100 Words Per Movie, Review Round 1

 I made it a goal this year to watch older films that I've never seen before but have heard of them through word of mouth or by sheer curiosity. I want to expand on said goal by writing mini-reviews - about a hundred words or less - of said films and posting them here, partially to break up the monotony that can sometimes come with writing about my fanfics. And who knows? If I feel invested enough any films I bring up, you might see some fanfics set during those films. 

I should warn that these posts will contain spoilers: if you don't want them, please look away. 

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Watership Down (1978):  I confess I cheated somewhat by watching an old film review, but I still went in unaware of what to expect. The opening animation gets special props for hitting the right balance of world-building without making it overwhelming or pointless. The watercolor backgrounds? Masterfully woven in. The characters? Either likable like Kehaar or scary like Woundwort. I do have one criticism though - while every voice actor did a good job, sometimes they sounded too similar to one another that it was hard to discern whom was talking. Other than that, I recommend this film. Also, rabbits can be vicious!

The Dark Crystal: (1982) :  I usually dig the creative designs made possible by Jim Henson's workshop, and the Dark Crystal is no exception. The set pieces, lore and character designs feel so rich, deep and imaginative that you can feel like you're right there in this other world far from ours. I grew to count Aughra as a favorite character both in design and her no-nonsense but firmly good personality. Not really sure I like Jen or Kira - both stuck out as sore thumbs. If a little more polish went into them, I think they would have fared better. Overall, a unique film.

Enjoy.

Wanderer out!

Through Smoke and Bitter Distance, Chapter Five - Part Two, Special Features

  Chapter Five, Part Two

References:

*The Bukowski Brothers running a joke shop? A possibility. But they better catch up - Fred and George Weasley from the Harry Potter series beat them to the punch. 

General:

* The mistakes Rupert made are truly his own - making mistakes and calling them yours seem to be a small but important theme in the Henry Stickmin universe. I think Henry can acknowledge his mistakes and make up for them if the player chooses. Rupert, on the other hand, does it on his own. He then works hard to make sure he avoids such drastic acts again. I'm all for improving and taking care to avoid mistakes, but it is concerning to see how hard he's willing to work in overcoming those mistakes... when making mistakes is an inevitable part of the human experience. 

That's why I included in that flashback to 'Stealing the Diamond'. Adding that and his own perspective on what happened during 'Escaping the Prison' created a path of redemption he embarked on for himself, as well as see his own wakeup call to his own complacency. I can imagine working there for eight years can dull one's senses if they're not constantly sharpened and renewed. 

*Dave trying to calm down Rupert is a segment I picked up from another story. In it, the main character tells his father that hatred can destroy a person if not kept in check when the father was ranting about a character both father and son are not fond of. The son mentioned he couldn't take seeing his father give into that hatred, and the father promised to not hate the enemy both of them shared. 

This carried over into this fic, where Dave took on the son's role. Seeing Rupert engulfed by hatred would scare him more than what any of the Toppats did to him. He cares for his friend's well-being and wants him to avoid that path before he goes too far on it. Also, I made Dave the one to get through to Rupert using he truly values - using time wisely and not letting the image of Henry win out against him. 

*Dave's own breakdown involved more than just sorrow and guilt. He also dealt with anger. This was to give Dave more than one dimension in his emotional state. In other words, I've seen the guy depicted as usually just sad or guilty about everything, but anger? That's not always prevalent. In situations like this, while it is entirely possible to only experience sadness and shame, frustration with one's self is also a common reaction. When we try our best at whatever it is we set out to do, and we don't succeed, we can either/or get mad at ourselves or others. In Dave's case, he's mad at himself - he tried to do a good job as a prison guard and/or museum guard, but things went wrong. Adding his disappointment at himself made for a more three-dimensional breakdown. It also gave Dave the courage to bring up what those Toppats did to him - they not only wailed on him physically, they also wailed on him mentally and emotionally. 

*Rupert acted as the iron grip to break through Dave's cage, and help him come into the light. This is the pivotal point for both characters - we see Dave admit what the Toppats did and Rupert, besides stepping up to calm him down and tell him he's better than he thinks he is, gradually starts taking over what is left of the story. 

I feel people can forget that even though Dave made mistakes at the prison, he still had to go through police training to get there. From what I have read and heard, it's no walk in the park. The training involves a lot of physical fitness, academic coursework and practical skills, which can take anywhere from about three months to maybe a year depending on the location and agency. That would imply that Dave did have what it took to make it through police training, and I don't think the police superiors - at least in this series - would have room for any slackers. I think it's because of his enthusiasm to do his job at the prison, combined with bad luck, Dave was dealt a terrible hand. Working at the museum didn't leave him room to give up on his skills even if it's a quieter locale by comparison. 

Rupert knows firsthand what it's like to go through police training so of course he would remind him that he's tougher than he gives himself credit for. Unfortunately, it'll take awhile for Dave to remember and believe that. Rupert will need to do a lot to help him rebuild his confidence, but he doesn't necessarily mind. It'll give him a new goal now that Henry and the Toppats are pretty much out of the picture. As soon as he and the rest of the military leave, of course. They still need to clear out the airship and Rupert has to find Dave's items. 

*It's highly likely that Dave would have said items on hand, and the Toppats would take them so he can't use them for anything. I mostly added them in to act as the MacGuffins Rupert needs to find, and although they're not inherently important to the audience, they're important to Rupert and Dave. Because of Dave's trauma, I think the audience can care about the MacGuffins because of this. 

Random Facts:

*Does Dave have a family? It's up to the beholder. I got that from other fanfics to heighten the drama and express how he needs to take his time to be back out in the world again. At least through slower means before he goes back to keeping the peace... or keeping the calm in a museum. Whichever comes first.  

Wanderer out!

Character Spotlight: The Shadow, Part Two

 

His secret message will most assuredly not be 'be sure to drink your Ovaltine'. 

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4. INSPIRATION 

My inspiration for how I'll write the Shadow is all over the place, so I'll just state that I write the man based on an infinite amount of muses. From Walter B. Gibson to the radio plays to the film, I'll take what I think works for him.  

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5. FUTURE PLANS

He'll be in UPC. He'll just be arriving way later, and will interact with other heroes and do his usual thing. There's a lot more I'll be doing with him, but I'll be keeping it mum on this site until the time comes to reveal the truth.

A Shadow/Sherlock Holmes crossover. Batman's met the famous detective. And so has Scooby-Doo. Why not the Shadow too? 

On that note, I wonder a Superman/Shadow crossover might work? That might be something... 

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6. HEADCANONS

*He's partial to Tibetan cuisine, most notably guthuk (a type of noodle soup) and ara (an alcoholic beverage). He also enjoys tea. 

*During the Great War, he faked an air crash behind enemy lines in Germany and became a secret agent. Working undercover, he helped set up an espionage network. He worked in a number of ways, such as making maps of enemy air bases and helping POWs escape from prison camps. The Germany bit is my headcanon added in to say where he crashed.

*I originally went with the notion he was Kent first before becoming Lamont, but I'm changing my tune. To keep up his mysterious aura, I will state that whomever he was originally (and we won't know), during the first World War, he was disfigured in the face. It hurt a lot, yes, but it did prevent enemies from trying to find him. 

*He likes watching thunderstorms. 

*Whenever he speaks, depending on which role he's playing, he can disguise his voice. In honor of the original radio shows, he'll have Orson Welles as Kent/Lamont, Bret Morrison for when he's in one of his many personas/disguises and Bill Johnstone or Frank Readick as the Shadow. It's hard to choose one or the other for the man. 

*He has a talent for spotting phony supernatural mediums and claims, and knows a thing or two about how magicians' tricks works. This comes from Mr. Gibson himself, who was also a magician and served as a ghost-writer for other magicians like Harry Houdini. He would know a thing or two about the subjects. 

*That said, I think he genuinely does acknowledge the presence of a higher power. He does believe in said power, but he's not going to come out and say it. He'll bring it up if needed though. 

*Due to his aviation experience and keen eyesight, he was called the 'Dark Eagle'  in World War 1. Because of this, if he had a daemon, it would be an eagle. Probably a Golden Eagle, due to how widespread they are, just like how the Shadow is known in many spots world-wide.  

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7. PERSONAL

*I'm not really sure what else is there to say about him that hasn't already been said. But I will admit I underestimated just how much the Shadow has become so integral within the halls of the twentieth century and beyond. Folks are still inspired by him to this day, some even writing their own stories with his character type in mind, while others have put together a fanzine to celebrate over ninety-five years of Shadow history. I've seen fans prefer the pulps over the radio shows and vice versa. Folks can debate all they want, but there can't be any denying that whether one prefers the pulps, the radio shows, the serials, the film, or the comics, all have their places and have cemented key aspects of his legend and the Shadow's place in fiction and in history. However, as we move further into the twenty-first century, one question remains: what will come next for him? Who's to say? Only he - and the assigned custodians of the title - will know. 

*Songs? He has two notable ones, which both focus on him proper. The first up? "The Shadow Knows" by Grand Magus - all about what the Shadow stands for. They also use one of his catchphrases as part of the lyrics.  
The second up is a phenomenal film score. Here's "The Shadow Soundtrack Music Suite" by Jerry Goldsmith One of Mr. Goldsmith's best scores, in my opinion - it captures the mysterious and ethereal touch found in the written word and radio shows perfectly. 

Now I'll step out of the shadows and into another Character Spotlight post in the near future. But for now, the Shadow movie awaits for a rewatch! 

Wanderer out!