Everyone knows a writer needs a fancy device if he wants to produce anything noteworthy. That's why all the classics were written on vintage typewriters. And if I could find one in working order, you can bet my steampunk would read as authentic as finely tuned clockwork. But since such archaic mechanical word machines are incredibly expensive and totally tedious to actually get any editing done, I thought I'd upgrade to all the modern digital publishing potential of a 1970's New York City publishing house, packed into a pound and half plastic tablet two-in-one. That's right, future fans, my writing is about to get a whole lot better! I got a brand new Microsoft Surface Pro 4 with typepad cover and I'm about to unleash a whole wide world of wordsmithing wonder and all of you wannabe fans out there waiting for me to finally kick it into high gear. Now that I'm not being held back by my six-year-old Dell Latitude E6410, I can finally finish that new volume of Lorna Lockheed stories y'all been hollarin' after. Well hollar no more. I'm getting #backtowork (that's a hashtag for returing to the grind of writing, because fancy new machine or not, this gig is hardwork. But not like actually physically taxing, like a real job. Because I I don't have one of those anymore).
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I saw Rogue One again, this time on a bigger, better screen, and with a few nights to simmer on my first experiene, what did I learn? I may have been a little harsh on the film, the first go around. It really is actually a pretty complex and compelling narrative achievement. Let's give it a second glance... I saw the new Rogue One (A Star Wars Story) tonight and it was good. How good? I wouldn't be the first reviewer to compare it to Empire Strikes Back, but regardless of your thoughts on that comparison, the fact that everyone is even debating it at all is basically a good thing. And the movie is pretty darn good, mixing seamlessly some memorable nostalgic imagery from the originals with new and expanded development and backstory (you know, the kind of thing Empire Strikes Back is renowned for). Any attempt to rank the Star Wars films is an inherently subjective one. However, if you use basic technical measurements such as plot, pacing, structure, dialogue, acting, production value, etc. you can actually make a pretty good case for an objective ranking, with Empire Strikes Back at the top of the spectrum and Phantom Menace at the bottom. But where the other films fall exactly between them is a little trickier: is Attack of the Clones better or worse than Revenge of the Sith? Is The Force Awakens better or worse than Return of the Jedi? The answers start to say more about you than the film (I for one, am a sucker for both Attack of the Clones and Force Awakens, despite any legitimate flaws. I can't help it!). So... Is Rogue One the best Star Wars film yet? |
Captain's Blog
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