I'm trying to start a new writing project.

So when it comes to this year (2021) and my writing projects, it can be fairly safely said that I wasn't thinking about starting a bigger writing project this year. I had no plans to start anything particularly big that would require a lot of effort from me as writer.

After all, even though I did have some dreams about writing another book, especially considering that I started a new job in January, I felt that this job would consume most of my energy. I thought that I just wouldn't have that much energy to write stuff once I got back home.

At the same time, just because I knew that it would take a lot of effort to start working on a bigger task, that didn't mean that I was thinking about giving up on these projects. I felt that at some point I would just have to give a new project a chance and see how things would go.

So having now been at my new job for three months and having gotten used to how things work there, things have changed at least a bit. I have started thinking that perhaps a new writing project might actually be a task that would be good for me.

By that I mean that even though my work can sometimes be a bit exhausting and stressing (can be rewarding too), I feel that I could do more than that. I have free time after work that could be spent better than what I'm currently doing with it.

Another important reason that I'm thinking about a new project is that earlier this week I was informed that I would start getting paid for my volunteer work as a creative writer instructor. A new book project could also help me with running the workshop too.

After all, if I would start working a book, I could use the book project to illustrate how the writing process works. I could show this way important things like how to create characters, how to structure the story and how to give it the direction that it needs. 

Furthermore, using the book project as an illustrative tool in the workshop would also mean that I would have to keep going with the task. That would - in a good way - put pressure to me to finish the project and not give up on it before it's completed.

Still, when it comes to this whole thing, that leaves me with the question of what my next book would be about. I need to be able to come up with a solid premise (in a genre) that would be close enough to my heart and that would actually interest and motivate me.

After all, even though I have a lot of experience in writing stuffs (articles, a short movie, tv specs, movie script, a children's book) that doesn't mean that I can just 'wing it'. I still need a fairly good idea and a premise that I can build my story on.

Still, in the end, when it all is said and done, considering that it now looks that I might possibly start working on a new writing project, that is certainly a good thing. I should feel happy that I can finally perhaps start working on something new.

After all, even though you never know how things go, as long as I don't demand too much from myself, this might actually lead to something good. This might lead to something good and solid, as long as I manage to keep things in perspective and won't be too hard on myself.

'Mr. Mayor' is an unfunny sitcom about politics.

So when it comes to comedy shows about politics in the United States, it's not exactly a secret that things haven't been great. There haven't been that many - if any - 'political' comedy shows lately that have been relevant or funny in any meaningful way.

Indeed, with the exception of shows like 'Boston Legal' that ended more than 10 years ago or 'South Park', that is still going, otherwise there's really nothing to watch. The quality on those other shows has been genuinely that terrible ('Veep' was a great example of this).

Nevertheless, the latest attempt at making politics / policies funny comes in the form of NBC's sitcom called 'Mr. Mayor'. This is a comedy series created by Tina Fey & Robert Carlock that desperately tries to breath some new air to the political genre.

Having now seen the first two episodes of the show, I can safely say that 'Mr. Mayor', as unfortunate as it is, is not a show that makes you laugh. There isn't anything even remotely funny or relevant in this poorly constructed single camera comedy.

Premise-wise, what we're dealing with is basically a setup that tries to emulate Michael J. Fox's 'Spin City', a sitcom on ABC that ran in the late nineties / early 2000s. That one was a comedy about politics that managed to be pretty funny, despite its very lighthearted nature.

Series-wise, the reason that 'Spin City' managed to work rather well was that it had characters and storylines that managed to be relatively down to earth. Especially its main character (Fox as a Deputy mayor) was a 'straight man' that you were able to relate to.

Unfortunately, when it comes to 'Mr. Mayor', there aren't really any characters that you could take seriously. This is especially true about our main protagonist the Mayor (Ted Danson), who is supposed to be someone who is relatable and believable as a character.

Indeed, in the first two episodes that I saw, our main character simply does too many stupid things. He - among other things - gets high (ha-ha funny), in the pilot doesn't know his way around his office (!) and is just entirely too clueless about everything. 

Story-wise, the really big problem with having characters that aren't believable in a show about politics is that it drastically limits what you're able to do. If your characters are complete air-heads that have no real problems, what is there to explore on the show?

Not that surprisingly, the first two episodes that I forced myself to watch had 'storylines' that consisted of juvenile penis memes, pee pee jokes and other incredibly pointless and superficial stuff. That most certainly didn't impress me in any way and was just embarrassing.

In that sense, when it comes to this series as a whole, I think it's safe to say that 'Mr. Mayor' isn't a series that is going to save the (political) sitcom genre. We're not dealing with a comedy series that has potential to be even remotely relevant.

After all, when you think of all the elements that you need to make click in a sitcom, pretty much nothing here worked on any level. The premise wasn't well thought out, the characters made very little sense and the storylines were genuinely lacking and awful.

In that sense, in the end, when it all is said and done, I just hope that sooner or later we're going to get some new shows that are going to make at least some sense. I hope that we're going to get new stuff that works and that might have some actual value in it.

After all, when you think that pretty much the only relevant comedy for the last ten or so years has been 'South Park', that's not a good thing. That's not good at all and shows that we desperately need some fresh new blood to be able to take chances in this genre.

'B Positive' is yet another depressing sitcom.

So when it comes to the current state of comedies on television, it's not exactly a secret that there haven't been that many watchable shows on tv. Pretty much none of the sitcoms that have been airing lately have been even remotely funny or watchable.

In reality, the last relatively funny comedy show that aired on network television was probably ABC's sitcom 'Modern Family'. This Emmy winning comedy series premiered in 2009 and managed to be fairly watchable almost throughout its run that ended last year.

So when it comes to these new and not so good sitcoms, one of the latest ones is 'B Positive' that started airing on CBS. This is a multicamera series (by producer Chuck Lorre) that tries to break the sitcom curse that has been going for far too long.

Having now seen seen the first two episodes of the series, I can say that - as unfortunate as it is - that 'B Positive' is not a well made comedy series. The sitcom about 'a man who needs a kidney transplant and his donor is not even remotely entertaining or uplifting'. 

Premise-wise, the biggest problem here is that the setup is entirely too depressing. Even though the title might suggest that the show might be about positivity, in reality 'B Positive' does not revolve around 'being positive' or feeling good about life.

Indeed, the only actual reference to the positivity is that the main character's blood type happens to be B+. Unlike on shows like 'Everybody Loves Raymond' or 'Absolutely Fabulous', the word play in the title is the only positive thing that the show has going for it.

Not surprisingly, since the premise isn't well thought out or plausible and doesn't have enough potential, almost nothing in the sitcom actually works. There are problems - more or less - on every imaginable level that has to do with the production.

Character-wise, what this mean is that neither of the two main leads are particularly relatable or likable. Thomas Middleditch (even though a solid actor) as our protagonist with the disease is pretty bland and Annaleigh Ashford as the donor is just too out there and kooky. 

Story-wise, since the premise and the characters don't have potential, there isn't much of a story to tell. The storylines are weak (as is almost always the case with Lorre shows) and don't really have anything in them that would grab your interest in what's going on. 

Production-wise, the problem is also that 'B Positive' looks cheap (standard Lorre) and the sets look like they're recycled from shows that aired during the 80s. This is yet another reason why the whole thing looks as bleak and as depressing as it is. 

In that sense, when it comes to 'B Positive' as a whole, even though it's safe to say that this series isn't the worst show I've ever seen, it's not even close to being funny. This is not a show that works and that has managed to get its fundamentals right.

After all, when you take a look at the show's premise and see how half-baked it is in action, it quickly becomes obvious that there are a lot of other problems too. These problems are a natural consequence from the painfully weak setup that doesn't work.

In that sense, even though critics (as usual) have given the series a somewhat positive reception (86% on Rottentomatoes.com) that doesn't mean that it is actually worth watching. We shouldn't think that their sycophantic reviews mean that you should give it a shot.

On the contrary, as a whole, 'B Positive' is simply not a good show. It's not a good sitcom and shows what happens when critical elements that quality shows are made of are completely missing from the series (strong premise, relatable characters and well written storylines).

'Wonder Woman 1984': movie review.

So when it comes to the latest Wonder Woman movie, it's not exactly a secret that the film hasn't gotten a great reception. Even though the movie didn't get bad reviews (60% fresh on Rottentomatoes.com), the reception on the internet hasn't been positive.

Indeed, almost every prominent channel on Youtube has been very critical of the film. In these reviews 'Wonder Woman 1984' has gotten really negative feedback (some of it deserved) and the reviewers have been critical of the movie's overall quality.

Nevertheless, considering that there haven't been that many new movies that have been released lately, it wasn't a difficult to decision to gives this film a chance. I thought there was a solid chance that I would enjoy watching the film, so I had to give it a go.

Having now seen 'Wonder Woman 1984' a couple of weeks ago with my friend, I have to say that I actually managed to like the movie. It managed to entertain me, even though there are some obvious issues with its story and characters that need to be addressed.

Premise-wise, in this sequel, we're dealing with a story that this time takes place in 1984 (the first one took place during World War I). Our protagonist (Gal Gadot) - who doesn't age - now works as a museum worker at Smithsonian in Washington DC. 

As a character, even though 'Diana' still has her super powers as a wonder woman that she has to use every now and then, she's trying to live her life as normally as possible. She has a regular job so that she could blend in with the rest of the population.

Catalyst-wise, the story in the movie gets going when a mysterious stone arrives at the museum. This dream stone - that the movie's villain, failed oil man Max (Pedro Pascal) is super interested in, is something that has some great powers.

Indeed, those who (including Wonder Woman's work partner) touch the dream stone and make an innocent wish, their wish is granted. This will naturally lead to either some silly or really dangerous things (first we get the silly stuff). 

Not surprisingly, after the 'fun and games' part is over, things get really serious once the bad guy gets his hand on the item and gets to use its power. He makes a wish to 'become' the stone, which turns out to be a decision that has grave consequences for the world.

Plot-wise, this story vehicle - at least in my opinion - was a surprisingly strong one and is the reason that the movie works as well as it does. It gives the story potential and a real arc that the writers were able to utilize relatively well (this is a fantasy movie after all).

At the same time, just because this vehicle in the movie works and has a lot of potential, that doesn't mean that the writers were able to get everything right. There are clearly a lot of problems with the film that weigh down its quality quite significantly.

Among other things, the story has some really obvious plot holes that you'll notice right away as they happen. We have plot holes like Diana & Steve (Chris Pine) taking a trip with a fighter jet all the way from The U.S to Libya, which was just a big no no.

Character-wise, you have stuff like the female villain's (Kristen Wiig) arc being severely mishandled. Her turn from an introvert shy person to a popular one (thanks to the wish) and yet again to a villain (Cheetah) is just badly executed and makes no sense.

Furthermore, the movie is clearly overlong and has at least 30 minutes of material that should have been cut from the film. This stuff, like the montage of Steve trying different sets of clothes to look presentable is just something that doesn't work.

Still, when you put it all together, despite these obvious flaws in the story, at least in my case, they didn't prevent me from enjoying the film as a whole. There were some really good things about the movie that worked well and that countered its flaws.

Indeed, besides the wish-vehicle, Wonder Woman's character is a positive one and someone who has good, motherly qualities. The story, thanks to her, has an optimistic tone that deals with real emotions especially when we get to the last act and the film's climax.

In that sense, even though I do understand why people had a lot of problems with the movie, I think it's rather safe to say that people were a bit too hard on it. They were being too critical of its flaws and weren't completely honest about its good aspects.

After all, even though there were admittedly real problems with 'Wonder Woman 1984', that did make the film worse than it should have been, that's not all there is to it. We shouldn't really think that these mistakes were really that critical.

On the contrary, especially when you think of how uncritical critics were about some other films in this genre, ('Dark Knight' & 'Dark Knight Rises' etc.) they're being hypocritical here. They're being hypocritical and not judging 'Wonder Woman 1984' the way they judged those films.

Cobra Kai: Season 3 review.

Like many others, when I saw in December that we were going to see the third season of 'Cobra Kai' this January, I was pretty excited. I was excited to finally see the latest season of the series and to check whether it would be worth my time this season too.

After all, even though the second season of Cobra Kai had its flaws and issues, there's no question that as whole, the show (based on the Karate Kid movies) was still relatively well made. It managed to keep me and my friends entertained and had enough good things going for it.

So having now finally finished the third season of the series with my friends last weekend, I have to say that - as unfortunate as it is - I was not that impressed with the season. As a whole, this season just wasn't that well made and had a lot of problems in it.

By that I mean that the biggest problem with the third season is that the characters and the storylines (especially the supporting ones) were simply getting too out of control. Their behavior was getting too implausible and didn't make much sense anymore. 

Premise-wise, based on what we saw in the second season, things didn't actually seem that bad for the show. We had a lot of cliffhangers and genuinely interesting things that I was interested in knowing how they would be handled and resolved.

Indeed, as you might recall, the second season ended with a huge fight at the school between the Cobra Kai & The Miyagi students. As a result, Miguel fell and got (temporarily) paralyzed, whereas Johnny Lawrence's kid was the culprit for the incident (ends up in jail).

Additionally, considering that the evil guy in the show Kreese was getting back to taking Cobra Kai for himself, things kinda seemed interesting. The fact that Daniel & Johnny were feeling dejected after the fight, it seemed as if there was storylines to explore.

However, even though a lot of these things admittedly were fairly solid in the third series, that doesn't mean that the season 'as a whole' worked. There were really big problems (way bigger than in season two) that the writers weren't able to solve.

Indeed, by far the worst aspect of the third season is that pretty much all the fights / conflicts between the Miyagi and the Cobra Kai students were completely forced and made no sense. There was no reason for them to have such a feud that was as serious as it was.

After all, especially when it came to their final fight at Daniel's house, the whole thing was idiotic and came so out of nowhere (Hawk's turn too) that I really struggled to finish the season. It was just unbelievably stupid how the whole thing was handled.

In that sense, when it comes to the season as a whole, even though I enjoyed the stuff between the main characters (Kreese's back story, Daniel in Japan, Lawrence & Miguel etc.), those weren't enough. I can't say that those good aspects were enough to save the season.

After all, especially when it comes to the general implausibility and the 'soap operaish' nature of the supporting characters and their fights, these aspects really hurt the show. These moments were too much and made it difficult for me to enjoy the episodes. 

In that sense, in the end, when it comes to the upcoming fourth season that is going to air sometime next year, I can't in all honesty get my hopes up. I can't say that the next season is going to be as watchable and meaningful as it managed to be in its first season.

On the contrary, even though we're probably going to get some solid moments next season too, they won't be enough. They won't be enough and instead of 'Cobra Kai' becoming more down to earth, things - as sad as it is - will likely get even more implausible and ridiculous.

Summing up last year and things to do this year.

So when it comes to last year, it's not exactly a secret that 2020 was a challenge for a lot of people. Ever since the Covid-19 outbreak hit and became global, a lot of people's lives became more difficult and plans had to be changed.

In my case, even though I personally didn't suffer that much, all my speaking engagements were cancelled. I  also couldn't get a new job either (I was hopeful that I would get one), which was a pretty big disappointment and a thing that depressed me.

At the same time, just because things certainly didn't go as well as I had hoped for, that doesn't mean that the past year was all bad for me. There were some things that I can actually be proud of and that surprised me in a good way.

Writings-wise the past year was a fairly good one for me despite the setbacks. I actually managed to finish my children's book (53k words, 180 pages total) and made sure that it worked from start to finish (I sent it to the remaining publishers that are out there).

Another good thing about 2020, undoubtedly, was that I started doing some volunteering work for another foundation. I was asked to do a weekly writing workshop and help with different projects that have to do with creative writing and storytelling.

So when it comes this year, 2021, and my plans as a writer, I have to say that I don't know yet what I'm going to do. It's not clear whether I'm going to start working on a bigger writing project that would require a lot of work and effort from me as a writer.

The biggest reason for this - I for once have some good news - is that I just started a new job a week ago. I started working at a school as an afterschool instructor for kids (7-8 year olds) and that is going to require a lot of attention and energy from me.

The second reason that I might be not that much into writing is that I've - finally - started looking at the possibility of getting myself a house nearby the place I live. I've thought about building my own house sometime in the near future.

After all, considering that I now get regularly paid and that I also have a property / real estate where I can build the house, I've been paying some attention to that now. That's something that is definitely going to take some of my energy too (besides the job).

Still, when it comes to this whole thing, just because I'm busy at the moment and have had problems even starting to write these articles, that doesn't mean that I'm going to give up on writing. I'm not saying that writing is not something that isn't important to me anymore.

On the contrary, even though I have things to do at the moment, writing is still one of the most important things to me. It's a really important part of my existence, so even if I don't manage to start a big project this year, that doesn't mean that I'm giving up on the craft.

Pixar's 'Soul' movie review.

Yesterday, me and my friend found time together to watch Pixar's latest animated movie 'Soul'. We decided to watch the animation after we saw that it had just been released on Disney+ streaming service and was available for both of us to see.

Indeed, whenever a new animated film is released, we're more than eager to watch them and give them a chance. Animated films, thanks to their well-intended nature, are something that - almost always - manage to entertain us and put us on a good mood.

So when it comes to this particular movie, Pixar's 'Soul' is a film that basically has to do with the meaning of life. It's about a middle-aged African american music teacher (voiced by Jamie Foxx), who hasn't managed to make his dreams in life come true.

Indeed, instead of being a successful jazz pianist who gets to perform in prestigious clubs with a jazz band, he's a music teacher for students that aren't particularly skilled. He's in limbo with his life and is desperately wanting to become something better.

Story-wise, the catalyst in the movie happens after our protagonist is about to have his break as musicians. As he celebrates getting hired to a four person jazz band after an audition, he accidentally falls through an open manhole cover on the street and goes into a coma.

Not surprisingly - since he doesn't die - once he regains his consciousness [as a new animated character] in limbo between heaven and earth, his quest to get back to earth begins. He has to find a way to do it (and help another person) even though its seems to be an impossible task.

So when it comes to the overall quality of the movie, I have to say that - as unfortunate as it is - I wasn't that impressed with the film and its story. Neither me or my friend liked it that much, even though critics really liked it (95% fresh at Rottentomatoes.com).

Story-wise, one of the biggest problems with 'Soul' is that its screenplay is just too convoluted and contrived. Its basic story concept suffers from too many parallel worlds and characters that don't mesh in well and that constantly compete with each other.

By that I mean is that once our main protagonist is transported to the otherworld (limbo) and takes a new character (see pic above), it takes a lot of time to introduce us to what the place is about. The place has its own rules and parameters that require tons of exposition.

Indeed, before our guy comes back to the real world with his new sidekick (Tina Fey), who takes our protagonist's body and our guy becomes a cat (!), it takes too long before we get back to earth. This is simply too much and is too complicated.

Structure-wise, the really bad thing about making the story too convoluted and complex is that when you do that it really hurts the pacing of the film. When you spend entirely too much time explaining the concepts about the worlds, it pulls you out of the story. 

Not surprisingly, as the movie keeps progressing, I couldn't help but to feel that it kept losing its energy and momentum. Especially when it comes to its ending that is a total cop out, that one breaks every single rule that was established earlier in the film.

Still, just because the movie had its problems story-wise, that doesn't mean that the movie didn't have redeeming values in it. I'm definitely not saying that a Pixar film would be something that is completely awful and that it didn't entertain us at all. 

Indeed, when I think of the movie, I have to admire that the writers decided to take on an ambitious project that deals with the purpose of life. 'Soul' does manage to get across good points about what life is about and what are the things that we should appreciate.

After all, as we live through our main character and his desperate quest to get another chance in life, you can't help but to be moved by his ordeal. The story manages to be fairly touching - the protagonist is relatable - and it has entertaining moments in it. 

Production-wise, when it comes to the film's quality, it also has to be mentioned that the movie looks and sounds good. The animation is once again top notch and especially when it comes to the real world, I couldn't help but to admire how everything looked.

Still, when you look at the movie as a whole, there's no question that watching the story unfold wasn't exactly a fun experience. It was just too much 'hard work', which came as result of the writers not knowing well enough what the movie was supposed to be about.

In that sense, when it comes to recommending the movie, at least in my case as a writer, I can't in all honesty do that. I can't do that, because even though the film did have its moments, as a whole the story was too convoluted and did not work well enough as a whole.