The Hell...?! (VIII) - What's Coming Out in the Criterion Collection?

When I think of the Criterion Collection of DVDs, I think of Akira Kurosawa, I think of Terry Gilliam's Brazil. I think of classics of film and arty flicks I would never, ever watch. Not even under pain of death.

I do not think of Equinox. Not even in jest.

Equinox has strong meaning for me. I've seen it maybe twice, and I couldn't give you a synopsis or a review even if I wanted to. (There's a better place for that.) However, there are images that stuck with me from it for years. I use it for describing movies, for pity's sake (an Equinox movie is specifically a Lovecraftian flick told in flashback by a mental patient/prisoner, e.g. In the Mouth of Madness, Dead People/Messiah of Evil, etc.)

So I'll admit the news about Criterion releasing a DVD of it (tomorrow!) rather thrills me. But I'm sure there are more other films out there. Better acted. More important.

Very odd news, indeed.

THEME WEEK: Painting Story Telling

This month's Writer's Digest has an article by Joe Ortiz called "Supercharge Your Creativity". In the article, Ortiz gives six writing games. Of the six, I've found only two useful for my own creative hang ups. Mileage will, of course, vary from writer to writer.

One of the two I found very interesting. In it, Ortiz suggests taking a painting (preferably with people in it) and writing three sentences. The first describes how the people got into the situation they were in the painting. The second gives a bit of one of the people's point of view. The third is about what happens next. Sounds fun, if nothing else, right?

But there's more! Back during my sophomore year at Marian, we had a homework assignment that was basically the same thing. In this case, writing a page or two. It was, as I recall it, one of the few times I got an A in the class. Good times.

Anyway, I've been thinking of doing something similar as a writing exercise for sometime. I've been collecting art for it, as well as potential sketch material. Not just online, mind you; I at on point bought two books worth of paintings for this notion. Nothing had come of it yet, but by the time I was inspired by Ortiz's article, I had a good set of images to play with.

What I thought I would do this week is post my efforts. I would post the painting, talk about the artist and the work, and, at the end (because it'll be so very short) my three sentences, as well as any thoughts on said sentences.

Sounds like fun to me.

Image: The Wyrm and the Tower

Time for an image!

Several months back I posted several rough several rough sketches. Among them was a picture of a Dragon on a tower. I liked is so much that I did a bit of a touch up with Jasc. Thus coming up with the subject of today's post, to our left. It's a little small, but a click should reveal our friend in all of his glory.

I have add details to the tower... Perhaps too many. I'm too close right now to say. I will mention that in my copy, the tiles on the roof aren't blurred. Dunno what happened there.

Look at the fingers. I put in cracks in the tower where he sinks in his talons. I feel like I'm twelve, gushing about stuff like that.

But its sooooo coooool!

I'm considering additional work, like fire and smoke in the background, but that'll mean shading and lighting the big guy, and that's more effort than I want to go into just now. But it shouldn't turn out too terrible, all things considered.

What is Story?

A story is about choices and acting on choices. If there is no choice, there is no story. (Keeping in mind that not making a choice (refusing to chose) is a choice. )

A story is not necessarily about change. Sometimes the protagonist and antagonist remain the same through out. Sometimes the world or situation the protagonist finds himself or herself in doesn't shift an iota. However stories that do have change in them tend to be better than those without.

A story can be as long as a sentence or as short as a million sentences. It can be prose or poem or a series of images. It can even be music

A story moves, entertains, inspires, or any combination of the three.

A story should justify its own existance by the time it's through by fulfiling one or more of the previous conditions, or it has failed the reader.

A story is not a teacher, yet it can teach if it so desires.

Thoughts On Dungeon Siege Trailer

There's a new trailer up for the abomination Uwe Boll movie In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Movie. (From here on out It Not KaDSM, because I can! And it strikes me funny for some reason.) You may find the trailer by clicking here.

My thoughts are as follows:

continued

• I can't decide if this is a step up or down for John Rhys-Davies. He was, of course, Gimli in the Lord of the Rings Series, as well as Sallah in the Indiana Jones series, so and this film feels like a plummet for him. However, on the other hand, he's been in worse dreck, so...
• Speaking of Lord of the Rings, do you get a desperate sort of vibe while watching that trailer? Sort of begging to be taken as serious, what with the sweeping camera over pretty country side moments.
• Did I see ninjas in that trailer? Really?
• I like Burt Reynolds and it's good to see him on the big screen again. Really. But, honestly, as a king in a medieval kingdom? No. No, no, no.
• I like Ray Liotta. Really. But come on! You've got Ron Perlman in the cast. He should be the villian! The guy's got the greatest voice!
• Speaking of the man himself, I just made the most amazing discovery. Perlman's going to be in an animated film called Conan: Red Nails as Conan the Barbarian! How cool is that? Watch it be as bad as It Not KaDSM,.
• Ninjas? How 1980's can you get?
  
• I watched this whole thing with two distinct feelings. The first, surprisingly, was, "Hey, this doesn't look that bad!" The other was, "Oh dear sweet God does this look awful!" When it was finished, all I could think of was the Peasant's Quest Trailer. And that the Peasant Quest trailer looked better made... some how. Em... Maybe...
  

At the end of the day, this trailer did it's job. I wanna see It Not KaDSM,. It'll be bad. How could it not be? Uwe Boll's directing. But, with any luck, it'll be better than Dungeons and Dragons.

Or, at least, funnier.

How Fleeting Fame Addendum

It has come to my attention that Little Nemo had a compilation out at least last year, and maybe more coming soon. Same with Krazy Kat.

Cool beans!

Tim Hildebrandt

Tim Hildebrant, one of the Hildebrandt Brothers, has passed on.

The Hildebrant Brothers are best know for their paintings based on the works of Tolkien and Star Wars. However, the first time I truly noticed their work was the art they did for Terry Brooks' Sword of Shannara. Excellent work. A brief look through some of their other pieces reveals a good eye for the Fantastic.