Thursday, December 29, 2011

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (contains spoilers!)



Too long.

Too many explosions and slow motion running bits.

Not as funny as the first one.

Awkward scenes with Robert Downey Jr. in drag.

Gratuitous naked Stephen Fry scene. (And I like Stephen Fry: he played Jeeves! But no. Just... NO.)

Sherlock's childhood nickname.

Despite all of this, I enjoyed the movie a lot. Some parts made me want to groan, or I thought were all wrong, but other parts made me laugh out loud.

I enjoy this series reboot of Sherlock Holmes: action-y, fast-paced buddy films that show a more vulnerable and neurotic side of Holmes than many people dare.

I love Jude Law as the perpetually exasperated but still loyal and caring Watson.

I adored the gypsy woman who featured in this film and thought she was so cool!

I loved the way the film used the Falls in the confrontation between Moriarty and Holmes, twisting it and making it its own.

And I loved the ending!

I do think this movie strayed slightly at times from buddy films and into "we hint at more," which I didn't really like. This could just be my interpretation, however, and I was able to ignore those (possible) bits and enjoy the movie as a buddy film. Though sometimes I had to try quite hard.

The teenage girls in the seats behind me giggled when Holmes and Watson "had" to dance together, but I wanted to grind my teeth. It seemed completely historically inaccurate that two men could dance together at a political function and use it as cover to inconspicuously converse and spy! (If anything, they should've been standing on the sidelines drinking punch.)

Obviously there were other historical inaccuracies as well, but mostly they felt like stretching a point to create a steampunk effect, not completely ignoring history.

Would I recommend it? Not unless you liked the first, and in that case, don't hold your expectations quite as high.

For the third film, I certainly hope it won't be longer, even more special-effects oriented, etc. etc.

I predict that, following canon, Watson's wife will have died (natural causes?), and he will be grief-stricken. Holmes reappears, hijinx ensue while they track down and try to avoid being killed by Moran. And explosions. Lots and lots of explosions.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Free Ebook Contest

"The Space Station Murders," by A. M. Roelke





So, my SF/mystery/buddy story novella "The Space Station Murders," by A.M. Roelke (20,000 words) came out in May this year. I'm allowed to give out several promo copies per year for contests. I haven't done a lot of that so I'd like to catch up now.

I'll give out THREE copies, drawing to be held on Dec. 27. I'll pick who gets it with a random number generator, no favoritism or special answers needed. Just comment and let me know you want a copy. If only three people comment, each will get a copy.

If you win, I'll need your email address so I can send you a copy in one of these three formats:

PDF
EPUB
PRC

*edit* Very sorry! I had said RTF but actually it's PDF. The other available formats are correct. :)

(This is my email address, if you'd rather not post yours publically: amroelke AT gmail.com. You only need to email me if you win! If you'd rather post your email for quicker correspondence, that works as well. It's really up to you.)

I'd suggest, before commenting, that you read the two Amazon.com reviews to see if the story interests you: The Space Station Murders--on Amazon (Reviews here.)

Or read the beginning of the story here: The Space Station Murders--from the publisher (Excerpt here.)

Or, you can read the review that compares me to Robert Heinlein.

P.S. If you're a book reviewer and would rather have a review copy than enter a contest, just contact me about who you are and where you'd post a review. I'd also need you to let me know your email address and which format you'd prefer (of the three I have available).

Friday, December 9, 2011

News

* MuseItUp just accepted my Young Adult Christian Fantasy story The Girl and the Dragon. :D




* I completed NaNoWriMo 2011:


I didn't get as much written on my latest (romance) project as I wanted to, but I did get something written. Also got through the crucial scene that's held me back from finishing my SF/detective novel for several years now.



* And I have cover art for my YA fantasy romance novel, Watch Over Me: