They'd never see it coming

Thought inspired by seeing the DaVinci Code trailer: when adapting books into films, particularly those of a suspenseful nature, why don't more directors change the ending? All those people who've read the book and think they know what to expect would actually get their money's worth.

Reviewapalooza

Saw a great number of things this weekend:

Howl's Moving Castle, the newest film from Hayao Miyazaki. A young girl named Sophie is turned into an old woman, and becomes housekeeper to a (good? evil?) wizard named Howl who has, you guessed it, a moving castle. Not his best, I have to say; I prefer the more serious Nausicaa or Mononoke. This one is much more like Spirited Away, a simple fable. Reminded me of the Wizard of Oz in some ways. But the problem with fairy stories is that it's impossible to build tension or suspense when literally anything might happen at any moment. Still, a quality film and miles beyond anything Disney's done by itself in years. Take a peek if you liked any of his other films.

Batman Begins. Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaark. Did I mention that I like dark? But honestly, Batman was meant to be a moody sort of story, far more so than any of the other comic books that have been filmed recently. It gives the impression that they plan to ignore and wipe away the other Batman films to date, which I'm perfectly fine with. They've given themselves a decent place to start this time. Oh, and mad props to my new hero, Christian Bale, who managed to be both Batman and the voice of Howl in the same year.

The new IMAX theatre, at which I saw Batman: not so much. The only IMAX theatres I'd been in to date were the IMAX domes, aka OmniMax, where you're right up close to a screen that wraps around you. But this one was just a bigger-than-usual screen - inside a bigger-than-usual auditorium. End result? You really can't tell the difference, honestly. Maybe it's a little brighter and the sound is better, but not worth it.

Last but not least, I finally finished The Rule of Four, a book I've been listening to on CD. Not something I'd usually do, but you gotta occupy those long trips to Lincoln somehow. It's in the historical-mystery-thriller genre that the DaVinci Code made popular of late. And it's about a very real, very strange book called the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. But it has the audacity to actually be about its characters, and the central mystery is really just a MacGuffin. Kind of a daring choice, really. Recommended if you're into the genre, or if you went to Princeton.

There were some other things I managed to do and think, but I seem to have forgotten them for the moment...

Oddities of the Week

Spent the weekend at and around the Lake of the Ozarks, first camping, then at a resort. Turns out that no tent is waterproof after four inches of rain in three hours. Go figure.

Toured Bridal Cave, one of many in the area. Adam pointed out something odd about the tour guide's script that I entirely overlooked: his only statement about the age of the caves was "nobody knows". Which is pure poppycock, of course, as there are any number of ways of estimating it. Not least the rate at which stalagmites form, which he did mention. Leaving two obvious possibilities: either he himself is a creationist, or many of his visitors are, and he wanted to be politic. One of those moments when I realize that I'm just slightly closer to the Bible Belt than I used to be.

The resort, Tan-tar-a, was a treasure trove of little oddities. Only one of the five buildings has an elevator at all - holy ADA grandfathering, Batman! And then there was a system of skywalks that did a dubious job of knitting together the wildly different architectural styles. We actually got lost more than once just walking back from the pool: a choice of three paths split again into six, and all of them were dead ends! I don't easily get lost indoors, so I suspect a Rose Red of constantly shifting floor plans.

Random story for a few weeks back: I ask for a Liquid Cocaine at a bar. The bartender has to ask a colleague what's in it, which should have warned me. Usually it's some combination of vodka, amaretto, Southern Comfort, and pineapple juice. This one also had Jaegermeister. Possibly the most undrinkable thing I've ever been handed.

Been having really good luck at antique stores and used book sales lately: I've almost finished assembling the seven-volume Death's Gate cycle in hardback. If there are any Dragonlance fans out there, you should check it out: it's by Weis and Hickman.

Too bad everything else Tolkien wrote besides LOTR and the Hobbit remains near-unreadable.

I rarely pay attention to all things sports, but congratulations to Nebraska for making it to the College World Series. Looks like I'll be seeing them play this weekend.

The Unbearable Lightness of Best Buy

So I was shopping, briefly, at Best Buy last night. And in those few minutes, it managed to remind me why I rarely shop there:

I noticed a preorder slip on the shelf for the next Legend of Zelda game, Twilight Princess. The release date listed was 8/1, much sooner than the 10/3 I'd seen listed elsewhere. Intrigued, I accosted the nearest salesperson. The following is approximately the conversation that transpired:

Me: "Hey, could you double-check the release date on this game?"
BB: "Sure!"
(a few minutes pass)
BB: "I'm sorry, but this game doesn't seem to be in our system yet." [which is untrue]
Me: "What? I mean, it's on the shelf."
BB: "Sure is."
Me: "Doesn't that strike you as odd?"
BB: "Yep, it's pretty weird."
Me: "What would happen if I took this preorder slip to the register?"
BB: "That's an excellent question."

And so forth. The poor boy had a total lack of curiosity, problem solving skills, and in general, conscious thought. It was rather like talking to Eliza. I wish I could blame him, but I suspect that working there does that to a person.

Misery

So, I was awoken at 5:30 AM yesterday by the pain of the worst earache I think I've ever had in my life. Went to the doctor, middle ear infection, antibiotics, threw up a few times, wanted to die, blah blah blah. Not a good day.

Also yesterday, received the fortune: "A carrot a day may keep cancer away." Emphasis mine. Why am I the only person who gets evil fortunes of death?

Storms coming through right now. Makes me happy but Adam paranoid. It's a good thing his phobias are endearing.