Skulduggery Pleasant: The Faceless Ones - Derek Landy
In my 'Books I've Read 2017' post I mentioned reading the second instalment of the Skuludggery Pleasant series, well, now I've finished the third book, and yeah, this series just keeps getting better with each instalment. Why this series works so well is that it's not just a fantasy adventure series, but it also explores the potentially traumatic issues a child could face being introduced to this world. The last book mentioned that our protagonist Valkyrie Cain is missing out on a normal childhood, and even witnesses a clone of her's die, which will certainly leave some emotional issues. Within the first few chapters of this book, Valkyrie basically goes into denial over past events, choosing to avoid thinking about them whenever possible, and at one point where she gets attacked and slightly disfigured, it's the first time she's ever felt the legitimacy of the danger she's in. The only one who calls Skulduggery out on the dangers of bringing a 14 year old girl into this world being Dr Kenspeckle, who might be my new favourite character, being mean to adults but kind to children, acting like the smartest man in the room because he always is and a doctor who abhors violence, he's definitely a stand out. Landy himself clearly becoming more confident as an author, even ending the book on a cliffhanger, knowing there will be a sequel (And a whole lot more after that), however I still feel he struggles with writing action scenes-which I know will always be difficult as action is more a visual medium's game-and he is yet to give the series a compelling villain, though this one definitely comes the closest. Despite all that, this is a franchise that just gets better and better with each instalment, and I look forward to seeing where the next one takes us.The Greatest Showman Soundtrack
The Greatest Showman was not a well received film, and personally, I very much disagree with that. Now don't get me wrong, the script isn't exactly going to be winning any awards, but I just find it ridiculous to argue a film isn't realistic when its a musical. Even going beyond that, biopics are films first, history lessons never, you can make arguments about how much better it could have been if they were more accurate to real life events, but by that logic, it also could have crashed and burned. For me, the film was a visual marvel, but most of all, the soundtrack is unbelievable. Like it's cinematic counterpart, the music itself is ripe with cliches, I'm not entirely sure how I'd identify them because I am not a music critic and don't know the terminology, but most of what I hear in the soundtrack, I've heard elsewhere, fortunately, it just so happens to be the type of cliches that I never get sick of. The big power ballads, the ones that get to show off the singer's talents as they scream at the top of their lungs how passionate they are about things. I've not stopped listening to the soundtrack since I first saw the film (In case you're wondering, my favourite track is The Other Side), it's like cotton candy for the ears.Coco
I've somehow gone from never crying in a cinema, to crying twice in the past two months, once at Paddington 2, and now for Coco. Pixar's latest film is an achievement in many ways, it's the first Disney film to feature an entirely Hispanic cast, it's the closest Pixar has gotten to doing a musical, and it's first Pixar film to make me cry (Well, at least cry sober). The story itself starts off rather generic, a young boy has a dream, his family disapproves, he runs away not wanting to be part of the family, goes on a wild adventure and learns his lesson about the importance of family. It's difficult to pinpoint what exactly it is that makes Pixar capable of taking predictable stories and making them work, it's most likely a mixture of their unbeatable animation, charming comedy and mature emotional moments. They know when to be loud and fun, and when to be quiet and sincere, they've practically got it perfected to a science. Anyone's that's seen the film can probably guess which scene made me cry, it's Miguel singing to his mama Coco, all the way to the end credits. Nothing in an emotional scene with Pixar feels cheap, they take their time building up to the moment, and aren't afraid to expose the characters pain for the audience to see. I can count the number of films to make me cry (Again, while sober) on one hand, and this just became one of them.Supergods - Grant Morrison
If somehow you've never noticed, I have quite the affinity for superheroes, and Grant Morrison is often considered to be one of the best superhero comic book writers of all time, naturally I was interested in reading his book about the history and his own personal experiences of the comic book industry. Also it's a book I've owned for a really long time and it's always good to cross those off your list. What stands out in particular about this book is the detail and context Morrison gives to the industry and the world around it, rather than just explaining what books were popular at what time, the focus on the world at large, the competition with other mediums and general perception of comic books to the greater public help to create a vivid image of the topics at hand. Whether it be the rapid storytelling in Action Comics #1, the more personalised approach to Amazing Fantasy #15, or how cinematic portrayals of these characters would shape future stories, it never feels like you're only getting half the picture, or details are being left out to fit to a certain narrative. That being said it is obvious what Morrison's own personal views are on certain characters and industries, sometimes he'll outright profess his feelings, others is more left in the subtext. I can't exactly blame him for this as there have been a lot of both positive and negative moments in the history of comic books, some of which still affect creators and fans to this day. Obviously the most accurate portion of the book is when he discusses his own history and career in the industry, but I can understand if people are turned off by this as I myself found it rather jarring. The first half of the book acts like a history lesson on the industry, all of a sudden to dedicate a whole chapter explaining his childhood, and then cutting back and forth in future chapters between his own life story and the industry as a whole. That being said, I found both Morrison and business of comic books to be equally fascinating and I'm left with a new appreciation for the art form as a whole.-Danny
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