Writing A Scary Story

So, as it's Halloween I thought it would be good to do something to do with the holiday. Over in Dublin Halloween is a big event, lots of events and parties to keep you amused. But what I thought about for all you writers is how do we make Halloween scary when all you have to use is your words. 

Making a scary film or game is easy because you can visual effects to make people jump or use blood and guts and all that gross stuff. But how do you write a story that will create fear? You have no visual effects to use, you have to use your words to inspire people's imagination to think scary. So how do you do this? 

I'm not a fan of scary stuff (although I am playing Until Dawn at the moment) but you can use these tips in any kind of book to help to create suspense, tension and jump scares. 

First of all you need to think of the situation. What situation can you make scary? Some of the popular settings are psychiatric facilities/hospitals, graveyards, temples or anything abandoned. 

Once you have your setting you need to think of who is going to be there and why. As a writer I know you always want to think outside box but for a story to be scary it has to be believable. If a reader is going to have to imagine some weird galaxy in space and you don't give them something they can relate to, they won't relate. If they can't relate they won't find it scary. So, think of a situation where characters would have to be in that place. Popular scenarios are: people getting lost, students trying to make a film, parties that go wrong. 

Okay so now you have your setting and your characters. Now you need to figure out what happens? What is going to make this story scary? Is your setting haunted? Is it to do with some cult or demons? Or some other creature lurking in the dark? 

The important thing to remember, whether you are writing a short story or a novel is to plan out. Make sure you have all of the facts, the best thing to break tension/suspense is to have an over complicated and inconsistent story. Take the film, The Ring for example. At no point in this film was I scared and do you know why? Because I spent the whole film wondering what the story was which took me away from the scariness of the film. On the other hand you have films like No Vacancy which reveal all of the information too quickly that you then get bored half way. So, keep your story simple enough that it's easy to follow and understand but interesting enough that your readers want to keep reading. 

Making a story scary is all about the description. I suggest you get your thesaurus out for this one. Something that you would describe as scary, you need to describe as spine-tingling. Get my point? 

Why not give it a go? See where your imagination takes you. Doing exercises like this will also help your writing as you expand your vocabulary.  Keep reading for my attempt at a scary story (not my speciality mind you) 

'“Are we there yet?” The father looked at his son lovingly in the back of the car, he had been asking that for the last half an hour of their drive. “We’ll stop soon son” He saw the look of indignation on his face as he went back to his handheld. His sister had fallen asleep nearly as soon as they started driving. His wife had put the window down and looked to be enjoying their family trip. “Honey, why don’t we stop soon, Rory is getting sick of the car and this forest looks amazing.”

“We weren’t planning to stop until we hit the cabins” 

“But that’s still another two hours away” 

“Two hours?! Daaad you said we were gonna be there soon, that’s not soon!”

“Okay, okay we’ll stop here, Rory can you wake your sister?” The father looked in the rear view mirror and turned off into the forest.

There was a small track that the family ventured down until they got a small clearing about one mile off of the main road. “Okay kids get out and help set up”

“I thought we were staying in a cabin?” 

“Sorry honey” The father turned around to look at his daughter “Your brother and mother wanted to stop, we have a tent and camping equipment so we’ll stay here tonight and drive to the cabin tomorrow okay?” The girl looked at her father worried “I don’t think it’s safe daddy” They always said that children have a sixth sense for the supernatural, a bit like animals but adults never heed their warning. “Oh baby, it’s safe we’ll only be here for the night” Turning back around the father got out of the car and got the equipment ready for the night. The little girl stayed in the car for a few minutes, she could feel a chill in the air as though something was passing over her. She turned to look out the back window at her family, her stomach sank as she saw a shadow lurking on the edge of the trees. She scrambled out of the car and shouted for her brother “Rory! Come here” Sensing her sister’s distress the boy ran towards her. The little girl had always trusted her brother, he was five years older than her and stopped people from picking on her. She knew if anyone was going to listen to her it would be him. “Rory, do you see the shadow there on the edge of the trees?” Rory turned to look behind him but only see the shadows that were created by the trees, thinking this is what his little sister had meant he shrugged and agreed “Do you not find it…” The little girl struggled for a word “…creepy”

“Well no sis, I mean they’re trees of course they cast shadows.” With that he turned his back and went back to helping his father. The little girl did a full circle, she could feel a sensation behind her as though she was being watched. Her brother didn’t see it, her father wouldn’t listen to her when she said that it wasn’t safe. What was she going to do? She ran towards her family, chewing her fingernail as she went.

“I was just like her, worried about my family. She has right to worry. But they never listen, until it’s too late”

The little girl turned to face the trees again, a whisper travelled to her and caressed her ear “…they never listen, until it’s too late” The little girl put her hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming. “Mommy!” She ran over and threw herself at her mother “Honey what’s wrong?”

“Can we leave? I don’t like it here”

“There’s no point Angela, now that you’re here you will never leave”

The little girl shook her head trying to be rid of the whisper “It’s scary”

“Oh baby no it’s not, reign in that imagination of yours and go and get the pillows and bed clothes from the boot” The mother pushed her daughter towards the car, not realising that she was actually pushing her daughter into the arms of another woman.

“I was just like her once, I didn’t listen when my darling daughter warned me of the terrors in this forest. Passed it off as childhood imaginings… come here little one I’ll listen to you”

The little girl felt a light breeze down her arms, as though a needle was wandering over her skin. She rushed to the car to get the items her mother wanted.

“Don’t worry little one after tonight you won’t need to worry about your family ever again” Childish giggling filled the air and the little girl smiled as though she was at peace with her fate, she whispered gently to the eerie voice “Will we be together forever?”

“Oh yes child, you and your family won’t be apart again” 

“We can play allllll day long”

The little girl made her way back to her family, the breeze gently brushed against her bare skin, taking her in a gentle embrace.

As the night progressed, the little girl found solace with the whispers, they stopped her from being scared. Her family was content in their activities while they left the little girl to her new friends “It will soon be time little one, are you ready?” The little girl nodded anxiously, the whispers had been telling her all evening about their life. They made it sound like a fantasy to the little girl. She could spend all day playing with her family. No school! “Go to your family child” The little girl was pushed forwards towards her family by two icy cold hands “And don’t forget little one… there is no-one to hear you scream” Suddenly the whisper, was no longer a whisper. The whisper became a scream. The little girl crumpled to floor. Tears streaming down her face. Her parents ran to her “Angela baby what’s wrong?” Between sobs she managed to say “…you… should… have…. Listened”

“I don’t understand what are you saying baby?” The father felt the same needle sensation as her daughter did hours before, his spine became rigid and a voice appeared in his ear “She said, you should have listened to her earlier when she warned you it wasn’t safe.” The father felt a pain in his lower back and he fell to the floor “She warned you it wasn’t safe. And now you will pay the price for not listening to your daughter. Just as many before you have” The father tried to crawl towards his family. A gust of wind appeared and flew him back into the trees. He heard screaming in the distance. His family.

No-one ever walked out of the forest. The forest swallowed you like a hungry beast. All that could be heard was screams.

The whisper had lied to the little girl, she didn't see her family again until a new family showed up to camp the next year. This time she was the whisper in the child's ear.' 

I hope you enjoyed reading. Happy Halloween!  

Make Like A Train And Chew, Chew, Chew

Broken Age - PlayStation 4 - 2014 

Broken Age is a point and click game that became free on PlayStation Plus. The game follows two parallel stories of Shay (voiced by Elijah Wood) and Vella (voiced by Masasa Moyo). You play through both stories each have clues in them to help the other story. There are certain points that you get too but can't progress until you play the other story. 

Broken Age has some of the best visuals I have seen, the art style is unique looking more like drawings than a game. The movement of the characters is fantastic. Speaking of characters, Double Fine (the game develop) have managed to even make characters out of cutlery! No spoilers but there is a super cute picture you should wait and see at the end of the game! 

You can choose which one you want to play as first (I began Vella first) as you can only get to certain points before switching anyway it doesn't affect your game. I tried to speak to every character two or three times to ensure I got the full story. If you don't you won't know what is happening, as there are only certain things you have to do to progress in the game you don't HAVE to speak to everyone, but I would suggest you do. 

This game took up 13 hours of my life! Now I am the first to say that I am not a master at games and honestly it does take me longer than some gamers to go through games. However, the reason why this one took up so much of my life was because of the puzzles! 

The writers have come up with some epicly frustrating puzzles that want to make you throw your controller in frustration. Some are ridiculous to have to figure out with things that no normal person would think of! This adds fun to the game if you like a challenge. And annoyance if you don't like that much of a challenge. I played this along as a two player one playing Vella (me) and the other playing as Shay; honestly without him I would have given up on some of the puzzles especially towards the end! 

Double Fine is an extraordinary game developer, previously they have done Brutal Legend, Grim Fandango and The Cave. All of which have been interesting, unique and something just a little bit special. Broken Age is no exception. 

Broken Age is beautiful, epic and frustrating. I think it would be enjoyable to play through a second time when you know the puzzles a bit and you won't be stuck on one for hours! It is simple in the game play which makes it... peaceful to play... until you get to the puzzles. 

If you enjoy a challenge then Broken Age is for you! 

8/10

I thought the story could have had more depth to it, the puzzles were good and gave you some insights but honestly a story and game like that you could do a lot more with. The characters were developed well which is a bonus. I wouldn't recommend this game if you get frustrated easily and don't enjoy puzzles. If you do then this is a game for you!  

Soooo That Makes Me A Space Pirate?

The Martian - Film - 2015

The Martian is the new Sci Fi film from Ridley Scott.

This is obviously a genre that Scott knows well and one that I'm not always the biggest fan of. I dislike a lot of Sci Fi films for the pure fact that I don't think they are very good. However, I had heard a lot of good things about the book and the film so I thought I would give it a shot.

Having not read the book myself I wasn't sure what to expect however, I have heard about the book and mr brain was following along the lines of something similar to Locke and Buried where it's just the one guy and voices. But this wasn't like that at all.

Damon plays an astronaut Mark Watney who gets stranded on Mars; his crew think he's dead after getting hit by debris while they are leaving the planet.

Damon has to figure out a way to survive on the planet for months that is a desolate desert as far as the eye can see.

Despite the pretty damning nature of the story Damon brings humour to his situation.  His character is the joker of his crew, always cracking jokes and coming up the most insane ideas. This doesn't change even when he's on Mars. Not many actors would be able to pull off this act as it would come off as wrong or they just wouldn't be funny. Damon really excels in this area with some genuine laugh out loud moments. 

The secondary characters in the film people such as his crew, Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain), Rick Martinez (Michael Pena) and Beth Johanssen (Kate Mara) to name a few are just as strong as Damon. Mission control also plays a big part in the film where they help Watney (supposedly) with the struggles of Mars. Each character brings their own essence into the film. They all play an important role and play them well. There isn't really a villain in the film as Mars' itself is the villain for Watney but Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels) has to make all the hard decision in the film, which people don't always agree with. And guess what people? Sean Bean doesn't die! I know right! 

Anyway, the story. I can't tell you how much it stuck to the book. On the other hand I can tell you that the story was excellent. It was made interesting by the way Watney has to use obscure science techniques to live on the planet. As far as I am aware the majority of science checks out with a few things just for Hollywood. He explains all of his methods is a simple way, that anyone could understand it without needing a degree in science. This is sometimes where a lot Science-Fiction films go wrong. They go off base too much that it seems ridiculous or they stick to it too much that it makes it boring for people to watch! 

On the whole I really enjoyed The Martian, it was well worth the watch and I will be reading the book. 

9/10 

The film had an excellent beginning, middle and end. I mean what else do you want from a film? 

I would like to read the book and see how closely it sticks to the words of the author as this is something that interests me when a film has been made from a book. 

This film is an excellent choice of a film for anyone to see, there is minor swearing so be wary of children but overall it is a good film for anyone to watch!

Dublin's Got Soul

The Commitments - Roddy Doyle - Book 

As I'm now living in Dublin I thought I should read an Irish classic, Roddy Doyle. Doyle has written a trilogy called the Barrytown Trilogy; The Commitments in the first in this. In total Doyle wrote ten novels for adults, books for children, screenplays and dozens of short stories.

The reason why Doyle is so famous is due to his writing style. When you and I write things how they are spelt, he writes them how they are said. 

His Barrytown novels are based on the working class in Dublin and his writing includes 'Jaysis' (Jesus) and 'eijit' (Idiot). He doesn't use speech marks, or chapters, or well anything else you can think that would structure a 'normal' book. Doyle pushes the limits of literacy and it really pays off. 

Some of his novels were made into films and his books are used in schools/colleges teaching youngsters about the art of language. 

I have read the first in the trilogy The Commitments. It based on a group of working class kids in Dublin forming a band and troubles and turmoils they face trying to make it. 

The band 'And And And!' go to Jimmy Rabitte for advice on where they should take their music. Jimmy is the music king in Dublin and he steers them towards soul music, gives them a new band name 'The Commitments' and new names themselves. They begin recruiting for musicians and a singer which leads onto them meeting some colourful characters. 

The thing about this writing style that makes it so unique is because everything is spelt phonetically, you say it that way in your head, even if you don't have the accent to go along with it! 

The novel is full of colourful characters, each one bringing their own life and energy into the book. Even the characters such as Imelda, Bernie and Natalie who have fairly small roles in the book bring life into each one of their sentences. 

This is quite a feel-good story with a few sad bits thrown in. Jimmy continues on through the Barrytown trilogy and what a main character he is. Jimmy is calm, cool and collected with the odd swear word thrown in. Because well he is Irish after all! 

It can be difficult to follow at times especially if you're not familiar with the Irish terms.  Because of the way Doyle writes there isn't such thing as structure so you have to open your mind while reading it.

7/10

I think if I didn't live in Dublin it would be harder to follow. However,  it is definitely a good read and I would recommend it to anyone, maybe get an Irish dictionary to go with it!

By The Pricking of my Thumbs, Something Wicked This Way Comes

Macbeth - Film - 2015


I was going to go and see The Martian yesterday however, Macbeth was still showing and we decided to go and see this instead, to watch it while we still could in the cinema. 

I won't bore you too much with the background of Macbeth, everyone has studied Shakespeare in some capacity and knows that Macbeth is a tale, based in Scotland, full of tragedy and ambition. 

It's safe to say that the story of Macbeth is not a happy one and therefore, it needed a film that would do the darkness of the story justice. 

The dialogue remains in Shakespearian English however, because you were watching a film it was very easy to follow. I'm no stranger to Shakespearian English but I'm also no expert, if I hadn't been watching it I may not have understood exactly what was going on. 

Michael Fassbender plays Macbeth supported by Marion Cotillard who plays Lady Macbeth. I have to say that these two made the film. Some of the other actors were very difficult to understand as they were speaking Shakespearian English but with very thick Scottish accents which had them mumbling more than once. However, because of Fassbender's and Cotillard's background they were far easier to understand. 

I have not seen Fassbender in anything I did not enjoy but his performance in Macbeth takes the top of his career. He was intense. He showed emotion. He cried. When he was speaking his monologues you were pinned to your seat. Hanging on his every word. Having read and studied Macbeth at school, he was how I envisioned the character. 

Cotillard stood her own as well. Lady Macbeth is a very twisted character in the play and she pulled this off very well. She pushes Macbeth to fulfill the sisters prophecy and stood by him when his mind 'was full of scorpions'. Cotillard had a presence around her that demanded respect from the room, especially when she was queen. It was good to see this from a supporting character, as in a film like this she was the strong one for a time for Macbeth and this needed to be seen otherwise, it would have ruined the atmosphere of the film. 

The other supporting characters I was not thrilled about. They were good on average but as I have said previously were extremely difficult to understand which left gaps in the story. They also did not have the same aura around them that Fassbender and Cotillard managed to gain. 

The special effects and the film picture wise was excellent. They set the film in the bleak highlands of Scotland, with the mist rolling over the hills. It gave the film a 'creepy' feel to it, especially with the sisters. 

Overall, it is a good adaptation of the iconic play. Justin Kurzel did justice to the play through the way he created atmosphere on the moors, and his choice in leading characters. A feat like this is not to be taken lightly and I am impressed at Kurzel's attempt.

7/10 

It is worth watching once however, it is not a film I would look to watch again or purchase. 

Editing, Working, Homemaker and Writer ... Where do you find the time?

I know I am not the only one who suffers from having a lot to do and so little time. 

Looking through blogs I notice many writers are stay at home parents, using writing as their outlet. 

Others are starting out when it is just a hobby like this used to be for me. 

Then there are the lucky few that have made it, writing is their full time work. (don't worry that will be you soon) 

Whenever I meet someone new online or face to face and they ask me what I do, I tell them my full-time job that takes up 37 hours of my week but what I really want to tell them is that I am editor. 

As those of you who have visited before will know I began KAEditing, while unemployed in need of experience and work. Well after becoming employed I now have a recurring client, who's complete book I am editing. I have had shorter jobs too. 

Don't forget I also have my own novel that I am writing, and this blog. 

Where do you find the time? 

Between working, coming home, writing, editing and doing my recreational reading/playing games where do people find the time to do what they really want? 

Editing is where I want to end up, but when you live on your own with no financial help an endeavour like that is not something that can be taken lightly. I have my rent, bills, food to pay for. I can't just leave my steady, well-paying job for a job that is potentially unstable right now. I know MANY other people are in my position. Wanting to do something different but it's just not possible. 

So, how do you manage time? 

I work a job that requires me to work 9-5.30 Monday to Friday. Plus travelling home and then eating dinner my downtime doesn't start until ohhh eight o clock. And by that time all I want to is get into bed! However, KAEditing requires a lot of my attention as well especially if I want to keep customers! 

Balancing is a major thing when you are trying to do several things at once. At the moment KAEditing is still a free service to use and it will remain so for the foreseeable future anyway. 

So how do you balance time when you seem to have more to do than time in the day? 

Well it's all about making the most of the time you have. 

I have one hour lunches at work, what do I do? Well I go into a park and read. 

If I have some client's work at the time I will go through some chapters (the magic of technology) 

Unfortunately, gaming is off the table for my lunch but I can write, come up with ideas for my blog during this time. I then go back to work and finish my day. 

When I get home, it's all about priority. What needs to be done? Do I have client's work sitting in my inbox? (which is checked everyday). Do I need to go back to writing? Do I have some other task that needs to be done? Let's not forget about family/friends time also. 

Going through these questions I decide what to do every night, some nights I want to forget everything and just sit and read, or play a game but you can't when you have a dream. A dream is always going to be difficult but if you really want it... well when you get it all that 'hard work' you put in will seem like nothing. 

It's important to manage your time effectively. Allow yourself breaks especially from writing because you will hit a wall if you don't. 

In November I am going back to England for a week, in this week I plan on taking a break from well everything. It will be the last time I see my friends and family this year and they will be my priority. 

But up until then you, my readers and KAEditing clients are my priority. 

So, if you are like me and starting out, use every minute of your day effectively. It won't happen for you, you have to make it happen. 

KA x

A Film So Bad I Am Not Willing To Spend Time Coming Up With A Clever Title

Birdemic: Shock Terror (2010) - Film 

Birdemic is a film about ... well you can probably guess. There is suddenly a bird epidemic in a small town, of Eagles and Vultures who kill people instantly if they are attacked - except one the best friend of a main character seems to stay alive long enough to see her and then she dies.

I'm not too worried about spoilers for this film because let's face it not many would probably watch this film. I don't advise it. 

I got told to watch this film by a "friend" a term I am using loosely after spending an hour and a half of my day watching this film. 

The special effects were awful, the guns sounded like something out of a bad arcade game. The birds made an airplane sound when they mysteriously fell out of the sky (think of the old World War films with the bombs and the planes, yup that's the sound the birds made). And the birds themselves when they were attacking well they were just card on strings being pulled up and down. 

The main characters ... well let's just say that my dog could act better than them. There was zero personality in the whole film. The scenes when they had to act a couple a dance scene and a love scene were just awkward and painful to watch. 

The story ... you know what I couldn't even tell you. There are just no words. 

As you can imagine this is a cult film. The actors are extremely small time and the film was dire. 

I watched this so I could write a review as requested and this is it. The film is bad. I will not watch the second one nor will I watch this one again. 

Nothing was good about this film thankfully it seems the director James Nyugen is aware of his poor work and has only created four films that darken our screens. 

If you want a laugh and a film that makes you want to go deaf then this is a treat! 

Alternatively, if you like Sharknado then this may also be up your street. I warn you it has worse effects than Sharknado! 

For the fact that I had a giggle in a few sections, and during the painful awkward dance scene there was actually a pretty good song I am willing to give this film 

2/10

However, this is being generous and I would advise anyone AGAINST this film. 

Writer or Author? Does it Matter?

Yesterday I saw an extremely venomous comment on a SubReddit. The post was all about their book and how they wanted to promote it to gain more readers and reach a wider audience. Someone commented (not so helpfully) stating that they should not call themselves a writer, 'everyone is called a writer...if you want to promote shouldn't you start calling yourself an author'

Now I do believe that if you have written a book and it has been accepted for publication then yes you are free to call yourself an author because that's what you are. BUT one this comment was not in the slightest bit helpful to the original poster and two what is so wrong with calling yourself a writer anyway?

Their argument was that anyone called themselves a writer, a blogger, a journalist, 'amateurs'. Did it really matter to the original poster what she called herself? I mean calling herself an author is not going to get her book more promotion, likewise calling herself a writer is not going to hinder her. 

So, the point of this post? Well I just wanted to confirm that no matter what you call yourself, you could call yourself an alien and it wouldn't make any difference to your book sales. 

The point of promotion is for your book. 

The point of advertising is to promote your book. 

Who has written it be they man, woman, child, writer or an author does not affect this. 

What affects it is how good you are. 

Are you a good writer?

Are you a good author? 

If the answer to either of these questions is yes then you have a good shot at having a successful book. But does it matter which one?

I call myself a writer because that's what I do. I write. 

I have not had a book published yet. 

I do not consider myself an author due to this. 

But what you consider yourself? Well that's up to you. 

For those of you out there who are looking for promotion ideas, or publication advise call yourself whatever you want because at the end of the day it is your writing that does the talking for you. Not your job title. 

Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan ..... And Some Other Outrageous Names To Fuel Your Appetite

Dragon Ball Z - Resurrection 'F' - Film 2015

So, I had the pleasure of watching Dragon Ball Z Resurrection 'F' on the big screen yesterday. It was the first anime film I have seen in a cinema and what a first film I chose. Dragon Ball is renowned for it's fight scenes, ridiculous names of transformations and their characters. So to watch it on the big screen was amazing considering this was all about the return of Frieza. 

Frieza has been in his own Hell for over a decade and he is bought back by some of his loyal subjects using the Dragon balls. In true villain style all Frieza can focus on is revenge on Goku for sending him to his purgatory. Frieza trains for four months then returns to Earth for his final showdown with Goku. 

In what seems to be true Goku style him and Vegeta are off training when the battle begins and manages to pop in just when the fight is ending. (a similar situation happened in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods). Following on slightly from Battle of Gods Beerus and Whis also appear in this film but more as bystanders eating delicious human food. 

Having seen some of Dragon Ball but not the whole series I did not get lost in this film. I have seen Battle of Gods and some episodes of the series but I am not expert. Despite this the film didn't lose me, I managed to follow all characters, who was and wasn't Saiyans and who the main characters were that you could expect to see great things from. 

The film is fairly short at 94 minutes with a good proportion of the minutes being used on fighting (which is really what everyone wants from a Dragon Ball film right?) The fight scenes were meticulous only one critique from me that I would have liked to see more of Vegeta fight. He is almost (very nearly) as strong as Goku and he was a bit too on the sidelines for my liking. I think he could have been utilized more than he was. 

Beerus and Whis are enjoyable in the film and they don't take too much away from the main villain Frieza or his fight. 

The story of the film is pretty self explanatory without much depth however, what Dragon Ball fan wants a story over fights? I mean who doesn't want to see the Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan (yes that is the real name) I think everyone got over the ridiculousness of the names a long time ago. 

Having not seen much of Frieza before this was my first main exposure of him and what a way to introduce him! 

Considering the original Dragon Ball was released in 1986 with Dragon Ball Z being released shortly after in 1989. Dragon Ball Z was when the concept of Saiyan's were introduced with this form being evolved throughout the years. 

You don't have to have watched the series necessarily to see this film. However, with the families like their sons etc. it may be worth at least having some knowledge of what happened in the series to give you some background. 

There was a little bit of fanservice for the voice actors too. The actor who plans Krillin Sonny Strait also plays Usopp in One Piece. His phone rings during the film with a theme song straight from One Piece. 

This film was awesome! Definitely worth watching in the cinema and I will be watching any future films in this franchise. As well as watching the series to go alongside. 

9/10

There were only two real downsides to this film, the lack of Vegeta fighting and the legth - it could have been a lot longer than the 94 minutes and I would have happily sat through it.