Writing Prod - Holiday Mixer 2

            With the taste of Saint Patrick’s Day dinner fresh in mind and the beginning of plans for Easter just starting to intrude into my thoughts, it seemed only right that I took another look at . . . the Holiday Mixer. This prompt has the writer take two holidays and mix them together to come up with an unusual setting and an unusual story.

            And since we are smack in the middle of the aforementioned holidays I will work with them in creating this week’s sample story.

 

 

 

            The Egg Thief 

            Life is good in the little farming community of Dun Ibhir Dell; the weather is cool, the potato harvest is the best in years, and the chickens are laying eggs in record numbers. And yet, Darby has gathered the fewest eggs of any year he can remember.

            Things change when he sets a trap and captures a Puka who has been stealing the eggs as part of a tribute that is paid to giants in a far away land. As any self-respecting Leprechaun would, Darby decides to see this land of miracles for himself and maybe even steal a pot of gold that legends say the giants jealously guard.

 

           

Movie Review - Jack the Giant Slayer

Jack the Giant Slayer  $$$ 1/2   

 

PG-13

114 Minutes

Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor, and Eleanor Tomlinson.

Director: Bryan Singer.

 

            In recent years, Hollywood has relied heavily on retelling well known stories. Remakes of old television series and previously successful movies have become a common item on the movie-going menu. Producers seem more willing to back proven stories than take a risk on something new.

            Granted, it is no easy matter to find new material. The longer Hollywood stays in business the more original material they will grind through. As it is we have about a century worth of storylines stockpiled in the celluloid vaults.

 

            Jack the Giant Slayer is a telling of the popular children’s story: Jack and the Beanstalk. For those of you who somehow missed hearing that tale as a child – Jack is sent to market to sell the family horse and buy some much needed supplies. He ends up with magic beans that are thrown out and end up growing a huge beanstalk that rises into the sky. Climbing the beanstalk, Jack finds a land inhabited by giants.

            However, in this version Jack (Nicholas Hoult) has met himself a princess (Eleanor Tomlinson) and ascends the magic stalk in order to rescue her. He is accompanied by a host of the king’s elite troops, including Elmont (Ewan McGregor) and the rascally Sir Roderick (Stanley Tucci).  

            The acting was good. The writing was a decent reforging of a well-known tale. And the special effects were great. I loved watching the giants. The chemistry between Jack and the Princess was believable and fun. All in all, this was an excellent family movie. More mature audience may find it less appealing.

            The film scored a solid three-and-a-half movie bucks from me. The giants definitely need to be seen on the big screen. The action too screams out for a first-run theater showing. But it won’t hurt to catch it as a matinee.  

 

                        Randy’s Rating System 

$$$$   = Full Price    See this movie right away and pay full price, it’s worth it.

$$$     = Matinee      Catch this as a matinee or other discounted showing.

$$        = Discount     Wait until this movie reaches a discount theater near you.

$          = Rental         Wait until this movie reaches your local video rental outlet.

0          = No Sale       Don’t see this movie at any price.

 

Writing Prod - Fairy Bad 2

            How many different ways are there to lead into the Writing Prod?           

            I don’t know, but at times I find it difficult to come up with a new one. Just for the record, this is number forty-five. Which means I’ve been doing this for almost a year. During that time I have come up with a few ideas that turned into short stories I submitted for publication and a couple of novel ideas that I placed on my writing list. This weekly exercise in creativity has certainly been helpful to me, but what about my readers? Is this feature helpful, or entertaining, to any of you out there?

            Is it time for me to take a good look at this blog and change things up in a significant manner? What can I do to improve this blog? What sort of features would make you want to stop by more often? Please post a comment with your thoughts about it.  

            The prompt this week is something I call . . . Fairy Bad. Take a fairy tale or a popular story and write it from the villain’s point of view. If you want a little more realism in your tale then pick a BIG news story that has happened recently and work it from the point of view of the least favorable person involved. Make us understand why that person acted the way they did. Make us believe that they are not the villain at all; maybe they are just misunderstood and maybe they are really the victim of unfavorable press.

 

 

            Union Hogs 

            The forest used to be a nice place to live. All of the folks got along real well. Sure there might be a tussle or two at the Spring Spree, but by the time the Fall Feast rolled around all had been forgiven. Then the Hoggs took over the south mire. Bought it from their cousins, the three little pigs. Along with them they brought the Union; Contractor Local 1372 to be exact. They set to clearing out the briar patch and that’s when the trouble started. That section of the woods belonged to Lupa, the wolf, and those Hoggs wanted to build houses there. Well, you can imagine what happened next.