The Wild Blog in the West

In American culture, whining is probably second only to murdering in terms of being a scorned activity.  Those who whine are labeled childish, selfish, soft, weak, lazy, lacking character, and "everything that's wrong with today."  Americans don't want whiners -- we want winners! Yet the definition of "whine" can be difficult to pin down.  Merriam-Webster Dictionary merely describes the sound -- "to utter a high-pitched plaintive or distressed cry" or "to complain with or as if with a whine."  As does the Free Dictionary: "To utter a plaintive, high-pitched, protracted sound, as in pain, fear, supplication, or complaint." So the sound isn't pleasant, but does that mean the reason for it should be ignored?  What is the fine line between a valid complaint and a "whine"? Maybe the answer lies in our view of the American ideal: the stoic, rugged individual who takes a single tree on a barren landscape and turn

At this point, it's becoming more difficult to find notable movie musicals made in the past 15 years.  Live-action musicals, that is -- of course there are countless animated ones.  There are a few obvious live-action musicals still left, but otherwise, I'm struggling to think of any.  That brings me to  Rock of Ages . Like Across the Universe and Mamma Mia! , Rock of Ages is a jukebox musical.  Unlike  Across the Universe ,  Rock of Ages  isn't "wrong" because its ambitions and creativity fell just short of the mark.  No, Rock of Ages  has very simple aims: be feel good and nostalgic.  Yet unlike  Mamma Mia! , Rock of Ages  does not fulfill these aims.  I am hard-pressed to think of a more blah musical. Rock of Ages began as a stage musical.  Whereas the other two jukebox musicals dug into the song catalogue of one band, Rock of Ages features songs from a variety of 1980s hard rock and "hair metal" bands: Journey, Guns N Roses, Bon Jovi, Def Leppar

... on television, that is. Warning for the squeamish: extensive, sometimes graphic, talk about nudity.  If that's not your thing, get out now.   I like when characters are not afraid to get naked on television.  The scenes on network TV where the woman and man sit post-coital, with the woman's chest carefully concealed, always make me snicker.  So I was grateful when premium cable channels like HBO said: "Fuck it all.  Let's show people the way they really are."  And real people get naked.  Not just above the waist, but below. However, there was a point where the nudity started to feel less "real" and more exploitative.  I feel this way often while watching Game of Thrones , but noticed it much sooner.  It was during an episode of Boardwalk Empire , a show that I've tried really hard to like, but which leaves me cold.  Investigators were in a coroner's office looking at the body of a murdered woman.  The corpse lay on the table completel

Years ago, I enrolled in a class through the UCLA Film and Television Department.  The purpose was to come up with a strong pitch for our film or television concept.  It was a small group of maybe five or six people, and the instructor was a former content advisor at one of the major networks.  Why "former" I never thought to question. Within two weeks, it became clear that our instructor had very set ideas about "good" concepts.  We listened and followed his advice because he was the expert.  Then when we brought our changes to him the next week, instead of commenting on how well the changes worked, he found something new to criticize.  No problem.  We would just keep revising until we satisfied him. Except that it turned out "satisfying" him meant conforming to his vision.  If you had a different idea, you were destined for failure.  One student absorbed his vision readily -- he was an admirer who had taken previous classes with the instructor.  Th

Normally I don't review College Humor 's brilliant trailers, but since I have a connection to Daria , I couldn't resist. The two-minute trailer features a live-action "movie" where Daria has come home for her 10-year high school reunion.  Suddenly she's dealing with the same stupidity... just 10 years older. Audrey Plaza does a nice job capturing Daria's voice and mannerisms.  The other stuff is pretty spot-on, too.  Some  Daria fans have complained about details that the trailer gets wrong, such as Daria being the valedictorian instead of Jodie.  To me, that misses the point.  The trailer isn't supposed to be a 100% accurate update of the cartoon: it is guessing what a Hollywood movie of the cartoon would look like. A Hollywood movie could have multiple writers, producers, and a director not familiar with the show.  That means details get missed.  The Daria the Movie fanfic spoof from years ago showed the worst-case scenario.  If anything

The last two segments of my novel are here and here . All three segments are in sequential order, but not back-to-back.  Given how long it will likely be before my novel is published, I'm afraid that if I release it chapter-by-chapter, the whole friggin' novel will be on the Internet before it sees print.  So my goal is to release samplers here and there that hopefully generate interest.   If you have feedback, you know the drill.  Also, for some reason, the formatting came out double-spaced this time, despite my efforts to make it like the other segments.  Enjoy!    ********************** Arthur rushed outside toward the commotion.  It came from a side street, but was spilling onto the high street, slowing traffic.  Arthur hoped that he was wrong, that it was something else.  Maybe some Strand workers had got into a brawl.  As he grew closer, he heard jeers.  “Where do you think you’re going, murderer?  Stay right where we can see you!”  Arthur felt a s

My last few posts have been a bit cranky, so time for something cheerful.  And few things are more cheerful than the 2008 musical,  Mamma Mia! . Mamma Mia! is based on the hugely popular West End jukebox musical, which was built from popular tunes by ABBA .  For those who don't know, ABBA was the first non-English-speaking band to enjoy huge success in the English-speaking pop world.  The band consisted of two men and two women from Sweden, and lasted from 1972 until 1982.  Even if you hate pop, you can't escape their songs, which include " Fernando ," " SOS ," and " Dancing Queen ." In 1997, British playwright Catherine Johnson wrote the stage musical, which premiered in London in 1999.  It was a smash, and made its Broadway debut in 2001, where it has played nonstop ever since.  From there, it was only a matter of time before a movie version premiered. That movie came in 2008, and went on to gross $600 million worldwide.  All of this succes

Warning: this post will be long.  If you do not like length, the exits are to the left and right. I have begun shopping my book around.  I typed "best query letters" into Google and came up with this page .  I followed its advice to the letter, and the advice of other "best query" sites, and sent out about 20 queries.  I have since learned that the advice on the pages is outdated.  I also learned something else uncomfortable: according to conventional wisdom, my novel is too long. How long?  A debut novel should be 80,000 words.  Who says?  Everyone.  Who is "everyone"?  I don't know. But everyone says that a debut novel should be between 80,000 and 100,000 words, and mine is well over that.  I can (and likely will) edit it down further, but it will always be a big book.  According to everyone, big books don't sell.  I can point to exceptions, but apparently I will never be one. I could protest, but everyone is probably right.  The modu

Oh whoops -- hey.  Didn't see you. Hello. You're one of those introverts, right?  You don't smile and you hate people? And a jolly good day to you, too, sir. Well you are, aren't you? Insofar as we are a "type," I guess so. So it's true you don't know how to be happy? False.  Introverts are as capable of happiness as anyone else. Then why does the media keep saying you're miserable? Probably because most of the media never look past the surface.  They see us standing by ourselves, not talking, and go "OMG, they must be sooooooo sad!1!1!1"  But the thing is, we're not sad by nature.  I like  spending time alone and not talking.  It makes me happy.  But somehow the media got it in their collective bubble head that if I'm not parading around drunk and topless on a homecoming float, if I'm not talking trash about my friends, my life choices are not worthy of attention, much less respect. Huh? You stopped l

My Across the Universe review should have sent the message that liking a movie and thinking that it works are two different things.  While I feel that Across the Universe had significant weaknesses, I have affection for it.  By contrast, I think that Chicago  (2002) executes very well... but it leaves me cold. It's not that I hate it.   Chicago is highly entertaining, filled with energy that rarely flags.  But there is nothing for me to hang my hat on: no one to root for and no appealing message. Yet my view is clearly in the minority, as  Chicago is both a commercial and critical darling.  Commercially, Chicago  is second only to Grease  at the box office, with more than $170 million.  Critically, it boasts a Certified Fresh rating of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes . It's easy to see why audiences would take to it, with its blend of energy and spectacle, but what's more interesting is why critics -- a notoriously difficult bunch -- seem to like it.  Energy and spectacle a

SPOILERS for all five novels in the A Song of Ice and Fire series.  This prediction thread is for the novels ONLY.  So if you are purely a fan of the TV show or have not read the novels, LEAVE NOW!!!!! Ahem. Since I've already done one lengthy post about Game of Thrones  and the A Song of Ice and Fire series, why not another one?  There are more predictions about the last two novels than you can shake a stick at.  If I were to post this on any dedicated message board, it would instantly be smothered by countless other thoughtful and incisive posts.  Fortunately, I have this blog, and can go as long-winded as I want.  Without further ado... Major Predictions for A Song of Ice and Fire 1.  Benjen Stark is Cold Hands.   Either that, or the "boss" of Cold Hands.  Benjen Stark has been hardly discussed since his first disappearance.  Martin never depicts his absence in the same melancholy fashion as he does other lost or dead characters, which makes me suspect that