November 25, 2012

Writing Tip: Keep the Words Flowing

[A Guestpost by T. S. Bazelli]
Help, I don't know what happens next!! 

This is a problem for both pansters and plotters, and trust me, I've been both. No matter how you write, it's likely you'll discover gaps in the plot while you're in the middle of writing. I'm not talking about writing block, but story blocks, when suddenly you've run out of plot, or don't quite know how to get to the next part. 

November 22, 2012

Cloud Atlas: Movie Review

Germany is known for its cars, beers and movies... the last one actually not at all, but we have a few "famous ones". Recent examples are Inglourious Basterds, Anonymous, Unknown Identity and The Three Musketeers. All of them have two things in common. They were produced in the film studio Barbelsberg and weren't directed/produced by Germans at all. The latest fact isn't bad, because there is only one genre that German filmmaker can capture well and that is historical stuff like Valkyrie or The Reader. Now another big production arrives on the silver screen, but this time everything is different. Tom Tykwer, a well known German director created a movie, that is different than all the other seen before. To accomplish that he needed a lot of German/American money and the help of the well known Wachowski Siblings, who became famous for creating a One-Hit-Wonder. Read for yourself if they could manage to create something spectacular or if they just made the most expensive Indie film ever.

November 11, 2012

Writing Tip: 5 signs to recognize that you are a writer

There are several signs for hidden talents that slumber within us. Many of them are awoken since the beginning, like artistic child's that draw pictures since they are born. Some of them build sand castles and become architectures. But there are some signs the need time to develop bit for bit.
Not each of them is recognizable as clear as day. Some need to be discovered by careful observation, but these 5 ones are the most common signs to watch out for. 
[Image by after-the-party]

November 6, 2012

James Bond 007: Skyfall - Movie Review

A lot of  big budget movies get a big budget marketing plan. Avengers had one, but it became mostly popular through mouth to mouth propaganda till it was everywhere. The Lord of the Rings was pretty famous with several TV-Clips and documentation about it. But Skyfall is different. It has such a big marketing budget that it is nearly everywhere. There are so many posters and billboard that you could believe Germans would decorate their houses with them. There is even a title song that made it to the charts. TV shows send non-stop commercial about "How to be like James Bond". Even though it runs in 8 different auditoriums at the same time and that in just 1 movie theater i couldn't get a good place till Monday. Thats ridiculous how many people want to see it and it isn't even in 3D. But with a great hype comes a great responsibility. Can it live up to it? See for yourself.

October 28, 2012

Writing Tip: Deus Ex Machina

How many books did you read in which the situation looked as worse as it possible could be for the hero and even then he manages to escape in a ridiculous way by the help of a unknown powers? Certainly you read that at least a hundreds times and that only in this year. These moments are not only bad for the credibly of the story but that situation also bury the chance of develop the character through a dramatic scene or kill of unneeded characters. The method is practically found everywhere and is called Deus Ex Machina.
[Picture by Praetoris01]

October 21, 2012

Looper - Movie Review

Looper was besides "The Dark Knight Rises" and the upcoming "The Hobbit" the one i wanted to see the most this year. I love Bruce Willis. I love Joseph Gordon Levitt. I love movies where you need to think to grasp it fully and this could be such one since Inception. What could go wrong? Actually not that much, but the few things added up to a bitter taste in this otherwise super delicious sweet cake. Why the movie has such a small bitter taste and why i would call it the bread between "Inception" and "Matrix" will be explained in the rest of the review.