The Wild Blog in the West

Last time, I focused on the ways in which The Legend of Korra was intertwined with its predecessor, The Last Airbender , to the point where it's almost useless to compare them (though many will try).  This time, I want to focus on what made Korra such a great, and at times frustrating, show.  In many respects, it's more difficult than I thought because since the final Korrasami moment, news outlets have tripped over themselves (many of which had previously shown no interest) to glorify every aspect of the series.  Coming up with something unique and non cliched is rather difficult.  Maybe it would be easier if I began with the less impressive aspects of the series... The Less Good Some Choppy, Underdeveloped Plot Points.   I am mainly referring to the Season Two arc, but the same is true of the other seasons to an extent.  Season Two suffered from Nickelodeon's sudden reward of three additional Korra  seasons, forcing the Korra creators to scramble for a new story li

Beware of spoilers... When I did my first review for The Legend of Korra , I had seen only Book One and had no previous exposure to the Avatar  universe.  What little I knew about Avatar: The Last Airbender  came from the Nostalgia Critic review praising the series while rightfully ripping on the movie adaptation.  Now I come with a richer perspective, having having watched both series in their entirety, and I have one thing to say: Korrasami!!!!!! Just kidding.  I do want to talk about that, but it can wait.  First I want to focus on what else made The Legend of Korra such a memorable show. Background I already gave basic background about the Avatar universe in my previous review.  Both Avatar  series are set in a world parallel to our own, divided into four nations based on the elements: earth, fire, air, and water.  Inhabitants of these nations who can manipulate an element are known as "benders."  The Avatar is the only one who can manipulate all fo

I'm please to introduce guest blogger, Beth Kelly, who will give her take on Into the Woods, Sondheim, and other recent movie musicals. Theater lovers and cinephiles alike are buzzing about the movie adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Into the Woods . The play, which has been running in some form for the better part of two decades, is a darkly twisted take on some very near and dear fairy tales, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel. The plot twists and turns as the audience sees the characters they thought they knew in a whole new way. The movie, produced by Disney, stars well knowns such as Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp and Emily Blunt. Since "darkly twisted" and "Disney" are terms at odds with one another, some changes had to be made to the plot to make it a bit more family friendly. The original story line follows the baker and his wife, trying to break the curse of a witch so that they can have a child. The wi

It was so much easier to write long posts when I had more time off.  But anyway, to hit off January, here are some New Year's resolutions: 1.  To start sending query letters again for my novel , and to steel myself for the pain of many rejections... 2.  To write 300 words per day of my sequel novel.  So far easier said than done... I tend to get more writing done on weekends, and have close to 70 pages written. 3.  To make it through a whole episode of  Downton Abbey sober.  Rather difficult when you play drinking games based on certain show tendencies... 4.  To not throw things at the screen when I watch sports on television. 5.  To not throw things at the screen when I watch Mad Men 's likely unsatisfying conclusion, which is anything other than Don admitting his identity and surrendering himself to the police.  Though at this point, I would settle for Peggy getting a great promotion or starting her own agency.  She hasn't done anything good since Season Four.