Eragon & other holiday stuff

[wiseheart]

We went to see Eragon - the movie today. Mum liked it a lot, and actually so did I. It wasn't half bad for an extremely shortened and dumbed-down movie version of a fairly mediocre fantasy novel. Granted, the fact that I didn't really care for the source made it easier to enjoy the movie (although I was a bit insulted that they took out the Dwarves entirely). But the casting was good - somehow all the characters were likeable, well, except the evil ones, of course, but we loved to hate those - the Elf woman didn't look like a cloned Barbie doll (although I missed the pointed ears, source or no source), and the dragon was cute.

Mum, who's not into fantasy stuff, liked it because the plot was so simplistic that she didn't need looong explanations afterwards to understand the motivation of the characters - and because she didn't have problems to make a difference between the different guys. They looked different enough. And, of course, the massive Hungarian cooperation (see: crew list in the end credits) made it even more valuable for our ailing patriotic pride (LOTR only could produce Márton Csókás, and he's not even full Hungarian, not to mention he was given the false role, IMO, but let's not fight about that now...)

In any case, it was a nice, simple little movie. Not one I'd ever wish to watch again, but not half as bad as I've feared. Apparently, it's a lot easier to make nice, enjoyable movies out of mediocre books than out of great ones. Earthsea being another proof for the opposite, eh?

Other than that, Xmas break is going away with alarming spead. The fact that Mum has taken free, too, is part of the reason. I love that woman, I really do, but she's obsessed with the frigging flat we live in. If she could make me, we'd be washing curtains, brushing carpets, polishing doorknobs, scrubbing corners all the time. So far, she has scheduled me a visit in the cemetery, a complete change of the bedlinens, cleaning the frigging flat and several trips for shopping for food. You'd never believe that we're a household of only two people!

Plus, when she's at home, I have the questionable pleasure to listen to idiotic Hungarian TV all the day (when we're not scrubbing the goddamn flat, that is). I only have a glass door between the living room and my study, and whatever she may tell you, her hearing is getting worse.

If that's what I have to expect when she retires for good, I might consider moving out. A nice little tent somewhere under a bridge sounds very tempting. It's really frustrating that I can't control what I do with my own spare time.

Due to Mum-related programmes, I made no headway with "The Young Knights" today. Two more chapter left, in only three days. In which I've got to visit the frigging cemetery on the other end of the city, and Budapest is a damn big city, I tell you.

Despite my serious efforts in the last fifty years, Mum still doesn't seem to realize that holidays have been invented for people to, you know, rest.

Comments

[skyfiery.livejournal.com]

I heard that Ursula LeGuin actually hated the production of that Earthsea series. Sparrowhawk is supposed to be dark-skinned, dammit, not light.

Muh.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Everyone is supposed to be dark-skinned, save from the Kargish people, who were considered strangely alien because their light skin. But again, an American production can't be made without the main hero being curly blond, I guess.

[skyfiery.livejournal.com]

I should brush up on my Earthsea knowledge yet again. Meh.

And yeah. American productions are frequently biased towards their own people.

[songfire3.livejournal.com]

I don't blame her - the series was pathetic... ;) As for Eragon - if you haven't read the book before you see the movie, I'd say the movie is not completely awful - just a standard 08/15 fantasy b-movie with half-baked characters and tons of special effects. If you actually have read the book - stay away from the movie! While the book is not exactly high fantasy literature (more kind of like a Tolkien/Robert Jordan crossover fic), it is quite entertaining, and considering the fact that the author was 15 at the time he wrote the book (!), well written. The movie? Not so.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I did read the book, actually, but I wasn't greatly impressed. It was like fast food for the brain. I know the author was 15, and I don't want to be mean to him, but considering the great part his family had in the whole thing, I do wonder how much of it was actually his, beyond the original idea.

I still liked the book more than lots of other fantasy (don't let me even start on Terry Brooks' Shannara stories), but I must admit that while I read Eragon during one weekend, I still haven't gotten any longer than some sixty pages in Eldest. I'm sorry to say, but the book is just boring. Verbose, repetitive and... well, plain boring.

[songfire3.livejournal.com]

I haven't read the second book (and have no plans to to so, either):) - I started re-reading Anne McAffreys Pern series after plodding through "Eragon" - that killed any remaining desire to read "Eldest" - lol! You're right about the "fast food for the brain". The reason I read Eragon in the first place, is that my best friend (who isn't much of a fantasy fan) told me she liked it - I figured anything that could induce her to read a book about Dragons couldn't be all bad. ;)But then, she kind of forced me to read the first 3 books by J.K. Rowling as well, and HP never did anything for me either...*shrugs*. Finding new, good fantasy authors is not easy. And after the rare times I fall for the hype and end up with mediocre or just plain bad books I repent, swear not to do it again and return to my favourite authors - lol!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean. After liking Dragonheart quite a lot, I made the mistake to watch Dragonheart 2 and wanted to puke all day afterwards.

As for HP, I never understood the attraction, either - the books are so goddamn verbose, and not in the good (=Tolkienesque) way, they just bored me out of my head. But at least they brought the kids back to reading again, so I think they must be valued at least for that.

I never read Anne McAffrey's stuff. Would you recommend it, should I miraculously find something from her in Hungary?

[songfire3.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I absolutely recommend Anne McAffrey - she's brilliant! Especially her Pern saga(lots of trilogies - start with "Dragonflight" or "Dragonsdawn") - if you can get your hands on any of those books, grab them!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I'll have to look around, then; although getting some decent English books isn't easy around here.

The most stuff you get is Terry Pratchett, and I'm just not into his kind of stuff. I've bought a Companion, so taht I can look up the things (and characters) people my chat about online - I hate to be completely ignorant - but I just couldn't make myself read the actual novels.

Then we have lots and lots of Forgotten Realms. I tortured myself halfway through the "Dark Elf" and "Icewind Dale" trilogies by R. Salvatore, but those didn't catch my fancy, either.

[songfire3.livejournal.com]

ROFL - I went through that phase as well - I had a serious crush on Drizzt when I was about 11.. I like Pratchett. Not everything by him, but I love his quirky sense of humor ;) Other authors I'd recommend: Janny Wurts ("Wars of Light and Shadow"), Tad Williams ("Memory, Sorrow & Thorn"), Raymond E. Feist, David Eddings...

If you can't get any of the Anne McAffrey books locally, I have a few to spare - if you're interested, mail me your snail mail address and I'll send you one to try out ;)

[ithilwen.livejournal.com]

Mediocre books do tend to make much better movies than good ones. I suspect that's because mediocre books are textually less dense, and so the resulting simpler story is easier to traslate into a linear, visual tale.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Oh, I completely agree. It's easier to turn a book that simply describes the characters and their actions into a movie. I think Peter Jackson would have done outstanding work with LOTR, despite my personal disagreement with his casting choices, had he not tried to change the actual story, though. The story elements he pushed into the movies (like Arwen's life being bound to the Ring or Elves at Helm's Deep and other stuff) were the ones that made him hate the whole thing.

A shame, actually, for the visuals were gorgeous, and some sets, like Meduseld or Helm's Deep absolutely stunning. And if he could do such amazing things with Gollum, who was a computer animated character, after all, it really wasn't necessary to twist other characters (like Aragorn) out of shape. All that post-modern, semi-psychological whining is the best way to kill a legendary hero.

And no, I won't talk here about the Dungeons&Dragons-like wizardry. No, Ma'am, I'll restrain myself.

[disthrainsdotte.livejournal.com]

I think all mothers have the idea that hollidays have been invented for people to do things like cleaning flats and going to cemetaries. I remember from my visit that Budapest is a very big city and I guess that it takes a while to get there. Here is a hug for you and some carrots for you plot bunnies. (((Soledad)))

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Thanks. She indeed dragged me out to the cemetery today, where we spent about 3 minutes at my grandparents' grave, it was so frigging cold. I think I might get sick yet - and it took us half the day.

Thank you for the hugs and the carrots, but I'm afraid "The Young Knights" really decked me out for a while. I need something very different from the Ardaverse next - maybe I'll do some more vampire stuff before I suffer a sever burnout.

I hope you get to see Budapest again, before I get too old and doddery to show you around. :))

[disthrainsdotte.livejournal.com]

You´re wellcome. I hope you were able to warm up when you came home again.

A different fandom sounds like a good thing indeed, there are many ways to tell a tale. :)

It would indeed be nice to see Budapest again soon, I will see what I can do. To see the sights and be shown them by one who knows them best sounds lovely. :)

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Speaking of different fandoms: I always wanted to ask what other fandoms do you have an interest for? Perhaps we share more than just the love for Dwarves and singing? and good ale

[disthrainsdotte.livejournal.com]

I enjoy watching Star Trek and Star Wars. I have also for a while been reading Terry Pratchet, the books make me laugh aloud at times.