Playwright | Joshua James

That I sadly must take yet another blogging break… I am writing like a mad beast, and the unfortunate tradeoff is that the blogging must wait… but I will have more to report, and soon, of that I promise you…

In the meantime, be safe, be well and I will eventually see you back here on the mats…

My friend F. Scott Frazier’s movie THE NUMBERS STATION opens tomorrow… it’s awesome.

In the early seventies, a young Paul Schrader met up with his younger brother Leonard, who’d just returned from four years teaching in Japan and shared some of his experiences with Paul, telling him he hoped to turn it into a novel.

Paul said, “Novel, sure, but let’s write a screenplay first and sell it for big bucks!” which then began one of the biggest spec sales of its day, which Paul pitched as “Bruce Lee meets The Godfather” (and yeah, I know, Bruce was Chinese and Yakuza are Japanese, but it was the 70s Paul figured the Hollywood suits wouldn’t know the difference)… and later became a Sidney Pollack movie starring Robert Mitchum, among others… and features a fantastic sword fight at the end and a great gun fight, too.

Clips are scarce, I have here the great scene where Dusty, played by the awesome Richard Jordan, dies:

Which is particularly well crafted (especially the man who keeps begging them to stop, it adds and even greater tension to this scene).

Of the sword scene, I could only find this clip, which has different action scenes spliced together and someone else’s score tracked over it, but I’m embedding it regardless, just to give you an idea of its coolness and will urge you to check out this movie asap… it’s a great flick.

That’s the great Ken Takakura as Ken, the sword expert… what’s fascinating about that fight scene is that there is ONE person that Ken, during his attack, he’d promised NOT to kill, and of course, that’s one person at the end who attacks him and leaves him no choice. It’s a really fantastic choice.

What’s really kickass about THE YAKUZA is that there is a layered complex family drama underneath it… it’s not a mindless one man defends against the yakuza, not at all, it has a depth and a power and a few rather stunning character reveals… reveals I’m not going to spoil here… I’ll just add that, on top of the fight scenes, The Yakuza is a movie well worth seeing. A classic that doesn’t get enough love… check it out.

Like a lot of people, Siskel & Ebert were my first film professors, and in particular I identified more with Roger who famously based his tastes on his gut, whereas Gene was more cerebral. But in particular, after Gene’s passing, I was moved and impressed by Roger’s writing, especially after he lost his voice to cancer, but didn’t lose his VOICE, which became even stronger.

So in honor of those two who meant so much to those of us who loved movies as much as they did, I’ve posted some infamous outtakes of the two men (who, despite their fighting, were actually close friends) sniping at each other and making each other laugh… these are outtakes, so warning, strong language.

and this, too..

Good journeys, Roger, wherever you’re headed next… I was really glad you and Gene were with us and shared what you love… it meant a lot.

My buddy Todd Travis is hosting another free giveaway via Amazon of his novel Creatures of Appetite today and tomorrow, so if you want to read a really exciting thriller, now’s your chance to download one for free.

It’s been getting some good reviews from Amazon readers, too. Here’s a few of them:

“I have only one word for this book “WOW!” I was browsing, looking for a book while waiting for my favorite authors new releases and came across this one. Got the sample chapter, read it and immediately bought it. That was this morning and I literally couldn’t put it down, finished it in about 5 hours and, again, WOW! The characters were totally believable, the killers twisted and the story line is awesome. I would have paid $15 (like other Kindle books out there) and it would have been worth every penny. Don’t want to give too much away so I’ll just say, READ THIS BOOK and be prepared to say WOW….”

“The murders are chilling, the plot twists refreshing, and the dialogue believable. I LOVED the ending!”

Check it out and spread the word, he’s good people: Creatures of Appetite

There were more shows like JUSTIFIED…

Maybe there are and I haven’t yet discovered them (I hope, I hope)… but daaayemm… JUSTIFIED is awesome. I read the short story it was based on (because, well, I’m crazy like that) and it very nearly mirrors the pilot episode (except for a crucial difference in the ending) from the first season, but the beautiful thing is how this show harkens back to that beginning (”Raylan and me, we dug coal together”) yet still evolves over the past three seasons… Raylan’s complicated family history and loss of his father (a good-bye I’ve never seen in before) resounded from where it once began, and let’s not forget the show turned a one time homicidal neo-Nazi into a sympathetic, tragic figure… one that scares you and yet you secretly root for…

And there are no throwaway characters anywhere, every single small or supporting role matters…

This season has been just off the hook excellent, to the point I’m very sad that it was the season finale last night.

Because now we have to wait for the next season…

Oh, the internets is so much fun, isn’t it?

Just so we’re clear, there’s a decided difference between facts and opinions… it seems that there’s more than a few folks battling on the internets who can’t seem to tell the difference between the two…

Here’s an example of an opinion, one I heard often from my days as a video store clerk…

PULP FICTION is a much better movie than FOREST GUMP (I actually dig both movies, but this is something I heard from movie geeks, so stay with me).

Now, I’m sure that for a lot of people out there (especially those who don’t care for violent movies), GUMP is a better movie, and that for others of a certain generation, PULP is head and shoulders above it…

If someone were to state a personal preference for one or the other, I wouldn’t have an issue with it. They’re simply sharing their opinion based on their tastes and preferences.

Where people have been going off the rails with it as of late is with facts… for example, of the two movies above, which one made more money when released?

It was GUMP… via Box Office Mojo:
Domestic: $329,694,499 48.7%
+ Foreign: $347,693,217 51.3%
= Worldwide: $677,387,716

PULP’s take…
Domestic: $107,928,762 50.5%
+ Foreign: $106,000,000 49.5%
= Worldwide: $213,928,762

That’s a lot of money for both (and considering Pulp only cost 12 mil, it was extremely profitable) but it’s clear, from the numbers alone, that GUMP made more money… so why would someone argue that it was less successful?

A reasonable person wouldn’t, however, that doesn’t seem to stop such discourse from occurring A LOT these days. Trust me, I’ve heard it.

I had the same argument online some time ago with an internet troll who claimed that GARDEN STATE was a total failure… which was nuts, look at this from BO mojo

Domestic: $26,782,316 74.8%
+ Foreign: $9,043,000 25.2%
= Worldwide: $35,825,316

That’s off a budget of 2.5 million dollars. That’s a great exchange… but let’s not limit it to just money, what do the critics think? Well, on RT has it at 86% positive for critics… okay, fuck the critics, what did audiences think of it? Via RT, it was at 86%

So critics loved it, audiences (a clear majority) loved it, how in any world could someone make the claim that it was a failure… well, according to the troll, it was a failure simply because HE didn’t like it. Ergo, it FAILED completely. And not just for him, but for everybody (he was clear that it was an abject failure for everyone involved and a blight on Braff’s career)… that’s his opinion.

And, well… he’s wrong on the facts. It was actually a success. He may not like it, but there it is… full disclosure, my best bud is in that movie, I happened to have loved it, as did the Samurai Lady… but facts are facts, it was a complete success.

Said troll was projecting his taste and trying to use it to bend reality. It’s nuts, but it happens.

I see this in political discourse, someone doesn’t like the President, so they start humping false stories that support said dislike, for example, the deficit has doubled since he took office (it’s actually shrunk) or that businesses have suffered (Wall Street profits are at an all time high, worst socialist President ever) or whatever the meme of the day is for those who hate on the President… there’s a lot of those…

And hey, certainly one is free to like or dislike whomever or whatever they please, but get the actual facts straight.

There’s this idea out there that just because someone can have an opinion, that automatically it has value… no, it does not, not all opinions are created equal (the right to have an opinion is, that’s of great value, but the substance of said opinion itself, that depends on content)… some are informed, some are uninformed, and some are just crazy (the latter reserved for high ranking NRA officials) and yet too often dissenting opinions are presented side by side as if equal (especially on political pundit shows) and, well, they’re not, some are informed and supported by facts, some are not, and some are pulled straight from crazy town ether (see Bachmann, Michelle)… and if an opinion butts up against a fact, go with the facts, please… facts are facts, and they’re either with you or against you…

I’ve nothing against opinions, for what it’s worth, but I prefer informed ones over the uninformed ones… don’t you?

The news of the day…

The NRA reverses its previous positions, comes out and baldly states that regulating firearms by requiring owner and operator licenses, safety tests and classes, background checks, will actually save thousands of lives and pledge to use their considerable clout to push the laws through Congress.

Congress finally agrees to chuck Obamacare but proposes to replace it with a single payer, Medicare for all program to insure each and every person in America gets healthcare… admitting that this will save a lot more money and lives in the long run.

At the same time, they admit that public servants such as school teachers, police officers and firefighters actually ARE a valuable part of our society and propose doubling the pay for each, especially teachers, and structure a benefits program that mirrors what each member of Congress gets..

And Congress decides to funnel more money into education and less into the pockets of defense contractors.

And pass laws requiring long, terrible criminal sentences for bank and securities fraud, sentences far worse than what drug dealers receive.

The Republican party admits that their party has been a haven for bigotry, ignorance and hate groups and proposes a zero tolerance policy toward those who champion bigotry, homophobia and intolerance. They tell Donald Trump if he has a problem with their position, he’s free to start his own political party of rich racist white guys, in the meantime, take that orange top and shove it right up his bigoted butt.

And the GOP admits that the government actually does quite a lot of things right (see firefighters, cops, teachers, etc), our government did put a man on the moon, after all, among other things. They realize taxes go to provide valuable services and protection for all citizens, and represent an investment in the future of our country.

Democrats grow a spine and actually champion laws that the majority of the country support (see above gun safety laws, single payer health care, better pay for teachers, etc) instead of simply grabbing the less offensive conservative policies and claiming them as their own (see Obamacare)… they also reverse the Patriot Act and champion free wi-fi for everyone in the country, to much acclaim.

George W. Bush and Dick Cheney (and their friends) are arrested for war crimes and shipped to Hague.

Media programs actually fact check their guests, and each other, live on the air. Blatant falsehoods (known in the industry as a “Romney” or “Romneys”) are not tolerated.

If only it wasn’t the first of April, right?

Okay, so we’re back with this… today’s fight scene is a tad different than the norm… it’s the initial fight between Tim Robbins and Tom Cruise in WAR OF THE WORLDS… here we go…

Now while this fight isn’t as dynamic as one might find in MI III, it’s still a classic piece of work simply due to the context… Cruise knows that if wingnut Robbins fires at the aliens, it will give them away to all of them… so they have a silent, powerful struggle over a shotgun as Cruise’s daughter looks on… not only does he have to stop Robbins, he doesn’t dare make any noise, either.

And he’s losing to the bigger man.

This fight is a setup for something bigger, of course, a big realization Cruise comes to later regarding his host (Robbins) and a turning point for his character… and that’s why this scene is so awesome, beyond the obvious suspense with the aliens, it’s about character…

Hey, how are you?

Been awhile, I know. The blogging thing, I mean. I know, you’re like, “what the hell, Josh?”

See, the thing is, I write a lot more in other fields (my professional fields) and sometimes there’s simply nothing left at the end of the day for the blog. I’m a huge fan of blogs, I read them every day at breakfast and check in before I go to bed, but I find myself in that weird zone of, well, what do I write about? What do I have to say here?

When I began this blog, it was mostly about theatre and stuff like that, because I was still, at that time, a very active playwright. And the timing was fortuitous, since at that time there was a vibrant theatre blogging community and we went back and forth on the subject of theatre and whatnot… there were some fantastic discussions and some glorious flamewars, among other things.

As far as I know, that’s not really occurring, many of those don’t blog any longer or, like me, they blog about other things… for my part, I stopped proactively pursuing a career as a playwright (I stopped writing plays) to work on screenplays and fiction, among other things. I had a kid (and now I have two!) and the life of a penniless playwright wasn’t nearly romantic as it once was. And, to be honest, theatre itself changed, at least the community I was involved in… downtown indie theatre got a LOT more expensive, too expensive, really, considering the mostly zero returns.

Or perhaps I just moved on. It happens. I loved doing theatre, and would welcome a chance to do more… but I don’t miss a lot of the hassle… and, in the end, if the hassle outweighs the bennies, you move on… and for the time being re theatre, the hassles far outweigh the bennies… I have stories in that regard, but I’m not going to share them, not yet.

So I can write about screenwriting, and have… but there is a vast and vibrant screenwriter blogging world out there (and I’m fortunate enough to call a couple of the best ones at that friends) and, to be honest, I’m not yet ready to share a lot of that, either… it’s a journey I’m in the middle of, I guess, and I always prefer to have perspective whenever possible.

So I blog about movie fight scenes (something of a specialty of mine) and the occasional snark or, even better, pimping some of my friends’ work whenever possible (my friend Bob has a movie starting to shoot in Vancouver, my bud Ato is shooting the second season of his series, and my buddy Todd’s thriller novel continues to get good reviews, so check it out)…

And as much as I like writing about martial arts and TUF (the current season is pretty fantastic, imo, much better than last season), I find I’m usually too exhausted to write something substantial enough to share on the blog, and usually by the time I’ve found the space to write it, everything’s usually been said on facebook…

So I do that, but the real truth of the matter is, most of the time I don’t have time to write anything in the blog other than a couple sentences… when I embarked on this blog, I had no kids, a part time office job and a video game habit that would interfere with my writing jags… I wrote when I felt like it, and if I didn’t feel like it, I didn’t. The blog was good exercise in that regard, it gave me a reason to write even if I didn’t feel like it…

But now, these days, I have two very active sons, I don’t play video games and more importantly, I write every day, rain or shine, sink or swim… and I’m very happy with that, but some things fall by the wayside (video games for one) and so blogging has suffered.

Which is okay, since I began this blog mainly has a form of fun and word exercise, nothing more. But I felt I should explain.

BTW, this is what is known as, in the blogging world, as navel-gazing… heheheheh…

But it’s not over, it’s just evolving… I will be doing more here, I promise, there are things to talk about as the days march on and we wait to see what the tide brings us all… it’s important to acknowledge that the rests and the spaces between the musical notes are just as important as the notes themselves… in life as much as in music…

So the blog has been on a rest, but there will be music to follow, I promise…

My play SPOOGE THE SEX AND LOVE MONOLOGUES is available for free on Monday, March 11th via Original Works Publishing, so please like their page and pick up a copy of my infamous play SPOOGE from Amazon…

UPDATED… OW posted an interview with me about the play here: #FREEPLAYMONDAY Q&A with “Spooge” playwright Joshua James | The Carriage Return – Original Works Publishing