I just got an email from my agent letting me know that the Czech edition of ANANSI BOYS by Neil Gaiman Won Best Fantasy & Horror title of 2006 by The Czech Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror (ASFFH). This was announced during the ceremony at the Prague Book Fair "Book World" on May 5th. I really need to go to Prague. People keep telling me...
I am tired out in a good way -- the continual walking the dog (and running the dog) seems to be agreeing with me. Today, we had to pick a name so that his microchip papers could be sent off, so we picked Cabal. But he does tend currently to get addressed either as Dog or Doofus. It's odd -- there are acres of woodland around here and I've almost never walked it on my own. Now I'm starting to walk it continually, and am promising myself that there's a lot of work that needs doing -- dead trees to clear and paths to restore and so on...
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At Ain't It Cool, the mysterious Moriarty (who can, incidentally, be seen getting kissed by Harlan Ellison over at http://www.creatvdiff.com/harlan_ellison.php -- click on An Evening With Sharp Teeth to see the smooching incident) talks about his trip to New York, where he saw Stardust at the super-cool screening everyone was at except me (because I was in Montana, signing books and meeting librarians).
There are a handful of spoilers in there, but the review is very positive. It's at http://www.aintitcool.com/node/32575.
I spent a phone call the other day trying to convince an old friend that the Stardust movie wasn't an all-swordfighting extravaganza, the impression she'd got from the trailer.
I told her it wasn't. That it was a good movie, and that the places it deviated from the book were either about translating something from one language into another, or, infrequently, about time or budget. (We wanted a Lion and Unicorn fight. We simply couldn't afford one.)
What makes me happiest right now is that people who have seen it like it. The word of mouth is potentially there. Now we just have to hope it sticks around enough for the word of mouth to do some good.
So you don't go to the cinema often? Why not? Is it just a general aversion or do you get recognized or is it something I haven't thought of but should have been terribly obvious if i'd just shut up and thought about it for a moment? Any how, yes, 'Hot Fuzz' is a lot of fun. If you really liked it you should watch (if you haven't already seen it) their previous film 'Shaun of the Dead,' which is in the same vein only even better. 'Fuzz' was funny but lacked a heart to it, 'Shaun' has that heart and is the superior film.
Logan M. G.
I thought they were very similar films, doing very much the same sort of thing, just doing it in different genres. The "heart" is just the difference between a romantic comedy and a buddy movie. (Your mileage of course may vary.)
And yes, I go to films. I like films, and have never worried about being recognised (nobody recognises authors out of context anyway). What I meant in the last post was that I always go as a social activity, with someone or someones, not on my own, which made this an almost first. (I finally remembered the last time I went to the cinema alone -- it was in London in 1984 for an every-Sunday at Midnight double bill of Eraserhead and whatever they were showing Eraserhead with. Someone on the world wide web will remember, but I do not.)
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My favourite disturbing article recently is this one from the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2073012,00.html.
The idea that an ad agency would create an "off the peg" rock group whose function is to make music to order for corporate clients that pretends to be real music (however you define "real") seems like the plot of a bad movie (as they fight to get free of their corporate overlords and make real music, or perhaps one lone member of the band slowly discovers that their souls are owned by Coke). There's a horrible wrongness to it, along with the idea that one day every band will be owned by an ad agency, and all songs will secretly be jingles.
Suddenly Bill Hicks seems wiser than ever...
Labels: Advertising in rock music seen as definite evidence of the hand of Satan in our affairs, Czech Awards, Moriarty, Movies, Mystery News I Am Not At Liberty To Talk About, Stardust movies