The Killing (Forbrydelsen) III - it's freaking awesome!

I just spent a delicious day watching the whole series of The Killing III. For those of you who are unaware, you have got to watch this brilliant creation.
Yes, it is Danish. Yes, it is subtitled. I think there is a general feeling that watching anything with subtitles is 'too hard' by the unenlightened. Obviously you have to concentrate. You can't half watch the thing whilst trying to cut your toe-nails. And once you get used to it, your brain seems to take over. Especially with a few hours of a TV series. It gets to the point where you don't realise you are reading at all, and you are left with the notion that you have somehow learnt to speak Danish.
As for the programme itself, it is as gritty as a B-road. The whole series follows a single murder investigation, but tied in with some high level politics as well. The main protagonist is the painfully dark detective Sarah Lund, played amazingly by Sofie Gråbøl. The police woman displays an almost Vulcan level of emotion, content to push people away rather that deal with any form of intimacy. Coupled with the demands of her job, this had left her estranged from her family.
It leads to one of those characters you love, even though she is damaged beyond repair. And of course, no one else looks quite as good in a chunky patterned jumper.
The serpentine plot twists and constant cliff-hangers leave you wanting more. Suspicion jumps from one player to the next until you don't have a clue where the end may be. It is, without a doubt, one of the best TV shows out there.
If you have never partaken, don't go for the weak American re-make. And if you are American, try and get hold of the Danish original. Start from series 1 (obviously) and witness the long decline of Sarah Lund for yourself, whilst revelling in Hitchcockian story lines and well-filled knitwear.
Go on. I dare you to watch something with subtitles.

The Hobbit - it looked odd to begin with...

I saw The Hobbit on Saturday. I was very excited, being a huge Tolkein fan, and I have have to say that I was not disappointed. I thought that the Lord of the Rings trilogy was superb, and they remain some of my favourite films to date.
I had seen a few of the reviews about the new technology. People were saying the 48fps thing took a lot of getting used to. Regardless, I went in to the 3D version with my hopes and expectations way up.
First of all, let me just talk about the film. I loved it. There has been a lot of criticism about Jackson turning such a short book into three long films. However, he has tweaked the story in just the right way to make it into a proper prequel to his three previous films. Content has been added from the appendices to Lord of the Rings, and from the Unfinished Tales, but I loved every last bit of it. I always thought that the Necromancer story arc in the books was underplayed. Now we get to see the comedy wizard Radagast (played by the incomparable Sylvester McCoy) investigate the dark goings on in Dol Guldar.
I even liked the meeting of the White Council in Rivendell while the company are there. It all leads to a brilliant foreshadowing of 'future' events which I intend to appreciate fully in 2014 when I (with a group of like minded friends) watch the entire 6 films in one go!
Now the technical bit. I have to say that the increased frame rate really threw me at the beginning  It really did look like I was watching badly produced TV at first. Startlingly so. But then you seem to get used to it. By halfway through I had forgotten that I was watching a film, and was fully engrossed. it is true that you see and notice so much more than usual. People blinking, for instance. I am not sure if I have ever noticed anyone blink in a film before (I must have done) but you can really see it here. And the action sequences are remarkable.
I did some research on it when I returned, and I include the links here. It is interesting to remember that a movie is one big optical illusion, fooling you brain into thinking it is seeing motion, and the passing of time. The experts say it is just a questions of getting used to the increased frame rate, and to be honest I think it is an excellent idea.
'The Hobbit' at 48fps: Frame Rates Explained

Not a lot of Knopff

It is high time I met up with this fellow again.

It's been over a year since I published Ossuary, the first Moses Knopff novella. I really enjoyed writing it - it was the first time I set myself a writing plan with a minimum number of words per chapter. The entire scope of the piece was planned out before I started, which was something I had never tried before.

Up until that I had always worked organically. However, the net outcome of that approach is about 100 000 words of unfinished stories and novels. As an experiment, the rough outline still left a lot of room for organic growth which is still very important to me.

I just needed that extra bit of structure to make it all happen.

The story continues in Columbarium. It's mainly mapped out, but I just can't seem to start it. It's the terror I always feel before diving into a writing project. I love to write, but something scares me about the process.

At least I love my characters. Moses and Jane start off this latest tale at loggerheads. We learn more about Jane's past, and be prepared for a strange psudo-scientific artifact with a supernatural bent.

Wish me luck, for I must descend again into that pool of words in which we all swim.