All Consuming : aiyana

Why I recommend "Stardust"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 00:40:56 GMT

by Matthew Vaughn, Neil Gaiman

I saw the screening at the San Diego Comic Con. This was much, much better than I expected. The trailers I saw didn’t really do justice to the actual tone of the movie. Is it true to the book? Not entirely, but the spirit is there, and overall the parts that were added in fit well.

There is a fairly rapid pace to the movie- some bits feel like they rushed through to keep it moving along, but it’s not the sort of thing where you’d be picking out the flaws while you watch.

Don’t wait for this to come out on DVD. See it in the theater.

A story about "Odyssey!"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 20:47:22 GMT

Odyssey!

by Rob Lichter

2001, the musical. Aural candy, with styles ranging from funk to folk, this has at least one song for everyone. My personal favorite is track 14, an ode to the AE35 unit.

A story about "Masters of the Universe"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 20:08:10 GMT

Masters of the Universe

by Gary Goddard

This movie is about what you’d expect from a live action adaption of He-Man, but the audio commentary on the DVD is interesting and well worth listening to. It made me appreciate what they were able to do with the time and budget they were given. That being said, it really bothers me that He-Man has curly hair instead of his traditional Prince Valiant hairdo. I can understand having to replace Orco, but the hair?

A story about "Phantasm"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 19:57:01 GMT

Phantasm

At first watch, this movie seemed incredibly bad. Now, upon reflection, I see that there is a certain brilliance to it. Actually, it’s only brilliant because my boyfriend got the Phantasm Sphere box set from amazon.uk, and it’s quite shiny and reflective. However, the sphere includes the lightning-like spikes, so you can chase people around with it while yelling “Boooooy!” in your best Tall Man voice. Oh yeah, it also has the first four movies- so far I’ve only seen this one, but I’m steeling myself for the next three.

A question I have about "The Circus of Dr. Lao (Bison Frontiers of Imagination Series)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 19:19:31 GMT

The Circus of Dr. Lao (Bison Frontiers of Imagination Series)

by Charles, G. Finney

Was is a bear or a Russian or what?

At the end of the story, there is a catalogue: An explanation of the obvious which must be read to be appreciated. Section VIII contains “The questions and contradictions and obscurities” of which the above is the first question. There are many questions left unanswered at the end of the story, some of which the author has taken the time to list- but not answer. The catalogue at the end of the story serves to further the quirkyness of the book, and gives you more to think about when you reread it.

This is quite a fun read- essentially it’s about the reactions the inhabitants of a small town have towards a circus that presents them with gods, mythological creatures, and a fortuneteller who tells the truth.

There is a certain amount of racism in the portrayal of some characters, but this is done as a storytelling device rather than actual bias from the author. For example- Dr Lao will switch from talking in a stereotypically “Chinese” accent to flawless and grammatically correct English, depending on the townsperson he is talking to.

This is the sort of book you can read again and again, and notice a new detail every time. Overall, it is a complex and fascinating story.

A story about "Fried Pickles"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 05:10:18 GMT

Fried Pickles

I tried fried dill pickles for the first time while on vaction in Missouri. The great thing was, they were under a section of the menu called “Vegetarian Delights” along with deep fried mushrooms, olives and zucchini. I’m not a vegetarian, but these deep fried beauties were tasty good and did delight me.

A story about "Kinder Egg (Kinder Sorpresa)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Mon, 27 Mar 2006 21:28:48 GMT

Kinder Egg (Kinder Sorpresa)

by Ferrero

Ferrero (those geniuses behind Nutella) make these foreign chocolate delights. What could be better than a tasty milk chocolate egg with a toy inside? Not much my friend, not much. I don’t eat them very often, because they cost $2 apiece and the market where I get them is often out of stock, but when I do, I thoroughly enjoy every moment, from unwrapping and nibbling at the chocolate shell, to discovering (and hopefully assembling) the toy inside. The only time I am disappointed is when I get a statue, instead of something I can actually put together.

Why I recommend "A Cry in the Dark"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 21:13:17 GMT

A Cry in the Dark

by Fred Schepisi

A dingo ate my baby!

All nostalgia aside, this is a powerful story of someone wrongfully accused.

A story about "Adrenalize"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 00:47:20 GMT

Adrenalize

by Def Leppard

This was the first CD I ever bought. Remember those boxes they used to come in? Yeah, I cut it up and put it on my wall. At the time, I thought it was very cool.

A story about "Eyes Wide Shut"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 18:24:42 GMT

Eyes Wide Shut

by Stanley Kubrick

I hate Tom Cruise. Watching him in this movie made me want to poke my eyes out. “It must get better…” I thought while watching. “It’s Kubrick- don’t give up. There will be a payoff at the end.” Wrong! If you want to watch it, take some drugs or lick a frog or something, anything to keep yourself entertained. I’d recommend doing a shot every time Cruise tries too hard to act, but you’d die of alcohol poisoning.

A story about "Spirited Away"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 17:21:29 GMT

Spirited Away

by Hayao Miyazaki

My first experience with a Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki film was when Spirited Away was in theatres. I took my 5 year old daughter to see it, and she fell in love. After that, whenever we found a Studio Ghibli DVD, we would buy it. I wanted her to be inspired by charachters other thatn the helpless Disney Princess archtypes, and Miyazaki is the answer. He makes movies that we can watch together and brings up topics I might not have thought to discuss. She may still want to play with Barbies, but at least sometimes they’re wolf princesses. And she tells all her friends that her favorite director is Hayao Miyazaki.

A story about "The Doom Generation"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 17:01:15 GMT

The Doom Generation

by Gregg Araki

It’s says something about a movie when, over a decade after having watched it, you still count it among the worst cheesy films you’ve ever seen. What happened you ask? This: It was Lollapalloza 1994. In Phoenix. Did my genius music lovin’ friends and I bring plenty of water? No. We were melting, but, lo and behold! An air conditiond tent! Praise Jeebus, we are saved! No, it was not to be, for in that air conditioned tent we saw the beginning of this dubious film. We walked out after X licked his hand.
Oh, but could we stay away? Could we live with wondering what we might have seen if we had only stayed to watch the rest of the movie? Not a chance. Months later, what did we see at the video store, available for rent? Yeah, we watched it. And watched it again. So, so bad, but worth watching for the token apperance by Perry Farrell.
CONSUME AT YOUR OWN RISK!

A story about "Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 01:08:59 GMT

Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere

by Dewi Humphreys

I was beside myself with excitement when I found this on DVD. “At last!” I thought to myself, “I can see the series that one of my favorite Gaiman books was based on…in all its original, glorious goodness!” After the opening credits, however, the exclamation points were wiped away and replaced with question marks. Don’t get me wrong, ever since a friend handed me “A Dream of A Thousand Cats” and I asked him how many more Sandman comics he had, and could I please read them all, I’ve been a Gaiman supafan. But Neverwhere the series, well, it suffers from some production issues. And acting issues. And lighting issues. But I still liked it. (I liked it much better after a few beers)

A story about "A Wrinkle in Time"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 00:46:22 GMT

A Wrinkle in Time

by Madeleine L'Engle

I read this when I was pretty young. It stuck in my mind as one of the best books I had ever read. I found it again in the supermarket a few years ago, and was somewhat shocked when I read it again- the religious references were way too overpowering for my jaded adult sensibilities. I’m really glad I read it when I was young, had an open mind, and could blithely ignore parts of stories that I disagreed with. I hope this continues to find an audience among children and young adults who can read it and love it like I did when I was younger, but I can’t help but feel cheated that the story I remembered wasn’t the story that was written.

Why I recommend "The Eyes of the Dragon (Signet)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 00:13:26 GMT

The Eyes of the Dragon (Signet)

by Stephen King

One of my favorite King books. I was REALLY into Stephen King, and read every book until Rose Madder- then I turned 16 and realized there was more to horror than what he had to offer. After all these years, this is really one of the only books of his I can read again and appreciate- aside from the whole Dark Tower series.

Why I recommend "Neverwhere"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 00:03:15 GMT

Neverwhere

by Neil Gaiman

This was the first book I bought online, many years ago. I bought the soft cover British edition when it first came out- there was no option to get even VHS tapes of the mini-series back then, and this was the closest I could get. I love the story as a whole- strange bits of folklore and mythology are woven in, the dialog is snappy and entertaining, and I like the characters. Having read this many years before I got to finally see the series, I must say I like the book much, much better. I think I read somewhere that the book was edited for the American release, and as my original copy probably will not stand many more years of rereading, I think I’ll buy it to see what’s different.

Why I recommend "Youth in Revolt"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 23:41:35 GMT

Youth in Revolt

by C.D. Payne

My sister gave me this book when I was 15. I tried to make everyone I knew read it, and all who did came to appreciate the insanity of Nick Twisp. This is a wild ride through the mind of a teenage boy. Angst, crime, sex (kind of), divorced parents, losing friends, making friends, cross dressing, sex (the real thing), drugs, evil girlfriends and more!

Why I recommend "Me Talk Pretty One Day"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 23:32:26 GMT

Me Talk Pretty One Day

by David Sedaris

I heart David Sedaris. This was the first book of his that I read- I liked it so much I lent it to friends, who lent it to their friends… three copies later I’ve decided to stop trusting my friends with my funny books. I suppose it takes a certain sense of humor to laugh out loud at this book, and not every story is insanely hilarious, but I still think this is one of David Sedaris’ best books.

Why I recommend "13.5 Lives of Captain Bluebear"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 23:21:45 GMT

13.5 Lives of Captain Bluebear

Go read this book! Silly drawings, sillier characters and a blue bear! This was one of the most entertaining books I read in 2005.

Why I recommend "The Thief Lord"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 23:14:03 GMT

The Thief Lord

by Cornelia Funke

I wish I could read this in its original language. The story is entertaining, but I can’t help but feel something was lost in translation. It reads well, but something is just a little bit off.

Why I recommend "The Best of Roald Dahl"

nobody@allconsuming.net (aiyana) — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 23:11:55 GMT

The Best of Roald Dahl

by Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl is a wonderful, funny, twisted and all-around amazing writer. This book has some of his best stories for adults. It was a wonderful discovery for me some years ago- I grew up reading his brilliant books for kids, and was excited to discover that he could entertain and disturb me as an adult also!