Beat the Reaper

The debut novel by a writer we should keep our eye on

BY COLIN ENQUIST (originally posted on murmur.com)

Book club selections can sometimes be terrible. Making you read a novel so out of your comfort zone it sickens you as you read it (that is, if you read it). Although, leaving your comfort zone can be a good thing. But with the first book in the Murmur Book Club, Beat the Reaper, was right up my alley.

Checking the novel out of the library on Thursday afternoon before I head to the airport, I flipped through a few pages while waiting for my flight but put the book back in my bag. I must not have been in the mood to read. After I got seated on the plane and re-opened the book, it was like a flash of light, the plane was already landing at my destination. Confused, I look down at the book as I shut the crisp pages on my bookmark. Holy shit, the bookmark was sitting about halfway through the novel. Sunday night, return flight, four-hour flight delay. Bonus for me!! The only reason I mention this is because on the back cover, one of the blurbs specifically reads “It’s a book you wish you had with you when you were trapped in an airport during a three-hour flight delay”. This person was not wrong and I’m glad this book was in my bag!

Reading fast, this gut wrenching tale of a mob hit-man turned doctor in the witness protection program refuses to step off the pedal.

The character of Dr. Peter Brown (a.k.a. Pietro Brnwa (a.k.a. the “Bearclaw”)) is such a likeable creation. In the first chapter, writer Josh Bazell paints the picture of a unique, determined individual with a shady past. That first chapter hooks you in and takes you 280 more pages to shake the damn hook out of your mouth.

Although the story is about Dr. Peter Brown, the flashbacks are presented like they were completely new characters. To an extent this is true, because at each stage of his life, Dr. Brown is a vastly different person. Jumping between Dr. Brown (current time), Pietro Brnwa (young to adultish times), and the “Bearclaw” (troubled adult times) so seamlessly, Bazell makes the questions you want answered thrive by connecting all three “characters” ever so slightly.

In this form, we also get three stories as well, using characters we know already, but we just don’t understand how they got to (or from) that certain point. Yet Dr. Brown is the constant that ties it all together, while Pietro and the “Bearclaw” tend to cross paths in a ways to set up his evolution to Dr. Brown.

His evolution though could end before his next shift, when a patient figures out that Dr. Brown is the former mob hit-man, the “Bearclaw”. Dr. Brown knows that soon his time for redemption will be over, but what can he do to slow it down.

While Bazell did a fantastic job organizing the three stories into one, I felt that the story of “Bearclaw” lost a little bit of credence. Most of this was because you knew he survived every scenario thrown at him. Hand the chapter of the shark tank fiasco to a friend, who has no knowledge of the book, they may tell you how intense that was, but if you already knew he was going to survive it loses all its intensity.

During Bazell’s tale of murder and medical mumbo-jumbo, he uses footnotes to give the reader more information which is not really required. At least at first glance, this seemed lazy on Bazell’s part, just a way to add information to the novel that was not needed. Then I realized it was much more then that. Bazell created footnotes that were not essential to the story, yet added much to it, giving the reader a learning experience or just making us laugh during a situation that we wouldn’t be laughing at normally. The first footnote on page two sets up part of the ending of this novel, without the footnote, it probably would not have been as effective.

The effective ending makes me want more. Be it another novel by Bazell or a sequel to this one. I will probably go and purchase the book when I get a chance, as this is a must for a re-read. Hopefully this turns out better then my last new favourite book from a new author.

Still waiting on Godspeed, yes I am talking to you Will Christopher Baer!!

Liberating Atlantis

Liberating Atlantis
by Matt Luecke

I like getting Christmas presents as much as anyone. But sometimes when I get books as presents, it’s not always a perfect present. For example, many, many years ago, I got a Star Wars book, set well after Return of the Jedi. Leia and Han had three kids, Luke was a full Jedi, etcetera. Halfway through, I found out they killed Chewbacca off several books ago. I put it down and didn’t read any more. There was just too much back story I hadn’t read “as it happened.”

Thus, I was slightly apprehensive when I got the newest Harry Turtledove offering. Turtledove is one of my two favorite authors and I have read as much of his science fiction/alternate history work as I have been able to (he also writes fantasy). But, Liberating Atlantis is the third book in his Atlantis series. Hence, I was worried about back story.

First, let me back up. Alternate history is a sub-genre of fiction and can be alternate history-science fiction or simply alternate history. Turtledove has written both brilliantly. For example, he wrote a fascinating series of alternate history science fiction with the premise that aliens with late 20th Century technology invade Earth right at the beginning of 1942. Turtledove also tackled “simple” alternate history in a series with the premise that Robert E. Lee’s “Lost Order” (which led to the North “victory” at Antietam) wasn’t lost. The result was a southern victory and generations of strife between the Confederate States and United States.

In Turtledove’s Atlantis series, he starts with the premise that Atlantis exists—it seems to be the eastern part of the U.S. and Canada moved to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. (This is part of the back story I could not glean from this, the third book). So, in 1452, Edward Radcliffe sailed the ocean blue and founded New Hastings on a totally unpopulated Atlantis. Later, Victor Radcliffe led the Atlanteans in a revolt against the British and found the United States of Atlantis (yes, USA). The Atlanteans even defeated Cornwallis.

Liberating Atlantis tells the story of Victor Radcliffe’s grandson, Frederick in the 1850s. Victor is the only white ancestor of Frederick, so Frederick is a house slave in the southern part of Atlantis. Frederick starts a slave uprising of blacks and “copperskins,” the equivalent of American Indians who are also slaves in this timeline. Because of the Atlantean Constitution, two “Consuls” are in charge, but either can veto any legislation of the Senate. So, while the Northern Consul prevents the national army from intervening, the insurrection gains momentum. Once the national army goes into action to quell the rebellion, it’s too late and the former slaves end up pulling off a modern Cannae, surrounding the national army in a trap. The Senate then eventually approves freedom for former slaves.

Though I enjoyed this book, it is not Turtledove’s best work. First, it does not describe the geography of Atlantis very well. Perhaps that is described better in the first two books. Also, it gets a little repetitive in the arguments that the Northern Counsel (Newton) and the Southern Counsel (Stafford) keep getting into about slavery. There are only three characters that are well developed: Radcliffe, Newton, and Stafford. Perhaps this is just a personal preference, but I don’t like when authors introduce new characters who are critical to the action near the end of the book. But, a key southern senator and his butler/house slave are introduced very late in the story. Last, it seems clear from the beginning that the uprising is going to succeed. Of course, these bits didn’t stop me from requesting (and getting) the first two books in the series for my birthday! But, if you’re new to Turtledove, check out Guns of the South (time travelers bring AK-47s to the South in 1864) or the Invasion series instead.

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.

Short Film of the Month: Signs (November 2009)

Communication is key

Director: Patrick Hughes
Writer: Patrick Hughes, Karl Fleet, Nick Worthington

Distributor: Publicis Mojo and @RadicalMedia
Year of Release: 2009
Running Time: 12:13

Synopsis: This short film is about communication. Using no dialogue it moves the story with facial expressions and the written word on pieces of paper. Hughes creates a depressing, emotional, romantic story that is fantastic. This film could be up for the Best Short Film at the Academy Awards but its release on the internet could make its bid invalid.

Ninja Assassin Surprises

Not in the way you would think though

BY COLIN ENQUIST

Sometimes you need to shut your brain off, let it recharge. You need to enjoy yourself, laugh, weep, cheer or observe people beat each other senseless. Tread carefully; Ninja Assassin does not really fit into any of these categories though. Sure this film will be filed under “the pointless action pieces” category but it is a little more then that.

Saying Ninja Assassin has a cohesive plot might be a stretch. It was surprising as hell though. Opening with an action sequence I really could have done without was making me rethink my choice of film for my Saturday night. Sure it set up many ideals about ninja’s and their role in today’s society, but it just felt like they could have done this much better. Then the next scene changed my perspective, doing a complete 180, it looked like a conspiracy film with ninja’s was about to break Hollywood barriers. Looked was the key word in that last sentence. The story potential was sitting right in front of Matthew Sand and J. Michael Straczynski (who was given re-write duties and only had 60 hours to complete it, Straczynski only slept for 7 hours over that span) but they seemed to miss it. But did I really go see Ninja Assassin for the story? No, but at one point it appeared like a story was going to be a bonus.

So why did I see Ninja Assassin? Three reasons:

Rain – Having heard so much about him and seeing his performance in Speed Racer, I wondered if he could carry a film on his own as Raizo, one of the world’s deadliest assassins. To be honest, that question is never answered with this film, as Rain surprisingly had very little screen time. I still see the potential (which the Wachowski brothers saw in Speed Racer) though and will give his next film a shot, whatever that may be.

The Wachowski Brothers – They directed this film, so why would I not go see it! Wait…what…sorry…damn it! Well my plans were already made when I found out they only produced the film and I could not cancel on friends now could I? My expectations were brought considerably lower after this disappointing revelation.

Martial Arts Films – Being a sucker for any martial arts film (that is not made in America), I was intrigued. Ninja Assassin felt like it was going to bend (to some extent at least) the typical mold for a Hollywood martial arts film.

So did it?

Ninja Assassin will not revolutionize any part of the way we look at cinema but it was different. Still not sure if it was for the better yet. It seemed, at least to me, the action sequences were borderline cheesecake or really well done, not leaving much ground in between. The choice of weaponry made for some interesting fight scenes. Also makes me wish I could throw a Kusarigama (Raizo’s choice in weaponry) around without cutting myself to tiny bits!

One choice that director James McTeigue makes is very questionable, the uses of blood spatter. It was not quite used to the effect that Kill Bill used the technique but more along the lines of some anime films. It seemed like they put more focus on the blood spatter over the fight choreography. On the other hand, during the fights in the shadows, it did help differentiate who was getting sliced and diced.

Not sure if I would recommend this film but it is entertaining. Ninja Assassin is maybe worth a watch once, on a night where your brain needs a rest. No terrible acting in this film, as Noami Harris, Ben Miles and martial arts film legend Sho Kosugi have the only parts in the film where acting is necessary. If you can look past minor plot holes and predictable scenarios then Ninja Assassin just may have good enough action to amuse you.

Oh, one last thing, a message to any studio or director. If you are going to cast Rick Yune, use him in the film, do not cover his face and give him one line to say multiple times!

3 out of 5

Aravind Adiga's "The White Tiger"

"Kill my boss?! Do I dare live out the American dream?"

by Ashley Blunt

The White Tiger is indeed about a man who kills his boss - I'm not ruining it for you, really! The main character owns up to it right in the first few pages, and without much sense of regret or even chagrin. But while it may well be the American dream, this story takes place in India and is very much of India: not only are both boss and employee (and all other characters) Indian, the story of the murder - the story of Balram Halwai's entire life, spirals around and grows out of the circumstances of India.

The pieces of Balram's life are simply and directly narrated by Balram himself, who received no fancy education or special privilege. They immerse us in the India of the moment, and are laid out for us in such as way as to convince us that, in the same circumstances, we would have murdered the boss as well, even though, to be honest, he was not so bad, as bosses go. In fact, the case is made, though not explicitly, that had the boss been a little crueler, inspired a little more fear in Balram, well, then - he probably never would have taken the chance.

Balram's not a bad guy, after all. Aside from the whole "murder" incident, he's generally done his best to live in a decent way. Oh, right -- he's also responsible for the death of pretty much his entire family. But some of them had it coming. And again, when allowed to present the circumstances from his point of view, Balram is quite convincing.

Perhaps you'd disagree with me. Perhaps you'd say Balram deserves to be in prison, to be punished, what have you. But then again, perhaps you'd feel just the same as I did when I finished the book: slightly guilty, slightly vindicated, largely relieved. I don't know. You'd have to read it.

Phineas and Ferb

(The Greatest Television Show Ever)
by Matthew Luecke

I think the subtitle says it all. Though technically a kids’ show on Disney Channel and Disney XD, what a wonderful, funny, good show for adults as well. If you haven’t watched it, start. After I told a friend of mine about this show (he shall remain nameless), he later told me that instead of watching the girls at his gym, he was watching Phineas and Ferb on the television. I found myself watching a rerun of the “Love Handel” episode instead of watching football on Sunday. I saw pictures of adults dressed up like some of the characters for Halloween. Evander Holyfield and Bowling for Soup have guest starred. The songs (yes there are songs!) are so good, they got their own half-hour special.

The premise: in order to not waste their summer vacation, two half-brothers decide to do something every day. In each fifteen minute episode, they do something big. For example, in the first episode, Phineas and Ferb build the most awesome roller coaster ever in their back yard, and across the town of Danville. Every day, Phineas’ sister Candace tries to “bust” them to their mom, who is the only character on the show who never, ever sees their contraptions. Meanwhile, their pet platypus, Perry, sneaks away because he is a secret agent. Agent P battles Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz (and sometimes his daughter Vanessa—who Ferb has a crush on) and his evil invention or scheme (almost always an inator of some type like a monster-truck-away-inator) to take over the Tri-State Area. Most of the time, Perry’s work ends up making Phineas and Ferb’s contraption disappear just in time to foil Candace’s desire to bust them. And there is time for a song.

And there is also time for character development. Candace has a crush on Jeremy who reciprocates. Jeremy’s little sister Susie is evil incarnate, enough to scare the daylights out of Phineas and Ferb’s bully friend Buford. The boys are friends with Buford (the bully who loves his pet fish), Baljeet (the super-smart kid),and Isabella (who has a crush on Phineas and leads the Fireside Girls). Candace is friends with Stacey. The two of them like video game wrestling and a band called “The Bettys.” Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s daughter Vanessa tries to bust her father to her mother, Dr. D’s ex-wife, who never believes he is evil. Vanessa’s mother is also friends with Phineas’ mother. Phineas’ mother, Linda, was a former one-hit wonder named Lindana. Ferb’s dad is an antique collector and lecturer. The grandparents have their own adventures such as roller derby and gorge jumping on motorcycles. Linda and Dr. D went on a date in 1982 where Dr. D suggested she should try to be a pop star and she suggested he start small to try to take over the Tri-State area. Pretty good for a 15 minute show!

So far, Phineas and Ferb have traveled through time twice, visited outer space twice, raised awareness about the aglet (the plastic tip on the end of a shoelace), and most recently found the lost city of Atlantis. Aren’t they a little young to be roller coaster engineers, time travelers, and rocket scientists? Yes, yes they are. (“Aren’t you a little young to be a [insert name here]?” “Yes, yes I am,” is a recurring joke). The show is wonderfully self-referential that way. It’s so self-referential, that the writers “change it up” sometimes. There was one episode where Candace and Vanessa’s clothes got switched at the dry cleaners and Dr. D was building a floating city while Phineas and Ferb built a rainbow-inator. Vanessa couldn’t “bust” Dr. D to her mother before the city sunk and the rainbow-inator self-destructed at the end. Recently, the show has added a character named Irving who is a “fan” of their adventures and waits eagerly for recurring lines like Phineas’ “Where’s Perry?” or Isabella’s “Whatcha doin’?”

There are laugh out loud jokes, clever humor, puns, inside jokes, and sight gags.

What a simply wonderful show. Watch it and enjoy.

9 Disappoints

Even though the animation is spectacular

BY COLIN ENQUIST

9 is a beautiful looking animated film based off of a short film of the same title. Shane Acker, who created the short as well, directs the full length film. Producing the film are two high end directors themselves, Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov. The voice cast consists of Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau and Christopher Plummer.

The story commences with an awakening. 9 (Wood) is born. At this point in time we do not know how, we just know that a scientist has created the rag doll-like “stitchpunk”. 9 has begun to explore the apocalyptic world around him, where he meets up with another stitchpunk, like himself. Soon we become introduced to a few more stitchpunks, learning everything about the world as 9 does. 9 helps rescue a fellow digit, 2 (Landau), but in the process create a new evil set to destroy his new set of friends.

An evil mechanical creature is set to destroy them. Why? Who knows, the audience sure doesn’t. I am under the assumption it is to destroy anything living (or maybe moving?). As the mechanical monster creates his army we are entitled to some very creepy looking machines. Some will be haunting my dreams for weeks to come.

The story is there, right in front of you, but it is confusing. We are meant to figure out what the next logical step is at the same moment as 9 but when he figures it out, you can fathom how he came to that conclusion. It’s like the director laid all the significant pieces on the floor and took some away just to confuse whoever looks at it.

So the story was slightly average, the voice cast was forgettable and it threw some good scares, making it an animated film you won’t want to bring young children to see. Well I can at least say the animation of this film is as good as it gets. From the opening sequence to the closing credits I can not tell you how much I enjoyed looking at what the animators did for this film. Every detail is exquisitely put into each character. The bar has been raised on animated films because of 9.

I do not recommend watching this, unless you enjoy confusing films that never make sense. If you really enjoy animated films that use state of the art technology then it might be worth a view once 9 hits DVD. Hopefully we get more films like this one even though Acker’s debut film was not the greatest; you can tell he has a great eye that will help his bright future.

2 out of 5

'The Bone House' Invites Us In To Play

Edmonton screenwriter, etc. puts on a show that we won't soon forget...even if we wanted to!

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

Halloween is still fresh on our minds, so it seems that all the freaks are coming outta the woodwork. Edmonton writer Marty Chan's The Bone House is no exception, but as we learn in this live theatre thriller, that's just the way we like it!

Tuesday night (Oct. 27) was half-price night, so my inner cheapskate awakened and I headed down to Old Strathcona to take advantage of the sale ($11). There was already a lineup when I arrived at the TransAlta Arts Barns' PCL Studio Theatre (Edmonton, AB.) a half hour before showtime (8:00PM). We took to our seats and The Bone House started soon after.

There was a projection screen at the back of the small PCL stage, and to the right was a desk with a laptop and speakers. Black curtains surrounded us at every wall, from floor to ceiling, even shading the exit doors. It was a humble theatre, filled with about a hundred temporary seats, almost all of which were occupied.

A young gentleman in black dress pants, a white dress shirt and tie jumped onto the stage and excitedly welcomed us to the show in a southern American accent. He asked if we could turn our cell phone completely off and then started re-arranging patrons. After some five minutes the three front rows were all female, and my friends and I had been split up from each other. He assured us it was just part of the show, perhaps tearing us away from the comfort zone of our familiar friends for optimal fear.

He called himself Eugene Crowley (played by Chris Fassbender), the "mind hunter," and told us that he was in the business of analyzing whatever it is that goes on within the minds of serial killers. Crowley continued speaking to his audience as such, involving us like no other theatrical project I've been to had.

The "mind hunter" showed us grisly images of murder victims of some of the world's most notorious serial killers, whom he referred to as "celebrities." He blamed the likes of us for their celebrity, nurtured by our inherent curiosity for who these men were and what they'd become, all the while barely registering a shred of interest for their countless casualties.

"I worry that I may panic in the middle of this eerie play that I've unintentionally become a part of"

But Crowley welcomed us to the show for one psychopath in particular, going by the nickname "Midnight Cowboy," alluding to a song from the famous Dustin Hoffman-Jon Voight movie of the same name. The "Midnight Cowboy" had lacked control in his seemingly normal inhabitance, feeding his callous urges to gain control by taking it away from others. His calling card, of sorts, was a second victim at every crime scene who acted as an involuntary spectator to his devilish deeds.

Crowley and his assistant Jacob (Kyle Horton) then introduced us to Gabrielle, a survivor of one of "Midnight Cowboy's" savage excursions. The traumatized young lady reluctantly agreed to a hypnosis session for the crowd, her harrowing ordeal bleeding into our imaginations with every torturous shriek and numbing flashback.

Crowley goes beyond acceptable tactics to get inside the mind of this killer on the loose, before we transition this lecture-styled play into a potential--albeit pretend--crime scene. Let's fast forward, shall we?

The lights have gone out and it's pitch black. There are a couple of (not actual) gunshots onstage, shortly after Crowley suggests that any one of us in the crowd could be a killer...the killer!

Staring into blackness, sitting alone amongst a group of people, I start to breathe heavier. I keep blinking my eyes, hoping for a random spark of light to fill me in on what's going on beyond the dark. No such chance.

I worry that I may panic in the middle of this eerie play that I've unintentionally become a part of. But I stay calm, as bumps in the night elicit squeals from folks caught offguard. A villainous voice floats across the room, taunting the unsuspecting assembly who thought they came here for something a little more mainstream.

A third gunshot had to of jolted the lot of us, before that song from the Hoffman-Voight movie began humming from the speakers. The voice disappeared, the lights came back on, and all that was left was a bloodied garment hanging from the projection screen.

The befuddled crowd, abashed at their own fear by this point, remained in our seats, debating whether or not the act had come it its end. "That guy who was sitting beside me is gone," one of the girls behind me said to her friend, perhaps insinuating he was the "killer." By this point, I was just happy to see again! A few minutes pass before we begin to exit the studio, back into the safety of reality, or at least that's what we force ourselves to believe.

3.5 outta 5 stars

This review initially appeared on "I Heart Edmonton"
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Happy Halloween

Hope you all have a Happy Halloween.

SiM Crew

SiM Trailer: Uncertainty

What happens if a coin flip could change the direction of your story?

Director: Scott McGehee (The Deep End), David Siegel (The Deep End)
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt ((500) Days of Summer), Lynn Collins (Life in Flight), Nelson Landrieu (Naked Under Heaven)
Studio: IFC Films
Release Date: November 13th, 2009

Synopsis: Scott McGehee and David Siegel, thrust Bobby Thompson and Kate Montero (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins) into two alternate realities on the same steamy summer day in New York City. With the flip of a coin, the couple are sent in opposite directions – a delicate drama set in Brooklyn examines familial love, self-discovery, loss and the ordinary choices we make everyday, while Manhattan offers a vastly different tale of intrigue, suspense and murder on the streets of Chinatown.

Paranormal Activity Leaves a Mark

Not since The Blair Witch Project has a movie forced so many unsuspecting viewers to sleep with the lights on

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

Tossing and turning in my bed, alone at night, I kept imagining that some alter-dimension entity would tug my shielding blanket from my grip and then toss me around the room at its disposal. That's how I slept the night I paid 12 dollars and 50 cents to see Paranormal Activity at the only theatre in the city playing the do-it-yourself terror flick that was made for a reported $15,000.

Israeli-born filmmaker Oren Peli (2010's Area 51) directed, scripted and even edited his cinematic inauguration, which is being hailed as the suburban Blair Witch Project, due to their familiar style of shooting and techniques.

The one-time video game designer filmed the entire 86-minute movie at his own home in San Diego, using a hand-held home video camera to offshoot expenses and, of course, to induce an atmosphere of plausibility and authenticity.

Katie (Katie Featherston) is a college student living with her boyfriend Micah (Micah Sloat), a day trader, in a humble 2-story tract house in the suburbs of San Diego. We learn that since the age of eight, Katie has been haunted by something that can't easily be explained away, but the malevolent entity comes and goes for any given period of time. Well, now it's back, and an unconvinced Micah is determined to capture its exsistance on his new video camera.

Over the coming weeks the demonic phenomena terrorizes the frazzled couple, tip-toeing on their nerves before menacing their--and the audience's--most internal fears, captured in a rawness that only amplifies the tension.

"[Oren] Peli preys on our humanistic vulnerabilities...and sets the tension for every ordeal with a minimalist musical note that arouses a parade of goose bumps before each fear-mongering climax"

Slamming doors, flickering lights and loud thuds in the middle of the night escalate into eerie visions caught on film when Micah decides to position his new camera on a tripod situated near the foot of their bed. Its abrupt ending was unsettling, not because it left loose ends, but rather because it stretched beyond just an ominous chill unlike almost any Hollywood creation in the "horror" section at your local Blockbuster. Its unnerving realism is its most sinister trait, proving that the director had done his homework in evoking fear out of an audience.

Like the filmmakers did with The Blair Witch Project, Peli cast unheard-of actors for Paranormal, and relied on their improvisational skills to gap the bulk of the film's dialogue. And, as in Blair Witch, onscreen scripture fills us in on the rest of the story, representing that this footage was found and is being screened for our own amusement, sorta. It's all very believable, almost too familiar for comfort, but right on target of Peli's overall view for the project.

Peli preys on our humanistic vulnerabilities, tests our imaginations to fill in what we never get to see, and sets the tension for every ordeal with a minimalist musical note that arouses a parade of goose bumps before every fear-mongering climax.

The hype that preceded Paranormal Activity's wide release was both credible and legit, enticing us as "one of the scariest movies of all time." I bought in, and so did $50 million worth of ticketholders (so far) who've made this sleeper hit one of the most profitable films in history. I can assure you that if you go see this movie you'll get what you came for. What I cannot assure you is that you'll get to sleep that night.

4 outta 5 stars

This review was originally posted on "I Heart Edmonton."
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WTF Book of the Month: Pet Sematary

"Death is a mystery, and burial a secret"

by Laura Gies

In honour of Halloween, this month’s WTF book is Pet Semetary (for anyone outraged by my poor spelling, this is how the title of the book is spelled) by Stephen King.

Best WTF moment: the possessed body of toddler Gage taunts and kills his elderly neighbour with a scalpel.

As creepy as zombies and other undead are, they are made exponentially more so when they started as adorable animals or cute kids. This is a technique King grasps in most of his novels. From the dead kids in It to the possessed dog in Cujo, to the lonely twin girls in The Shining (come play with us Danny, forever, and ever, and ever), evil lurking beneath seemingly benign characters are a frequent staple of a King novel. In Pet Semetary he manages to use both creepy kids and animals.

The horror in this story is the sympathy you feel for the protagonist, Louis Creed. His family is destroyed not through anything he did, but a simple accident, and the horrifying events that follow stem from his trying to put things back to rights. You see his descent into madness. There is no moral to this story, no “and then the sun came up and all was right with the world” ending. Things go from bad to worse, and Creed doesn’t learn the lesson imparted to the viewer, don’t mess with the dead. Instead, he blames timing or ritual, and tries again.

Not only is this a must-read for anyone that likes a good spine tingling horror, but also should be on the list of anyone that tries to keep up with pop culture references. The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror III featured an homage to this horror classic, as Bart and Lisa try to resurrect Snowball, instead bringing to life a cemetery full of Zombies to plague upon the residents of Springfield.

On the lighter side for a King novel (my copy weighs in at 411 pages), if you feel like getting in a nice creepy read before Halloween, it’s a good choice. Just remember, “death is a mystery, and burial is a secret.”

3 out of 5

Colorful and Dizzying: Coupland's jPod

The literary equivalent of that anime show that causes seizures?

By ASHLEY BLUNT

Douglas Coupland has a way of reaching into your head, grabbing at the muddled, half-expressed thoughts, ripping them out and then springing them onto you in the midst of his wild narratives as simplistic yet profound little jewels of expression. For example, the main character of jPod explains, "What I don't like is being exposed to unfiltered social contact, like at parties or meeting, when anyone can just talk to you with no other reason than that you happen to be there." That's exactly how I feel! Or, this statement, "People who advocate simplicity have money in the bank; the money came first, not the simplicity." Or perhaps even more true: "Most anger is justifiable."

My one complaint against jPod then, is that it seems like a collection of thoughts, reflections and observations on life stitched together by a loose narrative which at times seems cold and unfeeling, and other times like its in need of Ritalin. And perhaps this is the feel the book was intended to achieve: a vast swirl of colors, brand names, video game violence, the local drug trade, a very believable, not-at-all-lovey love story, typical Couplandian family dysfunction, a murder and a kidnapping, a rescue, China, your average office work day, all connected but disjointed, all leaving me with the feeling that I need to lie down for a while.

If you've never read Coupland, don't start here. Start with Generation X or, if you like a more traditional, chronological sort of story, maybe Girlfriend in a Coma. If you're a real Coupland fan, you've probably already plunged into jPod -afterall, it's been out long enough to be made into a Canadian TV flop, apparently. If you're somewhere in between, don't hesitate, just be warned: this novel is the literary equivalent of those pizzas with "all" the toppings, the ones that come with breakfast cereal sprinkled between the gorgonzola and strips of pollock. Which may or may not make you laugh, but will definitely make you think.

A First Look: V

Yes a remake of the 1983 miniseries

BY COLIN ENQUIST

ABC plans to bring V back to television. Starting on November 3rd, 2009, a re-imagining of the 1983 miniseries of the same name airs, 4 episodes will air in November before the show goes on a break until after the 2010 Winter Olympics. Originally created by Kenneth Johnson, the new series is produced by Scott Peters, Jace Hall, Steve Pearlman, and Jeffrey Bell. ABC president Steve McPherson also said, “We always intended to break the show up into ‘pods’ to make it more of an event.”

For those that do not know the premise of this series or the original, here is a breakdown. Giant spaceships appear over all major cities in the world, and Anna, a beautiful and charismatic leader of the extra-terrestrial “Visitors,” claims to come in peace. Small groups of humans start to doubt the sincerity of the Visitors. An FBI counter-terrorism agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell) discovers the aliens have spent decades infiltrating human governments and businesses, and are now in the final stages of their plan to take over Earth. Soon, Erica joins a resistance movement, which includes Ryan (Morris Chestnut), a Visitor sleeper agent who wants to save humanity. The resistance is in trouble when the aliens gain favour among many humans because they cure a variety of diseases.

Below is a 9 minute preview of the show. The pilot is already getting rave reviews. Maybe this show will be what FlashForward was intended to be?