"Avatar" by James Cameron

Image via Wikipedia

This blog is two weeks in the making. First let me inform you that I am giving myself a few extra months for this vampireathon reading frenzy. Today I am going to give my two sense on a few things I have seen and heard.
In the past few weeks. First up the movie Avatar by famed director James Cameron

Avatar: Rating- 3.5/5
   Let's state the obvious here, this isn't a movie you want to see for the plot. In fact, the plot is the same sort of war story plot you would expect to see. Two actors that do the best job in the movie are the ones who would be considered side kicks. Sigourney Weaver and the 3D model warrior lady, Neytiri, voiced by Zoey Salanda, are what pull this movie from the depths of awful. Sigourney's role as the PETA like tree hugger is convincing. She produces a visceral emotion for the audience to connect with the natives. While this connection is strengthened by Jake and Neytiri's connection, ultimately Sigourney is the one who makes us like the natives of this strange world. Neytiri as is an additional character who pulls up this film from awful to okay. Her emotional weight in her actions
gave me a reason to watch. Particularly the scenes where Jake is in his
avatar body. She echoes the truths that humanoids no matter how
"simple" their ways might seem to an advanced society. Which shoots at
the heart of the movie; you might be a simple person,
but you are still a person and deserve to have your rights. Which is an
annoying part of this movie. It seems that in most of these
"big bad meanie" movies the director leaves out the other side.
An author would be shot for a thing like this treachery, but Cameron
is given a pass? Hell no, BAD Director, no soup for you. A "stupid natives"
and "we need energy" reason for annihilating half a race is not cool. Even
though I didn't need another hour of explanation, in a three hour movie,
I have to feel more. We enter in medias res, of the conflict. But James
doesn't dig down deep enough for the whole history of the conflict.
We see images of the conflict's past parceled out in the movie,
but we don't get the whole picture. A little deeper into the why,
would have greatly helped this movie.
   On to the main reason I went to see this movie.
The Balls To The Walls Graphics. Yes Sir, Every nerdtastic bone in my
body tingled. Like a 13 year old boy in Spanish Class, with a boner,
I did not want to leave my seat. The setting is real. The feel of the
movie is perfect. The orchestra score is great too. Everything in this movie
clicked except the plot believability. Maybe next time James.
P.S. Michelle Rodriguez needs to be the gruff solider in every movie. Also
expect to see Joel Moore pop up in more movies, he did a good job.

Stay tuned next week for my review of "The Princess and the Frog",
   The White Rabbit

Vampire Reading List

     I am planning an all out assault on Vampire themed literature. Everything from romance to horror to every genre in between will be read. I have compiled a list of the books I am trying to complete before June 11. I like to end where I start date wise. My plan for this vampire reading frenzy started while I was chewing on my daily carrot.Noses don't stay healthy by themselves, ya know. Anyways, I am writing a vampire novel in August, hopefully, so I decided to dive into the world of fictional research. Here is the list of books I will attempt to blaze through before June 11th. 

"Some Girls Bite" by Chloe Neill- 341 pages

"Lucifer's Flood" by Linda Rios Brooks- 296 pages 

(OK! Not a vampire book, but Lucifer is in it)

"Blood Groove" by Alex Bledsoe- 300 pages

Dead Until Dark series written by Charaline Harris- 2147 pages

Twilight Series written by Stephanie Myers- 2530 pages

"Dracula" by Bram Stoker- 795 pages

"Dracula: The Un-dead" By Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt- 432 pages

    For all of you whipping out your calculators let me do the math for you.

That is 6,841 pages in five months. Now lets assume that each page has 320 words roughly, 
that is 2,189,120 words. Wow! But simple human I am The White Rabbit escaper of worlds 
and writer of fantasy. But wait some final math for you: I have to read and digest about 14595 words a day, which comes out to about 45 pages a day,using the 320 words as a word count on page page base. 

   
   So there is the gauntlet 2 million words in five months. Anyone would surely crumble under these odd but I will persevere. Yes, insanity and vampire dreams here I come. 
Until Next Time my Friends,

The White Rabbit

P.S. I will give a review of the book I am reading that week at the mid-point and end of the novel. Until the first review look for comments on the Fantasy World and other such topics. 

Current Novel Project: I Eat Radioactive Bars...Not Pickles

Word Count: 40,144/80,00

Link of the Day:  http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/ A Sales guy who works in publishing industry runs this blog. Good insight into his life and the writing market. Check it out. No, Seriously, 
Check it out.

Introductory Blog

Welcome to the New And Improved Blog: Down The Rabbit Hole. And yes I know the "the"is supposed to be capitalized (rasberry). I am your Fantasy/Sci-Fi host "The White Rabbit". Yes as in the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. The rabbit for me is a representation of what the sci-fi and fantasy genre should be modeled after. Let me explain, every time you read that vampire novel, knowing that a stake to the heart is goingto kill said villain; a little bit of that joy of reading this genre dies. Predictability and lack of orginality kill my joy in reading the book. Or it makes the book to me a"turn off the brain" book.I realize that writers/authors/bestsellers have a code of following the same story. But can't you guys add just a little twist.


    Take Ann Rice, for example, she redefined the vampire novel. Her characters weren't the evil monsters, well sort of, they were represented as in Dracula."Interview with a Vampire"is a good example of my point, go read the book it is your starting point for all vampire quieries. What could be more normal than interviewing with a reporter. She successful took a monster and made it interesting. She humanized a dangerous being who we all feared would come into our window's
at night,and suck us dry.


    This is what seperates for me a good book from a "turn off the brain" book of sci-fi/fantasy. Does your book rehash previous laid out lore. Or does it create it's own lore. Good authors make their own path, they down walk down the worn track.


    In no way do I profess to be perfect, but I believe that my point of view on this genre is a good one to have. Because come on guys, how many more times can we read about a vampire being vaporized in the sunlight as some sort of punishment.


    So in conculsion, this blog will be about three things. One, my various viewpoints on the genre and writing in general. Two, my writing aspirations as a hopeful writer. And three, anything I deem revelant to the craft of writing.Note: every blog I will update you on what project am working on. I will also feed your writing soul with tasty links. If I add anything else content wise (that is ground breaking to the blog) I will add it to this introductory blog.



Enjoy your trip Down the Rabbit Hole,
MWHAHAHAHAHAH (rubs hands together),
The White Rabbit

Nanowrimo 2009

    It has been a whole year since I posted a blog entry. Here is why. I did not feel a 100% confident as a effective writer. I half-heartedly put up the first post with all intentions of making it better later. Then Nanowrimo 2009 came along and renewed my confidence in my writing ability. Also giving me the boldness to say, if you don't like my voice, screw you buddy. Even though I failed Nano '09 hitting 37k/50k, Nano gave me the confidence to take my career as a writer up a level. A level of professionalism I thought I would never achieve.
    I feel now, as a real writer, that I can create a writing schedule and stick to it. It is a great feeling. My focus has also been revitalized as an artist. Like Monet, I need to create consistently to think of myself as an effective writer. I started retaking my ADD medication, which brought my brain into focus for the first time in years, as refocusing the artist inside of me. And because of this new found focus I am artistic again at least in my head and I feel complete as an person I am now, fully ready to re-tackle the scary world of writing.




Blog at you soon,
The White Rabbit



Current working novel: I Eat Radioactive Bars...Not Pickles
Quick summary of novel: A lot of superheroes falling in and out of love in a cluster 
field of emotions.
WordCount Update: 40,144/80,000 words






Link of the day: http://queryshark.blogspot.com/   A brutally honest blog about quierying literary agents. It's Fun for the whole family. Her reactions are just hilarious sometimes. If you are planning on writing a query letter to an agent read this blog first.