The Unwritten: Volume 10 (2014)

War Stories (2014)

Author: Mike Carey | Illustrator: Peter Gross | Page Count: 144

"Every dream is true, and every truth is broken. I tell the story, and I will not cease from telling it."

A relaunch of the series that underhandedly claimed to be a 'perfect jumping-on point' for new readers. But it's categorically not - it's a direct continuation of what came before (see Vol 09). To reinforce the chicanery the series got a slight name change (The Unwritten: Apocalypse) and had its numbering reset to 01. The collected editions continue the proper numbering, though, thankfully.

It's business as usual, which is to say that the journey towards repairing the damage done to the physical world after the fight with Leviathan continues down paths of strangeness and around corners of consequence. The Christ-like parallel in the 'fourteenth' Tommy Taylor™ novel (Vol 03) springs to mind, with fictional Tommy's real-world reflection, Tom Taylor, reborn and renewed.

Burzum: Dunkelheit (1996)

Burzum: Dunkelheit (1996)

Dir. David Palser

The only official video release (to date) by Burzum was quickly bought by fans, myself included, and just as quickly divided them. Sure, you could've made it yourself with a home video camera and a meagre knowledge of video editing, but wasn't that the point?

The shaky, conceptual imagery perfectly suited the underlying ethos, capturing and/or translating a resonance and mood that conveyed the dark duality of nature. It's just one song, Dunkelheit from the Filosofem (1995) album, but the chosen visuals complemented the audio, which was a mesmerising minimalism wedded to a harsh but pleasing experimentalism. The repetition, too, played into that.

I've noticed that an individual's feelings toward the work tend to reflect their feelings toward nature; whether or not that holds true with a larger sample size I can't say, but I'd be interested in finding out.

Rashomon (1950)

Rashomon (1950)

Dir. Akira Kurosawa

There's a saying that the camera never lies. But it doesn't hold true in Rashomon. Dir. Kurosawa turns the traditionally objective film lens into a wholly subjective tool, recording and replaying half-remembered half-truths from unreliable sources.

The story, which is told partly in flashback, is a simple one about an opportunist bandit (Toshirô Mifune), a samurai (Masayuki Mori) and his wife (Machiko Kyō), but the web of lies surrounding it is far from simple.

With minimal sets and very little dialogue to comfort us, it's the technique that makes Rashomon special, that makes it infinitely watchable, with striking fixed perspectives that put the onus on the viewer to decide what to believe and what to discount.

The Witches and the Grinnygog (1983)

The Witches and the Grinnygog (1983)

Dir. Diarmuid Lawrence | 6 episodes, approx 25 minutes each

A miniseries based on the children's book of the same name (1981) by Dorothy Edwards. I've not read the book, but I did watch the series back in the 80s when it was first screened on British TV. Once the titular Grinnygog appeared onscreen the memories of that time came flooding back to me - almost literally, I felt like I'd been hit by a driving wave of forgotten salad days.

The Grinnygog is a horned, cheeky-faced stone statue that's about the size of an average garden gnome. The little guy doesn't actually do very much besides look cool, but the majority of the important events that subsequently occur in the lives of the main protagonists happen as a result of his sudden appearance. Without seeming to do so directly, the Grinnygog influences and twists the threads of fate so that the correct people are in the correct place at the correct time.

Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis (2018)

Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis (2018)

Author: Yoshikazu Takeuchi | Translator: Nathan A. Collins | Page Count: 216

'I'm coming to meet you. I promise I'll come to you soon. I'll come to you, and I'll save you.'

Kirigoe Mima is a Japanese pop-idol. Three years in the business makes her a veteran, but her popularity, and therefore her career, is at something of an impasse. With so many hopeful idols (i.e. potential rivals) on the way up, Mima explores new avenues.

Her manager believes that moving away from her innocent image is the answer. He suggests that Mima explore paths that are more daring and seductive.

But not all members of the dedicated fan base that the pop-idol phenomenon attracts are accepting of their idols' life choices. For a small number of them, sometimes 'dedication' can cross a line and become 'obsession'. One fan in particular believes Mima ought to stay the same forever. He makes it his duty to ensure that she does just that; and if she refuses his selfless help, then it follows that it's his duty to punish her for her wicked betrayal, too.

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

Dir. Stephen Herek

B+TEA is special to me for a reason that may bore almost everyone, but I feel obliged to relate it because I love the film and owe it at least that much, for what I feel it gave to me.

I saw it first at a time in my life that was, let's say, pivotal in learning about who I was as a person and how my actions affected others.

I bought it back when VHS was the dominant home media format and watched it many, many times - I knew every scene by heart.

Alas, it happened that one evening a VHS tape was needed at VERY short notice in order to record from TV something that was even more beloved (i.e., Star Trek: TNG) and the B+TEA tape was the only one available...

Star Trek X: Nemesis (2002)

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

Dir. Stuart Baird

TNG's final cinematic venture was directed by Stuart Baird, who admitted during a video interview that he hadn't bothered to watch even a single episode of The Next Generation television series, and, while viewing Nemesis, it shows.

Instead of constructing what could've been comparable to a TNG version of The Wrath of Khan (1982) he made a dark Star W_rsy film with characters that he clearly didn't understand.

It's saved mostly by the regular cast members, particularly Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Data (Brent Spiner), who imbue their roles with their usual professionalism. And like Insurrection (1998) did, it creates a situation that allows crew members who would ordinarily be absent to be on board the Enterprise (E) when things kick off.