Me and Him, Him and Me

Me and Him

For 35 years, the man on my right has been.. well, the man on my right. He has seen me through good time and bad times, he has supported me when I asked for it and kicked my ass when I needed it. We have shared adventures and conversations, happiness and sadness, we have survived his military experience and my marriage.

I am proud, honored and privileged to call him friend and brother. And today, to wish him a very happy birthday!

Here’s to spending at least another 35 with you in my life!

Happy Birthday AAron!

Review: Here, There Be Dragons

Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

There’s a quote by C.S. Lewis which says “A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.” I like this quote. I like this quote a lot. What it says to me is that just because you’re writing for a child doesn’t mean you have to “dumb” the story down or condescend to your readers. Continue reading “Review: Here, There Be Dragons” →

Practice Positivity

Can we stop now?

Please?

Can we stop with random negativity for the sake of just putting shit out into the world? I mean I’m all for public discourse and I certainly think we should call out evil and injustice where we see it, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about letting the world know you don’t like something for the simple sake of needing your voice to be heard. Continue reading “Practice Positivity” →

Why Did my Story Get Rejected? | Book View Cafe Blog

Why Did my Story Get Rejected? | Book View Cafe Blog.

Really great essay on why we look at our own working terms of salability, not sales.

Review: The Monuments Men

I liked The Monuments Men. I’m gonna come right out and say it. No, it’ not perfect, it’s probably not going to win any awards, but I liked it. Of course, now the obvious question is why did I like it? It could have something to do with the brilliant cast, it could have something to do with the subject matter and it could be because I was tired of heavy handed dramas and I just saw it at the right time. I think it’s a combination of all of that.

Continue reading “Review: The Monuments Men” →

DAVID • Sense: Globe Trekker 101

My latest from David Magazine

DAVID • Sense: Globe Trekker 101.

Solving problems

Out for a late morning walk with Laika, lots on my mind. Some intense conversations with friends, trying to figure out lessons learned from past (passed?) mistakes. And in the middle of it all… I figure out how to solve at least one of the problems I was having with Pandora’s Box.

Where are you going? Where have you been?

Recently, I was thumbing through an old journal and came across an entry from many, many years ago. It seems I was on the horns of a decision, a crossroads between two conflicting paths. I had mused to myself, at the time, if only I could see the future, see where each path led and where I was supposed to end up. I figured this would help make my decision easier. Continue reading “Where are you going? Where have you been?” →

Morning walk…

Took Laika for his morning walk and the fog was thick, making for a nice soft background. And he was kind enough to pose for me.

Revising and revisiting and rewriting

So I’ve been having a crisis of confidence of late. I’m still going through it but it’s getting a little better. Mostly it’s because I haven’t written much for me lately. I’m not complaining (too much). I like what I’ve been writing (and hopefully will continue to write) but there’s some creative stuff bouncing around and trying to get out so I’ve been trying to write creatively on a daily basis, even if it’s just a little, even if it’s just a blog post or movie review, something to get the mental juices flowing a bit. Continue reading “Revising and revisiting and rewriting” →

Review: Winter’s Tale

Despite winning an Academy Award for A Beautiful Mind, Hollywood really needs to stop giving Akiva Goldsman work. As a writer, he’s made a botch job of some good projects and now, as the writer/director of Winter’s Tale, he’s made a botch of what I can only assume was a fairy tale like novel of the same name by Mark Helprin. Now, to be fair, I’ve never read the original source material so I don’t know how much it veered or how faithful it was but I can say that either way, Goldsman delivered a film which won’t please many people. Continue reading “Review: Winter’s Tale” →

Review: Screenwriting 101 by Film Crit Hulk!

Screenwriting 101 by Film Crit Hulk! by FILM CRIT HULK
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While there’s some interesting stuff in Screenwriting 101, a lot of it must be taken with a grain of salt. HULK makes grand suppositions but never actually backs them up other than saying “I’m right because I’m right.” Or even better, referencing the mystical “They.” Additionally, he says in 50 words what could sometimes be said in 5 (or often not said at all because he’s just repeating something he’s already said)

Like all screenwriting books, there are nuggets of useful information and certainly some ideas to ponder but when the FADE OUT comes, it’s merely OK.

That all said, the eBook does get bonus points for having a “Bruce Banner” version which is not in the headache inducing ALL CAPS which is FILM CRIT HULK’S trademark.

View all my reviews

Photo challenge

Just before my recent trip to America, I received this email from Monika, asking for a specific series of photos to be taken while I was away. Now, Monika and I have travelled together a few times and she knows of my passion for picture taking. And she has one of the driest senses of humor I’ve ever been privy to, outside of 70s BBC night time programming.