Help me decide on which ring to purchase.
$100 Rebate
Superman Earth One
This is DC's version of the Ultimate line from Marvel. It is a retelling of the Superman origin. Also, J. Michael Straczynski shows how Clark could have went out and done anything. I really enjoyed the part where he tries out for a pro football team and then goes to a research company and solves some giant chem formula. He really could do anything, yet he does not know what he wants in life. It is his parents who want him to be Superman.
I am hoping that they continue doing these, I would love to see where this Superman goes. I also heard they will do something similar with Batman and Wonder Woman. Pretty good idea. I only have one complaint about the book. It was basically the same as Superman: Birthright by Mark Waid. Hell, even the idea of Superman facing off against an alien invasion connected to him being his first battle was the same (although in Birthright, the invasion was created by Lex Luthor).
Preacher: Alamo
When I lived at State College Park, my roommate (Jackson) had all the Preacher trades and I read them in one night. It was mind-blowing. Over time I have picked up a volume here and there. I just needed the final volume and figured I might as well pick it up. I forgot how great it ends. After all the crazy shit that happens, who knew that every character would have a mostly happy ending.
Everyone always thinks that Green Lantern is my favorite superhero. Probably because of the ring I used to wear. Oddly enough, I never really read all that much GL. I wanted to read all this stuff when it was coming out, but just did not have enough money.
It ended up being a pretty good book. I am excited to continue reading the rest of this whole War of the Lanterns (or whatever it is called). I do think that Geoff Johns may have come into my room one night when I was sleeping and read my mind. Marty and I used to sit around at the Phyrst after those fun comic book club meetings and talk about ideas. I came up with an idea of a new GL. One that has the authority to use lethal force. We also thought maybe he should be some kind of special all-sector lantern (we also tossed around the idea of him having a different color ring). I even wrote down some notes about his first battle against someone like Darkseid or Mogul. I also wrote in the notes how he should fight Superman (this was way before they brought back Superboy Prime) and figured it should be an epic battle and in the end, my GL would use his ring to synthesize Kryptonite to defeat him. So, Geoff, if you are reading this, or reading my mind, I have a few more ideas for you.
This was the final two books from The Luna Brothers newest series. Earth was pretty weak, but then the fourth book was pretty awesome. I loved that in the end Dara became the hero yet she died without the sword. I also loved how Malia came out and announced herself to the world and tried to get them to worship her. The big reveal at the end was also pretty cool and at first I was going to be annoyed if Phaistos wanted to fight Dara, but him killing himself was a good ending. For some reason I enjoy the Luna Brothers work.
Justice
The final volume of this saga was a letdown. Or maybe I should reread the entire series to see if I like it. At least the art was great. I felt like the story became a little too odd. The whole wearing the Metal Men as armor was just weird.
Anyways, this was a good way to spend $100 of free money.
LFW A/W '11 Erdem
It has been difficult to choose my favourite shows of LFW, as always the talent has been immeasurable. There have been many highlights and I can say that I have been well and truly seduced by delicious colour palettes and the most exquisite prints. Leading nicely to Erdem. Every piece in this show is breathtakingly beautiful, so much so that I am just going to let the clothes speak for themselves. Enjoy...
All images via the wonderful Style.com
Easy No-Cook Tomato Sauce
- High level chefs and cooks are increasingly making the point that we’ve let making good tomato sauce become a lot more complicated than it has to be.
- Even in this age of high-tech electric kitchen gadgets, the humble (and, let me be sure to mention, inexpensive) food mill remains one of the greatest pieces of kitchen equipment you can own, especially if you like making sauces and soups.
The original plan for this week was to publish my Chianti Sauce recipe. However, since that sauce, like the traditional vodka sauce that inspired it, begins with a finished tomato sauce, it seemed appropriate to offer first the tomato sauce I used, and to continue next week with the recipe for converting it to Chianti Sauce.Should the mention of home-made tomato sauce conjure images of standing over a large pot of bubbling liquid with a wooden spoon for a couple of hours, you're in the right place. With great pleasure, I offer you this recipe for an Easy, No-Cook Tomato Sauce.
If you love watching cooking shows on television as much as I do, you may have noticed a couple of recent trends that (it seems to me, anyway) are related:
A food mill, for the unfamiliar, is something like a colander, except it has a manual crank device that forces food through the holes. It’s a delightfully low-tech piece of pureeing equipment that has one significant advantage over its cousin, the food processor: a food mill naturally filters out the solids after the liquid has been squeezed out. (You can also use it for tasks like ricing potatoes and forming spaetzle. Try doing either of those with a food processor.)This recipe makes about one quart of a tomato sauce I think you’ll find so delicious you won’t believe how easy it is to make.
After grating one medium carrot and chopping 2 stalks of celery, set aside 2 tablespoons of each for later use. Combine the remaining carrot and celery pieces with 1-1/2 tablespoons of chopped onion, 6 cloves of garlic, one 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, two 6-ounce cans of tomato paste, 2 teaspoons of dried basil, 1-1/2 tablespoons of sugar and and ½ teaspoon of chili powder in a non-metallic bowl and put through a food mill. (If your food mill has more than choice of orifice plate, use the plate with the widest holes.) Scrape the underside of the orifice plate into the milled mixture. Discard the remaining solids in the bowl of the food mill.Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the milled mixture and stir till combined. Add salt and pepper to taste, then the sauce rest for at least 30 minutes before using. When you add the sauce to your dish, garnish with some of the reserved celery and carrot mixture. (In the photo at the top, the sauce was used on hand-made pasta and topped with baked flounder.)
As always, if you prefer a cookbook style, notebook-ready version of this recipe (or any other Kissing the Cook recipe), ask and it shall be given!
Now that you have this easy, delicious tomato sauce, visit again next week for how to turn it into a very special Chianti sauce! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)
LFW A/W '11 - Christopher Kane
Ever wondered what inspires a designer? One of my favourite quotes ever is from Paul Smith, ''You can find inspiration in Everything''. And that is certainly the case with Christopher Kane's latest collection, which was apparently inspired by his plastic school pencil case and lollipops...to be known as 'the liquid collection'. Slithers of moulded plastic trickled across necklines, hems and pockets of a series of well cut black dresses. Dresses with plunging necklines and cut out panels. Crochet was also key, seen on neat little pencil skirts and slim fitting dresses, with yet more examples of the wonderful printed leather technique we saw in his S/S' 11 collection. Shimmering sequins gave an other worldly feel to the closing of the show, which was once again innovative and original from start to finish.
All images via the brilliant Style.com
Girlfriend of the Week
I have been enjoying the show Being Human on SyFy. I am sure someone will say how it is not nearly as good as the British version, but whatever. One of the things I enjoy: Meaghan Rath. She plays Sally, the ghost, and she is quite hot.
LFW A/W '11 Holly Fulton
Another season, another amazing collection from Holly Fulton and it was great to see a harder edge to her usual fun, pop style. Once again, her eye for colour and incredible talent for print were at their best here, seen across billowing silk maxis, sixties shifts and sweeping dresses.
Her signature Art Deco cityscape prints were punctured with mesmerising surrealist references - the lips sipping the Empire State Building through straws are great and showcase her great sense of humour.
These clean lines and bold, block colours were a great contrast to the intricate prints within the collection.
Studding, beading and bold jewels offered a harder, alternative look.
i loved this pearl t-shirt and the lip printed wide silk trousers - oozing both sophistcation and humour.
All images via Style.com
Justified
Do you watch Justified? You should. It is such a good show. Tonight's episode did not disappoint. First off, we get Dewey back, and his usual stupidity cracks me up. Second, did Boyd finally slip back into his old ways at the end of the episode?
Allow me to give you some of the highlights:
-Dewey pretending to be Raylan in order to rob some guys who stole some pills. As soon as it happened, I had to pause the episode in order to tell Lindsey of the idiotic things Dewey did last season. My favorite: getting his head slammed off the steering wheel...
-The crooked Bennett sheriff trying to hint to Raylan that he would be willing to help him move the Oxycontin. How long will it be before Raylan decides to see what those hillbillies are up to?
-Art figuring out about Raylan and Winonona. I loved how he hard he was laughing and saying how Raylan should sell tickets to the screw-ups in his life.
-I loved how Ava told Raylan how she can do whatever she wants. Raylan, stick with Winona, she is hotter and much less of redneck.
-Boyd dragging the idiot down the road. The look on his face was great. I am betting he will soon fall back into his criminal ways. Raylan is right to not trust Boyd's recent change.
-I am ready for a war between the Dixie Mafia and the Bennett boys. Naturally Boyd will somehow get involved, which will then drag Raylan into it. I am sure it will turn into a bloody mess, and it will be awesome.
Anyways, here is something for the ladies...
Allow me to give you some of the highlights:
-Dewey pretending to be Raylan in order to rob some guys who stole some pills. As soon as it happened, I had to pause the episode in order to tell Lindsey of the idiotic things Dewey did last season. My favorite: getting his head slammed off the steering wheel...
-The crooked Bennett sheriff trying to hint to Raylan that he would be willing to help him move the Oxycontin. How long will it be before Raylan decides to see what those hillbillies are up to?
-Art figuring out about Raylan and Winonona. I loved how he hard he was laughing and saying how Raylan should sell tickets to the screw-ups in his life.
-I loved how Ava told Raylan how she can do whatever she wants. Raylan, stick with Winona, she is hotter and much less of redneck.
-Boyd dragging the idiot down the road. The look on his face was great. I am betting he will soon fall back into his criminal ways. Raylan is right to not trust Boyd's recent change.
-I am ready for a war between the Dixie Mafia and the Bennett boys. Naturally Boyd will somehow get involved, which will then drag Raylan into it. I am sure it will turn into a bloody mess, and it will be awesome.
Anyways, here is something for the ladies...
LFW A/W '11 Jonathan Saunders
I find it difficult to pick favourites of anything, (colour, food, film, it all depends on my mood really) which can make small talk very difficult! Now, saying that, I think this show was my favourite of the week...well, definitely up there at the top! Saunders presented a sophisticated yet fun, classy yet contemporary collection. Baroque prints were strongest when teamed with clean, tailored shapes - all the more impressive for making head to toe prints look wearable. But it was the mouth watering colour combinations that did it for me. Flashes of turquoise prints across blood orange bases were a definite favourite.
loving this colour combo...
All images via Style.com
Blizzards
Apparently winter is not going down without a fight. After a few nice days and seeing most of the snow melt away (except up here on Mount Doom...it is funny that I call where I live Mount Doom, since in LOTR that mountain was a volcano...) Today it started snowing and it did not stop. We probably have at least six inches up here so far (in thirty minutes, my car was completely covered after getting home) and down in Altoona there was a good 2-4 inches.
It reminded me of the blizzard of '93. Gather 'round kids, time to hear Grandpa Josh tell ya all about the horrors of that blizzard.
My dad, pap, brother, and I went to the regional wrestling tournament over at Altoona. During the day the blizzard struck and the tournament decided to just get the entire thing over with in one straight shot, no breaks. As soon as it was over we left for Philipsburg.
The police were out on the highway getting ready to close the interstate. We were the last vehicle they let go. My dad had a four-wheel drive truck and we started out at a pretty steady pace. Pretty soon though, it was a solid white-out. We probably traveled between five and fifteen miles per hour. My dad stopped a couple times to pull smaller cars out of ditches.
It was not that the road was just bad, you just could not see anything, so knowing if you were actually on the road was quite a problem. It took us nearly four hours to get home (it normally takes about 40-45 minutes). Once home, because of the hill we lived on, my dad could not get the truck up the driveway. We had to walk up the very steep hill to the house. There was one small problem, the wind caused the snow to drift, which caused the bottom of the hill to have a snow over four feet high. My dad had to carry my brother on his back up the hill.
Back then I thought it was so ridiculous that we came home. Many of our family members had hotel rooms, but my dad and pap did not want to stay. Now though, I think of it as an adventure and one that I am glad to have been involved.
As I drove home tonight I kept thinking about that drive home and how my dad had to concentrate and use every bit of his driving skill to make it home. I remembered how many times he would have to stop to clear off his windshield wipers (the snow was coming down at such a rate that even if they were moving, they could not clear it away fast enough...crazy).
Is there a point to this? Nah, just reminiscing about the past.
It reminded me of the blizzard of '93. Gather 'round kids, time to hear Grandpa Josh tell ya all about the horrors of that blizzard.
My dad, pap, brother, and I went to the regional wrestling tournament over at Altoona. During the day the blizzard struck and the tournament decided to just get the entire thing over with in one straight shot, no breaks. As soon as it was over we left for Philipsburg.
The police were out on the highway getting ready to close the interstate. We were the last vehicle they let go. My dad had a four-wheel drive truck and we started out at a pretty steady pace. Pretty soon though, it was a solid white-out. We probably traveled between five and fifteen miles per hour. My dad stopped a couple times to pull smaller cars out of ditches.
It was not that the road was just bad, you just could not see anything, so knowing if you were actually on the road was quite a problem. It took us nearly four hours to get home (it normally takes about 40-45 minutes). Once home, because of the hill we lived on, my dad could not get the truck up the driveway. We had to walk up the very steep hill to the house. There was one small problem, the wind caused the snow to drift, which caused the bottom of the hill to have a snow over four feet high. My dad had to carry my brother on his back up the hill.
Back then I thought it was so ridiculous that we came home. Many of our family members had hotel rooms, but my dad and pap did not want to stay. Now though, I think of it as an adventure and one that I am glad to have been involved.
As I drove home tonight I kept thinking about that drive home and how my dad had to concentrate and use every bit of his driving skill to make it home. I remembered how many times he would have to stop to clear off his windshield wipers (the snow was coming down at such a rate that even if they were moving, they could not clear it away fast enough...crazy).
Is there a point to this? Nah, just reminiscing about the past.
LFW A/W 11 - Topshop Unique
With the Disney song 'Cruella De Vil' floating on the air waves, it was only natural that the first thing you spotted at the Topshop Unique show was...well, spots! The canine theme was carried throughout, with models sporting puppy ear hair do's and black button noses. Dalmatian spots were big and bold on white fur as well as small and delicate on jackets and accessories, with knitted doggy motifs sure to become commercial best sellers.
But there was a lot more to this show than pooches! Thirties Americana was expressed through elegant silhouettes, faux fur stoles and printed silks conjuring an air of Hollywood glamour, all with a Topshop twist of course! Silky sailor suits, gangster pin stripes and the continuing trend for the midi length skirt completed a desirable and very wearable collection.
I loved the Art Deco style devore prints, a great homage to the New York skyline, with Miami also receiving a shout out through a canary yellow printed dress. Accessories included printed cuffed gloves, boxy bags and t-bar shoes with block heels, which promise a season of comfortable feet ahead! Once again I am already planning my September purchases before Summer has even started!
This devore dress of the New York cityscape is firmly on my must have list!
Going to Miami? Then this dress is a must have! **Also suitable for other locations.
Check out the show video here, if only to catch a glimpse of the back of this gorgeous velvet dress!
All images via the fabulous Style.com
The Heroes
I finished the newest Joe Abercrombie novel in three days (interesting is that the majority of the book takes place over a three day period). It was absolutely fantastic. Abercrombie definitely keeps getting better as a writer. Instead of everything being dark and depressing at the end, there were at least a few bright spots at the end of the day. The story takes place up north as the Union fight against Black Dow and the rest of the North.
The book focuses on characters from both sides and mainly how they are not really heroes. During the main battle, Abercrombie does something I really enjoyed. He takes the POV of a character from one side of the battle, and then as he is killed, he switches to the POV of the person doing the killing, and then when that person gets killed, he switches to that killer. He did this before (at least I think so), but he did it for a much longer section this time. Anyways, like the last two movies, I will be doing a casting call for my own movie version. There will probably be spoilers from here on out.
Curnden Craw
He is a Named Man on Black Dow's side. He is considered a straight-edge, a guy who always does the right thing. The funny thing is, once he retires, his second (Wonderful) decides that doing the right thing generally means not getting paid. It is funny how they all fight for him, yet they were sick and tired of doing things his way. Unfortunately, retirement does not stick and when Hardbread asks him to join Scale's side, he gives up carpentry and picks his sword back up.
I picture him as Robert Duvall. He is older, constantly bitching about wanting to retire, but also he keeps saying things about how you have to do the right thing and stand by your chief. Duvall just looks like he could pick up a sword and be a bad-ass, but always would keep his warped sense of honor.
Prince Calder
The youngest son of Bethod, the former King of the North. He believes that peace is the North's best shot. He is a known coward and everyone makes fun of him. After his brother (Scale) is apparently killed, he must lead his men in the battle. He does so and earns their respect, but not before mentioning to Craw that they need to kill Black Dow. Because of Craw believing in doing the right thing, he tells Dow everything. Black Dow wants to kill Calder. Calder cleverly challenges Black Dow to fight in the circle.
I actually saw this going one of three ways: Calder somehow finds a berserker rage (much like the Bloody-Nine) and kills Dow. Black Dow savagely kills Calder and we learn the lesson that the little guy never rises up to beat the bad guy. Or my third option was that Logen would show up and offer to fight in the circle for Calder. I still do not believe Logen is dead, I am guessing he will show up in the next series. Anyways, Shivers steps up and helps Calder out, which was pretty much a shock. It also reaffirmed my choice for Shivers from the last time.
By the end of the book, Calder is the new King of the North, but then Bayaz tells him that he was the reason Calder is where he is. Bayaz also tells him that Scale is alive, which leaves Calder with a tough decision: kill his brother or let him be king. He chooses the second option, which was pretty cool. So who has the stones to play the smirking, smug bastard? How about Michael Fassbender? Just look at that smirk...plus he is a good actor. Do you remember how smug and cocky he was in 300?
Bremer dan Gorst
He is probably one of the greatest swordsmen in the world. No joking on that one. He pretty much takes on many of the Northmen on his own. Unfortunately after the last book, he disgraced himself and got sent to the North as an observer. He went back to his former training (running for miles in full armor, fencing for hours each morning...) and is now back at peak performance.
He battles Scale on the bridge and cuts him down. He beats the crap out of Glama Golden. He also kills Whirrun of Bligh. He scares half the Northmen just by strolling through the battlefield. He is just an absolute bad-ass. His letters to the king are quite funny. At the end, during negotiations, he almost attacks Shivers because he thinks he recognizes him (events from Best Served Cold). Again, this is why my previous choice for Shivers was perfect. As Gorst grabs him and asks if he was ever at Cardotti's, Shivers leans close and says "never heard of it."
The biggest problem with Gorst is that his voice is very high and that is why everyone makes fun of him. I figure Manu Bennett from Spartacus: Blood and Sand would be perfect. He pretty much has no neck and looks like he would scare the shit out of everyone. Just need to work on the voice.
Beck
Beck is one of the few happy stories in this book. He is just a young kid, he joins the Northmen trying to earn his name. He used to daydream about being a fearless warrior just like his father. During his first battle, he pisses his pants, hides in a cupboard, and then stabs one of his fellow soldiers. No one knows this though and he earns the name Red Beck because everyone thinks he killed four Union soldiers.
He later joins up with Craw's men and during one of the major battles he heeds Craw's advice: stand by your chief. When Gorst kills Whirrun and is about to kill Craw, Beck hits him in the back of the head with the flat end of his sword, knocking Gorst out.
After the battle, Beck refuses his payment from Wonderful because he does not feel it is right that they did not help Black Dow even though they stood for him. He leaves the group and goes back home to his mom and brothers. He is happy to finally be back on the farm and decides he never wants to be like his father. Who else could play this kid other than Aaron Johnson from Kick-Ass? He is a bigger kid, but he still looks young and naive enough.
Black Dow
This is the guy who used to fight alongside Logen and is considered an even more savage killer than him. He supposedly killed Logen, but I honestly do not believe it (as I already said). He ends up dead from Shivers, who tells him that he is no one's dog. I loved it. Again, this is why Alexander Skarsgard is perfect as shivers. But, who could play Black Dow?
There has only been one choice this entire time. From about page 44 on, I kept picturing Ian McShane and his awesomeness as Al Swearengen from Deadwood. It was the exchange with Stranger-Come-Knocking that did it for me. As Stranger goes on about the different men he killed, Black Down just keeps tossing out funny little comments. "I crushed a man's skull in my hand." Dow: "Messy." "I was pierced with many arrows during a battle." Dow: "You should get a shield."
And then at the end when he says he has given Calder every chance, he just reminded me so much of Swearengen. It is an absolutely perfect fit. He just might have to hit the gym before the filming.
Corporal Tunny
A Union soldier who has served for many years. He pretty much seems like the Union's version of Calder. He jokes about not actually doing any fighting and all he really wants is to make money in numerous ways. He seems to be a jerk to the new recruits.
When his one moment comes though and they attack a wall (which Calder set up as a decoy), he is the first over the wall and ready to fight. He also writes letters to the families of the men who died under his command, yet does not want anyone to see it. I am sure he will pop up again in the next series when the army heads to Styria (maybe he will end up joining sides with Cosca, they would be like best friends...or did Cosca die at the end of Best Served Cold, I cannot remember.)
I keep thinking of Dean Winters for the role. He was awesome as O'Reily on Oz and he is great in those Allstate commercials.
Whirrun of Bligh
He is pretty much crazy. He believes some witch who told him when he would die and apparently he does not think it will be the day that he actually dies. He carries a sword called The Father of Swords, and when he unsheathes it, the rule is that it must be blooded.
During the last battle, he shows up wearing no shirt because he does not believe he will die that day. Everyone is scared of him because he is such a nut-job (his nickname is Cracknut). He reminds me of Tig from Sons of Anarchy. Tig is a little nuts and pretty funny. Kim Coates would be perfect (especially if you ever saw Waterworld and his crazy character in that movie).
I loved how as he was dying, he gives his sword to Craw and tells him to bury it with him, that way it's curse can end with him. I also enjoyed how he says that he has never actually been to Bligh, but he must have received the name since most Northmen only know one place up in neck of the woods (I think he was from the Crinna, like Stranger).
Stranger-Come-Knocking
He is described as a giant, but with a somewhat soft voice. He is also obsessed with making the people of his land more civilized. He did not have a large role in the book, but when he shows up, he is great. I am guessing that he will have to be mostly CGI or something. Plus, whoever plays him will have to be able to have a great exchange with Black Dow and then become all soft when talking to Calder or Finree. How about Jared Padalecki? He is already a big dude, and in Supernatural, he goes from a nice, soft-voiced guy, to an all out bad-ass pretty quickly. Plus, he usually has some funny exchanges with Jensen Ackles.
Finree dan Brock
The wife of Colonel Brock, whose father was considered a traitor against King Jezal. She is also the daughter of Lord Marshall Kroy. She is ambitious and very knowledgeable about the military. She is captured by Stranger, but later turned over to Black Dow in order to discuss a peace agreement.
Gorst is in love with her and at the end of the book he makes a fool of himself by telling her how great of a warrior he is, which she pretty much tears him apart. She will pretty much do anything to get ahead in life. By the end, Bayaz has made her husband the Lord Governor of Angland (it borders the North), which is basically what she wanted. She has dark hair and is very hot. Hmm, so many women to choose from.
I like Sienna Miller. She is hot (she even looks hot with dark hair, which she will need for the role) and if you remember her in Stardust, she was a perfect manipulative bitch.
Aliz dan Brint
She is the wife of Brint (a character from the first series) and the only friend of Finree. She is very naive and a bit of a twit. I am guessing she is pretty hot though, since Jezel and Brint are friends, and she probably has been in the company of the queen. She is the blond one and her story does not end well. Whereas Finree gets to leave Stranger's company, she does not. I am guessing she got banged by a giant. Why even bother mentioning her? I wanted to post another picture of a girl, I ain't gay (not that there is anything wrong with that.) How about Hilary Duff? She is hot and young...
Wonderful
She is Craw's second and a pretty tough lady. I am guessing she must not be all that hot or she would have probably gotten raped awhile ago. I am guessing that since she has been with Craw for awhile now, she must be a littler older. I figured Linda Hamilton would be good. I could believe her holding up a sword and fighting against Northmen.
Although, I have seen some pictures of her where she looks older than Robert Duvall. Whatever, she was ripped in T2.
Obviously this is not all the characters. If you want my choices for other characters from previous books, go here and here. I also had another prediction during the book: the character Red-Hat, the second to the Dogman, was going to actually be either Logen or Major West (he must have been promoted to Lord Marshall at some point, since he got a passing mention). It appears that I was wrong though. Anyways, let me know what you think.
The book focuses on characters from both sides and mainly how they are not really heroes. During the main battle, Abercrombie does something I really enjoyed. He takes the POV of a character from one side of the battle, and then as he is killed, he switches to the POV of the person doing the killing, and then when that person gets killed, he switches to that killer. He did this before (at least I think so), but he did it for a much longer section this time. Anyways, like the last two movies, I will be doing a casting call for my own movie version. There will probably be spoilers from here on out.
He is a Named Man on Black Dow's side. He is considered a straight-edge, a guy who always does the right thing. The funny thing is, once he retires, his second (Wonderful) decides that doing the right thing generally means not getting paid. It is funny how they all fight for him, yet they were sick and tired of doing things his way. Unfortunately, retirement does not stick and when Hardbread asks him to join Scale's side, he gives up carpentry and picks his sword back up.
I picture him as Robert Duvall. He is older, constantly bitching about wanting to retire, but also he keeps saying things about how you have to do the right thing and stand by your chief. Duvall just looks like he could pick up a sword and be a bad-ass, but always would keep his warped sense of honor.
The youngest son of Bethod, the former King of the North. He believes that peace is the North's best shot. He is a known coward and everyone makes fun of him. After his brother (Scale) is apparently killed, he must lead his men in the battle. He does so and earns their respect, but not before mentioning to Craw that they need to kill Black Dow. Because of Craw believing in doing the right thing, he tells Dow everything. Black Dow wants to kill Calder. Calder cleverly challenges Black Dow to fight in the circle.
I actually saw this going one of three ways: Calder somehow finds a berserker rage (much like the Bloody-Nine) and kills Dow. Black Dow savagely kills Calder and we learn the lesson that the little guy never rises up to beat the bad guy. Or my third option was that Logen would show up and offer to fight in the circle for Calder. I still do not believe Logen is dead, I am guessing he will show up in the next series. Anyways, Shivers steps up and helps Calder out, which was pretty much a shock. It also reaffirmed my choice for Shivers from the last time.
By the end of the book, Calder is the new King of the North, but then Bayaz tells him that he was the reason Calder is where he is. Bayaz also tells him that Scale is alive, which leaves Calder with a tough decision: kill his brother or let him be king. He chooses the second option, which was pretty cool. So who has the stones to play the smirking, smug bastard? How about Michael Fassbender? Just look at that smirk...plus he is a good actor. Do you remember how smug and cocky he was in 300?
Bremer dan Gorst
He is probably one of the greatest swordsmen in the world. No joking on that one. He pretty much takes on many of the Northmen on his own. Unfortunately after the last book, he disgraced himself and got sent to the North as an observer. He went back to his former training (running for miles in full armor, fencing for hours each morning...) and is now back at peak performance.He battles Scale on the bridge and cuts him down. He beats the crap out of Glama Golden. He also kills Whirrun of Bligh. He scares half the Northmen just by strolling through the battlefield. He is just an absolute bad-ass. His letters to the king are quite funny. At the end, during negotiations, he almost attacks Shivers because he thinks he recognizes him (events from Best Served Cold). Again, this is why my previous choice for Shivers was perfect. As Gorst grabs him and asks if he was ever at Cardotti's, Shivers leans close and says "never heard of it."
The biggest problem with Gorst is that his voice is very high and that is why everyone makes fun of him. I figure Manu Bennett from Spartacus: Blood and Sand would be perfect. He pretty much has no neck and looks like he would scare the shit out of everyone. Just need to work on the voice.
Beck is one of the few happy stories in this book. He is just a young kid, he joins the Northmen trying to earn his name. He used to daydream about being a fearless warrior just like his father. During his first battle, he pisses his pants, hides in a cupboard, and then stabs one of his fellow soldiers. No one knows this though and he earns the name Red Beck because everyone thinks he killed four Union soldiers.
He later joins up with Craw's men and during one of the major battles he heeds Craw's advice: stand by your chief. When Gorst kills Whirrun and is about to kill Craw, Beck hits him in the back of the head with the flat end of his sword, knocking Gorst out.
After the battle, Beck refuses his payment from Wonderful because he does not feel it is right that they did not help Black Dow even though they stood for him. He leaves the group and goes back home to his mom and brothers. He is happy to finally be back on the farm and decides he never wants to be like his father. Who else could play this kid other than Aaron Johnson from Kick-Ass? He is a bigger kid, but he still looks young and naive enough.
Black Dow
There has only been one choice this entire time. From about page 44 on, I kept picturing Ian McShane and his awesomeness as Al Swearengen from Deadwood. It was the exchange with Stranger-Come-Knocking that did it for me. As Stranger goes on about the different men he killed, Black Down just keeps tossing out funny little comments. "I crushed a man's skull in my hand." Dow: "Messy." "I was pierced with many arrows during a battle." Dow: "You should get a shield."
And then at the end when he says he has given Calder every chance, he just reminded me so much of Swearengen. It is an absolutely perfect fit. He just might have to hit the gym before the filming.
A Union soldier who has served for many years. He pretty much seems like the Union's version of Calder. He jokes about not actually doing any fighting and all he really wants is to make money in numerous ways. He seems to be a jerk to the new recruits.
When his one moment comes though and they attack a wall (which Calder set up as a decoy), he is the first over the wall and ready to fight. He also writes letters to the families of the men who died under his command, yet does not want anyone to see it. I am sure he will pop up again in the next series when the army heads to Styria (maybe he will end up joining sides with Cosca, they would be like best friends...or did Cosca die at the end of Best Served Cold, I cannot remember.)
I keep thinking of Dean Winters for the role. He was awesome as O'Reily on Oz and he is great in those Allstate commercials.
Whirrun of Bligh
He is pretty much crazy. He believes some witch who told him when he would die and apparently he does not think it will be the day that he actually dies. He carries a sword called The Father of Swords, and when he unsheathes it, the rule is that it must be blooded.During the last battle, he shows up wearing no shirt because he does not believe he will die that day. Everyone is scared of him because he is such a nut-job (his nickname is Cracknut). He reminds me of Tig from Sons of Anarchy. Tig is a little nuts and pretty funny. Kim Coates would be perfect (especially if you ever saw Waterworld and his crazy character in that movie).
I loved how as he was dying, he gives his sword to Craw and tells him to bury it with him, that way it's curse can end with him. I also enjoyed how he says that he has never actually been to Bligh, but he must have received the name since most Northmen only know one place up in neck of the woods (I think he was from the Crinna, like Stranger).
He is described as a giant, but with a somewhat soft voice. He is also obsessed with making the people of his land more civilized. He did not have a large role in the book, but when he shows up, he is great. I am guessing that he will have to be mostly CGI or something. Plus, whoever plays him will have to be able to have a great exchange with Black Dow and then become all soft when talking to Calder or Finree. How about Jared Padalecki? He is already a big dude, and in Supernatural, he goes from a nice, soft-voiced guy, to an all out bad-ass pretty quickly. Plus, he usually has some funny exchanges with Jensen Ackles.
Finree dan Brock
Gorst is in love with her and at the end of the book he makes a fool of himself by telling her how great of a warrior he is, which she pretty much tears him apart. She will pretty much do anything to get ahead in life. By the end, Bayaz has made her husband the Lord Governor of Angland (it borders the North), which is basically what she wanted. She has dark hair and is very hot. Hmm, so many women to choose from.
I like Sienna Miller. She is hot (she even looks hot with dark hair, which she will need for the role) and if you remember her in Stardust, she was a perfect manipulative bitch.
Aliz dan Brint
She is the wife of Brint (a character from the first series) and the only friend of Finree. She is very naive and a bit of a twit. I am guessing she is pretty hot though, since Jezel and Brint are friends, and she probably has been in the company of the queen. She is the blond one and her story does not end well. Whereas Finree gets to leave Stranger's company, she does not. I am guessing she got banged by a giant. Why even bother mentioning her? I wanted to post another picture of a girl, I ain't gay (not that there is anything wrong with that.) How about Hilary Duff? She is hot and young...
Wonderful
Although, I have seen some pictures of her where she looks older than Robert Duvall. Whatever, she was ripped in T2.
Obviously this is not all the characters. If you want my choices for other characters from previous books, go here and here. I also had another prediction during the book: the character Red-Hat, the second to the Dogman, was going to actually be either Logen or Major West (he must have been promoted to Lord Marshall at some point, since he got a passing mention). It appears that I was wrong though. Anyways, let me know what you think.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)