Weblog
Friday, 20 November 2009
-
Dracula: the Undead - A Review
What if:
· Jack the Ripper was a vampire?
· Van Helsing was a quack whose obsession is what really killed Lucy?
· Bram Stoker was a drunken failed actor/playwright who got his story in a bar one night?
· Dracula was still alive?
· Everyone got it all wrong – Dracula was really the good guy?
These are just some of the premises’ behind Dracula: the Undead, an new take on the classic horror novel, co-written by Stoker’s great grand-nephew Dacre Stoker, and screenwriter/Dracula historian, Ian Holt.
We are reacquainted with Jonathon and Mina Harker, Van Helsing, Jack Seward and Arthur Holmwood; the survivors of the so-called Band of Heroes who traveled to Transylvania for the final showdown with the infamous bloodsucker, and introduced to new players, Detective Inspectors Cotsford and Lee, Countess Elizabeth Bathory, Romanian actor Vladimir Basarab, and Quincey Harker – the son of Jonathon and Mina. And we find ourselves back where it all began: Carfax Abbey, in this fanciful twist on the classic vampire tale that started it all.
The story, an interesting mix of Stoker’s original notes, his original manuscript, and what appears to be as much the film by Francis Ford Coppola as the book, takes place twenty-five years after the fateful events in Transylvania, where Quincey Morris and Prince Dracula both die.
The story, which begins with a letter from Mina to her son, Quincey, promising to reveal the ‘truth’ of things hidden from him for his twenty-five years of life, deviates from Bram Stoker’s ‘journal’ approach of the original novel, to take on a more, shall we say ‘traditional novel’ approach, if that’s not too much of an oxymoron for your tender eyes. Science and technology have made great strides in the passing years, but neither the grip of superstition nor the blood lust of the vampire changed very much since last we saw our heroes.
Dacre takes us down a different path than that of his illustrious great grand uncle. He weaves the aforementioned Bram skillfully into the story, giving us a glimpse of the origins of the first tale. He suggests that a very real historical monster, Jack the Ripper, was in fact a vampire, and that Dracula was actually in London to stop the evil bloodsucker, who had ‘ripped’ in several other continental European cities before coming to London. He adds a twist to the ‘romance’ between Mina and Dracula. And his evil vampire is a very nasty character, indeed. Far more so than the undead prince we first encounter in Bram Stoker’s novel.
I was as caught up in this story as I was in the original over forty years ago when I first found Bram Stoker’s novel in the ‘adult’ section of my local branch of the Miami Public Library. At age thirteen I had to have a ‘note from Mommy’ to peruse the ‘adult’ section, the connotations of which were far more innocent then. There I discovered Stephenson, Stoker, Shelley and Hugo, whose mastery of the language carried me to places only visible in the mind’s eye.
While I find that I prefer Rice’s vision of Nosferatu to young Dacre’s, I can still recommend this book with a conscience free from the oppressive influence of the ancient Transylvanian Prince.
I give Dracula: the Undead, with all its twists and turns, four out of five garlands of Garlic.
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
-
Currently
Star Trek (Single-Disc Edition)
By Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto
see relatedSTAR TREK: A Review
WOW! To make a long story short, JJ Abrams resuscitation of the Star Trek franchise is a hit! Take that, Rick Berman!
I just got my DVD, and couldn’t wait to plug it in. I ended up watching it on the computer because our Home Theater System chose this moment and this movie for the DVD player to stop working! But, that’s another story for another day.
OK – now for the long story. I’ve been a fan of Star Trek since it first appeared in the 60’s. So much so, in fact, that in the 90’s I jumped at the chance to work for Paramount Digital Entertainment (PDE) as a paid host for their Star Trek chat rooms. If you ever came to the Lounge or the Academy back in the day, and were greeted at the door by a grumpy Klingon named BaT’aL, hey – we’re old friends!
When Gene (Roddenberry) died, I sat back and watched his second in command, Rick Berman, take the helm and try to reshape Trek in his own image. STNG was great, DS9 even better, but Voyager, not so much, and Berman’s fully entitled baby, Enterprise (note that the words Star Trek are conspicuous by their absence) absolutely sucked. I could make this even longer with specifics, but best to just let dead Romulans lie.
Gene and Majel (Barrett) were out of the picture, and the weasels in suits (Viacom) who now owned and controlled Paramount under Berman’s inept hand pretty much killed the franchise.
But if there’s any one thing you must learn in the Star Trek Universe, it is that no one (and nothing) is ever really dead. I give you James Tiberius Kirk, Spock, and Curzon/Jadzia/Ezry Dax to support my case.
Enter JJ Abrams, and the long waited prequel to the storied franchise. (By the way, a prequel is something Trek fans asked Berman for, for years, but little Ricky was like Ford – he had a better idea – NOT!)
Star Trek is definitely firing on all thrusters! Abrams got everything right in this story that has it all. The cast is sublime. Chris Pine has James Tiberius Kirk nailed. The well travelled Ben Cross makes an appearance as Sarek – Spock’s father, and Wynona Rider does well as Amanda, Spock’s Mother. Spock, Uhura, Scotty, Sulu and Chekov, played respectively by Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, and Anton Yeltin) are spectacular in their first run as the heroic Crew of the Enterprise. And even before you knew it was him, it was obvious that Karl Urban was born to be the inimitable ‘Bones’ McCoy. Even this younger iteration of the venerable Doc is a crotchety old duff!
Additionally, Bruce Greenwood gives life to the Christopher Pike (second captain of the Enterprise. Robert April was the first. Apart from Berman’s diseased fantasy, there is no Jason Archer in the Center Chair on board Big-E.) and Leonard Nimoy makes an appearance as a character called ‘Spock Prime’. Tyler Perry is even here as the Academy admiral who pins Kirk’s medal of meritorious commendation on him for having beaten the enigmatic Kobyashi Maru 'no win scenario".
This story has it all. Time Travel. Alternate Universe. Romance between the younger Spock and Uhura. Humor (Pike asks Sulu if he forgot to release the parking brake when the ship fails to go into warp the first time), and of course, lots and lots of action and great special effects. And before you die hard's get too upset with deviations from known Trek lore and start arming quantum torpedoes, the movie itself admits that they have wandered into an alternate time line.
This is the movie we wanted when we got Nemesis. This is a movie that will welcome you to the world of Trek if you’re new to it, and welcome you back if you’re an old-timer like me.
This one was worth the wait. I give it Five Bars Gold-pressed Latinum out of Five.
Monday, 16 November 2009
-
Currently
New Every Morning: A Devotional Journal
By Melvin L. Cheatham M.D.
see relatedThree Rivers
I’ve decided I really don’t like the new CBS drama, Three Rivers. The show stars Australian born Alex O’Laughlin (whose American accent is very believable, if a tad more LA than Pittsburgh) as transplant doctor Andy Yablonsky, and takes place in the city of Yinzers and champions, yesterday’s blown Bungles opportunity notwithstanding, although you never hear even a hint of local dialect or vocabulary in the show. Exteriors for the program are filmed at the recently closed UPMC Braddoc hospital except for the helicopter pad, which appears to be UPMC Mercy, a place with which I am intimately familiar, having resided there for two stroke recoveries.
Series star O’Laughlin, former Moonlight vampire/private eye Mick St. John, still has a taste for blood and is now up to his elbows in it as opposed to being up to his fangs, I suppose. He’s believable in the “I’ve opened up a lot of chests and never seen God or a soul in any of them” genius as transplant surgeon role, and although the premise is a little worn and weary, it is well played. They even mentioned Panelli Brothers in one episode.
Last night’s episode, guest starring Mandy Potinkin as ALS (Lou Gherig’s Disease) sufferer Victor Stuart is why I both like and dislike the program. Potinkin’s performance is brilliant and worthy of an Emmy. And while I personally have a problem with the ‘death with dignity’ suicide argument, I understand why an ALS patient might opt for it. I have a dear friend and mentor who is suffering from the ailment, and Pontinkin’s performance did give me a better understanding of the debilitating effects of the disease.
That’s what I like about the show.
However, Potinkin’s performance had me in tears at the end, and that’s what I don’t like. I told my wife, “I don’t know why I keep watching this stupid show – it always makes me cry!”
But then, I suppose it could be worse. They could call each other ‘yinz’, watch ‘Stillers’ games on the big screen in the lobby, and drink IC Light at a bar on ‘Sousside’ after surgery. Now that would really make me cry.
Three Rivers is on CBS Sunday nights at 9:00, following the Amazing Race.
Thursday, 12 November 2009
-
Currently
Rain on Me: Devotions of Hope and Encouragement for Difficult Times
By Holley Gerth
see relatedYou Could Have Heard a Pin Drop
I don't know where this originated, and honestly, I haven't verified the stories, but there is a ring of truth to it.
At a time when our president and other politicians tend to apologize for our country's prior actions, here's a refresher on how some of our former patriots handled negative comments about our country.
Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60's when
DeGaule decided to pull out of NATO. DeGaul said he wanted all US
military out of France as soon as possible.
Rusk responded "does that include those who are buried here?"
DeGual
did not respond.
You
could have heard a pin drop.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When in England , at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the
Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of
empire building by George Bush.
He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has sent many of
its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom
beyond our borders.. The only amount of land we have ever asked for
in return is enough to bury those that did not return.'
You
could have heard a pin drop.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers
were taking part, including French and American. During a break,
one of the French engineers came back into the room saying 'Have you
heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft
carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?'
A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our carriers have three
hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are
nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to
shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to
feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand
gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a
dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and
from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does
France have?'
You
could have heard a pin drop.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included
Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French
Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large
group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries.
Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a
French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many
languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, 'Why is it that
we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than
speaking French?'
Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied, 'Maybe it's because the
Brit's, Canadians, Aussie's and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't
have to speak German.'
You
could have heard a pin drop.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert Whiting , an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At
French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his
carry on.
"You have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked sarcastically.
Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.
"Then you should know enough to have your passport ready."
The American said, 'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."
"Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France !"
The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he
quietly explained, ''Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in
1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen
to show a passport to."
You
could have heard a pin drop.
Monday, 09 November 2009
-
Currently
Dracula The Un-Dead
By Dacre Stoker, Ian Holt
see relatedFrustration
Today is a day of frustration. We’re sorting and packing.
Ok. Let’s be honest.
Linda and Helen, my wife and my sister-in-law (who drove up from North Carolina to help) are sorting and packing. I’m mostly watching because there isn’t much a one armed man with a grumpy disposition and bad hair can do. Helen said I can sit in a chair and go through stuff. I said “Hey – I’m already going through a mid-life crisis – what more do you want?”
Strangely, no one saw even the least little bit of humor in that. The cat even rolled her eyes at me.
Mostly I’m sitting here saying “Yes – keep that” or “No – toss that” or planning tonight’s meal or boiling water for tea and stuff. You know the scene in the Brandon Frasier movie, the Mummy, where Evelyn’s brother Jonathon is standing there doing nothing at all except telling everyone else to “Put your back into it…”
That’s what I feel like.
It’s not like I don’t have other stuff to do. I have one book to finish reading so I can write a review by 15th November, and two more by 1st December, but I really just don’t like sitting here seeing the women do all the work.
Perhaps I should take the book and computer and go to Starbuck where I can read, BLOG, and not see the women working. That way I won’t feel so guilty. You know – out of sight – out of mind…that sort of thing.
Or Not. Maybe instead I’ll just get back to that menu.
Davidjroth2002
-
- Name: David
- Gender: Male
- Member Since: 1/10/2007
Connect
About Me
-
In the words of the great Zaphod Beeblebrox, "I'm just a guy." I've been around the block a time or two. In fact, enough times that my grandfather once pondered, after reviewing my CV, that I "either have a widely diversified education, experiential and employment background...or that I simply can't hold a job" I'm still not certain which is the more accurate observation. I live and write in Pittsburgh, PA, USA, with my wife and our three cats. Between us we have four children and five grandchildren. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
Chatboard (0)