28 July 2003

Annotations on Alan Moore Madelyn Boudreaux's An Annotation of Literary, Historic, and Artistic References in Alan Moore's Graphic Novel, V For Vendetta (mirrored here) Jess Nevins' Notes on League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, since collected into a book, Heroes and Monsters. ... and a complete list (Swamp Thing, 1963, Watchmen, Swamp Thing etc) here 5:19:01 PM     comments

555-list: a compilation of fake numbers from movies, television and radio 555-numbers are fake numbers earmarked for use in movies, tv, radio etc so that real numbers don't get used (and then called). These guys have gathered together a list of 555-numbers that have been used, and where. The UK's equivalent for 555-numbers is Oftel's numbers for drama use. [via PR-Otaku] 5:16:10 PM     comments

Chicago Manual of Style enters the 21st century Not online sadly. Related: Patrick J. Lynch and Sarah Horton's Web Style Guide. [via ?] 5:15:40 PM     comments

Sight and Sound reviews 24 season 2 David Thomson meditates on what glued viewers to 24, and why the show fell short He hints at its fetishisation of mobile phones, which always seemed to be more than simply a plot device to glue together the different story strands and locations. The sharpest pleasure in 24 has always been to awaken the scenarist in us all. It was evident early in the first series that hooked viewers were not simply asking story questions like, 'Do you trust Senator Palmer's wife?' Or, 'Are Jack and Nina over?' No, we were identifying with the team behind the show, and their self-imposed dilemma. We wanted to know, 'How are they going to spin this out through the middle sections without losing us?' Or, 'It's not just who is the traitor, but is anyone telling the truth?' Or, 'The secret is, it's all about cell phones.' [...] [T]he show required commentary. It needed its own talk show, with real-life pundits and senators coming on to discuss President Palmer's situation. It needed a great dash of what Altman tried to do in Tanner, and what Welles was always after – the organic confusion of fact and fiction. It needed to bleed over into the rest of television. Go one step further: the commercials should have been written and directed by the show's talent, and they should have had the show's actors or characters. Thus you cut away from a car chase to have Kiefer Sutherland proposing this or that SUV. In the midst of telephonic deceit, Nina confides to the camera about the 'love-affair confidentiality' of her latest Nokia. And so on. [...] Someone should show it all in one day (Antonia Quirke had that idea for the ICA in London – but there were print problems). And everyone in the audience has a cell phone so they can call home. Or wherever you'd call if the bomb flashes. But the doors are locked – only as much food and weaponry as you can carry in. Give claustrophobia a chance. I told you we needed Buñuel. It's The Exterminating Angel, with Nina presiding, waiting for Jack to sleep. Also: Top 100 British tv programmes. [via philgyford] 12:26:58 PM     comments