Greetings,
So, I decided to do another of my Best/Worst Hit Songs of Random Year lists. And to choose my random year, I did a Twitter poll. As usual I got not a lot of votes, but in the end, the winner was 1978. I'm happy about that, because I do, indeed, like the music of the seventies. Well, some of it. And today we'll be talking about the stuff I like, obviously. Oh, and I hope you all like the Gibb family. For real.
Now, let's go over the rules. I am only including songs from Billboard's Hot 100 Year End list, because I need boundaries, and none of the songs can have appeared on a previous list. Are we good? Okay, let's do this.
#10. "Come Sail Away" Styx - Alright, shut up! I like Styx. I can't help it. Do I have some issues with certain members of the band? Perhaps. But I try to not let that impede how I feel about their songs. And I do like this song, a lot. I also do occasionally have a soft spot for these kind of epic-y, arena rock anthems. I just wonder if my bringing up this tune will bring back to people's minds the Eric Cartman cover from the 90's.
#9. "Baby Come Back" Player - I think most people would consider Player to be a "One Hit Wonder" band, even though they have another song on this very Year End Chart. But this song is the one they tend to be remembered for. Understandably so. It is a great song and I love that very recognizable riff in there. Not to mention the falsetto notes in the bridge. Yeah, falsetto must have been a music fad at the time. More on that later.
#8. "Emotion" Samantha Sang - Remember what I said about liking the Gibb family? Well, here's the first song to appear on this list that was written by a couple of them, specifically Barry and Robin. Again, I do believe that Samantha Sang would also be considered a "One Hit Wonder", but if you're gonna be one, may as well have a Gibb brothers song as your hit. But she does give a great performance and her voice certainly lends itself to the kind of music they were writing at the time.
#7. "Dust in the Wind" Kansas - Nothing like a little Prog Rock, am I right? Anyway, I have always loved this song, but I never really knew why. I just happened to do so. But in doing my research for this list, I found out that the lyrics were inspired by a Bible verse and a book of Native American poetry. So many things that I love. That explains a lot. And let's be real. These are some beautiful lyrics we've got here.
#6. "If I Can't Have You" Yvonne Elliman - More from the Brothers Gibb. Most of you may know that this song appeared on the somewhat successful soundtrack to a little movie called Saturday Night Fever. I would call it one of the highlights of that album. The song is amazing and the lovely voice of Yvonne Elliman takes it to another level. Funny thing, she wasn't even supposed to sing this particular song for the album, but I'm glad that someone decided otherwise.
#5. "Just the Way You Are" Billy Joel - I love Billy Joel. He is so much fun. And he certainly knows how to write a beautiful love song. Case in point, this one. And he also knows how to be inspired. The title was actually taken from a line in the song "Rag Doll" by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. And since these two songs sound basically nothing alike, he did things right. I love when one genius can learn from the genius of others.
#4. "Last Dance" Donna Summer - Donna Summer was amazing, in so many ways. Seriously, that voice is downright legendary. And while she had quite a few hit songs around this time, I think this one might be the best of hers. It is certainly the best she did this year. I love how many levels there are to this song, starting off as a slow ballad and then picking things up so we can all get our dance on. I think it was one of the songs that gave some legitimacy to the whole disco genre. But, then again, so did she.
#3. "The Name of the Game" ABBA - Some people think that "Dancing Queen" is the greatest song that ABBA ever gave us. Those people are sheep. For real, though, while I can appreciate what is probably considered their most loved song, this one has always been my favorite of theirs. And I hear that the opening use of synthesizers was inspired by Stevie Wonder. Good times.
#2. "Shadow Dancing" Andy Gibb - This was actually the Number One song for the whole year, but sorry, Andy. You're only Number Two with me. At least the song is. This is one of my favorites from the youngest of the Gibb brothers, and I think one of the reasons I love it so much is because all four of them wrote it together. In my eyes, that makes it very special. And I don't even really know what "Shadow Dancing" actually means. I can guess, though.
#1. "How Deep is Your Love" Bee Gees - Even though there are times in the Bee Gees career that I favor much more than the Saturday Night Fever era, I must admit that this song is absolutely beautiful. They also know how to write and amazing love song, and this is one to be treasured. In amongst all that dance and disco music, it gives a quiet and sweet moment that we all need. And those harmonies are exquisite as always. Definitely one of their finest.
Okay, so those are all my favorites of the year. I know some were obvious, but 1978 had some really great music. And some not so great music as well. Come back tomorrow for that.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Monday, January 14, 2019
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Once In a Lifetime Sessions with Noel Gallagher - Documentary Review
Greetings,
I love Oasis. I have since I was a teenager and way into my "Isn't everything that is even remotely British the best thing ever?" phase. Which may or may not, every so often, revive itself to this day. Well, even though the British thing may have been what made me take notice, it was the music that made me stay. That and my crush on Liam Gallagher. Now THAT does not ever revive itself. In fact, as I've gotten older, I realized that, due to my infatuation with one Gallagher brother, I may slightly overlooked and underrated the talent of the other. Not any more, though. I happen to think Noel Gallagher is quite brilliant. So, you can imagine how thrilled I was when I went to my Netflix and saw Once in a Lifetime Sessions with Noel Gallagher.
First things first, I am calling this a documentary, though I think it may actually be a series on Netflix, since I've seen ones with other artists. But we're labeling it a doc. Anyway, what we get to see here is exactly what I love. We get some great performances by Noel as he revisits some of his most beloved songs. Yes, I may have sung along a few times. Don't judge me.
However, as much as I love the music, I love the stories even more. See, all the singing is intermingled with a lot of talking. That is more than fine with me. We get to hear about how these songs came to be and what was happening for Noel at the time they were written or when they became popular. He can tell a good anecdote, I must say. And to hear his feelings about all that music he created and how people reacted to it was very interesting. He also talks about his own influences as a musician, something I always enjoy hearing from artists. Noel just happens to have a lot of great stories in him, which he can tell through songs or just through an interview. Either way, they are engaging.
A couple of things he said really caught my attention. One was that he could never really predict the hits. Many times, the songs he thought the people would love would be largely overlooked and the songs he didn't think too much of ended up being successful. He also talked about B-sides, which is a thing that used to be a thing when we had CD singles. Those songs turned out to be almost little treasures that fans could hold on to. They were something special that you really had to go out of your way to find. As someone who always seeks out things like that, I appreciated these comments. It almost makes fans like me seem really special ourselves.
The bottom line is that I have always loved anything that goes behind the scenes with artists. In short, I really enjoyed watching this. Being such a long time fan of Oasis and Noel Gallagher, there was a touch of nostalgia to all of this. Just as Noel had memories of all the songs he has written, so do I. So do a lot of the fans, I would imagine. Therefore, anyone who loves the music that this man has made over the years should take a look at this.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
I love Oasis. I have since I was a teenager and way into my "Isn't everything that is even remotely British the best thing ever?" phase. Which may or may not, every so often, revive itself to this day. Well, even though the British thing may have been what made me take notice, it was the music that made me stay. That and my crush on Liam Gallagher. Now THAT does not ever revive itself. In fact, as I've gotten older, I realized that, due to my infatuation with one Gallagher brother, I may slightly overlooked and underrated the talent of the other. Not any more, though. I happen to think Noel Gallagher is quite brilliant. So, you can imagine how thrilled I was when I went to my Netflix and saw Once in a Lifetime Sessions with Noel Gallagher.
First things first, I am calling this a documentary, though I think it may actually be a series on Netflix, since I've seen ones with other artists. But we're labeling it a doc. Anyway, what we get to see here is exactly what I love. We get some great performances by Noel as he revisits some of his most beloved songs. Yes, I may have sung along a few times. Don't judge me.
However, as much as I love the music, I love the stories even more. See, all the singing is intermingled with a lot of talking. That is more than fine with me. We get to hear about how these songs came to be and what was happening for Noel at the time they were written or when they became popular. He can tell a good anecdote, I must say. And to hear his feelings about all that music he created and how people reacted to it was very interesting. He also talks about his own influences as a musician, something I always enjoy hearing from artists. Noel just happens to have a lot of great stories in him, which he can tell through songs or just through an interview. Either way, they are engaging.
A couple of things he said really caught my attention. One was that he could never really predict the hits. Many times, the songs he thought the people would love would be largely overlooked and the songs he didn't think too much of ended up being successful. He also talked about B-sides, which is a thing that used to be a thing when we had CD singles. Those songs turned out to be almost little treasures that fans could hold on to. They were something special that you really had to go out of your way to find. As someone who always seeks out things like that, I appreciated these comments. It almost makes fans like me seem really special ourselves.
The bottom line is that I have always loved anything that goes behind the scenes with artists. In short, I really enjoyed watching this. Being such a long time fan of Oasis and Noel Gallagher, there was a touch of nostalgia to all of this. Just as Noel had memories of all the songs he has written, so do I. So do a lot of the fans, I would imagine. Therefore, anyone who loves the music that this man has made over the years should take a look at this.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Saturday, January 5, 2019
A Star is Born (2018) - Music Movie Review
Greetings,
For those of you who have read this blog in the past, you'll know that I do something called a "Straight From the Theater" review. That's where I go to see a movie at the theater and immediately come home and a write a review for it. In case that wasn't obvious. Well, I don't go to the movies very often anymore, for many reasons. In fact, I only saw two films in the theater last year. Unfortunately, one of them was during my personal hiatus. Therefore, I didn't do a review right away. So, I thought I should have my first one of the year be about this movie, A Star is Born.
Now, I'm someone who is not necessarily a fan of remakes. In fact, I tend to dislike them quite a bit. They just usually seem pointless to me. But the truth is, it can go either way. I mean, I thought the True Grit remake was great and I liked the recent incarnation of The Magnificent Seven. On the other hand, we always have the 1999 version of The Haunting. Yeah, let's not talk about that anymore. I still feel the traumatic aftereffects of the review I did years ago. So, when I heard about yet another A Star is Born being made, I was on the fence, but I kept my eye out for it and became intrigued. So, I decided to give it a shot.
A Star is Born centers around Jackson Maine, a successful rock star played by Bradley Cooper. He is still very popular, but he is dealing with personal demons, mostly pertaining to drug and alcohol abuse. One night, he comes across a waitress and a singer-songwriter named Ally. He is quite impressed by her talent and then end up spending the night talking with each other and really opening up about themselves. Eventually, Jackson invites Ally to one of his concerts where she ends up singing on stage with him. The crowd is extremely impressed and, thus, begins Ally's ascent into stardom. You could almost say that, on that night, a star was born. Yeah, I said it.
Predictably, especially if you've seen the previous versions of this film, the relationship between Jackson and Ally deepens, but with that beautiful love story aspect, it also brings more problems for them. Jackson continues to struggle as Ally continues to thrive, and they are both going in directions that the other thinks is the wrong way. Even though we can see how they can be, in some ways, damaging to each other, we can also see how they bring out some of the best as well. In ends up making us root for them, but almost reluctantly so, because what we think is best for them may not be. And wanting the best for someone at any cost is kind of a theme in this film. The thing is, though, that you can always feel the love between them. No matter what is said or what mistakes are made, there is no doubt about the love.
Now I refuse to spoil the end for anyone who hasn't seen it, but I must admit, it is rather perfect. Mostly because it is the ending that must happen in this film. That's one thing I can always appreciate from a movie like this. If it has a real ending. It can be happy, sad, ambiguous, I don't care, as long as it's real. As long as it's true to the story. And, in this case, it is very much an authentic ending for the story being told.
Okay, so about the cast. I really liked everyone's performance in this. I was very impressed with our leads, especially. I've always enjoyed Bradley Cooper as an actor, and he was great in this, even with the added task of being the director as well. That's another thing he did a good job with. Maybe he learned something from working with Clint Eastwood about pulling double duty. In addition to that, in this version, as opposed to the others, this film seems to be more about the man than the woman. I heard a rumor that some people thought Bradley Cooper made it that way so he could ensure himself a few Oscar noms, but I don't believe that. Honestly, I think he didn't want his co-star to have to carry the weight of the whole movie on her shoulders, as she doesn't have as much film experience as him. Just a theory. Speaking of his co-star, let's talk about Lady Gaga.
I've had my ups and downs with Lady Gaga, both as an artist and as a person, but I have never denied her talent. And much like I can say she's an amazing musician, I can now say that she is an amazing actress. She really did embrace this role and made it incredibly believable. I think she had a lot in common with Ally, especially concerning her insecurities, so she was able to bring a lot of herself into the part. Not to mention the fact that she and Bradley Cooper had some phenomenal chemistry, a must for a movie like this. My one complaint is that she didn't use her real name for this. I don't know why, but I would have liked it if, just for this, she was calling herself Stefani Germanotta instead of Lady Gaga.
Aside from those two, the supporting cast was terrific, as well. We had Dave Chappelle, Anthony Ramos, Rafi Gavron and Andrew Dice Clay, who I almost didn't recognize. But of all of the supporters, the best was Sam Elliot, playing Bobby, Jackson's much older brother. He was incredible as usual and, again, the chemistry between him and Cooper was about perfect and, in some places, almost heartbreaking.
Okay, it's time to talk about the music in this music movie review. It was wonderful and for me to say that about any music that came out last year is a lot. Look, let me honest. In 2018, there were only four artists who gave me any music that I cared to listen to: Avril Lavigne, Lana Del Rey, a friend of mine who is a brilliant musician and who I will talk about later at some point, and Lady Gaga. Okay, technically, I guess it would be her and Bradley Cooper, but whatever. The point is that this music is something special, and it all felt a bit throwback and retro-y to me. Maybe that's why, even though I know the film takes place in modern times, there are many moments where it feels like we're back in the 70's which I love. Now, obviously, everyone is always talking about how great "Shallow" is, and I agree. But there are other gems as well, like "Look What I Found", "Maybe It's Time", "Always Remember Us This Way" and my personal favorite, "Is That Alright?" Yeah, if that last one snuck in with "Shallow" to also get an Oscar nom, I'd be pleased.
So, in conclusion, I really liked this latest version of A Star is Born, and I'm glad I did. As I mentioned, it takes a lot these days for me to drag myself out to the theater. I really have to want to see something and I don't want to be disappointed. Well, I was not disappointed here. I love films about music and writers and all that, and I'd consider this one of the much better ones I've seen. I highly recommend it.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
For those of you who have read this blog in the past, you'll know that I do something called a "Straight From the Theater" review. That's where I go to see a movie at the theater and immediately come home and a write a review for it. In case that wasn't obvious. Well, I don't go to the movies very often anymore, for many reasons. In fact, I only saw two films in the theater last year. Unfortunately, one of them was during my personal hiatus. Therefore, I didn't do a review right away. So, I thought I should have my first one of the year be about this movie, A Star is Born.
Now, I'm someone who is not necessarily a fan of remakes. In fact, I tend to dislike them quite a bit. They just usually seem pointless to me. But the truth is, it can go either way. I mean, I thought the True Grit remake was great and I liked the recent incarnation of The Magnificent Seven. On the other hand, we always have the 1999 version of The Haunting. Yeah, let's not talk about that anymore. I still feel the traumatic aftereffects of the review I did years ago. So, when I heard about yet another A Star is Born being made, I was on the fence, but I kept my eye out for it and became intrigued. So, I decided to give it a shot.
A Star is Born centers around Jackson Maine, a successful rock star played by Bradley Cooper. He is still very popular, but he is dealing with personal demons, mostly pertaining to drug and alcohol abuse. One night, he comes across a waitress and a singer-songwriter named Ally. He is quite impressed by her talent and then end up spending the night talking with each other and really opening up about themselves. Eventually, Jackson invites Ally to one of his concerts where she ends up singing on stage with him. The crowd is extremely impressed and, thus, begins Ally's ascent into stardom. You could almost say that, on that night, a star was born. Yeah, I said it.
Predictably, especially if you've seen the previous versions of this film, the relationship between Jackson and Ally deepens, but with that beautiful love story aspect, it also brings more problems for them. Jackson continues to struggle as Ally continues to thrive, and they are both going in directions that the other thinks is the wrong way. Even though we can see how they can be, in some ways, damaging to each other, we can also see how they bring out some of the best as well. In ends up making us root for them, but almost reluctantly so, because what we think is best for them may not be. And wanting the best for someone at any cost is kind of a theme in this film. The thing is, though, that you can always feel the love between them. No matter what is said or what mistakes are made, there is no doubt about the love.
Now I refuse to spoil the end for anyone who hasn't seen it, but I must admit, it is rather perfect. Mostly because it is the ending that must happen in this film. That's one thing I can always appreciate from a movie like this. If it has a real ending. It can be happy, sad, ambiguous, I don't care, as long as it's real. As long as it's true to the story. And, in this case, it is very much an authentic ending for the story being told.
Okay, so about the cast. I really liked everyone's performance in this. I was very impressed with our leads, especially. I've always enjoyed Bradley Cooper as an actor, and he was great in this, even with the added task of being the director as well. That's another thing he did a good job with. Maybe he learned something from working with Clint Eastwood about pulling double duty. In addition to that, in this version, as opposed to the others, this film seems to be more about the man than the woman. I heard a rumor that some people thought Bradley Cooper made it that way so he could ensure himself a few Oscar noms, but I don't believe that. Honestly, I think he didn't want his co-star to have to carry the weight of the whole movie on her shoulders, as she doesn't have as much film experience as him. Just a theory. Speaking of his co-star, let's talk about Lady Gaga.
I've had my ups and downs with Lady Gaga, both as an artist and as a person, but I have never denied her talent. And much like I can say she's an amazing musician, I can now say that she is an amazing actress. She really did embrace this role and made it incredibly believable. I think she had a lot in common with Ally, especially concerning her insecurities, so she was able to bring a lot of herself into the part. Not to mention the fact that she and Bradley Cooper had some phenomenal chemistry, a must for a movie like this. My one complaint is that she didn't use her real name for this. I don't know why, but I would have liked it if, just for this, she was calling herself Stefani Germanotta instead of Lady Gaga.
Aside from those two, the supporting cast was terrific, as well. We had Dave Chappelle, Anthony Ramos, Rafi Gavron and Andrew Dice Clay, who I almost didn't recognize. But of all of the supporters, the best was Sam Elliot, playing Bobby, Jackson's much older brother. He was incredible as usual and, again, the chemistry between him and Cooper was about perfect and, in some places, almost heartbreaking.
Okay, it's time to talk about the music in this music movie review. It was wonderful and for me to say that about any music that came out last year is a lot. Look, let me honest. In 2018, there were only four artists who gave me any music that I cared to listen to: Avril Lavigne, Lana Del Rey, a friend of mine who is a brilliant musician and who I will talk about later at some point, and Lady Gaga. Okay, technically, I guess it would be her and Bradley Cooper, but whatever. The point is that this music is something special, and it all felt a bit throwback and retro-y to me. Maybe that's why, even though I know the film takes place in modern times, there are many moments where it feels like we're back in the 70's which I love. Now, obviously, everyone is always talking about how great "Shallow" is, and I agree. But there are other gems as well, like "Look What I Found", "Maybe It's Time", "Always Remember Us This Way" and my personal favorite, "Is That Alright?" Yeah, if that last one snuck in with "Shallow" to also get an Oscar nom, I'd be pleased.
So, in conclusion, I really liked this latest version of A Star is Born, and I'm glad I did. As I mentioned, it takes a lot these days for me to drag myself out to the theater. I really have to want to see something and I don't want to be disappointed. Well, I was not disappointed here. I love films about music and writers and all that, and I'd consider this one of the much better ones I've seen. I highly recommend it.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
New Year, New Beginnings
Greetings,
It has been a while. I think about six months. So, to all of my regular readers, I apologize, but things have been happening. Or not happening. Depending on how you look at it. I'll explain.
The last time I posted was back in June, where I talked about how I felt I had maybe lost my passion for writing this blog. I think I did, but that's what happens in life sometimes. I also had been going through some personal things that made me not want to do much writing of any kind. However, things are getting better. They're not perfect, but I am surviving. Now I'm going to start seeing what I'm going to do with my life.
So, what I am going to try to do is get back into blogging again. I'm not sure if it will continue, as I am not sure if I truly am meant to do it anymore. And I don't want to do anything that I am not passionate about. In the meantime, I made a few changes to things I have already posted, some small, some huge. I basically took out a lot of what I had done to see if I can concentrate on being more focused on what I'm going to do here. I just took out a lot of filler that I added during times where I was posting just to say that I posted. I pretty much left up all the entertainment stuff, reviews and all that, because that's what my focus was to begin with. Anyway, like I said, we'll see. If I'm supposed to keep doing this, I will. If not, then no.
The point is this. I have so much to look forward to this year. After everything I went through, I am looking to change my life for the better in so many ways, something I've already starting doing.
I look forward to all the good that will happen in 2019. Whether it's here on this blog or elsewhere, I trust that those good things will come.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
It has been a while. I think about six months. So, to all of my regular readers, I apologize, but things have been happening. Or not happening. Depending on how you look at it. I'll explain.
The last time I posted was back in June, where I talked about how I felt I had maybe lost my passion for writing this blog. I think I did, but that's what happens in life sometimes. I also had been going through some personal things that made me not want to do much writing of any kind. However, things are getting better. They're not perfect, but I am surviving. Now I'm going to start seeing what I'm going to do with my life.
So, what I am going to try to do is get back into blogging again. I'm not sure if it will continue, as I am not sure if I truly am meant to do it anymore. And I don't want to do anything that I am not passionate about. In the meantime, I made a few changes to things I have already posted, some small, some huge. I basically took out a lot of what I had done to see if I can concentrate on being more focused on what I'm going to do here. I just took out a lot of filler that I added during times where I was posting just to say that I posted. I pretty much left up all the entertainment stuff, reviews and all that, because that's what my focus was to begin with. Anyway, like I said, we'll see. If I'm supposed to keep doing this, I will. If not, then no.
The point is this. I have so much to look forward to this year. After everything I went through, I am looking to change my life for the better in so many ways, something I've already starting doing.
I look forward to all the good that will happen in 2019. Whether it's here on this blog or elsewhere, I trust that those good things will come.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Monday, June 18, 2018
With or Without Passion
Greetings,
I decided to check this blog the other day and I saw that I haven't posted in a while. And in the interim, I haven't really even thought about this blog of mine. That made a question arise in my mind - Have I lost my passion for this? Then, another question - Should I even do this if I have?
Don't get me wrong. I know there are a ton of things we do in life without passion. But those tend to be the things we have to do, whether we like it or not. This blog, however, is not something I am required to, nor have I ever been. I have always written this blog just for fun. I started off with that intention and I have kept it. True, I wanted to share my opinions on trivial pop culture things and things that lean more in the direction of high art. And yes, I'll admit it, I was hoping that the writing I did on here might lead to bigger and better things as far as my career goes. But in the end, I just wanted it to be something I could do and enjoy.
After a while, that is exactly what it became. I did enjoy writing this blog, and soon enough, I even became passionate about it. I worked hard when I put these posts together, some times more than others, but I really cared about what I was giving to the public. After a while, though, I stopped caring as much. I would just post things that I threw together at the last minute and I'm not sure they were up to any kind of standard. And that makes me disappointed in myself. As I've often said, I know I don't have a ton of readers who come here, but I am extremely grateful for those who do. And I do NOT want to give any of those people crap to read, not when they take their valuable time to see what I'm doing. It's not fair, and frankly, it's disrespectful to them. To you, who are reading this right now. If I'm going to write something for people to read, whether it's my books or this or anything I put out there, I want it to be the best it can be. And I'm not sure if I've been doing that lately.
So, the question arises again, should I keep doing this if I have no passion to do it? For now, I think the answer is no. Now, I have not lost my passion for writing at all. In fact, it has been all the work I've been doing on my numerous other writing projects that have kept me away from this blog on a regular basis. And I tried. I tried to get on a set schedule for my posts, but then, it became something of a chore. A chore that I felt obligated to do, rather than something I had a great time doing, which was once the case. And while I do consider all of my writing to be my job and the most important work of my life, all the other writing I've been doing has also been very fulfilling. This? Not so much.
Therefore, I've made a decision where this blog is concerned. I am stepping away for a while. Maybe a long while. Maybe for good. Like I said, I'm not as passionate about it as I once was and since the only one making me write here is myself, I think it would be best if I stopped. At least, for now. Will I come back? I might. I might try to get back into it again. Whether or not I will or if that will lead to anything else or if I will continue at that time, I don't know. I just know that I want to write for the right reasons. And it has to be the right reasons for me and for the writing itself. When I write, whatever I write, I want to put my heart and my soul into it. I should expect nothing less from myself or for myself.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
I decided to check this blog the other day and I saw that I haven't posted in a while. And in the interim, I haven't really even thought about this blog of mine. That made a question arise in my mind - Have I lost my passion for this? Then, another question - Should I even do this if I have?
Don't get me wrong. I know there are a ton of things we do in life without passion. But those tend to be the things we have to do, whether we like it or not. This blog, however, is not something I am required to, nor have I ever been. I have always written this blog just for fun. I started off with that intention and I have kept it. True, I wanted to share my opinions on trivial pop culture things and things that lean more in the direction of high art. And yes, I'll admit it, I was hoping that the writing I did on here might lead to bigger and better things as far as my career goes. But in the end, I just wanted it to be something I could do and enjoy.
After a while, that is exactly what it became. I did enjoy writing this blog, and soon enough, I even became passionate about it. I worked hard when I put these posts together, some times more than others, but I really cared about what I was giving to the public. After a while, though, I stopped caring as much. I would just post things that I threw together at the last minute and I'm not sure they were up to any kind of standard. And that makes me disappointed in myself. As I've often said, I know I don't have a ton of readers who come here, but I am extremely grateful for those who do. And I do NOT want to give any of those people crap to read, not when they take their valuable time to see what I'm doing. It's not fair, and frankly, it's disrespectful to them. To you, who are reading this right now. If I'm going to write something for people to read, whether it's my books or this or anything I put out there, I want it to be the best it can be. And I'm not sure if I've been doing that lately.
So, the question arises again, should I keep doing this if I have no passion to do it? For now, I think the answer is no. Now, I have not lost my passion for writing at all. In fact, it has been all the work I've been doing on my numerous other writing projects that have kept me away from this blog on a regular basis. And I tried. I tried to get on a set schedule for my posts, but then, it became something of a chore. A chore that I felt obligated to do, rather than something I had a great time doing, which was once the case. And while I do consider all of my writing to be my job and the most important work of my life, all the other writing I've been doing has also been very fulfilling. This? Not so much.
Therefore, I've made a decision where this blog is concerned. I am stepping away for a while. Maybe a long while. Maybe for good. Like I said, I'm not as passionate about it as I once was and since the only one making me write here is myself, I think it would be best if I stopped. At least, for now. Will I come back? I might. I might try to get back into it again. Whether or not I will or if that will lead to anything else or if I will continue at that time, I don't know. I just know that I want to write for the right reasons. And it has to be the right reasons for me and for the writing itself. When I write, whatever I write, I want to put my heart and my soul into it. I should expect nothing less from myself or for myself.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Monday, May 14, 2018
Inspired To Kill - TV Movie Review
Greetings,
Everyone knows I love a good movie about writers. What you may not know is that I also love Lifetime movies. Now what do you think happens when you put those two things together? That's right. You get a very happy ME! So, I decided to pick one of the writer/Lifetime movies to discuss here today, and the winner is . . . Inspired to Kill. Get it? Inspired? Because writing! Also, someone is probably going to die. Let's do this.
Inspired To Kill is a 2017 TV movie about a woman named Kara, played by Karissa Lee Staples. After a personal tragedy, she decides to move far from home to get a fresh start and also pursue a career as a writer. When she arrives, she meets another woman named, Charlie, played Olivia D'Abo (YAY!), who rents Kara a room and gives her a job at her local coffee shop. Kara also meets a myriad of other people, ranging from a nice guy at work named Jason (Matthew Atkinson) to an obnoxious guy at work named Tony (Daniel Booko) to an extremely skeezy professor (Jay Pickett) who teaches her writing class . . . and who wants to teach her other things, apparently. Ick. So, yeah, things are a bit hit or miss with her in the 'new friends' department.
But then one day, by pure chance, she becomes acquainted with a handsome stranger and fellow writer named Paul, played by Antonio Sabato Jr. They immediately hit it off and begin spending all their time together, although, he remains an allusive mystery to all the people in Kara's life. Ironically, at the same time, people start dropping dead around her. Is it a coincidence or is it something more sinister and close to home? Now if there's one thing we've learned in the history of Lifetime movies, it is that we must always be suspicious of the mysterious, handsome stranger and keep him at a safe distance. (And yet, so many Loki fangirls in the world.) But is that answer too obvious? I don't know. I guess you'll have to watch it. Yeah, this is the hard part about reviewing a movie that has a mystery to it. You can only say so much.
I will say, speaking of the plot, I enjoyed the interesting twists, and, whilst variations on said twists may have been done before, I liked the way that they put the whole thing together. I know some people aren't wild about the often predictable conclusions of movies like this, but to be fair, they put in multiple predictable conclusions, so you're constantly going back and forth trying to figure out which one they're gonna use. At least, I was. And the one they chose, I was quite satisfied with.
Along with all that, I also liked the acting here. Everyone did a good job with the material and played their parts well. Obviously, as you can tell by the aforementioned "YAY!", I love me some Olivia D'Abo, and I was really impressed by the young leading lady, Karissa Lee Staples, who I had never seen in anything before, but now I'm kind of interested in seeing what else she can do. Oh, and if these two don't do another movie wherein they play sisters or something, I will be very upset. Because they look SO MUCH alike.
Inspired to Kill is pretty much everything you want in a Lifetime movie. It's fun and entertaining and a bit over the top at moments. But again, that's what we want. And it's about writers, which just adds another sprinkle of awesome. So, if you're into these kind of movies, this is definitely one you'll want to check out.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Everyone knows I love a good movie about writers. What you may not know is that I also love Lifetime movies. Now what do you think happens when you put those two things together? That's right. You get a very happy ME! So, I decided to pick one of the writer/Lifetime movies to discuss here today, and the winner is . . . Inspired to Kill. Get it? Inspired? Because writing! Also, someone is probably going to die. Let's do this.
Inspired To Kill is a 2017 TV movie about a woman named Kara, played by Karissa Lee Staples. After a personal tragedy, she decides to move far from home to get a fresh start and also pursue a career as a writer. When she arrives, she meets another woman named, Charlie, played Olivia D'Abo (YAY!), who rents Kara a room and gives her a job at her local coffee shop. Kara also meets a myriad of other people, ranging from a nice guy at work named Jason (Matthew Atkinson) to an obnoxious guy at work named Tony (Daniel Booko) to an extremely skeezy professor (Jay Pickett) who teaches her writing class . . . and who wants to teach her other things, apparently. Ick. So, yeah, things are a bit hit or miss with her in the 'new friends' department.
But then one day, by pure chance, she becomes acquainted with a handsome stranger and fellow writer named Paul, played by Antonio Sabato Jr. They immediately hit it off and begin spending all their time together, although, he remains an allusive mystery to all the people in Kara's life. Ironically, at the same time, people start dropping dead around her. Is it a coincidence or is it something more sinister and close to home? Now if there's one thing we've learned in the history of Lifetime movies, it is that we must always be suspicious of the mysterious, handsome stranger and keep him at a safe distance. (And yet, so many Loki fangirls in the world.) But is that answer too obvious? I don't know. I guess you'll have to watch it. Yeah, this is the hard part about reviewing a movie that has a mystery to it. You can only say so much.
I will say, speaking of the plot, I enjoyed the interesting twists, and, whilst variations on said twists may have been done before, I liked the way that they put the whole thing together. I know some people aren't wild about the often predictable conclusions of movies like this, but to be fair, they put in multiple predictable conclusions, so you're constantly going back and forth trying to figure out which one they're gonna use. At least, I was. And the one they chose, I was quite satisfied with.
Along with all that, I also liked the acting here. Everyone did a good job with the material and played their parts well. Obviously, as you can tell by the aforementioned "YAY!", I love me some Olivia D'Abo, and I was really impressed by the young leading lady, Karissa Lee Staples, who I had never seen in anything before, but now I'm kind of interested in seeing what else she can do. Oh, and if these two don't do another movie wherein they play sisters or something, I will be very upset. Because they look SO MUCH alike.
Inspired to Kill is pretty much everything you want in a Lifetime movie. It's fun and entertaining and a bit over the top at moments. But again, that's what we want. And it's about writers, which just adds another sprinkle of awesome. So, if you're into these kind of movies, this is definitely one you'll want to check out.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Monday, May 7, 2018
Tale Foundry - YouTube Channel Review
Greetings,
There are a million stories out there that have been told a million times over the years, the decades, the centuries. Most of us have heard them all and might have trouble finding interest in them anymore, even if the stories themselves remaining interesting. Therefore, we must rely on the special ones among us to find a new and creative way to relay those stories to the masses and make us embrace them and get lost in them once again. Enter Tale Foundry.
"If fiction were a material, we would be its manufacturing plant."
This quote appears on the Patreon page for Tale Foundry, and I would say it's pretty darn accurate, especially after I've watched and listened to so much of their work. This is another of the YouTube channels that I inadvertently came across whilst I was looking for other things. Probably urban legend stuff and whatnot. Anyway, one of their videos came up on under "Recommended" and I decided to give it a shot.
Well, I am so glad I did that, because I'm so delighted by what I found. I'm always delighted when I find people who embrace creativity and ingenuity the way that this channel has done. And it's hard, especially now, to be so imaginative and original with our ideas, but they have certainly managed to do that.
So, let me explain how things work at The Foundry. They generally do three part series and also some list videos, both on specific subjects. And if you've read this blog, you know I love me a good list. Anyway, they choose a topic, something from literature or a mythos or folklore from a certain country or whatever they want, and they create three videos. In the first two, they tell you and show you all the information they can on the chosen topic of the day, obviously through words and some artwork. In the third video, they share an original short story inspired by said topic. And that is why I love this channel so much.
There are so many places on the internet that you can go and find facts about whatever subject you want, but they can often be a bit dry and cold. Tale Foundry has found a way to do the exact opposite of that, but, by way of the short stories they write, they also are showing us how we can be inspired by what has come before us. And, as a writer, I find that to be an extremely valuable.
Now I suppose I should discuss the visual aesthetics of Tale Foundry, as they are videos to be looked at. They seem to have kind of a steampunk thing going on, with muted, sepia tones and some images of cogs, which I love, by the way. They also have some artwork in there, as I mentioned, which has a bit of simplicity to it at some points, but when you look closer, it can go deeper. Basically, a lot of it is the epitome of the idea that it takes a lot of effort to make something look effortless. And then, there's the robot that we get to see. Yes, I said robot and he's awesome. He tells us the stories from the actual factory that is Tale Foundry, where he works with a few "humans". I think I got all that right, but just to be safe, go and check it out for yourself. Having said that, I'll wrap up this little review.
I love people who love to be creative and who just dive headfirst into it. Tale Foundry is exactly that. They have grabbed hold of their imaginations and turned them up to eleven. You can see how much heart and soul and effort and work goes into what they do, and as a fellow artist, I am so appreciative of that. I think there's a lot of flippancy in the world of content creators, and so many of them seem to not care very much about what they put out. Well, that is not the case with this channel. They clearly care and love what they do. And for this reason, I have chosen to support them in this small way. I do hope that what I've said about Tale Foundry today will inspire you to go and see the amazing work that they are doing.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Tale-Foundry-Channel
There are a million stories out there that have been told a million times over the years, the decades, the centuries. Most of us have heard them all and might have trouble finding interest in them anymore, even if the stories themselves remaining interesting. Therefore, we must rely on the special ones among us to find a new and creative way to relay those stories to the masses and make us embrace them and get lost in them once again. Enter Tale Foundry.
"If fiction were a material, we would be its manufacturing plant."
This quote appears on the Patreon page for Tale Foundry, and I would say it's pretty darn accurate, especially after I've watched and listened to so much of their work. This is another of the YouTube channels that I inadvertently came across whilst I was looking for other things. Probably urban legend stuff and whatnot. Anyway, one of their videos came up on under "Recommended" and I decided to give it a shot.
Well, I am so glad I did that, because I'm so delighted by what I found. I'm always delighted when I find people who embrace creativity and ingenuity the way that this channel has done. And it's hard, especially now, to be so imaginative and original with our ideas, but they have certainly managed to do that.
So, let me explain how things work at The Foundry. They generally do three part series and also some list videos, both on specific subjects. And if you've read this blog, you know I love me a good list. Anyway, they choose a topic, something from literature or a mythos or folklore from a certain country or whatever they want, and they create three videos. In the first two, they tell you and show you all the information they can on the chosen topic of the day, obviously through words and some artwork. In the third video, they share an original short story inspired by said topic. And that is why I love this channel so much.
There are so many places on the internet that you can go and find facts about whatever subject you want, but they can often be a bit dry and cold. Tale Foundry has found a way to do the exact opposite of that, but, by way of the short stories they write, they also are showing us how we can be inspired by what has come before us. And, as a writer, I find that to be an extremely valuable.
Now I suppose I should discuss the visual aesthetics of Tale Foundry, as they are videos to be looked at. They seem to have kind of a steampunk thing going on, with muted, sepia tones and some images of cogs, which I love, by the way. They also have some artwork in there, as I mentioned, which has a bit of simplicity to it at some points, but when you look closer, it can go deeper. Basically, a lot of it is the epitome of the idea that it takes a lot of effort to make something look effortless. And then, there's the robot that we get to see. Yes, I said robot and he's awesome. He tells us the stories from the actual factory that is Tale Foundry, where he works with a few "humans". I think I got all that right, but just to be safe, go and check it out for yourself. Having said that, I'll wrap up this little review.
I love people who love to be creative and who just dive headfirst into it. Tale Foundry is exactly that. They have grabbed hold of their imaginations and turned them up to eleven. You can see how much heart and soul and effort and work goes into what they do, and as a fellow artist, I am so appreciative of that. I think there's a lot of flippancy in the world of content creators, and so many of them seem to not care very much about what they put out. Well, that is not the case with this channel. They clearly care and love what they do. And for this reason, I have chosen to support them in this small way. I do hope that what I've said about Tale Foundry today will inspire you to go and see the amazing work that they are doing.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
Tale-Foundry-Channel
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