It is the responsibility of every writer, be it a news reporter or a critic to be honest in their endeavors. Readers can spot it when one tells the truth rather than what the writer thinks the truth SHOULD be and there is a big whopping difference. The only time a writer can get away with almost any type of bullshit is in fiction because the playing field is level there. Almost anything goes and the purists are losing control over the genre–whether it be vampire fiction, romance, etc…
If a writer is telling a story that can shake one’s emotions to the core, then let him/her have her day–as long as it IS IN the fiction realm. That is much more entertaining than these purists who come in and say, “Vampires can’t do this!” or “That character would not be able to do that in my opinion–” because those opinions simply do not matter in this day and age when anything can happen in a dream or a fantasy.
In the “Changing Tide of Movie Viewing”, I discussed what I see going on with how people in general view the movie critic. The critic is no longer the voice for the public because the public makes up its own mind what it wants to see–and the public is tired of all the Hollywood schlock. The public wants real stories, believable plots and things the whole family can enjoy. This is definitely a lesson Warner Bros. should have learned when it released “Dark Shadows” back in May. It bombed HERE because everyone who grew up on the original or watched the Dark Shadows Revival Series KNEW how the original writer and producer, the late Dan Curtis, envisioned it. They liked HIS vision and he knew what worked. It did well overseas and made its money and some profit because most European fans do not know the original and if they do, they wanted it changed.
Another assumption Hollywood has made in error is that baby boomers don’t tend to go to theaters. Not true. They do go–they just don’t like the constant marketing to teens, ‘tweens and the and Twilight Fiends…Sorry but it’s true. They want to see more of actors like Bruce Willis, Robert Redford, Michael Caine, Ben Cross, Eric Roberts and the list goes on. As for actresses, Helen Mirren, Melissa Leo and Dame Judith Dench have my vote…Chick flicks do not do much for the potential market Hollywood COULD have because there are more baby boomers on the planet than Gen X’ers…Go figure. The Expendables 2 was a nice break for the older audience because they got to see a lot of their favorites in ONE FILM. By the way, Dolph Lundgren is a talented actor and writer in his own right and is much under-rated. If you don’t believe me, watch “The Mechanik” (aka) “The Russian Specialist“. Ben Cross is also in this one and he makes it shine. The two together were awesome in that film.
Unfortunately the changes made to that movie script for the Dark Shadows movie rendered it to be an entirely different story than “Dark Shadows”. This vision that Tim Burton, Johnny Depp and Seth Grahame Smith had would have been better served for a remake of “The Fearless Vampire Killers“…Hopefully someone will do a decent remake of that one.
Now back to the premise of this post–writing…How one is going to write their stories or articles depends largely upon the audience which will read it, but if one is going to write a review–then watch the WHOLE movie, SERIES and/or listen to the WHOLE ALBUM before putting out the article. In fact, do so twice. You probably missed something the first time around. An audience member somehow, somewhere can spot it when you are trying to bullshit them simply because you don’t like the artists, actor, actress, writer, director, etc…and many readers will now begin to call a writer on the carpet for that crap. The market for writers is a hard one to break into as it is, but if you’re going to con your readers because you don’t like a person for whatever reason, you won’t get far with it.
I tend to be very blunt, honest and to the point when I write. Some can handle it, others cannot. It doesn’t bother me either way but somebody has to speak up about the nonsense going on in the field. I write from my perspective. I point out what I feel are strengths and weaknesses, but my focus tends to lie on the script writing and direction when it comes to films. Those are the building blocks of every picture–the very foundation–and if those are screwed up, the film will, most likely bomb. Star power does not always sell a picture, so when I see an actor’s or actress’s name attached to a picture that I KNOW would never take a junky part–I will go see that film each time that performer is in it. I watch for performances, sure–but most performances that go awry have more to do with the writing than anything else, I think.
Now if the movie is based on a novel, I try to read the novel first. However I didn’t follow that pattern with “The Help”. Either way, that film rocked and there is much more in the book, so if you go the book afterward, please read it!
I am in the process of writing a book now. It is called “From Cell to Cell” (at the moment). My life has been a journey, but only at this phase in my life have I found peace with it all. It is funny how one’s life can change in an instant and it can last for a lifetime–be it good or be it not so good. One lesson I did learn is that not all things that seem to make sense are the best things for us. We may think they are, but in the end, we may have ended up settling for second best out of fear. However we can make it good–but it takes two words “I WILL”–and when the door opens, we have to be willing to go through it at any age. Did you watch the “Shawshank Redemption“? I had a few moments standing in the rain enjoying the first taste of freedom in my life. For me that scene with Tim Robbins is very symbolic. I also recommend “The Green Mile” (RIP Michael Clarke Duncan 1957-2012–You will be missed).
As a writer it is best to remember two things: First, be honest. Second, don’t try to con the reader. It will lead to your undoing as a writer–especially if you are writing reviews or anything to do with History. When writing about History, it is best to stick to what is KNOWN to be fact and/or proven via a written record in the library stacks or film–not conjecture or opinions of other individuals. If you can piece something together into a logical pattern, say so and why. It is one thing to check a writer’s sources–but if the sources have been taken out of context to fit the writer’s opinion we have a duty to expose this. I’ve done it before. I’ll do it again. And I will save that topic for another post! Have a great weekend!
The world lost a very talented man when it lost this actor. Michael Clarke Duncan 1957-2012 (RIP)
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The Haunted Pen 