Remember Remember

A podcast has just ended that I have very much enjoyed. Its a podcast by the minds behind 'Welcome to Nightvale'. It only lasts ten episodes but uses a very interesting concept, relaxation/self help tapes. The help they offer is odd but they also get over some other things. The are hints at a larger story and an odd world.

A mix of weirdness and world-building with a fantastic narrator makes this a very worth wile series. I like how the arching story unfolded from with the concept of the self help tapes. The were time I felt for the narrator as she described her role and what she saw. They are doing a season two but I doubt it is a direct squeal. Very worth the time.

Marina

A bit of a phone update; I am liking it, a lot. The battery seems to last for a long time even with the increased use I am getting out of it. I have decided to use a full cover case for it it as opposed to a rubber backing. It gets in the way a bit but I will get used to it and it offers a damn sight more protection.

I have made an effort to use this phone better than my last. I have more data per month to use so I have been using it wisely. I also plan on using the contactless pay options and stuff as well. And I am using the damn calendar, lets see how long that lasts for...

Almost Ready To Fall

I have completed my Goodreads challenge of 40 books in a year a few months early; this is due to using audio books. Though an audio book takes almost twice as long to listen to as to read; I can fit in in better. ( I have got three stared dead tree book on my desk to finish) From walks to before bed at night or doing chores and mindless stuff.

I have listen to a lot over the last few years mainly fantasy and I could just be lucky but they were all great. Almost done with the third book of the 'First law trilogy' its pretty good. I wish I knew a bit more before going in book one. It would have been better at the time, but now I am where I’m at it makes sense.

Rear Guard

November the month of darkness and remembrance. Its going to be a busy one and one; I will have to manage it well but I should be ok. As a last aside I have signed up for Reddit's secret Santa again this year, it should be a bit of fun.

2016 The Year of Films [November]

November. Dark nights are perfect for staying in and watching films.
Here is the INDEX

01. Piper [Short] (01.11.16)
Pixar shows its skill in both short form story telling and their prowess in making a beautiful looking film. One of their best shorts and by far the best looking cg I have seen.

02. Coda [Short] (02.11.16)
A film about death and the parts of your own life you don't get to see. (You lived what anybody gets. A lifetime -Sandman) Interesting take on the grim reaper.  Nice bit of voice acting. LINK

03. Stanley Kubrick's Boxes (03.11.16)
A documentary about the work of Kubrick and his method in preparing for a film. His organization and preparation reaches crazy levels of work but he was far from the mad man he gets portrayed as. Nice little film, a bit odd in presentation but it got its points across.

04. Westworld (04.11.16)
A nice high concept but it fails to do much with it. The are some holes to the story that would make the whole better if they were filled. For a kind of short film it some how drags in the final act. Other than that is was enjoyable but very much of it's time.

05. The Backwater Gospel [Short] (05.11.16)
Very distinctive look to the film, it is cg but looks dirty. Odd story and one that make little sense, it meant to be a horror story but come off as more of a bash on religion. The was no pay off.

06. Road to Perdition (06.11.16)
I read the comic back in about 04 and pick up the film not long after. This is my first time watching it. Some big name involved who maybe weren't so at the time. It is a great film, the score is fantastic and the direction though a bit noticeable is great. Some awesome shots.

07. Little Match Girl [Short] (09.11.16)
A Disney short and a damn good one. Love how the is no sound other than a simple piano score. A old story (well it is Disney) but very compelling and with a sad ending.

08. The House of Small Cubes [Short] (12.11.16)
Man i need to find some uplifting short films. Very well executed film, from story to art and music. I loved the dive back i time being kind of literal. The metaphors were on the nose but that was the point.

09. Millennium Actress (13.11.16)
So mush to say, and I'm not sure how too. One of the best films I have seen, so complex and yet the story flows so well and the acting is top notch. The animation and art quality is fantastic as well. A inspired story and told in a way only achievable through animation. (a full review will come soon)

10. Riddick (18.11.16)
Why did they have to tie it in so close to the other films? Why did they rehash the first one? why do the effects look so bad? Other than that its a fun film, it is great when Riddick is doing his Batman style stuff and the intro was cool. A bit much exposition at times but solid over all.

11. Redline (19.11.16)
Oh boy where to start? It looks amazing, the art and animation is out of this world as is the design choices. Stylistically it is perfect. The story though, its just damn bad. To make things worse it is told very poorly. Far too much bad dialogue and lazy story telling. It could be so much better. Watch it for the racing and animation only.

12. Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future (20.11.16)
Crazy and very of it time. I don't know much about Max Headroom but this was a fun little film. Nice setting, they sold a gritty dirty future.

13. Angel's Egg (21.11.16)
A early work by Oshii and a very stylistically surreal one. I have very little in the way of dialogue or even story but it exudes style and feelings. It is more of a work of art than a film in the way Fantasia is. Very interesting and I will have to give it a second watch sometime.

14. Memento (25.11.16)
Very solid film. The narrative is what makes it great but the acting and story stands up with it. I'm not sure if a rewatch would make it clearer or not. Very interesting.

15. Akira (27.11.16)
Nothing to say. Still one of the best films ever made.

A solid month of films. Best? Millennium Actress, by a hair. worst? well most disappointing would be Redline.
On to the end of the year.

Autumnal Feelings

October is here and Autumn has come crashing in. It has been a slow creep this year building over the past few weeks. I love this time of year, especially a nice warm afternoon.

The change of season has brought about some other changes. We now need to heat the house and water more, this requires for the fire to be used for the first time since about May. The fire in the kitchen heats the house and for now is only needed in the evening and night but in a few weeks if the weather turns it will be in most of the day.

So from now until next spring I have more stuff to do as I am more often than now to one who makes and cleans the fire. I have to bring in the wood and coke (like coal but cleaner) and starting it up. As well as cleaning it out.

I emptied it out for the first time this season a few days ago; I used the handle to lift the full ash pan and carried it outside to the dustbin. The odd thing being I used on hand and didn't balance it against my body. I carried it out one handed with no struggle.

Have I gotten stronger over the summer? It is likely that I have but by how much and how? Its not like I work out and the most exercise I get comes in the fashion of walking. Granted I have felt pretty good this year about my body image, even through a few weeks of trouble in July.

Something seems to have gone my way, is it just small gains or is it my new dedication to posture?

The more I think on this the more I see I have never been weak, yes I have issues with Asthma but my core strength has been there since I left childhood. Heck I have been doing hard work since I was an early teen including chopping logs with an axe.

Now the main thing is to take this as a good sign and to try and get better.

Froglet

Some random stuff.

I have just listened to all 15 Dresden Files books since September 10th and wow are they good. They hold up well and the last few were nice to re-read for a first time. I will do a blog on the series and perhaps even a post on 'Changes' (boot 12).

Last Monday I got back from wandering around Sheffield and Meadowhall and my left ankle hurt a bit. Then all week is has been a massive issue, the tendon has been giving me pain enough that I have been limping. It has faded the last day or tow but if I tweak it it huts. Hope it clears up.

I managed to get a new phone (Moto G4 play) and I got an awesome deal. I will be paying about £3 a month less for more features and a better tariff than my last phone. And as a big upside I have a phone with a working audio jack now. I wont have to use the bloody awful Bluetooth thing.

The are some interesting things on the horizon, from films to books and I am working on getting some of my photos displayed.

Next post coming soon(ish)

2016 The Year of Films [October]

Busy month ahead but I should find time to see some films. INDEX

01. Perfect Blue (10.10.16)
Kon's films have dream like quality's to them but here we get one that feel like a dream. I love how the themes of identity mix in both artificial and introspective ways. The are some disturbing parts and the tent pole scene is very well done.

02. The Little Prince (14.10.16)
A delightful animated film. From top to toe it is fantastic. From the animation to the story and voice acting. It all comes together well and is one of the best growing up films around. Deep and truly delightful.

03. Borrowed Time [Short] (15.10.16)
Very well realized story of a man facing his past. Beautifully rendered and compiled with few lines of dialogue but they are very effective when they come. Though it is a sad film it feels right.

04. The Enforcer [Dirty Harry] (16.10.16)
Keeps the themes of the first two films, with a slight extension into woman's rights. It is a bit heavy handed and times and the action though dated is still ok. Nothing overly special about this one. Nice and simple plot and fairly well told.

05. Whiplash [Short] (17.10.16)
A strange short film, the is no ending as such just a tirade of insults. Nicely made and the sound is top notch. I think I will have to give the feature a go. This was just too short.

06. Paprika (22.10.16)
Yes again. Needed something awesome as I'm very damn tired. Still awesome from top to toe.

07. Shelter [Short] (23.10.16)
Its odd how much story you can fit into a small amount of time, even with little dialogue. This is also a music video and it works so damn well. Love the literal world building. From a sense of wonder to sadness and loss the short hits every note.

08. The Disappearance of Alice Creed (24.10.16)
Such things as too many twists? Loved the opening sequence and the film built on it nicely. Perhaps they tried to fit to much into a simple story. Still, I enjoyed it.

09. The Crow (26.10.16)
My 'Halloween' film for the year. So many great things going on here, from the imagery to the music and direction. Nice a simple plot but very well done. A few issues with his ability's and what he can do but it didn't diminish the film. Nice to see a non horror Halloween film.

10. Doctor Strange [Cinema]  (31.10.16)
A sidestep for the Marvel universe. Loved the acting and visuals, the story was almost by the numbers but the were some very nice moments. 

A slow month but a diverse one. Best of the month? The Little Prince by a hair.

Back Behind the Lens

I went out and took some pictures today.

Grains

Shocking right. But its the first time in a long while I have gone out and done that for myself.

I didn’t get much to share but I did take about a hundred shots which is more than I have mustered the last few times. I hope this is me getting over this hill. I don't know if I have had artist block or what but I don't take photos for myself much. Heck it may have been years since I did it with any regularity.

Is the a link to how I feel? No doubt but what effects that. I have felt happier the last few weeks since some pressures have lifted. They will come back down but I am going to have a better foundation for them now.

Using Photoshop has felt better, less of a chore. I now want to tweak my pictures and show them off. Suppose I should grind through the lash few hundred of the wedding photos.

Wild Flower

On another note I have blasted my way through the first four Dresden Files books in the last five days. They are great I may even do a review what I have caught back up.

Still on books I have three on my shelf by my desk, all started and left untouched for months. I must sort that out.

I will do a more general update blog in the next week or two.

So. Just How Good is - Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

It is a 13 part Anime from the winter 15/16 season by studio Deen. It is based on the Manga of the same name, which I haven read. (Yet)

Don't ask me to try and read the title out! I wont have a hope in hell. It has taken me a while to work my way through it due to one reason or another. I didn’t even learn of it until after the season had ended and some reviewers had rated it above “Boku dake ga Inai Machi” (Erased) witch I loved.

Here is some rambling and random thoughts on five and a half hours of Anime greatness.

First off the title, what dose it mean? It directly translates to something like -

"Shōwa Era, Genroku Era, Comic Storytelling, and Double Suicide"

witch sound more like a description than a title. I prefer a more natural translated title to a direct one and with this show we get -

“Showa and Genroku Era Lover's Suicide Through Rakugo”

Much nicer. So what is Rakugo?

Rakugo is like a form of one man storytelling/theatre. It reminds me of what Little Ronnie was famousfor. It is an old Japanese art of storytelling; preformed before a audience with no assistance apart from a bell a candle and a fan. It takes great acting skill in face a voice to pull it off. The are hundreds of story's, mostly comic but some are love story's or even horror.

The shows story is almost slice of life but is more plot focused. The bulk of takes place in a flashback, starting pre war going up to about the 60s. I think the present is some time in the 80s but its hard to tell. The title gives better clues to when it is set. The is a interesting set up in the present but the main focus is one the past and the death of a Rakugo performer.

We learn of two children growing up as apprentices to the art form. They bounce of each other as they grow and most of the story is around how they effect and are effected by the nature of the art. They upset the order of things and thus the plot is driven into a sorry place. The story runs deep and in very much character focused.

It is the people that makes this show great. I feel like they are real. The is so much to every one of them. not a mix of character traits but fleshed out people. The animation and voice acting is on such a level it is hard to find anything that can compare.

The Rakugo sets within the episodes are what stand out the most. They are funny, tragic and even poignant. though they are animated its like they don't need to be to work, the sheer force of acting behind the story makes it feel real. The is are two that add in the visuals to a greater extent both to show oh the person preforming is changing, one dying the other coming into his own after so long.

There is a big barrier in a show like this one, language. It can be a issue in most shows in the form of translation compatibility but here not only do the Rakugo story's need to work in English but there is issues with the structure of the society and the language of the world. Little things like roles to strange things such as shoes and the world of geisha. It took a fair bit of effort to keep up during the Rakugo performances and the intrigue was as hard to keep up with. It was worth it, as I have said it is all about interactions and following them was essential.

The direction of the show was almost formal but it was fitting with the times and nothing felt out of place. The sound and music were brilliant and made the world come together.

I could go into so much about this show, from gender issues to generation gaps and the place of the old with the new. Not to even mention all of the subtle stuff. All I will say is the is so much to love and is is present in such a way that feels grown up and clever.

So just how good is "Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu"? Pretty damn good. It hasn't effected me like “Usagi Drop” or put me on edge like “Boku dake” but as a whole it is excellent and very compelling. Cant Wait for season two.

The show is a work of art. No, it is more like an art gallery. A building which is a masterpiece in its own right that encompasses other great works. This show has all of the right parts to make a beautiful whole. It is at the top of its genera.

2016 The Year of Films [September]

Summer is ending but the film watching is gearing up.
Link to the INDEX

01. Eastern Promises (02.09.16)
My first Cronenberg film, and what a good one it is. I did have the twist spoiled some months back but it didn't diminish the film any. Strong acting and direction make for a well told story.

02. Roujin-Z (09.09.16)
From two of the greats, Otomo and Kon is this strange film. Its very funny and very very odd. The dub leaves much to be desired and is poorly localised, some of the voice acting is weak. Love the art style its a bit all over the place but it fits with the sensibility's of the film.

03. Captain America - Civil War (10.09.16)
Still awesome, it makes logical sense and holds up. The are three very distinct acts and each are almost a film in there own right. The conflicts are what makes this film tic and it gets the interactions spot on.

04. Coraline (11.09.16)
Haunting and beautiful. A fantastic stop animation film and a well told story. Love How Coraline seems like real girl. Top to bottom a fantastic production.

05. Moongirl [short] (12.09.16)
A short by Laika, somewhat strange but a nice and fun ride if a bit simple, the ending made up for that though. Nice animation and direction, the boys voice-acting and dialogue was a bit much but Moongirls was spot on.

06. Brazil (14.09.16)
What if Monty Python did 1989? You get a wild ride and a damn good one. Love it from start to end, the music, the acting, the direction and the world. Its all great.

07. Home Sweet Home [short] (16.09.16)
Wow! Such a great film, so much packed into 9 minuets. The level of detail and art quality is top notch. How they anthropomorphising of the buildings was great and even though the were no dialogue it came across well. I felt sad for a house.

08. The Prestige (17.09.16)
The is much that could be said about this film. From the nature of good and bad to the art of preforming and just how far do you stretch believability? This is going to become one of the greats, it has a very interesting plot told in a very non liner way but it makes sense and the twists are unexpected. Awesome.

09. Appleseed (18.09.16)
By the writer of Ghost in the Shell, and is shows. An interesting take on post humanism and robotics. Very 80s in style but it works.

10. Unbreakable (19.09.16)
A very well made film and a interesting take on the whole comic book hero idea. Its the ending that turns this film into  a very very awesome one. A look into the mind of a villain. I love how low key it is how normal everything seems, even the acts of heroism are small scale.

11. American Psycho (23.09.16)
Wow, all over the place and very damn crazy. I don't know what to make of it. Its a awesome ride but not one I felt like I was awake for.

12. Ghost in the Shell- SAC - Solid State Society (24.09.16)
Very compelling story. Mostly well told a bit too much tell instead of show bit it works. It felt like the two previous series. The music is fantastic. The themes and plot is so good I may do a blog on it.

13 Ghost in the Shell - Arise - OVA 1 Ghost Pain (25.09.16)
Interesting. A re-imagining of the origin of section 9. Not sure about the younger looking Major or how much she shows but its off to a strong start. Feels like ghost in the Shell so far.

14 Ghost in the Shell - Arise - OVA 2 Ghost Wispers (25.09.16)
 The team is coming together. Nice continuation of the wider plot with the memory virus. I like how one or two of the other members have a bit more to them now. Its clicking together in all the right ways. Like most GitS it talk heavy but it works.

I had hoped to watch more this month, but al least the were some very very good films. The Prestige was the best but there were no stinkers.