Ethan Parke Author Blog

 I have been saying this all year, but if I'm talking about a comic book movie, it is how I have to start. I understand people are getting tired of them. I can see why more cultured people and more serious writers and filmmakers feel like it is just being lazy because of the fanbase. I'm not getting tired of them and always have fun seeing them in the theaters. That said, Aquaman and the Lost City was a fun way to spend Christmas weekend. It had some fun jokes and a cool battle, and the chemistry between Jason Mamoa and Patrick Wilson was nice. I like the parts that remind me of an Uncharted game. It is under the eye candy and humor, a story of forgiveness, and whatever happens with DC comics in the future, I will still enjoy seeing movies like that in theaters. I'm pleased that we are getting more variety in movies, and I will look for readers of my books as long as I have to. I'm still giving it away free in Smashwords End of Year Sale, so if you are looking for a lat...

 Yesterday, I talked about Christmas movies that are entertaining all year, and now I will talk about my personal favorite, Die Hard. It may not have the traditional Christmas colors or a morale, but it's Die Hard. To be fair, it does start out in the scenario most Christmas movies begin with, it is about a father who doesn't spend time with his family. Not to mention John McClane and Holly Gennaro are too busy with their work they don't consider each other. They don't play as much Christmas music, but John whistles Jingle Bells, and it ends with Let it Snow. Holly Mentions Santa and Ebenezer Scrooge. If it was more faithful to the book it was based on, which I have not read, it would not be a Christmas movie, because it would not have a happy ending. That makes it one of the few movie book adaptions where the movie was better. One thing they did that made it more festive was change the name of the main villain. In the book his name was Anton "Little Tony" Gru...

 Because Christmas is a week from today, I would like to talk about movies that are good all year, but fun to watch at Christmas. There are movies that are great at Christmas, such as It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, Miracle on 34th Street, Elf, Love Actually, any version of A Christmas Carol, and Christmas Vacation, but they are best at Christmas time. This also goes for such TV specials as Charlie Brown's Christmas and the original Grinch cartoon, but they are only appropriate at Christmas. The ones I watch year-round, have fun with the holiday but aren't restricted to it. I will first mention the first two Home Alone movies, because those might fall into that group. Those are the only ones I've seen, but they are festive with the lights and colors, and using ornaments as booby traps. There is also the family bonding and how nobody should spend Christmas alone. Gremlins has snow, caroling, and a Santa story, plus Gizmo was given as a Christmas present. Batman...

I don't remember ever being a huge fan of the original Willy Wanka and the Chocolate Factory movie, but I did not hate. I was always found it simply, OK, and I thought the same about the new movie. There were a few weird musical numbers, but Timothee Chalamet did a good performance. Hugh Grant was pretty funny as an Oompa Loompa. The only downside was it did not show what made Wanka the secret villain he was in the original, but it is a fun family movie this holiday season. That said, Smashwords is having their annual end of year sale, and it looks like my novel, The Penitent Warrior is finally trending. So far, I gave out twelve copies of it for free, and that shows showing the generosity associated with the holiday will result in greatness. If you are interested in reading any action thriller/fantasy adventure, or if you are just looking for a good book to read as a Christmas present, click on the link.  Smashwords.com  

 Ever since I started writing these blogs, I talked about Lord of the Rings, being my favorite story ever written. It is the story that inspired me to write books, and the trailers for Peter Jackson's trilogy, are what got me going to movies every weekend. I said several times, about it being great with any holiday, and now I will talk about what it has to do with Christmas. It may not come to mind immediately when you think about the story, but there are elements of it there. The one that is not very obvious and not mentioned in the movie, but the day the Fellowship of the Ring left Rivendell was December 25. It was not just a day Tolkien picked that would be easy to remember, because the day Aragorn was crowned king was March 30. That is what makes it an Easter story, too. The more obvious reason is there is gift giving and snow in it. It is a story about family and friendship and bringing peace to a world. I can hear jokes about this, but it has Elves in it, and Gandalf can be S...

 I rarely walk out on movies, but if the one I bought a ticket for is cancelled, I do so. The other night, I had a ticket to see Silent Night, only because of the action scenes. It got canceled for some reason, so I saw The Waitress which was playing in the same auditorium. I was instantly bored, just seeing a play on a big screen. That's all it was, it was the same as the play, only it was on a screen, and looked like it was on a stage in front of an audience. I instantly saw where the story was going, and knew it was just going to be that for two and a half hours and walked out. I appreciate them trying to be creative, but showing a movie, like a stage musical on the big screen is not so good, you need to be like a movie. There are better movies coming, and I can see a real movie this weekend, so it is all good. 

 John Woo has been absent from making movies for twenty years, and this past weekend he returned with Silent Night. It is an action thriller where a man loses his son and his voice in a crossfire between rival street gangs. He then goes on a crusade to punish all of them. It shows action movies do not need much dialogue. but leading up to the moment he gets his revenge, it is a little slow. Then the shooting and fighting starts. If you are not interested in movies like that, and movies with more compelling stories, I would not recommend it. But if you like action, the last third of the movie is perfect for you. That said, I try to write action thrillers where the action serves the story, and like it was last year, I'm giving my latest book, The Penitent Warrior away for free December 15 to January 1, in Smashwords End of Year Sale. It is available on any Barnes and Noble Nook Device, Amazon, and at the link I provided.  Smashwords.com