Saturday, January 10, 2009

ALL CHANGE, NOW CHANGE AGAIN

Well, at least we had a week of the new year before SNAFUBAR reasserted itself.

So: changes have occured. If you're on the right side of Lyn's flist you'll be aware of what they are, but suffice to say-- we shan't be going to Worldcon next year, we shan't be going to any Eastern States conventions, and the grandiose plans we had for this coming year? Binned.

All of which means that writing, and variations thereof, are much higher on the entertainment agenda than previously. I've done very little wordage since the turn of the year, mainly due to dealing with heading back to my much-loathed workplace and absorbing our enforced lifstyle changes into our day. That will have to change, obviously-- if nothing else, I'm getting sick of watching everybody else move into novels and sell their stuff while I'm still fucking about trying to complete a draft. One thing I have done, in the meantime, is start a new tweet, review140, where I can bang out quick-and-dirty reviews of the media I ingest. It'll be an irregular thing, but every time I reach another ten I'll gather them up and post them here (of course, if you're on twitter, you can always follow me and get them as they come out).

So, to start, here's my first list of ten:

  • Cerebus- Flight by Dave Sim. An entire graphic novel devoted to a single infodump. Proof that self-publishing involves no editorial control
  • Cerebus- Melmoth by Dave Sim. An awful lot of nothing-happens alternating with straight bio of Wilde. A come down after previous heights
  • Cerebus- Church & State (I & II): Brilliant two-way discussion on the nature of religion and its place in the world. Sim at his finest.
  • Twilight of the Wagners by Gottfried Wagners: rampant Wagnerian egomania from both writer and subject. Non-sympathy in every line.
  • Cerebus- High Society by Dave Sim. Cynical and witty flensing of the political process. Sim hits his straps and transcends his genre.
  • BSG S2-- The religious lunatic and the despot take separate paths, and rip the fleet asunder. The show is the best TV SF in a very long time
  • BSG S1-- Brilliant and challenging update of a naff TV series. The Cylons portrayed sympathetically, and humanity right on the edge.
  • Chinese Democracy by GNR: You can't polish a turd, but you can roll it in glitter. Overproduced yawnfest. The 13 year wait was too short
  • Along Came A Spider by Alice Cooper: Coop's version of the Floyd's "Pulse"- bits of everything he's ever done that never reaches old heights
  • The Big Lebowski: messy, sprawling, incomplete and pointless, but still such a lot of fun. The Dude abides!

1 comment:

Dave Cake said...

Having made such a big deal of being a champion of self-publishing early in his career, it is somewhat ironic how much of a classic example of its aesthetic pitfalls Sim became. There are so many examples of his determination to 'follow his muse' led to aesthetic decisions so obviously disastrous.

Jaka's Story and Going Home (the Fitzgerald story) are worth the effort, though.