Scriberemisa's Weblog

Some of my favorite movies of all time …

scriberemisa — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:28:08 +0000

I love to watch movies! It kind of goes along with my love for writing fiction, I think. I visualize my stories in my head as if they are in movie form. I like to scope out actors that I think would be good as my characters. I can only hope that someday my novels will be published and then picked up as the next great movie hit! (I know I’m being very optimistic, but hey, somebody’s got to encourage me … it might as well be someone as passionate about it as, well, me!) Until my ‘hit’ comes out, I’ll just have to continue to study some of the best movies (and writing) out there so I can learn. They are in no particular order. I’m afraid my list would change with my mood on a daily basis, so here are some favorites of mine (mainly because of the solid writing, subject matter or originality):

1. Rocky (One of the sweetest love stories ever … truly grounded and believable characters, and obviously a great lead up to underdog making it to the top!)

2. Moulin Rouge (Love the crazy historical ties that are thrown in and original writing and use of music.)

3. Lord of the Rings (Yes, the whole trilogy! J.R.R. Tolkien is clearly one of the best writers ever!)

4. Fight Club (The writing and originality of this film is so smart! I love the humor and edgy theme.)

5. Stranger than Fiction (As a writer, I really enjoy the ‘What if’ factor of killing off your characters … it can seem as traumatizing as killing a live person. Great original storyline.)

6. The Matrix trilogy (I am a big fan of fantasy and sci-fi! This is super action-packed and keeps you pulled in through the whole thing. What I loved most is that the ending was worth waiting for. In a lot of series-type books or films, the end is a big let-down or is not thought out enough to bring a satisfying finish. They build up okay, but fizzle out. This one didn’t)

7. Pride and Prejudice (Love Jane Austin! Great characters, real life situations and attitudes… a classic!)

8. The Mummy movies (Egyptian stuff is also a great period to play with, love the humor and action scenes)

9. Harry Potter series (Even though I personally think the ending crashed and burned pathetically, it was a great ride until then! I loved the storyline and the easy read. You really got to know the characters well and love them.)

10. Timeline (Time travel mixed with medieval times … two of my favorite things! Michael Crichton is a fantastic writer and I love the way he creates historical fiction!)

Just as I suspected, as soon as I started thinking of movies, I already named 10! I could go on and on if I just sat and thought for a few minutes … this could easily become another blog for a later date … not a problem!

Let me know some of your favorite movies! We can talk about all the stuff we love, hate or don’t get about them!

How are people getting by?

scriberemisa — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 05:01:56 +0000

As gas prices continue to climb mercilessly, I’m beginning to consciously think of where I’m driving and how necessary the trip is, or what other things I can accomplish while in the area. I never used to do that. I realize now how spoiled I’ve been and I wonder how people are making it these days. I am fortunate enough to have a decent job and kids old enough to go to school. I keep imagining what it would’ve been like back in the day when I had to have a sitter and only made minimum wage. I don’t know what I would’ve done. It concerns me deeply that things appear to be pretty much permanent or gradually becoming worse. What then? Can we really function as a society for very long when few can afford to get to work or drive the kids to school or buy groceries? I know that we can survive on much less than we have right now … that we are merely upset at the inconveniences that we are facing at this point, but how long before it becomes a serious issue? I’m afraid that more than a few are already there.

Name that tune …

scriberemisa — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 05:01:49 +0000

I have to admit that I have become a big fan of downloading iTunes. I used take pride in my massive CD collection, but now when I hear a favorite song on the way to work I can just download it immediately — without the remaining ‘B’ tunes and, better yet, without the price of a whole album.

Back in the day, when cassette tapes were the big thing, the music industry toyed around with the idea of single sales like this. Problem was, they were way too greedy. At that time albums had an average of only 7 or 8 songs and you would pay roughly 8-12 bucks. When the singles came out they charged $4 for 2 songs; since it was a tape there was still some random ‘B’ tune on the back. Though it was cool to get a hot single a little cheaper, it still made more sense to buy the whole album, because, let’s face it, the bands back then typically had several great tunes on each album. I’m certainly not saying that today’s bands can’t crank out anything more than one-hit wonders, but it sure is nice to have the choice to buy one song that you know you want and not be saddled with an entire CD that sucks for the most part.

Perk number two is that the tunes go straight to your iPod or computer. I remember having to download all my favorite CDs onto my laptop years ago. It took me weeks to get my best stuff on it. I don’t think I’d survive if I ever had to go through that again.

My husband laughs at my tunes list because it’s getting more eclectic than ever before. I love all kinds of music, so it completely depends on my mood when I decide what to listen to and sometimes I’ll repeat the same song 50 times in a row. He tends to stick with only one or two genres. What’s funnier is that I don’t generally compartmentalize my music. I can have White Zombie next to Frank Sinatra and The Psychedelic Furs next to Aldo Nova. I know that’s kind of strange, but, on the up side, it keeps my husband from ‘mistakingly’ picking up my music player.

I’m always looking for new tunes and bands to get into, let me know your favs!

Where to begin?

scriberemisa — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 05:01:21 +0000

This is my first attempt with my new blog. Please have some patience with me as I attempt to get settled into how this works.

New to the block

scriberemisa — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 04:35:36 +0000

I am so excited to begin my new blog. Any suggestions, ideas or words of advice are greatly appreciated.