Literary Notes

Movie Time:
Knight & Day starring Diaz and Cruise – sappy, sentimental, action packed, and on the big screen, hard to tell what was a stunt and what was the real actors, performing stunts, which, in and of itself, makes it a good movie. Perfect matinee movie, on sultry summer’s day. The trailers, the 2-minute version captures the essence, but the (cartoon) violence and mega-chase scenes are good enough to carry the lack of romantic tension between stars. Comedic parts are excellent.

The Templar Throne:
Novel by Paul Christopher –

The average student thinks the best synonym for “research” is “Google.” Real, original research, however, has more to do with pinball than search engines; it’s usually a matter of hit and miss, with lot more misses than hits. (page 9)

Rest of the quote is good, but it’s an action/thriller, and I wonder if there’s a new genre of fiction, “Da Vinci Code Knock-off.” Although, I’m sure, the author wouldn’t like that note.

I do see more and more, wonder, is it a new sub-genre?

Engraved:
Can’t say it better.

Inception:
The Movie. At the movies. I scanned several reviews, looked good and the summary of the summaries? In my own words? The reviews suggested it was original, not derivative, and very good because it broke some new ground. Edge of the seat psychological thriller.

Did it break ground? One of the Red Headed Capricorns was bemoaning the current, sad state of moviemaking since so much is recycled crap, please, old TV shows redone? Just because no one can come up with a new idea? Her complaint, not mine. I like seeing stuff blow up, &c.

So the movie in question, Inception, is a quirky, well-played tale about a dream within a dream within a dream, and what’s real and what’s not, and by the end, for once the trailers don’t do it justice, the twist and the kicker are good.

Then again, I’ve long maintained that the superlative movie-going experience is at an Alamo Draft House. Even so-so movies are good at the Alamo.

Better yet, this is a good movie, taught, suspense well-played, carefully crafted, quick dialogue, yet….

But there’s one problem. I only scanned the reviews, but the central theme I gathered was “like no other.” And “totally new plot.”

Wrong. There are several parallel plot lines, even to the use of the dream sequence, all of it, dream or real, love lost, love found, “daddy” issues resolved, thwarted love, and dreams that intertwine?

Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

(Hey, I suggested elements and themes, not everything. Well, lots of stuff.)