Saturday, October 31, 2009

November: National Write A Novel Month

Well, I'm going to take the virtual plunge into the deep end of the pool. Ideas about novels have been in my head since I was in high school (and before, if truth be told). My major problem is procrastination, which is associated with my tendency toward perfectionism. I re-write that first paragraph so many times that it seems I can never begin! But, begin I must. I'm trying to trick myself a bit by having the very first part be my main character writing in her own journal. Wish me luck. The tentative title: String Theory.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

This Year's Cinema (So Far)

I don't go out to the cinema that often because of the cost. I have a few criteria which I use to determine if I can wait for it to be shown on one of the premium movie channels. The most important criterion is quality. Two extra criteria which I use are my own non-ability to wait for it to be shown and if it would be better seen on a very large screen. Now, I enjoy a good "B" movie as much as the next person. I don't think I'm that much of a snob. However, there is so much pure dreck out there, ie. SawVI and others of its ilk, that I will not support them by either going to a theatre or seeing them on television.
Anyway, I reached into my abused wallet in order to see three movies at the theatre this year: Star Trek, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Bright Star. I did not regret the expense for any of them. I would rate Star Trek a B/B+. It was intriguing that major changes were made to the original Kirk/Spock mythos. I'm still not sure about these changes, however. Harry Potter definitely rated an A-/A. I am planning on reading these books at a later time (maybe next year for a 52 in 52 challenge), so I see these movies as something brand new for me. Bright Star, a Jane Campion film, was utterly exquisite! It is a bio-pic about the last few years of the life of the English Romantic poet John Keats. The title actually comes from the name he gave to his beloved and is as much about her as him. I highly recommend this as it is in theatres now.