Happy New Year’s eve

31 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by in Enchanting world, Life in style

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I’m gonna slip into my ball dress and my glittering high heels (below)

20121231_190945

(yes, they are mine, and we function pretty well together)

and I’ll set off for that sparkling party and dance the night away with a Dashing Prince….

Wishing you all a sparkly, amazing, dazzling, full of mystery, or inspirational or wild night until the wee hours and the crack of dawn. You, we, I, deserve it.

I wish you this :

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And that :

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and that too :

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London New year's wishes

but be careful with that :

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and,above all, enjoy that wonderful time with friends  :

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and, later, do not hesitate to try this :

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Happy fiesta folks! And happy new year’s eve!

 

Floreva, all set in my  magic sparkling shoes

Fearlessly You.

23 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by in Entertainemt, Mt Everest

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Good day, Sunday readers!

All the books on self-improvement, personal development, almost all movies and much of the fictional literature seem to be teaching us mainly one thing, namely : discovering why we are here and being unashamed to be ourselves. We fear so many things, and yet, fear is just a prison we step into willingly. Instead of fear  have faith. Instead of fearing you will not succeed, have faith that you are already successful. Be fearless. Be you.  Be fearlessly YOU.The others will not notice the difference. If they are bothered by you, then, they also will be bothered by you being fearlessly you. So, WTF?

from LOMM

from LOMM

We are constantly reminded that we can only approach a satisfying level of happiness when we allow ourselves to accept every aspect of our personality, the shady side and the bright one. Things to improve and things already good in us.

It sounds easy, and the multiple quotes we may come across during the day make us think that it’s easy. In a way, it is. The main obstacle may be precisely our very self. This self we have difficulty to accept sometimes or all the time, or to understand , or that is playing tricks on us, because there are times when we are hit by sadness, discouragement, depression, anger, fear, loneliness, jealousy. There are times when the pressure is to hard to contain, or is triggered by a word, a song, something that add a little more steam and then we are, astonished by our own reaction.

We are seldom upset by perfect moments of happiness. And when we are overjoyed or experiencing bliss, we rarely do things that we are not very satisfied with.

So we learn to deal with it. The best way being, of course, to regret nothing and integrate those reactions into our global self, and to carry on. Problem is : we are our strongest censor, which can lead to sabotage our strategy to reach our goals. In those moments, we become our own personal enemy. And this enemy can stick around for a very looooooooooooooooooooooooooong time.

Usually, we are judging ourselves by assuming what others think about us. And usually, we give a shit whereas they do not. They just do not bother taking time to reflect on it. They just have no time for you.

Wise quote - from Pinterest

-from Pinterest

 

So, instead, it’s probably safer and easier to sign a truce and work with the power hidden in our shady side.

And carry our load a little farther, a little longer and a little stronger. Micro-victories upon ourselves that we can be proud of, and that we can use to fuel our dedication  to reach those impossibly crazy goals. Shoot for the Sun, and you’ll land amongst the stars.

Take a hero, a simple noble heart. A model to help you harness your desires and your dreams, a powerful figure to restore your courage and your will, a personality packed with kindness and determination, a genuine model for you to travel side by side on the chaotic and marvelous path of life.

Read his or her biography, and you’ll discover all the battles he or she had to fight, the somber moments of self-deprecation or adversity which clouded their courage or sincere enthusiasm.

Choose your hero, your mentor, your Pygmalion wisely, for he or she’ s gonna be your guide, your teacher, your personal coach, your inspiration and your reference in values you want to stick to or you are willing to attach to your life to, to your personality and your work. You want this person to become a part of your self-empowerment, the foundation upon which you will structure your own personal architecture, because you have higher goals, or achievements for your self and your beloved ones than others can think of.

And you will succeed. You are already on the path of success.

We all are, from the minute we decide we want to better ourselves and respond to our true call and put all our energy, forces, strengths, life-driven desires and iron determination. Stay loyal to your life, self, call, hero. Honor them and fuel them with joy and hard work, self-confidence and kindness towards others.

As for me,  the strong figure and perfect model, this hero, is George Leigh Mallory, the British climber who pioneered the route to Mount Everest from the North Col.

GLM Quote

GLM Quote

Happy Holidays and a jolly merriment to you all ! ‘Tis the season…

Floreva

 

 

Santa Fe Film Festival 2012 DREAM AWAKE

12 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by in Creating, Entertainemt, Movies, Places, Writing

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Last Friday, I flew to New Mexico with a friend to the SANTA FE Film Festival (SFFF).

The theme was : Dream awake. What a good motto, what a wonderful idea.

Santa Fe and the SFFF : Such a marvelously energetic city, such a great event. Films, shorts, Q&A with directors, actors, producers, composers. Meeting passionate people, sharing their work and their art and their thoughts about it  with a genuine simplicity. It sounds obvious, of course. And yet, the authenticity feels so unspoilt in a festival like that one,  that you leave the event boosted, and fulfilled, especially if you are  an oddjobber like those who flocked in there.

SFFFpass

Being in Santa Fe again, in (almost) Winter time, with cold air filling the bright blue sky saturated with sun beams, it felt so good.

This city has really something about itself and in itself that you just can’t miss to experiment. The air seems to be rustling with extra positive vibrations.

The nearby mountains (visible from nearly every corner, unlike Houston, flat as my palm) anchor your looks into that beautiful Nature. You can’t escape beauty : architecture, settings, landscapes, buildings, the most creative human activity (painters, writers, potters, craftsmen, filmmakers, even  festivals to celebrate all that!!), a true osmosis between our natural environment and our humanity.

Georgia O’Keeffe sensed that earthy energy and savage beauty as she transcripted on the canvas or on the paper those vibes. Her paintings are as peaceful and quietness inducing as the vision of the surrounding scenery.

No wonder a film festival set in this city would attract talented and tactful professionals.

Our stay was blessed and punctuated with the most exquisite and nice encounters, some probable, others completely impromtu, absolutely unexpected. Saturday early morning, we came in the CCA to retrieve my friend’s ticket, and we ended up in the nearby venue, chatting with the person in charge that day, and visiting the Military Museum of the NM National Guard. very interesting.

 

DSC_0074

Then we went downtown Old Santa Fe, for a visit before the screening of the film that lay at the core of this trip. We visited the Georgia O’Keeffe museum.  We chatted with I can’t remember how many persons. (It is me or it this city is triggering people into conversations?).

And then, the FILM. “NOTHING WITHOUT YOU”. Just as it was about to begin, we met the director, Xackery Irving whom we greeted and he was so kind as to take some time to talk to us, and thanked us for coming from so far, Houston.

The film deserves the prize it won at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this year.

Emily Fradenburgh is a lovely actress, impossibly talented and natural in her way of playing,  and her character is so appealing. We adhere to her motivation without the slightest reluctance. And we are thrilled, of course, because her life is at stake.

The script is well balanced, with drama and humour, thrilling moments and suspense.

And it has what most of us revere  : a twist end. But not a sloppy one, a well constructed, well defined and precisely chiseled one.

All in all the film is extremely good, finely crafted and structured. And the music is a pure moment of happiness.

The Q&A was a great moment, with The score composer, the producer, the director, the actress and another actor. The Qs showed that the audience is mainly composed of professional (talking about angles in shooting and stuff of the kind). And it was pleasant to learn as much by listening carefully to the As as we did for the Qs.

We went to the party held for the fest. And it was a blast, again, because you meet there all the people who make the fest! I talked with some of the crew of NWY, and they were forgiving to the enthusiast that I am. It felt like I was a child with a sugar tooth locked in a candy store! I also talked with the producer and the scriptwriter of the short we would watch the next day, “Brightwood”, winner of several prizes too. Amazing short, gorgeous sets, lovely child actress, the director of photography did an amazing job and it deserves its awards.

I feel so blessed and lucky to have been able to go to Santa Fe. And I wish all those talented people success, luck, and more creativity and extremely good connections to craft other good works and masterpieces for their audience to enjoy.

Thanks Emily, Victoria, Dorie, Xackery, Gabriel, Rick, Jacob, Keith, Ruth, Nani, Scott, and all of you who make all that possible.

I came back in Texas full of energy, a will to quickly achieve my writing projects – and particularly this road movie script. I am boosted, energized, more balanced, and I know that even ZERO budget films get shot. So, all is possible, you see.

It took a decade for the director Xackery Irving to achieve his script (it went through many re-writings and editings, as he told the audience), but at last, he made it. It must have been though, and depressing maybe sometimes, but it has a shape, a name and a prize to acknowledge its quality. Think hard and confidently enough that you can do it, and you’ll do it, and even better that you originally thought.

SO….

more caffeine and ….

FADE IN….

Good night, fellow oddjobbers.

Floreva, still enjoying  the light of Santa Fe….

 

“Nothing without you”, written & directed  by Xackery Irving, 95 min, genre : Psychological Thriller, Narrative feature

nothingwithoutyoufilm.com

facebook.com/nothingwithoutyoufilm

“Brightwood”, written by LaDora Sella, directed by L.Gabriel Gonda, 18min.

Brightwoodmovie.com

 

 

How the Santa Fe Film Festival can boost the writing of a road movie.

05 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by in Movies, Places, Writing

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Dear readers, fellow oddjobbers , sharers of a glimpse of your thoughts about this world, providers of happiness,

This week end  a major event takes place, the Santa Fe Film Festival.

Many events take place  in the cinema field each week. But this one has a particular taste for me. because it’s Santa Fe (3 times in my life I have felt that good in a city, like you belong, ya know? : in London, in Darjeeling and in Santa Fe, I have no explanation).

And parallel to that, I was writing a script for a submission to the London Film Festival. A road movie. the two ideas merged eventually: why not setting the road movie in TX and NM? I mean, the story was already set, constructed, the characters have their back stories,  I already had written a good deal, the city of departure and the city of arrival had just not been chosen. So, why not a trip from Houston to Santa Fe?

A crazy idea cropped up : why not going up there with my car? You know, driving all the way, enjoy the scenery and the fabulous  landscapes, music blasting, in good company, chatting and laughing, sharing anecdotes, enjoying a rapid meal, before entering this wonderfully energetic city for a big event? And getting free, instant, real-life, consistent impressions for the script? Material readily available!

I very much enjoy a good road movie. The unity of time and space, the journeys, both internal and physical, the grandiose scenery, the confinement leading to confrontation before the resolution and the pacification can occur, has always been profoundly appealing to me.

At a party with friends, the subject of Santa Fe and the Film Festival hosted there came up, as they said they’d drive around New Year’ Eve to White Sands. Conversation drifted then to New Mexico. I didn’t remember the date of the festival, since I only took my subscription to WITHOUTABOX last September,  I only knew there is major Festival taking place there, and for instance, that “Brokeback Mountain” was presented there, among others. We all reckoned that Santa Fe has special vibes. It’s a magical city, and some of us agreed that it  had a relevant impact on our mind, or souls.

Parties like that boost one’s (that’s me, yes) energy & will to work harder, and to write more!!!

Anyway.

In November I received an alert via WITHOUTABOX (the interface I use for script submission for various contests) about the SFFF. I twitted about it. Got a RT from a director (thanks). And I thought i’d love to  see that. And I’ll drive. Houston-Santa Fe. I only needed a friend to share the road, the wheel, the fantastic Week End lying ahead, and a pure cinephilic moment. Plus this director presents his movie there. In Santa Fe. And he wished me safe travels to SFFF. (twitter, you do a great job).

Was I looking for another sign  to go there, to stop telling myself it was crazy to even think of going there, 15s hours, etc? There was the sign, bold, unmistakable.

And another thing : the hero in my script (begun 5 weeks previously) bears the same name as this director, only the spelling is slightly different. 

The film festival takes place just before my birthday. Festival is Dec 6-9; my b-day is the 10th.

So, I told myself : “that would be the most perfect and accurate B’day present, to go there, see amazing movies and shorts, feel the powerful energy of creativity bursting everywhere, meet interesting people, in the field I want to work more and more with and for…Big Spirit of the World, clear the path and make it happen!”

Yeah, really. Sometimes you got to manifest what your want, loudly and you must be convinced that it will happen. I was confident. I trusted myself to make the right choices and to be strong-willed.

It boosted my writing, I can tell you! I locate their stops and their venues on the map and with Google satellite photos, I feel I travel along with them.

I checked the feasibility, and bingo! Greenlight at every level.

In the meantime, the friend’s availability had been invalidated. Car trip seriously unmanageable.  So I checked flights, found one, booked a room and a car in Albuquerque. Bought my tix.

And so be it!

While doing so, I wished I could decide someone to join in at the last minute. Like : you go to a party, and  you say  : “I’ll go to Santa Fe tomorrow. – How nice? how lucky you are, I wish I could …- Interested? Join me! -OK!!!!”

Driving up there will be for another time, because, come on, it’s 15 hours’ drive. I’ll do it next time, with a car packed with friends as crazy as me for cinema. As it was also a bit short to organise it “impromptu”, (although I just love last-minute crazy ideas for a weekend).

The room I booked, for the SAME price could be either : one-queen-size bed (with kitchenette, easier for meals, you know) OR TWO king-size beds (with kitchenette).

Guess what I chose?

I was very much in the mood of sharing that moment with a good friend.

And I made that wish again : to go there with someone.

And it was granted. Impromtu. Last minute. Last Sunday, at lunch with wonderful friends.

You know that wonderful and terrifying moment when you say : “I go there, it’s crazy stuff to do, but… I’m doing it…Would you like to join me?”. And there goes the answer : “I’d love too! Let’s grab a ticket and …just.do.it”

You think your dream can come true, so  you set your mind on a particular frequency, your energy vibrates and bam! it happens. I have a sense that I am on the threshold of a new episode in my life, and I dedicate all my forces, my energy, my focus, my resources, my thoughts, to this achievement, this goal, this new path of fulfillment and of a deeper sense of happiness…

Guess what is the theme of this year’s SANTA FE FILM FESTIVAL?

DREAM AWAKE.

It could never have  been more suited.

Discipline your will, harness your dream and live the life you’re meant to live.

Keep your dream alive, but don’t let it slip through your hands, dear reader/writer.

Floreva, sending you positive energy AMAP (as much as possible)

I’ll post on SFFF later .

http://www.santafefilmfestival.com/

Be yourself and be proud of it.

19 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by in This world we live in

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It does not take much and it makes all the difference.

Be yourself and be proud. A good philosophy, I should say….

So, here’s the only possible advice : Whatever your field, have you chosen your path or not (so far, things seemingly impossible at 25 can turn available to do 10 years later), there’s a way to make the best out of it : be yourself.

It’s sometimes scary, but try it, even if the others are surprised or do not fully understand. Allow yourself to be true and sincere. Because you need to allow your inner self to be known in order to recognize it yourself. You do not need to be strong all the time. Others need you to be strong, because it’s easier that way, minimum effort to be made. On the other hand, one can get tired of being always cheerful and with a smile plastered on the face, when one feels one needs a rest.

Via sonelscorner.blogspot;com

It may be extremely long to figure out and to accept. But happiness, better still, bliss is worth the try, don’t you think?

Be bold.

Be fearlessly audacious.

Be as strong as you can. Allow yourself to be as weak as you feel. Hold on to your personal beliefs.

Honor yourself. Honor your emotions. They exist, they just need to be acknowledged for what they are and are then better dealt with afterwards.

Don’t let go of your very essence.

No one, NO ONE, will ever tackle the battlefield in your shoes. Some may fight for some rights they think they share with you, because they will find their achievement or their goal, or a brief distraction from their own struggle  in doing so, but remember, that in the end, you alone can fight for your self, and by your self.

You may and will find support and comrades entangled in the same human condition while en route to find your voice, you will also encounter joykillers, or abusive friends (and I wish you, instead, to stumble upon a fairplay enemy), and emotion cheaters or oblivious people…

Don’t let go of what is the true you, and do not be ashamed of your actions when they are a pure and sincere expression of you (provided, of course, they’re not malicious, that’s obvious, hey mate) or of your sheer emotions.

At least, 50% you meet do not like you, so be it… But for the right reason, ok?  People do not have to tell you what will bring you happiness. They do not know you, they do not know what your life is, if they are scared when you open a little the door about yourself, then, you won’t waste time with them, because who you are does not interest them. But only what you offer and what they can grab from you is the motivation.

Via Pinterest (Natalie May)

Be yourself, know yourself, embrace yourself with love. Empower yourself. It’s easy, it’s free, it can make happiness last forever. It’s within you and there’s chance that the discreet source inside your soul is obliterated by the tumult of this society or the uproar of others surrounding you. So listen carefully, trust it, trust your guts and your intuition and hold on to it.

Life’s too short.

Life really is too short…

Live.

Live as the being you are meant to be, not as the character they want you to embody.

I started to do it, and it’s better.

Floreva, a little more self-empowered tonight…

 

Parallel worlds

13 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by in Enchanting world, This world we live in, Writing

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Have you ever experienced it?

You write a scene with your fictional characters and bam! it happens in your life? Even when the two events occur one year apart? I mean, the scenes described occurred and everything fell exactly into place, what they do, or say (or say not). Or someone reads what you’ve written 18 months ago and just say : “Hey, I know that”, and you’ve just met them 3 months ago? (because we need to be read, right? it fuels our need to explain why we write, the reason of our being here, and makes sense when everything else just makes no sense at all).

Or you just put a certain set of information and details about some characters and they show up  for real? You meet people with those details in their life and they share it with you, things about them, things they do or have done, places they’ ve gone to, loooong after you created your fictional characters (like, 3 and 2 years ago….), and you think you’re trapped into the rewind thing of your dvd…

And it feels as if two parallels worlds have converged by chance (or is it?) into one event before continuing their own path, still parallel but bound to intertwine again…because you just happen to know it, deep down… see what I mean? Like, when you walk into a place and it feels just so familiar? You KNOW details about that place, even if it’s the first time you are here. As if your eyes and your body recognize it. This deja-vu impression may be quite disturbing or puzzling, I must say. Ever experienced it?

Weird, right?

Or is it just me?

Or is it normal, because the oddjobbers might have that “special” sensitivity/sensitiveness that makes them feel things long before they happen?

I am puzzled and baffled altogether, I must say.

Something of the kind just took place some days ago. And I had forgotten a good deal about what I had written in the 1st part of this drama, because I’ve edited it over a year now,and I am involved in other projects and in the second part of the drama…

Weeeiird.

Or is it because , having started to meditate, I see more clearly some aspects that were so buried inside me that, I kept stumbling upon, without even noticing there was recurring pattern?

 

I must find the samuraï within me and stop letting myself being troubled by such things, it’s ridiculous.

I must go back to my writings. No time to feel lightheaded.

I promise the next post will be more grounded and down to earth.

Happy day to you, dear readers, before this world ends in flames and chaos.

Floreva

On being a writer who learns and writes.

06 Saturday Oct 2012

Posted by in Books, Entertainemt, Movies, TV Series, Writing

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Time for reflection about being a writer.

When I was 14, I wrote a novel, not very long.  And then, I destroyed it. It was too personal, too raw, too me and I was too vulnerable, or so I thought…I wrote dozens and dozens of poems and texts. I wanted  two things : to be a writer AND to play on stage. I was an amateur theater actress and wrote in the school newspapers.

At 16, I wrote down a list of titles for the books I would wrote and a corresponding list of names, the character’s names.This list I still have with me, by my side as I write all that now, for your eyes. I kept on writing, although I had to change my professional choices. Eventually, deeply buried in those marketing jobs, I forgot about my self essential and my real life . Then one night, in August 2010, around 3 in the morning…

…I woke up. I mean, I WOKE UP to my past aspirations.  I was in the kitchen, sleep escaping me. My mind is racing.  For various reasons, over various subjects. And a thin fragile thread, long forgotten, attached to the very essential part of my soul is hit by a light I thought I had lost years ago. It was given back to me.

The energy of the writing spirit.

Now, at this hour of night, that day, I wanted to fight for that. This was the fighting spirit meeting the writing spirit. Good! Let’s go on!

So, in the heart of the night, I let the sun rise. I wrote  for 4 hours on my laptop. Characters knocked on the door of my mind, allowing themselves in, story unfolding neatly and energy increasingly awaking my creativity and my imagination…

Since then I have kept writing.

Now, I feel that I need to write more, to publish frenetically. I feel miserable taht I have not been able to give complete work to my publisher. I am affected by the virus of perfectionism. I rewrite, again and again, and again.  I got stuck on sentences for days, to achieve the ultimate construction. Letting go is difficult, and reaching a satisfying level is complexly hard. Sometimes, I think I have not done much in those past months. So I decided to summarize it.

What have I done in those past months, then? (Apart from my daily duties, of course). I did my homework and my work. And I ‘m still on it.

Firstly, I have prepared myself to properly tackle the writing of a script (because I am also a film lover since an early age) so I have :

  • read about 15/ + books on the subject ( The little red writing book, The golden book on writing –what’s this fantasy about colours??-, How to write a damn good thriller, How to write a damn good mystery, The art & craft of storytelling, A writer’s guide to fiction, The Bible of screenwriting, Crafty screenwriting, Writing screenplays that sell, Writing is a verb –oh?, The writer’s book of wisdom, See Jane write : a girl’s guide to writing chick lit, How not to write a screenplay –appealing/disturbing title, hence brilliant,  How to write what you want & sell what you write – long title, didn’t like the book, and 2 or 3 others.
  • shelled, analysed and studied about 40 scripts (and I am far from those 2/week I need to read!), among which  Eve (Mankiewicz), Body Heat (for that subtext), The big easy, Ocean’s 11 & Ocean’s 12, The electric Horseman, Howards End, Being John Malkovich, 3 Days of the Condor, Sherlock TV ep, Luther TV ep, The Prisoner TV ep, The Mentalist 4 TV ep, Scrubs  TV ep, West Wing 2 TV ep,   Amadeus, The Godfather, Donnie Brasco, Maltese Falcon, Pulp Fiction, Heat, Barton Fink, Sleepy Hollow, O Brother, Stagecoach, Night of the Hunter, The big Lebowski, The Big Sleep,  When Harry met Sally (yeah, for THAT scene, and see how it’s written), Some like it hot, etc…
  • read 7 modern plays (The Odd Couple  -his and hers- , Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf, The importance of being earnest, Ginger ale boy and Electric ballroom by Enda Walsh, one Shakespeeare…)
  •   read 6 novels , including the wonderful War Horse,  to relax

Secondly, I have written for myself (all)  and my publisher (a very small part) and you, -soon to be mine agent  (some):

  •  a 433p techno-thriller , with 2nd and 3rd  (same hero) in the synopsis -ripening room)
  • a 2x 150p drama novel (considering compiling to make one 300p book)
  • 2 short-stories
  • a long-feature radioplay (53min)
  • a short film screenplay
  • another short film screenplay
  • a synopsis for another short film
  • an article about a painting exhibition
  • 10 songs out of 12 for a musical project (with a music composer)
  • 20 poems (some are 2 or 3p long)
  • 4 detailed synopses for novels
  • 2 detailed synopses for short-story
  • 9 detailed synopses for a TV series
  • a synopsis for a noir feature film
  • 1 fan fiction TV ep
  • a 1st draft for a 3-act play in need of rewriting, editing, finishing and trimming
  • bits and pieces to be assembled into projects
  • 10 loglines /ideas for novel/Shortstory/script.
  • posts in a blog & tweets in a twitter account

I have relaxed in watching :

  •  300 ( or more) films and TV Series episodes, of various genres. (Next thing, I must try Doctor Who) [I can watch Sherlock AND read the script in the same time while sipping coffee. I’m like Windows, I am multitask) [[Sometimes, I watch the entire series in a row until it’s über-too late]]

In the meantime, when I have an insomnia, I also have observed & studied my targets (thanks Writer’s Market and magazines and blogs and news) and prepared my business and marketing plans, established the communication plan, established a list of other  contests I want to participate to. I have a new idea for a short…

I need a coffee, now. Strong, black, ultra caffeinated. Maybe I can just chew some coffee beans… It’s faster and a lot less fussier than brewing a mug ‘o joe…

It’s going to be a short night.

So long, Folks.

Coffee and films, what could go wrong?

What if…?

05 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by in Books, Entertainemt, Movies, Writing

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The oddjobbers (writers, screenwriters and the kind) know that some of the best stories (apart from adaptations of literature pieces, remakes, documentaries, mockumentaries, historic and period dramas) started with a  seemingly übersimple child’s game : “let’s make believe that…. (I am a princess in a pea pod shaped mattress; I am a dragon slayer; Ramses, King of Egyptian people;  this mud is our chocolate pie and Mum is the Big laundrymatic Chief Lady;  I have a hammer, I am a pop singer and I smash all my toys; MY name is Han Solo and  YOU are Chewbacca; etc).”

The only difference is in the formulation : What if….?

And starting with this “what if…” postulate can lead you pretty far and produce some of the finest stories, provided your ideas are decently fueled with a good imagination. Forget narrow-minded or clichés  things, unless you twist them enough to turn them into an interesting pattern.

 

Results can be good or… not so good.

Let’s have a closer look: (remember I  talk fiction here, not historical facts nor period dramas).

Sometimes the results are just astonishing and we are being provided with great literature and films. (I leave the scientific or engineering part of this aside, its not my field).

For instance :

  • What if …a scientist wanted so bad to compete with God and created his own creature? Results : Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818) and James Whale (1931) [+ numerous adaptations TV, films, theater and countless spoofs & cartoons.]
  • What if…an evil man, feeding only on human blood, could transform into a bat and contaminate each person he bites? Results : Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897) and Tod Browning (1931) [+ numerous adaptations TV, films, theater and countless spoofs & cartoons.]
  • What if…aliens invaded the Earth? Results : The War of the worlds by HG Wells (1898), radioplay by Orson Welles (*wink*) 1938 and all the Alien Invasion literature & films influenced/induced by those geniuses [from The day the Earth stood still (1951) to Mars Attacks (1996) & Men in Black 3 (2012)]
  • What if …a priest wanted to protect his religious community from persecution and created an protector which later turns destructive? Results : The Golem (first writtten by Rabbi Eliyahu of Chelm (16th Century), then by Rabbi Yaakov Emden (1748), by  Franz Klutschak (1841) and film by Paul Wegener (1921)
  • What if…a school director’s wife and his mistress teamed up to murder him to get rid of him? What if he DID not actually dies and sought revenge? Result : Les Diaboliques  (The devils) by HG Clouzot (1955), (forget the remake w. Sharon Stone , it’s pathetic)
  • What if…pets and animals could talk and tell their adventures to a young Victorian aquarelist woman? Results : all Beatrix Potter’s books and Miss Potter (2006)?
  • What if…a zillionaire paid paleontologists to revive some defunct Dinosaurs species on an island, the team escaping a funest fate just in time? Results: Jurassic Park by M. Crichton (1990) and by S. Spielberg (1993) [and sequels, and spoofs and various others Jurassic monsters]
  • What if…a rejected secretary decided to turn love down, wrote a best-selling book about it- thus allowing other women to take control over their feelings, love and ensuing pain- to finally win the object of her thoughts turned true love? Result : Down with love (2003).
  • What if…a widowed woman who discovered that her husband left her broke, had an affair, eventually befriended the lover while developing a marijuana business to erase her debts and found love? Result : Saving Grace (2000).
  • What if…There was a secret passage to enter a famous actor’s mind for some minutes, allowing to control his mind and body? Result :  Being John Malkovich (1999)
  • So many others.

Yet, sometimes the results are, well, you know…so so, to put it kindly.

For instance :

  • What if…we followed the life of several teenagers on their campus and recorded their  abyssal stupidity and their gastric problems? (American pie*)
  • What if…we stuffed in so much SFX on screen, everyone will think it’s a GREAT movie? (Matrix, Thor, Iron Man 2, Spider man, Star Wars the Phantom Menace and the updated episodes, Titanic)
  • What if…we made any sequel of a any Blockbuster in the attempt to make as much money, based on the notoriety of the 1st film, hey? (Bad, bad, baaaaad idea, seldom good sequels, Jaws, Highlander, Rocky, Rambo…)
  • What if…we had NO viable idea but tried ANYWAY?  The March of the Yellow giant Raspberry (it’s a joke), Sex lives of the Potato men* (it’s not a joke), Gigli (now really, a lesbian who sleeps with men?),  Jersey girl (now really, again, a music rep in a BIG company who does not how to change his daughter’s diapers, chooses to lose his temper and trash his client Will Smith, ending in solo pleasures and a crazy Liv Tyler?), Cowboys and Aliens* –no comment- (2011).
  • What if…Abraham Lincoln was (secretly) a VAMPIRE HUNTER?….(Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter * 2012)
  • And, what if…. IN THE SAME TIME, Abe Lincoln chased Zombies*?  (2012)(I think he might have had a seizure, if not already dead, and certainly had turned in his tumb)
  • What if…there is no proper script or plotholes or unsatisfying endings? 2001 : space odyssey (yeah, I know, you hate when I say that, but have a second look), Indy and the last Crusade( I know, I know, yet, plotholes around), Barton  Fink (sorry, ending’s weak)

* Oh God, someone REALLY greenlighted that, you know, and put MONEY into it, and INFLICTED it to the world!

So long, folks, I have to find a greenlighter for my 15 min-script in which :

the protagonist gets a tip from a spaceship alien commander that his mother is the reincarnation of the American Pie (eaten by Lincoln in a theater) made of Potato slices found in the Tumb of Bigfoot, rescued by Indy while en route to the dentist for his pet Shark JAWSY the 6th, and that’s disturbing fact, because he tries to to fight his growing inner apetite (haha) for fame  in participating in the “Yukon contest of the tough guys of the Woods” :  being able to eat 999 fries in one mouthful (haha, again). Being connected with/to a potato mother presumably still alive in the stomach of someone (brought back to life per thunderstorm), the stakes are high and the obstacles, numerous. Will he burn out? (hahaha) .Good idea, hu?

Floreva

PS : For science cum-what if… : http://what-if.xkcd.com/13/ (ANSWERING YOUR HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS WITH PHYSICS, EVERY TUESDAY)

 

 

 

Sherlock and me

03 Wednesday Oct 2012

Posted by in Creating, TV Series, Writing

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Sherlock.

 What? (now, really…)

It’s obvious. Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock and you. Sherlock and us. Sherlock and the industry. Sherlock and me. We like Sherlock & the industry LOVES him.

As for me, I confess, I am a fan. I am a great fan, though I never enrolled in any Holmesian club (maybe one day?).

In 2010 BBC produced a new theme on an old classic. The modern take on the  TV series,  conceived by Steven  Moffat and Mark Gatiss on a train while en route to a filming location in Cardiff, was bound to gain the affection of fans as well as neophytes. Sherlock, the much beloved sleuth that popped out of Sir Arthur Connan Doyle’s industrious mind got a dab of freshness and a makeover that left the audience astounded by the quality achieved.

The narrative is not news, of course (I refer to Moffat’s 2007 previous piece of art, “Jekyll” which I recommend you watch), the construction is rigorous, the script is perfectly written (I read one, it’s just what we oddjobbers dream to write), and the style is as immortal as Conan Doyle’s. Narrative finds please the modern watcher who has already experienced high photography quality, graphic novelties and inlays of modernity in the screen (remember, for instance, how Matrix had opened the path to perfectly trimmed slow motioned scenes). And the actors’ performances please our sense of comparison as they are as equally good/perfect/wonderful/impossibly amazing (choose) as Jeremy Brett and David Burke & later Edward Hardwicke. Benedict Cumberbatch is a unique & definitive Modern Sherlock, just as Brett was the ultimate period Sherlock. And Martin Freeman is just above all the Dr Watsons we’ve seen . Rupert Graves is this admiring Lestrade Sir Arthur described  in the books and Andrew Scott is good news as Moriarty, pleasantly mad.

Netflix uploaded the Sherlock Season 2 recently, and last week I indulged in watching the 3 episodes in a single row. You think I am addicted? Well, ahem…

You see the show and you tell me if the whole thing isn’t anything but brilliant.

(Who else can say : “Uh. Breathing. Breathing’s boring.”, and makes you feel he really thinks it? Sherlock cum – Berbatch)

I’m hooked, I’ve turned the last scene in my mind hundred of times (in my sleep, thank whoever is to be thanked, because I have no time in daytime for such amusement, pages need to be inked and written, job must get done , contests participated in and publisher provided publishing with material!). I WANT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!!!

The script writers have fulfilled their duties. The cliffhanger is teasing, audience skyrocketed, and we crave for more episodes.

This is currently one of the best shows to learn from, when you are a screenwriter, a director of the photography, a credits designer, and SFX creator (unless you care for BIG, BOLD, UNNECESSARY, or UNSUBTLE SFX). Not in order to duplicate, of course. To fuel creation and align to such excellency standards.

I had to divert my attention from Sherlock to reinvest my own projects and current works.

Sunday evening, I discovered Miranda Hart’s show ( I had a good laugh), and I liked it so much I ordered the DVD on the spot. (now, talk of a British TV series addiction). Very visual and known slapsticks, but who cares? Old tricks, you know… etc…etc…Have a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTf17cmPl0I

Pleasant day to you, dear readers. The 1st page of that short-film script awaits me…

Floreva

That’s entertainment.

19 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by in Movies, Writing

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This morning, I went for a walk with some friends and the subject of movies came up. Tonight, I reflect on our conversation…

I’ll try to explain a little more what we talk about when we talk about the satisfaction induced by a good movie.

 

TV series,  Movies,  Plays… That’s entertainment and we love that. Why? Why do we love going into a dark room filled with strangers to watch people we are not even acquainted to, make their show for us? And why are we pleased afterwards? (I talk here only of good quality time, ok?)

We are especially pleased when our expectations -most of which we are not fully aware as they generally lie in our unconscious- are met.

We are satisfied and content when the characters are consistent, clearly established for what they are (Hero, Romance, Nemesis -stands between the hero and his goal achievement-, reflection -supportive  to the outer motivation) and the plot carefully built and conducted.

We are satisfied and happy when we can anticipate what’s next, but not too much. We love surprises (well, good ones only).

We are satisfied when action is moving at a pace we can follow (not too fast and not sloppy).

We are satisfied when the dialogues are intelligent, funny, or memorable. (We, silverscreen and telly nerds, LOVE to quote our favourite heroes)

We are satisfied when we can adhere to the inner or outer motivations or the hero and  when the stakes seem plausible and rise until becoming unbearable. (and better, when the situation we once experimented, or someone we know has, obviously not the case when the world needs to be saved by Superman)

We are satisfied when we can adhere to the means the protagonists  choose to resolve their conflict(s) -driven by outer/inner motivation- and finally achieve their goals (even if it’s a little dirty secrets, look at the success of Dirty Harry or Dexter, he is a SK & mental, for Christ’s sake!).

We are satisfied to allow ourselves to grieve upon the difficulties they encounter and being  upset to see them almost (almost) ready to let go of the fight/quest/willing-to-change. We are satisfied when we see them being THAT close to drift from  their love/ goal/personal growth/saving of the world and  finally kick bottom to be up again & to regain the stamina to continue STRONGER.

We are satisfied when they WIN. Or justice is done, conflict is resolved, truth revealed, and happiness or healing on the way. Unless it is the thing to understand that is – AT LAST- understood.

We are supersatisfied when the twist ending (when there is one) is strong, astonishing and brilliant, (exactly the opposite of what we expect).

Because that’s how we, humans, are built. And that’s what we need.

All we need is hope. And all we hope for is that our needs are fulfilled. Magically, we have a powerful tool to obtain the results: we can pick a movie and be fulfilled with whatever we need to keep us going on with our life and our responsibilities ad duties : joy, happiness, motivation, beauty, motive for thinking, determination, hope, courage, passion, understanding, knowledge, a break in our daily routine, a brain-spa, a good laugh, a good thrill, a good fright…in 3 words : a good moment.

As we go to the theaters to make that magic possible, for most of us, what we crave above all is a damn good screenplay.

What is a screenplay? It’s the body of the movie (or of the TV series episode), the structure, the rules organising the whole thing and keeping from falling apart, or ending with that awkward feeling of discontent, frustration or anger, because your need or your expectation has not been fulfilled…

Yes, a story follows rules, it’s not just -so-stories (;-p Rudy K.)

Long story short:

The HERO has a CONFLICT to resolve (INNER or OUTER).

(Example : in Walk the Line, Johnny Cash has INNER CONFLICTS (lack of self-confidence and struggle to become himself/ his growing love for June/destructive behavior) and OUTER CONFLICTS (an abusive father who prefers his eldest son and despises his son JR (Johnny Cash) & big bro loves his lil’ bro JR/ Mother says nothing/ his wife and children vs. his touring the country and his affairs/ his dealer tracking him down) to overcome.)

He has a MOTIVATION :  INNER  and OUTER (tangible) to change the situation 

(Example : Walk the Line. INNER MOTIVATION : getting married/ then to win June’s love/ deal with his past/become himself, OUTER MOTIVATION : to break free from addictions/ come to terms with his father’s rejection/record songs.)

The HERO has GOALS to achieve and they sustain his MOTIVATION :

(Example : Walk the Line. Johnny Cash’s GOALS are  : to overcome his addictions/become a singer/tour with June, Elvis and Jerry Lee.)

The HERO must deal with an OPPONENT (NEMESIS character) or ADVERSITY, preventing him potentially to achieve his GOALS. ADVERSITY must be visible and identified (The CIA, the terrorists, the police, a disease : does not work , even if a collective danger/obstacle,  they must have a face, a name and they must confront the HERO individually in the end, disease can be personified by a disillusioned nurse or physician, or patient).

(Example : Walk the Line. MULTIPLE NEMESIS : Johnny Cash has to divorce his wife in order to be with June, his father must learn to respect him, the dealer must be well… dealt with, authorities must be convinced to let him play in prison)

The HERO can find help or support along his journey (REFLECTION character), even love (ROMANCE character).

(Example : Walk the Line. REFLECTION : Jerry lee, Perkins & Elvis. ROMANCE : his wife and then June)

In the end, the CONFLICT is pacified, the MOTIVATION is resolved (the hero has failed or succeeded at achieving his goal(s) , in every case, the HERO has gained personal growth, his journey is complete.

The end. That’s all folks! 

What movie is your favourite and why?

DNA for dummies or Genetics and the screenwriter.

14 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by in Entertainemt, Movies, TV Series, Writing

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Is it just me? Or are you, dear reader,  bothered too,  when a nice piece -TV series or movie- does not play DNA by the rules?

Namely, the color eyes chart. Especially, when it’s clearly said/showed/brought to our knowledge that NO foul actions or adultery/messing around have EVER occurred in the life of Madam since she’s married*? So?

So how come that THIS happens :

“(Recessive*) Blue eyes father + (Recessive) Blue eyes mother = Dominant** Brown eyes child “? The off-springs should have (Recessive) blue eyes.

Unless… The father has transmitted one (Dominant) Brown to the bundle of joy to, UNBEKNOWNST to the screenwriter. Or props were not properly stocked and the person in charge lacked those colored eye lenses. Too bad…

Maybe it’s just me. I probably shouldn’t have been so much attentive as a student in 8th grade, I suppose. Or is it only because I was just better in genetics than in geology, and the knowledge has sunk in deeper and is still there? [I confess : I took my (sweet) revenge in excelling at genetics whereas I sucked at geology, AND I was being taunted by my biology teacher because my father IS a geologist. No kidding,”why my cousin has blue eyes and mine are only hazel ?” bore much more appeal than “feldspars KAlSi3O8 – NaAlSi3O8 – CaAl2Si2O8″. And honestly, the sole interest I have in stones is when they are square-shaped, small, sparkling, red or blue, mounted on a golden ring]

*(in “Downton Abbey”, Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, his wife  Cora, Countess both blue-eyed produce two brown-eyed daughters -Lady Mary and Lady Laura, or in the episode “The Hide”  of the series “Foyle’s War” the boy is also affected of the same heritage; and some others I do not recall right now). 

**Recessive means it takes two of them lads to be strong, dominant means it is stronger, even on its own. It’s not me, it’s the law of Genetics. It’s possible to have blue inherited eyes if one of your parents is brown-eyed and the other blue-eyed, provided at the upper level (grand-parents) one of them had blue eyes too and had transmitted the Recessive gene to the younger generation. It means that the recessive (i.e. non-dominant) is stored in the genetic patrimony and express itself oddly and randomly with another recessive gene. 

Just as the script (and therefore, the show) must not bear historical inaccuracies, nor errors (such as  continuity, plot holes, factual, visible crew, revealing, characters, police cars plates changing every other episodes…),  it must get the DNA heritage done properly, don’t you think?

Super Screenwriter explains it better than me :

Super Screenwriter is a genius ©Floreva 2012

How to feel guilty for the way you treat your characters and what to do about it

12 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by in Creating, Writing

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Today’s subject may be a little unusual, but still, it makes sense to reflect upon when one is involved in the subject of writing, be it novel, drama, short-story, poetry, thriller (especially thriller!).

I’m writing about guilt. Author’s guilt. The experience of guilt about how the characters are lead through or thrown into various ventures by their author.  I mean, when the events are unpleasant or morally ticklish, of course.  If it was pleasant or virtuous,  there would be no sense of guilt afterwards. Nor during the writing itself, as the story unfolds and develops.

 

It sounds probably strange.

I remember when I was engulfed in this thriller, and a character had to die, because otherwise the story could not evolve. As the nice young policeman went on with his duty, he had to meet his fate. Because the sending of those Interpol agents depended on his being killed, and his murder being disguised as a car accident.  The visit of the Interpol agents in that seemingly falling-apart Russian plant would not take place and the whole story would just vanish into a non-existing world, a world where policemen never die, corruption never takes place, and everyone is playing by the rules, a world where pollution is just a word on a paper and not a palpable, quantifiable, ugly reality, a world where guns are not invented yet, where kids are never abandoned or cancer-stricken, a world where virtue is the golden rule governing every relationship, and where love is not a rogue reality but still a concept worth hoping for.

Such a world, alas, does not exist.

So the nice friendly policeman Sergueï had to go. I felt so bad about that. I considered : he might be just wounded… maybe? Although only a fictional character, I took interest in him, his shyness, his quietness, his willing to be more audacious to ask the bold Katrina out, his care to carry out his duty clean and sharp.

And I knew (synopsis, thank you), that his mate the Interpol agent had to disappear too. And the second Interpol agent had to remain prisoner until he got rescued.

And…I lost my sleep. Yep, for fictional characters I knew nothing about 3 month prior.

Why was that?

I tell you  what : it was guilt. I felt guilty to create characters only to trap them in a story they could never escape from. Mr Synopsis told me so : “Crush their hopes, weaken their fighting spirit, and throw them into the iron clad of an untouchable villain with high connections and protections.”

I talked about this feeling around me, with close persons. Turned out, I was too virtuous, I cared a great deal too much about non-existent things. And it’s right.

So, I stopped making knots in my brain and proceeded with further creation. And the development held a good surprise with the members of the forensics team sent to examine the shambled apartment of the hero (yes, a bomb exploded there).

So, for that guilt feeling, you know what to do? Here’s an advice.

Take it with you for a drink…

 

Listen to its plea carefully…

Then, drown it into a nice Irish coffee and confess your sin. Your absolution lies in your writing something worth reading.

 

Don’t feel guilty about the author’s guilt. You know the best part ?

Guilt, like sorrow, can swim, and therefore, never drowns. Never. You’re built with the feature or not. But more likely, with. (And it gets stickier with age).

 

 

Hey Guilt!

Yeah… you, Nasty  Guilt of the Author…

….Get lost.

 

Last minute update : a nice cuppa and a British series episode Black Books

10 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by in Life in style, TV Series

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I just stumbled upon a nice post (http://blogofthecourtier.com/2012/09/07/one-is-never-enough/) regarding books and British series about a second bookshop keeper, who is rather misanthropist  than friendly to his customers. The post is well written and is about a British series I never have heard of before (how come? my series supply source must be audited somehow…) : “Black Books” (Channel 4, 2000-2004). The title in itself gives some clues about what to expect, only to twist your expectations and dip them into comedy (black comedy anyone?). And Mr Black wears…well…Black. Has black disheveled hair and is irascible to his potential customers. I let you imagine the results.

Photo  source : Wikipedia.

So as I read the article, my interest grew. Next thing, I found myself  searching the web, and watching patches of episodes on youtube. The series bears all the requirements to qualify to be eligible for the top-ten list (I’ll need to fix that and adjust  to a top-15 list, now, I suppose).

Apart from the canned laughter which spoil the delivery of the lines (don’t they know by now how  exasperating and annoying it is, particularly when the lines are good and need no support to make us laugh?), the show is witty, funny, eccentric, lines are just brilliant and hilarious, actors are perfect and above all, if you are a book worm sneaking guilty pleasures (I mean, like browsing one entire hour among books) from time to time in a second hand book shop, you have probably experienced such book keepers and you’ll recognize the situations.

The girl working next door is also funny both in her ways, and in her name (provided you know a little useful day-to-day German ). She’s named Fran Katzenjammer.

In Germany (and I’ve lived there and enjoyed some outings with friends in pubs), when you’ve had too much beer the day before, the morning after is usually a Katzenjammer day, because of all the “cats screaming” (literal translation), meaning you’re severely hung over. It wouldn’t be so funny if she didn’t pop in the shop every other scene  into the bookshop with a bottle of wine and glasses, or if she didn’t go into Bernard Black’s kitchen to fetch those items to toast to Black’s mishaps with either his customers or his co-worker Manny (seen also in the funny film Saving Grace)

As for me, last timeI went in such a shop was in Vienna, 6 weeks ago. British second hand book shop, keeper buried in his book, chain-smoking at his desk, barely answering. The shelves were seemingly organised and piles of books jammed the areas,  disheveled newspaper stood on racks… It had a a real atmosphere per se.

So, you know they can really be like that.

And having a series revolving around this fact is utterly hilarious.

I’m returning on my techno-thriller (25 p to go now and it’s good, because all the previous proof-reading increments seem to have to been taken into account by the software Word, and I had to catch up) *sigh*.

Good day to you, readers and bloggers. Share a laugh : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ip9LXmPysk

Floreva

Thanks to William from the Blog of the Courtier. (http://blogofthecourtier.com)

A nice cuppa and a British series episode

09 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by in Entertainemt, TV Series

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It’s been awhile since I last posted, as a fellow blogger & follower told me recently. Sorry, sorry, dear readers, it’s been a busy time, back on tracks and back to work. Plus I had to find something worth writing about & sharing with you.

And, no wonder, it’s TV series “addiction” I’ll write about today… Let me grab my preferred teabag, kettle is whistling…There… So…

…While discovering the much acclaimed (and being mesmerized by) Sherlock on Netflix  last month, I reflected on my TV & movie enthusiasm. And I came to the conclusion that I decidedly have a thing for most British stuff .

Particularly when it comes to TV series.

I loved them then ( 60’s & 70’s, 90’s), I love them now.

No doubt I’ll love them tomorrow.

Especially if the future series blend inventive narrative tricks with caustic characters and brilliant writing, and neat subtext (as Sherlock does, for instance).

And on whatever angle I approach them, I am never disappointed. Comedy, drama,  law, children ( remember Paddington, and Here comes the double decker ? ),  detective, period and history, they’re always a perfect match for me.

An complete list would prove annoying for you to read and useless (if not preposterous) for me to write down, so in respect for your time, I’ve shortlisted them to the 10  I would carry the DVD’s with me, should I be sent to the farthest corner on Earth (provided there’s a TV set, of course ;-p )

Mind you, choosing among all them has been difficult.

So the winners are :

The Avengers (from Honor Blackman’s time to Linda Thorson’s time), The Prisoner, Blackadder, Sherlock, Yes Minister, Wish me Luck, Foyle’s War, Absolutely fabulous (which comes “ex aequo” with French and Saunders and a Bit of Fry and Laurie, I’m afraid), Wire in the Blood, and The Last Enemy.

Now, I just can’t wait to watch A touch of Cloth, a spoof crime-police series airing on Sky 1. With John Hannah (who starred in McCallum and New street order, btw).

Interview in the Guardian here : http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/aug/26/charlie-brooker-spoof-crime-drama-sky1

Trailer there : http://sky1.sky.com/sky1hd-shows/a-touch-of-cloth
http://on.fb.me/jXJXk5 (Like on Facebook)
http://bit.ly/mn7faJ (Follow on Twitter)

I’d be glad to read what your fave British series is, drop me a line!

I think I need a second cuppa now, cheers and good night.

F.

Nowadays it’s difficult to make a breakthrough in the Industry if you’re a shark, a rat, or a sheep…

10 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by in Books, Entertainemt, Movies

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The Animal Kingdom seems to be an endless source of inspiration to fuel buoyant imaginations and savagely creative brains.

So far, it has cared for award-winning movies, and provided an extensive literature and comics or cartoons.

Among the most prominent actors of the Deuterostomes, Ecdysozoa, Metazoa, Fauna, that flow spontaneously in mind, we have : 

Category “Water-based”:

Sharks, fish (clown fish notably), otters, crabs, sponge (yeah, but trimmed and square), octopus, crocodiles, alligators, caimans, piranhas, penguins, the Creature of the Black Lagoon

Category “I run faster than you humans”:

Horses, huskies, dogs (namely dalmatians -and I mean 101 of ’em-, colley and various shepherd’s) , lions and lionesses, wolves, mice, unicorns, zebras, tigers, foxes, cats

Category “Phobia-inspired” and “terr-horrific”:

Spiders (ALL of ’em) , flies,  bugs, mantis, scorpions, snakes (boas, pythons, vipers, etc…ALL of ’em too), bees, wasps, ants, rats…

Category “Dead but reborn”:

T-Rex, Pterodactyls, Triceratops, Velociraptor, Aurochs, Dodo, Brachiosaurs, Dilophausaurs, Phoenix, werewolves,  were-rabbits…

Category “We are cousins, according to Darwin”: 

Apes, Chimpanzees, Gorillas, monkeys, Tarzan and Greystoke (ooops…)

Category “The rest that needs a category each, so I put them all together”:

Fawns, elks, mooses, unicorns, goldfish, birds, pigs, rats, mules, seals, elephants, hamsters, pandas, turtles, owls, bats, rhinoceros, lamas, camels,  brown bears, sheep…

What insects/bugs/animals did not have their 1/4h or fame so far?

Let’s see….erm…Think of what it may give as movie/series/book title :

Lice? (“Invasion of the lice” = already an award-winning entertainment event every fall in every school districts)

Unio Crassus? (“My so-called life as an extinct mussel in Netherlands”)

Were-Butterflies? (“Muffy , Were-Butterflies slayer”, huhu)

Tenia? (“It’s a long road to Tipperary’s loo”, “Independence Week”)

Dragonflies? (“US Airforce Once”)

Alpaga? (“My friend Alpaga”,”White tooth”,”Harry and the giant Alpaga”,)

Goat? (“Something new on the western front”= good meal ahead, haha)

Horseshoe crabs? (“Invasion of the horseshoe crabs”, see pix above, taken by yours faithfully or “2012 : A martian  odyssey” featuring horseshoe crabs invading the dust people of Mars with the landing of the Rover “Opportuniy” on the Red planet)

A mad bull? (“Mad bull and his brothers”, )

A strange animal, result of the crossing of an eagle and a jellyfish by a crazy-rejected-by-the -academy scientist, brought to life by a thunder in a windmill? (“The big sleet”, “Some like it undercooked”)

What would be your choice of an animal for a would-be hit story?

 

PS : thanks a bunch to the animal/bugs/insects/others/animated or plastic things featured in  : Jaws, Planet of the Apes, Starship troopers, the Fly, Arachnophobia, Crocodile Dundee, King Scorpion, Rintintin, Lassie, My Friend Flicka, Stuart Little, Moby Dick, A close shave, Gorillas in the mist, Dumbo, Jungle book, the Birds, Free Willy,Oliver and Co, Basil, Babe, march of the Penguins,Happy feet, Bedtime for Bonzo, Monkey Business, Bringing up Baby,  Wallace and Gromit, Beethoven (and all dog movies you can remember), The Creature of the Black Lagoon,King Kong, Benji, The Black stallion, Seabiscuit, Lassie come home, Cats, The Whale, The Lion, The Bear, The Fly, the Spider, Jurassic Park I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII …hum, sorry, one too many ;-  etc, etc… you name them… 

So long, folks.

Floreva in the Mist too ( here, in Cape Cod today)