Review - Nerve 3.5/5

            I went into Nerve hoping to see a pulse pounding thriller, and it did not disappoint. Emma Roberts, who I feel is a highly underrated actress, pulled off her classic character trope of a shy and withdrawn teen named Venus, or V, wishing only to keep herself under the radar. Following her story, I grew to actually care about her as a character, worrying for her more and more as she came across increasingly challenging dares for the game of Nerve. Dave Franco portrayed an excellent polar opposite to Roberts as Ian, an adrenaline junkie with a dark past that isn't revealed until late in the film. The feats that these two accomplish together had me closing my eyes or cringing while on the edge of my seat more than once.
            V starts off as a quiet and introverted teenage girl, who is thrust into Nerve by the sudden realization that she's not the most exciting person in the world. Her friends describe her as basically a sidekick, and she sets off to prove that she has an edge, even if that edge hasn't exactly manifested itself yet. Against the wishes of her peers, she teams up with Ian and the pair undergo challenges that gradually increase in difficulty, until the drama and pressure placed on her become too much.
            Ian counters V at every turn in terms of personality traits, and that's what attracts them to each other. The bad boy effect begins to take hold of V, and with Ian's influence, she becomes a true daredevil. The viewer begins to care about the duo, and love them together. The on-screen chemistry between Franco and Roberts wasn't the greatest, but it was definitely enough.
            As always, I look at a movie and grade it on three things; did it make sense, did it serve its intended purpose, and was it entertaining.
            As far as plot and character development, I had no problem with this film. The events made sense as they passed and continued on to the next, and the characters gradually were placed in different positions than they were at the beginning of the movie without being rushed.
            Nerve was intended to be a nail-biting thriller, and it was just that. The excellent direction by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman delivered a heart-pounding experience that truly made me scared for each of the characters.
            I was utterly shocked at some of the stunts V and Ian had to pull off, each one was a surprise, and some had me wanting to pass out from the sheer anxiety that would come from the stunts they pulled. The movie definitely did entertain me, and kept my attention the entire duration


Overall, Nerve is a solid movie for regular viewers and adrenaline junkies alike.
It receives a solid 3.5/5 from me.

Nadine's Quirks and other Perks

I've known Amy my whole life, and seeing all the cool stuff she creates is just awesome.

Everyone should check out her page, Nadine's Quirks and other Perks . The artwork she posts and talks about is just great, and I'd love for more people to support her.

Graphic Novels and Comic Books

So I'm starting to work on a graphic novel idea I had. Well, it's just going to be a story for now, whether or not it ever reaches graphic novel form is unknown at the moment. The idea is a science fiction crime thriller that will consist of four parts, and follow the story of an ex-soldier and physically enhanced warrior who fought in a great war between an alien empire and the human colonies in the Andromeda Galaxy. Now living in a post war, dystopian society, he leads a resistance with his brother against the government left in charge of the colonies. However, what happens when freedom fighting becomes terrorism, and the people longing for a greater world become anarchists. He struggles with this idea while slowly coming into conflict with his brother and the very ideals he once fought for. Dealing with the aftermath of his telekinetic abilities slowly destroying his mind.

This is what I'm going to be working on currently, and I hope to turn it into something truly great.

No Words - Freewrite

Yes, I'm finally getting back on the horse with this damn blog. Here's a freewrite coming from a post on /r/WritingPrompts.

          There she was, as elegant as ever, ravishing even in an over-sized hoodie and sweatpants. Her glasses sat crooked on her face, and she bore a slim smile on her face, as always. Her hair partially hidden under a beanie, she walked to the back of the shop and ordered the same regular cup of coffee she did every morning. She was that kind of girl. 

          She sat on the sofa across from me and we exchanged smiles. She got to work immediately, finishing that paper that was due Thursday in her psychology class. Her organization was impeccable, yet marked with disorder. There was a method to her madness, no matter what she did. Her stressful life was a facade for serenity. She was that kind of girl.

          Maybe I was crazy, but it felt like I knew her beyond this coffee shop, like we had shared a history. Good and bad memories flooded my head, that I knew had never even happened. She was an enigma, an unsolvable puzzle in the very centre of my life. She was the reason I came to this coffee shop every morning, just to see her. She was that kind of girl

          I smiled, finished my coffee, and made for the door. As i walked past her, she grabbed my arm. I looked down at her and she stared right back at me. 

          "Hi, I'm Emily." Her first words to me. It was a long time coming, but she did what I had never realized I wanted to do. She beat me to it. She was that kind of girl.

This honestly made me tear up.

Star Wars VII Characer Reveal - Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke

Serkis in the image capturing studio

Well, today it was finally announced who Andy Serkis would be playing in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Serkis will fill the role of Supreme Leader Snoke.

Now, to me, this sounds like the name of a villain, and my prediction of what this character will be is the new "Emperor" figure for the new trilogy, acting as leader of the Empire - now known as the First Order - and being the one who took over after the death of Palpatine in Return of the Jedi.

Serkis has somewhat of a history of roles as secondary villains in movies, and this Supreme Leader could be the one signing Kylo Ren's cheques.

These are just my few thoughts on this reveal, and I think bringing Serkis onto a project of this magnitude was an excellent move. I'll probably talk about more Star Wars stuff in the future so stay tuned.

Godspeed, and may The Ancients watch over your travels.
Conner

Picture Thoughts - May 27, 2015

Stumbled across this picture on Twitter a couple of days ago, and it really made me think. It's a great quote and it really applies to my life right now. I've been afflicted by probably one of the largest writer's blocks in the history of the universe, and it's really harmed my writing process. In school, I had envisioned myself having movie deals and speaking in front of students trying to inspire them to follow their dreams by now, and well, I haven't exactly gotten there. The "What I'll do with my life if my writing career doesn't work" question has to be answered soon, and I just don't see it as being a simple answer. Teaching, writing for tv/film, and working in computers have all come to mind, but a decisive conclusion hasn't been made. I WANT to write for a living, and I've got to realize that despite this block, truly spectacular things are eventually going to happen. I have to keep praying, and telling myself I need to do this and then this downward scenario I find myself in will launch me into a time of prosperity, just like an arrow being shot at a target.

Whoever reads this, keep me in your prayers.

It's much appreciated

Conner