The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

 

Today's review is of the 1949 movie, Ichabod. It's often packaged/presented with Mr. Toad, based on The Wind in the Willows, but that's a bizarre pairing, and it's Halloween, so I'll focus on Mr. Crane.

Ichabod Crane is a schoolteacher newly arrived at Sleepy Hollow, a small New England town. Though awkward, he gets along quite well with the ladies of the town, and his healthy appetite for food is sated by numerous visits to pupils' homes. When a single woman, Katrina von Tassel, catches his eye, Ichabod is smitten. But village tough guy Brom Bones doesn't take kindly to the situation; at a party, he tells a story of the Headless Horseman, a person said to haunt those parts. On his way home that night, Ichabod encounters the very same, and is never seen again in Sleepy Hollow. Rumor has it that he's thriving in a distant village, but nobody knows for sure.

I enjoyed this cartoon as a child, though it is quite short (35-40 minutes). Viewing it as an adult, it's definitely a product of its time (not inherently a bad thing). It was okay. The short story upon which is was based is also okay, so I'll rate it accordingly.

Rating: B

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Continuing our countdown to Halloween, yesterday we watched the 1993 film, The Nightmare Before Christmas. 

Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King- the head of Halloween Town. But he grows tired of the same old routine, so when he stumbles on doors to other holiday lands, he decides to explore Christmas Town. Enamored with all he sees, he vows to kidnap Santa and take his role for that holiday, and he enlists the others in Halloween Town to assist by making toys. But things go horribly awry when the monstrous toys aren't well-received in Christmas Town (not surprising, as they attack the residents), and Jack vows to make it right by freeing Santa. But is it too late?

This film enjoys a huge cult following and is highly regarded. It gets especially high marks for its stop-motion claymation animation style, and I agree that is excellent. A musical, some of the tunes are catchy, but overall just so-so. The story itself is . . . alright. I wondered what the point/moral was, and turned to the Internet for help. The basic message is 'do what you're here to do and don't take over other people's roles,' I guess. And that's decent. But something just felt flat on this one for me; I'm not as enamored with it as the average viewer.

Rating: B

The Old English Baron (Clara Reeve)

Young Edmund is a poor boy whose mature and wise demeanor grants him favor and residence with the local Baron Fitz-Owen. Raised in the castle, Edmund is the delight of all, until his disposition raises the ire of those who view him as a competitor. Mistreated, he eventually flees, but finds a protector and much more besides- for his birth is not as he suspects, and he is in fact the child of a murdered lord and former occupant of the castle. Will providence shine on him and restore what is his, or will human evil overcome?

I was unaware of this work until recently, but as several claim it was important in the development of Gothic fiction, I gave it a go. It's solid. Reeve says right up front that her goal is to re-tell The Castle of Otranto but make it less fantastic/supernatural, and grounded purely on the explicable. She succeeds in the latter [I don't recall enough of Otranto to judge the former], and her diction is excellent, but the tale is told without an element of suspense it could otherwise contain. 

Rating: B

Bride of Boogedy

The Davis family thinks they're safe after the events of Mr. Boogedy, and plan to finally open their gag store, having bought a nice space downtown. But in Lucifer Falls, anything can happen . . . as the town prepares for its annual carnival, Carlton is named honorary mayor, and is excited for that opportunity. But not all the townsfolk are pleased . . . Mr. Lynch is bitter and swears to make the Davis family wish they had never come to town. Worse, Mr. Boogedy is trying to come back, needing only his magic cloak to do so. Though he lacks the power he once had, he can control people's minds, and is bent on marrying the widow Marian . . . could the town survive such a return?

Ahh, this is the film I remember. This 1987 Disney film is double the length of the first and has more memorable scenes. It's still a bad movie- full of cheese, and a strange mix of horror/comedy- but it is marginally better than its predecessor.

Rating: C-

Mr. Boogedy

The Davis family is looking forward to a fresh start, where they can set up their Gag City store without any competition. They move to Lucifer Falls, an old New England town. Their excitement turns to consternation soon after they arrive at their home (which they bought sight unseen)- for strange happenings occur within. Research into the town's history confirms that all is not well- the house is indeed haunted by the ghosts of pilgrims, one of whom is known as . . . Mr. Boogedy.

This 45-minute Disney film from 1986 is a cheesy cult classic. In keeping with the season, I watched it with the children yesterday for the first time in ~30 years. I didn't remember it being quite so cheesy, and in fact didn't recall most of the movie (I may have mixed it in my head with its sequel, The Bride of Boogedy). This isn't great; its cheesy horror mixed with cheesy comedy. Mr. Boogedy looks an awful lot like Emperor Palpatine, and in fact shoots what appears to be force lightning from his fingers (though here, it's magic). Return of the Jedi was released three years prior . . . the influence is obvious. I was most curious how my kids would react. My oldest two were fine and/or bored; the youngest (and most sensitive) was scared during anticipatory scenes, but once the actual 'horror' was revealed, he was like 'oh' and absolutely fine. Ultimately, I'd recommend this only for people who grew watching it, as a trip down memory lane, or as a very tame introduction to the spooky movie genre.

Rating: D

Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)

Victor Frankenstein is an aspiring scientist, intrigued by the promises of reanimation. He pursues this end with steadfast enthusiasm, but is soon revolted by his success- a misshapen beast that he immediately spurns. The monster, through much time and unique circumstances, learns to read and write, but is unable to find acceptance in any human society. Alone and enraged, he tracks Frankenstein and pleads with him to create a suitable companion. When Victor refuses, the monster embarks on a path of vengeance designed to destroy Frankenstein's happiness. Frankenstein responds in turn, seeking to avenge the monster's evils. But for either, is revenge the answer?

I read this years ago, and recalled only that it was amazing. It did not disappoint this time, either. Shelley's prose is outstanding; I would highlight or re-read sentences for the beauty of their construction alone. The theme is worthy of reflection as well- the tying of atrocities to misery and self-loathing, and the reality that revenge cannot satisfy. I read the 1818 text (the standard edition was produced in 1831, I think); I don't recall the nature of differences between the versions, but both are outstanding.

Rating: A

Rediscovering Jonah (Timothy Keller)

 

In Rediscovering Jonah, pastor Tim Keller looks at the famous Biblical account of Jonah, the prophet who ran from God's command to preach to Nineveh (the capital city of Israel's archenemy), only to be swallowed by a fish and coughed up on land. Jonah then preaches to the city under fierce protest, and is angry when they are remorseful for their sin. He's not your typical prophet . . . or is he?

Keller's point is that the Jonah account is ultimately "to get us to understand grace." "God commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh, but he ran in the very opposite direction. Why did he do it? . . . [T]he root of Jonah's disobedience was his mistrust in the goodness of God. He did not believe God has his best interests at heart." Jonah was angry because he feared that God's mercy would come to his enemies. He put nationalistic pride above God. But he failed to realize that God's own people were in fact once God's enemies, reconciled only by grace [unmerited favor] that would be shown in the acts of God through Christ. And "a God who substitutes himself for us and suffers so that we may go free is a God you can trust." To wish condemnation on others is to not grasp that you, too, are under condemnation, and can only be saved from that by God. When, however, we understand this, we see the reason behind Jesus' teaching to 'love thy neighbor,' where neighbor = everyone. 

I enjoyed and was convicted by this work. We are no different than Jonah. I need to remember that God has my interests at heart whenever I'm tempted to disobey His commands, which are for my good and not (as I tend to think at times) to make me miserable. His love is ample evidence of His goodness and trustworthiness. There are other good concepts explored here, too- the reason for 'storms' in our lives, loving people different from us, striving for the common good, and God's sovereignty (one of the more amusing parts: even in running from God, Jonah ended up pointing foreigners to Him, the very thing he was trying to avoid). Another winner from Keller.

Rating: A

The Golem (Gustav Meyrink)

The Golem is the story of Athanasius Pernath, a Jewish gem cutter living in Prague's ghetto in the late 1800s. The people say he's mad, and with no memory of his past, it's hard to be sure. The story follows him as he grapples with difficult personalities and situations, and the golem- that mysterious faceless man that appears every 33 years and often foretells disaster. Will that prove true here?

Though I liked parts of it, and enjoyed seeing one interpretation of the Golem of Jewish lore, this one was weird. Really weird. Critics mention the story had similarities to Kafka and the admiration of Lovecraft, so you get the idea. You come away not knowing which parts (if any) actually happened in the story, and which were imagined. The ending in particular left a bad taste in my mouth, wondering what was the point of this. Was it a vehicle for Meyrink to explore different philosophies? A tale questioning reality itself? Or just . . . weird fiction?

Rating: C

Rockburn & Patapsco

Now that we're back in America, we hope to maintain that 'exploration'-type mindset that came easily in Europe. Over the last few days, I've taken rides through Rockburn and Patapsco parks, to get an idea of what biking is like here. I took Stepper for real trail riding, and Shadowfax for the paved or gravel routes.

Rockburn is the smaller park, easy to navigate on mountain or gravel bike. I think it has ~7 miles of trails, and I've already run or ridden on all of them. It's a great place for mountain bike novices like me, and my daughter handled it fine, too. The biggest obstacle is tree roots.

Patapsco is much larger and offers more rugged trails. I would not take children on them (on a mountain bike), and I had to dismount at times, being far too unsure of my own abilities to attempt steep & rocky descents, narrow & winding gullies, and other hazards. That said, I hope to explore more of this park by bike and do a good deal of hiking there. And there appear to be trails (like the grist mill trail that I rode today) that are paved and relatively flat, suitable for all.

Though America will never feature the Medeival ruins I miss so dearly, I have been surprised at the quantity of nineteenth & twentieth-century ruins I've enountered here. Houses in the middle of the woods, old mills, and other abandoned structures can be found all over Patapsco. I look forward to learning more about them.

Abandoned Castles (Kieron Connolly)

Abandoned Castles is largely a picture book, looking at impressive fortified structures from ancient times to the modern era that were abandoned and fell into disrepair. There is a short paragraph with each picture, providing concise backstory (and, often, why it was abandoned). Though most of the buildings are in Europe, it does cover fortifications from Asia, Africa, and America as well.

This was a bargain bin pickup, so I didn't have high expectations, but I enjoyed this one. Ruined castles is something I miss dearly about Europe, and this collection brough back fond memories. The pictures are almost all good; there are a few head-scratchers ("how did this get included?"), but they're rare. The backstories were appreciated, and the section introductions were informative (though I wish they were longer). Overall, not bad.

Rating: B+

Croatian Tales of Long Ago (Ivana Berlic-Mazuranic)

Croatian Tales of Long Ago collects six stories written by famous author Ivana Berlic-mazuranic about 100 years ago. These are geared towards children with a heavy focus on morality.

I liked it well enough for what it was. This author is famous in Croatia and was recommended to me. The stories are similar to fairy tales, focusing on fantastic events/creatures/situations and how people respond in them. They remind children to be content, noble, and true in all circumstances. There's always a happy ending, and good is ultimately rewarded, even if tribulation is present at first. I wouldn't count these as the most gripping or interesting of all stories, but there is good here.

Rating: B

Batman Arkham: Clayface

 

Clayface collects 14 comic book issues about this Batman villain told over the decades ('40s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s). Here, we learn how Clayface came to be- and just how powerful he would become. There were a handful of villains to bear the moniker, and each gave Batman fits. This collection looks at the origins of each, in addition to some stories featuring him as the primary antagonist.

This concept is outstanding. It's fun to see how the art and storytelling have evolved in the 80 years since Clayface made an appearance. And I didn't realize there was more than one of them (Basil Karlo, Matt Hagen, Preston Payne, Sondra Fuller, Cassius). My dig on this collection is that they repeated two of the stories- apparently, DC comics decided to reboot stories with almost identical plot and dialogue, updating only the art. It was interesting to learn that they do that sort of thing, but annoying in its repetitiveness. All told, though, this is a good place to learn more about Clayface.

Rating: B