Dollhouse

Tonight marks the season 2 premier of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse.

Is that good?

I hope so. I'm a big Whedon fan, actually. Love him or hate him, the man is a writer's writer, from a long line of TV Whedons, who blazed trails all up and down the dial for many a moon. For me, Buffy stands in a class by itself for both the embracing and defying of TV convention before it became, not only fashionable, but a downright prerequisite for any self-respecting new show to do so.

Back in season two, when it was rare, if not completely unheard of, to callously kill off a main character for keeps without warning or some 'it-was-all-a-dream/misunderstanding/insert your muggufin here' weaseling out, Joss and his crack staff raised the bar, and the stakes, (pun loosely intended), for what is now standard fare on American TV - the season-long story arc.

The show was the first true comic book on tv, and I don't mean that as an insult. Quite the contrary. Some of the best stories I've ever been told were in comic book form and, when done with tender loving care, few storytelling mediums are as original, expressive or hauntingly beautiful.

I watched all of Dollhouse last season because I feel, at the very least, Joss deserves the benefit of the doubt. At most, he deserves my patience. And, though at times I found it to be fairly hit and miss, it began hitting its stride down the stretch, and I was quite intrigued by the ideas hinted at, namely those revolving around identity. Science-fiction stories should have something to say, or at least foster healthy debate and thus far, Dollhouse, more than any other show of which I'm aware, shows the most potential to do what, at his best, Joss does best - entertain, inspire and misdirect.

You've done more than your share of all three for me, Joss. For that you have my undying gratitude, and respect. I'll be watching tonight. Godspeed.

God Bless The Simpsons!

I know, it isn't exactly in fashion anymore.

The Simpsons. Television's single greatest achievement is about to start up again for season number, drum roll please...21! Over the years, many things may have changed in my life and yours, but this Sunday ritual has stayed, for me at least, remarkably in tact and worthwhile. I can watch a Simpsons anywhere anytime. And, though I admit, there are rare occasions when I'm just not into seeing the episode I've seen about ten thousand times a ten thousand and first, I'll usually stop for a little while to experience an old moment anew and give it some form of love or another. I can't help it.

I can tell you the episode from a single word spoken and a whole nother room in the house. I'm not bragging. Indeed, many people probably think that's excessive but I'm gratefully not one of them. In fact, on the day this show doesn't rouse a reaction, I just may walk away from the planet.

One hundred years from now, (yes I still plan on being here), I have no doubt whatsoever I will still delight in catching an old episode I haven't seen in awhile, (guess by then they'll all be old -- very, very old), but still funny. Maybe even funnier with all that space and time in between. The Simpsons, like fine wine and good, quality women, can only get better with age.

No matter what mood I'm in, I can always count on Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, (and the rest - yes, even you, Armin Tamzarian), to pull me out of my funk, if only for that brief 22 minute interval and remind me there is still some semblence of sanity in the world; still someone out there who understands the absurdity of what passes for life in this wacky neck of the cosmos and dares to revel in its majestic lack of coherence. The hypocracy of so-called authority, the silliness and downright insanity of this culture of infants that can't seem to grasp its own infancy. Ok, enough analysis. I'd much rather be laughing.

Pretenders to the throne, there are many. (I'm looking at you Seth McFarlane). And, though I enjoy a good South Park, (or even a bad one. I could write a whole post about you guys as well, and just might one of these days), King of The Hill, and indeed, many others, you all owe a massive debt of gratitude to the grandaddy of them all. The Flintstones - I mean, The Simpsons, sorry.

Where will I be this Sunday at 8?
Hard to say, really.
Most likely with my long-time Simpsons compadre, Jonny, with whom I've shared many a great, classic, and reasonably mundane Simpsons moment. But one thing I can guarantee, it will be in front of a TV somewhere, eyes glued, mind lovingly attentive, celebrating the joyous return of lifelong friends.

Yes, God bless The Simpsons, in all its animated glory. Welcome back my yellow skinned soul mates. I salute you, with love.

D.A.

Inglorious Basterds

Just wanted to heap on a bit of praise for my main man, QT, and his kick-ass Inglorious Basterds, which I saw last night.

Not much of a reviewer, so I'll just say nobody does it quite like Tarantino. The man has a style and sensibility all his own and has proven time and again to be unmatched in his ability to adapt to just about any genre. I'd love to see him have a go at sci-fi, or, dare I say it, television.

Every scene in the film was a clinic on how to build tension and, while some might call them self-indulgent or overly long, I thoroughly enjoyed the exchanges, colorful characterizations and juicy subtext.

Love him or hate him, Tarantino loves movies and storytelling in general so much it soaks through every frame of this film. There's a reason so many people, talented or otherwise, want to be him. I wouldn't put myself in that category, but I do admire the hell out of him. His movies, his talent, but most of all, his passion for bringing his own unique visions to life.

Some may say he's peaked, but I for one, await his next flick with high expectation. I have a strong feeling the man's best work is ahead.

D.A.

A.R.M.O.R.

Haza!

I've just finished the first, very rough draft of issue #1 of A.R.M.O.R., the new soon-to-be-online comic I'm working on with a good friend and collaborator, (and one hell of an artist). This is all very new to me so I can't say with certainty just how smoothly the process will go when all is said and done but I can say I feel damn good about where we're at with it right now.

In preparation, and for sheer inspiration, I've delved into all sorts of great comics and stories, among them, the extremely enjoyable Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season Eight, penned by many of the landmark series' talented writers, among them creator and comic book god, Joss Whedon. If you're a fan of the TV show, (or even if you're not), I highly recommend you check these out.

Also, and more recently, I've emersed myself in 100 Bullets, the pulp-crime masterpiece by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso. I've decided to get back to issue one there too, (even though I've read it before, many moons ago), and it's been a blast. Again, I urge anyone looking for a great comic experience, or just a plain old good story, to look for this classic Vertigo title. It's well worth your time.

Ok, getting back to A.R.M.O.R...

Issue/Chapter One is being drawn as I type and my grand master plan calls for three more to follow in semi-rapid succession, or as soon as life allows. Together, these four issues form the uber-origin story of, what we hope, will be a mind-blowing, new take on the classic costumed hero.

All things being equal, it should go up on Lulu.com within the next two or three months, and any place else that seems a good fit. Also, we'd love to put it into a more traditional print format, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.

From there, who knows?

For now, need sleep.

D.A.

Those Years

I'm currently in the process of revamping a script I wrote almost ten years ago. It was my second, then titled "Tasting Paper," (a pot smoking reference), and now, "Those Years," which refers to a young man returning to his old high school for his fifteen year reunion, only to bond with his former tormentor.

It's a comedy, modelled after one of my favorite films, Gross Pointe Blank, starring John Cusack. I've always liked the story, which parallels a man who can't let go of his disasterous high school experience with a young student who seems to be on same trajectory. The rewrite has been slow-going, seeing as I have to sift through an over-written script to see what should stay and what should go. It's tedious, but I really believe in the story and the script did pretty well on the contest circuit back in the day. With the popularity of films like Old School and more recently, The Hangover, I've been itching to get this back out on the spec market. I just hope I can get my lazy ass in gear.

For a more detailed synopsis of Those Years, check out my Squidoo site. http://www.squidoo.com/peripheral

I'll keep you posted.

D.A.