So I’m neat? I was nominated to get the Real Neat Blog Award!

It has been quite a while since I was tagged in any posts of this kind, but I still appreciate it. I was nominated for the Real Neat Blog Award. The person responsible for nominating me is Scott from Mechanical Anime Reviews. Thank you very much, Scott!

The Rules:

1) Display the logo
2) Thank the blogger for the award
3) Answer the questions the one who has nominated you
4) Nominate 7-10 bloggers
5) Ask them 7 questions

Here are the questions I have to ask from Scott.

1. What is your favorite spaceship design from anywhere?

That’s a tough question. I guess some of the most unique spaceship designs would be the grappler ships from Outlaw Star. Say what you will about that anime, but I thought that was a creative concept of spaceships with robotic arms that can fight in close-combat.

2. What is your favorite comic book movie right now?

I’m not the best person to ask given my tendency to shy away from so many mainstream movies. The last comic book movie I saw was Black Panther last year. Wow, time really flies by.

3. Who is your least favorite anime character?

Most likely Kumiko from Debutante Detective Corps. She’s almost like protagonist centered morality incarnate. Anyone who tells me that Akiyuki Shinbo can do no wrong obviously hasn’t watched that crappy anime.

4. What is your favorite anime this season or if you don’t follow seasonal anime, what is one of your favorite anime?

I haven’t seen any new anime this year so far. Some of you anibloggers already know this about me, but my favorite anime series is Haibane Renmei.

5. How do you feel about Avatar: The Last Airbender?

I have only seen bits and pieces, so I don’t have much of an opinion on that matter.

6. If a wood chuck could chuck wood, what is your favorite fictional forests or woods in fiction?

That’s a clever question. Haha! I guess my favorite forests or woods in fiction would be something from Mushishi. I can’t think of too many at the moment, but some may come to me after this post.

7. What were you doing before you worked on this blogger award entry that I tagged you in?

Nothing too exciting, but I wrote and scheduled some reviews for my other blog Iridium Eye. I won’t say which ones, but they involve an Argentinean film, an obscure anime ONA, and a two-episode anime that got the remake treatment recently. You’ll see those reviews in March.

My nominations will be as follows:
1. Ameithyst
2. Xena
3. Dr. Y.
4. Lumi
5. Moyatori
6. Scottie
7.  Terrance A. Crow

Here are my questions for those who were nominated.

1. What three places on Earth would you like to visit that you’ve never been to before?
2. What is your favorite poem?
3. Who do you think is the most underrated musician or band in your opinion?
4. If you could enact one law in your home country, what would it be and why?
5. How do you feel about plagiarism controversies in regards to media (film, TV, art, literature, etc.)?
6. If you could have any superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?
7. How are you creative and in what way?

Life and Hiatuses

Hello, everyone.

As one may have realized, I haven’t been posting as much original content on here or most of my other blogs.

This summer has been insanely busy for me as I worked nonstop and I also have to prepare for this school year. I’ve also been looking into getting more education in the very near future, so I’ve been researching various programs that I can do with my budget and work schedule.

However, I’ve been creative in one aspect. I’m going to release more books with my fiction projects which you can find out about at http://cmbbwrites.wordpress.com. I’ve also been editing my big series that I’ve worked on since 2014 since I really want to release those books this year.

Of course, I’m quite aware about those who know me because of my reviews. I haven’t had the time to write reviews let alone watch as many movies, anime, and/or documentaries. This will be a disappointment to some of you since I haven’t posted any content in months on Iridium Eye. I did get over 8000 views which was nice. Feel free to check out that blog if you like content involving lesser-known media even though I’m still on hiatus.

As far as new Ospreyshire music…I just hope I have enough time to write and record some tracks before the end of the year.

Thank you.

Frustrations in Creativity

It has been a whirlwind of activity.

After working, I relaxed by watching a movie that I will review next month, but I had a realization.

Without going into much detail, things always change. Life can mess up the best laid plans. I had so many things set for several projects over the next few months, but other things happened that I need to address. Some of them have to do with my work and others involve dealing with other life matters that I need to take care of. Don’t worry. It’s nothing troublesome. It’s just busy stuff going on.

I won’t be posting as much content on this blog for the time being, so I can take care of things.

Pardon my dust.

Thank you.

An Avalanche of Creativity

This has been an eventful month for me to say the least.

In addition to my normal work life outside of blogging, I’ve been on the grind in regards to creating things. I just finished my Katauta 52 Project last Wednesday which was an accomplishment, been working hard at publishing some of my fiction projects, and I’ve been in talks with some people for some cool projects (stay tuned).

While it’s been fun creating things like music, literature, reviewing and other things, I do admit that I have gotten overwhelmed at times. Part of it is a huge drive with me trying to accomplish as many goals as possible this. Another aspect is me trying to find time whenever I can to make content here, my blogs, and other avenues. I just hope I can do everything that I can while getting enough sleep. Granted, two of my other blogs are on hiatus until some of that content will be on full display.

Have you ever felt this way before? I just don’t want to overwork myself.

Blogwarming!

It’s Cold Outside – Time for a Blogwarming

Irina from Drunken Anime Blog did a great post about my friend Jeannette Jonic. I think it’s awesome that people are spreading the word about her blog. Please check it out.

Check out Jeannette Jonic at http://jeannettejonic.blogspot.com

Unique Blogger Award (My first award!)

Well, I legitimately didn’t see this one coming.

I was awarded this Unique Blogger Award from a blogger named Irina.

Thanks, Irina! I really appreciate it.

In order for this thing to work, I must do the following:

-Mention the blogger who nominated me while linking them.
-Nominate 8-13 other people.
-Answer questions from the person who nominated me.
-Give three questions to those I have nominated.

I know this award was for my work at Iridium Eye where I review lesser-known movies, documentaries, anime, short films, international movies, art house cinema and other films of that nature that aren’t getting the Hollywood treatment. http://iridiumeye.wordpress.com

I’d like to nominate the following bloggers:
1. Jeannette Jonic
2. Lauren Mann & The Fairly Odd Folk
3. Jon Spencer Reviews
4. Peach’s Almanac
5. Through Open Lens
6. Rodrovich’s Anime Blog
7. The Pantless Anime Blogger
8. Hikeminded
9. Mechanical Anime Reviews
10. Sarah Doughty

I hope you all appreciate that!

Here are the questions I was asked by Irina.

1. What post was your favorite to write and why?
Well, I have multiple blogs. I’ll give you an answer for all of my pages.

Ospreyshire’s Realm: It was when I made a video for the “My Heart Is A Crater” track from my debut EP “Verses Vs. Anhedonia”. Here’s a link to the video.

Autumn Peal Media (Photography/Videography): That’s tricky. It would be some of my Ecuador photos such as when I visited Quito or parts of the Andes Mountains.

C. M. B. Bell Fiction: That would be my currently ongoing cell phone novel Hollandus Landing. This has been a huge undertaking for me as I write this story with 40 different perspectives with 200 words or less per chapter.

Iridium Eye: My two favorite reviews I wrote would be a very close tie between the documentary Hate Crimes In The Heartland and the 60s anime series Kimba the White Lion.

Hate Crimes In The Heartland is the first documentary and American film I’ve given a 10/10 points to. It’s a very powerful film that deals with the tragedies of the Black Wall Street Massacre and the Good Friday Murders in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I thought it was amazing how they got survivors from the former event that happened in 1921 while also having a narrative that focuses not just on the racial impact, but also the economic one without politicizing everything.

Kimba the White Lion was a fun anime to review despite being way older than the other anime series I’ve critiqued. Even though it’s super old-school, I was really impressed with how much depth there was and how they handle various issues in a G-rated way. This and the last review allowed me to be very honest and brave with my opinions. I didn’t think it was a perfect series especially with some of the meddling in the English dub with a couple of storyline changes, but it was still a good watch. If you’ve heard of Kimba, yes…I do give my 2 cents on the infamous “Lion Controversy” as well. Feel free to check out these reviews and my other ones, too.

2. Is there a subject you would like to write about but haven’t quite figured out how to do it yet?

I’ve thought about a few, but I don’t know which blog I could post them on or what format it could be. I’ve thought of little essays involving media theories, connecting films and anime to various social issues (without looking like an SJW), some music-based posts, and even posting some poetry outside of my ongoing Katauta 52 Project.

3. What was the last random thing that made you happy?

This happened yesterday, actually. At my day job, I was feeling beat after doing so much work quickly to the best of my ability. One of my managers saw this and gave me an iced coffee as a token of appreciation. It really made me smile.

Now that I’ve answered Irina’s questions, I’ve got questions for those of you whom I nominated.

1. What was the bravest article you’ve posted on your blog(s)?
2. Which creative hobby would you most like to try? (keep the answers civil, please)
3. If your blog was a meal or dish, what would it taste like?

Alright. That was a fun post and this award did brighten my day despite me not posting about it sooner.

Have a wonderful day.

-Curtis

 

 

So do you like movies, documentaries, or anime?

I usually don’t post about things besides my spoken word stuff or music on here, but I would like to remind you wonderful people that I do other stuff, too.

For example, I review some movies at a little place called Iridium Eye: http://iridiumeye.wordpress.com

The thing is that I don’t review the typical Hollywood blockbuster stuff. My emphasis is on critiquing the following kinds of visual media:

-Indie films
-International films
-Anime
-Non-mainstream animation
-Documentaries
-Art house cinema
-Short films
-Random obscure movies

Cinema has been a passion of mine, and I like to give my thoughts on media that you may or may not have heard of. I give my honest opinions on why I like or dislike something even if it’s against what most other critics (professional or otherwise) believe. I also use some snarky humor from time to time, mention some fun facts about a movie or series, and I also give an option for a viewer to adjust the score if their tastes are different than mine since I know not everyone will agree with me.

If you want to check out some films, animation, documentaries, or anything off the beaten path, then feel free to check out Iridium Eye for reviews every Saturday.

Once again, it’s http://iridiumeye.wordpress.com.

Thank you.

-Curtis

 

Someone Reviewed My EP!

So, I got an email from Dave of The Old-Timers and ZAP Records fame earlier today. He told me that my debut EP got reviewed. I couldn’t believe that it actually happened. This was the first time in my life that anyone has reviewed my creative works ever. Dave Hawkins (not to be confused with the aforementioned Dave) from The Antidote checked it out. You can find his review of Verses Vs. Anhedonia at two places…

http://www.theantidoteradio.com/review/ospreyshire-verses-vs-anhedonia-review

http://www.indievisionmusic.com/reviews/ospreyshire-verses-vs-anhedonia/

One quote that stood out to me involved the final sentences.

“Curtis M’s straight-forward lyric approach, overlaying the atmospheric background, creates a distinctly curious aesthetic. Be prepared for this five minute long game changer.”

Thanks, Mr. Hawkins!

-Curtis