I’ve been puzzling around this for a while, but have you ever noticed how many Epic Fantasies are quest narratives? I mean, a lot of it is couched in war, that’s a pretty common feature of epic fantasies. But for the most part – I think maybe nine times out of ten – the Epic Fantasy is defined by the fact that the central engine of the story is a small group of people Going Somewhere to Do Something. All those stories that followed Tolkien’s mold, you know, they’re about people taking a long trip in a strange land.
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Archive for the Braak Category
Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, and the Problem of Steampunk
Posted in Braak, crotchety ranting, crushing genius with tags Braak, epic fantasy, fantasy, steampunk, urban fantasy on April 9, 2012 by braakThings the Cameraman of the Hunger Games Might Have Been Thinking
Posted in Braak, crotchety ranting, movies with tags hunger games, Movies on March 29, 2012 by braak“I just think the lower back is the most revealing part of any character.”
“Fuck the fight director, no one wants to see what that fight looks like.”
“God damn, Elizabeth Banks has got a hot god damn earlobe. Look at that earlobe!”
“We’re gonna shoot the other side of this guy’s head eventually, right?”
“Where’s…did I finish all the bourbon?”
“We can focus this in post, right?”
“There’s no way they’re going to use this take.”
“Fuck the costume designer, no one wants to see their clothes.”
“Whoooop! Haha, almost dropped it!”
“Hey, I think if I zoom out, I can get everyone’s head in frame…aaah, fuck it.”
John Carter, Sad Hero of Mars
Posted in Action Movies, Braak, crotchety ranting, reviews with tags heroes, john carter, john carter of mars, Movies, the hero's journey, writing on March 23, 2012 by braak
Well, word is that John Carter (of Mars) isn’t going to do so well – certainly not enough to make back its budget, or merit any sequels. This is kind of a shame, because I think it was pretty much a lot of fun, but at least now I can talk about what I think was a kind of a glaring problem with the story that I’d have felt guilty talking about before.
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The Days of the Black Dog
Posted in Braak with tags Braak, depression on March 21, 2012 by braakI’ll write about it, because this sort of thing is always difficult to talk about to another person. Not just because it gets stuck in your throat, which it does, and who knows why? Shame, probably, which I suspect is close to the root of the whole thing. But also because when you talk about depression, there’s always a host of reasonable questions that the person to whom you’re speaking thinks of, and they ask them, and so you never make any progress.
Second Sword: Wudang Tai Yi Jian
Posted in Braak with tags fencing, jian, martial arts, swords on March 5, 2012 by braakSo, I have been doing my First Sword (32-Posture Tai Chi Jian) since about may, I guess. For Christmas, I received a number of new DVDs about Jian fencing, and around about January I started working on a new form: the Wudang Tai Yi Jian form, put together by this famous Daoist monk who now lives in Boston, I guess.
Rush Limbaugh Does Not Understand Apologies (and is an Idiot)
Posted in Braak, crotchety ranting, crushing genius with tags birth control, Braak, culture war, feminism, gender, rush limbaugh, susan fluke on March 3, 2012 by braakSo, by now probably you have all heard about Sandra Fluke, and her testimony about why 1) some women need “birth control” for reasons other than explicitly controlling birth, and 2) it’s not really the Catholic Church’s business to decide what medical treatments their employees get, one way or the other.
And maybe you have also heard about Rush Limbaugh’s pretty grotesque response to that! If not, it’s here. Yeesh.
Amazingly (and I don’t know if this is a first time or anything) Rush Limbaugh has actually APOLOGIZED for his statements!
JOHN CARTER OF MARS YOU PUNK SUCKERS!
Posted in Braak, movies, reviews, Threat Quality with tags Braak, john carter, movie reivews, Movies on March 2, 2012 by braak
Released in the United States as John Carter, even though he is definitely of Mars. This is a pretty good movie, about a Civil War veteran who, via some kind of magical scientific process, is transported to Mars, where he gains the power of LEAPING, and uses it to fight some giant green Martians, and also Sab Than, the ruler of a city that wanders across the Martian desert preying on smaller, weaker cities.
A List of Things That Have Not Appeared in Ghost Rider Movies
Posted in Braak, comic books, reviews with tags Braak, Ghost Rider, ghost rider spirit of vengeance on February 21, 2012 by braakAll of these things have not appeared in either Ghost Rider, or Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance.
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Posted in Braak, comic books, reviews, Threat Quality with tags Braak, Ghost Rider, ghost rider spirit of vengeance on February 21, 2012 by braakHolland has already said some things, and they are all true, and basically comprehensive, but I wanted to flip out about a couple other things also. Actually, really I want to just flip out some MORE about the things that he already said.
BEHOLD MY INVENTIONS!
Posted in Braak on February 19, 2012 by braak
New bar set up, featuring…MY INVENTIONS!
From left to right: Creme de Cacao, Creme du Mure (blackberry liqueur), Creme Frambois (strawberry liqueur), L’Esprit de l’Eclair (black tea, ginseng, and ginger spirit), and l’Esprit du Mort (habanero, cocoa, rum spirit).
