Batman and other stuff

So as school time approaches, I am getting a bit of anxiety... not for any good reason mind you. It was the exact same feeling I had starting VFS. I'm confident I'll be able to handle anything this course sends at me. For several reasons I see this as a survival move. I'm not great at anything else except for writing really. That's an amazing skill and talent to have of course, but it doesn't translate well to getting meaningful employment. All I can do is continue to write, and submit, and work and submit etc. In the meantime, I want to make video games, and this course seems to be the right move to make.

I've been working a lot on scripts. I wrote myself into a corner and I feel so stupid for letting it happen. Like, totally fucking crippled because of it. I snapped myself out of it remembering that sometimes it happens. Why did it happen? I didn't prepare adequately. I'll have to work on that.

I read some of my old stuff. blog posts, journal entries and even short stories. I liked them to some degree. The journal entries were of course, a little over the top and emotional, but thats who I was at the time. I built a playlist, and it felt like I was channelling a time in my life where my playlist dictated my mood, instead of the other way around.

I watched Dark Knight Rises. I have to say, i thought it was great! I thought it book ended the trilogy perfectly.
Spoilers ahead.

So a lot of people were worried about Catwoman in the flick. Some people feel she could have been removed from the movie entirely and no changes would be made to the story. I disagree entirely. She was a pretty important plot point from the start. She clued Bruce Wayne into something starting in Gotham again, she helped lead Gordon to Bane, she represents Gotham. Period. If you ask me what that means; She represents the regular person, she has a dark past shes trying to get rid of, she wants to escape her miserable life, and when a chance to do it presents itself, who would say no?

My biggest issue was that the movie let us know who was the real villain the whole time. Talia was billed right from the start, and we knew who Miranda Tate was when we saw her. Anyone unfamiliar might have been surprised, but every batman fan knew exactly who she was, and knew exactly what the twist at the end was going to be. I was a little let down they didn't do very much with her. She is revealed, and then killed within what feels like a 5 minute span in the movie.

I loved Bane. Between his monologues and Nolans ability to make someone with no ability to emote with their full face fill us with dread and awe.... The character had a goofy movie history, but this movie made me feel like Bane is ready to be taken seriously in the film versions. Hell; even his cartoon versions were all kind of silly. (What a stupid accent in TAS he had).

Batman? Well he's going through an arc where he never let the Bat go, even when it was clearly time for him too.  But then he needs to face death, but be afraid of it. I think the movie delivered his arc pretty well. And at the end we get a dead batman!! It's weird to say, but they do actually "kill" Batman.

I love Joseph Gorden Levitt. I have since Third rock. He played a great character in this flick, and we get a nod at the end that indicates that he'll be taking up the Cowl. I could have done without them out and out saying he was "Robin" (that was his birth name). They got by without calling Selena Kyle Catwoman, why the fuck did you need to call him Robin? Dick Grayson would have worked out sooooooooooooooo much better and been less on the nose. I liked his character, from an over achieving Uniform officer, to detective, to disenfranchised with the law system as it is. If any sequels come out from this, I oddly hope it'll be a Nightwing Sequel, I would not mind watching him in that roll. (Nolan won't direct, but maybe he'll produce?)

The movie as a whole had some problems, but nothing I'm not unwilling to suspend my belief for.

Some of my friends like to compare it to Avengers, some prefer it, some don't. My feeling is that both movies are fundamentally different. The Batman Begins saga is very VERY grounded in reality. With most things being entirely plausible. All the Marvel movies on the other hand, have been very "Comic Book done as a movie." They aren't the same kind of flick. They are both comic book inspired, but Batmans entire premise eschews the idea that there are beings with super powers. Thats why the scope can be as massive as it is, and not involve a being like Superman, or Green lantern. In truth, that was my one big issue with the flick, its scope was MASSIVE compared to what a normal Batman story entails. But so be it.

Over all, the movie gets a 9.5/10 from me,  Same as The Dark Knight, but I still like Dark Knight over this flick.

Update

Listening to: “A List for an Occasion” - Playlist; Skrillex, The Birthday Massacre, HIM, Black Keys

Eating: Salt and Vinegar chips

Drinking: Bottle of Water

Playing: The Darkness 2, King of Fighters

Watching: Battlestar Galactica, Scrubs

Mood: Anxious.

I’ve been playing a lot of King of Fighters lately. That’s been brought on by Rene and Mike more than any one else. Weird part is I have only played with them twice. It gave me a desire to bust out Capcom vs SNK 2, my favourite fighting game of all time. However, my PS3 is at my girlfriends parents house, so I haven’t been able to play it. Sadface.

Anyways, I just wrapped up the Darkness, and it felt great to have finished the game, even though it was short, the story was done (Penned by the long-time comic author). Playing a well told story like that reminds me why I so badly want to be a writer for my own stories told in interactive narrative. I was thinking for the last few weeks. I remember role playing online with a whole whackload of people, crafting characters and stories that STILL influence me today. Alicia is responsible for no fewer than 3 of my personal favourite characters from that time frame, and they in turn have influenced Astra and likely will forever, or until that story is done. And So I began writing a new.

The Re-write on Astra is rough. I’ve changed the POV of the story away from Darius and Knight, which is a way bigger change than I was expecting, Telling it from Bianca’s place switches it to a more clearly defined “New World” story. She has only heard about legends and myths from the past, she has no idea that the Mythical world is getting ready to burst into the realm of man again. Nor did she expect to have a role to play in it.

I also have the interesting task of writing for a female lead... I’m confident I can do it, but it’s not something I anticipated for the story I was apparently going to tell. it’s of little consequence over all. I want to do it, and this seems like it’ll be more fun.

What the hell have I been doing?

It’d be nice to say I’ve been writing. While that isn’t entirely untrue, it is by no means the primary thing I’ve been pouring my creativity into, no the main thing is painting. I have done better painting on the last 10-12 models I painted than I probably did in my entire year in BC and up until I painted these goobers...

But the desire to write has returned. Well, not desire... Drive? The drive to tell stories has returned. I’m working on a comic, it’s not huge, but I wanted to prepare for convention season and have something to sell. I’m just waiting on an artist who seemed eager, I may have to replace her though. Seems her life has gotten busy and she hasn’t been around. Can’t fault her for it, but I do want it ready for the end of march ideally.

I also am thinking long term for myself, and what steps I need to take to get to where I want to be in 10 years. I was thinking of getting a CompSci degree. That would allow me access to Game Programming, which would not only offer me a chance to further the studios goals, but also a chance to further my ideal goal of writing for Video Games (as writers are very rarely hired outside of the company). Also, it seems any bridging job requires I have a piece of paper saying I can do the job, regardless of whether or not I can actually do it. (I can, 90% 0f the time). So thats reason 2. Just somethings I am considering.

Bijoux Red is going well, the demo trailer should be up, and ideally, I want the game done by our first convention, that’s really up to my colleagues at this stage. I’ll do what I can to support them, but they are bearing the brunt of this, as they have been. Apparently there have been 58 Versions of the game. That blows me away. Even in script writing I only had about 10-12 versions, and each wasn’t really independent of each other.

After that there is some super secret things going on, sadly I can’t discuss them, due to the nature of it, I don’t want to jinx it, but It could be REALLY good for the studio and for me.

I’m going to try and Blog more. I say that a lot, but I honestly feel I need to, It helps me relieve some stress. Such as it is.

-j