Just some Book and Movies that I Freaking Love. No Big Deal.

Hello, thanks for tuning in.

My last blog post was about some of my Unpopular Opinions so to balance the scale, here  is a bit of a list of books and movies that I really love.

Let's start with books.  I'm a writer, this is in some weird kind of way a writing blog, so I expect some of my readers will also be writers.  So what are my all time desert island top five favourite books?

THE EARTHSEA CYCLE by Ursula Le Guin.  It's just a masterpiece, no question.  The words flow like poetry off the page, so simple yet so deep and profound.  Le Guin's magic system and dragons are the best that I've read, especially how the magic, legends and dragons of Earthsea are so interconnected.  Another reason this series resonates with me is that I read it soon after learning about Taoism, and the Earthsea cycle is certainly rooted in the Taoist message, living in balance with nature and with ourselves.

Even though A CLOCKWORK ORANGE is not Anthony Burgess' best book (in my opinion Earthly Powers is) it is certainly one of my favourites. The main drawcard is the Nadsat language Burgess created (or at least borrowed from the Russian tongue). Here's an example "I do not wish to describe, brothers, what other horrible veshches I was like forced to viddy that afternoon. The like minds of this Dr. Brodsky and Dr. Branom and the others in white coats, and remember there was this devotchka twiddling with the knobs and watching the meters, they must have been more cally and filthy than any prestoopnick in the Staja itself."  The linguistic style of this whole novel is amazing, and as a writer and lover of languages, it absolutely fascinates me.  But the other reason this book is so great and enduring is the message that the kids will always rebel.  No-one can stop this, it is an enduring aspect of our society.

I've already mentioned one fantasy series, but absolutely must include THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT by Stephen Donaldson.  This is the ultimate anti-hero story, and as far as taking the reader on an emotional journey and exploring the depths of human frailty, this Epic Fantasy series stands head and shoulders above everything else.  Because of the sheer unlikeability of the protagonist and the crimes he commits, I get that a lot of people struggle with this book.  And that's OK.  A lot of the supporting characters more than make up for the cruelty of the protagonist.  I'm not going to say that I identify with Thomas Covenant, but flawed characters, characters that fail and characters seeking redemption are so much more interesting and relatable than the 'perfect hero' - the Supermans, the Harry Potters, the Sparhawks.

I have two choices left.  I need to include something by P. K. Dick, but what?  So many to choose from.  I guess it has to be V.A.L.I.S - the greatest example of a literary mindfuck I've ever read.  I chose this one because it's just so weird.  It's based on Dick's own experience of a psychotic episode, and is a bizarre story of fragmented realities and worlds breaking down, with a strong spiritual understanding.  There really is nothing else quite like it.

Okay.  The last book.  It's PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK by Joan Lindsay.  It's a rare book that can transport you somewhere, and this book, with Lindsay's vivid descriptions of the Australian bush; the sights, sounds and smells that she captures so well takes my back home every time.  So there's that, but it's also a superb mystery full of eerie events, curious characters and sinister undertones.  Like Kenneth Cook's 'Wake in Fright' this book talks about the danger and darkness at the heart of Australia which will not be tamed.  Cook portrayed that darkness in the souls of the Australians themselves, but this mystery questions whether the darkness perhaps comes from the deep depths of the country itself.

Honourable mentions go to A SCANNER DARKLY (Dick), OBERNEWTYN (Carmody), THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS (Le Guin), STEPPENWOLF (Hesse), ALONE IN BERLIN (Fallada) and AMERICAN GODS (Gaiman).

Movies.  Here are my top five.
Firstly though, does anyone else remember when DVDs came out?  I told myself that I'd only ever buy a movie on DVD if it was one that you'd want to keep watching over and over again.  And the first DVD I brought was BEING JOHN MALKOVICH.  Cameron Diaz, John Cusack, and John Malkovich were all amazing in this mind-blowing Spike Jonze film.  Cusack's character finds some tunnel in his office building taking him briefly inside John Malkovich's head.  There's love, there's betrayal, and some truly surreal moments (including a monkey's flashback to it's own childhood) and a lot of really funny moments.

I love Sci-Fi.  And I love Horror.  So it's not going to be a surprise that EVENT HORIZON is next.  Sam Neil joins the crew of the Lewis and Clark after the beacon of the experimental ship he helped design, the 'Event Horizon' reappears in the solar system after disappearing for a long period.  They board the ship and soon find the crew is dead.  Where had the ship been?  What happened to it?  And (of course) what had it brought back?  There's a lot of psychology in this story as well, which I really appreciste.  The acting is good, the characters are good, and when it gets dark, it gets REALLY dark.  Certainly worthy of a remake.

Next, NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND.  While I prefer anti-hero stories, Miyazaki's hero, Nausicaa, is just so perfect.  A anime sci-fi post - apocalyptic movie with humanity on the brink of survival, who could ask for more?  This movie was created with such love that we can still feel it, some 30 years later.  It still gives me all the feels.

So far, the films I have listed have definitely shown my age.  So this underappreciated film is a modern masterpiece, and in my mind the best movie of the last decade.  I am talking about CABIN IN THE WOODS, the genre-defying horror-comedy produced by Joss Whedon (and frankly the best thing he's been involved in since Firefly).  It is hilarious, it is scary, it is deviously clever and frankly a work of genius.

Another all-time favourite is STARDUST, based on the novel by Neil Gaiman.  A beautiful, captivating story about a young man who promises to bring back a fallen star to win the heart of a young woman.  Only problem is, the star fell on the other side of The Wall, where the rules are a bit different.  It's magical and full of brilliant acting, of course everyone points out Robert De Niro, Claire Daines and Sienna Miller (who were great) but the actors who really stole the show for me were Mark Heap and Julian Rhind-Tutt.  All things considered, there are only two grievances one can have with this movie; Ricky Gervais and how the ending is a bit different to the novel.  Don't tell anyone, but I prefer this ending!

Honourable mentions go to RED STATE, GALAXY QUEST, ZOOLANDER, DOGMA, and EDGE OF TOMORROW.

So that's it for me now.  I'm off to write some dystopian stories.  If you want to comment on any of my choices or leave your own top-five lists, go right ahead!


Stay Awesome!