Yet another bit of procrastination
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Below are the 16 most recent journal entries recorded in
readeriif's LiveJournal:
| Thursday, July 21st, 2005 | | 10:05 pm |
| | Thursday, July 7th, 2005 | | 6:53 am |
Report on Neil Gaiman previews of Mirrormask
As requested by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) monkeygod, delayed by RL. Event kicked off with... Neil being late (apparently, the restaurant he was dining at wanted photos). To compensate, we, the audience were enquired as to the possible presence of any under 16, and when that was confirmed to not be the case, a short film called... A short film about John Bolton, which was written by him. Funny, in a somewhat black way- the sort of humour one finds in watching a roomfull of blindfolded people groping about for something you can see clearly. Once Neil actually entered, he, in his own words, 'burbled on' about what we were going to see, and Mirrormask in general. Entering the theatre not knowing much of it (I'd like to say that it was a deliberate thing, but I just never got around to hunting down info). Said that it was to be something in the same genre as Labyrinth or Time Bandits, but without David Bowie's bulge. Gave a little story about how he was approached, which ran something like this: LISA HENSON (daughter of Jim Henson, of muppet fame): Neil, I have a problem NEIL: Go on LISA: Labyrinth and Dark Crystal, while considered bombs when they first came out, have been selling very well on DVD- Sony has noticed this. They thus would like us to make another fantasy film. NEIL: That's nice. LISA: The problem is that those two cost us about fourty million to make during the '80s... Sony is offering us four million to make this new one. NEIL: That is a problem. LISA: So, with a budget of four million, we're thinking of getting Dave Mckean to direct, as we've seen his short movies and he can film fantasy for almost nothing... but we can't afford to hire you to write a script, so we were hoping you could do a loose storyline and we could get someone much cheaper to take that and do their best Neil Gaiman impression and make it into a proper script. NEIL: ...if you can get Dave to direct, I will write you a script, and there shall be no further discussion of money. LISA: ... okay. (Neil notes that she was likely hoping for this) Neil also digressed slightly with a short tale about him and Terry Pratchett going into a meeting to listen to the ideas for a Good Omens movie (apparently, Tom Cruise was to be Newt Pulsifer, Julia Roberts to be Anathema, Adam was to be 15-18 years old and have a crush on her...). Dave McKean was discussed ("We can't have a scene in a school, that'll cost too much... but I can have the world crumple up like a piece of paper and bloom into a flower for nothing, how's that?"), how he'd hired animators straight out of art school for the project, so they'd have less to unlearn, and a little tale about how he'd watched with Neil, one day in Jim Henson's old house as a break from scriptwriting, a three and a half-hour unedited version of Labyrinth. Neil says that he and Dave were most impressed at how Jim Henson managed to cut and edit the full ten minute 'Black Magic' dance scene with David Bowie into something far shorter, not funny, and with much less of David Bowie's bulge. Neil described what we were going to be seeing- the Electronic Press Kit for Mirrormask, consisting of three scenes from the movie, before-and-after comparison of a scene with and without blue screen, and some soundbites from an interview he'd done... in which he'd apparently told something of a bald-faced lie about David and was surprised that it was the one of the bits selected for the press kit. With that out of the way, the press kit was watched, and a good time was had by all. The first scene was a nice little showcase of animation- the main character getting an explanation of some of the background of the world she's in accompanied by little animated puppets. The second was a creepy rags-to-gothic-princessy-thing transformation sequence facilitated by an unnerving set of musical boxes (Neil: As happens to all of us, from time to time). The last was a musical montage, haunting and with nice use of light and shadow. The bit following that was nice, although Neil noted that "if you're going to try and show off the application of your clever special effects, you might do better not to choose one of the dimmest scenes in the movie". And lastly, came the soundbites, in which we finally got to see Neil's little bit of lying... which turned out to be a tale on how, as a young lad, Dave McKean had been traumatised by a man leaping out of him wearing a mask and had been hospitalised, only to be revived by nurses wearing long-nosed Venetian masks coming in and making faces at him, this child of four years with a beard, and that is why masks are a common feature in his works. ^_^ The actual trailer for Mirrormask itself was not shown, to my surprise, but as Neil pointed out, you could easily get that off the web. The Q & A session following all this, produced some interesting results. Neil on Tamlin: Dead. However the rights for everything to do with it that isn't the movie itself have reverted to him, so we may yet see it in book form. Neil on Alan Moore: The only way he knows he influenced Alan, was that he was told that Promethea was "for Sandman fans with nothing else to buy". Neil however was heavily influenced by Alan, learning, if nothing else, how to do comic scripts from him, and his first few years being very Alan Moore-ish, his own voice breaking through at around Sandman #6. Alan, he says "has forgotten more about writing than anyone else will know... because of the drugs of course". As an example, Neil described himself describing to Alan an idea that had been mentioned several years back that he was curious what was being done with it, that of a woman marrying herself (and the accompanying row with herself over who would sit on the groom's side and who would sit on the bride's side, the honeymoon with her bouncing on the bed, and the final heartwrenching divorce from herself), and being told "Huh. That sounds like a good idea- must have been on a brain cell that went away." Neil on Good Omens: The standard answer on whether there is to be a sequel, until a few months ago, was something along the lines of 'it will be a cold day in hell'. However, after a chat with Terry about what C & A would be doing nowadays, things are slightly different. Good Omens 2 '668, the neighbour of the beast', which he and Terry had originally thought of, which would feature the Second Coming of Christ, accompanied by angels with little earpieces herding him along and the Lamb of God wandering off to minister to the poor in Times Square, that book... will not be written. However, more C & A may yet come forth in the future. ... he also noted that whatever it would be, would be greeted by hordes of people writing C & A angel/demon slashfic saying "it's not as good as mine". Neil on Death: Yes, there will indeed be a Death: High Cost of Living movie.. On the question of casting- "as in this day and age, all of you are one and a half minutes away from putting it up on aintitcoolnews... no comment". Neil on known as that Sandman guy: Pointed out that it depended on which country he was in- apparently, for example, in Poland he's known more for his fantasy novels, and is asked by Poles about being a Post-modernist. He also noted that he didn't know what he'd be known for in the future, and was simply resolved to keep making art. He was resigned though, that news of his death "would be greeted by fan cartoons of a guy with floppy hair and a leather jacket being led off by a girl with a smile". Neil on Terry Pratchett and writing Good Omens: The writing process itself was described as Neil, waking up in the early afternoon to a message on his machine saying "Get up you bastard, I've written another good bit", and the entire thing as "a mad dash to get to write the next good bit before the other guy". As for how he and Pratchett's styles had meshed during the working on Good Omens? "Brilliantly!" He wrote to make Terry laugh, Terry wrote to make him laugh, and the only arguement they had during the entire thing was over Aziraphale's exorcism. TERRY: People can't say 'fuck' in a Terry Pratchett novel. NEIL: He's not. He's saying it in a Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett novel. TERRY: All right, they can blame you. So ends the report. There was undoubtedly stuff that isn't recorded here, either because I couldn't be arsed to try and remember it then, or because I can't be arsed to write it down now. The signing dragged on (there is a very humourous tale as to why I was near the back of the queue- however it will not be related on account of my looking a bit of a burke in it. This entire aside only real point is so that I can use the word 'burke' ^_^), and ended up being held in the local Comics Mart branch when the theatre closed. | | Tuesday, June 28th, 2005 | | 9:58 pm |
Some random thoughts
On food: Wagyu sukiyaki beef is good, but not enough to justify it's price compared to regular beef. Twice as good for six times the price? Mm, no thank you. On games: You'd think that by the 5th Dynasty Warriors game, the makers could find or train english voice actors who could not, y'know, mangle the pronounciation of certain names? It's not like they have to do a full-blown recital in huanyu pinyin, just a few names of people and places. Not sure if the game overall beats 3, but at least Zhang Jiao in 5 no longer sounds like he's auditioning for the role of Albus Dumbledore, as he did in 4. On cats: I give the IKEA kitchen table a year or so, and then the felines of this house are going to claw their way through one of its legs by using them as scratching posts. On entertainment: Naruto DVDs played on 32-inch plasma screen...mmm, bliss. Pity the DVDs just left the country with eldest sibling. | | Friday, June 10th, 2005 | | 5:56 pm |
[fic] Naruto: Legacy?
... this can be indirectly blamed on harukami, for getting me interested in writing again, and for Naruto especially, with her brain-breaking amusing tales. Feel free to shred it to pieces and point out any errors or flaws. No real spoilers, apart from Orochimaru's intentions past the Second round of the Chuunin Exam? ( So this is how to LJ-cut, eh? ) | | Thursday, June 9th, 2005 | | 8:46 pm |
I'm 'It* apparently. Huh.
Having been tagged by filthyjinx, I follow the directive below: "List five songs that you are currently digging. It doesn't matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying right now. Post these instructions, the artist, and the song in your journal, then tag five other people to see what they're listening to." 1. Vince DiCola- Dare, the extended version (Because hey, the Transformers movie is always classic) 2. Mari Kirioka- Beyond the Bounds3. Revolutionary Girl Utena- Absolute Destiny Apocalypse ("mokushi kushimo shimoku kumoshi moshiku-") 4. KOTOKO- We Survive (Yes, I know what it's the opening theme *to*. No, I don't know what the lyrics actually mean. Doesn't matter) 5. GITS Stand Alone Complex OST 1- Beauty Is Within Us (The anthem of the Vampire RPG) And as for who to tag in return? For vague embaressment, like misery, loves company1. dark_puck2. busyyuu3. saraswathi_rani4. harukami5. monkeygod Current Mood:  tiredCurrent Music: Something not on this list. | | Sunday, April 17th, 2005 | | 12:16 am |
Of Devils and Serenity.
Having played through roughly half of Devil May Cry 3, I think I can safely say that it is a Good Game, and a worthy sucessor overall to DMC1. The gameplay itself is smooth, the enemy AI is well, actually present unlike DMC2, and even Dante's strutting about isn't too bad- it's an improvement over his mostly silent DMC2 performance, and it actually makes sense if one considers that as a prequel, Dante being at an early stage in his career, is quite likely to be even more flamboyant, to the point of mild irritation. In other news, working my way through the Firefly DVD set, I must join my voice to all other fans of the series in asking: Why on earth was this series dropped? Eh, must stopy typing and return to packing- flying off come the morrow. | | Tuesday, April 12th, 2005 | | 8:24 am |
| | Wednesday, March 30th, 2005 | | 11:49 pm |
Birthday today.
Back in Singapore, a country with none of this 'ground floor' silliness. Laptop fixed and running with precision (and a working period key). My brother actually calling the house for once to wish me a happy birthday. Silliness with the cats. Sukiyaki for dinner. Four different flavours of Gelato for desert. And a viewing of the Kung Fu Hustle DVD in the basement with the parents to cap it off, with a bath drawing as I type these words. Not a bad way to kick off my third cycle on the Chinese Zodiac. Current Mood:  mellow | | Monday, February 28th, 2005 | | 5:16 pm |
Someone wants to see how I do in hell
... I am thinking that this is not exactly a compliment, but okay. The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Eigth Level of Hell - the Malebolge!Here is how you matched up against all the levels: Take the Dante Inferno Hell TestWhee! I'm EVAHL,fear me! Not entirely sure how I rate the Eighth Circle- my best guess is either my yen for fantasy gets me in with them Magicians and Diviners, or that I've been judged likely to abuse any future higher office I might gain. | | Thursday, February 17th, 2005 | | 5:16 pm |
Fair is fair, I suppose.
Ask me four questions. Any four, no matter how personal, private or random. I will answer them honestly. I have to answer them all. In turn, you post this message in your own journal and you have to answer the questions that are asked of you. Current Mood: relaxedCurrent Music: Melissa, by Porno Grafitti | | Friday, February 11th, 2005 | | 10:41 pm |
Oh look, *content*
Gads, I've got to check more than the friendslist on this LJ on a more regular basis it seems- I keep on missing on people friending me. Well, what's up with me right now? Just got back the essay I did on "the arguements for and against tourism in Burma" for my South East Asian studies course. Did pretty good, even with my accidentaly mixing up pages two and three- couldn't understand why the comments included an admonishment to have my numbered footnotes done in numerical order, till I checked. ^_^;; Am looking forward, in an odd way, to seeing what my father's reaction to my getting corrected on the use of subheadings in my essay, which is one of the more constant pieces of advice he's given me. Ah well, the next essay is due in soon, but it's fairly broad, and I've just hit reading week, so I should manage, assuming I don't waste too much time on frivolous matters. ... Stop laughing you lot, I'm not that easily distracted... much. *resists urge to pause writing this to load up Geneforge 2 again* Anyhows, apart from that? Well, for those of you on GAFF, I can honestly say that non-numerical challenges are interesting to view as an observer, but if you're the judge, the experience can be likened to a bloody well bukkake scene, in which one sits down and asks people to step up as they will, and hit you in the face with their best (or worst) shot. I suppose it's not yet as bad as my first Challenge, but it's still early- I have dread confidence in the abilities of GAFFers to traumatise me. Right, enough of this- back to Geneforge 2 work. Current Mood:  contemplativeCurrent Music: Phantom Brave- Strange Wind | | Thursday, January 6th, 2005 | | 7:53 pm |
Oh yeah, I've got this LJ thing, don't I?
I knew I was forgetting something... ah well, at any rate, hopefully the next post won't have quite so big a timegap, but term is starting up again, so all is uncertain. As usual. Bah, on to what I've been doing. 1) Catching up on movies- mostly bad ones. Watched Catwoman on the flight back, simply because that's the only circumstance under which I could justify watching something so obviously crappy to myself. Not to my brother though- I do so wish I could have seen his face when I related this to him, if only due to the sheer horror in his voice as he castigated me for watching Catwoman, at all. Of course, he did have a something of a point in that my parents had picked up the DVD as freebie elsewhere, so I could have watched it in the comfort of the home cinema. Then again, that probably would have gotten brother dear to bitch even more about decontaminating the place or suchlike. My thoughts on the movie itself? Halle Berry had one or two decent moments- and not a single one occured when she was trying to be catlike. Particularly amusing in it's crappiness is how she escapes a jail cell by squeezing through the bars like a cat would. Or the dominatrix scene in the dance club. Or the really, really sillily obvious CG work when Halle is running along the walls dodging bullets. Or- heck, the entire movie is goofily funny in a horrendously crappy way. 2) Phantom Brave- oh my goodness, but this game is a delight. The format is somewhat familiar, being a turn-based reminiscent of FF Tactics in some ways, but in other aspects, the game is deliciously original and freeform. Almost everything can be customized until a humble Water Can may be used to slay a Dragon, and at a beginner's and intermediate level, the system is elegant and uncomplicated enough that it's very, very easy to pick up. Of course, it helps that I've the official strat guide, but even so, Phantom Brave, while capable of becomind quite complex, can be reduced to very simple steps and procedures. More on this game may be featured in this space. 3) Cats- oddly enough, following the departure of Ginger, the old fat tom of the house, Ariel, the previously skittish mother of three has become surprisingly friendly, to me and people in general. Now if we could only get her not to demonstrate her newfound ties to the house by using the basement as her toilet... Must go, dinner calls. | | Tuesday, November 2nd, 2004 | | 9:09 pm |
| | Monday, October 25th, 2004 | | 10:03 pm |
Boo.
The way my schedule works is that the first few days of the week are dedicated to irregular dining- the idea of my getting the traditional three square meals during this time is laughable. Part of this is the fact that, well, that's the way I am- I generally don't have terribly balanced meals normally. The other reason is that my classes are staggered such that I normally have to make do with a quick sandwich or something in between lectures on some days. And therefore, I can only conclude that there is a shadowy conspiracy afoot aimed at tormenting me. For instance, today, and every monday since my schedule settled down, coming back from a lecture that goes from 1800 to 2100, with a few minutes in between for a Snickers bar, I must brave the gauntlet of the aromas of roasting meat, fried fish and sundry other morsels wafting from a certain restraunt just around the corner from my flat. Even better, the comic store I swing through on my way back from noontime lectures seems to be linked to some sort of restaurant- I've seen them carting in supplies through the a door hidden in the middle of the racks in the basement. The last few weeks, either the chefs have really gotten into the swing of things or someone's left that door open by a crack, because my nostrils have been courted by the aroma of grilled steak and other vittles whilst checking to see if the latest installment of historical samuria romance action is in. Clearly, the only explanation is someone or something has chosen this as a form of exquisite torture. Eating a more weighty meal prior to attending these things doesn't seem to do much good- my gut knows it BLOODY WELL hasn't been fed at the appointed time, and reminds me pointedly when prompted by these little reminders. Perhaps with a little more time it'll get into the swing of the new schedule. Current Mood:  hungryCurrent Music: Raito- Melty Blood | | Sunday, October 17th, 2004 | | 11:46 am |
Could it be *gasp*... content?!
Well... it is if you count my semi-random musings as such. The first thing is that I've just recently been reminded of what a strange, uncharted domain my mind is. Case in point: I've recently started using the phrase "It's not rocket science", to the point of abuse. The odd thing is that, when I stop to think about it, I have absolutely no idea why I've been doing this. I've never used it before, it hasn't been used in my presence recently, nor have I read or watched anything that contained that phrase- I haven't even been exposed to anything on rocket science itself (this trend predates the recent coverage of commercial spaceflight). Yet, for some odd reason, this phrase has percolated through the layers of my consciousness and socketed itself into my assemblage of commonly-used phrases. Creepy. In other news, I have been mistaken for another nationality for the nth time, this time by a checkout attendant at the local Waitrose. This... irks me. Was asked if I was Phillipino this time, which I suppose makes a nice change from my accent being taken as British, American, Australian- and in several odd moments, Cockney English and Thai. Must remember to ask my language teacher what he makes of my accent- although, with the way things are going, he'll probably identify it as Mongolian or something. | | Saturday, October 16th, 2004 | | 6:56 pm |
And so it begins...
Right, first entry in a spanking new livejournal. Welcome, whoever is viewing this. There's not much here right now, and I can't really promise any sort of coherent schedule of updates, but hopefully you'll find what's to come entertaining and/or insightful. ... is there anything else? Mmmm... guess not for now. Current Mood: amusedCurrent Music: Dare, Vince Dicola |
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