In 1889 Anton Chekhov wrote this in his letter to a friend: “One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it”.
Indeed, if something is not used in the story, it should be thrown out.… Read the rest
Film of the Week: Bel Ami
Social climbing has always been a subject of speculation in fiction. People try to ascend in the society because they desire money, fame and a more interesting lifestyle. But many lose themselves on the way and instead of happiness find despair.… Read the rest
Fiction and infodumps: are they really a total “no way”?
Real story, but I won’t mention any names. Recently someone gave me a sci-fi book, which boasts 4+ stars on Amazon. I have started reading it, and after having an interesting hook on pages 1-2 the story went into a massive infodump.… Read the rest
Films of the week: Tzar and J Edgar – monsters or great men?
Still of Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar – Photo by Keith Bernstein – © 2011 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
*********J Edgar ( 2011, dir. Clint Eastwood)
I’ll start with Hoover. It’s a fantastic film and I disagree with critics’ opinion that the film doesn’t really reveal Hoover’s character or that it doesn’t explore enough Hoover’s motives and personal demons.… Read the rest
Top 20 Russian books that influenced me the most
Prince Myshkin after witnessing the death of Nastasya Filippovna, I. Glazunov, 1966
Recently, President Putin published an article on the necessity of creating a must-read list of a hundred Russian books that would define the nation’s cultural legacy.
I thought about what books to put in that list and decided to present to you my top 20 of Russian books (20 is more manageable, for I can’t have a hundred of favourite books).… Read the rest
Wisdom of the Writerdom: Great Endings, Tips from Comedy and Writing resolutions
This week I’ve been writing a grant proposal and editing manuscripts at work. I have also finished composing and recording my new song called Drama and posted it on Soundcloud. If you like a non-chart music from emerging musicians, you can find a lot of it there.… Read the rest
Film of the week: War Horse
Still of Jeremy Irvine in War Horse – Photo by Andrew Cooper, SMPSP – © 2011 – DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC.
Recently, Spielberg made a great animation film Tintin and now he is treating us with his new timeless epic.… Read the rest