[If you haven’t seen seasons 1 & 2 of SANCTUARY, then this post will spoil like a mofo’.  Reader beware.]

Sanctuary was one of my favorite guilty pleasures on television.  Part X-Files, part monster hunters, the show follows a team that specializes in capturing and studying the monsters (known as Abnormals) hiding amongst humanity.   The show’s claim to fame is jumping from Internet only to television broadcasts and being filmed almost exclusively in front of a green screen. 

What drew me to the program was the cool concept and rich characters.  It could have gone the cheesy route relying solely on special effects to keep things interesting, but the plot was intriguing with its weaving of historical elements and strong dramatic moments.  Seriously, all I expected was watching monsters get tagged and bagged only to be pleasantly surprised by the quality of the storytelling.  Their pacing was good, revealing the world and its inhabitants carefully while building the metastory in the background. 

They had a fantastic bad guy in the form of a ruthless, shadow organization called the Cabal who were just as capable as the Sanctuary Network, but with three times the manpower.  By the time the first season had ended, the story had been brought to a roaring boil with betrayals, plot twists and one hell of a cliffhanger.  I was chomping at the bit to see season two which is exactly how fans of a good show should be. 

The second season started off with a bang.  We see Dr. Magnus frantically searching for her daughter while the Cabal transforms her into a mindless killing machine.  The Sanctuary team finally finds Ashley only to have their asses handed to them by her new, evil super powers.  Dr. Magnus is fantastically intense during the season opener, letting Amanda Tapping really shine though, honestly, she’s been good since day one. 

As awesome as the second season begins it also introduces one of its biggest flaws, Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi).  This poorly written character is acted with all the grace of a bull in a china shop.  Alternating between annoying and VERY annoying she feels ill conceived and executed when compared to the rest of the cast.  The writers also don’t give her much to work with besides tired, early 20’s, feisty chick clichés.

Then the second episode culminates with the death of Ashely.  Wow.  I was impressed the writers had the balls to do it yet surprised they pulled the trigger on only the second episode of the new season.  This leads into a "mourning" episode where the writing begins to get a little sloppy on the B story side (steeped in Freelander which always sucks).  The 4th episode feels like filler.  It’s far cry from the strong writing we’ve come to enjoy and the writers attempts at developing Freelander continue to fall flat.

Episode five saves itself with a cool "Days of Future Past" style plot letting the two best characters, Will and Magnus, rock the casbah.  In this season Henry finally has solid character development and Magnus gets to pull some seriously Machiavellian moves, but in general the show loses its focus with disjointed episodes that have little to tie them together, a luxury you can afford on a 20-26 episode show, but a mortal sin when only working with 13.

The final nail in the coffin was the season finale, a two part episode that  filled my bullshit quota over the limit.  With no big bad guy to leverage or overreaching story arc to wrap up, we’re left with a tale that has to rely on only two episodes of build up.  That pales in comparison to the tension gathered by the end of season one.  The setting of India I assume was supposed to be exotic, but I had a sneaking suspicion it was an excuse to flesh out Freelander a little more.  Lo and behold, the B story for this epic, earth shattering, season finale is… Freelander learning to be nice and accept more of her heritage.  I’m dead serious.  This is the best they could come up with.

To add insult to injury, there’s a TOTALLY POINTLESS Bollywood style dance number, led by Will himself, which defies logic or reason.  Its a poor showing overall.  Even Magnus gets out maneuvered by the new head of her New York Sanctuary. C’mon, she’s over a century old, pulled more complex plans than this and some punk wannabe pulls the rug out from under her?  It’s insulting to the character to say the least.

Instead of looking forward to the third season I’m feeling sorry for the show.  The momentum of the first season was completely lost, fans are upset over Ashley’s half-assed substitute Freelander and they jumped the shark hard with a musical number.  What could have been a new Sci-Fi favorite collapsed under the weight of its deteriorating stories.  No amount of special effects can cover up bad writing.

It’s a shame really.  I hold out hope they can salvage it in the new season perhaps with a stronger overall focus or at the minimum better storylines.  If not it will be thrown in the trunk with the other piss poor Sci-Fi shows and original films.

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Multi-Hyphenate is a congregation of creative, talented and heartfelt folks on an up and coming online magazine.  Writing about movies, music or art in general, I’ve read many a fantastic article there.  From reality TV uber-couple Joke and Biagio to indie film making rock stars King is a Fink, the caliber of the contributors on this site is amazing… and yet somehow I was able to slip in and write a guest post.  Shhh, don’t tell anyone or they might take it down

Until then I hope you’ll swing over to Multi-Hyphenate and enjoy "Reboots & Remakes: What Works & What Doesn’t"

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Earlier this week I had a very six degrees of separation kind of night, flowing from one train of thought to another like a slow moving ADD victim.  It all started with me searching through Hulu for a video clip (damned if I remember which one) when I stumbled across an episode of the Late Late Show where Craig Ferguson interviewed Stephen Fry.  What was intriguing about this particular show was the lack of studio audience and a return to the interview format of its Tom Snyder days. (intro, pt 1, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, outro)

What struck me most about this interview was the raw intelligence on display.  Fry is known for his wit and savvy, but Ferguson brought out his A game as well.  For Christ’s sake, tautology was used during the course of their conversation.  When’s the last time you even heard that word on television?  There were many choice nuggets like that which made the entire show a true joy to watch. 

The one sad thing about the interview was noticing how much Ferguson has to dumb himself down to fit the comedic structure of late night television.  It also made me miss watching the BBC which tends to have a lot of intelligent discourse in its programming.  Mental stimulation isn’t always a requirement for my entertainment, but it is difficult to make it the standard and not the exception with the quality of today’s fare.  I don’t know if Ferguson will attempt it again, but I found his experiment to be incredibly successful and entertaining.

Having tasted 40 minutes of Fry’s charm I was compelled to find more.  I didn’t have A Bit of Fry and Laurie handy so I pulled out V for Vendetta instead.  Even though his part is small, Fry’s performance is fantastic and in its final moments heart wrenching.  Natalie Portman also has one of her better roles in this film.  As talented as she is (Leon the Professional is still my favorite) she’s damned inconsistent, fluctuating between painfully wooden (Star Wars prequels) to blandly generic (Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium).  Perhaps she’s one of those actresses that only shines when the source material is especially good?  There’s no denying that Alan Moore’s mad genius is some of the best material out there when it’s not being fucked with, like the painful to watch League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a textbook case of Hollywood screwing the pooch.

As I continued to watch V for Vendetta I began dissecting Hugo Weaving’s performance.  Here you have a character, V, whose face is never shown yet at any given moment the audience knows exactly how he’s feeling.  He does this merely using the inflections in his speech and the movements of his body.  I honestly don’t know of any actors—other than Doug Jones—who could pull off such a nuanced performance without relying heavily on facial expressions.  As extensive as Weaving’s career is, I think that V for Vendetta is one of his best performances ever.

And this took me to my final pondering of the night, a consistently parroted bit of writing advice which is "show don’t tell" usually followed by "less is more".  Having someone holler these phrases at you while you try to create something isn’t terribly helpful, but when you can experience solid examples of this in action, like Weaving as V, you begin to see the true power behind the ideas. 

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It’s great when you can make an entire career out of being a bad ass motherf$&%.

Feeling a little silly and in the mood for some funny.

——————————————

Comics courtesy of “Joe Loves Crappy Movies”

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Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.
~ Benjamin Franklin

When I read that JFK’s love letters to his Swedish flame were going on sale it got me thinking about secrets in our modern society.  With the cult of personality at an all time high through the advent of reality TV stars and an ever invasive paparazzi it’s as if we should rename ourselves the full disclosure society.  No transgressions can be atoned for without a play-by-play rendering privacy an all but pointless concept.

Of course these examples stem from the world of celebrity, but this culture of confession has permeated our way of being.  The exhibitionist is flourishing, hitting a high point in its stride with the use of blogs, social media and 24 hour news.  People’s lives are being lived completely exposed without hesitation.  Hell, we’re demanding it as payment for any level of success: You run a popular online business, give us all your juicy details; You’re known for your solid career advice, reveal your moments of despair.  There is no life if it is not led in full view of others.  We’ll never have to worry about the tree in the woods making a sound because someone’s already wired a web cam to it. 

The obsession between exhibitionists and voyeurs is twisting our ability to lead private lives.  Those who refuse to share themselves with a hungry world are becoming the exceptions not the rule.  I find myself guilty of this skewed viewpoint as well.  When I’ve encountered people in the IT realm with no digital footprint (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc), I’m genuinely surprised.  The Truman Show may have been a movie, but it’s almost prophetic in its vision of where we’re headed.

People should be able to confide in another if they choose to, not from of an imposed sense of obligation.  I think secrets are important.  Sharing a secret with another is a sign of trust.  Keeping a secret given shows strength of character.  Discretion used to be a quality we admired.  Now if the secret is poisoning you by keeping it inside then by all means let it go, but do so only because it will make you feel better, not because society demands it. 

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Being a Nerd can be a tricky thing.  Topics of conversation that excite you tend to make others roll their eyes (or stare at you befuddled) while the very nature of your business lends itself to a total lack of social skills.  Socially well adjusted Nerds (aka those that got laid in High School) are few and far between.  You’ll probably find them in the consulting arena and/or technical sales game.  Their ability to talk shop at various levels lets them flow between different groups (techies, executives, end users) without feeling out of place.  This adaptability is a highly regarded quality and rarely found in most IT departments.

Even though I can speak Tech it doesn’t mean that is my default form of communication.  Sometimes I need concepts relayed to me in a simpler manner, just to grasp the bigger picture, without getting bogged down in the superfluous details.  That’s where RetroHack comes in.

I’ve known RetroHack for many years now and I’ve always been amazed by his ability to take ridiculously complicated technical concepts and relay them in an easy to understand manner.  His howto:// series is a friggin’ godsend for those struggling with the technologies covered.  Going into enough detail to get the job down, making sure you fully understand the concepts AND injecting a nice dose of mischievous humor, RetroHack takes the terminally boring and makes it completely accessible.

A perfect example would be his article on Password Complexity, a constant battle between security teams and end users, but here he breaks it down in a way that anyone can understand.  I don’t think people are ever really explained why passwords are so important.  Someone from the IT department just barks at them, with no consideration for their understanding, and then expects their word to be law.  Treating people with this lack of respect is a common problem in the IT industry.

Instead RetroHack, takes a different approach.  He related passwords to movies, quotes and inside jokes.  Not only imparting the real reason for the enforcement of password complexity, but giving you handy tips to make it something meaningful and easy to remember.  The networks end up more secure, end users aren’t treated like knuckle dragging, mouth breathers and everyone wins in the end.

If you’re in the IT realm and need something useful yet amusing, I highly recommend swinging by RetroHack for your uber nerd needs.

Disclaimer: I am an admin, editor and co-author of this site, but the content being put out would still rock the casbah without my involvement. 

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[I WILL BE DISCUSSING CRUCIAL AND ENDING SCENES FOR THESE FILMS.  IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THEM, PLEASE DO YOURSELF THE FAVOR OF ENJOYING THEM UNSPOILED BEFORE READING THIS POST]

While watching a couple of favorite films over the weekend I was reminded as to why I keep popping them into the DVD player and enjoying them thoroughly no matter how many times I’ve seen them.  Then I remember seeing them for the first time in the theaters and that’s when I start to get angry.

It has long been said that people are going to the movie theaters less frequently preferring their big screen TV’s and surround sound systems at home to the often times overpriced and infuriating experience of a Cineplex.  When you stay at home the experience is consistent; your comfy couch is always comfy, snacks are plentiful and your movie is always in perfect view.  When you go the the movie theater the comfort of your seat varies greatly, snacks are borderline robbery and getting a good seat is a roll of the dice.  Then there’s the audience…

Going to the movie theaters is more of a social experience designed to amplify your enjoyment of the latest celluloid creation.  Sadly that is far from the case unless you actively seek special screenings for film lovers or hit the indie house circuit.  The average audience is a mixed bag to say the least.  Some go to make fun of the latest “popular thing” unable or unwilling to let themselves and those around them enjoy it (just because you don’t like it doesn’t give you license to be a DICK).  Others go as a means to escape their lives yet bring said lives with them (when the hell was taking your toddler to the re-release of The Exorcist a good idea?).  Finally there are those who think that the theater is merely an extension of their home and proceed to behave in any indulgent manner they wish (why are people STILL talking to the screen?).

Even if you get a decent audience their ability to understand or connect with the film is not always the same as yours.  That’s where my anger starts.  Two movies I saw over the weekend on DVD were also two movies that were marred by my theater experience. 

The first one, which everyone should recognize in one form or another, is Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet.  This Shakespeare via MTV creation was surprisingly good.  Baz mixed in his love of music (which was refined to epic levels in Moulin Rouge) with fantastic actors (both newly minted and grizzled veterans) into a hyperkinetic, visually stunning, reboot of the classic tale.

This was my first introduction to Luhrmann’s work (I now own his Red Curtain Trilogy) and I remember it blowing me away in the theater.  The curious intro of a television set coming closer while reciting the iconic prologue only to be followed by a smashing wall of sound, images and words, only to end with the title, massive white blocked letters searing the start of the film into your eyes.  I was hooked from the get go. 

We all know how this tale ends with the star cross’d lovers dead in each others arms.  When Romeo takes his poison only to find Juliet alive, the moment is powerful indeed.  Juliet lets out a cry of utter despair that stems from the base of her very soul.  This moment, moving and poignant, was destroyed by an audience that failed to recognize it for what it is.  They laughed, uncomfortable in their ignorance, choosing to deflect instead of absorb.  Watching that same scene now I can still remember how much their reaction upset me.

The second film is a more recent one, but still dealing in dark moments.  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is what many consider a turning point for the franchise when the magic and wonder of youth is left behind for the grim reality of Voldermort’s return. 

Based on the 4th book in the series this is the tipping point for Harry’s world.  Somber color palettes, harrowing challenges and a pervasive sense of dread saturate this complex little film which valiantly tries to sow the seeds that are to be reaped several films later.

This is extremely heavy material for the series to deal with, but something the fans have been waiting a long time for, the top of the main story arc right before we rocket toward the inevitable, a climactic battle between Harry and Voldemort.

Again the film builds toward a defining moment when we see just how high the stakes are for Harry.  After a fierce confrontation with the Dark Lord himself, Harry teleports back to Hogwarts with Cedric’s body in tow (at the behest of Cedric’s spirit).  Wracked with the pain of the battle, the pain of seeing his parents and the pain of his friend’s death, Harry collapses onto Cedric’s body crying with every ounce of his being.  The crowd slowly realizes all is not well and Diggory’s father joins Harry in his wails of grief.

What does the audience do in this pivotal scene?  Laugh.  Laugh at Harry’s tears, laugh at Cedric’s father crying “My Boy!”, laugh at everything meant to move the human heart.  Again they expel their own discomfort by shattering the carefully crafted emotional resonance of the scene.

These are just a few of the reasons why I now dread going to see films in the theater.  Unless it’s a comedy or action extravaganza, which tend to be the safest choices in the public arena, I worry whether or not my experience with a film will be ruined by the uncaring and thoughtless.

There’s a scene in House of Sand and Fog that made me cry.  Not welling up in my eyes to be easily sniffed away, but full on tears streaming down my face.  That one moment was full of such naked honesty and raw emotion that you’d have to be dead inside not to understand it.  If I had watched that scene in a theater instead of (thankfully) at home, I think I would have gone into a rage at someone destroying my connection to the moment with their inability to comprehend it.

This isn’t always 100% the case, I was able to enjoy the emotional impact of The English Patient in a theater, yet that was a rare instance where the audience was really an audience.  I don’t know what changed the general populace’s ability to feel with their movies whether it comes from a change in emotional maturity or a need for simpler, less engaging fare.  King is a Fink (aka Jessica & Julie) try their hand at this puzzle, but I’m not sure if it’s Hollywood training alone that has created this audience deficit. 

I feel as if some wire has become disconnected within the cultural consciousness, like we’ve returned to the times of Rome when bread and blood would appease the plebeians who had long grown apathetic to anything other than the baser pleasures.

HAVE YOU HAD THE EMOTIONAL POWER OF A SCENE RIPPED FROM YOU BY CALLOUS  MOVIE PATRONS?  DO YOU THINK AUDIENCES WILL EVER RE-ENGAGE ON A DEEPER LEVEL WITH THEIR FILMS?

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Life is an interesting experience if you pay attention as you go along.  Threads of your existence are woven together in ways that only dawn upon you years after the fact.  As far as I’ve traveled it has only shown me how small the world can be.  In London I bumped into a friend I hadn’t seen in 8 years and Chicago harbored a childhood crush from my days in Costa Rica.  These are just a few examples of my life connecting in unexpected ways, but there have been times where I was the catalyst for that experience in others.

In the early 2000’s my girl and I lived in a quaint little apartment building of no more than 10 units.  Every resident truly loved their homes and did their best to make the building an wonderful place to live in.  Our neighbor across the hall was a tall, sweet man from Texas named Tim Yocom.  He had just moved down to South Florida to try out the lifestyle.  My girl used to go to his place for a cup of coffee and I remember many a hallway chat with Tim.  Tall and laid back, Tim always put you at ease.

We left Florida for North Carolina shortly after our time in that building.  As often happens with interstate moves we lost touch with Tim.  Fast forward 5 years and we’re back on native soil.  Most of our friends had drifted away, leaving us to start from scratch in our now unfamiliar homeland.  At a birthday party for one of our remaining friend’s boyfriend we bumped into an amazing group of transplants hailing all the way from Texas.

Warm, inviting and tons of fun we started hanging out with this great group of people.  All friends from back in Texas they decided to move to Fort Lauderdale after one of their very best friends blazed the trail for them.  In passing conversation one night, after drinks and a movie, one of them mentioned the fabled friend’s name… it was Tim… Tim Yocom.

What we didn’t know was that he had passed away shortly after we left Florida.  If we had stayed this entire clan of friends would have been ours many years sooner, but instead we briefly touched their lives and then faded away only to return through sheer coincidence.  When things like that occur I make sure to pay attention.  Tim’s memory is the driving force for their participation in the Florida AIDS Walk under the team name “Club Us” and  I am now honored to be a part of that team.  In the five years since Tim’s passing, this group of friends has raised nearly $100,000 in honor of their friendship with him, and the intent to share those friendships with others.

I ask you to please support me in my walk to battle AIDS.  Before you dismiss the Walk as something outside of your life or not a part of who you are, sit and think about all the ways life has surprised you with her tangled web, bringing you closer to different people than you’d ever think possible.  If you learn to appreciate those moments of happy circumstance your life will become richer than you could ever imagine.

Please help me keep friends alive and together as opposed to only in memories.  Please sponsor me in this year’s Florida AIDS Walk.

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The Florida State Junior Thespians competition collects students grades 6 thru 8 to perform in 12 individual categories and a one-act play festival.  The singular events are as follows:

• Monologue
• Duet Acting
• Ensemble Acting
• Solo Musical Theatre
• Duet Musical Theatre
• Small Group Musical
• Large Group Musical
• Pantomime
• Scene Design
• Costume Design
• Publicity Design
• Playwriting

The one act plays can range from original works (can you imagine being that young and writing a play?) to already published materials or cuttings from full-length plays.

This weekend I will be one of the many judges taking part in the competition.  I owe my involvement to my beautiful wife who will not only be judging events herself, but running workshops to help guide these budding little talents.

It will be held at the American Heritage School (my girl’s old high school) and is directed by their Chairman of Fine Arts, Jim Usher (who was also my girl’s drama teacher).  This is an especially poignant event because after a decade of running this competition Mr. Usher will be passing the torch.

I expect this to be an experience saturated with passion for theater.  The one thing I’m truly looking forward to is the fearlessness that only comes with youth.  Kids willing to throw themselves completely into a part and living in a moment with no self consciousness whatsoever.  Of course they all won’t be in that zone, but when I do come across it I plan to absorb every second of it.

It’s a shame I’m coming late to the game (next year will be held in Melbourne, FL), but at least I got to enjoy the opportunity once before its venue change.

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Computer technology has always been about harder, better, faster, stronger; always pushing for the bleeding edge in an obsessive drive toward MORE… more processors, more speed, more capabilities, more everything.  For the perpetually bored brainiac this is a lifelong passion keeping them happy until all their neurons stop firing.  For others it’s a great ride, but eventually the motion sickness kicks in and they want out. 

The longer I’m in the IT industry the more frequently I encounter the latter.  Intelligent, sharp individuals whose brains stopped being unquenchable sponges and instead settled into the comfort of their “area of expertise”.  Sometimes they can escape into management finally getting off the hamster wheel of progress.  More often their respective technology is put out to pasture and the “experts” are sent along with it.

I can understand from a logical perspective why this makes sense.  The older tech is no longer around so the skill set becomes obsolete.  Yet in our rush to shove the old aside to make way for the new we’re shooting ourselves in the foot.  Decades of experience are carelessly being tossed aside like dirty diamonds mistaken for rocks.

Being in the migration niche I’ve seen these battles first hand, played out in corporate arenas as drenched in blood as their ancient Roman counterparts.   Mergers and acquisitions or murders and executions, from the outside it all looks the same.  The old (and sometimes wise) are huddled, frightened, maybe even trying to fight, only to be slaughtered by the young, aggressive, cocksure future of the industry. 

There used to be a time when the torch was handed down from older generations.  A downloading of experiences and skills which were earned through a lifetime of passion not PDF’s or webinars.  I have to chuckle when I see this new wave barrel on ahead full steam until they encounter something outside the norm.  Stopped dead in their tracks they flounder and fume, attempting to reinvent a wheel already solved a hundred times before.

Certain professions still respect the art of the apprenticeship ensuring techniques and skills from the inception of the trade are never forgotten.  Even with the constant reinvention of the technology field there is much we could learn from those more traditional professions.  How many rising stars find themselves utterly lost with no one for guidance?  Countless disillusioned professionals struggling to make their way through a career unprepared and unaware.  Technically, professionally and personally, these poor souls navigate turbulent waters without a compass.

I know this trend won’t end anytime soon, if it ever does, but I do hope that somewhere there are those taking a step back and appreciating the bigger picture.  Perhaps even realizing the adage “those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” is more truth than cliché.

Image courtesy of core77

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