I had posted this for Priscilla's Alera Ficathon, but had not posted it on my own board. Here it is:
( Thus are you served... )
This is a very small section of my in progress Novel The Silver Wave. It is an urban fantasy set in New York City, and revolves on the concept that the Gods and Legends that we grew up with had some factual basis. It is set in the modern day and features the descendants of those legendary figures, especially one who goes by the name of Griever, who has become a central figure in the various struggles between the various powers of the supernatural world as well as the struggles between them and the normal world.
Here is a small clip:
( Dreams and Visions: Part One )
Griever- Dreams and Vision I
The dream was the same as it had been for months. I am standing in a endless field of white flowers. The moon is full and shining down, giving the whole area a silvery glow. I am wearing my white duelist coat, but the whole right side was soaked in blood. The red of my life's blood stood out amongst the perpetual silver and white of the field.
Standing across from me was a man the same age as me.His skin was a translucent white. His hair was several shades of red and orange, and the way it was chopped gave the impression that his scalp was a living flame. Bruises and cuts also covered his face. His black mod suit hung closely to his wiry frame. The red pinstripes on the suit were the color of blood. His green eyes burned at me with seething hatred behind the red tinted shades he wore.
Before us both stood The Gate.
It stood roughly three stories tall and was made of solid silver. Images and tableaus were engraved on the doors; some bloody, some beautiful, all important to the human race. I felt a faint and melodious hum coming from its structure. Despite the loss of blood, or possibly because of it, I felt at peace being so close to this magnificent structure.
"Char," I said. "It does not have to be like this."
Char's eyes narrowed, "My name is WRATH!"
Without another word, he exploded in a flash of red light. His spirit energy burning, wanting nothing to do but to kill.
"Fight me!" He screamed, running through the field. Crushing and burning the flowers before him. "Show me what makes you so special!"
Standing there, in a field that did not exist, bleeding out onto a field of white, I answered his plea.
The Gate opened.
It was just a crack, a small tiny opening. However, the melodic hum grew louder, until it became a chorus singing things I could not even begin to understand. From the crack in the door came a brilliant light.
The Silver Wave.
It surrounded me, protected me. The pain in my hip became a distant memory. My own energy, a silvery blue, became full silver. In that instant, I felt all my emotions. I felt all the love I had, all my hate, all my hope, and all my sorrow. I felt them swirl around me, as if I was the eye of a storm.
Then I brought the storm down on him.
The Silver Wave collided with Wrath. In that instant, I felt his emotions, his soul as if they were my own. I felt his hatred of me and all life, but I also felt his sorry.
I looked the Wrath and I saw the anger had left his face. He was smiling.
"This is what I've been waiting for!" he shouted. "This is what I've always wanted. Kill me! Griever of the Silver Wave!"
Apart of me inside wished to oblige him. I released the full energy of the Wave, letting it envelope him, take him, absorb him. He disappeared without a sound. Before he died, his hatred gave way to contentment. He was at peace.
He was my best friend
This was the second time I used the Wave to kill someone I loved.
The Book of Eli is set roughly 30 years in our future. The country (and possibly the world) has been obliterated, it is implied that the Ozone layer was burned away in warfare, leading to UV radiation and the risk of blindness. Resources are scarce. Books have been burned, especially holy scriptures, as some consider them to be to blame for the wars. Scavengers roam the wastes in search of water and meat, and cannabilism has become a notorious pasttime for some.
The film's focus is a mysterious Walker (roamer of the wastes) played by Denzel Washington. A silent man, he is tasked with going west to deliver what is possibly the last bible on earth (there is a reason why this is important, and I will get there). As Eli (his name is only ever mentioned once,) goes on his journey, he discovers a small town ruled by Carnegie (played by an always welcome Gary Oldman). Carnegie is a Machiavellian ruler who admits to committing horrible acts to build his community. He is searching for The Book as it is a symbol of faith. He wishes to use it to build his empire without resorting to bloodshed and the loss of life.
Carnegie's stepdaughter Solara (played by an even more welcome Mila Kunis) finds out that Eli has the book. Carnegie confronts Eli and appeals to his mission to spread the word for the betterment of mankind. Eli admits that that's his mission, but says he isn't there yet. Then Carnegie gets his Gary Oldman up, and that's when the explosions happen.
The strength in the book of Eli is that it's a minimalist film. You aren't given the entire backstory, no utterly long exposition. You're given all you need to know in short and sweet lines. This is very much in line with the Spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone. For example, travellers are often asked to show their hands. This does not get explained until later on that cannibals hands shake due to consuming too much human meat. It's not overtly stated, you have to watch for it. There are small hints and clues everywhere as to what is going on in the story.
The acting is solid. Washington plays the next best thing to a Samurai since Mifune passed. He keeps his words short and clipped, always courteous and never raised. Gary Oldman is Gary Oldman. I sensed a little bit of a mix between Jim Gordon and Stansfield. Ray Stevenson as Carnegie's enforcer, Redridge, is a very subtle character. There are small moments where you see his character. He isn't a bad guy, per se', he's just pragmatic and hard due to his environment.
An amazing surprise in the movies was to find Michael Gambon and Frances De La Tour playing wasteland elderly couple George and Martha. It took me a solid two minutes into the film to realize who they were. For craps sake, these are two of the best British actors of their time, and the turn they play is marvelously unexpected.
Finally, my favorite thing about this movie is the underlying statement of the film. The actual Book, the macguffin everyone wants, is a symbol of faith. The world has gone to hell, people are working solely on a survival trip. Denzel Washington's character realizes that the book could bring faith to the nihilistic masses. With that faith, they can rebuild. Carnegie also realizes that, and wishes to use the ritual of the book to get people to follow him. Eli represents the Message of the Book, while Carnegie represent the Word of the Book. One is Uncorruptable, the other seems inherently corrupt.
I recommend this film for anyone who like Akira Kurosawa, Sergio Leone, and movies where you have to pay attention.
So, last night I had my last classes of the year. Now I'm officially done for the year. I can kick back, relax, and use the money I hocked from my textbooks for xmas gifts. On the train ride back from Pleasantville, I started thinking about this year. For starters, it went by pretty freakin quickly. Months just blurred into one another, and in a damned rush.
But damn, a lot was done.
To Preface, this was the first full year out of college. After spending four years in Albany, this was the first extended time I've had in my house, with my family, in my city. At first, I wasn't sure what to do. Sad to say, the closest friend I had was in New Jersey, and as close as that is, it's not the City. For the first few months, I did the solo act thing. Running around the city and taking photos, seeing the parts of NYC that I hadn't been. I was reconnecting with my home. However, I was still doing this alone.
Then I met the guys from the Jim Butcher Boards, Priscilla, Richard and his wife, Sue. I had people I could meet, talk to on an even level (which wasn't usually the case at college). I had made friends based on actual interest rather than "We're trapped at this school, we might as well talk". Of course, this was in late 2008, but we hadn't really started hanging out until that winter. After the new year though, we went to more and more events until finally we went to New York Comic Con.
It was there that I met the NY Jedi, those loveable batch of nerds, geeks, theater whores and outright loons. After meeting them, and then going to classes, I felt like I had always been there. For those of you who know me, I've always felt like the outsider, the person looking on from outside the walls. This was true and exacerabated at college, even amongst my own friends. But here was a group where there was no drama in the indvidiuals (note: I do not say the group). They were just a bunch of people who liked being active and nerdy. These were people I could run around with while still being intellectual, creative, manic, and weird.
Before I knew it, I started getting more and more involved in the group. December 5th it culminated with me performing with them in a show I had written for them. Not to make too big a deal of it, but after that night I felt like I had put most of my past behind me. I was no longer the shy, painfully weird boy in college. I had become something altogether different. I feel different. I feel like I can make my life here, I can make it whatever I want to be, and that I have the talent to do it.
As much as I sound like I'm razzing on College, let me say that I probably couldn't have gotten to this point without having gone to Albany and meeting all those people. The problem was disconnect, the feeling that I was playing a different game than most of the people there. I don't regret going up there, or going to Albany. I got my drive to write, to express, from there. Yes, it might have initially been out of anger and about how pissed I was at the overall state of things. But it helped define me as who I am.
It's my turn.
That's not to that to say that this whole year has been one large triumph. There are somethings I wish I had, some things that I regret not getting. I am still without employment, even in my own field. Yes, I know the job environment sucks, yes, I know it's doubly worse in New York itself. However I still think I could have put myself out more.
Another thing I felt I lacked, was someone to share all this with. I had an awesome year, and everytime I come home, I share it by myself. I don't know if I'm overly sentimental, but there are nights where I just wish I had someone to just lie next to, to know is there. There have been girls this year who I've been close with, but due them being unavailable (currently dating, too far away, not looking for anyone at the time) nothing has really happened. Ironically, like finding a job, I feel like I need to put myself out there more.
I'm going to try and walk into 2010 with the attitude and confidence that I received in 2009. For once in a long time, I can walk with clear confidence and pride in myself. And that's a good start as any.
Happy New Year!
C
Last night was the opening for "A Saber Beats Four Aces", the inaugural show featuring the Poker Night format. It opened up at The Tank Theater to a jam packed crowd of friends, family and one or two surprises I'll mention later.
As the creator and "writer" of the show, I had a lot going through my mind. The chief among them being "How in the hell" did I get here?
I had created Poker Night this past summer. I based alot of it on the communal nature of New York and Long Island Jedi. For most at NYJ, we've done the post class Diner session. We all talk, tell stories, get cut off and corrected. And Long Island Jedi is one big, happy cult/family/nerd orgy to begin with. In fact, the idea came from bouncing ideas off of Joe after a LIJ visit.
So I wrote the show based on that premise. I also took into consideration to several problems from previous shows, most notably building a fight solely for the scene, and especially for if a cast member mysteriously vanishes before the show. So I made it modular, swapping out whatever fights needed.
I submitted the show in July, and it was received well by the group. I didn't make much of it though. At that point I was only in my fifth month with the group, I wasn't sure if I overstepped my bounds in the group or anything, so I let it rest.
By September, we received word that we were going to do a show at The Tank theater. The show picked was Sabers Unleashed, the show that had introduced me to NY Jedi in the first place. Brandon had then said that he was working on a sequel to Sabers Unleashed, and that I was going to write the third show.
Flashforward to six weeks ago. Due to a slew of cons, parades and other events, Sabers Unleashed was running far behind in schedule. It was becoming apparant that we couldn't do SU faithfully in under six weeks. So, people began suggesting doing another show. I had off handedly mentioned Poker Night, not thinking it would be taken seriously. Next thing I know, I get a text saying "We're on for Poker Night, what do you need to write it?"
I, ever the soul of wit, replied...
"Uh...WHAT!?"
We had the cast and the fights down pretty quickly. To be honest, that's the minimum the show needed. Everything else is gravy. The cast got together and meshed quickly and started riffing off one another (most of which got added into the defacto script I was using). The show had essentially been written, albeit verbally, the very night it was agreed upon.
Of course, we had to do all of this in six weeks. We were essentially shotgunning this show. Because of that, incidences happened, toes got stepped on. You know, the usual theater stuff, just condensed.
Finally, yesterday rolls along. I wake up with a swollen throat and my head clogged in places I wish I didn't know about. Naturally, right? As the day rolled on, I found I was too medicated and too busy to worry about the show.
Until thirty minutes until. At that point I did what any sensible human being would have done. Collapsed on myself for five minutes, then pulled myself together. I don't even remember the Opening speech I gave, except that it was funny. The moment the show shifted abruptly from Paul's Monologue to the Star Wars Cantina music and I heard the audience laugh, all that fear melted off. We all did our scenes and our bits damn near flawlessly from what I heard, even if there were accidents, no one noticed, or minded. The show worked.
What got me was just how many people were at the audience, and WHO was in the audience. I saw people from Jedi who I had only seen through youtube videos, some of which convinced me to join outright. The most shocking surprise was hearing that Voltaire, the musician responcible for the now infamous (well, in Jedi, anyways) song "When you're evil" was in the audience, and he loved the show.
The end of the show came, and I just this rush of pride. In myself, in the group, and in the cast and crew. We had done it.
Of course, by now, my voice was shot. It lasted right up until I punched our Brandon in our fight, then it went kablooey. I've spent all day in bed with the sickness I evaded yesterday kicking my ass five fold today.
It was worth it, all of it.
And I want to do it again. There's already talks of another one for The Tank. Also, at least two other groups have asked to use the Poker Night format. So this is just the beginning.
Thank you for coming, for participating, for being my friends and family, and for letting me in on the madness.
Thank you.
I look forward to seeing you for Poker Night 2: Poker Night vs the World Crime League
C
Jim Butcher is one of those few.
The Codex Alera is Jim's six part fantasy series. Whereas his flagship series, The Dresden Files, is an urban fantasy (ie; takes place in Contemporary times). The Codex Alera is a high fantasy series, meaning that swords, horses and castles are the norm in the universe.
The story takes place on the planet Carna, but focuses on the empire of Alera. Alera was founded several thousand years ago by a Roman Legion that found itself lost...really...really...lost. To the East of Alera lie the Marat race, nomads who share an empathic bond with other species and eat their enemies alive. To The West are the Canim, nine feet tall, anthropomorphic Wolves who live to battle. To the North are The Icemen, neanderthal like creatures who can control storms.
The only thing that keeps Alerans/Humans from being put under the lash or in the grave by any of these species is their use of Furies. Furies are generally a form of spirit or energy taking the form of one of the six Oriental Elements of Earth, Winds, Water, Fire, Wood and Metal. The use of furies covers all grounds in Aleran society, from warfare to cooking (they have fire fury ovens). All Alerans have furies, and the stronger you are, and the most furies you have, the more potential you have in being an asset to Society.
The series is set a thousand years after the founding of Alera. Many of the Noble Houses are plotting against the aging First Lord (think First Citizen of Rome), the aforementioned races flanking Alera are constantly snapping at the heels of the Empire. At the center of these plots is a small farmboy named Tavi, who is the only person in a thousand years of furycrafting to be without a single fury. Tavi is survived by intelligence, cleverness, and courage.
As the series progresses, Tavi is thrown in from one impossible situation to the next, until he faces a foe that the Canim, Icemen, Marat, nor the plotting of the Alerans themselves, can stop, and that foe ultimately changes the fate of all of Carna.
The Codex Alera is a series filled with good action, both on a personal level and on the battlefield. It is also laced with trademark Jim Butcher wit, from the boisterous Antillus Maximus, to the dry, inconspicuous spy Ehren. The characters give off a sense of reality, none of them are perfect, they make mistakes, they learn, they fail. Mary Sues be damned here.
One of the elements in the series that stands out to me is that it's very much an Anti Stagnation story. Tavi is caught fighting two elements throughout the books. Aleran Society, which as a whole is almost psychotically devoted to keeping things the way they are (if it's not broke). As a furyless human being, his ideas, though novel, are considered impractical, and until proven otherwise, impossible by the rest of his peers. On the otherside, Tavi's main enemy are The Vord, an alien species whose sole Purpose is to make all things Vord. They might sound like the Borg from Star Trek, they aren't. This isn't assimilation, this is infestation. The Vord will eat everything and spread until, eventually, the whole world is theirs. They are literally the embodiment of Uniformity Over All
The Codex Alera sets itself apart from most High Fantasy series. Where most seem to be slaves to the Tolkien Method, Jim dictates a new set of rules. Although it is fantastical, it doesn't seem overtly so. The world is treated as such that if there were such a thing as spirits of the elements, then this would be how to do it. Jim Butcher manages to keep the series grounded and level headed where we never fully lose what is going on.
I thoroughly recommend the Codex Alera series, as well as Jim's other series: The Dresden Files. In fact, I recommend anything that has the man's name on it. He is that much of an awesome human being.
The books in the series are: Furies of Calderon, Academ's Fury, Cursor's Fury, Captain's Fury, and Princeps' Fury.The Sixth and Final book, First Lord's Fury came out this past tuesday. In it is a two-page Map of Alera, drawn by my friend Priscilla Spencer (
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
priscellie )Hail Alera,
C
As many people know, I've been a member of New York Jedi since this february. We're a fight choreography group the focus' on the combat based on the lightsabers from the Star Wars films, TV Shows, books and other subsequent materials. We've been in Time Out New York, Jay Leno, we've been mentioned on the Howard Stern Show and alluded to on 30 Rock, we've even been on The Today Show.
In the five years since the group was founded, we've become a staple for the various sci/fi cons in the country, and have branched out across the country and globe with affiliated groups in LA, Texas, Chicago, Philadelphia, the UK, and Singapore. Now, we're going someplace new: Off Broadway.
On December 5th, New York Jedi will be performing in A Saber Beats Four Aces. It's the first version of the Poker Night show format I had created in July for the group. Although I am being credited as the writer, the show (as well as the format) was written and developed by the cast and crew of the show. The overall premise is as follows: A group of lightsaber wielders, be they Light Side, Dark Side, or somewhere in the middle, meet up, kick back and talk shop
The main point of the show is to showcase the choreography and storytelling of the individual cast members and their partners. They bring their stories to the table, figuratively and literally. With every new show, and every new cast member, the show becomes different, and no two will ever be alike.
The Debut Version: A Lightsaber Beats Four Aces, is set at the Smashed Rancor, a bar whose patrons are all on the Dark Side of the Force. When everyone is out for themselves, allies and adversaries become relative terms.
Well, so long as you aren't a Jedi, in that case, you're an enemy, and a soon to be dead one at that.
Having seen the cast in action, the main star of the show is not the stories or the fights (I may be shot for saying that) but the interactions between the players. They've taken characters (created by themselves, FYI) and interact naturally with each of them, never truly going into the cartoonish realms that are always visible in situations like these. These characters are fully fleshed out, and the actors playing them know what they're doing.
It's been an honor to have worked with these guys, and it makes me happy, and more than a bit overwhelmed at the fact that not only are they doing a show that I came up with, but that they understood the concept without me having to blather on about it. As a writer, that gives me the best feeling possible.
So if you're in the New York City area and would like to see us perform, we are going to be at The Tank, on W45th street between 8th and 9th avenue at 8pm sharp. If you can't make it, we are going to film the show, and it'll most likely be posted up on youtube at a later time. Since this is our one performance, and no two shows could be alike, it's worth seeing.
Thank you, and now, a good cast is worth mentioning:
Cast
The Table
Brandon Hughes as Spike
Roy Kaiser as Darth Malice
Maria Van Kuik as Crimson FiNyx
Paul Sposato as Darth Jinduri
The Bar
Oliver Baer as Dar Thulu, the Bartender
Jenna DeRovira as Thulu Tentacle-Arms
Daniel Reiser as Magnius, a Bar Fly
Tom Wendling as Zen Varr, the Bouncer
The Jedi
Xenia Kramida as Oxanna Hitori
Juan Leivia as Yogen Himashi
Craig Page as Rave
Mike Zhang as Ebon Wing
And Marc Abbott as Darth Irukanji
Then there are shows where the rules are fluid, and genres switch around on a the head of a pin. Shows like Lost, The X-Files, Alias, Battlestar Galactica, and Dollhouse
The Prisoner gave these shows lessons.
The Prisoner was a British Television series that aired in 1967. It starred (and was created, written, and direct mostly by...) Patrick McGoohan, who many people in my generation will know as King Edward the First, Longshanks, from Braveheart. It mixed elements of spy fiction, a la shows like the Avengers and the Saint, science fiction, fantasy, psychological thriller and Allegory. All 17 episodes were aired every friday this past month on IFC
McGoohan plays an British Intelligence agent who resigns abruptly from his position. On his return home, his house is gassed and he passes out. When he wakes up, he finds that he is in a perfect mock up of his living room, but outside the window he finds himself in an eccentric seaside Village, that seems to be isolated from the rest of the world. The Village is built as a "retirement home" (read: prison) for spies and intelligence threats. Surveillance is everywhere, PA systems are on full blast, and the radios and tvs cannot be shut off unless the powers that be decide so.
Each prisoner is known only by a Number. McGoohan's character is known only as Number Six. He is detained there in order for The Village to know why he resigned. The interrogation is lead by The Village's chief administrator, Number Two. Number Two is played by a roundtable of various actors, sometimes switching mid episode, all in a bid to coerce, trick and ultimately break Number Six's resolve. Number Six refuses all attempts, despite the nearly constant mind games, blackmail, threats and brainwashing that is inflicted on him and the other members of the village. Unfortunately for Six, there seems to be no surcease, as the rules of the Vilage constantly shift around him, and he seems to be the only one unaware of the rules. The other members are said to be prisoners, but some may very well be wardens as well.
Almost every episode revolves around Number Two's attempts to break Number Six, while Six tries to escape the village, while trying to find out who is behind The Village.
The Prisoner is a Philosophy class in motion for viewers. With McGoohan as the only consistently recurring cast member, you are tied down to his perspective at all times. With the rules of the village constantly shifting, we are forced to question our reality as we see in the environment around us. Would we break and accept our role in the Village? Or would we resist, and refuse to be numbered, briefed, debriefed indexed and categorized?
I find The Prisoner to be psychologically satisfying, although as a viewer, there is no coherent progression in plot throughout the series except for the first episode and the last two, which can be frustrating to most. It is easier to look at the show as an allegory. The Characters represent concepts, ideas, premises, philosophies, and are then set to play with one another. It gives you so much information, yet leaves you unsure and asking what the hell happened. Forty years later, people still question what was going on, and McGoohan took the secret to his grave.
This is mind, it is very easy to see how JJ Abrams, the producers of The X-Files, Joss Whedon and a slew of other writers and directors would find inspiration from this show. There is so much to take from it that it almost demands it.
I recommend this series to those who enjoy analyzing a show, putting puzzle pieces together, and not minding it if they can't recognize the picture they put together.
Be Seeing You
PS: AMC is airing a remake of The Prisoner this sunday. It stars Jim Caviezel as Number Six and Sir Ian (You Shall Not Pass) McKellan as Number Two. The Original Episodes are being aire online on AMC.com
That's the opening crawl for this movie, starring Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges.
The story is told through the perspective of Bob Wilton (played by Ewan McGregor, who I am convinced does not age), a down on his luck reporter from Ann Arbor who goes to Kuwait to report on some action. There, he meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) a man claiming to be a member of a super secret psychic program within the military. Cassady has been sent to reactive duty and put on a mission in Iraq. Bob, desperate for a story, decides to go with him.
It is during this trip through the Iraqi desert, which is an adventure all it's own, that we learn of the Super Soldier Program, known as the Project Jedi, which is founded and lead by Billy Django (played by Jeff Bridges, who has a strong appetite for the scenary), a colonel who went searching for alternative methods of combat and came back a child of the sixties, preaching the power of the mind to promote love, not war.On the flip side of this is Larry Hopper (Kevin Spacey) a member of the group who enjoys the purpose of psychic powers more for it's destructive side than it's positive side. The clash between Hopper and Django/Cassady sets the stage for the climax.
Personally, I found this movie to be interesting on three levels. The first is as a psychologist. The movie (and the book it was based on) touches on several aspects of psychology and parapsychology, especially that of perspective and the effects of the mind on the body. There are also several references to the MK Ultra program (which was a program used to develop sleeper assassins), the use of LSD in experimenting with the army, and the use of psychological torture in the form of children's songs on POWs. It also touches on the war profiteering going on during the movie and the Private Security Forces that guard them.
All of these things mentioned in the movie are true and proven
As a writer, and a lover of stories. The Tale of Bob and Lyn is like a modern day version of Quixote, with Lyn as Don Quixote and Bob as Sancho Panza. You're never quite sure if Lyn Cassady is telling the truth, that he does in fact have powers, but it almost doesn't matter. He believes in them, and that's power enough. This quest also sets a backdrop for what is essentially an expose on the psychological warfare initiative within the Army
Personally, however, this movie takes on a different meaning. As you know, I am a member of NY Jedi, a fight choreography group that focuses on the use of lightsabers and elements from the Star Wars universe. The group I went to see the movie with were all members of, or associated with the group, so naturally, everytime the word "Jedi" was mentioned, we got a special kick out of it. However, the word Jedi, though used often, is never meant in overt jest. The fact that Ewan McGregor, who has played the quintessential Jedi, made the joke funnier, but it was still meant seriously. The movies themselves were only mentioned once, and only in reference. Keeping this in mind, me and the people I was with found a certain resonance between NY Jedi the group and the Project Jedi. Certain references and subtleties that had an oddly familiar feel to them. I know for a fact that most of us watching that movie were laughing for reasons the rest of the audience couldn't possibly conceive, and that made it all the more funnier.
In the end, Men Who Stare at goats is an interesting tale. It's a short story that doesn't feel short. A problem I can see for casual viewers is that it's an odd tale that holds itself seriously, aided by the disclosure that it's based on fact. It's too weird to be taken seriously, and too true to be a complete comedy.
I recommend it though if you're not afraid a little oddness, I think Bill Django would salute you for it.
C
I finished a new short story set in my Novel's universe. It works as much as an introduction to the main character, Griever, and his abilities powers, and ultimately what makes him tick
cut as not to bedraggle the the interwebs
( The Final Enemy )
Can you tell I'm manic? Yes I am :D
Random booty dance: (_)_) (_(_) (_)_)
In other news, I premiered my new fight for NY Jedi tonight. As far as major fights go, this is my first, and me and Brandon look good during it. We got a lot of laughs and a lot of cheers for it. I'm personally proud of myself and of Brandon. We will be debuting the fight publically this weekend at Big Apple Con. I'll be working the con Friday, mostly doing table stuff (I'll be bringing the laptop to kill the time). I will be debuting my full costume, as well as the fight saturday, early afternoon (figure around 1ish). We'll be out in front of the gate during this con, so if you want to just see us, you may not have to pay for a ticket. No guarantees though, it's a new con and anything goes. I'm not sure how i feel about the people there. I mean, yeah, hitting up the BSG people'd be cool, meeting Ric Flair would be nice. Other than that, I'm there for the group.
So if you're interested come on down. I'll post more info as we go.
Later,
C
PS: BOOTY DANCE!! (_(_) (_)_) (_(_)
School is back in session. I have classes from 3:30 until 9:20 every wednesday. My classes are Loss and Bereavement, taught by Dr. Mancini, a very dry researcher type who sorta makes the time drag. The other class is Human Growth and Development, taught by Dr. Powell-Lunder. She's an energetic opposite to Mancini, which helps, because after hour three I'm usually a basketcase.
It's going good so far, it's not holding my attention like the last two semesters, but whatever. Get the job done.
Speaking of jobs, I've bitten the bullet and applied for a job at Blockbuster Video. The same Blockbuster that I go to and feel horribly frustrated in their practices and preferences. I quote myself, three months ago "I would rather gouge out my good eye with a crusty spoon than work there"
The Spoon is forthcoming. I'm also applying to the Gamestops in the area, because hey, I enjoy their company better.
Love Life...same song, the tempo's just been turned up
Ok, in writing news. I've been making major headway in regards to Part 1 of my Novel "The Silver Wave". I've actually gone back to the method I used growing up and am now handwriting the chapters. The information is flowing out nicely, and anything that I don't cover by the pen, I can elaborate on the screen. I feel good about myself when I write.
I'm also working on several other writing projects, my fiction for my NY Jedi character as well as a fanfic for Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series. Both are going very well and I hope to be making progress with them soon.
But the big project is this: NY Jedi is in a deal with The Tank, an off Broadway performance space, to do a trilogy of shows in the next nine months.
And I'm responsible for the third show.
The pressure didn't really hit me until this tuesday, when we inspected the theater to figure out what the hell we can do there. It's smaller than the Beaudoin Theater at Siena, but it comes with all the bells and whistles. But yeah, it's an off broadway show, and I'm performing in at least the second and third shows, and I'm writing the script for the third.
Nervous?
Incredibly
I've been trying to figure out how the hell I got in this position. If I hadn't gone to Comic Con, I'd have never met this roving band of lunatics, hippies and freaks (I love you all) and I never would have been in a position like this. But I'm here, and I'm doing it, and I'm praying to God I don't go batshit in the process.
Life is interesting
Last Night, My Writing Partner Brandon and I went to go see Saturday Night Saloon, presented by the theater group Vampire Cowboys. If you've never heard me talk about Vampire Cowboys, you have clearly not been listening to anything I've said and should be shot.
I digress though. The Saloon is one part get together, one part showcase. Last night we were treated with the opening acts of six episodic plays. All of them awesome, all of them in their own different ways.
The first play we saw was Let's Ninja Science Ranger Team Get!, written by Dustin Chinn and directed by RJ Tolan. In a send up of the Super Sentai (aka Power Rangers) genre of tv shows, a group of teen stereotypes (The bland leader, the awkward nerd, and the mildly psychopathic loner badass) are recruited/shanghaied by Former Jewish Scientist-now Japanese Scientist to go back in time to alter history.
But wait, there's more.
This episode featured them going back and taking on the Nazi Propaganda Machine, by going after Leni Riefenstahl, who at the end of the fight turns into "Mecha Riefenstahl", thanks to German Engineering.
Let's Ninja Science Ranger Team Get! is a hilarious show filled with numerous pop references and self refrential humor. Plus it takes Power Rangers, time travel, and American Clothing Chains (Germans were in on Operation: Hollister, which, you know, makes sense) in vain.
That, my friends, is a good thing.
The second play, Mother Sacremento, was the most serious of the shows. Written by Mac Rogers and directed by Jordana Williams. It's the story of Mother Meaghan Sacremento, the first papally recognized female priest conducting her first marriage counseling in her parish. The show seemed to be going towards something of a farcical slant at first with the slightly nervous Mother Sacremento trying to comfort her client, who later reveals her husband dated Sacremento in HS. In the last minute of the play, however, the show turns in a way you wouldn't have expected unless you'd read the script before
The third play, Entrenched, written by James Comtois and directed by Pat Shrearer, is a play on the Time Travellers Tale. A WWI soldier in the thick of battle comes across a lone soldier who saves him from a grenade. It is soon revealed that the lone soldier knew about the grenade, and a lot more about the soldier. Out of the shows, this an Mother Sacremento feel the least episodic and more like they've been broken down at various beats, that they feel altogether a solid play.
The fourth play, Hack, was written by Crystal Skillman and directed by John Hurley. It's has a feel of somewhere between Office Space, Sneakers, and Glengarry Glen Ross. as a team of office IT workers, who many are accomplished hackers/ex hackers, try to figure out which among them has hacked into the company mainframe. Replete with hacker references (and a healthy dosage of War Games refs) this one is a treat for anyone who has ever surfed the heavy digital waves.
The fifth play, Jack Hanrahan and the Trubulation of Doom, is a pastiche/send off on the old radio serials of the twenties and thirties. Written by Brent Cox and directed by Padraic Lillis, Trubulation feels like an actual radio broadcast with people acting it out, with little bits of narration thrown in to get rid of that nasty action and stick to dialogue (hey, this was radio, fight choreo didn't mean dick back then!). The cast featured the titular Hanrahan an American Everyman/Journalist, his young, perky, obviously sexually repressed ward, a mystically mysterious countess and a professor, known only as The Professor. This is an enjoyable romp (shit, did I just say romp?) down memory lane of how episodic shows were originally done.
The final play, and definitely a fan favorite, Lady Cryptozoologist, written and directed by Jeff Lewoncyk. In it's second season, Booze swigging, foul mouthed cryptozoologist Karma is brought out of exile as an eight grade teacher, to help locate a seemingly sentient form of soil, while trying to foil the advances of the Caliban League, lead by her ex, Bill the Yeti (who is, in fact, a Yeti). Lady Crypto is what you get when you cross Indiana Jones, Steve Irwin and Samuel L Jackson (when not dealing with those mothafuckin snakes), and has all the excitement from all of them.
In the end, Saturday Night Saloon was a blast. Me and Brandon not only felt inspired in doing the show we were working on (more on that to come in another blog, dun-dun DUN!!) but we were also inspired to maybe try our hand in something for next years season.
You've won this round, again, VampireCowboys, you've won this round
(Saturday Night Saloon is the second saturday of the month from now until January. For more information, visit the VC website at www.vampirecowboys.com. No, I am not hired by them to do this, they are really the friggin good)
Going into the new film by Quentin Tarantino, I knew I was going to go into some amazing. Whether it was amazingly epic (a la Kill Bill) or amazingly wtf (Death Proof) was the question.
I am here to announce, that I got both. I got Amazingly WTF Epic
That is not a bad thing.
The whole premise of the movie is that it's a Spaghetti Western set in the backdrop of Nazi Occupied France. This becomes abundantly clear in the first five minutes when you hear the Ennio Marricone-esque music blaring on a peasant farmhouse, except instead of bandits or bounty hunters coming to break up the picturesque scenary, it's Nazi's led by Colonel Hans Landa (played by Christopher Waltz,).
Landa, with his keen intellect and his ironhand in the velvet glove questioning style, has referred to as The Jew Hunter. As Landa, Waltz is a constant threat on the screen. You know he's going to strike, it's just a matter of when, how. His very presence in a scene creates tension not just for the characters, but the audience as well.
Landa's American counterpart is Lt. Aldo Raine, played by Brad Pitt. Where Landa is suave, sophisticated and sharp. Aldo is as subtle as the baseballbat his second in command, Donnie Donowitz (director Eli Roth, in a very well played role) carries. Pitt's sole goal is to eat the scenery, chew with his mouth open, and then spit it into an overflowing spittoon. In the first few moments he's on the screen, Aldo Raine gives a speech where he demands the death, mutilization and denegration of any Nazi soldier they find, including collecting their scalps. I could almost imagine Patton giving a similar speech. I could almost imagine Patton, in the grave, going "Why the hell didn't I think of this!?"
In regards to the theme of the holocaust, I have to say that Tarantino surprised me in how thoughtful he was in his approach. Col. Landa goes into a long diatribe on the philosophy and mindset as to why he's hunting the jews for the Nazi's. Also, as a movie buff, Tarantino manages to slip in a heavy dose of his apparent appreciation for European Cinema from that era, A Goebbels film features heavily into the plot for the last act and is the justification for the discussions.
One thing I can see as a problem for some is that some chapters (Tarantino loves the five chapter format) tend to drag a little. This was also a problem in Death Proof aka, "bitches talk, get stoned, talk again, get drunk, talk again, die, cue new bitches to talk". However, it actually works in this film. In some regards, each chapter is it's own short film, with a beginning, middle and climax, chained together.
Coming out of this film, I found myself entertained, and feeling as if I had come out of an intstant classic. Many people would say that "it's not Pulp Fiction, it's not Resevoir Dogs." It doesn't have to be, and to compare it as such is unfair to him and all works in question.
This is a film that does not take itself seriously, but doesn't take itself lightly either. There are times when it points out to itself that it is a movie, and times where you are so engrossed you can't help to stare.
Take Care, and enjoy the movie
C
PS: Samuel L Jackson is still the Baddest Mothafucka on the Planet...end of story
Ok, this blog is a list of shit I would like to/need to do for NY Jedi.
1) Poker Night
I put out a story idea for a show for NYJ, based on the idea of a bunch of fighters telling stories during a poker game/drinking session, and then we'd reinact the fights as we are telling it. I still need to work out the kinks of the script. The biggest is the fact that I'm of the mind that I don't need to write a script, per se. The fights are being written by the cast members themselves and their fight partners. I would need more like a skeleton, a bare bone structure that sets the transition. This way, we can swap out fighters as necessary.
I don't have a definite deadline for this, but I personally want to have the skeleton done by Halloween. Personal Decision, also, that's the last of the main events for us for the season, it'd be nice to have something to work on while freezing our tits off at Ripley Grier in the dead of winter.
2) House of Wolves
Me and Brandon are continuing our fight to the tune of My Chemical Romance's song House of Wolves. It's the first time I've done anything this ambitious or meticulous. Everything has to follow the beat, any deviation and we're SOL. We've currently just past the first chorus, meaning we've now established our characters and intentions in regards to what the fight is and what it is about. Brandon thinks we can do it by October. We'll see.
3) Fights
The fight between Brandon and I is a Show Fight, meaning it is meant at performances, requires preparation and can't be done on a whim. However, I have lately been working on several pocket fights (because you can just pull it out of your pocket, for those of you playing at home) with Steve/Joga and Rich. It's actually good to do fight choreo outside of HoWs, and also frees me to do other stuff if Brandon isn't around.
One fight I want to do, and am looking forward to working on, is a fight with Juan. I want to do a send up of a fight from a Samurai flick between the two of us. This may mean scoping out fights from samurai films, sitting down and picking out pieces of fights.
I know, I suffer for my art...
Another thing I want to do is do a fight that utilizes my Jiujitsu a little. I studied how to divert and block weapons like bats and knives. I know I can't make physical contact with the blade, but I have a tool that all Jedis have: Teh Force. I'd like to also develop this into something further, possibly a class, but I'd need to work on it
4) ABCs
I wanna learn the ABC patterns. Not just study the charts (I've got at least three copies in my sword bag, messenger bag and clothes bag), but the actual movements and understanding exactly how the frick they work. This is partly because I like being able to have a base and being able to play around with it, and also, I would like to at some use it to teach a beginners class, tied in with Damon's Shii-Cho (it is lightsaber combat after all.). I know I'm not ready to do that (as of writing this, I'm coming up on my 6th month in Jedi), but I would like to put together a class at some point.
5) Soloform
This actually came out of boredom, to be honest. Everyone is working on fights, or teaching something to the other kids, or selling to the civillians, and the people I got a fight with are gone, what the hell, right? So I started working on a soloform. I'm using elements of Shii Cho, as developed by Damon (Note to Self: Even if I never meet him, owe him a big thank you), the samurai techniques Flynn taught us and a few things I've been thinking of.The best part: not done to music, which frees me of the pressure of keeping rhythm
So far I have an opening for it, and will work on it for however long it takes.
And that's it so far, a lot to work on, but a lot I think (and hope) I can do. I'll update this as I go on
Peace
C
