Around July of 2008, I met someone who called himself “Count Orlok” over at
amazon.com when I reviewed the movie “
The Dark Knight”. We exchanged a lot of information and opinions about Nolan’s film and I could tell that I was conversing with one very intelligent reviewer. Ever since that day, Sean (I didn’t know his real name at the time) had occasionally dropped by to comment on some of my reviews as I also began to check on his own in the site. I became very intrigued with Count Orlok most especially his rare taste in film. I never had the infinite knowledge that he had when it came to the classic silent movies and me, being the curious dude that I am, decided to keep an eye on this reviewer.
He calls himself “Count Orlok” after the main character in the vampire film “NOSFERATU”.
Hell, I call myself “woopak” because one day the word just popped up in my head. We all have our reasons for making our screen names. I guess Sean (aka. Orlok) is really 300 years old and is just using the photo of a young normal man to better connect to you mere mortals. (I knew I should’ve warned my fellow immortals about this guy!). Anyway, Orlok has a great fondness for silent films which he developed from watching “Nosferatu”, “Metropolis” and Lon Chaney films. Woe be unto us that he developed a liking for film reviewing after amazon had asked him to review a recent purchase. His inner talent was awakened after that first review, and I have since been witness to his development as a real talented writer.
Sean usually says that he has this self-loathing (ha-ha) and at times, I can see that. I usually observe him as being critical of himself. One time, he told me; “I think my review was a little superfluous” and sometimes he would say “I should have done a better job with the review”. This is what makes this young man be as great a writer as he is; he likes questioning himself and is never satisfied with his final product. I once told him to never hold back and write from the heart; I never had an idea on just how much this young man was open to share and if you have seen his reviews; one can tell that he puts a lot of work into it--Sean is overflowing with ‘heart‘ when he writes his reviews.
I asked him what his goals were when he writes a film, book or music review and Sean says to share information that wasn’t readily available elsewhere, to be as analytical and opinionated without becoming too emotional, and the third reason being able to present a fresh take on the film itself. Reviewing to Sean means watching the film three times; to be as meticulous as he can with his review. He puts his reviews in a three step process: watching without expectations or preconceptions on what it would be, he pays extra care to the direction, script, acting and editing, and lastly, he does his research. Sean is even willing to do a fourth viewing if he feels it necessary. If you look at his reviews on “
Schindler’s List” and his review of the graphic novel “
Watchmen” one can tell that this is the work of a very meticulous individual that puts the utmost care in his writing. His essay on “
Vampire Mythology” is a magnum opus, I told him that I was going to print that write up and sell it for $ 2.99 a copy to his “Orlokians”. With Sean’s reviews, one can get a better sense of understanding on the subject he is writing on.
This young man is very open to criticism and is never judgmental, which is what makes him a terrific writer. He often says that I am a great writer but truth be told I was never as great a writer as he is when I was his age. Much like me, he thinks not inside or outside the box, but he denies that there is a box. If you would like to know more about
Sean, pay a visit to his profile. He asked me not to write this as a sentimental gesture but even asked me to be ruthless (personally I think he just didn't want to shed tears of joy LOL!). It’s hard to criticize and be ruthless to someone who puts so much hard work into his writings, I'd rather be ruthless when I need to be. Some capture their initial reaction in their reviews, some just ‘wing it’ much like I do, while other like Sean puts a lot of dedication to his writing.
Now to make a few jokes. If I can find a few flaws in Sean I would have to say that he is just so much fun to pick on. Call him names and such and he revels in them. I’ll let him describe himself in a nutshell:
My lucky numbers (though I wouldn't consider myself very lucky) are 3, 9, 11, 12, 13, 22, and 39.
The colors I like the most are black, purple, blue, and red.
I enjoy riding my bicycle in figure eights.
I'm prone to sarcasm.
I love saying absurd and pointless things just to see people's shocked reactions.
I do dance, but I don't like to admit it, and I don't dance like "normal" people.
I find it fun to throw people off in their preconceptions of me.
I enjoy the fragrance of skunk spray.
I love to eat raw lemons.
I have an intense dislike of waffles (ask me why, I dare you).
I believe that a mindfuck can be rather refreshing (sort of like a mental enema).
I say whatever I think and I'm told I think too much.
That's me in nutshell... Let me out!
Now I am willing to pay anyone to find out why he dislikes waffles and to post pictures of him in YouTube when you see him dance.
Look at Sean as a kid, he wanted to be like some sort of masked manhunter or something...LOL
Ok, I can’t finish this review without insulting Sean just one time…Orlok, you dance like a turtle with arthritis! Oh, and he’s a 300 year old monkey that escaped from a zoo!
this is not his actual photo....
This is the real Sean aka. Count Orlok: LOL
Ok, will someone do one for Queenie?