Welcome to the collection of various reviews I've composed during this time. Read at your own discretion, as I tend to review works for much of their plot, so SPOILERS.
Lie Down and Bleed: Anti-Revenge and Ringing Bell by saffronpanther, literature
Literature
Lie Down and Bleed: Anti-Revenge and Ringing Bell
THE WOLF KING: In order for some to live, others must die. That is the Law of Nature. From the moment of birth, Life is one endless struggle; and only the strong can survive.
CHIRIN: [sobbing] But, then, what can I do? I don’t have fangs like a wolf, so how can I even fight? I can’t do anything to protect myself! Not a thing!
THE WOLF KING: Why do you want to become a wolf?
CHIRIN: [still sobbing] I couldn’t stand it! They all just sat there in the pasture, too scared to go past the fence! Too scared to do anything! I don’t wanna be killed! I wanna be strong!
― Ringing Bell (26:38-27:22)
But I can’t he
Skunk Reviews - New Cthulhu by saffronpanther, literature
Literature
Skunk Reviews - New Cthulhu
Spoilers of the Unknown to Follow, I Regret to Say
I have mixed feelings about the cosmic horror subgenre propagated by Lovecraft. In general, his stories and those that aspire to be like his (looking at you, Thomas Ligotti) didn’t sit well. I’m aware of the ironic sacrilege. How could a horror fan and aspiring writer not like Lovecraft? To be honest, besides the purple prose, it was the nihilism hammered into your skull. Given its often melodramatic and obnoxious execution, it took me out of the moment and dulled, if not outright terminated, any sense of terror I might have initially felt. In a way, it’s like the common co
Skunk Reviews - The Van by saffronpanther, literature
Literature
Skunk Reviews - The Van
Spoilers to Follow. Grand, That
The Van, by Roddy Doyle, was one of the more interesting thrift store finds. But before I get started, I'd like to establish that I am composing this review without having read, or even heard of, the two previous entries of The Barrytown Trilogy. (I've barely learned of its existence, to be truthful.) I was just intrigued by the premise of two friends trying to operate a lunch truck-not unlike, say, those episodes of We Bare Bears and King of the Hill. So, for those who have read and liked the trilogy overall, take this as my thoughts on a chance encounter.
The basic premise of The Van follows Jimmy Rabbitte,
Skunk Reviews - Worst. Person. Ever. by saffronpanther, literature
Literature
Skunk Reviews - Worst. Person. Ever.
SPOILERS Present
From the title alone, and disregarding any suspected hyperbole, you know that a book called Worst. Person. Ever. will have something unpleasant in its pages. And a more cynical person might already suspect the worst from finding this book in a Dollar Tree. But something about the premise made me consider it. Wacky hijinks concerning a man hired as a cameraman for a Survivor analogue? This could be something. But, as my first read of 2017, it decidedly was not.
Worst. Person. Ever., by Douglas Coupland, concerns Raymond Gunt, a rather pathetic individual who takes on a B-cameraman job offered by his ex-wife, for the a
Skunk Reviews - Infinite Jest by saffronpanther, literature
Literature
Skunk Reviews - Infinite Jest
The Book of Figurants1
Chances are, if you have heard of Infinite Jest, it has been through its reputation as both a heavy-lifter and one of those books whose readership tout to claim some kind of intellectual superiority. That is more or less how I came across this gargantuan novel, back in my college days. One of my English instructors greatly admired David Foster Wallace’s work and once concluded a class to lament his then-recent suicide. This was greatly contrasted with the multitude of comments about the book as being an overrated pile of literary-for-the-sake-of-literary crapola, with all those damned endnotes.2 Needless to say,
Skunk Reviews - The Secret Life of Pets by saffronpanther, literature
Literature
Skunk Reviews - The Secret Life of Pets
This Review Contains Secrets
Ikay, not as clever a riff on “There will be spoilers” as I thought.
When I saw the initial trailers for The Secret Life of Pets-which presented scenarios like a Dachshund using mixer blades as a backscratcher–, I admit that there was little appeal. Sure, some of it was kinda cute, like fat cat Chloe trying and failing not to eat the chicken in the fridge, but I just wasn’t won over. However, with later trailers hinting, then presenting the possibility of some crazy ensemble piece, I gave it another look. And, of all things, what finally sold me was an adorable Pomeranian smacking the cra
Skunk Reviews - The Nut Job by saffronpanther, literature
Literature
Skunk Reviews - The Nut Job
Something About Squirrels
Over a year ago, I MS Painted a fanart piece of of Surly, the Will Arnett-voiced purple squirrel lead of The Nut Job. Ah, there’s a film I’ve generally heard unpleasant things about, often along the lines of bemoaning a clichéd premise or deriding everyone in the cast for being an idiot or asshole. Indeed, it was another animated movie deemed by a great many people to be an atrocity. But, like other films of the like, it seemed to have something of a fanbase. Or, at the very least, TNJ-oriented fanclubs and fans commenting on my Surly pic.
As for me, I watched the trailer in wake of seeing these ne
Skunk Reviews - Alpha and Omega: Dino Digs by saffronpanther, literature
Literature
Skunk Reviews - Alpha and Omega: Dino Digs
Another Return to the Wolves of Jasper
Yeah, I know. I can already hear the I-knew-it’s coming from the crowd fearing and accusing the series of becoming the next Land Before Time. For a moment, you almost have to wonder if this was a bit of self-awareness, until you recall it’s likely just the sort of plot they figure kids would go for. And because I suppose the one about the big freeze wasn’t timed right, or something. So, where does one go after a Social Darwinist group, a territory-wide competition, a haunting, and being hunted by trackers? Helping a dinosaur, it seems.
Alpha and Omega, for me, has been up and down in
Skunk Reviews - Norm of the North by saffronpanther, literature
Literature
Skunk Reviews - Norm of the North
Shall I Continue?
So, the reviewing spirit isn’t dead, as I have journals to account for that. However, a lot of my motivation to compose such reviews has been steadily decreasing. Maybe it’s just burnout from the era where I emulated That Guy with the Glasses-style reviewers, most notably through Doug Walkeresque approaches and composing my reviews as though they were visual, rather than textual, constructs. These days, a lot of my interest in Internet reviewers, outside Mr. Enter, has pretty much diminished. That said, there is still a part of me that channels that (largely film) critic who encouraged me to take a film course i
Skunk Reviews - Goosebumps (2015) by saffronpanther, literature
Literature
Skunk Reviews - Goosebumps (2015)
Reader beware, you’re in for SPOILERS. Read on, if you DARE.
[Cue the unnecessary, cheesy, evil chuckle.]
Alright, this is an interesting one. Last year, I came across some Internet articles talking about a Goosebumps film set for release in 2015. There was a nostalgic thrill that came from seeing this interpretation of the books, which would feature a fictional portrayal of R.L. Stine as one of the leads. (It brought to mind that old illustration, where an understandably disturbed Stine was surrounded by a few of his monsters. Only now, it was a film.) Granted, Goosebumps is more of a mixed bag to me, these days. On the one hand, the