One Bloody Thing After Another!

I just finished Joey Comeau's new novel One Bloody Thing After Another, and it was fan-fucking-tastic! Seriously, it was a really great read. I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind a little blood and guts mixed in with a very well crafted story and great characters. You just have to have the stomach to handle the bloody bits.
One Bloody Thing After Another is one of those books that you don't want to put down...a book that makes you resent the day to day crap that you have to do, and wish that you could just keep reading. My review of it is posted on the ecw press website, and I figured that it would be a wee bit redundant to just copy and paste the exact same thing right here, so if you'd like to read the full review, click here. Then if the passion moves you, you can even pre-order the book straight from the fine folks at ecw.

I've Never Really Decided Who My Favourite Author Of All Time Is...

...I've always been more of a top five list kind of girl, but I think that Christopher Moore might be a serious contender for first place.
I've read all of his books (most, multiple times), and when his new book Bite Me: A Love Story came out yesterday I was at the bookstore as soon as it opened (but not obnoxiously waiting at the door...I hung back in my car, and waited a few minutes so that I didn't come off a a total douche, running in there as soon as they unlocked the front doors) and I spent my entire day, with the exception of some quality boyfriend time and some solid Lost watching, reading the book...and I finished it.
Once again, Christopher Moore didn't disappoint, Bite Me was hilarious, and even kind of touching...at least as touching as a book about vampires, goth girls, manga haired boys and Chet the giant vampire cat can be. It was absolutely, thoroughly entertaining!
Lamb, one of Moore's earlier books is consistently in my top five favourite books of all time, I've read it probably four or five times...so could it be...could it possibly be that I've finally found an answer to the "who's you're favourite author?" question...it seems likely.

Level 26

A few days ago I finished reading Level 26 By Anthony E. Zucker with Dave Swierczynski. It's being billed as the world's first Digi-Novel. So what you do is, you sign up at this website, and at selected intervals in the novel you go to the website, enter a specific code and watch bits of footage that are related to the book (crime scenes, clips of the killer, things like that). At first the idea intrigued me. It's a novel about a serial killer who has hit an all new level of off the charts fucked-up-ed-ness (that's what Level 26 signifies...apparently before this guy, serial killer fucked-up-ed-ness was measured on a scale of 1-25...and they had to create an all new level to cover the scope of crazy that this guy was)...I wasn't expecting a work of literary genius or anything (obviously...the book was penned by the guy who created CSI), but it was something different (this whole Digi-Novel business), so I figured "what the hell, I'll give it a shot". Plus it was a loaner that I got from my brother in law, and he said it was fairly twisted, so I'd likely enjoy it.
I've gotta say, I'm not sold on this Digi-Novel crap...perhaps if it was executed better, then I would have a higher opinion of it, but if you've ever read my blog before, you know that I have a bit of a problem at times with books translating properly onto film, and in this case, the two were conceived (supposedly) at the same time, and carried to fruition with the sole intention of creating the "World's first Digi-Novel"...so why were there so many inconsistencies between what was written in the book and what was depicted in the film clips? Why were some of the characters so poorly cast for the roles they were playing? Either the author didn't realize that when you describe a character's skin as "milky" the connotation is 'pale' not 'smooth'...if he wanted a dairy reference for smooth, he should have used 'creamy', not 'milky' (and I don't think that this is me being entirely too picky...I've asked a bunch of people what they think of when they read 'milky skin', and I'm not alone in my interpretation...in fact, no one said smooth...pale was the consensus). Or, the folks casting the visual bits didn't bother to take their cues from the author. Either way, the girl who was cast as the 'milky' skinned character was clearly of mixed racial background...it just didn't make sense. Even some of the footage that was supposed to be taken by the serial killer from a video camera on a tripod was moving footage...from different camera angels. A little bit of continuity would have gone a long fucking way to make this "Digi-Novel" far more frightening, and have the end result be much more satisfying for the reader/viewer.
Don't get me wrong, the story was creepy, and I did sleep with my bedside light on one night in the middle of reading the book because I was altogether creeped out, but if they were trying to break new ground, and be the first to publish a multimedia novel, they should have made sure that they pulled it off without a hitch, which they didn't. It all seemed a little ill conceived and poorly executed. But that's just one girl's opinion.

PS- it was also kind of an annoying pain in the ass to try to log on to the website to watch the footage at the end of almost every chapter.

I Finished Reading High Fidelity the Other Day...

I finished reading High Fidelity the other day, and I've been playing around in my head how exactly I was going to put into words the way that I felt while reading it, and when I finished reading it.
I think that I mentioned before that I don't generally like to read a book after I've seen the movie, as it ruins the reading experience for me. You've got actors stuck in your head, rather than building the characters in your mind as the author moves through the book, little descriptors and nuances changing your concept of the character with each page you read. As a rule I try to read the book before the movie is out (or failing that, at least before I see the movie myself), that is not to say, however, that I make a point of reading every book that's made into a movie, but if it's a book that I've been interested in, and it's on my to read list, then I do try to get the book read before I see the movie ('cause odds are that if I want to read the book, and I enjoy the book, then I want to see how the movie turns out).
In the case of High Fidelity though, I finally decided to let it slide. I saw the movie ages ago (it came out when I was 19, and I hadn't really developed my hard and fast literature/movies rules), and I loved it. I still do. I own it, I've seen it a bunch of times. I'd been thinking about reading the book for a few years now, but I never got around to it, and my book/movie rules nagged at me (no, you shouldn't read it now, it's too late, the read will be wrecked for you by having seen the movie...all that bizarre neurotic crap that runs through my head), then, as I was walking through the library a couple of weeks ago, trolling the shelves for something to read, I meandered through the "Adult Fiction H" section and came across Nick Hornby. I paused, looked at High Fidelity on the shelf, pulled it out, had a look at the paperback (thank god it wasn't the movie cover edition of the book, 'cause that would have been a deal breaker for me...I know it seems superficial, but I'd feel like a band-wagon-jumper reading the movie edition of any book. I feel like it just screams "I'm only interested in reading this because Hollywood deemed it worthy for mass consumption"). Sometimes I think too much about ridiculous shit. Anyways, it was in my hand, and the decision was made. I was finally going to read High Fidelity.
I'm so glad that I did, and it seems like it was kismet or fate or something that I finally decided to read it at this point in my life. It was so fitting, so appropriate. I couldn't believe it. There's so much that I don't have in common with the book's main character Rob Fleming, most obviously, I'm not a 35 year old British man, I am not miserable, hopeless and self destructive in my relationship (quite the opposite, I'm so incredibly happy in mine that sometimes I feel like I'm going to explode, and I'm still not sure how I managed to get so lucky [and yes, I know you're reading this]), but other than that I have started to become a lot like Rob. I've noticed myself becoming more and more bitter, and more and more jaded. So much like Rob in the book.
I've been passively thinking about making some life changes for the past, oh, I don't know, three or four years, and lately it's become less and less passive. Reading High Fidelity was, bizarrely enough, the final push that I needed in the right direction. I know that it's a work of fiction, but I see myself on the same road as Rob, wandering aimlessly, stuck where it's familiar, hating it more and more everyday, becoming more and more bitter and hopeless everyday. I don't want to end up a foul, bitter, overly judgemental person...and the way things are going, I'll end up there if I don't make a change.
It's bizarre that a fictional story about a fictional person can bring about this kind of...well...I won't say epiphany, 'cause I already knew that the problem was there, but you know what I'm getting at. That a fictional story can make the reader see inside herself and realize that there are things that need to change. I guess that would be what makes it great. Now I'm not saying that this is going to be a life changing book for everyone who reads it, for some, for most, likely, it's just a good story, at times quite funny, about a man who works in a shop. A man who does the same dance day in and day out and has come to loathe it, and by virtue of that loathe parts of himself, but for me, it was the perfect book for me to read at this point in my life. Perfect.

Wild Things...

I finally finished reading Wild Things by Dave Eggers the other night. Dave Eggers is responsible for writing the screen play for Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are, and Wild Things is essentially an extension of that screen play. There are moments in Wild Things where Max makes different decisions than Max in the movie and things play out a little differently. I like how Eggers explains it in the Acknowledgements at the end of the book
"I found other pathways...and generally added my own interpretations to the story of Max. The children's book Max is, after all, a version of Maurice, and the movie Max is a version of Spike. The Max of this book, then, is some combination of Maurice's Max, Spike's Max, and the Max of my own boyhood."
It's put so well, and makes so much sense. Each of the Wild Things is a little bit of Max's psyche with fur and teeth, and each and every one of us has a Max in them. Max takes us back to what it is like to be a child, at once so sure of yourself, but a second later completely crushed. Parts of you that want to be gentle, while other parts just want to destroy everything in sight. The book, as with the movie, was touching, and a little heartbreaking, watching Max come to terms with his Wild Things, and then leave them, lovingly behind.

Corey Haim

First thing to talk about this morning is why, in the name of anything holy did I wake up at 6:30am wide-a-fucking-wake on my sleep in day. It was disappointing, and beyond frustrating, and now my eyes are burning with tired. Fucking great.

In yesterday's news, we mourn the passing of Corey Haim. He was Canadian, he was the king of the downward spiral and he starred in one of my all time favourite movies; Lost Boys. I was sad when I read about Haim yesterday morning, but honestly, not surprised in the least. So last night I tipped my metaphorical glass to Haim by watching lost Boys for the 564th time.

Go Ask Alice...No, Wait, Go SEE Alice

Seeing Tim Burton's take on Alice in Wonderland was on my list of things that I'm looking forward to in 2010. I've been stoked on the idea of Mr. Burton giving us his take on Alice, Wonderland, The Mad Hatter and everything else since the rumours of the possibility of that happening started years ago. That's a lot of anticipation and a lot of build up, not to mention a lot to live up to for this girl, 'cause Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are two of my favourite books of all time.
And here's the thing, after all that waiting, reading anything that happened to pop up on the interwebs regarding Burton's Alice, and catching little glimpses of his visions of the Wonderland folk, the movie didn't let me down in the least. I think I was smiling from beginning to end. We saw it in glorious Real-D 3D and it was BEAUTIFUL! Absolutely, breathtakingly, beautiful.
I loved that although the story was not an exact interpretation of either Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass, it took elements of both and then added in bits of awesomeness here and there.
Sometimes I surprise myself, as I am in many ways a purist when it comes to translating a book or graphic novel to the screen, and believe that the source material should be honoured above all else, but in this instance, the editions didn't bother me. In fact I think they added a humanity to the residents of Wonderland.
I'm genuinely shocked that Alice in Wonderland is getting such terrible reviews from a lot of people (none of whom I rely on for reviews on a regular basis anyways, the reviewers that I read regularly seem to be on board the good ship Alice). Lets look at the pieces of the movie; the acting was stellar, each actor brought great depth and vision to their character, the script (although not mind blowing) was well written, the visuals and the directing were stunning as we have come to expect from Tim Burton over the years, Danny Elfman once again came through with a fantastic score that suited the action to a t. So when all signs point to yes, then the answer is yes. Fuck yes, see this movie.
That is all. Thank you.

I Also Finished Reading Horns...

...a couple days after I started reading it, and here's the verdict: it was awesome. Joe Hill hasn't let me down yet.
I say go out and grab yourself a copy and give it a shot. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I Just Finished Watching (500) Days of Summer...

...what a fantastic movie. I can't believe that I waited this long to watch it. I mean I wanted to see it in the theatre, but it didn't get a very wide theatrical release, so I never made it and then when it came out on DVD I just kept putting off buying it for some reason. Which is totally bizarre because I really love Zooey Deschanel and own pretty much every movie that she's been in.
It's funny, though Deschanel is the title character of the film, she is definitely not its focus. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (awww, remember Third Rock from the Sun...and he was also in Halloween H2O. Anyone else remember that? I think he dies by hockey skate to the face, which in itself is pretty awesome)delivered an absolutely phenomenal performance. The way he embraced his character, the ups and downs, the complete range of emotions, blew me away.
I'm gonna put it out there, this is a must see movie. Hands down, you've gotta see it. It just...it was...ok, here's my best shot at it;
This week has been a little bit shitty for me. Work has been frustrating and exhausting, I've been sleeping poorly, I've been stressed out about what to do with myself in terms of my future...go back to school, new job, what? So all of that combined has made for a bit of an emotional roller coaster, but when I watched (500) Days of Summer last night it took me out of everything. When the movie was over I felt fresh, like if there's still movies as wonderful as this being made, then there's hope. I know that sounds super lame. I know, you don't have to point it out or tell me, I know. But it's also true. So there.
As an aside, (500) Days of Summer also has a narrator, which means that I was going to love it regardless. I've got a bizarre love for any movie that has a narrator. I think that it stems from my early obsession with the movie Stand By Me, but I'm actually interested to go back now and examine movies that I was really in love with when I was really little to see if any of them had a narrator...I'd love to figure out where my obsession began.