Ant-Man and the Wasp

Scott Lang/ Ant-Man is dealing with his house arrest after the events of Captain America: Civil War. Meantime, Hope and her father Hank are trying to bring back Janet. (Hope’s mother and Hank’s wife.) Just as they make contact with the Quantum Realm, Scott gets a weird dream. He calls Hank, and ends up being ‘kidnapped’ by Hope and talked into helping them, as Hope and Hank think that Scott is the key to bringing back Janet because she left him a message. With his help, they complete working on the tech they need to bring Janet back.

Of course, in the process they manage to annoy some crooks, some FBI agents, and a ghost. Eventually they manage to pull off their plan, but there is a lot of fighting and action involved.

I enjoyed the jokes. It was hilarious when Scott got shrunk to kid-size. The acting was fantastic.

The CGI wasn’t too terrible. The trip to the Quantum Realm was a bit trippy, but other than that the film wasn’t held back by the visual effects.

I thought the tech portrayed in the film was really clever, and the chase scene where things got shrunk and enlarged was enjoyable. There is one ‘but’. As I was in the cinema with my friend, we were both left wondering; how did the building get power? What about sewage and water supply?

Of course, my favorite parts involved the gigantic ant that posed as Scott’s body double in his home… and Luis (a.k.a. human jukebox) was absolutely brilliant during the interrogation scenes. As always, the lip sync and acting during the Luis voice over – character lip sync was fantastic.

Good film, although I am torn whether it’s better than the first. Let’s just say ‘as good as’ the first. I didn’t know what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised. A great addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Publishing Business: From p-books to e-books

A bit of a review/ foreword:

I’m going to be starting a Masters in September, and one of the books that I have to read before the course is The Publishing Business: From p-books to e-books by Kelvin Smith.

This book has some very interesting information, and throughout the book, there are plenty of ‘discussion questions’. Now, at the moment I don’t have anyone to discuss these questions with. But, I answered them to the best of my inexperienced ability. I will be posting the questions and answers in chapters in the next couple of blog posts. I’ve been typing everything up, and I’ve ended up with 22 pages in Word Doc., so I think posting each chapter separately is the best thing to do.

As to the book itself… I really enjoyed the layout, and the typography. I thought the visuals in the books were great, and it’s fairly easy to navigate should I need to find something. However, the language used in this book was boring. I found it really difficult to concentrate on the text. The activities were also interesting, but I didn’t really know in what way I should research them. The information which was presented in this book felt generic, it is meant as an introduction to the industry. Yet, the case studies were slightly more detailed, particularly the questions in the activities. I didn’t know how to answer these questions in the detail that I thought was appropriate, and I think for one of the case studies I gave up completely because I really didn’t know what I should be looking for.

There is another problem. Even though, as books go, this one is recent… it’s still old. It’s still a couple of years behind. (It was published in 2012 I think) That means the facts, figures, and company structures are already outdated. But, I suppose it still gives an interesting overview of how the industry shifted and what role books play in culture.

So, that’s it really. I will be reading another book that is on my reading list before Uni… I don’t know how I will get through that cookie… it doesn’t have any ‘discussion questions’ to distract me. But I hope the language and information presented is more engaging.

Incredibles 2

‘Incredibles 2’

Released in July 2018.

Directed by Brad Bird.

 

The action kicks off right after the end of the first film.

The Incredibles fight to stop the gigantic drill from causing more damage to the city and endangering more lives. They are arrested as the authorities hold them responsible for the destruction. An entrepreneur who believes superheros shouldn’t be illegal approaches them. He takes Elastic Girl on board the scheme to make superheros legal again. She fights the bad guy, recording the chase and fight in the process, so that people can see she tries to do good. It turns out the bad guy is able to control people by hypnosis through digital screens. Eventually Elastic Girl catches him, but has doubts because the chase seemed all to easy for her. As she voices her doubts, she is betrayed by one of the good guys, who was only pretending to help superheros. Instead, that person wanted to make supers illegal forever. Elastic Girl is hypnotized herself, along with all the other superheros. In the end the kids help out and save the day by once again teaming up with the adults to kick some butt. The baddie is arrested, and the city is saved. Superheros became legal once more.

Except for the predictable plot line, I loved everything about this movie. I loved the character design, animation, background design, textures, lighting, voice acting, and Edna. Edna and Jack Jack saved the film for me. Otherwise, I think I would have struggled to think the film an equal of the first.

However, this was an excellent sequel (Plenty of Edna action to keep me happy). There is a lot more focus on the female characters and it’s no longer all about the men, which is nice. A lot of the action involved the women, and their intelligence and cunning to resolve really tricky situations. It wasn’t a blatantly feminist shindig, there were many different aspects to the film that gave it a lot of depth. The film gave each character enough space to develop, and we learn a bit more about each of them throughout the movie.

I definitely want to own both of the Incredible films on DVD, and the sequel is a must watch for anyone who enjoys animated films.

The Hobbit

“The Hobbit”

by J.R.R. Tolkien

First published in Great Britain by George Allen & Unwin 1937.

This edition published by Harper Collins Children’s Books in 1998.

 

Bilbo Baggins is one day visited by Gandalf the Wizard and thirteen dwarves. Bilbo is recruited as a ‘burglar’, or an ‘Expert Treasure-Hunter’, but of course he has no experience adventuring or plundering whatsoever. He is made to come with the thirteen dwarves as a lucky charm to counter their unlucky number.

The dwarves are Balin, Dwalin, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Fili, Kili, and last but not least Thorin Oakenshield. Phew, even transcribing all of their names from the book took a bit of an effort. So, they go on their adventure to reclaim lost treasure that is guarded by the terrible dragon, Smaug. Along the way they must travel through the Wild, past the Misty Mountains and through the Mirkwood Forest. There were many dangers that they had to bypass, from goblins, to Wargs, to giant spiders, not so friendly elves (who turned out to be friendly after all) and of course, a dragon. In the end the dragon falls, a great battle is won, and Bilbo returns home, a changed hobbit.

The story has some great morals, and of course a lot of ups and downs. Just when you think that everything is going alright, something goes a bit astray and the hobbit and Company are in danger again.

I thought some parts of the story were a bit slow. The story is told at a leisurely pace, like something you would hear a wise, elderly gentleman tell over a hearth whilst holding a pipe and drinking some tea. But, the way the story is told is a pleasure. It’s written at a different time, when people still valued manners and one could not leave his house without a handkerchief. (As Biblo did.) It’s a magical story of wonderful places that we can visit time and time again through Tolkien’s fantastic way of storytelling, whilst offering us a brief glimpse into the past.

It’s been over 80 years since the book was officially published, and the language has certainly aged. (But in a good way. You can still understand what is being described, yet enjoy the story as if it was spoken by a fine English gentleman.) I really enjoyed the maps that were included with the story (I like to keep track where my protagonists are and sometimes it’s difficult to picture the land) as they added depth to the complicated world that Tolkien created. I think that’s where the magic is, that all of the elements that Tolkien introduced in the story blend so effortlessly together.

A must read for any fiction or fantasy fans. Truly a classic.

 

1984

“1984”

by George Orwell.

Originally published by Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd. in 1949. This paperback edition was published by Penguin Books in 2013.

A book review.

Winston Smith is a man who hates the totalitarian government that rules the country where he lives, Oceania. He secretly begins writing a diary, and he even begins to meet with a woman named Julia. All of this is illegal, as it stems from Winston’s hatred of the party and his need to rebel.

He is a member of the Outer Party, and is therefore scrutinized all the time. Every moment of his life is watched by the government through the telescreens, and all of his words are recorded through hidden microphones.

Winston and Julia are eventually captured and made to side with the views of the party. The novel ends with Winston accepting his love for Big Brother.

This novel frightens me, and it makes me depressed, because much of it applies today. Some elements of the novel aren’t so extreme, however they do exist.

Perpetual war, the subjugation and de-education of the masses, propaganda overflowing with hated. These are not fictional, for they are still happening today.

Reading this book has definitely changed my perception of hierarchy, and made me want to change things for the better. I know as an individual I have no hopes of making change by myself.

Orwell presents the problems that exist, and snatches away all hope of resolution. It’s not his fault though as he only alludes to the truth – the truth of human nature.

This book is not a light read. It will twist the very fabric of your reality. However, I think everyone should read it at least once in their lives.

Hell is the Absence of God

‘Hell is the Absence of God’

a short story by Ted Chiang. (The seventh in the book Arrival)

 

Neil Fisk loses his wife Sarah. Neil lives in a world where the existence of God is unquestioned. Angels appear in the form of natural disasters. These appearances of the divine are random, and it is during such an appearance that Sarah is killed.

Whenever the angels appear, they heal but they also harm. Sarah was killed whilst others were granted miracle cures for their diseases.

Neil is trying to come to terms with her death.

This story is written from an interesting point of view. It uses a different tone, as if the writer is all-knowing.

The portrayal of the angels was very alien to me. I couldn’t picture them completely. They were vague sources of power. (In retrospective, I believe this is deliberate. For, how can a pure creation of God be conceivable to man?)

It is an interesting take on God and faith. As with all of Chiang’s stories, it’s a very interesting read. It definitely gets the cogs in the brain moving.

Division by Zero

“Division by Zero”

Written by Ted Chiang

 

A review of story no. 3 in Arrival.

 

This story is about a woman whose reality unravels as she proves that mathematic formulas don’t mean anything. She uncovers that math can’t give a valid meaning to the universe, it is an illusion.

The story is told in segments. Some of these segments refer to stories of mathematicians trying to solve the ‘unsolvable’ problem which Renee, the protagonist, is trying to figure out. In between, are segments told from either Renee’s or Carl’s point of view.

Their marriage falls apart as Renee’s mental instability pushes each in a different direction. Renee doesn’t know how to solve her mathematical problem, and Carl doesn’t know how to keep his marriage alive.

I don’t know exactly what the message of this one is. It seems that with every single story that I read in this book the narratives get more cryptic.

But, one thing is certain. Both characters are trying to solve challenging problems, unfortunately failing. Once more I find the “unknowable”, there is something that eludes the characters. They can’t phrase their conclusion.

The endings have been left open. I think that is clever, considering the subject matter. Knowledge is something that will always change, so to write a definitive ending goes against what we know.

This story was a bit more confusing than the previous two. Probably because Chiang based it on a mathematical equation (Division by Zero), and I didn’t understand many of the technical terms and references. It was difficult to keep track of the plot, sympathize with the characters, and understand the mathematical problems which were faced by various people in history.

Keeping in mind that with these short stories you don’t have a lot of time to build up the climax, generally you start with the main event in the plot, there is some confusion at the beginning. When reading these short stories I always feel like I am trying to understand my surroundings when visiting a new place. There is a lot going on, and only a short time to take it in before you start having to make your way forward.

Understanding

“Understanding”

The second story published in the book entitled Arrival.

Written by Ted Chiang.

 

A man undergoes experimental hormone therapy after he is nearly killed whilst trapped underneath some ice. The hormone rebuilds damaged neurons, increasing the capacity of the brain. This gives the subjects increased intelligence.

It’s fascinating to read someone’s take on how a human might behave with heightened intelligence. Even though it’s a fictional story, it’s placed in an environment and situations that could potentially exist.

Elements of this story remind me of the film “Lucy”. Why do all stories that treat heightened intelligence sound similar? I think there is an instinct we feel when we think of increased thinking abilities. We feel that in order to gain something, we must lose something in return. With heightened senses and cognitive processes, the human brain reminds me more of a computer rather than a person. Indeed, with increased knowledge, the common factors shared by both protagonists, (of the story and the film) is that they lose their humanity. Their ability to exhibit empathy, love, and kindness. They become cold and removed. I will eventually dive in deeper into the sci-fi genre, so I will see if this is a recurring theme.

But it also makes me think of the current social media climate. We are so bombarded with information nowadays, we don’t know where to look, what to accept as fact. The scariest part is that we are no longer horrified by stories which should make us horrified. We are being numbed. Is this, too, an effect of a form of heightened intelligence? Or is this something else entirely? How can we effectively deal with an excess of information without losing ourselves?

There is never a dull moment in Chiang’s story. The reader wonders whether the protagonist will achieve his goal throughout the narrative. The resolution of the story is interesting. Initially it surprised me, but now that I think about it, it’s not surprising at all. The protagonist accepts his fate, as he understands why it must be so. It appears that the heightened intelligence has allowed him to reach a state of enlightenment (not spiritual, an enlightenment of another kind, an ‘I know everything/ Aha!’ moment.)

It is interesting that the first story “Tower of Babylon” speaks of humanity’s craving for understanding yet they do not get it. In this story, the character understands everything and yet he is still not pleased as he cannot achieve what he wants. I think so far the stories complement each other well. There is also no slump in pace, the story is continuously going forward. There is always something happening.

It was a good, quick read.

Tower of Babylon

‘Tower of Babylon’

by Ted Chiang

A short story review.

The title for this one is quite self explanatory. The story is set as the tower of Babylon is completed. Mankind tries to reach heaven and uncover the truth of creation by touching the celestial heights and understanding its mysteries. We follow the exploits of one character named Hillalum, a miner who is commissioned to mine the ‘vault’, or the underside of heaven.

The story is beautifully told. Chiang paints wonderful imagery with his language, describing the tower, vistas, and events with breathtaking accuracy. It’s written in such a simple yet pleasing way. There is nothing complicated – no jargon. The story moves along, maintaining interest and anticipation as the men climb and dig to understand their world and themselves.

It’s also a poignant allegory. Hillalum and the others wonder when God’s wrath will strike down upon them for stepping out of line as they dig up the vault of heaven. Eventually a reservoir is ruptured, and Hillalum finds himself stuck behind the safeguards the miners have created to prevent the heavens from flooding the Earth. He swims towards the source of the water, only to swim back to Earth, crawling out of a cave a short distance from Babylon. He ends up at the start.

Does he learn anything from the process? What does he gain?

The only thing Hillalum obtains from the entire exploit is a deepened faith in the wonders of God. He doesn’t understand his power, only that it is there.

As man constantly thrives to understand himself, so he unravels new levels of complexity. It is an ongoing journey as we seek to know all. Yet, when the end is in sight, will it be what we hoped it would be? Will we be able to grasp our discoveries and make use of them? Or, will the entire enterprise be a waste of effort?

Instead of tending to the surrounding land and living their lives in peace, the men ravage the landscape to build the tower. They spend their lives in labour, working on something they will never be able to see finished. Maybe that is the moral of the story? To continue the work of those before you in the hope that you will build something extraordinary?

I enjoyed this story.  It’s simplicity yields well to complex ideas.

Ready Player 1

‘Ready Player 1’ (film)

Directed by Steven Spielberg.

Released in March 2018.

 

James Halliday created a virtual game called the Oasis where people can be anything, do anything and go anywhere. Then, he dies. He has no heir, so he leaves this funky will where he says that if someone finds the Easter Egg he left in his game, they win his shares of Gregarious Game Simulations, the company who runs the Oasis.

Wade Watts is a guy who spends all of his time looking for the Easter Egg and the keys that lead to it. He and his friends have to battle the guys from IOI, a corporate company that is focused on making the most profits and which wants to take over the Oasis at all costs. Eventually, after a couple of hic-ups, Wade/ Parzival finds the Easter Egg and wins the contest.

This film is based on a book of the same title written by Ernest Cline. Read the book to understand my disappointment with the film. That is the only comparison that I will make to the original source material.

So, let’s look at the film as a standalone entity. About 12 minutes in… the introductory monologue was STILL going. The entire premise of the movie was explained by Wade’s voice-over. We don’t see how Parzival met Aech, there is very little development of characters (any character). They just seem to all have figured it out. It doesn’t matter that Parzival lives in the stacks and he barely has enough to eat, of course he has to have a DeLorean.

The film looked like a long cut scene from a video game. If that is the look the creators were going for, well done to them. But it felt fake and it made me detached from the story. Most of it was guns blazing, monsters popping out. All of the interesting bits were explained by Wade’s annoying voice over. (I thought one of the most important film making rules was show NOT tell) After 10 minutes I wanted to switch it off. The only reason I stuck around till the end was because I wanted to know how they would mess up the rest of the film. (And to write this review to express my frustration.) I must admit the thing that annoyed me the most was how the players of the ‘High Five’ all managed to end up conveniently living in the same place/ knowing how they each looked in real life. (You remember that bit where it said the entire world was plugged into the Oasis? Oh, yeah.. do you remember how they said never to reveal their true identities?)

This film is riddled with plot holes like swiss cheese.

It’s a good film for folk who like excessive CGI and action. Warning to the book lovers though; if you read it (and love it as much as I do) expect everything that happens in the book but scrambled, turned up-side down, inside out, and lacking depth. It looks pretty, but that’s about it.

I tried to keep an open mind, I really did, but they just keep on making these films that use excessive CGI and lack a truly meaningful narrative.