Mark A. Marquez

Impressed at how well the imagery stands out

Revisado: 02-23-25

I get the modern gripes about tough language and slow pacing, but as a fan, I’m impressed by how much the film lifts from the book and adapts its lines. Over 100 years ago, that book’s vivid, evil imagery was unheard of—terrifying, especially in a folklore-believing era. It’s a classic horror and literary gem for genre fans.

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The quiet terror of benevolence.

Revisado: 01-03-25

So you crack open an audiobook about aliens, and they come down all calm, benevolent, gifting us wonders we can’t even begin to understand — smooth as silk, no threats, no guns. Just enlightenment wrapped in mystery. They hang in the sky like patient gods, keeping their faces hidden, and that’s the kicker. You can’t trust something that clean, that generous. Makes the gut twist. Makes you wonder if there’s a hook buried deep in all that sweetness.

Clarke’s got this way of making you chew on the big questions. Not just about space or visitors from the void, but what it means to be human when the stars crack open and spill their secrets in your lap. He pokes at that old itch — are we ready for truths bigger than our small minds? Or do we shatter when the mask finally comes off?

And when it does — when the veil lifts — it’s not terror, not quite. It’s a cold awe, the kind that leaves you speechless, wondering if you’re the fool for being scared. The final reveal doesn’t punch so much as haunt, a slow burn that lingers like last call when the bar’s gone quiet.

The ending? Yeah, a little flat, maybe. Less a climax, more a long, slow exhale. But that’s the point, isn’t it? Clarke wasn’t after cheap thrills. He was stretching the mind, pulling it past comfort zones, past the flesh, into something bigger — cosmic, endless, evolution wrapped in silence.

So you sit there, book closed, and you’re not the same. A little restless. A little uneasy. Like you’ve glimpsed the edge of something beautiful and terrible, and you know damn well you’ll never quite shake it.

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Startling revelations of phenomena

Revisado: 01-02-25

Author, Annie Jacobson does a wonderful example of diving into the realm of the unknown with her journalistic flare and knack for diving into the details. This is a comprehensive work of the military’s application of ESP and another phenomenon. I like learning about interesting characters like Yuri Geller and Joan Quigley. The book is full of interesting facts and doubts in speculations. I look forward to reading more of her work.

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Empathetic people are drawn to horror

Revisado: 07-22-24

This is a collection of short stories from the master, Stephen King, that is always worth your time. There were a couple that really got my imagination going. I especially liked "Answer Man," and of course, "Rattlesnakes" is a blast. I also enjoyed his epilogue, where he mentions Shirley Jackson's observation that people drawn to horror tend to be empathetic. This resonates with my experience in the horror community. I read scary stories and then at night, pray for all those who experience horrors in their own lives. It's the least I can do in a world with so much darkness. And yes, I do like it darker.

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The most difficult book to read

Revisado: 02-17-24

Among the numerous books I've encountered throughout my life, this one stood out as particularly challenging. There were times when scenes of heartbreak compelled me to stop reading, and moments of deep contemplation made me pause, especially in reflection of the atrocities described.

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Introspective work is what's needed for our happy ending

Revisado: 02-02-17

It's a bit refreshing to read about this hypothesis. The idea that films and classic stories carry the key to happy endings in our own lives. This is not something typically analyzed even in film school as I would know, I graduated from Chapman University's Film School.

Overall, the essence is that characters have an internal struggle of values and outer struggle which is their tangible goal in the film. We see them obtain their goal but must realize only by truly recognizing their inner conflict and accepting change can they obtain their new values and thus truly achieve a happy ending of which we need to do the same in our own lives.

This is a worthy endeavor to partake when watching cinema, to analyze what each story is really trying to say behind the central narrative and take away our own thoughts about how that characters journey may apply to our own. Thank you.

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