Rage.
Sing, O Muse, of the rage of Achilles, of Peleus' son, murderous, man-killer, fated to die, sing of the rage that cost the Achaeans so many good men and sent so many vital, hearty souls down to the dreary House of Death. And while you're at it, O Muse, sing of the rage of the gods themselves, so petulant and powerful here on their new Olympos, and of the rage of the post-humans, dead and gone though they might be, and of the rage of those few true umans left, self-absorbed and useless though they have become. While you are singin, O Muse, sing also of the rage of those thoughtful, sentent, serious but not-so-close-to-human beings out there dreaming under the ice of Europa, dying in the sulfur-ash of Io, and being born in hte cold folds of Ganymede.
Oh, and sing of me, O Muse, poor born-again-against his will Hockenberry - poor dead Thomas Hockenberry, Ph.D., Hockenbush to his friends, to friends long since turned to dust on a world long since left behind. Sing of my rage, yes, of my rage, O Muse, small and insignificant thought that rage may be when measured against the anger of the immortal gods, or when compared to the wrath of the god-killer, Achilles.
On second thought, O Muse, sing of nothing to me. I know you. I have been bound and servant to you, O Muse, you incomparable bitch. And I do not trust you, O Muse. Not one little bit.
My suggestion, to all those who have yet to, watch Joss Whedon's Firefly. I myself was not a fan of his earlier works, Buffy and Angel, but the combination of science fiction and western genres, with the bonus of great characters and smart-as-a-whip dialogue make this show one of the best I've seen in years. It was unfortunately cancelled before it even finished a season due to high budget and the inability of Fox to find a proper time slot for the show. It lives on in both the DVD box set of the collected episodes, and the new feature film, Serenity (http://imdb.com/title/tt0379786/combined)[/i]. The DVD set is regularly available at a relatively low cost (around 40 dollars US in these parts).
Links:
Buy it from Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AQS0F/103-4988159-1616657?v=glance&n=130&n=507846&s=dvd&v=glance)
imdb.com info (http://imdb.com/title/tt0303461/combined)
Books:
Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park books mostly because they give you a much more complete story than the movies + he is an awesome author.
Isaac Asimov's Acension Factor, The Jesus incident, and The Lazarus effect.
those are all fiction works that are very interesting and i enjoyed them very much its hard to reccomend just a few (he has written over 300 published books) so i did 3.
It is a very strange trilogy but nevertheless i ahve never read a Asimov work that disappointed me.
Oh, right, explanation.
Tom Robbins is the best author operating today, in my opinion. He's got 9 books out, including 8 novels and a collection of short nonfiction writing. His writing style is incomparable just because it's so goddamn quirky ... he's got a way with thoughts the way normally "good" writers have a way with words. I'm finding it hard to give an acceptable explanation of why he's so good ... you'd really have to read something, I think. If you buy a book by him, and you read it all the way through and you don't like it, I'll personally send you the price of the book (the scary part is that I'm considering being serious here).
Three words.
THE MIGHTY BOOSH.
When a shows major influence is Keenan And Kel and each episode has atleast 5 seperate pop culture/movie refrences I am a happy beaver.
A good one to look for is "Notes from a big country" which is basically some short essays he wrote for a British newspaper on American life. Seriously funny stuff (well at least I think so) and you shouldn't be disapointed.
For DVDs, purchase The Work of Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze, and/or Mark Romanek (there are other ones, but these are the ones I own). The music videos in them are all extremely well-done (good music too), and you get a lot of insight into filmmaking for that kind of medium. They also come with little books by the directors, which are cool and informative as well.
As unsettling as it is exhilarating, American Gods is a dark and kaleidoscopic journey deep into myth and across an America, at once eerily familiar and utterly alien.Also thought provoking and has funny parts. Read an excerpt here: http://www.neilgaiman.com/books/americangods_pb.asp#excerpt
Belle et la Bête
This isn't a film, but by goodness, pick up a copy of a TV series called 'Ultraviolet', and do it now.
If on a winter's night a traveler, by Italo Calvino.
Movie: Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo
A brilliant story by the classic screenwriter/director. The way that Sanjuro behaves is brilliant, and just makes for a really good story. Also, there's some kickass fights.
I would recommend Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman because it is, quite possibly, the funniest book I have ever read. I was laughing out loud by the time I got to "APOCALYPTIC HORSEPERSONS" in the "Dramatis Personae" section at the beginning and rarely stopped after that.
And I'm not sure if anyone recommended it yet - if so, this is a second - but Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov is not only a compelling story, but basically Nabakov's love letter to the English language. If you like the syllables written on this forum, you'll love to see what Nabakov does with 'em.
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
This one should not need explination. See it for Byron, it was dedicated to Byron. Also, the cast includes: Mel Gibson with a mullet, Tina Turner in chain mail, and a monkey. What more do you want? Camels? It is your lucky day, there are camels too.
The Magus, by John Fowles.
It is the best book I have ever read! Deals with loads of psychology and stuff. Im not going to say more, not to give away the ending, however, the end is rather shocking....
guys with a fortified sexuality :-)
Ghibl (pronounced Ji-bli Smile) is your man/studio/animation thingy - go back to My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service for whimsy (the more recent and mainstream Spirited Away too), and Grave of the Fireflys for thought-provoking (despite being animated, this is a *very serious* movie. You have been warned).
Quote
Kaze no tani no Naushika (Nausikaä, Valley of the Winds) --> people who liked Dune will also like this one. Unfortunately, it is only part of the story. The whole thing can be read as a Manga
Yeah, Nausicaa One of my favourites - did you hear about the lunatics actually building one of those flying wings?
Since this is still the recommendation thread:
Check out the original *book* of The Neverending Story. The first movie sucked so bad I stopped watching them, but the book is more interesting, more fantastic, and has a lot more humanity in it. The book starts really starts when Bastian crosses over, and starts making wishes to rebuild the place, but every wish costs him memories, until he is facing the consequences of his wishes with very little idea who he really is...
Also the Invader Zim cartoon series if you haven't. You'll love it or hate it. A lot.
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime was a book I managed to read this summer. It is magnificent, and you all ought to read it.
The Wire (http://www.hbo.com/thewire).
- Farscape didn't really take off in Australia, which is a shame as it was one of the best sci-fi series I ever saw. The aliens and creatures look great (all done by the Jim Henson Creature Workshop) and the acting is pretty good, if a little melodramatic at times. Audiences outside of Australia probably won't notice the HUGE amount of Aussie stars and starlets making the oddest guest appearences but still, it's great.
Did people cuss in the old west as much as they do in Deadwood?
And do we really need to mention Douglas Adams? I'm pretty sure that he's one that it goes without saying is awesome.
Anything by Neil Gaiman is awesome, Neverwhere and American Gods are the ones i would recommend the most.
Kingdom Hospital was a terrific tv series from Stephen King.
The Wire (http://www.hbo.com/thewire).
Christ, where do you start talking about the Wire?!
I guess the logical place would be pre-history: some of you may remember a cop show from the 1990s called Homicide: Life on the Street. It was a brilliant show, truly a cop show like no other: no shoot-outs, no car chases, just fascinating characters wracking their brains to try and solve one murder after another from within the Baltimore Police Department. The show was inspired by, and in the first couple of seasons directly based upon, book which was a brilliant piece of true-crime journalism, called Homicide: a Year on the Killing Streets.
That book was written by a then-reporter from the Baltimore Sun named David Simon. He also became involved in the later seasons of the T.V. show. In 1998 Simon, along with Ed Burns, a cop he'd met while writing the book Homicide, came out with another book, the Corner, which detailed a year in the life of a family caught up in the drug trade in West Baltimore. That book, too, had a television adaptation: this time in the form of an H.B.O. miniseries.
Which brings us to the Wire. After the Corner, Simon (again with Burns) returned to H.B.O. - this time with the idea for a fully-fledged series. That series was, and is, the Wire - and if Homicide was a cop show like no other, then the Wire almost defies categorisation. Yes, it's a cop show - but it's so much more. Like any great art, the surface pretence is merely a vantage point from which to examine in greater detail an entire world - in this case, the city of Baltimore, but by extension any large city with a chronic drug problem. It does this by what seems a simple device: by giving as much screen time, and even more importantly as much humanity, to the criminals depicted in the show, as to the police who are pursuing them. So as well as seeing the day-to-day struggles of the police to operate effectively within their sometimes highly compromised institution, so do we see the drug dealers trying to cope within their own version of the exact same thing.
But this is not the most impressive elelment of the Wire. What makes the Wire so unlike anything else on T.V. - not just any other cop show, but any other show, full stop - is the fact that each season of thirteen or fourteen episodes covers a single, sprawling, police investigation. I don't mean like in some shows, where there are themes that run through an entire season while each episode has its own self-contained stories: I mean that each episode is just a small part of the greater whole. (Australians might recall at this stage the A.B.C. cop show Phoenix, which had the same idea.) There's no point watching one or two episodes of the Wire: you have to commit to the whole season.
But it's worth it. It's so worth it. If the effort you have to put into watching the show is, say, three-fold over a normal cop show, then the rewards at the end of each season are ten-fold at least. The Wire may as well be the reason why D.V.D.s were invented: this is a show that rewards repeat viewing. I've just finished watching the magnificent second season for the third or fourth time - and it gets better with each viewing. The Wire is the ultimate in long-haul T.V.: the first season looked at a drug empire in the housing estates of East Baltimore, and the poice detail that was trying to catch the key players in that empire. The second season had the detail looking this time at smuggling on the docks - but it also continued the story of the drug-dealer characters from the first season. The third season - incredibly - resolved storylines from the first season, two years earlier, while bringing up fascinating issues of drug law enforcement and policing strategies and how they might be changed for the better - and why they probably never will be. Yes, the Wire is an unashamedly political show (in fact, season 3 introduced a fascinating new strata in city life: local politics), but it's all the more forceful because of that. Season 4, just started, is looking at the education system - but also, more broadly, the theme of "education" in general: from the cops, to the politicians, to the drug dealers (now a bunch of up-and-comers, some new faces and some not), and lastly but most importantly the children who are on the verge of getting caught up in the drug trade, but who might yet escape that fate. It's only four episodes in, and it's looking like being a cracker of a season.
But I'd recommend you watch the first three seasons first. Not just because they're all brilliant in their own right, but because the storyllines of each build upon each other to create the most complete and fascinating portrait of urban life yet seen on television. So, that's 37 hours of T.V. to watch in order to get up to speed. Does that sound like a chore? Well it's anything but. While the themes of the Wire may sound grim and depressing on paper: urban decay, drug dealing and drug dependency, corruption, moral compromise - the delivery is anything but. Yes, bad things happen in the Wire: people get killed when all they wanted to do was escape; cases hit the wall because they're not politically convenient; characters put their ambition first when the viewer desperately wants to see the big pay-off instead; but most of all, the Wire is about life itself. And like the Blues, if you cut beneath the veneer of misery you'll hit a rich, deep vein of humour, love, and even warmth. The Wire is too smart a show not to know (unlike, say, the Shield) that life doesn't throw up the odd moment of light relief. "You're not just a regular asshole" one detective tells his colleague and good friend, a smile on his face, "you're a special kind of asshole." It's just one example of the Wire's consistently brilliant writing and acting - but you could paraphrase it and apply it to the show itself: not just a regular show, a special kind of show.
the Donnie Darko soundtrack has Duran Duran on it, so it gets my automatic approval :lol:
and read the inner flap
I recommend Milan Kundera's The Incredible Lightness Of Being.
Everyone should see Lost In Translation, read something by Nietzsche and listen to The Flaming Lips.Agree, disagree, agree. :)
My own particular book recommendation Is "Ilium" by Dan Simmons, and its sequel, "Olympos".
I recommend Milan Kundera's The Incredible Lightness Of Being.
. . . Is that the sequel to The Unbearable Lightness of Being??
Also see the first two Wes Anderson films, Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums.
The Wire (http://www.hbo.com/thewire).
The Wire (http://www.hbo.com/thewire).Dude, I just found out that my uncle got a bit part in a season two episode. He played some bumbling security guard, I believe. Later tonight, if not sometime tomorrow, I'ma find out which episode he's in and let you know.
The Wire (http://www.hbo.com/thewire).Dude, I just found out that my uncle got a bit part in a season two episode. He played some bumbling security guard, I believe. Later tonight, if not sometime tomorrow, I'ma find out which episode he's in and let you know.
Awesome!
Hmm . . . "bumbling security guard" . . . Sounds like [checks D.V.D.s] episode 12, when Bunk and Freamon go to Philadelphia.
HBO is just gay that's all.
I just read Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. I'm already really into the Sandman graphic novels but haven't read many of his other novels.
I just read Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. I'm already really into the Sandman graphic novels but haven't read many of his other novels.
American Gods is the only thing of hr's I've read, it's really good I'd definately reccomend it.
That movie with Will Ferrell in it, Stranger Than Fiction? It's OKAY, guys. Like, really OKAY.
Fix'd.That movie with Will Ferrell in it, Stranger Than Fiction? It's good, guys. Like, really good.
KICK ME
Well, I don't read a lot of real intellectual stuff, but I am reading the First and Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, which is this really awesome Fantasy series. It's the whole epic fantasy thing, but it's not all that cliched. I would highly recommend that to anyone who enjoys fantasy, or even people who don't. Stephen Donaldson is the Author, btw.I'd definitely have to agree with this, anyone who likes fantasy should read it. Very original concept, having a leper for the main character.
the prydain chronicles by lloyd alexander.
a lot of people are all 'it rips off the lord of the rings' and dismiss it out of hand. but you really should give it a chance. i read them in middle school, and just fell in love with the characters. especiallly taran, who starts out as an orphan who takes care of an oracular pig, then events are set in motion that make him a very important person in his land. he grows so much from the first book, and it really is beautifully done.
Books: If you like science fiction, you might want to read some of Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" novels. Why? They contain some very original and interesting concepts.
Okay, I'm ashamed to admit it took me this long to get into anything by him, but...
I recently started reading Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, and it is fucking brilliant. It's just a shame I don't have anything else by him to read once I finish this.
Ah, well. So it goes.
I'm looking for movies similar to Oldboy, if anyone knows of any.
I'm looking for movies similar to Oldboy, if anyone knows of any.
I'm looking for movies similar to Oldboy, if anyone knows of any.you might like 13 Tzameti
Also, fans of Neil Gaiman's American Gods will like pretty much anything by Charles de Lint. Modern day fantasy steeped in the Faerie traditions of both Europe and America. Moonheart, Trader, and the collection Jack of Kinrowan were my favorites.
KNIGHTMARE FUCK MEYou, sir, have just made my day.
In My Sister's Keeper, Anna Fitzgerald was conceived and born so that she could provide genetically compatible body fluids and parts for her older sister, Kate, who suffers from leukemia. When Kate is 16 and Anna is 13, Kate needs a kidney transplant and Anna balks at giving up one of hers. She hires a lawyer to petition for medical emancipation from her parents, so that she alone can make decisions about her body. It's a decision that threatens to tear the family apart, from her mother who gave up a law practice to be a stay-at-home mom, an older brother who feels left out, and her father who wavers between choosing sides. Jodi Picoult's novel examines the inner workings of a family struggling to find love, and life, within all their relationships. My Sister's Keeper has received strong reviews with the San Jose Mercury News saying, "My Sister's Keeper is a terrific book, right down to the final surprise."
I found out yesterday that no one in my religion class, which has a lot of people who are in advanced English class, has read Jane Eyre.
Please, if you haven't read it, read it. It's the greatest piece 19th century gothic literature.
I'm looking for movies similar to Oldboy, if anyone knows of any.
Well I can certainly reccoment the prequal, Sympathy for mr. vengeance, which i thought was alot better...
Also, Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.
Season 5 of the Wire is due to start any day now. It will be the last season of the Wire. All four previous seasons are readily available on D.V.D. I will not give you people another chance.
For those that want to read more Neil Gaiman, we had a user on the forums a couple months back that created a QC Forums Gmail account and filled it full of some great e-books, including a ton of stuff by Gaiman. Just go to www.gmail.com, enter the username as 'qcforums' and password as 'pintsize' to reveal the glory. Then put 'Neil Gaiman' into the search bar and enjoy!...that is so fantastic. By the way, I agree with everyone that recommended Neil Gaiman. I am in love with that man.
Japan's most highly regarded novelist now vaults into the first ranks of international fiction writers with this heroically imaginative novel, which is at once a detective story, an account of a disintegrating marriage, and an excavation of the buried secrets of World War II.
In a Tokyo suburb a young man named Toru Okada searches for his wife's missing cat. Soon he finds himself looking for his wife as well in a netherworld that lies beneath the placid surface of Tokyo. As these searches intersect, Okada encounters a bizarre group of allies and antagonists: a psychic prostitute; a malevolent yet mediagenic politician; a cheerfully morbid sixteen-year-old-girl; and an aging war veteran who has been permanently changed by the hideous things he witnessed during Japan's forgotten campaign in Manchuria.
Gripping, prophetic, suffused with comedy and menace, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a tour de force equal in scope to the masterpieces of Mishima and Pynchon.
I am right now reading One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, and it is phenomenal. I had read some of his short stories and so decided to start on the novels, beginning with this one, which I am reading for my senior research/analysis paper. It is seriously mind-boggling. Magic realism... it makes me say "what the hell? What the hell! What the hell?! ... ... ... OOOOHHHHH... Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhhh... oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness." In a very positive way, to be sure.Ahh, I love G.G. Marquez...! One Hundred Years of Solitude is so awesome, and I loved Chronicle of a Death Foretold and La Hojarasca (I don't know what the English title is, I read it in Dutch) as well! I should read some more of his work...
Movies for Halloween:
Man Bites Dog - It will educate you because it is Belgum and so you get to read the subtitles, and it is very funny.
Man With the Screaming Brain - It is also very silly, and by Bruce Cambell, great for Halloween! Dazzling make up and special effects! Drama! Robots!
Any short films that were in the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival - They do Cthulhu right. Plus there are awesome scary films that will make you shiver and giggle at the same time. Also if you are in portland next year in early october, go t the hollywood theater.
Chumscrubber - It was trying to be like Donnie Darko, but it didn't quite make it. If you like dolphins, this movie is for you!
The Uninvited - It's got ghosts!
Old Dark House - Boris Karloff is in there, plus romance (not with boris karloff) and potatos (not related to the romance)
Do not forget the old traditions of Great Pumpikn, Charlie Brown and Hocus Pocus, because they're traditional.
Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell By Susanna Clarke
i've just started reading motherless brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem and while it's not the best book i've ever read (so far) it's a really good read- witty, orignal, interesting and not to heavy. Kind of a paul Auster, Chuck Palahniuk thing... about an orphan with tourettes tryin to find the killer of his mentor... currently being made into a film by Ed Norton.
I've just started reading Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer; I'm only a few chapters in, and I've fallen in love.
Alex Perchov is a gem; "I am a premium person." ^^
Ok, here's some completely random, and, by most people, unheard of series that are quite good.
Series: Anne of Green Gables
Book: Pride and Prejudice
Series: Misty of Chincotuge (spellcheck)
n/t (http://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/board,11.0.html)
b) I just finished reading Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. And I got a gift card for being an excellent employee today for about 93$, usable in a book store, so I will probably try to pick up Anansi Boys and/or American Gods tomorrow! I am much looking forward to getting hold of new books. I think I need a Gaiman break for a bit though (re-read Sandman in its entirety a few days ago), so I'm open for suggestions.
b) I just finished reading Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. And I got a gift card for being an excellent employee today for about 93$, usable in a book store, so I will probably try to pick up Anansi Boys and/or American Gods tomorrow!
Ok, here's some completely random, and, by most people, unheard of series that are quite good.
Series: Anne of Green Gables
Book: Pride and Prejudice
Unheard of! Are you for real?
I challenge you to find a girl who hasn't read Anne of Green Gables. I think thats a requirment for puberty.
And Pride and Prejudice? Honestly. Pride and fucking Prejudice is unheard of. You have got to be shitting me.
And I appoligize if I sound rude and boorish but to hear two great works of English Literature insulted by having someone imply that they arn't staples of any gradeschoolers education is insulting to me and anyone else who actually graduated from their 6th grade English Class.
Going to the same school has nothing to do with it. I just used it as an example of how widely known those books are and how often they are used in High School Curriculums. If u went to ANY middle/high school in a english speaking country you would have heard of them. And don't worry, I was taking it quite easy. All I did was introduce him to my friend Mr Sarcasm in the hopes that he would perhaps see the error in this ways. If I hadnt been taking it easy I would have used my buddy Mr Insult and perhaps his wife Mrs Ethnic Slur. I think I showed amazing personal fortitude refraining from such tactics in the face of such blatent stupidity.
There are one of three things going on here. One, they're being sarcastic. Two, they're not in the same school system as you are. I never had to read either of those books for any of my english classes, although I have heard of them. They were both 'summer reading' books and since Pride and Prejudice is one of the longer ones, barely anybody chose to read it the one summer it was on the list. Three, Shreazla may still be in high school and possibly not realized how much of an impact Pride and Prejudice had since most of his classmates didn't read it. I think option two is the most realistic.
Just take it easy, man. Not everybody on these forums went to the same school.
I challenge you to find a girl who hasn't read Anne of Green Gables. I think thats a requirment for puberty.
And Pride and Prejudice? Honestly. Pride and fucking Prejudice is unheard of. You have got to be shitting me.
Looks like you lose this one.
Fuck mangas.qft
Well then I got some great "unheard" of books for you:
Sense and Sensibility
A Tale of Two Cities
The Illiad
The Bible
I think the only real loser is the public education system in the United States. What ever happened to reading quality literature. Maybe some of you kids would read this stuff if they made a manga about it.
Fuck mangas.
For whatever it's worth, I really did laugh aloud upon reading this. Oh man. Other totally obscure works you might enjoy include Hamlet, The Great Gatsby, and if you're really ambitious, Green Eggs and Ham.
My suggestions.....
Movies:
Equilibrium (little campy but still amazing.. Stars Christian Bale)
American Psycho (also starring Bale)
Sin City (Frank Miller is a genious)
300 (see above)
Black Hawk Down (true story, way fucking better than that garbage Saving Private Ryan)
Tears of the Sun (Bruce Willis and Monica Bellucci)
The Entire works of Kevin Smith (only watch the first hour of Chasing Amy trust me)
Shoot 'em Up (Campy as hell. I've never seen actors chew scenery like this before, but its still really good)
3:10 to Yuma (For and Australian and a Welshman the main actors put out the greatest western in a long time)
Television:
Bleach (its the only anime I can bring myself to watch.)
Jericho (Skeet Ulrich and crew make a damn good post apocalyptic show)
i really thought american psycho was done ridiculously poorly in comparison the book...it seemed to loose the whole psychological aspect which stephen king books have habit of loosing when made into movies
Nightwatch and Daywatch - Russian fantasy action films
They are based on a series of fantasy novels by Sergei Lukyanenko, both the books and the films have the balance of light and dark, and what happens when one becomes a bit greater than the other. The stories definately build up the characters and draw you in. Only downside to the films are they don't contain as much as the novels.
Apparently Budge Wilson wrote a prequel to Anne of Green Gables that's been OK'd by Montgomery's heirs. I heard about this months back and was horrifiedI didn't want to know about this. Horrified is right.
I'd like to recommend
Life of Pi - Yann Martel
An absolutely excellent book about a boy that's stranded on a raft with a tiger, zebra and an orangutang, that lands on a small island filled with voracious killer trees that swallow people and make fruit out of their teeth.. Well.. You have to read it to understand.
Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe (Volume One: Shadow and Claw, Volume Two: Sword and Citadel): Previously four books, the Book of the New Sun focuses on the life of an exiled Seeker of Truth & Penitence. (aka, torturer) Possibly not something to read if you don't want to think ... I lent it to someone in my family; they promptly forgot about it & then threw it out. :cry:
I have not read Anne of Green Gables.
Don't read Pynchon's 'Vineland' as suggested above. 'Gravity's Rainbow' is superb but 'V', 'Mason and Dixon' and 'The Crying of Lot 49' are all actually a lot better than 'Vineland' on many levels are much worthier of the time it takes to muddle through a Pynchon book.Whaevoh. I stand by what I said. And also I could not, not, not get into Mason & Dixon. And I thought Lot 49 was just a glimpse at what is to come. Vineland while pretty weak compared to GR and V, was still worth it to me. M&D, i cannot explain why i could not get into caring about this book. I thought for a long time it was the period. But i just finished Stephenson's Quicksilver and that went pretty quick for a book of that size.
Dexter: I'm lost alone in the dark, black depths of my black dark soul.
Dexter's Sister: Blah blah stupid blah blah why don't I get respect blah blah acts awkward
Token Black Guy: GRAR SMASH PUNY DEXTER
Dexter: Blood dark black black blood crimson.
Everyone else: Oh, Dexter! You're so dreamy!
Dexter: Darkness
(Dexter broods for forty-two minutes)
To be continued...
i just finished Stephenson's Quicksilver and that went pretty quick for a book of that size.
Dexter's okay, but it's a bit over-written at times.Surely you still love Homicide.
But really, the Wire's ruined me for cop shows.
Surely you still love Homicide.
Surely you still love Homicide.
TV's are for appearing on, not watching.
A friend of mine served in 'Nam in '69. He got both his legs blown off by a landmine and contracted Hepatitis C from a transfusion.I don't blame them for not going. I blame them for making a career out of being an advertisement for other people like your friend to go. Also he is a pretty well documented bigot. But to each his own.
I honestly cannot blame the guys. John Wayne remains my favourite actor of all time.
If you're going to watch TV, and not shows like Dirty Jobs, Deadliest Catch, or Mythbusters - the best program out there is probably Battlestar Galactica - excellent acting, decent special effects, compelling storylines - what else do you need?
I stand by Dexter. Although I do, at times, agree with people that Deborah is a pain in the ass. However, her faults are nowhere near enough to turn me off the show. You can have your opinion but I continue to be dazzled by Michael C Hall :D
If I'm going to start reading classic american litterature, what should I start up with?
If I'm going to start reading classic american litterature, what should I start up with?(Joseph Heller's Catch-22).
although the new lady bombed her first segment.
I really like TS Eliot.
Books: Kurt Vonnegut books are always good! And also Mein Kampf, A clockwork Orange, uh....I am America (and so can you).
my recommended movies: Eraserhead, Gummo, Repo Man, and A clockwork Orange.
Oh dude...you did NOT just recommend Mein Kampf. I am the only person I know who owns and has read through the book. Trust me, it's not worth it. The writing itself is only ok, the ideas aren't....well-developed. There's nothing insightful in it, he wrote it before he became the Fuhrer....and it's really....bad.
On the subject of poets, I've been reading quite a bit more contemporary poetry.
Going to the same school has nothing to do with it. I just used it as an example of how widely known those books are and how often they are used in High School Curriculums. If u went to ANY middle/high school in a english speaking country you would have heard of them. And don't worry, I was taking it quite easy. All I did was introduce him to my friend Mr Sarcasm in the hopes that he would perhaps see the error in this ways. If I hadnt been taking it easy I would have used my buddy Mr Insult and perhaps his wife Mrs Ethnic Slur. I think I showed amazing personal fortitude refraining from such tactics in the face of such blatent stupidity.
There are one of three things going on here. One, they're being sarcastic. Two, they're not in the same school system as you are. I never had to read either of those books for any of my english classes, although I have heard of them. They were both 'summer reading' books and since Pride and Prejudice is one of the longer ones, barely anybody chose to read it the one summer it was on the list. Three, Shreazla may still be in high school and possibly not realized how much of an impact Pride and Prejudice had since most of his classmates didn't read it. I think option two is the most realistic.
Just take it easy, man. Not everybody on these forums went to the same school.
There you go. I can agree with you on the Princess Bride. As it is the greatest single satire since Swift. The story within the story is what makes the book so much better then the movie could ever hope to be.
Not that the movie was cute and great in its own way.
P.S. I was just joshing you when I wrote that reply. I was writing a satirical response and thought a good joke could be had by all.
Never even imagined so many people would take it so seriously. Honestly, its just some gentle ribbing, no need for everyone to blow it all out of proportion.
At least you have developed a sense of humor.
I don't know if I understand how the Princess Bride is satire (parody perhaps). And wonderful though it is, I don't think that it can beat out Huckleberry Finn for the best satire since Swift.
If anyone is into Spaghetti Westerns, I recommend watching Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo. Because A Fistfull of Dollars is just Yojimbo transplanted from feudal Japan to Mexico. Same plot: nameless drifter shows up in a town being ruined by two rival gangs and plays the two sides off of each other. Even one of the scenes is identical in both movies, just just with swords instead of guns. Good stuff.
And if you like Yojimbo......check out the rest of Kurosawa's work, he is truly the god of Japanese cinema.
Dexter . . . there's nearly zero gore.
Also, if you have any interest in history, espionage, the CIA...this will sound overblown and even cliche, but if you care about what this country has done and its current state, you need to read Legacy of Ashes, the first truly substantive history of the CIA. The author had access to tons of files that had been blacked out or classified for over 50 years in some cases. What they reveal is infuriating in many regards and bewildering in others.
So, way earlier in the thread, Khar mentioned Delicatessen. I watched it not 5 minutes ago, it's thoroughly entertaining. I particularly love how every resident of the building has some kind of peculiar trait except for Julie. They're all part of a circus, and Louison came from one...it's definitely a visual film, as well. It was done by Jeunet and Caro, after all...and it really shows in the color palette.
Everything Is Illuminated
Cool, cool. Thanks for that.Sunset Boulevard and The Third Man - the quintessential noir experiences. At least for me. I know my cinematic diet is lacking in good noir. >>;
The Third Man is amazing-- if you like Orson Welles definitely try "The Lady From Shanghai", its Welles' directorial triumph and he stars in it as well (with a handsome irish brogue!). Also starring, his beautiful and talented wife (at the time) Rita Hayworth (Who I think is the perfect image of classic film beauty). It's a bit different from your typical noir, but I think that makes it even better!
Speaking of Rita Hayworth-- another great noir is "Gilda". Hayworth is in every way a performer. She steals the show.
...and last but not least, if you like Humphrey Bogart try he Maltese Falcon!
Ok I'm done spewing Noir titles now.
If you read science fiction at all, I recommend the Sparrow and it's sequel Children of God. They are written by Maria Doria Russel, and are incredible. They have very well planned stories, with fantastically detailed settings and characters. It covers a wide range of interesting topics: encountering other cultures, scientific discoveries, faith and philosophy, humour and adventure. Excellent reads.
The Rum Diary is an early novel by American writer Hunter S. Thompson that was written in the early 1960s but was not published until 1998.
The story involves a journalist named Paul Kemp, who moves from New York to work for a small newspaper, The Daily News, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Set in the late 1950s, the novel encompasses a tangled love story of jealousy, treachery and violent alcoholic lust among the American expatriates who staff the newspaper.
Thompson himself traveled from New York to San Juan in 1960 to write for an ill-fated sports newspaper on the island. Thompson had unsuccessfully applied to work at the larger English-language daily called the San Juan Star while novelist William J. Kennedy was the editor. While in Puerto Rico, Thompson befriended many of the writers at the Star, providing the context for The Rum Diary's fictional storyline.
Although Thompson was only 22 when he wrote the story, it deals extensively with a fear of “going over the hill” and growing old. The prominent characters are typical of Thompson's work; violent, maniacal and alcoholic, stumbling through life. It is written in a highly paced and rather exciting style, also typical of his work.
Thompson told PBS talk show host Charlie Rose in 1999 that he had given up the novel because it had originally "bounced about seven times - I got the standard list of rejection letters - and I came back from South America and I got into the politics of the 60s and 70s, and it was a full time job." He then said that he revisited the book because "it's got a romantic notion...that and money.. and I was faced with the fact of having to dig out my 40-year old story...I can't change it, like, 'ye gods, this is me, this is the world I lived in'...so I approached it as a writer...it's a good story."
http://www.mediafire.com/?zzc3wjpmmtsThe movie "Supertroopers" because it is one of those pointless movies you can rent out on a weekend and watch without having to think too hard! is has hilarious actors and an amusing storyline and is just an all-round funny movie to watch if you have nothing better to do!
This sounds to me exactly like the reasons why you should not watch a movie. If you're just watching a movie to pass the time, why not take a nap instead?
the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer is extremley good and manages to mix Irish fables of fairies and other magical creatures with ultra futuristic technology and criminal masterminds, nad also, the main character is 12 years old and smarter than most adults of any species in the book... talk about creepy.
Other works by Eoin Colfer are also highly recomended, they offer a fresh outlook on many old themes and add his own personal twist of mixing old school Tolkien type fantasy with innoviative science fiction, defiently a good read if youre looking for something refreshing.
Trainspotting the novel was incredible.....and by that I mean it was incredibly hard to read. But still an amazing book, highly rewarding to get through fourty or fifty pages.
I'm thinking of getting into some Grindhouse movies.....can anyone suggest some good (relatively) ones?
Yes, a film with Colin Farrell in it can be bad. It could be so bad in fact, that your post inspired me to go check his IMDB to see if he was involved in anything decent (besides Tigerland) when I wasn't looking.
Read the book.
And finish watching "A Clockwork Orange". And then read that book. Or read the book first. But do both.
Any good books released this year?
Doubt and Frost/Nixon. Go see them, they're really good.
I saw an incredible documentary tonight, Man On Wire. It's about Philippe Petit, a wirewalker who in 1974 walked between the WTC towers while they were only partially complete, walking back and forth for 45 minutes while cops tried to talk him off.
(http://www.laemmle.com/movieimages/3972thumb.jpg)
Really satisfying, joyful, and exhilarating. Some sad undertones though, when the friends who pulled it off together reflect upon the times, and it seems quite clear that they haven't kept up much since.
Beautiful film.
What? What's that you say? I can't read it, it's all orange and shit.I checked these threads (http://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,19706.0.html) before posting. No where is there any mention of the use of colored text.
(Using colored text is discouraged)
Also, I don't know about The Unborn. I haven't trusted a single American remake in a pretty long time.It's a remake of a foreign film? I wasn't aware of that. What country made the original? How old is it?
Fuck yes, Nuovo Cinema Paradiso. Holy dicks is that ever a good movie. Seconded.
As far as TV shows go, Being Human looks like it good be a very good show indeed. The first episode was excellent.I've got to second this recommendation, seen all 5 episodes so far and it's great. Supernatural goodness.
100 Years of Solitude- Fantastic book with an epic sotryline about a family's history and the town they founded. García Márquez is an amazing storyteller in general.
Just pick up anything by Garcia Marquez. Most people have read those two but neglect a lot of his other stuff, especially his shorter fiction (stories and novellas) all of which are brilliant. "Leaf Storm" is one of my favorite things he's written and "Chronicle of a Death Foretold" is really masterful. His "Collected Stories" come in a nice volume and are almost all quite worthwhile as well.I know I've read at least one short story by him (something about a wounded angel, I don't remember the name) that was good, but I'll try to find some more.
I hope someone already recommended him but...
Chuck PalahnIuk is an amazing writer. He wrote Fight Club and Choke. Both were made into movies. I think Choke, Lulubye, Rant and Fight Club are pretty much must reads.
My favorite Chuck is Survivor. I'm not really sure why. It just came across as awesome to me.
Anyone know if Mall Cop is at all good? Our school is taking the MAP 4 students to see it for a 'Congratulations!' field trip, and I'm wondering if I should go or not.
genius, like Airplane!
Man On WireAgreed. I loved this movie so much.
Just pick up anything by Garcia Marquez. Most people have read those two but neglect a lot of his other stuff, especially his shorter fiction (stories and novellas) all of which are brilliant. "Leaf Storm" is one of my favorite things he's written and "Chronicle of a Death Foretold" is really masterful. His "Collected Stories" come in a nice volume and are almost all quite worthwhile as well.I know I've read at least one short story by him (something about a wounded angel, I don't remember the name) that was good, but I'll try to find some more.
*stuff about Chuck Palahniuk*
(I didn't read Rant or Haunted - They might be good).
*more stuff*
*stuff about Chuck Palahniuk*
(I didn't read Rant or Haunted - They might be good).
*more stuff*
you absolutely must read both of these. not to mention his latest "Snuff"
all three are awesome (though Snuff is the weakest of the three, i think), and Rant is probably my new favorite of his.
his writing's actually gotten better with time. alot of his earlier books sort of blend together because they are all sort of similar in style and meaning so after reading them all within a short span of time and never re-reading them i'd have a hard time remembering which was which (besides the ones that became movies).
so yeah...read his newer stuff because it is really good (espescially Rant and Haunted; Snuff was good but not great).
I'm not a cyclist by any stretch of the imagination, and am only a moderate fan of the sport in general. But Krabbé's novella, originally published in the Netherlands 25 years ago, has got to best one of the best fictional treatments of any sport. The book follows an competitive amateur rider through a half-day, 150 kilometer race over the very real Mont Aigoual in France. Krabbé is himself an avid amateur cyclist, and his ability to capture both the mental and physical aspects of the sport is uncanny. Although I've never raced a bike, I did run cross-country competitively, and many of the elements carry over-mainly the twin battle each individual faces with their brain and their body (There's one excellent moment when the rider wills his bike to get a flat so he can withdraw with honor.).
The stripped-down prose style (common to all Krabbé's work), works especially well in the context of a race where the long distances can lead to almost a trance-like state. The mind wanders all over the place, and that is captured brilliantly in the rider's musings-for example, one part describes how he tries to invent words to keep himself amused during long, boring training rides. At the same time, the race itself is very tense, and Krabbé does quite well at describing the various tactical gambits employed along the way. The main competitors emerge as distinct figures-allies and foes in both a psychological and physical sense (I especially liked the unknown in the blue Cycles Goff jersey). Interwoven with it all are tidbits of cycling history, which are intermittently interesting to the non-racer.
It's not a reach to call this a masterpiece of sports literature. The story does a remarkable job at conveying the tension and flow of a race to the outsider. At the same time, the insights into the psychology of the athlete are so acute as to be universally recognizable across cultures and sports.
It is a love story about a man with a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel unpredictably, and about his wife, an artist who has to cope with his frequent absences and dangerous experiences. Niffenegger, frustrated in love when she began the work, wrote the story as a metaphor for her failed relationships. The tale's central relationship came to her in a flash one day and subsequently became the novel's title. The novel, which has been classified as both science fiction and romance, examines issues of love, loss, and free will. In particular, it uses time travel to explore miscommunication and distance in relationships.
J.S. Bach, M.C. Escher, Kurt Gödel: biographical information and work, artificial intelligence (AI) history and theories, strange loops and tangled hierarchies, formal and informal systems, number theory, form in mathematics, figure and ground, consistency, completeness, Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry, recursive structures, theories of meaning, propositional calculus, typographical number theory, Zen and mathematics, levels of description and computers; theory of mind: neurons, minds and thoughts; undecidability; self-reference and self-representation; Turing test for machine intelligence.
So, I just saw The Wicker Man (the original 1973 film with Christopher Lee). It's quite odd...in that it's billed as a horror film but is never actually scary at any point. It's downright amusing, actually, given the amount of musical numbers that are weaved into an otherwise serious film. I'm strangely attracted to it, though. If Frederico Fellini made Zardoz, this would be the result, I think. Worth checking out on a rainy day.
brain dead is amusing if only becasue it holds the record for the most amount of fake blood used in a single film
*reminices about the lawn mower scene*
No.
Buy the original Pride and Prejudice.
Hey you fucks, see Wild Strawberries.
So I just saw this old Belgian student flick called Man Bites Dog. It's a fake documentary of a serial killer, and the film crew gets caught up in the violence. Probably one of the blackest comedies I've ever seen. Not that that's a bad thing. Highly recommended for anyone who likes clever movies about hitmen (I realize this is a pretty small niche of film).
The Fall.
Great movie.
Great list. I'd also add Johnny Rogan's Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance.NOTED. Thnx. I'll have to look for that.
(anyone seen The Machinist?)I love this movie. Your sister is right to love Christian Bale, how could anyone not?
I love this movie. Your sister is right to love Christian Bale, how could anyone not?
I love this movie too, and Christian Bale is fucking awesome.(anyone seen The Machinist?)I love this movie. Your sister is right to love Christian Bale, how could anyone not?
but the acting is so awful I can't believe anyone thought it was a documentary.
it did nothing for me.
Darren Aronofsky's Pi
Movies:
Reign Over Me - I was really, really surprised by this film. I'm not a huge fan of Adam Sandler, and I thought Punch Drunk Love was okay (tried a bit hard). Nonetheless, Don Cheadle coupled with numerous recommendations made me see it. I have to say, it was really good, especially considering it was a 9/11 (sorta) based movie. I haven't seen United 93, but I hear it's actually not as bad as it looks.
The Fall - It's fantastic. I think enough has been said here to affirm that.
Add "Dance of Days" to that list. Washington DC hardcore punk history. Reading this book will basically explain to you why punk is awesome and why you should have an altar dedicated to Ian Mackaye in your house.
The Fall is worth it just for the visuals.
The Fall is worth it just for the visuals.
I would pay $100 just to watch the intro to The Fall in an IMAX theater or something like it. Naturally, i would be super stoned and it would blow my mind so thoroughly that i would never be the same again.
the movie, as a whole, is good (not great) but holy shit the intro is fucking....fucking....uh....SPECTACULICIOUS
Thirst is not a documentary but it is another absolutely incredible film from Chan-Wook Park, director of Oldboy. If you like any of his other films this is something you need to see right now.
I don't know if this has already been recommended, because holy crap 14 pages, but;
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King.
I've liked all of his stuff that I've read, but nothing is as epic as this series. Some of the main ideas in the books are things I was thinking about when I was a little kid.
There's just such a sense of truth about it, and I can really get inside Roland's head.
It's a good series. I hope I have given a good enough reason why I think it is.
New China Mieville book, The City & The City is really good. Different vibe to the Bas Lag novels, more of a existential murder mystery a la Paul Auster or something.
Is it just me, or is China Mieville really overrated?
I’m not a leftist trying to smuggle in my evil message by the nefarious means of fantasy novels. I’m a science fiction and fantasy geek. I love this stuff. And when I write my novels, I’m not writing them to make political points. I’m writing them because I passionately love monsters and the weird and horror stories and strange situations and surrealism, and what I want to do is communicate that. But, because I come at this with a political perspective, the world that I’m creating is embedded with many of the concerns that I have... I’m trying to say I’ve invented this world that I think is really cool and I have these really big stories to tell in it and one of the ways that I find to make that interesting is to think about it politically. If you want to do that too, that’s fantastic. But if not, isn’t this a cool monster?
Speaking of Stephan King: I highly recommend the movie 1408 .... For starters, it's actually scary, something most horror movies have not been able to be for the last 15 or 20 years .... John Cusack is amazing
I'm just wondering if anyone has seen the film of The Time Traveller's Wife and whether it is a) a good film and b) comparable to the book?
I'm quite enjoying Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffenegger.
I'm just wondering if anyone has seen the film of The Time Traveller's Wife and whether it is a) a good film and b) comparable to the book?
Onl yon the third episode so far but Game of Thrones on HBO is quickly becoming my new favorite shows. Pretty much it about grabs for power between 7 fictional kingdomes. Much like meieval England, but with better characters. and it may or may not contain dragons later. And as we all know everything is better when you add dragons. Well except for Beowulf that movie was a shit factory, the only good thing about that movie was the theatre had really good popcorn
But the legend of Beowulf was excellent - and it had dragons.I just finished Tolkien's The Silmarillion and it also had dragons and was pretty darn epic. If you like dragons and want to get involved in an entire new cosmology, I recommend The often underappreciated Silmarillion.
I reommend books from Charles Bukowski
Wanted to show this but wasn't sure where so its going here. Found this while doing research on advertising. The trailer for Psycho:
Spec Ops is a fantastic deconstruction and satire of the genre and our culture of hero worship. You should definitely come join us in CLICK!. Join the NERDS.
Not sure if this has been posted yet
(http://static03.mediaite.com/themarysue/uploads/2011/10/SFSignalNPR100Flowchart.jpeg)
Hello!
I'd like some recommendations for children's books in english, for a tiny person how is three, soon to be four. He's also dutch. He's interested.
Seriously, we're not pushing him.
Anyway, anyone know any good titles?
Hello!
I'd like some recommendations for children's books in english, for a tiny person how is three, soon to be four. He's also dutch. He's interested.
Seriously, we're not pushing him.
Anyway, anyone know any good titles?
Daniel Pinkwater's Tooth Gnasher Superflash, The Big Orange Splot, The Wuggie Norple Story, and pretty much anything else. A lot of his books are a little older than the kid (mostly aimed at ~7-12 year olds), but those ones are younger.
Anyway, anyone know any good titles?
"San Junipero", an episode from Season 4 of "Black Mirror". Not a remarkable plot but meticulously crafted and emotionally affecting.
I would recommend "Umbrella academy" on Netflix. Based on a limited comic series, it's basically about a dysfunctional family of 7 adopted children with possible superpowers.
WIthout giving away anything, one of the best things about it is that it's not much about their powers, but really about the family dynamics and personal struggles. Yet, there are some fascinating sci-fi/fantasy ideas strewn in as well. While not perfect by any means, it has enough going for it, including a some strong performances, mainly by Ellen Page and 15-year old Aidan Callagher.
Christ, I tell you true, Irene, that child won't listen to nobody! I'm trying to cook her some spaghettis and daube, and she keeps on playing in my pot.
I would recommend "Umbrella academy" on Netflix. Based on a limited comic series, it's basically about a dysfunctional family of 7 adopted children with possible superpowers.
WIthout giving away anything, one of the best things about it is that it's not much about their powers, but really about the family dynamics and personal struggles. Yet, there are some fascinating sci-fi/fantasy ideas strewn in as well. While not perfect by any means, it has enough going for it, including a some strong performances, mainly by Ellen Page and 15-year old Aidan Callagher.
Season 2 of the Umbrella Academy coming July 31st! Excited!
A great movie everyone should watch.. if you can stomach the sexism, homophobia, racism,, not glorified, but it's there---a reflection of the times, perhaps.. It's a punk masterpiece, on the level of Aqua's Barbie Girl. Depressing. More depressing how the studio garbled the ending, but I'm not sure it's the worse for it; Different, no doubt, but knowing that history only enhances it's punk. Magnus Prophecy's Criterion Retrospective (https://youtube.com/watch?v=TETfSlNWm8k) gets it's essence, but to some conclusions, jumps.I was right about the reference!No, no joke. It was an entirely serious suggestion! I'm not sure but I do have vague memories of a film called 'Repo Man' and the image in my head may have been based on its poster.This calls for a Patreon-only pin-up of May in partially-unzipped overalls and carrying a Colt Python 44 with the title "Repo Gal".I'm sure there's a joke in there, but I'm not seeing it. Even took out my microscope (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zfivq3Ou4_M&t=272)..