Partings and New Beginnings

Well, it seems I join a large group of people who have a blog who barely ever use it. But I have nonetheless kept it registered and active. The bright spot of that is that it’s now available for me to use to speak through writing when I find it hard to speak with my voice.

My mother is gone. Many of you (who have reason to read this, at any rate) know this. But I had to write those words down, because I can still hardly believe them.

How can she be gone? She, who was the bright, shining light of this world (to me, and thus, from my point of view, to the whole world). I have spent these last couple weeks veering back and forth between sobbing and staring into empty space, hopelessly weighed down by an ever-oppressing sadness.

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Come Together, You Heroes of Thra

Have you heard the Song of Thra?

It’s hard for me to imagine that the answer is no if you’re reading this. To be sure, not all of us heard it at the same time. For some of us, Thra remained silent. Until, that is, we were ready to listen, to learn, and to open ourselves up to the beauty of this enchanting and wondrous world.

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Anticipating “The Dark Crystal”

darkcrystalposterI haven’t had the time as of yet to dive into more of the extensive pieces I wanted to write for this blog, so I’m taking a moment to offer some brief thoughts on my next highly anticipated series – Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

I’m admittedly not one of the original film’s largest fans. I think the film is a bit on the slow side and is not quite as engaging from a writing and character standpoint as it is from a visual standpoint. But the latter is where my adoration comes in heavily. The Dark Crystal is a tour de force of mesmerizing imagery. I love watching the old school puppetry at work, and it creates a wholly unique world that is unlike anything else. Continue reading

From Television Show to Cinema-at-Home: How Game of Thrones Evolved In Its Final Stretch

WARNING: The following contains spoilers from the television series Game of Thrones and the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

I recall reading a review of Game of Thrones’ Season 6 Finale The Winds of Winter that said the episode would have played, in many respects, as a fitting finale for the show. Looking back now, after the final 13 episodes have played out, this observation may have been perfectly on mark.

To be sure, given the divisive nature of the show’s final seasons, I’m sure there are many who wish this was so. But that’s not what I’m talking about. From my perspective, Game of Thrones was a structurally different beast for its final act. While the first six seasons largely stuck to an established pace that had, more or less, something in common with the television format (albeit with more narrative jumping around), the final seasons played more like a piece of cinema. Continue reading