“Turbo” Isn’t Doing So Hot. Insert Your Own “Slow” Joke Here.

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Adjusted for inflation?  Worst Dreamworks opening ever.

I think there’s several factors here:

  1. The general movie meltdown occurring.
  2. It’s a new property that  . . . is about snails.  
  3. It’s also competing against animated sequels to well-loved properties – Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University.  I can also say that DM2 is excellent and deserves it’s praise.
  4. I can’t say the marketing campaign seemed effective (after seeing Pacific Rim‘s dismal campaign I wonder if this another Hollywood Problem).

But another sounds-sure/sounds-big property doing so hot.  I feel kind of bad for Ryan Reynolds, who just cannot catch a break here.

– Steven

 

How To Create a BAD Crime Fiction Series With Jackie Speel

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(In the grand tradition ofJohn Van Sickle’s Grand list of Overused Science Fiction Clichés, the Grand list of SF clichés, Things I learnt at the Movies, and Not So Grand Cliché List, Jackie Speel is here to make her own contributions to literature – and what not to do – at MuseHack)

This is an attempt to create a list of clichés and tropes to be avoided in crime fiction, whether written or onscreen. As with other such lists it is the way in which the cliché is handled that is the key factor. Even middling to good series are likely to have the occasional episode which ‘ticks several of the boxes.’

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Curry Diary 7/22/2013: Milestone Curry #3

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Well the last time I made curry, I experimented with mixing the Maple Syrup into the roux, not the broth.  It changed the flavor, and got me thinking.  The roux is where the flavors really combine, so what else should go in there?

So this time, I added the cocoa powder to the roux.  Did it make a difference?  Yes, enough to call it a Milestone  It’s a more subtle improvement than I got from adding the Maple Syrup to the roux, but it is a definite improvement.

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