[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/hurt_locker.mp3] Alfred Hitchcock once said that there’s a big difference between surprise and suspense. I hope he won’t mind if I paraphrase a little. If I were sitting here talking about movies, and my desk were to explode because someone planted a bomb here, that’d be a surprise. Now, if you as the audience knew… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The Hurt Locker
Tag: films
Movie Review: Daybreakers
Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a current movie. I blame my job schedule and related finances. Anyway, when I got a couple of movie passes for Christmas, my wife and I debated what we’d go see. We settled on Daybreakers and, well, anything I say here is going to sound a lot… Continue reading Movie Review: Daybreakers
IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! A Terminator Retrospective
[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/terminator.mp3] Now that the latest film is available on Netflix, as well as the television series, I’d like to discuss the rise and fall of the Terminator franchise. Examining what worked in the various stories of this mythos and where things went a bit wrong, or a lot wrong, should only take a few minutes.… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! A Terminator Retrospective
IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The Mutant Chronicles
[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/mutant_chronicles.mp3] Adaptations are a good way to cull an established audience from one medium and transplant them into another to generate more revenue and attention for a given work. Just look at the success of The Lord of the Rings, Iron Man and even Twilight. Novels, comic books, even toys have had some success moving… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The Mutant Chronicles
IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The House Bunny
[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/house_bunny.mp3] I’m going to begin with a confession. This is not the sort of movie that finds its way onto my Netflix queue. However, when I find myself at my parents’ house for the holidays, I tend to be more at the mercy of what’s on their big-screen TV. The House Bunny ended up being… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The House Bunny
Jotting in the Margins: Writing Smart
There was an excellent post made about “Moff’s Law” – which is, in essence, the notion that anybody making a comment about ‘just enjoying a movie/tv series/novel/game without analyzing it or thinking it through’ is demonstrating monumental stupidity. I think it’s worth noting, however, that if the creator of a work doesn’t engage their brain,… Continue reading Jotting in the Margins: Writing Smart
IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Snatch.
[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/snatch.mp3] I’ve stated in some previous reviews that Jason Statham is a badass. I’ve also mentioned him in his work with Guy Ritchie, of which Snatch is the prime example. It’s also arguably Ritchie’s best film to date, often compared to Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels the way Pulp Fiction is compared to Reservoir… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Snatch.
Building Character: Quiet Strength
I know I said I’d be doing a post on adversarial allies next, but a few episodes of House & NCIS completely derailed that line of thinking. To me, at least, what makes for a good character is just as much what somebody doesn’t say as it is what they do say. As an example,… Continue reading Building Character: Quiet Strength
IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Seige Tale
[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/dungeon_siege.mp3] The more new movies come out, the more it seems that Hollywood is almost completely out of original ideas. Even James Cameron’s Avatar is only slightly original, as we’ve had the “humans are assholes invading peaceful aliens” plot as recently as earlier this year with Battle for Terra. And then there’s the news that… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Seige Tale
IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Valkyrie
[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/valkyrie.mp3] Historical thrillers work if the story, acting and direction can draw you into their world and make you forget about the fact you know how the story’s going to end. Titanic, for me, fails because I kept waiting for the boat to hit the iceberg and sink. Oh – sorry, spoiler warning there. Anyway,… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Valkyrie
