The Joad Less Traveled (Reading: The Grapes of Wrath)

Here I am, untold years out of high school and finally getting around to reading The Grapes of Wrath. (Sorry for the pun in the title. I just couldn't resist.)

It's been high on my "to read" list for quite some time, but kept dropping to the perpetual back of the line like some Jean Claude Van Damme movie on my Netflix Queue everytime something new came along. And in case you think I'm a total jerk for comparing one of the Greatest Novels Ever Written to JCVD,  I should point out that my favorite book is East of Eden. (I don't know whether that absolves my sin or compounds it...)

I just started reading, so I don't have a lot of well-formed opinions on the novel yet -- other than as usual, Steinbeck does a wonderful job of evoking character through place. Few worlds are as vivid to me as Dust Bowl Oklahoma or Salinas, CA during the early 20th Century thanks to his masterful prose. I also appreciate the way Steinbeck warms up to a good story, and brings the reader in at the speed of a fierce summer afternoon and a down-home drawl. Which is to say -- he takes his time to unfold his tales. I think it's a style I have unconsciously emulated as I've explored my own worlds; though I'm aware it isn't a popular style these days. Slow beginnings are a tough inclination to fight. 

One of the other things that appeals to me about Grapes of Wrath is the promise of another great "Road Story." Some people love the hijinx of Capers. Others, the dark excitement of Thrillers. Or the War story. Me? I love being out on the Road.

It's a pretty basic conceit to take characters from their literal happy places and thrust them out into the wilderness, but it's one that resonates strongly with me. The mystery, danger, and opportunity that lurks upon the Dark Path Through the Wood promises untold excitement. The desolate road that snakes across the sun-baked desert strips the characters down to their core -- purifying them for the final test as surely as any sweat-lodge or baptism.

I moved around several times when I was growing up, and each move began with an equal measure of dread and excitement. Good-bye to old friends. What would the new place be like? Who would I meet? What would I see?

Summer vacations to the relatives always involved extended car trips as well. Plenty of time to gaze out the window and wonder "who lives in that house? what's the view like over that next mountain ridge? what's down that dark side-road we just drove past?"

It's a big topic, and one I'll explore more in other blogs, and probably even more so, in my fiction. In the meantime, though, here's a few Road Stories I've read and loved, and a few more I want to read. These are random samplings, and probably reveal some startling gaps in my literary education. Anyone have other suggestions?

Have Read:

The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien (the ultimate fantasy road trip, even though the quest genre doesn't quite grab me like it used to)

Gentlemen of the Road: A Tale of Adventure, by Michael Chabon (a perfect homage to the old road/buddy genre with wonderful illustrations by Gary Gianni)

Moby Dick, By Herman Melville (Another classic. though the roads are a little wetter!)

Bridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart (the first of the wonderful chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox)

Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler (haunting. it hit me in the gut.)

Have Yet to Read (some obvious ones here):


The Road, by Cormac McCarthy (is that too obvious?)

On the Road, by Jack Kerouac (even more obvious)

The Stand, by Stephen King (I have a feeling I'd love this one)

The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart, by Jesse Bullington.  (newly released and sounds like it's right up my alley)

Bonus! (one of my favorite Road Pics):

Duel, directed by Steven Spielberg (and written by Richard Matheson. I musta watched this movie a million times growing up)

Woefully incomplete lists on all counts, but the Road goes ever, ever on...

Can it really be 25 Years Since Tron??

Computerworld has a great interview with visual fx guru John Knoll, on the film "Tron" and its impact on the field of special effects (particularly CGI) over the last 25 years! Knoll is an ILM veteran, and also one of the original developers of Photoshop!

"Tron" was a very big influence for me, and even though the look of it might seem clunky or crude compared to todays virtual worlds, they all owe something to it.

I've been in visual effects for 10 years now, and I'm amazed how much its changed in just that time. The tools just keep getting better, but I can't wait for holographic/immersive-type interfaces. Imagine sculpting your 3D world with your hands?

Alas, those will probably toys be for our kids or grandkids to play with. Or maybe Ray Kurzweil is right and those days will come along sooner than we think... See, for instance, this handy gadget.

Harry the Fifth

Last night, my wife and I braved the crowds at the local AMC to catch the 12:01 am show of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." It's been awhile since we've done one of these midnight premieres, but even after the mixed reviews that the film has been getting, we were really looking forward to visiting Harry's world once again.

Note: I'm going to try and keep this relatively spoiler-free, but I assume most of you have read the fifth book by now.

What's the verdict?

I liked it. The filmmakers did a capable job of translating the book into a watchable 2 hour movie. I should point out that I wasn't real crazy about the book--it felt overlong and overwrought, and left me exhausted after I finished it. I hate to put it quite this way, as I love the world that Rowling has created, but the fifth book was something to be endured, I felt.

The film strips the events of "Order of the Phoenix" to the bare essentials, which is understandable considering the book's hefty 870 page count. In a nutshell, Voldemort's returned, the Ministry of Magic refuses to admit it, and their head-in-the-sand edicts make life very difficult for poor Harry and his friends at Hogwarts. VERY difficult.

What follows, in true Potter fashion, is the story of how the students at Hogwarts (the ones we really care about anyway) finally shed their childhood and take responsibility for their world. Abandoned by Dumbledore and the adult powers-that-be, Harry and his friends must take matters into their own hands in a world growing darker with evil and ignorance.

Indeed, this is a decidedly darker film, even more so than the much-praised "Prisoner of Azkaban." In places, it is so unremittingly grim in fact, I found myself squirming in my seat. Aside from one scene of defiant, joyous rebellion against the facist new headmaster of Hogwarts, there's little of the magical wonderment that has become such a hallmark of past Potter films. There's very little levity at all, and the film certainly could have used more of it.

For fans of the book, expect many of the complex subplots and side-matters to be mostly stripped from the film. I'm of the opinion that their absence makes this a stronger movie by keeping the focus on how Harry and his friends grow up. Michael Goldenberg's script is spare but effective, leading us through their transformation into adults.

In fact, some of the events of the film differ a little from those of the book. Again, this is mostly a good thing. I won't go into too much detail, but I will say that the final showdown in the Dept. of Mysteries is a lot clearer in the film. Indeed, the BIG SPOILER from those scenes is presented in a way that makes much more sense than merely falling through a curtain...

As always, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint are charming as Harry, Hermione, and Ron. All of the regulars are in this movie, from students to teachers--even though with a shortened running time, you never get to spend as much time as you'd like with your favorites. It is amazing to consider the sheer number of top-caliber British actors who are in this film, even if they utter few to no lines!

Newcomer (to the franchise) Imelda Staunton plays a pinkly sinister Umbrage, who as a misguided authority from the Ministry of Magic makes a more effective villain in this film than He-who-must-not-be-named himself! I also must give props to Evanna Lynch, who played a sweetly loopy Luna Lovegood. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her character in the future. Helena Bonham Carter was great as mad Bellatrix LeStrange, but her part was much abbreviated in the film as compared to the book.

The visual effects of "Order" are up to par with previous films, in fact it looks like some of the same models and set extensions were used, particularly in the case of Hogwarts school. All in all, the effects were quite good. There wasn't, however, anything groundbreaking in this film like what we've seen in past outings. (The hippogriff in "Azkaban", Dobby the House Elf). The dementors have a slightly new design but I think I prefer the old one. (Perhaps I'll do a fuller write-up on the fx in a future blog.)

If you're a fan of the Harry Potter movies and books, you're going to see this one regardless. But I think in general, it's a worthy continuation of the saga, even if it isn't always the most enjoyable.