The Ongoing Battle: Content Versus Time

Doctor Who

There will never be enough time to consume all the content you love.

Yikes, that seems really cynical when I look at it again. But alas, I feel like it’s true — or at the very least, it’s true for me. There will never be enough time to watch all the shows I want to see, read all the books I’m dying to read (including graphic novels and comic books) or take in all the brilliant Internet posts that are waiting in that gigantic online whirlpool.

Because you see, as crappy as it is to say, we’ve only got a finite amount of time in which to consume this content. Continue reading →

On Humor and Finding Community

Community

One of my recent obsessions the last couple of months has been the show Community, Dan Harmon’s meta-comedy that pokes fun at sitcoms and practically every other genre that has graced our TV sets.

I recently borrowed Season 1 of the show on DVD, and somehow I fell down the rabbit hole of listening to the commentary tracks for every single episode, something I’ve never really done before with a series like this. Or any series, for that matter. Continue reading →

To Be a Kid Again

It’s very rare that I see something that stirs that special spot in my heart reserved for fond childhood memories, but it has been known to happen on occasion. As much as looking back on being a kid offers a mixed bag of whatever, there really is something magical about that place where imagination ran wild with unfettered gusto. To be a kid was to attempt the impossible on a daily basis, and much of that fire is missing as a guy in my late twenties that sits in a cubicle writing Web copy.

In the last week or so, I’ve hit two media examples that poked at those halcyon days of youth. Continue reading →

Winter is Coming and it Has Boromir

I’ve written about a couple of books on here before, but my all-time favorite fantasy series as of this moment is A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R. R. Martin. It’s not exactly hard to quantify why I love this series in words. It’s a bloody, visceral thrill ride of a high fantasy story full of three dimensional characters, gritty and fantastic writing, and an engrossing political/revenge plot that so far has spanned four epic and fast-paced books.

Perhaps the most intriguing thing about this great series is that there are lasting consequences for characters. Whereas other series might see the heroes in the face of danger time and time again, only to ultimately come out unscathed, A Song of Ice and Fire eliminates main characters liberally. Seriously, every time you think you’ve found a new character, Martin Whedonizes them like Wash and completely yanks their thread out of the story. It’s shocking, hard to read and totally refreshing. Continue reading →

Courting Don Draper

I would consider running away with Don Draper. There, I said it. Sorry, wife.

If you’re unaware of who Don Draper is, then clearly you haven’t been clued in to the wonderful world of Mad Men, which has in recent months become one of my favorite shows on TV. It’s a show that by all rights shouldn’t be as thrilling to watch as it is, considering its content. However, it still manages to be pound-for-pound the best written and acted show on any network, in my opinion. Continue reading →

Congratulations, Jack: The Lost Finale

Is it possible to be unsure of whether you liked something or not, but still be satisfied by it? Because after sleeping on it, that’s how I’m feeling about the series finale of Lost, complete with its Desmond Ex Machina, sideways purgatory and creepily Evangelion-like conclusion. Despite all the mythology and ambiguity, the show creators have always maintained that this was a character show, and “The End” certainly lent itself to that end. Continue reading →

Harry Potter and the Magical Existential Island

OK, I really got into last night’s episode of Lost, “What They Died For”. It was a great set-up episode for what is hopefully a banging conclusion to one of my favorite shows on TV. Pacing wise, I’m trying to hold on to faith that the sideways world has a point, because it seems like there still isn’t any importance to it, even this late in the game. In addition, I find it curious that in the time it’s taken Jack and co. to walk to Locke, steal a boat, get captured and released from Widmore, steal a sub and wash ashore, Ben and Richard are still on their way to New Otherton.

But those small quibbles aside, the biggest head scratcher actually came once the final credits rolled. I have to ask, ABC: what was up with the Disney storybook voice in the series finale promo? Continue reading →

Stones of Black and White in the Magic Box

A couple of years ago, J.J. Abrams gave an illuminating presentation for TED, where he spoke about a principle in storytelling that is riveting to watch unfold: opening the magic box. Here is a clip of it, if you be having curiosities.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of watching it, or if you’re just too lazy, the idea behind the magic box is simple. Sir Abrams speaks of how he bought a mystery box at a shop when he was a boy, and how he has never opened it his entire life. Mystery creates imagination, and that is where stories and characters live in their coolest places.

The danger of all of this mystique? What’s inside the box can never be as rad as what your imagination wanted it to be. Perhaps that’s why he’s kept it shut all these years.
Continue reading →