Sandman Dream Cast

Man! When I saw the cast list for the audio adaptation of The Sandman in mid 2020, I initially thought it was for the movie, and I got really excited. The two names that stuck in my mind most were James McAvoy and Kat Dennings for Dream and Death. Those two are fun to watch in anything, and having them in two of the best roles would be a treat.

Around the new year, I was talking with a friend about the movie, and they mentioned those two names. At first I thought they were confused, but then I learned Gaiman has a habit of appreciating people from audio adaptations of his works enough to get them into filmed versions, and McAvoy and Dennings made that leap.

Could not be more excited.

And then I found out that was not the cae, and fhe actual Morpheus is someone I can’t really claim to know, but apparently be played Byron in that Mary Shelley horror movie, which is appropriate in a different way.

Bonus Question!’

I just realized “Dennings” fits with the Endless tradition of names that start with D, and now I’m wondering if McAvoy’s first name should be “Djames”.

"Gods Behaving Badly" Filmed Badly?

Big fan of mythology. Also comedy. And also fantasy stories. There was this book, “Gods Behaving Badly”, which hit that trifecta for me quite well when I read it ages ago.

Today, I just learned that it was made into a movie in 2013 with an astonishing cast. Christopher Walken was Zeus. That’s just a taste.

In the same day, I tried to find a place to watch it, whereupon I discovered that it had one showing at an Italian film festival before consensus decreed that the director’s inexperience and the general messiness of its production made the movie essentially unreleasable. Thus, it was never actually released.

But at least I saw some pictures. I got a taste.

Bonus Question!

Best movie about badly behaved gods?

“Thor”. It’s not even the best Thor movie, but the entire plot starts when Thor’s bad behaviour gets his father to overreact and send him to Earth, which is bad behaviour in itself. And then Loki starts behaving worse.

There and Back and Eragain

Does that work as a pun tenuously connected to fellow fantasy franchise The Hobbit?

Anyway, the next movie I watched during Corona Closure, or Cinemapocalypse, was “Eragon”, which my brother probably only agreed to because he remembered reading the book in childhood and gave in to his sense of nostalgia.

Remember how I talked about “Troy”? The deuteragonist in this movie was also in “Troy”. He was also the lead in that awesome TRON sequel where Daft Punk do the soundtrack and play program versions of themselves in a club run by a program version of David Bowie.

Man, I love that movie.

Also, “TRON” is really close to “Troy”.

Which I don’t love.

But I love that TRON movie.

“Eragon” was good too.

Bonus Question!

Best version of David Bowie?

Lucifer in The Wicked and the Divine. It’s not even the first Lucifer to be modelled on Bowie, but it’s my preferred one.

Oddly, one of the other deities in the story was changed from Bast to nigh identical Egyptian cat god Sekhmet because the author thought Bast was too tied to Neil Gaiman in the public consciousness, but Gaiman was also the guy who made Lucifer into David Bowie in the same series.

So.

Dust!

Ugh. So. I’ve been relishing “The Secret Commonwealth”, Phillip Pullman’s latest entry in the follow-up trilogy to the His Dark Materials series. I loved those books when I was about 11, and I vividly recall the bittersweet ending that served to metaphorize childhood’s end.

My next visit to that world was in that awkward teenage period where I briefly felt at a complete loss from my child self. That’s when I read the short story about teenage Lyra in her new situation. At that point, I think my general sense of existential dysphoria would have hindered my ability to enjoy “The Secret Commonwealth” this much.

It really explores that bittersweet feeling I associated with the finale of the original trilogy, but since my own personal growth has gone beyond the phase of Lyra’s life that’s on focus in “Commonwealth”, I’m able to enjoy it more fully. What I’m seeing in it is the kind of dissociation from the childhood self that can hamstring development into a contented adulthood. It’s showing the mistakes that can be made along the way and the idea that those mistakes don’t define the person you are or the one you will be. As Lyra’s daemon tries to guide her away from those missteps, she ignores him. But as I moved past my own bad decisions, she begins to pay more heed to her daemon’s guidance.

Honestly, I haven’t finished yet, but I’m eager. Even without that extra metaphor sauce, it’s an awesome read.

Bonus Question!

Any chaser?

At the same time, I’m finally watching “Cardcaptor Sakura”, which has some tonal resonance to the very opening of “The Golden Compass”, wherein a young girl alongside her adviceful and excitable familiar is introduced to a grander and more fantastical world.

Sith Stuff

I remember when The Old Republic came out over the holiday season of 2011. It focused on an era of Star Wars I loved, but I wasn’t feeling an especial call to actually play it. Its gameplay basically just seemed like a rougher version of World of Warcraft, which I was already playing. But in the week after Christmas, I was convinced to give it a try, and in that first period after its release, the wave of excitement around it just added to the wondrous experiences offered by the diverse facets of its story. That excitement fell off after a while, and I did too. I’ve occasionally poked my head in, but I didn’t really think I would again.

But it’s been on my mind recently. The time of year and the recency of “Rise of Skywalker” probably played some role. Again, I wasn’t planning to actually play it, but I decided to download it just in case. And then I hit the play button on that same day. Again, it was the week after Christmas, and I was drawn in far enough to give it a chance. I’m really not going to treat it like Warcraft or anything, but the story’s intrigued me enough to basically let it play out like a single player narrative game with the bonus of having other people around in the world. It’ll be a spurt, and then I’ll drop it again, but right now, it’s a prime source for a legendary era of Star Wars wherein all that wild Jedi and Sith nonsense I love so deeply flourished across a galaxy that often looked even more fantastical than what the epoch of the films would show.

Bonus Question!

What’s your Sith name?

Darth Yowl.

Wingy Queens

So. I have watched all of "Game of Thrones", but I didn't care enough to pay real attention to the details about all the criticisms of its final season. But I did just see the new Maleficent movie.

And I've got to say, if your main complaint was in the fact that Daenerys was a queen who hung around with fantastical winged beasts instead of a queen who actually was a fantastical winged beast, I think "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" could wash away those Westeros woes.

It also has the actor who played the less bland version of Daario, and he's probably going to have a thing with the wingy queen lady in this too.

Bonus Question!

Best fantastical winged beast?

I've always felt an affinity for the phoenix.

I mean, yeah. There's the whole thing of always getting back up. But also they're shiny, flighty things, and I feel that deep.

New Materials

Oh, man! I loved the Dark Materials books. I loved the aborted film adaptation. I knew I had to check out the new series when it got released, but I didn’t really pay attention to what was going on.

Then I came home and realised it had come out. After beginning it posthaste, I soon discovered that it made at least one subjective improvement.

I want to say this. Daniel Craig’s awesome. No question. I think one of the people who came with me to my first viewing of the film was a firm devotee. Maybe in part because people said he looked like a skinny Dan? But anyway. Craig just never hit me that deep for whatever reason, but I liked Lord Asriel. Especially since snow leopards are awesome. But you know the guy who’s endless fun for me to watch in anything? That’s right. James McAavoy. The new Asriel.

Good start, His Dark Materials television show!

Bonus Question!

What would Professor Xavier’s daemon be?

Owl. Wise and almost regal but potentially sinister.

Of Minotaurs and Meat

The latest book I’ve been reading is something I only found out about through a random Twitter thread in which people were supposed to say what their jobs would be if they switched places with the protagonists of their favourite novels. Some dude said he’d be a minotaur at a burger joint, and I had to ask him for the title. And that’s how I found “Helen and Troy’s Epic Road Quest”. Bit of fantasy. Lots of whimsy. Touch of romance. All great flavours. Solid book.

Bonus Question!

Best minotaur?

I’ve always had a soft spot for Tahngarth.