And to make an end is to make a beginning.

"To absent friends, lost loves, old gods and the seasons of mists. And may each and everyone of us always give the devil his due."
~ Hob Gadling's toast, in SANDMAN #22: "Season of Mists", episode 1

Let the right one in, let the old dreams die...

I saw this film over a week ago, and decided to sit on my thoughts until I finished reading the book so that I could review them simultaneously. I finished the book a couple days later, so it has been nothing but sheer laziness making me put this off until now. 'Tis the season and all that rot...


Let The Right On In (Låt den rätte komma in) was written by Swedish author John AjvideLindqvist and released in 2004. He later adapted the novel into a screenplay, which was filmed by director Tomas Alfredson earlier this year. I was afraid that the film would not be released anywhere nearby, so I decided to go ahead and read the book; of course we did get it as I reached the halfway point in my reading. I normally would have waited until I finished the novel before seeing the film (as I am a fast reader), but I did not want to chance it being gone after only one week.

There are only minor differences between the novel and film, both of which are wonderfully dark yet accessible and sometimes sweet at the same time. Since they are so intertwined in my mind, I have decided to discuss them as one entity.

Oskar is a twelve-year-old introvert and the constant victim of the local bully and his gang. Feeling that no one will help him, he embraces a dark and violent place inside himself in order to cope with his shame, going out almost nightly to exorcise his issues in solitude. He is observed by an unusual girl named Eli, who assures him from the beginning that she cannot be his friend and is not what she seems. A bond is slowly formed however, as they come to realize that although they hail from completely different worlds, they walk disturbingly similar paths.

The largest difference between the two is that obviously there is more room to let characters and events unfold on the written page than the silver screen. There is only one major plot line absent in the film, but it is not necessary to the overall story and is not really missed onscreen. Some of the characters and arcs are more detailed in the book, and I almost feel that I was fortunate to have read only half the book beforehand. I had just enough back-story to project extra layers on the film, but not so much as to take the magic from the journey. If I am forced to pick I am almost always going to go with the book, but the film easily stands on its own as one of the best horror film of the past decade (if not the best).

Oskar and Eli's relationship is possible only because children have a stronger capacity to accept what is in front of them than adults. Had Oskar been eighteen, this would have been a completely different story, and considering Eli's nature, likely much shorter. Their relationship grows both because and in spite of who they are; Oskar and Eli are both alone and desperate for someone to understand them and share the darkness. It is easy to lose yourself in the sweetness of their awkwardness, and that is one of the major strengths of the story: you let your guard down, and are not prepared for the gruesomeness as it ensues.

The novel deals with several uncomfortable themes, but does so in as elegant and respectful of a manner as possible. There are some truly terrible things transpiring on the page, but they are necessary to properly tell this tale. Some of these issues are visible on the silver screen, but the worst of them is only hinted at. So, a word of warning: this book is not for the faint of heart. There is also an element that is touched upon several times in the book that I was pleased to see did not make it into the film; it serves the book well, but would have weakened the wonderful narrative of the film.

As per usual, I have tried to talk around the story rather than about the story during my review. I hate it when critics give play-by-play instead of considering what they have witnessed and relating insightful commentary, and would not dream of ruining a single moment of your enjoyment of this or any work of art. Like I said before, the novel and the film are pretty much a single organism in my head at this point, and will therefore receive only one rating. I highly recommend catching this film if possible before the unnecessary American remake, and insist that you read the book (before or afterward is up to you). I am declaring Let The Right One In to be among the best experiences of the year with a satisfying 4.75 out of 5.

Here is the cover to the Swedish edition of the book, showing once again how American book covers tend to be absolute crap in comparison to their international counterparts.

The dog's path through life.

I know you've waited with baited breath (insert sarcasm here), so without further ado: the follow up to my previous post containing charcoals and such from my summer session drawing class. This post contains a selection of paintings from the fall semester, and I decided to not torture my gentle readers with too many of my fledgling attempts, as oil painting was completely new to me at the start of this course (there are a few so horrible that I may end up painting over them eventually).

There were some amazingly talented painters in my class, and I believe that all but two of my fellow classmates had prior experience with oils. Needless to say, I felt more than a little intimidated. This is the hardest I have ever had to work at anything artistically, and it has been both an infuriating and exhilarating experience. I cannot wait for Painting II to begin in a few weeks...

Please pardon the crappy photography, as this would've been easier had I been able to hang them on the wall and arrange better lighting. Oh, and just like before, they are posted from oldest to the most current.

Still life #2. Oil on canvas, 18" x 24".

This is the painting during which things began to click in my head. I am happy with most of the left side, especially the box itself and green fabric in the background. The phone cord is interesting as well. The lamp is unfortunately lost in the muddled right-hand side (although I am pleased with the bottom gold section of the base), due partially to time constraints as well as some design issues that come up. Short version: I had to seriously truncate the lamp. I should have used an 18" x 30" canvas. Also, the window kind of fell apart on me, as I had planned on pulling an overnight stretch and painting the window showing a nice streetlamp lit scene. It was unfortunately too dark to see anything, and my attempt at a last-minute fix was feeble at best. So it goes...

Surrealistic. Oil on canvas, 18" x 24".

I had a lot of fun with this painting, but almost made the same mistake here as with the Klimt homage back in the spring. While doing my sketches, I was trying to incorporate as many aspects of the Surrealist movement as possible into the piece, forgetting the golden rule: keep it simple, stupid. Once I scrapped about 60% of my drawings, the painting came together quite nicely. My teacher convinced me to remove some fabulous clouds from the sky (much to the chagrin of several of my classmates), and to not overwork the figure. She was correct on both counts, as the environment is deliciously desolate and the ghostly and distorted figure has a much more commanding presence this way. I made some leaps with this one, and for the first time felt on par with my peers in the studio.

Cézanne, "Uncle Dominque". Two-hour study.
Oil on canvas board, 12" x 16".

I missed a handful of classes due to a nasty illness, and my teacher said that I could do a two-hour master study of my choice to make up some of the lost studio time. I chose Paul Cézanne, because his brilliance as an artist becomes more self-evident as I continue to learn about color and technique. I started the piece over after half an hour due to a fit of pique, and although the final product is a bit of a mess, I feel that I gained a good deal from the experience. Plus, my teacher recognized it as a Cézanne (it's the little things). I will most likely do another exploration of his style later in my studies, as I feel that I am beginning to lean more toward Impressionism as a painter (which is intriguing, considering that my figure work has always lay somewhere between Expressionism and Classicalism).

Self-portrait. Oil on canvas, 20" x 24".

This piece served as our final exam, and during our final group critique my teacher said that I had learned more working on this painting than the rest of the semester's paintings combined. I am inclined to agree with her. I am not completely happy with the likeness and wish I had made a different decision with the shirt, but I feel that I am beginning to understand what kind of painter that I want to become. I am pleased with the color palette, and I made some serious advances in technique during this piece. Portraits and likenesses have always been my Achilles' heel as an artist, and developing my eye as a painter will definitely help me to overcome that particular obstacle. It will not be easy, but I love a good challenge and welcome the opportunity to better myself.

I was really sad to see this class end. You develop strong bonds while working in the studio environment, and some of my classmates will not be returning in the spring (including the two most talented). I have not felt peer unity of this caliber since my first college level creative writing class back in the late Nineties, and although I will miss the input of my friends, it will be exciting to see what the new blood has to offer during Painting II and eventually Painting III.

That was almost optimistic, wasn't it? Bah, time for bed.


God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat. He has no real style. He just goes on trying other things. ~Pablo Picasso

Painting is the grandchild of nature. It is related to God. ~Rembrandt

I have outwalked the furthest city light...

Straight off: I Am Legend by Richard Matheson is one of my favorite novels of all time, making it difficult for me to give an unbiased review, no matter how badly I may want to. Consider yourself warned, and try and take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

This is the third time that the novel has been adapted for the silver screen (I've spoken of this before), and I am disappointed to say that the third time was not the charm. I do not disagree with most of the reviews that I have read; there is a moment when the movie takes a turn for the worst, devaluing any of the good faith previously earned. The impartial writer in me was hyper aware of it, and had not my internal fanboy already been so angry, I would've lost all hope for the film at that exact moment.

Beyond the infected creatures looking terrible and just plain silly, the story begins to truly falter once they become a palpable presence. It is painfully obvious that the filmmaker(s) never committed one way or the other as to what they were really supposed to be (and yes, I have seen the alternate ending, hence this observation even being made), and their believability as a threat suffers for it.

There is good in this film. Will Smith gives an impressive performance as Robert Neville, and yes, I liked the dog too. Although the science is often shaky (there is no way that Manhattan would grow over that quickly), the film does a decent job of making him seem utterly alone in The City That Never Sleeps. I found myself drawn into the routines that Neville adhered to in order to survive his ordeal, and was even impressed by his mental and emotional meltdowns when faced with the possible arrival of other uninfected humans after having lived so long in solitude. Unfortunately the good in the film is marred by the fact that it only serves to highlight the lack of respect for the source material throughout the rest of the movie, which not only angers me greatly but also is sadly unforgivable.

I was begrudgingly willing to play ball and give I Am Legend a fair shot when I sat down to watch it, but was once again let down by Hollywood's inability to make a passable adaptation of a brilliant yet simple book. Rest assured, I will not waste a second of my life on the theoretically upcoming sequel/prequel. Considering that most of you do not share my love of the novel, some of you may actually enjoy the film, so do not let my leanings stop you from doing so. As for me, although Will Smith did a decent job, the best I can offer up is a 2 out of 5.

Nature hates calculators.

It occurs to me as I sit here staring at my monitor that this is going to be one of the most frustrating film reviews that I have ever written. I have spent a sizable chunk of my afternoon pondering how to approach M. Night Shyamalan's newest film The Happening, and I believe that the best course of action will be to quickly summarize my feelings on his previous works in order to set the stage adequately. Bear with me as I muddle through this.


So, in a nutshell: I thought The Sixth Sense was fantastic, but did not think it was as fabulous as most other people. Remind me some time and I'll tell you about how an acquaintance all but ruined it for me in the parking lot of the theater just before going in. Number of viewings: twice--once in the theater, once of DVD (I have actually been feeling the desire recently to see it again). Unbreakable is my absolute favorite of his films, and numbers among my top ten comic related films. Bruce Willis gives a subtle and vulnerable performance in this film that I continually find irresistible. Number of viewings: twice in the theater, and numerous times on DVD.

Moving on, I have similar feelings about both Signs and The Village: deeply flawed films with interesting character interactions and stellar performances by their casts. Number of viewings: I saw them both once each in the theater, and somewhere around 2-3 times each on DVD. Lady in the Water...ho-boy. I tried to convince myself that I liked this film, mostly out of loyalty to Shyamalan. But this movie is just bad in most every way. Number of viewings: once in the theater, and somewhere around the first fifteen or so minutes on DVD before being forced to turn it off out of disgust.

Which brings us back to The Happening; number of viewings: once, on DVD. Upon consideration I am actually kind of glad that I did not see it in the theater. I had a horrible theater experience with The Blair Witch Project back in 1999, and to this day remain confident that I may have actually enjoyed it had I seen it at home with the lights off. Some films just work better on the glass teat rather than the silver screen, and I feel this is the case with The Happening, as a sense of claustrophobia brought on by being inside your own home while watching what could be at times a news report adds to the experience.

I am not quite sure how to relate this film to Shyamalan's prior work. The film's message is delivered in an often heavy handed fashion, the directing is not up to the bar that Shyamalan normally adheres to, the script could have used another once over (some of the plot devices are extremely laughable), and with the exception of Mark Wahlberg most of the performances seem either wooden or aimless. It would be easy to pick on some of the more painful plot devices as well, but I find myself willing to let them slide; maybe I am easing up in my old age, who knows. I am extremely sensitive to the movie's many flaws, but found myself entertained nonetheless.

As for the good, The Happening never pulls a single punch, which although uncomfortable to watch is also necessary for the film to have impact. I generally dislike realistic violence in cinema, but the discomfort brought on by watching people kill themselves in such mundane ways was at times very chilling. Although milady Zooey Deschanel often seemed out of sorts, her emotional detachment and damage appealed to me ('cuz I'm attracted to the walking wounded and all). She and Wahlberg managed to maintain an estranged chemistry throughout the film, culminating in a couple of nice scenes (especially one funny and touching moment pertaining to cough syrup). I honestly felt that the script could have used more polish, but the movie does have a great deal of heart.

Finally the hard part: a rating. I guess it comes down to watchability. I'm sure that I will watch Unbreakable several more times in my life, because it greatly pleases me. The Sixth Sense, Signs, and The Village may each have a couple viewings left in them, and I will most likely never subject myself to Lady in the Water again. Although I was surprised by and enjoyed The Happening, I doubt I will ever feel the need to see it again, and that fact definitely affects these numbers: 2.75 out of 5.

A really bad impersonation of myself.

So.

I have been accumulating a small list of things to talk about in a post-fall semester entry, hoping to play catch up for the eight of you that may still be interested in my ramblings after the feeble number of entries this year. Problem is, I find myself utterly disinterested in most of what I have written down, and do not see much point in the venture. Maybe a quick overview as a compromise?

To date: After a plethora of sound and fury, we have our new president. Our economy is collapsing, so we gave in to the fear culture and gave up on being a democracy and bought into the bailout. Thanks for sleeping through that one, America. I hope you feel safe now.

On a personal level, I am seriously concerned that I may not be able to return to school in the fall if things continue to worsen and grants/student loans become unavailable (this spring is covered, fortunately). Considering how long it took me to get my shit together and find direction in the first place, I think it is safe to say that I am not amused, and that my rage will reach staggering heights if that is the case. Details as they arise.


On the trivial front, I saw a handful of movies over the semester that I never got around to reviewing (busy-busy-busy). Here are some extremely truncated thoughts on the ones that I recall, with the two theater experiences first:

Appaloosa - A fairly decent adaptation with an atrocious score. Seriously, it was distracting. I was for the most part pleased with the casting; Viggo Mortensen did a fine job as Hitch, but I was disappointed that Ed Harris felt the need to make the taciturn Virgil more expressive so he could "act" more. Bad move, Ed. 3.25 out of 5.

Burn After Reading - Caught this darkly funny little gem with my homegirl Melissa. Not the best Coen Brothers film, but pretty good nonetheless. Neither of us could take our eyes off of George Clooney's beard, and Brad Pitt was a hoot. 3.5 out of 5.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - I think I'm in the minority with this one, as the talk-singing was distracting and left me both cold and unimpressed. It is a step in the right direction though for Tim Burton, and I have to admit to audibly yelping when the first victim went through the trap door and crashed into the ground. 3 out of 5.

The Reaping - Wowzers, was the movie bad. Horribly predictable, too. Still, I found myself strangely entertained by the thought that Violet Beauregarde might be the Antichrist (my money would've been on Veruca Salt, personally). And pardon me for being a boy, but Hillary Swank looked quite fetching in this bad yet passable little movie. 2 out of 5.

Kung Fu Panda - It is really a shame that I did not write a full review for this one, because it was surprisingly fun! The film was gorgeous and a lot smarter than I expected, with a wonderful score by Hans Zimmer that I 100% must own. I empathized more and more with the villain (Tai Lung) as the story progressed, which ended up being my favorite thing about this film. I would have been pissed, too. 4 out of 5.


I also dedicated a Saturday afternoon of my fall break to a video game (gasp), which has become an extremely rare occurrence in recent years. My friend Gene let me borrow Star Wars: Force Unleashed for the PS2, and I have to admit to enjoying this a lot more than I expected. You play as Darth Vader's insanely powerful secret apprentice (the game takes place shortly before the first Star Wars film), allowing you to do cool things like fight rancors, dark Jedi, and pretty much anything else that has the misfortune of crossing your path. The game play is passable, although it becomes a little tedious once you realize that you only really need about four of your force powers. Also, this is a short game (it took me about nine hours to beat it, and I took my time). The story is excellent however, and I would have loved to have seen this as a film over...say...the crappy Clone Wars movie. All that being said, this is the best Star Wars related game that I have played since Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II way back in 1997 (which is one of my favorite computer games ever). I'm giving it a solid 3.75 out of 5.


My semester was very reading intensive, which did not allow me much time for personal literary endeavors (although a couple of highlights are forthcoming). My "Religion, Dreams, and the Dreaming" class alone demanded a tremendous amount of dedication, requiring approximately two hundred pages per week of dry, field-oriented text to be absorbed (I am Phil's twitching brain). Fortunately my "Intro to Fiction" class balanced this out, as we read an abundance of short stories early in the semester and focused on the following four collections in the final weeks of class.


A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor - What can I say about the mighty O'Connor that hasn't already been said? If you are you interested in Southern Gothic or the grotesque, this book is a must read. If not, this book is a must read. 4.25 out of 5.

Reasons to Live by Amy Hempel - I wasn't sure what to make of Hempel's writing style at first, but once I realized that she focuses on what surrounds the action rather than the action itself, I found this book immensely readable. 4 out of 5.

A House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros - I had read this book before, but it lived up to a second visit very well. Cisneros has the ability to paint with words, which is a rare treat. My least favorite of the four, but not a bad book by any means. 3.5 out of 5.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie - This collection alone was worth taking the class, and is one of the best books I have read in several years. I cannot say enough good things about Alexie's writing ability, and I am more than a little jealous. 4.75 out of 5.


I did make the time to read Neil Gaiman's newest, The Graveyard Book. It is a pity that I did not write an immediate review, as I adored this story. The novel is a loose retelling of and homage to The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (which is one of my favorite books from my youth), and rather than being raised by animals in the jungle, the main character is cared for by ghosts in a graveyard. I haven't enjoyed a Gaiman novel this much since American Gods, and I devoured it in two late night sittings. A delightful book for both young and old. 4.5 out of 5.

I also picked up the long awaited and much anticipated Joker graphic novel, written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Lee Bermejo. Contrary to popular belief, it is not related to Christopher Nolan's film The Dark Knight, although they are definitely cousins in spirit. There was a tremendous amount of hoopla surrounding this book, and although it does not live up to the hype of being comparable to the brilliant 1998 graphic novel The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland, it is quite good and dark as hell. A good read for both comic book fans and filmgoers alike. 3.75 out of 5.


And finally, I picked up a second volume of the Sparrow art collection series, this one dedicated to the amazing Rick Berry (my first was a Kent Williams collection). Released by IDW Publishing, these 48-page compact hardcover books are both well made and affordable. My interest in art has returned with a passion, and I was pleased to finally have a tangible sampling of this incredible artist's work. On a related note, I remember promising to post images of progress made in my oil painting class. There will be a small handful of images forthcoming, most likely contained in their own entry.

This is not in the collection, but is an excellent example of Rick Berry's artwork. Enjoy!

That's about all I have for tonight. I will most likely post photos of some of my fledgling oil paintings within the week, followed by a year ending entry some time over the next couple of weeks.

It is the very error of the moon...

Something nifty is going to happen this evening, possibly meriting a few moments of your time if you are a junior astronomer. Our ever-present companion the Moon is going to be the closest to Earth it has been since 1993, less than 22,000 miles (357,000 km) away, and will not be this close again until 2016.

In short: the moon is going to be both bigger and brighter tonight!

Fortunately for us it will be a full moon as well, and therefore should make for a fabulous moonrise almost immediately as the sun retires. If you are interested, I recommend trying to catch a look while the moon is still close to the horizon line, as it creates the illusion of an even more massive satellite. It should be a pretty cool phenomenon, weather permitting.

It's the little things...

"We're looking for the man with the hands."

The Mixed Tape Film Series takes place at the Carousel on the first Wednesday of each month, and December's screening was one of my all time favorite films, Edward Scissorhands. I did not see Tim Burton's opus on the silver screen when it was released back in 1990, and have always regretted it. Needless to say I was thrilled at the chance to rectify this situation almost exactly eighteen years later, missing it by just eleven days.

Do I really need to give a synopsis and/or review? The title says it all, and you either love this film or you don't; the only other option is having never seen it, to which I say get thyself to a movie rental facility posthaste! Or just Netflix it, whatever floats your boat...

This film always makes me both happy and sad. Happy because I will leave this earth still utterly enamored with fairy tales and this is among the best of the modern ones, and sad because I always hurt for poor Edward. It breaks my heart when he becomes excited over the multiple unfulfilled promises of meeting "doctor friends who may be able to help him with his condition", and I tear up every single time Edward closes his eyes once Kim professes her love. Sue me; I'm a romantic.

I believe that Burton stylistically peaked with Edward, as none of his movies since have left me in such awe of his ability as a filmmaker. Don't get me wrong, I am quite the fan of both Mars Attacks and Sleepy Hollow; they just did not knock my socks off in the same manner. It is that unfailing reverence that forces me to give Edward Scissorhands a nearly two decades strong 5 out of 5.