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William Matheson's Journal
Aug. 11th, 2009
11:58 am - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
I've just finished reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
The rear blurb proclaims, "Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read."
I found Seth Grahame-Smith's disdain for the original ironically amusing as the basically-intact narrative framework of the original Austen is what holds the book together. It's essentially a work of copypasta that became an internet phenomenon and apparently a "New York Times bestseller," but what book isn't these days? Apparently there'll be a follow-up called "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters." If you think that sounds bad, I have a friend who wants to write an opera of (Emily Brontë's) Wuthering Heights set in space. ;-) j/k
Some of the added twists arising from the zombie plague are interesting, but in the main they are needlessly grotesque and not terribly innovative. Most of the zombie scenes just occur when the major characters are on the road, and they contribute nothing to the story except perhaps a cheap thrill - further cheapened by the fact that in following Austen so closely, Grahame-Smith, with one admittedly delicious and ingenious exception, can only put the most minor characters in any real jeopardy. Sometimes the scenes are funny, but more often the changes miss the mark - I found Wickham's fate particularly unsatisfying and what transpired made me think considerably less of Darcy than what happens in the course of the original. I liked how Japanese training and ninjas were in fashion, and how one could bait zombies with cauliflower (they look a bit like brains) - yes, it's all funny by times, and I guess I'm painting myself the square by not enjoying these scattered laughs for their own sake. I did derive real enjoyment by noting the minor and sundry differences from Austen - I would enumerate some in this review, but in doing so I would spoil the point of reading the book, which I can begrudgingly recommend. And since there's probably going to be a movie, I'll have to go see it now.
Rating: Pride and Prejudice gets five stars, while Zombies gets a half star, so Pride and Prejudice and Zombies gets two-and-three-quarters stars. It's gripping, but since the pull is almost entirely due to the original, you might as well just read it. As the AV Club (their review has significant spoilers) puts it, "(W)hat begins as a gimmick ends with renewed appreciation of the indomitable appeal of Austen’s language, characters, and situations."
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restlessMay. 8th, 2009
02:07 am - This Gigantic Robot Kills (mini-review)
MC Lars' latest album came in the mail the other day. IT IS THE GEEZIWISHMYFAMILYDIDNTREADTHISSOICOULDUS
1. Where Ya Been Lars? - Just a cool rap about where he's been! I like how he talks about stuff that didn't go so well: "I opened for T-Pain, he had zero production..." "I DJ-ed Johnny Phillips' wedding, Gerard Way was there, I'm like, 'We have the same booking agent,' he's like 'ask me if I care?'"
2. True Player For Real - You can listen to this one on the USA's National Public Radio website. "Weird Al" Yankovic plays the accordion hook, and it's fun and catchy, but I'm just as captivated by the story of an English major making intelligent punk / rap songs with his laptop! This is just a great song that glories in knowing what you're about and just bloody well doing it.
3. Hipster Girl - I kind of feel like it's his homage to Zappa's "Valley Girl," but it's not in the same tone. He's just gently poking fun at the archetype, and if this girl is real, he obviously has some respect for her. This isn't latfh.com, but if you're not at work, you should check that out too. =)
OK, I lied. I'm going to skip a few tracks for now because it's 1:30 in the morning.
5. This Gigantic Robot Kills - I don't know if I really understand this song, but the title of this track (and the album) is a tribute to Wesley Willis. You can see that there's a bump on his forehead in the picture - he got that from butting heads with his fans, screaming "Rock!" or "Roll!" Willis was a great inspiration to Lars, and although I only know about Willis via Lars (and Lars via Yankovic, via Twitter), I think that dedicating this album to him was a touching and appropriate thing to do. Anyway, the actual song is pretty rockin'. There are a lot of references to California culture in it, but that's not a bad thing except that it makes it hard for me to summarize for the purposes of this capsule review. It's basically a ska song about a boy who builds a robot to help him bring ska back.
7. 35 Laurel Drive - Lars, on the phone with his drummer: "Yo, I'm going to put the song about your house on the album. Is that cool?" The song begins: "My drummer has the messiest house in New Jersey! My drummer has the messiest house in New Jersey! John Thatcher Longley, clean up your house! John Thatcher Longley, clean up your house!" It's brilliant and catchy and funny.
9. Guitar Hero Hero (Beating Guitar Hero Doesn't Make You Slash) - As it's often been said, it's one thing to be a guitar player who enjoys playing Guitar Hero, but quite another to be a Guitar Hero player who thinks they can play guitar. You can see this one on YouTube. Paul Gilbert drops by to contribute. (I remember playing this at C.'s, and STB recognized him and asked if Lars was famous, since Gilbert was in the video!)
13. Hey There Ophelia - A catchy and hip new take on Hamlet, which you only think has been done to death. K. Flay sings Ophelia's part convincingly.
14. (Lord It's Hard to be Happy When You're Not) Using the Metric System - It's not only a good song, but it's also refreshing to hear an American saying that the United States should adopt the metric system. (We should do it, too - informally, Canadians of my generation are still using English units for personal dimensions, e.g.: height, body weight.) It's much less wearily sanctimonious than listening to a Canadian saying "Those dumb Americans should get the metric system!" 'Cause many of us do, and it's kind of hypocritical. Besides the ease of powers-of-ten, Lars mentions something I hadn't considered: "I weigh a hundred seventy pounds, that's ninety kilograms, see metrics can even make me thin!"
So yeah, I hope this is enough to let you know why I'm pretty taken with this album. I should start doing album reviews, but I don't really make an effort to keep up with the latest stuff - I'm like the musical equivalent of Jackie Harvey.
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energeticNov. 3rd, 2006
02:10 am - Corvette Crossing - a capsule review
I have no aspirations to become a drama critic, but here's an attempt that will serve as a course assignment. This is an excellent play that deserves serious attention - my review is hampered by the fact that I saw it more than two weeks ago and also by the fact that I was drunk that night and made it to the theatre by the skin of my teeth (after running delieriously from Saint Mary's to the Ferry Terminal - my legs hurt for days afterward) - never drink with a Newfoundlander before going to a play, that is my new Theatre Motto.
On October 25th my peers and I took the golden opportunity to see the final dress rehearsal of Michael Melski’s Corvette Crossing, presented by Eastern Front Theatre. It’s a play about the vital role of the lowly corvette in the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, replete with unforgettable characters, authentic but not overbearing jargon, and the great responsibilities of bravery and sacrifice – all in an intimate space.
You first notice that the set is Spartan, but you find that the changes in elevation provide the effect of the variegated decks of a corvette. It’s perfect because the austerity of the stage makes us see the characters all the more vividly in their laughter and (more often) terror.
You sit down, the play begins. You laugh at Christopher Shore’s masterful, subtly comic portrayal of a Francophone sub-lieutenant. You’ve never heard of the (fictitious) HMCS Larkspur, but it sounds like one of the many ignominious, diminutive ships named after similarly diminutive Canadian towns. At the end of the Second World War, the Royal Canadian Navy was the third-largest in the world, largely consisting of proud vessels with humorous names like the HMCS Asbestos (Québec: 2006 population 6,645).
But don’t let my indulgence in nomenclatural jest fool you; this is a serious play. In fact, the emphasis on hometowns is appropriate, because the crew members bring their hometowns on the voyage. Issues like homesickness, independence, comradeship, faith, bravery and sacrifice make up the dramatic landscape. The dramatic space is tightly constrained (the Alderney Landing Theatre seats a privileged 285) and in the tension of uncertainty and fear we watch the character’s colourful and ultimately honourable personalities bounce off one another. Should you find the justification for this brilliantly crafted anxiety murky, let me add this: If you think you have friends, try hanging out with them on a glorified tin can floating in the fog on the North Atlantic, surrounded by U-boats.
The ending, when you get there, is open, in the sense of it not being spelled out and indicated with flashing amber warning lights. We asked each other, “Do you think…?” as we walked through the exits, having been stunned by this breathtaking theatre experience.
Barring an extended run (which would be merited), Corvette Crossing will play until November 12th. If you’re looking for a substitute for seeing Corvette Crossing (not that there is one), pick up a copy of Timothy Findley’s The Wars. A different war, a different battlefield, but the message and the tragedy are analogous. After your bombardment, you may think, “why am I not wearing a poppy?” I ashamedly, inexcusably am not, but I’ll pick one up as soon as I see one.
~ William Matheson
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hotApr. 24th, 2006
08:28 pm - William Matheson and the Half-Baked LiveJournal
You can count on William Matheson’s LiveJournal for all the up-to-date, cutting-edge information on arts, technology, travel, and whatever the heck I feel like writing – twenty days behind, censored, and up-to-the-year. If you’re looking for news and reviews on the latest trends and hot new* releases, you need look no further than William Matheson’s LiveJournal.
* - New: Anything released since 1989.
I’ve recently finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It was a great book, but it was surprisingly short. It’s been said that it’s better to receive it as a “part one,” and I agree.
…
You know those times when you’re writing a capsule review and then someone phones you with heartbreaking news?
…
Prince was, despite its frequent treads on the paths of the darkness inherent in everyone, a very funny and heart-warming book. There was one particular instance when (minor spoiler ahead) Slughorn gave a brief eulogy to Aragog. You’ll have to read that far to see what I mean. I had to put the book down, I was laughing so hard.
Before long, I reached the end, both of the book and the currently available Harry Potter titles. Now I am a Harrywin addict without a fix. How long will it be until Book 7? Years, maybe! This is terrible!
But imagine how it would be if I hadn’t taken it up so recently? My wait will be nothing compared to the waits of true long-time fans between volumes of the series.
…
I can’t concentrate on this anymore. I’ll be back later with the report from de-briefing in Montréal.
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shockedMar. 23rd, 2006
02:29 am - Take the Lead (a review)
T. took me to see Take the Lead, which opens in North American theatres on April 7. She had a "you-and-a-guest" ticket for a special preview screening obtained from her dance class. It differed from a regular moviegoing experience in that 1) there was a three-person security detail posted at the door to check for recording devices and 2) there weren't any trailers before the main feature.
I love trailers. Who doesn't? But with press and preview screenings, you don't get any. Since this was a free experience though, one can't complain.
That all being said, do I owe the world a review of Take the Lead, since the studio basically put us in there to say good things to our friends so as to drive up its opening weekend returns?
Oh, what the heck.
* * *
Antonio Banderas plays dance instructor Pierre Dulaine in this charming, witty film - his cutest role since Puss N' Boots. His portrayal is thoroughly enjoyable as he happens upon an inner-city high school and begins to teach ballroom dancing to a group of delinquent misfits in after-school detention.
This film doesn't waste a lot of time showing what makes Pierre decide to do this, or even at this particular school. In fact, I didn't even realize how exactly he made the connection to that school until long after I sat down to write this. But it doesn't really matter. Generally speaking, the characterization is selective, as you might expect to see in a movie featuring an ensemble cast. Think Love Actually, but with less schmoozing and more ballroom dancing.
Take the Lead has a plethora of small, precious moments. Heck, entire subplots can come and go in only 30 seconds of total screentime. And the one-liners from the detention students are some of the freshest you'll ever hear, never crossing the line over to banal obscenity. Moreover, pleasant raunch-less laughter filled our theatre more than a few times.
This movie was made with care, with every moment gleamingly polished from start to finish. Not only the jokes were very well executed - if you want to see some good dancing, this is your movie. You'll get to see the kids really bust it out, or getting their groove on, or whatever the word is now for what young people do when they go into a closed space and turn the amplifiers up to 115%. You'll also get to see a few professionals own the floor. You'll see the progress and the pain, the encouragement and the excellence, the steps and the emotion.
The characters are really easy to connect with, and utterly likable. Again, you only see them in little glimpses, but those glimpses are so brilliantly shaped, framed and acted that you feel like you know their whole story, without actually needing to invest the time to know their whole story. (I use the word "shaped," but this picture felt more honest and true-to-life than any I've seen in a long time.) This would be a great movie to use to teach editing - so much of the movie's magic would be lost if it were any less superbly edited. It's to the point where I'd like to go back and watch it again just to relive all those moments of brilliance and document them with zeal.
Like the real-life Pierre Dulaine, Take the Lead cares about the kids, always seeing not just what they are, but what they might be. And they're certainly not stupid, nor your cookie-cutter urban characters. For instance, you might expect that a well-dressed Franco-Spaniard who rides a Schwinn cruiser and listens to Judy Garland might experience a bit of a culture clash when he comes face-to-face with the progeny of the inner city. The results are obvious, but more clever than you might expect. (I could give you examples, but why ruin them for you?) This treatment is a tribute not only to their intelligence, but also to ours.
People will be drawing comparisons between this and other ballroom dancing movies, such as Shall we Dance?, and I can only thank the stars that they weren't released in the same year, allowing each to be enjoyed on their individual merits. (And what was up with Antz and A Bug's Life anyway?) Both movies showcase the cool side of ballroom dancing, and dance studios across the continent are enjoying increased enrollments. But it's my opinion that Take the Lead is the better movie. For one thing, I think the dancing is better, although this could be a selection effect because there's probably less dancing than in the 2004 movie. Furthermore, this story focuses on young adults, and I fancy myself to still be one. It doesn't have Jennifer Lopez, but it does have Yaya DaCosta, who: 1) is also beautiful 2) also has a bright future ahead of her and 3) can act.
When you see the ending of this movie, you might think that it stops a little bit short. But please ask yourself this: does the rest really matter? Where would you put the ending, and what was this movie really about anyway?
Take the Lead is one heartwarming, light (but not lightly treading), and meaningful film. It's a lot more than a Mighty Ducks on hardwood. You won't feel like you've just seen another "take the misfits and make them winners" movie. It's taking a chance - all this movie has to sell is Antonio Banderas and the fact that it happens to be really, really good. I think it will be a surprise hit, although it will be no surprise to those who have seen it.
* * *
Note: I can't say a lot for the autosaved draft feature recently introduced on the LiveJournal web updater. Sure, it seems like a good idea, but in practice (like tonight) I had been browsing other sites for 15 minutes or more, crashed, and rebooted. I had left with a few hundred words. I came back to five words. Well, it didn't matter much in the end, but still, be careful guys.
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chipper