SURRENDER DOROTHY!

Posted on 2008.03.17 at 13:00
Current Location: 75070
Current Music: Vierne - Symphony Nos 1 & 3

As my children are in Kansas for Spring Break, I had the unique opportunity to spend a full, uninterrupted hour in the bookstore listening to the largest selection of film scores I've ever come across. I must've listed to snippets of ^3/4 of the tracks on something like 25 albums, and I learned a few things:

Alexandre Desplat is quite prolific

As a rule, I don't care for Alexandre Desplat

I ended up with a delightful score by Simon Boswell to a movie I've recently purchased but have not yet had a chance to see, Tin Man a Sci-Fi original movie retelling The Wizard of Oz staring the sister of the star of Bones, Zooey Deschanel (the last thing I saw her in was the chic-flick Failure to Launch) and a guy I absolutely adore but never see enough of, Neal McDonough (having last seen him in the Kevin Costner film, The Guardian).

Tin Man was the most viewed show ever for
Sci-Fi when it premiered December of last year.

I have been reading Stardust and though I'm really enjoying it, its a very minimalistic book. Like creating the two-hour movie Forest Gump from the 78-page book of the same name. And though this book tells a little different story than the movie, I'm finding I'm enjoying it just as well. I've read a lot of novels, and while my heart races when I finally get to the conclusion of an intricate interweaving plot by Peter Straub or Arturo Perez-Reverte, or laughing my ass off at the well-planted humor of John Irving, or dropping my mouth at the unexpected twist of Daphne du Maurier, if I wrote novels....If I wrote novels, I would want to write like Neil Gaiman. This is my first time reading him, and I want more.

And lastly, falling in the category of, "I'm the funniest guy I know,"

drax0r and I found ourselves in GNC Friday afternoon. As we entered the store, the General Nutrition Center employee came around from her desk to greet us as I walked past 5-gallon jugs of protein powder and other bulking items and asked, "Welcome to GNC, what brings you to us today?"

"We're bodybuilders, ma'am." I replied.

Later, in the car,

drax0r said, "To her credit, she kept a straight face...."

And then Saturday, in the "green" Wal-Mart (with the solar panels, wind turbine, and natural lighting) I was walking down a refrigerated isle where sensors power on the displays as you pass them (to save energy by turning off if no one is there) and as I walked in front of my wife pushing the basket, as the displays lit up on both sides of me one-by-one, raised my arms above my head an announced in a loud, deep voice, "LIGHT!" Just as a man turned the corner at the other end.

When we passed I asked him, "How was I?"

"Impressive." he quipped.

19 comments

Comments:

swashbuckler332 at 2008-03-17 20:31 (UTC) (Link)

Zooey Deschannel was also the sister in Almost Famous (check out the "Bootleg Cut" if you can find it) and Trillian in that unfortunate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy adaptation.

I'm not really a big Desplat fan either. I liked Girl with a Pearl Earring and that was about it. And I felt that The Golden Compass was being pounded at me.

I've only come across Simon Boswell a few times. I have to admit that I really like his score for Hardware, even if the album is very infuriating.

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ehowton at 2008-03-18 16:44 (UTC) (Link)

I'd never heard of him, but I'm going to keep my eye out based on this album. I watched the first two parts of the movie last night and the score flowed well.

Its too bad Zooey didn't do as well. She read the script just fine, but I was unconvinced by her motivations. Too wide-eyed (and while standalone she might've made an excellent Dorothy, having previously seen her as freaky marathon-sex chick in Failure to Launch...)

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hiro_antagonist at 2008-03-17 22:15 (UTC) (Link)

I'm a big Neil Gaiman fan myself (really, who on LJ isn't?), and I'd recommend Good Omens and American Gods. And if you like comics at all, the Sandman series is certainly a must-read.

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ehowton at 2008-03-18 16:45 (UTC) (Link)

Never done comics. Watchman is my first graphic novel and I haven't even cracked it yet.

I sure will look into the other two, though. Thanks!

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photogoot at 2008-03-18 00:48 (UTC) (Link)

Tin Man was the most viewed show ever for
Sci-Fi when it premiered December of last year.

Even BSG??? Say it isn't so.

Love the "Eric" almighty story at Wall-Mart.

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ehowton at 2008-03-18 16:47 (UTC) (Link)

While Tin Man is surely no BSG the timeless story reaches to a wider audience. Why do you think the novel (and its follow-up musical Wicked did so well?

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galinda822 at 2008-03-18 02:04 (UTC) (Link)

Can I borrow Tin Man when you're done? I've been wanting to see it.

Great story telling as usual.

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ehowton at 2008-03-18 16:49 (UTC) (Link)

Of course you can borrow it! And I'm shocked you didn't use your galinda avatar given the subject matter!

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galinda822 at 2008-03-18 23:35 (UTC) (Link)

I would have but I promised to use the new avatar you made me for a month! ;)

(Here it is though!)

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irulan_amy at 2008-03-18 02:37 (UTC) (Link)

Tim's brother burned us a copy of Tin Man, but I've yet to watch it. I'm skeptical. Those stats surprise me.

I'm so glad you like Gaiman. Stardust got me hooked as well. He has some great children's stories, and Coraline is just downright creepy. I just finished up one of his short story collections too - Smoke & Mirrors. Which I highly recommend. He has a blog too (it's on my flist) and one reason I really like him is just that he's personable and down to earth and so...human.

In the movie extras for Stardust, there's a bit where someone asks him what he thinks about the pirate ship or something, and he says something to the effect of, "mainly, I just feel bad. I just wrote it because I thought it sounded cool and now all of these people have to build it."

Anyways, he rocks. :)

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ehowton at 2008-03-18 16:54 (UTC) (Link)

Ok - so they did some really imaginative stuff with tying the old story into the new - all the elements are there, its just different (as one could expect) and I even felt I could see a little Wicked in it.

The casting was great save Zooey - I'm having a hard time being convinced by her motivations, but Neal McDonough is amazing (as usual.)

The story is interesting and engaging, if not a little long at times. You should definitely watch it though. We bought our blind, and I'm glad we did.

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codekitten at 2008-03-18 14:58 (UTC) (Link)

the displays lit up on both sides of me one-by-one

next time you should break out with "billie jean is not my lover...hoo!!!"

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ehowton at 2008-03-18 15:02 (UTC) (Link)

Oh I could've so crouched-crabwalk and done the snapping curls thing!

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codekitten at 2008-03-18 15:17 (UTC) (Link)

there's always tomorrow...

make sure your wife brings the camera!!!

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leonardii at 2008-03-19 21:23 (UTC) (Link)

Did Zooey actually do her own singing in the movie "Elf?"

I would like to think so -- it was rather good. She's cute too.

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ehowton at 2008-03-19 23:57 (UTC) (Link)

YES! I knew I liked that chick! Alas, I don't know if she did her own singing :(

Edited at 2008-03-23 09:49 pm (UTC)

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leonardii at 2008-04-01 03:57 (UTC) (Link)

Yeah, too bad we don't know. What a voice that was! And so pretty too!

We watch "Elf" every year at Christmas. The whole family laughs. I get to look laugh too... and admire Zooey!

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(Anonymous) at 2008-03-23 17:31 (UTC) (Link)