The Fantastic in the Fine Arts: Porcelain Unicorn

Back in 2010, Philips sponsored a contest for consumers to create short films, all with the same six lines of dialogue.  The winning film, directed by Keegan Wilcox, was entitled "Porcelain Unicorn," and manages to convey beauty, terror, heartbreak, and redemption in just three minutes.  Take a look:

Philips has posted the other entries on YouTube as well, and it's fascinating how others have used scifi/fantasy elements, even apart from the inclusion of the unicorn as one of the main lines of dialogue.

Once Upon a Time: How they [almost] lived happily ever after

On Sunday, we saw the end of the first season of Once Upon a Time.  While watching the program the week before, my husband asked me, “Where can this show go next season?”  Even though I had not seen the last episode yet, I was already spinning scenarios in my head as to where the writers would go with the storyline in the next fall.  The finale on Sunday attempted to weave together all the major storylines, collapsing the fairytale with the real world by shifting between scenes from each in quick succession, even including a dragon fight.  While resolving some questions, the episode gave me pause as I wonder in earnest, nay fear, as to where the writers of this show will go next season.  The writers could after all “jump the [dragon].”

Spoiler Alert: If you have not seen the last episode, avert your eyes.

Midweek Fiction, Genevieve Valentine, "Study, for Solo Piano"

I recently read Genevieve Valentine's acclaimed and award-winning debut novel, Mechanique. It was easy to see what all the fuss was about - it's a smart, haunting, wonderful book. For those of you wondering if it is your sort of thing, here is a story also set in the world of the Circus Tresaulti.

Breath of Life

Snow White is not really my thing. I think this is because my first encounter with it was the Disney movie, and I find Snow White's singing voice quite unpleasant. Even the retellings (with the exception of Neil Gaiman's brilliant "Snow, Glass, Apples,") for the most part leave me cold.


So I had no intention of seeing "Snow White and the Huntsman" when it comes out this summer. But I do love Florence + the Machine, and the video for the song "Breath of Life" from the "Snow White and the Huntsman" soundtrack has changed my mind.

Tuesday Trailers: The Dark Knight Rises

Sure to be one of the most highly anticipated movies of the summer, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises comes out on July 20.  I find the trailer fascinating, both because of the story that it tells, as well as how similar it feels to some of Nolan's other work, particularly Inception.

I also really love the tag line for the movie: "The legend ends."  If you didn't already think the trailer was about the darkest thing ever, that should do it, I think.

Take a look for yourself:

Rereading Bartimaeus, Part III: Ptolemy’s Gate

In The Amulet of Samarkand, Jonathan Stroud introduced us to Nathaniel, a precocious and ambitious magician. Nathaniel differs from other magicians in that he has some conscience and consideration for other people, but at the end of the book, he is well on the way to suppressing these positive attributes in his quest for advancement. In The Golem’s Eye, Stroud spends more time following the activities of Kitty Jones, a young woman who enjoys a natural resistance to magic and belongs to a group of similar individuals, dedicated to overthrowing the yoke of the magicians. Nathaniel appears in this book, too, and although he still has a modicum of compassion, it seems to be fading.

The finale of the Bartimaeus Trilogy, Ptolemy’s Gate (2006), draws together both narratives, spending almost equal time on Kitty and Nathaniel. As the story opens, Nathaniel has accomplished some of his goals: to be a powerful and important magician, serving on the Prime Minister’s Council. Bartimaeus, his most long-serving djinni, continues to see glimmers of good in him, but suggests that he needs to conceal them to get ahead in the magicians’ world. [this review contains spoilers]

The Oregon Trail for the 21st Century

Many people have fond memories of the 1974 computer game Oregon Trail, originally produced by the Minnesota Education Computing Consortium (MECC).  Who didn't enjoy the thrill of the hunt, or the despair of seeing party members die of dysentery?  In spite of its simple graphics, the game has had lasting appeal, and is now in its 5th edition, in addition to having a version made for the Wii.

But what about a game about surviving a long, difficult, life-threatening journey in the 21st century?

Well, the people at The Men Who Wear Many Hats have made just such a game.