Fungus the Bogeyman

I hate kids and I hate it when adults read shit that was meant for kids.

So it's a bit odd for me to write this review. See, I loved being a kid. Don't get me wrong about that. Being a kid had its moments. As a youth I was particularly fond of this book, Fungus the Bogeyman. I poured over every panel on every page in meticulous detail as I absorbed what it meant to live the life of a "bogeyman."

Somehow I saw someone recommending this book in my RSS feed and I knew I had to re-buy the thing. So I did.

Raymond Briggs, the Author, is probably most famous for his Snowman animation. You know the, "I'm flying in the aiiiiiir" thing with the choir of little boys... Anyway, it was massive in Britain. Fungus the Bogeyman is the darker side of Briggs. No little boys in robes flying across rooftops with friendly snowmen here. This is all snot, pus, and gnarly shit that gives you boils on your neck in the middle of the night. It's the life of a bogeyman.

The book is a documentary of a bogeyman named Fungus. It follows him throughout his daily routine of scaring people, tapping on windows, being creepy, giving people pimples, and so forth. But Fungus is having a bit of an existential crisis. He's questioning why. Why does he exist, why is he scaring vicars in the dark, why does he do what he does? Why?

So, Briggs goes in depth explaining everything from bogey anatomy to bogey passtimes to just anything and everything bogey. We follow Fungus, get inside his head, and get a pretty good understanding of what it means to be a bogeyman.

The book employs subtle British wit and humor throughout. As a kid I really liked scrutinizing the panels and squeezing out every last detail I could. The illustrations are great and fit the scummy subject matter to a T.

This books is great for children. It'll have them turning to their dictionaries frequently as they learn new words that their classmates wont encounter for  years. It asks a lot from the reader, but you get a lot in return.

As an adult I definitely enjoyed this. If you're a parent then I'd highly recommend this book for you and your kids. Well, your male kids. I don't think chicks would dig this at all.

Fungus rules. Get this book.

Helvetica

I watched this with my team at work today.

I like this film. I like the contrast of opinions. Some people think Helvetica started the Vietnam war, others think Helvetica is the only font on earth worth using. Personally, I love Helvetica, but it's by no means the only choice for me. Unlike some of the purists who think type should be invisible, I think type can be expressive. However, I don't go as far as David Carson does. I am not a fan of his work, personally. I think it's dated as hell and incredibly impractical. It's a bit full of itself.

Anyway, Helvetica (the film) documents the origins of the typeface and its use in the last 50 years. It's ubiquitous, of that there is no doubt. Helvetica is amazing for signage. It's not the only choice, but it's a good choice. We get commentary form many big name type designers and designers throughout the course of the film. Everyone has an intense stance, one way or the other. There's not much more to the film. It's just people talking about why they love/hate Helvetica, and what kind of social impact its had on the world. But that's cool. It's well put-together. Has a sort of glitch-pop soundtrack. It's well-edited. I like it. And I think it's accessible to anyone, not just designers. Go add it to your Netflix streaming queue already.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Werner Herzog sounds like an evil German speak-n-spell.

Herzog narrates this documentary about the Chauvet Cave in France. The cave houses the oldest known drawings ever recorded by man. Some of these cave paintings are approximately 35,000 years old! The fucked up part is that they look good! It's like the paleolithic Guernica in there. Seriously. Some great drawings of bulls, lions and horses. Good motion, balance, and stylization.

So, it's a cave in France with old paintings. No one's really allowed to see it. Herzog got special privileges to film, so you're lucky to even have the opportunity to see these works of art at all. There are interviews with paleontologists, archeologists, and the occasional perfumer. All of them lend their own perspective on the cave, its art, and the people who made it. They're like Sherlock Holmes, minus the deerstalker hat, as they try to unravel the mystery of the cave by looking at the clues that have accumulated over thousands of years.

I thought the doc was good. But nothing mind-blowing.

Between the Folds

Meh.

I watched an hour-long PBS documentary today called Between the Folds. It wasn't quite as "riveting" as the Netflix synopsis claimed.

Basically, the documentary as an artistic statement didn't have a whole lot of merit. You could have edited this down to a half hour and it would have been just fine. It simply follows a few different origami experts and reveals their passion for folding paper. There's no glue holding it together or anything extraordinary about the film. It just is.

The people documented are an interesting bunch, though. And by interesting, I mean incredibly nerdy. Math geeks. Geniuses. Art fags. French art fags! One guy is making his own paper and says, "boy, I just can't wait to fold this!" His enthusiasm for paper-folding borders on the perverse.

A lot of what they do IS incredible. It IS impressive. It IS very artistic and emotive. The topic is great, it's just that the Director isn't as good as making films as the art fags are at folding paper.

I wouldn't watch it. But don't hold your breath for the next, great, origami documentary to come along...for I fear you might turn blue in the process. If you must know about the geometry and art behind origami, this is probably your only choice.

Isaac's Storm

Even the books I read are documentaries.

This is the fourth book by Erik Larson that I've devoured. I read it this weekend. Couldn't really put it down. The cold weather made for a good excuse to sit on the couch with book in hand and hot cider close by.

As with Thunderstruck, the Devil in the White City and In the Garden of Beasts, this book is based on historical fact. Larson deftly weaves the facts into a riveting story that unfolds hook by hook. His books are often difficult to put down. He puts a ridiculous amount of effort into research and it pays off in spades. His novels are part history lesson and part thriller. 100% addictive and informative.

Isaac's Storm is about an insane hurricane that hits Galveston, Texas, in 1900. It's the "Katrina" of its day...only I believe even more deadly and devastating, if you can imagine.

The protagonist is a meteorologist, and the story follows his involvement before, during and a little bit after the storm. Other Galveston citizens' stories are woven into the narrative, too. It's pretty heavy on the meteorological talk, but not to the point of distraction. It's simply part of what you're getting yourself into when you read the book.

Once you've read one Larson book, you don't need much persuasion to read another. I'd suggest you didn't read In the Garden of Beasts as your first exposure to him, though. The Devil in the White City is his fucking masterpiece, followed by Thunderstruck, Isaac's Storm and In the Garden of Beasts. I'll buy whatever he puts out next without question.

This was great. You should definitely read it!

Conan: Black Colossus

A return to form.

Giorello and Truman finally find their groove. This book reads better than their previous efforts. The writing is just smoother. Less stilted. The illustration is brighter, bolder and sharper. Both seem more effortless and comfortable than previous outings.

Conan is growing up. Conan's becoming a wise man. Conan's travels are really shaping him up to be a more mature leader.

Black Colossus sees Conan meet his hottest squeeze yet...Princess Yasmela. Conan had it good, man. Conan had it good...

Anyway, the book has a lot of set-up. Almost cinematic in scope. There's a gnarly evil wizard, a hot voluptuous princess who needs saving, and many heads to be decapitated. It's a classic Conan yarn.

I believe the following book continues in the Yasmela/Conan relationship, so let's see where that takes our Cimmerian hero next...

Ronin

Not a predictable one to dredge up, but that's how I roll.

I wanted to revisit Ronin for its car chases. The '98 flick has become lore amongst young car enthusiasts for its notable chase scenes through the picturesque French landscape. Audis, Benzes and Peugeots carve up the mountain passes and blaze through the narrow French city streets. The scale of the chases is pretty impressive. So many bloody extras. So many narrow escapes involving pinpoint accurate driving by many-a-stuntman. Definitely cool, but no Death Proof.

It's a modernized Italian Job, so to speak. A heist caper set to a gorgeous European backdrop. The wardrobe is excellent. I don't know what it is, but I just really like the styling. Sort of throwback, but in more of a timeless manner rather than an all out pastiche.

It's a good flick, but there's something about it that could have been better. I don't know what it is but somehow it seems a bit cliché or mediocre at times. But never veers off too bad, it's just not A-grade from start to finish. A valiant effort. Close but no cigar. The Italian Job (original, obviously) is better.

If you want car chases watch Death Proof, if you want a Euro heist watch the Italian Job, if you want DeNiro doing a little of both then watch Ronin.

Valentino: the Last Emperor

If you're in the fashion industry you've either got a ridiculously overinflated ego, or you're kissing the ass of someone with a ridiculously overinflated ego. I don't like either idea, but that's the fashion industry in a nutshell. You're Ana Wintour, or you're groveling at her feet. Fuck her and fuck the grovelers.

Valentino is incredibly self-absorbed. Go figure. He's like a rich child who never grew up. It's gotta be weird being isolated in this über rich environment where everything hinges on appearances. At least he looks after his dogs well-enough. Stupid pugs. But I digress…

This documentary is about Valentino, his lover/business partner, and the rise of his fashion empire over the last 45 years. It really focuses on the last couple of shows he did before retiring. They're incredibly over the top productions that cost zillions to make. We see Valentino sketching couture dresses, and we follow those sketches as his seamstresses turn them into haute couture reality. Then models prance down runways for douchebags wearing sunglasses indoors. Fascinating stuff.

The doc is well done. It's fly-on-the-wall style and it lets the main characters tell their own tale. It's pretty decent for what it is, but I think someone else could have delved deeper into Valentino's life. 

There are better doc's to watch than this. But you could do a hell of a lot worse, too. Whatever.

Freakonomics

Marie and I started watching Freakonomics months ago. I think we got through the first segment of the film and then Netflix took a dump on me. So I finally decided to pick back up and watch the remaining hour+.

It was straight. Not the best thing I've ever seen.

Basically, an economist and a journalist wrote a book called Freakonomics in 2004. This is their eponymous film based on said book. It's about analyzing data and discussing causality. The other subject is incentives. A half dozen Directors each have their own segment in the film that has to do with causality/incentives, and the authors of the book comment and tie the whole thing together.

The shitty part is that the authors of the book came under fire for manipulating data to derive their findings in the original book. So the legitimacy of their film becomes a bit dubious, too. Data and causality are very, very tricky subjects. You gotta look at things holistically or you can come up with some causal relationships that are totally bullshit. The media does it daily. Some douche shot up a school and he owned a Metallica record...so Metallica made him do it! It's the only contributing factor! We don't want to look any further for the true root cause!

Fuck off. I hate people.

Anyway, the Sumo piece was most interesting to me. 1) I'm a fan of the sport 2) I dig Japan and 3) It's interesting to see such an honest country be embroiled in such a dishonest match-rigging fiasco.

The opening piece about black names vs. white names was interesting, too. Kind of embarrassing. My favorite stat was how many unique ways the school district had for spelling the name, Unique (I think over a hundred, if I recall!).

I wouldn't tell anyone not to watch this. I just wouldn't put it at the top of my queue. It's a'ight. Go for it. Who cares.

Knuckle

Bad Eye suggested I watch this. Not one of his better suggestions.

A film-maker follows around a few groups of Irish "travelers" for about 10 years and he videotapes their bare-knuckle boxing lifestyle. The thing is, it looks like someone just followed people around with a camcorder for 10 years. The quality of the video in certain parts is shit. Let's just call this a "fly on the wall" documentary. It's certainly bare-bones.

You've seen Snatch. You're familiar with the Pikeys. "You like dags?" Well, the Pikeys looks like Harvard graduates compared to these Irish travellng-folk. Holy fuck, they barely speak English. I'd have an easier time understanding Bunny Wailer than these dudes, and that's saying something.

Their lives are filled with useless inter-family feuds. They posture like it's impossible to end the feuds and the bare-knuckle matches keep things from devolving into an all out war. but let's be honest...they're full of shit. Not one of them is man enough to put an end to things. As much as they protest, they must like the fighting because they're the sole reason it is perpetuated. The retards videotape themselves talking shit to the other family and send the tapes back and forth challenging each other to fights. Pretty pathetic stuff. And in many cases they say, "it's not me, it's them. They ask for fights. I don't. I just accept their offers." So bloody juvenile.

I'll tell you what's not juvenile, though...the purses. These fights have up to 120,000 quid riding on them. And these buggers will fight for over 2 hours if needed. It's bare-knuckle boxing until one man is knocked out or someone throws in the towel. No breaks. Just fight til you can't fight anymore. Gnarly.

I didn't think it was a good doc. Illuminating? Yeah. I didn't know much about Irish traveling boxers before. But did it need to be 90 minutes? Nope. The whole thing is shit-talk on video, fight, repeat. There's very little else to it. A little back story on their excuses for fighting (generally stemming over some other fight decades prior). I think this could have been cut in half and it would have been just fine.

If you want to watch something on boxing, watch the doc the Real Rocky.