I got the results of my last exam this weekend, and in connection to that I guess I ought to say a little more about why, exactly, it is that I’ve been absent for so long the last couple of weeks.
You see, the last month of the Fall term, I spent relatively much time on [...]
Archive for January, 2008
A-braggin’ we shall go
In case anyone cares…
I updated the “About” page yesterday. I thought the old introduction to Terje was a bit too whiny, so I deleted it and wrote a new one. For your bloody convenience, too, you disrespectful ingrates!
(Whoa, from whence did that last part come? )
Debunking “feudalism”
Today, I learned the details of something I first learned the general idea of two and an half years ago, namely the reality of feudalism in the European Middle Ages.
Traditionally — that is, in the tradition of the Brunner Thesis — Feudalism has been perceived and presented as a system where a material reward (the [...]
The Illusionist
What to say of The Illusionist? It’s a very plot-driven and -focused movie, with some great twists and turns, where a young Austrian stage magician struggles to win the love of his childhood darling.
Sounds like dull stuff, right? Well, it gets a bit more interesting once we discover that the childhood sweetheart is engaged with [...]
Doctor Who, “season 2″ (Tennant’s first)
So. How long did that take me? Seven months, you say? Man, I’m slow.
I guess I ought to write a kind of review of this, but the truth is, I don’t dare. It’s simply been too long since I watched the first four or five episodes, so I’ll limit myself to mentioning a few of [...]
Enchanters’ End Game by David Eddings
Approximately 445 pages (again!).
1985.
Corgi/RandomHouse paperback.
I feel like most of what can be said of Enchanters’ End Game has already been said in the reviews of the series’ four other volumes, so I’ll restrict myself to summing up the main points, before going on to comment on more general elements of the series as a whole. [...]
Without Hitch’s art, this isn’t a tenth of as great as it could be
“That said, I think I know who might have released those files.”
“Who?”
“My evil half-brother, Loki. A messenger from Asgard came to warn me that he escaped from his bonds again and journeyed to Midgard to do everything he could to –”
“Thor, please.”
“What?”
“Just shut up.”
[Whispering, as Cap turns his back and leaves:] “You go to church [...]
Coming soon!
Posts on or reviews of the following are scheduled to appear shortly:
Enchanters’ End Game,
wherein I reflect on the whole of Eddings’ classic Epic.
Doctor Who, 2006 series,
containing a description of that incredible nerdgasm of a final episode.
The Illusionist,
where much praise for great plots can be found.
Music & Lyrics,
devoted primarily to a statement made by Drew Barrimore’s [...]
Castle of Wizardry, by David Eddings
Ca. 445 pages.
1984.
Corgi/RandomHouse paperback.
The Orb of Aldur has been recovered, and is to be returned to Riva, where waits not only the Warders of the Orb, but also a profound change in the life of young Garion.
Before I started reading this book, I had received some vague warnings (if they can be called as much) [...]
On the occasion of my (relatively) long absence…
On Monday, I learned that the parts in the Iconoclasm dispute — both Iconoclasts and Iconodules — were desperate for something with real authority to lean on, and so started a frantic search for old manuscript in which the authorities of old might have scribbled something that could be interpreted as supportive of the Iconoclasts’- [...]
RIP Heath Ledger
For a pretty face, I always thought he was a good actor.
The Golden Compass
I’ve been meaning to do this for a long time, but it wasn’t until earlier this week that I finally got around to getting myself to a screening of The Golden Compass.
In a parallel steampunk universe, the Catholic Church-like Authority is trying to suppress all competition and innovation, in their belief that this is what’s [...]
Success!
Finally, after close to three months of almost constant webcomic reading, I’m finally ajour with Order of the Stick, PvP, xkcd, Penny Arcade and Ctrl+Alt+Del, meaning that I am now ready to strart reading new ones! Wee!
Which is something I feel like celebrating a bit, as I haven’t really started reading more than one new [...]
PoV? Whassat?
Today I learned that the term “point of view” has largely gone out of use in literature studies, and been replaced by “perspective” and “voice”.
Why? Well, first of all because “point of view” is used in a lot of other ways, too, such as “one’s point of view on politics” and such like. More importantly, [...]
An elitist yet fascinating hypothesis
“Medan [mannspanelet] drøftar feminiseringa av samfunnet over kaffikoppen, er ein type ung mann, som mannspanelet er kjemisk reinsa for, på full fart inn i sammfunnet. Han du ser med flagrande svart dress i Dagens Næringsliv, som raider på tysdagen, hedger på torsdagen, shorter på fredagen, snorter på laurdagen og speler poker på søndagen. Resten av [...]
… and the first ones of 2008
A few ones more…
Ghostbusters
Do I really have to sum up the plot? Didn’t think so. So, this used to be one of me and my friends’ favourite movies when we were 7-8 years old, and I have no idea how long I’ve spent playing Ghostbusters with sticks or LEGO. The movie was still fun, but [...]
2007 — The year’s movies
All the movies are rated on a scale from 0.5 to 10.
THE YEAR’S FIRST HALF.
January.
1. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Am. 2000) 8.0.
2. Taxi Driver (Am. 1976) 7.5.
3. Batman Begins (Am. 2005) 9.0.
4. Eragon (Am. 2006) 2.5.
5. Underworld (Am./Br. 2003) 6.5.
6. Catch Me If You Can (Am. 2002) 8.0.
7. Sense and Sensibility (Br./Ch. 1995) 7.0.
8. [...]
The last movies of 2007…
I’ve been over a month since I last reviewed any movies, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t watched any since.
America’s Sweethearts
A romantic comedy about two self-absorbed actors who’ve been an item for several years. Has some parodical elements which are worth watching — especially the ones involving Billy Crystal’s calculated PR man — but the [...]
The Name of the Wind
Is “storm”.
I’m currently sitting in my parents’ livingroom, reading blogs and listening to the wind howling outside. Or, that’s not right, stricktly speaking. What I’m listening to is the sound of the livingroom windows, which are facing the fjord outside, creaking in their fastenings and bending inwards, because of the pressure of the wind. And [...]
Magician’s Gambit by David Eddings
Book three of the Belgariad.
1983.
446 pages, Random House/Corgi paperback.
In Magician’s Gambit, the hunt for the Orb of Aldur finally came to an end. The characters pretty much remain the same — there’s some awkward attempts at developing Mandorallen, if that is indeed what it is, by making him suddenly experiencing fear; but it doesn’t take [...]
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