Book/Movie/DVD Recs, as of 10/15/08

[retsuko]

Books:

The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic Book Scare and How it Changed America, by David Hajdu: What a fascinating book this is, and made particularly so by a mixture of interviews, newspaper articles, and crisp, to-the-point prose. Comic books were burned in the streets of America in the 1950s, often in rallies organized by the kids who had been fervent readers just days before; ordinary citizens who worked in the comic book industry found themselves treated as though they were child molesters or drug dealers. (In one of the most funny/sad anecdotes, a comic artist relates how his neighbor, who supplied rebels in 3rd World countries with guns and explosives, snubbed him after learning that he was involved in the production of comic books.) The role of Mad Magazine in American culture suddenly became clear to me after reading this book, as did the significance of the reviled Comics Code. I couldn't help wondering as I read this, though, if another book will be written in 50 years or so, almost the same, except for the words "video games" being substituted for "comic books".

(Reading this book also made me more determined to hand out comic books to every kid I know.)

Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury:
Thank goodness no well-meaning but clueless adult ever showed me the movie version of this when I was kid. It's the kind of movie I can see as being billed as "kid friendly" when it's anything but. This is a story about kids for adults. And while it's a good book, and Bradbury's writing is like a warm mug of cocoa/metaphors on an October night, I have some quibbles with it. It seems very much of its time (1962), especially in its depiction of women (helpless, gullible, or clueless). The ending is somewhat disappointing and feels contrived. I have a suspicion that I will get in a huge argument with the book club people if I utter this opinion, though, so I'm saying it here. (Sci-fi blasphemy club, entry #2!)

Emiko Superstar, by Mariko Tamaki (words) and Steve Rolston (pictures):
The next installment from Minx is its strongest yet this year. Emiko Matsuko-McGregor, a shy Canadian teenager who simply wants a summer that "doesn't suck", ventures out one night to see the local performance art collective in her city (which I am suspecting is somewhere in or near Vancouver) and the experience changes her life and her ideas about art, beauty, truth, and her identity. The story is keenly observed, both in the writing and the art; Emiko's conflicts and desires are honestly portrayed. (At one point, I found myself wishing that I could meet Emiko and give her a real hug.) I also wish that I could have seen the performance art that she saw; it appeared to make a hell of a lot sense than the stuff I've seen before. This one's a real keeper.

Manga:

Sunshine Sketch, Volume 1, by Ume Aoki:
Harmless. Cute, pointless, and harmless. Shy art high school student moves into a dorm with goofy roommates; her school teacher is goofily cute. Hell, everything in this story is goofily cute. I bought it mostly because I've been enjoying the four-panel comics lately, and this one is entirely four-panel comics.

Beauty Pop, Volume 9, by Kiyoko Arai:
The drama! The love triangle that's been simmering for the past 8 volumes finally elbows its way to the front of the story, much to my amusement and the detriment of the main plot. (Although I really don't see the main character falling in love with *either* of her two love interests, but that's beside the point.) The all-Japan Beauty Competition is even sillier in the story than I anticipated it would be (imagine a televised hair-cutting competition, with challenges involving bread hanging from strings) and that's pretty darned entertaining right there. And the mythical Golden Scissors have made another appearance. Oh, what will happen next!? The drama! :D

Movies:

Appaloosa:
Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen spend most of the film discussing miscellaneous issues of life in the Old West. Renee Zellweger appears in costumes that make her look more adorable than ever. Timothy Spall continues to affirm his awesome in a minor role. Jeremy Irons is wonderful as the villain. Some shoot-outs occur. There is gorgeous cinematography that makes the movie well worth seeing on the big screen. There are some thorny moral dilemmas. And I fall in love with the Western genre.

DVDs:

Mushi-shi:
Netflixed on this on cerusee's recommendation; have not been disappointed in the slightest. Each episode stands well on its own, but the overall effect of watching one short story after another is not to be dismissed, either. I don't want any spoilers, but I have to say: I am loving this (scary, scary images and all.)

Comments

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

Someone did, in fact, show us the movie version of Something Wicked This Way Comes when I was in middle school, and I loved it. I was also completely crazy about Jason Robards for a while after that. It's exactly the kind of creepy that I loved then-- I wonder if I would still enjoy it now?

[retsuko.livejournal.com]

I can tell from reading this book that the movie would be the kind of creepy that I wouldn't have liked--which, when I was a kid, was most kinds of creepy. My parents didn't allow me to see scary movies at all, which meant that when I saw something that I didn't understand or that was scary, it freaked me out more than it should have. And this book... well, even as an adult, there were a couple of images that bothered me, and if the movie had executed them in any sort of realistic detail, they would have bothered me for weeks, months as a kid.

Anyway. (Long diatribe now over!) I might try and see it, but there are other things higher on my movie priority list. ;)

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

Ironically, my parents didn't allow me to see scary movies either after my toddlerhood involved fits of crying because I was scared of a) vacuum cleaners, b) Mr Yuck poison control ads, c) Mister Spock on Star Trek, and d) the aliens in one of my picture books.

I still loved the movie, go fig. They probably cut some of the most disturbing stuff, though I don't remember because it's been too long since I read OR saw.

[retsuko.livejournal.com]

What are the odds? I was terrified of old Star Trek episodes as a kid, too! :D It wasn't until junior high/high school that I was able to appreciate their goof factor. But why Mr. Spock?

[psychoe.livejournal.com]

Mushi-shi is AWESOME. I heart Ginko.

One day I'll be goin back to your book recs for things to read, I promise myself! XD

[retsuko.livejournal.com]

I like Ginko, too, although I can't wait to find out more about him (no spoilers, please.)

Aww, I'm flattered you like my book recs! I wish you lived closer so that I could swap some titles with you. :) Anytime you want to come down to San Diego and hang out, just say the word.

[lady-of-mists.livejournal.com]

S wants to see Appaloosa, but I've been sort of not sure about it -- really about most movies this year.

I did see parts of Iron Man this week though. That's good, right?

[retsuko.livejournal.com]

I think you'd enjoy Appaloosa very much... it's a little slow at first, but once you figure out who the characters are, and what they're talking about, it becomes so rich and textured. It's a fine piece of movie making, one which I don't think you'll be disappointed by.

As for Iron Man... why just parts?

[lady-of-mists.livejournal.com]

I may have to try Appaloosa then. :nods:

And because I was working offline when it was on in the room... so I couldn't just pay attention like I wanted to. Blah to that.