How an Icelandic indie folk band won me over with a tale of steampunk, magic and monsters.
Of Steampunk, Monsters, Magic and Men
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E is for Embellish: Jackson’s Unexpected Hobbit
What happens when a stand-alone novel gets turned into a prequel in reverse? You get fighting dwarves, a sword-wielding hobbit, a rabbit-pulled-sled and an albino orc henchman…of course. What? You thought a barely 300 page children’s book was going to be enough to churn out three sprawling cinematic “money-in-the-bank” features? You must have been smoking that half-ling leaf….
Some spoilers to follow….
Radi-Aid: African Aid for Frostbitten Norwegians
“Africans unite to save Norwegians from dying of frostbite. You too can donate your radiator and spread some warmth”
So it’s rare, very rare, that I do back-to-back blogs. But once in a while, something so delicious and overflowing with blog-worthiness pops up on your radar–and demands a write up. The recipient today is the super-snarky and wonderful video “Africa for Norway.”
Steampunk This! – The Fascinating Life of Mary Bowser
“Mary Bowser, born into slavery in Virginia sometime around 1840, was, alternately, a missionary to Liberia, a Freedmen’s school teacher — and, most amazingly, a Union spy in the Confederate White House.”–Lois Loveen
Cloud(ed) Atlas
“Everything is connected.” That’s the theme behind the new film by Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, and Andy Wachowski, Cloud Atlas. Based on the novel by David Mitchell, the movie follows the interrelated lives of several figures across time and space–from the letters of a young lawyer in the 19th century Pacific, to the far-flung future “After the Fall.” The Wachowskis and Tykwer do their best to bring a complex literary story to life on the big screen; how close they came to hitting the mark however is debatable.
Phenderson Djèlí Clark 