The Art of Elevating Minor Characters - Arrow

I recently abandoned my in depth study of all things job related and sat down to enjoy something I'd been putting off for a long time - watching Arrow. Specifically, the first seven episodes (I would've watched more, but sleep called my name and I answered.) I gotta hand it to CW - they really know how to make a superhero show exciting, regardless of the elevation of that character in the DC comic universe. I think they've risen to the challenge of putting DC on the front lines of entertainment akin to Marvel's dominance in the movie realm. As I watched the show, I realized a few key points to take away from their successful formula.

The Flawed Hero - Oliver Queen is flawed. He starts out as a flawed brat and undergoes a physical and mental transformation to become a flawed hero. He's pretty good at putting bad guys away, but everything else around him is literally spinning into a whirlwind of crap. He doesn't have all the answers. His solutions aren't perfect, but they're the best he can come up with given his circumstances.

Romantic Entanglements Should Always Be Screwed Up - The CW really went out of their way to through Oliver Queen into an exquisite mess. The lost love, the cheated girlfriend, the broken heart, the best friend dating your girl behind your back (okay, while you were presumed dead), and then, unlucky in love, falling for a dangerous criminal who has a vigilante heart just like his? Wow! Nicely crafted!

Level Up the Intrigue and Twists - Family betrayals, secret assassinations, Russian mob ties, and all things in between, around, above and below! It's a delicate balance and intricate dance to include all the elements and keep everything straight. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was looking forward to catching up.

So, why do I think all these things are so great? Obviously, the viewing public likes them or Arrow wouldn't be in it's fourth season. But that's not near the key reason why I'm so entertained. No, it is because, unwittingly, I've woven the same elements in The Chronicles of Reztap! Let's break it down, shall we?

The Flawed Hero - it would be hard for anyone to argue the Tar Reztap doesn't start out seriously flawed. He does change throughout the series, of course, but he still manages to screw things up even with the best of intentions. It wouldn't be funny if bad things didn't keep happening, but I can't just put him in constant peril without some reward for the reader. Tar and his crew of misfits all change and progress, some for better, some for worse.

Romantic Entanglements Should Always Be Screwed Up - Sure, you see Tar going through some confusing times with Princess Slurk in The Adventures of Reztap, and there is more messed up fun in the prequel Mishaps and Mayhem. While it isn't out yet, and I'm sorry for the delay, you'll find things get messy for other members of the Namreg crew.

Level Up the Intrigue and Twists - I'm going to break this to you as gently as possible - there are things woven throughout the entire book series that you will miss out on if you don't read every book from prequel to finish. I have six books planned (not including the all important prequel) and I'm in this for the long haul. There are loose ends, dangling plot lines and other narrative devices meant to keep the reader coming back for more. I'm not totally a doof, though. Each book has its own beginning, middle and end, but there are elements in every book that tie-in to future events. There are really no wasted characters or events, although I'll admit there will likely be no future impact on the story lines as a result of a night with a bottle of Lobotomy Slammer.

In short, I enjoy when writers take the same approach to storytelling that I do. I can only hope I get a fraction of the readers in comparison to the watchers of Arrow. It's a good show and I'm looking forward to catching up a little more on Netflix.

Regards,
Artemus

Ant-Man Review: Dang it, People - Lighten Up!

This is why it's so hard to write things nowadays. Everyone is SO critical about things but they're also SO off the mark! One critic says Marvel's Ant-Man is a poor hero movie, another says it has too much humor, another says it doesn't have enough humor, and so on and so forth. I'm frankly a bit shocked...until I remember "Oh yeah! These guys have to produce articles that are click-bait worthy!" Thus, I produced my own click-bait worthy title that will have people wondering what it's all about. I have more pluses than minuses about Ant-Man and I'll share them with you for the small price of a click! Oh wait, you're already here. How about the small price of a scroll down?

I'm going to attempt a spoiler free review, but please don't hate me if I miss the mark. What did I like about Ant-Man? I'm a big Paul Rudd fan and I think he did a fine job playing the hero part mostly straight. I think he's a great actor and he brought the heart to this film with his portrayal of Scott Lang. The fact that he was also one of the writers on this film gives me great hope for the next appearance of Ant-Man if he's involved in the writing there as well.

Michael Douglas nails his part. I'm a bigger fan of his every time I see him on film. Simply phenomenal! The special effects, make-up, whatever they did at the beginning of the film was perfect as well - very believable. Special effects technology is growing by leaps and bounds. The heroic scenes and other special effects were top notch and right on the whole way through. Well done.

The second tier actors nailed they're parts well too. Scott Lang's team of misfits was a joy to observe and experience. I'm really hoping they're back for the next installment of the movie.

I normally love Evangeline Lilly. I thought she was awesome in The Hobbit and, while I haven't watched Lost, I heard she was great in that television series as well. In Ant-Man, she had some good moments and then some moments I felt she was just dialing it in. It may have been how the part was written. I'm not sure, but I hope she does better (or is better written) in the next installment. Maybe it was just her shorter hair - I love long haired brunettes and she's a particularly attractive woman. The short hair threw me off immediately, but I like to think I got used to it by the end of the movie.

Main bad guy...eh. I liked Corey Stoll in his first appearances in the film but as he descended into being the real bad guy, I found the performance less convincing. There are some parts that maybe could've been written better and this was probably one of them. Secondary bad guy was done well though but then he didn't have much dialogue.

Scott's family was well done. I enjoyed the interaction and the tension. Scott's secondary team had some great comedic moments, but also some nice heroic moments as well. Other parts in this film which wove it into the larger story were done well and I like where they're going with it. Both "extras" in the end credits were worthwhile and I'll enjoy seeing these expanded as well in the larger marvel universe.

Overall, I thought the film was a greater small hero adventure with a focus on family and redemption. I found the rare moments of profanity humorous, but wondered if maybe they could've taken them out as this film was clearly targeted at a much younger audience. But then, that's probably just my profanity meter going off - I always think less is better.

It was a lighter film with less ominous tone and consequences than the bigger Marvel tent pole films, but I believe that was exactly what was needed. It was the right balance for this film and would've felt out of place in the other entries (Guardians of the Galaxy not included). I definitely recommend the film with the small caution to extremely young children because of comic book violence and language. Today's 13-year old can handle it, so I'm certain it's appropriate for them.

Regards,
Artemus