July 2018 Recommended Reading/Viewing

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

The summer has officially begun, and I hope that everyone is doing well in this heat (if you have the heat). I can't say that I have anything exciting this time around to coincide, but at least it's something.

Reading: The Phantom Tollbooth (1961) by Norton Juster


Young Milo is bored with life until a strange package containing a tollbooth appears in his room. It turns out to be a gateway to the Kingdom of Wisdom, where the feuding kingdoms of Dictionopolis and Digitopolis have been thrown into disarray due to the disappearances of the Princesses of Rhyme and Reason. Beset by numerous idiomatic obstacles, Milo and his two companions - a "watchdog" named Tock and an anthropomorphic Humbug - must seek out the Castle in the Air and put things right before demons of discord and dissonance take over. Being the author's first book, this 1961 classic, laced with puns and wordplay, has been enchanting readers with a love of education ever since its surprisingly welcoming reception and is bound to delight both children and the childlike at heart. Put it on your shelves as soon as you can.


Trade: https://www.amazon.com/Phantom-Tollbooth-Norton-Juster/dp/0394820371/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1530482007&sr=8-1&keywords=the+phantom+tollbooth
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Phantom-Tollbooth-Norton-Juster-ebook/dp/B004IK8Q90/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1530482007&sr=8-1




Viewing: Wizards (Ralph Bakshi, 1977)

After a nuclear holocaust wipes out most of civilization, the old magical inhabitants of the world, the fair folk, repopulate the charred remains, guided by a good wizard; however, the shadow of the past begins to take hold when the wizard's mutant brother unearths a great evil - the war machines and propaganda of Nazi Germany - and begins to reshape society in the mode of a fascist regime. The good wizard, a fairy princess, an elf warrior, and a defecting robot must now venture into the fortress of the evil sorcerer and destroy his secret weapon - a projection machine - before war once again scorches the earth. This was the first of legendary underground animator Ralph Bakshi's works to be deliberately family oriented, though it must be warned that his old tricks of sexuality, language, and violence still find their way into the picture. A rumination on the intrinsic nature of technology and war, reminiscent of Tolkienian epics, this flawed but intriguing film is one that should be experienced both by fantasy fans and lovers of independent animation (it was a precursor to the unfinished adaptation of The Lord of the Rings). Definitely recommended, though parents are strongly cautioned.

DVD: https://www.amazon.com/Wizards-Jesse-Welles/dp/B0001NBMIK/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1530595728&sr=8-10&keywords=wizards
Amazon Video: https://www.amazon.com/Wizards-Jesse-Wells/dp/B06XCTJFFR/ref=tmm_aiv_swatch_1?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1530595728&sr=8-10