Bad Endings

Photo Credit: Doree Weller

We’ve all seem movies or read books with bad endings.  I still haven’t forgiven Lionsgate for the original Saw.  Great movie, no ending.  Don’t even get me started on Hannibal.  Thomas Harris wrote a great book, but they ruined the ending for moviegoing audiences.

I’ve just heard that they re-filmed that last 4o minutes of World War Z after it got bad reviews from test audiences.  Is this really how Hollywood does things?  They take a book that people enjoyed, and make it into a movie because they have a built-in audience, but change the ending because now, suddenly, people didn’t like it?

Sometimes we have to take risks.  As authors (and presumably readers), we know what feels right as far as endings.  I’ve read books and watched movies that seemed to have discordant endings at first, but on further reflection, were just right.  I love it when I have to think it through.

That being said, I don’t want to have to think about things when I’m reading or watching things I consider “junk food” for the brain.  I love romance novels, but they’re not exactly cerebral, and I don’t want them to be.  If I’m reading a romance novel, it’s because I want a sexy, strong hero, a stubborn, strong woman, and a happily ever after ending.  If I’m reading a horror novel or watching a horror movie, I don’t mind as everyone dies, as long as it fits.  And my biggest pet peeve is that I want it to end!  Not everything has to be tied up neatly for me, but the ending has to feel purposeful, not lazy, and not as if they’re gratuitously leaving it open-ended so that it it’s popular, there can be a sequel.

Personally, I think endings are just about the most important part of the book/ movie.  Because if I dislike the ending, even if I loved every other bit of the story, I write off the whole thing.

The Finder

by The TV Guy

Fox had a show on its hand that had the potential to be more than it turned out to be. The Finder followed the fictional character Major Walter Sherman, who had been discharged from the Army due to a brain injury he suffered in Iraq. He was able to find anything someone had lost using his brain injury as his super sleuth tool of choice. I do not know if this was the first show that exploits a traumatic brain injury, but it seemed to work. The Finder was a spin-off from the Fox series Bones and some of the characters show up for Walter’s certain brand of unique help. The show ran from Jan-May of 2012 and disappeared into the abyss. Actor Michael Duncan Clark played Walters’ lawyer, this was the last role he played on TV. Clark died of complications from a heart attack in September of the same year. Clark stole the show from Tom Hanks in the Green Mile, that led to his meteoric rise in Hollywood.

This is one is on Hulu and is definitely worth a watch…

Enjoy

Creativity Kills

How many hours do you waste in a typical day, doing things that wouldn’t make your to do list, if you wrote a list of stuff you wanted to do?  I don’t watch TV, but I don’t want to talk about how many hours I lose on the internet and reading.  Not that reading is a waste of time, and not that I don’t enjoy it, but I don’t need to read during every spare minute of every day (and some that aren’t spare).  Especially when I have things I want to do.

I love this article by James Rhodes, and I think he makes several fantastic points.  I complain about not having enough time, but what if I do have enough time?  What if the problem is not using my time wisely?  Just this morning, I’ve done a bunch of things, but I’ve also spent some time mindlessly on the internet.  Why?  Shrug.  Because it’s there?

Mindfulness is a technique taught by several Eastern religions and integrated into several types of therapy.  It works… paying attention to your body and your reactions, but also to your time and how you use your time.  Maybe being purposeful in my leisure time would help me better manage my time.

I’m mostly just rambling.  If you want inspiration on creativity and dedication to your art, read the article.  James Rhodes has passion in spades.

 

Shards & Ashes- A Review

Shards and Ashes is an anthology released in 2013, edited by Melissa Marr & Kelley Armstrong was an engaging read.  All nine stories are set in dystopian futures, and were quick reads that kept me interested throughout.  Some of the authors, like Veronica Roth and Carrie Ryan, are known to me from their young adult series.  I opened up the book to try to pick my favorite story or two, and realized I couldn’t.  I pretty much loved them all equally, though in different ways.  This editing team apparently has another book they edited called Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions, and I’d be interested to see what that one is about.  Two thumbs up on this book.  I got it from the library, but will be purchasing it ASAP.

Save Me

by The TV Guy

Anne Heche is back as both actor and producer with a brand new sit-com on NBC.

Save Me is a genuinely funny show about a Midwestern woman who after a near death is able to communicate with God.

Now the first thing I think when someone is talking to God is, did they take their medications today?

This show has a positive message about change and redemption. When this once out of control mom and wife wakes up one day and finds that she is missing out on her marriage and her daughters’ life.

This summer replacement is a quality little show worth a look!!!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Signs

Photo credit: Doree Weller, Las Vegas

I love any type of graffiti (other than gang tags… obviously).  I love it when people put stickers or posters on posts or signs.  When we were in Vegas, my friend wanted to go see the Pawn Stars Pawn shop, and while we waited in line, the back of this sign caught my eye.

Unfocused, Multitasking, and Re-prioritizing

I took sort of an unexpected break from blogging.  It wasn’t planned; it was just that I didn’t do it for a couple weeks, and I’m not quite sure why.  It’s funny; I didn’t even check my stats, and with my addiction to numbers… I love checking my stats!

I wasn’t reading all that much either in the last couple of weeks.  I started writing again, really writing.  I wrote a couple short stories, did a couple of submissions to anthologies, and started thinking about what’s next for me, writing-wise.

Focus is a huge issue for me in general.  I usually have so much going on that it’s hard for me to do one thing at a time.  I read an article awhile back that people take pride in multitasking because they like to show they can do a bunch of things at once, but in reality, they tend to be less productive overall because each “switch” of task costs time and energy.  I read the article, nodded sagely, and thought, “Well that’s true for everyone else but not for me.”

I know the trap and lie of being special, and I still bought it.  That came to mind recently when I realized how unproductive I’ve been.  I do a million and one things and some days feel like I get nothing done.  I start lots of things, but don’t finish much.  Right now, I have four novels started.  In my readerly opinion, they’re all good stories.  But currently, they’re lying dormant because I’m not focused enough to finish anyone of them.

I’m going to have to stop that, and one of the ways is going to be to draw up a schedule for myself.  It’s not because I’m rigid or anything, but I like having a structure.  Let’s face it… if they didn’t tell me what time to be at work, I might never get there.  I like my job, but there are other things I’d rather do.  It’s the same thing with writing.  There’s nothing I’d rather do, but it’s so easy to get distracted by all the things I think need to get done.

So… I’m going to make myself a schedule.  We’ll see how that works out.  :)

Star Trek: Into Darkness

This was an awesome movie, even if you’re not a Star Trek fan.  It’s probably going to be going to limited run or leaving theaters altogether soon, so if you have a chance to see it, especially in 3D, go now.

I saw it on Sunday night, and we didn’t have much of a crowd in the theater.  In some of the emotional, quieter scenes, you could have heard a pin drop in the theater.  The writing is phenomenal, and drew me into the story.  It’s an action movie with well developed characters I really care about.  The relationship between Kirk and Spock is really something special.  In the original show, the relationship is much less volatile, but it’s also a paler version of this relationship.  In this universe, the men argue, and this Kirk is much angrier than the original, but it’s also clear that they bring out the best in one another.

I’m not going to give any spoilers about the movie.  I’m sure there are about a million online if you want to know what the story is really about.  Forget the sci-fi aspect if you’re not into the genre.  This is first and foremost an action movie with great characters, not those pale cardboard cut-outs all too common to movie nowadays.

Kumare

by The TV Guy

The path of our existence is at times guided by those who know more than we do. Sometimes we follow those who say the right things and offer us a new take on old ideas. This documentary titled Kumare is what happens when one man decides to give the people what they want in order to prove a point. This film attempts to show how with the right look and language anyone can create a following of people looking for more in their lives. There is of course a twist at the end that brings it all together. This is worth a look it may make you question how you look at faith.

TV Families..22 minute resolutions?

by The TV Guy

The television family has been deified in popular culture as the pinnacle of healthy family dynamics. Even though we know it is fantasy, there is still a part of the human psyche that yearns for Brady family perfection. Alas, this is but a dream that we must awaken from and look at our own real families. They are who they are, and some we see once every 20 years or so and smile awkwardly, feeling a certain level of guilt for not keeping in touch. The reality is that our own families are more disconnected than ever, with little time or ability to get everyone together. We can try and should try but it is often difficult to make up for decades of lost or disconnected time. Everyone has his or her own lives and responsibilities that come with doing what they need to do for their own small circles of family. So this week, when looking at TV families and having that little bit of envy because they have figured something monumental out in 22 minutes, keep in mind that our families are real and do not have the capacity for such magical resolution. We should cut them a break, as they are not working from a well-prepared script or being directed when to do and say the right the thing. They are our families, and although we cannot make up for lost time, we might want to give it higher priority. Maybe try a little harder to make a moment with the people who made you who you are… good, bad or indifferent.