I am the one who writes.....about Breaking Bad.

When Walter White says nothing, that’s when I start to worry about what’s about to happen. He likes to bark and snap and threaten. He wants you to say his name and know that he is the one who knocks. However, for my money, there is nothing more menacing then Walter White at his most quiet. 

After a long hiatus, Breaking Bad came back and like the approaching end of a great book, I’m feeling dread and anticipation simultaneously. I can’t wait to see the end and I never want it to end. 

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more interesting character arc then the one experienced by Walter White. He starts as a high school chemistry teacher stricken with cancer, who turns to making meth to make money for the family he will leave behind. He ends up as a drug kingpin, who has ruthlessly murdered his enemies and innocents alike. He has gone from fearful to sinister. 

I once compared Walter to Tony Soprano, or rather that Walter’s story is how someone becomes a Tony Soprano. I think I have to revise that. Tony is a character of greed and sociopathy. Walter is a character eaten away not by avarice, but by his pride. His ego, his need to win, his need to show everyone that he is strong and smart and can’t be beaten has destroyed any hope for redemption of him. 

Not that he would want it. Walter never asks for forgiveness. 

Not that I really want him to. When I started watching this show, I wanted Walt to get away with it. Now I just want to know how he will pay for his sins. 

Soon enough, I guess I will find out. 

Please Read: SAVE YOURSELF

Patrick Cusimano is a young man alone. His brother and father have turned against him after he turned in his father for a drunken hit and run in which he killed a small child. The town has turned against him because it took him 24 hours before he could turn him in. He works the late shift at a convenience store, and has fallen in love with his brother’s girlfriend. 

Verna Elshere is a freshman in high school, the daughter of fundamentalist parents. She is the victim of school bullies because her father led the charge to have a popular teacher fired over teaching sex ed. She falls in with her sister’s friends, a collection of Goths who have dark plans for her. 

Patrick and Verna are tied together by Verna’s sister Layla, a beautiful Goth girl who develops a strange fascination with Patrick. As he spends more time with her, she unknowingly puts both him and Verna on a path towards finding their inner peace, but not before they become involved in a dangerous plan. 

Save Yourself is the third book from Kelly Braffet and it’s as dark and twisty as a great thriller and as compelling and rich as the best dramas. I picked it up to read a few months back for work, and wasn’t sure what to expect. This book enthralled me almost instantly. The characters resonate with emotional honesty and you can’t help but feel their pain as they struggle on their way. 

I don’t know if this book will get wide reviews or huge publicity. But it should. This is the kind of book that deserves to be on a lot o year end top ten lists. It will be on mine. 

Thoughts on Iron Man 3 or Why Won't He Put The Suit On?

So let’s talk Iron Man 3, shall we? I think I was like every other card carrying nerd out there and felt disappointment with Iron Man 2. I mean it was ok, but it was so much slower then the fantastic first film and pretty much wasted Mickey Rourke. I mean how do you waste Mickey Rourke? That man was born to chew scenery. So I went into Iron Man 3 hoping for the best and expecting the worst.  

It definitely gave me a bit of both. 

I want to just get the plot out of the way. Iron Man must face off against The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) and Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) and their army of super soldiers powered by a process called Extremis, making them super strong, super fast, heal quickly, and become super hot. Oh and they explode from time to time. By the end of the movie Tony Stark has to deal with saving the country, saving the girl, and dealing with the emotional aftermath of The Avengers, where what he saw has given him a case of PTSD. There. That’s the story and it works for what it needs to do which is provide a framework for big explosive action set pieces. 

These pieces do not disappoint. From an attack on Stark’s house, to an air rescue scene (done with 13 sky divers the old fashioned way), to the big finale of super soldiers vs multiple Iron Men, the movie moves along quickly and satisfyingly. It has the feel of an old school 80’s action movie, not surprisingly since it’s written and directed by Shane Black, author of such classics as Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout. 

Robert Downey Jr has in my mind, always been an inspired choice for Tony Stark and has brought with him this swaggering, hilarious, charismatic energy to the role. Even in the dullest moments, he always gives us something to watch even in just his mannerisms and movements. These aren’t the kind of movies that provide chances for meaty dramatic roles, but Downey makes the most of them. 

Unfortunately, the film turns into a colossal mess in the final third. I love the big twist of the Mandarin reveal at the end, and it allows Ben Kingsley to almost steal the movie right out from under Downey’s nose. However, the plot makes zero sense. Tony displays insane secret agent skills from apparently nowhere. The villains master plan seems straight out of a Bond movie and just as intelligent. Stakes are raised but never dealt with. It’s sloppy writing, pure and simple. 

The final set piece has Downey out of the armor more than he is in it. I have a pet peeve about superhero movies where they feel the need to have the character pull the mask off in the middle of a fight. Its just always seems so forced. In this case for a movie called Iron Man, I was hoping for a bit more of Iron Man doing the fighting, not Tony Stark. 

Overall, though, Iron Man 3 is much more enjoyable than the last one. It’s a nice start to a new cycle of Marvel films and a fun way to spend a couple of hours. 

A Night With The Book Of Mormon

Haven’t been able to get on here to blog for a while. Work and life and all their various pleasures and pains conspired to keep me from writing. But last night I finally got a chance to see the Tony winning Book of Mormon and felt compelled to write about it.


If you haven’t seen it yet, then I must insist you stop reading right now. Part of my enjoyment of the show is in not knowing the complete details of the show and enjoying each hilarious surprise. So don’t allow me to spoil the pleasure for you if you intend to see it.

The Book of Mormon is one of those experiences that truly lives up to the hype surrounding it. It’s hilarious, slightly twisted, and charming. It’s the story of young Mormon missionaries sent to Uganda to convert the locals. Expecting The Lion King, they instead find a village full with crime, Aids, and a populace terrified of the local warlord General Butt Fucking Naked and his plans to circumcise all the women in the village. The boys have to overcome all of these obstacles to convert the locals so that they may do something incredible and blowing “God’s freaking mind.”

Storywise, the show is full of the usual clichés and tropes. What brings the show to life is the magic that creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone brought to South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. It’s clear that they have an unbridled love for musicals and that this is no parody but a traditional musical filtered through their own deliciously demented world view.

I mean who else would dare to tackle not only female genital mutilation, but the basic absurdities at the core of all religions. Not always the lightest of topics, but they manage balance it perfectly with their goofy poop humor. You will never laugh as hard as when you hear the phrase “magical fuck frog”.

Although not the original cast, the current ensemble is quite strong and funny, and I have to say I really enjoyed the chorus of Mormon’s who play a number of roles. They had a goofy infectiousness to their performances that made me smile.

Since telling people that I got tickets for Book of Mormon, I have heard so many times from people that they want to go. Now that I’ve seen it, I want to go again.

Eating Cheesesteaks in Philadelphia

Sometimes you need to just get away for a day or two. That’s what I did today, hitting the road for a trip to Philadelphia. 

Truthfully, Philly wouldn’t have been my first choice, no matter how much I love It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. But my roommate has always wanted to go and shoot photos there. So we rented a car and drove down. It was also a chance for take my puppy on her first road trip. 

We spent most of the day wandering the historic district. I have been to Philadelphia before but never really spent time there. I loved seeing the old buildings and the beautiful public squares. My roommate took some amazing photos that you will be able to see at her website soon. (www.cazmckinnon.com) Lavinia even made a friend in Ava, a six month old Poodle / Yorkie mix. 

Of course the real highlight of the day was a Philly cheesesteak taste test between the two local legends: Pat’s and Geno’s. I had always heard that these two were the classics and the best in the city, but everyone debates which is better. I wanted to decide on my own. 

So after eating a sandwich at each place (and oh, how I will pay for that), I can unequivocally say that it’s Pat’s all the way. Their meat is better seasoned and frankly their chopped up beef just tasted better than Geno’s slices. Also, Geno’s was swimming in cheese. I love cheese, but even that was too much for me. Pat’s was just perfect and delicious.  

Now I will be craving Pat’s sandwiches for the next two months. Dammit. 

Tomorrow will be a visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to do my own personal recreation of the Rocky steps sequence. Using my dog. Because that’s how I roll. 

A Shout Out For Saga

About a year and a half ago I started going back to the comic book store after a lengthy hiatus. I wanted to dip my toes back into the comic world and started regularly checking out some of the new series coming out. But there was one series that was my impetus for this. 

That series was Saga by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples. 

I have been a huge fan of Vaughn’s work since I started reading Y The Last Man. His writing had a sense of wit and charm to it, yet never overwhelming the suspenseful core of the story. I became an instant fan of his and followed his work with great pleasure. 

Then he ran away to Hollywood and I expected him to be another Neil Gaiman, coming back to do a “special issue” here and there but never another long form series. 

So when Saga was announced, it was a huge event for comic fans, but it felt like a huge event for me personally. I could barely wait for the first issue and when it finally came, I was not disappointed. 

A quick recap of the premise: In another galaxy, two different cultures engage in a never ending war. Then opposing soldiers Marco and Alana fall in love, get married, and have a baby. Both sides want them killed and their baby captured, so they have to go on the run across the universe.

Of course that’s just the first issue. As the series has progressed, Vaughn has brought in an impressive supporting cast of grandparents, robot princes, bounty hunters, jilted ex lovers, and Lying Cat. He has also built this fabulously detailed story universe that just keeps enthralling me the further it goes. 

Vaughn is at the top of his game with Saga, and his creative partner Fiona Staples art is rich and textured and simply stunning. It’s easily the best comic going right now and each time I know an issue is coming out, I am giddy with anticipation. 

There have been a ton of rave reviews for Saga since it came out, and I didn’t want to write something that was just another voice in the symphony. I only write this because I am just so happy I get to live in a world with a new Brian Vaughn comic. Because its the simple things that sometimes can bring us the most joy. 

A Fresh Start

Film has always been a huge love of mine, ever since I first watched Twin Peaks. Ok, sure that was a TV show, but it was created by David Lynch. It was the first time I really started to understand what a film director was and how a director’s work can have its own personality. I felt compelled to watch his films. Which at the age of 15, is quite the eye opener (helloooooo Blue Velvet).

From there I started watching more and reading more. I discovered the greats and the classics. I even started writing films. At some point I had plans to make a film about a scientist who regresses into a murderous animal man. I still have that script, hidden away in a folder of other high school writings. 

I went to the film school at a university for two years. I wrote a few things I was proud of, and a few things I wasn’t. I also directed one or two things, but nothing I remember that well. I think my biggest writing fault was becoming so enamored with a tone or an idea, that i forgot to tell a story. It’s something I will have to watch out for going forward. 

But film school and I weren’t the best mix. Screenwriting was the only class I enjoyed at the end, so I moved over to English. I expanded what I wrote, but in my heart, I really wanted to write film. 

However, once I moved to New York after college, my drinking overtook my writing and any passion or drive dried up. Sure, I would get an idea for a story here and there. But I never wrote them down, and sooner or later they disappeared from my head. Now that I’m sober, I have been trying to find that passion again. 

Yesterday I spent my day in a screenwriting class. I am not sure if I learned anything new, per se. We discussed the proper format and structure. We talked about classic films and how the conflict and drama in their stories. At some point, the class was to work on their own stories. 

I had this nugget in my head of a story. I started to write it down without much of a clue of where it was going to go. About half way through the class, all of a sudden the story crystallized in my head and on the page. It was that eureka moment that every writer waits for. 

I don’t know how to explain how good that felt. To all of a sudden feel like maybe I had a story to tell after all and that maybe I still had some passion hidden inside me. It felt like I was getting back something I had lost. 

I have since begun working on the outline of this story, figuring out the twists and the characters. I think its a good solid story and one that I can make into a decent script if I am lucky. It feels good to be writing again. 

Finding the words

Trying to write on here is a bit of a struggle as late. I could blame a sick dog or work or a general busy-ness of life that’s stopping me, but that would be a cheat. 

Truth is am a huge procrastinator and this past week offered me a ton of great distractions. Plus, I just have had a bit of a difficult time getting back into the writing groove. I feel ideas percolating in my head but when it comes to putting the words down on paper they come out stiff and wooden. No life to them. 

So I will be taking things slowly on here. Finding the words takes time. 

In the meantime some quick hits:

FUN FILM I SAW: I watched PITCH PERFECT on dvd this past week. It’s not normally the type of film I would watch but the word of mouth was so great, I had to check it out. I was so glad I did. Sure the story of the all girl acapella group versus the all boy acapella group was predictable, but it had so much energy and humor to it that you can’t help but get sucked in. Anna Kendrick is really charming in the lead. If you don’t start singing along in the final performance, you have no soul.

FUN BOOK I AM READING: If you ever told me I would be reading a book that featured a chapter about Scritti Politti, I would probably tell you to get out of here with some swearing in the middle. But that is just what I am reading in RIP IT UP AND START AGAIN, a history of post punk music. Author Simon Reynolds is one of the best natural writers of music I have ever read and his way of describing a band’s music is vibrant and engrossing. My list of music to download has grown thanks to him. 

Bye bye Zombies, Hello Dragons

So The Walking Dead finished its third season last night and Game of Thrones started theirs. Has there ever been a better television time for geeks than now?


A few random thoughts on both (spoilers ahead):

So the Governor survived and Andrea died. The Walking Dead has now entered Dexter territory, deviating widely from the source material and creating a new story. I like that even as a fan of the comic series, I can no longer predict who will come and go and what stories they will tell.

In fact, it feels a bit like they are going to try and change the core idea of the book and series. The series has always been about this group of survivors that travels to a place, joins a society, and things tend to go to hell. But here, with the remnants of Woodbury joining them at the prison, the show looks like it will spend some time actually building a society. I’m fascinated to see where this is going to go.

How odd that if they took the opposite tack with Game of Thrones I would be horrified! I’m not even that obsessive a fan of the books, as I only started reading them because I knew the show was coming. But I was immediately engrossed by George R.R. Martin’s worldbuilding. To see it come to life each week in such a rich, layered way is just….WOW.

Of course I have always wondered what’s going to happen down the road when the series catches up to the books. At the rate Martin’s is putting them out, it would be incredibly lucky if book six was out in time for it to be adapted. But what will happen for the last book? Will they have to create their own ending or will Martin want the book’s ending spoiled?

Andrea’s death seemed like the only way out of the corner they had written her into. Her weird siding with the Governor and Woodbury over Michonne and her old comrades just became alienating. There wasn’t any way for them to come back from it that would have felt real.

Did anyone else notice how the two major deaths this season was about half the female cast? Those boys are going to get very lonely at the prison…..

Meanwhile, Peter Dinklage shows in every episode just how you steal an ensemble TV show. Tyron has always been my favorite character in the series and the way Dinklage brings him to life has made him my favorite character on the TV series as well.

I want a pet dragon.

The Doctor is in!

Last night I, like many other geeks, tuned into the return of Doctor Who. It was a big episode, with a new companion, a new Big Bad, and a new Tardis. Rather than review the episode (I enjoyed it immensely), here are just some random thoughts on the episode:

• ROCKET CYCLE!!!

• Jenna Louise Coleman has really made an impression on me as the new companion. First off I think she’s got a certain energy to her performance that can match Matt Smith’s manic doctor. Plus their chemistry is palpable. I’ve never been one to want the Doctor and his companions to hook up, but in this case, I would be willing to make an exception. 

• Something about the opening and the London setting reminded me a bit of Steven Moffat’s other great series Sherlock. England has always been in the Doctor’s DNA and last night’s episode really had that on display (it reminded me as well of Skyfall, where London was practically a character of the story). 

• The reveal at the end of the Big Bad (I won’t spoil it) was a nice surprise. Is this the set up for the 50th anniversary? I have to admit his previous appearance hadn’t really struck me as memorable, but I will be interested in seeing where they go with it. 

• ROCKET CYCLE!!!!!

• Is it just me or does anyone else look forward to what I anticipate to be a catty first meeting between Clara and River Song?

I haven’t written anything for a while. Years in fact. I am hoping to change that. 

I used to write all the time. I mean in 5th Grade I wrote a whole play! A mystery, to be precise, set on an English estate. Reading it back, it’s hilariously bad, but I remember being so proud of it. The teacher had it bound up and it was on display for parent night. I still have it, sitting on top of my bookshelf. 

I used to write stories and scripts. I studied English in college. I wrote for my college newspaper. Then I moved to New York and soon my passion for writing began to disappear. 

I always thought that it just faded away, that it was a childhood pursuit that I lost interest in as I grew older. But lately I have begun to question this. I wonder now if the reason is because I was drinking my passion away. 

A year and a half ago I was forced to face the reality that I was an alcoholic. When I did, I had to accept responsibility and shame for many actions in my life that I am not proud of. I had to deal with repairing damage to friendships. I had to focus on becoming a sober person. That’s not as easy as you may think. 

But it hasn’t been all pain and revelations. I spent a lot of time relearning to enjoy life and all the entertainment New York City has to offer. I drove across the country and back, seeing America like I had always dreamed of doing. I recently became the proud owner of a young puppy that has taught me how to love something unconditionally. 

It’s in this that I have started to wonder if writing was something that didn’t disappear, but was submerged. If now that I am sober, that passion can be rekindled. I am unsure yet. This is the first thing I have written and I have mixed feelings about it. Its a start, anyway. That’s the important thing. 

So I will be trying to get back on here more, and working on writing some more for myself. Maybe it will come back, maybe its gone forever. I hope it is still there within me, just waiting to come back. I will be very curious to see what comes of all of this.