This video is a good review of the religions in Westeros from the A Song of Ice and Fire series of books and the HBO Game of Thrones TV series. One of my favorite things about the books is how tightly the culture, geography, religion, fashion, and architecture are tied together.
Showing posts with label George RR Martin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label George RR Martin. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
BREAKING: #GameofThrones has been renewed for Season 3
Excellent! According to GRRM, the third season will only cover about half of the third book. I think that is a good sign that they want to stretch out the series. Of course, this also takes the pressure off GRRM to finish the next book. I had been predicting a race to publish the sixth book verses the HBO series catching up.
 GameOfThrones BREAKING: #GameofThrones has been renewed for a third season. RT and spread the word to #GoTFans across the realm.Tue, Apr 10 12:46:17 from HootSuite retweeted by SimoneBoyce |
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
There Be Dragons in Knoxville
One my favorite authors, George R.R. Martin, linked to an article about a dragon coming to Knoxville.
And speaking of GRRM and a Game of Thrones... the HBO series is so good, it is leading people to a life of crime (written version, cartoon version).
And speaking of GRRM and a Game of Thrones... the HBO series is so good, it is leading people to a life of crime (written version, cartoon version).
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
And this is how rumors starts...
George R. R. Martin:
"I really need to find some way to bring Khal Drogo back from the dead."And congrats to Peter Dinklage for his Golden Globe win.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Game of Thrones - Season 1
Watch it again (or for the first time) in preparation for Season 2.
Season 1 will play on Thursdays at 10PM starting on January 26th. Season 2 starts on April 1.
Season 1 will play on Thursdays at 10PM starting on January 26th. Season 2 starts on April 1.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Game of Thrones - Cold Winds Are Rising
Only three plus months until Game of Thrones Season 2 starts. I heard rumors that it had already been picked up for Seasons 3 and 4, but I haven't seen anything official.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Cheap eBooks
George R. R. Martin announced a sale of his Wild Cards eBooks. Four of the books are available for $2.99. Basically, they want to sell a few and get you hooked on the series. It may work with me. I bought one last night and have already been burning through the electronic pages.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Winter is coming
The Starks
frequently issue the warning that "Winter is coming." Despite 90+ degree tempartures, my little one has heeded the warning.
frequently issue the warning that "Winter is coming." Despite 90+ degree tempartures, my little one has heeded the warning.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Game of Thrones for Dummies
Spoilers a plenty if you've not read the book and/or seen the series. Mildly entertaining and mostly correct - worth the watch if you are struggling to keep all the players straight.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Missing in Action
If I am missing in action over the next week, it is because I am in Westeros dancing with dragons.*
* Or maybe I am running. Or watching Harry Potter. Or at work.
* Or maybe I am running. Or watching Harry Potter. Or at work.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
A Dance with Dragons
It is almost here... another couple of weeks and I will be reading A Dance with Dragons. I've been to one of George R.R. Martin's book signings before, but I don't think I will make it to the one at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington.
On a sad note, he will not be doing personalizations:
I guess that is the price of popularity - and without it we might not have gotten the HBO series.
On a sad note, he will not be doing personalizations:
"There's one huge change from all my past signings and book tours: I will no longer be able to do personalizations. The crowds have simply gotten too big. At my huge signing last week in Ljubljana, Slovenia, I started out personally inscribing the books, as I have always done in the past, but had to cut that off about four hours into the event. If I hadn't, I might still be there, signing. The same thing happened at my last big US signing, at Vroman's in Pasadena, and for the same reasons. It takes time to write, "to Charlene, Winter is Coming" or "To Fred, All Good Wishes," and when you are writing it hundreds of times, well... it makes the lines move considerably slower. And it's not fair to personalize the books for the front of the line, and not for the poor sods waiting for hours in the back."(My copy is signed "Winter is coming.")
I guess that is the price of popularity - and without it we might not have gotten the HBO series.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Maps and Character Locations
Obviously, I have been reading George RR Martin's Not a Blog today. He links to a Spanish site that includes a map of character location by episode. Pretty cool.
I had a similar idea when reading his A Song of Ice and Fire
books, but was thinking more about locations based on the fictional date. Some of the chapters in the books overlap so chapters aren't perfect for defining a point in time either. Someone with a little technical savy and some time could map out the locations and then allow you to click "play" and watch them move around Westros. Given the number of characters and locations this would be a slick compliment to the books. You could even move back and forth through time to watch the relative movement of characters. Imagine using something like that to map out Heroes or Back to the Future.
As I mentioned before, the title scene does a good job of giving an overview of Westeros. If I was a good writer, I would have said it like this:
And it sounds like my speculation that the intro would change based on the locations of the characters is correct. Plus one for me!
Art of the Title Sequence info via Not a Blog
I had a similar idea when reading his A Song of Ice and Fire
books, but was thinking more about locations based on the fictional date. Some of the chapters in the books overlap so chapters aren't perfect for defining a point in time either. Someone with a little technical savy and some time could map out the locations and then allow you to click "play" and watch them move around Westros. Given the number of characters and locations this would be a slick compliment to the books. You could even move back and forth through time to watch the relative movement of characters. Imagine using something like that to map out Heroes or Back to the Future.As I mentioned before, the title scene does a good job of giving an overview of Westeros. If I was a good writer, I would have said it like this:
"From the spires of King's Landing and the godswood of Winterfell, to the frozen heights of The Wall and windy plains across the Narrow Sea, Elastic's thunderous cartographic flight through the Seven Kingdoms offers the uninitiated a sweeping education in all things Game of Thrones.The above quote is from an article on the Game of Thrones intro at The Art of the Title Sequence. The article includes a video of the intro along with several good pictures of various components of the sequence.
- Will Perkins, Contributing Author"
And it sounds like my speculation that the intro would change based on the locations of the characters is correct. Plus one for me!
"At this point, we made a list of the locations we needed to build. Then we figured out how many different versions of the sequence we would need to create, the idea being that the opening title would show you all the places you would visit in each episode. And we boiled it down to four different sequences, each a subtle variation."I'm loving the series. I can't believe we have seen five episodes already, but I'm glad we have several more and a whole second season!
Art of the Title Sequence info via Not a Blog
The Problem with Environmentalist Tree Hugging Hippies
[ SPOILER ALERT ]
[ SPOILER ALERT FOR GAME OF THRONES - READ AT YOUR OWN RISK ]
[ SPOILER ALERT ]
Life imitates art again... George RR Martin discusses the response to the demise of one of his characters in the Game of Thrones series.
"It has come to my attention that a number of television viewers (mostly those who had not read my books and did not know what was coming)were shocked and upset by what befell Sansa's direwolf Lady at the end of the second episode of HBO's GAME OF THRONES.But here is the kicker...
Good. I mean, that was kind of the point.
But some people were reportedly so shocked and upset that they wrote angry blogs about it, and even declared that they would not continue watching the show.
Not so good. Obviously, I'm sorry to hear that.
I don't know if any of those people are reading my Not A Blog. But in case they are, perhaps it will make you feel a little better to know that Zunni, the Northern Inuit who played Lady, is alive and well, and has been adopted by Sophie Turner, the lovely young actress who plays Sansa in the show. We didn't really kill her."
"(Rhodri Hosking, the young actor who played the butcher's boy Mycah, was not actually killed either, though oddly, no one seems quite so upset about him)."How often do we hear about saving the tree/bird/unicorn, but with nary a word mentioned about the impact to people?
Monday, May 9, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
A Contrast
This was a big week-end for me. I got to go see Atlas Shrugged, Part 1 and I ordered HBO just so I could watch the new Game of Thrones series. You might have seen me post about these things once or twice before.
Below are my comments from each of the two shows.
Atlas Shrugged
I felt like they used the "Who is John Galt?" question as a catchphrase. Eat my shorts! To me it was as if the actors were looking at the audience and winking as they asked the question. My wife, who has not read the book, didn't feel that way. In the book, the question is an expression of hopelessness and frustration. As the world is crumbling, no one even thinks to find this John Galt person - if he even exists at all. It is just something everyone says.
Matthew Marsden plays James Taggart. I pictured Jim Taggart to be much older. I think we got a little too much "hollywood" in casting this character. However, the worse offense was making Jim too active in the political games. While he was a political creature in the book, you felt like he was being swept along with the other socialists. In the movie, he takes much more initiative and blurs the lines between producers and looters.
Hank Rearden is very socially awkward in the book. My wife described the movie version as smooth and suave. Fail.
People have criticized the physics of the train running on the new Rearden Metal track. That didn't bother me nearly as bad as the attempt to explain the magical motor.
I don't think the movie did a good job of showing the root cause of the problems. Maybe this is because Rand spent a bazillion pages pounding the message into my skull and the movie was trying to compress those philosophies. Likewise, Rands views on the role of sex and relationships between men and women are completely left out. There other plot points that are missing - like the relationship that was formed between Dagny and Francisco as children. The lack of detail on Francisco's background and prior achievements is a huge gap.
And is everyone sharing the same limo?
Now that I'm done beating it up, I will say I am glad I went and I'm sure I will see Part 2. (Also, a mini-plug for Regal Cinemas. My wife and I dug out a hundred year old gift certificate that was for $5. They couldn't find it in the system, so they just gave us a free ticket. Customer service isn't dead!)
Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes
The View from North Central Idaho - Joe Huffman
ExurbanLeague - sounds like he had people clapping at the end of the movie, too.
Walls of the City
Game of Thrones
I've been more excited about this than Atlas Shrugged. As I mentioned, I even added HBO specifically for this show - that's almost $18 per month, so I better like it.
In short (and in contrast to ASP1 above), the first episode was exactly as I pictured it in the book. It was fantastic!
I was worried about some of the actors as I did not think they would fit their characters, but everyone was fantastic. I really liked Lena Headey (from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) as Cersei Lannister. I did not see her as a good match, but she was great. I predicted I would like Peter Dinklage (from The Station Agent) as Tyrion and he lived up to the expectation.
The opening scene was very well done - from the CGI, to the pacing, and tension it created. The first few minutes would compare well to any classic horror movie.
I also thought the opening credits were very smart. You get a bird's eye view of Westeros, but you don't see each of the Seven Kingdoms. It only shows the ones that are currently relevant. My guess is that they will change the opening as the action moves between kingdoms.
Definitely, money well spent. It makes me even more excited that the next book is coming out. When A Feast of Crows came out, the bookstore provided everyone with a cheat sheet to remind us of what was happening with all the characters at the end of the book. The series will be a nice refresher without having to re-read some of the books.
I can't wait for next Sunday!
Stop reading now if you want to avoid any potential spoilers.
Below are my comments from each of the two shows.
Atlas Shrugged
I felt like they used the "Who is John Galt?" question as a catchphrase. Eat my shorts! To me it was as if the actors were looking at the audience and winking as they asked the question. My wife, who has not read the book, didn't feel that way. In the book, the question is an expression of hopelessness and frustration. As the world is crumbling, no one even thinks to find this John Galt person - if he even exists at all. It is just something everyone says.
Matthew Marsden plays James Taggart. I pictured Jim Taggart to be much older. I think we got a little too much "hollywood" in casting this character. However, the worse offense was making Jim too active in the political games. While he was a political creature in the book, you felt like he was being swept along with the other socialists. In the movie, he takes much more initiative and blurs the lines between producers and looters.
Hank Rearden is very socially awkward in the book. My wife described the movie version as smooth and suave. Fail.
People have criticized the physics of the train running on the new Rearden Metal track. That didn't bother me nearly as bad as the attempt to explain the magical motor.
I don't think the movie did a good job of showing the root cause of the problems. Maybe this is because Rand spent a bazillion pages pounding the message into my skull and the movie was trying to compress those philosophies. Likewise, Rands views on the role of sex and relationships between men and women are completely left out. There other plot points that are missing - like the relationship that was formed between Dagny and Francisco as children. The lack of detail on Francisco's background and prior achievements is a huge gap.
And is everyone sharing the same limo?
Now that I'm done beating it up, I will say I am glad I went and I'm sure I will see Part 2. (Also, a mini-plug for Regal Cinemas. My wife and I dug out a hundred year old gift certificate that was for $5. They couldn't find it in the system, so they just gave us a free ticket. Customer service isn't dead!)
Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes
The View from North Central Idaho - Joe Huffman
ExurbanLeague - sounds like he had people clapping at the end of the movie, too.
Walls of the City
Game of Thrones
I've been more excited about this than Atlas Shrugged. As I mentioned, I even added HBO specifically for this show - that's almost $18 per month, so I better like it.
In short (and in contrast to ASP1 above), the first episode was exactly as I pictured it in the book. It was fantastic!
I was worried about some of the actors as I did not think they would fit their characters, but everyone was fantastic. I really liked Lena Headey (from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) as Cersei Lannister. I did not see her as a good match, but she was great. I predicted I would like Peter Dinklage (from The Station Agent) as Tyrion and he lived up to the expectation.
The opening scene was very well done - from the CGI, to the pacing, and tension it created. The first few minutes would compare well to any classic horror movie.
I also thought the opening credits were very smart. You get a bird's eye view of Westeros, but you don't see each of the Seven Kingdoms. It only shows the ones that are currently relevant. My guess is that they will change the opening as the action moves between kingdoms.
Definitely, money well spent. It makes me even more excited that the next book is coming out. When A Feast of Crows came out, the bookstore provided everyone with a cheat sheet to remind us of what was happening with all the characters at the end of the book. The series will be a nice refresher without having to re-read some of the books.
I can't wait for next Sunday!
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