Month: January 2006

DVD Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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We finally saw the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire yesterday. I was scared that it would be taken away before I got to see it and these movies should be seen on the big screen, to be appreciated.

There were a lot of scenes cut out, and several long scenes in the book were cut right back (and believe me, this isn’t always a bad thing), but I felt the movie was great. It had everything needed to make sense and the graphics were superb. There’s no way they could have done justice to this movie twenty years ago. Everything felt and looked so real, that I can almost believe in dragons!

All Harry Potter fans will love the movie, and non-lovers of these books will have to admit that they’ve done a good job. It’s a must see for sure. I just hope we don’t have to wait too long for the next one.

Breaking the Restraints

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A problem some writers have, is freeing their mind of restraints. Writing is a time to try new things. Just because you wouldn’t go mountain climbing, or scuba driving, or jump from a plane doesn’t mean your character wouldn’t do these things. Just because you wouldn’t murder someone, it doesn’t mean you can’t write the perfect murder story. And just because you know nothing of being a spy, or a magician, or an astronaut…doesn’t mean your characters can’t be experts at these things.

The key is research. Do the research and learn the terminology, and you can easily bluff your readers into believing you know what you’re talking about, and the feelings associated with it.

Some writers go that extra step with freeing themselves of restraints, and create eyebrows that talk (as in Grim Tuesday (Keys to the Kingdom, Book 2)). When you can do this, and it works, you know you’ve stepped out of the box and into the true writing arena. The box is safe and warm, so to take a risk by creating something quite unusual must be a bit scary. I’m not sure that I’m up to that test yet, but some writers find it easy. I admire them.

What’s the most “out of the box” thing you’ve written? How did you feel when you wrote the story? And…is it something you’d do again?

DVD Review: Memoirs of a Geisha

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This was not a movie that I would have paid to see, because watching the DVD would have been good enough for me. However, I won three tickets so we invited my parents to join us (they only had to buy one ticket) and we saw Memoirs of a Geisha at the movies.

I’m glad we did.

This movie was really good. It was much better than I thought it would be. The story grabbed me from the start and took me through to the end (just like any story should). The acting was superb, the setting authentic (in my opinion) and the plot enthralling.

It’s definitely a girl’s movie, but the men had no complaints and they both enjoyed it too. There were a few parts that left a lump in my throat, and the ending brought tears to my eyes. I didn’t sob, but I couldn’t stop the tears welling.

I believe I’ll pick up on more things during a second sitting, so I will watch it again when it comes out on DVD. If you are not sure if you want to see this movie or not…see it. You won’t be disappointed.

Getting it Right

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I don’t swear…no, that’s not right, I rarely swear. If I do, people know I’m seriously angry…and run. Yet I know lots and lots of people, including women (and children), who swear on a daily basis (no matter what their emotional state). I work with all men, they swear…a lot. They try to control it when I’m around, but I hear much more than they think I do. In other words, I’m used to hearing swear words. And I’ll say now, that I don’t think less of a person if they do swear. It’s a part of life. A huge percentage of people swear in one form or another every, single day.

Right, what’s this got to do with “getting it right”.

I’m a reader. I read several genres. When I read horror, I expect to see some swearing because it’s part of the genre (as long as there isn’t too much), but with other genres (especially fantasy) I don’t like seeing swear words. I’ll put up with three or four times during the whole novel, but if it’s on every page or two then it annoys me. If it’s every paragraph, I’ll put the book down and will never read that author again.

Yet, swearing is a firm part of life and if a writer is “getting it right” doesn’t it mean that every sentence of dialogue will have a swear word in it? I accept it in life, but I don’t accept it in books.

I’m a writer, and it’s drummed into me to get the facts right, make it realistic. Yet, a manuscript filled with swear words will have a very narrow market. A young adult manuscript with the same number of swear words will find itselt out of the market altogether because part of the publisher’s marketing is to try and sell the book to schools. This brings them a huge revenue, so, if they think the book is not suitable for this market, this will make them look for a manuscript that does fit their requirements. Remember, it’s all about money.

This means that “getting it right” is only true when it suits the publishers and/or the critics, which leaves the writer in a bind, because it’s up to the writer to decide how much “getting it right” is the right thing to do.

Personally, although I know swearing is a normal part of our lives, I would prefer to escape from it in my reading adventures. Using those words when it’s appropriate is one thing, but I think showing your character’s anger without the use of certain words is the way a true writer gets the message across.

What do you think?