Why Won't You Just Die?

IGN and a ton of other websites are reporting that Warner Bros. Justice League movie is continuing to have script problems. It seems like this is the 500th script that they're rejected. 

Hasn't this movie been in development hell for over a decade?

Personally I wish they'd kill it.

Right now Warner Bros. and DC are trying to copy Marvel's method of success, and they're going about it the wrong way.

Marvel planned for years to build their cinematic universe, it took years of filming to accomplish it, and a handful of films to make it a success. The Avengers is not something that happened over night.

Don't try to follow in their footsteps, Warners. It will not be a successful. Focus on the characters themselves. Make movies for Wonder Woman, The Flash, make a good Green Lantern movie, and let the Green Arrow continue to taste success. Don't be Marvel junior. You're better than that. 

If Man of Steel is a success focus on making another great Superman movie. Don't throw him in a group movie with a bunch of superheroes who you haven't taken the time to establish on film. Start preparing for another Batman franchise. That's your cash cow and Chris Nolan has set the bar pretty high for whoever takes the reins. You need to be ready.

Don't cheat the fans and give us a shitty Justice League movie because you're being reactionary instead of being proactive. You've got great characters who will do fine in standalone movies. You don't have to play Marvel's game. Mark my words, it will not be as good. Kill Justice League while you still have a chance.

Thank you.

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An Interview of Interest: Dave Grohl

I appreciate all forms of music.

But I love good music.

And I adore an artist that makes music that he loves.

I think that's what separates good music from great music, and good art/writing from great art/writing.

Nicholas Sparks may write some good novels but Cormac McCarthy has ascended to a higher tier of art. Just read the two and it's clear what makes McCarthy superior to Sparks.

But this blog isn't about good art versus great art.

It's about Dave Grohl.

I'm a fan of podcasts. I'm also a fan of the Foo Fighters. 

Recently the Nerdist interviewed Dave Grohl on their show, and I believe it's one of their best interviews by far.

If you're a fan of music, an artist of any kind, or want to listen to a down to earth guy who's not pretentious about the music he makes, and loves it with every bit of his being. Then you need to give this 'cast a listen. 

Jump on over to the Nerdist website by going HERE.

And If you've never given the Foo Fighters a listen then you should start with this song:

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A Life Worth Dying For

They're a reprehensible group of people.

If you've watched the documentary Fall From Grace (which you can stream on Netflix) then you know what I'm talking about. 

I was actually pretty damned disturbed after watching the doc. It took me a few days to get over the hate the family spews.

If you're pursuing something in life and you think these guys may show up with their picket signs that say: God hates fags, Thank God for HIV, and other hateful bullshit then plug away!

Kevin Smith has set the bar pretty high but I think there's enough hate to go around.

Here's to your dreams!

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Cliff Notes On The Craft: Volume 1

Cliff Notes On The Craft is going to be a new feature here at the blog.

These cliff notes will be posted every Wednesday and will be aimed at writers.

In the past I've posted essays that were meant to be my advice to writers. I may occasionally post blogs like that but not as often from here on out. 

I'm 28 and have been writing for around 4 to 5 years. I've learned a lot, but don't know nearly as much as more successful writers do. 

Here in the Cliff Notes I'll be including short thoughts on writing from myself and other writers. I'll be scouring the Interwebs and finding the best advice from the best writers. 

Such websites will include: Advice To Writers, Brain Pickings, @Quotes4Writers, and a host of other websites. Most of these sites you can find under the tab Sites of Interest. Check them out.

And before we get started here is some music for your listening pleasure . . .

Cliff notes on writing everyday from Geoff Dyer:

"Do it everyday. Make a habit of putting your observations into words and gradually this will become instinct. This is the most important rule of all and, naturally, I don't follow it."

Cliff notes on language from Kurt Vonnegut:

"As for your use of language: Remember that two great masters of language, William Shakespeare and James Joyce, wrote sentences that were almost childlike when their subjects were most profound. 'To be or not to be?' asks Shakespeare's Hamlet. The longest word is three letters long. Joyce, when he was frisky, could put together a sentence as intricate and as glittering as a necklace for Cleopatra, but my favorite sentence in his short story 'Eveline' is just this one: 'She was tired.' At that point in the story, no other words could break the heart of the reader as those three words do.

Simplicity of language is not only reputable, but perhaps even sacred. The Bible opens with a sentence well within the writing skills of a lively fourteen-year-old: 'In the beginning God created the heaven and earth.'"

Cliff notes on imagination from Neil Gaiman:

"You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it."

Cliff notes on reading from Stephen King:

"The real importance of reading is that it creates an ease and intimacy with the process of writing . . . It also offers you a constantly growing knowledge of what has been done and what hasn't, what is trite and what is fresh, what works and what just lies there dying (or dead) on the page. The more you read, the less apt you are to make a fool of yourself with your pen or word processor."

Cliff notes from me:

(I put myself last not because I think I'm more important, or because I think my advice is better, but because I think what these writers have to say is much more important than me. They have the success that gives weight to their advice.)

"Good writing should read like good music sounds. There should be rhythms and melodies and harmonies. It should take you to other places and another time. It should make you feel deep seated emotions and experience what you've never experienced before. Good writing should move you and nourish you and cause you to grow."

What's your thoughts, writers? 

Have any writing advice you revisit or that helps you push forward when stuck?

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The Pada Wan Becomes the Jedi Master . . .

It's finally official. We have our director for Star Wars Episode VII. 

J.J. Abrams.

Lucas Film officially broke the news last night. You can read their statement HERE.

I don't know if there was ever any doubt when the first rumors started to leak. As big as fan as Abrams is why would he shun the opportunity to do with this franchise that he did with Star Trek? I'll be honest, if it weren't for J.J. I'd have no interest in anything Trek related. Dude resurrected a series of films that I considered dead. I know that wasn't true for everyone, but it was for me.

Is this a good move? I think so. 

I can't remember the first time I watched A New Hope. I was that young. As a kid the Star Wars movies filled me with a sense of wonder, and stimulated my imagination. I wanted to do battle with a Light Saber and learn to use the Force. I thought Yoda was the smartest little alien I'd ever seen and was elated when the original trilogy was re-release to theaters. I can remember my dad taking my brother and I to see Episode IV. Getting to see the original Star War movie on the big screen was one of the coolest moments of my childhood. 

Okay, why do I think J.J. Abrams is a good choice to direct the new film?

First, watch Super 8. The guy understands wonder and fantasy and surrealness (Yes, I know that's not a word). The kids in that movie made me feel like I was eight years old again and I think that's going to be an important aspect of the new movies. Adults are going to need to go in and feel like kids again. They're going to need to rediscover the imagination of their childhood and relive the moments of the original movies.

And kids are going to need to be kids. Without children we wouldn't have Star Wars. Without kids George Lucas wouldn't have had the success he did. I think J.J. Abrams can bring this important aspect to the new movies. If you take all the Science Fiction elements away from Super 8 you'd still have a damn good movie. The kids made that movie what it was.

The other important thing is that J.J. Abrams is a fan of the original movies. I hope that means he'll bring a sense of respect to the new films. I hope he honors the originals and puts all the love he has as a fan into the new films. In the minds of many fans the bar is very high. I'm not sure if he'll reach it but he can't do any worse than Episode I-III. 

May the force be with you!

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To-See Movies For 2013

Whoa!

Looka here!

It's my first new post in about 6 months. Hopefully I'll get into more of a groove with blogging, and do it consistently. Got some changes coming to the site that I'm excited about. A lot of them have already been implemented. Hope you guys like the look.

Thought I'd kick off the new blog with a post about the movies I plan on seeing for the year of 2013. I'm not going to do much elaboration on the titles. I'll save thoughts for when I do my movies reviews.

My preferred seeing experience for movies is always in the theater, but I doubt I'll see everyone of these movies on the silver screen. Some of the will either be seen by Redbox, Netflix, PPV, or HBO Go.

Anyway. Here. We. Go.

February

Warm Bodies (Review)

I'm undecided whether I want to see this in the theater, or watch it at home. However I see it there'll be a movie review. You can look forward to that.

Identity Thief

Melissa McCarthy. That's all I need in a comedy these days. Lover her since she was on Gilmore Girls. 

(Yes, I watched Gilmore Girls and I'm not ashamed of it. Alexis Bledel. That's all.)

A Good Day To Die Hard

When I first saw the trailer for this movie I totally disregarded it. But I have a soft place in my heart for Bruce Willis and the Die Hard franchise. Will be going to see this.

March

Oz the Great and Powerful

I ain't gone lie. I'm skeptical of how good this movie will be. My wife is excited about this so I'll take her to see it. However, I was surprised with how good Rise of the Plante of the Apes was. Maybe Franco will be able to pull a quality movie off with this as well.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

I don't know if it's just me but it feels like Jim Carrey hasn't been in a comedy in forever. Maybe it's because he hasn't been in a good one. I've got high hopes for this movie. Him and Carell together should be a classic. 

April

The Heat

Again Melissa McCarthy. And to up the ante they added the lovely Sandra Bullock who's is hilarious in her own right.

Oblivion

I don't know what to expect from this movie. I've watched the trailer a handful of times to get a feel for it and I feel good about it. I think this could be a smash. 

Pain and Gain

The Rock gets me. Dude is a talented actor who is funny. I wish he'd pick better roles. He's been in some duds. I hope this isn't one of them.

May

Iron Man 3

I don't need to say anything. It's Iron Man.

The Great Gatsby

It sorta worries me that this movie was pushed back from a Christmas release to a May release. That could be a good thing. We'll find out. Leonardo DiCaprio is one of my favorite actors. Regardless of the movie's quality I expect him to knock it out of the park.

Star Trek Into Darkness

I was never a Trek guy until I saw the first J.J. Abrams Star Trek. It made a casual viewer like me interested. I don't know how well his interpretation resonates with the Trekkies but I'm excited for the sequel.

(Just realized that I've totally lied to you guys and have elaborated on every single movie. Sorry.)

Epic

Don't know a lot about this movie but I love animated movies. And it always seems that fantasy stories, told by Hollywood, are best when animated.

June

After Earth

I know this is a M. Knight Shyamalan movie but I've hope for it because of Will Smith. He's only done one movie I didn't care for (I Am Legend), but I don't think this will be a bad one.

Much Ado About Nothing

I thought this movie came out during 2012, but on IMDB it's listed under 2013. Whatever. It's directed by Joss Whedon. I'll give it a view for that reason alone.

Man of Steel

This is the movie I'm most excited for in 2012. I'm really excited about the direction Zakk Snyder is taking with this interpretation. I hope he gives us a Superman movie that blows the casual viewer away. This great character deserves it.

Monsters University

It's Pixar. It's monsters. What's not to be excited about?

July

Pacific Rim

Guillermo Del Toro is one of my favorite directors and Idris Elba - who I discovered from The Wire - is one of my favorite actors. This movie looks like it'll be buckets full of excitement. This is in my top three most anticipated movies for the summer.

November

Thor The Dark World

The first Thor was what got me excited about The Avengers. Without that movie and I don't know if I would've seen The Avengers in theater. (Who'm I kidding? Yes I would've.)

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

I've got a feeling about this movie. I think it will be better than the first one. I think Jennifer Lawrence is really coming into her own as an actress, and will be better in this sequel. I'm looking forward to this one.

December

Anchorman: The Legend Continues

I have a handful of movies I can just quote (Anchorman, Dodge Ball, Billy Madison, and a few others), and I hope that I can add this one to the list.

And that's it. 

Well, there are about 5-10 movies I didn't put on this list. And that's because I need to see a trailer, or see a synopsis, before I give it real consideration. 

Here's to hoping 2013 will be an even better year for movies than 2012.

What movies are you excited to see?

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The Amazing Spider-Man

The Amazing Spider-Man

            When I found out that the Spider-Man franchise was going to be rebooted I almost decided to boycott this movie. In face, I did decide to boycott this movie. Spider-Man 3 was released in 2007. It’s been just around 5 years since the last time we saw Spidey on screen. That doesn’t seem all that long. I can still remember how bad a train wreck that movie was. Unfortunately I still have captions of Tobey Maguire, dancing on the streets of New York, like an emo prince. It’s a wretched replay to have stuck in your mind.

            Anyway, I would like to think that Hollywood operates by some type of ethics. The guys at Warner Bros. got it right. Batman Forever was released in 1995. That movie was worse than Spider-Man. It almost killed the greatest superhero franchise. I’ll never forgive Joel Schumacher for that movie. I’ll never see another of his movies because of it. We didn’t get another Batman movie until 2005. That’s a decade. It’s a nice stretch of time to give people time to forget the junk that preceded it. All the faces were new. The director was new. They delivered and resurrected Batman.

            The Spider-Man franchise was not in dire straits like Batman. They just made a bad movie. They didn’t kill the character. I think they could have waited longer and delivered the public a movie that satisfied. It could have been a stand-alone story. They may’ve been able to use some of the same characters. Even though they were getting older. Instead the studio took a risk. They decided to reboot the franchise. They filmed an origin story.

            Reboots and origin stories are almost four letter words among the general public when it comes to Hollywood. It seems like is either the origin of a character or the reboot of an old movie or television show. If you’re going to take a movie, whose sequel was released 5 years earlier, and reboot it then you’re going to need to deliver. You need to deliver big!

            Thankfully, Marc Webb and company delivered big.

Plot

Grade: 8/10

            I’m sort’ve lowballing the plot here. It wasn’t bad. I enjoyed it very much. It wasn’t a total recycling of the previous origin story. There were new aspects that I’d never seen used before. I’ve never followed any of the Spider-Man series. Therefore, I don’t know how true to cannon this is. Being a guy who’s ignorant of Spidey’s background I was cool with the story.

            You’re not going to see anything new. Other than the inclusion of Peter Parker’s parents everything much is pretty much the same. Uncle Ben and Aunt May raise Peter from the time he’s a child.  Peter is bitten by a spider and undergoes a physiological change. He begins to abuse his powers and Uncle Ben gives him the, “with great power comes great responsibility” speech. (Even though the quote wasn’t used verbatim, and that disappointed me, it worked well.) Uncle Ben is also killed and that causes Peter to have an awakening and understand what his powers need to be used for. See, nothing new here, folks.

            The thing that works so well for The Amazing Spider-Man is the execution of the story telling. You can take any trope or overused idea, nail the execution, and you have a quality story or film on your hands. I’ve got to applaud the moviemakers for nailing this. Good job, guys.

Character

Grade: 9/10

            I liked the choice of villain for this movie. The Lizard is a villain I’m not too familiar with. That helped me. If they decided to go with Norman Osborn from the beginning, and have Spider-Man duke it out with Green Goblin, which would have sealed the deal for me. I wouldn’t have seen this movie. With comic movies one of the mistakes Hollywood can make is using just the popular villains (I’m not saying The Lizard isn’t popular.), the villains that work best on screen, or the ones that have the coolest powers. I’m glad they didn’t use Carnage or Venom. Those are by far the most awesome villains of Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery, but the used The Lizard in a way that added depth to the movie.

            How about Peter Parker/Spider-Man? Andrew Garfield, in my opinion, portrays him much better than Tobey Maguire. I’m a Tobey Maguire fan. Enjoyed his performance of the character, but Andrew Garfield was meant to be Spider-Man. He’s awkward, over confident, and sarcastic. Andrew Garfield is a damn fine actor. I thought he was one of the bright spots of The Social Network. I never would have pictured him as a superhero, and to put him in such big shoes paid off.

            With The Amazing Spider-Man Mary Jane Watson is nowhere to be found. To the general public you would think that this would have been the way the studio would want to go. The name is in the collective consciousness of everyone. Instead they went with someone less recognizable. I had to shoot over to Wikipedia and find out Gwen Stacy’s background. Emma Stone fills the role of Miss Stacy. They scored big with Emma Stone’s casting. She’s one of the best actresses out there.  She’s funny, charming, and attractive. Gwen Stacy is the type of girl I would’ve had a crush on in high school. I identified with Peter and Gwen’s relationship and enjoyed their time on screen together.

Dialogue

Grade: 7.9/10

            As far as the writing of the dialogue I have no problem. It’s well written, well delivered, and some of the better dialogue for a comic based movie. There were some scenes where I had problems understanding people. There are times when Andrew Garfield talks soft or mumbles. I’m the type of guy who turns the television, or a movie, on blast when watching it. I guess I’m hard of hearing. Rhys Ifan’s accent got to me at times and I wondered what the heck he was saying, but that was seldom, and not much of a problem. This problem is sorta petty and takes away from the score, but it annoyed me at times.

Entertainment

Grade: 10/10

            The action scenes for The Amazing Spider-Man are over the top and exciting. At times I laughed out loud to myself. The web work and fighting kept me on the edge of my seat, and a time or two I’m sure I gasped. The Lizard gave the movie a David versus Goliath aspect. You were never sure if Spider-Man would end up with a mashed face or broken bones. You’ll wonder how exactly can a teenage boy overcome a super villain. The ending pays off and you’re left satisfied. I didn’t expect them to do what they did, and that’s good movie making. I can see what they’re setting the sequels up for. Can’t wait to see that play out on screen.

Overall: 8.7

            If we’re going by my math here I liked this movie better than The Avengers. I’m thinking about it and find it hard to answer that question. In some aspects, I have to say, yes. The Amazing Spider-Man is a well made movie, and turned out much better than I thought it would. Even since I saw the first trailer I’ve said this movie would be good, but I didn’t think it would be so good. It’s exciting, emotional, and a roller coaster ride. Definitely a must see summer flick. You won’t be disappointed.

            Before I go, two more weeks until The Dark Knight Rises. I can’t wait, folks. It’s been a long time coming.

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