By Any Other Nerd

So we're trekking along and are now into part 3 of a 10 part series that covers my favorite 101 films.  For those that missed the first two posts, here they are: Films 1-10 Films 11-20 So let's see the list! Dark Crystal (1982) I've always been a fan of fantasy and what can be done with it.  Couple with that a fascination with puppetry a la the Muppets and Fraggle Rock, and well, it's no wonder that Dark Crystal is part of the mixture.  It's one of two puppet films on this list and of the two, it is the one that is family friendly.  However, what I liked about the film was its darkness and complexity.  The film presents itself as pulled into a larger mythology and history that the viewer is only getting a glimmer of.  Coupled with that we have characters built from tragedy and horrific characters that are in fact, good (the witch, always weirded me out).  There's also elements of whimsy within the film such as the first time we learn th...

Title:  The Applicant Author:  Ambrose Bierce Summary The story begins with a boy tripping over something in the snow.  The narrator explains that in order to explain what that thing is, he has to explain the backdrop to the Aberush Home for Old Men, a house created by a philanthropist who left his wealth to the house's upkeep and left the town.  The running of this home was left to trustees and a superintendent but the level of care and cost did not compare to how it should have been run.  An old man approached the home on Christmas Eve asking for a place to stay.  The superintendent, Mr. Tilbody talks with the man and explains that the Board of Trustees found that allowing the man to be admitted would not be very good for the reputation of the Home.  Understanding that he won't be admitted, he leaves and it is his body that the boy trips over in the morning.  He is also, Aberush, the man who built the home.   Reflection Overall, ...

Title:  The Inhabitant of Carcosa Author:  Ambrose Bierce Summary A man comes to awareness in an ancient ruin.  He wanders it and determines that he is far from his city of Carcosa.  He encounters several people in this area but they do not actually see him.  They walk past and speak in alien tongues.  As he wanders, he finds a disheveled grave that he is able to clear and read.  It is his name that is on the tombstone and it's at this moment that he realizes that Carcosa is the ancient city and that he is long dead.   Reflection It's was a decent story.  I liked following the protagonist as he wandered the foreign city that so quickly came to be the city that he was from.    Short Story #165 out of 365 Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars) Date Read :  6/12/2014 Source :   The Complete Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce , compiled by Ernest Jerome Hopkins.  Bison Books, 1984.  The full works of Ambrose...

Title:  The Stranger Author:  Ambrose Bierce Summary A stranger approaches a group of people around a campfire, telling them that they are not the first to explore the region.  The man goes on to explain a tale of four men who crossed the Santa Catalina mountains to explore the area.  He explains that the explorers were being hunted by a group of Indians.  The Indians eventually trapped them in a cave with no means of escape.  The Indians wait them out and after several days, one of the group commits suicide.  The others believe that suicide is their only option and so say a prayer and kill themselves.  As he explains this someone around the campfire calls the speaker a coward because he is still alive to tell the tale while he let his friends died  However, another part of the group tells the leader that there are three horsemen from the direction that the strange has come.  The stranger leaves and it's explained this this man and...

Title:  The Eyes of the Panther Author:  Ambrose Bierce Summary A man finds himself dumbfounded when proposing to a woman who has clear affections for him and she refuses based upon her belief that she is insane.  When asked further about this, the woman explains.  Long ago when the woman was was in her mother's womb, her mother and father lived in cabin in a more rustic area with their first born.  The father was a typical woodsman and regularly went out into the wild to hunt for food.  One day, when he went to head out, his wife beseeches him to stay for she portends something horrible will happen.  The father assures her that he will be ok.  As night came, a panther appeared at the window scaring the mother.  She clung her infant to her chest as she waited in terror.  Eventually, the woodsman comes home to find his wife.  While the  panther  did not do any harm, the baby was accidentally smothered to death. ...

Another month of solid reading and writing about short stories.  I cleared another anthology but of course, picked up a new anthology while at a flea market.  I couldn't help it really.  It was a hardcover of American literature from the 1940s with some 60 stories, about 2/3 of which I haven't read.  It was in decent condition and two dollars. Clearly, it was a necessity! So I'm looking at all of my anthologies.  In order to clear them all out and assuming that I don't buy any more, there are about 550 stories to read.  This has me wondering if I should keep going with this project until I clear out all of my anthologies.  It's something I'm contemplating for now.  We'll see if by the end of the year if I am not sick of short stories.   No major updates this month because feeling like I've got this down to a routine and to day have completed over 150 stories, which I'm pretty happy about.   For those interested in my past monthly...

Title:  The Secret of Macarger's Gulch Author:  Ambrose Bierce Summary A hunter wandering through Macarger's Gulch, a gulch that is barely known even to the locals, finds an abandoned and disheveled cabin where he takes up resident for the night.  When he falls asleep, he dreams of a city and a couple, and though he has never been there or met these people, he knows them to be Edinburgh, Scotland, and the MacGregors.  He awakes from this dream still in the cabin but with an overwhelming fear that there is something lurking in the cabin with him.  He restarts his fire and continues to feel uncomfortable with the place.  Years later, he encounters someone who is familiar with the gulch, explains that no so long ago after the cabin fell apart, they found a dead woman there who was killed by a pic-ax and the husband was never heard from.  The friend also explains that Macarger was a misspelling of MacGregor.   Reflection Though some...

Title:  Haita the Shepherd  Author:   Ambrose Bierce Summary Haita is a good-hearted young shepherd who takes good care of his flock and keeps his faith to the god, Hastur.  After some time, he becomes disenchanted with Hastur because he has no sense or purpose and decides that he will find his own way.  Upon doing this, a beautiful maiden appears to him.  He briefly talks with her before she disappears.  This happens a few more times wherein he find some inner moment and she appears.  When he tries to ask her questions or get more from her, she disappears.  This frustrates Haita but her presence is entirely lovely.  One day while helping the old blind man who lives nearby he explains what has happened.  The old man knows this woman and explains that the maiden is happiness and she is every elusive, that "She cometh only when unsought, and will not be questioned."   Reflection I was surprised by this story.  W...

Title:  Editha Author:   William Dean Howells Summary Editha loves her fiance, George, though she admits she would have loved to have him prove her love to her by some accomplishment.  When George comes for a visit, announcing that war has been declared, Editha becomes excite at the prospect of it.  She pushes George into signing up, making claims that he needs to love his country as much as his future wife.  George's love for Edith leads him to accept this role though it's clear his instinct is to stay clear of the war.  He signs up to go off to war and event is elected captain of the soldiers leaving from his town.  Before he goes off to war, Editha gives him a note that he must read at a later date.  The note says that she cannot love him unless he loves his country just as much if not more.  She sends him off with this but tells him not to open it until later.  Soon news comes of the first battle that George is in and confirmat...

So as you all know by now, this is part two of an ongoing series of my favorite 101 films.  These next ten are just as random as the first in terms of topics, genres, etc.   Be sure to check out the first 10 on the list here . Beowulf (2007) I've talked about why I like this film before.  It both embraces and rejects the original poem of Beowulf but does so in a way that actually makes a good deal of sense (or can do it without actually refuting the poem itself).  It's a film that is deeply concerned with storytelling and capturing the story as opposed to capturing reality.  In doing so, it presents a reality that never becomes the myth.  That's what makes it so fascinating for me.  It tells us this very well could have been the story of Beowulf, but to tell someone's story (and someone other than Beowulf would have to tell his story) is to change the story and mayhaps, this is how that happened.  In truth, I didn't like the film when I firs...