Teaser Tuesday - 2312, by Kim Stanley Robinson

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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Still reading this Science Fiction novel and really enjoying it! 

Just a quick note to you guys - I'm a total Olympic fan, and so right now I'm all about the games.  So things may be a little sparse around here for the next week or two.  Watching 12+ hours of coverage from London every day isn't leaving me a whole lot of time for sleeping or working, let alone reading and blogging!  But I won't be gone completely!  Is anyone else obsessed with the Olympics?

Anyway, here's this weeks' Tease!

The Tease:

 "As the Earth slowly receded below her, becoming the familiar blue-and-white ball, chunking space with its marbled glory, she listened to the Sanskrit lyrics bouncing in her ear.  She asked Pauline to translate one haunting turn in the melody; Pauline said, "Until there is peace, we will never be safe.""

 -2312, by Kim Stanley Robinson

What's your Tease?

Movie Review - The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) * * * * *
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hardy, Matthew Modine.

From IMDB:

"Eight years on, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham's finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy."

My Thoughts:
I totally loved this movie.  I'm not even gonna try to be all critical and professional about it either.  It's an awesome movie, you must see it, and you must love it!

*sigh*

Ok, fine.  I suppose you don't "have" to "love" it.  But I am betting that if you are a fan of Nolan's take on Batman in general, as evidenced in "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight," then you probably will love "The Dark Knight Rises."

(Here there be spoilery things).

This third installment in Nolan's series felt to me like a perfect third and final movie in a trilogy.  The story is involved, and fantastically layered, providing answers to questions that we didn't know we had, and tying certain events back to previous points in the story.  (As an example, when the residents of Gotham's prison system are released, we see some familiar characters, who take an active role in the story as it unfolds).

The movie is long, and could have been made shorter with tighter editing, without sacrificing any actual plot content, but at the same time, it didn't feel like a long movie, to me at least. Several plot twists, and some truly great action scenes and character growth moments made this film a winner.

One of the things I really enjoyed was the way that Batman, who disappeared in disgrace at the end of The Dark Knight, is able to rehabilitate himself and his image.  During his 8 year absence, the city government and citizenry have grown and learned to care for themselves - the police, who were previously too terrified to fight against the mob and other criminals infecting Gotham's underbelly, are now all too willing to fight against the terrorists, and take back their city when given the chance, creating a situation where Gotham finally doesn't need its' Dark Knight any more, but instead has the symbolism of heroes to look up to and emulate.

But the bottom line is it is awesome and you should totally watch The Dark Knight Rises on the big screen.  I give it five stars, and even Bob enjoyed it.  Go see it as soon as possible! 

But when you do, take a moment to think about the victims and families involved in the shooting in Colorado.  My thoughts and best wishes go out to them, with the hope that someday, the true meaning of what Batman and all the other Super-Heroes stand for will be realized and understood by everyone, and events like that will no longer happen in our world.  As Bruce Wayne says, "Anyone can be Batman."  Let's try to remember that, because we can all be heroes in our own way.

Teaser Tuesday - 2312

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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Too many good books, and not enough time!  Still chugging away on this one and loving it!

The Tease:

 "Laughter, Swan thought as she examined the person's skin.  Could robots laugh?  She wasn't sure."

 -2312, by Kim Stanley Robinson

What's your Tease?

Movie Review - Magic Mike

Magic Mike (2012) * * *
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Stars: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, and Olivia Munn

From IMDB:
"Mike, an experienced stripper, takes a younger performer called The Kid under his wing and schools him in the arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money."

My Thoughts:
Magic Mike is an interesting film, in that it has a far deeper storyline than the trailers lead one to believe. Mike is a creative soul who wants to open his own business making unique furniture made from one-of-a-kind found objects.  To reach that goal, he works as a constructions worker, does mobile auto detailing, and dances at a strip club, all to try to save enough money to one day realize his dream.  He meets a young guy who is down on his luck, and inducts him into the strip club and into a whole new way of life.  The story unfolds over the next three months, as Mike himself grows more and more disillusioned with his current lifestyle and begins to realize that his dreams and goals have shifted, even as The Kid sinks deeper into the party lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, and casual sex.  Mike wants desperately to connect with someone, but nearly all the women he meets only want him for sex - except for The Kid's older sister, who initially wants nothing to do with Mike, and is concerned about her younger brother.  As the two spend time together, a fragile bond begins to develop, until one disastrous night when everything nearly falls apart.  Mike realizes he needs to make a decision, but is unsure which path he should take - easy money, or a shot at a real relationship.

 Magic Mike is not a movie for everyone.  The stripping scenes are fun and crazy, and the guys are hot.  However there is a lot of swearing, and some drug use.

I quite enjoyed the film for what it was, but Bob completely hated it.  So if you go see it, be warned that Magic Mike is a little darker and deeper than what the trailers lead you to believe.  However, you might go for the strippers and end up staying for the story.  I give it three stars - it was a decent film.

Have you seen Magic Mike?  Leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

Teaser Tuesday - 2312

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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I'm really enjoying this novel - I wish I had more time to devote to it, because so far it is fantastic!!

The Tease:

 "From the moment Kiran saw the woman his cousins had grabbed, everything changed.  She was old, tall, good-looking.  She moved as if she were swimming.  He knew immediately that she was a spacer, and that kidnapping her was a terrible idea."

 -2312, by Kim Stanley Robinson

What's your Tease?

Movie News - New Man of Steel poster unveiled!

According to Collider.com, a new Superman Man of Steel movie poster was unveiled at San Diego Comic-con on Saturday.

It's very simple, yet I think it's pretty stunning.

 

What do you think?

Movie Review - Prometheus

Prometheus (2012) * * * * *
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron

From IMDB:

"A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race."

My Thoughts:
I'm sure that by now you've probably seen the movie Prometheus, or read about it online.  Even if you haven't seen it, you are most likely already aware of all the problems that have been noted by the many, many people who have seen the movie.

And really, there are lots of problems.  I freely admit that there are a lot of things that happen in the movie, that when you think about it, don't make any sense.  People make choices that are illogical.  The scientists ignore basic scientific protocols.  The guy with the nifty mapping probes gets lost.  Another guy decides to touch something that most people would run away from.  Why was the medical machine only programmed for one gender?

The list goes on and on.

The thing is, though, that for the most part, while you are actually watching the movie, you don't really notice all of that.  And the reason you don't really notice all of that is because the movie itself is so big, and huge, and awesome, and amazingly gorgeous, and freaky, and wonderful, and terrifying, all at the same time, that while you are caught up in the moment you don't really stop to think "Hey, how come no one has asked her why she's running around half naked and covered in blood?  Is this a common event that happens so often that no one around her gives it a second thought, or are her fellow crew members all just asshats?"  It isn't until after you leave the theater and start to think about the movie that you suddenly realize that there were things that didn't quite fit.

In my opinion, that's a good thing.  I loved Prometheus!  It's awesome and amazing!  It scared the crap out of me at least twice and Bob has the fingernail imprints in his arm to prove it.  And I loved the movie not because it's perfect, but because it's not.

People do stupid illogical things, like take their helmets off before they know if the air is safe to breathe.  People push buttons when they have no clue what those buttons do.  People panic and get lost even when they are holding a map.  Humans can be so passionate about something that they will do all sorts of stupid, dumb, illogical things while pursuing their passion.  It happens.

In addition to that, one of the things that I like best about the movie is the level of discussion and thought that has resulted from people watching the film.  This movie has made people think - not just about what's wrong with the movie, but with bigger things, like philosophy, and creation myths, and archetypal personality-types, the origin of the universe, relationships between a creator and its' creation, and what being human means.  Folks are writing articles and blog posts and tweets about this movie and how their perceptions of these concepts, and the resulting dialogue has been fascinating.  To me, at least.

But that's what I think a truly great movie should really do - make people think.  About stuff that doesn't even have anything to do with the actual story being told in the film.  Of course a movie should tell a good story, and this is where Prometheus falters slightly, but it more than makes up for its' missteps by taking people's mind and thoughts and hurtling them different directions and causing conversations about ideas.

That's why I give Prometheus five stars.  That's what I loved the most, and that's why I think everyone should see it, no matter whether or not you like Science-Fiction, or Horror, or Suspense-Thrillers.  Prometheus is all those things, and also so much more.

Have you seen Prometheus?  Do you agree or disagree with me?  Let's hear your thoughts in the comments!

Movie News - Skyfall

I hadn't even noticed myself until it was mentioned today, but the last two James Bond films starring Daniel Craig haven't had Q in them.

But now, Q is back!!  Actor Ben Whishaw will play the role of the iconic Q, who for the first time ever will be younger than 007 himself.  I think this will be significant to the relationship between the two characters, whose interactions have always been humorous and witty, with the older Q often chiding 007 for his tendency to be rough on Q's gadgets.  It will be interesting to see what kind of chemistry develops between Craig and Whishaw.

Skyfall will hit theaters in November, 2012.  I can't wait!!

Book Review - The Way of Kings

The Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson
1. The Way of Kings 11/01/2011 * * * * *

From Goodreads:

"Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soiless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter. 

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.

One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable."

My Thoughts:
I have been a fan of Brandon Sanderson for a while now, so when I heard that he was planning a multi-novel epic fantasy series I was very excited, but also a little daunted.  Should I read each book as it was published like I've been doing with The Wheel of Time series for nearly 20 years?  Or should I wait until most or all were published and read them all at once?  I couldn't decide at first, then decided to wait, and then broke down and bought the paperback.

I don't have a lot to say about The Way of Kings, except that it is amazing, and I loved it!  The level of detail in his world-building alone puts any other fantasy novel I've ever read to shame.  Yet I never felt overwhelmed with details, and there were no massive "info dumps."  The information flows throughout the story in a logical and consistent manner, and makes the process of learning about the world of Roshar feel natural.  One of the characters is an artist, and tucked into her chapters are copies of pages from her sketchbook showing drawings and notes about the flora and fauna of the world around her, seamlessly showing the reader more about the world without interrupting the story itself.

The diversity and range of the characters themselves was another thing I loved about this novel.  Each character is unique and fully realized, and each is fascinating in his or her own way.  The pacing of the story is very good, and considering the number of pages in this book, that's an important point.  I never felt that the story was dragging at all.

Overall, I think this is an amazing beginning to what I'm sure will be an incredible series.  Sanderson is a master at telling detailed, intriguing, and interesting stories, and The Way of Kings shines brighter than anything he has done to date, in my opinion, including the wonderful work he has done with finishing the Wheel of Time series.  I give The Way of Kings five stars, and I can't wait to find out what he has in store for the citizens of Roshar in the rest of The Stormlight Archive.

Teaser Tuesday - 2312

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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Well, I am back from vacation!  I had a lovely week with friends and family, and several very nice days camping at the beach;  but now I'm back, I've finished The Seventh Scroll (finally - review coming soon), and have started a new novel.  I'm only a few pages in, really, so I decided to share the opening paragraph today.

The Tease:

 "The sun is always just about to rise.  Mercury rotates so slowly that you can walk fast enough over its rocky surface to stay ahead of the dawn; and so many people do.  Many have made this a way of life.  They walk roughly westward, staying always ahead of the stupendous day."

 -2312, by Kim Stanley Robinson

What's your Tease?

Day Whatever of Vacation: I've lost track...

Happy Independence Day!!  Be safe, and don't blow up anything important that we might need tomorrow.

Vacation: Day Two

I've already lost track of time, and had to ask Bob this morning, "What day is this, anyway?"

Shamefully, I've done no reading.  Maybe later...

Instead, we had a great day with the kids who arrived yesterday, just chatting, eating, and hanging out.  Over the next few days this cycle will rinse and repeat multiple times, so I may miss a few posts.  But stay tuned, I'll be back soon!

I hope everyone is having a great summer so far, and for those of you who celebrate the holiday, Happy 4th of July!!