Movie Review: the Boxtrolls

Posted on January 25, 2015 by C.A. Jacobs

Another movie that I wanted to see in theaters but didn’t get the chance to was the Boxtrolls. The story looked interesting and the previews said it was from the creators of Coraline and ParaNorman, both of which had really great stories, fascinating characters, and were wonderful works of art. The Boxtrolls was no different.

“Quirky, mischievous and good-hearted, these box-wearing creatures have lovingly raised a human boy named “Eggs” in a charming cavern below the bustling streets of Cheesebridge. But when evil Archibald Snatcher decides to capture the lovable misfits, it’s up to Eggs and his feisty young friend, Winnie, to save the Boxtrolls.”

My first thought when this movie started was that it certainly wasn’t a happy, fluffy Disney movie. The movie starts with what appears to be the abduction of a young boy by the Boxtrolls while a human chases them. For all that this is supposed to be marketed as a children’s movie, it was very dark with some very deep philosophical concepts. Naturally, that means that this movie is positively fantastic and I enjoyed it greatly.

I didn’t quite grasp the character names as quickly as I might have, but when it finally clicked and I realized that whatever was sold on the front of the box was the name of the boxtroll, I thought it was both remarkably clever and cute and I started paying more attention to the designs on the front of each troll’s box and guessing their name. Unfortunately, but humorously, I’m not very good at naming things, so I thought “Shoes” was going to be “Broken Stilettos” or something like that, which amused me greatly. When I watch this movie again, which will hopefully be soon, I’m going to pay very close attention to the boxes and to their names because I think it will entertain me greatly.

What I really liked about the Boxtrolls is the storytelling. I didn’t know why the Boxtrolls appeared to be stealing a human boy, but I automatically got the sense that Snatch wasn’t a very good person. The movie never has to sit down and explain to you that the Boxtrolls love Eggs very, very much. You’re shown this in undeniable ways. Fish and Eggs spend time making random music together, by doing such things as breaking light bulbs or using saws. Eggs played with Shoes by throwing bugs at each other. Fish looks specifically for things to bring back to Eggs for them to use in their musical endeavors. The movie also makes it perfectly clear that the Boxtrolls aren’t evil creatures at all – they’re inventors and fixers. They like to create things and fix things. I think they’re rather cute.

One of the concepts that really stuck with me about this movie was something along the lines of how society can put pressure on the silliest things and make those things seem desirable, even though it’s terribly unhealthy. Snatch really wants a white hat because it’s a symbol of status, wealth, prestige, and would encourage the people of Cheesebridge to look up to him, as they do the rest of the white hats. I’m not actually sure that the people of Cheesebridge really do look up to the white hats, as I don’t see them getting any special treatment from the rest of the city. It’s entirely possible, and quite likely in my mind, that the average people in Cheesebridge don’t really care about the white hats or what they do, but that the white hats have separated themselves and are rather pretentious. You see this in the way that Winnie is treated by her father. He pays more attention to his white hat boys cheese club than he does to her. This creates a series of situations where we see what kind of absent father he is to Minnie and how many societal concerns are represented in this manner. I mean, he decides to use all the extra money from Cheesebridge to make the biggest wheel of cheese ever seen instead of creating a school for orphaned children. This mirrors our own modern society so well that I don’t really even want to talk about it.

The most unhealthy of all of this is that Snatch has a serious and life-threatening allergy to cheese. He can’t be completely oblivious to this, but he certainly seems to push the knowledge to the back of his mind as much as possible. He wants to be a white hat so he can go into the back room and taste the new cheeses with the other prestigious white hats, but I honestly think it’s the social interaction that he’s looking for, and not so much the cheese tasting. If I were to mirror this to society, as well, I would say that society is training us and mind washing us to desperately crave things that are unhealthy for us, and leads us to lifestyle choices where we wind up harming others.

I did mention that this movie was surprisingly deep, yes?

Overall, I think I’ll rate this movie as a solid four on my rating scale. I’m glad I purchased it, I’m positive I will watch it repeatedly, it made me laugh extensively multiple times, and it also made me really take a deep, philosophical look at some of the things we take for granted in our lives. It’s a great story with fascinating characters and the artistic talent required to make a movie like this staggers me.

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Movie Review: Lucy

Posted on January 24, 2015 by C.A. Jacobs

I wanted to see Lucy when it was out in theaters but I didn’t get the chance. So when I found out that it was available for home entertainment purposes, I naturally went out and picked it up. The back of the box doesn’t exactly show the best parts about this movie.

“An action-thriller about a woman accidentally caught in a dark deal who turns the tables on her captors. Altered by a dangerous new drug allowing her to use 100% of her brain capacity, Lucy transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.”

This movie does not start out slowly. It starts right at the beginning of the story. You’ve got two characters, Richard and Lucy, who are clearly Americans having some sort of dispute in front of a building in Taiwan. The movie never clarifies why either Lucy or Richard are in Taiwan, but there are tons of different reasons why they could be. It’s clear that they just met and that Lucy isn’t exactly fond of Richard. Lucy is actually pretty smart and she refuses to be part of what Richard is doing and is curious about what’s going on. She suspects Richard is involved in things that are shady and she doesn’t want to participate. He manipulates her into taking a suitcase into the building and her life spirals into a very frightening series of events, starting with watching Richard get shot and then being forced to open the suitcase and then knocked unconscious and waking up with a package inserted into her stomach.

It’s interesting to me to note that when the movie starts talking about how the cell will either choose immortality or reproduction, that none of the female species shown appear to be enjoying the mating rituals at all. Except the humans in the back of the car, anyway.

The common thought throughout certain communities has been that humans are only using approximately 10% of our total capacity in our brains. This movie speculates about what would happen if someone was able to use more of their brains than that 10%. I can’t remember the internet sites and I don’t feel like doing the research right now, but I kind of remember in the last several months reading that this is actually a misnomer and that we are fairly efficient with our use of our brains. But, again, I don’t remember where or when I read it and I don’t remember what the sites were, or how credible they might be.

I think one of the things I’m starting to be less thrilled with is how much of the movie is shown in the preview. If you’ve seen the preview for this movie, you’ve seen a lot of the movie. I think I would have been a lot more engrossed in the story if I didn’t already know what was going to happen. The good news, though, is that Lucy builds suspense very well and that the movie really motivates you to want to know what happens next and how things move forward. It also really motivates me to learn Chinese so that I can get more out of the movie. Because you don’t start getting subtitles in the movie until Lucy herself starts understanding other languages. In this way, the movie is really well done because you can experience the same confusion and terror that Lucy does while she’s trying to figure out what happened to her. When she finally does develop questions about what she should do, she calls an expert.

“If you’re asking me what to do … you know, if you think about the very nature of life, I mean, from the very beginning, the development of the first cell divided into two cells. This whole purpose of life has been to pass on what was learned. There is no higher purpose. So if you’re asking me what to do with all this knowledge you’re accumulating, I’d say pass it on.”

I liked this part a lot because it’s one of the key motivational factors for me in pursuing teaching as an occupation. I like sharing my knowledge and experience and I think I can really make a positive impact and help people realize how much fun learning and knowledge are.

This is a pretty fantastic part of the movie: “Everything’s different now. Like sounds are music that I can understand like fluids. It’s funny. I used to be so concerned with who I was and what I wanted to be and now that I’ve access to the furthest reaches of my brain, I see things clearly and realize that what makes us us – it’s primitive. They’re all obstacles. Does that make any sense?”

Overall, I’d say this movie is a three on my rating scale. I’m glad I own it and I’m sure I will watch it again in the future, though my first reaction after the movie finished was to feel like I needed to get drunk and discuss philosophy.

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Movie Review: the Black Swan

Posted on January 18, 2015 by C.A. Jacobs

While travelling, I found the Black Swan at a discount price. I’d heard a lot of really good things about the movie and I was looking for some new entertainment venues, so I picked it up. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the hotel I was staying at didn’t offer any sort of ability to play movies and laptop doesn’t have a DVD/CD drive. So I didn’t get a chance to watch the movie until today, when I’m procrastinating from doing a long list of things that I really do need to get done at some point ever.

“Nina is a stunningly talented but dangerously unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her driven artistic director and the threat posed by a seductive rival dancer, Nina’s tenuous grip on reality starts to slip away – plunging her into a waking nightmare.”

I don’t know how much detail I’m going to go into with this review, but I think it’s safe to say that I’ll probably have some spoilers. So if you haven’t seen the movie and you want to be as messed up watching it for the first time as I was, I suggest you not read this review. You’ve been duly warned.

The first thing I have to say after finishing this movie is how it absolutely fucked me up. This movie was done so very, very well that it was nearly impossible for me to tell what was real and what was purely in Nina’s head. In fact, I’m fairly certain even if I rewatch the movie repeatedly, I’m not certain I will ever really be able to tell the difference between reality and Nina’s imagination. I’m certain there are hints and clues throughout the movie, or potentially tiny discrepancies, but I have no idea when I’ll be able to watch this movie again to verify if some of my suspicions are accurate. See? That’s how seriously this movie messed with me – I have no idea if I’ll be able to watch it again, as much as I appreciate how this movie was so beautifully done. Which also makes me curious as to what would potentially motivate me to subject myself to this kind of emotional turmoil again, because this movie really was quite traumatic for me.

I guess one of the other aspects of this movie that really got to me was the view into the world of ballet. The extreme dedication and obsessiveness that goes with being a professional ballerina just boils my mind. How they destroy their expensive shoes and break their feet and push through all sorts of pain and destructive tendencies in order to strive for perfection. The natural talent versus the drive and dedication and how both are seen as the goal which must be obtained. Both sides, the natural talent and the dedicated worker are both slightly jealous of each other and both have their spirals into madness.

Nina and Lily are competing dancers in the ballet, but the similarities and the balance between the two was instantly felt when the characters are introduced. You can tell that Nina’s life is starting to get to her – that she’s alone and isolated working towards a state of being that she has no passion for. Lily is passionate and wild and her talent is raw and unscripted. The two combined are a perfect match, but Nina’s grip on reality is so fragile that it’s unclear if Lily and Nina are actually potential friends or if a close relationship with someone other than her mother is such a powerful dream for Nina that she hallucinated all of it.

This movie is an incredibly powerful piece that had a very profound impact on me. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I watched this movie, but I certainly wasn’t expecting to be messed with nearly this much. It’s a very, very good movie and very, very well done. So if you like psychological horror, this is a great movie. As much as I’m uncertain if I’ll be able to watch this movie again any time soon, I’d say it easily ranks as a four on my rating scale. It’s strong, it’s powerful, it’s totally messed up. But it’s also done as flawlessly as I can imagine for a movie like this.

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Theater Review: Hair

Posted on January 18, 2015 by C.A. Jacobs

Last night, I had the privilege of attending the closing night for the musical Hair at the Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts.

As with most of the musicals and shows that I go to, I hadn’t seen Hair before. In fact, I didn’t even know anything about the musical before I watched it last night.

“Hair tells the story of the “tribe”, a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the Age of Aquarius living a bohemian life in New York City and fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War. Claude, his good friend Berger, their roommate Sheila and their friends struggle to balance their young lives, loves and the sexual revolution with their rebellion against the war and their conservative parents and society. Ultimately, Claude must decide whether to resist the draft as his friends have done, or to succumb to the pressures of his parents (and conservative America) to serve in Vietnam, compromising his pacifistic principles and risking his life.”

I was warned before I went to the show that there would be adult content including nudity, implied drug use, extensive sexual situations and innuendos, and other things of that nature.

The first thing I have to say about my actual experience with this musical last night was that the set and the costumes were very nicely done. When I first walked past the stage, I thought it was fantastic that they had an actual, old-school, Volkswagen bus sitting on the stage. I have no idea how they got the van on stage, but they did and it looked great! The other really neat part about the stage set up was how the set up for the band was done. The band, who was remarkable by the way, was set up right in the center of the stage, but in something of a room with the stage built around them. So you could see the band, but they weren’t in the way of the musical at all. It was a fascinating way of including the musicians as an actual part of the musical. The rest of the set, with the hand-painted protest signs and ladders and levels really made the musical come to life. The same went for the costumes.

I also have to mention how fantastic and brave the actors and actresses were for their performances. It takes a lot of guts to be willing to be nude on stage and I admire them all for that – you are all beautiful people and I hope that someone out there appreciates you for who you are. Also, the musical numbers were fantastic and conveyed all the appropriate emotions.

One of the interesting things to me was the age bracket of the majority of the audience. It really seemed to me as though most of the audience members would have experienced the actual history from this musical first-hand. I felt like one of the younger members of the audience. For them, I am certain this musical was a reminder of times long past, and I wonder how they feel about their past and how the world is now. I know that those Vietnam Veterans have contributed greatly to the current positive view on military personnel today, and how so many realize that it’s possible to support military personnel without having to support the wars they fight.

Overall, this was a very artfully done performance. The sound was well-balanced, the actors and actresses were remarkably talented, the set design was unique and authentic, the costumes were fun and original, and the story was well-told.

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Book Review: Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles: The Nixie’s Song by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

Posted on January 11, 2015 by C.A. Jacobs

I’m starting to really get the feeling that perhaps I should be more methodical with both my random book purchases and my random book reading. For whatever reason, maybe I wasn’t paying attention because I found a used bookstore about ten minutes before closing time, or maybe I was too distracted by the conversation the high schoolers behind me were having about the Slavonic Dance Number 3, or maybe it was the end of a long day and I was hungry. Whatever the reason, when I picked up Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles: The Nixie’s Song (Young Adult 161 pages) by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, I apparently failed to realize that this is not the first book in the Spiderwick Chronicles. I was in a hurry and therefore only saw the spine of the book where it said Spiderwick Chronicles Book 1. And I went from there.

The neat part about this book is that, even though it’s clearly a follow-on to the previous books, it’s still a stand-alone story, with unique characters and solid explanations to what’s going on and why. Obviously, there are some references to what I believe where characters and events from the actual Spiderwick Chronicles, but not having read any of those didn’t detract from my reading of this story.

“Greetings from Florida. Think life here’s all fun and sun? Think again! It used to be pretty okay, but then I got this loser freak of a stepsister. And she didn’t come alone. She brought this big, stupid book about faeries. She said they were real, but did I believe her? No. I said it was all fake. Boy, was I wrong. Now there are faeries everywhere! EVERYWHERE! And they’re NOT going away unless we help them! Crap!”

This book was obviously intended for a very young audience, as the story-telling is very quick and lyrical with short, descriptive paragraphs. There’s a lot of rhythm to the story, and even several sections with actual rhymes about the story or the characters or potentially things to come in future books in the series. There’s also a selection of character portraits and drawings from the story itself, which gives the book something of a class feel, for those who believe that fantasy simply must start with a map in the front and continue with drawings throughout the story. I liked the drawings and felt that they added a good visual depiction of the characters and events, but I think some of the drawings were in less than ideal places in the book. There were several times when I would turn the page to find a drawing with its caption from part of the book I wouldn’t read for another few pages and it would spoil the suspense because I saw the picture of what was about to happen. I think a great way to do an illustrated book like this would be to make sure that the illustrations throughout the story are placed the page after the event takes place in the book. That way, a reader could read the description of something that happens in the story, then turn the page and see the illustration and get more information about the story from that.

One of the other reasons this book is clearly intended for a younger audience is the point of view and the topics discussed. Two younger people have to deal with suddenly becoming siblings and all the changes that entails. Nick loses his room and Laurie is excited to have a brother, but the situation isn’t as either of them would hope. They are both very different characters with very different views on life. Nick is focused on video games and building models and Laurie is eager for an adventure, but adventure isn’t nearly as much fun as it’s cracked out to be. The way they both look at problems and the world around them seems very much the way I would imagine younger people look at the world. The same goes for their dialogue and their thought processes. It feels like a very authentic book for younger people.

Overall, this was an interesting story and a good book to take with me to the laundry room while I waited for my clothes to go through the washer and dryer. I started the book when I put my clothes in the washer and finished it just before the dryer finished. I think I’ll rate it as a solid three on my rating scale because I’m happy that I purchased it and I’m likely to read it again at some point.

Works cited: DiTerlizzi, Tony and Black, Holly. Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles: the Nixie’s Song. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2007.

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Book Review: Green Lantern: Tales of the Sinestro Corps

Posted on January 11, 2015 by C.A. Jacobs

The other graphic novel I picked up at the used bookstore last week was Green Lantern: Tales of the Sinestro Corps (Graphic Novel 200 pages).

“Beware your fears made into light. They have been chosen for their ability to instill great terror. With their yellow power rings, they can make your worst nightmares come alive. They are the Sinestro Corps, and together they will set the universe alight with panic! Exploding from the pages of THE SINESTRO CORPS WAR, these terrifying tales shed light on the darkest secrets of the beings who declared war on the Green Lantern Corps and the worlds they protect: Sinestro, the fascist fallen Green Lantern who would bend all of creation to his will … Parallax, the demonic parasite who has turned the greatest Green Lanterns into vicious killers … Superman-Prime, the insane and unstoppable Last Son of a forgotten universe … Cyborg-Superman, the murderous man-machine with a soul as cold as his steel flesh … Despotellis, the sentient virus with the blood of billions on his hands … And more! Behold their murderous rampage and forge past the front lines for secret files and origins of over 200 characters, places and weapons from the Green Lantern and Sinestro mythos!”

I think this is actually a good graphic novel as a follow-on to the Giant Green Lantern Annual that I read yesterday. Both of these graphic novels have some sort of dealing with Sinestro, and the two of them combined give a pretty solid history as to Sinestro’s origins and where some of the animosity between Sinestro, Hal Jordan, and the Green Lantern Corps as a whole. As with most villains, Sinestro doesn’t see himself as the bad guy. He sees himself as someone who can bring order to a chaotic and unfair galaxy. He sees himself as offering much-needed change to the way the Guardians of the Universe control things. This graphic novel really adds to the stories from the Giant Green Lantern Annual and I think I’m actually reading things in a useful order (for once).

One of the stories in this graphic novel is about Kyle Rayner’s internal battle with Parallax, which is actually a very nicely done story, based on what I’m reading here. One of the key reasons I am a fan of Kyle Rayner as a Green Lantern is because of the amount of creativity involved in the manifestations of his ring. When Parallax locks Kyle into his own mind, Kyle draws portraits of the women he has loved the most throughout the years. Starting with Alex, then Donna, then Jade, then his mother. When Parallax shows up to gloat, Kyle manifests a mechanized suit of armor, a can of bug spray, and a buffalo in order to battle Parallax. It seems to me that in the Green Lanterns before Kyle, most of the Green Lanterns would manifest shields or giant fists hitting people or any other “standard” response to adversary engagements. Kyle was always incredibly creative with the use of his ring and this graphic novel demonstrates that very accurately.

One thing I’m going to say about this collection is that it doesn’t really seem to follow a chronological order. There are a lot of different stories from a lot of different issues and it doesn’t really show how each, individual member of the Sinestro Corps is defeated. In fact, it doesn’t appear as though any of them are in this graphic novel. I guess that makes sense, though, because this is a compilation of the Sinestro Corps and not those who defeated the Sinestro Corps. This continues to be one of my disappointments with the DC Comics universe as a whole. It seems to me as though you can’t really get a full story, not even in one trade paperback, graphic novel. You only get bits and pieces because the entire story and all the characters are spread out across every different title DC Comics owns. While I understand the concept that they created a giant universe and everything is connected, if you’re on a budget, or looking for some sort of chronological management, you’re not really like to get the whole story all in one place.

I really enjoyed reading the backgrounds and brief stories of all the Green Lanterns and I think I have a much greater respect for the world-building and the character creation that went into all the stories for the Green Lantern Corps as well as the Sinestro Corps. I think this graphic novel is going to be a good reference book for me as I read more in the Green Lantern universe. Some of these characters and special stories make me wonder what possible use they could serve, but I suspect that many of them are unique and creative just so DC Comics can find ways for them to die by saving the world/universe/galaxy/whatever through self-sacrifice in a way that only their own uniqueness would allow. Because what’s a story about a hero without losing everything that matters?

Overall, I’d say this is a great option as a reference because of the files in the back about the members of the Green Lantern Corps and the Sinestro Corps. The stories and character development were both interesting. I think I’ll rate this as a low three on my rating scale, mostly for the likelihood that I’ll use it for future reference concerning the Green Lantern universe.

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Book Review: Giant Green Lantern Annual #1

Posted on January 10, 2015 by C.A. Jacobs

While traveling, I came across a pretty fantastic used bookstore where I picked up the Giant Green Lantern Annual #1 (Graphic Novel 80 pages) from 1991.

This annual had several different stories in it, just like the back cover advertised with, “Here it is! The never-before-seen Giant Green Lantern Annual! Thrill to the first team-up of Green Lantern and the Flash! Tremble at the return of the renegade Sinestro! Puzzle over the riddle of the alluring Sapphire! Plunge into another exciting adventure from Green Lantern’s Case Book! Extra an “Original Green Lantern” classic … “Too Many Suspects”! Plus … All-new feature: “How I draw Green Lantern” by Gil Kane. A top-of-the-line collection of the finest moments in the Emerald Guardian’s glittering career!”

Wow. People just don’t talk like this anymore.

In some ways, this annual was a visit back to my past, when comic books were drawn in a very different way. Different colors, different styles, different characters. I think one of the most noticeable differences for me with this annual and some of the other comic books and graphic novels I’ve seen lately is that this has a remarkably high word count. This annual feels like it’s telling a story from scratch, assuming that the reader has little to no knowledge about Green Lantern, Green Lantern’s story, or the typical powers and how they function of the Green Lantern Corps. Everything is explained, even down to the editor’s note on page 3 where it says, “By charging his ring at his power battery, Green Lantern obtains power for exactly twenty-four hours!” I think this is actually a good way to be able to bring new readers in while still telling a story about Green Lantern. There are a lot of times when I’ll go into a house of books and want to buy the Green Lantern stories, but I have no idea what order I should buy and read them in or what’s going on, especially since I only really want to read the stuff with Kyle Rayner and not with Hal Jordan. I think that’s been one of DC Comics’ flaws for me is that they do so many crossovers and guest appearances that it’s difficult to keep track of any particular character or storyline without having to buy absolutely every issue.

There’s a lot of evil villain monologuing in this annual, but I’m pretty sure that’s just to make sure the readers are fully tracking on the story and characters without having to buy every single issue. And almost every dialogue or text box ends with an exclamation point! Which does provide me with some levels of amusement 🙂

One of the other trends of comic books from this era is to start with the main character engaged in some sort of conflict situation and then back track to how the conflict started. I’m more of a chronologically based person, but I understand why authors, writers, and artists might tell their stories this way.

My absolute favorite part of all of the super hero stories is how someone puts on a mask that covers the area around their eyes and magically, no one can tell who they are anymore! The masks aren’t even that extensive, yet it hides their entire identity. This also amuses me 🙂

Overall, I’d probably rate this Giant Green Lantern Annual as a high two on my rating scale. It was a good collection to provide background information on the Green Lantern story and characters and I’m glad that this annual included all of the parts of each of the chosen stories.

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Book Review: Grave Peril by Jim Butcher

Posted on January 6, 2015 by C.A. Jacobs

So if you couldn’t tell, I’ve been on something of a Dresden Files reading binge lately. I’ve been travelling a bit lately, but finished reading Grave Peril (Urban Fantasy 309 pages) by Jim Butcher tonight.

I think I might talk about some spoilers in this review, so if you haven’t read any of the Dresden Files books and you don’t want me to ruin the story for you, you should probably stop reading. You have been thusly warned.

This book introduces the Carpenter family, and specifically talks about Michael and Charity. There are other members of the family mentioned, but none of them by name. Michael is a knight of the cross and he has one of the three holy swords in order to provide him the tools and ability to fight the forces of evil. One of the key differences between Harry and his fight and Michael with his fight is that Harry fights the forces of darkness while Michael fights the forces of evil. Sometimes, the two are the same, and sometimes not. Michael often is less than thrilled about Harry’s methods of combating the forces of evil, but he works with Harry anyway because they really are on the same side. I think the reason this difference and this friendship really stood out to me was because it shows how people who are absolutely opposites can actually be incredibly similar. I liked the idea of their friendship overcoming all obstacles and how they both knew each other well enough to know each other’s character strengths and flaws and to always take care of each other, even after and when things got super rough.

Susan Rodriguez and Karrin don’t have very extensive roles in this book, but this book also introduces Thomas and Justine. So while Susan and Karrin may not have extensive roles, they do have critical plot development points. Karrin gets stuck in a nightmare and Susan spends most of her time throughout the book off screen, but participating in key parts of Bianca’s plan to kill Harry and start a war with the White Council. Thomas is an outcast, just like Harry, and they form a mutual bond of “let’s try not to get killed.”

Overall, I think this installation of the Dresden Files is a little darker than the previous books. The torment of the souls that Harry witnesses with Micky Malone’s soul and the barbed wire surrounding it and the Red Court Vampires were all really well done descriptive paragraphs. I’d give this book a three on my rating scale. I’m likely to read it again and I’m glad that I own it.

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Book Review: Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

Posted on January 2, 2015 by C.A. Jacobs

I started reading Fool Moon (Urban Fantasy 261 pages) by Jim Butcher a few days ago as I continued on my travels and my laptop crashed. This is the second book in the Dresden Files series and it’s got the same trends of humor and sarcasm as the first book in the series, Storm Front.

I think one of the things that frustrates me with some of the books in this series is how often Harry’s arrogance actually endangers the lives of the people around him. When Kim Delaney approaches Harry for help with several circles of binding, Harry doesn’t provide her with any information that could potentially be useful to her learning how to use the information. He just automatically assumes that she can’t handle whatever those binding symbols represent without asking if there was anything he could do to help with whatever she was involved with. He assumes that whatever she’s doing is amateur and beneath him. He doesn’t provide her with references or resources or places to maybe look for other information on the symbols. He just tells her “no” and like a pretentious adult, he doesn’t assist her with information or with helping her work through whatever she’s involved in. He was trying so hard to protect Kim through ignorance that he shut her down and she eventually winds up killed for her ignorance.

Harry has the same pattern of behavior with Karrin when she starts asking questions about the different types of werewolves. He doesn’t trust her enough to provide her with the information she needs in order to keep herself and her people safe when dealing with supernatural wolves. Though he does provide her with a detailed report about what kind of supernatural elements could kill people the way the police have found the bodies, he doesn’t do anything to actually make sure that her people are actually taking steps to protect themselves. He just assumes that they won’t be able to handle whatever’s coming their way and treats them like children who don’t know any better.

To be fair, these books really are early in the Dresden Files and there’s a lot of character development just between this book and the last book. I think it’s probably safe to say that these books are following in a very particular pattern. The beginning of the book has Harry being called by Karrin to the scene of a terrible crime, only this time, it’s a death scene with bodies ripped apart by animals. To throw another wrench into the system, the scene soon also has members of the FBI, which puts Karrin into something of a bind. Harry does have some very introspective moments where he realizes that he might be able to save a lot more lives if he actually trusts people enough to start letting them help themselves instead of believing that he’s the only one who can battle the forces of evil. He eventually trusts Susan, even though the main reason he does this is because he needs her help. Then, he trusts the Alphas, the college kids who volunteered to become werewolves because they saw the forces of darkness getting stronger and they couldn’t just stand back and watch bad things happen to people. Billy Borden rattles off some rather unpleasant statics for Harry when he’s trying to convince Harry that he needs some help. Right near the end of chapter 26, he says: “Did you know that violent crimes have increased nearly forty percent in the last three years, Mr. Dresden? Murder alone has almost doubled, particularly in heavy urban areas and isolated rural areas. Abductions and disappearances have gone up nearly three hundred percent.”

One of the neat parts about this story is that Harry has to write up a report about the different types of werewolves, which means that the reader is given more information on the different types of supernatural creatures within the world of the Dresden Files. I think it was an interesting look at the different werewolf mythologies.

Overall, I’d say this book is a pretty solid three on my rating scale. It’s worth reading and has some really good humorous parts to it. I’m likely to reread it again and I’m glad it’s at least partially a part of my own library.

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Goals for 2015

Posted on January 1, 2015 by C.A. Jacobs

So just like last year, I’m going to post my goals for the coming year.

1) Read 60 books and write reviews for all of them. And it doesn’t count if I don’t post a review. Quantifiable 🙂

2) Write ONE movie review per week.

3) Rebuild and reorganize at least 3,650 songs from what I lost on my last laptop.

4) Complete at least half (40,000 words) of Surveyors.

5) Participate and win NaNoWriMo in 2015.

6) Draw and color at least ONE full size pattern *or* finish and frame the Giant Awesome Pattern.

7) Do at least five minutes of upper body and abdominal workouts everyday, plus a minimum of 20 miles on the seated stationary bicycle per week.

8) Submit at least five things for publication. This can include short stories, novels, poems, or articles.

9) Attend one cultural event or location per month. Things like historic sites, musical concerts, plays, comedy clubs, etc., in order to increase my knowledge and awareness of things that are bigger than me and things that will hopefully encourage my mind to work.

10) Spend at least two hours with Adventure Buddy.

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