Over the what?

Some may dispute this, but of every single adaptation of my favorite book series, by L. Frank Baum, starting with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz the movie Return to Oz is the worst, and there have been a lot of really bad ones.

Return to Oz was made by Disney, which so far has a rather poor track record of somehow deciding to take my favorite authors/ series, rip them up, and spit out a disaster.

Narnia and A Princess of Mars here... also Tarzan, although I have to admit that movie wasn't bad, as was the first Narnia movie, despite the majorly weird choices they made in both of them.

Did you know that John Clayton is the name of Tarzan in the books, and that in the animated Disney film, that's the name of the trigger happy villain? WTF?

Also, in Narnia, WTF is up with the design of Jadis/the White Witch? She's supposed to be this extremely beautiful greek-goddess looking person. Sorry, but that design is in no way beautiful.

So now they're making a new stab at Oz, and I just don't understand it. It seems vastly different from the book, and yet weirdly similar.
I do think in this movie we finally got a big budget production where Oz is a real place, like it is in the books. Still, having seen the trailer... ???
Some of the color scheme stuff they got right, but there are supposed to be two wicked witches, and neither of them have the "color scheme" Glinda looks great, but the good witch of the North is supposed to be a little old woman. Also, it's a really big thing that the Emerald city is NOT GREEN. It's all made of WHITE MARBLE, and the Wizard is the one who decides to have everyone wear green glasses and wear white in order to compensate. Ozma, when she comes to power, installs emeralds in the buildings, and this is much to the chagrin of the Nome King, Ruggedo/Roquat, who is not a freaking rock thing...

I liked the China Doll character they showed in the trailer, but what was that fairy thing? Also why the monkey? Are they going to actually show the origin of their curse to be bound to the golden cap? I doubt it... I think they just put it in b/c they think it's cute...

I must say the cast looks good, aside from the whole non-keeping with the original manifestations of the witches. Also, I get the feeling we are still not going to see Ozma in this movie, as we have no sign of her/him or Mombi at all. It's weird b/c the whole reason the Wizard gets instated is b/c Ozma is missing. Also, it seems like they aren't going to mention/show the origin of Oz being a fairyland, which came about when Ozma was 13/14. (b/c if you lived in Oz you at that point became an immortal, and immortals don't change age in Baum's world: See the Forest of Burzee in The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, love you Rankin Bass for getting the movie of that right)

What I'd really like to see is at least a little glimpse of Tip/Ozma, and Mombi, but after having seen the trailer, it seems really unlikely.

One really good thing, though, and I hope they make the full explaination (but IDK b/c it looks like Ozma may be not in this movie, or if they do it will be too damn close to the way they did this in Wicked, and it makes no sense within the scheme of the series that "Oscar"/the Wizard, even knew she existed... so no... he did not even have anything to do with her whatsoever... so seeing as this is "his" movie maybe they don't need to show the full thing w/Ozma/Tip, but it's very important nonetheless)
Anyway... the good thing is they kept his name: Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs. (They call him Oscar Diggs, which is interesting b/c he "shortened" it to O.Z. not O.D. maybe they thought Zoroaster sounded too weird? But they have to bring it up at some point.) I want to see as scene like the one in the Monty Python skit where everytime someone says his name they say the entire thing: at least in the beginning before he "shortens" it... that would be hilarious!

On the whole, it looks like it's going to be "all wrong" though, and though I see some things in there that I like, I think it's going to be another really poor representation of Baum's books, which will lead nowhere if they were hoping to make a sequel b/c they would have gone and screwed up all the continuity completely... as best I understand it, this is what we know about "Oz before Dorothy" : 
A long unspecified amount of time ago, Oz was not a fairyland. The people there were not fairies, or witches, other animals did not talk, and so on... then a fairy, probably Queen Lurline (described in The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus as being the "Queen of the fairies") came to the islands of OZ, and those areas around, and I suppose brought about the enchantments, creating a new fairy world aside from the Forest of Burzee, and the original rulers of this country were fairies as well (Ozma, and Pastoria (who they called Oz, as Oz was more of a title than a name))
It seems as if some sort of coupe D'etat on the part of the two main "wicked" witches and a bunch of other minor witches and magicians managed to overthrow him, and his child, Ozma, was taken from him. Ozma was turned into a boy by the witch Mombi (a lesser witch) and she never knew/remembered who she was until quite a bit after the "Wizard of Oz" was no longer the ruler of Oz) Neither of them know of each other's existence until book 5, when Dorothy and he accidentally end up back in Oz b/c they fall through part of the Earth during an earthquake... etc. etc.) (That's the best book, BTW : Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz)

Apparantly the final word in the books is that: the Fairy Queen Lurline had left the infant Ozma (who was always a fairy) in the care of King Pastoria (the last King of Oz, who was human), making the Princess the adopted daughter of the last King of Oz. It would seem as if the effects of the fairy magic of immortality for some reason didn't take full effect until 13/14 years after the downfall of Pastoria, but it's all really confusing b/c fairies aren't supposed to age ever, so if Ozma is an infant when Pastoria has her, shouldn't that mean she would be an infant forever? I think it's better for the continuity to go more w/the explaination in book 5, even though Baum gave this "amended version" later. B/C as I explained... big hole in this later explaination... ) So if I were to do a film series I'd go with the one where everyone is turned into a "fairy" all at once when Ozma is around 13/14, after the downfall of her father when she was an infant, as this just makes much more sense)

You can't have a job if you're Dead

Fracking, Drilling, Polluting, Deforestation, Decrease in Biodiversity, GMO products/food, Overfishing, Smoking... etc.

Are some people immune to the effects of these activities on the human body?

If you are, maybe you should let the rest of us in on your secret, because as far as I know if you are dead, no amount of job creation is going to save you.

SLANDER is NOT OK

SLANDER:

Is this a foreign word in politics today? YES!!! How come nobody cares about this? It's not supposed to be protected under the First Amendment, and yet it is RAMPANT.

I don't care who it is, Dem, Rep, Whatever... SLANDER IS NOT OK! SLANDER IS ANTI-DEMOCRACY.

Telling blatant lies about people should not be getting people elected. Do we really want a bunch of LIARS running our country? I couldn't care less about their party, THIS SUCKS!

Now I understand people will say it is unrealistic to think people will change, and become morally upstanding. However, if we just allow it to go on we'll never know.

The Media isn't helping at all. Despite what anyone says the Media Industry is after one thing: MONEY.

To paraphrase John Cleese's character in the film FIERCE CREATURES,

I know how to make this Zoo more profitable. I worked in the media, and I know what sells, VIOLENCE.

Do we really want to be bombarded by violence all the time. Violence happens, but the more we feed into it, the more violence we will manifest. I guess people do want this, as this is the reality they are creating, so if a soldier says "I am fighting for peace and freedom."

RED FLAG! LIGHT BULB! DING! DING! DING! FIRST PRIZE FOR HYPOCRISY! YOU WIN!!!

Disney V Dreamworks in Secret?

Disney and Dreamworks

For a long time similar ideas/themes have bounced back and forth between the Disney and Dreamworks animation studios.

Here's one that I don't think anyone else has noticed yet.

In 2000 Dreamworks put out a wonderful little movie called "The Road to El Dorado." It is about two Spanish con men who end up on an adventure at sea that leads them to the mythical city of El Dorado. They end up being more or less mistaken for Gods, and in the end help to save the city from being discovered from Cortez, the famous Spanish Conquistadore.

In 2010 a fairly good movie "Tangled" came out of Disney. This movie is an adaptation of the fairytale Rapunzel. Despite some majorly bizarre plot holes, and mostly grating bubblegum pop-songs, it's a good film.

Similarities between these two films:

Tulio & Flynn Rider: Both are disliked by a white military horse with a penchant for apples. Both have dark hair, are snarky, plotting thieves who have a bit of a soft side, and put up with strange behavior from their blond counterparts.

Miguel & Rapunzel: Both adored by the horse character I mentioned earlier, both are inquistive, generally fascinated by the world, and live for fun not money.

Altivo & Maximus: White Military Stallions who love apples. Altivo jumps off a boat to get an apple, and Maximus just generally loves apples. Also they both dislike the dark haired member of the duo they are "with" and adore the blond one. Altivo adores Miguel, and Maximus adores Rapunzel. Altivo kinda dislikes Tulio, who at one point utters the phrase "Your horse bit me in the butt!" Maximus is an active "villain" towards Flynn for a while.

Here's a good example:

Miguel and Tulio are sitting in a boat thinking they're going to die. Miguel and Tulio comiserate about the fact they think they are about to die. Miguel says his greatest regret in life is that "Their greatest adventure is over before it began." Tulio says that "I never had enough gold!" Miguel consoles him that he made his life rich, and Tulio returns that Miguel made his life an adventure.

Early in the film Rapunzel sings about her dream of seeing floating lanterns on her birthday (adventure) and Flynn sings about his dream of being alone on an island he owns surrounded by enormous piles of money (gold)
Near the end of the film Flynn is dying, and Flynn says to Rapunzel that she was his new dream.

See the similarities yet?

CISPA, SOPA, PIPA... Big Brother? 1984? Pirates? Monopoly?

These people don't get it. Apparantly the government thinks we all want to be locked up in our own country... seriously... this is just completely irrational. Aren't we supposed to govern? Why do so few people actually in the government seem to understand what is actually good for us.

There will always be pirates, thieves, and "bad people" cheating. The internet is just a new platform for it, but of course there are ways to stop it without throwing the American Public under the bus.

Why don't we try being friends with people? Let's make other countries LIKE US!!! Do your friends generally steal your stuff when you go out of the room? If they do, they're not really your friends. Building trust, and FRIENDLINESS with all other people is the best, and really the only way to be truly safe.

Why do we keep looking for enemies? We are in control, not the politicians. We need to remember that. We need to remember what it really means to live in a democracy, and have real values.

Give me Liberty or give me Death!

NOT: Give me Liberty or... well... Oh look! It's a slice of cake!

Courage, people... none of the Democrats or Republicans seem to have it. Why?

Do we want to be known as a nation of cowardly, vindictive bullies? Maybe we do?

Let me know what you think, please.

The Tale of Virtue (unfinished)

This is a story I was working on a while ago. It's not finished, but in light of recent actions of hypocrisy that seem to be rending apart our country (USA/ United Stupid Animals?) Just kidding... or maybe (GOP: Greedy Obstructive Parasites?) Again... it's too easy to poke fun at this stuff, but the Democrats... some of them just aren't trying hard enough. We've got to stop caving in. There's a difference between compromise and just allowing someone to run you over.

Anyway, here's the first part of my story... hope you like it. :)

            Forward:

            One possible explanation for Infinity is the theory that each dimension can be described as a mathematical object with infinite properties. Dimension one could be described as a point, dimension two as a circle, dimension three as a sphere, and so on.

            Our story takes place in the fifth dimension, ruled by Time. Father Time had many sons, the most important of which were called the Principles. Within the fourth dimension was a little blue planet, on which dwelt a peculiar species of animal that took to investigation into the nature of the dimensions.

            The Principles quickly became fascinated with observing these animals, as they knew they were now themselves being crudely observed.

            It was around the year 14,281,350,000 that the animals became a game for the Principles, so much so that they did not care about the worry they were causing their father with their increasing fighting. Father Time was too busy keeping his watch to do anything about his wayward sons, but he worried that their fighting would destroy the little planet they held dear.

            The big problem started when Vice, the eldest son, chained his younger brother Virtue to a rock that jutted out of the sea of Lies. Lies was not fond of her brother, for she was not considered as important as he was, and she did not object to his presence as a prisoner in her domain. Charity, another sister of the Principles, often came to visit Virtue, and cried to her sister Lies to help release him. Hence Vice ruled supreme over the blue planet, in alliance with the youngest Principles, the twins Life and Death.

            Part 1:

           

            The sea of Lies was whipped up into a storm by Confusion, and it pounded the lone barren island in its midst. Rain drummed on Virtue’s brow, and he cried out as the wind slapped his long dark hair against his face. His eyes, which had once shown with pure purple light had lost their splendor long ago, and faded to the color of the sea. Around his wrists, ankles, and neck were shackles imprinted with his brother’s name.

            “Vice,” read the torturous bonds, and Lies had clouded Virtue’s eyes, and burnt his flesh. She never had liked Virtue. She envied his wings, now made useless by the chains and the storm.

            She thought happily of how not even her sister Charity could disturb her while Confusion was around.

            All Virtue’s thoughts were consumed with the little blue planet of the human beings, whose contemplation of the higher dimensions had at the same time made Virtue so happy, and his brother so angry and possesive.

            Virtue recalled the day that Vice captured him, and tears fell from his eyes, lost in the angry torrent of Confusion.

            He had been peacefully looking down upon the blue planet, not coveting it, simply admiring its beauty from atop his cloudy domain. He turned to see Vice was beside him, smoking so much that the cloud was beginning to seethe and disappear.

            “How are you, Vice?” asked Virtue.

            “Why don’t we reach out and take it for our own?” Vice replied.

            “Father said we must not meddle with the animals. The balance will be broken, and they will be all destroyed if we get too close to them.”

            “You and I have fought this battle before, brother, but now you’ll be watching from a different place!” said Vice, and great chains sprang from below the clouds, and dragged Virtue, shouting down all the way to the sea of Lies.

            “You’ll ruin everything! You monster!” cried Virtue.

            “Father said you are wise, brother, but you are not clever! You are not cunning!” said Vice, standing before his brother.

            “How did you do this?! Why?!” cried Virtue, struggling to escape the chains.

            “Those animals did this to you. Without their trust in me I could never have done it! Of course, I had help from the twins, though they will lament your fate. They did not know what they were getting into.”

            “You’re sick! Father will be angry!”

            “Father is too busy to care, my brother.”

            Then Virtue heard a malicious laugh.

            “Lies! Help me!” Virtue cried to his sister.

            “Stupid weakling!” Lies said.

            “Here’s a present for you!” she kissed his arm, and a burn appeared in his flesh, like brand mark.

            It read, “Virtue.”

            “How do you like it? That is a taste of my new power, brother. Vice has given it to me, in return for keeping you here to torment for eternity.”

            Virtue was still, rapt in stunned silence at the treachery of his siblings.

            “They won’t love you forever. I shall be free again!” said Virtue defiantly.

            “And if that happens, what will you do, little brother? You are too kind to hurt me,” said Vice.

            “You are right. I would not hurt you, as you do me, but I would see that you never run wild again, and for you that would be punishment enough. You delight in uncontrolled consumption, and I would hinder you from it, as I did always. That is my job, and so I will repay you for this treachery! I will reign over the blue planet until it is healed, while you torment, unable to grow fat on greed.”

            “They’ll never listen to you. I shall consume every realm from here to infinity, and grow so large that not even father could oppose me. I will reign eternally as the Lord of the fourth dimension!”

            “You’ve lost your mind if you think you can take father’s place!”

            “That is where you are wrong! I don’t think I will. I know I will!”

            “Arrogance! That is typical of you!”

            “You disgust me with you nobleness! Have fun trapped here forever, little brother!” said Vice, and he returned to his own domain to claim the blue planet as his prize.

            Virtue looked into the black sky above the sea of Lies, and thought about what Vice had said about the twins, “they will lament your fate.”

            He thought, “I have to get them to help me! Charity… she can do it. She only needs strength…”

            “Charity!” he screamed, and he heard the echoing laughter of Lies rise around him, and for a moment darkness blinded him, but he kept shouting.

            Charity was crying high above the darkness. Death stepped out from behind a cloud, a glittering white stag, “Why so sad, my beauty?”

            “Won’t you ever listen?!”

            “Did I do something wrong?”

            “You must help him! That little planet has driven you all mad!”

            “There is nothing I can do.”

            “You helped forged the chains! You must know how to break them!”

            “It is not up to me, but to the animals on the planet, my sister.”

            “Then go to them! Or you shall never see me smile again!”

            “That is not our realm, my sister. Life rules them, and even he cannot speak to them. Only Vice can do that, and he was the one who made the chains. I am sorry that I ever believed him when he asked me to help him, but I cannot remedy it.”

            “Then cannot you aid me in banishing Confusion?”

            “You know what you must do if you wish to see him. I wish I could be of more help, but I dare not disobey father again, for his rules keep all order, and I have already been aid to chaos once.”

            He changed into his normal form, and kissed her hand softly, “It is but a sharp stone amidst the endless cushion of cloud, my dear sister. Vice may think that he can create his own eternity, but Virtue spoke the truth when he defied him at the beginning. The chains will last only until the animals either no longer are willing to submit to Vice and Lies, or are destroyed by them.”

            “Then why does he cry so?”

            “It is in his nature to care for the animals in the domain of Life as well as my domain. I do not care for the animals under the care of my brother, and since Vice rules them only within his domain, it is none of my concern. However, it will pass, and so will the storm subside, and you will see him again.”

            “Yet I cannot stand his pain, for it is in my nature to heal. Even if I am to alone, I must do it.”

            “No! My sister, if you go to the planet your torment will be worse than his! You must not leave the safety of our hidden place! The animals do not comprehend us fully, and Vice will lead their hearts against you.”

            “You cannot go, and so I must, or persuade Life to go in my place. Either way I must travel down through the storm of Confusion, beyond the sea of Lies, and the court of Time, to the domain of our brothers. If I should be lost forever, do not forget me.”

            “I could never do such a thing! I will love you forever, fairest of sisters!”

            She slipped her hand out of his, and transformed into a pure white dove, as gentle as the clouds around them. She flew down beneath the safety of her domain, and into the dark storm of her sister, Confusion.

            Confusion stopped for a moment, eyes blazing, “Get out of here, you little pest! I’m in a bad mood, and I don’t want to be disturbed!”

            A huge gust slammed into Charity, and she fell down.

            Lies caught her, and said, “Foolish sister. Do you not know your place? Perhaps it is with that fool chained to the rock!”

            Charity had returned to her usual form, and she said, “Why did you help capture him?”

            “He’s a fool, and I cannot resist tormenting fools. You should know my nature. I know it is yours to pity him. I will not let you go to him, not while the storm lasts.”

            “I’m not going to him.”

            “Oh my! Have your lost your senses?”

            “No, only gained a bit of advice!” she said, and struggled free of the grasp of Lies.

            She made straight for the Court of Time, not minding there were worse dangers in the sea than her sister, for the true power of Lies could only affect those below her, and her sister was on her level.

            She flew for what seemed hours, and reaching the far shore of the sea landed, exhausted, upon a small, lush island. The white sand was soft, and she raised her weary head to look upon the face of a lovely man with hair of gold.

            “You look tired, my sweet,” he said.

            “You can stop the act. I know you. You are Deception, one of my sister’s workers.”

            “Oh! Please, don’t be so mean! I couldn’t stand it! I am your brother too, you know, though you out rank me, Sweet Charity.”

            “You can mean me no good, Deception. You hunger to deceive and detain, and I must press on to the Court of Time.”

            “Then have fun with puzzle!” he laughed, and vanished back into the lush forest.

            “Good day to you, my dear,” said a strange creature with the head of a tiger, the body of a man, and the wings of an eagle.

            “And who are you? I’ve not met you before,” said Charity.

            “I am the riddle maker, the time waster, the brain teaser, the master of mazes, the...”

            “Thank you very much, but I retract my question.”

            “It’s rude to interrupt! Very well, I’ll tell you my name, but let’s play a game first! I adore games!”

            “You must be a servant of Deception.”

            “No! You impugn my honor, fair maiden! I serve no one but myself! Now, pick the King!”

            Floating before Charity were three cards.

            They shuffled themselves at a furious pace, and then stopped.

            She chose the card on her left.

            “Too bad!” said the tiger, and he vanished.

            “This game is not over,” thought Charity, as she warily walked forward into the forest of Deception.

Errol Flynn and Cinda Chima

Two things you should really check out if you are a fantasy/old-timey action lover are Errol Flynn films, and Cinda Chima's Seven Realms Series.

Errol Flynn is probably best known for his brilliant portrayal of Robinhood, in the 1937 "The Adventures of Robinhood," but he has a number of good pirate films, "Captain Blood," and "The Sea Hawk" to name a couple. The 1937 "The Prince & the Pauper" is also a marvelous film. He doesn't star in it, but it's a great movie. It's also one of the few films I know of that actually has twins in it. No camera tricks to make one person look like two, these boys are really identical twins, and they're good actors too. So if you want to see some good action/adventure films in which you don't get bombarded with stupid explosions every five seconds, then take a lot at some of these older films. They are very compelling, mostly b/c they rely on strong characters, as opposed to special FX, to tell their stories.

As for Cinda Chima, I have absolutely no idea why she isn't more popular. She's out there, right now, and her books are very good. She has strong, fascinating characters who manage not to fall into every single cliche fantasy trope, though she does use some... that doesn't bother me too much. I'm picky... but overall her writing is quite good. She also manages to avoid the broad brush villain/hero problem that plagues so many modern writers. She has characters who exist on the margins, between good and evil, and it is nice to see that. I only wish she were more popular. I really wish someone would make films of her stories. While The Hunger Games explodes, these stories still seem to languish in obscurity, and in my opinion The Hunger Games is truly awful when you look at it closely. It again, like Harry Potter, promotes a bad sense of morality, and just feeds into the gore-fest it purports to be against. No. It's the same good vs. evil story we've heard time and again. It is time we move on and recognize that all people are more complex than that, and Cinda Chima provides this in her stories. I can't wait for the final book in this series, although at the same time I wish it weren't the last one.

Also... that girl in the Hunger Games... she FAILS at being Robinhood... the main female character in Cinda Chima's books, Raisa, succeeds at her Robinhood-esque endeavor.

So PLEASE!!! I call upon you, Fantasy lovers!!! Help support Cinda Chima. :) Also does anybody out there want me to blog about my fantasy writing?