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TLJ Predictions

12/28/2017

 
It's been a couple of weeks now and I think I can safely say I was wrong on all accounts except #2 and I give myself half a point for #4.

As I said I would be happy to be wrong and happy I am. It took sometime for this one to sink in. Part of that is on me, I let me expectations get away from me so when this movie went places I did not think possible it took time to absorb. Same was true for Force Awakens. Now that the dust has settled and I've read way too many articles breaking down every tiny nuance I can say I like this one. The best parts have to do with Kylo and Rey. I absolutely hated the whole side mission with Finn and Rose which is a bummer because I really want more for Finn.

The biggest revelation for me is that The Force Awakens and  The Last Jedi run together and the events take place over about a week. That is a lot of change for these characters to go through, all of them, good guys and bad guys. Not sure I will ever buy space Liea but otherwise I like her role and am sad to know her story will be left unfinished in a way. Finally a question that has been bugging the crap out of me, why can't a droid pilot the ships that are set on a collision course? I think Admiral Holdo would have been an awesome addition and we lost her for no reason. 

But in any case, I would say The Last Jedi is worth your money at least once and is taking the franchise in new directions that will ultimately be good for the long game. If you have heard about all the outcry and hubbub around the movie I would strongly suggest you ignore it. The the film is cultural politics. You can dive into the fray if you want to but in the end you have to decide for yourself what you think. As with any creative work, you should decide for yourself if you like it or not.

Recommended Reviews:
https://www.starwarsnewsnet.com/2017/12/spoiler-review-the-last-jedi-a-surprise-to-be-sure-but-a-welcome-one.html

https://nerdist.com/star-wars-the-last-jedi-spoiler-review/

https://nerdist.com/the-last-jedi-star-wars-toxic-relationship/

Found Things

2/17/2016

 
While looking for something completely different I found this nifty fictional fact sheet. I still marvel at being able to forget the things I've created. If you have no idea what this is talking about then you need to read my books. Ha! #ShamelessPromotion, but you are the one on my website so I think it's okay.
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Book Vs. Movie

1/28/2016

 
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I love going to the movies, always have since I was little. As a fan of movies as medium for telling stories and as a writer I have a keen interest in books with movie counterparts. I personally prefer to read the book first before seeing the movie if at all possible, but that’s just me.

So I have finally gotten around to reading “All You Need is Kill.” This is a book by a Japanese author, Hiroshi Sakurazaka, that the movie “Edge of Tomorrow” is based on. It’s short, a quick read. A little over the top in some places and it does not pull any punches when it comes to war in its purest brutality.
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I had a particular interest in this story because I wanted to see how the author wrote the time jumps and repeats. Turns out, it’s actually pretty simple. Deftly done in way that it doesn’t actually repeat the same tuff over and over verbatim. Sakurazaka switches it up to keep you reading and the pace never slows (the movie handles the looping in a similar way, unlike Groundhog Day.) As a writer, it is worth looking at the technique he used.

The weirdest thing about the book versus the movie is that the plot of the movie is significantly more complicated. Usually you have to strip a novel to just its main action for the sake of time (i.e. Ender’s Game) but not here. Except for a few flashbacks, we pretty much never leave the army base that the main character, Keiji, wakes up in every time he dies.

There is no scientist that worked with Rita when she was stuck in the time loop. And all training is on the day of battle, during the same battle over and over (implied.) No training room montage with cheeky banter. Though seeing Tom Cruise get beat up by robot arms is pretty gratifying.

The movie slows way down when Cage, Tom Cruise’s character, tries to break the repetition of days by running away. This happens in the book too, but only once and it’s a much shorter scene and ends in an unexpected way.

The biggest point of divergence is of course the end. I will not give anything away but I have read other science fiction novels by non-Americans and it’s pretty easy to tell American writers from others, at least with the books I have read. I find writers from other countries are okay with having wide open endings with no sequel in mind. Unsettled endings and unanswered questions, not an issue. Leaving the reader in a destination they had no idea they were going to and have no way of getting back from doesn’t bother them one bit. As a child of the 80s and the American sitcom this is not how I like to walk away from a book.

But anyways, the ending of the book took me by surprise from the moment it started and I liked that. And when I think about how the movie went about solving the problem of the time loop and its creators I just think, why mess with what the author had intended? It was so much better. Why add complication where none is needed?

I’m sure it was a decision made by the powers that be at the movie studio but to me it’s an insult. Either they didn’t trust the actors to pull off that kind of complexity or they didn’t trust the audience to be able to feel something without having to have loud music and contrived conflict. See what I mean? Insulting.
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One point of cool for the book in particular. The author has included an alternate chapter sequence (below.) It ends on the same chapter but huge chunks are moved around. I intend to re-read this book with this order in a few months. I want to forget it a little bit so I can enjoy it more and be surprised again.

If you’re so inclined and don’t mind some colorful language or violent deaths, I recommend reading this book. The movie's pretty good too.
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Del Toro Does it Right

8/20/2015

 
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I just watched Pacific Rim again the other day. And once again I am so impressed by how unpretentious the movie is. I already have an affinity for giant robots and dinosaurs so this is the perfect cross over film. But it is unabashedly just giant robots beating up giant monsters and del Toro does it so well. Even so, it doesn't beat a dead horse in this area, unlike some other giant robot movies that shall remain nameless.

The other nice element is that the relationship between the male and female lead doesn't ever degenerate into romance. I only say degenerate because if I'm going to a movie about giant robots I don't want to watch humans flirting or kissing or being forced into any other completely unnecessary situations. Unlike some other giant robot movies that shall remain nameless.

I was reading the Wiki page on the movie and learned how del Toro structured the plot around the character arcs between each set of charcater relationships. It made me realize why he is such a great director and why his movies are so good. There is a thoughtfulness to the cause and effect of each scene. There are not arbitrary scenes for sake of some ridiculous need to blow shit up, unlike some other giant robot movies that shall remain nameless.


I'm not saying it's an academy award winner but, unlike some other giant robot movies that shall remain nameless, it is worth your time and your money.

You can read my review here.


It Keeps Me Up at Night

8/7/2015

 
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Wallpaper by jbn0s0rus via Pinterest.
My first obsession was (and still is) Transformers G1. I love Optimus and his Autobots. I'm also a sucker for classic good versus evil showdowns that were so prevalent in cartoons of the 80s: Justice League vs. Legion of Doom, Thudercats vs Mumra, G.I. Joe vs. Cobra, X-Men vs. Brotherhood of Mutants, He-man/She-Ra vs. the Horde, et al. 

But what good are Prime and his noble Auotobts without Megatron and the Decepticons? You can't have one without the other. I'm not an advocate of wars or violence but there is always a fight to be won. It could be in your own head, a co-worker you don't get along with, whatever the obstacle(s), life is a series of battles. And the thing about those battles is the people that see you through, that fight along side you in those things, you never forget. Sometimes they are the people you fight and you realize you've picked the wrong battle and now you're best friends. 

Which brings us to my newest obsession. Red vs. Blue. A certain streaming service that shall remain nameless, had been recommending it to me for a while now and I finally decided to give it a try. That was two months ago and a day hasn't gone by that I haven't spent sometime watching the show. In two short months I have probably watched every episode five or six times. 

I had this vague notion that it was based off of the Halo universe. I'm not a gamer but I have played Halo 3 at a friends house so I had a little background on things. But then when I ran out of RVB episodes I needed more. So to the Halo universe I turned. Suffice it to say You Tube has been scoured for in game videos and I am almost done with the 3rd book of the series. And several of the comics from my local library have been read and returned. (Master Chief is the Optimus Prime of the Halo universe. But this is a great topic for another time.)

Now when I get hooked on something like this I like to stop and ask my self, why? What is it about this thing that has gotten a hold of me? It didn't take long to realize it was the Transformer affect all over again. What that means for me, is characters, it always come down to character for me. But it's the chemistry of all of them together. The interplay between the factions and even within the factions. The relationships. I don't know if the writers of the original TF had that in mind and I don't know if the writers of RVB do either, but it's there. 

The best part about RVB is that it started out so organically and the creators have really upped their game as their fan base has grown and they've taken all of intertwining relationships as seriously as the fans do. Season 13 is currently underway and it's still great character building with the humor and heart that it started with. RVB has really nailed that camaraderie that comes with fighting along side and often against other people but coming out of the fray all the more wiser for it. 

That is the other thing about the sim soldiers in red and blue. Everyone is exactly who they are and are totally accepting of who they are within themselves. The integrity of the characters never waivers and I personally really appreciate that. To be honest, do not judge the series on the the first four seasons. You may like the humor, but I recognize it is not for everyone. My favorite season so far is 10, but the stories and animation start getting really sophisticated in season 6.

I recommend you watch season one as a foundation, then jump to five and watch everything after it in order. If you are in love with the knuckleheads by the end of season ten, go back to two, three, and four so you can see how far they've come. My deepest appreciation to Rooster Teeth for giving me my newest obsession and the other fans who have just as much fun with and love for it.
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Are You Ready?

3/5/2015

 
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Book Two will be released on March 27th on all ebook platforms. While  written to be read as a stand-alone book, Linchpin is a continuation of characters from Trespassing. Just in case you still don't have Trespassing it will be free on Kindle March 27th-29th.

The print version of Linchpin will be release mid-April.

Get your Kindle Edition here.
iPad, Kobo, Sony, et al here.

Jupiter Ascending: The Review

2/5/2015

 
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Let's start with why we go to the movies. For me, I go to escape, to live vicariously in another person's world. I want to be enthralled, whether by people or places and both if possible.

Jupiter Ascending does that. It's beautiful, full of inter planetary imagery. The world is huge and interesting. Intergalactic commerce and power plays. It reminded of the Roman Empire. 

And that is the problem with it. Try taking the entire history of the Roman Empire and cramming it to a two hour movie. There is a lot of good material to explore and work with but the ambition of trying to get it all in now makes the whole endeavor cumbersome.

There are plenty of articles and reviews going around about what went wrong with this one and about the Wachowskis story telling technique but I return to why go to a movie at all. If you want a philosophical mind bender like The Matrix, this is not the movie. Deep character development, nope, not here either. Distraction, absolutely. Immense mind blowing fight scenes, check. Aliens, costumes, and grandeur, you should go.

Set your expectations right and you'll get what you pay for.

Found Things

12/5/2014

 
With my second book wrapped up (for now) I was going through my files looking for inspiration for NaNoWriMo. I found a page of writing exercises that I did from the perspective from several characters. It’s dated January 2007, while I was working on Trespassing. The exercise was to describe your ideal place. 
Lysandra:

Lost in the crowd at an industrial club. The way too loud music, the press of the bodies, and dance, dance, dance. Don’t think about yesterday or tomorrow just absorb the sound and move with the group.
Eriksson:

He has been military for so long he doesn’t remember [his ideal place.] Even the thought of his wife feels like someone else’s life. He sees himself relaxing on the couch with her, but can’t remember if he liked it.
Esben/Edward Drake:

The dark cold of space no longer holds any appeal for Esben. The freedom of its vast openness used to choke him, knowing he was trapped inside this body [Edward Drake,] held down by gravity and unable to return to the endless void. First he accepted his circumstance, it meant survival after all. Then something happened. Change. Evolution.

It was strange going from the thoughts many down to two. But now there was a third, outside of themselves and while he understood it in part, it was what he didn’t understand, the part he likes the most. The joy of another’s unpredictability. His favorite place, strangely, had become the quiet moments alone with Lysandra where they could exchange a glance, a smile, a witty remark. Verbal sparring had become a game between them and he loved it when she won.
There’s a scene in Trespassing where Lysandra goes to a dance club that may have been inspired by this but I really don’t know if this is true for her anymore. The other two I find really interesting. These were written a year before the new book,Linchpin, was a formed idea in my head but the book does get the chance to explore both Eriksson's and Esben’s ideal place. 

March 2015. Not much longer now.

Reality's a Fallacy

11/5/2014

 
You chose the reality you live in. Every person on the planet has this power. Imagine a glass of water that contains a liquid equal to half its volume. This glass of water is often presented to us with only two options. Now which option you chose does give some indication of the reality you’re living out of but I think there are more than two ways to think about this glass of liquid. 

                ~Philosophically, there is no glass. 

                ~Symbolically, what does it mean to me the observer? 

                ~Scientifically, what is it, exactly? 

                ~Politically, how can I use this glass and its contents to my advantage? 

                ~Mathematically, half empty is equal to half full; it is the same amount of liquid in ratio to the   volume available. 

                ~Physiologically, it will refresh no matter how much there is. 

                ~Sardonically, what’s with the stupid glass, aren’t there better things to talk about. 

SIDE NOTE: If we're going to get literal, the glass is completely full of something unless it's in a vacuum.

There are more options I’m sure but you get the idea. We are limited only by our own perceptions. Get unreasonable.* What are you going to do with that glass and its contents?
*"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." 
-George Bernard Shaw

Origin Story: Elbie

10/20/2014

 
People sometimes want to know where I got my idea for the Elbie. It’s simple really. I wanted a totally non-carbon based life form. Pure energy. And I mean pure. When I tell people this they say, “What about the Drej from Titan A.E.?” While the Drej display a level of fluidity they still have bodies and need machines. While the movie never goes into it, they definitely have a sense of government and culture, otherwise they couldn’t be as organized as they are. Don’t get me wrong, I like the Drej, but pure energy they are not. 

Seeing in how these aliens (soon to be Elbie) are made of pure energy, energy has rules. The most famous of all is: Energy can be neither created nor destroyed. I think this familiar mantra is what gave me the idea of Elbie transferability. First thing I did; took out a piece of paper and wrote down what those rules were.

With about ten of these rules, I took my first run at this world in 2001. After thirty or so versions I have got it pretty refined now how the Elbie work and what they are like. Then again, with the second draft of book two about to be wrapped up, I am discovering new ways to experience Elbie. 

A lot of the Elbie attributes and how they operate in our world are written out on the DPA website and Twitter feed. I had one friend ask if we could send people into space to harvest more Elbie for commercial purposes. I told him I didn't see why not, but since we can barely break orbit, that story will have to wait. If you have questions about Elbie and how they work send me an e-mail or Tweet me.
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