Roberto Scarlato's Blog, page 3

On Year Later...

"...Must write, must write, must write, write, write, write..."

So, as it turns out, I happen to be a pretty decent narrator. During the summer of 2014 I made a pretty big decision. I decided to toss my hat into the world of audio narration, after several people told me I should use my voice to my advantage. After 20 or so auditions, the offers began to increase. All of a sudden, I was paying bills with this kind of work. And because of that unexpected turnout, I decided to take a sabbatical (or dry spell, really) on all of my writing. I just completely cut it off.

All the story streams, thoughts, urges, everything...I suppressed them.

Now, after having done 50+ books, narrating everything from zombies, dramas, suspense, horror, action, erotica, you name it....the itch to write has returned. And it has grown stronger than ever.

At this point, I have about 8 books that need to be finished with production by the end of the year. I can think of no better time to jump back into writing than right now. Writing has always been my solace. It warms me, comforts me, calms me. Very therapeutic. It's sort of like playing Chess with yourself. I've always had a knack for figuring out sticky situations and I love to entertain people in the process. And hey, if I make a couple of bucks with it, all the better, right?

Therefore, I hereby declare that my self-inflicted writing ban has been lifted. Now, at least by making a blogpost about it, that will give my mind permission to unlock the flood gates that have been building up for so long. It's kind of exciting when you think about it. Will I be able to ride that wave of creativity again? Or will I wipe out and need to refresh my memory.

In other news, even though I have 8 books that I have to finish narrating, I have been thinking about turning some more of my works into audio editions.

The first of my works, I narrated myself, a short novella called Village Americana . You can listen to it by clicking on the cover below.



The second was a short story called Ye Olde Idea Shoppe . I wrote this for my daughter and had it narrated by the talented Maxine Lennon. You can also listen to it here.



But I would love to produce audio editions of For What It's Worth, Worth a Second Look, Mr. Dead Eyes and Wearing Donnie Torr . I've always wanted to narrate these titles myself. And who knows? If I start writing more, I could start narrating more of my stories. Then I would feel the full accomplishment of being a full-time Storyteller.

;)

Is It Too Late To Come Back?

I write this post, trying to gain some new ground. I'm pretty sure I haven't written a word of fiction for a year. And yet I have a box filled with half-finished fiction.

Just seems so hard to come back to it. Did Hemingway have dry spells? Vonnegut? Heller? Bradbury?

I'm 25,000 words into a crime fiction caper and have been dying to return to my characters. I've also been itching to write Mr. Dead Eyes 2. I'm also working on a sci-fi thriller involving visitors from the future.

Right now I'm fully focused on narration. 30 different projects. I've read some good books this past year, and each one has been needling me to finish my own writing projects.

But after a solid year of no new words?

Is it possible?

Maybe I should finish all my narration gigs first. Or should I just jump back in, guns blazing?

What do you think?

Flight Of The War Machines! The New Book in the Works!

Click here to visit the page!
I've always been fascinated by the life of Preston Tucker, a dreamer who came up with a revolutionary car. Some suspected he was a fraud who simply wanted to take people's money. But I believe he was just a simple family man who was ahead of the curve. So much so that people wanted to shut him down quick, referring to his Tucker Torpedo as nothing more than a Tin Goose. Whereas Tucker was hopeful, and maybe a little naive, Howard Hughes was a force to be reckoned with – a man who had shady practices but would not be stepped on. With enough money and bluster, Hughes could have whatever he wished.With these two unique personalities in place, I thought it would be such an interesting idea for them to band together and invent the first flying car. This project is part science-fiction and part alternative history. With every choice that both these men make, it causes a ripple effect throughout history.You can donate $15, $40 or even $100 and get perks like paperback copies, ebooks, updates, access to drafts and an acknowledgment in the book!But hurry! The clock is ticking and if it doesn't get funded, it doesn't get made.

New Blog!

Hi Guys,

I know that for the past few months it's been radio silence on this blog, but that's because I have been very busy. I've taken a break from writing and have actually been narrating other people's books on Audible.com.

By the end of 2015, I hope to have reached 100 narrated titles.

I wanted to list them but I wanted to give that it's own blog.

So, if you are curious as to what audio book you should listen to next, just go here:

Firstpersonnarration.wordpress.com



Titles updated as they go live.

Let Me Just Give You The Highlights

Alright. I know I haven't blogged in a while. But these days my life is just about filled to the brim with endless tasks. As a wise man once said, "Life is what happens when you try to make plans." So instead of droning on and on about my life, I figured on just giving you the highlights.



As far as new eBook titles go, production has come to a halt. I'm not quitting writing or anything. I have several projects on the back burner. It will just be a while before I publish them. Maybe by the end of the year I'll have a new title up. Who knows?On the writing front, I've got a stock pile of words. To date I've written 467,018 words of fiction. (That's the equivalent of 9 full-length novels) The last time I wrote a word of fiction was April 6th of this year. Currently 26,000 words into my crime fiction book. I've been debating whether I should stick to my quota of 500 words a day or bump it up to a chapter a day. By the way, this is the first novel I'm writing that has a first person narrative.We had to ditch one of our cars. The green Kia Optima. The thing was ten years old and fully paid off but it just kept on stalling on us so we had to cash it in and get rid of it. Now we are down to our red Ford Focus. It's been in one accident but hasn't broke down on us yet.Our little girl, Sophia, just turned one. And you know what that means...We're moving. Yes, we loved our current apartment and have enjoyed ourselves daily on the sights and activities within the complex. But we just need more space. If all goes well, by the end of June, we will be all moved out and in to a two-bedroom apartment. It's a bit farther from my day job but it will definitely give me peace of mind having all that space.For the longest time people have told me I have a voice for radio. I've tried sending samples to various places but no one was biting. So, in an effort to blend the best of both worlds, I've decided to narrate audio books on audible through ACX. So far I had two auditions that fell through but I have my eye on ten audio books that I will audition for.As far as blogging goes, I will continue to blog from time to time. I've been thinking of continuing my "Writing with Cinematic Style" series becuase I have a lot to say about the subject. Other than that, I may just turn this thing into a journal, chronicling my strange life and observations.That's all for now. In the meantime, KEEP WRITING!!!

Perturbed in Pennsylvania

When my wife first approached me about attending her friend’s wedding, I gave it a lot of thought. We had been living practically like hermits, fortified in our home since the arrival of our daughter. We put off so many invitations while my wife was pregnant and even more after our baby was born. But this was a reunion between her and some of her best friends.                My wife has always had a fondness for France. Mainly because she spent three months there studying the language as well as the culture. While there she bunked with several friends who have shared her passion. As part of an unspoken tradition, they meet up every two years to reminisce and support each other.                Who was I to break tradition?                So, with a clear heart and a smile I told her, “Yeah, babe. We can go.”                She was so excited.                Since it would be cheaper to book the flights, rental car and hotel all in one package; my wife purchased the tickets and we both submitted our vacation time.                Understand, I am not a traveling man.                I’ve visited several parts of Illinois, got myself lost in Wisconsin once or twice and went to Missouri for a day for my grandmother’s funeral.                My wife has not only been overseas but she has visited Rome, France, New York, etc.                I’m 29 years old.                This was to be my first ever plane ride.                If everything went well, we’d enter the hotel on Friday, visit some historical sites and museums, maybe pick up a Philly cheese steak and call it a night. On Saturday at 2:00pm we’d be at the wedding and then make our way to the reception later that night.                But things didn’t turn out that way.                The night of we had a total of four hours sleep.                We got up, already packed and shot over to midway airport.                We checked our bags at 8:35am.                Security took a long time.                So much so that when we got sent through the final checks, we had to huff it to the gate.                As we approached the gate we saw that it was shut.                I checked my watch. 9:04am                Departure time 9:10am.                They left without us.                My wife was overcome with grief.                We sidled over to a help section with phones. I called whoever and explained our situation.                “Were you late, sir?”                “No, we got here on time.”                “Did the flight leave?”                “Yes.”                “Then you were late.”                I groaned.                Could you be detained for strangling a phone?                “What should I do?”                “Well, we could book you a new flight.”                “When?”                “In an hour. That will be an additional 1,100 dollars each.”                Again, my hands wrenched the neck of the phone.                Please feel that, I thought.                “Why should I shell out that much when I was on time?”                “You weren’t on time, sir. You were late.”                I handed the phone to my wife before I yanked out the chord.                Sitting down, a well-worn traveler, we’ll call him Adam, started talking me through his woes. He’d been through our predicament before. On his phone he searched for other options for us, all the while telling us that airport staff can be heartless at times.                “Honey, hang up. She can’t help us. This guy can.”                After our little pow-wow, we trekked back to the baggage check and found out that our bags were on that flight. Go figure. Because of this, we were able to get our tickets for free. The only drawback was that our flight would be five hours later.                So we waited.                And waited…                And waited…                My stomach was doing flip-flops and by the time our plane arrived at 4:30pm, I was overcome with relief. This flight would be an hour and would bring us to Minneapolis. The next flight would land us in Philly and would be two hours.                The Delta flight was cramped but we managed. I sat betwixt my sweetheart and a woman who was an old pro at flying.                 The takeoff was exciting.                It feels like you are superman for a moment or two.                Then the bumps and cruising altitude begins.                I had mistakenly thought we would be on a jumbo flight.                We were instead on a slim plane that maybe seated a hundred tops.                Because of this, the noise factor was unbelievable…and I refused to open my eyes until we landed.                After landing, we had forty minutes to huff it to the next gate.                This flight I decided to pop some Dramamine.                After the takeoff I tried to read a book I brought with. A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. It didn’t help. My head was spinning. My stomach churned. I had hardly eaten anything and I was exhausted. My weak hand extended to the slim bag and…                Yep. I heaved.                I’m told that my wife, concerned for me, was repeatedly stabbing the call button and becoming increasingly infuriated with the flight attendants for taking their sweet time. When I yakked and they finally approached me, my wife shouted over the engines, “HE’S AIR SICK!”                I thought, what is this? An outbreak movie?                I found it funny but at the same time, I knelt my head against the seat in front of me for the rest of the trip.                After landing, I was sipping ginger ale and munching pretzels to get something into my stomach. We hopped on a shuttle bus to a place called Dollar Rental. By this time it was already 10:45pm.                As soon as we walked in, lugging our bulky suitcases along, we already heard the bad news.                Some guy up front was yelling at two dudes behind the desk.                “Do you know what you’re in for? Where are the cars? I had a reservation. This is ridiculous. I hope you’re prepared for my company and how they plan to sue you! How are you gonna help me? You need to help me right now!”                “Sir, I told you before, we have no more cars.”                We and about six others all had reservations. But apparently these two guys forgot what that word meant. And they didn’t bother seeming at all fazed by it. With every walk-in, they repeated their standard mantra, “No cars…no cars…no cars…”                One of them played on their iPhone while I dropped the suitcases and sat down. We both agreed that the place most be a front for drugs or something. Lord knows there have been reports of them scamming and overcharging customers with little to no remorse.                “I’m not even gonna start…” I said, laughing.                My other half remarked how this was like something out of a Seinfeld episode:                You can make a reservation…but you can’t hold a reservation.                While my wife got on the phone to remind Hotwire that we had reservations, I watched the TV above as they reported The Burger King Baby. Thirty years ago, a mother left her newborn daughter in the restroom of a local BK Restaurant. Now the woman wanted to thank her mother for leaving her in a safe place, sure to be found, and forgive her. Having a little one, I couldn’t imagine what would compel a mother to do something like that. Even if I were broke, I’d still do anything, sell blood every day if I had to, just to make sure our daughter was taken care of. My wife knows these instincts all too well. Since becoming parents, we are both highly protective of our child.                The news then switched to some douchebag getting a first-ever five O’clock shadow tattoo all over his cheeks and chin.                Why do these people exist?                Meanwhile, there was a Budget Rental place just a stone’s throw away.                We hucked it over there where there was already a line.                By this time it was midnight.                We were both tired, grumpy and hadn’t anything to eat.                We got the rental by a nice guy named Yosiah, who handled us with grace and even joked around with us.                With keys in hand, we got a stunning Silver Honda which looked sleek.                The only bright spot was that the hotel, The Marriot, waited up for us. After checking into our room, around 1:30am, I tried to figure how we could get a bite to eat.                There was a Wa Wa across the way and I decided to try my luck there. I’d never been to a place like this. From what I’m told, you can’t find one in Illinois. It’s part convenience store, part sandwich place. Three touch-screen computers greet you, you build your own sandwich and the guy behind the counter whips into action.                Two Italian subs, two bags of chips, a tall sprite and a nesquick later, I trudged up to our room where we laid out our dress clothes for the day. Exhausted did not begin to cover our mood. But we had made it. Now all we needed was some much deserved sleep.


We woke at eleven, starving and ready to seize the day.                I called the concierge and asked them if they’d be good enough to print out directions to the wedding venue, the reception lodge and from the reception back to the hotel. Then I ordered some salads.                Quick as a flash I jumped in the shower, styled my hair and jumped into my suit. I looked into the mirror, suddenly happy again. “Eat your heart out, Daniel Craig.”                Made a quick call to my Papa to hear how he was doing. He had traveled a lot before I was born. Once he took a ten hour flight to Italy.                “How did you do it?” I asked.                “I drank the whole way.”                Figures.                He’s old school Italian. This is the same man who has worked through broken ribs, shakes off colds and got the drop on somebody trying to rob his bar by sticking a 357 magnum in their face…I doubt if anything rattles him.                Forty minutes later the salads arrive. We don’t have time to chow down so we pour the dressing on them, I scarf a couple tomatoes, take two chugs of Pepsi and we high tail it to the lobby. By this point my wife is getting the directions while I get some quick cash.                After asking for some scissors, I clip all the tags on my suit.                Then we are on the road.                Talk about going around in circles.                Who do I have to talk to in order to flush money into Pennsylvania's garbled road system?                The signs are old, nowhere can you find the speed limit and everything is sharp turns and wind-abouts. It was like a nightmare created by Dr. Sues.                By the time we got to the wedding, we were just catching some people coming out.                “Babe, let’s just tell them we were in the back.”                The bride and groom exited, preceded by a cloud of bubbles. They spotted us, we waved. Then we jumped in the car where I offered to drive us to the reception Lodge.                That car, man.                It made me feel all-powerful.                I admit, I was speeding.                But I just couldn’t help myself.                Don’t worry. We didn’t get into an accident.                However, two cars behind us plowed into each other.                That was a surprise.                Sometime later, after passing about a hundred farms, we wound up deep into the woods where we finally stumbled upon the Reception Lodge.                Around this time my wife felt flu-ish.                We sat down inside and realized that we hadn’t eaten for 12 straight hours.                When the Hors d'oeuvres arrived, we were scarfing them like no tomorrow.                Mashed potatoes, small burgers, crispy sesame chicken strips, nachos and dip.                 We shoveled it in.                Weren’t we a classy bunch?                Finally the reception got underway where we sat at lucky table 13 alongside some nice people.                Not only did we find out that people from 32 states were in attendance but we also found out that everyone else either had a rotten trip or was sick or contracted food poisoning a couple of nights prior.                The band was jumping. They sung classics as well as modern stuff, led by a Gorden Ramsy and Amy Sedaris lookalike.                At 10:00pm the party ended.                I tipped the valet like a slick international spy and me and my girl took to Walgreens where we loaded up on Airbone, Ibuprofen,  Dayquil, Nyquil, Benedryl, you know, the important stuff.                The salads were still in the car, completely forgotten.



Midnight at our hotel and we realized that we would lose an hour of sleep thanks to daylight savings time. So that meant we had less than three hours to sleep. We arranged a wake up call, ate some leftover sandwiches and started packing. The whole trip had been touch and go and we were ready to go home. I was not impressed by Pennsylvania. I had it with their winding roads and their confusing signs. Granted, some parts of the state mimicked Chicago in some respect. But why was everything thirty miles away?                When we woke, we saddled up, thanked the concierge and drove out of there, where apparently there was no clear entrance to the rental place. We somehow got in anyway, through some construction, boarded a shuttle, got through security and made our flight.                This time around I was laid back, listening to the ipod after popping two benedryl.                Went like a breeze…but I still held my eyes closed.                I would get dizzy whenever I turned my head or even glanced out the window.                Before the next flight I had a mini-breakdown, brought on by my own stupidity by drinking coffee, but I was able to keep my food down, board the flight and we took off.                This flight I liked the least. Even though it was an hour, the pilot looked like a baby and he landed the plane like one too. So bumby and unstable that I half expected the wheels to snap off. So yes, this flight was worse than the one I yakked on.                Sweet home Chicago.                By now my stomach was settled, we bought a pink sock monkey for our daughter, then found the car and headed back to her.                All my worries melted away as soon as we saw our daughter again.                Was the trip worth it?                It was.                But it will be a while since I fly again.







               
                

Writing With Cinematic Style Part I

Before I was a writer, I was a filmmaker. But the problems that I faced were always budget. Granted, with a reasonable budget, you can make a decent film. And that's if you have that cinematic eye. Which, sadly, not many people have but continue to make films. 

So when I stashed all my ideas in a box, I let them sit.

Then I got the idea of adapting one of them into a short story.

Then I began on a novel.

Now, whenever I adapt one of my ideas into a book, I feel like I am working with unlimited sets and billions of dollars in budget.

So for this series, I figured on showing you how you can take your film-making skills and adapt them to novel writing.

Let's start with the first chapter.

Think of the first chapter as your first scene or a cold open. This is your first impression. Your first chance to win the audience. You have to hook em. In order to hook em you have to toy around with thier emotions, make the scene visceral and cause an emotion. Because if the audience feels nothing, why would they continue with the rest? Your 1st chapter or prologue is what comes before the title credits. And in that short amount of time you have to establish the following:

SETTING, TIME PERIOD, CHARACTERS, GENRE, THEME, CONFLICT, HISTORY, RELATIONSHIPS, MOOD, DIALOGUE, NARRATIVE VOICE, PACING, IMAGERY, DIRECTION, STRUCTURE, SURPRISES, ETC.

It's a lot to set up in a short amount of time, but if you have a clear view of what the story will look like and the direction it will take, then you will succeed in transporting the reader there.

I tend to focus on imagery the most. My wife and my in-laws have told me that I write with a cinematic style and, knowing that, I have a better understanding on not only how to write but how to keep the audience engaged.

Even though writing can be a solitary venture on just using words to tell your story, it is a very visual medium.

So start your first chapter today.

Take us to another world.

The world of your imagination.

Is There A God?

These days I'm more inclined to speak my mind on a variety of topics. The one that often pops up is the question of God. Is there a supreme being who is controlling it all?

Well, from a writer's standpoint, I'd say there is a God.

Now, I know there is a rancorous debate on whether there is or there isn't but if you take a step back and look at it all, you'll find some interesting things concerning this topic.

When my parents told me that there was a God, I saw it as a chance to question belief. The ball was in my court, so to speak. As a lover of science and the arts, I've lived my life digesting all that I could on why we are here. Where did we come from?

Growing up, I'd take both sides in from an objective standpoint. If we were to start at the concept of no God, how does everything weigh out?

Here's why I believe there is a God, a creator of it all. Look at our planet. We live in a world of perfect systems. We have oxygen, water, food, sun - the very things we need to sustain ourselves. We have plants that continually convert carbon dioxide into oxygen for us while at the same time providing us food. If we want more, all we have to do is plant another one. It is a well-oiled machine in which sustainability is constantly recycled. We have gravity which holds us to the planet's surface without barreling off into space. We have an atmosphere and an ozone layer that protects us from any foreign rays or bacteria that could harm us. We have planetary magnetism. The earth orbits the sun in a constant circle.

Take a look at the human body. We are encased in skin which heals itself when harmed. We have a bone structure to keep us upright and stable. An immune system to build up our strength and resistance to things. We are born with information already in us from an equal amount of chromosomes from each parent. Inside the womb we automatically know to receive sustenance from the placenta. How perfect is that?

And what about the human eyes. Now those are two of the most complex organs, wouldn't you say? Yet they are contained in our heads and give us the ability to see.

Everything seems to be created just right.

What is holding all of this together?

When you add it up, there are too many perfect systems in our world for there not to be a God. How can anything be that perfect, you ask? Well, in order for something to be perfect it must first be perfected, yes? Something somewhere had to get something just right in order for us to live.

So why then, is it unbelievable, for there to be a creator for the creation? Whenever we create something, we are commended for our creativity and are dubbed a creator of something in some respect. But the idea of there being no God at all and we are all just here by random chance, somehow inhabiting perfect systems? That's a puzzling concept. That's like a book with no writer behind it. Or a statue with no builder. A painting with no painter? And yet don't things need to be written? Aren't some things molded? Isn't there evidence of a few brushstrokes here and there, a record of something painting a picture for us?


What's important to realize is that science, in itself, is not responsible for creating earth and humans. Science is recording or charting data over long periods. Hypothesis, observation, conclusion.

That being said, I was first told about God around three years old and have always found ways to ask more questions and read all I can on the subject. So, you could say, I've been researching for twenty-six years.


Now, I am by no means a rocket scientist. I graduated high school, took some college and have worked a variety of blue-collar jobs. But I continued to read and continued to explore this question. I'm always open to talk about the subject but people, I find, seem too heated to even discuss it and dismiss it. Some would write me off as dope, fool, imbecile, mark, or a man who is easily swayed. My question is: how is believing in God a detriment to one's mental stability?


What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

:)

What is Your Pursuit of Happiness?

If you had to choose a path to follow, which one would you choose? What motivates you to push it further, think outside the box? What do you want to accomplish?

If you're smart, you should focus on your passion. And how do you focus? What with financial issues and bills to pay, how do you mitigate through all that muck? What would you do if you did not have to worry about bills? Would you become an artist? A sculptor? Painter? A poet?

Well just pretend for a minute that all your bills, all your worries do not exist.

By all means, continue to pay them and be responsible. But for you, you need to focus. Find your room. This room should not be filled with anything that reminds you of your worries. It could be the basement, where you feel it is most quiet. It could be the library, where you feel more calm. It could be your favorite table or chair in a coffee house, where you feel more relaxed. Wherever that room is, go there.

Because all artists need a place to experiment.

I've written some of my best work in all three settings and, in the long run, it helped a great deal. Mind you, I wasn't the most financially sound in those times. At one point I owed my bank $700 dollars and had a crummy job that gave me 8 bucks an hour. But I hunkered down, focused on the work and somehow paid off that debt.

Just because you are struggling it does not mean that your work should stop.

It should be your pursuit of happiness. For the thrill of the pursuit gives a whole new meaning to whatever you create.

Man Of Steel, Remakes, and The Downfall of Comic Book Movies

About a week ago, a sudden urge took over on my way back from taking a drive and I decided to rent Man of Steel. My wife and I both watched it. It was a good movie but had its flaws. Particularly, the score didn't resonate with me and there seemed to be a lack of joy in it. It's being presented as the darker side of Superman. I tweeted about it later on.

Man of Steel? It was good. A bit darker than I expected. I suspect they recycled some ideas from the Tim Burton script. 4/5 stars.
— Roberto Scarlato (@robertoscarlato) January 21, 2014

Then my wife and I started a conversation about comic book movies. I had mentioned that their making a Batman vs Superman movie. Eventually we both arrived to the conclusion that we are tired of super hero movies. To the point that we have established this ultimatum for Hollywood:



EITHER CREATE A BRAND NEW SUPER HERO OR BRING IN A SUPER HEROWHO HAS NEVER GOTTEN HIS/HER SHOT ON THE BIG SCREEN


(Caution: Spoilers Ahead!!!)



Think about it. How many Spider-man movies are there? Doesn't that seem like a big number? A little excessive maybe.
Well, I've figured out why.
Superhero/comic book adaptations are a sure thing. They are the quintessential cash cow of Hollywood. How much did Iron Man make? How about The Dark Knight Trilogy? Were they good movies? Yes, but how long before they are rebooted, revamped, reshaped, remolded, or whatever the hell else they plan to do it?
You'd think we'd get tired of it. I know I am. But apparently Hollywood doesn't think so.
Comic Book Writer Grant Morrison said, according to Wikipedia, that "The Incredible Hulk Reboot was proof that the audience will forgive you if you reboot the franchise..."
Well, if that didn't open the flood gates, I don't know what did. These days I feel bombarded with superheros I am already familiar with, grew up with in fact, being re-casted or redone.
I feel like after Batman Begins, all the studios wanted to capitalize on rebooting a popular super hero franchise. 
Since we started with Superman, let's take a look at him first. I associate Superman with a pureness. A hero who is friendly, calm but also strong. A hero who stood for Truth, Justice and The American Way. And I feel like the person who embodied that the best was naturally, Christopher Reeve. Made 4 movies from 1978 to 1987. Yes, the last two movies were lacking in both budget, effects and story, but Reeve was a hundred percent committed to the character.
Superman had style, and he was funny and made you happy just watching him fly. But he could also be intense, filled with a righteous burden of holding the reigns of mankind. To keep things in balance and to watch over everyone. 
I mean, as far as acting goes, Christopher Reeve brought it. Remember this iconic scene?






But it was also remarkable to see him riff, pull out a one-liner of wit here and there? I was hoping for something to that effect in man of steel. I mean, all I would need is a little boy asking the last son of krypton, "Hey, Superman. How can I grow up to be big and strong like you?"




"DRINK MIIIIILLLLLK!!!!"



I mean the movie made you feel helpless. Yes, they raised the stakes from Superman Returns (which I think the grand plan was boiled down to krypton real estate wheras Man of Steel hiked it up to terraforming Earth for Krypton) but at least Superman Returns had some joy in it. Yes, it was long and in some spots boring, but how can ya beat that recognizable score. I know they wanted Man of Steel to be a separate movie but, can you imagine if it had John Williams included?






"By God...I'm on Mars."But, in a way, Hollywood has tried with little success. You know how much Green Lantern made Worldwide? $219 Million...and it is considered a flop.

John Carter, a movie I actually like, made $284 Million and is considered a flop. But why. It's different, its fun and it has a little mystery and a lot of heart. It boggles my mind how movies that made so much can still flop.




And now I hear they are starting Ant-Man, which looks interesting and, mor importantly, different. But when are we gonna have The Flash? The Midnighter? Shazzam? The Phantom Stranger? Moon Knight? The Maxx?
When is Hollywood going to take a risk and be original?



(P.S. If you could have only one super power, what would it be?)