Media Update: American Gods, Gunslingers, Jackson Browne, Stardust, Overlord and Two Worlds.
Ok so I was going to start today with a Weekend Update, but since I've been promising a Media Update for a while I figured I'd get to that first. I've been working on this one for a quite some time, so this is going to be pretty lengthy.
So here is what the Boogieman has been reading, watching, playing and listening to:
American Gods by Neil Gaiman:
Neil Gaiman is probably best known for his Sandman comic books which put the graphic novel on the map as a legitimate form of art and literature. Lately I've been starting to branch out into his recent ventures in other formats. I loved the film Mirrormask which he did with the Jim Henson Company and Dave McKean and was blown away by Stardust (see below). His novel Good Omens was one of my favorite reads when I was in college. I was not let down by American Gods
The premise was very interesting; a war between the gods of the "Old World" who were brought over from Europe, Asia and Africa by immigrants, and the gods of the "New World", "gods of credit card and freeway, of Internet and telephone, of radio and hospital and television, gods of plastic and of beeper and of neon." It comes across as a very realistic social commentary about how these things have come to dominate our lives the way religion used to, but does so without being preachy which is difficult in my opinion.
I really enjoyed the fact that Gaiman chose some of the more obscure gods to round out his contingent of "good guys." It was a cool way to be introduced to deities such as those from african tribal or slavic pantheons, that I never had much exposure to.
My only complaint is in the protaganist, an ex-convict named Shadow Moon. He reacts the the incredible things happening around him with an almost careless indifference. Yes it's a fantasy novel and it's not supposed to be realistic, but something about his attitude towards the divine things that are happening just didn't sit well with me.
Other than that, it was an amazing read, and Gaiman is just a masterful storyteller. I highly recommend it.
The Dark Tower Book I: The Gunslinger by Stephen King:
Ok, I've made it no secret that I don't particularly care for Stephen King's writing at all. I've always viewed him as the iMac or the Kenny G of the literary world. Based on the few books of his I've read (It, The Stand, Salem's Lot), I find his writing extremely pedestrian, shallow and unfulfilling. This is going to sound somewhat elitist, but I have to be honest; I feel he caters to the lowest common denominator of readers. I believe that literature has the responsibility to raise the bottom of the pyramid up, not pull the top of it down.
However, that being said, the Dark Tower books are somewhat of an anomaly. They were recommended by the writers of Lost who constantly cite Stephen King's work as a major insipiration to their show (which is interesting because I think that Lost is one of the deepest and most "unpedistrian" shows ever created). Specifially, that reading the Dark Tower books will give a greater amount of insight to the mysteries and underlying mythology of the show. Being the Lost fanatic that I am, I decided to give it a whirl.
Like Lost the plot of the Dark Tower books is way too complicated to summarize easily. Suffice to say, it is the story of Roland Deschain, the Last Gunslinger (a kind of hybrid between a medieval knight and a cowboy) and his quest to find the Dark Tower which is both figuratively and literally the lynchpin of the Universe and its infinate number of realities. Yes, you read that right.
The interesting thing about the Dark Tower books is that they are King's Magnum Opus. Roland's quest literally touches all of King's other novels in some form or another. Some characters are alluded to, some are mentioned by name and still others appear and actually interact with Roland. From what I have read, in one of the final books, King will actually appear as the character of himself who is in the process of writing the Dark Tower novels, adding a quasi "What is the Matrix" aspect to the story.
The Gunslinger in and of itself is what I now view as sort of a prequel to the rest of the books. Now that I have started the next ones, I'm realizing that it's completely different in tone and momentum. However it has to be. While this makes it somewhat of a diffcult read, it is worth it to get through (and rather necessary to understand the character of Roland).
In essence the Dark Tower books bring an amazing level depth and immersiveness to his other novels that they sorely lack on their own. I will write more when I finish Book II, The Drawing of the Three. This is somewhat literal proof that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover (or in this case its author). I am somewhat disappointed in myself that it took a recommendation from the writers of Lost for me to check it out, but I'm very glad I did. However if they ever recommend that I buy and iMac or Kenny G's latest crapfest, don't count on my rushing right out for those, hehe.
The Very Best of Jackson Browne by Jackson Browne:
It is interesting to note that of all the old classic rock that I was exposed to growing up, Jackson Browne was among them, however I never really got into his music at all. Which is even more unusual, given that I've always had a great love for most of his contemporaries like James Taylor, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and the Eagles.
I've recently been using the Music Genome Project as a means to find new music and I was amazed at the frequency that the algorithm suggested Jackson Browne based on the tunes I prefer. I finally broke down and ordered this greatest hits compilation off of Amazon.
The best way I can describe Jackson Browne is "well traveled." I always judge music on the images and memories that it evokes in my mind. Something about his music just conjures images of being in a classic convertable with the top down and driving towards the sunset in the middle of the desert while the mountains are barely visible behind me.
I've always heard the phrase "a little slice of Americana," but I've never actually been able to correlate it to anything before. I think I can successfully apply that to Jackson Browne as his lyrics appear to be just that. If you're a classic rock fan, definately check it out.
Stardust
So this makes the second piece of Neil Gaiman's work that I will be discussing today and I put it right up there with the first. I don't think I can say enough good things about this film. There is nothing new under the sun and this story is no different. Pick your poison: a dying king? an evil witch? a young hero with a royal lineage and a great destiny? a scoundrel who helps the hero on his quest? They're all there. However as I said before, Gaiman is a hell of a storyteller and manages to commit the oldest sins in the newest ways.
The film is so unique I really have nothing to compare it to. I would say the Princess Bride, but that really wouldn't do it justice. So we'll say it's part Princess Bride. And part Lord of the Rings. And part Monty Python and the Holy Grail. And part of a whole bunch of different films from which it tastefully snakes and then reinvents plot points or character development.
The acting was impressive. Peter O'Toole was perfectly cast as the King of Stormhold. Michelle Pfeiffer was pure evil with a dose of comedy. And Charlie Cox was an excellent choice for the hero, Tristan. I've never been a huge fan of Claire Danes, but she did so well as the fallen star, I could have definately fallen in love with her if I were Tristan. Robert DeNiro steals the show however, as the fearsome lightning pirate with an absolutely hilarious secret. Believe me, it's a side of DeNiro you've never seen before.
Highly recommend it. In a summer of sequels, it's a diamond in the rough (please forgive the cliche LOL). Will go so far as to say it's a perfect date movie. Its got a little something for everyone and everyone should walk away from it more than satisifed.
Overlord:
It's been a very slow summer as far as Xbox 360 games go. Hell it's been a slow year. Not only is Overlord a welcome title but its also a welcome relief from the monotony of First Person Shooters that seem to be all anyone wants to develop anymore.
Overlord is somewhat reminiscent of Fable in style and form, but that's about where the similarities end. Instead of kicking ass yourself, you have a number of "minions" who do all your ass-kickery for you. The stronger you get the more minions you can control, until eventually you have a horde of these little demons that you literally move in a swarm across the screen to wreak destruction upon your enemies.
Overlord puts a really entertaining spin on the fantasy genre. As the Overlord, you are evil but you are actually the good guy. And the "good" guys are actually the bad guys. Halflings are fat gluttonous wretches. Dwarves are obsessed with gold to the point of insanity, elves are obnoxious and speak in almost pure cliches. The Paladin is vain and arrogant and it's a real pleasure to beat the snot out of him.
Humor abounds and it helps make the game entertaining. One of the funniest parts is when you aquire a mistress. You take her upstairs to your evil overlord bedroom and proceed to "rock the tower."
The game is also very long. You definately get your money's worth. Aside from that, as you have choices you make throughout the game the replay value is high because you can go through it again and make entirely different choices.
We've got Halo 3 and Mass Effect on the horizon but if you have time to slip this one in before those get released, it's worth it to check it out.
Two Worlds
I should have known better than to trust a game that was delayed 6 times. I also should have known better not to buy the damn thing without trying it first, although in my defense, I had preordered the Collector's Edition months before I knew any of this. But I bought into the hype and in the end I wound up forking over 70 bucks for a bonafide piece of dogshit in a shiny silver box, a mistake I am still kicking myself over.
Two Worlds is an bug-filled abomination. If this doesn't convince Microsoft to start regulating what third parties are releasing for its console nothing will. I couldn't even make it through an hour of this crapfest; 45 minutes was all it took for me to bring it back to Gamestop and trade it in for 1/3 of what I paid for it.
The voice acting was horrendous ("Perchance might thou be able to assist me on my errand?" - are you fucking kidding me?), the navigation system is next to impossible, the automap feature sucked, and there were so many freaking bugs in the game that I ran across three within the first 20 minutes of playing.
Two Worlds is absolutely abyssmal and I hope anyone who might be considering purchasing it reads this beforehand and saves themselves of the desire to beat your head against the refridgerator door for being as stupid as I was.
That's all from the Boogieman. I will definately make a valid attempt to not let so much time pass between Media Updates, but no promises.
So here is what the Boogieman has been reading, watching, playing and listening to:
American Gods by Neil Gaiman:
Neil Gaiman is probably best known for his Sandman comic books which put the graphic novel on the map as a legitimate form of art and literature. Lately I've been starting to branch out into his recent ventures in other formats. I loved the film Mirrormask which he did with the Jim Henson Company and Dave McKean and was blown away by Stardust (see below). His novel Good Omens was one of my favorite reads when I was in college. I was not let down by American Gods
The premise was very interesting; a war between the gods of the "Old World" who were brought over from Europe, Asia and Africa by immigrants, and the gods of the "New World", "gods of credit card and freeway, of Internet and telephone, of radio and hospital and television, gods of plastic and of beeper and of neon." It comes across as a very realistic social commentary about how these things have come to dominate our lives the way religion used to, but does so without being preachy which is difficult in my opinion.
I really enjoyed the fact that Gaiman chose some of the more obscure gods to round out his contingent of "good guys." It was a cool way to be introduced to deities such as those from african tribal or slavic pantheons, that I never had much exposure to.
My only complaint is in the protaganist, an ex-convict named Shadow Moon. He reacts the the incredible things happening around him with an almost careless indifference. Yes it's a fantasy novel and it's not supposed to be realistic, but something about his attitude towards the divine things that are happening just didn't sit well with me.
Other than that, it was an amazing read, and Gaiman is just a masterful storyteller. I highly recommend it.
The Dark Tower Book I: The Gunslinger by Stephen King:
Ok, I've made it no secret that I don't particularly care for Stephen King's writing at all. I've always viewed him as the iMac or the Kenny G of the literary world. Based on the few books of his I've read (It, The Stand, Salem's Lot), I find his writing extremely pedestrian, shallow and unfulfilling. This is going to sound somewhat elitist, but I have to be honest; I feel he caters to the lowest common denominator of readers. I believe that literature has the responsibility to raise the bottom of the pyramid up, not pull the top of it down.
However, that being said, the Dark Tower books are somewhat of an anomaly. They were recommended by the writers of Lost who constantly cite Stephen King's work as a major insipiration to their show (which is interesting because I think that Lost is one of the deepest and most "unpedistrian" shows ever created). Specifially, that reading the Dark Tower books will give a greater amount of insight to the mysteries and underlying mythology of the show. Being the Lost fanatic that I am, I decided to give it a whirl.
Like Lost the plot of the Dark Tower books is way too complicated to summarize easily. Suffice to say, it is the story of Roland Deschain, the Last Gunslinger (a kind of hybrid between a medieval knight and a cowboy) and his quest to find the Dark Tower which is both figuratively and literally the lynchpin of the Universe and its infinate number of realities. Yes, you read that right.
The interesting thing about the Dark Tower books is that they are King's Magnum Opus. Roland's quest literally touches all of King's other novels in some form or another. Some characters are alluded to, some are mentioned by name and still others appear and actually interact with Roland. From what I have read, in one of the final books, King will actually appear as the character of himself who is in the process of writing the Dark Tower novels, adding a quasi "What is the Matrix" aspect to the story.
The Gunslinger in and of itself is what I now view as sort of a prequel to the rest of the books. Now that I have started the next ones, I'm realizing that it's completely different in tone and momentum. However it has to be. While this makes it somewhat of a diffcult read, it is worth it to get through (and rather necessary to understand the character of Roland).
In essence the Dark Tower books bring an amazing level depth and immersiveness to his other novels that they sorely lack on their own. I will write more when I finish Book II, The Drawing of the Three. This is somewhat literal proof that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover (or in this case its author). I am somewhat disappointed in myself that it took a recommendation from the writers of Lost for me to check it out, but I'm very glad I did. However if they ever recommend that I buy and iMac or Kenny G's latest crapfest, don't count on my rushing right out for those, hehe.
The Very Best of Jackson Browne by Jackson Browne:
It is interesting to note that of all the old classic rock that I was exposed to growing up, Jackson Browne was among them, however I never really got into his music at all. Which is even more unusual, given that I've always had a great love for most of his contemporaries like James Taylor, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and the Eagles.
I've recently been using the Music Genome Project as a means to find new music and I was amazed at the frequency that the algorithm suggested Jackson Browne based on the tunes I prefer. I finally broke down and ordered this greatest hits compilation off of Amazon.
The best way I can describe Jackson Browne is "well traveled." I always judge music on the images and memories that it evokes in my mind. Something about his music just conjures images of being in a classic convertable with the top down and driving towards the sunset in the middle of the desert while the mountains are barely visible behind me.
I've always heard the phrase "a little slice of Americana," but I've never actually been able to correlate it to anything before. I think I can successfully apply that to Jackson Browne as his lyrics appear to be just that. If you're a classic rock fan, definately check it out.
Stardust
So this makes the second piece of Neil Gaiman's work that I will be discussing today and I put it right up there with the first. I don't think I can say enough good things about this film. There is nothing new under the sun and this story is no different. Pick your poison: a dying king? an evil witch? a young hero with a royal lineage and a great destiny? a scoundrel who helps the hero on his quest? They're all there. However as I said before, Gaiman is a hell of a storyteller and manages to commit the oldest sins in the newest ways.
The film is so unique I really have nothing to compare it to. I would say the Princess Bride, but that really wouldn't do it justice. So we'll say it's part Princess Bride. And part Lord of the Rings. And part Monty Python and the Holy Grail. And part of a whole bunch of different films from which it tastefully snakes and then reinvents plot points or character development.
The acting was impressive. Peter O'Toole was perfectly cast as the King of Stormhold. Michelle Pfeiffer was pure evil with a dose of comedy. And Charlie Cox was an excellent choice for the hero, Tristan. I've never been a huge fan of Claire Danes, but she did so well as the fallen star, I could have definately fallen in love with her if I were Tristan. Robert DeNiro steals the show however, as the fearsome lightning pirate with an absolutely hilarious secret. Believe me, it's a side of DeNiro you've never seen before.
Highly recommend it. In a summer of sequels, it's a diamond in the rough (please forgive the cliche LOL). Will go so far as to say it's a perfect date movie. Its got a little something for everyone and everyone should walk away from it more than satisifed.
Overlord:
It's been a very slow summer as far as Xbox 360 games go. Hell it's been a slow year. Not only is Overlord a welcome title but its also a welcome relief from the monotony of First Person Shooters that seem to be all anyone wants to develop anymore.
Overlord is somewhat reminiscent of Fable in style and form, but that's about where the similarities end. Instead of kicking ass yourself, you have a number of "minions" who do all your ass-kickery for you. The stronger you get the more minions you can control, until eventually you have a horde of these little demons that you literally move in a swarm across the screen to wreak destruction upon your enemies.
Overlord puts a really entertaining spin on the fantasy genre. As the Overlord, you are evil but you are actually the good guy. And the "good" guys are actually the bad guys. Halflings are fat gluttonous wretches. Dwarves are obsessed with gold to the point of insanity, elves are obnoxious and speak in almost pure cliches. The Paladin is vain and arrogant and it's a real pleasure to beat the snot out of him.
Humor abounds and it helps make the game entertaining. One of the funniest parts is when you aquire a mistress. You take her upstairs to your evil overlord bedroom and proceed to "rock the tower."
The game is also very long. You definately get your money's worth. Aside from that, as you have choices you make throughout the game the replay value is high because you can go through it again and make entirely different choices.
We've got Halo 3 and Mass Effect on the horizon but if you have time to slip this one in before those get released, it's worth it to check it out.
Two Worlds
I should have known better than to trust a game that was delayed 6 times. I also should have known better not to buy the damn thing without trying it first, although in my defense, I had preordered the Collector's Edition months before I knew any of this. But I bought into the hype and in the end I wound up forking over 70 bucks for a bonafide piece of dogshit in a shiny silver box, a mistake I am still kicking myself over.
Two Worlds is an bug-filled abomination. If this doesn't convince Microsoft to start regulating what third parties are releasing for its console nothing will. I couldn't even make it through an hour of this crapfest; 45 minutes was all it took for me to bring it back to Gamestop and trade it in for 1/3 of what I paid for it.
The voice acting was horrendous ("Perchance might thou be able to assist me on my errand?" - are you fucking kidding me?), the navigation system is next to impossible, the automap feature sucked, and there were so many freaking bugs in the game that I ran across three within the first 20 minutes of playing.
Two Worlds is absolutely abyssmal and I hope anyone who might be considering purchasing it reads this beforehand and saves themselves of the desire to beat your head against the refridgerator door for being as stupid as I was.
That's all from the Boogieman. I will definately make a valid attempt to not let so much time pass between Media Updates, but no promises.