melworks | Entries tagged with pimping

Today, I went and saw The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. I would like to stress that I am NOT in this movie's targeted demographic. I am not a retiree. However, I still thought it was a wonderful movie. The cast is stellar, the story is entertaining and the setting is lush without being overwhelming.
On the Melworks Scale of Movie Love, I'd give it a seven. Definitely worth paying full price to see and worth seeing again.

This webcomic may be relevant to some of your interests:

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/archive/ete_title_page/

More later! - MEL

So, I have finished my final edit of The Book of Doom.
It's formatted as well as I can get it this side of looking at the converted text on Kindle, ePub, etc.
I am actually going to be publishing it this June.
Holy. Crap.
*faints*

I just finished reading The Hunger Games and am surprised at how much I liked it. It definitely gets a thumbs up from yours truly.

So, I've been banging my head against the wall on this story I've been working on. Honestly, I'm at the point where I think it might just be more productive to stick it in my 'Unfinished' file and maybe pull it back out in a month or two. Took a break from it today, and jotted off a fun little flashfic called "Raiders of the Fourth Wall" that I've sent off to 365tomorrows. Somehow, I don't think this one will make their cut, but you never know.
Still no word from any of the agents I queries, but no rejection letters from Tor or Flash Fiction Online either. So I suppose that's something. Right?
In other, nonwriting news, last night I went and explored some of my old podcasting haunts. Thank God for www.sonicsociety.com and their links, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to find any of my old faves. The podcast world seems to have calmed down quite a bit, but a lot of the best are still producing shows. So, something to look forward to in the future, when the wordtanks are on empty again.
Now, I'm off to work on something else. Wish me luck!
More later - MEL

I like Miyazaki films. I enjoy them a great deal and when that fine old gentlemen passes on from this mortal coil, our world will be genuinely diminished.
I also liked The Borrowers, the first in a children's series written by the wonderful Mary Gentle. The books were all about little people living under the floors and behind the walls of people's houses, borrowing what they needed to survive. As an eight-year old, I can clearly remember devouring the books.
So, it was with a certain sense of anticipation that I went and saw The Secret World of Arrietty. I'd heard that Miyazaki had to make some creative changes to the story for marketing purposes; setting it in Japan and beefing up the human/Arrietty relationship. Otherwise, it was supposed to stick largely to the original story.
And it did.
Perhaps the thing that gave me the oddest sense of disassociation from the original stories was the presentation of Arrietty's father, Pod. I've always pictured Pod as a rather rotund, practical gentleman. In the movie, he's a buff working-man type. Which, I'll admit, makes a lot of sense given the fact that he and his family must remain self-sufficient. Still, I found myself missing the Pod as described in the books.
That is, honestly, my biggest complaint about this movie. And I wouldn't even call it a proper complaint.
All in all, I'd give The Secret World of Arrietty a six on the Melworks Scale of Movie Love. If you're looking for a good family night out, then I can definitely recommend this movie.

So, this past Monday Scyfy launched its "powerhouse Monday" or whatever they're calling it. This meant the return of favorite shows such as Eureka and Warehouse 13, as well as introducing new show, Alphas.

Overall, the season premier of Eureka was okay. I'd give it a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10. They really need to wrap up the whole time-travel subplot or do something with it besides giving Jo angst. The wedding bit was funny and Fargo was surprisingly bad ass. Still, as season premier's go, it felt a bit blah.

Warehouse 13 was a fun little ride. Loved the opening bit, where the team is dealing with Hendrix's guitar. The new guy, Agent Jencks, is an interesting character. And did anyone doubt that Micah would be back? That said, it was peculiar that she would listen to any lifestyle advice given to her by H.G. Wells. All in all, I'd give this ep a good 7 out of 10. I would have given it an 8, but Pete's hair was really bothering me. It looked shellacked.

Alphas is the new kid on the block. Even before it premiered, people were sort of hoping it would be a better version of Heroes. Eh. I think those guys might be disappointed. The plot was interesting, but I didn't really like the characters. I don't know if I'll bother to watch future eps or not. I'd give it a 4 out of 10, and that's being generous.

Finally, I managed to catch the premier of Torchwood: Miracle Day on Starz the other night. Very well done! The asshole CIA agent was a bit much and I don't get how he has any authority to deport Torchwood to the U.S. Gwen, as always, rocked. Captain Jack? Eh. He was a bit flat this episode. Really liked the character of Ester, though. As for Bill Pullman? I'm undecided. I just didn't buy his character as a murdering pedophile. It might help if the man was capable of more than one facial expression. Overall, I'd give it about a 6.5 out of 10. I'm looking forward to this Friday's episode, but not as much as I'm looking forward to the next Warehouse 13.

Overall though, it's been a pretty decent week for genre shows.

Heh. Went to the job interview yesterday, only it wasn't really an interview. The lady who I spoke with, Christina, spent about five minutes telling me what I'd be doing, which basically amounts to answering phones and shutting down the office. And then we were done. She didn't ask me anything about my history or work experience.
Eh. *shrug* Whatever. It's two hours a day from four to six. If I get it, cool. If not? Still cool.
On a related note, I got a very nice e-mail from the SuperPornStore that I applied at. I forget if I mentioned it here, but there's a SuperPornStore that was looking for part-time help between 7:30 PM and 2:30 AM. Alas, I will not be working there, as they didn't think I was qualified to handle fake peni, massage oils and lingerie. Oh, if only they knew!
Going downtown today to sign paperwork to keep the Condo of Doom on the property listings for another three months. Gonna hang out down there for a while too, as I have a showing today at 5:00, and another one tomorrow at 4:00. At this point in the game, I'd even accept a decent low-ball offer, as long as it covered what I owe on the mortgage.
And, yeah, now I'm off to update

earthgamma.
More later. - MEL

So, I have a part-time job interview lined up tomorrow. I got the call for the interview like twenty minutes after I e-mailed my resume to the poster. It's not much of a part-time job, just ten hours a week, from 4 to 6, but it'll get me out of the house. It's reception, so it involves greeting people and answering phones. Not exactly brain tasking activities, but who needs that?

I shall have to get my hair cut tomorrow, and remember to shave. And I'm not wearing a tie, although I dithered on that for a little while. I'll go corporate casual. That should be good enough for the interview.

I've hit a blank on the story and am seriously thinking I need to start doing a rewrite. Le sigh.

Ironically, things are ticking along over on

earthgamma. The war in Luxembourg continues, but things are getting hairy back in the States as California erupts into violence.

And, finally, I'm meeting my realtor downtown this Wednesday to maintain the Condo of Doom on the real estate listing. Joy.

More later. - MEL

I've got another condo showing lined up for today. They're coming by at 4:30, so I'm making sure I'm out of here at 4:00. Interestingly enough, my realtor mentioned that some people object to my condo being so close to the dumpsters.
Huh?
Why on earth would that be a problem? It doesn't stink or anything and it's bloody useful having the thing right outside your door in the winter.
People are wierd.
In other news,

earthgamma has been updated, so mosy on over and take a peek.
More later. - MEL

This probably won't be news to most of the flist, but Good Omens will be coming to the small screen. Since the production crew includes members of Monty Python, I hope that the comedy remains intact.
If you haven't had a chance, pop on over to www.bitey.com, and check out the Brackenwood movies. They're short animations, only about seven of them, but they're very cool. I can't decide if my favorite is "Yuyus" or "Waterlollies."
I just finished reading the latest Thursday Next novel, One of Our Thursdays is Missing, and was somewhat amused by the depiction of Fan Fiction in the Bookworld. That said, sadly, the book was a bit of a slog.
Off now, to have a spot of dinner and then defeat the aliens!
More later. - MEL

So, I got my hot little hands on Patrick Rothfus's new book, The Wise Man Fears, which is a sequal to The Name of the Wind. I got it yesterday and I'm already halfway through it.
Yes, I think it's that good.
So, if you're looking for something good to read, check it out at your local bookshop.
More later. - MEL

Things I have enjoyed listening to lately:

In the Gloaming
This is an excellent podcast that I recently discovered courtesy of The Sonic Society. ITG features horror stories with some macabre humor mixed in. They produce a podcast a month and so far, the ones I've listened to have been spectacular.

Terry Pratchett Audio Plays
Recently, BBC7 began their Season of Terry Pratchett. Among the audio versions of Pratchett's Discworld novels, the audio version of Guards!Guards! shines. It is, quite simply, one of the finest audio adaptations that I have ever heard. And although that audio series has come to an end, this last Saturday they began an audio adaptation of Small Gods. If you're a Pratchett fan, you should head on over to the BBC7 website and give it a listen.

The Doctor Who Audio Dramas
While trawling through various podcast sites lately, I stumbled across The Doctor Who Audio Drama website. The site features fan produced, original audio dramas. Most of them are very good, succeeding in catching the flavor of the original Who series. Sometimes the sound quality gets a bit fuzzy, as performers are recording their roles often across the world from each other, but the stories are genuinely entertaining.