On the Persistently Moving Picture

Advice:

If you are prone to motion sickness, DO NOT SEE CLOVERFIELD. At least, not in the theatre. Save the ten bucks and go read a Godzilla comic on a tire swing for a few hours instead, you will have much the same experience. It's a well-made different sort of take on a creature movie that is worth seeing if you like that sort of thing, but if nausea accompanies you on whirly rides, wait for it to come out on DVD.

That said, if you watch long enough to get to know who the characters are, the remaining 2/3 of the movie is a surprisingly comprehensible radio play. And you gain a keen appreciation for the sound design and engineering on the movie which you probably wouldn't have with your eyes open. In fact you probably aren't actually missing all that much, all things considered ... but then, I wouldn't know.

... should have seen Sweeney Todd again ...

Literary Endorsement

For the past few months I have been enjoying a novel being written by copperbadge and posted serially on the community jack_and_ellis. It started off entertaining and has gotten steadily more awesome with every twist in the story. In most of the fantasy genre, the presence of magic precludes the development of technology, but this is about a world not terribly unlike our own where they're industrializing anyway; it's all refreshingly well thought-out and the world is all full of interesting implications. On top of general steampunky coolness, it's got espionage, engineering, Australia, parties, and pirates! What more could you ask for?

Anyway, I couldn't resist trying my hand at some of the characters, with mixed results ... they're posted here, but if you want to know who they are before looking at them, you can start with Chapter One. Enjoy!