Month: July 2005

Willy Wonka

Writer guy

Dark, disturbing, and creepy, Johnny Depp not only proves his mettle as a great actor, he channels the spirit of Michael Jackson in a way that makes me laugh instead of triple-checking my zipper.

I liked this movie, but a review in a conventional context is impossible. When in doubt reach for a list.

What works about Willy Wonka:

1) Use of subtext – as in the original, plenty of plays on words, and innuendos. I leave those to interpreation.

2) Characters – good caricatures with strong ties to the book.

3) Story – clean, mean and lean. Wonka’s motivations and background are much clearer this time around. That balances out his father issues and predilection for children.

4) Johnny Depp – the man!

5) Effects – top notch!

Verdict: Movie theater, matinee. Since the film is almost a “family� piece, expect children and teenagers who think they are in their living room.

Caveats: Please don’t let your children hang out with Willy Wonka, or the other guy.

Friday anyone?

Writer guy

OK, so I muffed the Friday entry. Basically, I sat down at the computer and by six p.m.four pages that weren’t there at ten a.m danced upon the screen. By that point most love for the blog was spent.

Still on track for October 1, 2005.

Oedipus appears Monday. There’s a coolio question all primed for a dandy zinger of a Zen Master response. Also, talked with Spike about a second run of t-shirts for distribution in the next few weeks. He’s giving me a good price, which is making it easier to say yes. * cough *

Birds go flying at the speed of sound

Writer guy

Stephen King once said something like: ‘if you are not a great reader, you will find writing difficult.’ This makes a lot of sense; I concur with the master of all matters creepy.

When working against a deadline that remains months out, budgeting time every few days to read pages of a published work in a different genre can be very constructive. Just seeing the words in print of another is a validation of sorts for a project, because it proves in a material way what very few ever say to a writer, tons of books are published all the time, and that writing a book that sees daylight is possible. Hey! Look they did it too.

Reading is also a reminder that novels vary in quality and sensibility. There’s the great, the good, the mediocre and the one where the author quit. Most books are at least good with a touch of filler and a moment of brilliance. A genuine masterpiece is rare and is the goal of very few writers. For every The Dive from Clausen’s Pier, there is Blood Canticle.

Ultimately, I won’t serve as the judge and jury of my books. That will be a critic’s job. So effort spent comparing my stories to another writer is a waste of effort. They have their act, I have mine. The fact that I’ll get compared at all means I hit the primary goal to sell my words.

Side point – that new Coldplay hit about birds flying at the speed of sound is great, even if I can only make out parts of the chorus.

Link please

Writer guy

In a rush to finish the book by October, I recently freed more time for writing by reducing my RDA of the Internet. Cold turkey is never a pretty approach to addiction treatment, and my habit verged on the severe. Sensitive to the likelihood of a relapse, consumption levels were stepped down down in a very methodical way. And the shock treatment helped.

But that’s all behind me. Now each time the web browser opens a loud voice says “No Internet for you today! You go write book now.” Yes, it is my own voice. Even the bad Chinese buffet manager accent.

I yell back that I need a break, the voice replies, “You go now!” No matter the argument, the voice always has the last word. I really hate that guy sometimes.

When the day is done, indulgences rule. Here’s a few sites for off the clock infotainment.

The Superficial A great source for the celebrities and sleaze. The front page is safe for work, but there may be links to materials unsafe in business settings.

Rate my Bunny How does your rabbit rank? Upload the picture and find out. Should be safe for work unless the moderators fell asleep at the wheel.

NNDB A massive, ever growing aggregator that tracks a select list of individuals the site owners consider significant. While much of the information is known and available in other formats, the site exposes relationships between those individuals that are easy to overlook. Fun for conspiracy buffs and packrats alike. Safe for work.