Fantastic Beast and How To Get Ready For The Movie

This year we are getting the next in the line of Harry Potter Universe films. Fantastic Beast & Where To Find Them. It takes place early in the 20th century, and focuses on events in the United States.

So we have a new era, setting, and magical community to look forward to this Fall. But we don't have to go into this film blind, unless you want to..

J.K. Rowling released a brief history of the magical community of North America a little while back. It introduces the point where the community began to be formalized, how it functions in a non-magical land, and the threats that have emerged.

No-Majs, Ilvermorny, MACUSA, Pukwudgies, Scourers. Rappaport's Law.

The Horror Of...Christmastime, The Hogfather, All In One Post

Terry Pratchett's Discworld is a beloved world for many fans of fantasy and comedy. Pratchett has produced an imaginative reality that plays on literature, folklore, history, and social commentary.

Did I mention the great A'Tuin?

The Discworld is a wonderfully impossible place, where the nonsensical is keeping old disc on the old turtles back.

And the Hogfather takes us to the winter time, and a special holiday at the center of the lives of many of the world's inhabitants. While some are celebrating, others are plotting the end of the season, and the forces that keep it alive.

The Wizards. The Assassins. Death. All are pushed into motion. But it may take some people from the sidelines to set things

So here are all the parts of the review in one spot.

________


Part 1

A start to the tale. An intro to the world. Assassins called to duty. The tooth fairy must die.

Those are the Hogfather's hogs, or Gozer's coming to town.

Part 2

The Hogfather falters. Death takes a break, and a second job. And things get more and more Dicoworldy.

"What do you mean this is my only scene!"

Part 3

Susan enters the story. Susan doesn't want to get involved. ...Susan gets involved.

"Really, grandfather? Cosplaying?"

Part 4

Susan gets a clue. Susan goes to war. The Hogfather dies. Long live the Hogfather. And more.

Yeah, You know all you've done? Piss. Susan. Off.

Trailers In Short - Adventurous Fun Edition

Adventure! Who doesn't want it? Okay, not everyone. But we all do, right? So let's quest for a feast. Let's best a good book. And let's see if anyone can hit the right note.

Feast. Librarians. Galavant.


Disney's Feast

Okay this is just too cute. I wonder what the whole short will be? But if it's just a stray that finds a home and has a love affair with food...It'll still be cute.

Why can't I hug animation?!


The Librarians

So, finally, after 10 years we are getting a series.

Trailers In Short - Everything Old Is Reused Again Edition

Old ideas have long been drudged back up to use. Sometimes it's a creative choice. Sometimes it's a return to a classic. Sometimes it just boggles the mind. Let's see where Paddington the Bear, Mad Max, Moses, a woeful space station crew, the Equalizer, and...others fall on the scale.

Paddington

Oh, Paddington. There is a slight cuteness to this trailer. But then we actually get to Paddington. He feels like so many modern takes on older kiddie characters...Just off.

Now I did actually go back to the old Paddington Bear cartoons to try and remind myself what he was like decades back. I am not as enamored of those shows now as I was as a kid. But it is hard not to see the differences.

This may well click with little kids. Ear wax. Flooding a bathroom and surfing out. But it does feel sad that most all studios have given up on the idea that kids can enjoy with stories that aren't wildly wilder stories of popular characters. (Did you see what they did to Postman Pat?)

I think the thing that was really most off putting about the trailer was that all the added wackiness makes iconic Paddington so much more like every other character put out for kids. He's been made more generic.

But, this may just be a horrible ad. Maybe better will follow.

Thor meets MST3K, and it's Railing Kill-tastic

Came across this and it is too much of a joy not to share. Thor melded with the riffing from MST3K's viewing of Space Mutiny.



Thor truly is the Brick Hardmeat of his generation.

Trailer In Short - Fresh Off The Boat, Selfie, and Galavant (and a little more)

Almost time for the Fall season to start...TV Shows still have seasons, right?

A lot of bad shows are coming. But might some of them, say from ABC, be any good? ...

...Just be sure to watch, Galavant, okay?

Hobbits on a Plane

In case you've never seen the Air New Zealand safety video, using Middle Earth as a theme, here we are. Enjoy.



"Flight Attendant! Gollum is kicking my seat back."

Trailers in Short - Heroes Really Do Come In Different Shapes And Sizes Edition

There want be a drought on heroics in the theaters anytime soon. And some of them won't even be sequels or remakes! Let's meet the sweet hero of Big Hero 6, the return of the Ghostbusters, the guardians of 80's movies, the little heroes of The Hobbit. and some heroes in a half shell.

Frozen, How It Should Have Ended

The folks at How It Should Have Ended give fans a lot of enjoyment as they poke holes in a wide range of movies. It is all in good fun, and even when it's a movie I do enjoy a good deal, I can still laugh along.

But one recent release of theirs is particularly fun. So please enjoy "How Frozen Should Have Ended".

From How It Should Have Ended:

Am I the only one that kind of feels sad the Elsa isn't an X-Men suddenly?

Trailers in Short - Superheroes Are the New Black Edition

Here come the heroes! ...Well, it's a summer time thing now, isn't it? But as a fan of myth and comic books, it's a good thing. ...Well, it can be a good thing, when you get decent movies.

So let's see where Hercules, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Turtles, Spider-Man, and Batman take us.


Sadly, it took so long to get to this that I missed the opening of the new Captain America movie. So I offer this in recompense.

Source

Competitive Rivalry - Game of Development

It's another day with Buster and Jamie. Things have gotten competitive.

AHEM!

This weekend sees the return of the families that make the Bluths look like saints.

GAME OF THRONES S4!

Sword Brothers - Game of Development

This weekend, the family more troubled than the Bluths return, with a son that is just about done with the lot of them.

Game Of Thrones Season 4!

Saint Patrick's Day: The Céilidh Has Started! *UPDATED*

Cribbing again from last March 17th...You know what that means...

Sniff my butt, I'm Irish.

It's that Saint Patrick's Day season yet again.

So get yourselves up and get to work aping Irish culture. You know, wearing green, wearing funny hats, talking in a funny accents, and... getting plastered on watery American beer?

And that's the feast day of St. Patrick!

Okay, okay. I know I have been one to point out that holidays grow and change, and break out of cultures or religions. And St. Patrick's has done that to an extent. But it is also odd to me that it's a national holiday as well. All so people can act out certain stereotypes.  I'm not fond of perpetuating stereotypes. 

Of course, it's also become a day that the Irish like to promote cultural awareness. Like Italians and other cultures that settled in the United States, the Irish struggled on for years to even be considered white. Yes, American culture and politics of that day refused to see many Europeans as white. There were places where the Irish and other cultures (like black and Hispanic people) were denied entrance, living spaces, or use of facilities. (But the Irish and Italians were eventually welcomed as equals ( unlike other groups). So getting people to join in to your celebration can be a point of merging with the greater culture. 

As well, like Mardi Gras and Christmas, this day is also just an excuse to have a party, do some dancing, and, maybe, wear some green. ...And I do love green.


But let's get back to it's origins. (Now YOU Must Learn. HAHAHAHAHA!)


March 17th is deemed to be the date of St. Patrick of Ireland's death. It's said he was then buried at Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, Down County. Common for the day, St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, was never officially canonized by a pope and church. It was more a regional decision. But from that start his sainthood has been embraced by the Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopal  and Orthodox churches. It took time for him to gain acceptance, but more and more he was acknowledged in the church. So, he got a feast day, and became a rallying point in Irish culture. But that's the end of the his tale.

Looking at the start is a little trickier. He is considered to be a Romano-Brit, of noble birth. His family had been in the religion business at that point for generations. Early in his life he was captured by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland as a slave. He later was able to return to Britain. He entered the Church then, and after rising to bishop was sent back to Ireland to convert the island to Catholicism (and fight crime as a proto-Zorro -- But that may just be my own head canon. Or I may be confusing the Green Bishop with the Green Hornet.). And with that he descends into legend.

The trouble with stories and writing of Patrick's time in Ireland is that it is not necessarily clear what is him and what is others that were evangelizing before and after him in Ireland. As often happens when cobbling together history, legends, or parables, the names may be changed and events altered to protect the innocent...or just make a better/easier to understand story.

Before Patrick was sent to Ireland, Palladius was sent to Ireland on the same mission, becoming the first bishop in Ireland. So some of his writings, words, and actions likely were blended in to the activities of Patrick.

But Patrick is remember for the overall effort to bring Christianity to dominance in Ireland. Which did occur. (And once the Magdalene Asylums were set up, it was smooth sailing for Ireland. We will be taking no questions.) That is where the imagery of St. Patrick driving the snakes out comes from, the conversion of people from Druidic faith to his own (We'll hope it was just converting.). It may be similar to the story of St. George and his "dragon".

It's like the story of his walking stick which would become a tree. The story goes he would plant it in the ground and preach. Then when he found it had taken root in the place, he would move on. Get it! It's alluding to something. It's cute...kinda.

Then their is the embrace of the shamrock, three-leafed clover. It is said that Patrick used it to describe the concept of a Holy Trinity (Insert your own sex act joke here. Whoa hey!), and then carried and wore them as a symbol to people. They say that.

Trouble is, can you actually tie the shamrock to any of his direct teachings. Because it seems to only arise as tied to him more than 1,000 years after his death. So, like with so many tales and legends, St. Patrick may have been rebooted and upgraded. Perhaps shamrocks had started to be used as a symbol of trinity or the crucifix, perhaps it had become more significant to people, and it was decided to go back and tie it to this significant religious figure.

Going back long before Patrick, the shamrock was a revered image in Ireland. It was green, which was an important symbol to them. And it represented the number three, also significant to the early peoples of Ireland. So it is not hard to imagine, like in other lands and times, Christian proselytizers taking advantage of the symbol and it's parallels to further sell the faith. It's just a question of if it was a practice predating Patrick, of his making (but no records survived), or just adopted later on. I could not say. Still, no one cares, and here we are, with a shamrock. And people seem to love them.

But what about the vaunted four-leaf clover then? If the three-leafer represents the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, what's the fourth one for then? This...

Finally! A positive image of Ireland.

Yes, yes, their is a corny explanation:

"The first is for faith, the second is for hope, the third is for love, and the fourth is for luck."

But, come on! Leprechauns. Leprechauns! That's where it's at. It's always the answer.

At least it's better than faith, hope, love, and luck...Yeesch.


So, a millennia later all the pieces were falling in place for St. Patrick's Day.

• We have the snakes. 

Though I think most of us forget about them. They aren't dragons.

• We have our shamrocks.

Good for shakes, pendents, and easily recognizable Irish logos.

• We also have parades.

...Which aren't an Irish or Patricky idea at all... It's an American thing. But the Irish have taken to it...after 200 years. I'll be honest, and say I'm not big on parades. But if you like them, it's your lucky day.

• And there's the beer.

Beer. As I noted in looking at Mardi Gras, we are in Lent now. So I wondered how a St. Patrick feast day would work. And even in Ireland their are times during which bars were required to be closed on the 17th. Apparently, most Catholic churches give dispensation for people to eat and drink on the 17th. A loophole to fasting in the in the Catholic Church, I don't believe it! Still, any out on fasting is a good one. So enjoy!

...Unless your gay, apparently.

Many of the parades around the United States are happy to specifically ban gay people and groups from being included. Is this really what those in charge want to represent about their culture? It does not make Irishness or Catholicism look good. Not at all.

At least we know that the mayors of Chicago and New York are boycotting. Also the beer makers, Heineken and Guinness are no longer supporting these parades. If you don't have Guinness approving of your St. Pat's parade, you must be doing something very wrong.

________
UPDATE:

Sometimes people say that Rupert Murdoch is actually liberal, but hides it for the sake of profits.

But then you have times like today. Seems that in the wake of Guinness pulling out support for the New York City St. Patrick's Day parade, Murdoch has gone to Twitter to denounce Guinness, and call for it to be boycotted.

Apparently Guinness is cruelly not supporting a "religious parade". Also, the gays are all bullies.

...So gay people are the ones victimizing? ...And Guinness is obliged to fund religious events that it doesn't want to fund? Is that because of FREEDOM, AND STUFF? And that parade is not religious. It's visited largely by non-Catholics, and is a chance to party. So, please!

Still, if anyone wants to tell you that Murdoch is really secretly a sweetie, you know more surely now that's bunk.

And I do love that he's calling for all Irish to boycott Guinness. Yeah, an Australian who lives in London and New York is lecturing the Irish about their own beloved national drink. HA!

Friday the 13th on Thursday the 13th - Episode 3 - Cupid's Quiver *UPDATED*

Wait, when is Friday the 13th this month? Well, let's check with the always brilliant smart phone.

...It says that Friday, February 13, 2014 is a value outside the range...

I'll take this as a no.

Well, when is the next Friday the 13th then, phone?! ...

...Thursday, February 13, 2014...

Good enough!


So it's time to look again at that 80's TV wonder....Friday the 13th: The Series.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

...Oh, wait...I think I am about to get hit by a mild "flu"...

And now I'm way behind schedule. Balance is restored!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This time we go back to the third episode of the first season, and a bit of something for the romantic in you...if you are looking to be a sex offender.

"Cupid's Quiver"

The Horror Of...Lovecraft, Should I feel guilty?

Howard Philip Lovecraft. Where do we begin?

For those of you who are blanking on who Lovecraft is, let's start there.

Lovecraft is an early 20th century writer. Primarily he is known for his work in the area of horror stories. Though he also is remembered by some for his letters and poetry.

Lovecraft's impact on horror storytelling will long be remembered. His creations and tales shaped the thinking of many future horror writers, and still inform many stories being told and written today. While he was not a commercial success in his lifetime, his work become fundamental and widely lauded. (His work was mostly to be found in pulp magazines.)

The Necronomicon. Great Cthulhu. The Re-Animator. Arkham. All of these are creations of Lovecraft. From direct retellings of his stories to liberal use of ideas or characters, Lovecraft stays with us.

As well, Lovecraft was in active correspondence with other similar writers. These included Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Clark Ashton Smith, etc. It was through this that he and other authors batted around ideas and concepts, offered ideas for stories, and shared concepts. As a result you can find similarities in some of their works, common settings or antagonists.

His writing style was distinct and affecting. And his stories could often be haunting, and disturbing. His reoccurring concepts came to form a Lovecraftian Mythos.

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn." 

"In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."

Cover of Art of The Art of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos
- Drawn by  Michael Komarck

Friday the 13th on Almost Monday the 13th - Episode 4 - A Cup of Time

Well, it's not Friday the 13th, but it is around the 13th of the month...That sounds good enough, right?

So let's delve back into to that series that is oh so late 80's, Friday the 13th: The Series.

Now up to this point we've covered the 1st two episodes of the series. And I would move on to the 3rd now. But, that one seems such a better fit for next month that I want to jump to the 4th episode of the series for now. Next month we'll face the Cupid Statue. This month...

"A Cup of Time".

The Horror Of...New Years, Hogfather Part 4 *UPDATED*

Now we get to Part 4...What?!

I must  be getting sick of this movie by now. ...Nope. Still love it. Love Pratchett's work. Love Discworld. Love the characters. And I always love the way this story, and others, look at our society.

Terry Pratchett's work and world is breathtaking to me. He takes fantasy tropes and makes them his own. Where else would you find a wizard and the first tourist riding on the back of a dragon that shouldn't exist, then find themselves as businessmen flying on an transatlantic flight, and then back to being a wizard and a tourist? No one else thinks like that.

And this movie does a wonderful job of maintaining so much of Pratchett's humor, logic, thoughts, and magic. So things had to go, and I miss them. But the choices do not fail the end result. Nearly 3 hours (it was originally shown over multiple nights on Sky TV in the United Kingdom) of good entertainment. A Death that you grow to love. Peril to fantasy beings you start caring about. And Susan kicking ass.


But now let's return to the story.

Still, first, here are the other parts of our blogging saga: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

The Horror Of...New Year's Night, Hogfather Part 3

I guess I'm stretching this holiday out a bit into a second day. Well, a new year needs more than a single day to be gotten used to. New years are a lot like new shoes, except it's pronouncedly harder to return years for a different color.

But things have gotten serious in this matter of the Hogfather (Hence a more serious hat today.). As we saw last night, Death has had to literally step into the Hogfather's boots.


But what Death can do is limited. He can try and spur belief by making the Hogfather's rounds. But even then, Teatime is at work with magic to quash what belief there is in him.

Someone else is needed. The Wild Card.


At the start of Hogswatchnight the governess, Susan Sto Helit is at work, putting her two charges to bed. She is reading to them, and giving them an object lesson.


Susan is played by Michelle Dockery. She is better known these days for being in Downton Abbey. She was also in Hollow Crown and Hanna. This was one of her first roles outside of theater. Her Susan is young, but world weary. She's also conflicted. She wants to be normal. She isn't. She's anything but that. But she's striving to fit in with the real world.

The Horror Of...New Year's Night, Hogfather Part 2

Well, what do you know? The sun did rise today. Should have bet on it.

At least the new day and year means we can continue looking at Terry Pratchett's Hogfather. As far as the Discworld goes, it isn't clear yet if it will see another sun rise. Not without a Hogfather.

And the question of him will be a great concern to our next player on the stage. Death.

Death enters the picture...with the first death of the story, of course. The fellow knows when to make an entrance. But he shows only when it's his time.

The Horror Of...End of the Year Night, Hogfather Part 1

Christmas is passed now. But the holiday season does persist, despite claims otherwise. So, out here, amongst the snow,  ice, and...geese, I can't help thinking about the wintry traditions we all spring from, and the year that's ending.

It's the year's end. Why? Because it's December? Why is it in December? Because we named the month that, and we currently use a 12 month system of dating. But is now really the end of the year? (And why do I sound like I'm high?) Other cultures have different days for the year's end. (Chinese New Year is a month away. Rosh Hashanah is months off.) But most of the world celebrates today. It's semi arbitrary.

So does it really matter? The geese here don't care. Your dog won't care about tonight...until you screw up it's sleep plans.

But we do care. We are out gearing up to spend the night with family, dressing up for parties, getting the kids rested up to make it to midnight. It seems to be important. Even if the exact day and second aren't optimal, we don't care. When the clock hits 12, people will cheer.

It's a tradition we globally embrace. It wouldn't destroy us if we didn't. But what if it could?

Suppose we consider a story where a loose of tradition, and belief put all in jeopardy?

A book turned into a movie/miniseries.

Terry Pratchett's Hogfather.