Retroactive Reviews: Grindhouse (2007)

What's a RETROACTIVE REVIEW?

A "Retroactive Review" is basically a dusty movie review from the vaults. The reviews and movies are old, but they represent the type of writing for which I have the most passion. Some of my favorite retro-reviews and perhaps the occasional new review will appear here regularly.

But first some history:
Sure, writing is my bread n' butter. It's what I do, what I've always done, and what I'll keep on doing forever and ever, amen. (Hire me!) But first love? Nope. That would be movies. I absorb movies, movie trivia, and other miscellaneous pop culture the way most guys absorb sports. (Which I just don't get. Sorry.) As a child, long before I developed the attention span to write, I'd get out my big ol' coffee can full of crayons and draw scenes from my favorite movies. (The Ghostbusters, Superman and Indiana Jones were common themes in my "early work.") 

In third grade I started scribbling out my own little one-panel comic strip that, essentially, was my way of creating my own "Mad" magazine-style movie parodies. I even took my humble comic to the editor of our hometown newspaper ("The Brookville Star") in hopes of getting some pre-pre-pre-internet public exposure. That venture -sadly- never took off, but by the time I made it to high school I decided I was going to elbow my way onto the school paper staff (not so tough in Brookville, Ohio) so that I could jockey for the (not yet created) "movie critic" position (which I proceeded to create). By my senior year I was the editor of the Brookville High School "Blue Blazer," giving me free reign to write the longest, most self-indulgent movie reviews I could dream up, and I loved every line inch of it all. 

Even though my career aspirations never involved becoming a filmmaker I was still able to squeeze some unnecessary film classes into my packed Ohio University journalism curriculum. They say "those who don't, teach" (which is total bull, by the way), and likewise one might say those who don't make movies, point and laugh at movies made by others. That's not really bull. That's probably pretty true actually. [Read more and the Grindhouse review after the jump.]

PCT Pest Control Technology Features and News

During my tenure at GIE Media, I served as a contributor to many of the publishers' trade magazines, while simultaneously serving as assistant editor for Lawn & Landscape. One of those magazines is the top news source for the pest control industry: PCT Pest Control Technology. Of the industries I've covered, pest control is easily my favorite, and the most memorable. (I mean, just look at the cover to the left! Cool, right?) I enjoyed interacting with pest control operators (PCOs) while developing stories and learning things about bugs and other pests; everything from bats to rats to fire ants.

"When Marion Met Norman" - A Closer Look at "PSYCHO"

This is one of many film essays from my old blog. It was originally published in August of 2010. It breaks down key plot points from Hitchcock's classic (particularly the "Check-in" and "Shower" scenes) and explores Hitchcock's thematics and his 1960 promotion of the film. Writing comes easiest when the subject is something you're passionate about, and my love of Psycho made this a pleasure to write. It should be noted that if you've somehow managed to avoid ever seeing the film, the following essay gives up all the secrets and is essentially one big spoiler. ~WN
Read the essay after the jump. 

Trade Journalism - CLUB & RESORT BUSINESS

Here are two trade features, covering the golf course, club and resort markets. The following two features appeared in Club & Resort Business magazine. I was a freelance contributor for the publication in the Summer of 2005. 

~WN

"Take It Easy, Martha" - My Adventure in Ghost Writing

I had no idea what I was getting myself into this summer when I agreed to copy edit a family friend's "book."

Brenda Barion related the story of her son's 2006 Dayton-area murder in a free-form journal that chronicles her entire journey; from the dramatic events that lead up to the murder, to her son's violent death at the end of a sawed-off shotgun, to her crisis of faith, to the courtroom drama that ensued. Brenda got it all down in over 200 pages of densely written text. Written as more of an inspirational story for others who've experienced their own suffering over the loss of a child, Brenda's work was less a true-crime tale than it was a spiritual release and an attempt at healing herself by sharing her story. She wanted a document of her experience; something to share. More than anything she wanted her story published in a book, but lacked confidence in her writing and wasn't sure of how to proceed with what she had already written.

"A Spirited Southern Seaport" - PCT Pest Control Technology

This piece was written as a city profile for a "Convention Extra" edition of the industry magazine, PCT Pest Control Technology. New Orleans was the site of that year's National Pest Management Association (NPMA) con and I was assigned the job of writing a city overview for the nation's top insect terminators. Considering that I've never actually set foot in the Big Easy, I think I pulled it off. There's no online version of this piece on PCTonline, but you can click the links below to see the original print-edition pages. Find more articles from PCT under the "Trade Journalism" tab.

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-Will Nepper

Lawn & Landscape Magazine Features and News

From 1998 to 2005 I wrote as a contributor, and then assistant editor, for GIE Media's "Lawn & Landscape" magazine. Writing for "Lawn & Landscape" was my first big writing break after returning, armed with my journalism degree, from Ohio University . I learned technical writing, reporting, and how to speak as an industry expert on industries of which I had little prior knowledge before working for "L&L"; experience that I've tapped countless times over the years. Cutting yards for old ladies as a teenager doesn't exactly equip you for writing about the green industry, but you get up to speed fast the first time an interview subject calls you out on your lack of knowledge. A sample of some of that writing can be found after the break.