tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33409496.post4895081103099296448..comments2008-08-04T16:07:45.247+09:00Comments on My So-Called Japanese Life: The Long and the Short of ItUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33409496.post-68991716992407061692007-05-03T07:58:00.000+09:002007-05-03T07:58:00.000+09:00Hi,I think one of the reasons movies may be shorte...Hi,<BR/><BR/>I think one of the reasons movies may be shorter now, is the expense of the film itself.<BR/>I high number of showings per day means that more people can be accomodated initially and more revenue can be generated per day per screen. A 3 hour movie can only be shown 3 times in a day, but a 2 hour movie can be shown 4 and a 1.5 hour movie 5 times.<BR/><BR/>I agree about Harry Potter books. She seems to suffer from the Tom Clancy syndrome. Serious editing would do her a world of good.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33409496.post-87036199738059340462007-05-03T00:34:00.000+09:002007-05-03T00:34:00.000+09:00You know, I never really noticed the similarities ...You know, I never really noticed the similarities between B5 and the Amber series before, and I loved both of them. I think the reason I didn't is because it is not as common for an SF series to emulate a Fantasy one.<BR/><BR/>I think you are right, the core ideas of both are the same. You have many people with hidden agendas working under the manipulation of strongly opposing forces. In many cases, the characters are even unaware that they are being manipulated (Corwin being maneuvered by his father, for example.)<BR/><BR/>Hmm. Maybe I should try to watch B5 again. It gives me a whole new point of view towards the series.Sharonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12421583848198433306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33409496.post-53225499416433227352007-05-02T22:02:00.000+09:002007-05-02T22:02:00.000+09:00Lords of order (Amber - the Pattern) warring for d...Lords of order (Amber - the Pattern) warring for dominance with lords of chaos (the Courts - the Logrus) and manipulating those who dwell within their sphere of influence to tip the balance toward their view.<BR/><BR/>In JMS's world, this was the Vorlons vs. the Shadows. It's a pretty clear parallel path of the core stories of both (or a rip-off depending on whether or not JMS was actually influenced by the Amber series - which seems pretty likely given the time-line of the books).<BR/><BR/>I never saw LOTR as a big influence on B5 because the cores of the stories were completely different. Tolkien's story was based on World War I, the waste and inevitability of war and the change in the world as a result of mechanization and war (despite his denials, it couldn't be clearer) and the ideas of friendship, loyalty and devotion despite hardship. There may be a few small, detail-oriented influences but that's peripheral. The cores are very different when you compare LOTR and B4.<BR/><BR/>If you compare the character's interactions, you end up seeing a lot more in common between Amber and B5 as well. B5 is full of ambiguities, betrayed loyalties and flawed characters. LOTR is full of idealized positive characterizations. <BR/><BR/>In Amber, people were constantly stabbing each other in the back,lying, hiding things and manipulating each other. B5 was chock full of that sort of cynical interaction.Sharihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17419851636570519145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33409496.post-21847350561631892007-05-02T21:07:00.000+09:002007-05-02T21:07:00.000+09:00What core concept of Amber did Straczynski take? I...What core concept of <EM>Amber</EM> did Straczynski take? I see far more direct borrowing from the <EM>Lord of the Rings</EM> stories--Sheridan being often like Gandalf, sometimes like Frodo. Hell, <EM>Zha'Ha'Dum</EM> was practically stolen outright from the Bridge at <EM>Khazad-Dum</EM>, and JMS even quoted Tolkien via the Techno Mages.<BR/><BR/>I still love the <EM>Amber</EM> series of course, especially the first quintilogy (?). The second half had good ideas, but seemed to peter out all too badly.Luishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08027590154507641968noreply@blogger.com