RIP and Cold are BACK!
By bard noir | March 1, 2010
Well, RIP the series isn’t but Cold had a new episode come out.
A few weeks ago the link to the RIP site had stopped working for a while, and while I’d tried to update all the redirects on my site they just weren’t going to the proper pages. But, I’m happy to report that they are working now… not that anyone probably noticed they were broken.
In unrelated news, Crystal Witchery managed to stop living her life long enough to get Cold Companion 7 out. You should check it out at http://www.crystalwitchery.com/cold.html For those that aren’t familiar with the series might still recognize her unique style in Episode 4 “The Dark Slayer” of RIP. For those that are familiar with the series might NOT recognize me playing two characters.
Either way, it was one of my favorites because it brings a lot of the elements and characters together. It was one of the faster paced episodes so don’t think you can ever get too comfortable with one scene. As a writer I really like the way Crystal streamlined the dialog so that everything tells the story while moving it forward. Many things have to be implied regarding the back story, as hinted through conversations, but that just helps give the episode depth without adding time.
Since I play Jason, I had to have a sneak peak at Companion 8 and I’m rather excited to see what develops.
Topics: Machinima | No Comments »
Strange Phenomina has Houston in a Quandry…
By bard noir | December 4, 2009
By 10am, today, it was confirmed that some unknown force had caused flakes of ice to fall from the skies of Houston Texas! And while the best minds at Texas A&M are currently in seclusion and still trying to understand what this means, many have started turning to religion. Still others seem unaffected by this indicating either a certain knowing, or possibly denial.
Normally, December is simply considered an extension of Autumn, with short sleeves and the occasional leather jacket still complimenting cowboy hats and sunglasses. But today temperatures in the city seemed to plummet well below the normal 50 degree weather that the Lone Star state is accustomed to. As if that wasn’t enough to make even the oldest natives of H-Town flood hardware stores in desperate search for something called a ‘heater’, alarm started to rise as people realized that the ‘rain’ seemed to be falling in the form of light flakes of ice.
“This is crazy!” observed one woman in an HEB parking lot, as she shoved canned foods into her mini van. Local news, and I’m not making this up, is warning about traffic conditions and many offices are trying to close a half day early. Some schools have suspended their classes and sent the student home for an early start on their weekend. No doubt the students who can drive are simply going to be out on the same ice coated roads that the HISD didn’t want them driving home on in the first place, but then again the High Schools in this state have never really been that big on promoting a thought process anyway.
One thing that has started to weight on me is what this means for the world? I found out, through a reputable source, that there is no snow fall in New York. How is this possible? Morally the Big Apple is covered in 12 feet of snow while people in H-Town are tanning on the beach. But for a city that experiences 108 in the shade on a good day in the summer, to be feeling snow fall down on it while New York is flake free worries me.
Could this be a sign? Should we worry that the death of an innocent and a child born without a soul are next? I don’t know about anyone else, but I think I will keep an eye out for a man on a pale horse
Topics: Bard's Abyss | 2 Comments »
What you Won’t See in a Highlander Remake…
By bard noir | September 8, 2009
But SHOULD!
I’m posting this because I know, for a fact, that Davis-Panzer would never steal these ideas from me even if they could use them to save the franchise these men are trying to squeeze blood from. Lets face it, the biggest problem with Hollywood is the constant need to do things their way thinking they know what people want. The reality is that there are people, like me, ready to offer ideas and advice but Hollywood would never listen because someone like me doesn’t have 1 blockbuster hit and a string of dead and forgotten movies *cough*MarkStevenJohnson*couh*
Now, you might not be up to date on this so I’ll give you a quick back-story; The makers of “Highlander” are in the works for doing a “Highlander”-remake. That’s right, they are going back to remake a movie that shouldn’t have even had a sequel. But let’s put aside the fact that Hollywood has run out of ideas to the point of making movies that were already remade, again, and just look at the project as something we want to see succeed. Honestly I think we will find that it could be if they embraced a few changes. But it won’t be, and that’s because they will never do any of the following, even though they should:
1. Don’t Call it Highlaner:
Now, I understand that the hope is people who are fans of the original will want to see a remake so they will want to capitalize on something people recognize. But I assure you, this will be the first nail in the coffin of the Highlander franchise. First off, no one who’s a Highlander fan will appreciate their entire mythos being reworked… again. All that’s going to happen is alienation of the old fans, and hopes to recreate new ones. A plan that would only work when all us old fans are dead, so we can’t go around saying how much the remake sucks. Besides, the problem with the “Highlander” franchise is the name itself. The movie is about a Highlander who happens to be Immortal. You can’t have “Highlander” without a Highlander so you’ve already painted yourself in a corner. Connor MacLeod is the Highlander and Duncan was a Highlander but moving away from the MacLeod line gives you some maneuvering room with the franchise.
So what to call it then?
“Watcher Chronicles”, “Immortals”, “Sword of the Immortal” or anything that would draw someone’s attention but allowing you to have the choice to do something else. I like “Watcher Chronicles: the Highlander” or something similar. It puts you, the viewer, in the role of the Watcher (observer and record but never interfere) and you could have a sequel called “Watcher Chronicles: the Egyptian” and so on and so on. An entire series that doesn’t even have to be a continuation of a storyline and doesn’t have to follow the same characters/actors around all the time - what a concept!
They’ll never do it.
2. Stay away form the original cast/characters:
With the exception of one, which we will cover in a moment the original characters and cast should be wiped from the record. Don’t even mention Amanda or Duncan and don’t even give Adrian Paul so much as a Cameo. If you must bring in a Kurgan or Highlander to make the connection, then do so. I don’t see a problem with Connor, but certainly not the Connor MacLeod knock-off called Duncan. I don’t want to hear about Juan Sanchez Villa Lobos Ramierz or see a dragon head katana as all of those things should be left to the true fans, like little keepsakes from our past. Since Hollywood is obsessed with formula they will probably turn to old character or actors with big name draws.
But it’s the characters that pull us in, and the Connor MacLeod of the 1980’s isn’t interesting to the audiences of today. Duncan MacLeod has become so Gary Stu he simply isn’t flawed enough to be of interest, and Amanda isn’t strong enough to be as sexy as she was 10 years ago. But Hollywood seems to think they can capitalize on the popularity of characters from the past by exposing them to new pople. But that’s like some 47 year old man getting hair plugs, working out and throwing on his high school letter-man jacket and thinking he can score with 18 year old cheerleaders again… Unless you Al Bundy, good luck with that.
3. Focus the Movie on Methos instead of Connor/Duncan:
Yeah, this one probably comes out of left field, considering I just said “avoid the originals” I know. But I think the best bet is to intentionally break that rule and give Peter Wingfield whatever he wants to be the star of the movie and reprise his role as Methos. Methos was, by far, the most interesting character in the entire Highlander universe. The writers and producers struck gold when the came up with the character, and hit the lottery when they hired Peter to play the part. Methos/Peter would pull in all the fans to show, who you want in the first place. There is an entire fan base of people who would love Davis-Panzer forever, for saying they were bring Peter back as Methos to be the star of his own movie.
And, honestly, who wouldn’t want to see a Methos movie? A movie about a 5,000 year old immortal, former member of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is interesting enough on it’s own. And you can still pull to the appeal of fans from the series who remember that some of the best lines in the series were delivered by Methos like “[I am] a man born before the age of chivalry.” And who can forget the the “I was death…” speech?
Methos would bring back all the people who used to watch the original series and it would properly expose a new group to a very popular kind of character. The cash cow has never been Adrian Paul, and that’s where the producers have been making the mistake from day one. A Classic Heroic type like Duncan MacLeod is as antiquated as he is unpopular. People want Jack Sparrow, Captain Kirk and Wolverine who all fly in the face of a knight in shining armor type. They are flawed, self absorbed, and only do the right thing because it also happens to benefit them too. They are the kind of character women seem to love and men wish they could be. The next, closest thing, is Fitzcairn but only Rodger Daltry is alowed to play him and I think Peter has a look that’s more univerally appealing.
People would love it, but then you have to…
4. Kill Methos:
Yes, I said he should then be killed off and I know many would not agree with this idea of bring back Methos and forming an entire movie around him only to have the character die. But you need to end the connection to the show, and Peter cannot play that character forever but you want the franchise to go on forever. So you also need Methos’ death to hurt, to mean something. You need people to know that “there can be only one” and question who it could be in the following movies. You also need to sever that final tie to the original series once and for all. Up to this point, every movie has tried to be an extension of the show or some attempt to capitalize on it’s popularity. Killing Methos will be “letting go” of that and with his death you can finally move on to bigger and better things.
And when Methos is killed, it can’t be done by an Immortal. No one should be allowed to benefit from Methos’ death, so a Hunter should take him down on Holy Ground like the way Darius died. Maybe Methos sacrifices himself for once, and puts his own life aside for someone else, someone like Alexa who he could love and not live without. Since she would one day die, he knows that he would one day have no reason to live. It would be poetic and it would be a great way to return Methos’ “humanity” in the end. It’s the kind of story that would appeal to people now because I think our audiences are finally ready to look at the pain of loss and the cost of love… “Who wants to live forever, when love must die…” ~Queen
So that’s the formula:
From here it doesn’t matter if it’s Conner, Duncan or Fitzcairn that’s remade from the ground up. Hell, get an all new Duncan MacLeod played by Gerard Butler for all I care. I think he’d be great to be honest and I’m sure there are many women who’d agree. But make him a more hollow and heart broken Duncan who has never been allowed to find a one true love, he probably fights drunk and pushes people away because he’s strong on the outside but always hurting inside. Or do an entire movie around Kenny, they 10 year old Immortal (but kill him off please) who’s been around for 1,000 years conning people. He’d be a great villain if you ask me. It’s like “The Omen” if Damien were an expert with a short sword.
There’s so much that could be done but, as I said, the Producers focus on one word “Highalander” and that forces us to focus on one character. It’s not a bad concept, Immortals who are born fighting to the death until only one remains is briliant but the execution past the first movie has been lacking. In fact, that seems to be the biggest problem Hollywood has the days. There are good ideas out there, but someone always drops the ball.
I hope, and pray, that the day will come when I have to eat the following words (but I doubt that will happen):
I tried to save the Highlander franchise… but as Methos once said “I’m just a guy.”
Topics: Bard's Abyss | No Comments »
“Wet” (the Game) just get better…
By bard noir | September 4, 2009
For those that are out of the loop, I’ll quickly explain that there is a new console game coming out for my beloved XBox 360 called “Wet”. The best way I could describe this game is to say that it looks like ”Stranglehold” meets “Max Payne” as imagined by Quentin Taratino and produced by Bethesda featuring a character who makes Lara Croft look like Safari Vacation Barbie. In short, I was drooling the moment I saw the trailer.
What makes this game so different from just everything out there is the visual style and the interaction. From the trailers Rubi (the main character) is built less like Pam Anderson and more like Mila Jovovich. From the moment you see her, inked up like Kat Von D, you know this is a girl who probably could take out a room full of mobsters with a six shooter and pair of chop sticks. In the sequences from the trailer she’s seen leaping through the air and shooting opponents, hacking at them with what appears to be either a Chinese styled broad sword or a stylized Katana and at one point jumping on the roofs of moving cars in the most creative (if not impossible) approach to a car chase imagined.
Like “Max Payne” there is a Bullet Time of sorts as Rubi does acrobatics, causing the game to slow down which allows you to target multiple opponents better. And while this may seem like a rip off, it is actually a very practical approached if anyone’s ever played John Woo’s “Stranglehold”. In a scene during that game you’re allowed to jump up on a rail and slide down while shooting at enemies. While this is very cool in concept, the problem was you had to go from right to left picking off people shooting back at you, but by the time you’d get the enemy in your cross hairs you’re passing him. Now you have to switch targets but can’t seem to move quickly enough to take out the new target. If the game had slowed down to let me target better this wouldn’t have looked like amature hour at a skate park.
So from the game play ideas and visuals alone this looked like a very exciting game, and one that I was assuming I would rent or maybe buy used. That was until, someone upped the stakes. You see, it now seems that Eliza Dushku is voicing the main character Rubi Malone. I almost found myself pre-ordering this game.
Here is the link to the actual game and you can see for yourself – http://wet.bethsoft.com
Hmmm……. Eliza Dushku.
Topics: Games | No Comments »
NaNoWriMo: A Journey Within
By bard noir | August 19, 2009
So, as I announced recently, I’m diving into NaNoWriMo.org this year and to get ready for this I’ve start looking up how I need to prepare for writing a book, let alone one in 30 days. And I have to say, that even though it’s only Mid Aug and I am not to write A word before Nov 1st I’ve already started to learn quite about this process. Ironically enough, the process is *gasp* to write a book!
Say, isn’t this something I’ve always said I wanted to do and never got around to it? Is it possible that this NaNoWriMo thing is exactly what I needed? Is this just one more example of something I waited too long to do? I think many of us reach a point in our life and ask “What if?” questions. What if someone would have noticed that I like to tell stories? What if a teacher would have encouraged me to pay attention in English and keep writing? What if I would have decided to try this NaNoWriMo thing when I first heard about it 3 years earlier?
I think fear of the unknown and failure are the two things that hold us back the most. We ask if something is possible or real. Only recently have I truly started to grasp the concept that someone has to win the lottery. The biggest problem I see, time and time again, is that people compare themselves and others to everyone else. I know a guy who was a great director and put all his passion into a low budget movie. Sure, not everyone can be the next Tim Burton or Martin Scorsese and I know I probably can’t, but just because myself and everyone else I know would probably never make it as a Hollywood director doesn’t mean he couldn’t. Now, if I were better than he for any reason the question now is about drive and that’s what makes the difference.
I heard a story once, from Tony Robbins about Harland Sanders who supposedly had 1,009 rejections when he tried to sell his fired chicken recipe at age 65. It makes me wonder; If you’re meant to do something, is it ever too late? Or does destiny keep waiting around for you to finally get a clue? Cearly that drive is what makes the difference. Could anyone have sold a chicken recipe and had a $2 million dollar franchise in 9 years? Well, neither would Sanders, had he not had the drive to keep trying.
You can chicken and egg the whole thing (no pun intended). Did Sanders succeed because he had a great recipe or did he succeed because he had great determination? Maybe it was both, but it’s clear he believed in it. That, above all, is probably a more important factor to the equation. The debate still rages if great writers are born or made. Stephen King tells about how he had a stack of rejection letters nailed to his wall in his youth. In his book “On Writing” he said he resubmitted a story that was rejected to the same people who originally rejected it only to have them love it… of course by then he was a well known author but the point was that your story might not be a bad story, it’s just wasn’t supposed to be released yet.
So back to my own writings, and the story I intend to tell. I have two plots now, both somewhat personal. There’s also the life story I still intend to tell one day, when I’m brave enough to let the skeletons of my family out of the closet to total strangers. But it’s the lessons I’ve learned along the way that I hope others learn from. And while NaNoWriMo is more for fun it’s a good exercise.
And if this post is anything of a clue I don’t think I’ll have an issue coming up with 50,000 words in 30 days.
Topics: Bard's Abyss | No Comments »