Revisiting Cinefex (16): Rick Baker

You might think that's a real ape on the front cover of Cinefex #16. In fact, it's Kala, one of the remarkable ape characters created by Rick Baker for Hugh Hudson's 1984 film Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan. On the back cover is a searing close-up of the pneumatically operated 'Change-O Head #2' from John … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (16): Rick Baker

“Super 8” – Making the Beauty Shot Beautiful

JJ Abrams's movie Super 8 is one of those that slipped through my viewing net when it was first released. This week I finally got round to watching it. I'm not here to review the film (other than to say I found a lot to like about it, not least the fabulous performances from the juvenile … Continue reading “Super 8” – Making the Beauty Shot Beautiful

“Monajjfyllena” – A “Dragoncharm” Story

Three years ago, I set up my first blog. Only it wasn't me blogging, it was a fictional character. A dragon, in fact. Her name was Monajjfyllena (I'll tell you how I came by that tongue-twister another time). The blog was actually an experiment in online fiction, an attempt to write a fantasy story, narrated … Continue reading “Monajjfyllena” – A “Dragoncharm” Story

Five Scary Monsters

Without the dark there is no light. Here’s a list – in no particular order – of five monsters that still have the power to keep me awake at night if my mind makes the mistake of inviting them in. Are they my top five? It’s hard to say. Ask me again tomorrow and I … Continue reading Five Scary Monsters

Six Word Stories

A couple of years ago I had a brief affair with micro-fiction of the tiniest kind, thanks to a now-dormant website called Six Word Stories. There's a popular myth (and by all accounts it is a myth) that Ernest Hemingway kicked the whole thing off by composing the following miniature masterpiece: For sale. Baby shoes. … Continue reading Six Word Stories

Revisiting Cinefex (15): Never Say Never Again, The Day After, Ralph Hammeras

The name on the cover of Cinefex #15 is Bond - James Bond. To be precise, it's Sean Connery in his final outing as the world's most famous secret agent, facing his latest enemy Maximillian Largo through the holographic display of a tabletop video game. The still is from Irvin Kershner's Never Say Never Again, something of a curiosity … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (15): Never Say Never Again, The Day After, Ralph Hammeras

The Spaghetti Western Orchestra

A ghostly wind whistles in from the desert. A saloon door creaks open. Spurs jangle as a pair of cowboy boots treads up to the bar. A trembling hand jostles hard liquor into a clinking glass. There's a sharp intake of breath, then a hush descends as everyone waits to hear what the stranger will … Continue reading The Spaghetti Western Orchestra

Interview with a Weird Detective

I was in this bar called Medusa's, minding my own business. Outside, the rain was sheeting down. Dirty jazz seeped from even dirtier speakers and trade was so slow the barman had posted a BACK SOON sign. A man walked in. He was wearing a fedora and a tattered leather coat with bright yellow buttons. … Continue reading Interview with a Weird Detective

Ten Reasons to Write

This list was originally intended as a kind of antidote to my recent Ten Reasons Not To Write. But it's turned out to be rather more than that. Ten Reasons to Write not only outlines the various stimuli that motivate the average writer, but also offers useful clues about which particular genre said writer is … Continue reading Ten Reasons to Write

Ten Reasons Not to Write

There are many reasons not to write. Some of them are seductive, like femmes fatales in an old Bogart movie. Some of them are dangerous, like trolls in steel armour wielding nail-studded clubs. Some of them are both (and if the image of a troll wearing one of Lauren Bacall's old dresses doesn't make you … Continue reading Ten Reasons Not to Write