Monday 20 February 2012

From Hell

Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, 1999
(January 2012)



“I’ve already seen the movie. How hard could it be…?”

Well, yes. I’d hope it was obvious I was being sarcastic when I said that, but still. Really shouldn’t have tempted fate like that. The movie, for those of you who care, was pretty mediocre. Not memorable in the slightest, except for that fact it’s one of the few Heather Graham films in which she remains fully clothed throughout. Doubly disappointing then.

The book is another matter. This is dense. There’s a lot going on, and for the most part you can engage to the level where you feel most comfortable. Sometimes it’s too much though. The entire fourth chapter is a guided coach tour of London’s supposed Masonic landmarks. While it did make me feel a touch nostalgic (for London, not the Masons), it was basically a few dozen pages of the author showing off his research. "Cop a load of them ‘facts’, Love. Never mind the quality, feel the weight."

But this is still a book about London. It’s not a whodunit, the killer is revealed very early on, so you can almost disregard the plot and wallow in the wider context. This isn’t a billet-doux by any stretch, nor is it a eulogy. It’s definitely a letter to and of the city though, and it’s certainly no hoax.

Catch me when you Can Mishter…

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4 comments:

  1. Chris20 February 2012 at 10:42

    "The book is another matter. This is dense."

    I remember reading "Shutter Island" when in the hospital and it was a fantastic read and I thought THIS should be a movie!!...Years later DiCaprio and Scorcesse borked it completely. Movies like Inception, where the writer and director are the same got a chance but the vision often gets lost.

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  2. kamo21 February 2012 at 21:30

    Yep. I don't think the movie is always better than the book though. Sometimes the film is an improvement. But for every Clockwork Orange there's a dozen or more pieces of dross.

    That Gwyneth Paltrow version of Great Expectations years back was one of the few movies I've ever actually walked out of before the end.

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  3. Mr. Salaryman26 February 2012 at 18:09

    The movie was a complete joke, but it's hard to really bring the hate as the comic wasn't that great either... I found it really really heavy to read, more so than most books. Not Mr. Moore's brightest moment. Do yourself a favor and don't follow up with Lost Girls!
    I just started reading "the walking dead" now as the tv show was pretty entertaining and the comic is good too.
    BTW sorry for not adding you to the blogroll, it's on my "to do" lst!

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  4. kamo29 February 2012 at 17:10

    Yeah, some stuff is hard work, but you feel will be worth having another go at in the future. I'm not sure this falls into that category.

    I hear good thing about Y: The Last Man. I reckon that'll be up next if Transmetropolitan starts wearing thin.

    Don't fret about the blogroll, I'm flattered you're even thinking about it.

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