Our First Wedding Anniversary

Due to recent circumstances over the last few weeks, we had to modify our anniversary celebration a bit. As most of you know, Amanda Manduck and I are generally homebodies, so the biggest change was transportation and (most unfortunately) food-related.

Our original plan was to retrieve samples from each of the Hummelstown pizzerias and sample them, much like we did to determine the menu for our wedding. Since I'm currently recovering from surgery, I haven't really been able to go along on long car rides and my ability to intake food has been rather limited at the moment. I thought it was a rather cute idea and I look forward to making it happen next year. This time, my lovely wife was my personal delivery driver! This marriage thing has some nice perks.

As much as I love pizza, we decided to get some pasta from Fabio's. It's an Italian place in Grantville we discovered on our honeymoon this past summer. I highly recommend it. Although the amount was small, I was able to have fettucini alfredo. Amanda got the macaroni and cheese dish.

After eating the wonderful food she brought home, we spent time finishing one of the stories from a Planet of the Apes anthology. It was based on the live-action show, so we watched an episode of that and then followed it up with Amanda's favorite film, an obscure sci-fi entitled 2001: A Space Odyssey. Ever heard of that one? Even though Amanda insisted on not talking through the whole film, ironically, we talked through the whole thing.

When Amanda suggested the idea for the time capsule filled with vows, letters and other writing material, I thought it was a very fitting idea. However, I could not have anticipated how fun and heartfelt this new tradition would be. There was even a plot twist or two!

We opened the box and examined the contents within. These included badges from the Star Trek convention and our little yarn ghosts. I've gotten much better with crafts in part due to our crafternoons at the library. I hope to go to one this month if I'm up to it.

I also think we did a pretty good job with our author summaries and recommendations. It's almost like we like reading or something. Sheesh, what a pair of nerds.

We then reread our vows after looking for Frank Saveslives wonderful wedding ceremony script. He did such a wonderful job with the ceremony. We read our letters to each other and I have to say, Amanda Manduck wrote a much better letter than I did. This is proof that I really have to up my game yo.

The best part of this process was reading the requested letters from our wedding party and families with words of wisdom, encouragement, and love.

Yolanda Poth thank you so much for welcoming me into the family. Your letter continued that message and I am very proud to be a part of it.

Brianna Steimer had some great advice and sweet words that provided laughter and joyful reminiscing. I'm sorry to say that Amanda is still the spider-slayer though.

I'm very happy to say, as with the wedding-related events in general, my guys really came through for me.

Sometimes, especially with how our past few weeks have been, it's good to hear kind words from friends and family. It serves as a reminder of the smallest yet most important aspects of any relationship. With this new tradition, it was also full of wonderful surprises.

Jonathan William and Hannah Emily We loved hearing your kind words and, in a way, your letter served as a time capsule reminder of your new union as well. Thank you so much for supporting us as friends, fellow educators, and lovers of literature. We're looking forward to seeing you both again soon!

Nathaniel Rose Amanda and I really appreciated your time travel-themed letter. It was both humorous and heartfelt. Thank you for continuing to add to the laughter and humor of our movie nights. We plan to do more in the future!

Justin Miller is a truly fantastic writer and really took the theme to the next level. I guess we should have expected no less. Two letters and with a bit of a novel-like structure complete with preludes and afterwords of a sort. We were both amazed and greatly touched by how honest and open you were as you wrote. To put it bluntly, you went there. You should really put more of your work out there. These letters were fantastically written and were full of love and honesty. You had some great advice as well. As expected, you gave us something to ponder, reflect on, and perhaps discuss in the future.

James, my best man. I know that typically you are a man of few words. I also know you probably didn't like that I gave you a writing assignment. Despite this, your letter was beautiful. Amanda can attest, I got a little tearful reading one particular line. We really enjoyed your letter and look forward to the five-year one you generously and most optimistically provided us as well. You're my best friend too.

Thank you once again to everyone who helped make our wedding special and also continue to support us on our journey together. This first year was mostly good, but it's had its challenges of course. Overall though, it was just so great to have this reminder of all those who love us and who we love together in one special memento. Amanda and I really needed this, especially after my stay at the hospital. You all helped make the day truly special for us. In my case, I actually managed to forget what had happened so recently. That's how powerful the experience was.

It's been a scary few weeks but as I recover from my surgery, I've been thinking a great deal about what's important. Specifically, that I've done a pretty good job of being thankful for every little gift each day brings. Now I'm just even more aware of it.

I'm a very lucky man to have a loving, sweet woman in my life who shares my interests and laughs at my corny jokes. I hope to have many more years with you to go to Star Trek conventions, watch bad movies (and some good ones) with friends, share good meals, take long walks in the woods, and create new crafts together among many other things I hope to do. I'm incredibly fortunate to have found such a wonderful person who accepts me and encourages me as you do. I love you, Amanda.

I also love all of you, my family (cats included), my friends, my colleagues, and all those people who have enriched my life up to this point. I thank all of you who wrote letters, I thank all who helped put our wedding day together, everyone who made it out on that chilly day to share the moment, and all who have supported us since then. We appreciate you all greatly.

Take care, everyone! Happy anniversary, my love!

P.S.- Justin told me to be more open and vulnerable, so I'm taking his advice. Be forewarned, I plan to write something similar in the future.

A Review of the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

To wrap up our summer honeymoon week, my wife and I decided to go out and see a movie in the theater. I've always enjoyed the movie theater experience more than my wife has, but since it's so rare that we go out to one, I wanted to make it part of our week. We both happen to be Planet of the Apes fans. More so of the original films than the ones that started in 2011, but Amanda is very much a completionist and I have liked the newer movies well enough.

This one has been out for a little while as I post this, so I won't go into too many plot synopsis or spoilers here. Mostly I intend to give my overall impressions. Admittedly, the film isn't super fresh in my mind. I saw it over a week ago at this point. However, how much a movie sticks with you upon an initial viewing can often be telling in itself.

Enough excuses for my laziness and lack of professionalism (haha irony and self-awareness makes it better!), how was the newest Apes movie for Joe?

The thing I expressed to my wife first is actually the element that sticks out the most to me as I type this and attempt to recall my impressions. It's the visuals. The movie looked rather good. I know that in heavy CGI ladden epic action movies like this, which are rather common nowadays, that's kind of expected. Anything that doesn't look expensive is going to stand out as shoddy computer effects. As someone who typically prefers practical effects (there's just something about the idea of people handcrafting something and using resources at hand), I think the CGI here was pretty good. I think there are some really good examples of heavy CGI that do look pretty and can be marvels in their own way. The problem is, a really good practical effect tends to age better. CGI that blew me away 20 years ago often looks a little tacky. Even when I push nostalgia aside, as with most aspects of movies, I think you should consider a film in the context of when it was made as well as asking, "does the story hold together well?"

I feel like I'm ranting more here than usual. I'm not sure if this is my desire to seem more experimental or an attempt to capture my stream of consciousness while also trying to make a written piece more polished. Probably a bit of both. Is such a thing possible? Is the pretentious level over 9000? You tell me. Are we having fun yet? 

Amanda just asked, "How's it going over there?" I guess it's going good. Maybe I should go back to trying to write about this movie. This is the  Manduke Movie Blog, is it not?

Anyway, I think the visuals of the film were pretty impressive, particularly everything involved with the setting. The jungle looked vibrant and lush. It was one of those instances of something being very digital but it was so detailed and pretty I didn't care. There can be true artistry in CGI too!

The apes themselves looked good as expected, although there is one area where I felt they may have done better in previous films of the series. It was the eyes. There is kind of a creepy lifelessness to them that I found distracting at some points. Beyond that, they looked pretty darn good. 

Despite the visuals looking appealing, this movie didn't really show off as much in the action. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as this one tries to focus a little more on character, plot and general world building. All these particular areas are relatively simple, straightforward and familiar. You've got the classics revenge/find my family arc all tied into a very primal plot. Despite the simplicity, I kind of appreciated the tropes found within those sort of early man/prehistoric narratives which use these basic formulas. They tend to take some of the most basic formulas of plots and strip them down to their purest form. 

While I find it refreshing in a way (it's kind of why I like games like Far Cry: Primal or the stories of Robert E Howard due to that foundational universal sort of tale), it is extremely simple. I kind of found myself wishing it would delve a little more into some of the themes it teased a bit. The Apes movies in the past at least attempted to be cerebral sci-fi asking societal questions. The biggest idea this one touted was how history and religious/philosophical ideologies can be misinterpreted or twisted by different groups over time. We've seen the character of Caesar and what his beliefs were, but enough time has passed that he's become a legend, a fragmented story and simply an idea. The characters in the film didn't truly know Caesar or his experiences or perspectives, they just have ideas. The parts of these ideas the have power, for good or ill. 

You've got so many classic elements of the hero's journey here, most prominent to me being the mentor orangutan figure (why are they always the wisest ones?). He gives our hero, Noa, the teaching of Caesar based around peace among apes as well as acceptance of humans. I liked the pendant he gives Noa, which was  based on Caesar's memories of his human home, now a symbol much like a cross. The specifics of the origins of this symbol are unknown to these followers, but the idea permeates. Meanwhile we of course have our baddies, who latch onto the hatred and fear Caesar had toward humans. Once again, they don't have the full story, but there is some truth to the foundation of their particular ideology.

It's kind of a small thing, but my favorite aspect of the film, beyond the general presentation and some visual/auditory references to the older films I thought were pretty well integrated, was the villain. Proximus is just a fun bad guy. At first glance he seems like he'd be written as pure evil or some sort of brute. He's actually a student of history and fully believes he's doing what his best for his kind, using the Roman expansion as his inspiration for his persona and military ambition. Of course, he sees himself as an inheritor of ape leadership. His ego feeds into this visage of bombastic theatricality, much in line with one who wishes to rally his troops as a figurehead. He was over the top in some ways, but behind this was kind of a sort of everyman (or everyape in this case) who took an opportunity and went with it. He was scary but in a believable sort of way. I appreciate the subtlety.

There were some things we didn't like though. Gary Oldman is the obligatory well known human actor in the movie, who  plays a character who reads to Proximus and sides with him after being captured. He is sort of a defeated person, but we don't really know who he is or what truly motivates him. He's just seems to be there more for exposition. Even worse is the main human, the girl named Nova (naturally) who turns out to be part of a group of humans who have retained their intelligence and use of technology. While I kind of appreciated the twist, this woman just seems to know everything and be able to do everything. Without her, the apes would have not been able to accomplish much, at least not without a more complex plot and perhaps a whole other movie. Her motivations also weren't entirely clear. I appreciate that there is a level of mistrust the humans have of all apes, but she's another character who wasn't fleshed out enough.

Those issues aside, Amanda and I both did enjoy the movie. Maybe this was due to lowered expectations but it was a good viewing experience. I settled on giving this one a B and Amanda gave it an A-. So I guess you could say we collectively gave it a B+. If you're not a huge Apes fan, maybe wait to give this one a rent or see if it available for free, but its a nice watch for some good simple storytelling. Until next time, thanks for reading!

Joe

The Manduke's Summer Honeymoon Adventure (Hershey, the Poconos and a Movie!)

 

With the school year over, Amanda and I were able to take our honeymoon week vacation. We decided  to do something a little different each day, encompassing our trip to Jim Thorpe. This trip didn't exactly go as planned but we'll get to that. 

On Monday we started off our week with a day at the pool. We're still getting to know the area and were not familiar with every public pool. We opted for one by a park I had frequented once or twice and it turned out to be a very nice pick. It wasn't too crowded and we got pretty good use of the available space. Our attempts to read/sunbathe were interrupted by an older gentleman who kept inciting conversation with us. He was friendly enough, but it prompted us both to go back into the pool a bit sooner than we intended. Not really a bad thing. It was a beautiful day. 

We then had dinner at a local Italian restaurant I'd never heard of before. Fabio's had wonderful decor and was surprisingly busy for a Monday night. It turns out the food was one of the main reasons why (in addition to speedy and friendly service). The atmosphere was something between fine dining with an air of homestyle you'd expect from a family-run establishment. The portions of the appetizers and entrees were so sizeable that dessert was simply out of the question! Amanda had a great pick and I hope to go back soon!

The whole week was hot. So, while we remained mostly pretty cool on our Monday, Tuesday we ventured outside again without the assistance of water-related activities to keep our temperatures down. It turned out to be somewhat fortunate that we would be leaving town for a few days, as our air conditioner stopped functioning properly around this time. Our apartment was pretty muggy to put it mildly. Our diversion on the second day was mini-golf at Adventure Sports. This was only our second time at mini-golf (surprisingly). It was a good time. The course wasn't too difficult and we went at a pretty decent pace despite the groups of teenagers ahead of us. We had to deliver one of their bags to them since one of them kept leaving behind. Alas, we earned our Good Samaritan badges for the day (I suppose/is that a thing?). I'm not being cheeky when I say I'm not sure who won the game. I think Amanda did though, as revenge for my defeating her the first time. I'm interested to go back and check out the arcade at some point. 

Wednesday we set forth on our little trip to Jim Thorpe. Our initial plan was to take a day or two to see a few of the recommended sites in the town, sprinkling in a day at the lake with a trail or two in there. Before reaching town, we decided to stop at Mauch Chunk Lake Park and check out one of the trails. We opted for an easier one. Switchback Trail is mostly shaded and goes well around the lake itself. There were many deep greens and tiny tributaries around us and along much of the trail which comprised most of the dense forest. I hadn't been up that way in a long time and don't think I ever went to Poconos specifically. The forested mountains there seemed so green and full compared to the valleys of Central Pennsylvania I'm used to. The roundness of the peaks seemed more pronounced to me. I was surprised but there did seem to be some differences. 

This next part was the result of my lack of experience with the area, a lack of research, and perhaps just a simple misunderstanding of the layout of our primary destination. While I suspected that Jim Thorpe was a small town in which one could walk to all the major points of interest, I underestimated perhaps how small. I guess pictures just don't do it justice. 

For anyone who would like to go to Jim Thorpe, parking is pretty limited. The whole town is along one road which is tightly interwoven between the mountains. It's very cool visually, but the heavy traffic combined with the heat made us rethink how much we really wanted to check out the several points of interest recommended. After some deliberation, we decided that Jim Thorpe may be a day trip at some point, perhaps when it's a little cooler. 

To break up the time before heading closer to where we would be staying, we decided to find a place to stay cool. Naturally, we made our way to the library in Lehighton. It was a small library but cozy. Amanda finished a community puzzle and we each started a book we'd never read. Amanda went for Lolita and I went for the novelization of Attack of the Clones. We both enjoyed what we read and expressed interest to continue reading them. Never before would I have thought that particular novelization would have piqued my interest. It was a pleasant surprise brought on by a very specific circumstances. It's interesting how things work out that way sometimes.

Our next destination was the Bear Mountain Butterfly Sanctuary, which I'm confident to say we both found pretty adorable. It's deceptively bigger than it appears from the outside, although the butterfly room is only a small part of it. There is of course a gift shop and an educational wing where the employees give presentations on butterflies. There are also some fun activities for the family which we partook. I enjoyed the coloring myself. 

Amanda was extremely popular with the butterflies, as she had three on her at one point. One of them rested on her hand and just would not leave! As one of the young ladies working there put it, "It must be because she's so sweet."

To be honest though, my favorite aspect of the place had nothing to do with butterflies. It turns out the sanctuary was home to some reptiles and amphibians. There were a pair of turtles, many different frogs, and an axolotl, which neither of us had ever seen outside of textbooks or online images. It was a very cool (and cute) creature! 

We had booked a few nights in this house in Albrightsville, where I've seen more deer in the span of five minutes than at any other point in my life. Seriously, on the way back to the home one of the nights there must have been ten deer acting as obstacles to prevent us from getting back. It was a nice place, though maybe not well designed for a couple, as it was set up more for a bigger family to place their belongings in between excursions. Amanda and I liked the idea of watching a movie at night, but the furniture wasn't set up the best for that. It worked out though, since (although watching options were limited) we did end our evenings with some Steven Seagal films. This has become something of a tradition and running joke since we've gotten together.

Unfortunately, the lack of AC and just getting acclimated to sleeping in new surroundings meant neither of us slept super great during the trip. Also, trying to find places suitable to eat proved to be its own adventure. 

The journey to Jim Thorpe became an exploration of the Poconos near Albrightsville. We primarily went to Hickory Run Park and spent some time on the beach at Sand Spring Lake. The water was nice and healthy, as indicated by the many tiny fish that swam in large clusters near the shore. There weren't too many people so it was relaxing and felt nice and tucked away. I kept trying to get a picture of the birds as they swooped by. Every time they landed, they had flown away before I could get a good shot. They were pretty cool though.

Amanda also humored me by picking a local winery. This was Mountain View in Stroudsburg. It's been a while since I've tasted some new wines. Mountain View is also a brewery and distillery, so there were even more options for samples. The view was absolutely lovely. It felt quiet, secluded, and peaceful. The food was excellent as well. For me, it's one of the best winery experiences I've had and one of the high points of the trip for both of us. I highly recommend it to those who are interested!

We spent the nights there playing some party games provided by the host. These were Spot It!, I Wish I Didn't Know, We're Not Really Strangers, and Guess the Gibberish. These were fun to pick up and we both enjoyed them enough that I made a note to remember them all. As someone who really has to be in the right mood to play any sort of card game, I did pretty well and enjoyed all the games more than I thought I would. These were quiet moments, but we had some laughs and some good discussions with them. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Of course, as I was starting to feel comfortable in the new area, it was time to go.

Before we left, we went for a little hike up to Hawk Falls. It was a pretty short hike, therefore a popular one. Getting to the waterfall revealed a pretty sight. It was awesome how being in relative proximity to the falls made us immediately cooler. I was a wonderful site to behold. I'd like to check out some similar ones. Maybe we'll have to make that another little goal!

Our last stop before returning home was to check out the No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum. Anyone who is interested in history or geology would probably find this fascinating. The museum is filled with so many artifacts from early 20th century mining and beyond that you could probably be there for hours if you examined every individual piece. The real highlight is the tour itself, where you are transported by rail 1600 feet into the mine, where the tour guide gave us extensive information as to the working conditions of the miners. It was chilly in there and we even got to experience what it was like with no lights on. I must admit, I really looked forward to getting out of the mine before the tour was over. Overall though, it gave me a major appreication for the struggles of the miners of Pennsylvania's mountains. I have a great respect for these people. 

Upon our weekend return we made a point to make more excursions out, as our air conditioning still wasn't working properly. We went out to eat at a few places and on Saturday we went to the Pirate and Fairy Festival in Pottsville. This festival didn't have the biggest turnout, probably due to the heat. We were able to see the actors perform and sing at several of the events. It felt like a much more personal gathering of a community which added its special charm. The actors were dedicated and Amanda had several interactions with the Pirate Librarian, who seemed to be running the show. It was a nice time although I'd be curious to see what it will be like in the future. I'd love to see this festival grow. 

We wrapped up our honeymoon week with a movie and an ice cream. Both were simian in nature, as we decided on Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Ice cream was had at King Kone. We both liked the movie (more than I think either of us were expecting). It's been a bit since I've written a movie review, so I'll expand more on that later. I'll just say here that it was a good time and a nice way for us to end our week of honeymoon celebration. The ice cream was good too!

This was a pretty eventful week for us and I admit that it was stressful at times for two homebodies like us. Even so, as I've taken the time to look back and document this trip, I realized that it was pretty fun and often interesting. It didn't work out exactly as we planned, but we still had a really good time together. I'm looking forward to more events like this in the future, as discussing and analyzing the aftermath with Amanda is often the best part of these trips. I'm happy we made some good memories this past June and we plan to make many more!

-Joe 

For The Love of Dragon Ball: The Wonderous World of Akira Toriyama

 When I was about eight years old, I remember watching this particularly unique scene of a television program. Saturday morning cartoons were one of my favorite things, as with many children of the 90s I suspect. I was a big fan of them, mostly the superhero ones (Spider-man and X-Men in particular). However, this scene was unlike any I'd ever seen before. 

In some vast desert area, seemingly a dry wasteland made up of quarries and plateaus, several people were engaged in combat. More than that, these people were fighting for their lives. Even though there were no other people around beyond the combatants, I still sensed there was much at stake. The characters emoted with such gravitas (the rock and synth soundtrack certainly amplified the emotions) and intensity it made the battles of Spidey and Wolverine seem childish by comparison. 

A short bald man (with no nose, although I never really noticed or cared until many years later), a young boy not much younger than myself and that boy's father were engaged in a battle of life or death with a giant armored gorilla who was cackling madly. I can't remember many of the specifics of the episodes beyond that point, but I quickly gathered that these people were superheroes of sorts. Each of them had powers. These included, but were not limited to: super speed, super strength, flight and (coolest of all) shooting destructive energy beams from their hands! 

Somehow this was all connected with martial arts and the heroes could sense the presence of others like them, and increase their power (usually by flexing and screaming). Also, the bad guy they were fighting had many of the same powers but he was from space. They were fighting a giant evil gorilla from space. Maybe my early love of Godzilla movies helped provide some insight into that concept. After all, those usually involved giant monsters sent from space. Except, usually the humans couldn't tangle with those beasts. So, these guys were on par with Godzilla. Little did I know, they could probably outclass my favorite radioactive lizard.

Yes, that was my first introduction to Dragon Ball Z and eventually Dragon Ball as a whole many years later. It was so bizarre and unique compared to anything else American kids were watching at the time. It was imaginative and had a little bit of everything. There were aliens, magic, superpowers, martial arts, robots and talking animals. Honestly, it was also much more violent and with stakes of such magnitude that it easily dwarfed other shows. The characters also talked and moved and looked so different that all the other stuff. Many years later I would learn that this was my introduction to a style of storytelling called anime. 

Most importantly for me, and probably for most of the other viewers as well, is that for as bizarre as the show seemed, there was something truly captivating about it. The world was wacky but had a rich lore that I simply wanted to tune in to find out more. Perhaps most importantly though, some of the  basics of age-old storytelling were expressed in a grand and operatic fashion. It was a struggle of good and evil. The good guys working together to protect each other and their world from a seemingly more powerful and truly evil force. A tale that young people can grasp and, in its simplified way, represents a struggle we all feel we deal with in some capacity throughout our lives. Even if these evils aren't exactly individuals we can easily label as such, they can be tragedies or difficult situations or even our own internal struggles to overcome. The characters were archetypes to latch onto but still so well-defined. You wanted to fight with them. You wanted to be them.

Beyond the coolness factor of whatever undetermined factors make something more popular than something else, Dragon Ball had that unique blend of fantasy and science-fiction mixed with a wholesome core of optimism. The characters were often simple but memorable. The action was fast-paced and on scales that pushed the boundaries of the ridiculous. Even when the show did go to dark places, there was always a reminder not to take it too seriously. Few series I've seen have maintained such a balance of fun while consistently sustaining tension. "Next time on DRAGON BALL Z!"

I have so many memories of the series that stand out to me that I'll have to limit myself so this blog entry doesn't go on too long (it might be though anyway). 

Since I didn't have access to many channels growing up, I rented them from the video store. This was usually about 3 to 4 episodes per tape. Eventually, my mom was kind enough to start buying them for me when Hollywood Video stopped at the Garlic Junior Saga. I owned all the episodes up to Cell reaching his final form. I watched from Trunks's arrival all the way up to this point I have no idea how many times. Before then I had watched the Ocean dub on WB in the early mornings at a neighbor's house. In those days I looked forward to the mornings purely for opportunities to watch and record these episodes (along with Beast Wars of course).

Anyway, my first VHS purchase was with the arrival of the Ginyu Force. Immediately, I could tell something was different. The music was different (good old Bruce), the voices were different and the characters were bleeding! I couldn't exactly figure it out, but something about the early Funimation Dub revealed that DBZ could indeed be more intense, dark and deliver riveting storytelling. It's interesting to think that even beyond all the translation errors, censorship issues and musical changes, something about the core essence of Dragon Ball would reach its viewers in all the versions (well maybe except for Big Green). I think that speaks to the true magic of the work of Akira Toriyama and all the other artists and creators behind the franchise.

Ginyu punches a hole in his chest. Goku's lost his body. Freeza arrives. He transforms, causing the planet to flood as his flexes his power with his aura of energy. Vegeta weeps. Krillin is lost. Super Saiyan transformation. The planet tears itself apart. Freeza begs for his life. Trunks arrives. Androids. Cell. Piccolo fuses with Kami. 

So many great moments. 

Beyond all these though, I think what's most important is in how the series impacted me outside of the confines of its own wonderful story. 

Like many other authors and artists, Toriyama inspired me to use those creative parts of my brain. Even since I was very young, I loved exploring these fantastic worlds. My earliest memories of storytelling were little mini-arcs I had in my mind of future Dragon Ball stories and battles. Usually, these were the return of old villains, but I enjoyed using my imagination to explore these new possibilities. In a way, the origins of my inspiration as a writer and storyteller started with some fanfiction of my own based on these characters I loved so much.

Many years later, I finally got around to writing a fantasy novel, The Black Tree. Much of that story is really modeled on various classical high fantasy stories. Although there is probably more Tolkien, Robert E. Howard and even Stephen King than Toriyama in that book, there is one key element that I was very much inspired by Dragon Ball. This was the titular tree itself.

As anyone with even a casual knowledge of the franchise knows, Dragon Ball has a dense lore. Not to mention, there are various spin-offs and alternate universe fan theories and all types of conversations to be had about many aspects of the story and characters. Anyway, there is a Dragon Ball movie called The Tree of Might. You can probably guess where this is going.

In this non-canon movie (which is one of my favorites of these wonderful tidbits of DB), the villain, Turles, plants a giant evil tree which slowly sucks the life force out of the planet. The evil Saiyan then consumes the fruit of the tree, thereby increasing his power. That's kind of the end of it, but the visual of the giant tree of evil sucking the life out of the planet was such a frightening and riveting visual and overall concept to me. That's pretty much all of Dragon Ball that I incorporated into my first novel, but it's the main plot point of the book and reflective of some of the basic themes. 

For over a decade, I have been making video essays, vlogs, podcasts and various other videos on YouTube and writing blogs about pop culture. The origin of this comes from Dragon Ball too. I started the channel to talk about comics that I liked and discuss the themes and characters of the series. In college, I rediscovered the series and finally learned about the manga and started exploring various aspects of the series. I made connections with many people online including subscribers who shared the love of the show and other anime series. I made friendships with people across the country and world and collaborated on projects. We had many great conversations and had some good laughs. I became part of a community and made some great memories. 

This all stemmed from a show that my sister and I watched together all those years ago. This was all before we knew about anime or manga or dubs vs subs ect. We probably didn't know much about Japan beyond the general concept, and yet we connected with that show. Dragon Ball (and a bit of Sailor Moon) was the connection that led to my sister introducing me to anime as a concept. Then came Inuyasha, Toonami, Adult Swim and then Cowboy Bebop, Evangelion, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Berserk and so many more. Dragon Ball was the gateway to a medium that my sister and I would bond over and discuss the merits and faults of. Eventually, I would share such discussions with friends in D&D sessions and movie nights. 

So, Dragon Ball has inspired and impacted in many ways much as it has other people throughout the years. It is a series that I loved probably more than anything else, at least at that very young age. In some ways, it may be most important series in my life. I might even be so bold as to say that it's my favorite show of all time. Heck, it's my favorite fictional world of all time. That's not to say Spider-Man. Star Wars/Trek, X-Files, Sopranos or Breaking Bad are necessarily worse things to love. I think Dragon Ball might be the one I loved the most. Or at least, I've loved the longest and most consistently. 

No matter how many years go by, I seem to always come back to it. It makes me happy. It's made many people happy. 

I'm glad to have made this connection to this work that came from the mind of creative human being. 

I wish I had been able to have met Akira Toriyama. In a way though, maybe I already have. Thank you so much. 

Stay magical everyone.

Joe

Dune: Part Two Review (I Am Speechless)

 After watching Denis Villeneuve's' sequel to his wonderful adaptation of one of my favorite science fiction novels, I found myself in a strange and unique position. Nothing really came to mind in terms of what to write about. I've raved about the previous movie enough and suspect the movie has enough praise as it is. So much so that I struggled to consider what I had to add to the conversation. With that being considered, instead of a myriad of thoughts swimming through my brain, something else became much clearer in its place. This was simply, a feeling.

That feeling was a comfortable sense of satisfaction and overall happiness after the viewing. I'm just genuinely happy that we now have some really great adaptations of Dune out there. I think it's honestly inspirational. For a long time, the novel was considered unfilmable (which I've never really understood) and these movies stand as a testament to never commit to such a philosophy. With enough money, talent and a director which great insight into the original work, we see that such complex texts can be made accessible without compromising the essence of the original piece. 

Sure, there are some very minor complaints I could comment on throughout this masterpiece if I wanted to be a stickler to the novel. For one thing, I was pretty amazed that we did a full adaptation of Dune without really discussing in any real detail what the spice does or why it is so important to the galactic economy. I mean, the spice does many things and some of them are kind of strange, but I admit that it would have been cool to have a scene demonstrating how the space travel element works. I also see that this film (oddly similar to the Lynch version) really simplifies the Harkonnens, particularly the Baron and Feyd (Rabban was fine). 

As I said though, these are things I wished had been tweaked for me, but the vision of this film as it is doesn't require those things. This version has been focused on the characters and their struggles and the power (and danger) that religion can play in bringing about great change. The director has wisely focused on the hero's journey while still touching on some of the bigger thematic points Herbert suggested. We don't need to know how space travel works because it just works as a source of conflict (insert powerful weapon or magical item here). The villains are evil space Nazi barbarian people because sometimes it works to have a powerful antagonist force. Do I wish they had gone deeper into these things (or even deeper into the question of prophecy and political machinations)? Of course, but it's all so beautifully crafted that I honestly didn't even care about my own nitpicks. (Actually it kind of annoyed me that Fenring was there but only for a few minutes. Why bother having her there at all? Anyway, I digress...)

I could rave as I had before about the technical aspects of the film such as: sound design, costumes, production design, lighting, fight choreography, soundtrack, effects ect. I think that's kind of unnecessary though. All that speaks for itself pretty well. Although my wife and I got a little confused about the visual look between the Sardukar and the Baron's forces. I think there was some crossover there...

Actually, I want to talk about something I think probably won't be brought up in too many conversations. There is a part of this movie, that I prefer (at least elements of) the 1984 version. Now, anybody that knows me would be rolling their eyes at me at this point. Hear me out though.

Although I definitely have some love for the movie that introduced me both the world of Dune and the filmography of one of my favorite directors, I can admit the original does have some issues.  In most ways, I think the Villeneuve films are superior or at least more easily digestible. I have some personal preferences, many of which are probably influenced by my nostalgia. Honestly though, I really do enjoy the final attack on the emperor in Lynch's version. It's bombastic and operatic to be sure, even a little campy, but it certainly has an epic tone where the newer version is a little more understated. 

In this newer version, the Fremen ride the worms into battle, with the monsters sticking slightly above ground. This creates some potential symbolism though the visuals of the warriors literally using the desert itself as a means to victory. The practical effects of the original are still fantastic though, with the animatronic worms attacking models, really selling the dwarfing size difference. I particularly loved when one worm rears its head in serpent-like fashion. The Baron also getting stabbed with the gom-jabbar and getting sucked out of the ship and eaten by a worm is pretty hard to beat for me. I guess he didn't pass the test!  While the newer version does pretty well in balancing the operatic nature of the story with some nuance, I would have liked to have been wowed a little more here. 

Feyd-Rautha is another similar area I could echo these feelings on. The villains in general, as I previously mentioned, don't really stand out that much as characters. They are really just representations of evil. Lynch's version wasn't much better in this respect, but his villains had more personality and were just more memorable. Feyd is sort of creepy, but not much is done to distinguish him from the rest of his culture. Then again, it's hard to compete with Sting.

Really though, these are mostly nitpicks and matters of preference. These films are truly wonderful, and they make me feel truly contented. Not only am I contented as a Dune fan, but as a fan of science-fiction and movies that truly warrant the theater going experience. I'll definitely be watching these again. Long live the fighters!

Joe

The Boy and the Heron: Miyazaki Says Farewell (A Heron Song, you could say)

 

Hayao Miyazaki is one of the greatest directors in the history of film, particularly in the field of animation, at least as far as I and many other people would probably agree. Which is why this review has been one of the more difficult things I've had to write in a long time. In fact, this article has a bit of a narrative of its own. As a hint of what you are to read here, I will first say that upon viewing the film a few weeks ago, I left the theater without much of an impression at all really. Any impression I had honestly leaned more into the negative category. Then, a few days ago, I finally found the time and direction I wanted to go. I honestly go into a groove. I wrote probably about four or five good paragraphs before it accidently got deleted. (As I type this, I will now make sure that I've saved at least up to this point.)

Needless to say, I was pretty angry. Anyone who's been working on something for a period of time, whether writing a piece or some other project, having it all get destroyed that quickly can be pretty disheartening. That fact that I worked and lost something I had been putting a fair amount of thought into (despite struggling to find the passion/motivation to do so) was irritating, to put it mildly.

Even so, I find myself driven to write this article. The truth is that I just didn't like the movie all that much. I was disappointed. Whenever you have an emotional investment in an idea, it's kind of hard to not have any expectations. Miyazaki has made some truly wonderful films to warm the heart and stir the soul. Princess Mononoke is one of my favorite movies of his and I would rank several of his films as some of the greatest ever made. So, naturally I probably had some expectations even though I don't think these were on the forefront of my mind. 

Before going to view the film, I didn't really know too much about it. My sister, who had seen the movie previously, invited me to watch it with her. This was her second viewing and she said she wanted my perspective on it. Props to her for not really revealing how she felt, as she didn't really give me any preconceived notions about it. She only gave me impression that it was kind of a surreal movie. I would agree that it does have some of the dreamlike qualities of his previous films but lacking that aspect of wonder or a strong sense of drama at its core.

Probably the best thing about the movie is the imaginative premise which allowing for the plot to take place. This is one of the rare times in which Miyazaki places with sci-fi elements. The ancestor of our protagonist discovered a meteor, which he uses his fortune to build his massive structure. This area becomes sort of a reality warping time bubble, where any person or creature who comes into it affected by his willpower. Basically, he can use the power of his imagination to create his own fantastical world. Much of this is bird themed, such as a civilization of parrots who become sentient and anthropomorphic. It also plays with horror elements, as the birds often want to eat our heroes and the parrot king sort of serves as a secondary antagonist, attempting to make a claim on the old man's power. This is also probably driven by a need to preserve their world, but unfortunately none of this is delved into in any great detail.

One could make the argument that the trappings of this world aren't the point. After all, Miyazaki is excellent at using visuals for world building without really delving too much into explaining details. All the spirits in the bathhouse of Spirited Away make it seem like a truly living place. The war going in the background of Howl's Moving Castle conveys enough for use to understand the stakes. However, one other thing those films have that this one does not is a strong character driven narrative. 

I had heard that this supposed to be a more personal story for the director. With the destruction of World War II in the forefront, the loss of childhood innocence and the salvation of a young boy through his imagination within the retreat to the Japanese countryside, it certainly has some of those themes that have become the staple of his filmography. Unfortunately, most of the movie doesn't really explore those ideas in a great detail. This is primarily because we don't really get to know Mahito that well. He sort of falls into this bigger world and kind of gets lost in it.

It didn't really help my viewing in that the main message of the movie was kind of clear to me, to the point that I thought it was almost transparent. Mahito is asked by his ancestor to take over for him (his tools fittingly look like shape blocks young children use, a cool metaphor for early creativity) as he simply can't keep his imaginative world together anymore. Ultimately, Mahito is not the one to take the reins and this world just literally and figuratively falls to pieces. I couldn't help but draw parallels to the director's first attempt at retirement and his son's less successful attempts at filmmaking and how Studio Ghibli having had a difficult time getting beyond the shadow of the man at its center. Truthfully, it just seemed kind of like a downer of an ending in that respect and a blatant echo of sadness and disappointment from the man about his own legacy. It's basically like him saying, "I was hoping would step up and keep this going, but nobody is able or willing. I guess it's time to close up shop."

From what I understand, the movie has generally pretty high ratings, so I think I may be in the minority on this one. That's another reason I was compelled to write this, as I don't understand how it doesn't have a more mixed reception. Part of me suspects that, much like me, some people are so attached to the director that, knowing this will be his last movie, they didn't want to bash it. 

Of course, it's possible I missed a few details, and it could benefit from another viewing.  I'm also pretty sure that I wasn't in that box of "I didn't get it". I was pretty sure I got it. I just wish we had stronger characters at the center, even if the world isn't as vibrant as some of the others he's created.

To end on a more positive note, I do think the first act of the film is the strongest. Miyazaki has always been good at the transporting people into fantastical worlds, and the establishing elements did work well. Mahito's loss of his mother and struggles after the move are great starting points. The Heron early on is a haunting figure, making the early parts of the movie delve a little into elements of horror. I found myself wondering what deal he is going to make with this creature he obviously can't trust. What tasks is he going to have to do to save his mother's spirit? I really liked the direction this seemed to be going. it reminded me a bit of Pan's Labyrinth, expect with the satyr stand in being perhaps more blatantly malicious in classic folk tale fashion.  Once we full on encounter the Heron, the movie goes a very different, albeit more familiar direction. Once we got there, the movie does have touches of that brilliance we had seen in previous films, but never delving in with quite the amount of visual detail.

Ultimately, while I'm happy with the idea of Mahito's journey and growth, it didn't feel earned. It was like we skipped a few steps. Perhaps it would have benefited with a longer runtime to flesh some things out. 

Despite my feelings on this, Hayao Miyazaki has nothing to prove to me or anyone. His legacy is in no danger at all. I really respect his work and truly love some of his films. He's made some truly great movies over the years. I just don't think this is one of them. 

Godzilla Minus One: The Most Human Godzilla Film

 

I had the privilege of being invited to a showing of Godzilla Minus One this past week. I'm thankful the trailers kept much of the content of the film a mystery. Upon finishing the film, one of my friends cheekily remarked, "Well of all the Godzilla movies, that was definitely one of them." Though this was partially in jest, we all agreed it was a pretty accurate statement. We all enjoyed the movie pretty equally. Now that I've had some time to ruminate, I will give you my more detailed thoughts.

I titled this review based on what I think is pretty accurate. Both thematically and in the literal narrative, this movie is a very human Godzilla movie. Depending on your point of view (probably the majority of Godzilla fans) this could potentially be a negative. Comments thrown towards kaiju films tend to be more negative if there isn't enough monster action, as that is the primary draw for these movies. Even so, the human stories have to take up some of the runtime, as special effects are costly and we would probably tire quickly of them if there was no context for the actions. I look to Michael Bay's Transformers series as the most obvious example. 

However, I have often enjoyed the varying human plots and would argue that since Godzilla films are very human in terms of their commentary. Cautionary tales of scientific progress and anti-war imagery is very much at the core of the series. It's why the original is one of my favorite movies. It manages to convey the effects of such devastation through the lens of a very effective monster and contributing effects, lighting, soundtrack ect.

This movie brings things back to the origins of why Godzilla movies were made, but making it even more personal. Our main character is a kamikaze pilot who did not want to die for supposed honor and avoids it. His fear for his own life interferes with his ability to fight against Godzilla in their initial encounter early in the film. He blames himself for the deaths of all the mechanics, although we know his plane's machine gun probably wouldn't need much of a difference. Guilt continues to follow him, as he is given the photographs of the families of all the victims by the only other survivor. Then he returns home to a war-torn town where he is made a scapegoat for the deaths of the civilians there. I would imagine this was a feeling many soldiers can attest to. 

As the plot progresses, our protagonist (Koichi), slowly begins to connect with others. He creates a family of sorts with a woman from the village and a baby they adopt. Though they become a family unit, Koichi refuses to fully commit to the idea and fully accept his role as a potential father and husband. In one tearful scene, he bluntly tells the young girl to stop referring to him as her father. Koichi doesn't seem to think he deserves to be happy or really to have a life at all. Godzilla acts here as a physical representation of the man's guilt and inability to move on from the trauma of the war. Godzilla is really more of a ghost or presence throughout much of the movie, basically haunting our hero. Even when he takes on a job to support his new family, it is a dangerous one, removing mines from the surrounding ocean. Once again, the remnants of the war haunt the man and the country. As if this isn't enough, our filmmakers continue to torture Koichi as Godzilla makes himself more present to the Japanese countryside, causing the devastation we expect. 

This certainly isn't the only movie to focus more on the suffering caused by the giant monster on a more personal level. I do think it is one of the ones that does it best. The characters in the film are all very believable and sympathetic. There are moments of humor, particularly from the former sailors who work with Koichi to destroy the old surrounding mines. They all have distinct personalities, but none of them misses the war. In fact, they all seem to be dealing with it in different ways. 

I do like how the sailors all band together as a rag-tag group of underdogs, taking on Godzilla directly without the aid of Russia or the United States. I think this was purporting the idea that Japan has to face its own demons and move past the aftereffects of war by itself. Koichi's personal struggles are mimicked by the people around him, so the message is pretty clear here. Not that this means that the struggle will be easy, but there is an undercurrent of hope despite the fairly bleak tone for most of the movie.

You may have noticed that I haven't mentioned Godzilla much yet. You may think that would be a problem in a Godzilla movie. Sometimes that is the case, but not really for me here. I suspect some take issue with it, but the human story is just so strong and emotionally palpable I really didn't notice much. When, Godzilla is on screen, he is used very effectively.  My favorite moments include his first appearance, where he hasn't been mutated by radiation but looks much more like a T-Rex esque dinosaur, his chasing our protagonists in their little excavation boat, and his heat ray causing explosions that look pretty similar to the destruction of a certain type of atomic weapon. 

I will say that in terms of design, Godzilla looks pretty standard compared to the slightly eldritch-looking being of Shin Godzilla. He looks good though and harkens back to the classic villainous presence of some of his films. It's Godzilla in classic fashion.

My only potential negatives in the movie might be in the direction it takes towards the end. With the tone of the film seeming pretty bleak and grounded (all things considered), I was expecting it to go a different direction than it did. Let's just say it has a much more happy ending than it seemed to be building up to...and then makes it even more uplifting. It bordered a little on the schmaltzy side, but I didn't mind too much as it felt like our heroes deserved a bit of a win. That being said, Koichi's final battle with Godzilla makes him one of the most awesome in Godzilla film history, even if I would have preferred a slightly more bittersweet resolution. 

Overall, I would honestly say that Godzilla Minus One is both very true to the idea of Godzilla (well one half of the series anyway) and also delving deeper in this regard than any previous film has. It is the most human Godzilla film and also one of the best. I still think I like Shin Godzilla a little more though, but that's a story for another time.

A

P.S. I didn't get the title towards the end of the movie. Even how they take Godzilla down is very unique. I have a strange desire for an Ice Godzilla action figure.