Ethan Parke Author Blog

 It's weird how the Best Picture Nominations at the Acadamy Awards always go to unusual movies, or at least not the first movie I would see. The first ones I would see are action thrillers, which are just a fun way to spend time, which was why movies were created. They did, however, eventually evolve into an art form. That brings me back to the opening statement. The Best Picture Nominee is usually something artistic and lewd. The main reason I went to see Poor Things was because it was one of the few movies I have not seen yet, and I was curious to see why it got the nominee. There were a few parts that made me laugh, and it was a good example of world building, and that is where I will give it credit. It was the gratuity that got to me, and the way it showed Emma Stone in those situations, that set me off. It was also the way they made her from a human to a robot that were uncomfortable. That was enough to make me see why it was nominated, but I did not recommend it to my parents...

 Some TV shows, usually ones that have less than five seasons, are not often talked about. That does not mean they are bad, and one such show for me was the HBO series, His Dark Materials. Based on the book series by Philip Pullman, that I did not read, it is the second attempt to bring his work to the media. The first was in 2007, with a feature length film, based on the first book in the series, The Golden Compass. The only thing praised was the visuals, because it tried cramming in too much story and characters. It was also lambasted by the Catholic Church, and I will not get into that. The first season was almost identical to the movie, but as it progressed it started showing things that were left out or were in the other books in the series. The only things that annoyed me was the Gysptians were only in the first season, and did not come back, and my favorite character, Lee Scoresby died, despite briefly    appearing again. Every season, it seemed like a different se...

 The first X-Men movie premiered during the dark age of movies between 1996 and 2001, right when it was starting to end. At the time, an OK movie, was considered fantastic. Every time a new one was released, I expected they would increase the action, and though they still had action scenes, it was not until X-Men: The Last Stand every major character was involved in them. I always liked the theme of prejudice in those movies. As a kid growing up with Asperger syndrome, in the era when nobody knew anything about it, I related to what they went through. That did not get better until First Class, which many people think is the best of them. I, however, always liked Days of Future Past, because it focused on the X-Men characters fans liked more. I think if they made another movie focusing on the team established in First Class, it would have been better. A lot of people don't like X-Men: Apocalypse, but I but I think if it was a standalone movie, it would not be so bad. It is also hard...

  Of the few blockbuster movies, we got in 2020, my personal favorite was Tenet. It tells how a C.I.A. agent known as the Protagonist stop a Russian oligarch from causing Armageddon, by using technology that can invert an object's entropy. In other words, it makes things move backwards in time. It is also a story of accepting reality, and a reminder that just because something has not happened is not an excuse to do nothing. The action is very creative with reversing of chronology. Kenneth Branaugh was a fun villain, and he was one of the few people in recent PG-13 movies, where I don't have a problem with saying the F-word once. John David Washington was fantastic as the Protagonist that shows being Denzel's son, means good acting runs in his family. Robert Pattinson also did a good job as Neil, his sidekick, and all the performances in it were good. The science they talk about throughout the movie is confusing, but you get some good advice early in the movie. That's w...

 In honor of yesterday being Nicolas Cage's sixtieth birthday, I would like to talk for a moment about one of his best movies, Con Air. It is not high art, but high fun. The action was fantastic, and it was weird how except for the accent Cage used as Cameron Poe, was the only thing crazy about his performance. He was almost the voice of reason in the crazy movie. John Cusack made a good sidekick as U.S. Marshall Vince Larkin, and John Malkovich was perfectly cast as Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom. The rest of the cast was fun, especially having Steve Buschemi as a serial killer that did nothing, Mykelti Williamson as Poe's cellmate, and Ving Rhames as Diamond Dog. The fight in the boneyard was stellar. The only thing that annoyed me a little was how Cameron was barely involved in the action, maybe because he was almost trying to be a normal guy in a crazy situation. A lot of the plot is confusing, like it is not smart to put the worst criminals in the country on one plane...

 The Beekeeper does not have much in the way of art, but Jason Statham is always fun in an action movie. As far as the story goes, the character Statham plays is furious after an elderly woman he was helping take care of bees, was murdered after she was bribed on the Internet.  That was the only real commentary, and I relate to that because I'm just looking for people interested in reading my books, and I know there are people that would like to read it, I just need to find a way to reach them. The action in the movie, is just how I would describe one in my books, and if you are interested in them, click on the link.  Smashwords.com