Tron: Legacy in IMAX 3D

So, a couple of weeks back I went to watch Tron: Legacy. I admit that I entered the theatre with trepidation. Not only was this the first movie that I would be seeing in Imax 3D, but the movie itself represented a new chapter in one of my favourite childhood stories and sequels are rarely any good, let alone one that comes out 28 years after the original.

But I loved it!

Sure it messes with many of the conventions of the original (upgrades perhaps?) and it raises more questions than it answers, but it is quite lush both visually and sonically. And it's just great fun.

The soundtrack/score by Daft Punk is absolutely perfect for this movie. It is electric, moody, and atmospheric without ever being intrusive.

My one wish would have been that they not do the de-aging entirely through CG. It looked so fake to me, although my sister couldn't tell. NCIS did the de-aging much better through practical effects, although admittedly they did not have to take as many years off of Rocky Carroll's face.

On IMAX

I was quite impressed with the 3D IMAX. It was clearer than the 3D on a regular screen. The only negative was the glasses. They re-use these glasses so they will be scratched to some extent. Also, my nose and ears hurt when I took the glasses off.

Surprisingly, only part of the movie is in 3D. It's an interesting choice.

Now I know that the Imax screen is physically 4:3, but they letter-boxed the projection of Tron: Legacy to it's native widescreen . . . mostly. I thought it was strange that it would switch back and forth between aspect ratios until I read this.

Rating:

***/5

The Dragon Book

Mini-Review

I have just finished reading The Dragon Book: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois. I thouroghly enjoyed it; not a single story failed to entertain!

As a fan of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, I'll admit that the main reason I purchased this book was for her story, Vici. I was not dissapointed.

I was, however, pleasantly suprised that the other stories in the book also held my interest. There is some great variation represented by this collection in both setting and type of type of dragon(s) encountered. For instance, one story may take you to Tsarist Russia where winged terrors are hatched from firery eggs while another takes you to a 195o's nuclear testing site in Nevada where an ancient alien dragon curse comes to light.

While each story has it's own weaknesses, and some stories are weaker than others, the collection as a whole was excellent.

My favorite stories were:

• Humane Killer by Diana Gabaldon and Samuel Sykes
• A Stark and Wormy Knight by Tad Williams
• None So Blind by Harry Turtledove
• The War That Winter Is by Tanith Lee
• The Dragon's Tale by Tamora Pierce
• Dragon Storm by Mary Rosenblum

Oh, and don't let John Jude Palencar's destinctive cover image fool you - the book does not contain a story by Christopher Paolini.

****/5

Shows I no Longer Follow

• Stargate Universe - I've discovered that I simply do not care about any of the characters. Worse, I actively hate most of them.
• The CSI Franchise - It's time for something new.
• Criminal Minds - No one else wants to watch it with me. Too 'dark'.

Shows in Danger:

• No Ordinary Family - The lack of plot advancement in the face of obvious opportunity even to the point where the characters must either be morons or actively ignoring what is in front of them is getting ridiculous. Oh well, it likely won't see a second season anyway.
• Bones - Quit jerking us around. Get Bones and Seeley together already. The only thing worse than when the main characters finally get together is when they never do. . . IMO. (You hear me Nathan?)

Edit: Seems I'm behind the times yet again. SYFY has already decided not to renew Stargate Universe for another season. Maybe now we'll get that third SG1 movie? Or the Atlantis movie?

Virga: Cities of the Air by Karl Schroeder

Mini Review

Virga: Cities of the Air by Karl Schroeder is a great adventure in World building, not unlike Larry Niven's Integral Trees. The story is, however, dragged down by the immorality of its characters, by its over-reliance on coincidence, and by a very odd concept that a bullet can both remember it's journey and transfer that memory to the person it hits.

***/5

Editing The Past

Well, looks like the PC revisionists are at it again. At least they waited 100 years after the passing of Samuel Clemens before they took a hatchet to his work.

For those not in the know, apparently the publisher NewSouth Books has released a version of Mark Twain's classic novel, Adventures of Huckelberry Finn, in which all instances of a certain word which begins with the letter 'N' have been replaced with the word 'slave'.

I hope they have included an attribution to a second author, Alan Gribben, much as they have done with the novels of the new mashup genre. But I digress.

Why am I once again defending the use of the 'N' word? Because that's the word the author used. What's more, that's the word his characters would have used. Don't forget, this book was first published over 115 years ago. It is not only period correct, it was written in that period! In fact, initial criticism of the book wasn't that it contained the 'N' word, but rather, at least in part, that it portrayed a black man as a sympathetic and fully human person. Go figure.

Denying the realities of history is like poking out an eye. Sure, you might not see anything on that side anymore, but that doesn't mean that nothing is there.

It is even worse to push such ignorance on others. Want to know why the youth of today are so dumb? Look to those who are taking a black marker to history.

Wait a few more years and the word 'slave' will no doubt be replaced with 'freedom challenged person' or whatever PC term is popular at the moment. At least that would be synonymous with the word it is replacing (the first substitution, not the original).

Here are some famous quotes to close with:

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

- George Santayana

". . . he who does not know the past can never understand the present, and he certainly can do nothing for the future."

- John Diefenbaker

"Freedom includes the right to say what others may object to and resent. . . The essence of citizenship is to be tolerant of strong and provocative words."

- John Diefenbaker

"Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it."

- Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain)

More Bad News for Canadian Book Lovers

Last week DB Media, the Canadian branch of Direct Brands Inc., closed down due to bankruptcy. What does that mean? DB Media was a direct marketing company that operated Columbia House Canada and, more relevant to this blog, Doubleday Canada Book Club. DB media had operated for more than 70 years in Canada and was known as the largest direct marketer of books in Canada.

Not suprisingly, they blame the internet.

Which is ironic, because I actually was looking at joining through their website last year. I have an alternate theory based on the two reasons I ultimately did not join. They were:

1. The book club really didn't have enough selection for me. I barely found enough books to fit my introductory order of $1 books (plus $14.95 for shipping). I just could not see how I could justify fulfilling the obligation to buy 4 more books at cover price, plus shipping and taxes, over the next two years when I have better selection and prices elsewhere.

2. I was a former member of clubs like BMG and Columbia House movie club. Enough said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Canadians are out of work, with no severance pay, just weeks before Christmas. Nice move guys

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies!

(mini-review)

Excellent fun!

I just finished reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Deluxe Edition by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. If you have not read this one yet, and you have read the original Jane Austen novel, I highly recommend it.

Here's hoping that this nascent genre has not reached its pinnacle with its first specimen. . . and further, that such works do not cause Jane Austen to rise from the dead in outrage.

Rating:
****/5