Posts

Showing posts from April, 2023

The Whale

Image
 The Whale     They finally gave Brendan Fraser his much deserved award for best actor. This film was one of the most beautifully depressing pieces of art I have ever seen. It follows Charlie (Brendan Fraser), a college English teacher who, after the death of his boyfriend, has become obese from binge eating and is going to die within a week from congestive heart failure. Before he dies, he tries to communicate with his daughter Ellie, whom he left when she was 8 years old. Charlie's daughter is a mess of anger and resents school and people. She doesn't want to see her dad, but is inclined to stay when he offers her all the money he has and to write her essays for her so she may graduate high school. This story is beautifully crafted and questions faith, humanity, and writing honest truths. Brendan Fraser has always been a phenomenal actor, one of my favorite roles being Robot Man from Doom Patrol , a role where can't emote and still steals the show and pulls heartstrings,

The "Amulet" Series

Image
 Amulet: A Graphic Novel Series by Kazu Kibuishi     Reading New Kid  by Jerry Craft took me on a trip down memory lane when I reread the first two Amulet books because Craft's main character talked about his love for them. I read the first two: The Stonekeeper and The Stonekeeper's Curse  back in middle school many years ago and forgot just how good they were. Even as an adult, the death scene of the father nearly made me cry. The storyline is a fun adventure following young siblings on a path of destiny with magic, friends, enemies, and some characters who are in-between. The art is also stunning. The full-page panels had me sitting back in my chair, trying to grasp the concept of perspective. The panels are also spaced evenly to give more or less visual to a scene, depending on which length is better to enjoy the story. They're a fun read, and I was able to get the full series (8 books) for $30. I can't wait to finally finish this series, since I didn't have the

Nidhogg (Níðhöggr)

Image
 Nidhogg ( Níðhöggr )     God of War  Ragnarök offers players a chance to ally with (and more importantly fight) some of the most important gods and creatures in Norse mythology. Although getting killed by Thor just to have him bring you back to life because he's not done playing is pretty amazing, the fight with Nidhogg (need-hog) really takes the cake.     Until this boss-fight, I had never heard of this extremely important creature in Norse mythology. Nidhogg is a dragon who gnaws at the roots of Yggrasil (The World Tree), which keeps the Nine Realms intact. By chewing its roots, Nidhogg is instilling chaos and attempting to destroy the cosmos. To counteract him, an eagle sits atop The World Tree while the squirrel Ratatoskr protects the balance.     The video game makes this creature even more formidable. When players first meet Nidhogg, Freya has just severed the roots tying her to Vanaheim. When the last root is cut, Nidhogg tears a hole through the fabric of the cosmos and t