The Writer's Life 1/16 - World Premiere

My new book, Billionths of a Lifetime - Short Works, is now available at Amazon: Paperback $12.68, Kindle $1. My thanks to the two kind folks who have already purchased.
http://www.amazon.com/Billionths-Lifetime-Short-Vic-Fortezza/dp/1519774494/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452980979&sr=1-1&keywords=billionths+of+a+lifetime



I have to temper expectations to avoid disappointment when a film generates great buzz or has big box office returns or receives several Academy Award nominations. Such was the case with Mad Max Fury Road (2015), which I viewed last night courtesy of Netflix. A technical marvel, it has received 10 Oscar nods. The action is breakneck, the stunts thrilling, the cinematography beautiful. My quibble is that it brings nothing new to the table. It is more of the same. I was a little impatient a half hour in, as it seemed aimless. Once I understood what was happening, my enjoyment increased. The plot is simple: get away from evil forces, survive, triumph. The acting is secondary. Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy are in the midst of great careers, but any competent actors would have done just as well in the roles. The dialog is sparse, almost entirely business-like. There is little comic relief. Then again, there was no close captioning, so I might have missed any amusing asides. Of course, there are several quirky characters, a requisite of post-apocalyptic fare. In reading the commentary section at IMDb, several participants say the film is not true to the previous three in the serious. I totally disagree and wonder what I have not understood. George Miller directed, as he did the three previous entries. It is the first of his works I've viewed since The Witches of Eastwick (1987), which was disappointing. He shot this one in Namibia, Africa rather than his native Australia. 425,000+ users at IMDb have rated it, forging to a consensus of 8.2 of ten. Although I enjoyed the movie, I'm not as enthusiastic as that. On a scale of five, 3.5. It runs less than two hours, minus the closing credits. It is strictly for action fans.

In an op-ed piece in today's NY Post, Jonah Goldberg deems money as over-rated in the political process. His best point is that if it mattered as much as its detractors claim Jeb Bush would be way ahead instead of way behind. He also offered this bit of info: "...of the top five organizations — i.e., unions and corporate PACs — that give to federal candidates, all (mostly public unions) give 97 percent to 100 percent of their donations to liberals and Democrats. Of the top 10, eight give almost exclusively to the left. By the way, Koch Industries is No. 49 on the list, and the National Rifle Association is No. 74."

My thanks to Ralph, who bought six works of non-fiction despite a cold. A burly guy, he's usually in light garb. Today he was bundled up as if the temperature were zero, not 50. Thanks also to the woman who bought a handsomely illustrated children's compilation, the one who bought the last of my inventory in Russian, and the elderly woman who did a three for one swap. She got Catherine Coulter, I got John Grisham, Lisa Scottoline and Barbara Taylor Bradford.

Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Website: http://vicfortezzaauthor.my-free.website/