R.I.P. Jane Russell (1921-2011)

Silver screen siren Jane Russell passed away yesterday from a respiratory-related illness at her home in Santa Maria, California, aged 89. Born in Bemidji, Minnesota in 1921, Russell began her career as modelling before studying drama and acting with Max Reinhardt's Theatrical Worksho. She was quickly signed to a seven year contract by Howard Hughes. She made her motion picture debut in The Outlaw, which was initially denied release due to concerns over the film's highly sexualised content and finally received a limited release in 1943.

Russell was next seen in 1946's The Young Widow and she went on to star alongside a host of leading Hollywood men over the next few years including Bob Hope (The Paleface, 1948), Robert Mitchum (His Kind of Woman, 1951; Macao, 1952), Vincent Price (The Las Vegas Story, 1952), Frank Sinatra (Double Dynamite, 1951) and Clark Gable (The Tall Men, 1955), in addition to her collaboration with rising star Marilyn Monroe in the 1953 classic Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Following her screen successes in the 1950s the actress embarked on a musical career and founded the World Adoption International Fund with her first husband Bob Waterfield, making only sporadic screen appearances during the 1960s in titles such as Fate of the Hunter (1964), Johnny Reno (1966), Waco (1966) and The Born Losers (1967). Her her final feature came with 1970's Darker Than Amber, while later in her career she performed on Broadway and also appeared in the television shows The Yellow Rose (1983-1984) and Hunter (1986).

365 Days, 100 Films #1 - Without a Clue (1988)

Without a Clue, 1988.

Directed by Thom Eberhardt.
Starring Michael Caine, Ben Kingsley, Jeffrey Jones, Lysette Anthony, Paul Freeman and Peter Cook.


SYNOPSIS:

Dr. Watson (Ben Kingsley) creates the fictional character of Sherlock Holmes as cover for his own crime-solving exploits, hiring a drunken actor (Michael Caine) to portray the legendary sleuth when the British government request the aid of the country's greatest detective.


When did everything get so fast? In comparison to Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, Without a Clue plays like syrup on the eyes. Both find their source in Arthur Conan Doyle’s deductive detective. Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes is surprisingly faithful to the books, but thinks nothing of its pacing. Without a Clue is the opposite.

Its premise has John Watson (Ben Kingsley) as the brain behind the duo. In fact, Sherlock Holmes is nothing but a literary invention of Watson’s. Not wanting to sacrifice his medical integrity as an occasional crime solver, Watson creates the Sherlock Holmes character. But, as Homles’ popularity increases, the public demands to see him. So Watson finds an actor, Reginald Kencaid (Michael Caine), to perform for the 19th century media.

Kencaid is a drunk, a gambler and a womaniser, clinging onto his one great performance pre-Sherlock Holmes. Watson is a cultured, intelligent man who finds Kencaid insufferable. Kencaid is too drunk to care. They make quite the odd couple.

The film initially grates because it is just so slow. The comedy deserves a much snappier delivery. One longs for Without a Clue to at least break into a jog, but alas. Think of Fawlty Towers with John Cleese slamming doors, running in and out of various rooms - that is the sort of farcical mayhem the viewer will yearn for. But when did the film ever declare itself as a bawdy, slapstick comedy? Was Ritchie’s Holmes really so good that all adaptations before it have been cast into a sluggish slumber?

But then, after a while, little parts of Without a Clue start to click into a rhythm, like a good run of brick shapes in Tetris. I don’t know whether the film quickened, or whether I adjusted to its pace, but everything became rather effortlessly fun. The occasional slapstick set-piece eased the flow, snowballing into a comical sword fight for the final scene. In the end, looking back, there was a Peter Sellers, Pink Panther sheen to it all.

This leads me to think that Without a Clue is probably a pretty good film at a certain time. Not for a boozy, lads’ night in, nor for snuggles with a loved one. No, Without a Clue, to appreciate it fully, must be watched on a Sunday afternoon, between 2pm and 5pm, on a full, post-roast dinner stomach, and with a cup of tea. For optimum viewing, the more dedicated amongst us might even wait till it’s on ITV4. Those commercial breaks open up so many tea-brewing possibilities.

Oli Davis

365 Days, 100 Films

Movie Review Archive

365 Days, 100 Films...

Oli Davis embarks on a journey through 100 films in 365 days...

1st March, 2011 - I panicked as the clock approached midnight. Not for pumpkin carriages or silver slippers, but for a New Year’s resolution, one other than the standard fare: go to the gym/eat healthier/become a wrestler. In the distress, I stole a friend’s resolution – to watch 100 films one had never seen before. Fuelled by the New Year liquor, I added ambitiously, “and to write an article on each!”

8 1/3 films a month, 1.92 a week, 0.27 a day: 100 films in a year. Surely I watch a lot more than that, but then again, maybe I don’t. I’ve never kept a record. Maybe I’m not the film obsessive my personality is constructed around. A serious character evaluation could be in order if not…

So it’s now March and I’ve seen only eleven films. That’s 0.186 films a day, short by 0.084. That sort of number can add up pretty fast. I thought I’d be well over the average by now. More worryingly, for the resolution’s trickier part, I’ve written nothing.

After a mirror pep talk with self-help book in hand (another attempt at a different resolution), I’m beginning to eliminate the backlog. A toast, then, to that cynical, optimistic bitch – January – almost forgotten as we wake afresh in Spring...


4th March, 2011 - I’ve been a bit of a latecomer to Real Life, being in full-time education up until 22 ½. Perhaps that’s why I still count my age with fractions. Because of the abundant spare time full-time education can provide (when done wrong), I’ve always been able to watch a lot of films. In fact, between the ages of 18 and 22 ½, my life was almost exclusively film; watching, making, studying, reading. Little things sometimes got in the way, like drinking and meth, but film was always there - humming away like the Big Bang’s eternal background fuzz.
Real Life, it seems, is against this. Commutes, cutbacks and council tax are what Real Life wants. Real Life has no time for the petty distractions of cinema. In Real Life, film is a hobby. Or worse - a pastime.

Half a year I’ve been living in Real Life, almost to the day, and already it feels as though film is expendable, as just something literally to pass the time. This task of 100 films in 365 days too – I’m moaning after only having done one review. But one must overcome such tests of the Will. I’ve seen people with no discernable hobbies, their joys eaten away by the demands of career and family, of being an adult, soaking whatever free time they have with television and wine. Is there anything more disheartening than these victories of Real Life?

So instead of these hobbies fading away, as time becomes more and more scarce, one must make that which was once gloriously abundant into precious, sacred hours. After all, what is more poignant: sitting in a University room from 10pm to 6am doing a Bourne film marathon; or working all week, making the time, earning the time, to get the train to the cinema, pay an adult ticket price and sit amongst the Sunday afternoon crowd?

22 ½ and I still don’t feel like a grown-up. Maybe those with hobbies never do.

#1 - Without a Clue (1988)
#2 - Doubt (2008)
#3 - The King's Speech (2010)
#4 - 127 Hours (2010)
#5 - Barney's Version (2010)
#6 - Red River (1948)
#7 - Rio Bravo (1959)
#8 - Submarine (2010)
#9 - The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
#10 - Caged (2010)
#11 - We Are What We Are (2010)
#12 - Cat Ballou (1965)
#13 - The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
#14 - Never Let Me Go (2010)
#15 - Attack the Block (2011)
#16 - Source Code (2011)
#17 - Black Swan (2010)
#18 - Hanna (2011)
#19 - 13 Assassins (2010)
#20 - Fertile Ground (2010)
#21 - Laputa - Castle in the Sky (1986)

Oli Davis

VIDEO: Hines Ward Has Happy Feet...

It is being reported that Hines Ward has signed on to be in the next installment of 'Dancing With The Stars', or DWTS.  You know that show that keeps punishing us with people who can't dance all that well, but have great personalities?

Yeah, that one...the one that dared give us "The Situation" (should've been canceled for that decision alone) and a really bad Buzz Aldrin—whose walk on the moon clearly didn't make him any lighter on his feet—ay, yi, yi.

Well, if Hines Ward is going to showcase some of his fancy footwork on the world's stage, perhaps we should have a preview of what we are in for...check out Ward showing off some of his dance moves below:




One thing is certain, the man has rhythm.

While I seriously doubt the 'Electric Slide' gets much play on DWTS, Ward gets a 10 in my book for execution, style, and overall ability to not look like a total tool on camera.

I may finally have a reason to watch that show this season...maybe.

Oscar-winning directors don't do superhero movies

Falling into the “what might have been?” category, The LA Times has revealed that Tom Hooper was offered the chance to follow up his Academy Award-winning drama The King’s Speech by stepping into Jon Favreau’s shoes for Iron Man 3. Hooper ultimately declined the offer, paving the way for Robert Downey Jr. to reunite with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang helmer Shane Black for the 2013 sequel.

Hooper’s next feature looks likely to be an adaptation of the musical Les Miserables, although after his success last night you’d have to imagine he awoke to a few more opportunities this morning.

Meanwhile his decision to pass on Iron Man marks the second year running that the recipient of the Best Director Oscar has turned down a foray into the superhero genre; last year’s winner Kathryn Bigelow declined the opportunity to reboot Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, with Marc Webb then stepping on board and signing up Andrew Garfield for The Amazing Spider-Man.

Chatting with Lizzie T. Leaf

Can you tell us a little about how you started writing; was it something you have always wanted to do?

Making up stories in my head is something I’ve done for as long as I can remember.  In school, when the English teacher said, “time to write a short story,” most of the class groaned but I celebrated.  It usually meant an A.  I did attempt to seriously write at numerous times over the years and I won’t bore anyone with details, but it’s safe to say, life got in the way.

After I became widowed, pouring out grief in a diary eventually led to attempting a short story.  When I gathered the courage to show the story to the new man in my life and he asked why was I wasting my time on other things instead of writing, he pushed me off the fence where I’d been teetering for so long.

I joined a writing group, met three aspiring writers new to the group, and we bonded together as critique partners.  All three of us are now published.

Who or what has been your biggest influence as a writer?

I’ve always loved to read and as I stated earlier, make up stories in my head.  The buried dream became reality through the encouragement of my now husband.  He’s my rock and when things aren’t going well with a book, he’s there to listen to me grumble and the prod me to keep at it.

Your work is very popular with readers and reviewers; how does it feel to have such positive recognition for your work?

I love it when a reader emails or comes up to me to say how much they enjoyed a book of mine.  The comments I get most are on the characters and the humor.  I love humor!

What do you consider to be the key elements of a great story?

Theme or the central idea, setting to give the reader enough information to visualize where the story takes place, enough conflict to keep the story moving forward, a plot that relates to conflict and characters that a reader can like, hate (antagonist) or identify with. 

Could you tell us a little about how you develop your characters? Who has been your favorite character to write?  The most challenging?

I have a mental picture of what the character will look like and then write their story—their likes, dislikes, fears, family relationships, career, etc. 

The one I’ve enjoyed the most so far is Emma in Beyond Magic.  Her tourism background brought back memories that made me laugh. 

The most challenging, Amber in Call Me in trying ded to figure out the type of personality that could succeed in the world of phone sex.

Please tell us about the projects you are currently working on; what can readers expect to see in the coming months?

Another release in the Magical Love series is currently in the works.  This one will feature Cori, Emma’s roommate. 

I’m also working on a Mainstream with a possible YA crossover to it.  Or at least my librarian friend, whom I shared the idea with, thinks that’s the case.  Time will tell.

Where can readers find out what's new and how can they contact you?

www.lizzietleaf.com

http://lizzietleaf.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=826769827

http://twitter.com/lizzietleaf

And my email is lizzietleaf@comcast.net    I enjoy email from readers!

Do you have a strict writing schedule? How do you balance your personal and writing time?

I attempt one, but am not always successful.  Things come up that divert me onto a path not planned.  On good days, I pop into email and the social sites for an hour and then close them out.  Sometimes to avoid temptation I’ll move to a laptop that has no internet in order to really focus on writing.

The balancing act can challenge this writer for sure.  Family is important to me and at times I put their wants first and then get annoyed with myself because it was something that could have waited.

Which author(s) is your favorite? And who has most influenced you work?

I enjoy a lot of authors.  Right now I’m caught up in Melissa Mayhue’s series, but have to put reading the new release on hold…dang!  Enjoy Robert McCammon, Dianna Gabaldon, Marie Treanor, Sam Cheever, Raine Delight, and have several books of my fellow Passion in Print authors waiting to be read.  When someone mentioned my work reminded them of Mary Janice Davidson, I had to get one of her books.  After reading it, I felt honored by the comparison and of course had to read more.  You see, my list goes on and on…LOL

 Do you feel your writing is character driven or plot driven? How do you balance these two elements?

Probably character driven, but there has to be a plot, otherwise there would be nothing happening.  Even strong characters need conflict and a plot to create a story!

 Sneak Peek into Beyond Magic, Book 1 in The Magical Love Series

Available at Passion in Print

More information can be found at Lizzie's website HERE

Following the Powers directive to unite soul mates, a Scottish Cailleach's magic will have repercussions in several realms.

Mixed-blood Ian McCabe, grandson of Fae and gods tries to deny his powers.When he discovers mortal, Emma Grant unconscious at the bottom of the steps to his castle, his world starts to change.

Tour director Emma Grant's bus breaks down and her effort to find help results in a fall that knocks her unconscious.She awakens to find the man of her dreams staring into her eyes.

But will his secrets and her distrust of men tear them apart?

Excerpt:

Prologue

"Powers that be,

I ask of thee,

Show me the good,

Show me the bad,

Show me the ones,

I am to make glad."

Hands, gnarled and wrinkled, old as time itself, waved back and forth over the crystal ball. Fog obscured what moments earlier had been clear glass. As the mist dissipated, the blurred image of a man appeared.

The Cailleach gasped and her eyes widened with surprise. "Nae, it canna be."

The face came into focus and she had no doubt about one of the lovers. She knew of no one else on any realm with hair that shade of gold, streaked with fire.

He ran a hand through the top of his unruly mop. Eyes, blue as the sapphire DooNell wore around her neck, stared directly at her for a moment, before turning to the computer screen on his desk.

Still unsure of what to make of the vision, the old hag started another chant and waved her hands across the glass orb once more.

"Powers that be,

Show more to me,

Show me the one fair,

Who needs to be there."

Once again, the fog in the ball swirled, then lifted. The hag stared at the face of a female. Not the young girl she expected, but a woman seasoned by life. The Cailleach watched as the female swept a heavy mane of rich auburn hair from her neck, and stared as if she viewed the hag. A puzzled frown puckered her brow, and her sherry colored eyes darkened. The crone's heart beat a rapid tattoo until she remembered she could not be seen by the mortal.

A woman's voice called from another room, "Emma, where are you?"

"In here, Cori. How was your day?" The one DooNell now knew to be Emma pulled a piece of chocolate out of the bag by her hand and popped it in her mouth before she turned toward the door behind her. "Sure hope it was better than mine."

Through no request from the old crone, the crystal ball clouded over and the image and voices were gone. The mist cleared again and two faces, side by side, now stared from the glass, each pair of eyes reflecting their longing for something unseen.

"So be it." The Cailleach bowed her head in surrender to what the Powers required. She pulled in a deep breath before summoning the energy she needed for the task ahead.

Eyes opened wide, arms outstretched, she set the magic in motion to bring two beings together.

"Winds of the earth,

Currents of the sea,

Let these two,

Find the love,

They need to be."

Slumping back in her chair, the Cailleach sighed. She had done her part to set their discovery of love for each other into play. Now it was up to the universe to carry it forth.

Far harder would be explaining to Oberon why she had interfered in the life of his only grandchild. Neither the Faerie King, nor the entities involved from the other realms, would be happy with her over this potential new love she'd just set into motion.

"Ah, DooNell, lass. May be it, you be getting too old for this business of magical love?"

She sighed and forced her weary bones from the chair. There was much to do if the will of the Powers could succeed, and she had been given the task to make sure it did. Too many worlds were involved to leave the uniting of Emma and Ian to chance.

Sonic Sex Panic - Inside Reflex (.FLAC)

Good melodic hardcore from Brasil...

tRaCkS
1.my good son
2.alone in the dark
3.do it alone
4.inside reflex
5.flip your board
6.no time to smile
7.drugstore on freeway
8.children's thoughts
9.ask to your mind
10.cooperation
11.skater's head

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Stiff Little Fingers - Hanx! (.FLAC)

A classic punk band from Belfast...essential!!!

tRaCkS
1.nobody's hero
2.gotta gettaway
3.wait and see
4.barbed wire love
5.fly the flag
6.alternative ulster
7.jonny was
8.at the edge
9.wasted life
10.tin soldier
11.suspect device

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==================

DVD Review - Terror Trap (2010)

Terror Trap, 2010.

Directed by Dan Garcia.
Starring David James Elliot, Heather Marie Marsden, Jeff Fahey, Michael Madsen and Andrew Sensenig.


SYNOPSIS:

Don (David James Elliot) and Nancy (Heather Marie Marsden), a couple with an unhappy relationship, are run off the road on a rural back road. The surly Sheriff Cleveland (Jeff Fahey) drives the couple to a motel where crime/motel overlord Carter (Michael Madsen) will subject them to a deadly game of cat and mouse for the pleasure of a paying audience.


[Warning - here be spoilers]

Terror Trap begins with a biblical quotation:

'For just a man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: But the wicked shall fall into mischief.' - Proverbs 24:16

Whether this is to imbue the film with a sense of weightiness or to give the viewer somewhere to turn after witnessing Terror Trap is up for debate.

Terror Trap begins as a paradigm of horror movies with an attractive young woman speeding along a rural highway, talking on her phone and taking swigs from a liquor bottle with an almost suicidal disregard for the law. Set up as the perfect “deserving victim”, cue Sheriff Cleveland (Jeff Fahey) pulling her over and going from genial old boy to shouty psycho in a matter of seconds. Cleveland intimidates the young woman into letting him take her to the motel of doom. This young woman does reappear a few times through the film and her funeral is used to bookmark the beginning and the end of the film but any significance she might have is lost in the severely muddled plot.

Next up on the roster of victims are Don (David James Elliot) and Nancy (Heather Marie Marsden), who bicker and fight. Well, Don doesn't really do much fighting, he just kind of sits there and takes the abuse most of the time. The couple seem on the verge of divorce as she screams 'Fuck You!' at him five times in a row and then hits him whilst he is driving. Surely only an event of life-changing magnitude could ever bring these two alienated lovers back together.

After Don and Nancy are run off the road by one of Carter's lackey's, the two are whisked away by Fahey's Sheriff to the motel and must deal with the inevitable weirdo hotel clerk in order to get their shitty room that has blood smeared on the walls. At this point, many people might reach the decision to leave immediately and maybe tough the night out in a ditch before dusting themselves off and finding help elsewhere. But no, Don explains away the blood by joking 'Wow, these truckers must like it rough!'. Indeed.

Oh, and Nancy randomly reminds Don that he was a Marine. Y'know, Just sayin'.

Meanwhile, texts are sent out by Carter to various scumballs who gather at the motel in a dark room to watch the carnage on offer via video feeds planted all around the hotel. The scenes with the watchers are ridiculously over-egged, with the voyeurs shown as sweaty, twitchy caricature sleazebags. These scenes are more humorous than disturbing as the watchers goggle wild eyed at the screen as Don and Nancy fanny around doing nothing much at all.

As the film progresses, this audience of degenerates are seen watching not only the trials of Don and Nancy but also the torture and murder of some Ukrainian prostitutes that Madsen's Carter has purchased. The director seems to try and want to create a gritty, washed out aesthetic á la Hostel and films scenes of the Ukrainian prostitutes as a writing mass of flesh, and has them twice sprayed with arterial blood after a couple of throat slashings, seemingly thinking that this is disturbing and visceral but instead it's just kind of shallow and pointless.

There also doesn't seem to be any underlying moral tone or message regarding the actions of the watchers or those committing the crimes. There is no guiding reason behind the violence and blood other than to attempt to appear 'edgy' and modern by embellishing the weak story with voyeuristic elements.

Whilst the Hostel part of the film is unfolding, Don and Nancy are embroiled in their own The Devil's Rejects / Vacancy plot and run from place to place being pursued by assailants wearing overalls and what appear to be Venetian carnival masks. The masks lead to the murderers looking like a much tamer version of Slipknot and remove any sense of threat that they might pose to the main protagonists. It is around this point that Don seems to remember that he was a Marine for eight years and goes full-scale Rambo on everyone, perhaps revelling in the fact that he can finally express his rage at his crappy marriage and hideous wife.

The film ends with Don, having killed mostly everyone in the motel and leaving Cleveland beaten and broken on the floor, gently guiding Nancy away from the hotel as they start to walk the road to freedom and, perhaps, a brighter future. After the dust has settled, Carter walks to Cleveland and talks with him for a minute before shooting him twice, seemingly just because he can. Carter then walks off into the darkness, free to re-start his unique business somewhere else.

After this ending, there are about four more endings/epilogues that only served to further muddy the waters of the already broken plot and I couldn't really understand what the hell was going on anymore.

Alex Williams

Movie Review Archive

The King's Speech takes top honours at the Academy Awards

Awards season drew to a close for another year last night as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honoured the very best in cinematic achievement from 2010 at the 83rd annual Academy Awards. Taking place at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, the ceremony was hosted by actors Anne Hathaway and James Franco, who was himself nominated for Best Actor for his performance in Danny Boyle's 127 Hours.

The King's Speech had led the pack going into the night with twelve nominations and picked up four awards in total - Best Picture, Best Director (Tom Hooper), Best Actor (Colin Firth) and Best Original Screenplay (David Seidler) - while Christopher Nolan's Inception also managed four awards, enjoying success in the technical categories of Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Cinematography.

Check out the full list of awards, with the winners highlighted in each category...

Best Picture
The Kids Are All Right (dir. Lisa Cholodenko)
Toy Story 3 (dir. Lee Unkrich)
The Social Network (dir. David Fincher)
The King’s Speech (dir. Tom Hooper)
Inception (dir. Christopher Nolan)
The Fighter (dir. David O. Russell)
Black Swan (dir. Darren Aronofsky)
127 Hours (dir. Danny Boyle)
True Grit (dir. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen)
Winter’s Bone (dir. Debra Granik)

Best Director
David Fincher (The Social Network)
Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech)
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (True Grit)
Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
David O. Russell (The Fighter)

Best Actor
Colin Firth (The King’s Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)
Jeff Bridges (True Grit)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Javier Bardem (Biutiful)

Best Actress
Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech)
Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)
John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone)
Jeremy Renner (The Town)

Best Supporting Actress
Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech)
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
Amy Adams (The Fighter)
Jackie Weaver (Animal Kingdom)

Best Animated Feature
The Illusionist (dir. Sylvain Chomet)
Toy Story 3 (dir. Lee Unkrich)
How To Train Your Dragon (dir. Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders)

Best Original Screenplay
Inception (Christopher Nolan)
The King’s Speech (David Seidler)
The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg)
The Fighter (Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson)
Another Year (Mike Leigh)

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Social Network (Aaron Sorkin)
True Grit (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen)
127 Hours (Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy)
Toy Story 3 (Michael Arndt)
Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik and Anne Roselini)

Best Foreign Film
Dogtooth (Greece, dir. Giorgos Lanthimos)
Biutiful (Mexico, dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu)
Incendies (Canada, dir. Denis Villeneuve)
In a Better World (Denmark, dir. Susanne Bier)
Outside the Law (Algeria, dir. Rachid Bouchareb)

Best Documentary
Exit Through the Gift Shop (dir. Banksy)
Gasland (dir. Josh Fox)
Restrepo (dir. Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger)
Wasteland (dir. Lucy Walker and Karen Harley)
Inside Job (dir. Charles Ferguson)

Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland (Robert Stromberg, Karen O’Hara)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan)
Inception (Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias and Doug Mowat)
The King’s Speech (Eve Stewart, Judy Farr)
True Grit (Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh)

Cinematography
Black Swan (Matthew Libatique)
Inception (Wally Pfister)
The King’s Speech (Danny Cohen)
The Social Network (Jeff Cronenweth)
True Grit (Roger Deakins)

Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland (Colleen Atwood)
I Am Love (Antonella Cannarozzi)
The King’s Speech (Jenny Beavan)
The Tempest (Sandy Powell)
True Grit (Mary Zophres)

Film Editing
Black Swan (Andrew Weisblum)
The Fighter (Pamela Martin)
The King’s Speech (Tariq Anwar)
127 Hours (Jon Harris)
The Social Network (Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter)

Makeup
Barney’s Version (Adrien Morot)
The Way Back (Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng)
The Wolfman (Rick Baker and Dave Elsey)

Original Score
How to Train Your Dragon (John Powell)
Inception (Hans Zimmer)
The King’s Speech (Alexandre Desplat)
127 Hours (A.R. Rahman)
The Social Network (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)

Original Song
“Coming Home” from Country Strong
“I See the Light” from Tangled
“If I Rise” from 127 Hours
“We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3

Sound Editing
Inception (Richard King)
Toy Story 3 (Tom Myers and Michael Silvers)
Tron: Legacy (Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague)
True Grit (Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey)
Unstoppable (Mark P. Stoeckinger)

Sound Mixing
Inception (Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick)
The King’s Speech (Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley)
Salt (Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin)
The Social Network (Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten)
True Grit (Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland)

Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland (Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi)
Hereafter (Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell)
Inception (Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb)
Iron Man 2 (Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick)

Best Animated Short Film
Day & Night
The Gruffalo
Let’s Pollute
The Lost Thing
Madagascar, carnet de voyage

Best Live Action Short Film
The Confession
The Crush
God of Love
Na Wewe
Wish 143

Best Documentary Short Subject
Killing in the Name
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
Sun Come Up
The Warriors of Qiugang

In addition to the winners above, film historian Kevin Brownlow, acclaimed filmmaker Jean-Luc Goddard and veteran actor Eli Wallach were recipients of Academy Honorary Awards, while legendary American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola was presented with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, all of which were handed out back in November at the 2nd annual Governors Awards ceremony.

Results of our Best Picture poll...

We've been running a poll this past month asking for your pick for Best Picture and - after a grand total of 1138 votes (a new record!) - Inception proved to be the clear victor...

Inception - 32% (372 votes)
The King's Speech - 16% (187 votes)
The Social Network - 14% (164 votes)
Toy Story 3 - 13% (148 votes)
Black Swan - 9% (107 votes)
True Grit - 5% (57 votes)
127 Hours - 4% (46 votes)
The Fighter - 2% (32 votes)
Winter's Bone - 1% (15 votes)
The Kids Are All Right - 0% (10 votes)

Gutsy Cooks and HCB'ers share a Sunday

Heavenly Cake Baker's baked one of the most amazing Sticky Toffee Puddings I have ever tasted. A moist, flavorful, a lightly spicy cake, with a decadent lemon toffee sauce, creme fraiche with lemon juice and zest, and toasted pecans. As the fork tines slid into the cake, I knew making this recipe was worth every second.

What was an opening surprise for me was the 8 ounces of stout beer and moist dates. You soak the dates in the beer then puree both together in a food processor. I wasn't sure what to expect since stout beer is a distinguished flavor all its' own.

Then you have the toffee sauce. A lot of fresh lemon juice gets added in to give a citrus edge.

Matched with creme fraiche and toasted pecans, this is one dessert I will remember for a long time.

The Gutsy cooks have been extremely busy as well. Cynthia and Sam are the hosts for this month in the Gutsy Cook Club and chose a main dish of chicken biryani and a dessert; pear, mascarpone, hazelnut tart. I made the Indian chicken biryani, but I followed Monica's wonderful advice over at Sweet Bites; I am so glad I did because after a little research, this is what I found: Aayi's recipes: Hyderabadi chicken biryani recipe! Authentic Biryani from India. Aayi does not give specific measurements for all her ingredients so each person gets to approach the recipe accordingly. Lets just say, I can't wait till next weekend to make this again!


Aayi's ingredient list is as follows (adapted and changed just a tidbit):
1 cup sliced onion (fried in oil till crisp)
1/2 pound of boneless skinless chicken (I used 1 full pound)

Chicken Marination:
3 T. chopped coriander leaves
2 T. chopped mint leaves (I used dried)
1/2 t. ginger paste (found at Safeway by fresh mushrooms)
1/2 t. garlic paste (found in same place as ginger paste)
3 green chilies (I chopped mine; bigger pieces then diced)
1/2 t. red chili powder
4 cloves powdered (I used 1/2 t. of cloves-next time I will use a little more)
1" cinnamon powdered (I used 1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon)
1/2 t. cumin powder (will add 1 t. next time)
1/2 t. coriander powder
1/2 cup thick yogurt (I used Greek yogurt and more like 3/4 cup)
salt

Method:
Add all the marinade ingredients and 1/4 cup fried onion to chicken pieces and leave it aside for about 1 hour in refrigerator.

For Rice:

1 and 1/2 cups Basmati rice (par-boiled, long grain Basmati is the best)

1/4 cup onion

3 cups water

2 cloves (I used 1/4 t. ground cloves)

1" cinnamon (I actually used a cinnamon stick)

2 cardamon

2 bay leaves

1/2 t. ginger paste

1/2 t. garlic paste

1/2 t. green chili paste

1/4 t. turmeric (I believe for the yellow coloring of the rice.)

Ghee (clarified butter; amazing stuff!)

Salt

Method:

Heat ghee and add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves, ginger and garlic paste, green chili paste, turmeric, onion and fry for a few minutes. Now add the rice and fry for 2-3 minutes. Then add salt water and let it cook (I let the rice cook uncovered for 14 minutes).

Putting Everything together:

Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan and add marinated chicken. Fry for about 2 minutes. If chicken leaves some water, that is fine.

Spread half the quantity of rice, followed by 1/2 the quantity of fried onion. You can add 1/4 cup water just to make sure the rice is completely cooked.

Spread remaining rice and then onion.

Cover the pot with lid and cook on a medium low flame (I have an electric stove so went with medium low heat) for about 30 to 45 minutes. (I cooked mine for 40 minutes.)

I served the chicken biryani with baked artichokes and our dinner was perfect, filling, and delicious! Not the prettiest plated dish but taste made up for looks.
I made the raspberry souffles from last week's menu, using the rose water. My raspberries actually tasted like raspberries; surprising for being in the middle of wintertime.



My first time making anything with Rose water. I have seen plenty of recipes but I have always chickened out. To be absolutely honest, after trying the finished, chilled raspberry souffle, I am not a fan of the flavor. The first taste was raspberries then a lingering rose flavor. Maybe the dislike comes from being a new taste for me but I didn't care for it. The little souffles turned out adorable and I will make these again, only with plain water or maybe a raspberry liqueur.

The longest part of the recipe was making the puree and chilling the souffles. Pretty easy and definitely beautiful to present.

Win a copy of Bathory on DVD - NOW CLOSED

To celebrate the DVD release of the blood-soaked historical epic Bathory on March 7th, Flickering Myth have teamed up with the lovely folk at Metrodome to offer three copies of the film to give away to our readers.

A European co-production directed by Slovakian filmmaker Juraj Jakubisko, the film stars Anna Friel (Goal!, London Boulevard) as Elizabeth Báthory, the infamous Hungarian serial killer remembered as the 'Blood Countess' due to legends of her bathing in the blood of her victims. Also features in the cast are Karel Roden (The Bourne Supremacy), Hans Matheson (Sherlock Holmes), Vincent Regan (Clash of the Titans) and Franco Nero (Camelot).

Take a look at the synopsis and trailer...

History remembers Countess Bathory as the most sadistic murderess who ever lived, a monstrous killer of more than 650 innocent lives, who delighted in the torture of her victims and bathed in their still warm blood in an unholy quest for immortality.

Anna Friel delivers a sensational performance as Bathory in the chilling true story of one of history’s most notorious tyrants. With epic and explosive battle scenes, this award-winning portrayal of the Countess challenges the traditional story and explores the woman behind the legend…

To be in with a chance of nabbing one of the DVDs, all you have to do is drop us an email with your contact details and the subject heading "BATHORY" before 5.30pm on Sunday, March 6th (UK entrants only, please).

The Prize Finder - UK Competitions
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DVD Review - Dawn of Evil: Rise of the Reich (2009)

Dawn of Evil: Rise of the Reich (German: Mein Kampf), 2009.

Directed by Urs Odermatt.
Starring Tom Schilling, Götz George, Wolf Bachofner, Henning Peker, Simon Schwarz, Elisabeth Orth and Anna Unterberger.


SYNOPSIS:

Rejected by the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, the young and strikingly untalented Adolf Hitler (Tom Schilling) embarks on a journey that will have catastrophic consequences for the entire world.


Are monsters born or made? Is true evil ingrained within a person from the beginning or does it seep into the pores of the vulnerable and impressionable through bitter experience? These are both big questions that Dawn of Evil: Rise of the Reich asks. However ultimately this is a film asking one incomprehensible and fascinating question; what transformed aspiring artist Adolf Hitler into a hatred fuelled dictator and perhaps the most infamous figure in not just the 20th century, but all of history?

To answer this question the film takes us back to Hitler’s formative years in Vienna, where he travelled as a young artist to seek a place at the city’s respected Academy of Fine Art. Historians largely agree that during the future Fuhrer’s time in the city he developed a fierce resentment for the Jews, which built upon prejudices he already carried from his childhood community and his parents. Needless to say Hitler failed with his application to the Academy, after presenting a weak and mediocre portfolio. He projected his disappointment and anger onto the Jews, blaming those that were wealthy and in positions of influence for holding him back. He scraped a living selling post cards of churches. He stole food and tasted life in the gutter. He absorbed nationalist and anti-Semitic literature. Like many he drifted without a purpose.

Generally details of his life in Vienna beyond this are vague. The precise intricacies of the monster’s birth cannot truly be known. Studies of Hitler tend to skip rapidly through his grim years in Vienna, to the First World War which invigorated him, and then onto the 1920s and the formation of the fledgling Nazi party. Consequently this film must conjure some fictions and twist what is known to achieve some form of artistic truth relating to such a notorious man.

At first the film succeeds. Hitler is bumbling and naive as he arrives at a home for Homeless Artists, with a degree of innocence. To feel this about a character instantly recognisable as Adolf Hitler is no small feat for the filmmakers and indeed to even attempt this story is bold and admirable for a piece of German cinema. Understandably anything connected to the shame of Nazi Germany is still raw and heavy with guilt for many in Germany, so to see Hitler so sympathetically humanised in the film’s opening stages is remarkably brave.

To see Hitler rendered as such a believable, flawed and scrawny young man actually makes his descent into total delusion and lust for power all the more chilling. He’s almost immediately spouting anti-Semitic vitriol and nationalist jargon to the old Jews already living at the homeless hostel. But he’s reciting it at this stage; it’s just something he’s learnt by rote. This doesn’t mean he doesn’t believe what he’s saying; he has been taught to mean it and feels he must. It is however, a hatred and anger not yet his own, which will become more venomous as he acquires his personal vendetta through life’s sour events. Disappointment and what he sees as injustice will ignite the prejudices he already holds and bring them to life as his guiding purpose.

Perhaps a partial and inadequate answer the film offers to one of its key questions, whether Hitler’s evil was born or made, is that it was both already present and considerably added to. There’s no doubting he already arrived with a narrow and twisted mindset but it’s also clear his hate deepens as the film progresses. One of the measures of this is the way in which his language grows increasingly elaborate to resemble the theatrical speeches of his later political career. At times the rhetoric is intoxicatingly colourful and persuasive, filled with symbolism and heroic, inspirational imagery. Mostly however the film exploits Hitler’s misplaced sense of grandeur and importance for laughs. Indeed Dawn of Evil: Rise of the Reich is a disturbingly funny film. From the very first scene and Hitler’s arrival, the elderly Jews tease him to teach him some politeness and manners. There’s something irresistibly hilarious about Hitler being asked to leave and come back again, but this time to knock and wait for an answer. It’s a scene that’s well acted enough to be funny in itself, but knowing that it’s a man as dangerous and feared as Hitler being humiliated adds a level of uneasy, dark humour to things.

In fact the film makes a big deal about the lingering torment of being laughed at. A Jewish roommate of Hitler’s, Schlomo Herzl, is forever teasing the young artist. However he also takes him under his wing and treats him like a son, and it’s clear the humour is affectionate and for Hitler’s own good. Hitler simply cannot take being laughed at or looked down to by a Jew though and he finds Schlomo’s care for him repugnant. Nevertheless he exploits it. He accepts Schlomo’s help to prepare him for his interview and entry exam. He lets Schlomo sell his post cards for him so that he can pay rent. He treats him like a slave and then sets about robbing him of his young love. Evidence of a later political pragmatism perhaps?

There are some good scenes between Schlomo and Hitler, particularly in the first half of the film. There’s an interesting contrast between Hitler’s brainwashed nationalism and the haggard man’s devout faith. In their very first exchange Hitler declares to Schlomo that God is dead, following Nietzsche’s famous idea. Schlomo is constantly the wise counterpoint to Hitler’s wild unfocused enthusiasm. But in the end, especially for those who know their history, the relationship strains the bounds of believability to breaking point.

The interesting points about Hitler’s philosophical and political development, and the alternative path through life he might have taken had he gained entry to the Academy, are lost beneath a sensational conflict and love triangle. Initially Schlomo was a clever lens that helped us learn more about Hitler. His character helped us see both Hitler the human and Hitler the animal as he used him and treated him like dirt. You really come to hate the young artist, and not just for being Hitler, as he cruelly rebuffs every kindness extended to him by the old man. Eventually though the plot surrounding Schlomo’s book, which Hitler helps him title “Mein Kampf”, becomes ridiculous.

Tom Schilling gives a great performance as the young Hitler and it’s one that evolves throughout the narrative. His gestures and mannerisms are perfect and his appearance in general. His delivery of the trademark passionate rallying cries, in stirring German, becomes more assured as the character grows in confidence. For me though it’s a real shame that Dawn of Evil: Rise of the Reich seems to lose its way. It begins as a compelling and absorbing study of a neglected period of history. It asks intriguing questions about how far individuals shape history or the social forces around them. But in its efforts to spin a story within those grander themes it loses sight of its strengths, becoming simply a mediocre tale which concludes with a baffling attempt at a poetic ending.

Liam Trim (follow me on Twitter)

Movie Review Archive

The Last Airbender dominates the Golden Raspberry Awards

The 83rd Academy Awards takes place today and as Hollywood gears up for its big night there are those who would argue that the whole awards season is little more than an excuse for industry back-slapping and mutual appreciation. However one ceremony that could never be accused of that is the Razzies - which of course aims to celebrate the very worst in cinematic achievement from the past twelve months - and the 'winners' of 2010 were revealed last night as the 31st annual Golden Raspberry Awards were presented at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, Hollywood.

It was a bad night (again) for M. Night Shyamalan as his latest waste of celluloid The Last Airbender picked up the awards for Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, Worst Supporting Actor (Jackson Rathbone) and Worst Eye-Gouging Mis-use of 3D, while Sex and the City 2 followed behind with three awards: Worst Actress (Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristen Davis and Cynthia Nixon), Worst Screen Couple or Ensemble (the entire cast) and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel.

Check out the full list of awards, with the winners highlighted in red...

Worst Picture
The Bounty Hunter
 (dir. Andy Tennant)
The Last Airbender
 (dir. M. Night Shyamalan)
Sex and the City 2
 (dir. Michael Patrick King)
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
 (dir. David Slade)
Vampires Suck (dir. Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer)

Worst Actor

Jack Black (Gulliver's Travels)

Gerard Butler (The Bounty Hunter)

Ashton Kutcher (Killers and Valentine's Day)

Taylor Lautner (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and Valentine's Day)

Robert Pattinson (Remember Me and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse)

Worst Actress

Jennifer Aniston (The Bounty Hunter and The Switch)

Miley Cyrus (The Last Song)
Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City 2)
Megan Fox (Jonah Hex)
Kristen Stewart (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse)

Worst Supporting Actor

Billy Ray Cyrus (The Spy Next Door)

George Lopez (Marmaduke, The Spy Next Door and Valentine's Day)

Dev Patel (The Last Airbender)
Jackson Rathbone (The Last Airbender and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse)

Rob Schneider (Grown Ups)

Worst Supporting Actress

Jessica Alba (The Killer Inside Me, Little Fockers, Machete and Valentine's Day)

Cher (Burlesque)
Liza Minnelli (Sex and the City 2)
Nicola Peltz (The Last Airbender)
Barbra Streisand (Little Fockers)

Worst Eye-Gouging Mis-Use of 3D

Cats & Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore (dir. Brad Peyton)
Clash of the Titans (dir. Louis Leterrier)
The Last Airbender (dir. M. Night Shyamalan)
The Nutcracker in 3-D (dir. Andrey Konchalovskiy)
Saw 3D (dir. Kevin Greutert)

Worst Screen Couple or Ensemble

Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler (The Bounty Hunter)

Josh Brolin's Face and Megan Fox's Accent (Jonah Hex)
The Entire Cast of The Last Airbender
The Entire Cast of Sex and the City 2

The Entire Cast of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Worst Director

Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer (Vampires Suck)

Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City 2)
M. Night Shyamalan (The Last Airbender)

David Slade (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse)
Sylvester Stallone (The Expendables)

Worst Screenplay

M. Night Shyamalan (The Last Airbender
)
John Hamburg and Larry Stuckey (Little Fockers)

Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City 2)
Melissa Rosenberg (Twilight Saga: Eclipse)

Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer (Vampires Suck)

Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel

Clash Of The Titans (dir. Louis Leterrier)
The Last Airbender (dir. M. Night Shyamalan)
Sex and the City 2 (dir. Michael Patrick King)
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (dir. David Slade)
Vampires Suck (dir. Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer)

My Review for Love Means...No Fear by Andrew Grey

I have got admit....Andrew Grey is one of my favorite M/M Authors. His books are emotional, character rich stories that steal your heart. With his Love Means... series the reader is introduced to a wonderful set of characters that leave you breathless and more than once, teary eyed.

Love Means...No Fear is the fifth book in the series and we finally get Raine's story. I love this character and he always made me smile with his quips as a secondary character in past books. Now we get to see how Raine falls for Jonah, all bets are lost when love gets in the mix.

My review of Love Means...No Fear:

Raine Baumer is the consummate party guy in Chicago and indulging in relationships that were big on sex and less on the emotional aspects, Raine feels his life is fine just the way it is until danger strikes and he is attacked in an apparent hate crime. Taken to the farm by his friend Geoff to heal, Raine finds himself longing for what his friends have-a committed relationship with someone who loves you, warts and all. When he meets Eli’s brother Jonah, he finds a young man who stirs things inside him and as they get close, the sparks fly between them but both have to face what they fear the most in order to get their heart’s desires.

Love Means...No Fear is about beginnings, love and acceptance. Mr. Grey is a consummate storyteller who delivers stories that leave the reader with a big ole' smile on their face. I love the rich world this author creates within each book where we meet characters from past books and some new ones as well. The characters alone are worth it in my opinion. They are well written, multifaceted and show their hidden vulnerabilities that literally leaves me breathless. I can not say enough over this series and this author's writing itself. With each page, I am drawn into his stories and find myself rooting for Raine and Jonah to get their HEA. 

Love Means...No Fear delivers a heartfelt story about two people who need to overcome their own doubts and vulnerabilities. Who hasn’t ever been afraid of something-be it a new job, moving, or taking that risk in a new relationship? Raine and Jonah are no exception. It was lovely to see the familiar characters from past books pop in and help keep the story moving along and the sparks flared softly into a romance that had me rooting for both these wonderful people to get what they desired-namely one another. There were a few new secondary characters that were introduced that had me wondering if they will pop up in future farm books.

Mr. Grey has another winner in his Farm series and I highly recommend you run, don’t walk, to grab the newest book from this marvelous author and settle in for an afternoon of being swept away to a magical place where love flourishes and grows. Kudos to Andrew Grey for creating fresh tales to tell in his series that has his readers salivating for the next book; I just hope he doesn’t leave us hanging too long for the next tale in this wonderful series.

Guest Author Day with Penny Brandon

Why don't you start with telling us a little about yourself? What genre do you write in and why?

I live in NSW Australia, close to the beautiful Blue Mountains. Born and raised in England, I moved to Ireland and lived there for four years before pulling up roots and moving to Australia in my early twenties. I love to travel, and I go back to England and Ireland for visits but intend to see more of Australia and bring those travel experiences into my books.

I write m/m erotic romance which I absolutely love. To me there is nothing more inspiring than writing about two people falling in love, and when both of them happen to be male, it just makes it more interesting.

Were you an avid reader as a child? What type of books did you enjoy reading?

My first book was Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, which are crime/adventure books for children. I read the whole series of twenty one books when I was about ten years old. Then somewhere in my teens I found horror -- which I became addicted to. I still read it. The gorier the better.

Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.

Blind Passion is about Adam, who believes no one would be interested in a relationship with him because of his lack of sight, and Luke, who’s hiding something in his past he doesn’t want Adam to find out. A special link binds them together, but it takes patience, gentleness and trust to make them fall in love.

I love characters that work to overcome their fears and are prepared to face challenges life throws at them. What inspired me to write this story was my own challenge of writing scenes where a main character couldn’t see. It made it interesting because he had to use his other senses to “see” things. A lot of fun when thinking up the sex scenes.

Did your book require a lot of research? How long does it take to write a book for you?

Blind Passion did require more research than normal because I had to study ways a blind person interacts with the world around him. I wanted to be accurate on how acute his other senses would be and how he could train himself to use them better. It took me about three months to write the story, then another three months to edit it. From start to finish that seems to be the average length of time for me to get an idea out of my head and on to paper.

If you could have any vice without repercussions, what would it be?

I’d eat more chocolate.

If you could have been the servant to any famous person in history, who would that be and why?

I would never want to be a servant to anyone, but let’s just say I wouldn’t have minded bringing cups of tea to Mary Shelley while she was writing Frankenstein or to Bram Stoker while he was penning Dracula.

What do you see for the future of publishing and e-books?

E-publishers are going to become the leaders of the industry. There are so many medium devices with which to download e-books to and there are so many genres in which readers may not want to go to a bookshop for, so the idea of being able to download a book instantly and remain anonymous is a distinct advantage.

Which of your characters do you love/hate/fear/pity the most and why?

I actually pitied Luke in Blind Passion because he was so scared of loving Adam and being rejected, but it was only because he was hiding something from his past. What I felt for Adam was nothing short of admiration. Despite his lack of sight he lives his life to the full.

I fell in love with Kyle from Bringing Him Home because though he put himself in a bad situation he tries everything he can to redeem himself to Jared.

I could never hate or fear any of my characters because they just wouldn’t be mine otherwise.

Do you get along with your muse? What do you do to placate her/it/him when she/it/he refuses to inspire you?

If I have a muse I’d love to meet him. It would have to be a man because of what goes on in my head. Where are you my man of inspiration? Maybe chocolate is my muse…

Do you have another book in the works? Would you like to tell readers about your current or future projects?

I have several books bouncing around in my head (must be the chocolate). The characters are set, the plots are ready, I’ve just got to get my fingers onto a keyboard. I’ve just had Bringing Him Home accepted by Loose-Id, a m/m contemporary which has both protagonists agonizing about living together in a rural town. I’ve also got a series I’m working on about a mirror that shows you your one true love. Kind of clique I know, but there are twists. I also have a proposal, Murphy’s Law, with Loose-Id for a “December Holiday” collection they are doing. If it all works out well I could have at two to three more books out this year. I keep up to date postings on what I’m doing on my blogpage www.pennybrandon.blogspot.com if readers would like to follow.

Have you ever experience weird cravings while you write? If so, what kind?

Please see above re the chocolate. I’ve eaten two HUGE bars in one sitting while on a writing spree. Why is chocolate good for the creative process but bad for my hips?

Which do you prefer:

Denim or Leather on a man/woman/significant other?

Denim. The softer the better.

Irish or Italian accent in a man?

My husband is Irish. Does that answer your question?

Front seat or Back seat to make out in?               

Only a teenager would make out in the front. I once was a teenager…

Dark eyes or Light eyes?

Actually I like hazel because they change color in moments of passion.

Sleeping bag or Bed?

Bed. Softer and more room. Though you can really snuggle in a sleeping bag.

Dinner or Movie for a first date?

I would prefer a dinner as a first date, but my husband took me to see Bambi. I cried. Seriously, who would take a woman to see a film about a deer that dies?

Coffee or Tea?

Neither, can’t stand the stuff. Give me a plain glass of ice cold milk. Isn’t chocolate made of milk?

Chiseled jaw line or Chiseled abs?

I’d go for the abs though I’d know they’d never last but at least the guy went to a lot of effort to get them.

If you got three wishes from a genie, what would they be? (They can be silly, serious or in between).

Wish one. To become a character in one of my books, but then I’d have to write a m/f/m ménage.

Wish two. Go back to my mid twenties but have the knowledge I have now.

Wish three. Yeah, you guessed it, a never ending bar of chocolate – without putting on weight.

If you could spend a day with one actor/actress, who would it be and what would you do together?

I would love to spend the day with Sandra Bullock and try to persuade her to turn one of books into a movie. Failing that I wouldn’t mind taking a trip to the Grand Canyon and some of the Old West ghost towns.

What is on your bucket list to do before you pass from this earthly plain?

Jump out of a perfectly good airplane with a parachute that works.

Swim with some sharks.

Travel to the most northern/southern/western/eastern tip of Australia.

Go on an African Safari.

 Sneak Peek into Blind Passion

Available at Loose Id Publishing

MM Contemporary Paranormal

 

Attraction for Adam was not a handsome face, a striking smile, or beautiful eyes, but a scent that would drive him to distraction or a voice that could make his heart beat faster. When the combination of the two walked into his life in Luke, Adam couldn’t help but want him. But how was he supposed to know if Luke felt the same attraction? He had no prior experience, no past encounters, nothing to help him. Not even his sight.

One look at Adam and Luke wanted him. Sensual, gorgeous, kind, with a strength that Luke was drawn to, Adam was everything Luke desired. Being in Adam’s arms, showing him the pleasure of a man’s body, being touched, held, and desired in return, had Luke wanting more, had him wanting what he knew he couldn’t have.

It didn’t matter to him that Adam was blind, but Adam deserved more than someone like him. Luke was a man with a broken past and falling in love with Adam was a foolish thing to do, especially because Adam would never love him back if he found out what Luke was hiding.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: male/male sexual practices, voyeurism.

Excerpt:

Adam groaned, releasing the banked-up tension and frustration that threatened to overwhelm him. He’d never felt this way before, never been turned on like this. Being gay wasn’t a problem; it was just another circumstance he lived with, like his blindness. It was just that his blindness made being gay hard, if not impossible to act on or even appreciate. He could never tell if another man was interested in him. He didn’t know what signals to pick up on or what signals to give. Until now that hadn’t really been an issue, because he’d never felt an attraction for anyone. But he was undeniably attracted to Luke, and he honestly didn’t know what to do about it. Getting hard in front of Luke was definitely not something he should do, but it wasn’t something he could control either.
The instant Luke had walked into his home four days ago, Adam had been intensely aware of him. Luke smelled like a hot summer’s day just after the grass had been cut and before a rainstorm was about to break; he sounded like a soft breeze whispering across a pebbled beach—soothing yet edgy. Combined, they triggered something deeply primal in Adam. He needed Luke, needed to hear his voice, to smell him…touch him.

And God help him—if there was one thing he desperately wanted to do, it was to taste him.

Adam rubbed his hands over his face and winced. He was an idiot for thinking about Luke that way. He was an idiot for thinking about any man that way. He sighed, resigned, acknowledging what he knew to be an unending fact—his blindness would make sure it was never going to happen.

http://www.loose-id.com/Blind-Passion.aspx