Swords, Specters, & Stuff
Welcome to My World
I started this blog in January 2012 for one simple reason: I love to write. I named it “Swords, Specters, & Stuff” because I especially love to write about writing, about books and movies in my favorite genres, about authors that mean a great deal to me. But there’s more to it than that, which is why I included “Stuff” in the title. It is “Stuff” that gives me carte blanche to write about anything, which is why you’ll see stories about special trips to Cooperstown, Sedona, and other places; about getting older; about baseball; about the otherworldly way in which I met my soul mate; about the loss of good friends, and so much more. Enjoy! And feel free to leave a comment.
Mugs, Pugs, Thugs, And Nitwits: More Great Movie Lines
I’ve seen some of my favorite movies so many times that I can recite much of the dialogue in a lot of them. Here are some more of my favorites.
Time To Read—Finally!
Like most Americans these days, I worked full-time into my late sixties. During all my adult years I probably could have made some time to partake in one of my favorite endeavors: reading books. One problem: for most of that time I worked as a writing coach and editor, which necessitated reading many hundreds of book manuscripts.
An Inspirational Sports Movie That You Probably Missed
When it comes to the 2007 film, The Final Season, I can’t deny that I’m somewhat biased. I love baseball; my bride is from Iowa, where this true story took place; and I’m quite fond of the state, which I’ve visited numerous times in recent decades. The latter includes trips to two of its baseball shrines: the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, and the town of Norway, population about 500, where baseball truly is LIFE.
Rancid Reviews: We Writers Just Have To Live With Them
A rather recent rancid review prompted me to write this post. Sure, most writers are sensitive to criticism; I was like that too, back in the day. But I’ve been writing since the dawn of time and have learned to accept bad reviews as part of “the cost of doing business.” Still, rotten repulsive rancid reviews really rankle, right?
Films About Writers: The Ghost Writer
This 2010 political drama, directed by Roman Polanski, stars a young Obi-Wan Kenobi (wait, I mean Ewan McGregor) as “The Ghost.” He is never referred to by name, an indication that there will be something “different” about this meticulously paced and intriguing film.
Manhunter: The Screen’s First Hannibal The Cannibal
Most people think of Anthony Hopkins when they hear the name Hannibal Lecter, and rightfully so. Hopkins won an Academy Award for portraying the incarcerated psychiatrist/serial killer in the Best Picture of 1991, Silence of the Lambs, and two subsequent films. But he wasn’t the first.
Myths And Legends: The Chindi
In the Navajo culture, the Chindi is a prominent—and feared—figure. “Chindi” is the Navajo word for “ghost,” and this one is no Casper, not by a longshot.
Guilty Pleasures: Nightwing
I should feel quite guilty about enjoying Nightwing, the 1979 horror film based on the Martin Cruz Smith novel of the same name—a movie reviled by both critics and viewers alike. But, as usual, I don’t give a rat’s (bat’s?) butthole about what anyone thinks. For sure, Nightwing is not Citizen Kane, but it does have its moments—most of those moments having to do with the story taking place on a fictional Native American reservation in the desert Southwest.
Blowing Shit Up: Twister And Into The Storm
Yes, in case you didn’t know, tornadoes are responsible for blowing lots of shit up. Mother Nature does get pissed upon occasion. And nowhere is this better illustrated than in the two disaster movies, Twister (1996) and Into the Storm (2014).
Verevolf? Vot’s A Verevolf?
Last week’s post about memorable movie lines included one from the 1941 horror classic, The Wolf Man, specifically from the old gypsy woman named Maleva. The renowned Russian actress, Madame Maria Ouspenskaya, played the oft-imitated role with dead seriousness. It reminded me of an outrageous scene I’d written years ago in the second book of my satirical Bicycling trilogy, The Ultimate Bike Path, so I thought that I’d share it with you.
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