The Best at What He Does: A review of the historic Wolverine mini-series (and two random issues of X-Men)

     Uh, Hi there, my name is Caleb. If you're reading this because you, like so many jumped on for a glance at my review for Cardboard which was graciously linked to by that graphic novel's author/illustrator, Doug TenNapel, then I suppose introductions are in order.
    I am a 21 year old Christian Male, who wants to make movies. Or, really, just tell stories. Good ones, I hope, that are dramatic, action-packed, hilarious, filled with adventure, romance, heartache, joy, grief, and at least twelve separate sword fights. I started this blog mainly to help me practice writing on a semi-regular basis. and so far it's..... kinda helped, I guess.
     This summer, since this is my busy time of the year, I have forgone my regular update schedule and instead will do almost weekly reviews of some graphic novels/trade collections. Which are really the only type of fiction I have time for June-August. This week, we cover one of the most iconic characters in Superhero stories, considered over-rated, an underdog, overexposed and and genuinely awesome all at once and over the course of his history, that's right... Batma- Wait? what? we're holding on the Batman reviews? Okay, I'll just do Wolverine for now.
 

     So, I don't know if you knew, faithful reader, but this Wolverine guy is kinda popular nowadays. But it wasn't always so. He was once just a minor Hulk villain who got promoted to X-Man, and not even a hugely popular one at first, either. But after time, Wolverine got some traction and rose to some serious fame and is now the de facto mascot for the franchise, much to some people's annoyance. What we're looking at today, is the pivotal mini-series written by then current X-Men writer Chris Claremont, and drawn by none other than Frank Miller.Yeah, the Batman guy. This famous tale, where Wolverine goes to Japan and has a troubled relationship with a girl named Mariko whilst also fighting ninjas, was most recently adapted (very loosely) into the film "The Wolverine" a film I quite enjoyed, despite it's short comings)

     This novel and "The Wolverine" are different in quite a few ways, the most obvious being Wolverine's reasons for being in Japan in the first place. In the film, Wolverine is dragged to pay his last respects to a man he rescued in WWII, who happens to be the grandfather of a young woman named Mariko, whom Wolverine meets just hours before her grandfather passes away. In this Mini-series, however, Wolverine and Mariko are already involved in a relationship when she vanishes, and Wolverine tracks her down to Japan where she's been trapped in an arranged marriage by her newly returned Father.
     Other major differences include the vastly different characterizations of Yukio, in both stories, Yukio is tough, competent woman who helps Wolverine during his adventure, but in the mini-series she is a non-mutant assassin with a bit of a death wish sent to kill Wolverine, with whom she ends up falling in love. In the film, she's a friend of Mariko's who was sent to bring Wolverine to Japan in the first place. She's also a mutant who can see how people are going to die, and she never develops feelings for Wolverine.

    While I personally enjoyed the movie more, this miniseries deserves its place in comic history. The writing flows in an almost non-stop tough guy monologue, since Logan is the toughest guy since Sam Spade. The story is structured well, and we get solid character development from Wolverine here.
      The art is fantastic, they said Frank Miller was influenced by Manga when he drew this, and I believe it. There is an elegance to the layout here. Images flow fantastically with a fight between Wolverine and Mariko's father towards the end being especially amazingly rendered. There's also a handful of splashes that are just... awesome. Not so much for the sheer business of them, but for the spare use of space. It's quite a sight to behold.

Just.... dude.

     This series isn't perfect though, I much prefer the film version of Yukio, the comic one is basically a sex-crazed maniac who basically serves as a way to keep Wolverine busy until it's final showdown time. Not that some of the stuff with her wasn't cool, but I didn't really find her as interesting as I did the red haired, punk rock swords-maiden that was movie Yukio. Besides that, there's the issue that is the resolution of the story.
      You see, in the edition I got from my library, it includes two issues of X-men, that tie in with this story. These two issues intend to wrap up the plot development introduced at the end of the Wolverine arc. The problem is that these issues feel like a step down from the mini-series. They're probably decent in their own right, (and are probably notable for their containing the introduction of the famous Mohawk look that Storm sported for awhile) but as it stands, it feels like we went from, a classic like "In the Heat of the Night" and then had the actual full resolution of the story happen in a couple episodes of Miami Vice. Adding to that, at the end of the second X-men issue, the story just ends. The plot takes one final turn, and despite the feeling you get that there is still more to do... we're just done. Like that.
      Do I still recommend you read this story? If you like Wolverine and Japan, yes, the answer is yes. I still have a few complaints, but I still wouldn't mind owning this one at some point. Heck, I'd hang some of those panels on my wall.

Content Advisory: As always, I like to give people a loose idea of what to expect, content wise, when it comes to comic books. Because comics can get away with more things, and it can be hard to find out what you're in for when you crack open those glossy pages. So here's a loose rundown of what you can expect in "Wolverine":
     This one is definitely more on the PG-13 side of things, being rough around the edges and with a small, but noticeable helping of blood showing up. I mentioned Yukio is slightly sex-crazed and has a thing for Wolverine, but anything that happens there is implied more than anything. The only nudity of any sort is during the X-men issues when Storm get caught in an explosion that shreds her clothing completely. The actual event is obscured by fire, and from then on she's either underwater, wrapped in a sheet, or in a robe before she finally gets a hair cut and a new set of threads. I don't remember the language being overwhelming, but there's probably some in there. A man beats his wife and several people are killed by knives, swords, explosions, and of course, claws.

Completely Creative Comic: Cardboard!

     Doesn't the title of this post sound like an overly literal translation of a Japanese TV show title? As I said last week, my summer tends to be insanely busy, so the only fiction I really get to consume with any consistency is the kind with pictures. namely, Comic books. So this summer, I'm going to try to review a different comic or graphic novel every week. This week: Doug TenNapel's Cardboard.

My history with Doug TenNapel's work is interesting, as, though I've been aware of his work for awhile... I never knew it was him who was behind it. Let's backtrack, you aware of this little video game called Earthworm Jim? I was. While my experience was limited, and I never got very far in any of the two games I played. (oddly enough, I only have the vaguest recollections of playing the original, while I played the N64 one quite a few times. I never made it past the first world)Jim's crazy (and bizarrely Cow obsessed) world stuck with me well enough, that when I discovered TenNapel's other works and philosophical writings, I was ecstatic to find out that this fascinatingly outspoken Christian comic artist was also the guy who made Earthworm Jim.

One of the first comics of his that I read was this one, Cardboard, and while I still haven't read all of them, Cardboard is my favorite of the bunch, easily. (My library is rather spotty when it comes to comics. They have some new stuff, which is great, but everything else is hit or miss. You want famous Batman arcs like Knightfall? Nope. You want Batman Vs. Predator? Gotcha covered. Like... that's cool and all, but... what?) What makes Cardboard stand out from other comics? Well, let's see

1. Properly balanced weirdness
     I say this with all due respect and admiration, Mr. Tennapel is a WEIRD guy, even by my rather generous standards. Go play Earthworm Jim or go read one of his comics like Gear and see what I mean. Sometimes, it's too weird for me, but not Cardboard. Cardboard is the best kind of weird, where crazy things happen featuring crazy creatures, but it's balanced with a good heart and sense of humor, and the weirdness is never too over the top.

2. All ages, ALL OF THEM
    I really despise the lack of quality all ages comics. Even if you try to find a decent PG-rated comic with minor swearing and violence, your pickings are slim. And odds are also that they won't be very entertaining to anyone over the ages of six through ten, but Cardboard is a thoroughly entertaining comic book that can be enjoyed by any age. That's right, ANY AGE. Even Babies, because the colorful pictures are mesmerizing.

3. Heart and Art
     The story of Cardboard mostly revolves around a Dad who's down on his luck and is determined to take care of his son, even without a steady job and still in shambles from the loss of his wife, and therefore unable to appreciate the affections of his lovely and attentive neighbor. The stuff with him feels emotionally true, and so does the stuff featuring the obnoxious neighbor rich kid, Marcus, who acts out and treats people like dirt because he honestly doesn't believe that he can even begin to compare with his successful father, he might actually be the real star here. Even Bill, the sentient cardboard boxer deals with the fact that he is INDEED sentient. All of these arcs have some solid emotional weight behind them. The artwork of this book is also fantastic. Doug TenNapel has a signature style, and it really works well in this kinda realistic, kinda fantastic world of living cardboard and average Joes. (Both Bill and Marcus are particularly evident displays of Mr. TenNapel's handy-work)

4. It's funny
     Seriously, several gags in here are laugh out loud hilarious, and several are the kind of subtle humor I get a kick out of. I won't say much more, as not to ruin the fun, but the origin of the cardboard's strange powers has got to be one of my favorite explanations for anything ever.

But I do have two minor nitpicks I must, in the interest of balance, point out. One happens early in the book, the other is a major spoiler though, and I'll put it after the summary below, alright?

-1. Breaking Da Rules
Towards the beginning of the story, when the Dad receives the cardboard, he is given two rules. The first is that he may not ask for any more cardboard, and the second, is that he return any unused cardboard back to the salesmen. These rules are both broken (of course, otherwise where's the danger?) and the dad is hammered with his rule breaking when Bill (the cardboard boxer) is injured and he comes to ask for more cardboard. The thing that bugs me about this scenario is... What exactly was he supposed to do? Looking at the time table here, I get no indication that it's been more than a day or so since Bill came to life (I was actually originally under the impression that it was within the same 24 hour time period, but after checking, I can see how it's possible it's been a bit longer) So was the dad supposed to, as soon as they finished with their project (Bill) turn around and drop off the scraps right then? Were they supposed to just let Bill die there on the spot? I get that the best magic in fairytales come with rules and laws. And I like that, but this seems like a case requiring further deliberation. But again, this is me being nitpicky.

This book, in short, is something I plan to get a copy of for my very own at some point soon. It's an easy read, packed well with heart and humor and great artwork. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone even moderately interested in it.

















Okay, now I'll briefly discuss a problem I had with
THE VERY END OF THE BOOK,
LIKE, 
MAJORLY SPOILERIFIC, 
LITERALLY THE SECOND TO LAST SCENE (AND WOULD ACTUALLY BE THE VERY LAST IF IT WEREN'T FOR A TWO PANEL FINAL IMAGE WE GET AT THE VERY, VERY END)
KINDA MAJORLY SPOILERLY SPOILED McSPOILTON SPOILERS! 
we clear?

-2. Bill's Reappearance
     So, towards the end of the book, Bill comes to terms with his own mortality and sacrifices himself to save the boy, Cam, his Dad, and even Marcus, the neighbor kid who kinda made an evil cardboard army that just tried to murder them all. This is strong stuff here, but the part that weirds me out, is during the epilogue of the book, Cam and his father, along with a newly reformed Marcus, are all working on rebuilding Marcus's house when an new workman shows up asking for a job working construction. Aaaaaand here's where it gets weird. We're basically left the impression that this is actually Bill, reincarnated as a human being. (His name is William, he has a scar "from a fight last night" that matches one Bill got during the massive cardboard monster battle, and he demonstrates his skills by PUNCHING a nail into some wood instead of using a hammer) While this is all happy ending warm fuzzy stuff, which I love, so I'm down with the idea, this comes outta nowhere. And he makes no indication that he and the cardboard guy they saw die less than a day ago are one in the same. Heck, he doesn't even say a word to Cam who he was sworn to protect. He just sorta shows up and the reader is left with a puzzled feeling, rather than a satisfying one. Still a great book, though.

Graphic Novel review: Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 1. (sorta)

Alright, blog updates have dived from consistent to sporadic, this is probably due to the fact that Summer is my busiest time of the year. So busy that my time for reading longer forms of fiction is eaten up, but you know what I can read? Comics. I have just enough time for comics.
    So you, my faithful blog reader, are going to be getting (if I don't change my mind) some reviews pertaining to some comic book collections/graphic novels! We'll start with the Ultimate Spider-Man Ultimate Collection Volume 1 which ULTIMATELY! collects the first thirteen issues of Ultimate Spider-Man, which can also be found in the less ULTIMATE and more normal volumes 1 & 2

     Before we begin, I suppose I should explain the "Ultimate" Marvel Universe for those who aren't familiar with the concept. I shall also now warn you that I'm just going to say "ULTIMATE!" from here on when that word comes up? Clear? Clear.
     When the first few modern superhero films came out, such as Blade, X-Men, and the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man film, people's interest in comic books were rekindled. They had just seen these awesome stories unfold on the big screen with this fascinating group of characters, and they wanted more. These new found fans of freedom fighting do-gooders ran into a problem, though. An ugly problem called... continuity.
     You see, at the point of history we're talking about here, Marvel Entertainment had been publishing comics for around SIXTY years. Even with some ret-cons here and there, that's a LOT of back story to be familiar with. So when fans of the X-Men opened up the ongoing comics of the time, they were probably confused by mentions of a dark phoenix, or a multitude of various characters they didn't recognize, such as Gambit, or Psylocke. Similar problems faced people wanting to jump on board the main Spider-Man comics, there was simply too much back-story in play. You might be reading a book, only to have Gwen Stacey mentioned, and that name carried a lot of weight when it was mentioned, but as far as people who were only familiar with the movies were concerned, she never existed.
      Marvel, apparently, came prepared. Starting in the year 2000 with Ultimate Spider-Man, Marvel began publishing a line of comics unconnected with the "main" continuity, and instead, formed a new ULTIMATE! universe where things could unfold differently, with more modern and ULTIMATE! takes on their beloved characters.

And so, in this ULTIMATE! universe, we find one Peter Parker, unaware of his destiny, unknowing of his calling. Whatever dimension you look into, though the details may vary, it all boils down to an unsuspecting boy, having an average day... when along came a Spider.....

WHAT I LIKED
     As far as beginnings go, Spider-Man's is pretty famous. Nerdy kid is nerdy. Kid is bitten by special spider. Spider gives kid super powers. Kid takes advantage of powers and becomes selfish. Uncle dies, and the kid learns that with great power, there must also come great responsibility. Kid gets red and blue tights and fights crime while trying to win over the girl of his dreams. What is interesting about this particular take on the origin is how little they tinker with that core story. I mean, sure, the Spider is updated from a random spider that just so happened to be exposed radioactive materials and is instead a genetically altered spider. And instead of Gwen Stacey being the first girl Peter ever had eyes for, it's Mary Jane Watson, who is here a bit more of a nerd here, and bonds with Peter a bit even pre-spider bite. And of course the most important update, Uncle Ben now has a pony tail.
     Besides that, though the first half of this volume is mainly concerned with fleshing out all those character beats. After Pete gets his powers, we see him slowly come to terms with his new gifts, because at first, they really freak him out. Then we witness as he abuses those powers in some pretty understandable ways. And then we see him called out on it, just before his uncle is tragically murdered, and watch him slowly piece together exactly how he needs to use these powers for the benefit of others.
     The other part of the "origin" arc deals with Norman Osbourn's reaction to someone getting  Super Spider-Powers, especially since he realizes it was through his genetically altered spiders. While not every point of this arc is my thing, I do like the basic concept, for the most part.
       The next arc included in this volume features the classic Spider-Man/Daredevil villain, Kingpin. This arc is pretty well put together, and resolves in a satisfying way, with Spider-Man getting his butt kicked before realizing that he needs to learn to work smarter, not harder. It also features hands down one of the funniest Spider-Man moments ever in Spider-Man's second encounter with Kingpin. I shan't spoil it, it must be seen to be believed. And finally, I like that Pete admits to someone that he's Spider-Man so he can have a confidant. As much as I really admire the fact that Pete does what he does selflessly, it's also nice to have someone who has your back when you have to vanish out of class, or come home late to dinner.

What I didn't Like.

      When you reinterpret stories and characters like this, you're bound to change something in a way that some people don't like. It's just how these things go, and I don't hold it against the creators too much, they went for something, and I respect that... but I just don't care for ULTIMATE! Green Goblin. Too much Hulk/raging monster. Not enough of the plotting trickster version of the character I enjoy. Simple as that.
      The angst and edge of the ULTIMATE! modern day update is also not my thing. Too much of it seems like they're trying to show how "real" all their high school stuff is, but it comes off more like a teen drama aired on WB Network around 2005. (Do I win most specific analogy? is that a prize?) But seriously, I just don't care for that sort of thing, and it did kinda detract from my enjoyment.

Content advisory:
     What's this? a Parental warning? Yeah, for most movies and such, I don't really do this sort of thing for movies, since their are so many places where you can find out whether or not the film is appropriate for little Timmy. Comic books, though? Good luck, far too often have I picked up a random comic book and flipped through it too find either a barely obscured woman in some form of undress (if any dress at all), or surprisingly messy violence. The simple fact is, that while comic books do have boundaries in which to operate, these boundaries are a whole lot looser than your average PG-13 movie or TV show. So whenever I do a comic review, I'll try to let you know what to expect if you pick up a copy.
     As far as this first volume of Ultimate Spidey goes, things are at about the Cable Teen Drama level I just mentioned in the previous section. Light to mild swearing happens on a semi-frequent basis with harsher profanities often alluded to but replaced with various symbols.
     Violence is mostly the standard BIFF POW WHAM stuff of Superhero stories, with a couple of notable exceptions. The first being at the scene of an explosion, where a man is clearly impaled on a piece of metal, though the goriest bit being obscured by the position of his arms, and the second being a scene where a young teen finds the charred remains of his mother, though all we see is a burnt and deformed hand in a blase of fire. The most intense is probably when one man crushes another man's skull with his bare hands. The deed is mostly done off panel, focusing on every one's horrified reactions. But we do see the aftermath, sort of as the man was wearing a Spider-Man style mask at the time, and security footage of the event.
     Sexual content or Nudity is sparse in this volume, but not not absent. A couple of girls dress scantily at a party, Mary Jane is seen in both a towel and a bathrobe, and Pete himself  hangs out in a T-shirt and some briefs. The most awkward moment comes at the end during a scene with Peter and Mary Jane. While nothing happens between the pair, Aunt May walks in and finds them in Peter's Bedroom after hearing a racket. She then has a frank conversation with the pair about " at least I hope you were being safe" and "no shenanigans in the house" It's mostly played for laughs, but not really a conversation you want your eight year old reading.


Summary
This first ULTIMATE! volume of Ultimate Spider-Man (which is a special collection that contains Ultimate Spider-Man Issues 1-13 otherwise contained in Ultimate Spider-Man vol. 1 & 2) was a decent scratch to the Spider-Man itch I had. I might read further volumes, though my local library system where I borrowed this from has quite a few gaps in the series, so I'll have to figure some stuff out on my own. (I've already read ULTIMATE! Volume 3, which collects regular volumes 5 & 6, so I've had some practice) But as for this volume, it gets a rating of ULTIMATELY! just OK.

All pictures used are, of course, property of Marvel. I own nothing but all the words I typed. Those are mine, sorry as they may be.

Some quick thoughts on Edgar Wright and Ant-Man

So my laptop's back and there's gonna be trouble. As in, I have a flipping ton of stuff to write and not really enough time to write it. (I bought this thing for the purpose of playing video games and I've barely touched my Steam account in weeks)  It doesn't help when a bomb like Edgar Wright's departure from his long gestating Marvel project, a film based off the less known Avenger, Ant-Man, is dropped on me on a Friday afternoon. Yeah, thanks Marvel.

     I'm really bothered by this despite the fact that I've only ever seen one Edgar Wright film and thought it was just okay. (Scott Pilgrim vs The World, for the record) So why am I bothered? Because he's been working on this film for eight flipping years. Seriously, Since about 2006, Edgar Wright was totally telling anyone who would listen that he was totally making an Ant-Man film after he did a couple other things. He was gonna make a cool heist movie thing, he ended up filming a small bit of test footage to properly visualize what style he was going for, and he showed up at comic-con a few times to chat about it, so I'm puzzled by how exactly you put that much effort into a film, and still end up walking away entirely.
     The same goes for Marvel, for that matter, they've been promoting this and working on this and approving this and giving it prime post-Avengers 2 real estate, and yet they let Mr. Wright walk.
    This is all probably way more complicated than any of that, but let's talk for a moment about something I like about Marvel movies. Every Marvel film will, of course, fit certain parameters as a PG-13 action adventure Superhero movie with comedic undertones, but besides that, these movies can go through a variety of change of tones and settings. Compare the Joe Johnston directed WWII-era Captain America: The First Avenger, which is a retro pulpy adventure, with the Russo brothers slick, smart political conspiracy thriller, Captain America: Winter Soldier. They're part of the same franchise, and heck, star the same character, but the two films are so drastically different it's insane. And a lot more of the Marvel movies are like that than you think.
    Compare Thor and Thor: The Dark World. The first Thor, by Kenneth Branagh, is more Shakespearean and more intimate in several ways, the highlights of the film aren't necessarily it's admittedly kinda fun action scenes, but the meaty family drama or Thor's character development throughout the story . Meanwhile, The Dark World, directed by Game of Thrones alum Alan Taylor, is a grander, more fantastic, more gritty take on the same universe. With better action, I'll admit. And while not everyone may like Iron Man 3, I found it fascinating, not least of all because it was an Iron Man film with a Shane Black flavor. If Marvel makes another Iron Man film after the inevitable recasting of Tony Stark, I admit that I'll be interested to see how the new guy does, but imagine if they were to let someone like Martin Cambell take a shot at doing an Iron Man film, or Brad Bird, or Christopher McQuarrie, or pick a name, any name. (I'm personally hoping someone goes completely crazy and lets Guy Ritchie make an Iron Man, I know it makes no sense, but I got the idea into my head due to my initial confusion of who was signed on to direct Iron Man 3, and now I'm stuck convinced that it would be the weirdest/coolest thing ever) Getting something you know in a flavor you don't is fun, which is why I'll be kinda bummed when Edgar Wright's name isn't after the words "directed by" during the end credits in July of '15.
    In short, I don't actually really blame Marvel for this, as with Guardians of the Galaxy, it's clear that they're willing to take a risk, and nor do I blame Mr. Wright,  I understand that, sometimes things fall apart. (though seriously, WHAT HAPPENED?) I just hope, that as Marvel Studios moves forward, we continue to explore things through different perspectives.





And come on, admit it, now you want to see a Guy Ritchie Iron Man film.

Would a Title by any other name be as boring?

Exceptionally quick post today, guys, as my laptop is in the shop, and I kinda wanted to do a different post, but for the moment that's out of my hands. Anyway, let's talk about a pressing issue in Hollywood that's kinda been driving me nuts for awhile: Why do people suck at naming movies?

      Seriously, guys, a movie was just released called "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" just 10 short years after a film called "Spider-Man 2" And Don't think I've forgotten about "The Fast and The Furious" and it's third "oh-so-cleverly-named" sequel "Fast and Furious" This extends to the video game world as well, what was the latest installment in the Tomb Raider franchise dubbed? Simply "Tomb Raider" Thanks, guys, I get it was a reboot, but even lame names like "Tomb Raider: Reborn" or "Tomb Raider: The Island of the Sun Queen" would have been improvements.
      What about it guys? Am I alone on wanting movies to have more thought put in the name and/or coming up with an unforgettable title*? or are you totally content with titles like "Jack Reacher" or "Alex Cross"?  And, bonus question, what makes a good title, in your opinion?





      *The upcoming Tom Cruise movie "Edge of Tomorrow" was originally named "All You Need is Kill" The new name seems to be fine, and descriptive of the actual movie, and of all the examples, I actually like this name a lot.... but guys, we were this close to getting a movie named something as bonkers as "All You Need is Kill" I didn't know how badly I wanted a movie to be named that until the chance was stolen away from me.

Always Ready to Learn: Jurassic Park: The Game

So, sometimes, I like to take a look at things that I've heard dubious things about, quality-wise, to try to figure out what went wrong. So, when I found out that the Playstation Store was having a 99 cent sale, I picked up a few things, one of which was TellTale Games Jurassic Park: The Game.
     Jurassic Park is one of my all time favorite films, and when I originally heard that Telltale games, who have a reputation as able story tellers, where making a game based on the film series, I was looking forward to it. After about a dozen or so "meh" to "terrible" reviews, I decided to hold off on making the purchase.          Recently, though, I've been interested in studying a Tell Tale game and how it executed their infamous serialized format. (Before this, the only major TellTale game I've played more than one episode of was Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People, which was barely serialized, but hilarious) I figured I could take a look at it through this game, as well, as try to figure out where they went wrong with a property I'm incredibly fond of and confident in its ability to produce interesting and fun thrill rides.... with dinosaurs.
    I just finished all four episodes over the past few days, and, it turns out, the reports of its sub-par quality were pretty accurate. I had a lot of complaints with the game play alone, but that's not what I want to talk about today. Today, we shall go over a few things I think this game needed to make itss story better.

Some signs you may be building a personal library.

     So, maybe you don't suffer from compulsive library building like I do. Maybe you are a normal, well adjusted person who can simply see a film once, enjoy it immensely, and then be content to wait until whenever it comes on TV to watch it again. Or maybe someone loaned you a book, you loved it and consider it one of your favorite books that you ever read, but you waited until you found a beat up copy at a garage sale five years later to actually purchase it. However, maybe you do suffer from this strange condition that often leaves you staring at your bookcase, playing Tetris in your mind and trying to make these books just FIT, DANG IT!
    There are some of us who enjoy having our own personal library. Whether it be of books, movies, or video games, there's something about having a brimming catalog of options to choose from when you want a bit of entertainment. Or maybe you like to think of them as resources on hand for you to learn from and to refer back to when you get in a jam. To find out if you are one of these crazy people, just read on and see if the following points could be applied to you:

You go to a store with a mental list of things to keep an eye out for. 
     Whether it's Gamestop, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble's, Wal-Mart, Books-A-Million, or your favorite used bookstore, whenever you go to one of these establishments for any reason, you have a mental checklist running in your head of things you should be checking for. In a Gamestop you've never been to before? Better double check to see if they have that old PS2 game you missed out on when it was released. Best Buy? Hey, wasn't there an ad that mentioned a few blu-rays were half off? Better check to see if that one film you wanted was there. Used Bookstore? Better check every aisle for a good deal on any books you ever might have possibly considered owning at some point.

You make an actual list online of things you would like to add  to your collection.
     If you don't have at least two or three Wishlists on Amazon full of stuff you intend to get at some point, I'm not sure you're even trying.

You don't purchase an item you like, even if it's on sale, because you want a different edition of it.
     This ever happened to you? You find a copy of a book you love, for dirt cheap, only to loathe the cover of said edition? No, just me? Very well, if you'll need me, I'll be waiting to purchase the Indiana Jones movies on Blu-Ray because I want Steelbook editions of Last Crusade and Raiders.

You purchase an Item you don't like on sale because you consider important to own anyway.
      I briefly considered purchasing Once and Future King at a used bookstore because it was, like, three dollars. I didn't really enjoy that book very much at all, but I would like to own it at some point, so I can refer back to it if I ever were to need it. Obviously, I require serious psychological help.

You purchase an Item you already have because you found a new edition you like even more.
     Maybe you got a nice little Paperback copy of "Pride & Prejudice" that you can read for fun whenever, but then you walked into Barnes and Noble and saw their hardcover classic edition of it and loved the idea of that sitting on your bookcase, solidifying for all who saw it your love of Jane Austen. Or maybe you loved The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, so when a portable version for 3DS came out, you grabbed it so you could play Master Quest on your lunch breaks, even though you just got the Wii Virtual Console Edition a couple of years ago. I for one, have repurchased both Inception and The Dark Knight Rises because I found their Steelbook editions for fair prices.

You don't feel too bad when you purchase something and don't like it because it might come in 
handy later.
     So you've got your eye on some book or movie or game or whatever. It looks good, maybe you read a couple of reviews, maybe some friends recommended it, maybe you like he people who made it, whatever. Point is, you really like the look of it, so when you come into some extra cash, you splurge and get yourself a copy. Now comes the problem: you don't actually enjoy it as much as you hoped. Maybe it was different than what you were expecting, maybe you find parts of it offensive, maybe the ending stank, it doesn't matter. A normal person would sit there with Buyer's Remorse and weep for their wasted time and money, not so with you, my friend. Oh, sure maaaaybe you're irked for a little bit, but now you have that work on call whenever you need it! Are you a writer? Maybe you're writing something and you want to ensure what you write doesn't end up like that, so you refer back to it when writing similar stuff. Maybe you know someone who also is interested in taking a look at this "masterpiece." Well, now you can do service to your fellow man and lend him the stupid thing and save him some money! The point is, you'll find some use for it, even if it's just to criticize it better.


     Whatever the case may be, I hope you realize that there is more to life than just stuff, having a "complete" collection of anything won't fulfill you, that said, as long as your priorities are in place, I don't think there's any harm in wanting a vast catalog of resources easily accessible. So how about it folks? any other signs that I'm missing? Got any experiences hat line up with the examples? Let me know!



and seriously, if anyone gets word on Indinana Jones Steelbooks coming out in the States, shoot me a line.

Always Ready to Learn: The Avengers

      So, one thing I've come to learn from all the research I've done and researching the creative people whose work I admire, is that you should always be willing to learn. No one's ever perfect, and no one's ever achieved all the knowledge in skill in the universe, the best master, is still a willing student, always ready to learn. So I figured I'd briefly catalog some stuff I've learned from my research or consumption of media, in this specific case: The Avengers.

      Now me and Mr. Joss Whedon don't really agree on much politically.... or probably socially.... definitely not religiously. But of the two major film releases he's made thus far (besides Much Ado About Nothing, which I haven't seen yet) I can re-watch both of them almost endlessly without tiring, and they both can make me giggle like a school girl with glee. Both Serenity and Avengers do such a great job of both telling their own story while also paying off stories started elsewhere. Both also weave multiple character arcs all at once into a coherent narrative and still are the most fun you'll have in awhile. One thing specifically I've noticed about Mr. Whedon and his works (I haven't yet seen the majority of his work in television) is his brilliant subversion of the audiences expectations and his management of tension.
     I've always thought of tension as a bow and arrow. As you build tension, it's like an archer stringing the arrow and pulling back slowly. If you release the tension properly, it's like an archer letting the arrow go and hitting his target. That's satisfying because that's what you're anticipating. If you deflate it too slowly with too little fanfare, it's kinda like the archer dropping the arrow, then slowly easing the string back in place before simply picking the arrow up, meandering over to the target and then sticking it in the bulls eye by hand. Which you weren't really anticipating that and it's also kinda in the exact opposite vein of what you wanted to see achieved.
  What Whedon does so well, is get the audience excited for one thing, and then giving them something not only unexpected, but also a little better and that feels true to what you wanted to see. Take lessons, for example from the Hulk/Loki..... "confrontation" from The Avengers. It ratchets up the tension and then pays it off beautifully.
     We start with Black Widow, on a alien space chariot, being chased by Loki, also on a hover space chariot, and calling to Hawkeye for help. Hawkeye, an archer who has a serious grudge with Loki, aims an arrow and lets it fly right. towards. his. face. EXCEPT OH SNAP Loki catches the arrow without missing a beat. He shoots Hawkeye an amused glance as if to say, "Are you kidding me?" EXCEPT OH EVEN MORE SNAPPIER THE ARROW EXPLODES IN HIS FACE. Loki is knocked clear of his hover-chariot doohickey and tumbles onto the balcony for Stark Tower. As he steadies himself, he finds the Incredible Hulk lunging straight at him, knocking both into the interior of the tower. Loki picks himself up again, but before the Hulk can proceed he lets out a commanding shout of "ENOUGH!" Hulk is stunned for a moment as Loki proceeds to lecture him. "You are all of you beneath me, I am a god! and I will NOT be bullied by-" It's at roughly this point that one of the greatest thirty second intervals in film history occurs. Ya see that? it just keeps getting better.
     In my illustration of an archer, what Whedon does here is like the archer pulling back his string, and then being suddenly launched backwards thirty feet in the air, letting go of the arrow, hitting the target anyway, which triggers a net that catches him, then trampolines him into the drivers seat of an awesome convertible.  It just keeps getting better and it plays off the tension established earlier.Of course, just as the archer tries to start the car only to find out the battery is dead, because that's funny, but you get my point.
     Anyway, I really hope to continue learning and also share some of what I've learned with you guys. And I also am really looking forward to Age of Ultron. Though does it have it's work cut out for it OR WHAT?

I mean, it's got to simultaneously got to give Hawkeye a bigger part, and also not kill him off. Because Hawkeye is awesome and needs to be in more stuff.

On Endings, again, and on Captain America: The Winter Soldier

     We have a short post this week because I've been participating in the dress rehearsals for my church's Passion Play this weekend and so most of my time was spent doing that. I do want to mention a couple things, though

     First, a clarification on my previous post, in it I pretty strongly suggested that knowing your ending as soon as possible was key for a story to have a satisfying ending. I have heard it argued that the problem for the finale for How I Met Your Mother (Which I will remind you all is a show that I don't watch but the uproar surrounding it is partially what inspired my post last week) was that the writers planned their ending too far in advance and therefore ignored the developments that occurred later on in the show's run in order to have the ending as originally intended, regardless of what it would do for the character arcs. I would argue, admittedly based more on principle and what little I know of the show as opposed to experience with the series, that their problem was not over preparing their ending, but instead not preparing the audience for said ending properly.
     Regardless, I do want to mention that I admit that my advice was more given to those planning to write fiction of a one and done sort of deal. Ongoing fiction, such as comics or television series, can rarely be properly planned out. You may design a five season plan for your show, only for it to be cancelled halfway into season 3. On the flip side, you might figure that your show would last no more than three or four seasons, and write your stories accordingly, only for the show to take off and run for eight seasons. Predictability, in that case, is out the window, so in a situation like that, endings are a bit tougher to figure. You're on the bubble, do you gamble and go for a jaw dropping cliff-hanger that creates a stunned silence wherever it's seen? or do you wrap up a few  longstanding questions, so that if this is the end, at least there will be some closure to be found? I can't answer that directly, though I usually prefer somewhere in the middle.

Finally, I'll briefly mention that I also took the time to see Captain America: Winter Soldier this weekend. Excellent film for the most part, and thought the titular Winter Soldier was only in a handful of scenes, he did not fall into the trap I've seen far too many other Marvel villains fall into of being disposable, a la Whiplash in Iron Man 2, or Malekith in Thor: The Dark World. The film certainly made a perfect balance of pushing the Marvel universe forward in interesting ways while simultaneously telling a compelling stand-alone story, something I really think more comic book movies should aim for. I still really want to know what Hawkeye's been up to all this time, maybe Marvel will make my idea about him and the Hulk traveling across America and righting various wrongs like the best action shows of the 80's into a movie after all.

On Endings

      One of the first things I thought about when I first writing my screenplay was the very last shot of the film. Before I started my outlines and character sheets, all I had was a theme, a name, a couple characters and an ending ready to go. Why? Because I deeply believe that the ending of a story should probably be its strongest point.
     When you get involved in a work of fiction, and I mean involved somewhere on a scale between I have T-shirts from this thing and I run a website devoted to this thing, you realize that, inevitably, there must be a point when you have to say goodbye. I talked about this last week, but endings can be heard to take, but they don't have to be. They can leave you with such a positive aftertaste that you can't wait to introduce everyone to this epic that you've discovered.
      What makes an ending good, though, is the question that we storytellers have to figure out. I have a few suggestions, but as an amateur, I could be way off base.
       The first suggestion is to make sure your ending is satisfying, in all the right ways. This might seem obvious as the opposite of satisfying is unsatisfying and who wants ANYTHING to be unsatisfying? Well, sometimes writers apparently are tempted to use their ending to deliver one last jolt of unexpected energy, whether it's revealing that it was all a dream, or killing off a major character, or revealing that the real killer was actually the detective's brother. This sort of thing is not inherently bad or anything, but as a reader, I get incredibly frustrated if this sort of thing if it doesn't feel like a natural outcome to what came before it. Take Inception's famous ending, for example, the film ends on a note of uncertainty, you aren't sure if what you are being presented with is real, and I think this works because much of Inception dealt with characters basically toying with the very foundations of perceived reality.
     The second suggestion is that you want your ending to feel like this is what the audience came for in the first place. If your ending is the main character retiring from his job to live in Montana, make sure that as soon as possible, the audience is rooting for this guy to grow a spine and quit his job. If the audience is instead hoping he gets a promotion, they're going to put down your book quite disappointed that the hero failed. I mean, what was the point of that. right?
      Really, the best point of advice I could give is to know your ending and work backwards from there. This isn't a one-size-fits-all sort of advice, admittedly, as my possible favorite novel, The Lord of the Rings, was begun without the ending in mind. Then again, Mr. Tolkien did tinker with his manuscript for years, so maybe after you're done writing your first draft from the seat of your pants, take the ending you came up with, and build towards it in subsequent drafts.
      The ending is important, I think, because is your only opportunity to say goodbye on your terms, and  it's the very last taste of your work that the consumer gets. So, I would argue that for your ending to feel like a proper finale to your story, you have to be ready to build your entire story towards your ending, so it really helps if when you go to make your outlines, and your character sheets, you have, along with maybe a title, a theme, and a couple characters, your ending all ready to go.



*post scripts*

 While my inspiration to write about endings was partially due to the finale of How I Met Your Mother airing this week, I admit that I don't actually watch the show, and didn't watch the finale, so none of this is directed at said finale. I am loosely aware of what transpired on it, though, and I seriously doubt I would have enjoyed it had I ever seen a single episode of the show.

Also, this post has nothing to do with April Fools day. Nothing. Sorry guys, but I just don't care about pulling silly pranks.

Saying goodbye to your favorite series.

     Television series can occasionally start feeling like friends. You see them every week or so, save for their occasional vacations, and you quickly allow some to get closer than others. You might have watched Law & Order when it was on, but only when there was nothing else you cared more about. On the other hand, you never missed an episode of 24, and you followed that series breathlessly through the good times and Season 6.

   This is why it's so hard when a show ends as psych does tomorrow night. Psych is one of those rare shows that I've watched from the very beginning. Seriously, since Day 1. Now, with its eighth and final season coming to  close, I ruminate on the ups and downs of psych, and of the many other shows that I've lost over the years.
       It's hard to say goodbye to a well liked show no matter how it ends, whether cancelled, cut short, or with a proper finale. You still have to say goodbye to a show that you had scheduled as part of your week. psych will be no different. My Wednesdays will still be busy, and I can, in fact, function without a show to every night of the week, but I'll miss Shawn and Gus, and their hectic and comedic adventures. I'll miss the various alternate theme songs that popped up from time to time. I'll miss the occasional Val Kilmer reference. (anyone else annoyed that they never managed to get him on the show? I mean, come on) psych isn't as good as it was for its first three seasons. But it was still a show I thoroughly enjoyed, and I'll be sad to see it gone.

*Updated after the finale. Great ending, and I will not spoil anything, but I am not disappointed or annoyed.

A Critical Response to Critical Hit's Frozen Review

So, there's this youtube channel out there called Critical Hit, they critique movies. Makes sense, right? They caught quite a few people's attention with their first video, an in-depth review of Disney's Frozen, which I'll post below:

(WARNING, this review, and the response to it placed below, contain major spoilers for the film Froze, and Wreck-It Ralph, so it's probably best to watch those before watching this and reading my stuff below... also you should see those because they're both really great movies, but that's besides the point)

So, I watched the above review, which you'll note is quite critical of possibly my favorite film of 2013, and had prepared my self to strongly disagree, but to still better understand the merits of why people wouldn't like this film. (And I will note here that you are totally allowed to not like Frozen, or even to think it's over-rated, this is America, you've got a constitutional right to be wrong... I'm kidding... kinda) What I watched, though, was what I thought to be a bizarre and frustrating collection of complaints, that occasionally had me baffled on exactly they wanted, since most of their critiques seem to be based around a premise of "We didn't really like this film, but if they made the movie in such and such away, we would have liked it."
   
 I have a problem with this because it's basically the same thing as seeing West Side Story and thinking "I don't like musicals too much, except for Blues Brothers, it should have been like Blues Brothers... and also a Sci-Fi action film" You can't take apart a movie and want it to be something it's not and then degrade it for not being the thing you want it to be. That doesn't make sense. I mean, I like to occasionally imagine a different way of making the story of the Star Wars prequels, with different concepts and stuff more inclined to my tastes. But I don't dislike the prequels because they aren't the stories I would write, I (mostly) dislike the Prequels because they're kinda lousy. 
  
  Anyway, Since Frozen comes out on Blu-Ray and DVD today, I decided to take the time to post a bit of an outline where I refute the points made in Critical Hits' video And I want to give credit to these guys before I start bashing their points, they composed this thing very well, made some well structured arguments. Their arguments were WRONG, but they were still very well argued. :)

Brace yourselves folks, this is a long one.

A little late, but here's an update!

     Huh? Say again? 2014? No that can't- Oh, look, it is. Um, so, I never really updated my status pertaining to A Ronin No Longer, did I? (For those not keeping track, I don't blame you, I've been sporadic, to put it mildly, A Ronin No Longer is the name of a script I'm writing)
     Well, I started off November knocking over at least 1,000 words a day for a while, but then, a couple of mishaps happened, First, I went out of town for Thanksgiving, this wasn't a shock or anything, and frankly, I saw it coming, but it still took a bit of a hit on my productivity. That would have been perfectly fine, had I not made a rather major adjustment to the out line of my story. This change was for the best, but it was still a hurdle, as not only did I have to change my story, but it also extended the story by a good chunk.
      So basically November ended, my goal word and page wise, had been met, but I was only two-thirds through the story. Well, December came and was as crazy as ever, I managed, occasionally, to slap some more words onto my work in progress, but I still wasn't done, not until last night, when I finally typed "The End" So, now that I've finished my first draft, I've learned a few things:

      1st: First Drafts suck. I mean, wow, there's some stuff I like, but, what? no... they, just, they just stink. Half of this makes no sense, I suspect the rewrites will be intense

      2nd: Don't screw with your outline or whatever sort of structure you're working with, unless you commit to a couple of days of JUST reworking your outline, having a half-formed idea and throwing down tracks in front of your new direction does not a satisfying conclusion make.

      3rd: Kinda related to the second point, but I found working from a birds eye view, then coming down and connecting the dots, much easier than what I was doing for a while in the middle there, which was connecting dots I hadn't quite figured out yet.

 All in all, it was a very educational experience, I think I'll take some time off from working on the script, play some games, watch some movies, and read some books, basically separate myself from the story, and get an idea of what a finished product looks like, before coming back for the rewrites with the clear goal of making the story at least half way decent.