I can’t talk about Neil Gaiman without mentioning Dave McKean, the man, the illustrator without whom Gaiman’s Sandman graphic novels would never have seen the light of day. And when you start talking about these two, it’s almost impossible to avoid one of the biggest joint projects they’ve ever had in their long-spanning and illustrious careers. I speak of the fantasy film Mirrormask,

Mirrormask, as far as magical films released in recent years go, is as good as it gets. The story is about Helena Campbell, and her journey through a dreamlike land that she must rescue in order to keep her own mother from dying. The magical City of Light and the Land of Shadows is not unlike Carroll’s own Wonderland, which has its own rules (as any self-respecting magical land should), as well as its fair share of protagonists and antagonists and, as with the case of the giants, extremely strange creatures.

The Jim Henson Company did a good job in filming the fantastic scenes that provide the very backbone to the entire film. The various creatures that populate the City of Light, most of which look like people dressed for a harlequinade, blend well with the magical and whimsical environment that surrounds them, while the Land of Shadows is your typical haunted forest and more, teeming with danger and the occasional intriguing mystery. The environment couldn’t have given Gaiman’s screenplay more life, more vibrance, and all this was brought to order by the masterstroke genius of McKean’s direction.

Forget Stardust, forget Beowulf. Mirrormask is Gaiman at his record best, mixing illusions with reality and giving us a heartwarming story that will cling to the outer fringes of our dreams like the fragrance of frangipani clinging onto your sense of smell.

I introduced my sister to the resurrection of the TV series "Doctor Who," recently, and in exchange, she introduced me to the old British comedy "Jeeves and Wooster."

The story revolves around Bertie Wooster, a young man of the idle rich persuation, and his valet, Reginald Jeeves. Jeeves is a man with a masterplan, while Wooster is just stupid. It has befallen Jeeves to bail Wooster (and his friends) out whenever necessary.

The series is hilarious. And dry, of course, since the stories were created by the Brits, but very very witty. If you’re used to slapstick humour, this show would probably bore the pants out of you, but the acting and the writing alone is ingenious beyond words.

Here’s a short clip from the start of the series: the first meeting of Jeeves the valet, and Bertie Wooster.

If you can tell me who the guy acting as Bertie Wooster is, you get a prize. The entire show was adapted from the collection of Jeeves stories written by author P.G. Wodehouse.

Any reader worth his / her salt these days would know - or have heard of - Neil Gaiman, The man is a wall in today’s sci-fi / fantasy writing industry, with a repertoire of books and graphic novels to his name that can be classified as a classic example of slipstream modern-day fiction.

One of his lesser known works from the book A Wolf at the Door is a poem named Instructions. The poem is a set of instructions of what to do if you suddenly find yourself in a fantasy setting.

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