The exercise:
I think we'll give the movie prompt another go today. So pick a movie from AFI's original top 100 movies list and use its title as your inspiration. Your writing should have as little to do with the actual movie as possible.
We got part of the fence up today, but ran into a few delays so we didn't finish. Plus we finally got started on the raised bed we want to setup behind our house for our own vegetables, so that took some time too.
Tomorrow is a day off. I am looking forward to it.
Mine:
#54 - All Quiet on the Western Front
The sun sinks into a silent sea,
Leaving me to contemplate the night;
No song birds to keep me company -
Even the sand flies don't buzz or bite.
I can almost hear the stars above
As they manifest in the black sky.
Unbidden come thoughts of my lost love -
My ears prick, listening for her cry.
But they find no success in their hunt,
For it's all quiet on this western front.
No song birds to keep me company -
Even the sand flies don't buzz or bite.
I can almost hear the stars above
As they manifest in the black sky.
Unbidden come thoughts of my lost love -
My ears prick, listening for her cry.
But they find no success in their hunt,
For it's all quiet on this western front.
I choose #40, North by Northwest. A continuation of my abbreviated story of the humans searching for planets to colonize.
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Mzhlk spun the heading of the ship until it matched the compass heading he wanted. There. North by northwest. Such odd words for directions, but of course the old ones from Home Planet wouldn't make any sense out here in space, either. Much better to use the approved ones from Galactic High Command.
He smiled as he sent the ship speeding off towards home. Home at last, mission accomplished. He had finally blown up those troublesome two-legged beings from the planet with the barbaric name. What was it again? Ah yes, Earth. Well, he could forget it now. They would never be out here again, trying to colonize other people's planets.
He only hoped his brethern on Earth itself had been as successful in halting the space programme itself.
Imagine the cheek of the barbarians, trying to colonize other planets without asking permission from Galactic High Command first.
He hummed to himself and ignored the tiny dot of light following his ship through hyperspace.
Morganna - I'm glad you continued that! I like where it's heading :)
ReplyDelete@Morganna: I love the way the alien captain thinks; I wonder if he'll ever have the chance to realise that he's not so far from human himself?
ReplyDelete@Marc: Lovely poem, and I really like the last couplet. I've not seen the film, but I have read the book (in German, it was assigned reading) and you don't remind me of it at all :)
14: Some like it hot
Chris Pimento was in his late twenties, had three-day stubble and a latent anger from a four-hour delay for his flight. Thankfully he was now landed, and he tore through Customs as fast as he could, glaring at the moustachioed little man who almost, almost stepped forwards at 'Anything to Declare' signs. Then he was out of the airport, at the taxi rank, and sinking gladly into the backseat of a battered yellow Italian taxi.
"Dové...?" said the driver, jaundiced eyes catching Chris's in the mirror.
Chris rummaged in his suit-jacket pocket until his fingers found the folded page, and offered it to the driver. The driver read it, his lips moving as he did so, then looked questioningly at Chris. Chris just nodded, then slouched and stared out of the window.
The drive was about a half-hour, and took him to long, empty, rubbish strewn streets. Naples had never looked so unappealing, though Chris didn't know that. They arrived, he paid, and went up to the door. It even had a classical red-light lit outside.
The woman who opened the door, a putta spoke no English, and it took five minutes to establish that he wasn't there for the brothel, but for the food. Finally he pulled out the letter he'd written, and the reply that had been written on the back on his pages, and her eyes shone with recognition. She sat him at a table, and served him genuine pasta puttanesca.
As Chris discovered that hailing taxis in the red-light district was impossible at night and walked back to where hotels could be found, he was planning his review of the meal already: Some like it hot, but here at the brothel on Malliardi Street....
Greg - I haven't seen the movie either, but I knew the basic premise of it.
ReplyDeleteThat is one dedicated reviewer. I wonder what other fine eating establishments he's visited for work?
And work only, of course.