Movie Review: ParaNorman

ParaNorman is incredibly charming, and lovable. It may initially alienate some younger viewers with its Halloween style but they shouldn’t be deterred. It’s more late-nite schlock than gore-fest. It’s contemporary, challenging, and has enough ribbing to appeal to everyone.

Computer generated movies are catching up to stop-motion aesthetics. At first glance it’s a challenge to the eye to notice that the sets and the characters were created out of hard materials; metal, plastics, textiles. This fact grants ParaNorman an allure beyond its direct and lovable charm, there’s that second meta level of appreciation. It’s not talent with computer software that astounds an audience but the deft of the artisans’ craft.

That being said, perhaps ParaNorman kissed the style-ring of CG too often to truly stand out from the CG crowd. Perhaps, in an effort to not be too closely associated with Rankin & Bass, it stepped in the shadows of the looming CG giants, Pixar and Dreamworks. Character design, jokes, and emoticon signs took cue from past CG movie successes.

ParaNorman wants and deserves to be enjoyed. It may be weird at times but it’s too valuable to be ignored out of fear.

ParaNorman was directed by Chris Butler and Sam Fell, written by Chris Butler

Book Review: Jennifer Egan: A Visit from the Goon Squad

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"She says they're precious because they're casual and meaningless." "'But they tell the whole story if you really look.'"

This book has two identities; (1) a novel (2) 13 short stories connected by a thread.

Thrown into the lives of people, mostly circling New York City, spanning a period of 50 years where change happens at an alarming rate. The dizzying cycle of "what happens next" and "what just happened". To quote John Lennon, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

It's a fascinating journey, and a near metaphor, to be close and intimate with a character by knowing their sercrets (like Sasha's), their hidden potential (like Kitty Jackson's), their near-end-of-life challenges (like Bosco's), or their future (like Scotty); all the while catching glances of them in others' intimacies as side characters or focuses.

What does it mean to have morals or ideals? What does it mean to be true to yourself? What does it mean to participate in a society you're against, or you're a part of, or you're excommunicated from, or you've lost touch with?

Really, really loved this book and recommend it to anyone.



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Book Review: Natsuo Kirino: Grotesque

Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A novel whose characters are deceptive, delusional, jealous and confused gives the reader an abundance of voyeuristic material to weed through. Tackling beauty, sexuality, and merit among families and friends within Japanese society. Also, the main character and her sister are mixed race, (half-Swiss, half-Japanese) this may be the first Japanese novel I read that tackles "haffu" as a theme and includes Western characters with significant roles.

The book is a manifestation of the narrator, her monologue about her "monstrously" beautiful sister and those she's affected. Included are the sister's journals, a classmate's journals, and the confession of her murderer. All these accounts align with each other, hearing dual sides of the story, where each person's perception immediately falls into question. Sex and prostitution act as weapons against the authority of men but not without its consequences.



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Jonathan Franzen: Freedom

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Airing America's dirty laundry... perhaps a little too soon... anxiety, tug-of-war, watching a car crash slowly... if anyone is around to look back on the turn of the millennium and the decade that followed then this novel will be source material... the message kept simmering... dragging... we know what to do and yet we tug while gravity pulls us into the fall... but there are people out there unwilling to bend, unwilling to stop, and they are heroes... staying true to yourself is never the easy road, but what else is there to live for?



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