June 2018 Recommended Reading/Viewing

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Well, here we are - the year is half over already. Recommending is sort of becoming increasingly difficult, considering my own limitations, but I think I still got some left in me. I hope I found some good ones.

Reading: The 13 Clocks (1950) by James Thurber

Thurber was one of the most celebrated contemporary humorists of his time, particularly contributing to The New Yorker, and this wonderfully bent fairy tale - noted for its complex, rhythmic wordplay and hidden blank verse-style meter - is perhaps his masterpiece. Prince Zorn of Zorna seeks to wind the hand of the Princess Saralinda from her wicked uncle, the Duke of Coffin Castle, who believes that he has killed time. With an impossible task set before him as a rite of courtship, Prince Zorn must rely on the wiles of a remarkable man called the Golux in order to foil the Duke's sadistic schemes and bring the story to a happy resolution. Perhaps my favorite children's book, the story is immensely rewarding both to habitual readers and prospective writers. Not to be missed.

Trade: https://www.amazon.com/13-Clocks-Penguin-Classics-Deluxe/dp/0143110144/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1528214674&sr=8-1
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/13-Clocks-Penguin-Classics-Deluxe-ebook/dp/B01K1ATYG4/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1528214674&sr=8-1




Viewing: Big Trouble in Little China (John Carpenter, 1986)

A commercial failure upon release and the prompt for Carpenter - director of horror classics such as Halloween and The Thing - to return to independent filmmaking, this martial arts fantasy-comedy is now one of his most highly rated works and a genuine cult classic. Truck driver Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) is thrust into more than he bargained for when a gangland kidnapping of his friend's fiancée in Chinatown leads to the fulfillment of an ancient curse placed on a centuries-old Chinese sorcerer, Lo Pan (James Hong). Now Jack and his friend must brave both the Chinese underworld and the secret mystical forces hidden within to set things right. A great film with great fun.

DVD: https://www.amazon.com/Trouble-Little-China-Kurt-Russell/dp/B000067J1G/ref=tmm_dvd_title_1?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1528214804&sr=1-3
Blu-Ray: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Trouble-Little-China-Blu-ray/dp/B0028ZDJF8/ref=tmm_mfc_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1528214804&sr=1-3
Amazon Video: https://www.amazon.com/Trouble-Little-China-Kurt-Russell/dp/B004WC5C2S/ref=tmm_aiv_swatch_1?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1528214804&sr=1-3

[Raven]

Coir,

As you know, our little realm is larger now than it was at the beginning of May, but I may have time to watch the movie. I do enjoy Chinese, Japanese, and Korean mythic and historical films, and while I have heard this title, I've never watched it.

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Personally speaking, I think it's well worth the effort. I don't want to give anything away, but it kind of subverts and bends traditional American stereotypes, given that it's a comedy as much as a fantasy. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Then, when you get the time, I really recommend you check out the book. It's rather short - the version offered in the post clocks (heh heh) in at 128 pages - so it should be a rather quick read. It's an incredibly remarkable book, one which will have you wondering why this isn't an animated feature or some other medium. Being a writer yourself, I think you'll really benefit from it.

The good news is that if you don't have the funds to afford it right now, there's a copy available in the St. Clair County Library System, so you can check it out for free! (It's always good to support your local library, anyway.) I can't stress enough how much I enjoyed this book, so pick it up as soon as you have a chance.