Friday, October 25, 2024
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Monday, October 7, 2024
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Friday, October 4, 2024
La Mort à Trieste
La Mort à Trieste, le nouveau livre de Jason, le plus français des auteurs norvégiens, présente trois histoires distinctes mais qui, toutes les trois, s’amusent et jonglent avec les références pour créer des hybridations inédites.
Dans L’Affaire Magritte, deux super agents façon Chapeau melon et bottes de cuir doivent faire face à des disparitions mystérieuses liées au monde surréaliste du célèbre peintre belge.
Dans La Mort à Trieste, qui donne son titre au livre, nous voilà propulsés dans le Berlin des années 20, où l’on croise des dadaïstes, Raspoutine, David Bowie en voyageur du temps, Nosferatu, Marlène Dietrich ― et l’ombre du nazisme qui vient.
Enfin dans Sweet Dreams, les «Nouveaux Romantiques» des années 80, version super-héros, doivent sauver le monde de l’arrivée inexorable d’une dangereuse météorite.
Le tout est raconté dans le style si caractéristique de Jason, avec une belle économie de moyen et un humour pince-sans-rire qui fait mouche. Si les références et clins d’oeil sont légion, ils n’empêchent jamais d’apprécier ces histoires pour ce qu’elles sont, des nouvelles fantastiques, drôles et décalées, jouant avec les codes et les archétypes des récits d’aventures, et racontées avec une joie et un plaisir communicatifs.
Thursday, October 3, 2024
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Friday, September 20, 2024
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Saturday, August 31, 2024
Some books I've read 65
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
It's a classic, up there next to Brave New World and 1984. But is it any good? Not completely. It's dated, at least. Feminists would most likely want to have a word about the portrayal of women in the book. And was he better as a short story writer?
Baumgartner by Paul Auster
His last novel. It would have been great if it was a masterpiece. It's not. It's sort of messy, a bit all over the place, an old man looking back at his life while also trying to move forwards. But I already have all his previous books, so whatcha gonna do, NOT read it?
We'll Always Have Casablanca by Noah Isenberg
Tbe backstory for the film and how it lives on. No big surprises here, anecdotes that already have been told. -Hey Bogey, look over there and nod. -Why? - Just do it for fuck's sake. And Ronald Reagan was never seriously considered for Rick. Some debates from the writers about who wrote what. Understandable, since it's pretty much a perfect script. And as a pure comfort movie, it doesn't get any better. -Such much?
Nick Drake: The Life by Richard Morton Jack
A great biography about Nick Drake, with the writer given full co-operation by Nick's sister, Gabrielle and access to the diaries written by Nick's dad. Which means we get a complete description of a mentally ill Nick spending the two last years of his life mostly at home. It's not a pretty picture. And a final answer to the question, did he kill himself or take an accidental overdose?
Deliver Me from Nowhere by Warren Zanes
A book about Bruce Springsteen and the making of his record Nebraska, still a timeless masterpiece, between The River and Born in The U.S.A. He was never able to top the demo in a studio, alone or with his band, finally realizing, this is it, this is the record. And luckily, he didn't lose the demo cassette.
Marvel Visionaries: Jack Kirby, volume 1
Kirby is Kirby. What is included and what is missing can maybe be debated. Some of the recolouring is ugly. The reproduction is bad as well. Thin lines are missing. The artwork actually looks better in the cheap black and white Essential books. Which is a shame, you would hope for something better from such an expensive hardcover.
Marvel Visionaries: Stan Lee
Reproduction is even worse than in the Kirby book. I didn't even try to read it. Avoid!
Kirby: King of Comics by Mark Evanier
A coffee table book about Jack Kirby. So who said "Comics will break your heart.", was it Kirby or Charles Schulz? Anyway, Kirby saw some of that from Marvel, the company that would have been nowhere without him. Luckily, towards the end of his life he experienced the accolades he deserved and could move past the bitterness. Stan Lee got a lot of the credit, but also the shame. Where is the truth in who created what? Most likely somewhere in the middle.
Thursday, August 22, 2024
Saturday, August 10, 2024
Thursday, August 1, 2024
Saturday, July 27, 2024
Friday, July 26, 2024
The White Stripes
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
Saturday, July 20, 2024
Saturday, July 6, 2024
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Some books I've read 64
If on a Winter's Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino
Intriguing, and of course beautifully written, but for me the book starts to drag a bit in the second half.
The Pythons Autobiography by The Pythons
Great oral history of the TV show and the movies. Some bitterness shows up towards the end (Eric Idle!). You can see the similarity to The Beatles, how the members of the group wanted to go in different directions.
Local Hero: Making of a Scottish Classic by Jonathan Melville
Another great book. About a great little film. "Whose baby?"
The Morning Star by Karl Ove Knausgaard
Book one in a longer series. So far four have been published in Norway. Not bad, but the book has a TV series feel to it, including a cliffhanger at the end. Do I want to go on? Not sure.
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
A collection of strangely sincere short stories. I read this book back in my teens. I should read The Martian Chronicles next.
Poem Strip by Dino Buzzati
An early graphic novel. A pop art re-telling of Orpheus and Eurydice taking place in Milan.
The Silver Surfer: Sentinel of the Spaceways by Stan Lee and John Buscema
Nice art by Buscema, but the whole Woe is me! tone by Lee gets old pretty fast.
Daredevil: Unmasked by Stan Lee and Gene Colan
Great drawings by Colan, never trying to copy Kirby, but man, are the plots silly! Daredevil pretends to have a twin brother, and it goes downhill from there. DD has a lot of quippy lines of dialogue, that probably worked better in Spider-Man. And the villains are boring, too.
Amazing Spider-Man: Big Apple Battleground by Len Wein and Ross Andru
The final book drawn by Ross Andru. He was on that book a loooong time. Unfortunately, some chapters are inked by Jim Mooney, who was never as good as Giacoia and Esposito. One of the villains is Green Goblin, but with a clever twist. Peter Parker leaves college at the end.
I have no idea what happened to Spider-Man after this and have no interest. This whole story from Steve Ditko through John Romita and Gil Kane to Andru, The Amazing Spider-Man #1 - 185, now collected in ten Epic Collections, is superhero comics at its best. And this is how you colourize superhero comics, with flat colour, no shadings and for pete's sake no blurs!
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
Friday, May 31, 2024
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Finally!
Monday, May 6, 2024
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Some books I've read 63
Catastrophe and Other Stories by Dino Buzzati
This writer was a new discovery for me, a sort of Italian Kafka. It's a collection of short stories, some sort of Twilight Zone-ish. Will look for more. There's a new collection of his work published this fall.
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
Real purty, this book. What does it mean? Haven't the foggiest. But I enjoyed reading it, and will find If On A Winter's Night A Traveller that I gave up some years ago and give it a second try.
U2: The Definite Biography by John Joblin
A critical biography of U2, especially of Bono and his work as an activist, that there is some hypocrisy involved, which is fair enough, I guess, stopping at No Line on the Horizon, that I never bought. So, basically, U2 has become the establishment, no longer taking chances, they've become the sort of band they once hated and fought against. Maybe.
Seventies by Howard Sounes
The writer defends this decade "that taste forgot", pointing to Monty Python, Woody Allen, Scorsese and Coppola, Sex Pistols, David Hockney, David Bowie, Andy Warhol and Jack Nicholson among others. And yes, there was some good stuff made, wide lapels and sideburns be damned.
Woody Allen on Woody Allen
The expanded edition, going up to Hollywood Ending. Allen doesn't really like to talk much about his previous work, which is a problem for a book like this. Or, he talks about it, but not with any real passion. I still like the early stuff, haven't seen that much after Crimes and Misdemeanors.
Terry Gilliam on Terry Gilliam
So, I got some mixed feelings about Gilliam. Brazil, yes, was very good. I intensely disliked Twelve Monkeys and haven't seen any of his films after that. But he's still fun to listen to. Both about his work as a director and about being a Python. You always know you're watching a Gilliam film, for good or for bad.
Amazing Spider-Man: The Secret of the Petrified Tablet
Not one of the best, this Epic Collection. The stories don't feel fresh anymore. Peter worries about aunt May. Oh, no! Stan Lee can write this stuff in his sleep now. Several stories drawn by John Buscema who does decent work, but he's no Ditko or Romita.
Captain America: To Be Reborn
Forgettable stories, but great art by Jack Kirby. Not a fan of the inking by Syd Shores, that is not as strong as the ones by Joe Sinnot and Dan Adkins.
Monday, April 15, 2024
Sunday, April 14, 2024
Thursday, April 4, 2024
Saturday, March 23, 2024
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Saturday, March 9, 2024
Some books I've read 62
The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland
A good book about one of the first Jews to escape from Auschwitz and then try to warn the world. Some listened, some didn't. Apparently, Churchill already knew. We also follow him later in life and see how it affected him. Surely, a movie version must be on the way.
Butcher's Crossing by John Williams
Great Western, with impressive research, lots of details about buffalo hunting. Masterfully written as well. After this and Stoner, it makes me want too read Augustus, his Roman novel.
The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov
I read this in Norwegian as a teenager, but remembered almost nothing besides a detective trying to solve a murder case and there being robots involved. I wanted to re-read it out of curiosity. It turns out... I didn't like it. Flat, boring language. Not much story, just a lot of dialogue.
A Masterpiece in Disarray by Max Evry
Or, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Dune, But Were Afraid to Ask. A 500 page oral history about the making of David Lynch's Dune. A flawed semi masterpiece? It's not perfect, but has some great stuff in it. And it's not the 3 hour version Lynch wanted. They ran out of money at the end doing the special effects, and he also had to cut it down to 2 hours, 17 minutes on orders from Dino De Laurentiis. What could have been...
Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli by Mark Seal
The story of the making of The Godfather. Some of these stories I already knew, but a lot of the gangster stuff, how they pulled strings to help filming, was new. I didn't see The Offer. Should I?
Francis Ford Coppola: A Filmmaker's Life by Michael Schumacher
A solid biography of Coppola, from the glorious 70's to the downfall of Zoetrope and his period of being a director for hire. That maybe meant less personal films, but still being excellent work, like Rumble Fish and Bram Stoker's Dracula. Let's hope Megalopolis will be a return to form.
Revolution in the Air by Clinton Heylin
I'm about halfway into this book about every song Bob Dylan has ever written. There is good stuff here, but also Heylin being his usual snooty self to other Dylan biographers.
Silver Surfer: Black by Donny Cates and Tradd Moore
Got this in a used French version. The story I didn't connect to, but the drawings are amazing. Like, far out, man!
Monday, March 4, 2024
Friday, March 1, 2024
Friday, February 23, 2024
Saturday, February 10, 2024
Thursday, February 1, 2024
Sunday, January 21, 2024
Wednesday, January 3, 2024
Monday, January 1, 2024
Some books I've read 61
Night by Elie Wiesel
Good book, the text cut to the bone, but after all the films and documentaries, both in books and TV (and comics, MAUS!), it has maybe lost some of its powers.
Cimino: The Deer Hunter, Heaven's Gate and the Price of a Vision by Charles Elton
Great book about Cimino's career, the high point being The Deer Hunter. Then came Heaven's Gate... That now is being revalued. Flawed possibly, but not a complete train wreck. Cimino himself remains an enigma.
White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link
I loved her first book, Stranger Things Happen, but her later books have gone more in the direction of fantasy and YA, the same with this one, a retelling of fairy tales. The last story, though, Skinder's Veil, has the old Link magic.
Dartmouth Park by Rupert Thomson
His later books have been a bit hit or miss, but I found this one to be quite intriguing. A bit slow, maybe? But it still works, including the ending
Charlie Chaplin by Peter Ackroyd
A decent biography of Chaplin. It's short, luckily. I'm not such a fan that I'm gonna read the 1000 page one. Yes, he had a thing for young women. And the old Chaplin seems like a monster, with a huge ego and flying into a rage for anything, terrifying his wife and eight kids.
Camera Man by Dana Stevens
Keaton is my man, more than Chaplin. His silent movies have aged better than some of Chaplin's. After The General tanked he lost his independence at MGM, turning him into an alcoholic. The old question then is, did he spend the rest of his years in misery? According to Stevens, the answer is no. In the 50s, there was a rediscovery of his films, and Keaton was quite happy, and busy, living with his third wife, Eleanor.
Desolate Angel: Jack Kerouac, The Beat Generation and America by Dennis McNally
Of the Kerouac bios I've read so far, this was one of the best. Just as with Hemingway you know that the last 50 pages will be depressing. For Kerouac it was living with his mother, chasing away hippies and drunkenly calling up old friends who hung up on him, writing books mostly being a thing of the past.
Bill Sienkiewicz's Mutants and Moon Knights and Assassins: Artisan Edition
Quite good book, but should have been more from his Moon Knight and New Mutants comics. The colour pages from Elektra are a bit pointless.