Sea Princess Azuri links

As I’ve mentioned before, I really like Erica Reis’ Sea Princess Azuri comic.  It’s super cute but it’s less popular than it should be.  (She’s now Erica Leigh Currey.)

Here’s her deviant art page (Solipherus).  Lots of color pictures of merfolk.

Her personal website.  Blog, portfolio, etc.  Much pretty Princess Azuri stuff.

Erica’s LiveJournal blog.

Wikipedia entry.

Madman – bit of info on both volumes.

Some less than favorable reviews from MangaLife and MangaPunk.  They didn’t like the narrative which is missing the point. Azuri and friends are just really, really adorable.

X-Men Animated Series

Image via Wikipedia

I had given up hope that the 1990s animated X-Men would be released to DVD.  Many thanks to Johanna from Comics Worth Reading for noting its release.

She comments that the voice acting is not the best and the writing and animation is a bit subpar too.  She concludes that “I’m probably too old for this, not having a young love for superhero action or a nostalgic fondness from when this first aired.”

Personally, I have an enormous nostalgia built up for this series, and, unlike  the series Freakazoid, I have no expectations that it’ll be good.

In fact, one of my strongest memories is of Juggernaut proclaiming, “I’m COMing for you, ChARles exAAAvier!!!! Nothing can STAND in meye WAAAY!!!!”

But I was introduced to the X-Men and the Dark Phoenix storyline through this show.  My friends and I started collecting the comics too.

I’m thrilled to be able to see it again, crude animation and overwrought performances and all.

In passing, I was most disappointed in the live-action version of the Dark Phoenix storyline.  The comics’ Jean displayed unbridled destructive glee.  The movie Jean just seemed pissed that she’d lost her dry cleaning.

However, Hugh Jackman is better than any other incarnation of Wolverine.

Three Brides No Groom by Debbie Macomber

Image by David Clow – Maryland via Flickr

A collection of three tales of women being dumped at the altar.

Gretchen’s story was my favorite.  She discovers that, during her engagement, her fiancee had impregnated another woman.  She throws her ring at him and takes off with Josh on his motorcycle, and they travel from Seattle to San Francisco. Liked this one.

Carol the cheerleader is dumped by her football boyfriend.  She starts subbing as a secretary to a genius programmer.  She thinks of him as nerd and therefore unworthy of her attention.  This one was pretty good too.

Maddie the bad girl has an affair with her math teacher.   I didn’t care much for her or her plight.

1001 Movies (222 to 261)

I was reading “1001 movies you must watch before you die” and I wasn’t as convinced as the author that these were such great movies.  I mean they often had technical or historical significance.  But I didn’t think all of them were necessarily artistic or entertaining. I took it upon myself to comment on which ones were worth watching and which were not.

Movies 1-60 ::  Movies 61-100 ::  Movies 101-160 :: Movies 161-220

Movies 221-260 ::  Movies 261-300

On the rating system:
Watch anytime:  Superb entertainment
Repeat viewing: Good entertainment
Worth once: if you’ve nothing better to do
Historical significance: not for pleasure

Based on 2004 edition.

No. 225. Rashomon (1950)
Type: crime
Rating: historical significance
Comments:  Not necessary. It has great historical value and is well done.   On the other hand, you’ve seen this technique and this story redone many, many, many times.

No. 229. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
Type: drama
Rating: worth once
Comments: Yes.  It’s one of those movies that make you glad you’re not that messed up.

No. 233. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Type: drama
Rating: worth once
Comments: Yes.  They fudged some of Williams’ play but still, you have to see Marlon Brando yelling “Stella” in context.

No. 234. Strangers on a Train (1951)
Type: crime
Rating: repeat viewing
Comments: Yes.  Some people say that Frenzy is Hitchcock’s best squicky movie but I think this one is more disturbing in places.

No. 237. The African Queen (1951)
Type: adventure
Rating: watch anytime
Comments: Yes! Yes! Yes!  This character-driven adventure tale is so good that I forgive the cheesy ending.

No. 239. An American in Paris (1951)
Type: musical
Rating: historical significance
Comments: No.  This is dull.  It’s a classic and Gene Kelly is an artist, and blah blah blah.  It’s still dull.

No. 241. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Type: science fiction
Rating: historical significance
Comments: No.  It’s not that I think the alien is unbelievable, it’s the humans I don’t get.  It gets props for a serious science fiction back in the day.

No. 242. The Quiet Man (1952)
Type: drama
Rating: repeat viewing
Yes.  John Wayne fisticuffs in Ireland and Maureen O’Hara is all spitfire loveliness.  I love this movie, non-PC elements and all.

No. 245. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Type: musical
Rating: watch anytime
YES. There’s a lot more to enjoy beyond the ‘singing in the rain’ number.  It’s a light hearted satire – odd and good.

No. 250. High Noon (1952)
Type: western
Rating: historical significance
Comments: No.  However,  I watched this when I was too young to appreciate the philosophical nuances.  All I remember is watching a guy walk around an Old West set for at least a thousand hours.

After the break  is the full list from 222 to 261:

Prince Rabbit by A. A. Milne

Also “The Princess Who Could Not Laugh.”

I loved this book as a kid but couldn’t remember the name.  I searched lists of books by A. A. Milne but didn’t recognize the title because I was looking for ”fairy tales’ something.

The charming illustrations were done by Mary Shepard who also illustrated the Mary Poppins books.

Prince Rabbit is about a talking rabbit who competes for a throne with a human nobleman.  Prince Rabbit is very quick-witted which helps him succeed in the tests.

For instance, one of the tests is to answer what seven times six is.

Prince Rabbit knows the King is trying to fix the contest and make his human opponent win.  The other man says the answer is 54.

Prince Rabbit’s turn is next. He says:

Your Majesty, there are several possible answers to this extraordinarily novel conundrum.  At first sight the obvious solution would appear to be ‘forty-two.’ The objection to this solution is that it lacks originality.  I have long felt that a progressive country such as ours might well strike out a new line in the matter.  Let us agree that in the future seven sixes are ‘fifty-four.’

But I liked “The Princess Who Could Not Laugh” even better.  For one thing, it had a girl character.

The king in this story loves jokes but his daughter never laughs and he becomes determined to find a way to change her.  He offers her hand in marriage and half the kingdom to any man who can make her laugh.

The chief suitors/contestants are Count Hippo and Count Rollo.  The Princess favors Rollo, especially since Hippo just wants the kingdom.  But neither of them can make her laugh despite some funny jokes.

In rereading it, I found a passage that I really liked.  It’s a bit sentimental but, well, why not?

Nothing is so pleasant as to tell a funny story to somebody whom you love, to watch the smile coming on her face, and to hear her sudden laughter, and then to linger with her, your laughter catching new life from hers, in happy enjoyment of the joke.

7 Books I Wish Were Movies

Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough

What:  A distressing medical diagnosis prompts a cinderella to live a little.

What’s in it for me:  I love that she secretly starts reading romance novels and ultimately takes over the town.  Awesome.

Brief description.

Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer

What:  A plain but lively girl asks a rich man to marry her to spare her older sisters.

What’s in it for me:  I love Heyer’s books and this one is my favorite.

Enthusiastic recommendation.

Lady Susan by Jane Austen

What: A conniving Lady Susan manipulates the romances of  various couples.

What’s in it for me:   I like ‘bad’ girls and it’s Jane Austen.

Brief description.

Minerva by Marion Chesney

What:  Beautiful girl devotes herself to caring for all her siblings, then she is sent to London for a season.

What’s in it for me:  I want to see that Minerva costume.

Reader reviews.

Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

What:  Multi-lingual girl in Ancient Egypt is recruited as a spy.

What’s in it for me:  I’d like to see a story set in Ancient Egypt with a female protagonist.

Plot summary.

Forgotten Daughter by Caroline Dale Snedeker

What:  Young orphan girl in ancient Rome falls for nobleman’s son.

What’s in it for me:  I’d like to see a story set in Ancient Rome that doesn’t involve gladiators or wars.

Brief description.

Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott

What:  A poor but virtuous girl goes to live with her wealthy, shallow cousins.

What’s in it for me:  I love the proposal in the hallway with all the galoshes.  *sigh*

A bit of history.

Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse – “Stage Fright”

Britney Spears (via last.fm)

I can’t believe I missed posting about this episode.  Well, this episode was forgettable.

A sort of Britney Spears/Beyonce pop star named Rayna (Jaime Lee Kirchner) has gotten threatening letters and one of her backup singers was hurt during her most recent show.  Her manager (Jim Piddock) decides to get a doll to protect Rayna instead of hiring a bodyguard.  His reasoning is that someone who wants to save you (read: imprinted) will be better than someone who is just doing their job. Enter wannabe Jordan/Echo (Eliza Dushku) who is just so thrilled to be near Rayna the great.

I wish they could just say, “It’s the hellmouth” when they need to set up a scenario instead of this ineffectual and tedious hand waving.

I get that Rayna is a ‘doll’ just like Echo but Rayna has the ability to make decisions – to leave the business or mediatate or something.  Echo made one really bad decision, she gave up her right to be a person.  Now she’s stuck.

The end was rather dull but I liked the setup. I liked watching Echo smile at the beginning as the wannabe.

Sierra (Dichen Lachman) was adorable in this episode.

Agent Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) plugs along.  The man has no hope of figuring this out.

episode 1 GHOSTS

episode 2 THE TARGET

episode 3 STAGE FRIGHT

episode 4 GRAY HOUR

episode 5 TRUE BELIEVER

episode 6 MAN ON THE STREET

episode 7 ECHOES

episode 8 NEEDS

episode 9 A SPY IN THE HOUSE OF LOVE

episode 10 HAUNTED

episode 11 BRIAR ROSE

episode 12 OMEGA

Shojo Beat December 2008

Finally done with 2008! Now on to this year.

SPOILERS on the series…

linkblogging Romance Novels 1

Image via Wikipedia

Since the fall of 2007, I’ve had a Google alert going for romance novels.  I was inspired by Robert Langford’s Ansible newsletter.  He often features a section named, ‘as others see us’ (example).

I thought that if science fiction and fantasy is denigrated by mainstream media then romance novels and their readers will definitely get all kinds of snide remarks.  I set up the Google alert out for “trashy romance” and my email overflowed with a bunch of nasty and repetitive comments from across the Internet.  Good thing I didn’t try “bodice ripper”.

I changed my alert to “romantic fiction” and sifted through the results which were more even handed.  I’m going to start linkblogging some of the more interesting ones.  I may throw in a few of the snide ones if they are witty, ’cause I know none of the complaints against the genre will be original.

These links are old but they still exist and are still pertinent.

How to Write a Trashy Romance. part 1. part 2. part 3.  Has most of the typical charges against romances (readers have no restraint, it’s all about sex, all romances are the same) but it’s very funny.  It’s a pity the author spent so much time blaming authors for the covers and the titles since, as I understand it, they seldom influence either one.

Writing in a new age of romance by Brendan O’Keefe. link.  Pleasant introduction to the genre for the novice.

Alyssa Goodnight ponders the causes behind the ‘trashy romance’ stereotype. link.

The Anchoress is comically dismayed by the gay romance novel. link.

A short biography by Jay Dixon on Georgette Heyer who is best known for her Regency romances and set the standard for later writers.

Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce

Image via Wikipedia

Daine is a shapeshifter and animal speaker who becomes mixed up in the affairs of the immortals.  She would have been one of my heroines if I had known about her when I was young.

In this 3rd book of the series, Daine, the animal speaker, goes as part of a delegation from Tortal to the magnificent kingdom of Cathak. There she attempts to heal the sick birds of the emperor and befriends urban animals.

Cathak is a place of wonders both natural and magical.  She finds Orzone, the emperor, to be sympathetic in his love of his birds.  Unfortunately, there is a darkness to the land, not the least of which is the strange old woman with powerful magic who periodically visits her.

Not my favorite book in the series due to the way Daine combats the villains but still very good.