Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman

After watching Clash of the Titans, which I reviewed below, I started thinking back over some of my favorite Greek myths. When I was a freshman in college, I took Classical Mythology for one of my electives. I'd already studied the ancient stories, but it was very interesting to be in a room with other people who were just as inspired by them as I was. Over the years, I've looked for retellings of my favorites, including the stories of Psyche, Persephone, and Briseis. I've managed to find a few which are really quite good. This particular book is one of those.

Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman is a 2011-2012 Eliot Rosewater nominee. At 270 pages, it isn't a very long book (I read it in only a few hours), nor does it spend much time truly growing the characters, but it was still quite enjoyable. In this story, you hear Persephone's side of things, including how she really ended up as Queen of the Underworld and what the pomegranate had to do with everything. Before reading this book, you should probably look up the basic points of the myth here. It might help you understand the background for why Persephone wants everything set straight.

One reason this book strikes such a chord with me is that it gives Hades a chance. While he still has a selfish side, one which Persephone has to face a time or two, the love he feels for his young wife is also very evident. In the ancient myths, the tales of Zeus' indiscretions are everywhere. Even Poseidon has his fair share. Aside from Hades "abduction" of Persephone, are there really any other tales about Hades chasing after young women? Not that I'm aware of. He didn't find married women...he went and got married himself.

Really the only issue I have with this book was how easily it wraps up in the end. I won't say too much because I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I'll just leave it as this: just a tad anti-climatic? Don't get me wrong, I love happy endings! Adore them! However, the happy endings usually go down for me a little better when there's more of fight to get to it. Granted, I'm sure it didn't help matters that I knew the basic storyline long before I read the book...

Overall, this was a wonderful retelling and well worth the Eliot Rosewater nomination. Perhaps Persephone could have been a little quicker on her toes here and there, but all things considered not bad at all. Mrs. Whitman does a wonderful job at taking the young goddess of spring from hating eternity to looking forward to every minute of it.

Happy Reading!

Clio

P.S. If any of you are interested, this is a wonderful poem all about Hades and Persephone.

The Return of Persephone - Alec Derwent Hope
Gliding through the still air, he made no sound;
Wing-shod and deft, dropped almost at her feet,
And searched the ghostly regiments and found
The living eyes, the tremor of breath, the beat
Of blood in all that bodiless underground.

She left her majesty; she loosed the zone
Of darkness and put by the rod of dread.
Standing, she turned her back upon the throne
Where, well she knew, the Ruler of the Dead,
Lord of her body and being, sat like stone;

Stared with his ravenous eyes to see her shake
The midnight drifting from her loosened hair,
The girl once more in all her actions wake,
The blush of colour in her cheeks appear
Lost with her flowers that day beside the lake.

The summer flowers scattering, the shout,
The black manes plunging down to the black pit --
Memory or dream? She stood awhile in doubt,
Then touched the Traveller God's brown arm and met
His cool, bright glance and heard his words ring out:

"Queen of the Dead and Mistress of the Year!"
-- His voice was the ripe ripple of the corn;
The touch of dew, the rush of morning air --
"Remember now the world where you were born;
The month of your return at last is here."

And still she did not speak, but turned again
Looking for answer, for anger, for command:
The eyes of Dis were shut upon their pain;
Calm as his marble brow, the marble hand
Slept on his knee. Insuperable disdain

Foreknowing all bounds of passion, of power, of art,
Mastered but could not mask his deep despair.
Even as she turned with Hermes to depart,
Looking her last on her grim ravisher
For the first time she loved him from her heart. 

Clash of the Titans (2010)

 

**WARNING: This review contains spoilers for the movie. If you haven’t watched it, then be prepared that I give certain things away.**

Retellings are always rather interesting things. After all, one never quite knows what to expect when confronted with them. Sometimes, the attempt is astonishingly good, and other times you’re left wondering where the original tale was hiding. Clash of the Titans, the 2010 remake of an earlier movie by the same name, tells the story of Perseus. As a demi-god, he possesses certain godlike abilities, but faces the choice of either mortality or immortality. Other well-known demi-gods included Hercules and Dionysius. However, as is often the case when Hollywood creates an action adventure from an ancient myth, things come out a little jumbled.

Perseus, in the old stories, was never the son of a fisherman…And his mother didn’t die in the sea. In fact, most of his story revolves around a man chasing after his mother. He ends up being sent off on a wild goose chase so that said man can have an easier time pursing Danae (his mother). And Perseus never had it out for Zeus…In fact, Athena and Hermes helped him out with his challenge/wild goose chase! Basically, the movie made it seem like he was fighting against the gods the entire time. Wrong.

Also, I’m really starting to dislike movies where Hades is portrayed as some evil demon out to eat everyone and make the world a place of misery and discontent. Maybe it’s because we have this image of him taking the place of the Devil. He wasn’t. Just like Zeus is nothing like God. In fact, of the three brothers, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, the god of the underworld was perhaps the least worrisome for women the world over! The only tale we have of Hades going out and capturing a woman was when he fell in love with Persephone and proceeded to marry her. From the lack of any other tales, we can assume that the Greeks saw him as being fairly faithful to her. So, as soon as I realized that the bad guy was, once again, Hades, I knew the movie wasn’t going to be as good as it could have been. Hollywood has this tendency to view ancient peoples and cultures through modern lenses…That never really works.

On another note, what was this whole thing with Hades being the creator of the Kraken? Basic mythology question: where does the Kraken live? Answer: in the ocean. Therefore, who has control over the Kraken? That would be Poseidon. (And technically, the sea monster was named Cetus and it never actually states whether it was a Kraken or something else entirely, like a giant octopus.) Perseus wasn’t sent after the Kraken, or whatever it was, because Hades had killed his adopted family…He just happened to be passing through Argos when everything went south for the city. Cassiopeia, Andromeda’s mother, claimed her daughter was more beautiful than the Nerieds (daughters of the sea king Nereus who often traveled with Poseidon), which is what led to the whole sacrifice-your-daughter-to-the-ferocious-sea-beast. As fate (hahaha) would have it, Perseus happened to have just slain Medusa, and so had her head. Even funnier? He was invisible to the monster because he was using Hades’ helm. Explain to me again how this is all Hades’ fault?

One of the more confusing relationships in the story for me was the inclusion of Io…Wasn’t she turned into a cow? As in, a literal mooing, grazing bovine. And, from what I understand, the myths never had her interacting with Perseus at all. In fact, the legends say that she was eventually reunited with Zeus and she bore him a son. From that child, almost a dozen generations later, would come Heracles. All in all, that part of the movie wasn’t necessary.

And then, when Andromeda offered to marry him, he turned her down…By this point, I wasn’t sure whether to yell at the screen or simply bang my head on the desk. Not only is Perseus supposed to marry her, he’s also supposed to turn her previous suitor to stone using Medusa’s head! Even Troy did better than this with keeping the basic storyline intact…And that’s saying something!

Overall, the movie seemed like an excuse to portray Hades as a terrible person and everyone else as simply victims of his plotting. Sound familiar? How about Disney’s Hercules? At least in that movie, though, he had a sense of humor and a head of blue hair. The only really good parts of this movie were some of the creatures and landscapes. Visually, it was quite interesting, but intellectually, it fell far short of what a Greek myth should have been. Don’t mess around with the ancient stories…If you do, rename the characters or something. Otherwise, all you’re doing is insulting a classic myth, one which generations have studied and appreciated. The tale of Perseus is packed full of action and adventure…Clash of the Titans is more like a hodgepodge of half a dozen myths. And yes, I understand that time restraints, etc. create the need for condensed stories…but this wasn’t condensed. This was butchered.

If all you’re looking for is an action adventure movie, and you don’t really care how accurate the story is, then Clash of the Titans wasn’t too bad. In fact, the acting was very well done for all that the writers didn’t give a very good script. The list of actors includes Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Sam Worthington. But, the best acting in the world can’t save it from what the plot itself was. Therefore, if you’re like me and expect to watch a recognizable retelling of an ancient Greek myth, this isn’t what you’re looking for. You’d have a better chance watching Troy.

When Christ Comes by Max Lucado

I have loved Max Lucado's books for quite some time, and this particular one is no exception. It was first printed in 1999, although I only recently discovered it. The entire focus of the book is the end times and what will happen when Christ comes back for His children. While he spends a little time focusing on what will happen to unbelievers, Lucado's goal is to remind the children of God what awaits them when the trumpet sounds.

Going all the way back to my childhood, I have loved thinking about what heaven might be like. While I don't dwell on it every day, I do try to remind myself of what is out there, just beyond the unseen horizon, fairly often. This particular book allowed me the chance to dream of what is coming. I can't help but smile when I remember how close we all are to the end. Not that anyone knows when that will be, but He told us it would be soon, and so it shall. Might that mean another millennium could pass prior to the glorious day? Sure. But that's still soon in the grander scheme of eternity.

I earnestly recommend this book for anyone who is questioning their life and why they are here. In it, they will find a wonderful future, if they are willing to accept the gift they are being so freely handed. Don't let the world make you forget what is waiting just around the corner... After all, none of us live forever. I would rather be looking forward and upward with joy then shrinking along, hoping the end doesn't come tomorrow.

Please, please, please pick up this book, When Christ Comes: The Beginning of the Very Best by Max Lucado, or another one of his many, amazing, books! It could change you life, most definitely for the better!

God bless and happy readings!
Clio

Labyrinth (1986)

Sometimes, the most amazing finds are actually fortuitous accidents. I've experienced quite a number of those over the last few months, and this most recent one makes me laugh every time I think about it. Labyrinth is one of those movies you turn on and think, "Oh my gosh...Am I going to even make it through the first fifteen minutes?" Before you know it, however, the credits are rolling and you're shouting at the screen that it can't be over yet!

Labyrinth can claim both Jim Henson and George Lucas, as well as many others, for its creation. The movie is made up primarily of puppet characters, although they don't make it as cheesy as it sounds. Also, as someone who has performed as a puppeteer quite a number of times, they do a really fantastic job of it. In the lead role as Sarah Williams is Jennifer Connelly, who did a wonderful job even though she was only fourteen when they filmed it. Playing opposite her as the antagonist/(fanservice) love interest Jareth, King of the Goblins, is David Bowie. And while a movie filled with puppets tends to elicit groans and eye rolling, Bowie, to some people, redeems the whole thing.

The whole plot of the movie revolves around Sarah's hasty wish that her half-brother would be taken away by the goblins (mainly because he won't stop crying and she's in a snit because her step-mother yelled at her for being home late). She realizes, belatedly of course, how much she loves her little brother when the goblins really do show up and Toby disappears. Then David Bowie walks in. If you were getting bored, you aren't any longer! There he stands in his poofy hair, eye makeup, and tight pants. She begs him to bring her brother back, and he tells her he can't. However, she can run his labyrinth if she cares about the boy that badly. He gives her thirteen hours to complete her mission. Then he leaves her standing on the edge of his kingdom. Did I mention the pants?

She, of course, makes friends and pushes her way through, going farther then he'd thought she could. After confronting the Bog of Eternal Stench, dancing with the Goblin King inside a bubble, and then facing down a massive mechanical goblin, she makes her final stand against the goblin city. Even when Jareth sends his army up against her, she still thwarts them, making her way to his castle. As she stands, ready to demand her brother back, he makes one final offer (which makes every fan girl swoon). He says, "I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave." Que swooning.

Being the heroine, she, of course, turns him down, saving her brother as the castle crumbles to pieces around her. And every fangirl in the audience is looking around, wondering where the happy ending is.

I really enjoyed this movie, so I went to look for fanart/fanfictions dealing with it. What I found was an amazing webcomic on deviantArt. Pika-la-Cynique has drawn a cross-over comic, including such diverse movies as Phantom of the Opera, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, Sweeny Todd, Twilight, Howl's Moving Castle - to name a few. Go here to check it out - Girls Next Door.

David Bowie wrote and performed several songs in this movie, including Dance Magic Dance, Within You, Underground, and As the World Falls Down. While they are most definitely songs from the 80s, they are still really fun to listen to (and watch). Click the links to watch them on YouTube for yourself.

There are a few pieces of foul language, but nothing like what most movies have now. I would consider this a good family film for those who have children ten and older. Granted, you might not agree with me, but that's how I see it. This is one of those movies I just keep watching, and no, I'm not a fangirl...I promise you I'm not!

As a preview, here's a page from the webcomic -->

Zen Shorts

Well, I seem to be doing many new things on here, so why not a children's book? This story is one of the neatest I've ever seen. While I'm not Buddhist, I can still appreciate much of what this book teaches children. Zen Shorts, by Jon J. Muth, is a beautifully crafted and illustrated tale about three children and a panda named Stillwater.

Abby and Stillwater

Michael, Abby, and Karl quickly become friends with their new neighbor, who just happens to be a giant panda. Each of the children have special times with the bear, and in the process, they all three learn something new about how to interact with others. This story is a wonderful one for parents to use when teaching their own young ones how to handle certain situations. Philosophical, but not overly so, this is simply an awesome book.

Karl and Stillwater

Marked as good for K-4th grade, I would even recommend it for teens. Sometimes we all need to be reminded in a kind and caring way that we are not the center of the universe, and that there are many others all around us who deserve our love and attention. I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did!

Happy Reading

!
Michael and Stillwater

Mirotic (DBSK) and Lucifer (Shinee)

Under the influence of my friend's suggestion, I decided to make a few comments about two rather interesting music videos from the K-Pop world. Mirotic (DBSK) and Lucifer (Shinee), when played side by side, offer several points for comparison. I am not approaching this comparison from a negative standpoint, which I feel must be pointed out for my own self-preservation. However, when fans begin to notice certain similarities between the videos, questions arise. Was Shinee created as a recreation of or younger sibling to the older DBSK? Were the two videos meant to look so very alike?



Mirotic (2007-2008) is a video full of concrete and hard edges, with a dance so aggressive that it makes most viewers sit back in their seats. However, that aggression is softened by taking the viewer away from the hardcore dance number and into each of the members "inner worlds". Lucifer (2010) also has a very forceful dance number, full of moves which probably took quite a few practices to perfect. Again, each member of the group has their own moments with the camera. Both of these videos play on the fact that one way to build tension is to introduce a bit of something, move away from it slightly, then come back and show portions of it again. Many movies take advantage of that principle, creating a connection between screen and audience.




While Shinee's image is not on quite the same level as DBSK, they are quickly moving towards it. Replay (2008) was softer, more childlike, while Lucifer, only two years later, is very futuristic. One of their other popular songs/music videos, Ring Ding Dong (2009), is a interesting mix of the earlier and later styles. Hello (2010), which was released later in the year, seems to have backed them off slightly from their harder appearance in Lucifer.



DBSK, which has recently gone through a break-up, came back early this year with Keep Your Head Down. While only Yunho and Changmin returned as part of the original group, the song and video are very reminiscent of what all five were used to putting out. Different from Mirotic, yet still similar, the hard edges and evident emotion create, once again, a hit for this hurting group.

Both Shinee and DBSK have large followings, which is understandable. I myself am a fan of both groups. Perhaps the two groups were indeed created to be similar, but, at the same time, obvious difference are apparent. DBSK, from what I can gather, has always been a vanguard to other Asian countries (Japan, Taiwan, and China), while Shinee doesn't yet give off that vibe.

I can only pray that the ten men in these two groups are keeping themselves healthy (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually). Being in the entertainment industry anywhere, but especially in Asia, is not an easy life. Whether or not the creative directors are purposefully creating similarities really isn't the point here. What I feel must be said is this: while amazing music videos and songs are great, the well-being of the singers is much more important. I'm sorry that this post has gotten so off track, but I felt that some of these things needed to be said. Please keep both Shinee (Onew, Minho, Key, Jonghyun, and Taemin) and DBSK/TVXQ/Tohoshinki (Yunho, Changmin, Junsu, Yoochun, and Jaejoong) in your thoughts and prayers. They work as hard as they do for us, their fans.

Stay safe boys! I'm praying for you all!
Clio

A New Holmes

Skimming through Netflix's list of "watch instantly" t.v. shows and movies can be quite an interesting experience, and every once in a while you stumble upon something totally unexpected but amazing. That is what I would call this particular British television series. Sherlock is a contemporary crime drama based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous contribution to literature. In the world of the television show, Sherlock Holmes is a consulting detective who is viewed as a freak by many but who doesn't seem to care. The Holmes of the 1800s apparently does not exist in this alternate world, which is a little strange for a Doyle fan, but is made believable through the inclusion of other characters from the stories. Dr. Watson, Mrs. Hudson, LeStrade, and Moriarty all make appearances in the first season.

When I first began watching, my hopes were for a very House-like Holmes. After all, Laurie's portrayal seems to have created the modern day persona for the historical counterpart. While there are similarities between House and Holmes, however, this series allows him to resemble the book's ideal a little more. Brilliant, bored, and bursting with energy, he meets Watson in the first episode and immediately drags the Afgan war vet into the present case. From that point on they are fast friends.

Season one, which can be viewed on Netflix, is only three episodes long, which is a little depressing, but not distressing. Enough information is given in those four and a half hours to leave you a little exhausted. The characters are well acted, and the story lines are close enough to the original to make the buffs happy. From my vantage point, there's enough going on to keep just about every crime drama fan happy, as well as allowing the literary types to see a favorite in the modern day.

Overall, it was very entertaining and I can't wait to see the next season's three episodes. Apparently, three clues have been given by the network: "Adler, Hound, and Reichenbach." And for any fan of the great detective, therein lies his greatest moments! Granted, it IS a crime drama, so there are dead bodies and a bit of foul language, so be careful who watches with you.

Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!
Clio