TREADing Lightly?

Perhaps you remember how excited I'd been to see the trailer for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the next installment of The Chronicles of Narnia on film.  I still am excited.  But there had been quite a few things shown that I did not remember.  Understandable on two accounts:  1) My memory can sometimes go the way of Peter Pan's.  2) The movies are beset with fascinating and welcome changes to the story (without sacrificing it.)

What stood out in my mind (besides their apparent obsession with plaguing poor Edmund with visions/visits from Jadis, the White Witch) are the snow falling for Lucy in the room with the book of magic and the man turning around suddnely coming into visibility.  Oh - one other: the faun leaping in a battle as well as other animal-based characters (besides Reepicheep the mouse.)

In my recollection, Lucy didn't stand amid snow.  I did recall that characters were invisible... I just didn't bring to mind a scene in which a man turns around as shown.  And as far as I knew, no fauns show up in this book. 

So, I just finished re-reading it.  The answers?  Well, I can certainly see why they would make Lucy enchant some snow into the room.  The spells that Lewis does have her perfoming would be fiendishly difficult to bring to the screen.  (They involve seeing visions of scenarios that are best explained via text.)  And since the scene in the The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe of Lucy beholding the snowy Narnia in absolute delight is so good, it makes perfect sense for her to try and recapture that moment. And yes, the magician had also been invisible.  However, it seems they're making it a little more interesting by having him come into reappearance while "we" ( and presumably Lucy & someone else!) are watching.  I didn't think there were any battles in this book.  But it turns out there are in fact two places that one could insert a bit of such action, given their penchant for adding it.  And who is to say fauns and such are not welcome on the deck of the Dawn Treader?  Certainly King Caspian would allow it!

There are a few parts of the book that I also wonder greatly how to accomplish on screen.  And there are some marvelous parts I'd forgotten that I can't wait to see realized, assuming they are.

But you know what?  I so loved the first two movies of Narnia (tweaks and additions) that I trust them.
The last two times I thought they actually improved the book(s).
I still wish they could have had Jeremy Sumpter as Eustace Scrubb... but it's just as well, since he shot up rather tall before it went into production and thus became too big for Eustace.  Of course, I'd wanted Sumpter as Caspian, too, but other than not having blonde hair, Ben Barnes is wonderful.

Bring on the voyage!

I'm Still a Test Subject

Way back on February 25 2010,  I said I might eventually get around to giving some other reasons I love the cartoon series Johnny Test.

The truth is... I still can't get enough of him.  I often have little Jonathan Test as the wallpaper on my computer and my phone.  I look forward to Mondays because that [currently] means another episode/segment.  My TiVo still faithfully records them and every so often I'll watch a episode I haven't seen in a while.  Just the other day I realized that there is only ONE episode where Johnny isn't wearing his blue overshirt* for a large chunk of the story... and that doesn't include when he's dressed otherwise.  [i.e. in the episode the rest of his standard outfit is intact sans the blue shirt.]

*perhaps it's a jacket, but I think of it as an overshirt since I tend to wear shirts like that myself

ANYWAY...

Some of my not getting back to it on here is due to forgetfulness, some of it chalks up to laziness and a smaller chunk of it seems to be that I must have been particularly "hopped up" on Johnny that day, since I've come to realize that my other reasons aren't really all that interesting.  But, I'll state them now just to get it over with...

I bet you could see this one coming... in some ways he's like Peter Pan.  Johnny Test falls under the heading of the 'puer' mythos.  (That's really just Latin for boy.)  He's a boy hero who gets himself tangled up into all sorts of adventures which often turn dangerous or deadly and in most cases they are by his own doing.  Besides diving headfirst into recklessness, Johnny, like Pan, can be insentitive to others' feelings.  He's in it for himself, and to hell with everybody else.  But don't be fooled by either of them.  Given the right circumstance, Johnny and Pan will care.  (If you need a Pan example, why else would he bring Wendy with him for the Lost Boys?  [Yes, sure, okay, it had been for himself, too.  But even so, there's a part of Pan that will do the right thing when it comes down to it - such as saving Michael Darling from the sharks to appease Wendy... or how about saving Wendy and the boys from Hook?])  Likewise, Johnny will not stand for others mistreating his sisters, even if he himself does it.  You'll also find him being nice on purpose from time to time.  I suppose I just like the "semi-heartless boy" idea.  And as Dukey (Test's talking dog) says in an episode [wherein Johnny's "bad" self is extracted from him and accidentally runs amok and "good" Johnny is utterly, annoyingly sweet]: AIH!  I don't like Good Johnny.  I'm not crazy about a totally Bad Johnny.  But a caring yet mischievious Johnny is what I love.

(And yes, I slapped together the "Johnny Pan" pic.)

Another reason is his hair.  Yes, really, his hair.  Over and over on the show he's referred to (even in front of him or to him) as the "flame headed boy" (or some variant thereof).  I like characters aflame, it seems.  I used to draw little wisps of flame with feet.  And in What If It's a Trick Question? Jeremy's favorite video game features an imp with flames for hair.  Now, granted, Johnny's hair isn't moving like fire.  But the idea is there, and that appeals to me.

Okay, see... I said they weren't that interesting.

If there's another reason, I'll be sure to burden you with it when I remember.

In the meantime, Viva Johnny Test!

No, Not Depp
TWOting a Horn

Peter Perm?

Seriously?

A Chirp Out to the Cricket Team of Barrie...

I've known about Peter Pan's First XI by Kevin Telfer for some time now.
But I've only recently gotten around to getting a copy.

I'm just reporting that I do have it... I have yet to read it.
I'm not so much in the mood for a non-fiction book.

It tells the tale of Sir J.M. Barrie's cricket team, the Allahakbarries.  What's special about it other than being his and its nifty title?  Well, the members of it, of course.  It's a star-studded team of literary giants:  A.A. Milne, P. G. Wodehouse, Jerome K. Jerome, Walter Raleigh and Arthur Conan Doyle to name a few.

I will get around to reading it... and I'll be sure to say what I think of it.

"Please, sir," replied Oliver, "I want some more."

Allow me to go to Burton’s Alice once more. I’ll just be using it as an example for a moment. I find myself wondering about the previous history of the realm. Assuming that what the movie presents is true, I want to know more about the lives of Mirana of Marmoreal and Iracebeth of Crims (The White Queen and Red Queen respectively.) What of their childhood?  I’m also curious about their parents. What had the land been like during their realm? At what point and why did the Red Queen move from chess pieces to playing cards? Also, why had Nivens McTwisp, the White Rabbit, entered into our realm in the first place? (i.e. when child Alice followed him down the first time)

There are of course no answers to these questions necessarily. But that’s my question, of sorts. Are there answers? Should there be?

For another example, Anon wanted to know more about the histories touched upon in my novel What If It’s a Trick Question? Tell of the battles, the betrayals and the alliances, and the one called Choke. Main character Jeremy’s very first fan also inquired about getting to read the past the novel speaks about.  And yet Buttercup (about halfway through Jeremy's plight and loving it) doesn't feel any such need.

My novel Midnight Chaser, intended as a stand-alone piece, also prompted interest for more (both past and future) from readers, Banky especially.

But in all those cases, it’s just not a story worth telling. In other words, nothing I could tell would be any better than what they might imagine. What’s presented is all one really needs to know. The outcome of the past is what’s important and giving blow-by-blows leading up to it would just be, as the saying goes, “milking it” in the bad connotation. The same goes with the future of the main characters in Midnight Chaser. Story needs conflict, and there’s nothing I can see (nor want to) thrust upon these characters to spark up story. Sure, you can imagine them in all sorts of adventures. But nothing that would warrant or sustain a book. It’s much more fun to have the freedom to create the vignette scenarios anyway.

I know some are put off by Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles having a book for nearly every minor character. (I exaggerate to make a point.) And yet, there are those who still cannot get enough. I understand both schools of thought. Similarly, Buttercup read through one of my favorite series (at my suggestion), The Incarnations of Immortality by Piers Anthony. She liked it a lot. I recently discovered a handful more books have joined the series. But to be honest, I don’t want to read them. One, especially. It’s about a character that had been ever so mysterious in the novels. I, for one, do not want to clear away the clouds surrounding her. And neither does Buttercup, who obviously also feels that it’s entirely possible to push too far into a world.

So, then, when is enough actually enough?

My response would be it that it’s to be figured case by case. Of course, personal taste factors in as well. But it all boils down to story – is it worth telling… or is just knowing about it sufficient?

a DIFFERENT kind of TEXTing in this 21st Century

How clever is this?

That's Hook & Pan engaged in combat shown in reverse silhouette, cut into the entire text of Peter and Wendy!  I like the design of the characters and the simplicity of the overall image.

Yes, it's bigger:  24x30" - 61x76cm

I just might have to get one of these.  But I need to find a place for it among the other Pan stuff on my wall.  Hmmm.  Maybe I can move the Labyrinth poster...

If you want one of your own, you can find it here on Postertext.

Ollive Juice

Want to see a delightful animation?   It's ever so fluid and quite an homage to the dawn of moving drawings on film.  And - I bet you could see this coming - it has elements of Peter Pan in it.  It winds up misquoting it at one point.  But I had so much fun watching I hardly seem to mind.  Plus, it's not entirely nor exactly Peter Pan... and one could argue the main character in this short is the one remembering incorrectly.  Either way, it matters very little if any, as the cartoon is so charming.  I especially like the way in which the Peter character flies, twisting and turning gracefully for no reason.  (I also like that a certain appendage is placed correctly.) 

The Night Visitors animated short is by Richard Ollive.  Looking him up, I learned he also worked on Monty Python's The Meaning of Life.  Other credits include cult classic Heavy Metal and a (seemingly) lesser known Peanuts movie: It's the Pied Piper, Charlie Brown.   I'd love for him to do more.  Maybe he'd consider a faithful animated Peter and Wendy.  ;)

ENJOY.