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Yet another film competition year has passed for the 48 Hour Film Project and once again our film group managed to make another wee gem of a film. The Genre we pulled this year was Romance - a bit of a challenge we made nice we film and I am delighted to present it to you here. Well done to all the film-makers who took part this year. The competition was tough! Happy Watching my friends! Jafwords.

Andy Weir did what I could only dream of at this point. He wrote a book, published bits for free, then adapted it for Kindle and then with a loyal fan base along comes a publishing house and picks it up. Then Hollywood knocks on the door and we get “THE MARTIAN” starring Matt Damon. I have got to admit I haven’t had time to read the Martian yet, although I know a man who has and part of his description - “it’s just one of those books you could miss your train stop for as you just don’t want to put it down.”  But it’s the film I want to talk about. Ridley Scott, the creative mind that brought us films such as Alien, Blade Runner & Gladiator brings this novel to life on the silver screen. With such an impressive catalogue films under his belt it must be hard to make a film better than your last, but with “The Martian” I think Mr Scott has achieved something special here. I won’t say it is his best, but it is certainly up there as a great. So what is the film about? Well the ...

I really do have to be honest with myself, I lack focus and direction when it comes to my writing. However, the question should then be asked "is this a good or a bad thing?" Let me tell you where I am just now. My second novel is still currently sitting with a status of "Currently Editting", which I need to admit is dreadful as its been like that for ages (I promise I will do more today). I am also now into creating my second issue of a comic which has the working title "Gates of Hell". The title works for the moment as it describes what's going on but I suspect I will change (simply becuase I don't like it). I see this comic stretching into 4 issues with around 25 pages in each. Keeping with the comic theme I created the first issue of a comic I called "Elysium Rising". I haven't  returned to this comic yet but I do intend to as I love the idea I created. The plan for this will be a simple three part but we shall see. Keeping up?...

Writing is not my only creative outlet. For many years I have also been an amateur film maker. Around May of this year I was asked if I would help to make a video for the Foundation of Hearts and Heart of Midlothian Football Club. Okay automatic confession, I am not a Hearts Supporter - but I was  delighted to be asked to help make this film. Most of the Camera work is me with some bits lifted (with kind permission) from STV. The film was edited by Nick Walker and he has managed to create a very emotional advert for the Jambos! So even if your not a Hearts fan, sit back and enjoy this wee film about the club recovering from the brink of destruction.

I was born at the start of the 80s and so fortunate enough to know computer games when they were really "COMPUTER GAMES"! If you never played things like Manic Miner, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man then your childhood must have been utterly empty. Thankfully, along comes Adam Sandler, the directing power of Chris Columbus and the writing talent of Tim Herlihy and we get all our old favourite games on the silver screen. First of all let's give credit to the original idea - a short film called "Pixels" by Patick Jean. If you haven't seen this then do this film maker the favour of checking out the short and from it you will see the numerous elements that were carried over into the feature film...so well done Patrick! But wait a minute! Pac-man is the bad guy? NO WAY!!!!  A few days ago I went and saw Pixels and with Mr Sandler involved I knew I was going to be in for a good time. I have to admit it I do love Adam Sandler films (and yes I am of the opinion there really...

The summer comedy Trainwreck finally pulls into the cinema station and after watching it last night it's time to give it my completely in depth and insight review (are you laughing yet?) So let's start off with the right tone straight away - if you want to laugh, then you must go and see this film. You pretty much know what you are getting when Judd Apatow is involved; either as director, producer or writer, he brings a solid pedigree of good comedy along with him. Mr Apatow steps behind the camera as Director/Producer and the writing credit is handed to the film's star Amy Schumer. The film is a romantic comedy which follows Amy Shumer as 'Amy' a Men's magazine writer who looks to be pretty much on a road to self-destruction (hence the title). That is until she meets Bill Hader's character, surgeon to athletes 'Aaron Conners' after being assigned to write a story on him for the magazine. Amy then starts to face a life she is totally accustomed t...

One of the joys of holding a cinema pass is to go to films which you normally might avoid because of the ever going price of a cinema outing. There will be lots of people who save it for the big Hollywood Blockbusters and I don't blame them. However, I would always encourage the cinema goer to give the lesser known films a chance as you might just end up surprised and end up with a more satisfying viewing experience. After all the less than satisfying flick, Fantastic 4 (couldn't resist the dig again), is proof that a big budget and the Hollywood machine isn't always a winning formula. So where am I going with this? Enter the talent of Mr Robert Carlyle and a film with a distinctive Scottish taste and you end up with a wee film that is pretty good and worth a night out at the cinema. This film marks the first big screen directing credit for Robert Carlyle and the man himself takes on the title role of Barney Thomson, a bit of a wet blanket of a man who ends up embroiled...

Random thoughts for August. I was looking up the old interweb thing and like to do a bit of reading and learning - all with the goal of improving my writing technique (you know so one day I will be famous haha). One of my biggest concerns has always been the notion of "outlining" your work before starting. You see my biggest secret is that I don't outline. I find the process tedious and boring. However, I wanted to know how many writers do and do not do. Basically, I have read books before about getting published etc with the advice - "Outline" and if you don't then you are not a writer. Well the news I will share is that I consider myself a writer (unpublished in the traditional sense) but still a writer - because I write and I enjoy it.  So the notion of Outlining. Seems there are two side to this, much like the Force with both a dark side and the light side. As far as I can tell the predominate school of thought seems to fall on the side of the O...

I do enjoy writing the odd we film review and I hope you enjoy reading them. Most of the time I am raving about a film I have seen and want to share its general "awesomeness" with you all. In fact I general hate to be overly negative...after all I am sure there are reviewers out there who would jump at the chance of shredding my work! (oh please don't). So last night we sat down to watch the Fantastic 4. The hype surrounding this film was great and Josh Trank was really one of those directors who had caught my attention with his 2012 Film Chronicle. All the cast brought their own excellence with them and there is not one bad actor among them...I particularly enjoyed seeing Tim Blake Nelson in the role as the snivelling Dr. Allen. However, with so much acting pedigree on the roster for this one, this film simply 'Does not happen'.  So what are the plus point - Visually it has been well shot and the section where we see Dr Doom letting rip some evil in the ar...

I have now completed the first draft of issue 1 of a new comic. Now to get started on issue 2. What can I give away about it?  erm...well at this stage very little. However, I will give you more detail in time. Happy reading my friends.  Jafwords. 

So I have been making some re-adjustments to the website - part of the reason is to accommodate my little comic strip that I have created on Bitstrip - "Secret Agents in Space" . Okay the idea of this little thing is not to make millions, in fact its not really to make anything. Its free and its just a bit of stupid fun.  The Secret Agents own page can be found by clicking HERE ! Have a look here as well. Yes you can find them here as well on the right hand side but in a specific viewer created on the Bitstrip page. WHERE AM I IN MY OWN WE WORLD OF CREATIVITY? I am still editing Outriders (my second novel) which I hope I can get out to publishers for a view. If it doesn't find a home in the traditional publishing houses then it will get life as another self-published work. Then there is the comics... I am working on two at the moment - Gates of Hell and Elysium Rising. I have already completed issue 1 of Elysium and I want to get issue 1 of Gates finished so that I have e...

Opening night called me to the IMAX - because if you are going to see a movie with Macro size stars, you need to see it on the biggest screen possible. So you know I won't go into the detail of the movie. I just want to share my thoughts on liking it or not. Or to quote Glaswegian Scottish "Are or Naw". Ant-Man has already received both positive and negative reviews and to be honest I fail to see what is negative about this movie. For a first instalment of what is sure to be a good number of Ant-Man movie (as well as tie-ins with other Marvel giants) we are presented here with a well written origin story which and been filmed incredibly well. From the onset when we get a digitized youthful Michael Douglas, the handling of the special effects for this alone prepared me for a what was going to be a great film. Yeah I know I am a bit biased towards Sci-Fi/fantasy/superhero but I can only tell you if I liked it...and it was a resounding "Aye" for me. I wasn...

I've not added much to the blog recent. Apart from being insanely busy, I now also find myself at the end of my Vacation to Malta -the only complaint I have is that I am coming to the end of the trip and will soon take the flight back to Glasgow. For a small island, it has  much to see. In our week we haven't managed it all, only the highlights... But the Island has inspired me to return one day and see the bits we missed. On a personal note, Malta was the location of my mum and dad's honeymoon and it was great to be able o be able to stand in some of the places they visited especially the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady, commonly known as the Rotunda of Mosta. This was the site of a miracle where a German Bomb crashed through the dome but did not explode. The 300 + who had gathered in the church were saved. I also enjoyed visiting the Popeye village, the location where Robin Williams filmed his 1980 Popeye the Sailor Man film. As it turns out Robin Williams ...

Its nearly been 6 months since we lost our dad to cancer. Today is Father's Day in the UK and I wanted to share a photo of the man who helped me become who I am today.  Sadly, so many of us have lost our father's far too early and I am sure like me you will find today a bit of a struggle. However, what will get me through is known that I will carry the memory and teachings of my dad with me forever - this means there will always he a part of him with me at all times.  Since it is Father's day I do hope he has found a great spot up in heaven to participate in a little bit of fishing.  Thanks for being the best dad to me and my brothers!  Son of @jafwords Snr. 

From the outset of this review I will tell you the truth - really liked this film - but there were small bits I think I'd do differently (but that is just me!). So Mad Max: Fury Road burst its way onto the cinema screen and George Miller presents his post-apocalyptic dream of a world 45 years after civilisation effectively broke down. So this film is a reboot, not remake (so we are still dealing with the same Max from the first 3 films). At the end of the film my wife said she felt like her ears had been assaulted from start to finish (yeah my wife and I have some drastic differences when it comes to films - but bless her soul she still comes to the cinema with me). However, and audio assault is pretty decent way of describing it. The sound helps to immerse you into Max's rather insane world. When I left the cinema, I felt exhausted! From the outset of the film you join Tom Hardy in a heart-pumping and exhausting ride through the desert sands of a dying world. The action just ...

If you could just have five more minutes to talk to someone you loved who has gone - what would you say? A little cartoon of me and my dad - Not sure if he would like that I have made him look like a Jedi Ghost!  @jafwords

So once again I hit a stumbling roadblock on the road through creativity. So rather than write I just make up weird pictures. This is another one of them.  Happy doing, whatever it is you are doing. Jafwords

"Chewie...We're home" Enough said....... Why must we wait till Christmas. I am so excited!  Sent from Samsung Mobile

I remember seeing the trailer for this film last year and needless to say I became excited to see how it would unfold on the big screen. The film is directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, gaining them their directorial debut I believe. I think these guys worked with Keanu Reeves on stunt and fight scene co-ordination on the Matrix.   Admittedly, I did expect there to be some kind of Matrix feel to this film, especially as the main character, John Wick, was a retired hitman out for  revenge. Instead of futuristic, unbelievable fight scenes, we are presented with a more gritty type of fight co-ordination and a lot of gun play. In fact this had me instantly thinking of a modern day western with guns going off right, left and centre. I was reminded of the film "Equilibrium" and its use of 'Gun Kata'. I just educated myself and learned that this is actually called Gun Fu, which is used in Hong Kong action films.  The film on a whole is pretty decent and the stor...

While I could never claim to be an artist, I do find an enormous amount of satisfaction completing a bit of art work, looking at it, then being happy it looks like the person I was drawing.  With a lack of models, I seem to be the main subject matter. I've been creating digital art now for about a year. There is a lot of cheating in the process. To start with I build the image up in layers, edit as I go along and delete-very easily-what I don't like. Can't really do that on a canvas. Regardless, I find the process very therapeutic and helps dissolve much of the stress I feel. In this work you can see me and so I will call it "Into the face of Jafwords". What is in you, that you can create? A book, a painting, a comic? We all have something special that we can make which can touch the hearts of people in a very special way. So I would like to set you a challenge, create something in the next few months and watch it make others smile.  Happy creat...

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As I mentioned on the previous post I have now included some FREE short stories on my website. However, I have changed the way way you access them which should make it more accessible and easier to read. First of all, if you are looking at the mobile version of this page and can only see the blog post then scroll to the bottom and click on "web version". Then you will see the link to the short stories at the top right...ENJOY MY FRIENDS... and... Happy reading, Jafwords.

Apart from the odd film review, I have added very little to my website over the last few months. I have been trying to figure out ways to share some of my short stories. So at the bottom of the page, past the blogs you will find one of my stories called "THE VISITOR". I am not 100% with the way it will be shown and I am still trying to figure out a better way to allow people to read the stories. However, it is a working progress. I have also added some more of my little works or art. Happy reading my friends. Jafwords

Spending the morning drinking coffee out of my Star Trek mug. This Sunday lifestyle of the geek!  Jafwords.

We are assembled here today to pay final respects to our honored dead. And yet it should be noted, in the midst of our sorrow, this death takes place in the shadow of new life, the sunrise of a new world; a world that our beloved comrade gave his life to protect and nourish. He did not feel this sacrifice a vain or empty one, and we will not debate his profound wisdom at these proceedings. Of my friend, I can only say this: Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most....human. (James T. Kirk, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan). I haven't been able to watch this scene yet - I am still a little to close to my own dad's death to deal with the emotions that it would throw up. Yet the words of Kirk I have practically memorized from that film. I even remembering crying when I first saw that film. Nicholas Meyer created a gem of a film and this scene was incredibly heartbreaking. But now...its left the realm of fantasy and film and entered once again into...

I was wondering if I should just use my website for reviewing Science Fiction and Fantasy film. Since this website is about me and my thoughts then it would seem logical that I review the things I like, and I like comedy.   We got to Friday night and I really wanted to go to the cinema. I hadn't given much thought to what I wanted to see. I looked through the entire offerings of films and most came across as too serious. I really wasn't interested in something serious, as it had already been a serious week through work – I was ready for some light comic relief. The Wedding Ringer caught my eye and with Kevin Hart as the onscreen lead then it seemed I would be sure to get some laughs. The only thing that concerned me was the lack of advertising or hype surrounding the film – usually a sign that you are about to watch a dull dud of a film. Writer and Director Jeremy Garelick seems to be a relatively newcomer to the big screen directorial chair; in fact from wha...

Happy reading, Jafwords.

Disney has had some total flops in the past. Although, most that get total panned by the critics, I end up liking. Today's film came in the form of a take on Marvel's Big Hero 6. Okay, I have to admit I known zero about this particular comic but from the time I saw a trailer, it was added to my must watch list. The audiance is for kids aged 8 to 180 and I am one of those kids. Was it brilliant? Well it wasn't ground breaking but it was still exceptionally good. From what I have read Disney animation developed some new software for the rendering if this film and it was done to great effect. Visually the animation is spot on and I was impressed with the entire feel if the film, although I did watch it in 3D and felt it was still a little flat...I would have though computer generation would properly capitalise on the potential of 3D but as yet I am still left unimpressed.  The story had all I would have expected of a kids film- happiness, sadness and a moral story...the plot w...

It is now thirteen days since my dad died, and six days since we buried him. They say "Time is a Great Healer"; I know in some ways that is very true. As time progresses the loss seems that little bit less and life will slowly turn back to an adjusted normality. To be honest I am not there yet. My mind is not filled with questions of faith; as you know from reading my blog I have faith and losing my father has in no way shattered that. I believe my dad is with God, and it was God who had a greater need for him than we do. (I am sure some will roll their eyes at that notion but others will know exactly what I mean). I am having problems with the physical aspect of death, death on a human level. Surly my scientific brain should kick in and help me adjust...but it hasn't yet. In some ways I feel childlike. I have a nephew who, in his young age, is still processing the loss of his Papa. He can sense the sadness that surrounds us all, he knows his Papa has gone away but...

I should probably have used this blog entry to write something positive about 2015 but sadly, at this time for me and my family, I need to write something else. You see 2014 was a year that ended in a really hard way for us. Back in August of 2013 my Dad was diagnosed with a rare form of Bile-duct Cancer - I am afraid I can't actually remember the real name. Originally we had been told that the tumour was on one side of his liver and an operation was to be conducted, which would save his life. Spent that summer preparing for that day he was going to get the operation knowing that the next 6 months would be hard during his recovery. We came to the end of August/Early September and my dad was asked to go back into for some minor keyhole surgery as the surgeon wanted to have another look. The warning bells had been ringing then but had been ignored until the results of the scope came back and then our lives were changed forever. I phoned my mum to ask her how it...