MOVIE REVIEW: City of Bones

Fear of taboo can ruin a story.

When the movie adaption of Cassandra Clare's "City of Bones" came out last summer I was first in line. I was also last out of the theater, wallowing in disappointment while the credits rolled. The film failed due to the fear of flowers in the attic. I just watched it again on cable with my children and I stand by my wallow.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a proponent of incest.  What  I am against is society putting its issues in front of a good story.

Who doesn't groan "Ew!" after their second viewing of "The Empire Strikes Back" when Leia kisses Luke. But that storyline got a chance to play out in "The Return of the Jedi." Why couldn't they do the same with "City of Bones?"

The major nail biting incident in the book was the substance over Clary and Jace's bond. Readers are led to believe that Clary will be the girl to tame bad boy, demon hunter with the face and strength of an angel, Jace. We are invested in this time-tested trope because what girl doesn't want to believe she's special enough to reign that in. At the end of the book we get the floor pulled out from under us with the circumstantial evidence that the two are blood related.

WTF!

Clare keeps our hearts pounding in the second installment "City of Ashes" with pages of are they? aren't'? will they? won't they? We don't learn the

truth of their blood until we are nearing the finish line. Unfortunately, the filmmakers were not this brave. They took this huge part of the story and spoiled it in the movie. We watch the bad guys concoct a ruse with the transparent purpose of keeping movie-going parents happy so that they don't have to explain incest to their adolescents.

They're falling in love. Let's tell them they're brother and sister.

Oh good one, mate! They're kicking our arses. That'll put a stop to it. Plus they'll believe us because we're the bad guys!

It didn't work. It completely dissipated the angst and sounded really stupid. I'm a huge fan of letting the reader know more than the character. But this was one of those times where it would have pulled more tension if we'd all been kept in the dark.

MOVIE REVIEW -JOBS "A Visual Powerpoint"

Ashton Kutcher killed it in the biopic Jobs! He got the walk down. He got the talk down. He got the ticks and fidgets of a deeply wounded man down. But this movie is not worth the price of viewing. Ashton's parts should be taken and made into re-enactments for a documentary about the evolution of the Apple computer.

Steve Jobs was a lot of things to a lot of people. As a loyal Apple user I wanted to understand this enigma of a man. I wanted to spend 2 hours understanding his genius, contemplating his philosophy, comprehending his demons. Unfortunately, the screenwriter failed to bring me this side of the story. I can't even call it a story because there was none. Jobs suffers from a debilitating lack of character motivation. The writer never bothered to answer the question "Why?" in any of the scenes and scenarios of a recent history we're all expected to know. The movie presented itself like a glossy visual PowerPoint with bullet points as the dialogue.

Take the beginning. There are three of them. We fade from black to see Steve Jobs introducing the device that did in fact revolutionize society as we know it: the iPod. This fantastic scene never, ever, comes back into the 2 hour story. Then there's a scene with Steve bare-footing around Reed college where he's dropped out but still goes to philosophy and calligraphy class and gives freelove to random co-eds never hiding the fact that he has a girlfriend. If you know some of Jobs' story, you know that calligraphy inspired him in the digital world, but that point never comes up again in the 2 hour story. And finally, there's a third attempt at exposition where we meet Woz, Steve's right hand man. Woz helps Steve solve an engineering problem and the two decide to build a personal computer for the everyday man or woman. This is really where the story starts. But by then I was already wary.

The problem is, from there until 2 hours later, the movie becomes a documentary about the evolution of early Apple products. We see the Apple, the Apple II, the Lisa, the Macintosh. We hear a lot of technical jargon that went right over my head so I couldn't appreciate the complexity and beauty of what was doin' on the screen. I think the writer didn't consider that lay people outside of Cupertino, CA were coming to see this movie. There were too many facts and not close to enough emotion or connecting drama.


Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak had a Kirk and Spock type of relationship where they fueled each other to explore brave, new worlds where no one even dared dream were possible. There are attempts -brittle attempts- at exploring this relationship. But it fell so short. Watching the scenes between Ashton Kutcher's Jobs and Josh Gad's Woz you feel them delivering a performance that makes you lean forward. There are these pregnant pauses, these deep, penetrating glances and glares, these witty battles of wits between the two actors. But they just weren't given the words to say.

The same can be said for every character that revolved around Jobs from the rest of the founders of Apple who were cheated of their company bonds after bleeding in the Jobs' family garage to Jobs' issues with his adoption and his own absentee parenting which they glanced over. All of the elements of a great story were there. But the writer never went there.

MOVIE REVIEW: Epic Heroine! "Epic"

"Epic" is the typical tale of young girl gets pulled into a mythical, magical world, finds a set of cajones she never knew she had, and steps up to save the world alongside a rebellious hero type of film. It was textbook, and I don't say that in a mean way -I teach out of textbooks after all. What stood out for me was the portrayal of Queen Tara as played by Beyonce Knowles Carter.

Beyonce (as Tara) was on screen, via her voice, for maybe fifteen minutes or twenty minutes. Her mocha-colored skin coupled with her barely cleaned up Texas-ebonic drawl absolutely delighted me! Unlike the main heroine, M.K. who was thrust into a brave, green world and had to learn the rules fast, Queen Tara existed in this world and its rules; rules that she could create, bend, and stretch. Still being the most powerful being in matriarchal world, the secret lands of Moonhaven held a hint of the male-dominated chauvinism.

What delighted me about Tara, and the sass Beyonce lent to this character, was that this Queen was the perfect balance of I Can Do This Myself and Can You Fellas Give Me A Hand With This. Taking a nod from her true husband, Beyonce as Tara brushes this sad truth off her shoulders with easy smiles and zen-like quips. Tara has the power to take any of her guard down with a flick of her magical wrist but she always identified and admitted when a situation was too much for her. Perfect role model; not just for my daughter but for me too!

I found myself hoping that my daughter ignored the scripted heroine of this tale, M.K., who started off clueless, then puffed out her chest in mock-bravery upon entering Moonhaven and soon rushed in foolhardy to situations that she couldn't handle which inevitably gave the rebel without a cause hero, Nod, something to do. Textbook trope that needs to be updated. But then you see the irony that it was. In this very film!

Ignore those crazy kids. There's another love story afoot! It's so subtle this other love story that I think only the adults understood that a little sumthin' sumthin' was going on behind the trees. The chemistry between Queen Tara and her Captain of the Leaf Guard, Ronin played by Colin Farrel, was palatable and tear-jerky. Their unsaid romance stayed with me after the film. It was perfection! It was epic.

BOOK REVIEW: Three's A Crowd Pleaser -"The Queen's Consorts"

"The Queen's Consorts" Author: Kele Moon

Three's a Crowd-Pleaser by Nakeesha J. Seneb

I didn't think it was possible. I didn't think you could have a plausible menage romance that was engaging and believable. I read menage stories under the covers in the darkness of night with no expectations of craftiness, character development, or a plot that makes sense. It's literary porn, after all. Kele Moon has put all erotica authors on notice. She has elevated the game with "The Queen's Consorts," a PNR set in another world that features a true, blue romance between one woman and two men who all are desperately in love with each other.

Its starts off with fantastic world-building that weaves the rules of a world where women are so scarce they are worshiped by men as gifts from the gods. Because males are in abundance, the custom is that two men form life-bond partnerships with each other and then seek out a female. This world is ruled by a queen who, for all intents and purposes, is Mother Nature. Her being is so tied into the spirit of the planet that when she cries tears of sorrow it rains and when she cries tears of joy rainbows appear. Moon weaves this mythology from the first page on through the epilogue, and it made me a believer of this fantastical tale.

Moon introduces the rules of the world immediately by telling us about the laws, for example flowers and any vegetation can only grow in green houses with artificial lights and its illegal to harm a woman's body, punishable by death. Then Moon shows the consequences when the rules are challenged. When we open, the world has gone dark and barren because the new queen has been missing for nearly twenty years. We open on Sari, who we soon learn is that long lost queen. After a brutal attack by street males, Sari is rescued by the Captain of the Queen's Guard. The males who attacked her are thrown into the dungeon to die. Sari is taken to the palace where she is tended to by the lifemates intended for the long lost queen: Taryen and Calder. Moon then takes a moment to show you the deep, palpable love these two tortured (literally!) males have for each other, and their confusion over their instant attraction to Sari. Tons of intrigue, political maneuvering, and some cringe-worthy abuse unfold in the middle of this book, but what kept me turning the page was watching two men (who're evidently in love with each other) fall for this women, and vice versa...vice. I mean, sure, read it for the sex scenes because Moon does not disappoint! But stay for the romance that unfolds because it is truly something to behold.

One thing I've noticed about Moon's writing is that she has this amazing ability to write supporting characters in a way that doesn't overpower the main characters, but still makes you want to get to know them better. I was totally captivated by the "true heart" Kayla and her Romeo-Juliet-Mercutio romance. Please, please, please do a novella about the beginning of this amazing love story that we only got glimpses of. I'm also hoping little Aria grows up and gets her own story -with yellow flowers, a yellow dress and lifemates who come to adore her as I did. Please, please, please Ms. Moon. Please revisit this world in another work. Your mythology was too good for a one time trip! 

ARC provided by the author (cause that's how I roll!).

The Hero's Journey Plotting System

It occured to me that as I write and gush about the Hero's Journey plotting system that many of you
may not know it. So here it is in full. The Journey was originally developed by mythologist Joseph Campbell, and later adapted for the novelists and the screen by Christopher Vogler in "The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters."

 

 

The Hero’s Journey

1. Heroes are introduced in the ORDINARY WORLD, where

 

2. They receive the CALL TO ADVENTURE.

 

3. They are RELUCTANT at first or REFUSE THE CALL, but

 

4. Are encouraged by a MENTOR to

 

5. CROSS THE FIRST THRESHOLD and enter the Special World, where

 

6. They encounter TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES.

 

7. They APPROACH THE INMOST CAVE, crossing a second threshold

 

8. Where they endure the ORDEAL

 

9. They take possession of their REWARD and

 

10. Are pursued ON THE ROAD BACK to the Ordinary World.

 

11. They cross the third threshold, experience a RESURRECTION, and are transformed by the 

 experience.

 

12. They RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR, a boon or treasure to benefit the Ordinary World. 

 

So many films, television shows, and novels use this plotting system. Both Dorothy in the Wizard of
Oz and Oscar Diggs, the eventual wizard, in Oz the Great and Powerful start of in an ordinary world
of black and white. Once the twister lifts them up, up and away to Oz, the scene springs to life in a special world of glorious technicolor. 

Both Oscar and Dorothy share a mentor in Glinda, the Good who directs them on a paved path to fight enemies in the form of winged monkeys. Both ordeals are a matter of inner courage, and both rewards are a home.

BOOK REVIEW: Night Hawk -No Talking During Foreplay!

"Night Hawk" Author: Beverly Jenkins
No Talking During Foreplay by Nakeesha J. Seneb
Recently, I've begun reading a lot of historical romance novels. And like most people of color, I craved a story that didn't gush over lily white skin and blonde ringlets. So, I was super excited to come across the works of Beverly Jenkins, an African-American novelist who writes historical romance about black folks just on the other side of slavery. After reading some reviews on Amazon, it appeared that "Night Hawk" was the hands down favorite. So I bought it and got cozy.

"Night Hawk" is the story of lawyer, turned criminal, turned bounty hunter, appointed US Marshall, who likes to quote scripture, Ian Vance. The story takes place after Ian returns from his birthplace of Scotland to pay respects to his dead mother. On the train ride home, he encounters a bound Maggie Freeman who's been accused of murder. Through a series of events, Maggie is left in Ian's custody by another lawman with directions to transport her to another town which happens to be on Ian's way home. More events happen that bring them closer together and before you know it, they've fallen in love.

I really liked the romance portion of the story. If only it were just a romance, but it was more than that. It was a month of history lessons inside an epic novel. The history lessons were as annoying as they were intriguing. The reader was introduced to a number of black historical figures and events. And as a black woman and an educator, I constantly feel the need to educate in everything I create. However its such a fine balance and the story can easily be compromised. Each time Jenkins inserted these fun facts into the novel, they interrupted the flow of the love story. It was a weird tug of war. I have no clue how this could have been made more palatable, and maybe I'm the only one who didn't appreciate it because the book gets tons of stars from everyone who reads it.

The first 50% of the novel is a historical romance with a time span of two weeks. In the second half, we watched the MCs settle into their domestic bliss with one last hurdle to overcome at the very, very end. The change in pace, scope, and motivation rankled me and I was not sure what to think anymore.
If I just rated the first 50% it'd be a 4-star because the romance was really lovely. The second half would be 2 stars with all the history lessons and pace changing. So, I settled on three.

BOOK REVIEW: Hero of My Heart -A Bad BM

 "Hero of My Heart" Author Megan Frampton
A Bad BM by Nakeesha J. Seneb

I really liked the idea of these two characters. Vicar's daughter in need of rescuing plus opium addict Marquis in need of some saving himself. The recovering addict behavior was at times intriguing and page-turning, and at other times conveniently pushed aside for the love arc plotting.

This entire work happened in real time: first from the hero's perspective and then the heroine's. If they were apart for any reason, the author would go back and retell it from the other's POV. It was quite unexpected. And my fear came true -the ending was super rushed.

In revision, writers are often advised to employ a Seek and Destroy Word List. Frampton continually used certain words over and over and over again and I soon began anticipating their arrival. Ignoring this rule caused me to start skimming.

That aside, my biggest issue with this book was the "big misunderstanding." I hate BMs -get it: bowel movements! They so often seem unnecessary and stupid. But they are a staple of this genre that I love so much. Writing-World dot com's Anne Marble agrees with me that most big understanding's are silly or SBMP (Silly Big Misunderstanding Plots). According to Marble, the first signs of a SBMP is the absence of logic. If the characters appear forced in their actions; or you realize a simple 60-second conversation would clear matters up; or the case of mistaken identity goes on for pages too long, well then you might be in the middle of a BM!

Mary and Alasdaire's BM was believable -in the beginning. Alasdaire was aiming to commit suicide by opium overdose because everyone he ever loved died. Mary, who lately discovered she was illegitimate, feels unlovable and wants to slink away off the grid of society. They were two very damaged characters, but by working together they conquered so many of their literal and figurative demons by finding each other, learning to trust and depend on each other, and having each others backs against all enemies. By 50% of the eBook I thought the BM got cleared up. Frampton even started raising the stakes, which kept me turning the pages. But the main characters were still hanging on to their SBMPs. I was befuddled. And then, literally, in the last two lines of the work they finally "got it," reminding me that big misunderstandings are often messy and smelly!

ARC provided by Netgalley.