Composing Mr. Composure

Well, isn’t today an exciting day?

Why?  Because it's a Tuesday!  Is that not a good enough reason?  You want to know more?

Well (again)...

Last year, my novel Sin was serialised on Wattpad – the YouTube of books with over 14 million unique hits per month.  I’d posted samples before this point and was surprised and delighted to be asked to put the whole book up there.  Of course this was a risk.  If people could read it, why would they buy it?  In the end, however, this hasn’t mattered.  At the point of writing, Sin has had over 607,200 reads and some very humbling comments.  The fact i now have such a large fanbase wipes out any concerns I had about book sales.  I’d much rather have someone tell me they’ve enjoyed something I’ve written than have a couple of quid and not hear anything.

Anywho-de-do.

Earlier this year, my wife and I watched a movie.  The premise of the film was that all crime, for twelve hours, would be legal.  The movie was called The Purge.  It was a little disturbing, to be honest, as it showed what some people might possibly do just because they could.

A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by the lovely Caitlin at Wattpad with another opportunity, one she wondered if I’d be interested in.

It seemed NBC Universal were bringing out the sequel, this time called The Purge: Anarchy.  It also seemed Wattpad were involved in the promotion of the film and had contacted their “top writers” (!) to ask if they’d like to write a story, based on the premise of the film, to coincide with the release of the film.

Would I be interested?  WOULD I??

That’ll be a yes!

Now, I admit to a little concern about this.  Not only was the story going to be tied in to the release of what I don’t doubt will be a successful film, but it was also outside my comfort zone.  I generally write paranormal thrillers.  Yes, I’ve dipped my toe in the waters of children’s poetry and erotica, but mainly it has a supernatural side.  For this, I figured ghosts or Death would be a little out of place.  Wattpad had said they wouldn’t mind a paranormal twist, so I set about writing.

I surprised myself.  The story seemed to come quite naturally, and I’d taken a different, hopefully original, path to tell the tale while still keeping it true to the premise.

It wasn’t easy going, to be honest.  I desperately needed a new computer at home so thought this was the perfect time, and excuse, to buy one.  It turned out my new PC didn’t want to download anything on Windows Update.  I spent two nights, when I should have been writing, trying to solve this issue.  Once I did, I then spent time getting the machine all set up.  Then I began to write.  Then the wireless keyboard decided to not want to play.  Then the helpdesk warranty people instructed me to do a system restore – back to just before I’d installed all the software.  Then I had to mess about doing it all again.

But...

The story is to be written in four parts.  The first part of my work, Mr. Composure, will be going live today - 24th June - with subsequent parts being uploaded weekly.  Not only will it be going up on my own page, but NBC Universal will be featuring it on their page too.

And it will be used, over the course of the year, to promote the film!

Can I just say WOW!?!

So, please drop by and take a peek.  I hope you enjoy it!  And, watch out for the release of the film next month!

My Wattpad page is here.  You'll find Sin, along with lots of other stories by me and, now, part one of Mr. Composure!

NBC Universal's page is here, where you'll find my story plus others and a whole lot more!

Have a look at the trailer for The Purge: Anarchy.  Looking good!

Update!  As of 10:33am (UK time) on 28th June, Mr. Composure has had a massive 21,565 reads!  It's also been called 'the best story on Wattpad' and 'simply stunning'!

Wow!

Update 2!  As of 07:55am (UK time) on 30th June, we're at 27,146 reads!  That's unbelievable!  Thank you so much to everyone who's dropped by.  I appreciate you taking the time to read my work and so many of you have left incredible comments!  Part two will be uploaded tomorrow (Tuesday).

I Used to be a Wolf...

...But I'm alright now-ooooo!

Following on from my previous review of a film which promised much but failed to deliver, here's a film which is the complete opposite. 

That's not to say The Wolf of Wall Street didn't receive lots of critical acclaim and , more importantly, the public's acclaim, because it did. What I mean is, for me, I didn't feel the lure of a movie about the stock market. I know nothing about stocks and shares, or even if they're the same thing. I own a few but my knowledge is minimal - as is my interest.

I like some DiCaprio films but not others. I didn't like The Beach, but thought Inception was amazing, for example. So I was completely unsure about The Wolf. 

Friends at work and customers of my wife had said it was brilliant. We had to give to give it a go. It wasn't until the film had started we realised it was almost 3 hours long!

We needn't have worried. The pace of the film is, mostly, so fast we didn't notice. Sure, there are a couple of lags at various points, but DiCaprio just owns the screen. He's sharp and there are some hilarious moments. 

Margo Robbie, his wife in the film, is simply stunning. She's come a long way from her stint in the Australian soap Neighbours, a show which also launched Kylie, Guy Pierce and Alan Dale, who's appreares in everything from Lost to Indiana Jones to, more recently, Captain America the Winter Soldier.  Margo and the rest of the cast (Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey and so on) are all excellent and this is a film that excuses class and a wit so sharp it could cut itself. 

That this is a true story, more or less, is amazing. For a man in the street such as I, to even imagine the amounts of money thrown around here beggars belief.

All in all, this film is definitely one to watch. I'll reserve judgement on such things in the future! 

Oh watch out for the part after he passes out making a call. SO funny.

A well deserved 8/10

Starred Down!

This blog post was originally going to be a rant, but I’ve changed my mind today.  The rant is now hanging in the air, like the blue smoke of a cigarette, waiting to descend and choke someone.

It can linger a little longer.

Instead, we can go for something a touch lighter.  A review, and then maybe something extra if I have time.

Well, I say ‘lighter’.  Neither the subject matter of the film nor my opinion of it are light, but at least it’s not a rant.

You know how some films have masses of amazing reviews, with stars adorning the posters and critics raving, but the film itself doesn’t live up to the hype?  Of course you do.  It happens numerous times.  Well, Starred Up is one of those movies, I’m afraid.

I’d not heard of this film prior to seeing it.  My wife had seen a trailer on television and wanted to see it.  I’ve never been a fan of ‘hooligan’ films, such as Green Street etc., and Starred Up seemed to be one, so it really didn’t appeal.  This wasn’t because there was going to be no spaceship, alien or hobbit in sight – I do like a lot of films that are not fantastical in any way.  They simply don’t do anything for me.

But, my wife fancied it and it meant we could have a ‘date night’, and I love the cinema anyway, so I said go for it.  And we went for it.

Before we left home, I watched the trailer to have an idea what I was letting myself in for.  I wouldn’t normally do this, but as this film was something new, I wanted to have a look-see.  I admit, after watching the trailer, I, too, thought it might be good.

The cinema wasn’t that full, but there was a decent amount of people there without it feeling either empty or claustrophobic.  We settled down and I was looking forward to the show.

Well.  I’m not going to go into a long commentary on the finer points of prison life or the treatment of prisoners.  I’m not going to dwell on too much really.

I didn't like it. 

The acting was ok.  Good, in fact, mostly. It just didn't seem to go very far.  Not a lot seemed to happen, apart from an extensive use if a certain four letter swear word beginning with C and ending in T.

We only became interested when the interaction between the film's main character and his father kicked off - ten minutes before the end!

It was a disappointment. I wouldn't go as far as those behind us who said the film was another four letter word beginning with S and ending, again, with T, but it wasn't nearly as good as all those stars suggested. 

Starred Up should be starred down so I'm giving it 3/10.  You might enjoy it. 

I didn't. 

As I have a two year old wanting to play doctor with me as the patient, I don't have time to add something else as I said I might. I'll be back, though - as long as she says I'm well enough. 

Oz: Great and Powerful?

Oz: the Great and Powerful.

But is he?

Well, yes and no...

Disney make some amazing films, that can't be denied. Unfortunately, that can also be their undoing. They coat a particular brand of gloss over their productions that is wonderful when it shines, but is disappointing when it doesn't. With Oz, the shine is definitely there, but in parts, that's the problem.

I loved the black and white introduction. The girl Oz is 'sweet' on mentions that a man who's surname is Gale has asked her to marry him. I thought that was a nice touch. An interesting link to the classic original. I wonder, however, what Disney will do if they feel obliged to produce a sequel to this prequel. Any such film must still be a prequel to the first film (which is, I suppose, now a sequel?) as it would genuinely be a bad move to actually remake the Wizard of Oz.

With a distinct lack of ideas, so many films are being remade - Total Recall, Fright Night, Evil Dead and many more - but there are those films that simply MUST be left alone. The Wizard of Oz is one such movie. Make a sequel if you will (as has been done - Oz, Return to Oz, The Wiz, The Witches of Oz (!)) but don't touch the original.

Please.

When Walt Disney was alive, I believe he refused to make a sequel. Now he's no longer with us, it seems most Disney films will have a number 2 or more at some point. In some cases, these are good. In others, not so. The Lion King is one of my favourite animated films. Up there with Finding Nemo ("just keep swimming!"). I was disappointed by the second one, but thought the third was a unique take on sequels. It worked, and was very funny.

But what will they do with Oz: The Great and Powerful? They've set the scene, leading into the original nicely. The Gale name is there, linking Dorothy and the Wizard. There's the green Wicked Witch (I thought the transformation here was a little weak, but it does have to cater for the younger audience). And the reason for the smoke and mirrors is established too. As such, there's the potential for a second film to be squeezed in, potentially just because it has the Oz name. Not necessarily a good idea.

Anywho, back to the film.

Black and white. I thought this was a fitting tribute to the first film. Plus, when Oz arrived in... erm... Oz, the contrast between the monochrome and the stunning colour was amazing. One issue with black and white films nowadays is that they look like a colour film with the colour removed. The definition is still there. It doesn't look like a traditional 'black and white' movie. A little ageing effect here would have, I think, added. Some imperfections to enhance the perfection.

Still, the transition from dirty old Kansas to beautiful Oz was seamless and Sam Raimi (who I'm a fan of anyway) has helped make the world a much bigger place than it ever was before. As Oz floats along a river to musical plants and river fairies, you're transported to a wonderful land brought to impressive life. I saw the film in 2D - which would help keep the colour vivid - but there were definitely some parts which were included for the 3D viewers. A fall down a waterfall was effective in 2D, so would have turned stomachs in 3!

There was humour mixed nicely in with the shocks and surprises. Finlay, the flying monkey, and his liking of bananas. A Chinatown made from real china pottery. The flying baboon that suddenly appeared, teeth bared (which made me wonder why more wasn't put into the transformation of Theodora - even Roald Dahl's 'The Witches' adaptation had something shown).

Sometimes the actors appeared a little uncomfortable in their roles, apart from Zach Braff who seemed perfectly at home as the monkey (lol). The 'Bully' cry of the Tinkers and the 'Not now' fanfare of Nuck felt forced, and the baboons gaining on them in the mist looked scribbled and not actually doing anything (and the fake running of Gelinda?) but these were fairly minor things in retrospect, considering .

So, Oz: The Great and Powerful. Was he?

Well... Majestic, I think so. Visually impressive, mostly, yes. A nice lead in to the original? Pretty much. It had some excellent parts, some good parts and some ok parts. It had a couple of not so good parts too.

But, did I enjoy it? Yes I did. 'Nuff said.