I know the name Mona Lisa Overdrive, but i’v4 never heard of Count Zero. phillip K. Dicks short stories do take a bit of getting used too, since are varying degrees of different from the films they inspired.
Caldwin's latest obsession (subject to change)
- Thread starter Caldwin
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Battle Beast did a song with the same name, too.
So, ever have a book that you start reading and it's really good. It's going very well and hey, it's only as thick as your ipad, so you really have no idea how long or short it could be. But you know what, you'd kinda like to have a hardback version for your bookshelf. Then you get it and...holy, bloody hell! 565 pages! This thing is hefty! Like, dear heavens! I just hope I can get through it sometime in my lifetime.
That's about half the length of most versions of the lord of the rings... you can do it.
I agree, and saw something similar on a "sci-fi for non-sci-fi fans" list once - more or less, "Neuromancer is more prototypical cyberpunk, but it's also kind of a deadly bore."
I just finished Snow Crash. I really enjoyed it. There were some parts in the middle where it droned on and on about religion and mythology. This went on for several chapters and could have easily been cut down significantly.
But still, I enjoyed the characters, the humor, the action. It was an easy read, especially compared to Neuromancer, even if it was really long. Loved it.
But still, I enjoyed the characters, the humor, the action. It was an easy read, especially compared to Neuromancer, even if it was really long. Loved it.
Okay, now that I've had about an hour to think, I've got questions. I don't know if maybe I just missed some things or what. Things did end rather...suddenly.
But for those of you who have read Snow Crash:
So yeah, I still found it an enjoyable read. But after 565 pages, it did feel like it ended rather abruptly with more than a few questions left unanswered.
But for those of you who have read Snow Crash:
Y.T.'s Mother:
Last we saw Y.T.'s mother, she was being taken in by the feds for questioning. At the end, she picks up Y.T. to take her home like nothing happened.
I mean, fine, you can assume they either let her go or she escaped. But some clarification, even if just a throwaway line, would be nice. Did I miss something?
Uncle Enzo:
He was in pretty rough shape when we left him. He was basically passing out from blood loss.
But also the fight was done and he has people. Did they get him medical attention in time? Did he bleed out and die?
I mean, this is cyberpunk. So I'm not necessarily needing a happy ending for everyone. But some closure would be nice.
Hiro:
I mean, his little motorcycle stunt was in the Metaverse. I don't think he was in any danger at that point. So I'm sure he lived.
But does he go back to Juanta and start a life with her? Does he maintain his friendship with Y.T.? Does he go home after a long day at the office and have a pizza and beer?
I mean, this is the main character of the book and he just gets dropped (quite literally) right after the climax with no resolution.
Raven:
Same as Enzo, did he die? I'm assuming that since his deadman switch didn't set off his nuke, he's probably still alive.
Last we saw Y.T.'s mother, she was being taken in by the feds for questioning. At the end, she picks up Y.T. to take her home like nothing happened.
I mean, fine, you can assume they either let her go or she escaped. But some clarification, even if just a throwaway line, would be nice. Did I miss something?
Uncle Enzo:
He was in pretty rough shape when we left him. He was basically passing out from blood loss.
But also the fight was done and he has people. Did they get him medical attention in time? Did he bleed out and die?
I mean, this is cyberpunk. So I'm not necessarily needing a happy ending for everyone. But some closure would be nice.
Hiro:
I mean, his little motorcycle stunt was in the Metaverse. I don't think he was in any danger at that point. So I'm sure he lived.
But does he go back to Juanta and start a life with her? Does he maintain his friendship with Y.T.? Does he go home after a long day at the office and have a pizza and beer?
I mean, this is the main character of the book and he just gets dropped (quite literally) right after the climax with no resolution.
Raven:
Same as Enzo, did he die? I'm assuming that since his deadman switch didn't set off his nuke, he's probably still alive.
So yeah, I still found it an enjoyable read. But after 565 pages, it did feel like it ended rather abruptly with more than a few questions left unanswered.
It is surprising in many ways, the amount of stories, big or small, that do just End, rather than resolve. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
Snow Crash? Kinda. Glad you got through It Cal.
So, what’s next?
Snow Crash? Kinda. Glad you got through It Cal.
So, what’s next?
I don't know if anything's next. I'm working on getting through Pokemon Legends A-Z right now. Next week the two Dragon Quest remasters as well as the Moral Kombat collection comes out. So it looks like I'm going to be doing a bit of a pivot to video games more than reading.
That said, I do still have a back log of books as well: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, a couple other William Gibson Novels, Altered Carbon, Bridge to Tarabithia.
But I have to admit, I've kinda had my fill of cyberpunk for the time being. I'm feeling more like, if I do anything outside of videogames in the near future, I'm kinda leaning towards arthouse type movies.
That said, I do still have a back log of books as well: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, a couple other William Gibson Novels, Altered Carbon, Bridge to Tarabithia.
But I have to admit, I've kinda had my fill of cyberpunk for the time being. I'm feeling more like, if I do anything outside of videogames in the near future, I'm kinda leaning towards arthouse type movies.
Let us know if you get or want any recommendations?
Good, arthouse isn't my scene... so when you find a good one. I'll give it a try
Cyberpunk is good. But everybody needs a break sometimes. Also, I’d forgotten MK Collection is coming so soon.
So yesterday I was at Barnes & Noble checking through their Criteriion sale. I found Kagemusha. Never watched it before, but I saw that it was Akira Kurosawa and decided to give it a chance.
It was a pretty good movie. Unfortunately, it was a 3 hour movie with a lot of slow, quiet parts. So I needed to shake myself awake a few times and hit the rewind button. Still, really good movie. I do think I prefer his black and white movies a bit more just because they have a bit more atmosphere. Still, this had a lot of atmosphere in itself, so I can't really complain too much.
But speaking of Criterion...this is where I stand now, organized by spine number I put a couple movies on my Christmas list, so this may need to be updated in a month.
Top Row:
Seven Samurai, Yojimbo/Sanjuro 2-pack, The Rock, Kagemusha, The Princess Bride, !2 Angry Men
Row 2:
Godzilla, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World, The Manchurian Candidate, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, The Breakfast Club, Night of the Living Dead
Row 3:
In the Heat of the Night, Jackie Chan Police Story Police Story 2, Bruce Lee The Greatest Hits, War of the Worlds, Romeo and Juliet
Rashomon there isn't Criterion strictly speaking. But it's Essential Art House put out by Janus Films, which is a part of the same company as Criterion. Basically it's the Criterion DVD put into a more affordable package without all the supplementary material a true Criterion release would have.
It was a pretty good movie. Unfortunately, it was a 3 hour movie with a lot of slow, quiet parts. So I needed to shake myself awake a few times and hit the rewind button. Still, really good movie. I do think I prefer his black and white movies a bit more just because they have a bit more atmosphere. Still, this had a lot of atmosphere in itself, so I can't really complain too much.
But speaking of Criterion...this is where I stand now, organized by spine number I put a couple movies on my Christmas list, so this may need to be updated in a month.
Top Row:
Seven Samurai, Yojimbo/Sanjuro 2-pack, The Rock, Kagemusha, The Princess Bride, !2 Angry Men
Row 2:
Godzilla, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World, The Manchurian Candidate, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, The Breakfast Club, Night of the Living Dead
Row 3:
In the Heat of the Night, Jackie Chan Police Story Police Story 2, Bruce Lee The Greatest Hits, War of the Worlds, Romeo and Juliet
Rashomon there isn't Criterion strictly speaking. But it's Essential Art House put out by Janus Films, which is a part of the same company as Criterion. Basically it's the Criterion DVD put into a more affordable package without all the supplementary material a true Criterion release would have.
Rashomon is a great movie, as are Yojimbo and Sanjuro! Also, kudos on the Police Story duo! Those are some of Jackie Chan's greats!
Do they have Throne of Blood? It's Kurosawa's samurai take on Macbeth, and it's as moody and atmospheric as it can get.
Do they have Throne of Blood? It's Kurosawa's samurai take on Macbeth, and it's as moody and atmospheric as it can get.
I think Police Story is Jackie Chan's best stuff. It's kind of a shame the comedy was so lucrative because he was good at serious roles.
I haven't heard of that one, so I'm not sure. But then, I hadn't heard of Kagemusha until I saw it sitting there on the shelf.
*does quick Amazon search*
Oh! Looks like there is a Criterion Edition on Amazon. There's a black friday 50% off sale right now.
I didn't see it at the Barnes and Noble I went to, but they often have November sales on Criterion collection and it could just be that I didn't see it because the entire shelf had been picked over by a lot of Criterion fans.
But Amazon does have it on sale right now: Bluray for $19.96 and DVD for 14.96.
Edit: This is in reply to Throne of Blood. Sorry, didn't specify.
More thoughts several minutes after posting the last post, so I might as well make it a new post. I really enjoyed Police Story. It felt like it ended abruptly. Usually I don't like abrupt endings, but for some reason, it just felt right here. Have you seen "New Police Story?" It feels a bit more serious, more grounded, but still really fun to watch.
I think my favorite Jackie Chan movies though are the Drunken Master movies. Unfortunately, I could only find them digitally, and for some reason the audio drops out for several minutes right after the ending fight of Drunken Master II. I'd like to find a good, physical copy at some point.