Fish and Cherries Productions

Hey, everypeoples. It’s that time again where I boost the signal for a crowdfunding campaign. This time, though, it’s different. I’m not pushing for a celebrity or creator that has influenced my childhood. I’m trying to support an artist that I know personally that has some mad musical chops. Ladies, gents, and everyone in-between, I introduce you to Flight of Fire.

The lead vocalist, who goes by Maverick (which is her actual last name, not an awesome pseudonym), lived down the hall from me in the dorms of UC Santa Cruz and while we didn’t always hang out, we had some good times when we did. After Santa Cruz, I lost touch with her, only to find that she started her own all-girl rock band called Flight of Fire. I’ve got to say, from what I’ve heard, I’m impressed. They’ve got a sound that harkens back to the classic rock era, when your Rushes, Led Zeppelins, and Dios ruled the world. It’s a refreshing sound to have back and I think they deserve more attention.

That’s where we come in. As of now, they’ve gone to Kickstarter to help fund their new concept album, Path of the Phoenix. (Yeah, if it wasn’t obvious, Phoenix is kind of their motif.) The whole thing is said to be a story of the rise, fall, and rebirth of an aspiring artist, making it almost like a rock opera. Now there’s something that has sadly been absent from the mainstream as of late. They want to make the album and perform it live in Boston, but they need our help to do it. Check out their Kickstarter page here for more information. If you want to know more about them, check out their website and their Soundcloud and see these up and coming rock artists in their prime.

And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for. You cried. You raged. You demanded your money back. And now I’m lighting the fires of war one last time. Without further ado, my Top 9 Worst Movies of 2015.

Wow, this was a long one to write. But can you blame me? This movie gives me a lot to talk about.

Room

Wow, it’s been a week of silence before yesterday, hasn’t it? I’m sure some of you would like more details, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline. A lot of things that have been going on are personal and I’d rather keep that private. Suffice to say, there has been a severe upheaval in my life (don’t worry, no one’s dead) and it’s taking me a bit to put things back together. I’d just like to thank you all for being so patient with me after a few unexplained hiatuses.

Being self-regulated is not an easy thing, so when something takes the wind out of your sails, it’s really hard to pick your momentum back up again. In fact, I’ve had so much experience with it that I want to be able to impart it onto others. I want to try hosting panels and talks at conventions and seminars to help other budding creators who face the struggles of being self-employed. If I could find some way to pay it forward and help someone succeed, even if I don’t, then my life will be a happy one.

Now, to business. My Worst Movies of 2015 list is awaiting edits and should be posted in the next few days. And for the daily business, some good ol’ Scribbles.

They found his diary under his bed
In a paragraph, describe the setting for a love scene.
Write about running away from something or someone

Wow, it feels like it’s been ages since I’ve made a post. I’m overdue for an On My Mind post too, so I’ll do that tomorrow along with my Scribbles. For now, though, here’s a delightful gem from last year that, while not making my top movies list, was still enjoyable and deserves more attention.

Man Up

As an old TV show once said, “You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and you get the facts of life.” Well, this week is certainly chock full of that. Let’s take a look at the ups and the downs that resonated the most with me.

First, the bad news on everyone’s mind: the death of David Bowie. What can I say that hasn’t already been said before? The man was a one-of-a-kind artist, the likes of whom we may never see again. I’ll admit that for most of my life, the Bowie I knew and loved was the Goblin King from Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, but I eventually found my way to Ziggy Stardust and Major Tom. Whether he was young or old, his music was brilliant and pushed the boundaries every time. The fact that his last album was saying goodbye to the world is both heartbreaking and amazing. Simon Pegg (but not the Simon Pegg) said it best: “If you’re sad today, just remember the world is over 4 billion years old and you somehow managed to exist at the same time as David Bowie.” Rest assured, I always will.

For the good… we did it. The crowdfunding for both Psychonauts 2 and Don Bluth’s Dragon’s Lair movie were wildly successful, exceeding their intended goal and causing geeks everywhere to rejoice. And why shouldn’t they? Tim Schaeffer and Don Bluth are both artistic visionaries that got the short end of the stick and deserve a second chance? Were they perfect? No. Did they stumble from time to time? Certainly. But when someone puts out something truly great and unique, it seems like complete bunk that further projects should fail just because the investors don’t want to take a risk or because the first installment didn’t bring in the biggest of bucks. So yes, I consider this a win. Time will tell if I’m wrong, but for the moment, let the revelry continue.

And that’s what’s on my mind for today.

Sorry this is so late. Editing had to take a backseat to family affairs. Anyway, here’s one of last year’s stragglers that I want to catch before they’re off to the DVD pasture.

The Hateful Eight

No Classic Snippet today. I’ve fallen behind on some paid work and that takes precedence. Sorry.

So a lot of you were probably quite surprised that last week, I just… disappeared with no warning. I’d like to say that it was just because of the holidays and spending time with family, but that’s not really true.

The truth is that I had a mental breakdown. It was a combination of stress and guilt over recent actions, so I had to be rushed down to Southern California to be with family and recover. I’d rather not talk about the recent actions, but I will say that it wasn’t Hitler-bad and I’m doing my bit to fix things. As for my mental health, I’m nearly back at 100%, hence why I’m back to work again.

This may be a bit distressing for some of you to read, but know that these things happen. Asperger’s Syndrome has a lot of these challenges and even with all my training and methods of functioning, I have no doubt that there will be episodes like this in the future. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still dragging the past events with me and thinking about what they mean for the future. But time passes and all things heal. Some just may take longer than others.

Moving on from that, let’s talk Fish and Cherries business. That’s two months in a row that I’ve missed a Ronin Reads and unfortunately, I don’t have a hard date of when I’m getting it out. Lord knows that the subject isn’t as topical as it was last month, but I still might be able to get some mileage out of it. That said, there’s another upcoming work that you guys might like. 2015 is behind us and if you’ve been a fan since last year, you may remember me coming out with a list of my best movies of 2014. Well, I’m happy to say that I’ll be doing the same with 2015… plus some extra.

See, I’ve had to become a lot less picky with what movies I see to show that I’m more professional and more likely to get picked up, so unlike last year, I’ve seen enough bad movies this year to warrant a list of worst movies. I’ll be coming out with the worst first, since I like to end things on a positive note, but just be prepared for some truly deserved bile spewing and venting towards the past year’s garbage. It’ll be a bit since I want to catch that last few 2015 films before they leave theaters.

Here’s hoping that everyone is having a Happy New Year.

I’m back! Sorry for disappearing like that. I’ll explain more on Wednesday. I’d say it’s back to business as usual, but I’m actually updating the Snippet format to include a synopsis and a fun tidbit. With all that out of the way, here’s a look at the first of many critic favorite films that closed out 2015.

Brooklyn