February 06, 2013
The Monster Next Door
Movie Trailers: The Jeffrey Dahmer Files
It's something that's always haunted me from the first time I heard about Jeffrey Dahmer.
Most serial killers are either drifters or they own a home where they can ply their awful trade. But this guy lived in an apartment building.
I've had neighbors complain about loud music or banging kitchen utensils. How in the world was this man able to kill, dismember, ate, and make trophies out of multiple human beings while surrounded by neighbors?
No screams? No smells? Nothing?
It boggles the mind.
February 01, 2013
In Defense of Uncle Tom
Hollywood Shuffle - NAACP & Uncle Tom
Honestly, it was something I'd never questioned.
For those of you who don't know, within the African-American community, an Uncle Tom is a race traitor: someone who would harm other Blacks to promote him or herself among Whites. The term comes from an 1800's book by Harriet Beecher Stowe called "Uncle Tom's Cabin", set during the period of American slavery.
But, to be perfectly honest, I never actually knew what it was that Uncle Tom had done to sell out the other slaves around him.
This, of course, is why I love wikipedia. After all, how could I have figured out everything I needed to know about Ayn Rand last summer without having to subsidize her books?
But that, my friends, is for another blog post.
Point being, I looked up "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and, frankly, I was shocked by what I read.
Here's the link to the plot synopsis - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Tom%27s_Cabin#Plot
Moreover, at the time that it was published, 1852, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was seen as a key abolitionist text, one of the first to highlight the daily horrors of slavery. It was loathed among the slaveholding class and the author was allegedly referred to by Abraham Lincoln himself as "the little lady who started this great war."
Unfortunately, history was unkind to this book's legacy. As Reconstruction dragged on, Southern whites took to making blackface stage plays based on the book outside of Stowe's creative control, most of which depicted the near-saintly Uncle Tom as the exact opposite of the character's intention.
Honestly, I don't know what else to say, other than it pays to really know your history.
January 27, 2013
Anonymous Quote of the Moment - 01-27-13
"There are only two ways to become rich: innovation or exploitation."
January 24, 2013
Lightsaber-rattling with J.J. Abrams
Nice fake-out, J.J
J.J. Abrams To Direct New ‘Star Wars’ Movie For Disney dlvr.it/2rLGv8Now, a few thoughts:
— Deadline Hollywood (@DeadlineCom) January 24, 2013
- more so that Star Trek, Star Wars is a space opera. In my humble opinion, "grandeur" is the key aesthetic sensibility. Widescreen. Very large depth of field. Very steady camera work so you can actually drink in the spaces. NO lens flares.
- The world of Star Wars is actually very old. In many ways, it's a historical epic. Since the world has largely been in disrepair in the original trilogy, I'm guessing the new trilogy should show a renaissance. I think of Europe in the 60's, twenty years removed from the great war. Lots of rebuilding and construction.
- Inevitably, someone in this new Jedi order is interested in more power. I'd like to see the origins of a new Sith.
We'll see if I'm right.
January 22, 2013
Opposite Ends of the Mall
From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. asked America a question.
 |
Twice.
God loves poetry.
January 16, 2013
Thinking About Walt
I've made my creative bones over the years largely writing about very dark, scary, gruesome things. One of the things I've always felt about the horror genre is that it's that rare story that can encapsulate the full range of every emotion - fear, love, hate, surprise, suspense, disgust, triumph. But, as I've recently spent more time looking at the work of Walt Disney, I have to make a concession:
Even the full range of great, dark stories still have a cloud that hangs over them, by design. And, while they have their place and serve an important purpose, Darkness, in the end, has only one shade. Light contains the full spectrum.
Just a thought, but maybe those of us who mine the dark corners should peek a bit more often into the more brightly lit spaces. In some ways, it requires more courage than lurking in the shadows.
January 09, 2013
Review: Lawrence of Arabia
There are some movies that you just take for granted that they're supposed to be great, but that most people have probably never seen, let alone seen in a theater.
Lawrence of Arabia is one of those films. I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to actually catch it on the big screen for the very first time over 10 years ago at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood as part of the American Cinematheque's 70mm Festival.
What was really amazing to me is just how utterly, overwhelmingly beautiful this film is as a purely visual, cinematic experience. The size of the canvas, the sheer scale of the storytelling, yet the exquisite, meticulous attention to detail in every frame is just breathtaking.
So breathtaking that, honestly, I really had no idea what was actually happening in the movie. I had no idea and, frankly, I didn't even care because I was enjoying the experience of the cinematic journey so much.
But, at the end of the day, I'm a storyteller, and it always nagged at me that I didn't actually get the story of such a great film. So when the opportunity came up again to watch it on cable (albeit with my beautiful but not quite as grandiose HDTV), I lept at the chance.
Now, if you only watch the first half of the movie up through the intermission, it's this incredibly uplifting tale about how one man was able to challenge convention to achieve amazing results and possibly remake a world for the better.
Very typical, Oscar-worthy fare. Very inspirational.
But if you stick around long enough to watch the end of the film, I gradually began to realize that it's actually a much more sophisticated story about the hubris and self-delusion inherent in the colonial system, and how even the most well-intentioned colonialist is still a supremacist. To see T.E. Lawrence brought so high as to be nearly deified, only to be literally thrown face-first into the bloody, mud-filled pit he'd dug at the bottom of his own soul is really surprisingly deep and moving today for a story so large. The journey is very deep and personal, while at the same time magnificantly broad and grand.
A great, complex movie. Oh, for the days.
David Lean clearly knew what he was doing and saying about his own home country, and I applaud him, Peter O'Toole, and their whole team. We should all be so bold in our storytelling.
Lawrence of Arabia is one of those films. I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to actually catch it on the big screen for the very first time over 10 years ago at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood as part of the American Cinematheque's 70mm Festival.
What was really amazing to me is just how utterly, overwhelmingly beautiful this film is as a purely visual, cinematic experience. The size of the canvas, the sheer scale of the storytelling, yet the exquisite, meticulous attention to detail in every frame is just breathtaking.
So breathtaking that, honestly, I really had no idea what was actually happening in the movie. I had no idea and, frankly, I didn't even care because I was enjoying the experience of the cinematic journey so much.
But, at the end of the day, I'm a storyteller, and it always nagged at me that I didn't actually get the story of such a great film. So when the opportunity came up again to watch it on cable (albeit with my beautiful but not quite as grandiose HDTV), I lept at the chance.
Now, if you only watch the first half of the movie up through the intermission, it's this incredibly uplifting tale about how one man was able to challenge convention to achieve amazing results and possibly remake a world for the better.
Very typical, Oscar-worthy fare. Very inspirational.
But if you stick around long enough to watch the end of the film, I gradually began to realize that it's actually a much more sophisticated story about the hubris and self-delusion inherent in the colonial system, and how even the most well-intentioned colonialist is still a supremacist. To see T.E. Lawrence brought so high as to be nearly deified, only to be literally thrown face-first into the bloody, mud-filled pit he'd dug at the bottom of his own soul is really surprisingly deep and moving today for a story so large. The journey is very deep and personal, while at the same time magnificantly broad and grand.
A great, complex movie. Oh, for the days.
David Lean clearly knew what he was doing and saying about his own home country, and I applaud him, Peter O'Toole, and their whole team. We should all be so bold in our storytelling.
January 04, 2013
Daily Nerdgasm - 01-04-13
@cmdr_hadfield Are you tweeting from space? MBB
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) January 3, 2013
@williamshatner Yes, Standard Orbit, Captain. And we're detecting signs of life on the surface.
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) January 3, 2013
January 03, 2013
The Future? It's yours.
As 2013 is getting underway I'm drawn to consider all of the different ways people talk about how they're going to change their lives, bring in new things, turn over new leaves, etc.
My word of advice? If you want to have something you've never had before, you have to DO something you've never done before.
It would seem simple and obvious, but I suppose I shouldn't be shocked by how many people act like Jerry Seinfeld in "The Bee Movie".
And the operative word in my first piece of advice is "DO". It's so easy to fall under the spell of things like the so-called "Law of Attraction". After all, what could be more seductive than a philosophy that tells you that you just need to pretend that you have something to get it, and if you didn't get it, you just weren't pretending hard enough. I can tell you from personal experience that I wasted years of my life vibrating but not actually going anywhere. Yes, we're spiritual beings having a physical experience, but my life didn't start to become more prosperous until I got off my duff (with a nice assist/kick in the arse from my wife - thanks, sugar). If you want physical things, you have to perform physical deeds.
My next word of advice? Never take advice from someone who's made their primary fortune giving people advice. It means that the best thing they know how to do is give advice. So, unless you're planning on getting into the professional advice-giving business (which is apparently ridiculously lucrative - just look at the Rich Dad guy, or the people who wrote The Secret), they clearly don't really know much about doing anything else lucrative or useful. If they did, they'd be doing that.
In my humble opinion, you're better off listening to the words of the people who've succeeded on a path similar to the one you'd like to tread. As a producer, I think a lot about George Lucas. As a writer turned director, I look at Francis Coppola. As an author, I think a lot about Clive Barker. As an engineer, I study Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey.
My final word of advice? There are no short cuts. Period.
If you want to be rich, start a business. If you want to be fit, join a gym. If you want to be smarter, crack a book. Whatever it is you've resolved to do this year, you need to make a blood oath to yourself to do it every day because that's what it takes.
I once heard a story about a high school basketball coach who had a bunch of players who thought they were NBA material. He took them to Philadelphia to watch a practice by Temple University's varsity basketball team. The Temple players asked the high schoolers how many practice free throw shots they take in a day. The kids guessed dozens, many a hundred. The truth was that they took close to a thousand. Every day.
And Temple hasn't been to the Final Four since 1958. Imagine what they do at Duke.
In closing, here's a little pep talk for the mission before us all this year that, given the day today and the speaker, couldn't be more appropriate:
2013 is yours. Go take it.
My word of advice? If you want to have something you've never had before, you have to DO something you've never done before.
It would seem simple and obvious, but I suppose I shouldn't be shocked by how many people act like Jerry Seinfeld in "The Bee Movie".
And the operative word in my first piece of advice is "DO". It's so easy to fall under the spell of things like the so-called "Law of Attraction". After all, what could be more seductive than a philosophy that tells you that you just need to pretend that you have something to get it, and if you didn't get it, you just weren't pretending hard enough. I can tell you from personal experience that I wasted years of my life vibrating but not actually going anywhere. Yes, we're spiritual beings having a physical experience, but my life didn't start to become more prosperous until I got off my duff (with a nice assist/kick in the arse from my wife - thanks, sugar). If you want physical things, you have to perform physical deeds.
My next word of advice? Never take advice from someone who's made their primary fortune giving people advice. It means that the best thing they know how to do is give advice. So, unless you're planning on getting into the professional advice-giving business (which is apparently ridiculously lucrative - just look at the Rich Dad guy, or the people who wrote The Secret), they clearly don't really know much about doing anything else lucrative or useful. If they did, they'd be doing that.
In my humble opinion, you're better off listening to the words of the people who've succeeded on a path similar to the one you'd like to tread. As a producer, I think a lot about George Lucas. As a writer turned director, I look at Francis Coppola. As an author, I think a lot about Clive Barker. As an engineer, I study Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey.
My final word of advice? There are no short cuts. Period.
If you want to be rich, start a business. If you want to be fit, join a gym. If you want to be smarter, crack a book. Whatever it is you've resolved to do this year, you need to make a blood oath to yourself to do it every day because that's what it takes.
I once heard a story about a high school basketball coach who had a bunch of players who thought they were NBA material. He took them to Philadelphia to watch a practice by Temple University's varsity basketball team. The Temple players asked the high schoolers how many practice free throw shots they take in a day. The kids guessed dozens, many a hundred. The truth was that they took close to a thousand. Every day.
And Temple hasn't been to the Final Four since 1958. Imagine what they do at Duke.
In closing, here's a little pep talk for the mission before us all this year that, given the day today and the speaker, couldn't be more appropriate:
2013 is yours. Go take it.
January 02, 2013
About The Year That Past
Some truly amazing things happened in 2012 (Obama, Felix Baumgartner, SpaceX, Curiosity, The Dark Knight Rises, Game of Thrones) and some truly horrible things also happened in 2012. But, for me, personally, they all pale in comparison to one singular event.
I got married.
And it was frakkin' awesome.
But not nearly as awesome as her.
If you can feel me smiling a bit more than usual in 2013, that's why.
Happy New Year, folks. Let's get to it!
I got married.
And it was frakkin' awesome.
But not nearly as awesome as her.
If you can feel me smiling a bit more than usual in 2013, that's why.
Happy New Year, folks. Let's get to it!
December 31, 2012
The Future in 2012
After all of my crying and moaning, it looks like someone finally got the message and started bringing some true sci-fi back to the movie theaters. They weren't all successful, or even always good, but at least we're opening ourselves up to new possibilities again.
2013 looks just as bright
Not to mention Neill Blomkamp's follow-up to "District 9", "Elysium", and Alfonso Cauron's "Gravity", it should be an awesome year in the cineplex.
2013 looks just as bright
Not to mention Neill Blomkamp's follow-up to "District 9", "Elysium", and Alfonso Cauron's "Gravity", it should be an awesome year in the cineplex.
Review: Lincoln
One of the best things I've seen in the last year was Ken Burns' excellent Civil War documentary, but I was always fascinated as to the way all of the combatants referred to each major battle as, simply, "a fight".
Which is why the opening scene of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln is so effective: it is, essentially, a fist fight between hundreds of Confederate soldiers and Black Union soldiers in the middle of a muddy, blood-soaked field.
More than anything else, I was moved by the intimacy of this film.
The war wasn't masses of nameless, faceless regiments moving along a chess board. It was a back breaking street fight to the death, fought among millions. The debate in the congress over these lofty issues like personhood and citizenship immediately descends into a raucous shouting match full of insults and clever name-calling. Average citizens come to the office hours of The President of the United States to settle a land dispute.
I was also particularly impressed by the rawness of the politics. For something so lofty and noble as the abolition of slavery, Lincoln and his cohorts employed every conceivable trick in the book - brides, coercion, misdirection. I'm reminded of a line from "The Kingdom of Heaven": "maybe one day you'll do a little evil to do a great good."
Reminder, again, that all politics are not just local. They're personal.
I have some issues with the end of the film. Frankly, I think the last five minutes are totally unnecessary and hurt the tone and style of the film. But it's still exquisite.
Which is why the opening scene of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln is so effective: it is, essentially, a fist fight between hundreds of Confederate soldiers and Black Union soldiers in the middle of a muddy, blood-soaked field.
More than anything else, I was moved by the intimacy of this film.
The war wasn't masses of nameless, faceless regiments moving along a chess board. It was a back breaking street fight to the death, fought among millions. The debate in the congress over these lofty issues like personhood and citizenship immediately descends into a raucous shouting match full of insults and clever name-calling. Average citizens come to the office hours of The President of the United States to settle a land dispute.
I was also particularly impressed by the rawness of the politics. For something so lofty and noble as the abolition of slavery, Lincoln and his cohorts employed every conceivable trick in the book - brides, coercion, misdirection. I'm reminded of a line from "The Kingdom of Heaven": "maybe one day you'll do a little evil to do a great good."
Reminder, again, that all politics are not just local. They're personal.
I have some issues with the end of the film. Frankly, I think the last five minutes are totally unnecessary and hurt the tone and style of the film. But it's still exquisite.
December 14, 2012
Thinking about Newtown, and Portland, and College Station, and Oak Creek, and Aurora, and Tuscon...
Across this country, there were 16 mass shootings in the past year. And, yes, while there is definitely a conversation to be had about gun control laws, I think there's also something else here.
What is going on inside of these men (and they are ALWAYS men) that they feel that the only solution is to go out and kill a bunch of complete strangers before killing themselves? Yes, some of these guys are clinically unbalanced, and a handful are involved with hate groups, but it seems like the majority of them are just frustrated and upset with the circumstances in their lives.
How did being frustrated and upset become an acceptable justification in, apparently, a growing number of young men's minds for mass murder? How is it that so many young American men are identifying with Patrick Bateman's final confession.
What is going on here in our country that this feeling is becoming increasingly common?
What is going on inside of these men (and they are ALWAYS men) that they feel that the only solution is to go out and kill a bunch of complete strangers before killing themselves? Yes, some of these guys are clinically unbalanced, and a handful are involved with hate groups, but it seems like the majority of them are just frustrated and upset with the circumstances in their lives.
How did being frustrated and upset become an acceptable justification in, apparently, a growing number of young men's minds for mass murder? How is it that so many young American men are identifying with Patrick Bateman's final confession.
What is going on here in our country that this feeling is becoming increasingly common?
December 10, 2012
Fanning the Flames
Another plug: if you've been enjoying the odd dropoffs to Amazon's Kindle store from my crooked imagination, take a moment to like and share my new Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/damonyoungwriting. As always, your support is appreciated beyond words.
Thanks!
November 12, 2012
Chillin' like a villain
Chill.com is a website where videophiles like me can curate and share all of the gloriously messy videos on the web that they love and share them with the world at large.
Someone at Chill thought it was a good idea to name ME as the curator for the videos that appear on their front page all week.
I think I'll make it my mission to make them regret this decision. :-)
Check out my own Chill collections at http://chill.com/Dayfornight.
And for a taste of what I'm liking on Chill, check out this link.
Someone at Chill thought it was a good idea to name ME as the curator for the videos that appear on their front page all week.
I think I'll make it my mission to make them regret this decision. :-)
Check out my own Chill collections at http://chill.com/Dayfornight.
And for a taste of what I'm liking on Chill, check out this link.
November 07, 2012
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