A. Peter Perdian's Blog
January 15, 2013
Writing & Movie comments
Writing Update: I've been working on my next book for the last couple of weeks. At the moment, I'm not sure whether it will be a novella or novel (probably a novel). But then the beginning is always the hardest part of writing for me, putting that first set of words on blank paper. Now paper to me is my Scrivener writing program. Once I get the first draft done, it gets easier. Now I didn't say easy, just easier relatively speaking.
Movie Update: Over the last couple of weeks, I've watched two movies. Here are my comments on them. The first one was also posted under the European movies folder.
Yesterday, I watched the French movie "Since Otar Left (2005)."
When I picked up this film, I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew from the description that the movie dealt with the convoluted familial relations among three women sharing a household in Tblisi, Georgia (formerly part of the USSR). As for the three women, there's the grandmother, her daughter and her granddaughter (an adult woman).
I anticipated it would be a slow paced movie and I wasn't disappointed in that regard—but the storyline was strong enough to keep my interest piqued throughout the movie. I was pleasantly surprised. This turned out to be a charming movie.
Which woman was the principal actress? I would have to say that all three women shared that role equally. But the grandmother, played by 90-year-old Esther Gorintin, was fantastic.
The storyline was very credible. I could relate to it (not directly) in that I've observed similar relationships in other families. The ending was beautiful, poignant. Between three quarters and four fifths of the movie takes place in Tblisi. The balance of the story finishes up in Paris.
Plot
The dynamics between women in a family struggling to make ends meet. The grandmother dotes on her son who has moved to Paris to make a new life for himself. This makes the grandmother's daughter somewhat jealous, as she's the one taking care of her mother with the assistance of her own daughter.
I give the movie 4 stars out of 5.
Bourne Legacy (2012).
I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie as I'd heard some negative reviews, but since I'd watched the three previous Bourne films, I gave it a shot.
Right off the bat, though, I found the opening scenes somewhat hokey, which made me leery. But then the movie settled down. As expected, it was action-packed and fast-paced, but there was still enough character development for me to be drawn into the story. I liked the chemistry between Rachel Weisz and Jeremy Renner.
If you've watched the other Bourne movies, it's similar in its action scenes: roof, car and motorcycle chases, as wells as lots of killings and fight scenes. Again, the premise is a man mentally and physically one notch above other men, but whereas in previous movies it was through conditioning, now its drugs.
Plot
Survival
I enjoyed the movie and give it 4 stars out of 5.
Movie Update: Over the last couple of weeks, I've watched two movies. Here are my comments on them. The first one was also posted under the European movies folder.
Yesterday, I watched the French movie "Since Otar Left (2005)."
When I picked up this film, I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew from the description that the movie dealt with the convoluted familial relations among three women sharing a household in Tblisi, Georgia (formerly part of the USSR). As for the three women, there's the grandmother, her daughter and her granddaughter (an adult woman).
I anticipated it would be a slow paced movie and I wasn't disappointed in that regard—but the storyline was strong enough to keep my interest piqued throughout the movie. I was pleasantly surprised. This turned out to be a charming movie.
Which woman was the principal actress? I would have to say that all three women shared that role equally. But the grandmother, played by 90-year-old Esther Gorintin, was fantastic.
The storyline was very credible. I could relate to it (not directly) in that I've observed similar relationships in other families. The ending was beautiful, poignant. Between three quarters and four fifths of the movie takes place in Tblisi. The balance of the story finishes up in Paris.
Plot
The dynamics between women in a family struggling to make ends meet. The grandmother dotes on her son who has moved to Paris to make a new life for himself. This makes the grandmother's daughter somewhat jealous, as she's the one taking care of her mother with the assistance of her own daughter.
I give the movie 4 stars out of 5.
Bourne Legacy (2012).
I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie as I'd heard some negative reviews, but since I'd watched the three previous Bourne films, I gave it a shot.
Right off the bat, though, I found the opening scenes somewhat hokey, which made me leery. But then the movie settled down. As expected, it was action-packed and fast-paced, but there was still enough character development for me to be drawn into the story. I liked the chemistry between Rachel Weisz and Jeremy Renner.
If you've watched the other Bourne movies, it's similar in its action scenes: roof, car and motorcycle chases, as wells as lots of killings and fight scenes. Again, the premise is a man mentally and physically one notch above other men, but whereas in previous movies it was through conditioning, now its drugs.
Plot
Survival
I enjoyed the movie and give it 4 stars out of 5.
January 1, 2013
5 Movie Comments
Over the holidays, I watched five different movies, four American and one French. For those of you who might be interested in my comments, here they are.
I'll discuss the English speaking ones first (in the order I watched them).
#1 – Total Recall (2012).
From my perspective, this was a non-stop action movie with very limited character development. It had great special effects, talented actors, but the screenplay didn't cut it. Even in science fiction, you need to have believable characters, events and plots. I give the movie 2 out of 5 stars.
#2 – Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
A few years ago, I found myself hooked after I watched the first Resident Evil movie, which means I've watched every sequel since then. Unfortunately, with the last two, they've gone down hill. This last one was awful. It broke my addiction. I give the movie 1 out of 5 stars.
#3 – Premium Rush (2012)
This movie had good reviews and as an avid bike rider, I was looking forward to seeing it. Alas, I was very disappointed. Maybe being an experienced road bike rider was part of the problem. But aside from the movie's bike riding action not being believable (at least to me), the storyline was also unbelievable. That said, there were some great up close shots of Manhattan. I give the movie 2 out of 5 stars.
#4 – Looper (2012)
Anytime you have movies/stories dealing with time travel, there are inherent flaws (IMO) that you have to gloss over. With a poor to middling story/screenplay, it can be next to impossible to let yourself go, to lose yourself in the story. Thankfully, this was not the case with this movie.
I found this film to be fast-paced and action-packed. The acting was excellent, the screenplay tight, and the dialog snappy. I watched it twice, enjoyment and also to pick up a few things I missed the first time around.
The story takes place in the year 2044. The discovery of time travel is still thirty years in the future, but upon its discovery, it's outlawed. Of course, that doesn't stop criminal organizations from getting their hands on the technology and sending back one of their own to the year 2044. This mob agent from the future has organized a group of killers—called Loopers—and tasked them with terminating people being sent from the future for disposal.
At some point during their career, each Looper must also terminate their future self when the older version of themselves is sent back from the future. They are then released from their contract/duties and given thirty years to live their lives in an opulent manner—before they'll be sent back for termination.
If you like science fiction, I recommend this movie. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Plot
The resulting chaos when a Looper fails to terminate his future self.
And now for the last movie I watched over the holidays. Note: the comments on the movie below were also posted under the European movies group.
#5 – Nobody Else But You (French, 2012).
This was a strange movie. The core premise concerns a mystery writer who's under pressure from his publisher to come up with an idea for his next novel. As he approaches a small French town on the Swiss border, he comes across a police hearse loading the body of a dead woman. He then continues on into town and grabs himself a motel room for the night.
The next morning he learns a little about the dead woman from the television news. One thing then leads to the next and soon he's investigating her death, feeling the story may prove an excellent plot for his next novel. He's also interested in just how she died. Was it suicide as the police claim? Or was it murder?
This movie will not be for everyone. It's slow paced and takes place in the dead of winter. Snow is everywhere. The film is what I would term a light quirky mystery, with some subtle undertones of humor. I liked it.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Plot
Unraveling how a local celebrity died.
I'll discuss the English speaking ones first (in the order I watched them).
#1 – Total Recall (2012).
From my perspective, this was a non-stop action movie with very limited character development. It had great special effects, talented actors, but the screenplay didn't cut it. Even in science fiction, you need to have believable characters, events and plots. I give the movie 2 out of 5 stars.
#2 – Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
A few years ago, I found myself hooked after I watched the first Resident Evil movie, which means I've watched every sequel since then. Unfortunately, with the last two, they've gone down hill. This last one was awful. It broke my addiction. I give the movie 1 out of 5 stars.
#3 – Premium Rush (2012)
This movie had good reviews and as an avid bike rider, I was looking forward to seeing it. Alas, I was very disappointed. Maybe being an experienced road bike rider was part of the problem. But aside from the movie's bike riding action not being believable (at least to me), the storyline was also unbelievable. That said, there were some great up close shots of Manhattan. I give the movie 2 out of 5 stars.
#4 – Looper (2012)
Anytime you have movies/stories dealing with time travel, there are inherent flaws (IMO) that you have to gloss over. With a poor to middling story/screenplay, it can be next to impossible to let yourself go, to lose yourself in the story. Thankfully, this was not the case with this movie.
I found this film to be fast-paced and action-packed. The acting was excellent, the screenplay tight, and the dialog snappy. I watched it twice, enjoyment and also to pick up a few things I missed the first time around.
The story takes place in the year 2044. The discovery of time travel is still thirty years in the future, but upon its discovery, it's outlawed. Of course, that doesn't stop criminal organizations from getting their hands on the technology and sending back one of their own to the year 2044. This mob agent from the future has organized a group of killers—called Loopers—and tasked them with terminating people being sent from the future for disposal.
At some point during their career, each Looper must also terminate their future self when the older version of themselves is sent back from the future. They are then released from their contract/duties and given thirty years to live their lives in an opulent manner—before they'll be sent back for termination.
If you like science fiction, I recommend this movie. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Plot
The resulting chaos when a Looper fails to terminate his future self.
And now for the last movie I watched over the holidays. Note: the comments on the movie below were also posted under the European movies group.
#5 – Nobody Else But You (French, 2012).
This was a strange movie. The core premise concerns a mystery writer who's under pressure from his publisher to come up with an idea for his next novel. As he approaches a small French town on the Swiss border, he comes across a police hearse loading the body of a dead woman. He then continues on into town and grabs himself a motel room for the night.
The next morning he learns a little about the dead woman from the television news. One thing then leads to the next and soon he's investigating her death, feeling the story may prove an excellent plot for his next novel. He's also interested in just how she died. Was it suicide as the police claim? Or was it murder?
This movie will not be for everyone. It's slow paced and takes place in the dead of winter. Snow is everywhere. The film is what I would term a light quirky mystery, with some subtle undertones of humor. I liked it.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Plot
Unraveling how a local celebrity died.
December 30, 2012
Reading: Two book comments
I've recently finished reading two excellent books. Here are my comments on them.
Here's the latest once I just finished reading.
The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by Jake Tapper
This is an excellent non-fiction book, thoroughly researched. Though it focuses on only one small area of Afghanistan, it gives a brilliant insight into what many American troops have and are experiencing, a microcosm of what's taking place in various forms throughout that country.
Often you're with the individual soldiers and units as they're waging combat, fighting for their lives, experiencing their emotions. While at other times, you're one or two levels above them, with the officers making decisions and planning operations.
This is a thick book, but it's so engrossing that's it's a fast read. It's a page turner.
After finishing this book, I came away with three distinct impressions:
1) Our troops are doing an admirable job under "very trying circumstances." I hadn't been aware of the difficulties they were fighting under.
2) Though this war "may" have been winnable initially, that's no longer an option. The Bush administration squandered that opportunity when they diverted most military resources to invade Iraq, a country that had nothing to do with 9/11.
3) If the war isn't winnable, where does that leave us? Our military is exhausted, having been in constant combat since around 2002.
Note: Since this book covers a few years in the life of this outpost, the names of the soldiers, places and units are constantly changing: new units rotate in and soldiers rename places after fallen comrades. This occasionally makes it a little difficult to remember who's who and what's what.
I highly recommend this book. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
Here's the other book I recently (a couple of weeks ago) finished reading, another thick one.
Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen
This was an entertaining as well as an educational read. Though non-fiction, the author kept me riveted to turning the pages. I was never bored.
Before reading this book, my knowledge of zoonotic diseases—a term for diseases that come from animals—was somewhat limited. I now realize they comprise the bulk of viruses that adversely impact humans today. A common zoonotic disease we're all familiar with is influenza. And of course, there's also AIDS, Ebola, Lyme, SARS and so on and so forth.
The book delves into the research by scientists of various disciplines as they go about their work. Roughly, the approach used is as follows:
First, they have to determine there is disease. Second, they have to determine what type of disease (bacteria or virus). Third, they have to determine if it's a new virus, an old familiar virus or a mutated virus. Fourth, they have to locate the animal/s behind the outbreak (apes, bats, mosquitoes, rats, ticks, et cetera). Fifth, they have to discover the reservoir where the virus hides between outbreaks—and it's not necessarily in the same animal that causes the disease.
My one complaint about the book concerns a short imaginary story (the only one in the book) about how the AIDS virus might have escaped its wild origins and made it to the Belgian capitol of the Congo. The story was unnecessary. Elsewhere, the author leaves it up to your imagination to fill in the blanks.
This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
Here's the latest once I just finished reading.
The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by Jake Tapper
This is an excellent non-fiction book, thoroughly researched. Though it focuses on only one small area of Afghanistan, it gives a brilliant insight into what many American troops have and are experiencing, a microcosm of what's taking place in various forms throughout that country.
Often you're with the individual soldiers and units as they're waging combat, fighting for their lives, experiencing their emotions. While at other times, you're one or two levels above them, with the officers making decisions and planning operations.
This is a thick book, but it's so engrossing that's it's a fast read. It's a page turner.
After finishing this book, I came away with three distinct impressions:
1) Our troops are doing an admirable job under "very trying circumstances." I hadn't been aware of the difficulties they were fighting under.
2) Though this war "may" have been winnable initially, that's no longer an option. The Bush administration squandered that opportunity when they diverted most military resources to invade Iraq, a country that had nothing to do with 9/11.
3) If the war isn't winnable, where does that leave us? Our military is exhausted, having been in constant combat since around 2002.
Note: Since this book covers a few years in the life of this outpost, the names of the soldiers, places and units are constantly changing: new units rotate in and soldiers rename places after fallen comrades. This occasionally makes it a little difficult to remember who's who and what's what.
I highly recommend this book. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
Here's the other book I recently (a couple of weeks ago) finished reading, another thick one.
Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen
This was an entertaining as well as an educational read. Though non-fiction, the author kept me riveted to turning the pages. I was never bored.
Before reading this book, my knowledge of zoonotic diseases—a term for diseases that come from animals—was somewhat limited. I now realize they comprise the bulk of viruses that adversely impact humans today. A common zoonotic disease we're all familiar with is influenza. And of course, there's also AIDS, Ebola, Lyme, SARS and so on and so forth.
The book delves into the research by scientists of various disciplines as they go about their work. Roughly, the approach used is as follows:
First, they have to determine there is disease. Second, they have to determine what type of disease (bacteria or virus). Third, they have to determine if it's a new virus, an old familiar virus or a mutated virus. Fourth, they have to locate the animal/s behind the outbreak (apes, bats, mosquitoes, rats, ticks, et cetera). Fifth, they have to discover the reservoir where the virus hides between outbreaks—and it's not necessarily in the same animal that causes the disease.
My one complaint about the book concerns a short imaginary story (the only one in the book) about how the AIDS virus might have escaped its wild origins and made it to the Belgian capitol of the Congo. The story was unnecessary. Elsewhere, the author leaves it up to your imagination to fill in the blanks.
This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
December 27, 2012
Writing Update: New E-book Now Available
Whew! I made my deadline. I've just released my latest story, a fifty-three thousand word novel.
It's currently available only on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ATINQ4U). It should also be available within a few days on Barnes & Noble.
Here's the blurb:
This is a suspenseful semi-thriller with science fiction overtones. It's also a character study of the story's three leading figures and their evolving relationships as they race against time.
Location: Earth
Time: Present Day
An American biochemist sets out to save humanity by forcing the brain to evolve, to climb the evolutionary ladder to the next level. If he's successful, he'll threaten the status quo, the powers that be. As his approach uses designer drugs, it gives the FDA and DEA the perfect excuse to go after him.
It's currently available only on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ATINQ4U). It should also be available within a few days on Barnes & Noble.
Here's the blurb:
This is a suspenseful semi-thriller with science fiction overtones. It's also a character study of the story's three leading figures and their evolving relationships as they race against time.
Location: Earth
Time: Present Day
An American biochemist sets out to save humanity by forcing the brain to evolve, to climb the evolutionary ladder to the next level. If he's successful, he'll threaten the status quo, the powers that be. As his approach uses designer drugs, it gives the FDA and DEA the perfect excuse to go after him.
December 10, 2012
Two Movie Comments (French)
Note: I've cross posted these comments in the European Movies folder.
Over the weekend I watched two DVD movies, both French. For those of you that haven't seen these films, here are my comments.
The first movie I watched was "A Happy Event (2011)" – recommended by Julie a couple of months ago.
This movie is about falling in love, getting married, having a child—and then dealing with the consequences. The two principal stars are Louise Bourgoin (primary) and Pio Marmaï (secondary). Both gave excellent and "totally" believable performances.
NOTE: Special effects were superb. To wit, I'd have sworn she (Louise) was pregnant while making part of the movie.
It took me a little while to warm to the movie. It's not fast-paced and the storyline is relatively straightforward. Still it was enjoyable.
In an offhand way, the movie is somewhat of a romantic comedy. And yet at the same time, it's not. It is, however, a realistic look at what some (maybe many?) couples go through when having their first child.
About halfway through the film, the story took a turn I didn't like OR maybe it just upset me. The put-off didn't last long before I was drawn back into the tale.
If you're looking for a fast-paced and action-packed movie, you won't find it here. This film has no violence, no convoluted storyline.
Caveat: There's nudity and sexual innuendo.
Plot
It's a very simple plot about falling in love, having a baby and then dealing with the resulting fallout.
I liked the movie and I give it 4 stars out of 5.
The second movie I watched was "Don't Look Back (2010)."
Let me start off by saying this is a strange/weird movie. At times I wasn't sure what was taking place. I would classify this film as a suspenseful semi-thriller with a heavy dose of Twilight Zone. Is it scary? No. Is it interesting? Yes.
It moves along at a nice clip, keeping you glued to the story as you're trying to understand what's happening. The two principal actresses are Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci.
When Jeanne's (Sophie Marceau) novel is refused for publication, she begins questioning her life, asking who she is. Is she really Jeanne? Or is she someone else? As the story unfolds, she seems to be transforming into someone else (Monica Bellucci). But why?
A young girl also seems to be haunting her, staying just out of her reach. In Jeanne's effort to get to the bottom of what's going on, she heads to Italy, leaving her husband and two children behind.
In Italy, she'll eventually find the truth, but it doesn't come to a head until she's back in France. It's the type of ending that leaves itself open to interpretation. In other words, the meaning of the ending isn't clear-cut—and yet it works.
Caveat: Because of the movie's nature, not everyone will like it.
Plot
Reclaiming childhood memories that were blocked out years ago and in the process, discovering who you are.
I liked this film and I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Over the weekend I watched two DVD movies, both French. For those of you that haven't seen these films, here are my comments.
The first movie I watched was "A Happy Event (2011)" – recommended by Julie a couple of months ago.
This movie is about falling in love, getting married, having a child—and then dealing with the consequences. The two principal stars are Louise Bourgoin (primary) and Pio Marmaï (secondary). Both gave excellent and "totally" believable performances.
NOTE: Special effects were superb. To wit, I'd have sworn she (Louise) was pregnant while making part of the movie.
It took me a little while to warm to the movie. It's not fast-paced and the storyline is relatively straightforward. Still it was enjoyable.
In an offhand way, the movie is somewhat of a romantic comedy. And yet at the same time, it's not. It is, however, a realistic look at what some (maybe many?) couples go through when having their first child.
About halfway through the film, the story took a turn I didn't like OR maybe it just upset me. The put-off didn't last long before I was drawn back into the tale.
If you're looking for a fast-paced and action-packed movie, you won't find it here. This film has no violence, no convoluted storyline.
Caveat: There's nudity and sexual innuendo.
Plot
It's a very simple plot about falling in love, having a baby and then dealing with the resulting fallout.
I liked the movie and I give it 4 stars out of 5.
The second movie I watched was "Don't Look Back (2010)."
Let me start off by saying this is a strange/weird movie. At times I wasn't sure what was taking place. I would classify this film as a suspenseful semi-thriller with a heavy dose of Twilight Zone. Is it scary? No. Is it interesting? Yes.
It moves along at a nice clip, keeping you glued to the story as you're trying to understand what's happening. The two principal actresses are Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci.
When Jeanne's (Sophie Marceau) novel is refused for publication, she begins questioning her life, asking who she is. Is she really Jeanne? Or is she someone else? As the story unfolds, she seems to be transforming into someone else (Monica Bellucci). But why?
A young girl also seems to be haunting her, staying just out of her reach. In Jeanne's effort to get to the bottom of what's going on, she heads to Italy, leaving her husband and two children behind.
In Italy, she'll eventually find the truth, but it doesn't come to a head until she's back in France. It's the type of ending that leaves itself open to interpretation. In other words, the meaning of the ending isn't clear-cut—and yet it works.
Caveat: Because of the movie's nature, not everyone will like it.
Plot
Reclaiming childhood memories that were blocked out years ago and in the process, discovering who you are.
I liked this film and I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
December 5, 2012
Pets & Green Sweaters (two book comments)
Since my own book is now with my editor, I have a little free time on my hands until it comes back for corrections. So I'm catching up on my reading. Over the last couple of days, I've read two books. Below are my comments on them.
The Last Walk: Reflections on Our Pets at the End of Their Lives (2012)
When I picked up this book I thought it would be about the author's dog, how she and the dog took that last long walk together. That turned out to only be part of the story.
The author, Jessica Pierce, is a bioethicist. In-between detailing life with her dog as it approached the end of its existence, she discusses the bioethics of animal-human relationships, focusing primarily on household pets, especially dogs.
Though she discusses many different subjects in the book, she spends a lot of time delving into the Quality of Life as your companion (dog, cat, etc.) undergoes mental and physical degradation and pain toward the end of life. When do you decide to pull the plug, to euthanize your companion? Or can you even bring yourself to do this? Do you make use of an animal hospice? Etc.
This is not what I would call a feel-good book. Rather it's a book about what it means to take care of an aging non-human companion, a companion that you love dearly. You'll cry and laugh at different times while reading the book.
This is an excellent book. My only complaint—and a minor one—is that during the first half of the book, there were some tedious sections, informative but tedious to read. I recommend this book. CAVEAT: If you're not an animal person, you're probably not going to like the book.
I give it 5 stars out of 5.
The Girl In The Green Sweater (2010)
After watching the movie "In Darkness (2012)," I learned that the young girl in the movie had really existed. Her name was Krystyna Chiger and in 2008-10, she'd written an autobiography of the period spanned by the movie.
I picked up the book, which covers a little more time in her life than the movie did—roughly from just before the start of WWII until a year or so after the war's end.
As the Germans commenced their final liquidation of the Jewish population of Lvov, she and her family retreated into the city's sewers. They were accompanied by a number of other people also fleeing. In the first couple of months, there were a lot of changes in the group's composition as people tried to adapt to the conditions and one another. It was a shakeout period and not everyone made it.
Once the group dynamics were worked out, a stable environment was created. Of course, the word stable is used in a relative sense. The group was living in a small dark-chamber deep inside a rat-infested sewer with human excrement everywhere. Above them, the Germans were continuing to hunt down Jews that had escaped the liquidation.
Unbeknownst to everyone in the group, they were to spend the next 14 months in this hellhole.
The book was fascinating. When they entered the sewers, the author was 7 years old. The story's told from a young girl's point of view, a young girl recalling events some sixty years later.
She and her younger brother's survival is attributable to several fortuitous events. The two most important were the strength of her parents (emotional, character, etc.) and the help of Leopold Socha, a Catholic sewer maintenance worker, who along with two fellow workers, hid, protected and sustained the group for the duration—at great risk to their own lives.
I highly recommend this book.
I give it 5 stars out of 5.
The Last Walk: Reflections on Our Pets at the End of Their Lives (2012)
When I picked up this book I thought it would be about the author's dog, how she and the dog took that last long walk together. That turned out to only be part of the story.
The author, Jessica Pierce, is a bioethicist. In-between detailing life with her dog as it approached the end of its existence, she discusses the bioethics of animal-human relationships, focusing primarily on household pets, especially dogs.
Though she discusses many different subjects in the book, she spends a lot of time delving into the Quality of Life as your companion (dog, cat, etc.) undergoes mental and physical degradation and pain toward the end of life. When do you decide to pull the plug, to euthanize your companion? Or can you even bring yourself to do this? Do you make use of an animal hospice? Etc.
This is not what I would call a feel-good book. Rather it's a book about what it means to take care of an aging non-human companion, a companion that you love dearly. You'll cry and laugh at different times while reading the book.
This is an excellent book. My only complaint—and a minor one—is that during the first half of the book, there were some tedious sections, informative but tedious to read. I recommend this book. CAVEAT: If you're not an animal person, you're probably not going to like the book.
I give it 5 stars out of 5.
The Girl In The Green Sweater (2010)
After watching the movie "In Darkness (2012)," I learned that the young girl in the movie had really existed. Her name was Krystyna Chiger and in 2008-10, she'd written an autobiography of the period spanned by the movie.
I picked up the book, which covers a little more time in her life than the movie did—roughly from just before the start of WWII until a year or so after the war's end.
As the Germans commenced their final liquidation of the Jewish population of Lvov, she and her family retreated into the city's sewers. They were accompanied by a number of other people also fleeing. In the first couple of months, there were a lot of changes in the group's composition as people tried to adapt to the conditions and one another. It was a shakeout period and not everyone made it.
Once the group dynamics were worked out, a stable environment was created. Of course, the word stable is used in a relative sense. The group was living in a small dark-chamber deep inside a rat-infested sewer with human excrement everywhere. Above them, the Germans were continuing to hunt down Jews that had escaped the liquidation.
Unbeknownst to everyone in the group, they were to spend the next 14 months in this hellhole.
The book was fascinating. When they entered the sewers, the author was 7 years old. The story's told from a young girl's point of view, a young girl recalling events some sixty years later.
She and her younger brother's survival is attributable to several fortuitous events. The two most important were the strength of her parents (emotional, character, etc.) and the help of Leopold Socha, a Catholic sewer maintenance worker, who along with two fellow workers, hid, protected and sustained the group for the duration—at great risk to their own lives.
I highly recommend this book.
I give it 5 stars out of 5.
December 1, 2012
Quick writing update and two movies comments
Writing Update
The manuscript for my next e-book is now in the hands of my editor. If all goes well, it will be published sometime during the last ten days of December. I'm now working on the e-cover.
Once the book is published, I can catch up on some of my reading material (which I've fallen behind on) before I start on my next writing project.
Movie Comments
I've seen two movies recently.
Red Lights (2012)
This movie deals with paranormal phenomena. It's about an academic researcher who devotes her life to proving paranormal phenomena is bogus. The story picks up late in her career when she has an assistant that accompanies her as she investigates purported paranormal activity.
The film has a slow beginning, but the pace picks up relatively fast. The acting is excellent with a nice twist to the ending. What's missing is a decent screenplay. I can't recommend this movie.
Plot
The biggest psychic of all time comes out of retirement. The researcher's assistant decides to prove he's a fake.
I give this movie 2 stars out of 5.
Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
This was an interesting movie. When I picked it up, I wasn't sure what to expect. Though I'd heard it called a sci-fi movie, it's definitely not what I would term sci-fi.
This is a lighthearted romantic comedy. It's a cute film, somewhat tongue-in-cheek. A man advertises for a companion to travel back in time with him, specifying that he can't guarantee their safety.
The acting was fine, nice character studies, but at times the pace was too slow for me.
Plot
A magazine reporter/writer and his female intern look into the time travel advertisement, thinking it might make an excellent story.
I give this movie 3.5 stars out of 5.
The manuscript for my next e-book is now in the hands of my editor. If all goes well, it will be published sometime during the last ten days of December. I'm now working on the e-cover.
Once the book is published, I can catch up on some of my reading material (which I've fallen behind on) before I start on my next writing project.
Movie Comments
I've seen two movies recently.
Red Lights (2012)
This movie deals with paranormal phenomena. It's about an academic researcher who devotes her life to proving paranormal phenomena is bogus. The story picks up late in her career when she has an assistant that accompanies her as she investigates purported paranormal activity.
The film has a slow beginning, but the pace picks up relatively fast. The acting is excellent with a nice twist to the ending. What's missing is a decent screenplay. I can't recommend this movie.
Plot
The biggest psychic of all time comes out of retirement. The researcher's assistant decides to prove he's a fake.
I give this movie 2 stars out of 5.
Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
This was an interesting movie. When I picked it up, I wasn't sure what to expect. Though I'd heard it called a sci-fi movie, it's definitely not what I would term sci-fi.
This is a lighthearted romantic comedy. It's a cute film, somewhat tongue-in-cheek. A man advertises for a companion to travel back in time with him, specifying that he can't guarantee their safety.
The acting was fine, nice character studies, but at times the pace was too slow for me.
Plot
A magazine reporter/writer and his female intern look into the time travel advertisement, thinking it might make an excellent story.
I give this movie 3.5 stars out of 5.
November 9, 2012
Writing Update & Movie Comments
Originally, I'd intended to have my next story ready for publishing sometime in the October-November time frame, but the story took on a life of its own. To wit, what started out to be a novella has grown to novel size by science fiction standards.
I'll be sending the manuscript to my editor on the first of December and I plan on publishing the novel sometime during the last two weeks of December—before end of year.
As I've mentioned before, the story falls under the umbrella of science fiction. It's a combination suspense, thriller and biotechnology tale that takes place in the present day.
Now onto a couple of movies I've seen recently. Well, actually only one.
I tried to watch the 2012 Norwegian movie "Turn Me On, Damn it" twice. The first time I watched about fifteen minutes of the movie before I turned it off, bored. The second time I made it about twenty-five minutes before giving up, again bored.
It's essentially about a teenager in the Norwegian boondocks who wants to escape her boring existence and surroundings. Now I had no complaint about the acting, but the pace was way too slow for me. Plus I couldn't get into the subject matter.
The second movie I watched was the science fiction movie, Perfect Sense (2011), starting Ewan McGregor and Eva Green. It takes place in the present day and the plot deals with how humanity reacts to losing first one sense (taste), and then another sense, and so on and so forth.
It was a strange movie, but it makes you think, to appreciate what defines us—and what it means to loose what defines us.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars and recommend the movie.
I'll be sending the manuscript to my editor on the first of December and I plan on publishing the novel sometime during the last two weeks of December—before end of year.
As I've mentioned before, the story falls under the umbrella of science fiction. It's a combination suspense, thriller and biotechnology tale that takes place in the present day.
Now onto a couple of movies I've seen recently. Well, actually only one.
I tried to watch the 2012 Norwegian movie "Turn Me On, Damn it" twice. The first time I watched about fifteen minutes of the movie before I turned it off, bored. The second time I made it about twenty-five minutes before giving up, again bored.
It's essentially about a teenager in the Norwegian boondocks who wants to escape her boring existence and surroundings. Now I had no complaint about the acting, but the pace was way too slow for me. Plus I couldn't get into the subject matter.
The second movie I watched was the science fiction movie, Perfect Sense (2011), starting Ewan McGregor and Eva Green. It takes place in the present day and the plot deals with how humanity reacts to losing first one sense (taste), and then another sense, and so on and so forth.
It was a strange movie, but it makes you think, to appreciate what defines us—and what it means to loose what defines us.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars and recommend the movie.
November 4, 2012
Crime Fiction
I have to admit that these days I don't read a lot of mysteries, but I have in the past—and perhaps in the future I will once more. The trouble is that I (like many others) have several genres I enjoy, but only so much time available :-(.
These days I'm more apt to watch one of the mystery series available on my local PBS station, among them Inspector Lewis, Wallander and Zen.
Anyway, I found the article "Crime's grand tour: European detective fiction" quite interesting and I thought others might also, especially those of you who like mysteries. The author discusses the long tradition of European super-sleuths and their role in turbulent times. Here's the link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/...
These days I'm more apt to watch one of the mystery series available on my local PBS station, among them Inspector Lewis, Wallander and Zen.
Anyway, I found the article "Crime's grand tour: European detective fiction" quite interesting and I thought others might also, especially those of you who like mysteries. The author discusses the long tradition of European super-sleuths and their role in turbulent times. Here's the link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/...
October 27, 2012
Writing Inspiration & a movie comment (Marigold Hotel)
A few days ago, I was perusing the Writer's Cafe (~online Kindle forum) when I came across a video of Neil Gaiman giving a twenty-minute speech on the "Arts" to a graduating class. The speech dealt mostly with the art of freelance writing, with Neil drawing heavily from his own background.
For those of you not aware of Neil Gaiman, he's a talented author of fiction in all its forms: comic books, graphic novels, novels, short stories, etc.
FYI: This video is what I would term an inspirational speech—and it's applicable to life in general, not just freelance writing. I thought it was excellent. Here's the link:
http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php...
Now I've recently seen the movie "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)"
I found this film to be a lighthearted comedy-drama, a pleasant way to spend the evening.
It's about a diverse group of older people with limited funds that are enticed to retire to India, to the Marigold Hotel. Of course, the hotel doesn't turn out to be what they expected.
The movie deals with the difficulties involved in adapting to a foreign culture and to the relationships among the retirees. There are some top-notch actors in this film, among them Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson and Dev Patel.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
For those of you not aware of Neil Gaiman, he's a talented author of fiction in all its forms: comic books, graphic novels, novels, short stories, etc.
FYI: This video is what I would term an inspirational speech—and it's applicable to life in general, not just freelance writing. I thought it was excellent. Here's the link:
http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php...
Now I've recently seen the movie "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)"
I found this film to be a lighthearted comedy-drama, a pleasant way to spend the evening.
It's about a diverse group of older people with limited funds that are enticed to retire to India, to the Marigold Hotel. Of course, the hotel doesn't turn out to be what they expected.
The movie deals with the difficulties involved in adapting to a foreign culture and to the relationships among the retirees. There are some top-notch actors in this film, among them Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson and Dev Patel.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
A. Peter Perdian's Blog
A. Peter Perdian isn't a Goodreads Author
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