Still working on updating domain name registry and hosting matchup here.
Plan to change the focus a bit, while still having the basic static information about my writing as well.
Author of the Teen Thief-Catcher Novels
by Kalen
Still working on updating domain name registry and hosting matchup here.
Plan to change the focus a bit, while still having the basic static information about my writing as well.
by Kalen
I finally had both the time and opportunity to watch the film “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” At two and three-quarter hours in length it is a significant commitment. But, putting aside hectic schedules, it is a film that is well worth viewing.
For those unfamiliar, the character Benjamin Button is born old and reverse ages throughout his life. The film is loosely based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald published in 1922. While there are many facets to the film that are endearing, one of the particularly good features is the use of a retirement home used for Benjamin’s upbringing. By doing that, the story’s setting avoided numerous likely hazards of human interaction and development that would otherwise likely hamper the suspension of disbelief necessary for the viewer to buy into the storyline. The use of the setting again towards the conclusion of the story helps bring the two main protagonists paths together again in full circle.
While there was a great deal about death and the loss of loved ones in the story, other than possibly those struck by lightening, the film didn’t treat that loss lightly. Rather, it spanned enough time so that the passing was woven in as a part of life. Further, while Benjamin’s case placed him in unusual circumstances and did set him apart from the usual progression of family life, there was enough integration into society and its culture for a full life to be had. Also, the unique arc of the story gives it that special something characteristic of good storytelling.
So, if one finds oneself with several hours of free time at a stretch, and are curious about how the filmmakers portray a life where a character ages backwards, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is a film that values the life lived, however unusual, while regularly reminding that it is but temporary.
by Kalen
by Kalen
by Kalen
Thought this would auto-load from the site, but looks like I have to embed these now.
by Kalen
I watched this animated film recently. The film is based on on the book of the same title by Richard Adams. In this work, the two main characters are dogs, Rowf and Snitter. Rowf and Snitter escape from a research station (given the acronym ARSE) that performs vivesection and animal testing, located within an extensive natural area.
The dogs are befriended by a fox, called “The Tod.” This friendship is on-again and off-again, and provides some conflict among these three characters as the larger story plays out. As problems ensue, the dogs become the target of a full-scale military quest, since they are thought to possibly have been exposed to the bubonic plague through laboratory rats at the same research center.
The motives of the dogs are largely three-fold – escape, survival, and, to some extent, finding a good home, at least in the case of Snitter. The fox seems to also have some altrustic motives in helping the dogs. Though the accidents with the people in the story seem a bit far-fetched, Snitter’s mental troubles due to the experimentation are awkwardly conveyed at times, and The Tod’s willingness to help the dogs seems like it was dropped in from a younger child-oriented film, the short version of the film works well enough. While the film has scenes of interaction voiced with members of the research station throughout the film, for the most part the camera follows the animals, even during the voiceovers of human characters. There’s no question that the camera’s sympathies lie with the animals, which is fine for those concerned with animal protection.
Despite being animated, the film isn’t particualrly geared to young children due to bloodshed and deaths, though they may be more capable of handling such matters than I’m guessing. If concerned about vivisection and animal research from the animal protection view, I’d recommend the film for most.
The film is available through itunes and amazon.
The book is also available through book sellers such as Barnes & Noble.
(Note: I’m not an affiliate for any businesses linked in this post.)