Welcome to Zamonia

There isn't a lot you can do on a cold and wet Sunday afternoon except read the latest Facebook gossip (check), do dishes (check), watch a movie (check), blog (almost check) or read a book. I personally love curling up on the couch on a rainy day with a cup of cocoa and an exciting book full of fantastical tales and unique characters that take you to the outer limits of your imagination. No, I'm not talking about His Dark Materials, The Chronicles of Narnia or even the latest addition to the Inheritance Cycle but of the astounding creative talents of Walter Moers.

Moers is a German writer and illustrator who already has quite a reputation in his homeland for his not only fantastical but utterly compelling novels in which he combines ingenious drawings with eloquently told tales. He started his career drawing comics with an ironic and politically incorrect world view, an example is the now infamous Adolf, die Nazisau (watch the video, you won't regret it). His characters especially, are responsible for his success. Never before were such uniquely colorful and oddly lovable creatures created, examples are Captain Blue Bear (a blue bear (duh) and professional liar escaping from the world's largest ship) Little Asshole (a nasty but nice boy who always outsmarts the adults), The Old Curmudgeon (an old, sarcastic and very funny dying fella) and Optimus Yarnspinner (dragon, dinosaur, who knows)

My personal favorite is The City of Dreaming Books which is basically a dazzling ode to literature. It is the fourth part of the Zamonia series, a fictional land that Moers has created and where most of his characters reside. He shows the wacky yet influential nature of books as they can not only entertain and move but also kill you... Moers is not only able to create immensely entertaining and engrossing worlds but also characters and stories accompanied by exactly the right amount of illustrations and inside jokes like his beloved anagrams (Aliesha Wimperslake = William Shakespeare). Children will love his novels but my guess is that it'll be the adults who will truly cherish them.

The City of Dreaming Books, a whimsical roller coaster ride of a novel that combines adventure, horror, romance, larger than life characters with Moers' love for literature making it the perfect Sunday afternoon delight.

Damn you little pig!

I went to the hospital this morning to get my stitches removed and have the doctor take a look at a nasty case of gingivitis. My stitches had to, supposedly, dissolve by them selves but didn't and caused an incredibly painful and disgusting infection. Needless to say I'll spare you the details but I'm just gonna add that I almost made myself faint. Try it, it ain't easy.

Furthermore, I have to confess that I've got a new addiction. It's not exactly new but it's been getting out of hand lately ever since my significant other did something to the computer (I have to admit I'm a real girl when it comes to computers) to make it bigger, better and able to induce a compulsive habit. It's unbelievably embarrassing but I'm hooked on a very simple and stupid (significant other's words, not mine) game called Goldminer. You basically have to aim and catch as many gold nuggets as you can in 60 seconds. When you're a few levels ahead they let loose these incredibly cute and infuriating pigglets who get in the way and screw everything up, bless 'em. And as you can see, I'm not the only one who desperately needs some rehab.

I have my reasons

A while back a reader (Oh Happy Day!) asked me why I always write about out of date books, movies and what not. Every topic that ends up on The City is something dear to my heart and something that I personally believe deserves more recognition or a reminder that it's still out there waiting to be discovered by a fresh audience.

Newly released books and movies already get enough coverage and blogs that review them are a dime a dozen. That's why I think it is more interesting to dig up the dirt on some forgotten gems rather than spilling my guts about why I hate the latest Will Smith movie or Ian McEwan novel, both are true.

The bigger the glasses, the better the movie

From the moment I saw Happiness, I was hooked. For me, this pitch black (dare I say) comedy is the highpoint of the indie genre and has everything a truly great movie should have: excellent performances, compelling characters, quirky story, wry humor, controversy and above all humanity. The movie presents us with a dozen characters who have interlocked lives ranging from utterly shocking to incredibly endearing and it is also constantly walking the fine line between satire and brutal honesty. Happiness isn't afraid to delve into our collective subconsciousness and portray not only the disturbing but delightful traits that make us human and it does so without shame or sugarcoating. This masterpiece was created by a highly underappreciated genius, namely Todd Solondz.

Solondz's movies are all very cynical and despite the depressing stories they sometimes (actually always) tell, he is in fact a self-confessed optimist who is just trying to show that we're a flawed, lonely and dysfunctional race and there is nothing to be ashamed of 'cause we're not alone.

His first feature film was 1995's Welcome to the Dollhouse which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It tells the tale of Dawn, a bespectacled 13-year-old girl who is not only being bullied by her peers but also neglected by her parents. You're probably thinking garden variety adolescent abuse issues but where Dollhouse excelled was in making the characters so humane and easy to relate to that you even started to feel compassion for the nastiest of them because at some level their actions simply made sense. Solondz has a way of making us confront not only ourselves but our demons, for better or worse.

In 1998 Happiness followed and is still one of the most honest, touching and thought-provoking satires of middle class suburbia out there. This movie turned Solondz into a respected filmmaker, aided by the International Critics Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2001 Storytelling premiered at Cannes. This movie has an ingenious plot stucture: Fiction / Non-Fiction and develops the same story in various ways. Storytelling had its fair share of controversy as the film includes a rather graphic and if you're a catholic sinful sex scene between a white woman and a black man, a scene Solondz refused to cut. Being a firm believer that all censorship is bad, Solondz was able to include the scene. Still, a bright red box was placed over the actors, you can't have it all once you enter Hollywood apparently.

His last film was 2004's Palindromes which was entirely self-financed as he wasn't able to find backers for his oddly moving tale of statutory rape, abortion and child molestation.

As we speak, Solondz is in the middle of the production of Life During Wartime which is supposed to be "A dark comedy of sexual obsession" starring Emma Thompson and Demi Moore. Knowing Solondz, it'll definitely be dark.

McSweeney's madness

I am pleased to inform you that I just decided to start collecting McSweeney's Quarterly Concern. Alas, I am the proud owner of only one copy but more shall quickly follow. For all those who are now thinking McWhat? Let me explain.

McSweeney's Quarterly Concern is a literary journal that came to life in 1998 and is edited by Dave Eggers who decided to bundle a series of short stories of that he liked but were rejected by other magazines. Since their immanent success, McSweeney's has counted on not only the support but also contribution of famous and established authors like Joyce Carol Oates, Rick Moody, Michael Chabon and Roddy Doyle just to name a few. Now, the Quarterly concern, is one of the most popular and respected literary magazines out there and has made it its mission to seek out and promote new and underappreciated talent like Stephen Dixon, Amy Fusselman and J.T. Leroy. Due to their excelance, McSweeney's, has already won various literary (The O. Henry Award, National Book Critics Circle Award,...) but also design awards (AIGA 365 Illustration Award, Print Design Regional Award,...) due to their magnificent covers and gorgeous artwork.

Besides the magazine, McSweeney's also publishes books that they personally vouch for as these books not only represent their own talented inhouse writers but it is also their way of distributing their literary vision in a more mainstream manner. Examples are Dave Egger's What is the What and a personal favorite, Nick Hornby's The Complete Polysyllabic Spree which is composed entirely out of his columns from The Believer.

The Believer, also worth collecting in my opinion, is their monthly magazine that combines short stories, literary interviews and book reviews with the ever changing world of art, politics and music brought to you by Nick Hornby, Amy Sedaris, Michel Houellebecq,...

And last but not least they also have a quartely DVD magazine named Wholphin with short movies, documentaries and animation from the likes of Spike Jonze, Miranda July, David O. Russell and Steve Soderbergh.

Now if that hasn't tickled your fancy, I don't know what will. What I personally love about McSweeney's is how every issue is so intricately created that it ends up being this amazing combination of stories, illustration and what not. Each issue is a little work of art as the cover and the layout are so lusciously designed that you actually feel bad opening it in fear of making a crease or, god forbid, stain. They are full of gags and clever little stunts like my own issue (Issue 21 and highly recommended) where every story is followed by a letter to Ray Charles.
Each McSweeney's has it's own theme like the now already infamous Issue 13 which was edited by Chris Ware and is dedicated completely to comics with a few essays inbetween to lighten the load. A personal favorite of mine and possible my next purchase is Issue 17 that oddly enough resembles a bundle of mail yet in each bill, letter and even catalogue a potential literary masterpiece is concealed.

McSweeney's I am you latest devotee.

Sugar and spice

I was thrilled when Waitress was released last year as it combines two of my favorite things: pies and independent film. Waitress, staying true to indie's quirky comedy / drama / romance genre, is a deliciously sweet film about motherhood, friendship and second chances that despite all its savory goodness doesn't leave you in a diabetic coma.

Keri Russell (who became famous thanks to her lovely starring role in the hit series Felicity) plays Jenna, a small-town girl with big dreams and uncanny pie making abilities. She dreams of opening her own pie shop (who doesn't?) and leaving her horrible husband. She inadvertently winds up pregnant and just when she thought her fate was eternally sealed, she encounters just the right ingredient, being a neurotic gynecologist (played by Firefly's Nathan Fillion), who transforms her bleak yet sensationally sweet existence.

Despite the themes Waitress tackles: unwanted pregnancy, domestic violence,... it ultimately ends up being an incredibly warm and uplifting movie filled with glorious desserts like "I-don't-want-Earl's-baby" and "Falling-in-love" pie combined with phenomenal performances by the entire cast. I personally thought it was an ingenious and whimsical idea to use Jenna's creative treats to illustrate her state of mind which also incorporates a perfectly dosed portion of comic relief even at the most darkest moments.

This poignant and heartfelt tale was created by Adrienne Shelly, a talented director, writer and actress (she also plays Dawn in the movie) who is sadly no longer with us. Waitress was inspired by her own feelings when she unexpectedly became pregnant with her daughter Sophie, who also plays Jenna's daughter at the end. Shelly often said that this movie was her "love letter to Sophie".

Shelly (middle in picture) began her career as an actress in Hal Hartley's The Unbelievable Truth. Later she turned to writing and directing. Her films won numerous prizes at several independent film festivals. Shortly after Waitress was accepted at the 2007 Sundance Festival, she was murdered in her own apartment after catching a burglar. The burglar tried to make her death look like suicide but confessed in the end. To honor her memory, her husband founded the Adrienne Shelly Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports woman filmmakers.

Update

Four days have passed since the operation which went fine by the way, except for the fact that my wounds kept bleeding and I wouldn't stop throwing up but I'm OK now. My jaw still hurts a lot but that's to be expected and I also resemble a slightly bruised chipmunk but I can live with that.
As I predicted, I've been spending most of my days in front of the TV catching up on shows that I missed out on seeing as I don't have cable but luckily for me I can watch them all on DVD, a highly under-valued piece on technology if you ask me. I may still be a couple of seasons behind but now I know what all the fuss was about when it comes to Deadwood, Battlestar Gallactica, Desperate Housewives, Dead like me, Studio 60 and Californication.
I haven't spent much time in front of the computer or reading as a matter of fact. I think I started 6 novels the past few days only to tire of them after 30 pages or so. My lust for literature has been definitely dwindling these past few months but I'm sure it'll pick up again as soon as it gets colder. For some peculiar reason I can never concentrate when the sun is shining, hence my blossoming telly addiction.