Still here!

Yep, I'm still here. Blogging has become sporadic and I hope to get back to it soon. (Actually... all of my creative projects have been sporadic the last many months.)

And yet... an idea sprouted for another screenplay, so I've started the research for that, too.

In the meantime, you can check out the reviews I've written for ClearPlay. They are listed alphabetically first, then listed in order of publication (with the most recent on top). You can find those here, or click on the tab above labeled: My ClearPlay Movie Reviews.

Jigsaw puzzles.

Monday: Dialogue, Lines, or Quotes

In an earlier post titled Art is Subjective I wrote, "... I find satisfaction in balancing to the penny; it means I did something exactly right. It's either right or it's wrong. No guessing. No whims."

And that's why a particular line in the movie Puzzle (2018) resonates with me as Robert (Irrfan Khan) explains his attraction to jigsaw puzzles...

Robert

...There's nothing we can do to control anything. But when you complete a puzzle, when you finish it, you know you have made all the right choices. No matter how many wrong pieces you tried to fit into a wrong place, but at the very end, everything makes one perfect picture.

I, too, love putting together jigsaw puzzles and now I have deeper understanding as to why. Similar to balancing the budget to the penny, it's another area where I can do something exactly right. No guessing. No whims. That's refreshing.

(Click here for my review of Puzzle.)

Something old turned new.

Wednesday: Point of View

I recently reviewed two wonderful movies (linked below) which seemed fresh in their respective genres despite having age-old plots.

Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. The most original writers borrowed one from another. (Voltaire)

Good story-tellers can turn something old into something new, but I get a chuckle out of this comedy sketch...

Studio C: Teddy's Story Joint

Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it. (C.S. Lewis)

I certainly enjoy films that keep me guessing, but I also appreciate movies with their own spin on tried and true plots. How about you?



Links to the reviews referenced above:

• Alpha (2018) - similar to other adventure stories and worth watching.
• Crazy Rich Asians (2018) - similar to other romantic comedies and lots of fun!

Habit interrupted.

Monday: Dialogue, Lines, or Quotes

(I originally posted this on September 10, 2012 and, sadly, it still applies.)

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.  ~Jim Ryun

Life keeps kicking the snot out of my writing habits. Why does it feel like once habit is interrupted, it takes forever to get it back? Today I need both: motivation and habit.