Reading List: September

It looks like I haven't been reading too much this month. I will go ahead and shamelessly blame Assassin's Creed for that. Truth is, I've also been watching a lot of movies, both in the theater (Burn After Reading, Righteous Kill, Lakeview Terrace, Eagle Eye) and on DVD (Love Stinks, TMNT, The Nanny Diaries, Almost Famous, Click, Clerks II, Silent Hill, Dumb & Dumber, Final Destination), which explains why I've been sort of away from the printed page. And I've also been going to lots of sports events to see my girls play (soccer, cross country, softball, tennis), so there you go: the busier I am, the less I read, I guess. Still, I managed to get through several volumes.

The Keepers of the Maser, vol. 1: The Second Moon
I already told you about Frezzato’s work here.

The Ridiculous Race
Two friends decide to race each other around the world to see who gets back to Los Angeles first. One goes east, and the other one heads west, and there is only one rule: no airplanes, helicopters, or hot air balloons are allowed. This nonfiction book is written by Steve Hely and Vali Chandrasekaran, two TV writers who will make you laugh until you cry. Definitely worth reading!

The Keepers of the Maser, vol. 2: The Isle of Dwarves
The second installment in Frezzato’s saga was weaker than the first one, but still very enjoyable.

A Fistful of Charms
The fourth book in The Hollows series by Kim Harrison is even better than the third one. Jenks has his biggest role to date, and the dynamic between Rachel and Ivy and Rachel and Nick is just terrific. What a great series!

The Keepers of the Maser, vol. 3: Eye of the Sea
Better than the first two installments, Frezzato’s third entry in the Masers series is beautifully rendered nonstop action. A fun read!

The Keepers of the Maser, vol. 4: The Iron Tower
Unfortunately, the fourth chapter is rather confusing and lackluster. More on that soon.

The Keepers of the Maser, vol. 5: The Edge of the World
Things get better here, but the whole story is coming to a somewhat abrupt end, and it could have been better. The artwork is still extraordinary, though.

The Keepers of the Maser, vol. 6: The Lost Village
The closing chapter of the saga, this sixth volume was somewhat disappointing (more on that soon as well). Still, I’m glad I read this series!

Mañana en la batalla piensa en mí
The last book by Javier Marías I got while I was in Spain, Mañana en la batalla piensa en mí starts with an irresistible premise: what would happen if a woman was about to cheat on her husband with you but suddenly died in your arms? This is the situation the main character finds himself at the very beginning of this wonderfully written novel. How he deals with it and what happens next will keep you up all night.

Sketchy Neighbors

Lakeview Terrace stars Samuel L. Jackson as Abel Turner, a police officer who has issues not only with race but with anger management as well. Then a young couple moves to the big house next door, and all hell breaks loose.

Lakeview Terrace is not a great movie, and the spoiler-ridden preview gives enough away for you to be able to pretty much tell what is going to happen and how the movie is going to end, something I still don’t understand why studios do. But, unlike the dull, supremely boring Righteous Kill, this movie is at least entertaining and keeps you interested in what’s going on. Yes, it is predictable, and yes, Sam Jackson plays Sam Jackson, he of the crazy eyes and creepy stare; but it still is a fun ride that will make you sit at the theater in disbelief, angry at what some characters do, and aggravated by what other characters do or don’t.

I found it interesting that Will Smith is one of the producers of the film, and I couldn’t help but wonder how different this movie could have been had Smith played Jackson’s part. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Will Smith play anything similar to police officer Abel Turner (despite his psychological issues as Del Spooner in I, Robot, Robert Neville in I Am Legend, and John Hancock in Hancock, he still was mostly likeable), and that would have been very interesting.

At any rate, Lakeview Terrace is entertaining, and far better than the soporiferous Righteous Kill, so if you want to go see a thriller other than Eagle Eye, go check this one out!

Down the Rabbit-Hole

Perhaps one of the most recognizable characters from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the White Rabbit rushes past Alice muttering “Oh, dear! Oh, dear! I shall be too late!”, and leads Alice into a unexpected trippy journey to Wonderland. This picture, as well as all the other pictures in this series, is based on the original illustrations by John Tenniel. I hope you like it!

Más Maser

Después de un segundo episodio algo más lento, la tercera entrega de la saga de Massimiliano Frezzato Keepers of the Maser volvió a hacer las delicias del abajo firmante. Nuevos personajes, nuevos enemigos, un nuevo contrapunto cómico, y una maciza más que añadir a la serie, se unen a la acción desenfrenada que domina la práctica totalidad del tercer volumen de esta serie. Revelaciones y sucesos del pasado que tienen graves repercusiones en el presente son la excusa para disfrutar de las fantásticas ilustraciones de Frezzato. Lo cierto es que la historia no es más que la justificación que el dibujante se ha buscado para regalarnos estupendas estampas plagadas de naves, robots, enanos, humanos, monstruos, y paisajes misteriosos. Echadle un vistazo a la serie, que vale la pena!

Peppery

The Duchess is yet another character who starts off by being very nice to Alice: “You don’t know much, and that’s a fact,” she tells a bewildered Alice. Talk about being blunt… At any rate, the Duchess is the owner of the famous Chesire Cat, who likes to grin and be mysterious. I wonder why he’s not in the picture. Maybe he is invisible...

Némesis renacida

Para recordar viejos tiempos, antiguas encuestas, clásicos juegos y legendarias rivalidades, aquí tenéis en no-exclusiva la primera aparición del aclamadísimo Pollo de goma con polea en medio. Viéndolo así, comentado tan de pasada, nadie podría haber imaginado las espectaculares cotas de popularidad que el casi mítico artilugio alcanzaría en según qué círculos. Ni qué decir tiene, este post va dedicado a Halagan, por ayudarnos a elegir en ciertas encuestas, y a Nash, por tratar de ignorar la realidad y relegar a este sublime personaje al más oscuro de los rincones. Enjoy!

Ya van dos

Es la segunda vez en lo que va de año que Jon Avnet y Al Pacino me la clavan doblada. La primera fue en abril, cuando tuve la brillante idea de ir a ver 88 Minutes, dirigida por el primero y protagonizada por el segundo, pero se ve que no aprendo de mis errores y vuelvo a tropezar dos veces con la misma piedra. En este caso, la piedra se llama Righteous Kill, está perpetrada de nuevo por Jon Avnet, y protagonizada no sólo por Al Pacino sino por Robert De Niro también. Y mejor que os ahorréis tiempo y dinero.

Righteous Kill es, desde el principio, un thriller de sorpresas predecibles, giros anticipados, y aburrimiento soberano al que no salva unas estrellas carismáticas dado que actúan con el piloto automático puesto. Tal vez estos grandes actores eran conscientes de lo risible del guión, lo barato y transparente de los trucos utilizados, o lo evidente de las pistas “ocultas” dispersas a lo largo del metraje que, cuando se nos presentan recopiladas en forma de flashbacks al acercarse el final de la película, uno no puede sino sacudir la cabeza y enfurecerse porque no sólo lo tomen por imbécil, sino que encima se las den de listos los que han cometido este atentado contra el buen cine. Pues lo siento mucho, señor director Avnet y señor guionista Russell Gewirtz, pero su película es una porquería. De hecho, la forma en que se desarrolla el film me recordó muchísimo a la incomprensiblemente aclamada The Coffin Dancer de Jeffery Deaver, pues durante el transcurso de ambas historias no pude dejar de pensar “¿a quién piensa que está engañando el autor? ¿De verdad se cree que el público no va a darse cuenta de que el listillo este nos toma por tontos?” No diré nada más en esta crítica porque ya sabéis que no me gusta destripar lo que leo o veo, pero si queréis saber exactamente a lo que me refiero, decidlo en los comentarios, y me explayaré. Bien claro os lo dejo, eso sí: no veáis esta película ni gratis. Qué aburrimiento.