Posts

Why the ace up my sleeve loves V for Vendetta, and the limits of English for describing feelings

Image
Photo from https://theplaylist.net/v-for-vendetta-science-fiction-20200730/  Why the ace up my sleeve loves V for Vendetta, and the limits of English for describing feelings by Jen Davies, nerd Nov 5, 2025 A lot of folks were introduced to Alan Moore through the movie versions of two visual novels, Watchmen and V for Vendetta . Me too. I have since been watching the free YouTube videos associated with Alan Moore’s BBC Maestro series recently released, highly recommend you look those up if you aspire to writing. I watched them because I admire V for Vendetta (both versions). V is extremely relevant in 2025 (see article above - Christian Nationalism is even scarier right now than it was), and there are so few film portrayals in science fiction (or other kinds of fiction) of asexual love that I have to take what little I can find. I blame the limits of the English language for the struggle writers have with describing the nuances of the human experience, especially feelin...
Post a Comment
Read more

A counsellor's ethical question about “tactical empathy” in the context of Netflix show Rabbit, Rabbit, and how much luck has to do with success

Image
Screenshot and info from: https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/rabbit-rabbit-series-adam-driver-release-date-photos-news   A counsellor's ethical question about “tactical empathy” in the context of new Netflix show Rabbit, Rabbit , and how much luck has to do with success by Jen Davies, nerd Nov 1, 2025 Note1: I'm curious to see how this show treats the science here, because the announcement very specifically decided to include a social scientific element (“tactical empathy”). Note2: There are likely more experienced ethicists in the field of counselling who can speak to this issue, that these communication skills were not identified and fine-tuned in order to be used for “tactical” purposes, but I don't remember finding much written about this when Chris Voss’ Masterclass came out. Maybe there have been things written since then. If not, I'm happy to muse further! Let me know if that's of interest.  The name Chris Voss will almost certainly come up so...
Post a Comment
Read more

What there is to appreciate about Tron: Ares, and a nod to Harlan Ellison's I, Robot Screenplay

Image
  What there is to appreciate about Tron: Ares , and a nod to Harlan Ellison's I, Robot Screenplay by Jen Davies, nerd Oct 30, 2025 Note: Full of spoilers. Folks are not satisfied with Tron: Ares . I went into it with my brain shut off and enjoyed it, however I understand all the criticisms. Let me point out a few things you might enjoy, if you're on the fence about seeing it. If you haven't read the script for I, Robot by Harlan Ellison, never made as a film but available in novel format, please read it. It is unrelated to any movie that has been made. It's fantastic, based on the many short stories about Robbie the Robot by Isaac Asimov. It's a complex story. The simplified thread that ties the stories together, as Ellison told it, is a human woman (Susan Calvin) who receives help from robots throughout her life which all turn out to be Robbie. As I recall, her first encounter with Robbie is in a factory that her father manages. Susan is a child and she stumbles...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dying isn't the hardest thing: Hunting for Ben Solo’s road to redemption in Adam Driver’s filmography and Steven Soderbergh’s narratives

Image
     Photo from https://screenrant.com/adam-driver-hunt-for-ben-solo-star-wars-movie-still-happen-deadpool/   Dying isn't the hardest thing: Hunting for Ben Solo’s road to redemption in Adam Driver’s filmography and Steven Soderbergh’s narratives by Jen Davies, nerd Oct 27, 2025 I'm a devoted Star Wars fan IRL, and I have been since my dad started showing me taped-from-TV versions of the original movies, maybe when I was a bit young (Ep6 was only a few years old when I was 5 or 6). Coincidentally I watched Ep7-8-9 together for the first time this past August, and raged as I did in 2019 at the sheer waste of the amazing villain Kylo Ren when he is turned into a plot device at the end - and wept again at the joy of the 4 minutes of Ben Solo that we got, the most alive plot device I've ever seen. He was brought to life only through body language and a single word of dialogue, and then he was ended without any opportunity to redeem his rediscovered self (more waste). I f...
Post a Comment
Read more