I’ve been feeling guilty about not posting here for a while. I know it has been both far too long, and not really all that long at the same time. It’s difficult to understand the dichotomy.
The internet has a tendency to make people feel like there is a constant need to connect. It’s a constantly hungry mouth demanding more. You feed it and you feed it and sometimes you fun out of meat for the grinder. It’s been three weeks since I’ve posted here. That’s an eternity when you’re hoping to build audience and be able to push “your brand” and create all the things. People want content. If the content isn’t here, they move on. It’s tempting to write some kind of bullshit post about emptiness or a lengthy diatribe about creativity. It’s so absolutely common. It’s also infuriating. I read a column by a local (paid) member of the newspaper once that was paragraph after paragraph of her stating that she had nothing to say. OK. Great. You’ve got nothing to say. Give up your column space to somebody that does have something to say. It was so insulting that I’ve never read anything by that person since. If her name is in the by line I skip it. I don’t pay the paper to be delivered anymore. It’s easy to fall into that trap though. Should I be putting up empty notes just to keep something popping up in a feed someplace? I mean, it’s been three weeks! That’s an eternity on the net.
On the other hand, the real world has been quite busy. Something I have always heard is that the best stories come from what you know. Well, you don’t actually get to know anything if you don’t go out and *do* anything. So I have been. I mean, I posted recently as far as the real world goes. Three weeks in the grand scheme of things is NOT a very long time when you look at it compared to all the things there are to go out and do.
In the end, I remembered the very first thing I posted when I started blogging. I write this because it amuses me. It is MINE and mine alone. The blog gets what it gets and I hope people enjoy what they read. I am working on other stories and getting them published. There will be more as there is more. Until then, I’ll share this:
Yorrick?
Go see a play. I took my daughter and one of her friends to go see a play put on in an open air theater in the area. They performed their version of Hamlet (slightly modified for a shorter run time). It was glorious weather. We ended up with spectacular parking and great seating. Then the real fun started. The kids got to see an interpretation of the stuff they have been forced to study in school. There were great moments like, “Get thee to a nunnery…” when I leaned in to the girls and whispered, “you know he just totally called her a ho, right?” OR the part when we were walking back to the car and they said, “They blame video games? That play had like 3 poisonings, 2 executions and 4 stabbings… not to mention talking to a skull.”
Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s good. I’ve had that thought rolling around among the remaining marbles in my head lately. Doesn’t help that I had another birthday, pushing ME into the “just because he’s old…” category.
I see this in my day job. In architectural design we are frequently called on to save work that is 50 or more years old. It’s important to retain a sense of history, but often times there simply isn’t anything worth saving. I have seen entire walls on the verge of collapse due to shoddy workmanship from the past that has finally pushed that final limit and begun the process of failing. Blocks crack, steel rusts away, bricks bulge, forming something that looks more like a wave than a wall. We can’t ‘save’ it. Maybe we can remake it and allow it to blend in with the other remaining parts. It takes study and careful consideration.
Nostalgia can dominate rational thought in this process. If the building in question has “always been there” from your point of view, there is an attachment formed by familiarity. The same is true of the written word. There have been some older genre books I’ve gone back to. I devoured them when I was a kid. I have these hazy visions and half baked plot memories that fill me with feelings of adventure and inspiration. Then I go back, dig out the old paperbacks and start to read. Nostalgia is often best if allowed to remain as that fuzzy picture. Most of the stories I’ve gone back to based strictly on warm feelings from my youth have been… less than the memory that brought me back to them. A couple of books have been absolute stinkers that lead me to wonder what I was thinking. Of course I was probably a preteen when reading them for the first time and had a… less discriminating palette. I think that’s a good way to phrase it (as opposed to, it didn’t matter if it was shitty, I grabbed every one I could get my grubby little hands on). Sometimes context of when books were written matters, sometimes it doesn’t. I found there are some who agree with the assessment that old isn’t necessarily good as well. I have a copy of this book, and based on this review I won’t be picking it up again soon. I love the cover art… I’ll let that story fade away on the back of the shelf.
Movies fit this category more than anything else. I’ve been trying to formulate a way to describe the feeling of not seeing new things in movies in such a way to still allow space for various media pieces to become my “new favorite”. It’s easy to throw haymakers at Hollywierd for never making anything new. We’re scheduled to get a 5th Indiana Jones movie! Indiana Jones and the quest for prune juice? We’re getting another Dune movie… that looks exactly the same as the last one with updated special effects. We’re getting sequels and “movie universe continuations” and all sorts of things that just don’t excite me. Theaters have lots of issues, but I think the single biggest one is making people excited enough about an actual film (without giving the entire thing away in the trailer ~ but that’s another rant) to balance against the terribleness of actually going and being forced to deal with an increasingly rotten set of theater goers. Another remake? Unlikely.
That brings me to the movie remake – or reboot? – that I really want to talk about. Highlander. The original movie from 1986 evokes that sense of nostalgia. There are so many aspects of this movie worthy of discussion. The concept is fascinating, but limited. An unknown number of immortal men that can only die if they are decapitated. These men battle through time attempting to become the final, remaining immortal that will claim some ultimate prize. I suspect the part film makers hate is that has a built in end point. Eventually, “there can be only one”, and that’s the best place for the film to stop. It didn’t stop them before of course. They welded on or cobbled together an additional four sequels and two television series. I will carry forth the belief that as far as Highlander films, there can be only one and not discuss the others.
The concept works. There are also the characters. Over the top, wildly costumed and speaking forth with accents that absolutely do NOT match anything of where they’re supposed to be from. These men know the goal, learn ways to survive and form bonds that pass beyond normal human life spans. Those who are prone to evil deeds do not hold back – in particular the Kurgan is a monster (and one of my favorite villains). The action works. Sword fights, car chases (sort of) and training montages. The score of the film by Queen has become legendary. It is this mashed together thing that somehow becomes more than any single part of it described on its own. Some minor aspects are showing their age, but given that the movie is 35 years old now that’s to be expected.
Do I want to see another version of this film?
It’s a difficult question. I love the original. I remember (and can quote) almost all of the main characters clearly. I’d hate if they did to this movie what they did to that movie series they called “The Hobbit”. Hate. Lots of hate for that hobbit mess.
I’d be willing to watch the movie. I’m not saying I’m enthusiastic about the idea, but I’d be willing to watch the movie. There are some important things that need to be addressed if this new version is going to happen.
The concept has a limit in terms of film. Unless it’s going to attempt to become something like the MCU (and everyone seems to want to cash in on the Marvel concept). Winning the main goal at the end of the first film is NOT the way to build a franchise. Does the film need to be a franchise? Is there any such thing as a stand alone film anymore? I don’t see many stand alone films in the land of genre these days. If it’s going to be more than one, give us enough of an ending that it can be thought of as a film, but don’t give us the ultimate prize only to try to backpedal on that later.
Don’t try to copy the musical score. Queen was a magical choice that somehow worked. Trying to capture that same spirit and falling short (and you will fall short against the Queen soundtrack) will detract from the movie. Make the music different and unique to this story.
Keep the villain a villain. There are bad guys trying to win the prize. They can’t die. They will think long term and they will be completely willing to do awful things to people who aren’t immortal. They would have died soon anyway, right? Keep that. It’s not going to be easy to equal what has gone before. Please, for the love of all that is holy to anyone, DO NOT turn this into one of those weak ‘but they were just misunderstood’ lame ass bad guy bits. Those are the worst. I’ll walk out.
Update the action and the special effects – but don’t rely on the special effects. Computers can do amazing things, but aging well is not one of them ~ particularly in the realm of visual effects. It’s easy to see the old effects with a modern eye. Do as much of this in a practical way as possible. Don’t go over the top. Over the top doesn’t blend well with a good story.
In the end – keep a good story as the main goal. What would I love to see in a remake? Show me an immortal warrior who is able to fight, but also understands that the world continues to move and evolve. A man who is so alone, but remembers so deeply and so clearly that he drags us with him, willing or not. There’s a moment in the original that shows this off amazingly well. IF they can give me this feeling along with effective action, a believable villain and amazing sound and visuals I’ll love it. See if you agree here:
A man out of time
Do I think they’ll get there? I don’t know. Cautiously hopeful is all we get for right now. There’s only one way to find out. Let’s hope for the best on this one.
This was originally published in Watch The Skies Fanzine, May 2021 issue.
Space Sweepers – Netflix
In the year 2092 the Earth is suffering. The planet is distressed to the point that humans are looking for a way out. Some lucky (or chosen) few get to ascend and become UTS citizens living in orbiting homes around the planet. The UTS corporation sets strict controls and financial arrangements for citizens and non-citizens alike. This is the where the crew of the salvage ship Victory scrounges out a living.
This movie is filled with action, suspense, comedy and even heart. It clocks in around two hours and fifteen minutes but it really didn’t feel that long. Watching the crew of misfit scavengers attempt to make ends meet while dealing with their own issues would have been interesting enough, but then Dorothy gets thrown into the mix. Dorothy looks and acts like a child, but the UTS has declared her a weapon of mass destruction and has set off an all out hunt to get her back. The Victory crew just happen to pick her up as part of one of their salvage missions.
As a South Korean film, I was fully prepared to read subtitles the entire time I watched this movie. I did, but not in the way I expected. I found it wonderful that the film makers included a quick bit about universal translators and then proceeded to allow everyone to speak in whatever language was their own. Space, and all the humans from all over the planet could just speak their own language. Yes, there were subtitles, but there was as much in English as there was in any other language. I could identify five different languages through the course of the film. This is wonderful and we need more of this in our science fiction. People will find a way to communicate, then language and background become less of an issue.
Beyond the language aspect, this film had well done special effects. I’m not going to claim they’ve got some kind of mastery or that the effects shots disappeared in a seamless way. You could tell there were special effects in this movie, but they didn’t get in the way. I never had a moment when I thought, ‘well that wasn’t very well done’. I just sat and enjoyed the action. The action likely works out the way you’d expect, but even that didn’t hurt the enjoyment of this story. This was a movie that has less of a dystopian downer feel and something a little more refreshing and hopeful.
If you’ve got access to Netflix, grab your popcorn and go check this movie out.
Whenever I’m writing I try to give some focus to creating an antagonist that is particularly good at thwarting whatever it is the main character wants or needs to accomplish. Creating the best possible villain for any piece serves to make your hero that much better. I also love to study other bad guys to inform choices I make when creating my own. Movies tend to be an excellent place to find these examples. There are all sorts of villains out there trying to bring the plans of the hero to a grinding halt. The very best villain is a fantastic subject for debate.
Some time ago I saw this article claiming the top spot for cinematic villainy. It’s a difficult position to refute. I absolutely love the movie Highlander (for those of you that make claims that further movies existed I will simply say, ‘there can be only one’). The premise is great. One of the clearest examples of a man out of time happens in this movie when Connor talks about the year 1783 while opening brandy for his date. It’s a fantastic piece snuggled between sword fights. I’m not going to put the Kurgan at the top of my list though. There are better (or is it badder?) villains out there.
~Quick side note: I am sticking to fictional characters. There are far too many real world evil doers out there, and that’s just depressing. I prefer to stay with made up people.~
This list is my top five bad guys in cinema from five to one.
I’ll admit that the top 4 were easy for me. The real challenge was filling the last spot in my top five. Should it be Keyser Soze from The Usual Suspects? A man so scary that even other criminals fear him? Should it be Thanos or the Alien or the Terminator? What about Annie Wilkes from Misery. The hobbling scene haunts my nightmares still. None of those folks have the impact the ones that make my list do. It’s a flat out debate in my head between the two in spot five, so I’m going to call it a tie.
#5. The fifth spot is a split between Captain from Cool Hand Luke and Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate…” that captain. If you haven’t seen the film, go look it up. It’s an excellent film. I suspect that anyone who’s been around in the 2000s will recognize Delores (and likely have a seething reaction to her – sign of a great villain). These two are remarkably similar. They are mean; just downright nasty with people around them. They do what they do because they think they’re helping the people around them to fit in better and not make waves. They are desperately cruel while attempting to force conformity. That desperation pushed them toward making terrible choices and inflicting physical harm on others in the name of ‘betterment’. Punishment at the highest level without death. Torment, agony and trauma in the name of getting better definitely put these two on the list together.
#4. The Joker ~ The Dark Knight (2008) I put this one on here specifically for Heath Ledger’s masterful performance. There are a number of issues one could take with this film, but his performance in this part is an all time cinematic standout. The type of man that will do anything to get what he wants. Anything, including setting up various people to die just to see what choices they, or those who love them will make in order to save lives. What rules are you unwilling to break? What does it take to make you break them? Does he want the death of the hero? Absolutely not. Who would be his opposition without the hero? He lies, he intimidates, he kills… and he does completely terrifying magic with pencils.
#3. The Kurgan ~ Highlander (1986) We meet him with a glorious intro of the immortal wearing a bear skull. This wonderful portrayal of a madman shows what happens when the consequences are removed and the dark desires remain. Yes, there’s the sword fighting, the killing by beheading, and the blasphemy. The true nature of this guy’s evil shows forth when he steals a car. He has no fear of injury or death and he takes that with him as he screams along with his kidnap victim and runs over people on the sidewalk. It’s precisely what a remorseless killer would do.
#2. Thulsa Doom ~ Conan The Barbarian (1984) A warlord who gains power and becomes the head of a cult that challenges the authority of kings. A sorcerer. A cannibal. This is a man of power who make suggestions that become the orders that kill or enslave many. He has no qualms or hesitations about killing others. He calls a woman to her death just to demonstrate his power. He has one of the best quotes ever, “Now they will learn why they fear the night…”. That is a villain.
#1. The Operative ~ Serenity (2005) This guy tops the list based, at least partially, on his stoicism. The difference between his stoic nature and the nature of Doom in the second spot is the lack of ego. He has no name of his own. He has no rank, just authority. He will do anything to complete his work, without hesitation. He expects others to see, feel and understand his position. Violence is simply a tool among many. Death is useful. A good thing, without shame. His ruthless devotion, his absolute belief is the perfect foil to the hero of the film. IF by chance you’ve not seen the film, you should. It’s not terribly spoilerific if you go and check out his introduction here.
That’s my list. Who are your favorites? Do you have anyone that didn’t make it onto my list?
I lament the challenges I see with Hollyweird productions on here quite frequently. Last year I posted up a list of my top ten favorite fantasy movies. Number 9 on that list is a movie from 1984 called Sword of the Valiant starring Sean Connery (among many others of note). The movie is the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Today, I saw the trailer for the “Gorgeously Dark Fantasy Epic” Green Knight… about new movie about Sir Gawain and the Green knight… The trailer is available here:
This feels to me like yet another example of “Oh, that looks like it could be a cool movie but we’re going to make it really dark and moody and…”
And I’m so tired of hearing that sort of thing. It’s another Arthurian remake. Granted, it’s a lesser known one, but still a remake. I AM actually interested to see what they do with it. There’s a lot of potential in the story. I fear that it will get a treatment similar to what happened to the Hobbit, but perhaps there’s hope? Modern special effects will be fantastic for a lot of things that flatly didn’t hold up well over the years. A great deal of my love for Sword of the Valiant is nostalgic I think. I hope this new movie doesn’t over do it. The very best special effects are the ones you don’t notice. Practical effects really do look better when it’s a viable option. The trailer looks like the scenes are physically dark. I understand that could be part of the mood, but we really need to get past this aesthetic where you can’t actually see what’s happening on the screen in order to portray mood. Dark, we get it. Light the damn scene so we can see the actors at their work.
A remake. Arthurian legend. Again. I will go and see this one in the theater (probably). It’s fantasy and I want to encourage more of that. I don’t have a ton of hope, but I have a little. Let’s hope they really pull this one off.
I had the opportunity to submit a story that I had published previously. There was going to be a reprint anthology and I had a story that just fit right in. I was pleased with this idea ~ I had already made the money from the first sale (almost enough to buy lunch!) and this was a chance to get another lunch!
I sent it in and I waited. I suppose the wait time wasn’t terrible compared to some things, but it seemed like a long time. Maybe I was just impatient? Perhaps I am used to my rejections arriving faster than that. I waited some more. Then I got this:
Regretfully … We will not be moving forward with publication.
While we have received some great submissions for this collection, we feel that we haven’t received enough to proceed. We prefer to publish a good anthology, rather than a mediocre one, and we hope that you’d rather be published in a good anthology (rather than a mediocre one), as well.
In the past, our re-print anthos have filled very early in the submission process. We can only conclude that our timing must be up for this subject. We’ll revisit dark military science fiction in the future, when there may be more reprints to choose from.
This rejection is not a reflection on the merit of your story. Though, if your story has been held for a long time, it would have likely been selected.
I guess it’s a nicer rejection than normal? It seemed like they held my work for long enough that I should think it would be considered? I’m honestly confused by this one as I haven’t had anything like this before. So, rejection, but different.
Then I thought I should probably look at some of the other things I’ve got hanging around out there. Turns out the other things I’d sent out had been rejected and I’d simply never actually been notified. The contest and the other works were published and I was not part of them. It certainly makes a canceled project sound a lot better.
Then I got an update on a work of mine that was actually accepted for publication. The publication has been delayed and no firm date can be given at this time for when it will actually come out.
What does all this mean? Back to the keys. Keep writing, keep creating stories and keep trying to find the right place that’s looking for my kind of story. I’d say fingers crossed, but it’s really had to type that way…
The story of Csorwe, the bride of the Unspoken god and sentenced to die is a fantastic journey. I found it refreshing to hear the story of a character with tusks. I know this seems like a small detail, but the smallest diversity struck me as important. I enjoyed the journey from priestess to sacrifice to warrior, assassin, spy and so much more. There was real character growth through the course of the book.
I could have stopped at a couple of points in the story. It felt like there might have been more than one “book” in here… or maybe it could have been broken out into novellas or serialized somehow. It was a minor distraction, but it was there.
I was put off by the list of names up front, but I am always put off by those so this was not unique to this book. I made up my own names for characters as the fantasy names just didn’t hang together for me. Csorwe became Crow – visually close and an easy to keep the flow of the story – is just one example. Some people will struggle with that, some won’t – but I think the ability to actually say the name of the main characters matters.
I enjoyed the world building. Having various worlds connected by the maze was an interesting concept. There wasn’t a ton of detail about the ships, the gates or how the various parts worked but it was enough to spark the imagination and make the story / journey flow.
I’ve been away from here for a while. It happens. There’s probably some kind of wave pattern here, but I’m not going to find it. I have had a lot of feelings about so called “productivity” and what that means. I’ve been working hard at doing the things that I’m moved to do as I feel like doing them. Sometimes I practice niksen. Niksen is the Dutch art of doing nothing. Sounds silly, but it matters. Taking time and just letting my mind wander. Staring at the screen saver on the TV and just watching the fish swim. Breathing, closing my eyes and listening. Trying to get all the junk signals to quiet down and focus on the ones that matter.
I recall posting about this before, but I’m going to say it again in case there are folks that have missed it in the past. At one point I was reading a regular column from a local new source. This is someone holding the job of writer at an actual news source. Yes, writing the “local view” type columns, but still a pro. Then this writer filed an entire column that said, “I have nothing to say. Seriously, there was a deadline and I came up empty…”
I was furious. This person could have relinquished the weekly spot to somebody with something to say. Could have put in anything at all and it would have been better than “I got nothing”. I stopped reading that persons work (yes, still employed at that new source) and constantly question the managerial choice of keeping this person on board.
I will never do that here. IF I’ve got nothing to say, guess what? There won’t be a post here.
The biggest issue for me here is that I have things I want to say frequently but they tend to be time sensitive type things and by the time I get the chance to type something up it feels like the moment is past. So, for right now – I’m riding the wave. There maybe be a flurry of posts, there may be a gap. Perhaps I’m trying to change the wave pattern of my production by going to stare at some fish.
This was previously published in Watch The Skies fanzine – April 2021 issue.
Boss Level – Hulu
For folks that have loosely monitored things in the film industry over the past decade or so will know that Mel Gibson has had some rough sledding. Of course, when the “rough” is based on who you are and how you act toward your fellow humans it won’t garner a lot of sympathy. I have been just fine with Mr. Gibson dropping out of prominence and staying off the screens I watch for entertainment. Then I bumped into this Looper article that said he was having something of a resurgence to his career. I’m not a fan of that, but I wanted to listen to the reasoning. What I did not expect was praise, and was more shocked at the film that was being heralded as something positive for him. Boss Level is a Hulu original film – and yes, Mr. Gibson is in this movie. I decided based on this positive review that I needed to at least check out a science fiction/action film to see for myself.
In this movie Frank Grillo (you may remember him from his stint as Crossbones in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) plays Roy Pulver, a former special operations soldier who is caught in a time loop. He wakes up every morning to the same thing. He moves through his day hitting the same beats and changing up little parts in order to see what happens. It is every bit the same concept as any other time loop movie ~ think Ground Hog Day (Bill Murray) or Edge of Tomorrow (Tom Cruise), just add more crazy violence. As the name implies there are a lot of video game like things going on in this movie. There are other notable characters (played by the likes of Michelle Yeoh and Ken Jeong) but Frank Grillo is the main focus. He carries the movie and does it well. This kind of action is exactly the sort of film somebody would expect to see him in. It was tight, the clues and keys to the loop were clever and the action just didn’t stop.
As for the previously mentioned Mr. Gibson, yes, he was in the movie. I won’t deliver any spoilers on the part he plays (it’s very obvious, very quickly) but it does seem to be a fitting part. It’s not a long acting stretch from the days when he starred in a movie called Payback, but he does it well. The reviewer from Looper seemed to indicate that he should have been given more to do or that his role should have been expanded. I disagree. I think we got just enough of him, and that might be too much as far as I’m concerned.
You know what else? I have to recommend this movie. There’s a ton of video game level crazy violence. Yes, it’s a time loop story. I still recommend it! If you have a way to connect with a friend on a Saturday night, grab a cold one, sit down and check out this film ~ you’ll have a good time!
I know that being a pro in the field of writing – any writing – requires the ability to write on demand. Deadlines must be met. Words must be produced. Nobody will pay you for the fanciful ideas floating in your head until you write them down (or draw them, or paint them, or build them). Waiting for inspiration is the direct path to never selling anything. Writing takes practice. It means repetition and expansion and edits among many other things.
I often quote a very famous author who has a slick statement about inspiration. “I don’t have a muse, I have a mortgage…” is a great quote. It’s easy to say. It’s hard to back that up.
I am far more attached to my mood than is good for anyone who wishes to be successful as a creative artist of any kind. The combination of creative drain from my day job, my inability to focus on a single kind of creativity and the things that happen in my day to day life often mean I am drained and just have no creative juice left to flow when I get to the keys.
I want to include some kind of declaration here about how I intend to do more, be better or whatever would fit, but the truth is that mood matters. I have made many declarations like this in the past and none of them have ever pushed me past certain barriers. Schedules, task lists, extensive notes are all wonderful and helpful things but none of those produce inspiration. There’s no spark. I’m going to keep struggling along in the best way I can. I’ll keep looking for that moment when a story leaps fully formed from my head, into my fingers and directly through the keys. Mood matters.
