Very very distant. No Daryl, no Merle, Governor is Hispanic (I believe) and it's no spoiler that Shane dies in the very first volume (first 7 issues). The feel is way different too, I can't spoil it but Volume 2 is probably the biggest turn for the series, shows what Rick's to become.

Kirkman is of the best in his craft. Try Invincible by him too.

I think the Louie season finale so far is doing a really good job of making me feel depressed.

Finally got to the cinema to see the 'On The Road' movie based on the book by Jack Kerouac. First off, don't go into watching the movie expecting it be as wonderful as the book, that's just not going to happen. However, the movie was great in it's own right. A real road movie full of emotions.
Oh and if anyone hasn't seen the book, I highly advise you to read it!

So over December there was a Studio Ghibli film festival here in Vancouver, so I got to see original 35mm Japanese prints of Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbour Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Pom Poko, Porco Rosso and Only Yesterday. Which was AWESOME, because all of those films are AWESOME, and I almost wish I could have children so I could make them watch them (at the appropriate age of course) and experience them through their eyes the way I never did as a child because I grew up in small Scotland towns.

Maybe it's just because it's fresh in my mind, but I think Only Yesterday might be my favourite Ghibli film, and instantly one of my top ten films. I probably need to see it a few more times before making that claim though. Also, My Neighbour Totoro remains the best film for children ever made. It is delightful...

Also delightful is this crazy French song that opens Pom Poko (though the rest of it maybe not a film western audiences would consider appropriate for children):


Also been watching Justified, on Netflix it's pretty good.

Indeed. At first I didn't really care for Goggins' character, but now he's doing the whole preacher thing, he's actually become pretty interesting.

I liked Goggins in Django Unchained, played the type of guy who Tarantino wanted him to be.

Really want to see Texas Chainsaw 3D, I'm a big horror film buff and it looks fun.

Judging from the rest of the horror community, it /is/ dumb. But it's fun and that's what we look for. Sure something scary like Sinister or Livide (which is like an incredibly morbid fairy tale, so lovely) comes out, but TCM 3D is like a treat to hold us off for the good stuff.

I remember trying to read the Hobbit when I was like 9 and I got through like 40 pages and it was just Gandalf being a dick to Bilbo and Dwarves having an orgy in his house. I have yet to continue the LotR series after that initial experience.

When I was 9 I was focused on reading Captain Underpants and watching Full Metal Alchemist. I can honestly say that I still wildly prefer both over LotR which has always seemed to be a sacred cow of sorts in terms of literature (like Shakespeare).