Stuff I recommend ATM
And a bit of Jelly...
So – in the interest of accessibility – I have changed the look of my blog here. I’ve meant to do it for a while and though it was not easy to find the theme settings, I did it!
First an update: I was deeply, disturbingly disappointed by Dune Two. I disagree so heavily with Villeneuve’s interpretation I can’t watch it a second time. I like to try that when something long-anticipated seems to have missed the mark; sometimes I realize I’ve been too harsh. But I find this one literally unwatchable. It makes uncomfortable politically-charged claims about Fremen; includes gratuitous violence against women scenes that are no-where in the book and that offend me; demeans Stilgar’s character and makes him cartoonish; and actually makes almost no sense. For instance, Paul is sent into the desert alone to prove himself when he literally just got there and hasn’t learned anything yet. It’s actually not a Fremen practice at all to just say: hey, wander for a while and don’t die. It’s also deadly boring.
Here's the thing: it’s Denis’ movie. Someday when someone gives me a shit-ton of money, I’ll make my Dune. Until then I still have the books. And nothing he does can take them away from me.
It’s not so much that they made a bad movie of a book I love. It’s all the fans of the movies who don’t know how not-Dune they are, and it’s particularly commentators who claim to have read the books and are either out-right lying or are really bad at reading. Now Denis is turning his attention to Cleopatra. I know almost as much about her as I do Dune, which is saying something. Let’s see how he effs this up. Sigh.
But!
There is a lot of good content out there. I just thought I’d mention a few of the things I’ve been consuming lately:
1. Angel of Vengeance, the latest from Preston & Child in their Pendergast series.
Of the many detectives I follow, from Dresden to Dallas to Elvis & Pike, Aloysius Pendergast is my favorite. For many reasons, including the supporting cast – and the fact that they make me look up words all. the. time. I mean it – I love that. Since the wild cliffhanger of the last book, I have been chomping at the bit for this one. Though Coldmoon didn’t appear so I’m still darn curious about what he’s up to, especially since he was working in the Natural History Museum and we know that hasn’t led to just great things previously in the series. There were also a lot of different strands and so we didn’t get nearly enough Pendergast POV for my taste, nonetheless, I found the ending quite satisfying. Constance never disappoints.
2. The Expanse on Prime
Yes, a rewatch of the whole shebang. Every bit as good as ever. I love all the nods to Don Quixote, Alexander of Macedon (or the Great, if you prefer) and Aliens – yes, there’s subtle nods to Vazquez and Hicks and company. I just love, and love to hate, so many characters in the series; they’re so well embodied.
3. Dark Winds on Netflix
I am an enormous Zahn McClarnon fan and have been since Longmire (which I also cannot recommend enough). I found Westworld to be mostly a gratuitous mess but the episode which focused on him was a great hour of television. It only has two seasons, but they tie it up relatively well and it’s dramatic and exciting, as well as pretty brutal in parts.
4. Empire by Steven Saylor
If you’ve ever wanted to read some good historical fiction set in Roman times, this series is great. It follows a particular family from earliest salt-peddling folk living by the Tiber forward. It hits a lot of the main historical points from a position adjacent to the truly famous and infamous. This is similar to Saylor’s Sub Rosa series which I do truly love.
5. EarthSea by Ursula K. Le Guin & Dark Sails on Netflix
I am literally two pages in to Le Guin and three episodes into the pirates, so I’ll have to get back to you!
And here’s a picture of Jelly in an extraordinary moment - sleeping on Roo in a bit of puppy-pile.
