Welcome Message

Welcome to my blog. Here, you will find information about my novels, life in Japan, as well as author interviews, discussions on writing, and more. Feel free to browse and if you enjoy a post, please comment. Thanks for reading!

21 May 2014

Trying To Recapture The Magic

When I was a kid, movies were magical. Davy Crockett really did grin down a bear, Spock died, and Gremlins were real. After all, how could an actor be playing C-3PO when he was clearly in pieces being carried on Chewbacca’s back?
As I got older and learned more about movies, I became interested in the science behind the magic. I began watching as many behind-the-scenes clips as I could. I didn’t care about celebrity news on Entertainment Tonight, show me the CGI of the T-1000 terminator!
When DVDs began to surface, I loved the ones loaded with extras. I’d watch as many bonus featurettes as I could. I learned about how green screen made Superman fly, blue suits turned Kevin Bacon invisible, and the Enterprise was a four foot model.
Now in my thirties, I’m regressing. I don’t watch the bonus material or listen to the commentary tracks. I feel a little saddened when I spot a green screen production photo. I’m trying to lose myself in the magic again, into the story, and characters. I’m trying not to see Tom Cruise and see Ethan Hunt.
Sometimes I come across a character so brilliant, I don’t want to see the actor in anything else. Case in point: Sherlock. Many people told me how good Sherlock was but I never got around to watching it. After all, I’ve seen Basil Rathbone and Robert Downey Jr. play him. But I really wanted to see Star Trek Into Darkness. After hearing that Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch was cast as Khan, I decided to give his BBC show a try. And I LOVED it! He is absolutely brilliant as Sherlock. In fact, I really don’t want to see any other work by Cumberbatch. I want to remember him as Sherlock. I want to link those two together inseparably. The same thing has happened to me with Doctor Who. I began watching it because I knew Christopher Eccleston from Gone In Sixty Seconds and G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra. But after he left the show, David Tennant’s portrayal of the tenth Doctor is my favorite. I want to remember him as the Doctor, not playing the Doctor.
So, now I try not to watch the science behind the magic. It’s hard, I often look up trivia on IMDB for movies I’ve just watched. But I’m trying to regain the magic, if even a little bit.
Thanks for reading.

No comments:

Post a Comment