Apparently the Dark Side Does Win...

I would just like to say when I read my brother's text message today that Disney bought Marvel Comics, not only did I actually shed a tear, I think part of my soul died. Good-bye to Marvel, hello to the Spider-Man/Mickey Mouse Team-Up, the Incredibles vs. the X-Men mini-series, the brand new "hit" series " The Spectacular Adventures of Hannah Montana", and to Donald Duck being the new leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants.

And so the evil corporation has yet another flawless victory on its record. First Pixar, now Marvel. Next they'll somehow manage to buy both Sony and Microsoft, bringing about the apocalypse. The seas will boil, fire will rain from the sky...cats and dogs living together, MASS HYSTERIA!

On the bright side, all of my Marvel comic books will probably go up in worth.

Midpoint, Check. First Draft, In Progress

So, up to the Midpoint has been completed. But after getting back comments on Act I, I feel like I've done one of those two steps forward, three steps back sort of things. Matt made a really good point that makes me feel really stupid: my hero doesn't do anything of any great interest until the end of Act I. Up until then, all he does is take care of his father and run his father's store. Big woop. I need to punch this thing up, but I'm not sure how yet. I'll continue on the path I'm on and finish my entire first draft. From there I'll tear it down and build it back up. I'll never get done if I try to figure this out now.

Bored

Today at work, there was very little for the special effects department to do so we basically bullshitted for the second half of the day (along with watch the very scary storm move in absurdly fast). One of the effects guys asked me what my favorite movie was and I couldn't answer him. So I decided to make a list. I wrote down the first 60 movies (why 60, I don't know) that came to mind. Don't judge me.

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark

2. Finding Neverland

3. Good Will Hunting

4. The Empire Strikes Back

5. A Beautiful Mind

6. The Cider House Rules

7. Hold that Ghost

8. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

9. North by Northwest

10. Gunga Din

11. Star Wars

12. Young Frankenstein

13. Arsenic and Old Lace

14. The Adventures of Robin Hood

15. Great Expectations

16. Blade Runner

17. Taxi Driver

18. The Mark of Zorro

19. The Last of the Mohicans

20. Casino Royale

21. Batman

22. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

23. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

24. Edward Scissorhands

25. Dances With Wolves

26. Return of the Jedi

27. Blazing Saddles

28. Little Miss Sunshine

29. Saving Private Ryan

30. The Dirty Dozen

31. Alien

32. In Bruges

33. The Quiet Man

34. Rio Bravo

35. Black Rain

36. Gattaca

37. Children of Men

38. The Searchers

39. American Graffiti

40. The Untouchables

41. The Princess Bride

42. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

43. Aliens

44. Bottle Rocket

45. Ghostbusters

46. Ghostbusters II

47. WALL-E

48. Up

49.The Life Aquatic

50.Rear Window

51. District 9

52. Aladdin

53. The Iron Giant

54. The Nightmare Before Christmas

55. Finding Nemo

56. The Lion King

57. Coraline

58. Robin Hood (Disney)

59. Mary Poppins

60. The Goonies

Act One

I've just completed my draft of Act One. Woo hoo! Just taking a quick break and then I'll be reading through for spelling and grammar and such, something that never seems to work very well for me.

Gunga Din

So, I just finished watching "Gunga Din" for the first time. Everyone always talks about the influence Kurosawa had on Star Wars, but everyone seems to overlook this movie. It's basically the same exact story. Also, it's almost exactly the same as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. All I have to say is that "Gunga Din" seems to be a forgotten film amongst the common person and that makes me sad. I don't think I can find any major flaws within the movie. The story works great, the lead cast is absolutely amazing, the cinematography is gorgeous, the music works, the locations work great and with George Stevens at the helm, how do you go wrong? If I were to make a list of 100 greatest films in history, "Gunga Din" would be on it. And if I was making a list of 100 most influential films, it would be in the top 10, hands down.