Lost Thoughts - 5/18 - "What They Died For"

Nitpicks and Expectations

I hate being that guy. I do. But again, I sometimes I feel like I have to be. And I want this show to be about what happens to these characters. Unfortunately, I find myself to be rather frustrated knowing that there are two and a half hours left and there is so much that isn’t clear. The name of the episode is also "What they died for" yet Jacob really isn't completely clear on that either, even though he answers the question as if he gave a definitive answer.

As I stated earlier this season, the problem lies in expectations. Expectations over certain questions that need to be answered. But honestly there is a level of basic storytelling that I feel we haven’t quite met yet.

Rules, rules and more rules. Like being expected to answer a multiple choice test with an essay



So the Smoke Monster is a murderous dick at this point. I get that. What I don’t understand is why things are so dependent upon him not leaving. How is it that the light of the island affects the rest of the world? At this point I feel as if I can infer that Locke needs to exterminate the light in order to leave. His smokiness is tethered to the light, and only be exterminating it will he be able to leave. And the light is intrinsically tied to the protector. If the protector or any potential protectors are alive, then the light cannot be extinguished. Which explains Locke’s attempt to destroy all the candidates in one fell swoop.

The thing I’m still unclear about, and maybe I am just missing something, is why this light is just so damned important? If it goes out, what does that mean for the rest of the world? Mother (I really wish these people had actual names) said last week that the light was “life, death, rebirth. The source…the heart of the island”. Yet, on a macro level, are we to imply that this light has an effect on the world as a whole? Jacob mentions that everyone you ever cared about is in danger. But why? This to me is the crucial issue I have. I like to know, very specifically, what the stakes are. I find it difficult to get behind the motivations of the characters if I do not understand what the stakes are.

Plus with Desmond as this failsafe, wouldn’t the destruction of the island also result in the destruction of Locke? Locke doesn’t seem to think so, but if both sides think using Desmond is a viable option then which one is right?

Granted one could say that is irrelevant and focus on the fact that Locke killed their friends and a level of vengeance and justice is necessary as really that’s the only reason needed for him to be killed. But they continue to build up the importance of the island as a whole and a part of me just isn’t comprehending it.

Also, I really don’t understand the rules of ghosts on the island. Hurley can see ghosts. Fine. I can accept that. Miles can hear their thoughts after they died. That’s all right too. But when you have little baby Jacobs running around that everyone can see only to have some burning ashes turn Ghost Jacob corporeal, well, I can’t say I get that.

There can only be one.


This is unfortunate because I feel the episode was a very good episode and while it was ultimately a set-up episode, I put in motion things that will surely be more evident in the finale. Jack’s acceptance of his role as island’s protector was rather predictable, but I feel that either in the direction or the editing it was kind of an anti-climactic moment. Suddenly, Jack stands up and says “I’ll do it” without really any sort of build up. The entire season, if not the entire series, has been building up to that moment and it felt almost brushed aside. There should have been an epic sort of quality to the way he stood up and accepted his role.

The return of Ben was also welcome, as he was certainly missed the last couple episodes. There seems to be something up his sleeve. I can’t imagine that he is going to senselessly murder the remaining candidates after being manipulated by Locke so easily into killing Jacob. The murder of Widmore makes sense, given their history. But I cannot help but feel as if Widmore was dispatched far too easily. I still don’t fully understand his place on the show and what his intentions ever really were. I would have appreciated a little more clarity on that front.

Yet, clearly there was a sense of nostalgia that permeated much of the episode. Michael Giacchino’s season one theme that was present many times when the castaways were trying to just survive on the beach made its return tonight as Sawyer watched the wreckage of the sub wash up on the beach, echoing the way the characters watched the wreckage of 815 wash on shore so many years ago. There is no question that the intent was to elicit memories of those much simpler times in an attempt to put everything into perspective coming into the final hours of the show.

There is one Desmond…and he has a plan.



Surprisingly where the show was really fantastic was in the sideways world. The return of Rousseau was not something I had anticipated in this last year, and it was fun to see her as a single mother, possibly even with romantic undertones towards Ben. To have their lives mirror in a way what happened on the island (just with a whole lot less crazy) was certainly a fun thing to see. Not to mention Ana Lucia showing up again as apparently a rather easily corruptible cop.

And what can be said about Desmond? He is far and away my favorite character on the show. The way in which he carries himself in both timelines, his attitude, his undying love for Penelope, all of it is just extremely entertaining and I could watch a show just about him. The fact that he wasn’t even a full time player until season 3 is something that seems unfathomable at this point in the show. His nonchalance and deep purpose he has in reuniting all the characters who were supposed to be on the island is extraordinarily entertaining. He has a plan and he is executing it to a T.

Not only that, but these characters are apparently starting to get full recognition of their island lives, since Hurley was completely aware of Ana Lucia and who she is. And I cannot wait to see all of this culminate in the finale this upcoming Sunday.

Everything that has a beginning has an end.

There is no question I’m going to be partially let down when it’s all over. I feel at this point it’s inevitable. But if they do what they say they’re going to do and make it completely character centric, setting in motion much of the action and adventure Lost is known for, and pushing the mysteries off to the side, I feel as if they can really deliver something spectacular. What’s interesting is that I started writing this with deliberately negative thoughts. Yet, the more I think about the episode and how it sets things up, I find myself much more positive than I was when I began. There are certainly some nitpicks. I cannot argue that.

But when I look at the show as attempting to reach two specific goals, I feel much more positive about it. The first is Locke must be stopped on the island. He must be killed or destroyed or however you kill a monster made of smoke. The second goal is for the sideways characters to fully understand where they came from and connect that timeline with the timeline the audience has been following for the last six years. If those two things can be accomplished in an entertaining and emotional way, irrespective of any lingering questions, I feel that the finale will be a success.

Only 5 days until we find out for ourselves.

Robin Hood Review

Robin Hood is one of those movies that a people cannot help but ask themselves “Why?” There really does not seem to be any reason for this movie to have been made in the first place, but it was. Especially making what amounts to a prequel movie with such an aged cast. There certainly isn’t a lack of movies about Robin Hood so what does this one have that all the others don’t?

The answer to that question is nothing really. This movie is ultimately an exercise in pointless movie making, despite its ability to entertain for small segments. Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe team up again in what on the surface looks to be a medieval successor to “Gladiator”. Unfortunately the reality is far short of the greatness that was the 2000 Oscar winner.

Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) is an archer during King Richard the Lionhearted’s (Danny Houston) ten year crusade. When he objects to the way in which the crusaders carry out their heinous actions, Robin is punished and therefore intends to leave the army. On his way home, he encounters the dying Robert Locksley, who had just been ambushed in an attempt by Godfrey (Mark Strong) to help the French take over England. Robert tells Robin to take the sword he took from his father back home and Robin complies, meeting Robert’s widow Maid Marion (Cate Blanchett) in the process.

One of the things that really stands out is the way in which these actors are all so old given the fact that this takes place prior to Robin’s whole “rob from the rich and give to the poor” mantra. This wouldn’t be too much of a problem except early on in the movie, a character makes a reference that 40 years old is very old for the time, and clearly most of the main characters are approaching that age. Granted, everyone is in very good shape, but in the ten years since Gladiator, Russell Crowe’s face looks a little more like Baskin- Robin Hood than a younger version would.

The battle scenes are all surprisingly tame given Ridley Scott’s history of intense brutality, but they at least maintain a sense of excitement from time to time. The problem is that the battles don’t really seem to hold any meaning except to battle for battle’s sake. A subplot involving Robin’s long dead father attempts to give a little weight to his history but just feels rather tacked on. And the lack of chemistry between Crowe and Blanchett does nothing for the romance of the movie.

The story just plainly doesn’t hold up and creates this amalgamation of several different historical epics yet never really sticks to one. Which leads to a decided lack of understanding as to where everything is heading only to have events orchestrated in such a way that it all ends up at the start of the Robin Hood myth’s general beginning. If the story had been more cohesive and stronger arcs were given to characters, there could have been a pretty solid Robin Hood film somewhere in here. But what remains on screen is just your average medieval movie slightly heightened by a great cast and Ridley Scott’s direction.

GRADE: C+

Lost Thoughts 5/11 - Across the Sea

The Deconstruction of the Man in Black

So, that's it people. He has no name. The Man in Black will forever be The Man in Black (or MIB for short), which is something that I'm not particularly happy about. Granted, the overwhelming possibility of names would have ultimately been a let down but I feel like the Man in Black is such a nebulous name that I feel silly even typing it. Which I have done four times already in this one post.

But now we know the history. It may be a history that we were not expecting, and a history some may not even like, but ultimately here it is. And I find myself asking even more questions at times. Who were those other people? Was it a random occurrence they found the island or had they been looking for it in an explorers looking for the Fountain of Youth sense? Precisely what IS the Smoke Monster? These are questions that I'm essentially positive we will not be seeing the answers to. It's absolutely too late in the game to address them at this point, especially because there's no question that we'll be moving at breakneck speeds towards the end of it all after next week.

Casting all those concerns aside for a moment, was this episode entertaining? Was it necessary? And did we learn anything from it? I'd argue yes for the first, maybe for the second, and absolutely for the third.

Lost in Expectations

What this episode presented was an interesting parable about two brothers who, despite being raised the same, end up with completely opposite points of view. Their adoptive mother, a woman tasked with protecting this island at all costs from the danger that lies in the heart of the island, has no trust in humanity. And she clearly sees much of herself in The Man in Black, thus grooming him to be her successor. In fact, in the season 5 finale, MIB uses the exact same phrasing "They come. They fight. They destroy. They corrupt. It always ends the same." They ultimately have the same philosophy. Yet, he had no desire for such a life. Despite his status as the chosen one, MIB is more interested in seeing the world, now knowing his true origins and that a larger world exists. Meanwhile Jacob, who is arguably the better son by acting precisely how his mother wanted, is not given the same respect as his more subversive brother. And Jacob does all of this full well and knowing that his true mother was murdered by this woman who raised him. Yet, despite it all, Jacob is much more optimistic about humanity and their chances. He believes in their inherent goodness as opposed to the pessimism of MIB and Mother.

There was certainly an entertaining quality to the whole episode, watching neither of these characters become true bastions of good or evil. Both of them had a bit of a moral ambiguity that I felt would be not be nearly as prominent after the revelation of last week's episode. There was no question. The Man in Black was a bad man. Here he is just a man who wants to leave a place he was never supposed to be to begin with. His plight is certainly something that can be identified with on a basic level. And Allison Janney did a wonderful job as their rather jaded yet loving mother who apparently just wanted to be set free, as evidenced by her final "Thank you" to MIB after her murder.

The Necessity of the Island's History

There are three and a half hours of the show left. Last week's episode ended on this upswing of momentum that was obviously designed to propel us into the finale. And yet, we take a break from all of that to learn about characters who have literally been behind the scenes for the majority of the series. The result was an episode of Lost that on many levels didn't play as an episode of Lost. Much of the information that was learned could have been gained in conversations between characters. I do applaud the writers for attempting to do something very unconventional here in the last few hours. And I would argue that with a few tweaks this could have been an even better episode than it was, although I think it should have played earlier in the season.

One of my biggest complaints about the earlier episodes of the season was that we just had no idea what the stakes were. We didn't know which side was which or why the game was even being played. The writers said they wanted the audience to be unsure as to whether or not we could trust Locke, but after last week's episode it was clear that he was evil and needed to be stopped. The problem was, we didn't get that pure evil feeling from this week's episode either. This episode could have been placed VERY early in the season and it would have set up quite nicely what was occurring without all the uncertainty. And still, we could have believed that Locke's only goal was to leave the island and experience the world.

Information Overload and Some Rare Speculation

So what was gained by this episode? Well, I will say that I found the revelation of Adam and Eve to be interesting and enjoyable. That was one "question" I didn't feel ever really needed an answer though. I was perfectly content assuming that it was a man and wife who were shipwrecked on the island and died in the cave. Why people gravitated to that question is something that is beyond me, but it goes to show the level of detail many Lost fans expect.

There is a mystical aspect to the show that will never be explained, and that's something I have always expected. The question of where Jacob comes from is answered, but where his adoptive mother comes from will never be, which she addressed in her almost meta-comment when she told the birth mother "Your questions will only lead to more questions." I feel that it's something the audience just has to accept.

The wheel's creation was addressed, but still not fully explained, since Mother went and destroyed the well prior to MIB completing it. There was also a bit of a jump in scientific knowledge regarding mixing water and light and getting off the island. Going from "metal does weird things!" to "turning this wheel by mixing the light and water will create the necessary conditions for leaving the island!" seems to be quite the leap in scientific capabilities. Either way, I'm still unsure to who ultimately ended up finishing the job MIB started.

Now normally I attempt to stay away from speculation, since it's not my strong point. I have been wrong far more often than I'm right, but I feel as if the pieces put in place here will allow me to draw relatively solid conclusions based on the evidence we have been presented with thus far.

Here is the history of the island as I see it. The island has alway been there. Someone has always been there to protect it. The mystical forces at work have always been there. And here's where it gets extremely speculative: The smoke monster, an essence of evil, a harbinger of destruction, has always been there. Trapped within the confines of the "heart" the island. This was information Jacob didn't have. All he knew was that he needed to protect the island from people and protect this light. When he tossed his brother into the light, knowing that it wouldn't kill him, that existing essence merged with the essence of the Man in Black and their mutual desire to leave the island became one. The man, who wanted to see the world, and the monster who wants to destroy it. And in that connection, the monster was released from his holding cell and free to roam the prison of the island using the MIB as a vessel.

EDIT: So upon further reflection, I feel as if that theory is completely wrong. That the light at the heart of the island turned MIB INTO the smoke monster. They are not actually separate entities but one in the same. The power that exists at the heart is shared to an extent with the Man in Black. And therefore if he leaves the island, he takes the heart with him. Which apparently will destroy life as we know it. A bad thing.

Some might argue that the monster is not in fact, The Man in Black, but just going along in that body the same way that he is with John Locke. But to those people I ask why would a monster who is using the body of John Locke invoke the imagery, memory, and emotions of the Man in Black? He talked to Kate sharing the memories of his "crazy person" mother. He said he was once a human. He became incredibly distressed when he saw young Jacob in the jungle. Clearly this thing was once a man, and not just simply using a man as a vessel.

Yet, questions still remain. Questions that will never be answered. How was Jacob able to so easily travel to and from the island in the present? What was MIB's dead mother? Was she a manifestation of the island or a ghost in the Hurley sense of the word? Who finished the Donkey Wheel? And what exactly IS the smoke monster? I posited my own personal belief of what the monster is, but indeed that could turn out to be false.

What They Died for and The End
This was easily my longest Lost post to date, and with good reason. It opened and closed many doors on so many different subjects and elicited a number of different thoughts about the ultimate ending of the show. In 11 short days, it will all be over after the final three and a half hours and I am highly looking forward to it. There were elements of this episode that were mildly disappointing, but as a whole I think it stands up pretty well. The thing is that our collective imaginations are far more capable than those of a few writers in California and when a mystery is presented that takes so long to be resolved but is compelling during the act of the mystery itself, any revelation is probably going to be a let down. Especially when we find ourselves believing even a small element of truth in one moment but when the real truth is revealed, it ends up being completely unrelated. I'm happy with how this episode turned out and in a way it made me more comfortable with accepting things as they are. Mostly I'm happy that we finally understand who these characters are that have been so integral to not only this season, but to the entire series as a whole.

Iron Man 2 Review

The first Iron Man was a movie that essentially came from nowhere. The movie had few expectations and while people were optimistic, most just didn't know what to expect from it. Yet, it was subsequently released with almost universal critical praise and had the box office receipts to back up that assertion. So it was no surprise when a second movie was fast tracked for this upcoming weekend.

Except now there are expectations that weren't present before. A sequel to a successful movie usually has quite lofty expectations at that. But while Iron Man 2 didn't quite live up to those expectations, that didn't stop it from being an incredibly fun action movie that actually improves on the first in certain aspects.

Obviously everyone knows that Robert Downey Jr. returns as Tony Stark/Iron Man, who is relishing the fact that he is this worldwide superhero with none of the anguish of most characters who are forced into a double life. The fact that he accepts his dual role in the public eye makes him a different, and often times more entertaining, hero. Yet, he unfortunately is dealing with his power source that keeps him alive as the element that powers it is slowly poisoning his body. A battle he is content to deal with on his own.

Meanwhile, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), the son of a disgraced former colleague of Tony's father, takes the arc reactor technology and builds himself a similar armor and lives with the sole purpose of destroying Tony Stark in retaliation for what happened to his father. After he becomes bankrolled by Tony's business rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), the two work together to not only eclipse Tony Stark but also the Iron Man armor itself.

There is no question that the action is ramped up tremendously in this sequel. Several armored battles take place in a number of different locales that ratchet up the intensity from the first movie in which it was essentially Iron Man and Iron Monger bashing each other over and over again. The addition of War Machine into the mix, played by Don Cheadle who replaces Terrence Howard (which in my opinion is absolutely an upgrade), adds a level of teamwork that certainly works to make things more exciting. Because what's better than one Iron Man than two of them?

In addition, the humor quotient also seems to be much higher. For better or worse, this is a funnier movie than the first one. Almost all the characters seem to have funny lines, many of which appear to be rambling ad-libs that just happened to work for the scene. There's certainly a sense of fun that permeates the tone of the whole movie, but also emanates from the entire cast. The actors are all fantastic, including Scarlett Johansson, whose ability to fight and have screen presence against all these other acting heavyweights was quite a surprise. Every scene on its own was incredibly entertaining in its own right.

The problem lies is when you put it all together, the whole is less than the sum of its parts. The interesting thing about Tony Stark in the first movie was the fact that here was this war profiteer who couldn't seem to care about anyone but himself until he was placed in a situation that made him change his ways. His realization that weapons manufacturing was only causing problems within the world was the driving force behind who Iron Man was. Once that solution was created, he became the man he is in this movie. In addition to the fact that Obidiah Stane was Tony's mentor and friend. The fact that he ultimately betrays Tony creates a sense of connection in their final battle. And there's no such connection in this movie.

Yes, Hammer and Vanko are people who want to see Tony Stark destroyed, but he doesn't really care. They could be anyone. They are formidable foes to be sure, but there's not really any sense of connection between them. Vanko clearly has it out for Tony which certainly makes the audience understand where he is coming from, but this really poses no personal struggle for Stark. The only personal struggle in this movie is a slightly shoehorned-in subplot about Tony trying to connect with his long deceased father that ultimately rings flat. His only struggle is really to either accept his death at the hands of this thing that is keeping him alive or find a way to fix it. But at the end of the day, he's still essentially the same person.

This isn't the fault of any of the actors, who were all fantastic, or even Jon Favreau, whose direction is once again spot on. This is really the fault of screenwriter Justin Theroux, who fails to provide a narrative track upon which to follow and puts in too many characters without clearly defined narrative arcs. There is just this lack of cohesive focus that the first film had in spades. That's not to say there wasn't any at all, and by no means was the screenplay bad, it just lacked a connective tissue to give it more thematic weight.

Fortunately though, the film delivers a fantastic start to the summer movie-going season and is definitely another well-received entry into the Marvel universe. The way this Marvel Movie Universe is coming together, spearheaded by Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury, holds a lot of promise if done right. The movie was solid entertainment, even if it was a baby step back from the first film. Hopefully Favreau finds the time to tighten up the screenplay for the inevitable third installment of Iron Man to truly eclipse the first two.

GRADE: B

Lost Thoughts 5/5 - The Candidate

This, by far, is my favorite episode of the year.

The majority of this season there has been a lack of that "Lost" feeling. The feeling that I got in so many episodes that were thrilling, dramatic, and all around entertaining. But for much of this season, watching it was like putting together a puzzle when you couldn't see what the pieces were making. There were elements of entertainment, sure. Yet much of it was not all that thrilling. Fortunately, starting last week, that changed.

What changed is that the characters who we have been rooting for over these last six seasons finally started taking control instead of aimlessly wandering around. They were no longer waiting for things to happen but instead made the decision to formulate plans. Plans to get off the island. Plans to stop Locke from leaving. Not quite the same as hoping that someone tells them what to do and far more dramatic for that matter. And in that drama, the long Lost feeling returned.

First, the island story. Locke's plan to eliminate all of the Candidates made total sense but was absolutely a surprise. His long con firmly cemented his place as completely evil. The entire season, where he has been convincing the candidates they had to leave together, was a sham from the start. As Jack said, he couldn't kill them, so it would be up to them to kill each other. Placing the bomb in the backpack would have done nothing, but allowing them to detonate the bomb themselves is a different situation altogether. And unfortunately, Sawyer didn't trust Jack on this point.

Despite the fact that I knew a bomb wasn't going to take out the majority of the season regulars four episodes before the finale, there was a very palpable sense of tension throughout the entire scene and the entire episode for that matter. I knew they were going somewhere but I didn't know where it would be. And there was no way of knowing what sort of danger was lurking around the corner. Was Widmore planning on killing them all or did Locke have something up his sleeve? The answer seems to be both, but Widmore's motivations still aren't totally clear.

What it did do though was allow for Sayid to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Granted, if he wouldn't have taken the bomb and ran, he would have died anyway but still. The point was made that at this juncture he wanted his friends to live. He didn't kill Desmond last week and clearly was recognizing that he didn't have to be evil. Of course, after he was "claimed" what "unclaimed" him? I'm not really clear as to what "claiming" means, but I find it possible that it had something to do with his chat with Desmond unlocking the goodness within him. To see this redemption from Sayid was both emotional and exciting.

Yet, the true emotion was shared in a Titanic-like moment between Jin and Sun. These two characters who have been through so much and separated for so long become eternally entwined in this incredible moment of unity. There was no way Jin was going to give up and when Giacchino's awesome "Life and Death" theme kicked in, I knew they weren't bound to survive. Although I do feel like Sun should have said something like, "Maybe you should try and go home to take care of our daughter so she's not an orphan", the moment was real and extremely touching.

Ultimately this leads to the moment on the beach where Jack, Hurley, Kate, and unconscious Sawyer are dealing with the ramifications of what just happened and they all just lose it. The crippling loss and destruction of this most recent experience coupled with everything else they have been gone through over the years puts a poignant cap on an already stellar episode. Hopefully this sets that team into a more proactive mode because nothing is more thrilling than seeing characters at their lowest point rise up and confront that which put them there. That anger, hurt, and betrayal will all be funneled into an attitude of "We end this now." And that is something that I cannot wait to see. The look on Locke's face when he realized that they weren't all dead, that he could just feel the fact that he was still trapped, was a tiny victory that the characters have yet to understand or even know of.

The sideways world on the other hand was one that mirrored the island story rather nicely. Jack is finally understanding that there is something going on here that isn't normal. His connection to all these people from the same flight means something, although he doesn't quite know what it is yet. But he's starting to put the pieces together. His leadership role in both worlds is something that continues to grow as we move toward the finale. And his motivation to help Locke is the result of something, but again, it's something he doesn't quite understand. Locke's mind seems to be opening up as well, with his mentions of the button and how he wished people believed him while sleeping. In addition to Jack saying that similar line about being believed and Locke paused for a moment of recognition.

Here's my biggest gripe. I feel like the sideways world is the endgame. That the character's lives in the sideways world all happen after the island, which follows because characters from the sideways world are remembering their island lives. If this is in fact the case, having this knowledge almost lessens the sacrifices of characters in these remaining episodes. Granted this is all pure speculation, but based on what I have seen thus far, when Sayid, Sun, and Jin died, in the back of my mind I was telling myself "It's no big deal, they're going to end up alive in the sideways world anyway." This lessened the dramatic tension a bit, but not completely. There is still much to be revealed about the way these two timelines connect. I just wish that I didn't have this gut reaction to it because then I would have treated it the same way I treated Charlie's death. Or Juliet's for that matter when there were fewer clues as to how these worlds connected.

Also, some of the submarine stuff seems slightly convoluted. I feel like the C4 would have done more damage or the submarine would have had more emergency safeguards in the event that the sub needed to reach the surface quickly. Especially it seemed that they hadn't been submerging for that long. Of course, these are just minor nitpicks that were probably dramatic license to provide more compelling drama.

Overall, this episode didn't provide us with many answers. But I'm realizing more and more that answers aren't necessarily what I'm looking for first and foremost. I want to be entertained. I want to care about what happens to these people. And I want it to make thematic and dramatic sense. I am incredibly excited to see where this goes next, and I certainly feel as if next week's episode in which apparently no series regulars appear, will not only entertain but provide a history of the island along with many of the answers about what exactly this island is.

And the fact that they just extended the finale from two to two and a half hours on Sunday, May 23 at 9:00-11:30 makes me even more excited than ever. I can't wait.

People should read more...including me.

Thinking about fiction the other day, I came to the conclusion (one that has most assuredly already been come to) that writing, and novels in particular, are the purest form of storytelling. The fact that an author is essentially in control of everything allows for a story to be told in its truest form. The author creates the world in which the reader loses himself.

This fact is not present anywhere else in fiction. Whether the story is played out on stage, on television, or in the movies, so many hands are working to create this final product that it becomes impossible for there to be a singular vision. Of course in most of these cases the director is the one who brings all those hands together to make a cohesive product, but along the way things are bound to get lost in translation. An actor makes a choice that completely changes the tone of the movie. A director's blocking alters the intent of a scene. A new writer is brought in to tighten up dialog.

None of these things are inherently bad, of course. Movies are by far my favorite form of storytelling and one in which the whole is often greater than the sum of its parts. But by no means is it a direct link to an individual artist in the way that books are.

I look at worlds like J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. Here you have one woman whose head contains the rules and history of an entire universe. And upon retrospect, you see how clearly these books provide a tightly plotted and rich fantasy world where every choice is deliberate and each book informs the next. Anything and everything can work in a book. The movies on the other hand do not have that luxury. They must fit into cinematic guidelines that do not necessarily suit Rowling's originally explicit guidelines. This does not mean the movies are poor. On the contrary, they are excellent movies in their own right. But again, they're the result of the collaboration of hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

Certainly novelists have to deal with editors who will assist the author in creating their story and providing ideas. And sometimes it is not the author's choice to remove or change or add something. Yet, when all is said and done, the words an author chooses to use are ultimately their own. The language comes directly from them and onto the page to ultimately end up in the mind of the reader. And I find that it is in this direct link that makes books such a fascinating way of telling a story.

The Beginning of the Storyverse

So I had another blog. A blog that I wasn't really updating that much. I felt as if it was slightly difficult to really get behind because even though it was story based in the same way this one is, it was named after me. And this really should be less about me and more about stories. Which is why I've created The Storyverse. I like the name. So hopefully I'll be able to update this with much more frequency than my older blog.

We'll see!

Hope to see you around.