Snowpiercer: A Reaction to the Eternal Engine

When I told my friend that I had started watching Snowpiercer, I described it as hectic and messed-up. He replied that that was an accurate assessment. But I finished the series last night and what a ride it's been. 

Snowpiercer is set in an apocalyptic hellscape covered with snow, where one high-speed train houses what's left of humanity (and a few random other creatures). The train was created as a billionaire's wet dream where a privileged few could survive in the lap of luxury, supported by a crew of necessary workers in third class. But at the last moment, there was a stampede and the tail was occupied by as many of the unticketed masses who could squeeze in at the last moment. Everyone grieves. Everyone lost so much. Adaptation is survival, but among the lowest of the low, a revolution is brewing. 

It's a compelling story and it grew on me. Not to mention that the train Snowpiercer is a wonder and the development of subcultures and ceremonies aboard the train makes it feel authentic and real. The leads Andre Layton (played by Daveed Diggs) and Melanie Cavill (played by Jennifer Connelly) are each driven by visions that are at times overpowering and lead them to make heartbreaking sacrifices. 

Snowpiercer was based on a French graphic novel by Jacques Lob and was previously filmed by director Bong Joon-ho. It is available for streaming on Netflix. 

Sexiest character: The train Snowpiercer 

Best performances: Sean Bean as Wilford (why is he so good at doing characters that are morally compromised); Alison Wright as Ruth; Mickey Sumner as Bess Till. 

Best Bromance: Bennett and Javi. 

Most interesting character arc: John'Oz' Osweiler 

Character I would have loved to see more of: The Last Australian. 

Trigger warning: violence; suicide 

Most tragic passenger: Asha 

Scariest characters: The Drs Headwood 

Most breathtaking moment: When Javi says "I'm at the bridge." 

Most inhuman display of courage: Josie

The Great Pandarian Staff Swindle (Or how I discovered a hidden social welfare system in World of Warcraft)

Every monk has its demon, they say. Even if that monk is a digital furry and his demon, a somewhat dodgy idea of digital opportunity. As a returning World of Warcraft player, I found myself experimenting with my first Pandarian character (and my first monk) and right there -Quest number one - I made an unexpected discovery. The objective was to go get a staff and return to the master. But, because I really like using that unlock feature on WOW, I clicked it a second time after taking my staff. And discovered that it was possible to take a second staff. As I continued, I began to wonder about this possibility. How many staffs can you take from the training ground? In the interests of scientific enquiry (of course) I decided to create a second Pandarian monk to find out. That's when I found out that the Wandering Isle was generous beyond belief.

My (second) Pandarian helped herself to almost a backpack full of staffs. To exchange those staffs for currency, she needed to reach a merchant. This required her to complete Quests 1 and 2 first before she could begin her neferious dealings. Quest 3 involved sparring with the Huojin trainees, but at this point she was able to go AWOL instead and track down the nearest available merchant.

It was slightly risky, because to reach him she needed to move through the aggressive Fe-Feng, without yet having achieved the ability to heal herself, if injured.

Lee Sunspark - blacksmith and 'fence'. It was slightly risky, because to reach him she needed to move through the very aggressive Fe-Feng, without yet having achieved the ability to heal herself, if injured. She had the luck of the devil, though, and was able to return to the training grounds without incident for a second load of staffs. Yes, even after handing in Quest no 1, you can still take as many training staffs as you want. At this point, I deleted the little guttersnipe and switched back to my original Panderian. But, here's where it gets crazy. 14 training staffs = 1 silver 56 copper. After 75 trips, she would see her first gold. 75,000 trips and she would have over 1000 gold, while still a puny level 3. Okay, it would be v-e-r-y time consuming. And boring after a while. There are many better ways of earning gold. And World of Warcraft is about more than gold. Isn't it?

The Two Best Things About The Netflix series Sweet Tooth...

... are Gus's ears. You just can't stop watching them. The way they rise and droop to show what's going on in his fireball mind. They are also a large part of why it's so easy to suspend disbelief that hybrid children do exist. It helps that Christian Convery has been abundantly blessed with the natural beauty some kids just have. It's equally fascinating to observe his interactions with other animals - such as the way he draws deer to him in moments of high emotion. All these things contribute to making him more than just an adorable little boy with antlers. The world of Sweet Tooth is a surprisingly relatable dystopia, especially in the time of Covid. As we do, many of its people mask up and stay home in the hope that it will keep them safe. Luckily we do not observe some of their more extreme rituals - such as immolation of the infected, but we could all imagine a pandemic going that bad - a totalitarian police state where fear makes people do terrible things. In a way, the characters represent the various points at which integrity, compromise and survival intersect. We can empathise with the difficult choices Dr Singh faces, but the ruthlessness of Last Men represents the emergence of humanity's darker side. It would have been nice to see more of Bear's bold animal army - they deserve a spin-off series - although the plight of that poor tiger in the container crate worries me. Aimee perhaps represents the best in humanity, even as General Abbott represents the worst. For Big Man and for Bear, meeting Gus represents an invitation to confront their demons and change. But it's mostly Gus that we're rooting for, because Gus represents our longing for freedom, our hope at finding that Brave New World beyond the sadness. I can't wait for Season 2 to be available. This has been awesome.

Review: The Tower at Stony Wood by Patricia A McKillip

The Tower of Stony Wood begins with the deceptive simplicity of a medieval style fairy tale. A lady in a tower and a knight on his dark charger. But the first lady we meet is no princess, but merely an errant baker's daughter who has sought to escape from her chores in a mysteriously magical place she does not quite understand. And the knight has to be persuaded by an unlikely tale to leave his somewhat happy life for a quest that may not even be real. And so the layers begin.

For there is more than one tower to explore and more than one enchantment to challenge. As the hero of this tale, Cyan Dag is a likely knight - the provenance of his family name is his main inheritance, but he lacks the means to woo the lady he loves. Melanthos is compelled to stitch together sense of faraway mysteries, but she does not quite realize that the greatest enigma has tangled itself into her own family. And then there is Thayne, who needs magic, but must also learn what to do with it once it finds him.

The characterization is stellar and enables interactions to be emotionally realistic throughout. Even relatively minor characters like Regis Aurum, Anyon and Gentian feel authentic throughout. Melanthos and Sel are exquisitely rendered and it's wonderful to encounter a female trickster for a change. The atmosphere of magic that permeates the story makes the plot seem hazy at times, but I suppose that is in the nature of tales of fantasy.

Leo and the Christmas Tree

Just a fun post to share some highlights of our youngest feline, Leo's first Chirstmas.

So what's in this box...






It's up and someone else sneaked in to reap the benefits...


Close-up on Beanie (who adores tinsel and Christmas trees)...


Leo examines things from a different angle...


Yay!



Wishing you all a merry Christmas...

Review: Four Princes by John Julius Norwich

The Four Princes of the title (in order of appearance) Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V and Suleiman the Magnificent were all born within a ten year span, born to be powerful rulers, collectively controlling a large chunk of Europe, as well as that portion of Asia once described as the center of the world. Together and separately, they made bold movements on the game-board that was their domain. But that's not to say they were necessarily in agreement. In fact, they were frequently split by seasons of warfare. Theirs was an era when Protestantism rose, when Islam was at the back door and on the porch of Western Europe and when art flowered as it had never before.

What makes this book so fascinating is the way Mr Norwich connects the dots to provide a detailed overview of a significant turning point in European history. Or perhaps we should say, a collection of turning points. With the specter of Brexit looming ever closer (at the time of writing), it's worth remembering that Britain had once before shocked Europe by breaking with it. Interesting details emerge, even about Henry VIII best known (to me) of the princes, through a comprehensive collection of anecdotes taken from contemporary observers. You will learn, for example, who had the largest cannons, why the Mona Lisa ended up in the Louvre and how a collection of plucky crusaders survived the ambitions of one of the largest armies of the 16th century.

Four Princes by John Julius Norwich is a huge recommend to anyone who loves history as much as I do.

Oddly petty crimes...

Yesterday, as I was strolling down the street I live in, I noticed a sign on the wall of a property, asking visitors to phone for entry as the intercom had disappeared. That got me wondering. Wouldn't you get bad karma from using a security device that had been stolen in the first place? I mean, if it couldn't have stopped that crime, what makes you think you would be luckier?

It also brought another incident to mind. Years ago, I worked for a food delivery service and one morning when we arrived, we discovered that the security camera had been stolen...