New Bloggy Update! 8/16/23

Is it fall yet?

Yep, I’m THAT person who sleeps with a fan on me ALL year long, basks in 50 degree weather, and likes to go north for vacations instead of the beach. I know…people love summertime, but between the heat, humidity, and leggedy bugs, I’m not a fan.

It is, however, getting very close to event-a-palooza time! This coming weekend, I’ve got two back to back. On Saturday, August 19th, I’ll be at the Elmhurst Public Library for an Author Fair (my first one with them…I’m excited and a little nervous) from 10am to 2pm. Then, on Sunday, August 20th, I’m back here in Normal for the Destihl Maker’s Market which goes on from 10am to 2:30pm. Not long after that, the Dark History and Horror Convention (in Champaign, Illinois) happens on Saturday, September 9th. It’s a long one – from 11am to 8pm.

As usual, I’ll post the links and the info in the Events/Happenings section of the blog. If you’re interested, pop on over there to get the details 🙂

I’m not working on anything “writerly” at this time, but NaNoWriMo is hovering quietly in the background. Yes, I’m planning to create In a Corner Darkly: Volume 3 during November. It will follow the same pattern as the other two volumes, having 15 short horror/suspense tales in the book. I’ve got some decent ideas so far, but as you know, the first draft is going to be crap shoot – full of good things and bad things and senseless things. 🙂 Who else is doing Nano this year?

Oh…I mentioned last time that I was on Tik Tok. I posted a good handful of 15 second videos of the kitties being kitties. Most of them had decent views and likes, enough to make me really consider trying my hand at BookTok. Please, don’t ask me about BookTok! LOL. All I’ve come up with is that it’s a platform where authors can share their wares (and others to talk about books). I haven’t done anything with it yet, but I think I’m going to give it a shot pretty soon – just to see what happens. If and when I do, I’ll let you know (and try to post the link on the blog if I can figure out how). Ah, Boomers, right? LOL.

Anyhow, we’ve seen some things! And here they are:

Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Charlie Trotter (2021) – A documentary about the Chicago Chef, Charlie Trotter. I was fortunate enough to eat at his restaurant back in either ’04 or ’05 (can’t remember). It was the experience of a lifetime – the food, the atmosphere, and the ambiance. I know for a fact that I couldn’t full appreciate the intricacy of all the dishes as they were beyond my comprehension. I DO recall that there was a cadre of staff at the ready – to fill glasses, pick up dropped napkins, replace silverware with each course. Just unreal and yes, expensive. This film is for anyone who loves food, Chicago, restaurants, or enjoys watching foodie shows. I gave it a 9.3.

The Human Stain (2003) – Coleman Silk (Anthony Hopkins) is a worldly and admired professor who loses his job after unwittingly making a racial slur. To clear his name, Silk writes a book about the events with his friend and colleague Nathan Zuckerman (Gary Sinise), who in the process discovers a dark secret Silk has hidden his whole life. All the while, Silk engages in an affair with Faunia Farley (Nicole Kidman), a younger woman whose tormented past threatens to unravel the layers of deception Silk has constructed. (Google) I wanted to like this and I really, really tried. I mean, Anthony Hopkins has always been amazing and believable, but it felt like he was overreaching in every scene. The entire film is based on a “big secret” (which I won’t spoil), but truth be told, it’s not that “big” nor is it “a shocking secret”. It felt like much to do about nothing and I came away pretty disappointed. I gave it a 5.2, but Charlie gave it an 8.7. Eh, I’d pass if you have the chance.

Beau is Afraid (2023) – Following the sudden death of his mother, a mild-mannered but anxiety-ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic, Kafkaesque odyssey back home. (IMDb) The good things about this film? It actually ends at some point. The bad things? Pretty much all the rest. Yes, it’s ungodly long and it shows. There are spiders. There’s a TON of violence. There’s a great deal of people being mean to one another. There’s scene after scene of cringe behavior (and not in The Office funny kind of way). You might find this to be the film to top all films, but I’d much rather see Ari Aster’s Midsommar and/or Heredity again. I grudgingly gave it a 3.4 which was probably two points too high. Charlie gave it a 9.1 – go figure…lol.

Rodeo (2022) – A road movie and a truck ride, harsh and poetic, that delves into the mystery of a damaged relationship between a father and his 9-year-old daughter. (IMDb) – I went into this blind while keeping an open mind. Eh, what can I say. This French/Canadian film was acted well and had some harsh “lessons” to offer, but I didn’t connect with it at all. I can’t say I was bored, but if we turned it off half way through, I would have been okay. It touches on “adult and nefarious themes”, so be advised. We both gave it a 4.2.

Belfast (2021) – Belfast is a 2021 British coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Kenneth Branagh. The film stars Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, Colin Morgan and Jude Hill. The film, which Branagh has described as his “most personal”, follows a young boy’s childhood in Belfast, Northern Ireland, at the beginning of The Troubles in 1969. (Wiki) Full disclosure: I don’t know the history of Northern Ireland, nor The Troubles of ’69. Now, I have a better, albeit, still novice understanding of what took place. I loved this film. I loved how it told one family’s story. I loved the realism of the characters. I loved the true-to-life setting. This was a fantastic look at a place and time in history from a “family” you could really get behind. If you have time, please watch this. It’s amazing.

Okay, that’s plenty for today! Please feel free to share the blog. Leave reviews on Amazon and/or Goodreads if you are so inclined. Let authors, artists, and musicians know that they are welcome to partake in blog interviews (srovens@yahoo.com). And have a groovy week!