Citation Needed

Writing an original show is a non-stop orgy of screaming “But what if…" to yourself. Over the course of the time I’ve spent trying to make this got-damn show happen, the characters have undergone an endless array of changes. Looking back at my very first notes, this show is nearly unrecognizable from what I first conceived it to be. Is this good? Is this progress? I have no idea.

What I will say is that as I peruse the shows online and to come, there still doesn’t seem to be a show like the one I’m making, which is great and a relief. A great relief, even. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve starting writing something only to see my idea pop up on one network or another. For better or worse, Fever Days is still my own.

We’re gonna head right into the next section ‘cause I gots stuff to say.

What I’m reading

I just watched David Fincher’s ‘The Killer’. Long story short: I didn’t love it. Short story long: it kept me entertained just enough to see it through. But here’s the thing:

I’ll pretty much watch anything Fincher does (even though I still haven’t seen ‘Mank’, but that’s because I don’t have any interest in the subject). But when I do watch a Fincher film, I have a certain expectation of style. His movies all have a look to them. They’re dark, a lot of times, but there’s a kind of hyperrealism about them that really appeals to me. And most of the time he uses that look very effectively.

‘The Killer’, however, didn’t have any of the usual Fincher visuals about it. With one or two notable exceptions, it looked like any director could have made it. And that bums me out. I waited a long time for this and it just didn’t turn me on.

And lest you think it was just the visuals, I also think the story was just kind of flat. Apparently based on a novel, it’s the interior story of a hitman. We’re in his head throughout the film, and he constantly narrates with his philosophies about contract killing and the way a professional should comport themself.

Thing is, he’s just not a very interesting character. Half the time the ideals he espouses aren’t mirrored in his actions, and while that could be used to poke fun at the character, it wasn’t the direction Fincher took with it. I don’t know if we were meant to think he’s kind of a self-important blowhard, because the role is played so deadpan and straight that if it were meant to be farcical, none of that landed.

Even by the end of the movie I kept asking ‘What was the point of that?’ If it was a portrait of this character, it was uninteresting and dull, because he just doesn’t do or say anything interesting. If it was a movie about how one should live as a killer, well, we’ve seen that many many times before.

Overall, I was kind of disappointed by ‘The Killer’. The best thing about it was Tilda Swinton (no surprise), who’s on screen for maybe 10 minutes. Just kind of a waste of time, really.

Elric: The Dreaming City

Guys! Since I’ve been doing my ‘Unearthed’ series again, I’m a new dog. Putting these comics in front of people who may have never even heard of them is really great for my production and creativity. And I love re-reading these older issues!

In case you hadn’t seen, I’m going through every old Marvel Graphic Novel. I began with “The Death of Captain Marvel” and I’m now on number two, ‘Elric: The Dreaming City’, adapted into comics form by Roy Thomas and P. Craig Russell. Please to enjoy; this is one of my very favorites, and I’m so excited to share it with you. Tell everyone you know! Let’s get more eyeballs on this!

Anyway, please wish me some luck this week as I’m going to try to get some serious plotting down. Sometimes I feel like I’m wasting time and should be writing; sometimes I wait for the Muse to take me. This week I’m forcing the issue. Talk to you guys soon.

Here’s your reality check: The Insane Real Duels Behind Ridley Scott's "The Duellists"