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.
Evil Never Dies
I’ve chosen this time to re-run a post from a few years back. Why? Because it seems that EVIL is running rampant, not only around the world, but also in our own country. And if anything, it is getting worse.
Throwback Thursday: Thing 1, Thing 2, Thing 3
Nope, this post is not about characters created by Dr. Seuss. (I’m not sure there even was a Thing 3.) It’s about three science fiction/horror movies that share a commonality of title, spread out over the unbelievable period of six decades. This is about—The Thing.
Exploring The Planet Of The Apes: Part Four
If Rise of the Planet of the Apes was outstanding, then its sequel was even better. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes received a great deal of critical acclaim (90% on Rotten Tomatoes), and it took in over $700 million at the box office. Not bad for a franchise once thought moribund.
Throwback Thursday: The Eyes Have It
In addition to the serious coaching and editorial work that I do for my writers, I also engage in a lot of good-natured banter with them. Hey, why even bother if you can’t have fun! Some of our back-and-forth emails, both text and pictures, often border on the outrageous.
Exploring The Planet Of The Apes: Part Three
After the “craze” died down following BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES in 1973, not a whole lot happened for a long time regarding the series’ return to the big screen. Plans for a remake of the original began in the late ’80s but would wind up in “development hell.”
Throwback Thursday: Aging—A Few Musings
Let’s clarify one thing right up front: we are ALL aging, every day, every minute. Doesn’t matter whether you’re seventy-two, or forty-two, or twelve. It’s just that the older we get, the more aware of it we become—and, assuming we’ve gathered some wisdom during all of the preceding decades, we value every single day given to us.
Exploring The Planet Of The Apes: Part Two
So how did the producers of the first two highly successful Apes films manage to get three more sequels out of the series—especially after the Earth was blown to space debris in the fortieth century at the end of the second movie?
Throwback Thursday: The Descent—One Frightening Chick Flick
I goofed back in 2013, when I first wrote about THE DESCENT, by calling it a Guilty Pleasure. The film did well at the box office, and it is listed as “85% Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes. No guilt here, don’cha know!
Exploring The Planet Of The Apes: Part One
It began in 1963 as a slim novel, La Planète des Singes, written by Pierre Boulle, a Frenchman. Alternately translated as Monkey Planet or Planet of the Apes, it told the futuristic story of a world turned upside down, a place where apes were the dominant species, while humans had become mindless, speechless beasts. The concept just begged for a Hollywood adaptation, and thus began a film series that is still going strong to this day—the eighth installment scheduled to hit the big screen this summer.
Throwback Thursday: “You Are A Stench…!”
This is one of the dumbest movies ever…and I love it! I first wrote about DEADLY BLESSING in 2013.
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