Veronica Mars: Mr. Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham
Prologue
Chapters 1-22
The first Veronica Mars novel was a pretty standalone case -- it had callbacks and connections to the series, but most were minor or incidental, showing an awareness of the franchise's history rather than a dependance on it (although one part made some very significant additions to the Mars mythology). But this second book feels like almost a direct sequel to the movie: it begins by kicking off subplots that deal with storylines left hanging from the film, namely the fallout from Weevil being framed and Keith attempting to prove the sheriff's corruption (which led to his car accident in the film); plus Logan and Veronica being back in a relationship is a much more significant element in this novel, too.
It’s also filled with even more callbacks to the TV series: the main case has a victim who’s a minor character from a couple of episodes, and it’s later revealed that she’s connected to an entirely different minor character from the TV series. It’s kind of realistic that in a small town you’d end up bumping into the same people, but surely Neptune isn’t that small...
Creator Rob Thomas has always said the novels were canon, something he's reiterated in the run-up to the fourth season; but whereas they probably could've got away with ignoring the first novel and no one would've known (i.e. by just not mentioning its additions one way or the other), it feels like the events shaping up in this one (I'm only halfway through) are more likely to have a baring on the new season.
And, indeed, from what I've read, it's already been confirmed that new characters and plot developments from this novel are part of the new TV episodes. Well, at least it keeps the novels worthwhile; more than "some nice fan fiction".
Tuesday, 16 July 2019
Monday, 15 July 2019
Fiction
Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham
Chapters 30-39 [the end]
I enjoyed that a lot. It captured the tone and style of the series (and movie) really well, with some fan service (returning characters, references to old plot lines, etc) but not so much as to sink the experience. Looking forward to the second one, and already sad they only did two (why they stopped there, I don't know).
Chapters 30-39 [the end]
I enjoyed that a lot. It captured the tone and style of the series (and movie) really well, with some fan service (returning characters, references to old plot lines, etc) but not so much as to sink the experience. Looking forward to the second one, and already sad they only did two (why they stopped there, I don't know).
Sunday, 14 July 2019
Fiction
Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham
Prologue
Chapters 1-29
Finally getting round to the novels before the TV series returns.
Prologue
Chapters 1-29
Finally getting round to the novels before the TV series returns.
Saturday, 13 July 2019
Friday, 12 July 2019
Thursday, 11 July 2019
Fiction
The Emperor Waltz by Philip Hensher
Book 8 1-15
The section with the gays in the ‘80s do go on a bit. You get the feeling Hensher was rather enjoying writing about a world he was in, possibly a world he was nostalgic for, even with its flaws, and so he got carried away. It’s not even unlikeable, it’s just that much of it seems like a humongous aside.
Book 8 1-15
The section with the gays in the ‘80s do go on a bit. You get the feeling Hensher was rather enjoying writing about a world he was in, possibly a world he was nostalgic for, even with its flaws, and so he got carried away. It’s not even unlikeable, it’s just that much of it seems like a humongous aside.
Wednesday, 10 July 2019
Tuesday, 9 July 2019
Monday, 8 July 2019
Sunday, 7 July 2019
this week on 100 Films
It was nearly a whole week ago now, I know, but a new month did begin this week, and so 100 Films in a Year looked back at the last one — lightweight though it was...
And 5 new reviews were published this past week, too...
The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018)
The Karate Kid (2010)
Shaft (2019)
Witness (1985)
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival (1970)
More next Sunday, perhaps, depending on my holiday.
And 5 new reviews were published this past week, too...
The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018)
Where the first three Dragon Tattoo stories were all fundamentally crime thrillers, this opens up the storytelling world into much more fanciful realms. It’s a bit like they’ve tried to make Lisbeth Salander a kind of freelance female James Bond, using her l33t h4x0r skillz to stop evil cyber-terrorists. It also helps that she’s pretty handy on a motorbike and with a gun. How? Just because. Unfortunately, an element of ‘just because’ powers too much of the film, with fundamental flaws in even its basic setupRead more here.
The Karate Kid (2010)
From reading other viewer reviews, I get the impression a lot of people dislike it just because they’re nostalgic for the original or because they’re annoyed by Jaden Smith’s parents trying to make him a movie star. But if you remove those external contexts, the film offers a decent storyline and some strong performances — it’s Jackie Chan, c’mon!Read more here.
Shaft (2019)
Where Jackson’s Shaft was once a cool dude kicking ass and taking names (or whatever it is cool dude PIs did in the early ’00s), here they’ve turned him into a bit of a throwback dinosaur, spouting politically incorrect opinions with every other line of dialogue... At times it’s like someone adapted one of those facile “millennials are to blame for everything” articles into a movie; or at least copy-pasted it into Shaft Sr’s dialogue.Read more here.
Witness (1985)
the film could descend into a culture-clash comedy — the big city cop chafing against historical rural life — but, while that clash is certainly in play, it’s not milked for laughs. Rather, the film is about Book experiencing a way of life so different to his own, and it changing his perspective on the world. Indeed, with the focus it gives to Amish ways, the film almost seems like it wanted to be a documentary about that community as much as a story.Read more here.
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival (1970)
Sex has been a factor of Zatoichi films before, but I’m not sure any other is as consumed by it as this one. It starts with a mistress auction and teases of nudity; the mystery ronin’s quest is to kill everyone who slept with his wife, which he thinks includes Ichi; the major set-piece is a fight in a bathhouse between Ichi and an army of assassins, all of whom are stark naked; Ichi spends an evening with five prostitutes; the villains decide the best way to kill our hero is with a honey trap (who winds up genuinely falling for Ichi, of course); there’s the roadhouse owners we randomly come across, who are casually perverse… and that’s all before the one-hour mark. Though if you’re expecting to see flashes of flesh, the nude scenes feature almost Austin Powers-level endeavours to make sure nothing explicit is shown.Read more here.
More next Sunday, perhaps, depending on my holiday.
Saturday, 6 July 2019
Holiday
As you read this, I am leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again... except I do know: it's Saturday 20th.
Until then, updates may be sporadic and/or delayed, if there's even anything to write about.
Until then, updates may be sporadic and/or delayed, if there's even anything to write about.
Friday, 5 July 2019
Thursday, 4 July 2019
Films
The Killer (1989)
[#100 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]
Blindspot 2019 #6. Later than expected for both #100 and Blindspot #6, but here we are!
[#100 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]
Blindspot 2019 #6. Later than expected for both #100 and Blindspot #6, but here we are!
Wednesday, 3 July 2019
Tuesday, 2 July 2019
TV
Glastonbury 2019
Kylie Minogue
Well, the Sunday afternoon BBC One show was billed as Kyle, but it began with Jeff Goldblum and ended with a fair old chunk of Miley Cyrus, so them too.
[Watch these sets, and many more (again), on iPlayer.]
Kylie Minogue
Well, the Sunday afternoon BBC One show was billed as Kyle, but it began with Jeff Goldblum and ended with a fair old chunk of Miley Cyrus, so them too.
[Watch these sets, and many more (again), on iPlayer.]
Sunday, 30 June 2019
TV
Glastonbury 2019
Sigrid
The Cure
Plus bits & bobs of all sorts of other stuff, mainly based on what the Beeb decided to pad their main-channel shows with, but I did dip into Kylie’s set a few times.
[Watch these sets, and many more (again), on iPlayer.]
Sigrid
The Cure
Plus bits & bobs of all sorts of other stuff, mainly based on what the Beeb decided to pad their main-channel shows with, but I did dip into Kylie’s set a few times.
[Watch these sets, and many more (again), on iPlayer.]
this week on 100 Films
Time for a TV review this week at 100 Films in a Year...
Plus, 3 new films reviews...
Shaft (2000)
Stalker (1979)
True Romance (1993)
More next Sunday.
Plus, 3 new films reviews...
Shaft (2000)
This is almost 20 years old now (obviously), and yet all the white privilege bullshit that drives its story makes it feel like it could’ve been made yesterday. (Why are you so enable to evolve societally, America?) Other than that apparently-eternal timeliness, it’s a pretty standard kinda thriller, with most of its charm coming via an array of likeable performances.Read more here.
Stalker (1979)
Described by the blurb on its Criterion Collection Blu-ray release as “a metaphysical journey through an enigmatic post-apocalyptic landscape”, Stalker is… probably that… I guess…?Read more here.
True Romance (1993)
Directed by Tony Scott from Quentin Tarantino’s first screenplay, this is pretty much everything you’d expect from an early Quentin Tarantino screenplay directed by Tony Scott... I’m a fan of both men’s work, so of course it was up my alley. I don’t think it’s the best from either of them, but mixing together the distinct styles of two such trend-setting iconoclasts does produce a unique blend.Read more here.
More next Sunday.
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