So, who’s doing NaNoWrimo? I am… trying…

But in the meantime, I’ve discovered some good stuff to share with you.

Movie Review: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

When it comes to describing to someone what dieselpunk is, Sky Captain is one of the best examples. It’s a retrofuturistic film (retrofuturism is one of the most-loved forms of dieselpunk), it involves fantasy tecnology, the war, exotic settings, it has a very strong comics vibe and it’s pain adventure.
I didn’t enjoy the film as much as CW did (too superficial characters for my likings, and too many plot holes) but it’s still a fun film.

Dieselpunk Lexicon

There were two new installments in Larry Amyett’s Dieselpunk Lexicon series, both devoted to a more visual take at dieselpunk.

Dieselpunk Lexicon Part 2: Manhattanism
Which looks at that visual characteristics of the genre that is most influenced by cyberpunk visuals and by vintage Expressionist aesthetics.

Dieselpunk Lexicon Part 3: Neo-Noir
Which addresses a larger sense of feeling, the noir soul of so many stories and films that is part of many of dieselpunk stories.

The History of the Flapper, Part 1: A Call for Freedom

I know you guys like reading about the fiery flapper’s social history (so do i!), so I thought I’d share one of my favourite resources. This is an article of the Smithsonian society that addresses the flapper phenomenon in a very intersting, socialogial way.

Babylon Berlin
by Volker Kutscher

Berlin, 1929. Detective Inspector Rath, was a successful career officer in the Cologne Homicide Division before a shooting incident in which he inadvertently killed a man. He has been transferred to the Vice Squad in Berlin, a job he detests, even though he finds a new friend in his boss, Chief Inspector Wolter. There is seething unrest in the city and the Commissioner of Police has ordered the Vice Squad to ruthlessly enforce the ban on May Day demonstrations. The result is catastrophic with many dead and injured, and a state of emergency is declared in the Communist strongholds of the city.

I’m very excited to read this novel, though it’s so difficult to find information about it and its author. All I know is this is the first novel in a series so popular in Germany it’s going to be turned into a TV serial. For now, only this fort novel is available in English

Horror silent films

Carrie-Anne over at Welcome to My Magick Theatre has assembled a fantatic collection of classic horror movies to celebrate Halloween. There’s a bit of everything in here, though… do I detect a very very flight preference for German Expressionist films? Do I?

There’s good and bad in here, but honestly I mostly see very good. Well, I also have a preference for German Expressionist films.

This is the entire series of posts:
Celebrating 120 Years of Horror Cinema
A dull old dark house
Italy’s first featured film
“One word destroys thy pact!”
Happy 100th Birthday, Homunculus!
Dracula disappeinted me

How to be a silent movie heroine

Fritzi over at Movie Silently has been long hell-bent in trying to demistify the notion that silent movies’ heroines where ‘damsels in distress’.

In this article, with her usual witt, se goes about settling what silent films heroine truly were. If you’re not into 1920s history, you might be quite surprise.

I’ll see you next month with a new collection of dieselpunky posts collected on the net.

Sarah Plugs Her Own Stuff

Just wanted to mention a lovely review I received just this morning at Fantasia Reviews
It was a very welcomed good morning!

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