Category: Blog
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First Sketch of Joseph Zadkiel from Souls Triumphant
This is the first sketch of Joe from my novel, Souls Triumphant, back when it was just a short story in my creative writing class at Illinois State University. This sketch is from the 1998 journal I used in the class to flesh out ideas.
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Think Again by Adam Grant – A Book Review
I chose to read Adam Grant’s Think Again after hearing Angela Duckworth mention it on No Stupid Questions. In Think Again, Grant challenges the reader to reconsider the thinking process. He provides ample evidence to reinforce the idea that thinking should not be a fixed exercise. The ability to change an opinion, the willingness to…
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Tenet – A Movie Review
I wish I could say to you that Tenet is an intellectual masterpiece, that Christopher Nolan has broken with cinematic convention to such a degree that he has essentially reinvented the medium, and that the story is so complex it works as the equivalent of a Russian doll. I wish I could say all of…
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Star Wars: Light of the Jedi (The High Republic) – A Book Review
I must admit that I wasn’t that excited to hear about “The High Republic” campaign. This new Star Wars onslaught is set 200 years before the prequels and explores the Star Wars galaxy at a time when the Jedi were at their most powerful and the Republic was at its most efficient. I call it…
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Godzilla vs. Kong – A Movie Review
It’s all in the title, right? Let’s start with the positives–the special effects in Godzilla vs. Kong are spectacular. You see every hair on Kong’s body, every scale on Godzilla’s face. It really is very impressive. Also, when the two behemoths clash, it is epic. The falling buildings, the crashing waves, the displaced earth–they’ve got…
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Derry Girls – A Few Thoughts
A friend once recommended that I give Netflix’s Derry Girls a try and, frankly, it didn’t do much for me. I watched the first episode and didn’t get it. However, we then saw several of the stars appear on The Great British Baking Show, and they were hilarious. I decided to try the show again…
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Emma. – A Movie Review
After truly enjoying Little Women with my wife and daughters, I thought Emma. might be another hit with the family. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we never quite got around to watching it. My wife and I noticed that it was now available on HBO MAX, so at around ten o’clock at night, after the…
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The Turn Of the Screw By Henry James – A Book Review
Pictured above is my actual copy of The Turn Of the Screw by Henry James. I bought it in the early 1990s at my local Walmart when they had a 2 for $1 special going on. Yes, even in high school, I loved books and read them for the pure joy of it. This book…
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Zack Snyder’s Justice League
As I said with my original Justice League review, I’m going to like a Justice League movie no matter what. I’ve loved these particular characters since I was a small child reading comic books and watching Super Friends. But, even with that stated, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a vastly superior version of what came…