Month: October 2004

What’s a viewlet?

Writer guy

September/October releases are the bowels of cinema, a time for leftovers ditched by the studios. Often denied marketing dollars, distribution or any semblance of decency; each year they march to screens like lemmings.

As a service, I offer these movie viewlets. Shorter than their full length counterpart, they deliver the essence of a film review in a fraction of the time. Because if the studios don’t give it their undivided attention – why should ticket buyers?

1) Friday Night Lights � MTV vs. football. Viewers lose.
2) Woman Thou Art Loosed � powerful, well written and timely. How the hell did this ever get released? It’s a keeper in limited release.
3) Garden State � Brilliant, topical and stars lesser known and up and comers. A stunning debut by director Zach Braff. The Jersey film of the decade. Touches on the big themes – life, death, love and Xanax.
4) Cellular � Poke your eyes out instead.
5) Without a Paddle � Lots of fun, decent story, good cast, stupid title. It’s a comic adventure about three boys brought together by a death, trying to recapture their childhood. Rent to own, own to rent or see it now!

All in all, not a bad September/October for movies. Sorta.

Friday Night Lights

Writer guy

Normally I don’t blog about writing two entries in a row, but a request from an agent arrived for The Ridge Runner today via post.

The day went to touch up work for the requested pages; Saturday for double checking them. I don’t pray much, but when that package goes out Monday morning, it’s Hail Mary time.

Here’s to karma.

Talk amongst yourselves

Writer guy

After reading six Dean Koontz books, several observations are clear.

1) Cool cover art, and particularly nifty fonts.
2) Story can be reduced to one sentence
3) Receives attractive displays and prominent placement in the bookstores
4) Sells a LOT of copies

His writing works for many people. The sales figures speak for themselves.

Points 1-3 suggest another story. My theory: points 1-3 are the principal and perhaps only cause of number 4.

Bottom line – his publisher knows how to market him. So if they can market him, they can market me.

There I go, thinking out loud again. Back to my pages…

Columbus Day

Writer guy

It’s a good thing Queen Isabella never heard of the Atkins diet. Otherwise Christopher Columbus may have passed on the bet, ceding the first one here title to the Vikings. And while everyone loved the Vikings for their taste in window treatments, as raiders, they had a nasty habit of lighting everything nailed down on fire and stealing what wasn’t. In many ways, the Vikings were the Enron’s of their day, a mere eight hundred years before the discovery of the boardroom.

Still, burning the country side does not a stable New World make, so the job went to Columbus. On his day, we remember his discovery of North America and revel in the importance. My high school history teacher summarized Christopher’s accomplishments best – Columbus didn’t know where he was going, when he got there he didn’t know where he was, and when he got back home – he didn’t know where he’d been. And so a nation was born.

Today, many commuters relive his journey each business day by going to work.