Thanks to my friends at Geekadelphia, my wife and I were able to enjoy an advance screening of Salt. We walked out of it wondering the same thing: why is a movie dealing with a villain put to bed twenty years ago coming out now? Remember how Yahtzee equated the United States to a prize… Continue reading Movie Review: Salt
Movie Review: Inception
I’ve been a fan of writer/director Christopher Nolan’s work since his shatteringly brilliant Memento. He’s breathed new life into Batman with two equally stunning films, and his somewhat underrated adaptation of the novel The Prestige is every bit as haunting and cerebral as his other work. This year, he brings us Inception. Not only is… Continue reading Movie Review: Inception
IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Sherlock Holmes
[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/holmes.mp3] Necessity is the mother of invention. Along with being something Sherlock Holmes himself might utter while investigating a case, this idiom is also the reason I’m reviewing Guy Ritchie’s recent feature-film treatment of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective. I was originally planning to subject myself to the apparent mediocrity of The Taking of Pelham… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Sherlock Holmes
Becoming The Hero
Every hero is a protagonist. But not every protagonist is a hero. Some characters start out as heroes, while others are just the focal point of the story. Pure heroism is a rarity in our world, so when we see a Superman or a Captain America or an Obi-Wan Kenobi, we’re a bit in awe… Continue reading Becoming The Hero
It's Dangerous To Go Alone
Adventure is something we crave. Sometimes we bury our desire for it under piles of paperwork and growing stacks of bills. Sometimes we come dangerously close to ruin because we ignore all else in our pursuit of a new journey, a fresh sight, a plunge into the unknown. It can difficult to balance these extremes.… Continue reading It's Dangerous To Go Alone
The Other Way To Use Lore
Yesterday I talked about the constraints of an established universe and what to do if you want to avoid raising the ire of the fan community. However, keep in mind that this is merely advice for most fan works. Sometimes you want to break the established constructs for one reason or another. That’s fine. Nothing… Continue reading The Other Way To Use Lore
Mind the Lore
So Blizzard’s having this contest and I wrote something for it. Given that this is a piece of fiction written within an established universe it is, in essence, a work of fan fiction. Now there’s a lot of fan fiction, from the drabbles that put Harry Potter in bed with Draco Malfoy to the novels… Continue reading Mind the Lore
IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The Hangover
[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/hangover.mp3] Crazy nights and weekends are the stuff modern legends are made of. They do things like deprive you of money, give you interesting hickeys, or keep you from posting a regular blog feature on time. Most of the time, though, you at least have the benefit of remembering how you got into a situation… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The Hangover
Shameless Filler
If you’re reading this, the location I’m at in New Jersey does not have Internet access, and I’ll be unable to upload my IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! review of The Hangover. If that’s the case, accept my sincere apologies, look for the review tomorrow, and here’s a picture of a kitten.
Increasingly Fine
My friend – maybe it’d be best to call him a “pen pal”? – Chuck Wendig had this to say in regards to the task that must follow the completion of a first draft: Writing is rewriting. A writer’s arsenal of talents are brought to bear on the first draft, but his skills (the things… Continue reading Increasingly Fine
