Thoughts on Living the Life Creative
Dogville (2003) – A young woman fleeing a gang of criminals stumbles into a small town high in the mountains. They offer her a place to hide in return for some work. The actual price for them all will be higher than they can imagine. Director: Lars von Trier Starring – Nicole Kidman, Paul Bettany, James Caan, Lauren Bacall, Ben... Continue Reading →
"Be regular and orderly in your life so that you may be violent and original in your work." - Gustav Flaubert This Flaubert quotation pulls at me. It’s been snarling around the edges of my mind for months now. I struggle with both halves of this equation. I am by nature a creature of habit... Continue Reading →
Who Killed Nancy? (2009) - The question of who killed Nancy Spungen, the girlfriend of punk icon Sid Vicious is examined in the context of the punk rock scene of the 1970s. Why I Liked It - An insider look at the punk rock scene of the '70s through the life and death of an... Continue Reading →
Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (2018) - A book of strange fairy tales written by her reclusive grandmother is the center of young Alice Proserpine’s life. She has never been allowed to read them, and the book itself is almost impossible to find. When Alice realizes that people from the “Hinterland”, the setting for the... Continue Reading →
My Man Godfrey (1936) (Not Rated) - A “forgotten man”, down on his luck and living in a city dump, is “discovered” by a rich young woman who tries to change his life. Turns out there’s more to Godfrey than she thought. Directed by Gregory LaCava Starring William Powell, Carole Lombard Why I Liked It:... Continue Reading →
In writing, we say “kill your darlings”. It means we must be willing to delete favorite characters, beloved phrases, special plot points, anything that we love, if it doesn’t further the story. It’s one of the hardest lessons for young writers to learn. When you craft a beautiful sentence, create a fully formed character, any time... Continue Reading →
Westworld (1973) (Rated R) - An android based vacation resort suffers a a technical breakdown that endangers the lives of the guests. Directed by Michael Crichton Starring Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin Why I Liked It – The issues are closer to reality than ever before. I remember seeing this in the theaters when it first... Continue Reading →
Recursion by Blake Crouch (2020) - At any moment, we are the shadow cast by our memories. Everything we believe about the world we occupy sits on our memories of what has gone before. Which makes “False Memory Syndrome” all the more terrifying. Is it a disease that attacks the brain, filling it with memories... Continue Reading →
TheForger (2014) (Rated R) – Fresh out of jail, a thief agrees to forge a painting by Monet to settle some debts. His father and son join the plan as they try to escape the twin prongs of criminals and the law closing in on them. Directed by Philip Martin Starring John Travolta, Christopher Plummer, Abigail Spencer,... Continue Reading →
The debate rages on. What’s the hardest part of being a writer? Some will tell you it’s the act of creation itself. Creating characters, settings, entire worlds, struggling with dialogue, building tension, making sure all the plot points are present, and polished. Others maintain that it’s the editing that is the true struggle. Reading and... Continue Reading →
Stories Are My Life 