Seen, read and heard

This is not a game by Walter John Williams (2009)

2009-06-14T05:18:00.000-07:00

Williams has written a decent novel of the borders between reality, alternate reality games, and Cyber-reality. In many ways its content is similar to Charles Stross' Halting state. The main plot points are all about what is real and how to define borders between different realities.

But this is not a rip-off form Stross. It is a unique novel, however this is not Williams at his best. Then again Williams at his second best i still far from trivial, and i found myself liking this book. I am not quite sure exactely why or what did it, but there ist is.

The characters were not all that believable, and their history and the fact that they became as central to the plot wasn't all that convincing to me. But if youare willing to accept such thing for the book to work, then there is no reason not to read and enjoy this one.

Singularity's Ring by Paul Melko (2008)

2009-06-14T05:07:00.000-07:00

This was an exciting read. Melko's debut novel was very well written. The scene is an earth after a singularity event, trying to rebuild a lot of what has been broken. We follow a pod of five bodies of the post-human Apollo Papadopulos as they try to become captain of a star ship.

Of course the big dumb object has a central place in the plot, but this book i quite a lot more. Not only is it an interesting view to a possible future, it also contains some of the more recognizable post humans i have read for quite a while. The internal dynamics of the pod-humans was familiar yet strange and astonishingly familiar. Not an easy thing to write, certainly not in a debut novel.

I will eagerly await Melko's next novel, as this was one of the better surprises so far this year. It was among the finalists for Locus Frist Novel award, and deservedly so in my mind at lest. Hopefully Melko will have a long and productive career as a writer. If his first novel is anything to go by, he will probably be familiar with various award seremonies before long

A clash of kings by George R.R: Martin (1998)

2009-06-14T04:51:00.000-07:00

This is the second book in Martin's epic fantasy series. Now there is a little bit more fantastic, the dragons are growing and the direwolfs also. Plus now religion also takes a more central role in the plot. Of course the scheming and intrigues progress as well.

However in this book it felt like some of the story faltered a bit. Where was house Arryn for instance? What ever happened to them, the book didn't answer this and a few other questions.

At times the pacing felt a bit slower than it should have been, but then again we got to know our characters better, so i am not sure if this is good or bad yet.

I am looking forward to reading the next installment of the series, even though i realize i am likely to be a bit disappointed since my expectations and standards are high now.

But i can easily understand why so many people have become fans of this rich world and story. The characters are plentiful, varied and convincing and that is always gratifying.

Taking sides by Istvan Szabo (2001)

2009-06-09T02:36:00.000-07:00

This moving piece about the borders between art and politic in a post war Germany was great in several ways. The acting of both Harvey Keitel and Stellan Skarsgård was pretty convincing. The backdrop beautiful and the story moving and thought provoking.

Where does art end and politics begin? Should artists flee from a tyrant, or is music apolitical? This movie raises many interesting questions such as these and doesn't really answer them fully. Leaving the audience to make up their own mind.

Keitel plays the arrogant self-justified american prosecutor, trying to nail a famous conducter who had refused to abandon his Germany after Hitler came to power. And through the entire film we are not certain if the conductor will be convicted or not, and just as you think you have figured it out, it changes again.

This, along with "The Reader" from 2008 seems to me to be the best movies detailing the problems of justice in a post war situation. Who do you convict, and who do you let go? If you convict everybody guilty of something the enitre country needs to become a jail, but then again you can't let everybody go either. These borderlines are hard to figure out, and makes for some interesting fiction, ad these movies show clearly

The wire season 1 (2002)

2009-06-09T01:30:00.000-07:00

This is another example of why tv-series can be better than the movies. This tale could not have been told anywhere near as good in a single feature movie.

The complexities of police investigation and the dirtiness of politics told in this series is pretty interesting. There are no clean cut heroes in this show, everybody has their issues and history.

As the police tries to follow the money, they find it goes placed beyond their reach. HBO sure knows how to tell some good stories through the series format. They seem to prefer 12-13 ep pr season as opposed to the standard 22. But that means the plot is tighter and the story is always in focus, and this is a very good thing. It makes for some interesting tv, thats for sure.

A game of thrones by George R.R.Martin (1996)

2009-06-09T00:47:00.000-07:00

So i have finally started reading Martin's epic series called A song of ice and fire. Many have recommended this series before, and i have been somewhat embarrassed to admit i haven't read any of it yet. But no longer.

What surprised me the most was the fact that this really wasn't a fantasy book. There were almost no magic in it, except for a bit of direwolfs and dragons, but the fantastic elements were really downplayed. In stead, this is a series of court intrigue in a feudal society on a planet with a big axial tilt. (Making the seasons longer than on earth)

Not that this is a bad thing mind you. I my book this is a very good thing indeed, i was just a bit surprised to see how small a role the fantastic played in what is often hailed as the biggest fantasy series of late.

The intrigues were good and i thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience. There were few new thoughts within this book, it is not really original in any ways. But it is still written so well, i don't mind or care. Each chapter is dedicated to one character and follows him or her for a while. Not original but well written. An interesting effect of this strategy is the fact that Martign leaves several key episodes off-screen. We only hear about the outcome of a battle as another character hears about it. We are not necessarily present when the action happens.

This seems to be a good series, i am looking forward to reading the rest of it.

WWW: Wake by Robert J. Sawyer (2009)

2009-06-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

The acclaimed author Sawyer has begun a trilogy in wich the internet grows sentient. As is often the case with Sawyers novels, their concept may seem a bit strange at first glance, or if not strange, then maybe old. But this doesn't really matter all that much as his characters are well constructed. Sawyer has managed to make believable people do believable things in a believable universe. And then you don't really notice the strangeness or the familiarity in concept within the novel, because by then Sawyer has already hooked you with the rest of the setting.

Caitlin is blind, but after a experimental procedure can see, however she sees more than ordinary (worldview) she can also see the web (websight) and the first book of the trilogy ends as Caitlin and the webmind starts writing emails to each others. This could easily be and become a colection of cliches and old tropes revisited. However it has not. The character of Caitlin is deep and good, and her parents also seems more real than most fictional parents of protagonists. And as i hva already stated, Sawyer manages to hook you with his setting before the ciches kick in.

I am not sure where the trilogy is going however. This could easily become predictive and boring, but haveing read several books by Sawyer before i suspect it will not. The most negative thing about this first book was that i felt it took a bit too long to set up the cocept of the trilogy. There were quite a lot of scenery so to speak, Sawyer has prepared quite a canvas for his story, but didn't really start telling it. This novel just prepared me for the story to come in the next books. This is of course well and good, but i would like to see a bit more story present in the first book as well.

Then again, i cannot expect all my wishes to be fulfilled every time.

The Revolution buisness by Charles Stross(2009)

2009-06-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

This fifth installment of the popular Merchant princes series does not disappoint. We follow our friends through civil war, and transworld conflict and Stross has managed to write yet another page turner. If you are unfamiliar with this series i would suggest that you start at the first book, the family trade. Because this is economic science fiction that rocks.

If there was something negative in this book, i would suggest that the plot didn't really move all that much forward, in spite of the nuclear detonation depiced on the cover. It didn't feel any nearer to the end of the series after reading this book. And in my mind that is not a good thing. I feel alle parts of a series should progress the story equally and i am not sure this one does keep up with the others. However, this doesn't bother me much because this is a good series and i am a sucker for series that continue to be good, even if the narrative progres slows down a bit.

I am already eagerly anticipating the next book in this series.

Star trek 2009

2009-05-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

So the new trek movie is here and no doubt the fanboys will rave about this new fix, feeding their addiction. However for the rest of us there wasn't much to this flick but popcorn and fx. The plot sucked, the dialogue was at times flat out pathethic and the acting substandard.

This was nothing but a series of unconected explosions haphazardly jumbled together and turned into a movie.

I have no doubt that a lot of fans will disagree with me, and they will probably point to the different details from the earlier trek universes that was successfully transferred to this new instalation. But that does not a good movie make.

Sorry, but by now i have lost quite a lot of patience with the good J.J. Abrams

Nothing but the truth (2008)

2009-04-28T04:11:00.001-07:00

A tale about a journalist who exposed a CIA employee and the storms that follow. She refuses to give up her scource and has to pay a hefty price for it. Kate Beckinsale is really good, and impressed me in this role. Matt Dillon also, not that i am a fan of Dillon, but i will give him his dues in this flick. He convinced me. Of course Alan Alda know what he is doing as usual. And Scwimmer does his thing in his usual somewhat pathetic way, wich is exactely what his role needed. This gives us a great cast, that enhances the others as well as convinces in their own right.

Of course we have all seen theese movies before, where a small journalist stands up for her rights and her scource and eventually wins. This is not such a film. Nothing but the truth is more about the price that will have to be payed, and how, than it is about the fight for the first ammendment.

And i am not going to spoil the ending for you all, but the last scene caught me by surprise. In retroscpet i can see the hints dropped earlier, but i was surprised by the ending and it imrpoved my experience tremendously. I liked this film, and it did make me think a couple of things through one more time. Which is a good ting in my mind.

Taking Chance (2009)

2009-04-28T03:59:00.000-07:00

This is the tale of a marine officer escorting the body of a fallen soldier to his home and family. It is a slow tale, with lots of beautiful moments and sadness and empathy. But it does not fall into the pitfalls of feel-good. Rather it uses its scenes and scenery in a wonderful way to tell us something about the unseen sides of war.

The quiet persistence of ordinary people, their compassion and empathy was touching, and wil linger with me for quite some time i suspect. Bacon delivers a convincing performance as the escorting officer. His sense of honor and duty, but also his doubts and uncertainties all come out during his service. It was a wonderful movie that left me appreciate the ordinary men and women who keeps going, keeps the wheels spinning maybe even more so, because they know the price that is being payed. They see it almost every day.

This movie could quite possibly be one of my favorite movies of the year. It really was that good.

Making Money by Terry Pratchett (2007)

2009-04-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

I hope this one wins the Nebula. For the simple reason that in addition to being one of Pratchetts best books, he has never won the nebula before and he deserves to win it. No other living author deserves it more, and now that he has gotten alzheimers we have no guarantee that he has many more good books in him. It would be a shame if mr. Pratchett goes to his grave without ever winning the nebula. Sort of like neither Ibsen or Lindgren got the Nobel prize for litterature.

Making money is all about how humans use and produce money and manages to be witty and sarcastical about many of the paradoxes in the world of finances. And also the current finacial toruble will probably make the book seem even more relevant than it seemed a year ago.

Like any Discworld novel it is very well written and you easily feel like you can smell the stink of Ankh-Morpok just by reading about its citizens.

Maybe not the very best book form his universe, but definitely award worthy and a just winner in my mind. Hopfully the SFWA shares my thoughts on this matter. We will see on saturday.

Little Brother by COry Doctorow (2008)

2009-04-22T11:14:00.001-07:00

This is a very important book. It will probably change the life of teenagers for many years. It tells the story of how some teenagers are inocently suspected of terrorism, and how they object to this. It is placed in an America where surveilance is an established fact of life and control seems omniimportant.

It details how clueless the current genration of adults may easily seem in the eyes of younger generation at the same time as it manages to capture the voice of teenagers uncertainty and absolute certainty at the same time.

However, much as i like this book, i don't think it will win this year, neither the nebula or the hugo. But its chances are much better for the Hugo. It is also up for the Prometheus award by the way, wich i think it likely to win. Also it has become a Locus award finallist. But i think the story has one drawback and that is the fact tha Doctorows preaching of anti surveilnace, anti copyright and rebellion against the establishment sometimes gets in the way of a good story. I have seen several others who seems to agree that the sermon gets a bit to intense. Now don't get me wrong, i think the subjects are important and i am happy that they have been made accessible for the younger generation in this way, but the story itself could have been better if Doctorow had eased up a bit on the preaching.

But there is no doubt in my mind that this is one of the most notable reads of 2008 and does easily deserve some awards recognition, but hopfully not the Nebula. Do yourself a favor, and get a copy of this book into the hands of a teenager. (It can be found online at www.craphound.com)

Cauldron by Jack McDevitt (2008)

2009-04-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

For some reason that i have never quite understood, mr. McDevitt seems to be a regular guest on the nebula nominee lists. So also this year. And once again for a not-astounding novel. This is his latest installment in his series about the academy or the Priscilla Hutchins series if you like.

This time they travel to the centre of the galaxy and encounter strange things there. While this series isn't bad, neither does it strike me as particularly award worthy. It is a near future space history concept of how space development could have gone if it had been commercialised at some point.

There are some good things about this series and this book, its characters for example. But i was never quite sold on the journey to the centre of the galaxy thing and feel the novel lacks coherence and reasoning. But i don't think Mr. McDveitt will win this year, so why not let him be nominated?

It isn't that it is a bad book, its just not in the award worthy division unfortunately.

Powers by Ursula K. LeGuin (2008)

2009-04-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

This final instalment in LeGuins Annal of the western shore trilogy is the darkest of the lot. The entire trilogy contains haunting tales of power and gifts that has to be given up. In other words we are not talking about your everyday standard fantasy.

LeGuin is very talented at getting the social enviroment just right and using it as a central element in her stories, so also in this tale. A search for belonging, and acceptance is the central plot element. And while this may sound familiar enough to be boring, LeGuin manages to tell a very enticing and compeling story that just won't let go.

She has been nominated for the Nebula for this novel. Justly so, but i have some doubts that it will win. Not because it is bad, but because i think the SFWA wil give award either Doctorow, Macdonald or Pratchett. My money and hopes are for Pretchett as he certainly deserves it and is of failing health, and should recieve more recognistion before he dies. But her novel is better than both Doctorow and MacDonalds

(Update: Seems my resoning on the nebula was wrong. It won! Not a bad choice, but i had factored in some politicking that seemes not to have mattered as much as i expected. Congratulations to LeGuin)

Brasyl by Ian McDonald (2007)

2009-04-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

In its sceond year of eligibility Brasyl is once again nominated for the Nebula award. This novel has three stories all located in Brasil in different times. McDonald manages to write seductively and conjures some interesting images of life in Brasil that i have no way of knowing if makes sense at all.

I tried to read this book when it was nominated last year, and couldn't finish it. Not because it was a bad book, the writing was pretty good, but this kind of tale doen't really reach me. I have absolutely no relations to Brasil and have no way of recognising anything, and i think that is nessecary to "get" this book. At least for me.

I know many people like it and i have no doubt that it is a good book by any objective standards, but it didn't reach me, and i couldn't finish it. I finally gave it up about two thirds of the way through. This is probably my loss, and not nessecarily McDonalds fault, but the subject matter wasn't for me.

The Steel remains by Richard K. Morgan (2008)

2009-04-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

This dark and gritty fantasy is pretty interesting if tou have no problem reading about gay heroes and lots of blood and gore. We are not talking fantasy as in teenage, hormone-infected fantasies of scantly clad women wielding gigantic sword, and singing elfs and digging dwarfs.

This is adult fantasy with some depths. Kind of like H.P. Lovecraft meets Tolkien. That is a world similar to Tolkiens, only inhabited by humans and some other beings that brought my mind back to Lovecraft.

Sanity is in rather short supply in this world it seems, and those few who are still sane, have some pretty deep scars and problems in their history. This makes for some quite believable characters and world building. And a big plus for not having any elfs or dwarfs or orcs in a fantasy novel. Go Morgan!

If i am to point at something negative, i would like a somewhat different pacing. Morgan tells the story through three characters, but a bit unevenly. Granted Ringil is the main character, but i think the two others should get some more "screen-time" as they are every bit as interesting as Ringil. All three have some issues that gets in the way of their responsibilities and tasks. It wouldn't be a bad thing if the three protagonists met up earlier and had to join their forces in order to win. As it was now, both Ringil and Archeth are a bit too good a fighting to be credible, and if they had to join their forces earlier that would probably improve the book in my mind. However by writing it this way he avoided the classic quest structure that too many wirters end up with, and i will give him kudos for that.

A good read, well worth the effort if you can stand gay characters and quite a bit of gore

The Night sessions by Ken MacLeod (2008)

2009-04-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

The Winner of this years BSFA award. This tale of religious conflict in a world torn apart by oil and religion is actually pretty good. And continues to follow me even ten month after i read it. Mr. MacLeod has done some very good novel in the past, but also some not so good. Like the Execution channel, i didn't like that one. Learning the world, however was terrific. So is this one.

We are introduced to a world in which the fight for oil and/or religion has become two sides of the sam coin, and it has caused some pretty deep scars. MacLeod draws an interesting picture of a world that tris to cope with its scars and to overcome its differences.

It also contains some interesting thoughts on the nature of both religion and humanity and of course the religion of robots. All of these things were presented with care. And it seems obvious that MacLeod has sone some studying of religious history, not only of his own Scotland, in wich a lot of the novel takes place, but also elsewhere.

But most impressive to me was how MecLeod kept me guessing what was really going on, and hoping at the same time that mutually exclusive solutions would manifest themselfs. Pretty decent accomplishment.

A worthy winner in my mind, go read!

Battlestar Galactica (2003 - 2009)

2009-03-24T16:37:00.000-07:00

This rather excellent series has ended after four seasons. The cast and crew has done very well with this reimagination of the original series. Particularly Starbuck, Admiral Adama, and President Rosslyn were astonishing in their performances. Not to mention Gaius Baltar and Six (who manages to keep her nipples inside the dress, or at least out of sight the entire series!)

But even if this has been an astonishingly good series, now that it has ended, am dissappointed. At first the Cylons were said to have a plan, or that God at least had a plan for the cylons and humans. This went completely out of focus, only to return vaugely hinted at, but no more than that. This made med feel somewhat cheated, frankly. Also the entire focus on the five unknown models, and their revelation seemed spurr of the moment and improvised, rather than thought through and considered.

What could have been a masterpiece with a four or five season story arch became a godd series with patial development in the plot. The untapped resources within this universe are huge and plentiful, and i had hoped more would be utilised.

When it comes to the finale (Spoiler alert!) I think the father and mother figures of Adm. Adama and Pres. Rosslyn should have died a lot sooner. Preferably mid way through the fourth season. Leaving the rest of the fleet to grow up, take responsibility and find their own way in the galaxy. Now humanity was held by the hand and led to its new beginnings by its parents, rather than finding it themselfs. I thought Lee Adama was on to something when he said we need to find our own place, do our own thing after they had brokered the treaty with the cylons.

And the cop out of having it all happen before and history repeating itself was pitiful. This has been done too many times and i had hoped they would come up with something better.

All in all the series was very good, but not nessecarily because of its universe or plot. Rather the good parts of it came from the acting and the stresses the crew felt on the battlestar and throughout the fleet. The cast outperformed the writers by a league. and took what could easily have become a mediocre series, and turned it into a great series.

Superpowers by David Schwartz (2008)

2009-03-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

This tale of five students who wakes up with superpowers was nominated for the Nebula award this year. I am not sure why that is. Not to say that Superpowers is a bad book, it simply isn't a good one. I never really got into the different peoples mood or feelings or their lifes really. Things just seemed to happen and then even more things happened. I didn't find any flow or suspension in this novel and this, imho, turned a promising concept into a rather flat and predictable tale.

The only redeeming factor was the fact that Schwartz included the terror on 9/11/2001 in his story. Now i don't know if this was edited in at a later date to boost its relevance or saleability. But i give kudos for doing it, even if it didn't mesh fully with the rest of the book.

The Nebula award seems to often have a few surprises, last year Tobias Buckell was nominated for his average book, Ragamuffin. This year its Schwatz who gets the somewhat dubious honor of holding back the field. Sorry, i know this is your first novel and all, but this didn't do much for me. Maybe next time, but not now. If it is any consolation, i found nothing wrong with your writing, language, chapthers and paragraphs, it was the plot and narrative sturcture i didn't like. Keep trying, and i might just buy your next novel as well, but this time i will read some citics before making up my mind.

No line on the horizon by U2 (2009)

2009-03-09T14:44:00.001-07:00

U2 has for been one of my favorite bands ever since achtung baby first came out. But the two last albums were a bit of a disappointment to me. I never really got any of them under my skin, and the respective singles never did much for me. But these albums were well received by the critics and gained the band a lot of new fans and their popularity rose to new heights as a result.

However in this album they manages to get back a lot of what they did in the earlier albums such as Joshua tree, Achtung Baby and Zooropa. The familiar guitars by Edge is back in force but never dominating, Bonos seems to have found a less hectic and stressfull approach to the entire album. Genreally it seems to me they have found their way back to what i consider the core of what U2 is about. And this is a very good thing.

They have dropped the grittiness of the earlier albums, but also the overpolished and overproduced gloss of the to last (How to dismantle an atomci bomb, and Stuck in a moment you cant get out of) The titles alone tells you something, compare them to their earlier titles like, Boy, October, Joshua Tree, Rattle and Hum, Zooropa, Pop, and Under a blood red sky. To me at least i prefer the shorter titles.

The first song is pretty catchy except for the stuttering way Bono sings horizon, no complains. But a true masterpiece follows. Magnificent has managed to combine the religious worship from gloria, with the mastery musical sound of the 2000s and it is a stunningly good song, that seems to be the best on the album.

Other worthy mentions are tracks number five (I'll go crazcy if i dont go crazcy tonight) and six (Get your boots on) Both are very catchy and wil probably become singles. The only other track that has formed an impression on my after a day of listening is number eight (Fez -- Being born) Sadly this impression is a bad one, the song seems unfocused and unispired to me. It may grow on me, but i am not motivated to put eny effort into it. If it does grow, good, if not, i can always skip to the next song.

This has the appearence of a good album. It certainly is better than the previous two, so i can not understand why the critics are so hard on this one. Go buy it, it it worth the effort.

Steal across the sky by Nancy Kress (2009)

2009-03-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

Nancy Kress is one of my favorite authors and i always buy her books when they are published. She has recived several awards for her writings and has by many been considered a "writers choice" -being a writer being avidly read by many other writers. And it is easy to understand why.

Her prose isn't very poetic, nor does it really stand out in any particular way other than effective and adapted to the stories she writes. Kress manages to convey a lot of things through her language, but avoids the trappings of getting too poetic or anecdotal. Her stories are often very interesting for this aspect alone, but her concepts are also an important reason for her popularity. They are generally well thought out and more coherent than too many others.

The concept of this novel is simple; aliens have comitted a crime against humanity, and wishes to atone, by facislitating humans to witnessing evidence of said crime. An interesting concept that hooked me when i read the coverflaps on the dust-jacket. However, and it does pain me a bit to say this, i had some issues with the execution of the plot.

Why would the aliens not follow up their efforts to put things right? Why the silence, after all the fuss? Why not enter itno a discussion of exactely what consequences their crime had on humanity, and if we were in fact better of as a result?

There were several questions like these that the novel failed to answer in a manner i found to be satisfactory. But as i don't want to spoil the essential plot elements, i will not got further into the details. But another thing i also found sort of underdeveloped was what happened in other countries than the US? 21 witnesses, six from the US (or thereabouts) what happened in other countries, how were the witnesses recieved? Was USA the only country where they recieved threats? what were the reactions of the religious cominities in other parts of the world?

Now i realise that 320 pages isn't all that much, but i would still have prefered a more global perspective than the naval comtemplating USA POV.

Does this ruin the book? -No. This book is a perfect example of why i like Kress' writings, even when i find faults in the plotting, or the structure, her stories hook me. Her prose is so efficient that i keep reading without much effort. I have never had a struggle to finish her stories, nor was this any kind of hardship. And my objections to it does not reduce the fact that it was a good book. It will probably be a book i will recomend to people wo are not familiar with every trope the genre has explored. This could very well be a good introduction to the enticing world of speculative fiction. But it probably will not reside at the top of any list of favorite books.

Marked forces by Richard K. Morgan

2009-03-09T14:05:00.000-07:00

This 441 pages novel from 2004 seemed eerily familiar to me when i read it last week. The cutthroat life of corporations and their efforts to be ever more cynical was pretty well described. And rang deeper now than i think it would have if i were to read it before the current financial crisis.

But while it did portray some pretty gritty stuff, i never quite got sold on the road rage aspects. Morgan never fully explaines how it got started, beyond a few references to getting there first and such.

However, if you buy the concept of the book, it was skillfully written and had very good characters and their struggles seemed believable for the most part anyway.

As i was reading the book, i was uncertain as to how good it was. But as some time has passed, i have found myself thinking more on and about it, and have come to the conclusion that it was better than i first believed.

Mind you this is no great masterpiece of literature that will span the centuries. But it is a good novel and it has some depths and warnings we should heed in this time of uncertain finances.

The Wrestler (2008)

2009-02-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

This excellent movie scored oscar nomination not only for Mickey Rourke as lead acter, but also for Marisa Tomei for supporting actress. Both performances were stunning, but Rourkes authenticity as an old wrestler getting too old for the game war overwhelming.

This movie seemed so authentic that the lines between reality an fiction seems erased. There were so many scenes where almost everybody will recognize themselfs, or at least, someone they know.

Everybody who has ever grown out of things will find familiarity in this picture.

At the same time it also show how a life lived can become a constraint, it is not easy to change, even if you know you should. And this movie manages to convey a lot of believable regret, anger, frustration but also love, tenderness and respect where one doesn't expect it.

A very good movie, and Rourkes performance will haunt me for a while yet.

Imdb rating is at 8,6 and that seems about correct.

The Visitor (2008)

2009-02-13T14:49:00.001-08:00

This Thomas McCarthy movie was nominated for best actor in a leading role. And Richard Jenkins deserved the nomination. But the films was more than just a vessel for Jenkins, it was a sad, and moving tale of loneliness and community and loss and friendship.

Prof. Walter Yale finds his apartment in NY occupied by friendly strangers. And as he gets to know them a strange friendship grows on him and reintroduces him to life after mourning his dead wife these last few years.

The of course, something bad happens and he finds himself thrown out of his comfort zone and fighting for justice. A remarkable film in many ways, not least because of its slow pacing and meditative take on all of the questions mentioned above.

Go see this movie please, at least if you live in USA.

Imdb rating is 7.9, and i believe this should actually go up to about 8,5 or some such. But immediately after seeing it i would probably agree with 7,9. However it has grown on me since i saw it, and thus it deserves about 8,5

The Road by Cormac McCarthy (2006)

2009-02-11T13:17:00.000-08:00

This haunting post apocalyptic tale of a father & son journey through a desolate America was very well written. It doesn't really bring anything new or original to the genre, but it does tell a familiar story expertly. McCarthy got a Pulitzer for it, and it generated a lot of buzz when it came out. Personally i think the buzz was a bit of a hype, but there is no getting around the fact that McCarthey writes very well indeed, and should he ever return to the fantastic i will definitely read it.

Implied spaces by Walter John Williams (2008)

2009-02-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

This is a new book by a really good author,and it is alsoa rather short one at a mere 260 pages. But it is filled to the rim with exiting ideas like bubble universes with flexible laws of nature and samurai sword swinging technocrats to mention a few.

Like Williams "Hardwired" it is a rather fast paced action filled novel, but with some interesting ideas to balance the action. And, as will come as no surprise, i like its length. Williams has managed to use his 260 pages very well and constructed a tight narrative that leaves me longing for more of the same.

Anathem by Neal Stephenson (2008)

2009-02-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

This is a big novel in many ways. Not only is it a brick of 830 pages (+100 pages appendix), it is also a pretty cool look into a world where the history of science and philosophy has taken a similar, yet radically different path. There are several monastry like centers of knowledge, but these preserve knowledge, they do not necessarily share it with the general population.

I do believe some knowledge of our own history of science and philosophy will greatly enhance the reading experience. But i don't think it is necessary to enjoy the book. It has several cool things like the millennial clock that just rocks. Unfortunately the ending does not quite live up to the rest of the novel. I am not going to give it away, but like the only other book i have read by Stephenson (Snow Crash) the ending was disappointing compared to the rest of the novel.

It was also a bit too long in my mind. If he had cut out about a hundred pages of history and tightened the plot somewhat this could easily have gone onto a list of all time favorites. As it is now, it comes close, but doesn't quite make it there.

Flood by Stephen Baxter (2008)

2009-02-11T12:33:00.000-08:00

This 471 pages book, is not really a novel as i see it. It is more of a situation that unfolds. There is little character development and the outcome was given from the very start. Now don't get me wrong, the book was a decent read, but i would like to see more character development and a more intricate plot structure.

The concept was only marginally explained, and even if Baxter added a reading list at the end of of the book, i wasn't really sold on it. It may be real, but he couldn't sell it to me. And that is a major drawback when the entire book hinges on the viability of the concept.

In my mind the nomination for BSFA is due to factors beyond the qualities of the novel itself, like honoring Baxter's publication record or some such.

Not to be mean or anything, but i hope Baxter doesn't win this one, not for this novel anyway.

The Gone away world by Nick Harkaway (2008)

2009-02-08T09:01:00.000-08:00

This strange and enthusiastic apocalypse manages to convey the chaos and loss as the world changes drastically. While the plot was pretty good, with quite a few original takes on familiar themes, it was the main character that sold me. And of course the language. While this isn't a perfect novel, it did bring a lot of good things, and deserved the nomination for BSFWA award (British Science Fiction Writers Association) This is Harkaway's debut-novel and what a debut it is!. While the plotting was good, it wasn't perfect. The Zey Character was pretty much unexplained and a loose thread. And the final resolution came about kind of suddenly. But the poetry of the language overcomes these drawbacks. In fact the skilled use of anecdotes and addendums makes the pages fly by and the 531 pages goes by almost before you notice.

I will be reading Harkaways next book, no doubt

Dead like me, Life after death (2009)

2009-02-08T08:56:00.001-08:00

While the series was excellent and bizzare while kind of family friendly, this movie doesn't quite achieve the same greatness. But it was a nice reminder of a great series that actually bears re-watching. If you loved the series, you'll like this movie. But i doubt that a lot of people will like the movie if they haven't seen the series.

imdb rating is 7.3 and that seems about right

XIII: The conspiracy (2008)

2009-02-08T08:41:00.000-08:00

This miniseries featuring Stephen Dorff and Val Kilmer disappoints with its cliches and predictability. The action sequences were long and plentifull, but boring, and a distraction. The acting wasn't much to write home about, and this felt like a waste of 3 hrs.

Now go away and do something better next time guys.

Milk (2008)

2009-02-04T03:57:00.001-08:00

This Gus Van Sant movie was nominated for Oscars in the following categories: Directing, Lead actor, supporting actor, Writign (Original screenplay), Best picture, Music (score), Film editing and costume design. I am not convinced aon the costume design or music, but then again i never am in these categories. The others seems reaonable. Especially Sean Penn deserves an Oscar for his interpretation of Harvey Milk. Not only the way he performes the lines, but in the very way he breathes and walks and behave is convincingly pulled of. The story itself is pretty good and Van Sant has managed to tell it in just the right way. The tempo seems to fit, the beginning, revealing the end, only to tell a story so interesting that by the end you have almost forgotten that the end is revealed and hope that was a mistake. Of course it isn't.

If you are squeamish about seeing two men kiss, there will be some scenes to make you uncomfortable within this movie. But it is never speculative, and contributes to the story. Josh Brolin does an incredible role, but in my mind Penn outperformes him. So i was glad to see that he also got a nomination for his effort, it is deserved.

The story is about Harvey Milk the first publicly elected openly gay official of San Fransisco (and also USA). As biopics go it is a pretty good one, it doesn't paint Milk as a saint, but as a normal human longing and fighting for the respect he feels his people deserves. A fight well worth a movie and time well spent watching it.

Imdb rating is 8.1/10 but should be higher.

Taken (2008)

2009-02-04T02:38:00.001-08:00

Director Pierre Morel disappoints with this movie written by Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen. While Liam Neeson is rather good, he is the only good thing about the movie. The action sequences fails repetedly and only Neesons characther is developed at all. All the others are either one dimesional or mere plot points, neither helps the movie.

Neesons characther is, while competent, actually static. But Neeson manages to portray it believably and gets out of the script everything (and maybe a little bit more) that is there. There is really no change within the characther, but he does resolve the problem, and thus the movie comes to an end.

I was sad to see that Luc Besson was a co-writer, he has after all delivered some pretty good films before, like Leon, Nikita and 5th Element. But then again he did also give us Taxi1-4 and Transporter.

Imdb rating is 8/10 and should be closer to 5/10 because if you take Neeson out of this movie there is simply nothing left in it.

Gran Torino (2008)

2009-02-04T02:21:00.000-08:00

Clint Eastwood needs no further presentation. He is a classic icon and a perpetual hero of the movies. In this film he portrays a lonly and bitter old veteran of the Korea war who sees his neighborhood slowly change into a ghetto of south east asian origins.

Eastwood both directs, and is lead cast, and does both things very well. But credit is also due to Anhey Her, she does the role of struggling immigrant/lone mother very well. Her journey from skepticism to friendship with Eastwood's character is believable, and also her effort to juggle her different cultural inheritances impressed me. I'll be seeing her next movie i think.

Imdb rank is 8.5/10 and is a little too high, could come down a notch or two. Because while both Eastwood and Her are great, there aren't too many other fully developed characthers and the classic predjudices aren't investigated as much as i would like to see beyond the two main characthers.

Frost/Nixon (2008)

2009-02-04T01:46:00.001-08:00

Once again Ron Howard proves that he knows how to do biopics. This movie actually managed to convey some of the anger and frustration of a nation betrayed. However the acting was astounding. Langella certainly deserved his Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Nixon. He delivered a stunning performance and took what could easily have been a mediocre film, and turned it into what could easily become a classic. I was also impressed by Martin Sheen as Frost, the british talk show host fighting to stay afloat in stirred seas.

Honorable mentions also goes out to Sam Rockwell and Kevin Bacon for their performances. They give enough depth to their characters that the entire film seems more character than script driven. And, imho, this is a good thing as it makes the entire thing believable.

I am impressed at how often actors seem to give stunning performances under the directing of Ron Howard. This has happened too often to be a coincidence, chances are that Mr. Howard is an excellent director of actors.

imdb rating is 8.1/10 and could be a decimal point or two higher.

Felon (2008)

2009-02-04T01:31:00.000-08:00

Directed by former stunt man Rick Roman Waugh, this movie takes on the case of a family man summarily sentenced for homicide, and due to some unfortunate circumstances is transferred to a maximum security unit. In this unit there is quite a lot of bad things going on and the movie actually manages to portray the main character's struggle to keep sane and still survive. Stephen Dorff does a great job and fulfills the promise of an excellent script, also by Rick Roman Waugh. Val Kilmer is, as always, pretty good, but pales in comparison with Dorff's performance. This movie will stay with me for quite some time, i think, and that is always a good thing.

The imdb.com rating is 7.9/10 and i think it could be a little higher.

Burn after reading (2008)

2009-02-04T01:17:00.000-08:00

This movie by the Cohen brothers was pretty cool in a laid back and effortless way. Brad Pitt as the airhead gym instructor was a hoot, but Clooney didn't delivers quite as good as he often does. The plot was a rather original take on the standard intelligence leak and subsequent search for scapegoats. I actually laughed out loud several times watching this movie and agree on the 7.4/10 imdb.com ranking. (I often disagree with this ranking, but not today) You will easily forget the movie itself, for it isn't all that memorable, but Pitts character was. Anyway, that probably doesn't matter as this film seems to have been made to be an easy going film to entertain you for 1,5 hrs. And this it does.

John Malcovich does the estranged CIA agent every bit as good as i have come to expect from him.

For more details, see imdb

Welcome

2009-02-04T01:12:00.000-08:00

This will simply be a blog where i write about the different films, books, tv-series and music i experience throughout my life. I will focus mostly on the things i expreience from now on, rather than trying to write about every book i have read before. Tv-series will probably be refered to as entire seasons rather than single episodes. The reason for this blog is to help me keep tabs on what i have read, seen and heard and what i think about it after doing so. Nothing more. But if this should be of interest to anybody, feel free to comment on my impressions of the thing discussed.