Another Modern Moron Book Review

 

Rings of teeth that glistened at the edge of one’s vision, it was the worst kind of monster, the sort that crawled into you and ate you from the inside out. (Emily Carroll)

‘Through the Woods” features five short stories, all written and illustrated by Emily Carroll. I discovered this 2014 book in the young adult section at the Coddingtown library.

This book is a very fast read, and a New York Times best seller. Gothic overtones in her illustrations blend very well with her words.

Her dreams had teeth and clung to her even when she woke. (Carroll) I’m extremely fascinated by the written word, and Carroll seized my attention, and “Through the Woods” kept me entertained until I finished reading the entire book in one setting.

Bombastically bizarre, and even weird was Carroll’s stories and artwork, but it works wonderfully in “Through the Woods.”

“In Conclusion” was fittingly the last of the five very short tales in this book and the story was an intriguing and original take on the classic; “Little Red Riding Hood.”

There once was a young girl who lived on the edge of a deep dense forest…she hopped moonlit streams and took in the scent of pale night flowers. (Emily Carroll) She sucked me in with her poetic prowess, and her cool drawings. Three and a half stars for “Through the Woods.”

Mark Izzy Schurr  

Mind Journeys

 

Memories of tangible emotions find themselves behind my camera’s eye. The unseen forces dwelling in the periphery of human consciousness resides amidst the imagination.

Fear and dark distrust resides in the minds of too many. The mystic essence of ego has returned my heart and mind to the now. The labyrinth of lunacy and division among the masses is insane to me. I no longer want to belong.

Tranquility can smother the flames of fury and arouse wisdom. I just want to be free.

Mark Izzy Schurr    

Spacing Out, Another Modern Moron Book Review

 

Earth, its sun, the moon, and the eight planets are just a small part of the Milky Way, and our sun is just one star in the Milky Way.

The Milky Way is just one of approximately 100 billion galaxies as we all know from our reading.

There are approximately 70 sextillion stars in the entire universe. In figures that’s 70,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. If you want to remember this number, it’s a seven followed by 22 zeros.

The yellow dwarf, the medium sized star, our sun is younger and smaller than most of the sextillion stars. The surface of the sun is well over 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit and its core is much hotter. 

There are many fascinating space facts in this book, and naming all of them would be to re-write the entire book word for word, and from what I’ve read in the Arcturus Publishing Limited 2008 copy right, I am already in violation of their criminal codes act from what I’ve written and shown thus far, but I’m willing to take that chance in the blogosphere.

There are more then 80 constellations in the universe, and The Great Bear is my favorite one. Constellations are imaginary lines drawn between the stars and the sky.

A supernova is a vast explosion in which an entire star is destroyed and is a billion times brighter than the sun. The last supernova in our solar system happened in 1604.

This book, “Questions & Answers About Space,” is only 30 pages and a great bargain I acquired from the Dollar Store. The book was first published in 2008 by Arcturus Publishing Limited in London.

The book has details on all Earth’s planets, the sun and our moon while also talking about the first humans and animals to travel in space. Details about comets, asteroids and communication satellites are also covered in this book. Four and a half stars is my rating for 2008s book, “Questions & Answers About Space.”

"Gold Diggers of 1933" Reviewed by Me

"Gold Diggers of 1933" was an incipient brothel upon the big screen, complete with rewarding crime, fornication, and other delicious deceits thrust amidst our tangible souls. The above picture is one of the Busby Berkeley dancing chorus girls from this 1933 musical.  

The opening number, “We’re in the Money,” (above picture) sung by a chorus of luscious legged dancing girls, and Ginger Rogers as the lead singer was a great beginning to this 1933 classic. The awesome facial close-ups on the Berkeley babes, including Ginger Rogers singing "We're in the Money" in Pig Latin was truly a delight to watch, and I’m not really of fan of musicals, nor the type of music Berkeley directed, but “We’re in the Money” still captures the my senses.

Ginger Rogers in "We're in the Money."  

The acting and story-line also kept pace with the times. A large sum of money is needed immediately up front for the show to go on, and Ruby Keeler’s beau is this film, Dick Powell is secretive on how he fronted the producer $15,000 to get the show started. 

This 1933 flick has many signature elements from the 1930-1934 Pre-Code Hollywood era. Stealing without punishment, fornication, excessive drinking and scantily clad women in their under garments, leaving little to the lascivious imagination.

Joan Blondell, 1933

Ginger Rogers was a star for a reason, and she more then proved herself in “Gold Diggers of 1933.” Joan Blondell was just a funny as she was beautiful. I love the scene is which her and Rogers wear the same dress, and the other chorus girls compare how each of them looks wearing the same dress.

ROGERS

If Barney could see my clothes! 

OTHER WOMAN

He wouldn't recognize you. 

Dick Powell had too many singing numbers for my liking, but the DVD skip button is always there, and this movie is a solid four and a half star rating to me. I’ve watched this movie multiple times, and it seems to get better each time.

Whether or not you’re a Pre-Code Hollywood movie lover, a fan or non-fan of Busby Berkeley, or if you know nothing of Ginger Rogers or Joan Blondell, “Gold Diggers of 1933,” especially this high-quality print is a must have for vintage film buffs.

All the special features were unimpressive to me, but the movie was so good, it simply didn’t matter. 

Mark Izzy Schurr 

Sanity Shores

 The tombs of dead Laughter display the dominance of hate and unfriendlness. Natures nutrition, the seas of sanity flood my dreams and desires.                                               Mark Izzy Schurr

Weaved Into A Mystic Conjuring of Intrigue

 

Trek into fantasy and witness the uncharted depths of knowledge and all that is real and imagined in Jim Starlin’s, “The Silver Surfer, Rebirth of Thanos."

In “…Rebirth of Thanos,” Thanos, plans on killing 50 percent of all living beings in the entire universe. Chrome Dome must search the infinite vastness of the cosmos to thwart the lurid plot of Thanos and his insane bid to kill billions.

The cosmic enlightenment of laughter and death is blissfully displayed in Starlin’s, “…Rebirth of Thanos.”

Thanos is the epitome of evil, he killed his mother when he was 10-years-old, and when he was 18-years-old, he held a girl captive for weeks before he murdered her, and when her remains were discovered, they were too ghastly for any words or pictures.

“I seek a vile creature, he is a killer of worlds, seeking to paint the cosmos a blood scarlet,” the Silver Surfer said.

Thanos has powers, skills and knowledge beyond mortal reckoning and he allies with Mistress Death in his insane quest for ultimate power and to be the harbinger of death and despair.

The mystic conjuring of reality within the sacred documents of the Silver Surfer remained fascinating in this more than 200-page comic book.

The nexus of reality, the fulcrum of existence and the shared realm of chaos and disorder is where the Silver Surfer meets with Thanos. Dichotomies is this meeting place, a land where enemies cannot engage in any sort of combat, even in their greatest efforts to attempt it, hence Thanos and the Silver Surfer talk politics.

Thanos argues that life and death are on the same coin, and must coexist together, and mass murder is needed to keep humanity around.

The Silver Surfer thinks Thanos is an evil wack job with absolutely no empathy or positive passion, and thus the two know, they must one day fight each other to the death at some point in time.

This comic book left me wanting more. The story was far from completed, and for reasons unknown to myself, I still haven’t acquired the sequel, “The Infinity Gauntlet.”

The forbidding fantasies of Thanos really get going when one by one, he begins to acquire all six Soul Gems which are laden throughout the far corners of the galaxies. Each of the six gems harnesses the ultimate power of energy, time, immortality and three other tangible emotions.

The ability to reconstruct the streams of time itself would be the beckoning call to the owner of the Soul Gem of time.

“I am reality, I am infinite, I am the almighty. I have wrestled the reins of power from the hands of the supreme being, and yet becoming a god is a hollow victory,” Thanos said.

Inkers, John Beatty and Tom Christopher along with letterer Ken Bruzenak and colorist Tom Vincent had some funny and captivating detail in their illustrations.

I give this Silver Surfer issue a solid four-star rating. Starlin’s words really gripped my senses. Within schemes and dreams the well of infinity within its comic vortex possesses universal knowledge unimaginable with absolutely no barriers, and only then are all things possible. (Jim Starlin)  

Cool Country, A Modern Moron Music Review

 

Musician, Dwight Yoakam is the only person I know who can extrapolate the math of how 14 days in March can conclude in August.

“This song came to me when 14 days in March turned into the middle of August,” Dwight Yoakam said.

Yoakam humanized himself at the casinos ball room on Saturday night with his personal stories, and intriguing sense of humor.

I like old school country music fused with pleasant punches of 1970s rock ‘n’ roll tunes, so Saturday nights performance by Yoakam and the band was anything, but disappointing.

Extremely little room to dance at Graton Resort and Casino’s ball room, and that was more the OK for myself. Personally, I was seated in the second row from the main aisle, which many patrons used to sway on their feet, and at certain moments, I was persuaded off me seat.

The opening band, Willy D possessed a rock ‘n’ roll flare with a harmonious hard country sound, thus creating an ambiance of paradisiacal live music.  

“Guitars, Cadillacs,” was the only song I knew Yoakam performed and wrote, and the tune more then pleased. His quote unquote money song was not the concluding song last night, and the encore was too short.

 Leave the audience wanting more was Yoakam and the bands’ theme on Saturday night, and the only thing that disappointed me was not being allowed to bring in my Sony Cyber Shot camera. Then again, it was great to kick back and relax amidst the ecstasy of live music. Three and a half stars for Yoakam’s October show at Graton Resort & Casino.

Mark Izzy Schurr