When Fans Attack!

Disclaimer: I know for a fact I have young readers so read with caution. I don't want your parents pissed at me.

I am a very accomplished fan. Most fans have not done or seen half the stuff I've participated in. Most fans will never get to meet the man that makes them brain dead or travel thousands of miles to hear their favorite authors read excerpts from books yet to be written. I've been backstage, chatted with producers, toasted with musicians... you get the picture. Yes, I am bragging and pointing out that it is all about location and lots of luck. I'm passionate about the stuff I love. Based on those experiences, this is where this sudden tirade comes from.

There is a point when fans become too involved though.

They sit at their computers and bitch and complain about every little thing wrong about their beloved obsession and curse the production teams of said obsession to the lowliest depths of Hell.
The ratings dip slightly and suddenly it signifies the displeasure of the fan base. [Not necessarily, folks.] Critics who will never win a Pulitzer prize are suddenly trusted. They, the fans, feel the need to start voicing their opinions and start telling the producers and actors how the show should run. They're "the fans," of course they know best.

Seriously, shut the hell up for just a minute and listen to yourselves.

How many people read a novel half way through and then tell the writer that they don't like how it's progressing so fix it? How do you know the ending isn't the one you want already or once you see the bigger picture that you won't love it? If the writer is anything like yours truly, they'd tell you to stick to your day job, finish reading the bloody book, and then pass judgment. Or burn the fucking book and see how much I care. I'm not making you read. Writers already have a blurry vision of what the future will be. They write and explore the natural progression of the story line. If it takes them to some depressing and dark places, they go on because its what feels right. Some writers express surprise at how a story turns out.

Jo Rowling said something similar. Once she finished "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," she thought, "People are going to hate this." And they did. There are still people who write to her and beg her to right her "wrongs". "Please, Snape couldn't have died!" "NO, you can't have it end with Harry alive!" "You have to write an eighth book!" She's not going to fix any of the above. It's not that she doesn't care about fans; its that Potter is her creation and what she says, goes. She has stayed true to herself and her work. For her, writing is her art. And people tend to forget for those thousands who hated it, millions cried with joy. Fans who hated it thought they were the majority like most fans who hate what's happening in their fandoms.

So if you're one of the above people who send hundreds of letters, messages, emails, tweets, or anything voicing your displeasure, good for you. It's your right. Just don't be pissed when you get a "thanks, but no thanks" reply. They don't tell you how to do your job so stop telling them how to do theirs. Don't be a tosser and obnoxious prat. Don't become indignant because "they aren't listening to ME; how dare they!" Who the fuck are you to them?! Really, the complete narcissism of some fans is astounding.

So to end on a (kind of) positive note: be patient, trust that the writers know what they're doing [because they do], and then judge the whole story once it is revealed.

[To the fans this is directed to: take a deep breath. We know the story is going into some serious shit, but keep faith and stick it out. We'll be okay.]

New Moon

First and foremost, mostly everyone knows I am not a hardcore fan. I like the stories but know that they will never be classics, nor will they be literature. The Twilight books are a step above harlequin romance novels. Or maybe only half a step. Anyway, they are a guilty pleasure.

I liked New Moon so much more than Twilight. Twilight felt like a badly done art film trying to appeal to the "indie" kid in everyone. Enough with the first movie. The acting in this movie left much to be desired, but they could improve with the third film. I have a lot of hope with Eclipse. Director David Slade also directed 30 Days of Night, an excellent vampire film. His vampires were primal, fierce, deadly, and savage. Eclipse has a lot of fight scenes in it so I'm hoping for some insane choreography. Pattinson's accent still has something that bugs me. Taylor needed to blink a little more naturally and speak his lines with less drama. He would do well on a soap opera. Luckily I had a row in the theater by myself since I had to stifle my laughter at that thought.Michael Sheen. That man stole the movie with his scenes. His Aro was equally sophisticated, creepy, and frightening. He was the undisputed leader. Spot on with the casting! I can't wait to see how he does in the fourth film. The fights in those scenes were excellently done. The slow-fast motion pace in which they were filmed brought out the best perspective.

Overall, the fluffy, closet romantic enjoyed the movie. I'd go see it again!

Film Accuracy, or why "Sherlock Holmes" is going to ruin an Icon.

If there is one thing I can pride myself on being regarding films, is that I am a purist. If I could, I would put every piece of dialogue from a novel into its film adaptation. I think that is why I love Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet so much. You could flip through basically every page in the play and follow along in the movie (all 242 minutes of it). Yes, certain scenes were switched around; however they were done in order to keep the story linear on the screen. Branagh didn't give the Prince of Denmark superpowers or anything else as fantastical as that.

I think that is my main problem with Sherlock Holmes. Holmes, as even Conan Doyle has written, was not a handsome man nor one who did "brute work." Watching the trailer for the new movie had me gagging just a little. They (the collective "Hollywood") have made him into a bloody comic book character! And before anyone argues, Guy Ritchie pitched the movie in comic book form. That was the only way Warner Bros. was going to agree to make the film. If this film is successful they will be doing [dreaded] sequels to create a new franchise.

After reading several reviews, Hugh Laurie's House is closer to Holmes than Downey's. Holmes is not a superhero. Holmes was not a nice character. He was disagreeable, a cocaine addict, experimented with other drugs "to relieve the boredom between cases," not afraid to break the law, and was a racist ("along with having a deep mistrust of foreigners") and chauvinist. If anyone did a close adaptation in today's filmland, the MPAA would assign it an R rating. I personally love the character because he is an anti-hero.

I fear anyone who will read the complete works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle after seeing the movie will become quickly bored and disinterested for the lack of "action." Action has taken over the observation aspect in this movie. How the hell is Holmes going to solve the case without observation, his trademark? Ritchie will be smart and try to sprinkle in some "clues." Conan Doyle would be rolling in his grave if he found out Holmes had "inspiration" or a "light-bulb" moment without the appropriate clues. The audience needs to be able to piece together the mystery in the second viewing themselves. If they cannot do that, the film has failed miserably.

Hopefully kids will see the movie and then read the original stories. Anything that gets people reading is good, my public service announcement of the day. It will be a measure of their character if they can understand and appreciate the real Holmes though.

Welcome to the Beginning of the Rest of Your Life.

This will be short and pithy to allow you, humble readers, to know that I am still alive. Yes, I am still here even though my last post was on August 2nd. Even that last post was late and horribly rushed.

Alas, I shall endeavor to neglect this blog no longer!

My new hobby was stealing away all my writings. For now on, I'll be writing everything here first and posting what I've written on other sites I'm affiliated with instead of keeping everything separate. I've watched films that need to be discussed and read books that do need to be stricken from my mind. I will be back berating lazy critics for not doing their research properly in regards to the books and films they review. I'll rant on the current politics that no one seems to be ranting about. I will write stories that are steeped in truth yet so far-fetched most will question whether I am lucky or a BS-er.

So without further ado, sit down, pick your poison, and enjoy.