Read You Loud And Clear

I'm ashamed to admit that I'm like a lot of people out there in that I love to read, but hate reading. Uh, wait a minute...how can that be possible?
Let me explain. I read a lot. I frequently visit news sites such as Newsvine and the Onions A.V. Club and Kotaku. I have several magazine subscriptions, and a stack of comics I can no longer keep up with that I add to on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, on the nights I do try to curl up with a book, it's everything I can do to stay awake for ten minutes. Not because reading or the book bores me. I am assaulted by so much material all day long that by the time night rolls around my eyes can barely stay open.
I also try to keep up with all other aspects of geek culture like movies, tv, video games and music.
Before the internet claimed my soul, I easily read a book a week. I took public transportation, and left my gameboy at home. I read as I walked narrowly avoiding passers by. When I waited for someone, I would pull a book out and let the time pass. I didn't jump on my cell and call everybody I can think of to waste a few moments with. Maybe Amazons Kindle is the way to go.
As hard as it is to find time for some hardcore reading, I'm also not much of a fan of audio books. I have gone the audio book way on rare occasions. I knew I would never read The DaVinci Code, but wanted to know what all the hype was about. I listened to it unabridged during my morning training runs. This was multitasking that I could live with. I'm toying with doing the same with Ayn Rands Atlas Shrugged. It'll probably take me a thousand miles to finish the thing though.

I read World War Z by Max Brooks when it was released in hardcover. I love this book, if you haven't read it, you're denying yourself a good time. I actually wanted to read it again, but I've already explained my difficulty with time management, and stacks of reading material.
That's when I came across the World War Z podcasts. Thinking they were a related podcast, I downloaded them. (there are 10) The podcasts are excerpts from the audio book, are free, and they hooked me. The World War Z audiobook plays out more like a radio drama and less like a reading. Imagine an NPR show devoted to survivors of a zombie war. Max Brooks plays the role of the interviewer. His voice is pleasant and professional as he questions his subjects who walk us through the oral history from patient zero in China to the monument in Yonkers erected in our victory over the undead.
The subjects are not lacking in talent either. Alan Alda, John Tutturo, Carl and Rob Reiner, Henry Rollins, Jurgen Prochnow and Mark Hamill who's voice talents are flawless are possibly the most recognizable names in the credits, but everyone does a great performance. You can find a full cast listing at the Random House World War Z page. Since the book travels the world, some of the accents may seem campy, but I think this is done more to give us a feel of the accent without making the dialogue incomprehensible.

This version is abridged, obviously the attention to statistics so important in the book are toned down. I also found myself missing the section of the book that takes place on a German sub, and a floating community of ships. I don't know why sections were cut, but for an audio book the budget must have been huge.
I listened during my commute, and the story is done in 6 hours.

Brad Pitt has won the right to produce World War Z the movie, and J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, and many many comics) is currently working on a script.
The problem is, there is so much material, that nearly any story can be expanded to a film. Todd Wainios battle at Yonkers and his trek across America, or Christina Eliopolis' trials after falling from a plane over Louisiana swampland (if she does appear in the film and is not played by Christina Ricci then the casting director should be shot as a zombie), T. Sean Collins story of protecting the rich and famous holed up in a webcast paradise is also chilling enough to be it's own feature. Like The Walking Dead, World War Z would make an excellent limited series, maybe eight to ten one hour long episodes in documentary style.

World War Z is written by Max Brooks and published by Random House
Even if you have read the book, the audio book adds a different layer to the story and is well worth a listen.
The audio book won an Audie award in 2007 for Best Multi-Voiced Performance.
I have seen the audio book for as little as $15. at Barnes and Noble.
Download it from ITunes for $19., or torrent it (not recommended (ineedtosaythat)). You won't be disappointed.

Don't Zombies Have Anywhere Else To Hang Out?

Most people that know me know there are two things I find entertaining, video games and zombies. Specifically zombies in film, comics or video games. I've tried zombie literature but after about thirty pages of "uhwahhh", "grrrrrr" and "br-a-i-i-i-nssss" I tend to lose interest. Zombie vocabulary is a little too limited to allow them to write books, and they're horrible typists, fingers keep getting stuck between the keys and popping off. The exception being Max Brooks amazing World War Z, and the Zombie Survival Guide of course, but he's not a zombie....yet.
So a mix of zombies and video games usually leaves me giddy, but when I see my favorite things cheapened by senseless lawsuits, well lets just say I get a little dead inside. (pun intended for those keeping score)
New Line Cinema and the MKR Group, current rights holders to George A Romero's Dawn of the Dead are claiming copyright infringement against Japanese game publisher Capcom citing the video game Dead Rising rips them off.
Let me lay the similarities out for the uninitiated. Both properties have zombies. Both properties have humans. Both properties have a shopping mall.
That's about it.
Dawn of the Dead (the original) is a film about four desperate people trying to survive an unimaginable apocalyptic situation of unknown origins by taking refuge in a shopping mall.
Dead Rising is a video game on the XBox 360 system about a photojournalist trapped in a shopping mall for three days who uncovers a plot to zombify the world. There's a much bigger story to Dead Rising that involves the governments attempt to mass produce beef, but you get the idea.
Where Dawn of the Deads violence was unforgiving and brutal, Dead Rising is almost comical. Anything in the mall can be used as a weapon including giant Lego heads, golf balls and the ever trusty chainsaw.
Dawn of the Dead has a feeling of despair and solitude. Dead Rising has a new person to save around every corner, and the most dangerous foes are living humans driven mad by their situation.
While it is clear that Dead Rising is influenced by Dawn of the Dead, they have about as much in common as Godzilla 2000, Cloverfield and Ghostbusters. At least those three were the same medium.
I think I should also mention, Dead Rising has been available since 2006 and included a disclaimer on the cover "This game was not developed, approved or licensed by the owners or creators of George A Romero's Dawn of the Dead".
I have to wonder why New Line doesn't go after the wholly enjoyable Hong Kong comedy horror film Biozombie which also features humans battling zombies in a shopping mall. Oh yeah, they're not as ilthyfay ichray as Capcom.
Capcom has since fired a preemptive strike and are seeking a declaratory judgment that the idea of humans battling zombies in a shopping mall cannot be protected under copyright standards.
Now, considering George Romero got completely screwed in allowing Night of the Living Dead to fall into public domain. I'm all for giving the man his due. However, George has nothing to do with this lawsuit. I wish the folks at New Line could see how this kind of action cheapens the whole franchise and could adversely affect Diary of the Dead which was released in a limited run today. If anything George should countersue New Line, and while he's at it endorse Dead Rising, and go after Atari for the horrible licensed Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddlers Green game.
While I can't imagine New Line winning this waste of legal resources, the action may be enough to delay work on Dead Rising 2, which I imagine will take place nowhere near a shopping mall.
Dead Rising is currently available as an XBox 360 Platinum Hit for a budget price.
The original Dawn of the Dead is available in several formats including a pristine blu-ray edition and as angry as I am with New Line, if you haven't seen it, what are you waiting for?
This weekend I'm driving 90 minutes north to see Diary of the Dead......I hope to review on Monday.
Have a nice weekend all.