Thursday, August 20, 2015

'The Intouchables' is a wonderful movie.


It took me some time before I finally managed to watch this movie called 'Intouchables' that my friend had recommended to me. I had hesitated because I didn't think that a French film could be something that would interest me.

Nevertheless, I finally managed to watch it this week and I have to say the movie really took me by a surprise. Not only did 'Intouchables' work as a drama, it's also one of the funniest movies that I've seen in a long time.

In any case, the film is about a quadriplegic person (Francois Cluzet) and his unlikely, reluctant caregiver (Omar Sy). It's about how these two people with vastly different backgrounds learn to like and respect each other.

At face value the idea of the film isn't necessarily something that one would find that easy to buy or sell. After all, making a movie about the daily life of a seriously handicapped person isn't an easy subject matter at all. 

It's not easy to make an uplifting movie about a person whose life is that difficult, restricted and so full of emotional pain. It's hard to think that it could result in a movie that would make you feel good about life.

Yet this film manages to do exactly that. It manages to respect its characters and its audience. It pays attention to things and dares to care. It makes some really good observations about us and our society's flaws and absurdities.

All the characters in the film are relatable and likable. Not one character in the movie is someone that you would dislike. All of them serve a purpose and almost all of them change for the better - which is what the film is about.

Intouchables teaches us to appreciate all those little things in life. It reminds us that just because things aren't going our way doesn't mean that they can't change for the better. There's always hope and we don't always know when those changes might happen.

As a whole, this is a great film because it's well written, well acted and well directed. It looks good, sounds good and gives you a good feeling inside. 'Intouchables' is the best film that I've seen in years and I'm so lucky that I have finally managed to see it.

Saturday, August 15, 2015

The importance of spending time in the nature.

Lately I have been watching a lot of so called 'entertainment' that hasn't made me happy at all. Most of it has made think that people in the industry are pretty crazy and that I don't want to have anything to do with them.

When I watched these awful shows and movies, I couldn't help but to think that these people have lost it. They don't seem to know what is important and what matters in life. They keep living inside their bubbles where they are vain, self-important and superficial.

Whenever I experience frustrating moments like these, I feel like I have to do something else. I need to get away from what these people represent. I need to get in touch with myself so that I won't lose what's precious about me.

Very likely the best way to get back in touch with myself is to go out and enjoy the nature. Almost nothing relaxes me more than taking a walk in the forest where people won't bother me. This is when I feel like I'm at home.

I love the chance of getting some fresh air. I love looking at the trees and all those different plants. I love listening to all the soothing sounds that the forest has to offer. I love it when I'm in the nature and can feel that I'm part of something bigger.

If I manage to see some birds, I'm happy. If I see some bunnies or squirrels, even better. If I manage to see a fox or a deer, I couldn't be more grateful. Even if I don't get to see any wild animals, I'm still feeling great.

Spending time in the nature gives me perspective about things in life. It confirms my thoughts and beliefs that I'm not supposed to spend all my time with others. It's not really needed and won't do much good for me - or anyone.

As a writer, I think the most important thing is to be able to connect with yourself. If you can't connect with your inner self, you can't really be an artist. It's something that we should keep in mind and shouldn't forget.

That is why it's important every once in a while to take a break and enjoy some time away from others. Spend an hour in the nature, get some fresh perspective about life. You might even get an idea or two sometimes. What could be better than that?

Saturday, August 8, 2015

I'm not the biggest fan of those 'sex jokes'.

It seems that in today's entertainment world the easiest way to get recognized is to write about sex. For some reason people both in the industry and the media think that the more vulgar you get, the more unique you are.

When it comes to them, it doesn't matter whether the stuff that you write is any good or not. As long as you are supposedly 'pushing the envelope', you are a special talent who has a voice that everyone should be envious of.

In reality though, in most cases being vulgar for the sake of it isn't a good thing at all. Too many times it just shows that you're coming up with this 'raunchy' material because you don't have anything else to say.

For example, lately I have been trying to watch Comedy Central's 'Inside Amy Schumer'. It's supposed to be this sort of an edgy sketch show that a lot of people are currently talking about. It's getting a lot of favorable press.

However, the problem with the show is that it just isn't funny. Not only is the show not funny, but based on the sketches I've seen, it seems that 99% of its material revolves around dick & vagina jokes. It's pretty much the weakest stuff that I've seen in some time.

What's supposedly original about it - but really isn't - is that this time it's a female comedian Amy Schumer who is regurgitating these tired old tropes. Considering that the stuff is also a bit dirtier than what we're used to doesn't make it any better either.

It also doesn't help that Schumer herself isn't much of a performer. She doesn't have enough range and can't express herself well. If you have watched her stand-up specials, it's quite obvious that her delivery is pretty bad (for example, all those 'ums').

Based on all this, I think it's rather weird that people would say that this kind of comedy (somewhat like Key & Peele's) is somehow subversive or groundbreaking in any way. I'm not sure what all the buzz is really based on.

Let's not forget that comedy like this doesn't even work very often. It's really difficult to be low-brow and smart at the same time. Pretty much the only people who have managed to pull that off consistently have been South Park's Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

In any case, at least when it comes to me, I can't stand when someone on purpose sets the bar this low. I think we already have enough of that lowest common denominator material out there and we don't need any more of that.

Saturday, August 1, 2015

The current state of television is not that good.

One of the things that might have kept me from writing scripts lately is that I haven't felt that there's much that I could do with the current shows. I haven't had the feeling that I could write much better scripts than I've already written.

Unfortunately there are no David Kelley shows on tv at the moment. The Big Bang Theory hasn't been funny or relevant in years. Modern Family's writers are not giving their all when it comes to writing stuff, so it's no wonder that I lack motivation a bit.

If I had to become a writer based on the content that is currently on television, I don't think there's much of a chance that I would become one. Most of the stuff on tv doesn't inspire or challenge you to become a better human being.

When you don't have shows on television that are of great quality, it's really difficult to get interested in writing. It's difficult to say that you'd like to be like those writer guys on tv when pretty much none of them are delivering the goods.

This current situation unfortunately isn't good at all. Most of the shows are either completely unwatchable, or at the very least disappointing or underperforming. It's hard to find writers and shows that you could look up to. 

It also doesn't help that the industry and the media keeps hyping up shows that have very little to do with entertaining us or making us smile. They keep giving praise to shows that don't deserve that adulation.

For example, a series called 'Transparent' is now some kind of a front-runner in the comedy series category, even though the series has nothing to do with comedy. There are no jokes, there are no funny moments and yet it is supposed to be a comedy show.

How is any talented person supposed to get interested in writing when things are like this? A show is not a comedy (neither is Orange Is The New Black) just because people say it is one. This is so wrong on so many levels.

Is it too much as to ask that we could have at least some standards when it comes to figuring out what is funny and what is not? It's not supposed to be rocket science, but it seems that some people have completely lost their minds.

In the end, we deserve so much more than what we're currently getting. I don't think we are supposed to settle with shows and writers that aren't good and won't provide us the entertainment that we deserve.