Articles, Thoughts, News, and Dreams

Last Night in Soho is a Beautiful Thriller by Auteur Edgar Wright

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© 2021 FOCUS FEATURES LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED If you’re like me, there is a select group of movie directors that you follow religiously. Every film they release is a…
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‘Cosmic Convergence’ A Love Poem

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“Cosmic Convergence” by Dirk Hooper     The universe, and us, are arranged in a mirrored union of veracity and obfuscation, both macro and micro. We are starstuff and antimatter,…
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‘The Vast of Night’ Is Something Special

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The Vast of Night is something we rarely see today. It’s a small, experimental, science fiction film, that’s well-paced, highly-focused on dialog and acting, and simply beautiful to experience. The Vast…
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‘The Mandalorian’ Is Off to a Great Start

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Hey Star Wars fans! Did someone say “world-building?” The Mandalorian has that. Would you like to see new characters and situations that are not connected to the main stories? The Mandalorian has…
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‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ Is Too Little, Too Late

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A top-notch cast (including appearances from some of the franchise originals), a hot director, and the return of James Cameron to this Terminator movie gives us easily the best entry…
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This Is Why ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ Flopped

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If you bring back actor Linda Hamilton, insert the super hot director of Deadpool, Tim Miller, and even entice original-creator and mega-producer James Cameron to create your new Terminator movie and…
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‘Grendel: Devil’s Odyssey’ is Surprisingly Fun

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Credit: Matt Wagner/Brennan Wagner (Dark Horse Comics) One of my all-time favorite comic creators, Matt Wagner, has returned to the universe that he’s known for best in Grendel: Devil’s Odyssey #1. History…
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M. Night Shyamalan is Still a Gifted Director, a Look at ‘The Visit’

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Director M. Night Shyamalan expressed his desire to make more low budget movies. “The movies I like are much more simple and I feel really comfortable with limitations,” Shyamalan said.…
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‘Anon’ Has Some Charm but is Throttled by the Director

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Imagine a world where augmented reality has become a requirement in society. Where you walk along a street and see everyone’s name and a readout of who they are and…
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Lucid Dreaming Has Been a Wonderful Gift

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When I was a teenager I had terrible nightmares. I had dreams about a dog that would bark at me while I was walking to school. In reality, he was…
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‘A Scanner Darkly’ Is the Smart Challenging Movie You’re Looking For

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What if I told you there was an upcoming science fiction film that stars Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Winona Ryder, and Woody Harrelson? What if I told you that…
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There’s Something Special about Disney’s ‘The Black Hole’

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The Black Hole is the Disney kids science fiction movie that takes you to Hell. In 1979, The Black Hole was Disney's response to Star Wars. Being a young rabid Star Wars fan, I remember how…
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‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ Is a Welcome Return to the 70s and 80s

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Godzilla: King of the Monsters is made by someone who enjoys the original material and did everything he could to present that in this film. The two previous stabs at this…
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‘Endgame’ Is a Brilliant and Powerful Ode to Fans

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It's possible that we will never see a movie like Avengers: Endgame again. This review, like all of my reviews, will be spoiler-free, but I may dance around a couple of spoilers.…
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This One Tip Changed My Writing Forever

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I’ve read advice from many great writers, editors, and readers. But one piece of advice really lit a fire under my ass. That piece of advice was from my favorite…
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Run, Do Not Walk, to See ‘Love, Death & Robots’

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Imagine if you will, the director of Fight Club and the director of Deadpool get together to do an animated adult anthology series. That's what the Netflix series Love, Death & Robots is… And it's spectacular.…
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Netflix’s ‘Lost in Space’ is a Satisfying Family Show

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I enjoyed the first season of the Netflix Lost in Space series. It held my attention for 10 episodes and got better as it went along. I used to watch reruns of Lost…
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Grammarly Is an Invaluable Tool for Professional Writers (Or Just People Who Want to Look Professional)

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I write every day, both professionally and for leisure, and I use the free version of Grammarly. With articles and creative work, Grammarly is great as a second-pass to catch anything…
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‘Venom’ Is A Standard Superhero Fare Elevated by Tom Hardy

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Venom is standard superhero fare, but better than I expected. It's your typical boy loses girl, boy meets symbiote, boy gains superpowers, boy impresses girl, boy fights another boy story. Venom is…
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‘Aquaman’ Is a Light Adventure Romp

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You can tell that Warner Bros. is swinging for the fences with Aquaman. They get a home run, but that doesn't mean this is a runaway success creatively. While the…
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How ‘Aquaman’ Broke the Billion Dollar Mark for the DCEU

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Aquaman’s top box office spot, over the other DC Extended Universe movies, was earned for several reasons, but the big reason… is China. According to Box Office Mojo, the current domestic…
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The First Few Episodes of ‘Firefly’ Were Aired Out of Order Because Fox Executives Are Idiots

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The first few episodes of Firefly were aired out of order because Fox Television executives are idiots. I say “are” instead of “were” because they are still doing this trick despite the…
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‘Halloween’ (2018) Is the Best in the Series

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Halloween is a fresh satisfying revisit of a horror franchise that kicked off much of the slasher film genre. Every facet of this movie is upgraded from the parody stuff that…
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‘Batman: Ninja” Is a Total Thrill

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Whoa! Batman Ninja firmly debunks my frequent complaint that the DC direct-to-video animated films are visually bereft. This is a beautifully animated feature, and that’s not the only bonus here. If you…
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It’s a Joy to See These Characters Written Right in ‘Justice League Dark’ (2017 Animated Movie)

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If the Warner Brothers executives would like to fix their live-action DC Extended Universe, they don’t have to look far to find the people who can do it. Justice League Dark,…
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‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ Is Simply the Best

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If you choose to accept this mission, then you’re in for the best roller-coaster ride in the history of the Mission Impossible franchise. Mission: Impossible - Fallout starts quickly with a…
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‘The Equalizer 2’ Is Good, but Not As Tight as the Original

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Denzel Washington, his stopwatch, and his clever use of common items to clear a room are all back in The Equalizer 2. Robert McCall has become a Lyft driver in Boston,…
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“Transcendence” Is Probably Better Than You Expect

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When Transcendence was released in 2014 I saw Johnny Depp, and what looked like a cheap silly sci-fi horror plot. I immediately dismissed the film. That’s a shame because it’s a lot…
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‘Skyscraper’ Is a Lackluster Attempt at Re-doing ‘Die Hard’

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If you’re going to make a movie about being trapped in a skyscraper with armed people coming after you then you’re going to get compared to Die Hard. Skyscraper is no Die Hard. It’s…
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‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ Provides More Laughs and Sets Up ‘Endgame’ Nicely

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If you’re looking for the key to how the Avengers gang is going to win the day against Thanos then you’re going to be disappointed with Ant-Man and the Wasp. On…
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‘Fahrenheit 451’ Fails to Update the Classic Book

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The book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury was never more relevant than right now. Most people view that book as a warning against a totalitarian state, but that wasn’t the point of…
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‘Galaxina’ Is Not So Bad It’s Good

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Galaxina simply fails on every level. It’s a comedy that’s not funny. It’s a science fiction parody made by people who don’t understand or even appreciate science fiction, and it’s a…
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‘The Disaster Artist’ Is a Fun Comedy with a Heart

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The Disaster Artist is a character-study, a story about friendship and pursuing your dreams, and an effective comedy. It follows the real-life experiences of Greg Sestero and Tommy Wiseau as they meet, become friends, and produce…
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‘Deadpool 2″ Delivers on the Promise of the First Film

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Many movies claim to be bigger, bolder, and funnier than the first. Deadpool 2 actually delivers on that claim. What they did this time was lean into breaking the fourth wall, the…
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50 Years Later ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ Still Stuns and Perplexes

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In a career that brought us such films as "A Clockwork Orange," "Dr. Strangelove," "The Shining" and "Full Metal Jacket," it is important to note that no film is more…
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Movie Review – Solo: A Star Wars Story by Dirk Hooper

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    Solo: A Star Wars Story is a light pleasing dip into the Star Wars universe. But it lacks the stakes of its predecessors, and the analytical approach to storytelling…
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Psychedelic Burn Comic by Dirk Hooper

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Psychedelic Burn is a six page story that I created for a trip to San Diego for ComicCon in 1993.  I showed this story to just about everyone who would…
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Failure Is a Gift to You

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    We’ve all faced our share of failures. Failing sucks, but it’s how you respond that matters. Steven Spielberg applied to the USC film school and was rejected because…
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Fairy Tales Can Come True

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  I just won Best Fetish Photographer at the 2017 Fetish Awards in St. Petersburg, Florida. Unfortunately, I wasn’t there to receive the award, so this is going to serve…
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Your Cynicism is Boring

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      Cynicism is running rampant right now. Whether it’s the constant refrain that “everything is cancer,” to movie reviews that prattle on about “plot holes,” to the desire…
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What Is Making Us So Lonely?

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  Recently, USA Today ran an article about how people are feeling lonelier. According to John Cacioppo, director of the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at the University of…
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Why You Should Do It Now

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  My message to you today is simply, do it now. Whether you always wanted to write a book, or get in shape, or remodel your bathroom, or take a…
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We Should All Be More Like Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone

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      Recently, I watched a UFC fight with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. I always look forward to his matches because no matter what the outcome, he always has an…
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Warning: Your Friends and Family are Dream Killers

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    It’s time for me to issue a Red Alert! Your friends and family are Dream Killers. They will absolutely shoot down your dreams in cold blood and watch…
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Don’t Start Your Year Like a Noob, Use SMART Goals Instead

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  Originally published January 3rd, 2017 The last few posts I’ve talked a lot about goals. If you’ve missed those, please go back and check them out. There’s a lot…
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The Dirty Guts and Glory of Creating Goals That Will Change Your Life

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  The last couple of posts I’ve been talking about why New Year’s resolutions suck and why goals are awesome. Today I’m going to tell you my method for setting…
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You Should Do This Instead of Making a New Year’s Resolution

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  Originally published December 26, 2016 It’s that time of year again… when you eat the last of your turkey leftovers, clean up after your crazy-balls relatives, return those hideous…
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You Could Be Sharing Your Sex Life with the World

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  I want to assure you that the story I’m about to tell you is not made up. An Illinois woman has filed a class action lawsuit against Ottawa-based Standard…
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New Dietary Study Refutes 30 Years of Conventional Wisdom

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  I’m going to warn you ahead of time that this subject made me mad, so if you’re offended by language you should check out another one of my posts.…
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Science Says Your Attitude Affects Your Past, Present, and Future

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  CBS News published an article referencing a study by the University of Warwick in the U.K. The study concluded that half of the individuals remembered events that did not…
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How Reaching Out Can Fuel Your Creative Fire

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  A few days ago I reached out to a handful of friends who were spinning their wheels creatively. I asked them if they were interested in starting an informal…
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Yes, Shyamalan Is Still A Talented Director – Movie Review: ‘The Visit’ (2015)

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  Originally published September 14, 2015. Last week Director M. Night Shyamalan expressed his desire to make more low budget movies. “The movies I like are much more simple and…
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Why ‘Fantastic Four’ Getting Clobbered is Fantastic for the Movie Industry

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        Originally Published August 15, 2015   Much ink will be spilled over how and why “Fantastic Four” got clobbered at the box office last weekend. Some…
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Marvel’s ‘Daredevil’ on Netflix is a Knockout

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  Originally Posted April 10, 2015 The first season of "Daredevil" dropped this morning on Netflix and it's already my favorite incarnation in Marvel's television and movie pantheon. I've only…
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