This is what I sent to the editor as a writing sample:

Matrix Reloaded - Film Review

As a film that deals with the uncertainty of reality, it is fitting that Matrix Reloaded is not sure what it wants to be. While it has all the elements of a satisfying action flick – guns, martial arts, sunglasses and explosions – for some inexplicable reason it also tries to offer a philosophical treatise on the difference between free will and determinism. So if you want to enjoy some of the most outlandish action set pieces of recent memory, you’ll have to put up with some really dreadful dialogue. What should be a fast paced science fiction epic is sabotaged by characters who are content to sit around and chat about causality, choices and prophecies while doing nothing interesting whatsoever. I have no problem with dialogue but when it is so bland and so lifelessly delivered it simply reminds the audience that their time is being wasted. Particularly when much of what is said mostly repeats the information we were given in the first film. Incidentally in the original Matrix the film was kind enough to dress up necessary explanations with interesting visuals. Thankfully Matrix Reloaded isn’t all talk and no trousers as when the action does eventually kick in it is imaginative, beautifully shot and excellently choreographed. In particular the climactic freeway car chase is unlike anything that has been seen before. It’s genuinely gobsmacking.

Ultimately though this film was a savage disappointment, with a huge gap between what the marketing promised and what the film delivers. However if you can put up with lengthy expositional sequences, the tedious Zion scenes, a romance with all the fizz and sparkle of three day old 7up, an over reliance on computer effects and a generally shoddy approach to entertainment, there is a reasonable action film lurking inside. Follow the hype, if you must, but consider yourself duly warned.

And...

In Defence of the Graphic Novel

“A total lack of inspiration has meant that Holly wood is now devoting its time to filming comics, sequels and reheats.” – Evening Herald (May 21, 2003)

I saw this in the Herald the other day. I’m not proud of what I did but I needed something to read. Now, maybe I’m nitpicking but I seem to be detecting a trace of anti-comic sentiment here. Notice how they have said that adapting comics lacks inspiration. They don’t mention novels so apparently it’s okay to vomit the latest Tom Clancy or Stephen King. I don’t see why comic adaptations should be singled out as a problem with the film industry. Frankly it smacks of an all too common mainstream media disdain for alternative culture. Normally when faced with astounding stupidity of this type I would simply smack the offending individual around the head with my Big Stick of Tolerance, but today you have found me in a reflective mood. I’m going to even the scales by making the case for comics. I don’t want to preach to the choir here so if you already know that comics are great, I suggest you stop reading now. Do something you enjoy. Go read your favourite comic.

Let’s see if we can figure out why you think that comics aren’t for you. Perhaps your only knowledge of comics came from the Beano when you were a kid. Or you think that they’re all about vigilantes in tight pants. Maybe you just think there is something inherently childish about telling a story with colourful pictures. In which case you probably don’t like the cinema either. The truth is that comic books, or graphic novels if you really want to appear grown up, make up a culture that is at least as rich and varied as film and books. Crucially comics are also suitably different from other cultural art forms. Comic books are produced by small, dedicated teams, usually just a writer and illustrator. This means that they are free from the focus group bureaucracy of the film industry while also avoiding the extreme self-indulgence that novels can sometimes descend into.

I would like to point out that I’m not a massive comic book fan. I don’t have the time to buy them on a weekly basis. However they are an important part of my cultural diet, alongside films, books and music. I think they deserve to be recognised in the same way. The comic industry is still in its adolescence, it’s experimenting and it’s growing rapidly. Why not get on board while the industry is still young enough to be rich with ideas, before the mainstream takes it over and tries to kill it with conformity? Just look at the garbage that spews from your radio every day.

At this point you’re either interested or you have dismissed this rant as the rambling of a confused mind. The best thing for you to do is head down to Forbidden Planet on the Quays and start reading. Let me start you off with some of my favourites. If you like crime thrillers, try 100 Bullets, a grimy morality tale that takes a tiresome premise (what would you do if you could get away with murder?) and breaths new life into it. Want to read something that has more opinions that a pubful of students? Pick up Transmetropolitan for social satire so furious that flecks of enraged spittle practically drip off the pages. Perhaps you do fancy reading about super heroes in tights? It’s okay, we all do sometimes. Read Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, it’s the yardstick for the genre. Special mention should go to Preacher which tells a story that is simply more engrossing than just about anything that I’ve ever experienced, in any medium. And finally, if you want to see how this unique medium can tell stories in ways that other industries can only dream of, you can’t beat The Invisibles, which wedges conspiracy theories, hallucinogenic artwork and old fashioned ultra violence into a neat package, aims it at your central cortex and pulls the trigger.

There’s a whole new world out there waiting for you. Come and play.

Also I have a job interview in two days with the local supermarket. Not exactly glamorous but living out in the sticks as I do, the idea of a place within cycling distance that will give me money is incredible.