1.09.2010

 

Sherlock Holmes



PG-13, 128 minutes
First in its series
Overall Grade: A

Yah! First off, do NOT watch this film and think this is going to be a live-action version of one of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories or novels. It is not that. Be open to the fact that these characters being cadged are not like the stereotypes you may have of them (Holmes, Watson) but may in some ways be truer to their book characters. What you do have is a roaring action-filled Holmes-esque adventure. I particularly like the flash-forward sequences where they show Holmes working things out in his mind. I have two pictures above because the one of the right is a shot where they're in Holmes' room, which is one of my favorite sets from the books, and here as well. Hurrah for Victorian England!! Plus it leaves an opening for a sequel. Can I say, "Yes! Please!"?

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 5:02 AM
 

The Time Traveler's Wife


by Audrey Niffenegger, 537 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A-

Pretty much like what it sounds like. The love story of Henry and his wife Clare, as they meet, and re-meet, throughout Henry's chronologically-challenged life. More human-interest than science of time travel, so consider yourself warned. That said, I like how the author makes use of Henry's jumping around to foreshadow things and then play them out later.

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 4:53 AM
 

Star Trek: New Frontier: Treason


by Peter David, 339 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B+
Series: Star Trek New Frontier

Sequel to 'Missing in Action'. Another fortuitous bookstore find. David has started up another arc in his 'New Frontier' series. I say this because this book leaves open ends. New alien species! Character death! I look forward to seeing if he lives up to the potential he's shown in the rest of the series.

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 4:47 AM
 

Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel


by Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett, 163 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A-

If only there was more, were my thoughts at the end of this. Boilerplate is the moniker given to a Victorian-era robot created by Professor Archibald Champion. Together, inventor, his sister, and Boilerplate travel the world (and becoming involved in quite a number of important historical events) seeking to show the uses of such a creation in saving mankind from dangerous occupations, and war. From 1873 to 1918, the authors present a vast array of photographs, quotes and other documents to supplement their history of the mechanical marvel. You might not even be able to tell if it's all a lost bit of history, or famously crafted steampunk.

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 4:39 AM

1.06.2010

 

The Once and Future King


by T.H. White, 677 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: C+

So long! I didn't know this supposed classic was so long. Mostly it feels long because it spends many many pages devoted to young Arthur aka Wart before he even pulls the Sword out of the Stone. Ugh.
And the authorial anachronistic insertions aren't appealing either. Nor all the jumps between unaccented/accented/high/common speech.

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 3:04 AM

1.04.2010

 

The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary


by Simon Winchester, 250 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B

Quite informative history of the 70-some years it took to create the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, and the interesting cast of people who made it possible.

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 3:58 AM

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