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shadowkat1. Someone on Facebook posted this statement by Virginia Woolf.
“Whatever happens, stay alive. Don't die before you're dead. Don't lose yourself, don't lose hope, don't loose direction.
Stay alive, with yourself, with every cell of your body, with every fiber of your skin.
Stay alive, learn, study, think, read, build, invent, create, speak, write, dream, design.
Stay alive, stay alive inside you, stay alive also outside, fill yourself with colors of the world, fill yourself with peace, fill yourself with hope.
Stay alive with joy.
There is only one thing you should not waste in life, and that's life itself."
~Virginia Woolf
And I thought, wait, didn't Virginia Woolf die by suicide? Yep, she ironically did. I think this was probably Woolf trying desperately to stay alive.
This is a tough time for a lot of folks. The holidays always are. Points at icon.
2. Television...
I finished watching Arcane - both seasons, on Netflix. I loved it. It worked for me, the metaphors, the characters, the relationships, and the themes. And it had a great romance between Viv and Caitlin throughout.
One of the better f/f romances I've seen on television. Usually they don't work for me. But this did for some reason or other.
Also it had fascinating relationships - which propelled the plot, as opposed to the plot propelling the relationships. It's very much a character driven piece, with some interesting themes about technology, science, hubris, and war.
After re-watching the Rankin/Bass & Ralph Bashi 1977 animated adaptation of The Hobbit on HBO Max, I decided to go back to Rings of Power on Prime. (By the way, MAX has all the Lord of the Rings films, including the Ralph Baski animated versions done in the 1970s and early 1980s. I decided to hunt it down after reading a review of the recently released Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim by Athena Scalzi (who isn't quite there yet as a film reviewer or writer. She's sloppy.) She states in her review that this is the first animated film of the Lord of the Rings series. And I thought, Scalzi? You just lost your geek and nerd creds. Seriously, you never showed your daughter the 1970s Hobbit? Or saw it yourself?
Her father is my age. The Hobbit aired on Network Television in 1977 or thereabouts, and then was re-shown in 1979, along with Return of the King Film, which was an abridged version of the Lord of the Rings, and shown as a kind of sequel to the Hobbit. This version used the illustrations Tolkien had done, and based its animation upon those illustrations. I know this partly because I saw a Tolkien exhibit at the Morgan Library several years back and picked up on the similar designs. For the 1970s, it's well-done, and top-notch. Also, Rankin/Bass attracted top tier voice talent for all their productions. So we have John Huston (narrating, and as the voice of Gandalf) and Richard Boone (the bad guy in a host of Westerns and films) portraying Smaug. Orson Bean does Bilbo, and comedian vocal artist, Theodore does Gollum. It also is a bit of a musical and has various songs, some of which were written by Tolkien. Tolkien estate wasn't happy about it - but it was in the public domain at that point. The adaptation or teleplay was by Chris Conklin and Peter S. Beagle ("The Last Unicorn"), and it's the same script for the most part that was released in play form. (I performed in the Hobbit for Theater for Young America during the summer, between the fifth and sixth grades. Or thereabouts. I took theater outside school up until around the ninth grade. Then enrolled in Drama in High School.) I got the role of the Great Goblin, because I was a foot taller than all the other kids. So I played it along with two older kids, and a Dad who choose to do the program with his son. The Dad was an artist for the comic strip Doonesbury. (Gary Trudeau didn't draw his own comic strip - he hired outside artists to do it. I know this because I met the guy who did it, and he drew cartoons for us.)
A lot of folks on the thread mention the animated film, but rip it apart, ignoring the fact that it was done in the 1970s, and in some respects it's better paced than the Jackson version. It moves quickly and summarizes a lot of the action. It's not a film for Tolkien nerds who require every bit thrown in. It's also not necessarily one for purists? I fell in love with it, and the book - but I was also eleven years of age at the time.
Does it hold up well? Yes, and no. The animation is a bit clunky in places (it is 1970s animation), yet far better than the animated film version Lord of The Rings (which only covered the first two books). And the songs a touch on the cheesy side - one's a bit of an ear-worm. Also we get a longer, far better version of two of them in Jackson's version. Is it better than Jackson's? Yes and no. It's shorter, and it's not quite as violent and scary. Also better paced. Jackson's was drug out and poorly paced. In some respects, I liked it a lot better. In other's - I prefer Jackson's. But at the time, when I was eleven, and had never seen anything quite like it before? I adored it. The Hobbit was my introduction to high fantasy, and there was no going back. I was in love. It was my favorite book for years. Until I discovered Dune in the tenth grade.
I tried to watch the animated version of the Return of the King - which I also loved as a child. But it doesn't hold up well at all. The animation is clunky in some respects. I fell in love with Frodo in that film - but for some reason I remember it very differently. Also they changed the story quite a bit. Frodo is taken hostage by the Orcs in animated film, and I don't think that happened in the books or Jackson's rendition. But in 1980, when I originally saw it on network television, without having read the books - I was in love. Frodo appealed to me. I fell in love with him and the story. But, since I only saw it once - I may have changed it a bit in my head.
At any rate - I started watching S1 of Rings of Power again - its a rewatch. I can't remember most of it, and it's kind of necessary for S2. It's very odd - I can remember films I've not seen in years, but can't remember something I saw as far back as last year. I think it may have a lot to do with how much time I spent on it? I mean, if I can binge something in five days? I'll probably forget it. If I need a whole year to see it - I'll remember it. In regards to films? If I've seen it about fifteen times, then I'll remember it. If I saw it once and it was okay but didn't really resonate, I won't. I remember Oppenheimer almost perfectly, and most of Barbie for example, but not a lot of Marvels. I also vividly remember Peaky Blinders which I saw three-four years ago, but can't remember much of the Diplomat, which I binged in one weekend. Both are excellent, but I just spent more time with Peaky, and it was four seasons, Diplomat was just eight episodes.
3. Books...
I've completed the audiobook version of Sanctuary by Illona Andrews - while I enjoyed Brinkley's narration and voice, he didn't do a good enough job of vocalizing the other characters - I couldn't quite tell them apart. I've admittedly gotten used to the stellar "Graphic Audio Dramatizations" so that could be part of the problem. It's interesting in how it utilizes Russian folklore, myths and legends. I've learned a lot about modern and ancient Russia in the last couple of years, without intending to, and realized how many misconceptions Americans have about Russia. Fascinating culture and society. I miss my father - he learned Russian as a second language (and like the rest of our family - sucked at it), also read a lot of Russian literature - he was an English and Russian Literature minor. I've fallen in love with Russian/Slavic folklore, mythology, and legends. Much more interesting than the Western European folklore. And quite complex - far more so in some places. There's a whole section at the end of the book that goes into detail regarding various Russian folklore traditions - including Baba Yaga, Black Volv's, and various others.
Illona Andrews unlike a lot of mainstream writers, writes and self-publishes side stories about their world. Sancturary is self-published or non-traditionally published. They write their own fanfic, filling in the gaps for the characters and the world. Supporting characters get novellas and books. It's wonderful. The internet has made this possible. Prior to the internet, it was a lot harder to do. This gives me so many ideas as a writer and creator.
Now, I'm listening to the audio book version of the Kate Daniels Wilmington Years - "Magic Tides and Magic Claims" that is dualy narrated by a female and male narrators - in the roles of Kate and Curran. It's not as well done as the graphic audio dramatizations or the previous narrators, but it's enjoyable. Illona Andrews books are among the few that I've read and/or listened to multiple times. I don't know what it says about me that I love their Kate Daniels, and Innkeeper series, but I do. (I'm not fond of the Nevada series, I actually prefer the Edge series, although it's not as good as the Innkeeper and Daniels series.)
Working on "Rules of Redemption by T.A. White" rec'd by Illona Andrews fandom. But, I can't quite get into it? My focus is off. Too keyed up about things work related, I think? I may be better able to read it this week. Still struggling with a reading slump. Audio books aren't a problem, other's weirdly are. It's ironic, considering in 2019, I stated that I couldn't do audio books and didn't understand the appeal. The pandemic changed me in oh so many ways.
“Whatever happens, stay alive. Don't die before you're dead. Don't lose yourself, don't lose hope, don't loose direction.
Stay alive, with yourself, with every cell of your body, with every fiber of your skin.
Stay alive, learn, study, think, read, build, invent, create, speak, write, dream, design.
Stay alive, stay alive inside you, stay alive also outside, fill yourself with colors of the world, fill yourself with peace, fill yourself with hope.
Stay alive with joy.
There is only one thing you should not waste in life, and that's life itself."
~Virginia Woolf
And I thought, wait, didn't Virginia Woolf die by suicide? Yep, she ironically did. I think this was probably Woolf trying desperately to stay alive.
This is a tough time for a lot of folks. The holidays always are. Points at icon.
2. Television...
I finished watching Arcane - both seasons, on Netflix. I loved it. It worked for me, the metaphors, the characters, the relationships, and the themes. And it had a great romance between Viv and Caitlin throughout.
One of the better f/f romances I've seen on television. Usually they don't work for me. But this did for some reason or other.
Also it had fascinating relationships - which propelled the plot, as opposed to the plot propelling the relationships. It's very much a character driven piece, with some interesting themes about technology, science, hubris, and war.
After re-watching the Rankin/Bass & Ralph Bashi 1977 animated adaptation of The Hobbit on HBO Max, I decided to go back to Rings of Power on Prime. (By the way, MAX has all the Lord of the Rings films, including the Ralph Baski animated versions done in the 1970s and early 1980s. I decided to hunt it down after reading a review of the recently released Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim by Athena Scalzi (who isn't quite there yet as a film reviewer or writer. She's sloppy.) She states in her review that this is the first animated film of the Lord of the Rings series. And I thought, Scalzi? You just lost your geek and nerd creds. Seriously, you never showed your daughter the 1970s Hobbit? Or saw it yourself?
Her father is my age. The Hobbit aired on Network Television in 1977 or thereabouts, and then was re-shown in 1979, along with Return of the King Film, which was an abridged version of the Lord of the Rings, and shown as a kind of sequel to the Hobbit. This version used the illustrations Tolkien had done, and based its animation upon those illustrations. I know this partly because I saw a Tolkien exhibit at the Morgan Library several years back and picked up on the similar designs. For the 1970s, it's well-done, and top-notch. Also, Rankin/Bass attracted top tier voice talent for all their productions. So we have John Huston (narrating, and as the voice of Gandalf) and Richard Boone (the bad guy in a host of Westerns and films) portraying Smaug. Orson Bean does Bilbo, and comedian vocal artist, Theodore does Gollum. It also is a bit of a musical and has various songs, some of which were written by Tolkien. Tolkien estate wasn't happy about it - but it was in the public domain at that point. The adaptation or teleplay was by Chris Conklin and Peter S. Beagle ("The Last Unicorn"), and it's the same script for the most part that was released in play form. (I performed in the Hobbit for Theater for Young America during the summer, between the fifth and sixth grades. Or thereabouts. I took theater outside school up until around the ninth grade. Then enrolled in Drama in High School.) I got the role of the Great Goblin, because I was a foot taller than all the other kids. So I played it along with two older kids, and a Dad who choose to do the program with his son. The Dad was an artist for the comic strip Doonesbury. (Gary Trudeau didn't draw his own comic strip - he hired outside artists to do it. I know this because I met the guy who did it, and he drew cartoons for us.)
A lot of folks on the thread mention the animated film, but rip it apart, ignoring the fact that it was done in the 1970s, and in some respects it's better paced than the Jackson version. It moves quickly and summarizes a lot of the action. It's not a film for Tolkien nerds who require every bit thrown in. It's also not necessarily one for purists? I fell in love with it, and the book - but I was also eleven years of age at the time.
Does it hold up well? Yes, and no. The animation is a bit clunky in places (it is 1970s animation), yet far better than the animated film version Lord of The Rings (which only covered the first two books). And the songs a touch on the cheesy side - one's a bit of an ear-worm. Also we get a longer, far better version of two of them in Jackson's version. Is it better than Jackson's? Yes and no. It's shorter, and it's not quite as violent and scary. Also better paced. Jackson's was drug out and poorly paced. In some respects, I liked it a lot better. In other's - I prefer Jackson's. But at the time, when I was eleven, and had never seen anything quite like it before? I adored it. The Hobbit was my introduction to high fantasy, and there was no going back. I was in love. It was my favorite book for years. Until I discovered Dune in the tenth grade.
I tried to watch the animated version of the Return of the King - which I also loved as a child. But it doesn't hold up well at all. The animation is clunky in some respects. I fell in love with Frodo in that film - but for some reason I remember it very differently. Also they changed the story quite a bit. Frodo is taken hostage by the Orcs in animated film, and I don't think that happened in the books or Jackson's rendition. But in 1980, when I originally saw it on network television, without having read the books - I was in love. Frodo appealed to me. I fell in love with him and the story. But, since I only saw it once - I may have changed it a bit in my head.
At any rate - I started watching S1 of Rings of Power again - its a rewatch. I can't remember most of it, and it's kind of necessary for S2. It's very odd - I can remember films I've not seen in years, but can't remember something I saw as far back as last year. I think it may have a lot to do with how much time I spent on it? I mean, if I can binge something in five days? I'll probably forget it. If I need a whole year to see it - I'll remember it. In regards to films? If I've seen it about fifteen times, then I'll remember it. If I saw it once and it was okay but didn't really resonate, I won't. I remember Oppenheimer almost perfectly, and most of Barbie for example, but not a lot of Marvels. I also vividly remember Peaky Blinders which I saw three-four years ago, but can't remember much of the Diplomat, which I binged in one weekend. Both are excellent, but I just spent more time with Peaky, and it was four seasons, Diplomat was just eight episodes.
3. Books...
I've completed the audiobook version of Sanctuary by Illona Andrews - while I enjoyed Brinkley's narration and voice, he didn't do a good enough job of vocalizing the other characters - I couldn't quite tell them apart. I've admittedly gotten used to the stellar "Graphic Audio Dramatizations" so that could be part of the problem. It's interesting in how it utilizes Russian folklore, myths and legends. I've learned a lot about modern and ancient Russia in the last couple of years, without intending to, and realized how many misconceptions Americans have about Russia. Fascinating culture and society. I miss my father - he learned Russian as a second language (and like the rest of our family - sucked at it), also read a lot of Russian literature - he was an English and Russian Literature minor. I've fallen in love with Russian/Slavic folklore, mythology, and legends. Much more interesting than the Western European folklore. And quite complex - far more so in some places. There's a whole section at the end of the book that goes into detail regarding various Russian folklore traditions - including Baba Yaga, Black Volv's, and various others.
Illona Andrews unlike a lot of mainstream writers, writes and self-publishes side stories about their world. Sancturary is self-published or non-traditionally published. They write their own fanfic, filling in the gaps for the characters and the world. Supporting characters get novellas and books. It's wonderful. The internet has made this possible. Prior to the internet, it was a lot harder to do. This gives me so many ideas as a writer and creator.
Now, I'm listening to the audio book version of the Kate Daniels Wilmington Years - "Magic Tides and Magic Claims" that is dualy narrated by a female and male narrators - in the roles of Kate and Curran. It's not as well done as the graphic audio dramatizations or the previous narrators, but it's enjoyable. Illona Andrews books are among the few that I've read and/or listened to multiple times. I don't know what it says about me that I love their Kate Daniels, and Innkeeper series, but I do. (I'm not fond of the Nevada series, I actually prefer the Edge series, although it's not as good as the Innkeeper and Daniels series.)
Working on "Rules of Redemption by T.A. White" rec'd by Illona Andrews fandom. But, I can't quite get into it? My focus is off. Too keyed up about things work related, I think? I may be better able to read it this week. Still struggling with a reading slump. Audio books aren't a problem, other's weirdly are. It's ironic, considering in 2019, I stated that I couldn't do audio books and didn't understand the appeal. The pandemic changed me in oh so many ways.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-23 02:37 am (UTC)I also maintain that if we were ever to get the graphic novel Saga put on screen, this approach and aesthetic is the only way it could live up to the source material.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-24 01:57 am (UTC)So, yes agree with your response completely.
And, from what I've read of the comic/graphic novel series Saga (it's a series, there's multiple volumes, unless there's another one out there that I don't know about?) - yes, this format would work best. Completely agree. I've read Vol I and possibly II of Saga. Saga would make an excellent animated series - plus it has multiple volumes - so they could do a lot of seasons.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-23 05:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-24 02:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-23 10:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-24 01:52 am (UTC)I couldn't find it - got overwhelmed by other quotes...which make me think it's actually possible. She has said similar things..
Someone has to die in order that the rest of us should value life more.
or
You cannot find peace by avoiding life.
She liked to form platitudes. There's a lot of them.
Tolkien on the screen
Date: 2024-12-23 06:48 pm (UTC)I'm not much of a fan of the Jackson adaptations: not only do they drag but choices like the mid-battle banter shatter any suspension of disbelief. Still, I'm sure I'll rewatch them someday.
Re: Tolkien on the screen
Date: 2024-12-24 01:47 am (UTC)Interesting - you loved the "writing" of the Hobbit. I loved the story...I can't remember if I loved the writing or not? I read it in 1977-80 or thereabouts. I do remember it feeling rather easy to read, and captivating.
Re: Tolkien on the screen
Date: 2024-12-24 11:04 am (UTC)Re: Tolkien on the screen
Date: 2024-12-26 03:23 am (UTC)Re: Tolkien on the screen
Date: 2024-12-26 11:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-24 10:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-26 03:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-26 08:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-26 01:47 am (UTC)the misconceptions about Russian history/culture are abound, and I probably only notice some more prevalent once, and I generally am used to shrug them off now.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-26 03:19 am (UTC)There is a smattering of Celtic and other traditions. Illona is Russian. Andrew is an ex-military sergeant. They met in a creative writing course.
I love them. I've now listened to all of The Edge and Innkeeper series on audio. The Innkeeper Series has all been down by Graphic Audio Dramatization (so has a full cast). I've also listened to most of the Kate Daniels series on audio and Graphic Audio Dramatization. And I've read all of the Kate Daniels, and most of the Nevada series (which I don't like as well - it has less of the Russian folklore and myth in it and is heavy on the sci-fi/super-power dynamic).
the misconceptions about Russian history/culture are abound, and I probably only notice some more prevalent once, and I generally am used to shrug them off now.
Humans like to generalize about other humans, well anything really. See? I'm doing it right there.
NYC likes to throw at me exceptions to every generalization that I make. All my prejudices and misconceptions about Russia and Russians have been thrown in my face and proven wrong. I know to treat people as individuals.