Just last night, I watched Coraline, which is a full-feature, stop animation movie based on a book written by Neil Gaiman.  Sadly, I have never read the book–though I have read some of his other amazing works of art–but I can honestly say that it was quite the ride.  It follows the adventure of a little girl who is unhappy with her parents and finds a secret door to a parallel life with the perfect parents.  It is a very colorful trip with eccentric characters and a very interesting twist.

As I said, I enjoy the classic secret-locked-door-with-hidden-worlds-behind-it story.  A while back, I heard a great story on Podcastle (a fantasy podcast) along those same lines, and I want to share it with you today.  It is called The Small Door.   Here’s an excerpt:

Neither knew what the Weirdo did with his captives, but it was hard to think of a possibility that wasn’t horrible. Not when you saw that figure, with its thatched gray hair, lumpy shoulders and white hands as big as baseball gloves, carry some hapless creature into the house with the broken drainpipes and curtained windows. Even cooking and eating seemed too simple, too close to human.

“Sal,” Macey said, “we’ve got to find out.”

“You keep saying that.” Sal picked fuzzies off the bedspread, her mind drifting to the fair’s candy-bright commotion.

“But now I have a plan.”

-Holly Phillips, The Small Door

You can read the full story at Fantasy Magazine, and you can check out the author at her website, HollyPhillips.com.  You can also have it read to you by the wonderful voice of Tina Conolly at Podcastle Podcast by going here.  As always, I hope you enjoy these great works of fiction.

If you have about 80 minutes to blow, I recommend going back to a time when zombie movies weren’t flesh-eating gore-fests, but thought-provoking stories of love and voodoo.  Plus, the white zombie is a classic blonde bomb-shell.  There isn’t much of that these days either.  It’s free, and ad-free.  Have a quick view.

I have seen Independence Day at least 5 more times than I can even remember, which is about 20 or 30 more times than is absolutely necessary.  Any time it is on TV, I will usually sit and watch it because it still entertains me even when I quote each line in my head before they say it on screen.  One of the scenes in that movie that struck me recently was the scene in which Russell, the drunk pilot and alien abductee pulls over to the side of the road to let his sick son throw up on the side of the road.  While pulled over, he gets out and looks out at a vast landscape of campers, trailers, and vehicles creating a virtual refugee city.  He then beckons his older son to come over and take a look at the spectacular view.

Independence day is a huge blockbuster that you can either hate or love.  In the midst of aliens coming to earth, entire cities getting obliterated in huge clouds of fire, and America saving the day, it’s hard to remember small scenes like this.  To me however, the story of Russell and his kids is punctuated by this scene in which the future of the human race rests in the hands of the unlikely vagrants and seasoned travellers.  When I see that scene, it gives me a wave of hope that although the cities are lost, America survives.

That scene stuck itself in my memory, and gave me another insight into the plot of the movie.  A lot of people may have seen and remembered that part, but it may not have had the same effect on them.  If anyone is still reading, I would always like to hear about parts of movies that you remember in everyday life, or that made an impact on you while watching a particular movie.  Let me know.

Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who was chaotic from start to finish.  I am a big fan of Dr. Seuss.  I grew up reading the books, so it was amazing to see the artwork of Dr. Seuss turned into a modern animated movie.  However, I felt like the morals of the story were lost in the flash of the animation and the gags that go along with these CG movies.

Despite downplaying the original story, Jim Carry and Steve Carell thrive on the shear chaos in this comedy.  Each scene has multiple gags and multiple punchlines in order to slow down the story.  Let’s be honest, there is only so much you can do with a children’s book.  There were times in the movie where I felt like they were trying too hard to squeeze in a joke, especially with the villain.  Yes, the villain is a  vulture with a bad russian accent.  No joke there.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie, but I was ready for it to be over.  It was entertaining, except that I felt my mind wandering about halfway through.  I’m sure it would be a great movie for kids, and if you had to choose between this and College Road Trip, I would choose Horton Hears a Who as the family movie to watch this weekend.

• CHECK THE WEATHER–West Texas wind can be annoying while trying to watch a movie and rain is always a downer.
• Keep your headlights off!!!!–There are other people watching the movie, even if you aren’t.  (Alternative: bring a bat to bash out headlights of others who break this rule… KIDDING!… sort of)
• Bring your own food–They don’t search your car, so you’re safe and it’s usually cheaper.
•  Drink Caffene if you’re staying for the double feature–We don’t like falling asleep during movies, do we?
• Turn on the dome light before reaching for that elusive energy drink.  A spill can be disastrous.
• WASH YOUR WINDSHIELD!!!–If you don’t clean, you’ll be yelling at the spots all night.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!