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Sequels are always compared to the original, regardless of whether or not it's fair to do so. In the case of Quantum of Solace, it may not be fair, since the film has a different director and head writer than it's predecessor, Casino Royale. I remember the skepticism that Dainel Craig faced as the first blond Bond, and how quickly that turned around with the elegant, moody, story-driven success of Casino Royale. Quantum of Solace shares a common plot thread and the some of the same characters, but doesn't share much else. This new chapter delivers plenty of car chases and fight scenes, but emerges as only a mildly entertaining chapter in the Bond franchise.

In Quantum of Solace, the newly minted 00 James Bond (Daniel Craig) follows his bloodlust to uncover the organization responsible for his lover Vesper's demise. The little-known Quantum has "people everywhere," even within the special service. Bond eliminates more leads than he interrogates, prompting his boss M (Judi Dench) to question his motives and take him off the case. Bond continues pursuing Quantum anyway, fueled by more of a selfish revenge than for any duty to Vesper.

This is Marc Forster's first action-heavy film, so some rather easy editing is employed. The shake-cam and super-fast cuts make it difficult to focus on the copious action scenes. True to the tone of Casino Royale, we're rewarded with occasional glimpses of despertate men fighting dirty, and the effect is cringeworthy. Unfortunately, these scenes are often interrupted with more motion-sickness-inducing camerawork and editing.

The story doesn't hold much water, either. Precious little time is given to establishing the tone, apart from M's "I thought I could trust you, I thought you weren't motivated by revenge" theme, which is treated like an interruption to the action scenes. We know from Casino Royale that Bond is angrier at himself than he is at Vesper, and his quest for revenge is as disconcerting and narrow as staring down a gun's barrel. It's interesting to see how Bond could transform from a quippy globetrotter into a ruthless, womanizing killer, but unless you're viewing Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace back-to-back, this transition may seem too quick.

We might feel differently about Bond's quest if Quantum's bad guys were more interesting or ire-worthy. Instead of the cruel and calculated snake that was LeChiffe, we're introduced to Dominic Greene, a banker, politico, and worm. The villanry for nearly all of the men in the movie is established more by their constant rape threats than their evil plots. Instead of the campy "save me James!" scenarios, the dark tone of the movie makes these attacks more disturbing, until they start occurring with more frequency, as if the writers were asked to make the bad guys more evil and weren't creative enough to come up with a better way. To be fair, there is some attention given to the socio-political manipulations and master plan of Quantum. Not enough screen time is given to these machinations, so their danger seems remote.

Quantum of Solace may be acting as a sort of bridge between Casino Royale and the rest of the franchise. Between the dark and emotional Casino Royale and the campy Bond we know from the rest of the series, Quantum seeks to wedge in the destructive protagonist with nothing to lose. Here's hoping that the next Bond will develop a sense of humor and a steadier camera.

by Lauren Hutchison

Last week I caved in and bought a G1 "Android" phone, T-Mobile and Google's answer to the iPhone. I'm now convinced that smart phones are a device no internet junkie can live without. With this conclusion, I've been officially welcomed into the current century and am sure to be bombarded by SMS messages any day now.

I put my new toy through its paces with a four-day weekend in New York City and 1000 mile roadtrip. From these wild excursions, I became intimately familiar with the G1's flaws and features. I've never used an iPhone, so I can't compare, but I can tell you the ways in which the G1 and it's Android operating system satisfy socialites and uber-geeks alike.

Hardware
If you've never used a touchscreen before, you may dislike the lack of tactile buttons. But there's a definete advantage in being able to click and drag a scrolling window or change screens with a gesture. Most of Android's applications and functions sport big buttons that are easy to press, even for those with chubby fingers (like myself). The G1 has an advantage over many other phones: its sliding keyboard, which will make Sidekick fans feel right at home. You won't be able to reach 75WPM on the tiny hunt-and-peck keys, but it's much simpler to write with than any touch screen I've used. The accessible keyboard allows you to turn your internet communications from read-only to true mobile office, a feature that's made my day job much more enjoyable.

There's also a scroll wheel, so for tiny links and buttons that are close together, you can scroll with more precision and use the enter key on the keyboard to select your destination. Some of the browsing does get very tiny, so this is probably not a phone for those with poor vision, but the browser does have controls for enlarging text on a page.

I miss the ability to answer and end calls with a flip, and having a phone that curves to my ear and mouth. Making calls on the G1 does feel like you're holding a small brick to your face, but it does have a slight curve toward your mouth, so the phone is not entirely flat. The phone weighs nearly 6 ounces with a battery and is around 5x2 inches with a depth of about half an inch: about the size of a longish pack of cards.

Apart from the touch screen, the surface of the phone is brushed plastic, so it's a bit more resistant to scratches and dings than chrome or plastic devices. I dropped my phone twice (accidentally) on my trip and have no problems to report.

The phone comes with a carrying case, charger, headphones with mic and volume control, and data cable. There is no separate headphone jack, so you will be stuck with using mini USB headphones for your calls or music. You will want to purchase screen protectors for the sensitive touch screen.

The G1 does not come with a micro SD card, which is required for any pictures, video, or music (including ringtones) you'd like to download. A micro SD card is a must-have for anything apart from making basic phone calls; a 1Gb card will be more than enough for a frugal user, while music and video fans may want to look online to buy a 16Gb card. This card option is exciting, since other phones only offer a limited capacity, and SD cards are doubling their capacity every year or so.

Network and Reception
Many T-Mobile stores aren't selling the phone because only a few large cities and west-coast areas have access to T-Mobile's G3 network, allowing for speedier communications. I'm not sure why this is a problem: while driving across the vast farmlands in Pennsylvania, browsing was a little sluggish off of a G3 network, but not unbearably so. Emails and text messages are still nearly instant, and since many of your favorite websites offer mobile versions or RSS feeds, you can reduce download times and cut straight to the important text. The required service plan from T-Mobile also allows you to access T-Mobile hotspots.

Photos
The G1's camera is not superb: 3 megapixels, which is a little better than average, but the camera has no flash, so unless you have the hands of a surgeon and great lighting, your photos will turn out a little blurry. Android's built in photo management application leaves much to be desired, as you can't organize photos with tags or folders. Unlike some other phones, you can share them via email or with the MySpace application. You can also connect your G1 directly to your computer with the data cable and access your files without the need to install additional software.

Email
The G1 requires a gmail account during its setup; you don't have to use the account once you've created it, but I'm not sure why you wouldn't, since gmail's spam filtering and storage space is so excellent. Android also has a built in application for other email, which works fine with other POP3 and IMAP accounts, though its features are extremely basic, there are still some problems with Microsoft Exchange, and SSL isn't working quite right with some outgoing mail servers.

You get a notification sound and alert at the top of your screen when new email arrives, and it's easy to click the notification and go straight to your new email, regardless of what else you may be doing with the phone. It's also simple to use the menu button on your phone to disable notifications for each program that uses them.

SMS and Instant Messaging
Android supports GTalk, MSN, Yahoo and AIM instant messangers by default. There's another application that will allow you to send mobile-to-mobile text messages. You can also set all of these applications to play a notification sound or give a notification alert when an instant message or text message arrives. For other chat programs, check the Android "Market" application - a few free applications exist now, with more on the way.

Social Networking
If you would like to use your favorite social networking site without having to navigate a large website, there are a few applications available in the Android "Market" for free. MySpace users can use the "MySpace" application, and Twitter users can get their fix via "Twidroid". There's no application for Facebook users at the moment, but since Android is open source and Facebook has a strong development community, it's very possible that we will see one in the near future.

Maps and Directions
Android comes with a GPS-capable version of Google Maps installed. In New York, I clicked the "My Location" button to pinpoint where I was, then used Google Maps' search for "coffee" to see all of the local coffee shops around my location. When I got lost on the roadtrip, I used the driving directions with my current location to receive an updated map and set of instructions on where to go. You can even use Google's street view to see the landmarks around where you're going. My only wish is that it would integrate with Google's "My Maps."

Video
Android has a built-in YouTube player, which will open embedded videos in a new application and display them in fullscreen, landscape orientation on your phone. The built-in speakers are fine for phone calls, but not so great with video playback, especially when YouTube's users don't edit their videos' sound very well.

Google Applications
If you're already using Google for your calendar, news reader, photos and documents, this is a no-brainer. If you're not, get with the program! Google applications allow you to store all of these things on the internet, so you don't have to juggle between multiple computers and devices. Android's built in calendar synchs with your Google account's calendar. The notebook is the only semblance of quick note taking available on Android, though you can download other notepad-like applications that don't require an internet connection.

Google's reader is particularly nice, showing headlines that can be expanded at a touch into photos and text that are appropriately scaled for your screen. You can save, share, or email articles, view their original source, and organize your feeds.

Other Applications
This is by far the most promising feature of Android. Since the operating system is open source, this means it's easier for independent developers to make applications for the phone and release them - for free! There are already some very useful applications that fill in Android's gaps, allowing you to customize your phone, play games, or script special conditions for your phone's ringer, battery, and more.

The Bottom Line
With a slick, easy-to-use interface and its open development platform, I predict that Android will be a real market force. The G1 phone itself is not going to be the last phone to offer Android, so if you still want to wait for all the kinks to work out, something even more impressive may surface in the future.

Socialites will be wooed by the easy integration with email, SMS, and social networking, paired with a Sidekick-like keyboard. Geeks will be wooed by the promise of operating system hacks and information at your fingertips. Between these features, there's no excuse for an internet lover not to be mobile, or a mobile lover not to utilize the internet to its fullest advantage.

by Lauren Hutchison

Approach a film with suspicion when a TV commercial uses single words from reviews to promote the movie. Many period dramas are rather generic, and "The Duchess" is no exception.

"The Duchess" serves as a biopic of young Georgiana Cavendish (Keira Knightley), who was married off to the much older Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes). G's youthful exuberance and accomplishments are subsequently crushed under the dual ice blocks of a loveless marriage and her marital obligations. What do couples do when they're trapped in such a situation? History and Hollywood both dictate that the unhappy pair take lovers. The Duke is afforded his affairs. The Duchess is not; at least not until she produces a male heir.

We're familiar with such stories from films as recent as "Marie Antoinette" and as old as "Henry VIII". Genetics now tells us it's the father's contribution that determines the sex of a child, but discovery is only a century old. Between this fact, the stereotypical English chill of emotion, and the May/December marriage, you can draw your own clear conclusions of how Georgiana is treated and how she might react.

The appeal of this genre is the costumes, cinematography, and sympathetic portrayals of a hero or heroine. While "The Duchess" is based on true events, this shopping list is completed with as much passion as the Duke has for his wife (which is to say none at all). The costumes are not too decadent, the scenery pays proper homage to English symmetry, but the screen time for all of this eye candy is far short of indulgent. Once the setting is established, remarks on G's fashionable creations are treated by the film as an interruption to the unfolding story.

Designating drama as the focal point may not have been the best choice. Historical females are almost universally caged and trod upon, and cinema's retold these sob stories at the rate of two or three a year for the last century. We've seen these movies before, so we expect some new twists. The film gives us this with a few facts of the Devonshire's scandalous estate arrangements, then throws in a rape and a near-lesbian scene for gratuitous measure. These scenes are important to the story, but are integrated with as much finesse as a goathair wig.

The movie is all about Georgiana, so Keira Knightley's acting skills are thrust into the forefront. This worked well for "Attonement," where Knightley's own tears were tempered with cynicism and loss, but in "The Duchess," Georgiana is childish, overwrought and a little shrill. Ralph Feinnes' character is much more interesting; he goes far beyond misogynist, he's almost sociopathic and has taken the burden of privilege to new fatalistic depths. The Duke is vilified so thoroughly that any intrigue built up in the first half of the film is lost by the second. His mistress Bess (Hayley Atwell) is even more of a mystery: we can sympathize with her plight and understand some of her decisions, but why she stays with the evil Duke is never explained.

Period films serve as a "didn't it suck back then" or even a "this is similar to how things still suck today" landmark, and this message is definetely present in "The Duchess." Georgiana's first conversation with her husband is on how fashion is the only means a woman has to express herself. Later, during her first dinner with the Whig party, Georgiana adeptly argues that freedom is not relative. Between the frenetic or superfluous scenes, this message remains "The Duchess"' greatest strength.

When reviewing the script for the play in Hamlet 2, young critic Noah Sapperstein remarks that "some things are so bad that they can become good again." This is our universal hope for Hamlet 2. Like many comedy movies, the ridiculous premise, seasoned cast, and riotous trailer contain all the elements for success, but the funniest parts are revealed in its overmarketed trailer.

High School drama teacher Dana Marschz (Steve Coogan) is a social outcast with no talent but a lot of enthusiasm. His life becomes a tangle of satire: his relationship is in trouble, his students hate him, and the drama department is eliminated due to budget cuts. Mr. Marschz' only hope is to produce a play so amazing that the community will have no choice but to support the program and keep drama classes at the high school.

Dana's character is a satirization of the "those who can't, teach" stereotype, and also hopes to capitalize on the dork-protagonist genre of comedy that's made a comeback in recent years. Hamlet 2 self-references every inner-city high school "how do I reach these keeeds?" movie that's been made since 1980. The movie also highlights the importance or absurdity of free speech battles, with a brief appearance by Amy Poehler as a sue-happy ACLU lawyer. With this many goals, it's no suprise that the direction meanders and is eventually abandoned alltogether.

Catherine Keener is typecast as Brie Marschz, an eccentric bitch, and while that role's a joy to watch, one can't help but feel we've seen it before. All of the kids in the class are cardboard cutouts of your high school's cliques: the bad boy, the spaz, the teacher's pet, the girl with attitude... the only exception here seems to be Hamlet himself (Joseph Julian Soria), who is cast for his bad-boy fire. We later learn that his background is not a stereotypical one, which adds a pointed comment on racism, but isn't very effective, since Hamlet's screentime is cut short for other plotlines.

Dana Marschz isn't quite outrageous enough to be funny (except for a few winning musical numbers). His pathetic life isn't funny, it's just tragic, and a little overwrought. No one knows why he's married to Brie - the chemistry between these two is effectively zero, to the point that even her vitrol doesn't seem to connect. The focus on Dana's sad life makes us want to fast-forward to what we KNOW will be the good part: the Hamlet 2 play.

The play is hyped through cries of outrage, but most of the bits that people complain about aren't featured in the short, 3-song montage. "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" is composed with clever lyrics, but lacks any real social bite. "Raped in the Face" is a hysterical turn-of-phrase that wears out very quickly when it's attached to something plausible.

Effectively, Hamlet 2 feels like loosely-tied sketches. Yes, it all makes sense, but none of the story elements are fully developed, so it's hard for anyone to relate to Dana Marschz's tragedy. If Hamlet 2 had been a little more outrageous and simplified, it could have been hysterical. Instead, it's as impotent as Mr. Marschz. Yes, there were giggle moments, but when you're at a comedy movie, don't you excpect the audience to laugh more than five times? They didn't. At least Hamlet 2 is mercifully short at 120 minutes.

Dark Knight is the first movie I’ve seen in about 10 years where no one’s cellphone went off during the movie. In a theatre of nearly 350 people, the dull din of conversation through the previews was constant, but when the opening credits started to roll, the crowd was eerily hushed. The hype, the money, the postmortem lookie-loos are really irrelevant to the film and it’s quality. Dark Knight has very few flaws for the nitpickers, and follows Batman Begin’s tradition of industrial fantasy and dark horse heroes. Dark Knight is a landmark in what is fast becoming a cinema trend of the new millennium, one that specifically caters to web-savvy Gen-Xers.

In Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne (Bale) laments his ex-girl Rachel’s (Gyllenhaal) relationship with the new DA, Harvey Dent (Eckhart). Dent cuts broadly into organized crime, enraging the bosses who are left. New villain Joker (Ledger) advises the mob that the real problem is Batman: the caped crusader emboldens the law while making even the most seasoned criminal think twice about going out at night. Joker proposes to eliminate the Batman, and becomes obsessed with revealing his true identity. His maniacal plans rattle every level of Gotham government as Joker gets closer and closer to unmasking Batman. Bruce Wayne continues his tango with vigilante justice, hoping Dent will take over the role of city protector, but is ultimately unable to (or forced to) don the cloak and shuriken once again.

Oscar buzz is already underway for Heath Ledger’s posthumous performance as the Joker, but he’s not the only star of Dark Knight. In fact, Christian Bale’s Batman might have the weakest performance in the movie, as events force his hand, move around him, but his loved ones face the worst danger and have the opportunity to be more dynamic. Gyllenhaal’s earthy Rachel is a welcome update from Katie “scheduling conflict” Holmes’. Michael Caine is eternally Michael Caine. Morgan Freeman plays a more active role this time around, stepping outside of James-Bondian Outfitter status to assist Bruce Wayne with right-hand-matters.

Rating:

Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Written by: Jonathan and Christopher Nolan

Ledger’s performance is a must-see. He’s quippy and a self-professed “agent of chaos”. It’s easy to laugh when he deals wit, even at the most inappropriate times. Joker has at least two different stories for how he got his scars, and each story is equally convincing. His plans are devious, and usually end with his minions betraying each other for a larger share of the pot. He’s deeply disturbed: mutilating or torturing for kicks, tongue darting like a lizard’s, turning friends against friends in perverted games of paradox. The most chilling scenes are the Joker’s video manifestos: off-kilter, too close up, and full of annoying-yet-creepy microphone clicks. One of Joker’s stunts made everyone in the audience leap with shock, another made them squirm for two minutes before the situation resolved. Joker’s a true character, and it’s very hard to believe that’s Heath Ledger beneath the cracking makeup and stringy hair.

Most surprising is Eckhart’s performance as Harvey Dent. Dent’s downfall is foreshadowed lightly and chronicled carefully. We want to trust Harvey Dent for his good-natured attitude and boyish good looks, but simultaneously distrust any brand-name politician or lawyer. He’s set up to be Batman’s legal alternative and a possible means for Bruce Wayne’s retirement, but this is ultimately not meant to be. The two become very close, and then shatter apart in an instant. Scarier than a psychotic clownster in makeup, Dent is the everyman gone wrong.

With all of these characters, it shouldn’t surprise you that Dark Knight is 2.5 hours long. The story progresses nicely through most of this time, up to the end, where you realize your butt is sore and the film starts playing fast and loose with the moral message. Stances are changed, villains are dispatched, and resolutions are offered, but they’re decidedly fluffy ones. Thankfully, they’re the kind of slightly-inelegant fluffy that wraps up a long film and sets up a sequel.

Artistically, the movie doesn’t miss a beat in picking up the tone and style from Batman Begins. There’s a certain dark-tech aesthetic blended with martial arts that was popularized by The Matrix and continues to permeate the action genre. More than style, the themes are hyper-relevant: cynicism and love of the underdog. Baby Boomers may claim influence over their offspring, and certainly the disillusionment with a government’s effectiveness is a common complaint among this age group and their children alike. But there’s a certain love of the underdog, paired with angst and acidic sarcasm, that is found only in the now 30-somethings, contemporaries of most of Dark Knight’s cast. These underdogs are championed from reality TV to elections, and Batman is certainly their hero.

It’s no wonder that the film is breaking records and resonating with fans of all ages. Beyond the kick-ass action and stainless steel style, Dark Knight plays on issues of the age. Believe the hype: this is an excellent companion to Batman Begins, and sets up the franchise for another stellar movie, if and when Joker’s enormous shoes are filled.

The Twelve Kingdoms is rather unique - while most anime is based on Japanese comics or graphic novels, the Twelve Kingdoms anime series was based on full-fledged fantasy novels. The Twelve Kingdoms are considered “light novels,” more akin to our own Young Adult genre, and feature Japanese teenagers spirited away to a parallel world resembling a mythical and ancient China. Fuyumi Ono wrote seven Twelve Kingdoms novels between 1991 and 2001; the anime series started in 2002, but the English, French and German translations of the novels were not available for fans until 2006.

These books were long-anticipated, as the fan community in 2002 buzzed that the novels contained far more story than the 45-episode series covered. In 2003, I created one of the first comprehensive English fansites for the series, painstakingly creating maps, glossaries and detailed episode synopsies for Ono’s mythologically rich and highly political world of 12 kingdoms. Even though it’s been literally years since I had heavy involvement in the series, the books were highly anticipated and welcomed with kingly regard into my collection, much like a long-lost best friend (or perhaps a taika?). Now that the welcoming ceremony is over, does the anime series do them justice? Are these translations a good read?

Yes and mostly yes.

Sea of Shadow - book 1/7 from the Twelve Kingdoms series

The first novel, Sea of Shadow, is all about Yoko’s strange journey to the world of twelve kingdoms. She’s taken from her classroom by Keiki, a strange man commanding demons, who promises to protect her against a different hoard of demons that pursues her. But when the reluctant Yoko arrives in the new world, she finds herself alone. The story is all about the emotional and physical struggles of an average high-school-student plopped into a completely foreign agricultural society. Yoko is constantly attacked by demons and is betrayed by everyone she meets.

There’s a reason for this, but Yoko is completely ignorant of society’s rules and ills, and is unable to make heads or tails of her situation. She’s literally wandering in the wilderness with only a sword, her angst and self-loathing for around 300 pages. Eventually, Yoko meets a person she can trust. Her strange story begins to take shape and her friends interpret the hidden and auspicious meaning of her arrival.

Sea of Wind follows the story of Taiki, born in Japan but destined to be a kirin in the land of the 12 kingdoms. The kirin are a sort of unicorn shapeshifter that are responsible for choosing and guiding kings. Taiki lives in Japan for 10 years before he’s found and returned to his duties on Hourai, the mountain home of kirin, immortal sages and kings. But Taiki’s long absence means his magical powers have not manifested and he has no knowledge of the new world. How can an ignorant and powerless kirin choose the next king of Tai kingdom?

Sea of Wind - book 2/7 from the Twelve Kingdoms series

While Sea of Shadow is dark, brooding and internal, Sea of Wind is a much lighter fantasy tale. Taiki has no problem eschewing Japan for a life of luxury on Hourai. Taiki’s painful mistakes end in a way where everyone laughs and lives happily ever after.

In both novels, the theme is common and very fantasy-typical. The main character has special latent powers or nobility, and must go on a journey to find their real family or their real home. What sets the Twelve Kingdoms novels apart from complete dreck is the depth of emotional struggles, which are often quite dark and unattractive, and will be especially poignant for older teenage readers. Parents of younger readers should be aware that there are themes of violence, murder and lots of demons eating people.

The anime may be better at introducing beasts, customs and magic than the novels, where the fantasy seems more like deus ex machina than a setting. This is not quite as true for Sea of Wind, but the fantasy lays dormant through most of Sea of Shadow. Catching up to all of the new customs and terms can be a struggle for fans of the anime, and the break-neck pace of introduction is not much different in the novels.

The translations are very accessible, and Sea of Wind is a particularly well-paced, enjoyable and fast read. The hardcover books are more like paperbacks in dimension, and contain a few manga-style black and white illustrations.

The translation is also peppered with kanji definitions. I know Japanese media often subtitles itself and places a high degree of emphasis on deriving meaning through kanji, which may be obscure even to native speakers. In the novels, characters are so often drawing 24-stroke kanji “in the air” that it makes me wonder if Japanese people have developed a special talent to read these air signals, or the translator just got carried away with giving us gaijin a heaping dose of Japanese. In either event, it tends to shatter an otherwise enveloping tone.

More research online suggests that the remaining novels can well cover the remaining anime episodes, and perhaps go a little bit further than the anime does, especially if Yuka and Asano’s subplots are erased (and they are in the first two novels).

The books are a great read for fans of any young adult fantasy, especially if you’re looking for some foreign flair. You don’t have to be an anime fan to appreciate or keep up with them, since the anime duplicates them so closely. Fans of the anime may want to wait awhile before reading the books, since doing both at the same time will probably be overkill.

When I was a little girl, a relative gave me a beautiful book filled with illustrations of unicorns and blank facing pages to write on. I wrote a story around each illustration, trying to tie all the different unicorns and locations together. When I was older, I read this story to some girls I babysat. “What crap writing,” I thought, and even apologized for the higgeldy-piggelty plot that jumped from continent to continent with relatively little purpose. The girls not only dismissed my apology, but told me that they loved the story, and urged me to keep reading.

The Fall has a rather similar concept and result. Director Tarsem (of The Cell fame) lends his lush music video aesthetics to feature-length film in a project that’s been shelved since 2006 and finally distributed in part by he efforts of David Fincher & Spike Jonze. The Fall is a sort of dark fantasy. In a 1930’s Los Angeles hospital, a paralyzed and mortally depressed actor, Roy (Lee Pace), recounts an epic story of revenge to fellow patient Alexandria (Catinca Untaru), a little girl from an impoverished immigrant family.

As the visually sumptuous story unfurls across nations and Roy sinks deeper into drug abuse, the tale becomes entwined with reality. Characters in the story are pulled from Alexandria’s experiences. She’s more familiar with India than Native Americans, so when Roy mentions an Indian, she envisons the character as a man from India. A note Alexandria writes and carefully cuts into snowflake shape makes its way into maps and letters in the story. Little details from either world are passed silently to the other. It’s an entertaining exercise for the audience to spot them all and make sense of the ones they might have missed.

Rating:

Staring: Catinca Untaru, Lee Pace

Directed by: Tarsem

Written by: Dan Gilroy, Nico Soultanakis, Tarsem. Based on “Yo Ho Ho,” a 1981 Bulgarian screenplay by Valeri Petrov.

The film’s major draw is the artistic appeal. The Fall was shot on location in 18 countries and several very distinctive landmarks. The color palette used for the film is hyper-saturated with deep contrasts. Even in the hospital, every shot is a sight to behold. There are a few remarkable and hard-to-miss graphic matches between scenes, like when an evil priest’s face dissolves into a bone-white desert.

Though there are strong themes of drug abuse and suicide, the story Roy tells Alexandria is not twisted, and is more approachable than the uncomfortable and disturbing story of The Cell. The Fall is rather unique in its treatment of relationships and storytelling. Roy and Alexandria are fast friends, but their conversations are very natural and frequently a little awkward. The story lacks any real direction or purpose up to the point where Roy and Alexandria paint their avatars into it. At this point, it becomes a metaphor for their own lives and relationships, and the ideology wobbles between the hopeless nihilism and youthful optimism of the story tellers.

Because of this, the movie may feel a little slow to start, or even be purposefully meandering. The story is told in the same way that most people tell stories: imperfect, nonsensical, and riddled with bad lines. Pace is perfectly convincing as an addict on the brink, but not at all convincing as the dashing hero of the revenge story. The editing makes it difficult to follow who’s who and what people are saying behind closed doors - important conversations just out of Alexandria’s earshot. These style choices are clever, but the sur/realist approach often obscures itself.

The Fall is like a box of fine dark chocolate that you accidentally left in your car on a hot afternoon: messy, slightly ruined, but not enough that you won’t eat and enjoy it. Though the story falls short of charming, Alexandria’s unique and mischievous personality, the subtle symbolism, and the epic’s breathtaking composition might be enough to warrant a salvaged feast.

Everyone panned the Matrix sequels and groaned at Speed Racer, but it’s not that bad. At the very least, there’s value in seeing the eye-popping art direction, even if the flimsy story doesn’t grip you. With V for Vendetta, the Animatrix, and the collective experience of John Goodman, Christina Ricci and Susan Sarandon behind their latest project, surely the Wachowski brothers have managed to redeem themselves a little bit.

Speed Racer is a live-action remake of a 1960s anime classic. The story’s for kids and is very straightforward: Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) races cars. Trixie (Christina Ricci) is his girlfriend. Speed Racer is a true innocent - all he wants to do is race, and his nobility of spirit is constantly tested by rival racers. Speed Racer loves his family: Mom Racer (Susan Sarandon), Pops Racer (John Goodman), little brother Spritle (Paulie Litt) and Spritle’s pet chimp, Chim-Chim. The movie adaptation does add a little bit of depth; Speed Racer is courted by megacorp Royalton Industries, but wonders if leaving his family’s own racing team would be beneficial in the long run. Speed is haunted by the poor decisions his older brother Rex Racer (Scott Porter) made, which ultimately cost Rex his life on the track. Speed discovers the ugly corporate underbelly of racing and overcomes obstacles in both the physical and moral world.

Characters aren’t always straightforward at first, but the ideology of the movie is so cut-and-print that adult moviegoers will see the entire plot unfold before them in about fifteen minutes (or less, if you read this review beforehand). With a campy adaptation of a cash-cow children’s anime series, I’m not sure how anyone can expect a story of Shakespearean proportions. Those expectations are as unrealistic as the main character’s name.

Rating:

Staring: Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci

Written and Directed by: Andy and Larry Wachowski

The most stunning aspect of Speed Racer is the art. Every frame of the movie looks like it could be a movie poster. Every detail is meticulously placed. Speed Racer’s distinctive style may even be ahead of its time; I can see this movie inspiring animation movies for years to come.

The visuals are reminiscent of circa-1985 racing games: Not the realistic ones, but the garish neon games that had you race across tracks that were better suited to roller-coasters. There are even a few effects that are borrowed from modern racing games, like Speed’s car following the “ghost car” of his deceased brother Rex, comparing not only their times but how they both ran the course, as racers can do in simulation games like Gran Turismo or Forza Motor Sport. There are light streamers from the taillights of cars. In one tunnel, zebras are printed in alternating black and white strips, made to look like flip book animation when the drivers speed past. All of the colors are straight out of a gumball machine. The stationary scenes look layered, like the cel-shaded animation that inspired the movie. The transition between CGI and live-action is so frequent, so seamless that we can rely only on our viewer knowledge to tell us which is which.

But this visual feast is so sumptuous that it’s almost too much. The eye-candy certainly overpowers everything else in the movie, which isn’t hard to do with the story, but is a shame for the great actors and their characters. Some of the visual techniques are overused and repetitive. I’d like to take the editor out to a nice dinner, back them up against the wall in an alley, and beat them soundly with a sock full of creamed corn for the overuse of intercutting with transitional effects. I will die a happy woman if I never see another movie where two scenes are linked by panning across them with the profile of a talking head filling the visual space between the two.

When not inciting these violent thoughts (which admittedly, is not hard to do with this reviewer), Speed Racer promised and delivered entertainment and even a few laughs. The combination of chimp and child looks like it would be a recipe for comedic cliché and disaster, but they were actually pretty cute. Spritle’s one-liners were clever, and his delivery is so earnest that even when the comedic device is a little overused, we can’t help but like the mischievous duo. There are other great child actors in the film - young Speed (Nicholas Elia) and young Trixie (Ariel Winter) have a few schoolyard romance scenes that are so adorable they nearly brought me to tears.

As an adult Trixie, Christina Ricci is simply charming. It’s great to see John Goodman again, perfectly cast as a heart-of-gold yet grumbly dad. Susan Sarandon is pivotal to the film’s moral center as Mom and mediator. Racer X is masked and so familiar you’ll be asking yourself “Is that Jack from LOST?” the whole movie - yes, it’s Matthew Fox in his second movie role since LOST (his first was 2008’s Vantage Point).

See this movie for the visuals and the love of Speed Racer first, and be surprised by the fun and great cast. There’s plenty to enjoy for kids, and even adults can appreciate the sunny attitude of the film. The story may be two-dimensional, but it is completely within the spirit of the original.

Originally posted to http://pixielate.com/booksmovies

Kay Kenyon’s first book in the Entire and the Rose series has something of an identity crisis. No one seems to know how to market this: sci-fi or fantasy? Bright of the Sky neatly strides both worlds - literally - to create a universe rich with culture, sympathetic characters that are truly flawed, and a plot that mimics reality more than the paradigms we’re used to. Fans of fantasy world building will be thrilled with the new series.

Bright of the Sky follows Titus Quinn as he journeys from our universe (the Rose) to another - that of the Entire, “graciously” created and ruled by the powerful and oppressive Tarig alien race. Quinn reached the Entire by mistake two years ago and came back with precious few memories of his time there; little enough that everyone felt he’d just gone mad at the loss of his young daughter and wife in the spacing accident. When scientists discovered truth to Quinn’s parallel universe claim, they sent him back, hoping he could regain his knowledge of the place. Quinn hopes to discover the whereabouts of his wife and daughter. But he also has the directive from his company to gain knowledge of how to travel freely between the realms, a quest made necessary by blackmailing Quinn. He also discovers that he gained notoriety in his first trip to the Entire, a place where those of “the Rose” are instantly recognized as intruders and unwelcome. Titus Quinn must overcome his torrid past in the Entire and pass by unnoticed, balancing his personal and professional goals to return to the Rose.

Book 1 of “The Entire and the Rose” series

“Marcus Sund came awake all at once. “Lights,” he said.
The cabin remained dark. “Lights,” he repeated, louder this time, but with the same result. He sat up. The station hummed with life support - the ProFabber engines churned in their collosal duties - but something was missing from that profound vibration.

The most intriguing part of this book is the culture and world building involved in the Entire, and because most of the story takes place there, this might be better classified as a fantasy book. The Entire does have knowledge of the Rose, and the Tarig race fashioned all of the other races off examples from the Rose. For example, the Chalin people loosely resemble the ancient Chinese, appearing mostly human, pursuing control of emotions in a vaguely spiritual manner, ruled by feudal lords with an important scholar class. But the Tarig rule the Entire with an iron fist, and their first commandment is to withhold knowledge of the Entire from the Rose. So while the cultures in the Entire take cue from the Rose, deeper knowledge and conversation remains off-limits. How the Tarig created the universe remains a mystery through the first book. How the Tarig maintain control is made very clear: they’re credited with the immortal life that all in the Entire enjoy, their intelligence is nearly omniscient, and they punish all lawbreakers with swift death.

Because of this social structure, most of the action in this book takes place through politics and intrigue. If you want fantastic space battles or duels, you will have to look elsewhere (at least for few hundred pages). The pace is very strong through the first few chapters of the book and settles into a rolling quest once Quinn reaches the Entire. Quinn’s journey does not always go as you expect it. Dangers that are foreshadowed never come to pass. Misadventures and inconveniences pop up and make perfect sense, but can occur unexpectedly.

The characters are multi-dimensional in a way that goes beyond what most authors attempt. Quinn is flawed deeply, not superficially. He starts off the book a violent hermit, shunned by the world who initially rejected his story of the Entire. His notoriety in the Entire is not just the product of xenophobia - he’s done some awful things, and continues to do so, though we understand his motives and can sympathize with him, even if empathy is difficult. Those who support and oppose Quinn have their own clear objectives and secrets. Even the Tarig are not just bad guys; their self-created reputation for grace is not complete rubbish.

Initially the fantasy world is a little difficult to believe, with sentient races popping up as convenient and other devices revealed in a very linear plot, parallel to the motion of the adventure. But the book probably falls shortest in the descriptions of the Rose and our own future universe. Corporations rule the world and their money is made from space travel. Standardized testing separates savants from the average. The average live off company welfare, occupying themselves with meaningless jobs or entertainment media. Most of the characters in the Rose we encounter are “savvies” and are in the upper echelons of the ruling corporations. But these high-intelligence characters are petty, capricious, and pathetic. Their lives are run like soap operas and their social graces don’t exist. Some might argue with me that this is a good representation of those who have high IQs, and certainly we’ve all met the uber-smart who are more in touch with their intellectual pursuits than emotional development. But I feel that making one universe so completely dark breaks our immersion and makes the single shade difficult to accept, especially in contrast to the dynamic Entire.

Bright of the Sky is a cliffhanger, but is not unsatisfying. Some of the major issues are resolved or morphed into new issues, and nearly all of the important questions are answered, leaving us with more questions. This is a deep and addicting way to introduce us to an intricate world and an exciting new series.