Ah, James Cameron. The legendary director known for spectacles like Aliens, Titanic and the Terminator. He's also done many a documentary, and of course everyone's favorite tech demo movie Avatar. In more ways than one he's contributed to the film industry like no other director has.
Nowadays, however, he's known for talking smack in the industry. He talks about how 'Wonder Woman' wasn't anything new, and how people will soon get tired of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and want new stories. He whines about how what was accomplished in Wonder Woman was also done back in the sixties, and how Marvel movies are glorified two-hour fight scenes. He even goes as far as to say that Wonder Woman objectified women rather than being a feminist triumph. This coming from the director who got Kate Winslet nude for his fabricated Waterworld In Real Life film, and has had female protagonists in his films before. Hypocrite much? (Still better than George Lucas and Star Wars, though. Barely.)
Those remarks, like George Lucas before him, demonstrate how big of an ego James really has. It's especially seen on his attack on the Avengers, which comes after 'Black Panther' sunk his Titanic in the box office records. This is also coming from the man who wants to make four more Avatar films and trying to revive the Terminator again; the former being another short lived revival for 3D movies, and the latter after coming from two trash films. He even compares his Avatar films to another Godfather story, that the Avatar films are the next family drama. As ambitious that is, there's only one true Godfather film.
Speaking of ambition, James Cameron promised us an entire universe dedicated to Avatar. What do we have, now? A theme park at a Disney resort, and a mediocre-at-best video game. That's it. Sure, Avatar is the #1 movie of all time, but where's the success? No fanfics, no cosplay, nothing. Whatever you were planning before, Marvel and Disney beat you to the punch. Now you're trying to get back at them with your Twitter rants and being the center of all the attention. No congratulations, no 'keep up the good work', not even being grateful for Disney and Marvel making the idea of shared universes popular and possible.
James Cameron also demonstrates the possibilities when someone more successful comes down the road. Either you're considering the new kid on the block a worthy opponent, or you're jealous and fearful of this new competition. James Cameron demonstrates the latter. He complains about a Marvel movie because it came and took a precious record from him. All that hard work and troubled production that he went through in the nineties was now for naught. He knows this, and he doesn't like that one bit.
Because of all of this, I don't want James Cameron to be successful in his eleventy seven Avatar films and his second Terminator revival. In fact, I want him to fail in his latest films because of how unworthy he is of success. Anyone with no respect for any form of competition whatsoever is not deserving of goodwill. James Cameron has arrogance that would make even the Star Wars fan base blush. The fact that he has been this disregarding of his colleagues displeases me greatly. Not even George Lucas is this bad, and his ego was bigger than Atlas on top of being a control freak.
One more thing: poor sportsmanship has its consequences. Jimmy boy, you want to talk the way you do? You better back it up.
Friday, April 27, 2018
Friday, March 30, 2018
Steven Spielberg: Pop Culture's Declining and Fallen God
Steven Spielberg: that name could not be any more familiar to film goers both casual and hardcore. Regarded as one of the greats of the film industry, Spielberg was responsible for many great movies of our time. Jaws, Indiana Jones, E.T., Saving Private Ryan, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jurassic Park, and Schindler's List. If there was a movie he was involved with, it would be considered a classic.
Nowadays, however, he's something of a past-his-prime entity. His first movie outing in years is Ready Player One, a movie based off of a book that rides on the success of one pop culture reference too many and now has faced backlash due to the whole GamerGate debacle. Even with critical success, it's not going to be a movie that's going to light up the charts. It'll be remembered for a month tops before it gets crushed by Avengers: Infinity War and Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Even before taking his latest theater offering into account, Spielberg has devolved into the equivalent of the typical stubborn old timer lamenting on the days of old and how everything in the 21st century is the work of the devil. He whines about how Netflix movies should not be considered eligible for the Oscars, how television is a threat to film goers, and the same old 'media corrupts youth' routine with attacking computer games.
First off, Martin Scorsese is working on a movie for Netflix right now. By that logic, a Netflix film directed by someone as legendary as him is not worthy of awards of any kind. What if other famous directors get into Netflix? Are their films not considered eligible for awards, either? To me, films made for Netflix should be deserving of Oscars. Nay, they ARE deserving of Oscars if they're worthwhile.
Also, when he said that television was a threat to film goers I facepalmed and started doing thorough research on his works. Here's some history that Spielberg hopes you forget about. Steven Spielberg has been involved with multiple television shows, ranging from all ages fare like Animaniacs, Freakazoid, Pinky and the Brain, and Tiny Toon Adventures, to dramatic yet condensed war movie fare like Band of Brothers and Five Came Back, and science fiction works such as Invasion America
and Falling Skies.
He was also the producer for Under the Dome, a CBS show based off of the Stephen King novel of the same title. Spielberg even founded Amblin Television, which more or less was the production company for many of the shows that I mention. So to say that television threatens film goers while being behind both television shows and starting a studio ranges on hypocrisy that most politicians wish they had.
Here's a hint, Spielberg: how about your films as of late have not been relevant since the nineties, and that going to the movies nowadays has the fun factor of a kidney stone while being twice as painful? Most of your movies after that time were either average at best or downright forgettable. Ready Player One may have a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but that means nothing when it doesn't rake in the cash. Not to mention the stress of getting to a theater in the first place, the high cost of tickets and food, and putting up with a volatile audience. Oh, and god help you if you need to hit the restroom. You miss an important scene? Nope, too bad, no pause or rewinds for you.
Lastly, his statement on computer games also assumes people forgot about his prior legacy in the interactive media realm. He was one of the founders of Dreamworks Interactive, which paved the way for the Medal of Honor franchise. The studio also brought in titles like Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair, BoomBots, T'ai Fu: Wrath of the Tiger, and Skullmonkeys.
Dreamworks Interactive later became Electronic Arts Los Angeles, continuing the Medal of Honor Legacy as well as producing Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. They then became Danger Close Games with the reboot of Medal of Honor and finally named DICE Los Angeles with the Battlefield series.
In addition, Steven Spielberg was one of three writers (the other two being Orson Scott Card and Brian Moriarty) for the LucasArts point and click sci-fi adventure game The Dig. The Dig was originally going to be an episode of Amazing Stories, which is another television product courtesy of Spielberg, followed by a movie before becoming a game. Again, this idea was from Spielberg himself. It became a game because it was too expensive to make into a movie or TV episode. When the game was released, it became a best selling classic; it was not without delays and troubles.
In a way, it saddens me to write this blog post and what Spielberg has become. It's basically the film director's version of the Detroit Red Wings, Gwyn from Dark Souls, or the Roman Empire's legacy. In the case of Spielberg, he was a great director in his hey-day and produced great works even in the nineties. Unfortunately, starting in the 2000s his work started to decline in quality. By the time of the new tens, he has all but become irrelevant in the age of video streaming, Disney the media juggernaut, and an increase in television programming equaling or surpassing the cinema experience. Unfortunately, Spielberg sees the likes of television and Netflix as a threat rather than an opportunity. His need to cling to the past will eventually ruin him in the long run. He's obsessed with trying to protect the traditions of the past while still thinking that he will stay on top. He's wrong in this regard.
This reminds us of an awful truth: we ALL have an expiration date. No matter how great or talented we all are, we are not forever. Though our legacies will be remembered, we are all but parts to be replaced in the great machine. Spielberg and a few other directors are, unfortunately, a harsh reminder of the unwillingness to adapt quickly. Society and Technology goes on, and unless you adapt to current trends, you will die. What happens if you DON'T adapt? You become Steven Spielberg.
This is also a reminder to stay on top of these famous and/or powerful people in case they slip up. Spielberg has become afraid of the legacies he's created, and how he feels they've turned against him. This is a mistake that, unfortunately, he is not aware of. Sooner or later, he'll be gone for good, and without a legacy to continue on. Spielberg, do yourself a favor: evolve, or prepare to die.
Websites referenced:
https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/3/26/17148350/ready-player-one-book-backlash-controversy-gamergate-explained
http://deadline.com/2018/03/steven-spielberg-netflix-oscars-tv-clear-and-present-danger-to-filmgoers-1202353123/
http://www.indiewire.com/2018/03/martin-scorsese-the-irishman-netflix-theatrical-story-of-film-1201944963/
https://lifehacker.com/what-would-make-you-actually-go-to-the-movies-1821605002
http://variety.com/2017/film/features/movie-business-changing-consumer-demand-studios-exhibitors-1202016699/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DICE_Los_Angeles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dig
Nowadays, however, he's something of a past-his-prime entity. His first movie outing in years is Ready Player One, a movie based off of a book that rides on the success of one pop culture reference too many and now has faced backlash due to the whole GamerGate debacle. Even with critical success, it's not going to be a movie that's going to light up the charts. It'll be remembered for a month tops before it gets crushed by Avengers: Infinity War and Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Even before taking his latest theater offering into account, Spielberg has devolved into the equivalent of the typical stubborn old timer lamenting on the days of old and how everything in the 21st century is the work of the devil. He whines about how Netflix movies should not be considered eligible for the Oscars, how television is a threat to film goers, and the same old 'media corrupts youth' routine with attacking computer games.
First off, Martin Scorsese is working on a movie for Netflix right now. By that logic, a Netflix film directed by someone as legendary as him is not worthy of awards of any kind. What if other famous directors get into Netflix? Are their films not considered eligible for awards, either? To me, films made for Netflix should be deserving of Oscars. Nay, they ARE deserving of Oscars if they're worthwhile.
Also, when he said that television was a threat to film goers I facepalmed and started doing thorough research on his works. Here's some history that Spielberg hopes you forget about. Steven Spielberg has been involved with multiple television shows, ranging from all ages fare like Animaniacs, Freakazoid, Pinky and the Brain, and Tiny Toon Adventures, to dramatic yet condensed war movie fare like Band of Brothers and Five Came Back, and science fiction works such as Invasion America
and Falling Skies.
He was also the producer for Under the Dome, a CBS show based off of the Stephen King novel of the same title. Spielberg even founded Amblin Television, which more or less was the production company for many of the shows that I mention. So to say that television threatens film goers while being behind both television shows and starting a studio ranges on hypocrisy that most politicians wish they had.
Here's a hint, Spielberg: how about your films as of late have not been relevant since the nineties, and that going to the movies nowadays has the fun factor of a kidney stone while being twice as painful? Most of your movies after that time were either average at best or downright forgettable. Ready Player One may have a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but that means nothing when it doesn't rake in the cash. Not to mention the stress of getting to a theater in the first place, the high cost of tickets and food, and putting up with a volatile audience. Oh, and god help you if you need to hit the restroom. You miss an important scene? Nope, too bad, no pause or rewinds for you.
Lastly, his statement on computer games also assumes people forgot about his prior legacy in the interactive media realm. He was one of the founders of Dreamworks Interactive, which paved the way for the Medal of Honor franchise. The studio also brought in titles like Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair, BoomBots, T'ai Fu: Wrath of the Tiger, and Skullmonkeys.
Dreamworks Interactive later became Electronic Arts Los Angeles, continuing the Medal of Honor Legacy as well as producing Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. They then became Danger Close Games with the reboot of Medal of Honor and finally named DICE Los Angeles with the Battlefield series.
In addition, Steven Spielberg was one of three writers (the other two being Orson Scott Card and Brian Moriarty) for the LucasArts point and click sci-fi adventure game The Dig. The Dig was originally going to be an episode of Amazing Stories, which is another television product courtesy of Spielberg, followed by a movie before becoming a game. Again, this idea was from Spielberg himself. It became a game because it was too expensive to make into a movie or TV episode. When the game was released, it became a best selling classic; it was not without delays and troubles.
In a way, it saddens me to write this blog post and what Spielberg has become. It's basically the film director's version of the Detroit Red Wings, Gwyn from Dark Souls, or the Roman Empire's legacy. In the case of Spielberg, he was a great director in his hey-day and produced great works even in the nineties. Unfortunately, starting in the 2000s his work started to decline in quality. By the time of the new tens, he has all but become irrelevant in the age of video streaming, Disney the media juggernaut, and an increase in television programming equaling or surpassing the cinema experience. Unfortunately, Spielberg sees the likes of television and Netflix as a threat rather than an opportunity. His need to cling to the past will eventually ruin him in the long run. He's obsessed with trying to protect the traditions of the past while still thinking that he will stay on top. He's wrong in this regard.
This reminds us of an awful truth: we ALL have an expiration date. No matter how great or talented we all are, we are not forever. Though our legacies will be remembered, we are all but parts to be replaced in the great machine. Spielberg and a few other directors are, unfortunately, a harsh reminder of the unwillingness to adapt quickly. Society and Technology goes on, and unless you adapt to current trends, you will die. What happens if you DON'T adapt? You become Steven Spielberg.
This is also a reminder to stay on top of these famous and/or powerful people in case they slip up. Spielberg has become afraid of the legacies he's created, and how he feels they've turned against him. This is a mistake that, unfortunately, he is not aware of. Sooner or later, he'll be gone for good, and without a legacy to continue on. Spielberg, do yourself a favor: evolve, or prepare to die.
Websites referenced:
https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/3/26/17148350/ready-player-one-book-backlash-controversy-gamergate-explained
http://deadline.com/2018/03/steven-spielberg-netflix-oscars-tv-clear-and-present-danger-to-filmgoers-1202353123/
http://www.indiewire.com/2018/03/martin-scorsese-the-irishman-netflix-theatrical-story-of-film-1201944963/
https://lifehacker.com/what-would-make-you-actually-go-to-the-movies-1821605002
http://variety.com/2017/film/features/movie-business-changing-consumer-demand-studios-exhibitors-1202016699/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DICE_Los_Angeles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dig
Saturday, December 9, 2017
Star Wars: Pop Culture's Pharisee
Alright. The Last Jedi is headed to theaters in a matter of a few days. What better way to celebrate than with a rant on the fan base and even haters?
The Star Wars fan base and haters are some of the most two-faced, hypocritical groups in all of pop culture. As someone who has been growing up with this franchise since the nineties when the special edition re-releases made their way into theaters, I cannot stand it anymore. Where do we even start?
There's the Santa Claus lookalike known as George Lucas. Let me put it this way: nobody in the Star Wars fan-base likes George Lucas. We merely tolerate him simply because he can direct movies and he isn't Tommy Wiseau. Now he is nothing more than the shadow of his former self, having sold his franchise and studio to Disney because even he can't stand what the fan-base has become. It's not even that, either. This man boasts that making money through movies is an act of monstrosity, yet Lucas was the forerunner of movies as a merchandising vehicle, on top of milking his work to death with the 'special editions' and constant collector items.
Really, George, are you for real? You release 'special editions' of your work with 'updates' like eyesore CGI and you don't take into account of how that goes against everything you stand for? You also have the nerve to say that you hate that you and your studio have become money factories, yet you go around making more movies for the sake of completing what you've started while raking in millions in royalties and revenue. It's utterly groan-worthy, and it's about being a total hypocrite. You WERE that sellout you sought to avoid becoming. You WERE the man who made movies for money.
That said, he's tame compared to other people involved with Lucasfilm. Like the CEO everyone loves to hate known as Kathleen Kennedy. Kathleen has become the target of fans and haters alike thanks to her non-existent 'feminist agenda' simply because of Rey and Jyn Erso. This is ignoring the presence of strong, stand-up females in Star Wars like Leia Organa and Padme Amidala, as well as Ahsoka and Shaak Ti, in addition to villanous female characters like Mara Jade Skywalker, the throwaway bounty hunter Zam Wesell, Aurra Sing from the commercial Vigilante 8 mod known as Star Wars: Demolition, Ysanne Isard from the X-Wing novels, Admiral Dalla, Roganda Ismaren and Asajj Ventress.
Asides from that, she's been the target of the fan-base also because of her mafia-like behavior: if you do what she says, you'll be granted a good chunk of the production process. If not, you're cut because of 'creative differences', regardless of whether you've done anything good in your career. That's ignoring that former Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow's finest work was Jurassic World, a reboot of Jurassic Park that was merely average at best and only made money on nostalgia alone. In a way, it's good that he was kicked because he more than likely would have tainted the reputation of the franchise faster than EA did with their loot boxes in Battlefront 2k17. And yes, I'm calling the games by year to avoid confusion.
And then there's JJ Abrams, a director who also has been known to have been called talent-less because of his power to revive franchises via supposed rehashes and retreads. JJ has also been the target of fans and haters. Insults like Jar Jar or Jew Jew Abrams are commonplace with the fans not familiar with his work. He's merely average at best, like Colin Trevorrow before him, but at least he's also competent in his work. While people mostly remember him for the Star Trek films and Lost, he's also done classics along the lines of Alias and Felicity.
Rian Johnson is also the target of hate by the fandom because of 'The Last Jedi', and how their expectations were subverted because of how Rian Johnson directed everything. You do know JJ Abrams was okay with everything Johnson did, right? And that the hate for 'The Last Jedi' came from Russian trolls? And that JJ is going to have to either stick with the changes or correct course with his original script, adding in crappy explanations in the process? If anything, JJ is responsible for 'The Last Jedi' because he approved of the changes to the original story in the first place. It's completely fake because everyone wants to take a dump on these directors for 'ruining their childhood' and their franchise, yet they defend George Lucas in spite of doing the exact same thing. Piss off with this garbage!
You want to know the worst part of this franchise, however? The fan-base. Oh, Jesus Harold Faltermeyer Christ the fan-base and haters. If you thought the Sonic the Hedgehog fan-base was toxic, Star Wars fans makes them look like choir boys. Growing up and marinading in this franchise for a decade, I'd rather look up creepy fetishes, SonAmy slash fan fictions and original characters than put up with a Star Wars fan. Everyone talks about how loyal the fans are, how everyone will stick to Star Wars no matter what happens. They obviously drank the Kool-Aid. Look around the web like on Reddit and the various forums, and then lecture me on their 'loyalty'. We're some of the most knee-jerk sacks of crap in the world, bar none. They'll talk about how Star Wars is going in a better direction one minute, and then demand that everyone and their brother be fired the next.
Speaking of which, the fan-base also wants George Lucas back in spite of people dumping on him constantly. I'd much rather have Christopher Nolan be a Star Wars director than George, JJ, or even Rian Johnson. True, Nolan has done a few select movies worth watching, but he's still considered a top tier director. Do you know how many Star Wars fans would die to have Nolan as a director? The Aztec sacrifices would pale in comparison.
In regards to the haters, however, there is a channel out there dedicated to fake news regarding the franchise by the name of WorldClassBullshitters. I am NOT making that name up. This is a channel where fans and haters alike go for general doom and gloom regarding the Star Wars franchise, but also to relish in their hypocrisy. One video even discusses how the brand is worthless and dead under Disney, never mind the abuse of marketing and how nobody buys the toys because crack is cheaper. In fact, the channel name is perfect for their content: they really are World Class Bullshitters.
I would also like to point out that stormtrooper armor, enslavement bikinis, white robes with cinnamon bun hair, black armor with helmets, Mandalorian armor and Jedi robes are considered proper attire. In fact, if George Lucas has a funeral one day, I expect anyone who attends to hum out 'The Force Theme'. I also see some rooms that are shrines to the Empire and the First Order. You know, the organizations going around boasting their supremacy and making life a living hell for everyone if they don't comply. It's as real as the non-existent freedom and democracy message that the franchise is known for, if George Lucas is any indication.
All of this hides the inescapable truth regarding this franchise. We are all massive hypocrites.
We decry the rebooted continuity for being diversity friendly and politically correct while ignoring how we were so offended with the caricature aliens in the prequels.
We are the type of fans who will root for the Empire and dress up as Darth Vader and stormtroopers, while liking a movie with an anti-fascism message while having zero understanding of the irony behind everything.
We dump on the female protagonists and the heightened presences of women in the new canon but immediately look the other way regarding female characters in the older expanded universe. Not to mention how the early draft of the first Star Wars film had a female protagonist as well.
We will call out Disney, JJ Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy for ruining Star Wars while ignoring that George Lucas ran his franchise into the ground during his time making the prequels.
We will never shut up about how successful Star Wars is, but we will also be quick to bury any failures from the franchise's past.
We will laugh at the DC Extended Universe and their misery in the film production department but ignore that Star Wars movies as of late have been rushed out the door and altered at the last second on top of going through production members like popcorn. Not to mention that George Lucas himself directed three flops during his tenure at Lucasfilm.
We will put George Lucas on a pedestal for being a great director, and then forget that he was the fan base's personal toilet during the prequels, and that Lucas was more concerned about being a marketing salesman and entrepreneur and ran Lucasfilm like it was a country club.
We will rage about how the Legends Expanded Universe is no longer canon, when George Lucas himself openly hated the idea of an expanded universe, viewing his own movies as the only canon.
We feel bad about the horrors that go on in the film industry, including people dying, but happily ruin the lives of anyone involved with Star Wars, Lucas included.
We will say that Star Wars Rebels is another kiddie show but ignore that the bad guys win constantly, Darth Vader shows why he's the dreaded in Season 2's opener, and The Clone Wars was more or less a spiritual predecessor to Rebels.
We will call Jakku another Tatooine but gloss over Jedah in spite of it being a desert planet as well.
We will call Kylo Ren the most evil Star Wars character for killing fan favorite characters but ignore Director Krennic, Grand Moff Tarkin, Jabba the Hutt, Sheev Palpatine, Dr. Nuvo Vindi, General Pong Krell, Keeper Agruss, Count Denetrius Vidian, Gallis Rax, Grand Moff Lozen Tolruck, and the metric crapton of other characters from Legends and Canon expanded universes that would make the wretched hive of scum and villainy known as Mos Eisley blush with their assortment of atrocities.
We also give Kylo Ren so much hell for killing his father but Sheev Palpatine did the same thing and murdered his family in cold blood in his backstory and we don't bat an eyelash.
And then there's Rey. Good old Rey. We can't have her as a Star Wars hero. She's not a true Star Wars character. She's is the avatar of Kathleen Kennedy's feminist agenda. True, she was able to master things early and almost handed Kylo Ren his ass, but that's because she was left to fend for herself on a desert planet and more than likely had her memory erased, to say nothing of Kylo Ren being a stupid idiot like every other Star Wars character and more or less giving Rey her powers on top of the force influencing stormtroopers like they're nothing. And it's not like Luke Skywalker was capable of blowing up the first Death Star on his first day of being in the Rebel Alliance, when most others just shoot up stormtroopers.
Even if fans and haters alike hate her, who else do we root for as a Star War hero?
-Obi Wan Kenobi: A Jedi Master who is something of a hypocrite and deliberately lied to Luke Skywalker regarding his father
-Yoda: A Jedi Master who thought the order he was a part of needed to be destroyed because it had become corrupted
-Qui-Gon Jinn: A Jedi Master who constantly told the Jedi Council to go to hell and cheated his way to victory using the force, on top of being the trainer for the man who would become Darth Vader
-THE ENTIRE JEDI COUNCIL: A group of zealots who take force sensitive children from their homes and turn them into indoctrinated soldiers
-Anakin Skywalker: The future Dark Lord of the Sith who makes Shinji Ikari look modest while only being slightly more useful
-Saw Garerra: A ticking time bomb who is an outcast of the rebellion and a total extremist that makes Grand Moff Tarkin look like a nice guy
-Padme Amidala: A queen who only revealed herself as such at the last second and goes from badass to useless in the span of three movies
-Mon Mothma: A failure leader who dumps bricks and is quick to give up at the sign of an advantage they don't have
-Jar Jar Binks: A stupid idiot who only served to be trouble to everyone around him, and was responsible for the downfall of the Republic
-Galen Marek: A god mode clone who is somehow more powerful in the force than a Skywalker.
And...
-Tyber Zann: A villain protagonist space pirate out of nowhere who somehow hands Grand Admiral Thrawn his ass a dozen times over
It's baffling that this fandom is allowed to criticize a character of one gender because they're supposedly Mary Sues and catering to someone's nonexistent agenda but we praise other characters in spite of doing things that deny the rules of Star Wars as a whole.
Even if you think I have an axe to grind, there is still one thing that is pure truth: The Holiday Special is the real worst work of the franchise. This is a special that almost killed the franchise before it took off, and George Lucas more or less rushed to get 'The Empire Strikes Back' done so everything would not have been for naught. This is in spite of having one of his trusted aides do The Holiday Special, only to quit as a way of saying 'I am not CBS's slave'. And Lucas wonders why The Holiday Special turned out the way it did, while also having done Attack of the Clones, the other nadir of the franchise.
After putting up with The Force Awakens and Rogue One, and looking at the crap-fest of the internet cultists, I came to only one firm realization: I. HATE. This franchise. Everything about this franchise, top to bottom, is abhorrent inside and out. The sheer arrogance, insufferability, and hypocrisy of the fans, the studio and the franchise, every movie, every word, every interview, every work, oozes like bantha poodoo. Nothing would make me happier to see this franchise crash and burn, like The Holiday Special or Attack of the Clones did. It's coming, too. Nobody's looking forward to the movies or spin-off material anymore. Merchandise isn't flying off the shelves like they should. The games released have been disasters left and right. And now Solo has earned the medal of dishonor of being the first Star Wars film to flop. I personally can't wait.
Star Wars fans, I know you're mad at me. I know you want to punch that seventies or eighties computer out, but deep down you know I am right about everything I said. It's pure gold, in fact, to watch the hypocrites tear themselves apart for petty reasons and to cry about how such a franchise that has lasted forty years and sold billions is coming down in flames. It's brilliant comedy and I look forward to more of it. COME AT ME, NERD PIGS!
And, by the way, John Williams and Michael Giaccino are overrated hacks.
The Star Wars fan base and haters are some of the most two-faced, hypocritical groups in all of pop culture. As someone who has been growing up with this franchise since the nineties when the special edition re-releases made their way into theaters, I cannot stand it anymore. Where do we even start?
There's the Santa Claus lookalike known as George Lucas. Let me put it this way: nobody in the Star Wars fan-base likes George Lucas. We merely tolerate him simply because he can direct movies and he isn't Tommy Wiseau. Now he is nothing more than the shadow of his former self, having sold his franchise and studio to Disney because even he can't stand what the fan-base has become. It's not even that, either. This man boasts that making money through movies is an act of monstrosity, yet Lucas was the forerunner of movies as a merchandising vehicle, on top of milking his work to death with the 'special editions' and constant collector items.
Really, George, are you for real? You release 'special editions' of your work with 'updates' like eyesore CGI and you don't take into account of how that goes against everything you stand for? You also have the nerve to say that you hate that you and your studio have become money factories, yet you go around making more movies for the sake of completing what you've started while raking in millions in royalties and revenue. It's utterly groan-worthy, and it's about being a total hypocrite. You WERE that sellout you sought to avoid becoming. You WERE the man who made movies for money.
That said, he's tame compared to other people involved with Lucasfilm. Like the CEO everyone loves to hate known as Kathleen Kennedy. Kathleen has become the target of fans and haters alike thanks to her non-existent 'feminist agenda' simply because of Rey and Jyn Erso. This is ignoring the presence of strong, stand-up females in Star Wars like Leia Organa and Padme Amidala, as well as Ahsoka and Shaak Ti, in addition to villanous female characters like Mara Jade Skywalker, the throwaway bounty hunter Zam Wesell, Aurra Sing from the commercial Vigilante 8 mod known as Star Wars: Demolition, Ysanne Isard from the X-Wing novels, Admiral Dalla, Roganda Ismaren and Asajj Ventress.
Asides from that, she's been the target of the fan-base also because of her mafia-like behavior: if you do what she says, you'll be granted a good chunk of the production process. If not, you're cut because of 'creative differences', regardless of whether you've done anything good in your career. That's ignoring that former Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow's finest work was Jurassic World, a reboot of Jurassic Park that was merely average at best and only made money on nostalgia alone. In a way, it's good that he was kicked because he more than likely would have tainted the reputation of the franchise faster than EA did with their loot boxes in Battlefront 2k17. And yes, I'm calling the games by year to avoid confusion.
And then there's JJ Abrams, a director who also has been known to have been called talent-less because of his power to revive franchises via supposed rehashes and retreads. JJ has also been the target of fans and haters. Insults like Jar Jar or Jew Jew Abrams are commonplace with the fans not familiar with his work. He's merely average at best, like Colin Trevorrow before him, but at least he's also competent in his work. While people mostly remember him for the Star Trek films and Lost, he's also done classics along the lines of Alias and Felicity.
Rian Johnson is also the target of hate by the fandom because of 'The Last Jedi', and how their expectations were subverted because of how Rian Johnson directed everything. You do know JJ Abrams was okay with everything Johnson did, right? And that the hate for 'The Last Jedi' came from Russian trolls? And that JJ is going to have to either stick with the changes or correct course with his original script, adding in crappy explanations in the process? If anything, JJ is responsible for 'The Last Jedi' because he approved of the changes to the original story in the first place. It's completely fake because everyone wants to take a dump on these directors for 'ruining their childhood' and their franchise, yet they defend George Lucas in spite of doing the exact same thing. Piss off with this garbage!
You want to know the worst part of this franchise, however? The fan-base. Oh, Jesus Harold Faltermeyer Christ the fan-base and haters. If you thought the Sonic the Hedgehog fan-base was toxic, Star Wars fans makes them look like choir boys. Growing up and marinading in this franchise for a decade, I'd rather look up creepy fetishes, SonAmy slash fan fictions and original characters than put up with a Star Wars fan. Everyone talks about how loyal the fans are, how everyone will stick to Star Wars no matter what happens. They obviously drank the Kool-Aid. Look around the web like on Reddit and the various forums, and then lecture me on their 'loyalty'. We're some of the most knee-jerk sacks of crap in the world, bar none. They'll talk about how Star Wars is going in a better direction one minute, and then demand that everyone and their brother be fired the next.
Speaking of which, the fan-base also wants George Lucas back in spite of people dumping on him constantly. I'd much rather have Christopher Nolan be a Star Wars director than George, JJ, or even Rian Johnson. True, Nolan has done a few select movies worth watching, but he's still considered a top tier director. Do you know how many Star Wars fans would die to have Nolan as a director? The Aztec sacrifices would pale in comparison.
In regards to the haters, however, there is a channel out there dedicated to fake news regarding the franchise by the name of WorldClassBullshitters. I am NOT making that name up. This is a channel where fans and haters alike go for general doom and gloom regarding the Star Wars franchise, but also to relish in their hypocrisy. One video even discusses how the brand is worthless and dead under Disney, never mind the abuse of marketing and how nobody buys the toys because crack is cheaper. In fact, the channel name is perfect for their content: they really are World Class Bullshitters.
I would also like to point out that stormtrooper armor, enslavement bikinis, white robes with cinnamon bun hair, black armor with helmets, Mandalorian armor and Jedi robes are considered proper attire. In fact, if George Lucas has a funeral one day, I expect anyone who attends to hum out 'The Force Theme'. I also see some rooms that are shrines to the Empire and the First Order. You know, the organizations going around boasting their supremacy and making life a living hell for everyone if they don't comply. It's as real as the non-existent freedom and democracy message that the franchise is known for, if George Lucas is any indication.
All of this hides the inescapable truth regarding this franchise. We are all massive hypocrites.
We decry the rebooted continuity for being diversity friendly and politically correct while ignoring how we were so offended with the caricature aliens in the prequels.
We are the type of fans who will root for the Empire and dress up as Darth Vader and stormtroopers, while liking a movie with an anti-fascism message while having zero understanding of the irony behind everything.
We dump on the female protagonists and the heightened presences of women in the new canon but immediately look the other way regarding female characters in the older expanded universe. Not to mention how the early draft of the first Star Wars film had a female protagonist as well.
We will call out Disney, JJ Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy for ruining Star Wars while ignoring that George Lucas ran his franchise into the ground during his time making the prequels.
We will never shut up about how successful Star Wars is, but we will also be quick to bury any failures from the franchise's past.
We will laugh at the DC Extended Universe and their misery in the film production department but ignore that Star Wars movies as of late have been rushed out the door and altered at the last second on top of going through production members like popcorn. Not to mention that George Lucas himself directed three flops during his tenure at Lucasfilm.
We will put George Lucas on a pedestal for being a great director, and then forget that he was the fan base's personal toilet during the prequels, and that Lucas was more concerned about being a marketing salesman and entrepreneur and ran Lucasfilm like it was a country club.
We will rage about how the Legends Expanded Universe is no longer canon, when George Lucas himself openly hated the idea of an expanded universe, viewing his own movies as the only canon.
We feel bad about the horrors that go on in the film industry, including people dying, but happily ruin the lives of anyone involved with Star Wars, Lucas included.
We will say that Star Wars Rebels is another kiddie show but ignore that the bad guys win constantly, Darth Vader shows why he's the dreaded in Season 2's opener, and The Clone Wars was more or less a spiritual predecessor to Rebels.
We will call Jakku another Tatooine but gloss over Jedah in spite of it being a desert planet as well.
We will call Kylo Ren the most evil Star Wars character for killing fan favorite characters but ignore Director Krennic, Grand Moff Tarkin, Jabba the Hutt, Sheev Palpatine, Dr. Nuvo Vindi, General Pong Krell, Keeper Agruss, Count Denetrius Vidian, Gallis Rax, Grand Moff Lozen Tolruck, and the metric crapton of other characters from Legends and Canon expanded universes that would make the wretched hive of scum and villainy known as Mos Eisley blush with their assortment of atrocities.
We also give Kylo Ren so much hell for killing his father but Sheev Palpatine did the same thing and murdered his family in cold blood in his backstory and we don't bat an eyelash.
And then there's Rey. Good old Rey. We can't have her as a Star Wars hero. She's not a true Star Wars character. She's is the avatar of Kathleen Kennedy's feminist agenda. True, she was able to master things early and almost handed Kylo Ren his ass, but that's because she was left to fend for herself on a desert planet and more than likely had her memory erased, to say nothing of Kylo Ren being a stupid idiot like every other Star Wars character and more or less giving Rey her powers on top of the force influencing stormtroopers like they're nothing. And it's not like Luke Skywalker was capable of blowing up the first Death Star on his first day of being in the Rebel Alliance, when most others just shoot up stormtroopers.
Even if fans and haters alike hate her, who else do we root for as a Star War hero?
-Obi Wan Kenobi: A Jedi Master who is something of a hypocrite and deliberately lied to Luke Skywalker regarding his father
-Yoda: A Jedi Master who thought the order he was a part of needed to be destroyed because it had become corrupted
-Qui-Gon Jinn: A Jedi Master who constantly told the Jedi Council to go to hell and cheated his way to victory using the force, on top of being the trainer for the man who would become Darth Vader
-THE ENTIRE JEDI COUNCIL: A group of zealots who take force sensitive children from their homes and turn them into indoctrinated soldiers
-Anakin Skywalker: The future Dark Lord of the Sith who makes Shinji Ikari look modest while only being slightly more useful
-Saw Garerra: A ticking time bomb who is an outcast of the rebellion and a total extremist that makes Grand Moff Tarkin look like a nice guy
-Padme Amidala: A queen who only revealed herself as such at the last second and goes from badass to useless in the span of three movies
-Mon Mothma: A failure leader who dumps bricks and is quick to give up at the sign of an advantage they don't have
-Jar Jar Binks: A stupid idiot who only served to be trouble to everyone around him, and was responsible for the downfall of the Republic
-Galen Marek: A god mode clone who is somehow more powerful in the force than a Skywalker.
And...
-Tyber Zann: A villain protagonist space pirate out of nowhere who somehow hands Grand Admiral Thrawn his ass a dozen times over
It's baffling that this fandom is allowed to criticize a character of one gender because they're supposedly Mary Sues and catering to someone's nonexistent agenda but we praise other characters in spite of doing things that deny the rules of Star Wars as a whole.
Even if you think I have an axe to grind, there is still one thing that is pure truth: The Holiday Special is the real worst work of the franchise. This is a special that almost killed the franchise before it took off, and George Lucas more or less rushed to get 'The Empire Strikes Back' done so everything would not have been for naught. This is in spite of having one of his trusted aides do The Holiday Special, only to quit as a way of saying 'I am not CBS's slave'. And Lucas wonders why The Holiday Special turned out the way it did, while also having done Attack of the Clones, the other nadir of the franchise.
After putting up with The Force Awakens and Rogue One, and looking at the crap-fest of the internet cultists, I came to only one firm realization: I. HATE. This franchise. Everything about this franchise, top to bottom, is abhorrent inside and out. The sheer arrogance, insufferability, and hypocrisy of the fans, the studio and the franchise, every movie, every word, every interview, every work, oozes like bantha poodoo. Nothing would make me happier to see this franchise crash and burn, like The Holiday Special or Attack of the Clones did. It's coming, too. Nobody's looking forward to the movies or spin-off material anymore. Merchandise isn't flying off the shelves like they should. The games released have been disasters left and right. And now Solo has earned the medal of dishonor of being the first Star Wars film to flop. I personally can't wait.
Star Wars fans, I know you're mad at me. I know you want to punch that seventies or eighties computer out, but deep down you know I am right about everything I said. It's pure gold, in fact, to watch the hypocrites tear themselves apart for petty reasons and to cry about how such a franchise that has lasted forty years and sold billions is coming down in flames. It's brilliant comedy and I look forward to more of it. COME AT ME, NERD PIGS!
And, by the way, John Williams and Michael Giaccino are overrated hacks.
Friday, April 21, 2017
Yelp! I need some reviews! Yelp! Not just any reviews!
As suggested by the title, I've started doing reviews for the website Yelp.
Yelp is a website dedicated to reviews for restaurants, places of amusement, and other varieties of businesses and establishments. This website helps in making an educated decision on which locale to go to or which one to avoid. It's also great for finding niche places or if you're stumped on which restaurant to find near you.
I opened up an account for Yelp back in 2016, initially only having one review under my belt. However, I started writing reviews for various places that I have traveled to. This is because Yelp's reviews are only visible to those with a certain amount of reviews. While I have no idea exactly how many reviews are needed for this, it's definitely in the double digits. Ever since, I've been writing reviews of varying ratings and descriptions to make my reviews get noticed. Now I have seven reviews of restaurants and establishments I have gone to, and that number will climb up pretty quickly.
Yelp has been helpful in finding new restaurants to try, but it also serves as an opportunity to help businesses, too. It's thanks to Yelp that the lesser known restaurants get some sort of attention, while others get the message to clean up their act.
If you want to yourself, you can make an account for Yelp here: https://www.yelp.com/
They also have an app on the go, which can be downloaded for Android phones here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yelp.android&hl=en
Apple users wanting to use this app can use this link to download this app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yelp-nearby-restaurants-shopping-services/id284910350?mt=8
Yelp is a website dedicated to reviews for restaurants, places of amusement, and other varieties of businesses and establishments. This website helps in making an educated decision on which locale to go to or which one to avoid. It's also great for finding niche places or if you're stumped on which restaurant to find near you.
I opened up an account for Yelp back in 2016, initially only having one review under my belt. However, I started writing reviews for various places that I have traveled to. This is because Yelp's reviews are only visible to those with a certain amount of reviews. While I have no idea exactly how many reviews are needed for this, it's definitely in the double digits. Ever since, I've been writing reviews of varying ratings and descriptions to make my reviews get noticed. Now I have seven reviews of restaurants and establishments I have gone to, and that number will climb up pretty quickly.
Yelp has been helpful in finding new restaurants to try, but it also serves as an opportunity to help businesses, too. It's thanks to Yelp that the lesser known restaurants get some sort of attention, while others get the message to clean up their act.
If you want to yourself, you can make an account for Yelp here: https://www.yelp.com/
They also have an app on the go, which can be downloaded for Android phones here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yelp.android&hl=en
Apple users wanting to use this app can use this link to download this app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yelp-nearby-restaurants-shopping-services/id284910350?mt=8
Friday, April 14, 2017
What a day (or night) for a dream
Recently, I have been writing entries in a notebook that was lying around in my home. This notebook is my dream diary, that is, a log of my various dreams.
This not only helps me back into writing as a side hobby, but also taps into my psyche and desires. As of this blog post, I have written twenty dream diary entries, and the number is growing by the day.
I will not disclose any entries in my blog, due to certain individuals being in the diaries. While the content of each dream is all ages to PG-13, they contain individuals very close to me. I will also not upload individual entries, either, nor will I sell my dream diary en masse.
That said, I will base my future writing on some of my dreams. Don't be surprised if a future novel contains an event based on a dream I had...
Friday, April 7, 2017
Animator's Dream is complete
I've done it. I've finally done it.
I can happily declare that Animator's Dream Episode I - Animator's Dream has been finished.
I am now in the process of proofreading the novel and, if necessary, removing redundant content. After that, I will find a publisher or have the novel self-published on amazon.com. I will also make a cover for my novel myself; I will hand draw the cover and color it using Photoshop and Illustrator.
This has been a novel six years in the making. Years of concept making and putting it off to take breaks has finally paid off. All I have to do now is get my work submitted and published, spread the word, and hopefully I'll have a hit on my hands. Granted, I may have better odds of winning the lottery, but you never know. Some novels become big overnight, others are sleepers, and a few even become cult classics. Hopefully my work will be big to the point I can make it onto the big or even small screens. Who knows? Maybe I'll put my work on Toonami...
I can happily declare that Animator's Dream Episode I - Animator's Dream has been finished.
I am now in the process of proofreading the novel and, if necessary, removing redundant content. After that, I will find a publisher or have the novel self-published on amazon.com. I will also make a cover for my novel myself; I will hand draw the cover and color it using Photoshop and Illustrator.
This has been a novel six years in the making. Years of concept making and putting it off to take breaks has finally paid off. All I have to do now is get my work submitted and published, spread the word, and hopefully I'll have a hit on my hands. Granted, I may have better odds of winning the lottery, but you never know. Some novels become big overnight, others are sleepers, and a few even become cult classics. Hopefully my work will be big to the point I can make it onto the big or even small screens. Who knows? Maybe I'll put my work on Toonami...
Friday, January 29, 2016
The Star Wars Prequels, or, Justified Reasons For the Hate
After the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there had been a trend of people hating on the prequel Star Wars films. The prequels were controversial to begin with, but it wasn't until the advent of TFA had there been an influx of bashing on the Star Wars prequels. The big question is, do the prequels deserve all the bashing?
I'm going to be blunt here: the prequels are getting bashed rightfully so because of factors that work against it. First, the films suffer from an abuse of CGI (computer generated imagery). While CGI in film is nothing new, it is a general rule of thumb not to abuse it or else the effect diminishes. In the case of Star Wars, the CGI abuse in prequels is egregious because it shows how lazy George Lucas and his team were in the production of the prequel films. Back in the day, movies were literally built from the ground
up because special effects were not commonplace. As a matter of fact, Industrial Light and Magic was formed because Star Wars had some moments that required these effects. That said, the original trilogies were crafted by hand from model kits; custom costumes and make up. I'm also not engaging in hyperbole when I say model makers left things as is if they didn't want to modify a model in a certain way, or that they had to get toys and models off the shelf or even buy them just to make certain scenes work. For bonus points, props were even reused for certain characters as a means of saving money, and if they couldn't make certain props work they winged it anyways. Guess what, though? It worked. CGI, on the other hand, showed that George Lucas and ILM wanted to take the easier way out and make everything that couldn't be modeled or make-up'd into CGI, and in some cases it looked really bad. Not like the originals which had effects crafted by hand.
Another pet peeve of the prequels everyone dogs on is the portrayal of some of the alien races, such as the Neimoidians; the Gungans and to a degree, the Toydarians. In my case, sterotyping is one thing but caricatures is another. This goes double if that character is named Jar Jar Binks or Watto. It's just offensive and, in some cases, unfunny that these characters are negative takes on types of people. It makes people wonder what Lucasfilm was thinking with the creation of these characters and species. Though what's more offensive, at least to me, is in the case of Jar Jar Binks he's just flat out annoying and nobody really likes this character.
Something else that's talked about in the anti-prequel bandwagon is the neutering of Darth Vader, that is, giving him a form of backstory. We learned that Anakin Skywalker is basically Darth Vader before he became evil, but during his trials and training as a Jedi he becomes increasingly whiny and angsty over time. This is not something that makes people think of Darth Vader. This is a little kid getting upset because he's not getting what he wants. How do you screw up such an iconic cinema character like that? It's embarrassing to think that this angsty child was the Dark Lord of the Sith.
Speaking of neutering of characters, Padme is also a victim of this decay of character effect. For reference, she goes from leading a small team of soldiers in rescuing her home planet of Naboo to being just there and being an overly emotional woman in Revenge of the Sith. Sure she was pregnant with Luke and Leia, but she could have easily gone down with a fight rather than die 'emotionally' (though one argument states that Palpatine used the force to drain her life energy and transfer it to Anakin/Vader to make him more obedient). Rubbing salt into this wound, in footage that would eventually be removed from the final film, Padme not only tries to deal with Palpatine's power, but she more or less acts as the catalyst for the Rebel Alliance in the original Star Wars trilogy. I'm surprised critics and haters of the prequels gloss over this detail.
Now then, when these debates rage on oftentimes people gloss over critical details that would help their argument better. In my case, it's the general feel of the prequels, the message that George Lucas was trying to deliver, and the competence of the characters shaping the plots. I want to get the first out of the way since this is something that bothers me more than the CGI abuse, and the neutering and portrayal of characters as well. The thing about the original Star Wars trilogy was that it was the classic coming of age story; good and evil battling it out to control the universe and decide the fate of everything; small ragtag misfits fighting an empire; and so on and so forth. It was everything a space opera should be and then some. The prequel films, on the other hand, are more like boring political thrillers and feels more like Manchurian Candidate in space. Nobody wants to see debates or use of perplexing dialogue that requires Master's degrees just to know what they are. That's not what Star Wars is about, never has, never will be.
The message part of the prequel Star Wars films is also something people neglect to look over. The general message of the prequel films is that democracy is important and worth defending, but story does little to agree with the message. Characters complain that the Republic is slow and inefficient at making decisions, and Palpatine's plans go accordingly because the Republic allows for it (and on top of that Palpatine was democratically elected, so there's no defense like corruption and such). It doesn't help that George Lucas tried to hop on the post-9/11 band wagon and craft Revenge of the Sith as such, never mind that the rise of the Galactic Empire is akin to that of Caesar Augustus and Nazi Germany, and while Lucas has stated that Palpatine was based off of a U.S. President, it was Richard Nixon and not George Bush. Palpatine says in ROTS "I AM the Senate", similar to Nixon saying "I am the President, therefore I am not breaking the law." which actually makes more sense.
The last issue that even the most staunch of prequel haters forget is how the plot of the prequel films are driven by the fact that characters make headachingly and embarrasingly stupid decisions. In short, they're idiot plots. For instance, going back to Revenge of the Sith the events of that film conspire because characters make stupid decisions, bonus points going towards the Jedi council. In two insances do the Jedi craft their own downfall in this film alone; once, where Mace Windu says to Anakin 'You've gained my trust' regarding learning that Senator Palpatine is a Sith Lord, and twice where upon trying to capture Palpatine they didn't have a backup plan. For the former, that's a slap in the face as Mace more or less said to Anakin 'I never trusted you until now' considering it was a thirteen year gap between Anakin being a Padawan and a Jedi. The latter is when the Jedi didn't bother to activate Order 65, which is one out of whopping 150 orders given to Clone Troopers. For those not in the know, Order 65 is to arrest the chancellor or, if he cannot be contained, kill him. The Jedi didn't bother to activate this order beforehand? I mean yes, the clones would
have been super murdered because Palpatine has a lightsaber and can shoot lightning from his hands, but at least it would have proved the Jedi had an IQ higher than cockroaches. The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones have moments where characters both heroic and villainous make unbelievably poor decisions, but the ones in ROTS are the most painful to witness. Sure the original trilogy and, to a degree The Force Awakens, has characters making bad decisions at times, but at least they were tolerable and didn't make you rage in disgust at how stupid the characters were.
In conclusion, the bashing of the prequel films is more than justified when the information above is taken into account. On paper, all of this sounds like going with the flow of a crowd but, with the correct information and research, the criticisms take shape and justify themselves. It's an example of how the director tries to craft things in his image and take over the role of every critical part of making a film and failing at it. While successful financially, the quality of the films don't reflect this, and the prequel films just serve as an example of quantity over quality.
I'm going to be blunt here: the prequels are getting bashed rightfully so because of factors that work against it. First, the films suffer from an abuse of CGI (computer generated imagery). While CGI in film is nothing new, it is a general rule of thumb not to abuse it or else the effect diminishes. In the case of Star Wars, the CGI abuse in prequels is egregious because it shows how lazy George Lucas and his team were in the production of the prequel films. Back in the day, movies were literally built from the ground
up because special effects were not commonplace. As a matter of fact, Industrial Light and Magic was formed because Star Wars had some moments that required these effects. That said, the original trilogies were crafted by hand from model kits; custom costumes and make up. I'm also not engaging in hyperbole when I say model makers left things as is if they didn't want to modify a model in a certain way, or that they had to get toys and models off the shelf or even buy them just to make certain scenes work. For bonus points, props were even reused for certain characters as a means of saving money, and if they couldn't make certain props work they winged it anyways. Guess what, though? It worked. CGI, on the other hand, showed that George Lucas and ILM wanted to take the easier way out and make everything that couldn't be modeled or make-up'd into CGI, and in some cases it looked really bad. Not like the originals which had effects crafted by hand.
Another pet peeve of the prequels everyone dogs on is the portrayal of some of the alien races, such as the Neimoidians; the Gungans and to a degree, the Toydarians. In my case, sterotyping is one thing but caricatures is another. This goes double if that character is named Jar Jar Binks or Watto. It's just offensive and, in some cases, unfunny that these characters are negative takes on types of people. It makes people wonder what Lucasfilm was thinking with the creation of these characters and species. Though what's more offensive, at least to me, is in the case of Jar Jar Binks he's just flat out annoying and nobody really likes this character.
Something else that's talked about in the anti-prequel bandwagon is the neutering of Darth Vader, that is, giving him a form of backstory. We learned that Anakin Skywalker is basically Darth Vader before he became evil, but during his trials and training as a Jedi he becomes increasingly whiny and angsty over time. This is not something that makes people think of Darth Vader. This is a little kid getting upset because he's not getting what he wants. How do you screw up such an iconic cinema character like that? It's embarrassing to think that this angsty child was the Dark Lord of the Sith.
Speaking of neutering of characters, Padme is also a victim of this decay of character effect. For reference, she goes from leading a small team of soldiers in rescuing her home planet of Naboo to being just there and being an overly emotional woman in Revenge of the Sith. Sure she was pregnant with Luke and Leia, but she could have easily gone down with a fight rather than die 'emotionally' (though one argument states that Palpatine used the force to drain her life energy and transfer it to Anakin/Vader to make him more obedient). Rubbing salt into this wound, in footage that would eventually be removed from the final film, Padme not only tries to deal with Palpatine's power, but she more or less acts as the catalyst for the Rebel Alliance in the original Star Wars trilogy. I'm surprised critics and haters of the prequels gloss over this detail.
Now then, when these debates rage on oftentimes people gloss over critical details that would help their argument better. In my case, it's the general feel of the prequels, the message that George Lucas was trying to deliver, and the competence of the characters shaping the plots. I want to get the first out of the way since this is something that bothers me more than the CGI abuse, and the neutering and portrayal of characters as well. The thing about the original Star Wars trilogy was that it was the classic coming of age story; good and evil battling it out to control the universe and decide the fate of everything; small ragtag misfits fighting an empire; and so on and so forth. It was everything a space opera should be and then some. The prequel films, on the other hand, are more like boring political thrillers and feels more like Manchurian Candidate in space. Nobody wants to see debates or use of perplexing dialogue that requires Master's degrees just to know what they are. That's not what Star Wars is about, never has, never will be.
The message part of the prequel Star Wars films is also something people neglect to look over. The general message of the prequel films is that democracy is important and worth defending, but story does little to agree with the message. Characters complain that the Republic is slow and inefficient at making decisions, and Palpatine's plans go accordingly because the Republic allows for it (and on top of that Palpatine was democratically elected, so there's no defense like corruption and such). It doesn't help that George Lucas tried to hop on the post-9/11 band wagon and craft Revenge of the Sith as such, never mind that the rise of the Galactic Empire is akin to that of Caesar Augustus and Nazi Germany, and while Lucas has stated that Palpatine was based off of a U.S. President, it was Richard Nixon and not George Bush. Palpatine says in ROTS "I AM the Senate", similar to Nixon saying "I am the President, therefore I am not breaking the law." which actually makes more sense.
The last issue that even the most staunch of prequel haters forget is how the plot of the prequel films are driven by the fact that characters make headachingly and embarrasingly stupid decisions. In short, they're idiot plots. For instance, going back to Revenge of the Sith the events of that film conspire because characters make stupid decisions, bonus points going towards the Jedi council. In two insances do the Jedi craft their own downfall in this film alone; once, where Mace Windu says to Anakin 'You've gained my trust' regarding learning that Senator Palpatine is a Sith Lord, and twice where upon trying to capture Palpatine they didn't have a backup plan. For the former, that's a slap in the face as Mace more or less said to Anakin 'I never trusted you until now' considering it was a thirteen year gap between Anakin being a Padawan and a Jedi. The latter is when the Jedi didn't bother to activate Order 65, which is one out of whopping 150 orders given to Clone Troopers. For those not in the know, Order 65 is to arrest the chancellor or, if he cannot be contained, kill him. The Jedi didn't bother to activate this order beforehand? I mean yes, the clones would
have been super murdered because Palpatine has a lightsaber and can shoot lightning from his hands, but at least it would have proved the Jedi had an IQ higher than cockroaches. The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones have moments where characters both heroic and villainous make unbelievably poor decisions, but the ones in ROTS are the most painful to witness. Sure the original trilogy and, to a degree The Force Awakens, has characters making bad decisions at times, but at least they were tolerable and didn't make you rage in disgust at how stupid the characters were.
In conclusion, the bashing of the prequel films is more than justified when the information above is taken into account. On paper, all of this sounds like going with the flow of a crowd but, with the correct information and research, the criticisms take shape and justify themselves. It's an example of how the director tries to craft things in his image and take over the role of every critical part of making a film and failing at it. While successful financially, the quality of the films don't reflect this, and the prequel films just serve as an example of quantity over quality.
Friday, January 22, 2016
The Joy of Sliding for Cash: SlideJoy App for Smartphones
As stated in my earlier blog post (http://projectrenesis.blogspot.com/2015/10/mpoints-another-way-to-earn-gift-card.html), smartphones have apps or special features within apps that allow you to farm for
gift card money just by doing what you do in the apps themselves. What if, however, you could earn points
for gift card money just by unlocking your phone?
Slidejoy provides the answer to that question with a big, fat yes. Slidejoy turns your lock screen into a mobile billboard on the go. You can look at adverts for apps as well as any current events news articles just by unlocking your phone. The unlocking and viewing of adverts and news articles nets you points which can be used to redeem gift cards, notably amazon.com gift cards, and PayPal money.
While this is a very handy app to use for farming for gift cards, it is not to be meant as a primary means of earning gift cards. The points earned are in the double digits, but they are earned very slowly each day. I'm lucky if I earn 20 points at the very least. Granted, there are surveys that can be taken and apps to be installed, but you need 100 points just to do all of that.
Despite the small earnings, Slidejoy is an excellent addition to any smartphone owner's gift card farming tools. When you're not using your phone any or if you've exhausted other gift card farming apps, this will help in getting more gift cards for your saving and buying needs. I recommend this app greatly.
gift card money just by doing what you do in the apps themselves. What if, however, you could earn points
for gift card money just by unlocking your phone?
Slidejoy provides the answer to that question with a big, fat yes. Slidejoy turns your lock screen into a mobile billboard on the go. You can look at adverts for apps as well as any current events news articles just by unlocking your phone. The unlocking and viewing of adverts and news articles nets you points which can be used to redeem gift cards, notably amazon.com gift cards, and PayPal money.
While this is a very handy app to use for farming for gift cards, it is not to be meant as a primary means of earning gift cards. The points earned are in the double digits, but they are earned very slowly each day. I'm lucky if I earn 20 points at the very least. Granted, there are surveys that can be taken and apps to be installed, but you need 100 points just to do all of that.
Despite the small earnings, Slidejoy is an excellent addition to any smartphone owner's gift card farming tools. When you're not using your phone any or if you've exhausted other gift card farming apps, this will help in getting more gift cards for your saving and buying needs. I recommend this app greatly.
Friday, January 8, 2016
A new year, and a new set of blog posts and goals
Hello everyone, sorry I haven't posted in a while. Been taking time off with Christmas and the New Year. I hope everyone got what they wanted and had a great start to the new year.
So anyways, I hope to get some more blog posts done in the future regarding my novel and other interesting topics. Speaking of which, my novel is almost completed; just a last chapter and an Epilogue is all that I need to write up. Then I can figure out publishing and other such strategies.
I also have a special treat to share with my bloggers when I make the time to share it. Long story short, I got a special present in the mail a few days ago, and I'd like to share it with everyone.
Also, sooner or later I'll find a means of earning an income outside of gift card farming. I've invested in a small service, but at the moment I am breaking even. I hope to invest more and earn a sizable income while I'm at college and helping my family in real time.
Well, that's my plans for the new year in a nutshell. I hope this new year is a positive and great one for everyone, and not just me.
So anyways, I hope to get some more blog posts done in the future regarding my novel and other interesting topics. Speaking of which, my novel is almost completed; just a last chapter and an Epilogue is all that I need to write up. Then I can figure out publishing and other such strategies.
I also have a special treat to share with my bloggers when I make the time to share it. Long story short, I got a special present in the mail a few days ago, and I'd like to share it with everyone.
Also, sooner or later I'll find a means of earning an income outside of gift card farming. I've invested in a small service, but at the moment I am breaking even. I hope to invest more and earn a sizable income while I'm at college and helping my family in real time.
Well, that's my plans for the new year in a nutshell. I hope this new year is a positive and great one for everyone, and not just me.
Friday, December 4, 2015
Animator's Dream: Meet the adorable geek fighter Noel
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| Noel, in her schoolgirl uniform |
Among a group of characters, there may be the character that's a sweetheart but also quite the fighter. That character may also be the resident nerdy type that's got a laundry list of hobbies and interests. This would help to bond with the other characters and, eventually, earn the love of another character.
In this case, we have none other than Noel. Noel is the nerdy girl of the five-man team in Animator's Dream, though she is introduced a third of the way as a character. Noel is unique in that she has the ability to shape shift her outfits into whatever she pleases. Oftentimes, she alters her outfits based on various characters; this reflects her personality. That said, just because of this trait she is not to be trifled with. Noel is a capable fighter, similar to Kirk; Tigercat and Julia, but she stands out as having psionic powers. Noel can take control of minds; use telepathy to secretly communicate; and even scan the minds of others.
When the time really comes, Noel morphs into her Vambrace form. In addition to a super heroine-inspired costume, her psionic powers are increased greatly, and she gains access to a katana that can freeze foes and use powers exclusive to that form. She later gets upgrades to her costume and powers by an unknown group. Noel herself is also an unknown. Who is she, exactly? Read my novel, and find out.
If there were an adaptation of my work, animated or otherwise, I would choose Cristina Valenzuela to voice Noel. She's based off of Cristina in more ways than one, and Noel's sweet yet brave personality would suit her voice perfectly.
Trivia:
-Noel is named after Noel Vermillion from the BlazBlue series
-Noel's regular schoolgirl uniform is based off of Haruhi Suzimiya's, while her Vambrace form is based after Psylocke from X-Men
-Noel's costumes were originally colored after the characters they were based off of, but they were changed to the red costumes seen above due to being to similar to the originals and to explain why she wears red or red-related colors in the story
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| Noel, as Vambrace |
When the time really comes, Noel morphs into her Vambrace form. In addition to a super heroine-inspired costume, her psionic powers are increased greatly, and she gains access to a katana that can freeze foes and use powers exclusive to that form. She later gets upgrades to her costume and powers by an unknown group. Noel herself is also an unknown. Who is she, exactly? Read my novel, and find out.
If there were an adaptation of my work, animated or otherwise, I would choose Cristina Valenzuela to voice Noel. She's based off of Cristina in more ways than one, and Noel's sweet yet brave personality would suit her voice perfectly.
Trivia:
-Noel is named after Noel Vermillion from the BlazBlue series
-Noel's regular schoolgirl uniform is based off of Haruhi Suzimiya's, while her Vambrace form is based after Psylocke from X-Men
-Noel's costumes were originally colored after the characters they were based off of, but they were changed to the red costumes seen above due to being to similar to the originals and to explain why she wears red or red-related colors in the story
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Thanksgiving post, and status of my novel
Gobble gobble, turkey heads! If you live in the United States like me, Thanksgiving is tomorrow and it's that time of year to get together with friends and family. Also, chow down and things like that.
I wanted to write this to know that I'm still writing blog posts. I've just been very busy the past two weeks with external issues and my education. I'm still alive and writing up my novel Animator's Dream. In fact, I'm close to finishing the novel up as we speak. Not sure what to do next when I complete my novel by the end of the year, but I've got plans nonetheless.
Enjoy your holidays, holiday goers. I promise to bring you another regularly scheduled blog post next week.
I wanted to write this to know that I'm still writing blog posts. I've just been very busy the past two weeks with external issues and my education. I'm still alive and writing up my novel Animator's Dream. In fact, I'm close to finishing the novel up as we speak. Not sure what to do next when I complete my novel by the end of the year, but I've got plans nonetheless.
Enjoy your holidays, holiday goers. I promise to bring you another regularly scheduled blog post next week.
Friday, November 6, 2015
Animator's Dream: Meet singer warrior Julia Kusanagi
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| Julia Kusanagi |
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| Julia in a costume |
In the case of Julia Kusanagi, it's a mix of everything. Julia Kusanagi is a singer and entertainer for
the entertainment hotspot Club Section Nine. She provides soothing and memorable vocals for her audience, as well as a display of her musical instrument aptitude. Sometimes she plays dress up in her shows, as an extra means of eye candy.
In addition to her musical talents, Julia is also a capable fighter. Her ability to handle a variety of weapons and melee fighting makes her a force to be reckoned with. Because of her feline appearance, she's granted faster than normal reflexes and focus. This is on top of the normal animal based animation abilities.
She's also rumored to have unusual powers and extra strengths. What could they be? When it's released, read the novel Animator's Dream to find out.
If there were an adaptation of my Animator's Dream novels, Mary McGlynn would be my choice for voicing Julia. Her smooth and beautiful voice fits Julia perfectly, and she also works out for being a tough woman ready for a fight.
Trivia:
-Julia Kusanagi is based off of Mary McGlynn, though the character references Julia from Cowboy Bebop and Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell.
-Julia is designed after Miyu Lynx from Star Fox 2.
-Julia was originally named Miyu, but she resembled her a little too much, hence the name change. It doesn't help that one of my professors had a hard time pronouncing the name, too.
Friday, October 30, 2015
Animator's Dream: Meet the sidekick Tigercat
"This is Tigercat. Where's my prey?" -Tigercat
Continuing the blog posts of discussing my characters, we now move on to the sidekick of the hero. A staple in any literary or work of fiction, every hero needs a companion to guide them along their journey; to keep safe and simply keep company. While the hero earns the friendship of others along the way, it's the sidekick that stays with a character from beginning to end.
Thus we are introduced to Tigercat. The creation of animator Kirk, Tigercat is basically a female variant of Fire Leo the Fox but with feminine features and only having one tail. Compared to the rest of the characters in 'Animator's Dream', she is the most normal of the cast. That said, she has some unique characteristics of her own; she's an animal based animation, which means she has enhanced senses and immununity to most mind control methods. She also inherits the memories and skills of Kirk, making her proficient in combat. Even when she's lacking super powers or the ability to craft things in real time, Tigercat is a force to be reckoned with.
Something else is that she knows of the mission to protect the Animated World and defeat an evil organization. Tigercat is also aware of a secret organization tasked with defeating this evil group, and who created the magic pencil. How does she know of this? Read my 'Animator's Dream' novel when it's released on the market.
Now then, if there were an adaptation of my novel that required voicework, Wendee Lee would be my pick for this and plenty other characters. To begin with, Wendee Lee is very versatile with her talents. Her Haruhi Suzumiya voice would be perfect for Tigercat, as the character in this novel is young but also a go-getter, too.
Trivia:
-Tigercat is designed after Fiona Fox, an original character from Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comics.
-The main inspiration for this character comes from a friend of mine
Continuing the blog posts of discussing my characters, we now move on to the sidekick of the hero. A staple in any literary or work of fiction, every hero needs a companion to guide them along their journey; to keep safe and simply keep company. While the hero earns the friendship of others along the way, it's the sidekick that stays with a character from beginning to end.
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| Tigercat, Kirk's sidekick |
Something else is that she knows of the mission to protect the Animated World and defeat an evil organization. Tigercat is also aware of a secret organization tasked with defeating this evil group, and who created the magic pencil. How does she know of this? Read my 'Animator's Dream' novel when it's released on the market.
Now then, if there were an adaptation of my novel that required voicework, Wendee Lee would be my pick for this and plenty other characters. To begin with, Wendee Lee is very versatile with her talents. Her Haruhi Suzumiya voice would be perfect for Tigercat, as the character in this novel is young but also a go-getter, too.
Trivia:
-Tigercat is designed after Fiona Fox, an original character from Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comics.
-The main inspiration for this character comes from a friend of mine
Friday, October 23, 2015
Animator's Dream: Meet the hero Kirk
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| Kirk, the hero, in his human form |
Well then, since I have the audience and premise out of the way it's time for me to introduce the characters. After all, what story would be complete without characters making it possible?
First, the hero of Animator's Dream. His name is Kirk, just Kirk. He's a graphic designer and art director as a means of earning a living. For fun, however, he's a writer and artist, and is into animated works; games; and other works of fiction. His age is around his mid-to-late twenties, so he's a young character. He's also somewhat of a nice guy, though beware his wrath should you want to hurt his friends and loved ones.
He's the staple young hero, though he's a bit of an unwitting one at first. His journey begins at the convention Otakon, where he wins a large sum of money and a fabled pencil. It is through the pencil that his story begins.
In the animated world, he uses the character drawing that won him the contest to blend in with its denizens. Named Fire Leo the Fox, the character serves as the animation form of Kirk. In this form, Kirk has greater strength; enhanced sight and hearing. He can also detected stealthed foes with limited ability. These attributes alone give Kirk's animation form a greater edge against other people in the animated world. He's also quite the brawler when he needs to fight in melee. Despite his animation form's karate outfit, he uses boxing and Krav Maga (Israeli fighting style that uses dirty tactics and simple strikes to down foes). Usage of martial arts is limited due to impracticality.
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| Fire Leo the Fox, Kirk's animation form |
Speaking of edges, he doesn't have any fancy powers or magic to help him fight whatever adversaries stand in his way. Because of his pop culture knowledge, he can craft any weapons and tech he can think of with the magic pencil. From high powered pistols that can down even light vehicles and helicopters, to man portable railgun cannons that shoot bowling balls, and armored suits and mecha with unmatched firepower. Whatever dreams Kirk has, he can now make into reality.
He also gains a mysterious katana along his journey, also with great powers. Who crafted the blade and the pencil? For what purpose? The only way to find out is to read Animator's Dream.
Now then, if there were to be an adaptation of my work whether a game or animated work, I'd pick Johnny Yong Bosch to voice Kirk. Johnny's known for playing heroic and, to a degree, dark themed characters. He'd also be an allusion to Kirk's animation form, given that his Adam Park character was the Black Ranger in the early Power Rangers series.
Trivia:
-Kirk is based off of me, mostly due to my age and mannerisms
-Fire Leo the Fox was originally going to be called Kung Fu Black Armor Tails, but the name was changed due to risks of copyright infringement. The two-tailed fox and martial arts outfit design still remains, however, and I think a name like Fire Leo would be more memorable.
-The name Fire Leo is a reference to two works; TechnoSoft's Thunder Force series with the main Fire Leo star fighters, and Viewtiful Joe's Inferno Lord Fire Leo. I primarily got the name from the former, though.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Animator's Dream: What's the Premise?
I discussed in my previous blog post regarding my novel "Animator's Dream" who my intended audience and what the genre of the novel was. The Reader's Digest is that it's a fantasy novel with a mix of other genres, and the audience is young adults and anime and manga fans.
Yet, what about the premise of the book? A genre and audience is meaningless if a story is nothing more than an excuse plot. In that case, the premise of the story goes as follows:
Young Kirk is attending Otakon during his vacation from his graphic designer job. At the convention, there's a contest awarding the winners $500,000 plus an artifact resembling a pencil. Kirk wins the contest thanks to his character drawing, but while the money is nothing out of the ordinary the pencil he wins is. He uses the pencil he won to craft another character, which comes to life thanks to the pencil's powers. His second character, named Tigercat, explains the contest was meant for Kirk to win and the pencil contains great powers. She also explains that the pencil was sent by great beings in the midst of a war against an evil force. With that, Kirk is sucked in by Tigercat to the world of animations, and along with new friends to be made he carries on his shoulders new responsibilities and the fate of the animated world.
So, that's the premise of the novel. It's a simple introduction and admittidely a bit cliche, but then again most works in this day and age aren't one hundred percent original anymore. That said, considering the theme and elements used in this book there's still a hint of freshness present. In the end, it's how the content is handled and not what kind of content is present.
Oh, and I also plan on adding in characters and character biographies as I go along in the novel. Knowing who and what the characters are is an integral element of any story.
Yet, what about the premise of the book? A genre and audience is meaningless if a story is nothing more than an excuse plot. In that case, the premise of the story goes as follows:
Young Kirk is attending Otakon during his vacation from his graphic designer job. At the convention, there's a contest awarding the winners $500,000 plus an artifact resembling a pencil. Kirk wins the contest thanks to his character drawing, but while the money is nothing out of the ordinary the pencil he wins is. He uses the pencil he won to craft another character, which comes to life thanks to the pencil's powers. His second character, named Tigercat, explains the contest was meant for Kirk to win and the pencil contains great powers. She also explains that the pencil was sent by great beings in the midst of a war against an evil force. With that, Kirk is sucked in by Tigercat to the world of animations, and along with new friends to be made he carries on his shoulders new responsibilities and the fate of the animated world.
So, that's the premise of the novel. It's a simple introduction and admittidely a bit cliche, but then again most works in this day and age aren't one hundred percent original anymore. That said, considering the theme and elements used in this book there's still a hint of freshness present. In the end, it's how the content is handled and not what kind of content is present.
Oh, and I also plan on adding in characters and character biographies as I go along in the novel. Knowing who and what the characters are is an integral element of any story.
Saturday, October 17, 2015
What is the genre and audience of Animator's Dream?
I've been writing my novel, Animator's Dream, since 2010. It hasn't been published yet, but I'm hoping to do that at least next year, if not before the end of this year. It's been a long haul, but I'm hoping that these years of planning and writing will pay off somehow. Now then, I'd also like to discuss what the genre of my book, the kinds of characters involved, and who the intended
audience is.
I admit my novel is mixed in terms of genre. Primarily the novel belongs to the fantasy genre because of certain magical elements, but there's other genres mixed in as well. Some elements give off a science fiction vibe, others that of action, and in a few instances there's horror and drama in the mix. There's even a small element of romance because of interaction between two characters later on.
Again, the novel is a fantasy novel due to the presence of angels and devils. While overused, this novel provides my take on these beings as being a part of organizations residing in the novel's world. While I won't give away details, these angels and devils in the novel were influenced by pop culture in our world. Based on analyzing and adapting our pop culture, the beings develop their own personalities and tastes from what they observe. While still being a product of my doing, it explains how and why these characters act and even dress the way they do.
The story is aimed at a young adult audience as well as those versed in pop culture, especially anime and manga. The young adult part comes from the fantastical elements, and how the story is about a normal person like you or me taking responsibility and learning to survive in a different world. He's got friends he makes along the way to make his journey easy, but he also must watch himself at every turn, for there are those who want him dead. Also, he's tasked with playing the hero like rescuing hostages or fighting on behalf of a resistance; a futuristic special forces group; and even great beings. He even develops a relationship with a character, and their relationship and how the two bond become a part of the narrative. The pop culture fan base also gets to enjoy the references made in the book, ranging from characters resembling other popular characters, to tools; tech and weapons based off of works of fiction or even real life. I wanted to make sure there was something for everyone to enjoy, since while there's the jokey one liners and action scenes, there's also the serious elements like taking responsibility; learning to help others in need; standing up against those who do harm; and learning to meet and befriend others that are new to people.
One more thing I wanted to point out is that the book has violent moments, and there's bits of profanity and pretty ladies wearing certain dresses. That kind of content, however, is mild compared to other works aimed at young adults or even children. While characters are killed through weapons, it's not an all-out gore fest. The outfits worn by certain characters don't push the limits
of what's acceptable too much, either.
Overall, this is the audience and content I hope to aim for with my first written novel. Young adult and fantasy novels are very popular, but so is pop culture. Those elements right there are how I will aim high with this novel as well as my future work. After all, finding the right market and the right publisher and agent helps greatly in getting my work to take off.
audience is.
I admit my novel is mixed in terms of genre. Primarily the novel belongs to the fantasy genre because of certain magical elements, but there's other genres mixed in as well. Some elements give off a science fiction vibe, others that of action, and in a few instances there's horror and drama in the mix. There's even a small element of romance because of interaction between two characters later on.
Again, the novel is a fantasy novel due to the presence of angels and devils. While overused, this novel provides my take on these beings as being a part of organizations residing in the novel's world. While I won't give away details, these angels and devils in the novel were influenced by pop culture in our world. Based on analyzing and adapting our pop culture, the beings develop their own personalities and tastes from what they observe. While still being a product of my doing, it explains how and why these characters act and even dress the way they do.
The story is aimed at a young adult audience as well as those versed in pop culture, especially anime and manga. The young adult part comes from the fantastical elements, and how the story is about a normal person like you or me taking responsibility and learning to survive in a different world. He's got friends he makes along the way to make his journey easy, but he also must watch himself at every turn, for there are those who want him dead. Also, he's tasked with playing the hero like rescuing hostages or fighting on behalf of a resistance; a futuristic special forces group; and even great beings. He even develops a relationship with a character, and their relationship and how the two bond become a part of the narrative. The pop culture fan base also gets to enjoy the references made in the book, ranging from characters resembling other popular characters, to tools; tech and weapons based off of works of fiction or even real life. I wanted to make sure there was something for everyone to enjoy, since while there's the jokey one liners and action scenes, there's also the serious elements like taking responsibility; learning to help others in need; standing up against those who do harm; and learning to meet and befriend others that are new to people.
One more thing I wanted to point out is that the book has violent moments, and there's bits of profanity and pretty ladies wearing certain dresses. That kind of content, however, is mild compared to other works aimed at young adults or even children. While characters are killed through weapons, it's not an all-out gore fest. The outfits worn by certain characters don't push the limits
of what's acceptable too much, either.
Overall, this is the audience and content I hope to aim for with my first written novel. Young adult and fantasy novels are very popular, but so is pop culture. Those elements right there are how I will aim high with this novel as well as my future work. After all, finding the right market and the right publisher and agent helps greatly in getting my work to take off.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Wunderlist: A wunderful way to keep track of tasks
Daily life has always been filled with tasks both big and small. Not once does a day go by without having a chore to do or an important task that's not in the workplace. Traditionally, notepads written down with lists were used. This was before the age of the smartphone, however, and that method is on life support at best. Yet, people need to keep track of tasks and chores so they don't repeat themselves doing the same thing.
Wunderlist, one such app, is responsible for fulfilling the job of keeping track of tasks. Developed by German company 6Wunderkinder, now owned by Microsoft, Wunderlist is a task management program for both the PC and mobile devices. The app features scheduling tasks, repeating tasks, creating folders and lists, sharing lists, and other abilities. You can also print out your list of tasks and
even insert files in those lists, but considering there's online cloud drives and external flash drives as well as the app being available on mobile devices, those features are pointless.
I use this app every day to keep track of tasks that I've done and needed to do. If there's a homework assignment to complete, I put it in a school list and put a due date on it. If I need to complete a chapter in my novel by a certain date, I set it in a dedicated novel list and set a date. Even if it's something mundane like taking pictures of myself or writing a number of Twitter postings, those tasks go in to the Wundelist app. This app has done me more than one favor, and has kept me on track of completing tasks when need be.
The best part about this app is that, again, it's not exclusive to a PC despite being owned by Microsoft. Android and iOS users have the luxury of being able to use this app, and even Amazon Kindle and Smartwatch users get to have access to this app. This means a lot, since managing completed tasks on the go helps with those that are trying to multitask.
The app in question is a freemium program, that is, it's free to download and use but certain features are exclusive to paid owners. Said features include unlimited file sharing; unlimited assigning; unlimited sub-tasks; and backgrounds for pro-only users. Most of these features are irrelevant, though, and users are better off just sticking to the free version.
Overall, this is a great app to have when you feel overwhelmed with everyday or rare tasks. Not only will users be able to complete tasks in a timely fashion, but you'll feel great about it when you start crossing off items from your lists. I started using this app again to finish tasks in weekly periods, and I've gotten things done because of it. It makes the old notepad writing tasks obsolete, and it motivates me greatly to actually get work done.
Download the app for android here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wunderkinder.wunderlistandroid&hl=en
Download the app for chrome here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/wunderlist-for-chrome/ojcflmmmcfpacggndoaaflkmcoblhnbh?hl=en
Download the app for iOS here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wunderlist-to-do-list-tasks/id406644151?mt=8
Wunderlist, one such app, is responsible for fulfilling the job of keeping track of tasks. Developed by German company 6Wunderkinder, now owned by Microsoft, Wunderlist is a task management program for both the PC and mobile devices. The app features scheduling tasks, repeating tasks, creating folders and lists, sharing lists, and other abilities. You can also print out your list of tasks and
even insert files in those lists, but considering there's online cloud drives and external flash drives as well as the app being available on mobile devices, those features are pointless.
I use this app every day to keep track of tasks that I've done and needed to do. If there's a homework assignment to complete, I put it in a school list and put a due date on it. If I need to complete a chapter in my novel by a certain date, I set it in a dedicated novel list and set a date. Even if it's something mundane like taking pictures of myself or writing a number of Twitter postings, those tasks go in to the Wundelist app. This app has done me more than one favor, and has kept me on track of completing tasks when need be.
The best part about this app is that, again, it's not exclusive to a PC despite being owned by Microsoft. Android and iOS users have the luxury of being able to use this app, and even Amazon Kindle and Smartwatch users get to have access to this app. This means a lot, since managing completed tasks on the go helps with those that are trying to multitask.
The app in question is a freemium program, that is, it's free to download and use but certain features are exclusive to paid owners. Said features include unlimited file sharing; unlimited assigning; unlimited sub-tasks; and backgrounds for pro-only users. Most of these features are irrelevant, though, and users are better off just sticking to the free version.
Overall, this is a great app to have when you feel overwhelmed with everyday or rare tasks. Not only will users be able to complete tasks in a timely fashion, but you'll feel great about it when you start crossing off items from your lists. I started using this app again to finish tasks in weekly periods, and I've gotten things done because of it. It makes the old notepad writing tasks obsolete, and it motivates me greatly to actually get work done.
Download the app for android here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wunderkinder.wunderlistandroid&hl=en
Download the app for chrome here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/wunderlist-for-chrome/ojcflmmmcfpacggndoaaflkmcoblhnbh?hl=en
Download the app for iOS here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wunderlist-to-do-list-tasks/id406644151?mt=8
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Drawing Manga: A Tutorial Book Well Written and Drawn
Art has been around since the dawn of man, as a means of recreation or telling a message. It has been done many ways, but the most common one being on paper or canvas. Manga is, in a way, an extension of that art combined with the printed book. It's become a popular medium starting with the turn of the millennium, but fans want to learn to draw in that style because of it. In a way, it's become a passion to those fans.
In response, publishing companies have been hiring writers and artists to craft how-to books for those interested. One of those companies, Penguin Group, stepped up to the plate with their Idiot's Guides line-up of books (and no, I'm not making that name up). Published in 2008, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Drawing Manga teaches newbies and aspiring artists the ropes of the Manga style of art. The book was written by John Layman, while David Hutchinson provided the illustrations.
The book in question is pretty straightforward. It starts out with the basic shape making techniques, then evolves to piecing them together to make a figure, and goes on to making the faces of each character. Speaking of characters, the book explains how to make characters young and old; male and female; and even human or animal. Eventually, the book even teaches how to make Manga of their own via panels; props and speech bubbles.
The book is well illustrated and thought out, and is listed in a step-by-step fashion making it easy for those that want to follow along. It also details everything readers need to know about the Manga style without over complicating the process. This book even helped me with the creation of character art for my upcoming novel, Animator's Dream.
Overall, if you want to be a Manga artist yourself and are seeking a quality book then this is the one for you. With quality illustrations and simple instructions, this book will help those seeking to do art in the Manga style and craft works of their own.
Buy the book on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Drawing-Illustrated-Edition/dp/1592578233/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
There's also an updated variant of the book on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Idiots-Guides-Drawing-Manga-DK/dp/1615644156/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1HR0BZ8RYJGMTZDHCTMT
In response, publishing companies have been hiring writers and artists to craft how-to books for those interested. One of those companies, Penguin Group, stepped up to the plate with their Idiot's Guides line-up of books (and no, I'm not making that name up). Published in 2008, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Drawing Manga teaches newbies and aspiring artists the ropes of the Manga style of art. The book was written by John Layman, while David Hutchinson provided the illustrations.
The book in question is pretty straightforward. It starts out with the basic shape making techniques, then evolves to piecing them together to make a figure, and goes on to making the faces of each character. Speaking of characters, the book explains how to make characters young and old; male and female; and even human or animal. Eventually, the book even teaches how to make Manga of their own via panels; props and speech bubbles.
The book is well illustrated and thought out, and is listed in a step-by-step fashion making it easy for those that want to follow along. It also details everything readers need to know about the Manga style without over complicating the process. This book even helped me with the creation of character art for my upcoming novel, Animator's Dream.
Overall, if you want to be a Manga artist yourself and are seeking a quality book then this is the one for you. With quality illustrations and simple instructions, this book will help those seeking to do art in the Manga style and craft works of their own.
Buy the book on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Drawing-Illustrated-Edition/dp/1592578233/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
There's also an updated variant of the book on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Idiots-Guides-Drawing-Manga-DK/dp/1615644156/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1HR0BZ8RYJGMTZDHCTMT
Thursday, October 8, 2015
I know I'm learning Japanese: A review of Berlitz's Japanese Dictionary
Learning a foreign language, though difficult, has many perks. Not only is it easier to visit and live
in foreign countries, it's also handy to show off your friends and family. For an added bonus, if you
know of any family; friends or celebrities that know a foreign language they can have a bilingual
conversation with you. Again, foreign languages are no cakewalk but it's well worth the effort.
Companies specializing in translation have stepped up to the plate to make this possible for those that
are in need. Berlitz, the publisher of many a guide, is one of them. The one that I got in particular
was the Japanese compact dictionary. This guide provides people wanting to learn or write Japanese in a small book loaded with words from A to Z. It also discusses how to pronounce syllables and use the dictionary overall.
The dictionary I have, despite being from 2006, is still pretty accurate and helped me in writing
sentences. This is a big deal because I write a small portion of Japanese for some of the characters in
my novel. The words provided also detail exactly how to write them if need be. Another plus is how the book is small in comparison to other dictionaries, which could easily be used as doorstops if not fortheir importance.
In conclusion, this is a good dictionary to have when you want to learn Japanese in your free time.
That said, unless you want to translate anime or manga this book is just there for fun. There are other
languages that are more relevant in the international workplace, like French or Spanish, but as a means of passing the time and learning for fun it's a good little dictionary.
The newest edition of the book can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/Berlitz-Japanese-Phrase-Book-Dictionary/dp/1780042671/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1444334421&sr=1-1&keywords=berlitz+japanese
in foreign countries, it's also handy to show off your friends and family. For an added bonus, if you
know of any family; friends or celebrities that know a foreign language they can have a bilingual
conversation with you. Again, foreign languages are no cakewalk but it's well worth the effort.
Companies specializing in translation have stepped up to the plate to make this possible for those that
are in need. Berlitz, the publisher of many a guide, is one of them. The one that I got in particular
was the Japanese compact dictionary. This guide provides people wanting to learn or write Japanese in a small book loaded with words from A to Z. It also discusses how to pronounce syllables and use the dictionary overall.
The dictionary I have, despite being from 2006, is still pretty accurate and helped me in writing
sentences. This is a big deal because I write a small portion of Japanese for some of the characters in
my novel. The words provided also detail exactly how to write them if need be. Another plus is how the book is small in comparison to other dictionaries, which could easily be used as doorstops if not fortheir importance.
In conclusion, this is a good dictionary to have when you want to learn Japanese in your free time.
That said, unless you want to translate anime or manga this book is just there for fun. There are other
languages that are more relevant in the international workplace, like French or Spanish, but as a means of passing the time and learning for fun it's a good little dictionary.
The newest edition of the book can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/Berlitz-Japanese-Phrase-Book-Dictionary/dp/1780042671/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1444334421&sr=1-1&keywords=berlitz+japanese
Monday, October 5, 2015
mPoints: Another way to earn gift card money
Gift cards are a wonderful way of telling someone you care. If you can't figure out what to buy your friends or family, these are the easy way out. Sometimes you want gift cards of your own, so as to save money on more important things like living expenses.
mPoints is a service dedicated to earning gift card money. The rewards program offers multiple gift cards for varying amounts of points, and also features donations and sweepstakes for investing points in. The primary use of this program, however, is to farm for gift card money using apps.
Signing up is simple. Just put in your name and email address to connect yourself to the mPoints service. From that point on, you can use a multitude of apps to complete tasks to earn points. The apps using this service are very reputable, such as Dictionary.com; The Weather Channel; Intellicast; and Moviefone.
Though this service offers users to cash in points for sweepstakes and donations, the main draw is the ease of earning gift card money. Primarily, amazon.com is the candidate because of how widely used the service is and how the gift cards there never expire. I farm for amazon.com gift cards regularly and I've cashed in massive amounts of money in little time.
The only gripe is that a lot of apps have to be installed in order to take full advantage of the service. For phones with small amounts of space and lacking an SD card option, this presents a problem. God help you if you have a phone that can't take advantage of SD card by default without using special software or rooting.
In conclusion, this is a great service to earn gift card money on a weekly basis. Imagine being able to rack up cash and buy gifts for friends and family without breaking your bank. I've used this service to great success and have purchased things for myself and those around me. I would recommend this service to anyone.
mPoints is a service dedicated to earning gift card money. The rewards program offers multiple gift cards for varying amounts of points, and also features donations and sweepstakes for investing points in. The primary use of this program, however, is to farm for gift card money using apps.
Signing up is simple. Just put in your name and email address to connect yourself to the mPoints service. From that point on, you can use a multitude of apps to complete tasks to earn points. The apps using this service are very reputable, such as Dictionary.com; The Weather Channel; Intellicast; and Moviefone.
Though this service offers users to cash in points for sweepstakes and donations, the main draw is the ease of earning gift card money. Primarily, amazon.com is the candidate because of how widely used the service is and how the gift cards there never expire. I farm for amazon.com gift cards regularly and I've cashed in massive amounts of money in little time.
The only gripe is that a lot of apps have to be installed in order to take full advantage of the service. For phones with small amounts of space and lacking an SD card option, this presents a problem. God help you if you have a phone that can't take advantage of SD card by default without using special software or rooting.
In conclusion, this is a great service to earn gift card money on a weekly basis. Imagine being able to rack up cash and buy gifts for friends and family without breaking your bank. I've used this service to great success and have purchased things for myself and those around me. I would recommend this service to anyone.
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