Moving Pictures

Loved loved loved this one. Pratchett's spot-on skewering of Hollywood, the motion picture industry, and the "anything for a buck" marketing moguls was both ridiculously accurate and hilarious.

Poor Detritus really went through the wringer in this one, or would that be the tumbler?

It's hard to say for sure, but I think this might be my favorite Discworld entry at this point. A ton of elements really come together to tell a complete story, and by reading chronologically, the cast of characters and the setting and even the sort of rhythm of the book coalesced into an addictive read. A true culmination, you might say. I was laughing out loud, I was trying to anticipate where we were headed, I was enjoying the new entries into our cast of characters, it was great. I literally did not put the book down for the last 150 pages. Good stuff. Really fun, easy reading.

I always enjoy Pratchett's books that are clearly set in a Discworld equivalent of a real Earth place. In this case, Hollywood. People and animals alike ae being drawn out into the desert and don't know why until they get there - get to Holy Wood. The alchemists discovered how to make moving pictures and moved out there to get away from the ever judgmental wizards (although one of them ends u becoming one of their biggest stars). I enjoyed all the references to popular classic movies and the commentary on the movie making process. With all of Pratchett's signature chaos, randomness and puns of course. I loved all the cut throat competition, crazy ideas and general weirdness of it all. With the mysterious darkness lurking underneath. And show more I loved seeing more of Cut Me Own Throat Dibbler and his manipulativeness. I loved getting to see his ambition and how his mind works a bit after so many appearances in previous books. And of course the ever present flawed reasoning and somehow exceptionally functional some of the time reasoning of the wizards in the background.

If you like movies, movie humour or just a crazy weird ride of the book this is definitely worth a read or listen. This is a standalone book in the Discworld series. While we do see previous characters, you can enjoy this book without knowing anything about them. show less

The Discworld is constantly evolving, mainly courtesy of Ankh Morpork's guilds of something-or-other. The Alchemists Guild's latest bout of explosion for example, has produced the raw material for moving pictures (i.e. movies). Pretty soon, Ankh-Morpork becomes too cramped for the more "extravagant" movie directors, so cue a surprisingly fast and steady exodus to Holy Wood, a long abandoned dwelling in the desert.

Holy Wood however, is not a normal place, housing some rather sinister things in its long-forgotten ruins. Unfortunately for the Discworld, the only one whose sixth sense is tingling here, is a flea-ridden dog named Gaspode. I mean, he can speak, and think faster than most intelligent humans, however he lacks a certain... show more charm, to prevent the inevitable boot in its hindquarters.
Luckily, he meets Victor, perpetual wizarding student, whose minds is open-enough to comprehend the existence of a real-life wonder dog.

The overall reading experience of Moving Pictures was a very weird one. When I started, I felt completely disconnected from every character, action and even the general idea of the plot. All I could really appreciate were the occasional funny bits.

Of course, it is very important to be sober when you take an exam. Many worthwhile careers in the street-cleansing, fruit-picking and subway-guitar-playing industries have been founded on a lack of understanding of this simple fact.

A small crowd was collecting. A small crowd collected very easily in Ankh-Morpork. As a city, it had some of the most accomplished spectators in the universe. They’d watch anything, especially if there was any possibility of anyone getting hurt in an amusing way.

“Did I hear things, or can that little dog speak?” said Dibbler.
“He says he can’t,” said Victor.
Dibbler hesitated. The excitement was unhinging him a little. “Well,” he said, “I suppose he should know.”

I took a month-long break from reading it when I went on holiday, mostly because I didn't feel like carrying any physical books with me. When I ended up picking up the story again, things just... clicked. I suddenly got all the subtle nuances, and the funny references. I started enjoying the creepy atmosphere of the mysteriously moving sands in the desert. And most importantly: I was finally getting invested in the main characters' adventures, and stopped waiting for the cameos from other more familiar ones.

Score: 3.7/5 stars

... is it a good book? At times, the story felt like it was criticizing the workings of a very remote place, that had nothing to do with me. Other times however, I could totally see it as part of one of John Oliver's tirades in one of his current... ugh... crusades.

For anyone who likes to read the gossip magazines, gets invested in Hollywood stars' romances, finds themselves taking up a pitchfork against a celebrity or two, this book can be a truly entertaining read. Otherwise, just browse the funny quotes list, and skip this novel. show less

Considered one of the more mediocre Discworld novels – and with good reason. Moving Pictures takes on Lovecraftian horror and Hollywood – neither of which really works and which certainly don't work together. The Cthulhu mythos could've be fertile ground for Pratchett in a better Discworld novel, but bringing the modern technologies of Hollywood film-making into the Disc doesn't really work. It is made even worse by the fact it is done without purpose: there is no satirical or compelling comedic reason to use Hollywood for Disc material, and the jokes are weak and directionless.

The characters lack both personality and the reader's interest, and nothing happens plot-wise until the very end. There are just some vague hints as to a show more sleeping evil and a lot of laborious transmogrifications of silver-screen hallmarks. Aside from one good joke (the subverted Hachi myth on page 168) and one good line ("... inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened" (pg. 262)), there's little to bolster your resolve in getting through this one. Which is a shame, because you need it. show less

Although quite funny, with great characterisations and satirical commentary of the film industry, I found that "Moving Pictures" was too long, rather like many movies. The last hundred pages or so dragged along, as if Pratchett were trying to include absolutely everything he could on the topic after already reaching the saturation point. A little shorter and with a few less plot contrivances, perhaps, and this would have been an excellent Discworld novel. As it is, it's only so-so, but then - not every book in a great series can be the best.

Holy Wood dreams and calls out to people. People like Victor the perpetual student wizard and Ginger the milkmaid and Gaspode the talking dog. Come to Holy Wood and make it in the clicks and learn what we mean when we call you larger than life.

I have read and re-read Moving Pictures for 30 some years and I am not tired yet of following the starry eyed characters through their paces. This novel brings me a lot of memories and a lot of joy.