Guessing I should explain that a new TV finally made it to my house. Out goes the small 20 inch tube TV that has been keeping me sane until I upgraded. And in comes a 37 inch LCD! No more getting angry when watching a movie now, as I can now see what is happening without squinting.

The TV was picked up on Boxing Day, and sat till the 29th when I returned home from Nordegg, Alberta. To christen the new TV I was planning on watching Star Trek, which I got in the Chinese Gift Exchange on Christmas Eve. But I was impatient and didn’t want to wait until Meghan was done whatever it was she was doing, so I watched Body of Lies (a Boxing Day purchase).

Can’t say that Body of Lies was a good film, I did like certain things about it, although I disliked more. The acting between Leonardo Dicaprio and Russell Crowe was superb. After that though, much was left to be desired. This is a movie that requires a viewing if it is on cable TV or in the $3.99 bin like I found it.

At least I got to wash the bitter taste out of my mouth with Star Trek a few hours later! Don’t need to talk about it because my review is right here.

Next up I watched Shade, a 2003 neo-noir poker film. Or maybe it should be said a film about cheating at poker. It stars some big names in Sylvester Stallone, Melanie Griffith, Thandie Newton, Stuart Townsend, Gabriel Byrne and Jamie Foxx. Not a spectacular movie but I saw it when it came out and enjoyed it, plus I found it in the 3 for $10 bin with American Gangster and the Aviator so how could I pass it up. I also accepted a challenge laid out on murmur.com to draw a scene from a movie while you watch it. You can read my article about the progress of the drawing here.

More Boxing Day purchases include The Simpsons: The complete 12th season, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist and RockNRolla. Have yet to watch RockNRolla but have heard good things about it. The Simpsons is still a classic, only behind Seinfeld.

Just finished watching Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist 5 minutes ago. I love that movie, just one of those films that make you smile. The writing is just perfect. And the music doesn’t hurt it either.

That is it on the movie side, the medium of comics is another…

I picked up quite a bit on Boxing Day. The Nobody by Jeff Lemire was one of those books, which I read last night, and loved to death. This will be a book I will be pushing on all my friends along with The Nightly News by Jonathan Hickman and Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughn. Also sitting next to my nightstand is Lemire’s award winning Essex County trilogy.

A few books are on top of Essex County though, Fear Agent vol 5, Hellboy Library Edition vol 3, Asterios Polyp, Neon Genesis vol 3 and others I can not remember right now.

Over the holidays I finished I Kill Giants, Filthy Rich and Pax Romana. If you follow me on twitter you would know that I didn’t enjoy IKG as much as most people, but it is still a good read and I can see why everyone enjoyed it so much. Filthy Rich left a bad taste in my mouth and I hope the other Vertigo Crime Novels are much better. Pax Romana helped cement the talent of Jonathan Hickman in my mind that The Nightly News created.

Surprisingly I don’t have many novels to read. Water for Elephants is the only one, and I am borrowing it from a family member, not even sure who wrote it and can't tell you because I left it in the van that Meghan is currently using. Surely I will pick up some novels though for the New Year soon!

Now it is off to a New Year party and watch Canada vs. USA in the World Junior Championships! The yearly ritual of Canada beating the USA shall continue!

Cameron’s Avatar Re-Affirms That He...

...Is “King of the World”

BY COLIN ENQUIST

James Cameron’s Avatar has been a decade long project. One that began shortly after he proclaimed himself as “King of the World” during his Oscar speech, one of the many awards Titanic (Cameron’s last feature film) won, way back in 1997. Since that time the world has seen 6 Olympic games, the September 11th attacks, Michael Jackson’s death, Hurricane Katrina, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, a final Harry Potter book, Barack Obama becoming the first African-American U.S. President and the threat of global warming. In between all of those moments the film industry has grown to having most films utilize the blockbuster formula that brought Titanic its 11 (of a possible 14) Academy Awards. Although, it’s arguable, none have changed cinema in the way Titanic has.

It is only fitting that the next wave of change is brought upon us by Cameron. But after a twelve year hiatus, aside from a few documentary films, is Cameron still “King of the World”?

The keys to the success of Avatar will be how well the new technology works, but Cameron still needs to tell an engaging story to keep us planted in our seats. As Cameron begins working his magic, you get the sense this story has already been told. Even with the comparisons to Fern Gully, Pocahontas and Dances with Wolves, Avatar is so unique that the similarities are forgivable.

Written by Cameron, Avatar delves into the alien world called Pandora, and its beautiful natives, the Na’vi. With no desire to forge any bond with the Na’vi, SecFor is only looking for Unobtanium. “This is why we're here, because this little grey rock sells for twenty million a kilo,” reminds Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi), head administrator of the operation. Although we are never meant to know what Unobtanium does, it does not matter. Unlike Parker, who wants the Unobtanium at whatever cost, be it diplomatic or war, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) only wants war. Colonel Quaritch enlists one of the newest Avatar recruits, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), to infiltrate the Na’vi people once linked up to his Avatar. Sully, a marine paraplegic with no Avatar training, is only on Pandora because of the death of his twin brother, leaving him as the only person capable of piloting the expensive Avatar. Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) is the lead scientist that helped write the book on the creation of Avatar’s, which are cloned after being mapped out by the pilots human genome, making Sully an asset, due to having the same genome as his now deceased twin. Don’t think Sully fails to notice this could be his last chance to walk again either.

As Sully commences to learn the ways of the Na’vi, the predictable nature of the plot begins to show. Once fully accepted into the Na’vi clan, and only then, does Sully realize exactly what the sky people (what the Na’vi call humans) are doing to the planet.

Cameron paces this film so well, when the third act begins, the all out war does not seem to be an action centre piece. Unlike other blockbusters, you feel the sense of urgency along with the Na’vi.

Not to shy away from any minute detail, Cameron immerses us completely into this new world, just as George Lucas did with Star Wars and Peter Jackson with The Lord of the Rings. Cameron places exotic wildlife all around us, enhancing the experience is the marvellous use of the 3D technology. During some scenes, you almost wanted to reach out and brush aside the forest, truly creating a magnificent experience.

This film was made for 3D, and Cameron is the director that is not going to just use it as a gimmick either. Rather then make you feel like you are watching a movie, Cameron almost tricks us into believing we are actually on Pandora. He does use the 3D technology very conservatively at times, but when Cameron wants your eyes trained on something specific, it is just beautiful.

Not only did Cameron create a new technology for the film, he also created a new language. With the help of Prof. Paul Frommer, a linguistics professor at the University of Southern California, they created a 1000 word language for the Na’vi, based off of the Amharic language of Ethiopia. Cameron himself created at least 30 of the words for the Na’vi vocabulary.

James Horner did not want to waste this new language either, using it in one of the songs he composed for the film. This was Horner’s third collaboration with Cameron, the others being Aliens and Titanic.

Surprisingly with all that is going on in the film, Cameron manages to get very life like performances out of the actors portraying the Na’vi. Zoe Saldana does a wonderful job of playing the blue skinned Neytiri. You could argue, if Andy Serkis (who played Gollum in LOTR) deserved an Oscar nomination, Saldana might as well. Will that happen? The safe bet would be no but she really carries this film at times. Weaver and Worthington’s blue skinned counterparts were impressive as well, although Weaver’s was the least believable of the three.

After seeing Avatar, Cameron still holds his “King of the World” title, at least until someone can take it from him. Avatar was filled with stunning imagery of an extravagant world that requires multiple viewings. The predictable story does not bring the film down at all either, this is due to Cameron’s ability to place enough doubt in the viewers mind during the film that they will be unsure of what happens next. Whether the budget was the reported $200 million or the rumoured $350+ million, it is all up there on the screen, waiting for you to reach out and touch it.

Bring the Jubilee

One Awesome Story

by Matthew Luecke

Bring the Jubilee, by Ward Moore, is a novella first published in the 1952. I had no idea it was so old when I first read it, included in a volume I picked up at the St. Louis airport titled, The Best Alternate History Science Fiction of the 20th Century. I loved it the first time I read it and have appreciated it every time I have picked up the volume. Why review a story more than 50 years old? Because it is such a wonderful story, rich with details so vivid you can see the scenery. Because I actually started analyzing it and looking for deeper meaning: something I haven’t done to a story since I was forced to by high school teachers. Because I really think anyone who picks it up will enjoy it.

Briefly, the novella tells the story of Hodgkins Backmaker, a boy who grows into a man after a victory by the South in the American Civil War. In Moore’s story, the South wins the Battle of Gettysburg and goes on to defeat the Northern Army led by General Meade. Hodge grows up in the United States, a third rate world power. He makes his way to New York City where he begins a self-taught course in History as a worker in a bookstore. After several years of working there, he is recruited by a commune of scholars to continue his research. He becomes one of the leading scholars of the War for Southron Independence (what the Civil War is called in that timeline). He makes the acquaintance of the leading physicist of the day Barbara Haggerswells (apparently Einstein is never born in this history) who creates a time machine. Hodge then goes back to observe the Battle of Gettysburg, but his mere presence causes the advance Southron troops from occupying Big and Little Roundtop, leading to Barbara’s grandfather getting killed and the North victory leading to the timeline we all live in.

Sound geeky? It’s not. The story is told from first person perspective, Hodge’s. The science for the time machine is told from his perspective, a historian who doesn’t understand much science. In fact, all of the different gadgetry in the alternate timeline is told from this slightly befuddled view. I have no idea how a “minible” differs from an automobile. Second, some alternate history stories simply are “Hey, let’s find something in history, change it, and see how cool that is!” without any kind of character development or “good” story telling.

As I said before, this story is story telling at its finest. It never hurries, but you never get bored. Ward Moore also tackles the question of whether we have free will, are simply fated to do what we do, or if there is some type of middle ground. The bookstore owner espouses the view that we simply do what we are fated to do. The Haitian ambassador to the United States (interested yet?), a deeply religious man, believes not in unlimited free will or chaos, but that chaos tempered by God. Barbara, through her actions and warnings about altering the past while time-traveling, represents unlimited free will. Hodge? He never comes out and says exactly what he believes. At varying stages of the story, he goes back and forth in his belief. At times, he seems to be caught up in events he can’t control and playing out actions fated for him, such as when he unwittingly runs guns (interested yet?). There are times of chaos, such as when he witnesses bandits robbing Spanish nobility (interested yet?) or riding his father’s horse the wrong way.

I think Moore’s answer, and what seems to be applicable to my own life, is that each of us has free will when we actively choose and try to control our lives. It is so easy to get caught up in only reacting to what is presented to us that it seems easy to believe we have no choice. Hodge certainly experiences long periods of his life where he gets caught up in events seemingly beyond his control. But, we are free when we actively attempt to change our lives. Hodge is at his most free when he leaves his home town for New York City, when he attempts to get accepted at Universities, and when he studies at the commune of scholars. But, ultimately we are left with the unanswered question of what truly is the answer. Was Hodge fated to change history? Was his decision to go back to watch the Battle of Gettysburg completely of his own free will? Is it a combination?

Why Fantasy Football Matters: (And Our Lives Do Not)

Shhhhh, don't tell your wife that!

You would think a book based off of a fantasy football league, which is also an attempt to educate people on what 27 million fanatics obsess over on a yearly basis, would be right up my alley. As I obsess over sports almost as much as I do stories. Yet this book did not really interest me in the least little bit. Why would I want to read a book based on a fictional league trying to teach the game I have been playing for years?

I can tell you that was 4 years ago. How things have changed. The pages are stained, the cover is bent and contorting away from the pages, the binding is slowly unravelling. This has become my bible, at least in a football sense. Reading Why Fantasy Football Matters: (And Our Lives Do Not) before each season helps me prepare, get in that mental mindset, for the long gruelling haul of arthritic fingers (and strained bloodshot eyes) required for scouting my next championship team (at least I’m hoping it is).

Written by Max Handelman and Erik Barmack, who run the weblog Beyond Bowie about the Portland Trailblazers, Why Fantasy Football Matters is loosely based off their own experience playing in a fantasy football league. They break down a single season of the “Bush League” from beginning to end. We follow a few of the team’s owners as they start their yearly rituals.

This book is not just for fantasy football fanatics. If you ever wanted to understand why so many people have this obsession to crunch statistics they can not control, this book explains that. Through a comedic year, from draft to championship, the writers also introduce many habits and aspects of fantasy football that make it so much fun.

Not styled like a typical novel, Handelman and Barmack help us look through the narrator’s eyes as if he is one of the unnamed owners of the Bush League. We are privy to read the email chains created from smack talk, the banter of two owners attempting a trade and the camaraderie of the Sunday (and sometimes Monday) night get together, to watch one team dominate the another.

Creating (or maybe modeling) the characters after the many different personalities you encounter in fantasy football leagues really separate the viewpoints of each character. Intriguing as they may be, each character seemingly reminds you of certain owners that could be in your own fantasy football league. If you have never been in a fantasy football league then this gives you a distinct perspective of what to expect when joining your first league.

Handelman and Barmack write this book with the love for the sport and display their own experiences with great knowledge of football. The history aspect of the sport of football (and a few other sports as well) add another element to the book that is already loaded to the brim with information.

A well crafted story based around a single season creates a comedic tale that informs the reader (be it a fantasy football player or not), not only about the obsession but why it has become such an obsession. If you are part of the many fantasy football alumni, then you may regale in past glories as this book, at times, feels like it is reminiscing about your past. I warn all the fantasy football fanatics, if you pick this book up, expect to have a new “bible”, to read before each upcoming season.

5 out of 5

SiM Poster: Iron Man 2

With War-Machine!

If you haven't seen this already, here is one of the posters for the new Iron Man movie being released on May 7th, 2010. Jon Favreau is returning to direct with Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow reprising his roles as Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Worthington and Mickey Rourke are the newcomers to share the screen with the stellar cast from the first film. The trailer for the film should be hitting sometime in December. Be on the lookout for it!

SiM Trailers: Nine

Marshall's next musical his best?

Director: Rob Marshall (Chicago)
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood), Marion Cotillard (Public Enemies), Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Nicole Kidman (Australia), Judi Dench (Quantum of Solace), Sophia Loren (Between Strangers), Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson (Planet Terror), Kate Hudson (Almost Famous)
Studio: The Wenstein Company
Release Date: December 18th, 2009

Synopsis: Nine tells the story of Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis), a world famous film director as he confronts an epic mid-life crisis with both creative and personal problems. He must balance the many women of his life, including his wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penelope Cruz), his film star muse (Nicole Kidman), his confidant and costume designer (Judi Dench), an American fashion journalist (Kate Hudson), the whore from his youth (Fergie) and his mother (Sophia Loren). The screenplay, by Michael Tolkin and Anthony Minghella, is based on Arthur Kopit's book for the 1982 Tony Award-winning musical of the same name, which was derived from an Italian play by Mario Fratti inspired by Federico Fellini's autobiographical film 8½. Maury Yeston composed the music and wrote the lyrics for the songs.