Dark Knight Rises review

We finally got to see TDKR yesterday.

Disclosure on my opinion of the previous two films: Batman Begins was long with a solid ending. The Dark Knight was good. Heath Ledger was fantastic - the movie itself? Too long with some confusing set pieces.

Now, going into TDKR I had heard mixed things. It turns out that the "mixed" reviews were right on the money. The first hour, hour and a half or so DRAGGED. I understand the need for setup, especially with so many characters, but even once that's said, a fairly major player in the finale was conveniently ignored through the first half of the film.

Once the movie kicked into gear (I'd say around the time of the football stadium), it got much better. The last hour or so flew by.

Bane was an interesting villain, to be sure, but nothing compared to Heath Ledger's Joker. I didn't have as much trouble hearing what he had to say (and in fact found the voice downright creepy) but it did bring up other questions. First, how does he eat? I mean, Darth Vader could take his helmet off. Bane can't take the mask off. I also wondered why when it came down to it, Batman and he fought street-fighter style. No cool toys - just punches. Hmph.

To be honest, I didn't get the point of Catwoman in the movie. It's nothing against Anne Hathaway who I thought was great - I just feel the part was underwritten.

There are a couple of surprises in the movie I won't spoil here - one in particular where I turned to Caitie and, surprised, declared the mystery solved. She turned back to me "Duh!" - she had it figured out way earlier. D'oh!

Overall, I feel Nolan could have cut 45 minutes from the front of the movie. Otherwise, it was a pretty solid film and ending to the series.

One final point -- I confess I flinched HEAVILY at the gunfire in the movie. Granted, it was LOUD in our theater, but memories of the shooting couldn't be avoided throughout the film. It's a shame the movie will be scarred by that - I wonder how long gunshots in films will set me edge.

The shooting in Colorado and Polyamory

There's a show on Showtime late at night called Polyamory about people who are in a more than monogamous relationship. One story is a couple with a girlfriend, one is about a couple dating another couple. My initial reaction was "Good for them, not for me, but good for them." On the surface it felt like trash TV, but in the wake of what happened in Colorado at The Dark Knight Rises premiere, the show took on a different meaning for me and helped speak to just how crazy far right wing this country has become.


I can only imagine that if any Conservatives decided to shell out for Showtime (who knows, maybe they like Big Brother After Dark), they would probably flip their lids over this show. People in MORE than monogamous relationships? People with KIDS having a family that's more than mother and father? No way!


What impacted me the most after watching the first two episodes of this was how many times the two families highlighted used the word "love." At first I thought they were a little crazy - "love" this, "love" that, "love" energy - and so on. I mean, I love my wife and we tell each other that we love each other all the time, but it seems rare to hear people on TV tell each other they are in love and mean it - and even more so often.


So what is it exactly that Conservatives would have against this show which CLEARLY goes against what's "normal"? How can people be so against loving each other, if that's what's right for themselves. The show deals with how these people have to handle themselves psychologically - fully communicate problems and discuss them with the others they share their lives with. To me, it looked a lot more healthy than many of the families I've seen on TV.


After watching the show I went to bed last night thinking about this. My wife gets up early to go to work, and she woke me up this morning to tell me about the shooting in Colorado. She gave me a big hug before going to work. I couldn't get the thought of it out of my mind. I lay awake in bed for a good 45 minutes or so before drifting back to a restless sleep. I've spent most of today watching CNN and the coverage of the tragedy. Of course, now around 4pm afterwards, bubbles of talk about gun control are rising.


On a social media site my wife and I frequent, reddit.com, talk is already coming up and sides are being drawn - those who are calling for more gun control, those who are fighting against it - the same old nonsense that comes up any time there's a tragedy along these lines.


I try to wrap my mind around the arguments for allowing people to have guns. Yeah, maybe it won't make a difference - those who want them will still get them. But wouldn't making it more difficult for these people be ideal? Shouldn't we run background checks on people, see why they WANT guns in the first place? I don't know the answer to this, and I am not that informed on gun control debate issues, truth be told. To me, though, today seems like the wrong time to jump to the defense of keeping stocked up on weapons and ammo come hell or highwater.


This brings me back to my original point - when did half this country become so backwards? They would argue against people who love each other being together and happy (and if not in polyamorous ways, at least in homosexual monogamous ways), and argue for the preservation of guns in the home. How did half this country become so cold, so out for themselves, so selfish as to not realize that they live in a community with some 300 million other people who are also looking for the same things they are - happiness, love, and the freedom to enjoy those things?


I don't know the answer. I can't even begin to explain it and tragedies like what happened last night make me try to wrap my mind around it even more.


I'll just end with this: I love my wife and my family very much. I'm very glad I have them to live with, to hug, and to enjoy. I just think we can learn more from the "freaks" out there, then from the "supposedly normal" right wing crazies who seem to scream from our televisions day in and day out for a return to normalcy.


I can't wait till my wife gets home to give her a huge hug.

I got to go to BEA for a day

A few weeks ago, my agent Rachael had posted a contest on Twitter through another site to win a free pass to BEA for a day. I entered and forgot about it. On Wednesday I got an email that everyone who entered won a free pass to the event. As it turned out, I had plans to take the day off already to go into the city to meet Rachael for lunch (more on that in a little bit), so yay - I got a full day out of it! I woke up with Caitie to catch her usual bus to work (not something I was thrilled about doing on my day off, but hey, I get to sleep late every day in two weeks, so no complaining, right?). When we got to the city, I walked to the Javits center and spent twenty minutes trying to figure out where to go to register. It turned out I was on the wrong floor, but eventually figured it out. When I registered, I received a tote bag with a couple of books in it - one The Passage which I really wanted to read anyway, and The Age of Miracles, one Caitie tells me is supposed to be fantastic. I spent the next couple of hours wandering around the expo floor, looking at books, talking to a couple of authors, and being generally amazed at how VASTLY huge the place was. At eleven I had to make a choice: a panel on writing strong females in middle grade books or a panel of actors talking about taking words from the stage to the page (based on a new book about Actor's Equity coming out). Both are right up my alley, so it was not an easy choice to make! I chose the latter on instinct, and was glad I did. The speakers were Estelle Parsons, Andre deShields, Nick Wyman, David Henry Hwang, and Robert Simonson. I was so very impressed with all of them who spoke from such experience and clear love of their jobs. deShields especially impressed me - the man is just a fountain of wisdom! There were a couple of highlights from the panel. First, deShields when asked how he takes a character from the page to the stage said, "you need to find the character's music." He went on to explain that even if it's not a musical, every character has a song, and you need to listen to him to find it. Once you have, you'll be able to know who the character is better. Hwang talked about how he usually will get an idea for the beginning of a play and an idea for the end, but the middle is different. He said he'll often need to force characters to do what he wants at first, but then they start talking to him and he just transcribes what they say. It's a fascinating way of writing - one that I have to confess to not being entirely unfamiliar with as well. Parsons talked a but about being serious about acting - when she's in a play she's completely focused on her role, no matter how large or small. She feels it's disrespectful when younger actors have their computers back stage or whatever - they should be focused on giving their best performance during the time the play is running. After the panel ended, I went to meet Caitie and Rachael for lunch. I don't have a ton to share about this, other than that I am so glad she is my agent. Rachael is excited, enthusiastic, and clearly working hard for me and her other clients. She also likes many of the same things we do (we even got the same meal!), so lunch was easy and comfortable. I left feeling very comfortable with her as my agent, so it was a very successful meeting. We walked back to the convention center and parted ways. I went back to wander around a little bit more, and then left the center to wait for Caitie to get out of work. It was a wonderful day - one I would love to experience again next year!

It's been a while since I've posted, I suppose. I'm still waiting to hear from editors -- they've had my book for quite a while though apparently, well, it takes a while :) I'm hoping for some news soon! On the plus side, I will get to meet Rachael, my wonderful agent, in a couple of weeks for lunch! I'm very excited about that! School is winding down for the year. Just a couple more weeks and it'll be summer break! The year actually went surprisingly quickly, though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't REALLY looking forward to the break. On the reading front, I've recently finished the fourth Song of Fire and Ice book. I can't say I was particularly PLEASED with it - it REALLY dragged - but I understand book five is supposed to be better. That'll have to wait till after I finish Stephen King's latest Dark Tower quick-read. I don't really know what people think of King, but I find him to be a master of language. It amazes me when I read passages in his books that are nearly in a different language, yet they make complete sense in context. He's not a bad story teller either -- he knows how to give thrills and he knows how to keep you reading. His endings don't always match up with the rest of the book in terms of quality (see Under the Dome for a great example of this), but considering how strong his stories generally are, that's easily forgivable. And, well, I guess that's about it for now. Here's hoping I'll be back with good news soon....

Reading Day -- apparently

Today is a "read-a-thon" day for Caitie - she's spending ALL DAY reading. I don't know how she does it - my eyes would start to hurt after an hour, and by two I'd never want to see another book again.

That doesn't mean I don't love reading. I absolutely do. I read all the time. I just find that I tend to read in chunks. A half hour here, forty minutes there. Marathon readings for me - more than an hour or so is a marathon to me - are extremely rare. If any time, they happen when we're in Ohio - I call that my "reading space."

So I don't know how Caitie is planning on reading all day. She has a stack of ten books (TEN!) to get through. I know she's going to do it - it just astounds me. Maybe I'll give a little reading a try. I have a book I've been trying to get through that I have 100 pages or so left in - I could bang that out, right?

Eh - most likely the day will be spent watching bad movies and playing poker.

Good luck, Caitie - hope you get what you want from today!

American Reunion Review

I've said that I intend to review more media on here - books, tv, movies - I've been pretty spotty about it, and I hope to try to rectify that some.

I saw American Reunion on Friday - the third sequel to 1999's American Pie. Now, I'm PRETTY sure I saw American Pie 2 and American Wedding, but I'll be honest, I don't remember them at all. To be honest, it hardly mattered. Aside from the fact that Jim and Michelle were now married, they almost might as well have not even had the subsequent movies as they had no real impact on the plot.

I hate to say this, but I sort of regret that this was the movie I decided to "re-up" my blog with. The movie, simply, wasn't that memorable. Sure, it was enjoyable and entertaining, I don't think I was bored at all during it, but now, two days later, I can't actually REMEMBER much of it. There didn't seem to be much of a purpose to it other than a chance to see where these characters were at the completely arbitrary thirteen year mark after their high school graduation. The movie was pleasant enough, but hardly memorable or laugh out loud funny.

The one true bright spot in the movie for me was Jim's father, played by Eugene Levy. Levy is a comedy veteran, and it shows here. Every scene with him hit, and they were amongst the few scenes I found genuinely funny enough to laugh at.

All said, the thing that made me miss 1999 the most wasn't the movie at all: it was the six dollar ticket I got because I went to see the movie before noon.

My rating: B-

Report

It's with a heavy heart that I make this announcement: I've decided to give up writing novels for the foreseeable future. I have spent more than five years now laboring at my computer, striving to create a novel to entertain and engage the minds of young readers the world over. I have completed slightly less than six books at this point, and just don't know that I have the drive to continue on. I've tried several genres - fantasy, realistic fiction, science fiction, mystery - I don't know that any of them have truly been right for me. I'm not sure I can sustain the level of intensity needed to continue trying to produce book after book.

There are other reasons, as well. I've come to realize that the publishing industry is slow as molasses (see, even my similes have grown weak and cliche!). Everything takes so long to get done, that I don't know that I have the time nor the patience to wait for responses from editors any longer.

Perhaps most importantly, I learned recently that I have developed carpal tunnel syndrome as from all the time I spend at my computer typing away at drafts. Similarly, I have a propensity for migraines. I've found that less time spent in front of the computer decreases my odds for developing one of those crippling attacks.

As it happens, I have become enamored of another hobby, one which I intend to pursue with vigor. I've decided that I want to become a professional bowler. Caitie and I have gone bowling the last three weekends in the row, and we fall asleep at night dreaming of how sweet a victory it must be to bowl a perfect 300, to win a league championship, or even, on the outskirts of our fantasies, a world title. The sound of crashing pins fills my dreams, and makes me shiver with excitement at the fantasy. I have decided to dedicate all my free time to pursuing this goal of being a professional bowler, and with my current average now hovering around a meager 100, I have a lot of work to do.

So, as I said at the opening of this post, it is with a heavy heart that I resign myself to a "writer-less life."

As they say in France......

April Fools.