"A to Z" A Fun Writing Exercise

"A to Z" A Fun Writing Exercise

I just started a poetry writing class at Newton Adult Education. The class had a number of writing exercises, including one in which the challenge was to come up with a story or poem using the letters from A to Z. Here is my attempt:

A bat can detect earwigs from great heights in Jersey, kinetically, locally; moving nearby, overhead, panic-stricken and quite rabid. Utilizing sonar, transporting itself under vineyards, winged; xylophone-like, yearning for places like New Zealand.

Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "The Artist"

Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "The Artist"

Characters/Actors: George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), Berenice Bejo (Peppy Miller), Al Zimmer (John Goodman), James Cromwell, Penelope Miller, Malcolm McDowell, etc.

In the late twenties, George Valentin, a popular and personable silent film actor's fortunes and life begin to decline with the advent of talkies (non-silent films). At about the same time, an aptly named extra named Peppy Miller's life and popularity quickly soar into the stratosphere as a true movie star. Valentin also has a comical Jack Russell terrier who once appeared in films with him. Valentin and Miller meet and really hit it off. He even tries to get her work on one of his films, to the chagrin of his pompous director (John "Barton Fink" Goodman). As Valentin goes nearly broke he descends into chain smoking, heavy drinking, and suicidal behavior. Meanwhile, Peppy Miller becomes the toast of Hollywood and appears on the cover of many magazines in addition to being a popular actress. Although there is a great difference in the age of Valentin and Miller, they end up falling in love, and the younger of the two saves the elder's life and possibly career. Although this movie was 99% silent and with minimal dialogue, this is arguably the best movie of the year. As a matter of fact, it won the Palm D'or award for Best Picture at the Cannes Film Festival. This movie really impressed me, but the question remains, will American audiences go for a mostly silent film in a time of futuristic video-game influenced cinema? As for myself, I may want to see this movie again in the very near future.

Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "The Darkest Hour"

Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "The Darkest Hour"

Starring: Sean (Emile "Into the Wild" Hirsch), Ben (Max "The Social Network" Minghela), Skyler (Joel Kinnamon), etc.

A pair of American slackers, played by Emile Hirsch and Max Minghela, fly to Moscow, Russia to pitch an entrepreneurial idea. Unfortunately, soon after they arrive, another young businessman played by Joel Kinnamon, has stolen their idea and used it as if it was his. To deal with their loss, the two hapless Americans look for a place to party, preferably with attractive young Russian women. Soon afterward an unusual sky formation appears and a bunch of possible shooting stars come down from above. Some of these meteor-like phenomena fall to earth right in front of a crowd of onlookers, including the two Americans. The crowd disperses, but when a Russian cop is literally vaporized by the light formation there is a full-on panic, and the two Americans flee for their lives; along with two pretty American girls they meet and the businessman who stole their idea. These five people try to avoid being killed by an alien presence which cannot by seen but can kill at will. They soon discover though, that these unseen aliens can be detected because their electrical field causes lights to light up and engines and motors to start. This electrical charge may be the key to their vulnerability. Although definitely a so-called B-movie, which would only potentially win awards for special effects; I thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie. However, it doesn't matter whether you see it in 3-D (as I did) or in two dimensions to save money on the ticket price.

Sci-Fi Bri's Books: "The Night Boat" by Robert R. McCammon

Sci-Fi Bri's Books: "The Night Boat" by Robert R. McCammon

Sometime this week (Jan. 1, 2012) I finished reading the horror novel "The Night Boat" authored by Robert R. McCammon and published in 1980. It is about a German U-Boat sunken toward the end of World War 2, and its crew of relentlessly evil Nazis. Thirty or more years after sinking to the bottom of the Caribbean, the miraculously intact sub is found. On the fictional island of Coquina people and animals start to disappear or perish in unspeakably horrible ways at the hands of the crew of what the islanders call "The Night Boat", who drowned decades ago in a nearly forgotten war. This was a very enjoyable read as a horror fiction enthusiast. If you enjoy the works of such authors as: Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, or similar authors the eerie books of Robert R. McCammon are also worth checking out. Another excellent book penned by McCammon was the scary vampire novel "They Thirst" published some time in the eighties or nineties.