GITS is Awesome!!!

Again, it's been quite awhile since I've offered a new post. I'm sure it's not relevant to anyone other than myself or family.But I'm still here writing and learning and living. Recently I was inclined to write a guest article or review of "The Getaway" for Scott Myers' site Go Into The Story: without a doubt the best source for all things "writing" be it screenplays, novels, whatever. The answer is still Just Write It!!! I know, it is difficult. But if this is what you choose, than just do it!!
I recently purchased "Ernest Hemingway on Writing" by Larry W. Phillips. Very good read. The real dope from someone with "modest success". Whether you like him or not, he was influential to the idea of the novel. He pretty much hated movies. Fitzgerald, Hammett, and Faulkner all got suckered into writing for the movies with varied results. Not him. But I did learn some things from him in the book. I read almost the whole thing in a morning over coffee! The entries are mainly from letters to people but some were from his days as a reporter for the Kansas City Star. Here's a few to give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

"I am trying to make, before I get through, a picture of the whole world---or as much of it as I have seen. Boiling it down always, rather than spreading it out thin ."

" In truly good writing no matter how many times you read it you do not know how it is done. That is because there is a mystery in all great writing and that mystery does not dis-sect out. It continues and it is always valid. Each time you re-read you see or learn something new."

"The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shockproof, shit detector. This is the writer's radar and all great writers have had it."

This is the kind of stuff you get in Scott Myers' site, only filled with dozens of other insights, articles, facts, and current events. I do not know how the man finds time to DO all this and still write, but I know he does. It's like hanging out with other writers with out the bull shit. Anyway check it out!

Changing the View of the Gods

I was bored with the Olympics and chose two movies to watch this weekend. The first was Casino Royale which was the initial reboot of the Bond series with Daniel Craig, who is a force of an actor. The second was Star Trek, the reboot of that franchise. Both I thought had similarities and differences but it got me thinking of the studio tactic which is the franchise, and so often now, the reboot. Why do it?
Ian Fleming's character James Bond was always a man with chinks in his armor: that's what made him so accessible to everyone. It's always the weaknesses which allow even the young audience, which Fleming had from the outset,to identify with Bond.
It's not just that he was suave and had money which he always KNEW meant nothing if he was dead after an assignment for the Queen's Secret Service, so he used it on Aston-Martins or fine liquors or even fast WOMEN. Ah, the stuff of our youth. But after watching the reboot of Casino Royale I've noticed how even MORE accessible Bond has become.
Which brings me to an even more popular reboot: Star Trek.
Star Trek allowed the viewer to become young again. I truly believe that seeing young Kirk and Young Spock had a very real impact on older Male audiences. Without claiming energy in this flock, I do admit to being a member of it and this demographic kicked it over the top.
Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis wrote the Bond reboot.
Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman wrote the Star Trek reboot and had J.J. Abrams at the helm.
These writers took on the task of "changing the view of the gods" in that both scripts are from iconic sources deep,deep,deeply embedded in popular culture.Why would they do that? Obviously for the money but there must be other reasons. Whatever the reasons both films were very successful and will surely continue to be successful in future episodes. I guess what I'm trying to say is why does rebooting a successful franchise work? What is it about the stories that draws us into that world? I know it doesn't ALWAYS work, but in these two cases it did.
All of the writers mentioned above represent the new generation of screenwriters with the artistic clout and the guts to tackle such projects but they have several other resources. Most if not all were born when these franchises were in their infancy and because of this all bring a fresh perspective to the characters we know and have embedded in our collective psyche. But with this comes an opportunity to infuse a NEW perspective on the characters and at the same time, flesh them out more so we understand and connect with them even more than we believed.
I'm going to see Time To Kill this week. I've got a feeling Kevin is setting up for a franchise. He's been soooo out of the picture lately I think he used his head and found a great script and will run with it like Liam Neeson did with Taken. I'm anxious to see how this works out at the box office and for the audience.

Talk to you Later

Is it too Late?

     It's been almost 4 years since I last posted an entry. Why so long? It would be a waste of time to go over all the trials and tribulations I've been through during that time but just leave it at Life: that's all it is. Despite that, I've still been writing. With the coming of the New Year, I set specific goals: 10 short stories and 2 screenplays. Sounds easy enough but we'll see.