That’s a beautiful story. Thanks for sharing. I’m glad your boys have such a clear memory of their father, and that his influence stays with them.

There was much to love about the movie. It was flawed, yes, but it did some things well. What I REALLY wish is that Andrew Stanton, the director, had made an entirely animated feature-length film. It would have played to his strengths, it would have made the CGI less “fake” (because EVERYTHING would have been CGI),…

I will never forget the sheer fun of discovering ERB’s John Carter series...

The animation is great. And I commend him for the idea. But it really should credit Vogler.

He only credits Vogler in the comments to the video when someone calls him out on it.

The big problem isn’t that he doesn’t credit Joseph Campbell...it’s that he doesn’t credit the person he COMPLETELY PLAGIARIZES, Richard Vogler, who outlines these steps—a slight revision of Campbell’s—in his book, The Writer’s Journey. He doesn’t just lift the idea of the hero’s journey—he lifts the exact terms…

He came from out El Paso way. Nobody knew his name.
He rode from town to town on his old horse, half-blind and lame.
But if you stopped the old cowboy and bought a beer or two,
He’d tell you this same story that I’m now a-tellin’ you.
“Was April, 1883. I’d been out on the trail
A-ridin-herd and mendin’ fence and stayin’…

Arctic Girl and Invisible Butterfly Woman are now canonical. Thank you.

I really like the Molly Walker character. She seems like someone who would have grown up with all the crap Molly had to deal with. And, you might add the daughter of the Renautes CEO and her boyfriend—that plot seems intriguing.

Beyond Forest-End

Her mother named her Daphne, for her eyes
Were green, just like the sun-lit laurel leaves.
Tears filled those emerald eyes just yester-eve,
Beside her aged mother’s dying sighs.
But now, no weeping, no more mournful cries:
Her journey offers her no time to grieve.
No peace her mother’s life-soul can receive
U…

When I was in my twenties, I received a cheap but functional telescope for Christmas. I used it to look at the the full moon a few times, but that was about it. Then, I read in the paper that Jupiter and Saturn were going to be viewable on a particular night. So I set up my telescope and looked at Jupiter. Not…

Hang on. This is an internet thread. I don’t think people are supposed to agree. Can’t you call me a “miserable vomitous mass” or a “warthog-faced buffoon” so I can get indignant?

Also, as the original post puts it:

It doesn’t say that it has to be an ACCURATE adaptation, only that it has to DO JUSTICE to it. I would contend that condensing and altering the framing sequence more than does justice to the idea of the “good parts” edition, because the premise is that the relationship of the reader to the text AND the audience is…

“The Princess Bride, by S. Morgenstern, chapter one...” And with that, Peter Falk, as The Grandfather, draws us into a tale of “Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles...” that endures forever—or at least, as long as you wish.

Yes, I was going for comedy. One subtle bit of humor is an alexandrine in the middle of the sonnet...since this is a speaker who screws things up, I have him throw in twelve syllables in the middle when every line should have only ten. But, that probably only amused me.

I was a little drunk, I must admit.
I’d never cared for studying ancient books.
In truth, I’d mainly gotten by on looks—
Though wizard’s robes I wore, they did not fit.
But lazy though I was, I’d learned a bit:
My brow I furrowed, and my whole frame shook,
Then motioned toward the mountain with my finger crooked,
And…

This is a delightful satirical parody. As a high school English teacher, I can say your high school English teacher would be very proud. Embarrassed, perhaps, but proud. Sadly, I don’t think I can use this review as a teaching tool without getting fired. But if I could, I would. It’s that good. (The article, I…

The improvements in medical science have made work in the Population Control Legion much more challenging, it’s true. But they still get the job done.

Most really “cool” powers come at a price: you have super-strength, but you must always be vigilant not to crush someone by accident; you can turn invisible, but you might get hit by a car; you can read minds, but then you know what people really think. Considered from that perspective, “lame” superpowers might be…