Saturday, October 07, 2006
A Matter of Plot
Well, I've managed to work out a rough plot synopsis for the book. I'll probably stop where I am in the first chapter. I have a general idea of where I want the story to go and who the main characters will be so now I'm going to work on developing an outline. I'll probably begin this process over the weekend. If I can simply outline a chapter a day that will get me 30 in a month which isn't bad. Once I have the outline, I think the rest of the story will be much easier to write. It will also let me know if I've got something that can be worked out as a novel or maybe even a series. More to come.
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Thursday, October 05, 2006
The Lost Season 3 Premiere: More Questions Than Answers?
Well, the Lost season 3 premiere has come and gone and I must say that after the jaw-dropping opening, I was left, like many I'm sure, with more questions than answers. What we do know is that the "others" live in what appears to be a very small and quiet community nestled in one of the plateaus of the island miles away from the crash sites. They seem to have fairly normal living conditions. Nice homes, power, music, books, etc. So then we have to wonder why all the secrecy? Why the need to dress up and present this facade to the losties? Could it be that they don't want to be discovered? I must admit that I've become a Lost addict. I've seen all of the episodes and have become hopelessly obsessed with this show. Based on what I've read and seen on the show here are some of my own Lost theories:
- The "others" were actually the subjects of the original Dharma Initiative experiments in the 70's and 80's.
- Fenry (now known as Ben) was the leader of the revolt.
- The village we saw the others living in was actually the village of the scientists from the original Dharma Initiative.
- The island itself moves somehow, which may explain why Ben let Michael and Walt go. He knew they wouldn't be able to find the island again.
- Hanso stopped funding the project in 1987. Could it be that Widmore is now responsible for the operation of the island? (Dropping in supplies and such)
- The monster was created, or rather, manifested during the parapsychology testing of the original Dharma Initiative. It presents the greatest fears/bad memories to those it comes into contact with.
- The losties are being subjected to experiments themselves and are being given truth serum (which may explain why Juliet knows everything about Jack.)
- The losties were all brought together as part of some supernatural design to save the world. They are all connected by the numbers in some way.
These are all just brief observations I've made about the show. Some of them may appear as "duhs" to big Lost fans. Other devout fans of the show may argue my ideas and call me a moron.
Overall I was impressed with the season premiere. In typical Lost fashion, the show answered some questions while also raising even more to be answered later. That is the genius of this show and is what keeps us starving for more. I was disappointed to find out that we'll only get six new episodes before the creators take a hiatus until February.
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Wednesday, October 04, 2006
The Journey Finally Begins
I have always had an interest in reading especially in the sci-fi and fantasy genres. I first read Tolkien when I was fifteen and it was then that I realized one day I'd want to produce my own epic story. Since then, nothing has really changed. I've always simply wanted to produce my own story and, while I've attempted to make a go at it in the past, I've never managed to get my feet off of the ground. Orson Scott Card said in his book, How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy, that writers look at the world in a different manner than most people. Writers look at everything in life as a possible story. While I've always looked at things in this manner, I've never been successful in actually writing the story. Well, I'm 27 now and, unfortunately, time doesn't move backwards, which means that I'll only get older from here on out right? That being said, it's high time I stopped simply "looking" at things as a possible story and started writing an actual story.
I'm about to start a journey, another chapter in this crazy story we call life, and I'd like for you to join me. During the coming weeks and months (hopefully not years) I'll be dedicating my spare time to two things: writing the story I've always wanted to tell and marking my progress here on my blog. I'll try my best to post every day on the ups and downs of putting this thing together. Why will I do this? Because I need to do it. I need to have someone else to answer to besides myself because, frankly, I'm just plain lazy. Even though no one will probably read this entry or ever keep up with my progress, it will still be there to guide me. This blog will be my beacon in the storm, my signal fire on the deserted island, my line in the sand.
First things I need to put in order: deadlines. Every writer needs deadlines. Hopefully one day, after I'm published, said publisher will set my deadlines but until then, I will be forced to set my own. Here are the goals I'd like to meet and the deadlines:
First Draft - 01 March 2007
Second Draft- 01 May 2007
Final Draft- 01 October 2007
That gives me roughly 12 months to work with. That's plenty of time to crank out a 300+ page novel. Luckily I've already started writing and have about half of the first chapter written. The great science fiction writer, Robert A. Heinlein, once remarked on the five rules of writing in a speech:
First: You must write.
Second: You must finish what you write.
Third: You must refrain from rewriting except to editorial order.
Fourth: You must place it on the market.
Fifth: You must keep it on the market until sold.
The first and second rules are always my biggest stumbling blocks. I wouldn't know about the last three as I've never gotten that far in the process. That is going to change. It all begins now.
-Robert
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Thursday, September 21, 2006
Movies For The Masses: 300 (2007): Promo Trailer Scoop!
Movies For The Masses: 300 (2007): Promo Trailer Scoop!
Check out the three minute trailer for the new movie, 300, based on Frank Miller's graphic novel. Looks amazing.
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Thursday, September 14, 2006
Obsession: New Documentary Details Radical Islam's Plan to Take Over the West
Above is a trailer for the new documentary Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West. The 60 minute documentary features clips taken from Arabic TV networks and subtitled in English. In these clips, Muslim radicals in positions of power are calling for war against the west and talk of taking over the world. Much of it is chillingly similar to Hitler's hate speech. As of now, the documentary is having trouble getting distributed but it can be purchased for $19.95 from the filmmakers via their website: Obsessionthemovie.com. The creators of the film have been featured on Rush Limbaugh's radio show as well as the Hannity and Colmes show on Fox News. The threat from radical Islam is being veiled as simply the "war on terror." In reality, it is much more than that. The "clash of civilizations" may soon break into all-out war.
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Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Star Wars: The True Original Trilogy is Finally on DVD!
While there still are a few who haven't crawled out from under their rocks, most everyone in the world has watched Star Wars. Star Wars is more than just a movie in America. There are certain things in our country which transcend their respective genres and become something much more. Such can be said for Star Wars. It is much more than just a simple series of films. Star Wars has become a part of pop culture. Personally I grew up watching the films and being amazed by the special effects and epic story. In 1998, George Lucas decided to re-release the Star Wars Trilogy with updated digitally "touched-up" scenes. While Lucas did a great job on the project, many fans were upset and rightly so. While the changes seemed small at the time, as noted on Starwars.com, the differences between the original theatrical release and the 1998 special edition are tremendous. One of the most notable differences between Episode IV's original and special editions is the fact that in the original theatrical version, Han Solo shot the bounty hunter Greedo, in Mos Eisley, first. In the special editions, Lucas changed this so that Solo shot after being shot at first by Greedo. It's easy to see why many die-hard fans of the series would be upset by this change and that was only one of many.
In September of 2004, Lucas released the original Star Wars Trilogy in a special boxed set for the first time on DVD. It was a moment I had personally been waiting for since...well since I bought my DVD player back in 1999. I had not read many reviews about the release of the boxed set prior to purchasing it so one can imagine my surprise when watching the end of Return of the Jedi, I noticed that Lucas had replaced the original actor who portrayed Anakin Skywalker, Sebastian Shaw, with Hayden Christensen in the jedi ghost scene. I was in complete and total shock! After a mixture of emotions I realized that it was probably a good idea to maintain continuity between the new films and the original trilogy...but I still wanted my true original trilogy. In fact, Star Wars fans were demanding it. Lucas, always willing to please the fans, decided this year to finally release the original theatrical versions of the Star Wars original trilogy on DVD. The original theatrical versions are being packaged on a bonus disc with the new special edition individual DVDs. Even after buying the original trilogy boxed set two years ago, I still went out today and dished out $60 for the original theatrical versions that I cherished watching growing up. Now that they're finally here, I can share with my own child the magic of watching the original trilogy.
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Sunday, July 23, 2006
Film Review: Keep Your Kids Away From Monster House
I consider myself a very responsible parent. I use parental controls on my child’s television and I usually read a few reviews on new theatrical releases before taking my kid to a movie to ensure that the content is appropriate. The one time I decided not to look at any reviews on a newly released movie proved to be a disaster and reaffirmed why I should make it a point, as a parent, to read as much about a film as possible before taking my child to see it.
Monster House, produced by legendary Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg, is a computer animated feature, much in the spirit of The Polar Express as far as visuals are concerned, but trust me when I say that is where the comparisons end. The plot of the film centers around three kids who, on the day before Halloween, discover that the house across the street is possessed after the owner appears to drop dead in the front lawn. The owner, voiced by Steve Buscemi, is a crabby old man who appears to take delight in tormenting children in the neighborhood. As the story unfolds, we discover that the crabby old man was once married and, as legend goes, he killed and ate his wife. The majority of the film centers on the children trying to figure out how to thwart the house and destroy it before it ends up eating the entire neighborhoods’ children on Halloween night as they go trick or treating. The house itself twists and contorts when anyone approaches turning into a monster with windows for eyes, a broken door for a mouth with teeth, a long red carpet as the tongue, and a portal in the floor of the front room which swallows up anything and everything that comes near including the babysitter’s boyfriend, two bumbling cops, and a dog. Eventually the children manage to get into the house without becoming its next meal. They discover that the old man was indeed once married to a circus freak that was morbidly obese. Eventually the old man, earlier presumed to be dead, reappears having escaped from the hospital he tells the children about his wife and how he saved her from an abusive life as a sideshow freak. As it turns out, the house is actually possessed by his deceased wife who died in a freak accident during the construction of the house. The old man spent the next 45 years holding onto the one he loved as she haunted the house and keeping anything and anyone away so she wouldn’t devour them. When he returns the house has gone out of control and the children eventually destroy it during an intense climax.
The film itself was well made and had a unique, if not bizarre, storyline. My problem with this film is the fact that it is not a kid’s movie at all and is certainly not suitable for younger children. Adult themes are prevalent throughout the film and although everything turns out okay at the end, it is plain and simple, a horror film sure to induce nightmares for many children who likely saw it this opening weekend. While intriguing, Monster House will have problems finding a niche. It is way too adult oriented and scary for young children yet most adults will find it silly. If you are a parent of a small child under the age of eight, I’d strongly recommend passing on Monster House, unless, that is, you like having your five year old crawl into bed with you in the middle of the night.
Tags: monster house, box office, monster house review, steven spielberg, entertainment
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