Films in 2010 - December (24 / 192)

Kick-Ass - brilliant, loved it, real piss-take on the typical superhero film. Cage was hilarious, the whole cast was great. 4/5

*Road Trip - it was on TV, I was bored, it's even worse than I recall. 0.5/5

Loose Change 911 An American Coup - another poorly made conspiracy doco about the 9-11 attacks. Actually has a few interesting points but is clearly made by a kid cobbling vision together and with a really bad voice over. Once again doesn't provide any evidence whatsoever for many of the crazier theories, though the ones about the buildings being already rigged to blow are scarily plausible. 1.5/5

*Catfish - still a good film, showed it to the housemate who kept trying to guess what was going on. 3.5/5

Brooklyn's Finest - one of those cops and drug dealer films that you just know won't have a happy ending, and of course it doesn't. Great performances and a pretty good script though. 3/5

The Aviator - had not seen this before and really enjoyed it, Blanchett was absolutely marvellous. 3.5/5

Megamind - quite funny and well voice acted (though Brad Pitt's vpice didn't fit is role), loved the Superman jokes. Still not sold on 3D, it didn't add anything to the admittedly already brilliant animation. 3/5

Predators - dumb, stupid fun with absolutely no surprises. Laurence Fishburne was bloody funny. 2/5

The King's Speech - Brilliant, brilliant, BRILLIANT film. Not perfect, but brilliant. Rush is getting all the Oscar buzz but it should be Firth as he was just perfect in his role, I couldn't take my eyes off him whenever he was on screen. Helena Bonham-Carter was perfect as well. 4.5/5

*True Crime - classic Eastwood thriller. I read the book ages ago and saw the film soon after, still an enjoyable film to see despite already knowing the ending. 3/5

The Fourth Kind - your basic alien abduction thriller with the twist of using "dramatisations of real footage", ahem, yes. It was interesting and fun, had a few tense moments but overall kinda ho-hum. 2.5/5

Shrek Forever After - quite dull, deriviative, all been done before and really lackluster, saved only by a few random laughs. I really hope the planned 5th and 6th films don't come out but this still made plenty of money so I suspect they will. 2/5

Bigger Stronger Faster - interesting doco about 3 brothers in the sport of power-lifting and their struggle with using anabolic steroids. Goes into some fo the scientific scare mongering as well as analysing famous people using them, doesn't really give a definitive answer but is fascinating all the same. 3/5

Despicable Me - deploringly predictable and not as good as many reviewers made out, watchable but rather meh. 2.5/5

Skyline - great concept, damn good execution, deplorable script, atrocious acting, some pretty good special effects, and ending that is just vomit worthy in its stupidity. 2/5

Robin Hood - actually quite the enjoyable romp. Some silly bits but I enjoyed the humour and the set up (clearly this begs for sequels) though was weird seeing American actors do British accents (for some reason not as weird as Aussies doing them). Crowe doesn't destroy the film. 3.5/5

*How To Train Your Dragon - just as much fun the second time around. 4/5

The Princess and the Frog - I can see what Disney tried to do here by moving the action to New Orleans, and it works, but just not well enough for me to be more than reasonably entertained by this relatively traditional Disney fare.. 2.5/5

Armadillo - fascinating embedded doco as we follow a squad of Danish soldiers sent to Afghanistan. Visceral, interesting, scary, real, eye opening. Not the best Afghan War doco, but up there with the best. 4/5

I'm Still Here - Joaquin Phoenix is without a doubt one of the most brave and versatile actors of the modern age, this film is raw and funny and sad and depressing and ultimately, despite the fact it's not "real" really quite a fascinating look at the Celebrity Machine. 3.5/5

Hachi: A Dog's Story - just a wonderful, poignant, well crafter family film with a beautiful and bittersweet message. Makes me want to see the original. 4/5

The Ghost Writer - a writer is drafted to finish the memoirs of a Tony Blair-esque ex Brit PM but all is not what it seems and the mystery of what his predecessor was up to opens up a whole can of worms. It's well made but really, Polanski needed someone to take a look at the script for him - the obviousness of the twist gets figured out far too early (well I did anyway) and so the rest of the film becomes a bit of a paint-by-numbers game, but having said that it's still an enjoyable film to watch. He just made the clues far to obvious or overt. Still an interesting film but yeah, definitely has script problems. Oh and why he cast Kim Cattrall in a British role I'll never know, what a mistake that was. 2.5/5

*Alien 3 - really not sure why this film gets such a bad rap, I've always liked it though it is very similar to the first film. 3/5

*Alien Resurrection - some fun scenes and great effects let down by quite a poor conclusion. 2.5/5


So a pretty good year in film with the standout being THE ACTRESSES. Managed to almost hit 200, almost as good as my Project 365 attempt in 2009.

So far in January I'm up to 18 films by the 18th, maybe I can get over the previous record of 209 in 2009, time will tell.

God this blog is pointless, I dunno why I bother updating it...

PROJECT 365: 155 - 176

155. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - average entry in the franchise. better acting on the behalf of the main 3 characters but still some awkwardness between them. Liked the inclusion of so much humour which was missing a bit from the last two. 3/5

156. *In The Loop - got housemate to watch it so I watched it again. Not as good as the first time around as I knew all the jokes but that didn't really matter, still a great film. 4/5

157. Knowing - ridiculous, badly acted, laughably funny when it isn't supposed to be. I spent the film playing spot the Aussie and spot the Melbourne landmark, plane crash scene was pretty good though. 0.5/5

158. Joint Security Area (JSA) - fantastic film by Park Chan Wook about a South Korean man charged with crossing the border and killing two of his counterparts in a guard station across the Bridge of No Return, however as the investigation continues not all is what it seems. The opening investigation scenes aren't really all that good but the second act of this film is what gives it true cult status and a beautiful heart about friendship and loyalty. Some great performances and a truly sad ending, 4/5.

159. *A Crude Awakening - The Oil Crash - rewatched this scary as all Hell doco about how little oil the world has left and how we need to find a viable alternative NOW or our current way of living and thinking will be drastically different very very soon. Think along the lines that your grand children might not ever be able to fly in an aeroplane kind of thing. 4/5

160. Anvil - The Story of Anvil - FANTASTIC doco about a Candaian Metal band that never really quite made it to the big league yet they've stuck around for 30 years or so and still rock hard. Great characters, great story (final scene was just priceless) and a very pleasant film to watch. Gonna see them play at Soundwave early 2010. 4/5

161. *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - was on TV so decided to watch it. Quite boring the second time around - some of it just wouldn't make any sense if you hadn't read the books. 2.5/5

162. *Matrix Reloaded - the sequel we just did NOT need to have. Beginning of the end for a film franchise that should have just stuck with the original. Some really bad effects along with some quite good ones, poor acting, poor story. Another exercise in spot the Aussie. 1.5/5

163. 17 Again - surprisingly funny in parts but still uses all the classic cliches that you'd expect. It'd be interesting to see if Efron could pull off a seriously dramatic role and not always just play teenagers. 1.5/5

164. The Burrowers - low budget US horror film set in the Old West that just does not live up to its potential and int he end is rather annoying. 1/5

165. (500) Days of Summer - went to a free screening last night and I gotta say this film has it all - good humour, great acting, smart script, perfect soundtrack, great story that jumps around a lot which actually helps the story flow better, and a nice twist on the traditional rom-com. Perfect film - 5/5

166. *The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring - it was on TV on a Friday night, I even had the extended version in my drawer but couldn't be bothered getting up off the couch. Still a fantastic movie that makes the book come alive even more than when reading it. 4.5/5

167. Push - had free tickets to see this, took my friend Jane along last night and there was just one other guy in the cinema. I wasn't expecting anything much as I'd heard it had very bad reviews but in the end it was just a fun sci-fi romp where you didn't really have to think too much about anything. Not great, not total shite, bit of fun. 2/5


168. *Back to the Future II - absolute classic, love every minute of it especially the dual scenes from the first film that are done so well at the end of this one. 4.5/5

169. *Back to the Future III - great ending to the trilogy but not as good as the first two. 3/5

170. Up (3D) - wonderful story, great jokes, perfect animation just not quite as there with previous Pixar efforts but still brilliant. 4/5

171. Year One - dull, boring, crude, crap, maybe 3 or 4 jokes worthy of that label. 1/5

172. *Star Trek - just as good the third time around although the issues with Scotty and a dull Nero still stand out like a very sore thumb. 3.5/5

173. Monsters Vs Aliens - funny, fantastic animation, great story, wonderful voice cast. 4/5

174. Battle For Terra - good voice cast, semi-good animation (the Human Ark ship looked amazing) but in the end a relatively dull story that's been done to death before. Really didn't have enough emotional impact though it did try. 2.5/5

175. G.I. Joe - The Rise of Cobra - great, dumb, idiotic, stupid, fun that doesn't pretend to be anything it's not. 3/5

176. Terry Pratchett - Living With Alzheimer's - quite poignant and sad (the tie tying scene and the part at the reading really were rather depressing) but overall an upbeat look at a year in the life of Terry as he tried to find out more about this insidious disease and about his quest to stave off the inevitable and to also understand the disease. 4/5.

PROJECT 365: 12 - 25

12. Wolf Creek - well I can understand why this film was lauded and loved, but honestly it was as formulaic as most horror films out there. John Jarrat and Kestie Morassi did great jobs with their characters, yet once again - like all these films - the protagonists have a ripe opportunity to kill the bad guy and they screw it up, or she decides to waste time watching video camera footage instead of looking for a car or her friend (and then gets what she deserves). 1.5/5.

13. *Awakenings - the first repeat of Project 365 and damn me what a great film to repeat seeing. I basically teared up the whole way through and was mesmerised by both DeNiro and Williams' performances. Was kinda weird seeing Julie Kavner in there - kept expecting her to launch into her Marge Simpson voice - but that didn't matter. This is truly an exceptional and wonderful and heart breaking film, all the more poignant 'cause it is all based on a true event. 5/5.

14. The King of Kong - A Fistful of Quarters - this is quite possibly the most perfect documentary ever made. It's hilarious, creepy, sad and really gets you sucked right in to the machinations behind these - let's face it - losers, attempting to break the world record in Donkey Kong. The whole story arc you couldn't have even dreamed up and the smarminess of Billy is just astonishingly awesome. Everyone should see this, it's just absolutely brilliant film making with a kick arse ending. 6/5. (yep, I loved it that much)

15. *The Fisher King - Terry Gilliam's films are a bit hit and miss with me and this one mostly hits. I like the redemptive story and also Williams' manic character suits him to a T. 4/5.

16. *The Joy Luck Club - another repeat and probably wasn't a good idea to do so. This film hasn't aged well but that might actually be due to the DVD I watched - it looked like it was shot on cheap video cameras like they use for dodgy foreign TV shows that appear on SBS and not proper 35mm film cameras. Apart from that the story was rather labored in that you kind of knew where each one was going; lay on the tragedy as much as possible and see them come through as stronger and more focused women - now I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff but the acting by Ming-Na Wen especially was just so wooden and unbelievable that I did not really enjoy this much at all. 1.5/5.

17. Valkyrie - had free tickets to see this through MIFF. I quite enjoyed it despite knowing that the whole thing was not going to end well at all (obviously they don't kill Hitler). Tom Cruise was quite good as the determined and driven main protagonist and the support cast had some big names who did very well in their roles. I was particularly impressed with Bill Nighy. The mix of Merkin, UK and German accents was a little off putting at the start but once the story kicked into gear I really didn't notice it at all. Will be very interesting to watch the original German version I recorded off SBS the other night as the ads had a few shots hat looked strikingly similar. 3/5

18. The Contender - Joan Allen plays a US Senator nominated for the Vice Presidency who has to go through a committee process where they basically dig through her past and rip sh*t through her. Caught it on TV and really enjoyed it with great performances all 'round especially from Gary Oldman. 4/5

19. *Låt Den Rätte Komma In (Let The Right One In) - had to re-watch after finishing the book and still really enjoyed it. They kept very faithful to the book although maybe finding out about Eli's past could have been good as well. 5/5

20. El Orfanato (The Orphanage) - nice little supernatural thriller with a gorgeous lead actress and a rather creepy story with a bittersweet ending. 3/5

21. Rock 'n' Rolla - Guy Ritchie attempting get back to his hey day of Lock Stock and Snatch and he sort of gets there. It was amusing enough the way he intertwined his stories and I enjoyed the end tie-up of the last few minutes even though you could see it coming. The gay club dancing was hilarious. 3/5

22. *Superman Returns - only saw this once at the cinema and thought I'd re-watch to see if my original vitriol was well deserved or not and basically - yes and no. Yes it is an atrocious script with one of the dumbest ideas for a villain's plan in the history of comic book films ever but Bryan Singer did shoot a beautiful looking film with really bright and saturated colours and some damn good editing and pacing. The actors are all quite good with Spacey being the stand out although why Kal Penn was mostly reduced to scenes where he has a stupid grin on his pace that is supposed to be evil rather than actually having a speaking role I will never know. I also found it amusing that Singer cast so many of his gay (not that there's anything wrong with that) buddies in the film in various roles (Spacey, that footballer dude, etc). 2.5/5

23. Charlie Wilson's War - a great film about the quest of a US Congressman to stave off the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in the 80's and covertly aid the Afghan's in their struggle. I couldn't figure out why I liked this film so much until the final credits rolled - written by Aaron Sorkin, creator of West Wing & Studio 60 - 'nuff said. Loved Julia Roberts in this. 4/5

24. My Sassy Girl - a great little Korean film about a guy who comes to the rescue of an abusively drunk girl on a train. He decides to stay with her and try and heal her pain despite the fact she treats him so bad. Very funny and heart warming, I'm tempted to check out the Merkin remake to see if they managed to ruin it or not. 3.5/5

25. Slumdog Millionaire - you've all heard about it, it's great to see the dude from Skins in the main role, everyone is awesome with fantastic performances from the two youngest boys especially. Absolute loved it. Was not too fond of Boyle's overuse of angled shots at the start of the film but he calmed that down soon enough so that I was completely lost in the story. 5/5

FINAL READING LIST FOR 2008

Only got to 42 but a certain computer game and a lot of alcohol got in the way during December.

01 Mary Gentle - Grunts!
02 Robert A Heinlein - Stranger In A Strange Land
03 Karen Miller - The Innocent Mage (Kingmaker, Kingbreaker 1)
04 Karen Miller - The Awakened Mage (Kingmaker, Kingbreaker 2)
05 Joe Abercrombie - The Blade Itself (The First Law 1)
06 Joe Abercrombie - Before They Are Hanged (The First Law 2)
07 Ian McDonald - Brasyl
08 Richard Morgan - Altered Carbon (Takeshi Kovacs 1)
09 Simon Hawke - The Outcast (Tribe of One 1)
10 Simon Hawke - The Seeker (Tribe of One 2)
11 Simon Hawke - The Nomad (Tribe of One 3)
12 Raymond E Feist - Wrath of a Mad God (Darkwar 3)
13 Chelsea Cain - Heartsick
14 Richard Morgan - Broken Angels (Takeshi Kovacs 2)
15 Richard Morgan - Woken Furies (Takeshi Kovacs 3)
16 Joe Abercrombie - Last Argument of Kings (The First Law 3)
17 Alastair Reynolds - Revelation Space
18 R. Scott Bakker - The Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing 1)
19 R. Scott Bakker - The Warrior Prophet (The Prince of Nothing 2)
20 R. Scott Bakker - The Thousandfold Thought (The Prince of Nothing 3)
21 John Scalzi - Old Man's War
22 Ian Cameron Esslemont - Night of Knives (Malazan Companion 1)
23 Richard Morgan - Market Forces
24 Tobias Buckell - Crystal Rain (Nanagada 1)
25 Steven Erikson - Toll The Hounds (Malazan 8)
26 Various - Solaris Book of New Fantasy
27 Richard Morgan - The Steel Remains (People Who Say Fuck A Lot 1)
28 Joel Shepherd - Crossover (Cassandra Kressnov 1)
29 Joel Shepherd - Breakaway (Cassandra Kressnov 2)
30 Joel Shepherd - Killswitch (Cassandra Kressnov 3)
31 Kevin J Anderson - The Ashes of Worlds (Saga of Seven Suns 7)
32 John Scalzi - The Ghost Brigades
33 John Scalzi - The Last Colony
34 Ian Cameron Esslemont - Return Of The Crimson Guard (Malazan Companion 2)
35 Glen Cook - Shadows Linger (Black Company 2)
36 Glen Cook - The White Rose (Black Company 3)
37 Terry Pratchett - Nation
38 George RR Martin / Gardner Dozois / Daniel Abraham - Hunter's Run
39 Jeff Lindsay - Dexter In The Dark (Dexter 3)
40 Lynne Truss - Eats, Shoots & Leaves
41 David Gunn - Death's Head (Sven Tveskoeg 1)
42 Greg Keyes - The Briar King (Kingdom of Thorn & Bone 1)

PROJECT 365: 1 to 5

So my main New Year's Resolution for 2009 is to see 365 films within the calendar year with a ratio of at least 90% ones I have not seen before. Crazy? Maybe. Fun? Yup. Possible? Time will tell...

1. Bad Santa - very funny film. Laughed my arse off and loved the kid in it, he was perfect. 4/5

2. Mean Girls - pretty amusing and was funny to see half the cast of Saturday Night Live in there (man Tina Fey is HOT!). Also had the delectable Rachel McAdams although I prefer her with red hair and not being such a bitch. 2.5/5

3. Constantine - pretty cool flick although the DVD I watched had a very low volume for the voices which was bloody annoying. Loved Peter Stormare as Satan and anything with Tilda Swinton in it gets a thumbs up from me. 3.5/5

4. Suddenly 30 - Garner did really well with the body language and vocal patterns of a 13 year old in a 30 year old's (hot) body. Had some laughs and was good to see Gollum/King Kong in a non-cgi role. 2/5

5. The Strangers - kinda kept thinking about Charles Manson and those psychos during this. Was entertaining in its own way but very very predictable. 1.5/5

And so it begins, only 360 to go!

I'll be including "sessions" at the Melbourne International Film Festival in this list, eg 10 short films in a session is still just one "film". I'll be making use of the weekly deals at Blockbuster and might go through different sections each week picking up 6 or so films in each at a time - I plan on browsing the sci-fi section tonight.

MILD BOOK REVIEWS #2

So some more mini book reviews:

Kevin J Anderson - The Ashes of Worlds (The Saga of Seven Suns book 7) - a nice enough conclusion to a series that was a little up and down for my tastes. It started well with the first three books, lost a bit of the plot towards the middle there, and then tied things up relatively nicely by this final volume and its predecessor, Metal Swarm. Kevin Anderson is sort of an everyman when it comes to Sci-Fi and it will be interesting to see how he goes with his new Fantasy series which is due to start next year. All in all The Saga of Seven Suns was a sort of space opera type sci-fi-lite with a lot of Star Wars-ish leanings - he even admitted it was originally pitched as an idea for a Star Wars series. I realise this write-up isn't even a write-up but more an admission that here is a sci-fi series that was basically OK but really quite basic and pulpish in the end. Why Basil Wenceslas wasn't murdered by the end of book one I'll never know - some of the characters' actions or naivety just did not make sense.

Glen Cook - Chronicles of the Black Company - I've read these first three Black Company books now and am likely to read the sequels but they aren't too high on my list. I can see why Erikson refers to these novels as some of the inspiration behind the characters in his Malazan series and it's like he's taken the next evolutionary step. Enjoyable novels and a story that arcs over the first three books, the main character of Croaker is certainly engaging and he'd have to be as almost the entire story is from his perspective. Would not suit everyone as they are certainly written in an "old-school" feel or way - I dunno how to express it any better.

Terry Pratchett - Nation - Terry's first non-Discworld book since The Amazing Maurice and it was well worth the wait. Nation is a sad and endearing tale of two young people struggling to deal with death and disaster in a world unrecognisable after the horror of a Tsunami. Not as funny as his Discworld novels but certainly with more heart and soul, I adored this novel and would recommend it to anyone, even people not into fantasy as it's not really a fantasy novel, more alternate history/reality. Also has the poignancy of Terry dropping everything to write this as soon as he found out about his Alzheimer's - it was a story he'd always been putting off writing until he realised he might not have time left to finish it. Loved it.

Gardner Dozois / George RR Martin / Daniel Abraham - Hunter's Run - adapted and expanded from a short story by Dozois I found Hunter's Run, although initially unlikable, to be quite an engaging and quick read. Basically about a man captured by aliens and his struggle to define himself and his humanity when forced to aid in the hunt for another human fugitive, a fugitive with closer links to the hunter than he thinks. It's quite obvious from early on what the relationship between hunter and hunted really is so the big reveal isn't a shock at all, but there is certainly an interesting story told about identity and what it means to be who you are and how circumstances can affect your outlook on life.

Jeff Lindsay - Dexter in the Dark - with a fantastic first novel and a pretty good sequel, Lindsay has created something quite unique with his Dexter series and a spin-off TV show that just keeps getting better. Unfortunately the third novel lost the plot completely with some supernatural overtones that were just plain ridiculous. I find it amusing that the writers on his show are having far more fun with the character than he is, the third season has been great fun with Dexter finally finding a friend. I'll give the fourth book a go but if that is on par with this third one then I'll probably just stick with the TV show.

David Gunn - Death's Head - a thrilling and fun ride through an uber-violent sci-fi universe courtesy of the rough and ready Sven. I read this one in two days - a rarity for this slow reader for a 500+ page novel - because the writing was just so succinct and yet managed to paint a fantastically vivid picture of Sven and his travails with the Death's Head marines. Will definitely be reading the rest of this series, sort of a cross between Starship Troopers, Tales of the Malazan (the soldiering stuff from that anyway) and John Scalzi's books. Loved it.

MILD BOOK REVIEWS

Although I love films and I love reading, I really don't like reviewing them at all - I either like 'em or I don't with the occasional in between. So with that in mind, here are a few mini reviews of recent books I've read:

Joel Shepherd - Cassandra Kressnov Trilogy (Crossover/Breakaway/Killswitch) - a great sci-fi lite series about a cyborg/android set on the world of Callay. Humanity has expanded to the stars however the breakaway League is more inclined to explore technological advancement with fewer checks and measures than their Federation brethren - they are so impressed with what they can do they don't necessarily think about what they should do. As a result Cassandra Kressnov has been created - the most highly advanced hunter-killer cyborg of all time, except now she's gone rogue and has decided that civilian life is for her, civilian life amongst the tech-savvy Callay capital of Tanusha, a Federation planet.

Basically this trilogy covers Sandy's struggle to become "normal" and accepted within a society that thinks of her as a monster. The books cover some great political and philosophical ground with a tech-noir bent and measures of anti-racism and anti-discrimination - based on just about anything - thrown into the mix. A fun and fast read where the pace hardly ever lets up, I greatly enjoyed every book - Joel Shepherd is an Aussie author to look out for. Very cool covers on the US versions from Pyr which are what I have.

John Scalzi - Old Man's War / The Ghost Brigades / The Last Colony - a great little trilogy of novels where Scalzi explores themes of Humanity, our place in the Universe and a few other bits and pieces, all against a Starship Troopers-esque backdrop of alien arse kicking and violent Human expansion and colonisation. A very fun trilogy with some fascinating takes on aliens and just how virulent the human race could be once it reaches the stars. I greatly enjoyed this series and look forward to reading the rest of his books either in this universe or out.

Ian C Esslemont - Return of the Crimson Guard - Esslemont's second foray into the Malazan world shows just how far he has come as a writer since the so-so Night of Knives. Quite an enjoyable read and fits in very well with Erikson's existing Malazan novels (this occurs, for the most part, somewhere between Reaper's Gale and Toll the Hounds) although curiously the story of the titular Crimson Guard themselves was probably the weakest storyline of the whole book! It was a little confusing at first as he has many plot threads starting in the first 100 pages or so but he quickly manages to weave together culminating in the largest battles yet depicted in the Malazan universe. I especially loved Nait's storyline and antics and the novel also features an absolutely HUGE event in the Malazan world so MUST be read by those who are enjoying Erikson's books.

CURRENT "TO READ" PILE

Just a list to remind me to stop watching TV, stop going to the pub, and get on that couch and read Boy, READ! In no particular order as I decide on a whim when I finish each book which one to read next. (Number) indicates an omnibus edition or series.

Here are the ones actually on my shelf:

1. Kevin J Anderson - The Ashes of Worlds (just started this morning)
2. Terry Pratchett - Nation
3. Lynne Truss - Eats, Shoots & Leaves
4. John Lindqvist - Let The Right One In
5. Mervyn Peake - The Gormenghast Trilogy (3)
6. Hugh Cook - Chronicles of an Age of Darkness (9 - gotta find #10)
7. Glen Cook - First Chronicles of the Black Company (2 - already read book 1)
8. John Scalzi - The Ghost Brigades & The Last Colony (2)
9. Jeff Lindsay - Dexter In The Dark
10. Ian Cameron Esslemont - Return of the Crimson Guard
11. Robin Hobb - Shaman's Crossing (need to buy the 2 sequels first)
12. Stephen King - The Mist (and other short stories)
13. China Mieville - Perdido Street Station
14. Fritz Leiber - Ill Met in Lankhmar
15. Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn (need to buy the 2 sequels first)
16. Rudyard Kipling - The Complete Jungle Book
17. Herman Melville - Moby Dick
18. Gene Wolfe - Severian of the Guild (4)
19. Daniel Abraham - The Long Price (2)
20. Greg Keyes - Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone (4)
21. Michael Moorcock - Various (if I ever get 'round to them)
22. David Gunn - Death's Head
23. Martin/Dozois/Abraham - Hunter's Run

So yeah, I guess that proves I'm sort of a compulsive book buyer who really should actually read more. Some of those I've had forever (Moorcock, Leiber, Hobb) and the list just kinda proves that I need to join a library and try and save my pennies... Nah, bugger that!

I've also got a list of books I still want to buy that is actually longer than that above... Woo hoo! :)

MY HOBBY #1 - READING

I'm a reader. There I said it. Not a particularly good or well-read one, but a reader I am nonetheless.

I read more than some and less than others. I would say I'm a slow and inconsistent reader as it can take me 3 weeks to read a 350 page novel or a weekend to read a 900 page novel. I guess it just depends on how interested I am in the novel and also the social pressures that being a beer drinker puts on me during that particular time.

And like some, I like to buy my books and keep hold of them. Until recently the majority of books went into piles in the bottom of my cupboard due to the fact of not having many bookshelves, however this has recently been (mostly) rectified with a move of house and thanks to a meme found over at Speculative Horizons I thought I might post up a few pictures of my wonderful collection of fantasy and sci-fi novels.

So to the left we have a pic of the whole shebang - not a huge collection but I love it all the same. I was worried about the heater/air-con unit above the bookcases having a detrimental effect on the books but it doesn't seem to have had any effects during the heat blasting through winter.

I order the books pretty randomly although they are sorted into series' by author and of course publishing or possibly reading order within that.

There are a few missing (and I'll note where) due to borrowing by friends or my bro'. Also there are more on an old bookshelf in my room that aren't really my favourites but I have kept a hold of just for the hell of it. Still to decide if I'll keep them or send them off to the charity shop.

Those extra shelves you can see at the bottom left of screen were not needed and the price of them alone will buy me a whole new bookshelf to replace the old one in my room. So, onto the books!

(no linking, you can Google or Wikipedia stuff on your own if you are so inclined)

The top shelf has my two favourite series': George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire and Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen. The first Malazan book is on loan to a mate who won't appreciate it.

Next shelf we have the lovely Robin Hobb novels all of which I've liked, then the Joe Abercrombie series The First Law - brilliant series that I have had several friends read and thank me for recommending. Then Anderson's Saga of Seven Suns, must grab the last book although I think he's lost his way in the previous two novels of the series, but am happy to finish it.

Next is the Terry Pratchett shelf which is by no means complete - something I really must rectify as I absolutely adore all of his work.
Must ask Jack what he thought of Good Omens and make him return it to me...

Next shelf is a bit of a mixed bag (again with a few missing). Really liked the Bakker series, and at the top left are two books in Hugh Cook's Chronicles of an Age of Darkness - I read that series as a teenager and recently re-bought them all recently (bar the final book) and plan on re-reading them soon - at the moment this shelf is far more packed since taking this photo - I just can't stop buying books!

Next up we have what could be termed the "kids" shelf. John Marsden's Tomorrow series was just brilliant although I think he was flogging a dead horse with the Ellie Chronicles. I was totally against Harry Potter when he first became popular but then got sucked in and have read the series twice now - they're enjoyable and I am less of a reading snob these days - if that can be said of any person that reads almost exclusively in the fantasy genre.

Next to those are Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionovar Tapestry which I really didn't enjoy that much at all.

Bottom shelf of bookcase number 1 has some favourite Tad Williams with his Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy plus the Death Gate Cycle by Weis and Hickman. I've yet to read some of those Moorcock books on the far right that I picked up on the cheap about 12 years ago, I liked the thin ones in the middle.

I wasn't a fan of Williams' Otherland series but maybe I need to give it another go someday...





On to bookcase number 2 and the top shelf has Jordan's Wheel of Time all in Tor hardcover (except New Spring) plus Wurts and Feist's fantastic Empire Trilogy - my favourite of Feist's.

Next shelf is completely Feist where I need to grab a few of the first novels in hardcover to complete the collection.

Shelf 3 is mostly my "to read" shelf. I've read the fantastic Richard Morgan novels (love Takeshi Kovacs trilogy) and most of those on the right were enjoyable, especially Mary Gentle's Grunts!


The next two shelves feature some of my favourite classics of the genre - the required Tolkien (enjoyed but don't love), Eddings (he was a gun in the 80s and 90s and the Belgariad began my affair with fantasy), Gary Gygax (I re-read these Gord the Rogue novels every few years), McCaffrey's Pern series (truly a classic though have not read the newer ones in the last few years), and a mixed bag of Terry Brooks (who I can take or leave although the Elfstones of Shannara is still one of my most favourite books ever).


And last but not least the Sara Douglass shelf. There are a few books missing here as my brother has nicked them, but I really liked her Axis and Wayfarer Redemption trilogies. I think her best work is The Crucible quartet (not least because I am thanked along with others in The Wounded Hawk for helping out on her web site message board). I was not a fan of the Troy Game and have yet to try Darkglass Mountain - too many others to read before that!




So there you have it, about 90% of my collection. I used to own many, many more but during the mid-90s I had a bit of a clean out and traded in a bunch, I've also obviously read many more than what features here although those tended to be early days when I still bothered going to libraries. I like owning the books I read - good or bad - and ever since I found The Book Depository I've been buying more and more.

What I really need to do though is have a consistent reading habit. At the moment I mostly read on the tram to and from work and in front of the TV, all of which means I can get very distracted. What I need is a good reading chair with a side table for my beer and crisps that doesn't have a view of anything to distract me. Perhaps the next place I move to can have a spare room dedicated to this and other leisurely pursuits? We shall see...

Might do a post soon on my to read list - the novels that I plan to add to the collection and those I already bought.

TEMPTATION...

Went into a Virgin store yesterday to find out iPhone prices:

1. 8GB black iPhone with 1GB download = $70 pcm
2. 16GB white iPhone with 1GB download = $74 pcm
3. 16GB white iPhone with 5GB download = $100 pcm

I'd probably go with option 2 - I couldn't see myself using more than a gig of download per month when all I'd want to do is check gmail, work email, blogs, movie times, news and just general surfing. And if I was using more than a gig then I'd upgrade or slap myself in the face for being an internet whore.

So very tempted... There is some kind of Apple event next week where it is believed new iPod Touch versions will be announced but that is unlikely to adjust pricing on iPhones. Why did Steve Jobs announce the pricing of iPhones as $199 for 8GB and $299 for 16GB if you can't actually buy one for that price? Instead you have to sign up for a contract with a mobile company, or at the very least get it pre-paid with someone like Optus and still have to pay around $800 - $900 for the phone.

Meh, in the end I don't really need an iPhone as such, I'd just like to have a single device that does everything with a decent amount of storage space on it - if I could find a viable alternative then bring it on. Currently I have my Nokia 6300 for phone and radio and an Onda VX767 for MP3/MP4 but neither has internet connectivity. Internet would be damn handy if I need to check my emails on the road (or even at home right now since I have no 'net there), transfer money between accounts outside bank opening times, and to only worry about owning one charger and most of all to only have to carry one device around rather than fill up all my pockets. Once summer hits and I have less pockets to fill, carrying a phone and an MP3/MP4 player around plus my headphones is gonna suck arse. :-(

Why is technology so unkind?

WHEREFORE ART THOU RADIO?

Why on Earth would the iPhone not have a built in FM tuner and MMS capablities? I'm even willing to use the atrocious iTunes if it means I can have one device that does everything and the iPhone, apart from those two major (in my eyes) flaws, is perfect.

Damn you Steve Jobs! Damn you to HELL!

I listen to the radio almost every weekday morning on the tram on the way to work, and sometimes in the afternoon. But I often listen to my MP3s at that time as well, so a device that does the lot would be great. My current Nokia 6300 does, in fact, do all this but it only has a 2 GB memory card in it at the moment (about 20 albums) and it has no internet connectivity or the cool touch screen stuff, not to mention video capabilities.

I don't use MMS too often but it is sometimes fun to send pictures of your privates to federal politicians' mobile phones during intermission at the theatre - I mean, who doesn't? Well iPhone users, obviously, unless they email them.

Now to search for viable alternatives to the iPhone or third-party widgets for the iPhone that actually work to listen to the radio and send and receive MMS.

BEEN CAUGHT READIN' ONCE WHEN I WAS FIVE

I was going through my work PC trying to clean up a few things and found a file with a list of all the books I had read in 2007, including a few re-reads like Changeling and Harry Potter. Normally I don't keep track of what books I read except to say that I have read them, but I think sometime last year or earlier this year I was curious to find out how many I had read in 2007. By no means is this a large list - I'm a slow reader - but it was kind of fun in an ultra geeky way to compile. I've also added the list so far for 2008, you know, for shits and giggles.

My only real New Years Resolution for '08 was to read more books than last year and I suspect I shall accomplish that. God I am Great. I'd be curious to figure out how many in total I have read over the past 20 years of my love of Fantasy and Science Fiction but I suspect I've forgotten too many to bother with an inane task such as that...

---=== 2007 ===---

1. Steven Erikson - Gardens of the Moon (Malazan 1)
2. Steven Erikson - Deadhouse Gates (Malazan 2)
3. Steven Erikson - Memories of Ice (Malazan 3)
4. Steven Erikson - House of Chains (Malazan 4)
5. Steven Erikson - Midnight Tides (Malazan 5)
6. Steven Erikson - The Bonehunters (Malazan 6)
7. Steven Erikson - Reaper's Gale (Malazan 7)
8. Chris Kubasik - Changeling (Shadowrun 5)
9. Kevin J Anderson - Metal Swarm (Saga of Seven Suns 6)
10. Harper Lee - To Kill A Mockingbird
11. Glen Cook - The Black Company (Black Company 1)
12. Terry Pratchett - Making Money
13. Neil Gaiman - American Gods
14. Jeff Lindsay - Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Dexter 1)
15. Jeff Lindsay - Dearly Devoted Dexter (Dexter 2)
16. Raymond E Feist - Into A Dark Realm (Darkwar 2)
17. Scott Lynch - The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard 1)
18. Scott Lynch - Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastard 2)
19. Guy Gavriel Kay - The Summer Tree (Fionovar Tapestry 1)
20. Guy Gavriel Kay - Te Wandering Fire (Fionovar Tapestry 2)
21. Guy Gavriel Kay - The Darkest Road (Fionovar Tapestry 3)
22. J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter 1)
23. J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter 2)
24. J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter 3)
25. J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter 4)
26. J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter 5)
27. J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter 6)
28. J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter 7)

Plus 3 novellas which don't really count:

• Steven Erikson - Blood Follows (Malazan Novella)
• Steven Erikson - The Lees of Laughter's End (Malazan Novella)
• Steven Erikson - The Healthy Dead (Malazan Novella)

---=== 2008 ===---

1. Mary Gentle - Grunts!
2. Robert A Heinlein - Stranger In A Strange Land
3. Karen Miller - The Innocent Mage (Kingmaker, Kingbreaker 1)
4. Karen Miller - The Awakened Mage (Kingmaker, Kingbreaker 2)
5. Joe Abercrombie - The Blade Itself (The First Law 1)
6. Joe Abercrombie - Before They Are Hanged (The First Law 2)
7. Ian McDonald - Brasyl
8. Richard Morgan - Altered Carbon (Takeshi Kovacs 1)
9. Simon Hawke - The Outcast (Tribe of One 1)
10. Simon Hawke - The Seeker (Tribe of One 2)
11. Simon Hawke - The Nomad (Tribe of One 3)
12. Raymond E Feist - Wrath of a Mad God (Darkwar 3)
13. Chelsea Cain - Heartsick
14. Richard Morgan - Broken Angels (Takeshi Kovacs 2)
15. Richard Morgan - Woken Furies (Takeshi Kovacs 3)
16. Joe Abercrombie - Last Argument of Kings (The First Law 3)
17. Alastair Reynolds - Revelation Space
18. R. Scott Bakker - The Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing 1)
19. R. Scott Bakker - The Warrior Prophet (The Prince of Nothing 2)
20. R. Scott Bakker - The Thousandfold Thought (The Prince of Nothing 3)
21. John Scalzi - Old Man's War
22. Ian Cameron Esslemont - Night of Knives (Malazan Companion 1)
23. Richard Morgan - Market Forces
24. Tobias Buckell - Crystal Rain (Nanagada 1)
25. Steven Erikson - Toll The Hounds (Malazan 8)

2008 has been a great year as I've discovered some fantastic new (to me) authors like Richard Morgan, Joe Abercrombie and Scott Lynch. I've also found the Book Depository web site which has free worldwide shipping and they send each book out in its own individual packaging meaning no orders are delayed because of one hard to get or yet to be published novel. It's cheaper than buying books at the local Dymocks or Borders plus they are delivered to my desk at work. My "to read" shelf is chock full with about 20 books at any one time and I also have another 15 or so sitting in the "to be purchased" bin at the web site; it's an addiction.