Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Rescuers [Book Review]

"The Rescuers" is a book written by Margery Sharp. It was published in 1959. Yes, this is the book that inspired the Disney movies, although the movies kind of do their own thing.

The story here is about a society of mice called the Prisoner Aid Society. They pretty much look for people in need and then pick one of their own to go try and help them. In this case, it was a Norwegian poet trapped in a really awful castle dungeon with guards and a cat. They end up voting for Miss Bianca to be the one to help the boy since she is also a poet.

Miss Bianca may be a poet, but she is not Norwegian. She then hires a companion in Nils, a Norwegian mouse, and also brings along Bernard, the mouse who came to ask her to do the mission in the first place. Even though the movies focus on Bianca and Bernard, Nils is actually really awesome. He was a sailor mouse who obsessed over life on the seas. Although he sometimes made Bianca uncomfortable, he still had a roughish charm that she appreciated.

I think the thing that I really loved about this story was how absolutely dedicated the mice were to helping people. It was a way of life for them. It seemed to be something all mice really talked about, even if they were not apart of the official society. That is so incredibly cute.

Without spoiling what happens, this is a very exciting story that deals with every obstacle in a realistic way. You just have to see the mice as people like us. They can even talk to us in this universe. Imagine having a pet mouse you could chat with!

I don't normally do this, but I really want to mention the brilliant illustrations by Garth Williams. I mention him specifically because this book has been illustrated by multiple people since it came out. Garth obsessively made sure that everything in his picture actually represented what was happening in the scene. This really brought the book to life with brilliant detail. If you read this one, make sure Garth Williams is the illustrator.

If you are looking for an exciting and cute book about mice on a rescue mission, you can hardly do worse than with "The Rescuers." I totally recommend it. While it was likely intended for children, this is still a great book for adults. They will appreciate the detail put into the situations that the mice have to deal with. Really well done.

This blog was written on June 7, 2025.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: West Side Story [Book Review]

[Some spoilers included.]

"West Side Story" is a book written by Irving Shulman. It was published in 1961, same year the movie came out. Yes, it's one of those books. This was very likely written during the production of the movie in order to promote it upon release. The weird thing here is that it is a book based on a musical/ballet film which focuses more on choreography to explain itself. Also I bet you didn't even know there was a book for West Side Story! Well, neither did I. I randomly found it in a book store. Who knew?

If you've seen the movie, this book is pretty much the same story, but the author gives it all to you in a very hard-hitting narrative that never pulls it punches. Let's face it: this story is rough and depressing at the best of times. It's a hard pill to swallow.

The name of the game is big city gangs and mutual hate. It's the Whites vs the Puerto Ricans, and despite them both being Americans, they just can't live together without violence, rape, and murder. It... is... awful.

What makes matters even more difficult to deal with is that there is a "Romeo and Juliet" situation happening as well. The former leader of the White gang falls in love with the sister of the PR gang leader--respectively Tony and Maria. And no... this is not a story about love conquers all. It is a story about how bad decisions ultimately lead to bad outcomes. Even though Tony is trying to get out of the gang life, he just cannot shake his past. And even though Maria knows her brother is doing bad things, she still loves him and doesn't want him to get hurt or die. It is the makings of a very slow train wreck that goes on for ten long chapters.

But I gotta hand it to the author: he did extremely well at telling this story. I don't even know this guy. He put so much heart into trying to get all the characters' perspectives into this book. And the final page was one of the most impactful narratives I have ever read in any book beforehand. It was brilliant and really put the problems of the world into a healthy perspective. I mean... you can almost just read that last page and still come away with something.

The author's not perfect, mind you. He also kind of said something about Batman and Robin having X-Ray vision. (This was in reference to a character who read a lot of comic books.) We'll not worry about that though.

All said, I do recommend this strangely obscure book. If someone was to make a novelization of "West Side Story," this is how it should be done. Great job. I'm depressed as hell, but I don't regret reading it!

This blog was written on June 6, 2025.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Doom: Annihilation [Movie Review]

[I spoil some main points of the movie.]

Deep breaths! Take deep breaths, and just watch the movie.

Guess what, guys. It's not that bad.

"Doom: Annihilation" is a movie released in 2019. It is the second and most recent movie made for the Doom video game franchise. It is also greatly disliked by fans of the games. I guess I fit into that, but let me go into some detail.

This movie is actually a retelling of the original game. The big, most glaring change which you cannot ignore is that Doom Guy is now Doom Girl. Her name is Joan Dark, which just has to be a reference to Perfect Dark. Just has to be. I don't actually know if it is. Love it or hate it, Doom Guy lost the job to a woman, and that is the main reason most people did not bother watching this.

But once you get past that, there is a whole movie that needs to be watched and judged on its own merits. That's what I did. I watched it so you wouldn't have to.

The look and ascetics of the film resemble "Doom (2016)," but weirdly the villain is Doctor Betruger who was the arch bad guy from "Doom 3." This kind of makes sense if you are basing this more on the original game's story. "Doom 3" was a reimagining of the original game, so it stands to reason that, if you needed a main villain, Betruger was a good choice. He is represented a little differently here, though. He has more of a "nice guy" look than his video game counterpart, who looked like he got pooped out of Satan's butthole.

This movie is full of references to the games to an absurd degree. The AI that's assisting them is called Daisy. That's the name of the original Doom Guy's pet rabbit. One of the fallen scientists was named Blaskowics, which is the main character from the Wolfenstein games. Another dead scientist was named John Carmack, the man who actually created Doom. Everyone was also using these huge keycards to get around the station on Phobos. At one point, Joan Dark picks up a completely random chainsaw and starts hacking away at monsters. There are a lot more references like this that I don't need to mention. I kind of rolled my eyes at most of them. Reference baiting is a really cheap way to get an audience riled up.

There weren't a lot of guns in the movie, but the BFG9000 did make an appearance. It was, however, kind of sad and underpowered. The first movie did it right. Too bad.

I think the most important thing was that this was actually a Hell invasion... and frankly... it was done fairly intelligently. The lore behind it was really cool. The demons were writing in Ancient Samarian. There was also a really nice religious angle in the movie given by the station's chaplain. It made for a good counterpoint to dealing with the demon hoard, and they were never dismissive of it. Religion in this movie actually mattered. The "cross" mattered.

Another thing I thought was cool was that the scientists had an evolutionary concept of humanity, but the demons actually referred to us as "creations." Nice touch! So no problems there!

Now, keep in mind that this movie went straight to DVD. It has all the cheese and action of a 90's Scifi Channel Original Movie. A lot of the acting and writing is kind of stilted and forced... but it's really not that bad. Even Joan Dark was not coming across as too much of an overbearing feminist. She was definitely female, strong in some ways and weak in others. I dunno. I kinda liked her.

The crazy thing is... the only thing really bad about this movie is that it came really close to just being a good Doom movie that represented the games. All they had to do was have Doom Guy in it, and it would have been entirely passable. But that said... John Dark is fine. And this movie is fine. It's completely watchable and even had me interested to see how things ended up.

So... I guess I recommend the movie... just as long as you understand what you are getting into. It's certainly not perfect. I give it a solid 6 out of 10... but at least it's over half way, right? Sometimes that's all you need to enjoy yourself. But between you and me... I don't think Hollywood should try making Doom movies anymore. Two attempts is enough. Let's leave well enough alone.

This blog was written on June 4, 2025.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Doom [Movie Review]

[Spoilers included for a 20-year-old movie.]

"Doom" is a movie released in 2005. It came out around the same time "Doom 3" was all the rage. I saw it in the theaters when it came out, and I just felt it is time to finally give my opinions on it. After all, I've been reviewing all the other Doom things. Might as well tackles the movie... or... movies... Ugh.

Despite this movie having the ascetic of "Doom 3," it is sort of its own thing. There isn't any Hell invasion. Everything is the science in science fiction. What's really happening is that there is a gene or something inside every human that determines whether they are good or evil. This was, unfortunately, about as stupid as the midi-chlorians in Star Wars. It was also not what fans of the games wanted.

But hold on there, partner! There's more. Despite the movie deviating from the hell-vasion concept, they actually ran with their idea pretty well. Not perfect, mind you, but good enough to be entertaining. This is one of those situations where you have to put aside what you wanted and didn't get... and then do your best to see if the movie is otherwise... a good movie. And as it turns out... even without Hell in it... it's actually a pretty solid movie!

Everything else about it feels like Doom. Well, no... wait. It feels like "Doom 3" but better lit. It is a horror film with a lot of testosterone thrown into the male protagonists. Also since it's a team that's going to Mars, it's hard to figure out who the "Doom Guy" is. A lot of people went in thinking it was The Rock. Come on, filmmakers! You knew that's what people were going to think! YOU KNEW! You knew, and then you did the old switcheroo. Yep, instead of The Rock being Doom Guy... it was... some... guy. I don't even remember the actor's name. Let's face it: it should have been The Rock.

Forgivable though... and the reason it's forgivable is because of the main reason I love this movie: that absolutely fantastic Fist-Person Shooter segment near the end. It does not matter how much you hate this movie; if you are watching it, you are waiting for that brilliant piece of filmmaking towards the end. Absolutely kickass. I loved it, and it made everything feel better. I didn't even care that it was from the perspective of... some guy. It rocked!

"Doom" is actually a good movie; it just isn't everything that Doom fans wanted. I have always been a big defender of it. It always makes me happy when I watch it. I do recommend it. I really do.

But now... I got to watch... that other movie. Ugh. Who knows? Maybe I'll like it. Ah, who am I fooling? This is gonna hurt worse than taking a BFG9000 shot to the balls.

(Heck, that was Karl Urban?!)

This blog was written on June 4, 2025.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Doom: The Dark Ages [Video Game Review]

[I spoil some stuff in this review.]

"Doom: The Dark Ages" is a video game developed by Id. It was released in 2025. I actually finished this game with a thumb injury.

I want to start this review by saying that this game has a vast story with lots of cinematics. They are all really well made, and I liked watching them. That said, I did not for even one moment care about the story at all. Not even a little. They really just failed at making me care about any character other than the one I was playing. I cared plenty about him, and I loved everything about him.

"Doom: The Dark Ages" is a prequel to "Doom (2016)," but please don't ask me why. I don't really understand the continuity of the new trilogy. The writers made it both complicated and much too subtle at the very same time. I just feel like important information was left out. Who cares?!

This game differs from the other two in that you are more of a juggernaut. You are slow and have a shield you need to use constantly in order to avoid taking damage from a near constant barrage of incoming projectiles and attacks. You also have a nice selection of melee weapons that really hit hard, so if anybody gets close... they won't live very long.

Of course, it would not be Doom without an assortment of ranged weaponry. Since this is set in an older age, they all have a medieval look to them, but they are still fairly high tech. The BFG9000 was actually replaced with a ridiculously overpowered crossbow. In fact, it is called the BFC. I barely used it. I'm not saying it was bad. It was really cool actually. I just never really felt like using it. I don't know how to explain it. The button was always there, waiting for me to press it... and I just didn't.

I think what happened was that I was more into getting into the nitty gritty of the combat rather than just blowing everything up. I really enjoyed the combat in this game. Why just kill everything when you can dive in there and do some rip and tear? I'm willing to bet other people felt this way. The juggernaut gameplay was really well done.

You also can pilot a dragon and walk around in a giant mech suit. Those bits were fun, but I actually found them to be a little on the "gamey" side. How does dodging attacks make your gun go from firing bullets to plasma bolts? That doesn't make any sense. Still, I did like flying the dragon. Pretty metal honestly.

In fact, everything about this game was pretty metal. It is one of the most beautiful games I have ever seen. All the vistas are like out of a heavy metal album cover. Gloriously beautiful. I even took a few pictures along the way.

Oh, and by the way, this game crossovers with the Lovecraft universe. Not only is Cthulhu in the game, you even get to fight him. You also get to go to his home world. I really loved this. I'm sure a lot of people questioned whether or not Doom Guy could fight an elder god.

Even though I don't care about the story, I kind of liked the villain. He reminded me a lot of Darkness from the movie "Legend." Yes, the one played by Tim Curry. Imagine him being the main villain of a Doom game. He was a pretty awesome opponent, and I liked how everything gets resolved concerning him.

My main beef with the game actually had more to do with certain anti-religious hints in the story. Like I said: I don't give a crap about the story. Really, I don't. But there is a sneaky little distrust of religious figures running through both this game and "Doom Eternal." It's annoying, but there isn't enough of it to ever really bother me. Besides, in the world of Doom, you appear to be the closest thing to God anyhow.

I do recommend "Doom: The Dark Ages." It is actually my favorite of the new trilogy. I found it more relaxing and rewarding to play, and it injured my thumb a lot less than the previous game. That said, I think I would rather Id take Doom back to its roots. I don't mind the upgraded visuals, but I just feel it's time to just bring back the basics of what made the original games what they were. It will probably never happen, but that's what I would really prefer. Either way, great game. Just stop with the story-telling already!

This blog was written on June 4, 2025.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: She Cries No More [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the main points of this story.]

"She Cries No More" is a short story written by Norton Juster. It was published in 1965 as part of the book "Alberic the Wise and Other Journeys."

This is a strange fantasy tale about a man named Claude who doesn't really believe in anything. This is a major and important aspect of his personality. It is all the more relevant when he finds a painting at a museum that he becomes obsessed with. It has a woman on it who may or may not be crying. After visiting the painting a few times, there is a puddle at the base which might be the woman's tears.

There is actually some faith that has to go into believing such a thing, and for some reason Claude has that faith. He apparently has so much faith that is he able to eventually go inside the painting and actually meet this woman in person. The author doesn't explain exactly how this happens, but it is made clear that he is actually in the painting and time is still passing normally within the museum. Claude also has to leave by 6PM when the museum closes.

What's crazy about this painting-world is that there is a sort of war going on there which has been ongoing for ages. It is the supposed reason why the woman was crying. Claud, wanting to help the woman out, tries to intervein in this war and finds he has near supernatural powers within the painting. For this reason, he decides to help in the war efforts... as long as he leaves every day by 6PM.

Despite being a man who believes in nothing, he certainly did believe in the world inside the paining, the woman, and this war. With the great powers he has, he is actually able to turn the tide of the battle and ultimately achieve victory. This was all well-told, by the way. The descriptions of the battle was really exciting, and I enjoyed reading it.

On the final day, Claude is so eager to get back into the painting that he breaks into the museum a little early. While sneaking into the room, he sees a wet mop leaning against the painting. The wet part of the mop was where the tears used to be. Was it all in his imagination? Did he create the whole thing because he had been convinced the water under the painting had been from the woman? Doubt suddenly fills his mind, and it is like the spell is broken. He leaves and perhaps never comes back.

Now, the author does something interesting here. He points out that the custodian who left the mop there was on his first day, and the curator actually fusses at him for doing that. This highly suggests that the tears may have actually been real, but because the man doubted himself, his faith dissolved away and he lost the ability to go back into the painting. Fascinating.

I recommend the story. It was a fascinating journey and full of exciting action along the way.

This blog was written on June 4, 2025.

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