Tiff Review

As part of my work with Trad, I’m writing a review of a TIFF film. I won’t divulge too much yet, but the finished piece will likely be available in October and then I will repost here.

Due to COVID-19 TIFF is offering digital screenings and that’s how I’ll be taking in the movie. Hopefully, I’ll be able to see one in-person someday. The closest I’ve been to TIFF previously was the Cronenberg exhibit they hosted, which was an amazing experience. It included everything from behind-the-scenes content to exhibits and artifiacts from the movies, such as life-sized replicas of the pods from The Fly.

Matrix Resurrections

Update: Again, making a commitment to blog more often. The Alive rewrite is still trucking along at 26,000 words.

In the meantime, the trailer for Matrix: Resurrections dropped.

The Matrix is one of my favourite films of all time and I am in the camp that did not hate the sequels. I don’t think they’re as good as the first but I can still watch them.

There isn’t too much info about the plot synopsis. All we know is it takes place after the first trilogy.

From what we see here it looks like Neo is back in the Matrix, along with other older characters like Trinity. Apparently they’ve all been in this new Matrix for a while, with little recollection of their old lives. Then Morpheus (from what I have read he dies in a related online game after Matrix 3) or Morpheus’ homage frees him.

Firstly, I loved the references to the first film. The blue pills, the black cat, Alice in Wonderland. The song was perfect too.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was amazing in Watchmen so I’m excited to see what he does with this role. Keanu Reeves has also grown as an actor since The Matrix and while he might not compete with Yahya as an actor, John Wick has proved he can still carry a film. Then there is Carrie Anne Moss, who has been amazing in everything I’ve seen her in since (House of Cards and Iron Fist).

My only real concerns are the action sequences. The Matrix has always used CGI and lots of it. However, I feel like there are scenes from the original trilogy that look less CGI than what I’ve seen in this film. Plus, the release date isn’t too far off, so there isn’t that much time to clean it up. However, let me reserve some judgment on that until I see it. And I do plan to see it in theatres depending on how bad COVID-19 rates are in my city.

I felt the last line of the trailer was a bit on the nose, but I am excited to see Jonathan Groff in a role outside of Mindhunter.

Quick Thoughts on the Mandalorian

Remember the porgs in The Last Jedi?  I hated those things.

They had no impact on the plot and seem like they were there just to sell toys. After the third time the camera moved back to showing porgs I got really sick of them.

I had a similar feeling with Grogu originally. He was more central to the plot but I was initially disappointed that a story that seemed to have a lot of potential was being watered down to a babysitting one, like The Pacifier meets Star Wars.

A friend convinced me to get back into it and I’m glad I did. Although Grogu definitely helps to sell toys and play up the cute factor, the story that they created around him is actually well done and is a treat for Stars Wars fans of all ages since there is so much crossover or references to other properties.

I guess this is just a lesson on not judging a book by its cover.

Raising Dion and the “Nice Guy”

Update: Over the past few months I was focused on getting my first published credit. I was able to do so with Trad’s “Where is Jamaica” article. As much as I love the Trad project I also wanted another credit since the Trad article was due to me working with the magazine, and it wasn’t a creative piece.  Memory Catcher became my first published creative writing credit. Then Embers, and another story for Trad.

However, I realize that I want to get more serious about building a brand. I am happy with my credits but I also want to build the audience that will be reading any future ones. I have some great people in my corner who not only read my stories, but share them with others. Then I have some who keep saying they’ll check it out and don’t.

I’ve said it before but I am committed to getting back to blogging at least three times a week and this is the first blog post for that renewed resolution. Without further ado…

I started watching Raising Dion after a friend’s suggestion.Now, the main kid’s acting was so-so and some of the writing wasn’t the best, but I stuck with the show because it’s just one season.

The show follows a mother, Nicole (Alisha Wainwright), raising a child, Dion (Ja’Siah Young), who develops superpowers. I love superhero content, and am suffering from Marvel fatigue, so Raising Dion seemed perfect.

Nicole’s husband, Mark (Michael B. Jordan) passed away when Dion was younger. Pat, Mark’s best friend, helps Nicole with Dion by babysitting, picking him up for school and so on. The show made it clear early on that there would likely be some sort of love story with Pat and Nicole. Or maybe I assumed that since the formula for so many movies and TV shows is that any two single people who spend time together must hook up or fall in love at some point (real life didn’t work out like that for me).

Pat (Jason Ritter) is the typical nerdy, goofy character who has “friend zone” written all over him, according to the TV gods. However, he was one of the main reasons I stuck with the show and Ritter does a great job with the character. Pat was the most likeable character in the show, until this scene in episode 8.

Here, he falls into the “nice guy” trap and I’ve been there before, without realizing.

When I was in Grade 12 I had a huge crush on a girl in my grade. We hung out and talked a lot at school, but I should have known earlier that I was nothing more than a “nice guy” to her. She could vent about other guys to me, and tell me all about what she did with other guys. Meanwhile I let that happen because I was just happy to be in her vicinity. I was willing to settle for that kind of relationship because to me, it was better than nothing, and I thought that someday she would realize how great I was and want to date me.

It typically doesn’t work like that. My approach to that crush was misguided at best, disingenuous or manipulative at worst.

Pat makes the same mistake I did. Nicole admits she shouldn’t have leaned on him so much for help with Dion, and maybe she did take advantage of him. However, Pat let that happen. He didn’t have to make himself so available to her. He could have stepped back a bit. Originally I thought he was helping her out so much because of his desire to do right by Mark. If he was helping Nicole out simply because he wanted to, then there would be no issue there.

Instead, Pat reveals he expected something in return: a relationship. He felt entitled to that because of what he did for her. That entitlement sums up why some girls are wary of anyone who labels themselves as a “nice guy.” They think of the person who is willing to do whatever they think is necessary to hopefully get in a girl’s pants, instead of just being themselves.

I fell into this trap when I was in high school and sometimes in college too. I thought being “nice” could compensate for other things I lacked e.g. “Maybe I’m not as jacked as that guy but I can be nicer than him.” Typically, being nice isn’t enough. I had to work on developing myself. I socialized more and became less awkward. I understood that sometimes girls will just not be into you and you need to accept that. Maybe they only like guys with a certain build, skin tone, or a “stoner smile (a girl I know actually said this is one of the main things she looks for).” Hoping that being “nice” or even full on subservient will get their attention sexually is a bad strategy.

I’m on the Patman Hype Train

The first trailer for Matt Reeves’ The Batman dropped and it has made the film an even more anticipated 2021 release.

I have been looking forward to this since Ben Affleck was slated to direct, write and star. Batfleck was the best thing to come out of BatmanvsSuperman. Yes, the Martha scene and the result of it could have been handled better, but I loved Affleck’s portrayal of Batman. The suit, the voice, the fighting style, tactics etc. were all great.

When he dropped out completely I was curious to see who would come next. Robert Pattinson was not my ideal choice. I know his performances since Twilight have been praised but I still wasn’t sure if he could pull off this kind of role.

However, all of my doubts are out the window for now. I don’t like the cowl that much, but the rest of the suit looks great. Pattinson’s Year Two Batman looks leaner and more emotionally raw than the other ones we’ve seen and I’m looking forward to seeing this different interpretation.

One of my favourite Arkham Origins scenes is Alfred telling a younger Batman that he’s not a hardened vigilante, he’s a “rick kid with a trust fund and too much anger.” It looks like we’ll be getting some of that Batman.

There is talk of Hush possibly being a villain in the series. The glimpses of (I assume) The Riddler do look more like Hush. However, Reeves has said all the villains are just starting out, so we might not see all of their iconic costumes just yet.

When I played the Arkham series I always viewed Riddler as a Jigsaw-esque character and this film looks like it’s playing that up. The Riddler appears to basically be a serial killer dragging Batman along in a cat and mouse game, and I am excited to see that.

However, I do worry there might be too much to manage. We have The Penguin and Catwoman as well, and Spider-Man 3 still leaves a bad taste in my mouth about a film trying to do too much. Never mind, even BatmanvsSuperman brings up bad memories on that front. However, I will stay cautiously optimistic.

Penguin’s one line fits the trailer well but I have to say I hope his character isn’t supposed to be “fun” throughout the movie. I’m always reminded of Avengers: Age of Ultron, which was marketed very dark (at least with the teaser) and then ended up being one of the lightest films with a weak villain.

We will see, but I will be happy to eat my words if Pattinson ends up giving us an amazing performance.

Ozark Season 3: A Case Study

Spoilers for Ozark Season 3

So it’s been over a week since my last post, but I am trying to get back to posting at least three times a week. Like I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’ll likely be staying away from political posts now. Not because I’m not interested, but because I get sick of reciting the same points “e.g. racism is bad” to people who disagree. After a while, you realize that people who’ll argue points like that are not worth the time of day. In general, I’ve been staying away from political discussions online since you rarely change the mind of someone who wants to be wilfully ignorant e.g. “What do you mean Obama’s not Muslim!”

Anyways, recently finished Ozark season three. I thought the show could have ended with season two, but maybe that’s just because I am paranoid about shows going drastically downhill as they continue. Some people might think of Game of Thrones but my trauma goes back even further, looking at you Dexter. The plan is for five seasons, so let’s hope the show can continue strong for two more. I am generally less worried when a showrunner starts with a specific amount in mind. Generally, there is a better chance of the writing being consistent since there is a plan for where the show is supposed to go. The problem is when one season is planned but the show makes a lot of money, so they just keep cranking them out as long as they can. Even when there is great source material, like The Walking Dead, filler can end up killing good writing since the priority becomes keeping a cash cow on air as long as possible.

So, Ozark season three delivered the goods. Built on the themes, developed characters more, and was tense throughout. Season three also succeeded in making Charlotte Byrde a lot less of an idiot and introduced me to another Run the Jewels song, so I give it a lot of credit for that.

As I work through a rewrite of my fifth book, before rewriting my three other books (it’s too depressing to think about the future right now) I tend to analyze the writing in shows more. What does this scene help convey? Is the character motivation changing too quick? Are these actions consistent with the character’s past etc.

One of the first scenes in season three first came across like a setup for a plot point.

At first, I thought it might the school Charlotte and Jonah are attending. I was worried it might be introducing a high school drama subplot, which the show has generally done a good job of avoiding. The scene ends up making more sense in the context of what follows. We later learn this is Ben, Wendy’s brother. This incident is the reason he has to leave his job (there’s a warrant out for him) and go see his sister. It gives an indication of his bipolar disorder. At the time we don’t know he is bipolar, but we see why he’d have a hard time holding down a job. We see his anger (albeit justified) and how it manifests itself, and we get the feeling it’s going to cause problems in the Byrde’s lives.

So, a three-minute scene helps to set up one of the central conflicts and characters for season three. It’s the kind of writing I hope to pull off and maybe if I’m doing a decent job my fifth book won’t need yet another overhaul.

Lily Singh and Implicit Racism in Canada

So I came across this video on my recommended page, since I’ve watched others like it e.g. “Tom Hardy and Riz Ahmed teach British slang.”

There have been other “Canada slang” videos, such as the one with Will Arnett.

Arnett’s covered slang that is more well-known across the country. Singh’s (as she says in the video) covers slang that is more well-known around Toronto and the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). A lot of the comments (at least 1 in 5 from what I saw) complain about this.

These comments don’t say “Oh I didn’t know these, guess it’s more Toronto.” They are angry ones, as if they want to disown Toronto. Some say people should check out Arnett’s video instead, or that Vanity Fair should have used Seth Rogen instead.

What I got from these comments is: “I don’t associate multicultural Toronto with Canada. Get white people to do this instead with slang that most Canadians (the whites) will understand.”

You might think I’m reading too much into it but some comments full on say that black people are to blame for this slang that “isn’t real English.” Slang, by definition, isn’t proper English (or whatever language). If you target slang associated with a diverse population (and Jamaicans in particular) it says a lot about you.

Some people say they’ve lived in Toronto all their life and don’t know the slang, and that just shows how shelthered they are. They likely don’t listen to any R&B, hip-hop or rap because they have racist stereotypes about the genres, and they likely have no (or very few) friends of colour. I’m not saying every person of colour knows this slang but they are more likely to have come across it through their experiences growing up with other poc.

To the commenters complaining, poc aren’t part of their “real Canada.” Here, they get a poc doing a slang video about their country and they get triggered since the slang comes from an area that isn’t white enough for their liking.

Writing Update

Quick update, I’m about halfway through the Elseworld rewrite.

The first 20 or 30 pages were pretty much a complete rewrite. Instead of editing I was starting from scratch and creating a brand new setup for the story. As I get further into the story I still come across sections where I delete paragraphs of exposition or description at a time. I think there will be full rewrites for the story’s third act (which is quickly approaching). Fortunately, the parts that are easier to edit make the process less daunting. 500 words a day is a lot easier if a certain chunk only needs a few sentences cut out.

The critique group is really paying dividends.