Literary speculation

Oryx and Crake was an interesting readbut sadly I just couldn't get into it. I was quickly tired it with Snowman's monologues, they bored me. The idea behind it seemed interesting but too much of it was in someones head and I felt like nothing was going on. It seems like one of those books you either love or hate.
Videodrome was definitely an odd movie. It felt like a bad acid trip (not that I know what an acid trip feels like but I imagine a bad one would be something like the movie). It reminded me of the time when you are just waking from a dream and you are not sure whether or not it is reality. It would be a frightening place to be in because we as humans hate to be lost and not knowing whats going on. We have a need to always be in the know and believe that we are right about everything. No one is right in this movie, everyone has their own motives but nothing is really justified.

Babel 17

I am sorry to say that this story's main female character pissed me off to no extent. I am not one for the perfect heroins who seem to have no flaws whatsoever. I suppose I am too much of a realist and a little bit of a pessimist to like perfect fictional characters.

The Stars My Destination/Serenity

I have never been a real fan of reading scifi, I just couldn't get into it. It was probably all the science and how some authors went into crazy detail and I could never keep up with it. I did not mind reading The Stars My Destination just because i am a fan of anti-heroes but, after a while it started to bore me and I had to put it down.
Serenity is a different story. I really enjoyed watching it. Of course that could be because I am a fan of the actors but I did think it was well put together and was a fine example of space scifi movies.

Warbreaker

Warbreaker has been one of my favorite reading that we have done so far. Sanderson put new ideas into what magic is, how it is an essential part of people, that everyone can have it given the right circumstances and that it can run out. Other magic in storied seem like a never ending supply.The characters mumble a few words that don't make any sense to us and 'bam' magic happens. The characters in Warbreaker don't use unknown words but simple commands and they put their life into those commands. Sanderson knows that words are a powerful thing in our lives, they can hurt or heal and he uses that and makes a world where words can literally hurt people, even take their lives away.
The Color of Magic is another form in which magic is seen in a different light than before. the concept of a tourist in a new land is very familiar to us, but when he is put into a world of magic we can see a little bit of ourselves in him. Twoflower acts just like a any other tourist would in our world, only his adventures seem to be a little more fantastic. He behaves in a way that we might when we see a foreign place for the first time. I can identify with some of his actions because I have been a tourist before. Because of this it feels easier for me to get into the movie and makes the world feel like one that might possibly exist somewhere.

Lud in the Mist

It seems to me that most fantasy adventure stories I find have similar ideas. Both The Hobbit and Lud in the Mist have protagonists that are of middle age. They are characters that one would not originally think to be "heroes" of a story. I suppose writers do that so more people can relate to what the characters are feeling as they go on these fantastic adventures. Magic is a big part of fantasy so it is no surprise to find evidence of both good and bad magic in Lud in the Mist. But the bad magic reminds me more of drugs. Hope used a magical fruit that acts like a drug to cause uproar in the story instead of a dragon or some other evil character. Lud in the Mist is such an odd story and unlike any fantasy I have read before but that is what makes it so appealing. There are so many things in the story that can be taken as metaphors about the time in which the book was written. It is one of the things that keep the reading guessing as to the intention of the author.
As for the movie Time Bandits, I am kind of glad that I did not see it as a child because if I did i think it would have scarred me. It has traditional fantasy elements of good and evil and an unsuspecting character going on a journey but the ending is very different. In a kids movie one would suspect that when the boy gets home and the house is on fire that his parents are glad to see him and not even worry about how the fire started. But instead they ignore what he says and end up exploding into tiny pieces. In the end the boy is left all alone....what the hell? That is no kids movie and no traditional good defeating evil but that is part of what makes it an unforgettable fantasy movie.

J-Horror

Japanese horror is very different from the horror that we are familiar with. The stories in Kwaidan are like parable rather than "ghost stories". They seen to teach a lesson of sorts and are not always sad endings. Unlike western ghosts, the Japanese ghost can be tangible and is able to touch people. They are also not always out for revenge but they are hungry for life again. In the movie The Audition, the young woman is psycho killer. This seems to be a main theme in J horror which isnt too surprising considering that women of that culture have lived very suppressed lives. Women are meant to be subdued and obedient and so they are easy targets to make into killers. Japan is also known its horror that coincides when new technology comes out. Like monsters born from radioactivity or ghosts that haunt and communicate through phone, computers and tv. So the next obvious question is where will horror go to next? Maybe it will go back to demons or deal with population issues and viruses, whatever the case, I am sure that the classic horror tales and creatures will adapt with the times.

Salem's Lot

Stephen King is a wonderful writer and i enjoy reading many of his books. Though Salem's Lot was a bit long to read in the span of a week. His books like Salem's Lot are they kind that you have to dedicate yourself to. Which is not hard to do since it is a book that holds on doesn't let go. It takes a while to get to any sort of vampire, the majority of the book is all about the town and the people in it. There are people in the city which you almost don't care if they are killed or not. As a reader you see the underbelly of this small town and how people can be monsters just as easily as a vampire can. King's vampires range from this sophisticated personality to a newly awakened dead that acts more animalistic than human. Both versions are equally as creepy to me and I think it is because the way he writes. This book makes you feel like you know this town and could have lived in it. When the characters heart's are racing from fear, yours races as well.

Monster Island

This week's reading and movie were nice complements to each other. Both dealt with the same type of monster (zombies) yet both presented them in very different ways. The book had a contemporary post-apocalyptic setting with a twist. Instead of focusing on America, which a lot of people tend to do, the writer put in people from different countries and back grounds. These different people have to band together to stay a live but differences such as language it is hard for them to get along. The major twist in this novel is that the reader is given the point of view of one of the more intelligent zombies. This plays on our morals because this zombie can talk and think for himself so does that mean hes still human? The movie has the generic zombies but the main protagonist is black ( uncommon in that time). In zombie movies today we always seem to want a hero who escapes and does not die but, as the movie and novel show us the final ending when it comes to zombies can only be one thing. Their total annihilation of the human race.

Frankenstein

Frankenstein is one of my favorite stories of all time. I read the book years and years ago, I remember the main story line and plot points and what happens but I had forgotten the feelings it evoked in me. So I decided to read it again and to pay close attention to how I react to it. I am a firm believer that the less you see of the monster or villain the more terrifying they become. The human imagination is a wonderful and amazing thing and when reading or watching horror where the monster is very rarely seen we tend to let out imagination run and put the things we fear most into story. Shelley did a wonderful job in taking the idea of a monster that every child fears and twisting the story so the reader relates to the "monster". In the end it makes me question 'what is a monster?', 'what makes a monster?'. The "protagonist" at the beginning is turned into a sort of monster figure himself and the childhood fear of the grotesque monster is replaced for that of a more modern idea of what a monster it. The movie for this week has a similar premise. The vampire is seen as the monster through most of the movie but she has this childlike quality that makes it hard to brand her a monster. She is easily to relate to and when she helps the boy she is shown in the light of a hero. As a side note, this version is sooooo much better than the American one.

Conventions of Horror

Usually happens at night, most of the movie is at night or in the dark; Storms show up at some point in the movie; There is always a character who is or seems slightly insane/manic; Death is involved, most of the time it is murder; In movies , there is usually chilling or suspenseful music that occurs when the villain is shown; The main character does not always die but they do go through a horrifying and life changing experience, most of the time people close to them die; Horror movies and books have elements taken from real life people and/or experiences put into them, such as the villain being based off of some type of serial killer; Physical appearance of the villain is usually grotesque; Animals react to the villain or some sort of creepy figure