Peter Pan no Bōken - Not Entirely Broken!

I finished the Peter Pan no Bōken series.
The other two posts regarding it are here and here.
Springing off the previous commentary, I must report that the appearance of Don Quixote remained inexplicable from the story arc perspective. What’s curious is that there are 41 episodes. Why not 40 and skip the gratuitous use of Cervantes amid Barrie?





The return of Captain Hook and the pirates eventually did intertwine its way into the plot. It’s true that without them the adventure would not have worked as well. His past rivalry with Peter Pan added weight and sense to his shenanigans. Their interference with Darkness (the evil queen) allows for a display of her power as well as extra trouble/adventure for Peter Pan and friends. Still though, I’d prefer that once Hook left the picture, he remained out of it.

The rest of the series delighted just as much as the first half. Such imaginative additions, from the White and Black Mirrors to the stone city that rises up and crumbles around them. But it is not without flaws. The magical queen’s need to destroy the Neverland stemmed from little if anything more than “I am evil.” The stealing of dreams seems to be nothing more than just blotting them out. And at the end, Wendy abruptly announces that perhaps they should leave. It’s not prompted by a fear of forgetting their previous lives or realizing that Peter is never going to be what is desired of him. Here it’s just that the Neverland is at peace again and her sudden decision.

As before, the characters remained true to their novel/play counterparts. And Rascal the raccoon even became more important. I enjoyed the new characters of

Luna, her Grandmother Darkness and henchmen.
But at the same time they seemed a bit more “standard” fantasy and not as Barrie-like as they might have been. Fox’s Peter Pan & the Pirates, in my opinion, had new characters more in tune with Barrie’s style.

Overall, an enjoyable series. And a terrific portrayal of Peter Pan, with both his sweet and rude sides flipping like a coin as per needed. If only he didn’t look the way he did. I mean, seriously...what’s going on with his nose?

But, I’ve already said I don’t like the character design.
Though I did like the Darlings and Tinker Bell, to be honest.

A very fun, highly inventive take on Barrie's classic.

The Worse...The Better...

Bart and I have finished the BBC special The Lost Boys by Andrew Birkin. (More on it here and here.)
All of the praise for it is not unfounded. It’s a damn fine piece of work. For those of you who don’t know, the story of J.M. Barrie and the Llewellyn Davies does not end happily. They are besieged with internal discontents and external tragedies. If your knowledge comes from Finding Neverland, then perhaps you’re not aware of what truly befell them. The boys pretty much wind up resenting the whole idea of Peter Pan, as it is a stigma and association they cannot avoid. “Oh! You’re the real Peter Pan!” Imagine hearing that all your life! Furthermore, unrest settles in the house as egos flair, leading Mary Hodgson (the boys’ nursemaid) to leave, dejected. George is killed in World War I, Michael seems to have committed suicide, Jack never quite liked the notion of “Uncle Jim” and although the program did not show it, Peter jumped in front of train at age 63.

As the drama increased, the performances elevated. Ian Holm does indeed do a wonderful job at displaying the joys and upsets of Barrie’s life. A bittersweetness that boils into just plain bitterness. Not to paint an unflattering picture of Barrie. The guy had to deal with more than his share of horror. The series ends with him playing with another child, showing that he still had hope and whimsy within him. There is much to be found in the power of the performances.

Bravo to Birkin, as well, for the script. For instance, he never had to tell you that George had been killed in the war. No words to that effect are ever spoken. Instead it can be inferred in a touching bemoaning session and a telegram in Barrie’s hand. Nicely played. Heartbreaking.

When I think of the Barrie/Llewellyn Davies story, I prefer the earlier happier times. Rambunctious boys out playing in the woods by a lake. The sadness, fears, rejections and abandoment are best left to the dark side of the Neverland.

I highly recommend this series for anyone who is interested in the real story of “J.M. Barrie and the Lost Boys” instead of the glamorized Hollywood version.

*The picture is the Region 2 DVD cover.

Obscurity Batch

I thought I'd share some obscure Peter Pan references.


First, though it's not much to look at, there is a "Peter Pan Skate Park" in Lincoln, Nebraska. No offense meant, I say so in pity...it's a skate park that looks like it could use some building up. Truth be told, I really admire skateboarding. This becomes evident in my novel What If It's a Trick Question?


On the right is a front and back over for an 'old' book, The Peter Pan Bag by Lee Kingman. Though, this is not the cover I have. And yes, I do have the book. (I tend to collect most if not all such things related to Peter Pan good or bad regardless.) I also read it, though long ago, so I don't remember much about it. As I recall, "bag" refers to "thing" as "Hey, man, that's not really my bag." If you've clicked on the back cover, you'll know that the girl is named Wendy. She runs away, as it says, and meets a guy named Peter. But it's not a re-telling per se in that sense. It doesn't parallel and they're aware of Peter Pan. Wendy hates it when Peter makes the comparison and reference.





To the left here are two of the original posters for the 1924 silent movie of Peter Pan. Yes, I have this too, of course. I mentioned before that Barrie hated it. He has quite valid points as to why. I'll say more on this when I eventually get around to "The Silent Boy Who Never Grew Up" in my series of posts giving my thoughts about various versions.






I hope something in this batch o' relative obscurity interested you.
Maybe it's just me, as I am a little obsessed with Peter Pan. :)


Obscurity Batch II
Obscurity Batch III

More or Leslie!

Sordid Lives: The Series has yet to disappoint. And I doubt sincerely that it ever will. Bart and I are laughing ourselves silly. The delivery of the lines is ticklish to the funny bone. And oh my! -- the lines themselves! Thanks Del Shores. Once again, bravo to them all!

I first wrote about it here.

Meanwhile I also read Leslie Jordan's book, My Trip Down the Pink Carpet. It's not for everyone, as the little man (said with UTMOST affection) can be rather explict and raunchy. But in a cute way. :) It's not all fun and games. He deals with some very serious issues that have faced the gay community over the years as well as some personal trauma. But on the whole, it's uplifting and quite a read. It makes me love him even more.

Mr. Jordan is the only actor I have ever written into a novel.* Cassidy read the book and excitedly told me, "Ooo! Ooo! You know who'd be perfect to play Dusty in the movie? That little guy from Will & Grace!" Apparently my description had been darn good.

*What If It's a Trick Question? - Not Peter Pan's NeverWorld

Don't Give Writers THAT Much Power!

So I finally watched Wes Craven's New Nightmare. Why do I say it like that? Well, I've always been a little leery of it. Seems every review I'd get would contradict the last one. Some like it, some hate it. As for my thoughts regarding the A Nightmare on Elm Street series, I like the first one, the third one and the concept of the fourth, though not the movie itself. After that, it became tiresome. Didn't stop me from seeing more, I admit. But by the time New Nightmare rolled around, I had expired my desire for it. Although the premise intrigued me. Just never enough to venture back into its messed up world.

What intrigued me is the Pirandellian aspect. I've explained Pirandellian here.

From what I knew of it, Wes Craven is in the movie script itself, trying to muster up the original stars Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) and Heather Langenkamp (Nancy Thompson) to do another Nightmare movie. However, it turns out Freddy is real. He's not happy about his portrayal and starts attacking them.

Okay, it turns out that what I had pieced together as the plot is not entirely right. It's not far off base, though. It's a little more complicated than I thought. But not complicated in the sense of logistically intricate. It's a silly flick, one of those "meh" movies. But the Pirandellian premise did add some fun.

Halfway through movie, Robert Englund is talking with Heather Langenkamp on the phone. She inquires if Wes Craven has told him anything about the script, how far along? He replies that he hasn't seen any of it, but Wes said he'd just written the part where....Robert then describes what had just happened to Heather in real life. Later, toward the climax, Heather (playing Nancy in a dream to save her son from Freddy) finds a script! She reads it. She reads just what she'd been doing. Before she can read what she will do, she's prompted to save the kid. Cut to the end, when they're safe from Freddy...she also finds the script which came "out of" the dream. It has a handwritten note from Wes Craven, thanking her for playing Nancy one last time. She skips to the end, reads what she just did and then reads her reading a handwritten note from Wes, the note typed into the script. The boy makes her read it from the beginning...she does and it describes how the movie began. Now that's a wild ride. Too bad the rest of the movie didn't quite make it worth it.

However, the title of this post refers to the phenomenon described by Wes Craven in the movie. Apparently sometimes writers will tap into a prime source. In this case, a source of Evil...an Evil that can take many forms. Sometimes a writer catches a glimpse, is sparked by it and therefore creates it into words/film. Once the Evil is "pinned down" to that form, it remains. Like a genie in a bottle, Heather suggests. The Evil can only escape when the public loses interest in the material. Or the material becomes so watered down by the media that the hold weakens. Thus, it happened with Freddy Krueger. By the way, it seems the Evil has grown fond of "being" Freddy Krueger, so thus, it attacked as such. Ridiculous, I agree.

But just think of that for a moment, will you? Just imagine if that were true! I'll be the first to acknowledge that writers tap into something in order to be able to write. But the notion that we are somehow "jailers" and "gatekeepers" to ancient Evil? Good Grief! I don't want that much power...sheesh! Well, like they said at the end of Wes Craven's New Nightmare - "It's just a story, right?"

...return to Japan's version of the Neverland

I managed to find the rest of Peter Pan no Boken (Adventures of Peter Pan) that I wrote about here. I'm just a few episodes beyond where I left off. On the whole, it's still very good. They've created a compelling set of characters and circumstances. Peter Pan and company have befriended Luna, who is a princess and grandaughter to the Black Magician. Children's dreams are being destroyed in some capacity, but the how and why does not yet seem entirely clear. And it seems I'm not either, so I will wait until I have seen more and can focus my thoughts.

Two parts seemed rather jarring though. Although I adored the location of it (a graveyard of pirate ships floating haphazardly in dingy, foggy space) I didn't see the point of bringing Captain Hook back. Perhaps there is a good reason. I have yet to see. As of now, it seems unnecessary when they could focus on the wonderful characters they created instead. And he didn't do much but sneer and grumble a lot.

The other part is the inclusion of Don Quixote. What? Right. I don't know either. The character of Miguel Cervantes shows up in an episode which, other than a lesson in courage vs. cowardice, has no real value. Not to be cruel, but it steered away from the story arc just to have Don Quixote appear. I imagine the writers had an affinity for the knight errant and paid him homage this way. I just didn't get it.

Peter Pan no Boken - Not Entirely Broken

Racing, Writing and...No Arithmetic

Veering slightly from my normal focus, I just wanted to say that I added a new level to that surreal experience of online gameplay. [And yes, I am behind the times getting so excited about it, but I explained that here.] What new level you ask? Finally I played a buddy online with other racers from across the country. Yup, my best friend Laughter and I fought off red shells, threw down lightning and Bullet Bill'd our way across desert, concrete and snow - to say the least. It certainly took away the delusion that the other players are merely Artificial Intelligence. Racing Laughter from about 200 miles away. What fun! No, seriously.









On the storytelling side, I delved back into the current novel. Too much stuff is invading my time. I just need to force time for it. Well, the gang sprung some surprises on me again. Proving yet another time that the characters know what they're doing. I'm lucky that this set is willing to lay low for spells at a time.