Shameless Pile Keeps on Growing: Suske en Wiske

Trip to a charity shop some time ago was very fruitful as I found a stack of one of my childhood's favourite comics Anu and Antti (original Dutch name Suske en Wiske, known in English as Luke and Lucy, Spike and Suzy or Willy and Wanda). In Finland it was published as mail-order comic in 1980s but the comic books were at that time often seen in second-hand bookshops. Drawn originally by Willy Wandersteen, the series is still popular in Belgium and Netherlands. However it is rather unknown in English speaking countries being shadowed by other comical adventure comics such as Tintin and Asterix.

It was a discount day so I got these for 1 € per piece.

 I should have sixteen more in my mother's basement. Someday I'm going to find them.

The main characters are temperamentical girl Anu (Wiske or Lucy/Suzy/Wanda/Bobette) and her orphaned friend Antti (Suske of Luke/Spike/Willy/Bob) who was adopted by Aunt Sanelma (Sidonia or Agatha) who is tall and thin. Their other friends are goofy middle-aged man Koikkalainen (Lambik or Ambrose/Orville) and prehistoric strongman Jeremias (Jerom or Jethro/Wilbur) who often solves the problems using his muscles. Professor Tietonen's (Barabas or Barnabas) inventions are useful but often cause trouble. He has space rockets, time machines and equipment for communicating with plants. Anu has a small doll Liisa (Schanulleke or Muffin/Molly/Sawdust) who is also an important character.

The stories have funny adventures with witty dialogue and some drama. During their adventures they have visited space and fought rebelling robots, saved an underground race of people made of copper, met ghosts who shoot bullets that turn people into ragdolls, and toy pirates made alive by magic varnish. In one of the stories monkeys turned intelligent and took over the world, why does it sound so familiar?

And because the nostalgia hit hard I also acquired this one:

Luke and Lucy: The Texas Rangers (original title Suske en Wiske: De Texas Rakkers)

Shameless Pile Keeps on Growing: Never Gonna Give You Up

It has been a while since the last update on acquisitions. This time the focus is bit more on music.

First some animated movies:

Bionicle Mask of Light (Lego), Justice League animation episodes: Paradise Lost, Justice on Trial, Balto, Balto 2 Wolf Quest, Balto 3 Wings of Change, Winnie the Pooh: Share Your World, Winnie the Pooh:A Great Day of Discovery, A Very Merry Pooh Year, Flipper & Lopaka 1, Willy the Sparrow, Tabaluka episodes

Tintin et les oranges bleues, Tintin et le mystère de la Toison d'Or, Tintin et le lac aux requins,

Mill Creek: Giant 600 Cartoon Collection, 150 Cartoon Classics (Both had enough exclusive material to be justified. And the 150 cartoon box was cheap as soap)

10 Sci-Fi Movies (Being, Virus, Creator, Prototype, Def-Con 4, Sci-Fighters, Cyborg Cop, Cyborg Cop 2, TC 2000, Antibody), 10 Great Films Sci-Fi (Circuitry Man 2, Spontaneous Combustion, Blue Tornado, Def-Con 4, Invasion Earth, Project Shadowchaser III, Cyborg Cop, Cyborg Cop 2, Sleep Stalker, Moon 44), Cyborg Cop 3

Ed Wood Coffret (10 Ed Wood movies, note: this edition has non-removable French subtitles), Three Tamil movies starring Jayam Ravi: Daas, M Kumaram, Jayam, Action 1: Expert, Expect No Mercy, Death Ring, Gladiator, Gipsy Kings In Concert, Alice in Wonderland, A Good Man in Africa, Princess of Thieves, El bosque animado, Gui Si,

Mamma Mu och Kråkan 

Music CDs:

Synthesizer music (I had several of the Synthesizer Greatest on C-Cassettes, now updating those to CDs): Synthesizer Greatest The Classical Masterpieces, Synthesizer Greatest 1-5 (Starinc), 25 Greatest Synthesizer Hits (Gino Marinello), Synthesizer Spectacular Vol.  2 (Starinc)

Pop from 1980s-90s:

Jason Donovan: Ten Good Reasons, Kylie Minoque: Kylie, Rick Astley: Whenever You Need Somebody, Andy Kim: Baby I Love You Greatest Hits,Vanilla Ice: To The Extreme, Lighthouse Family: Postcards from Heaven, Seal: Best 1991-2004, Maxi Priest: Bonafide, Inner Circle: Reggae Dancer, Crash Test Dummies: God Shuffled His Feet, Scarlet: Naked, Paula Abdul: Spellbound, Paula Abdul: Greatest Hits, Anita Ward: Ring My Bell, Simply Red: Stars

TV and movie related music:

John McCook sings Bold and Beautiful Love Songs, Beautiful Dreams (Bold and Beautiful CD), Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me, The X-Files The Album, South Park Bigger Longer & Uncut, Xanadu, So I Married An Axe Murderer

More Soundtracks and various:

Beverly Hills Cop III, Twilight Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Twilight The Score, Disturbed: Indestructible, Annie: Anniemal, Suzi Quattro Original Hits, Pitbull: Planet Pit, My Country Vol. 1.

Rock and Metal:

Cardiant: Purge, Einherjer: Dragons Of The North, Graveworm: Scource Of Malice, Eternal Tears Of Sorrow: Children of The Dark Waters, Children Of Bodom: Relentless, Reckless Forever, The Sounds: Living In America, Von Hertzen Brothers: Stars Aligned, Apocalyptica: Worlds Collide, Kent: B-Sidor 95-00, Matchbox 20: Yourself Or  Someone Like You

This is getting quite long, so I'll save the rest for some future post: here are still couple of cool items

Snow White 50th Anniversary Happy Dwarf plush

Godzilla toy (13" Imperial Toho Co. 1985)

Shameless Pile Keeps on Growing: 270 Movies and Other Stuff

(Sorry about some bad pictures) 

It is again the time to report about the best findings from second-hands shops, post-Christmas sales or from teh Internets.

First the DVDs:

Nightmare 2 Painajainen jatkuu (teen horror spinoff of Finnish soap opera "Salatut Elämät"), Lovemilla movie, Mad Max Fury Road, Nylon Beat Fun Pack Tavastia Live + Nylon Beat Historiaa (Finnish girl band of the 1990-2000s), Gregorian Master of Chant Chapter III DVD, Entourage The Movie, Sword of Honor, The Big Wedding, Matchstick Men, The Little Cars 3 (Video Brinquedo production)

Dingo Productions cheapo animations:
Notredamen kellonsoittaja (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Pocahontas (Legend of Pocahontas), Mulan, Leluelämää (Toys), Camelot, Dalmatialaiset (The Dalmatians), Hercules, Pikku Possu (Babe), Leijona eläinten kuningas (King of the Animals), Wabuu (Wabuu The Cheeky Raccoon), Balto 

Mill Creek collections:
B-Movie Blast 50 Movie Pack, The Nifty Fifties 50 Movie Pack, Family Holiday Film Collection 20 Movie Pack, Action Classics 100 Movie Pack (combination of Action Classics 50 Movie Pack & Suspense Classics 50 Movie Pack)

More cartoons (mostly Don Bluth) and Muppets
The Secret of NIMH, The Secret of NIMH 2 Timmy to the Rescue, Tom Sawyer, Prancer, It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, The Great Muppet Caper, Muppets from Space, The Muppets Take Manhattan, Elmo in Grouchland, Kermit's Swamp Years 

Breakout Kings Season 1 (was Season 2 ever published on DVD?), American Horror Story Season 2, (I don't have the other seasons), Blondie 10 Movie Collection*, Ma & Pa Kettle Complete Comedy Collection 

*

Soundtrack CDs:
Braveheart, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The Bodyguard, Tarzan (Disney), Mob Life 16 Great Tracks From The Films Of Martin Scorsese, High School Musical 1,2 & 3. 

Then the books  (mostly scifi and pulp):

Hey, this is useful for getting a crash course in Marvel's characters:

Marvel Avengers (Sankarit ja Viholliset Kaikenkattava hahmo-opas (Marvel The Avengers: The Ultimate Character Guide) 

Rock Brynner: Yul: The Man Who Would Be King, Steven Spielberg: Kolmannen asteen yhteys (Close Encounters of the Third Kind), Alan Dean Foster: Mustan Lordin paluu (Splinter of the Mind's Eye: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker), George Lucas: Tähtien sota (Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker), Michael A. Stackpole: (Star Wars) I, Jedi, Jerry Cotton 3 Liian nuori kuolemaan (Nicht zu jung zu sterben), Jerry Cotton 11 Operaatio kivikasvo (Ein Toter kam nach Holywood), Simon Hawke: Star Trek TNG Kunnian hehku (Blaze of Glory)

Book Review: A Kim Jong-Il Production

A Kim Jong-Il Production (Rakastettu Johtaja Ylpeänä Esittää)
by Paul Fischer
translated to Finnish by Aura Nurmi
Atena Kustannus, 2015.

This review is based on the Finnish hardback edition.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il was a serious film buff who went seriously off the deep end. To please his father Kim Il-sung he started making a cult of personality around him with ordering production of heroic tales about North Korean heroes struggling against evil foreign capitalist dogs. Foreign countries were depicted as hell and it was always shining in North Korea. Kim Il-sung was depicted as mythical religious figure. State had full control of the citizens and no one else than Kim Jong-Il was allowed to watch foreign movies. To get films he ordered ambassadors to get him pirated copies of just about every film produced. He had a collection of about 20000 movies and his favourite films were James Bond films, "The First Blood" and "Friday the 13th."

The movies were made for propaganda purposes and for making the people work harder for the communist system. As the film makers in North Korea were rigorously controlled and punished severely for breaking the rules, the quality of North Korean movies was poor and the plots were repetitive and dull. In the 1970s Kim Jong-Il was running a huge organized crime and terrorist operations to get funds for his excessive lifestyle. With techniques learned from James Bond-films many people were kidnapped and forced to work in North Korea. In 1978 two South Korean film makers director/producer Shin Sang-ok and his actor ex-wife Choi Eun-hee were kidnapped by commandos and sent to North Korea. After attempts to indoctrinate them they were forced to make movies that would raise the quality of North Korean cinema.

Shin Sang-ok rebelled against the kidnapping and he tried to escape twice. As the result he was thrown into prison and tortured for years. Finally he decided to play along and act like a reformed man who has realised how awesome the Kims were. In reality he and Choi were always trying to find a way to escape.  Shin and Choi were given rather free hands to make movies. Although Shin's career had started strong he had angered the South Korean politicians mocking censorship and his career was over when the kidnapping occurred. Shin hid some critique against the North Korean system into his films but that went unnoticed because Kim Jong-Il liked the films. After making some critically acclaimed films, they were given lease to shoot films in East-European countries. Finally they made "so bad it is good" version of "Godzilla": "Pulgasari." Shin and Choi did not stay to see the film's success in North Korea as they had already escaped. Ironically the hardships took away some of Shin's egoistic characteristics and Shin and Choi found their love again. However Shin's career as director never fully recovered, the highlight being "3 Ninjas Knuckle Up."

In his book Paul Fischer gives a unique perspective of North Korea showing Kim Jong-Il's movie fanaticism as the main driving force of his internal politics. Kim is depicted as charismatic but capricious party animal who executes people at whim. Favoured persons are elevated and then destroyed when they fail Kim. Kim is compared of crazed movie producer or director who was using all the citizens as extras in Kim Jong-Il-show and North Korea as his stage. Those who do not fit their role are cut off. Keeping the borders closed and forcing the people believe absurd things Kim brainwashed the whole nation. The people are kept in dark while the party officials overindulge. However watching smuggled foreign movies is slowly eroding the people's faith in the North Korean system. Also the biographies of Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee are told in detail. The book is enjoyable reading, stylistically like combination of spy thriller and history. Fischer does a impressive job trying to separate the rumours from the facts.

Rating: Very good

Shameless Pile Keeps on Growing: Another Nice Mess Edition

Here are some additions to the Shameless Pile. Some parts of the trilogies I have owned for a longer time but gotten the missing parts just recently.

John Jakes' North and South book trilogy: "North and South", "Love and War" and "Heaven and Hell"

 and the same story in DVD-format: "North and South", "Love and War" and "Heaven and Hell"

Tig Thomas: "Vampyyrit ja hahmonvaihtajat"- anthology ("Classic Tales of Vampires and Shapeshifters")

Michael Adams: "Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies: A Film Critic's Year-Long Quest to Find the Worst Movie Ever Made" 

Kari Salminen et al.: "Harlin on Harlin" (Renny Harlin's life story until 1991)

Tanabe Gou: "Ajokoira" (Lovecraft-manga)

These six books cost me less than two Euros so why not?

Constance M. Burge: "Charmed - Siskoni on noita"-series (6 of 8 books published in Finland). "Epäilysten verkko" (Survival of the Fittest), "Myrskyn silmässä" (Brewing Storm), "Vaarallinen valinta" (A Tale of Two Pipers), "Ystävyys koetuksella" (Inherit the Witch), "Onnen hylkäämät" (Luck be a Lady), "Luottamus punnitaan" (Truth and Consequences).

Peter Benchley: The Creature (also on DVD)

John A. Keel: "The Mothman Prophecies"

Dave Wolverton: Star Wars: "The Courtship of Princess Leia"

Thor Heyerdahl: "Aku-Aku" (Finnish edition)

William Gibson: "Neurovelho" (Neuromancer)

Peter O'Donnell: "Modesty Blaise: Sapelihammas" (Sabre-Tooth)

Jacqueline Simpson: "British Dragons"

Danny Trejo's Bad-Ass trilogy: "Bad Ass", "Bad Ass 2: Bad-Asses", "Bad Asses on the Bayou"

"Man Who Laughs", Laurel & Hardy: "Exclusive Collection" (contains "Great Guns", "A Haunting We Will Go", "Jitterbugs", "The Dancing Masters", "The Big Noise", "The Bullfighters", "Utopia", "Flying Deuces" + shorts

"Zu Warriors", "Ju-on 2", "Sommaren med Göran"

Some variation for listening the regular Christmas music:

"Kaunimad Jõululaulud" (Estonian Christmas songs)

New Kids on the Block "Merry, Merry Christmas"

Shameless Pile Keeps on Growing: Books & Movies

Some recent additions to the Shameless Pile include both DVDs and literature.
Here are some books that either have been made into movies or are film novelizations and the corresponding movies: 

Dick-King Smith: The Water Horse (Finnish edition: Vesihevonen)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0760329/

Emma McLaughlin: Nanny Diaries (Nanny- lastenhoitajan päiväkirja))
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489237/

Dan Gordon: Wyatt Earp (film novelization):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111756/

Chris Kyle: American Sniper
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2179136/

Beatrix Potter: Tales of Beatrix Potter (Petteri Kaniinin satumaailma)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067570/

Janet Fitch: White Oleander (Valkoinen oleanteri)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283139/

Robert Bloch: Psycho I-II
Psycho Collection:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0155975/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086154/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091799/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102724/

I have these also on DVD (somewhere) except Sabrina:

John Steakley: Vampire$ (Vampyyrin metsästäjät)
John Carpenter's Vampires: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120877/

Deborah Chiel: Sabrina (film novelization, originally based on Samuel A. Taylor 's play)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114319/

Craig Shaw Gardner: Batman (film novelization)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096895/

Shameless Pile Keeps on Growing: Trash Literature Edition

The title of the post refers more to the acquisition source of these books and not to the actual artistic value of the books. What is better than a cheap bargain book? Of course a free book! Or many free books!

Some of these books I found abandoned in a cardboard box next to a waste bin shelter. Other books I scavenged from a take for free boxes of flea markets.

Reader's Digest: Mysteries of the Unexplained (Finnish Edition: Mysteerien maailma)
Heinz Sielmann: Könige im Tierreich "Kings of the Animal Kingdom" (Finnish Edition Eläinten Kuninkaat) 
Clive Cussler: The Mediterranean Caper (Dirk Pitt novel, Finnish Edition: Konnankoukku)
Craig Thomas: Firefox (Clint Eastwood's movie is based on this book)
Craig Thomas: Firefox (Finnish Edition: Tulikettu)
Erich Von Däniken: Meine Welt in Bildern "My World in Pictures" (Finnish Edition: Kaikuja avaruudesta) 
Mauri Sariola: Punainen laituri
Don Stanford: Bargain in Blood (Finnish Edition: Vaarallinen testamentti)

Monica Ali: Brick Lane
Anita Desai: Fasting, Feasting
Arundhati Roy: The God of Small Things 
Helen Fielding: Bridget Jones' Guide to Life
D.H. Lawrence: Lady Chatterley's Lover
Emily Barr: Backpack

Reader's Digest: The Inventions that Changed the World (Finnish Edition: Keksinnöt kautta aikojen)
Erich Segal: Love Story (Finnish Edition)
Erich Segal: Oliver's Story (Finnish Edition: Oliverin story)
Fyona Campbell: On Foot Through Africa

Morris & Goscinny comics:
Rantanplan Le Chameau "The Camel" (Finnish Edition Rantanplan: Kameli)
Lucky Luke Western Circus (Finnish Edition: Lännen sirkus)
Iznogoud Je veux être Calife à la place du Calife "I Want to Become Caliph Instead of the Caliph" (Finnish Edition: Ahmed Ahne Haluan kalifiksi kalifin paikalle)
Lucky Luke L'Amnésie des Dalton "The Dalton's Lose Their Memory" (Finnish Edition: Daltonit menettävät muistinsa)

The Complete Illustrated Kama Sutra (Edited by Lance Dane, Finnish Edition)

Warwick Castle A Thousand Years of History in Your Hands
Kate Mulvey & Melissa Richars: A Century of Fashion: The Changing Image of Women 1890s-1990s
Art Nouveau in Riga

For these books I had to pay a little:

Dean Koontz: Hideaway (Finnish Edition: Pakopaikka)
Dean Koontz: Phantoms (Finnish Edition: Aaveet), the movie made of this book  is reviewed here.
John Richard Stephens & Kim Smith (ed.) Mysterious Cat Stories (Finnish Edition Mystisiä kissatarinoita)
Margaret Atwood: The Robber Bride
Jack Higgins: Confessional (Finnish Edition: Papin shakki)
Jack Higgins The Wrath of the Lion & A Game for Heroes (Finnish Edition: Taistelu kunniasta, Sankareitten peli)

Shameless Pile Keeps on Growing: 10001 Ways to Make Spaghetti

Here are some recent finds & additions to The Shameless Pile. The main source were second-hand shops and teh interweb.

Second-hand DVDs:

Jonah Hex, Voyage of the Unicorn, Best Defense, Look, Up In the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman,
Cellular, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Fingersmith, The Main Event

Full Metal Alchemist Movie: The Conqueror of Shambhala, Heaven, Firetrap, Durch die Wüste

Mill Creek Box Sets:

Fists of Vengeance Martial Arts Collection, Spaghetti Westerns 20 Movies, Ten Thousand Ways to Die Spaghetti Western Collection, Ten Thousand More Ways to Die Spaghetti Western Collection

Books (in Finnish):

One Thousand And One Nights 1-6 (Finnish translation based on Waldemar Brögger's Norwegian edition). I already had one edition that contained about half of the stories.

James Bond: Zero Minus Ten by Raymond Benson, The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, A Murder of Quality by John Le Carré, Captain Cook by Alistair MacLean, Summer of Night by Dan Simmons, Hammurabi by Vilho Sorvari, Pip, pip, Sir! (Selection of Jeeves stories) by P.G. Wodehouse

PS3-games:

I went digging bargain bins and found Assassin's Creed Amerigan Saga collection (AC III, AC IV Black Flag, AC Liberation). Destiny was sold at local electronics store opening sale for 2 €.

Book Review: Vish Puri ja nauruun kuolleen miehen tapaus ( The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing, Vish Puri #2)

Vish Puri ja nauruun kuolleen miehen tapaus (The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing, Vish Puri #2)

by Tarquin Hall

translated to Finnish by Tero Valkonen

Originally published in 2010 by Sacred Cow Media Ltd.

Pocket book edition; Gummerus, 2014.

This review is based on the Finnish paperback edition. 

India's "Most Private Investigator" is back! This time Vish "Chubby" Puri investigates the murder of Dr. Suresh Jha, a man who dedicated his life for exposing fraudulent gurus and mystics. What makes the murder unusual is that Dr. Jha was killed seemingly by goddess Kali during a laughter yoga meeting. Kali levitated and vanished into thin air so Vish suspects some kind of magic trick.

Vish gathers information from street magicians, while his undercover operatives "Flush" and "Facecream" try to infiltrate the ashram (spiritual hermitage) of extremely influential Maharaj Swami. Also the members of the laughter yoga club seem to have secrets. This time we get also some more glimpses about mysterious lady Facecream's past.

Again Vish Puri's mother "Mummy-ji" has her own investigations going on. She and Vish's wife Rumpi try to solve the robbery on women's club. Vish has also other things to be worried about. Jaiya, daughter of Puri's is pregnant and Vish's bumbling brother-in-law Bagga is having trouble with real-estate business.

Again the book is filled with mystery, comedy and depictions of Indian cuisine. Entertaining mystery has couple of twists and surprises. There is also some comparison between traditional philosophical Hinduism and material new-age Hinduism. Also the corruption in Indian society is depicted to be omnipresent, the only policeman Vish trusts is Commissioner Singh. During the investigation Vish ponders the differences between superstition and belief. There is a vocabulary of Indian words in the end of the book, which comes in handy when reading the story.

Check also: The Case of the Missing Servant, Vish Puri #1

Rating: Good

Book Review: Enter the Dragon

Enter the Dragon (book)
by Mike Roote from the original screenplay by Michael Allin
Universal-Tandem Publishing, Great Britain, 1974

Evil crime-lord Han holds a martial-arts tournament on his island. Master of Shaolin kung fu Lee is assigned to infiltrate the island fortress and report of illegal activity. Lee must also avenge the death of his sister.

Other notable invited martial artist are indebted playboy Roper and black karate instructor Williams. On the island beautiful women entertain the guests on leisure time. One of the girls is undercover agent Mei Ling who is helping Lee. Basically the story is a bit like James Bond story with martial arts. However the main character Lee is more of a philosophically oriented hero, whereas Roper in more of a ladies man.

Novelization of Bruce Lee kung fu classic follows the movie quite closely. It was quite entertaining to read. The main flaws are the same as in the film. What happens to Mei Ling is again left unknown. The main difference is the end battle, in the book there is no mirror hall. Also Han's Chinese henchman Bolo (in the film performed by Bolo Yeung) was changed to Turk.

Rating: Good