Colin McMahon's Blog, page 5

Star Wars: The Rise of Nostalgia

Okay before we begin, I want to be clear: I am basing this off the first teaser for Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. This is in no way a commentary on the film itself, which I have not seen…yet. I’m only breaking down the marketing methods behind this:

Okay – I hope this avoids any confusion, should you be reading this after the film has been released. With that in mind…let’s dive in.

The Nostalgia of The Rise of Skywalker‘s Teaser

“Let the past die, kill it if you have to.” The...

Lowest Point: How Korra Taught the Importance of Personal Growth

“When we reach our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change.”

The spirit of Aang speaks these words at the end of the first season of Legend of Korra. At the time, I remember thinking it was a nice quote, but perhaps not fully earned. Korra had suffered a defeat – losing her bending and her sense of identity. The loss, however, seemed very minor. I know weeks were supposed to have passed in the show but, from an audience standpoint – it had only been a couple minutes. We didn’t have t...

Us: Dissecting Jordan Peele’s Sophomore Effort

Last night, I had the good fortune to see over 95% of Jordan Peele’s newest film, Us. I know what you’re wondering – the missing 0-5% came when I had to go let my brother into the theater. Luckily, it was in the beginning of the film, and I didn’t miss much from a narrative standpoint. I definitely saw enough to form an opinion. So – Us, is it good? Is it as good as Get Out?

Find out the answers…right now! Yes and no. It is difficult to discuss Us without spoiling it, but I will try my best....

Writing: Captain Marvel vs. Wonder Woman

First there was Wonder Woman, now Captain Marvel. Can America survive with two leading female superheros? According to certain (and probably mostly robotic) members of the internet – our civilization will never be the same. For the rest of us – neat! I just saw Captain Marvel and wanted to write about how it compares to Wonder Woman, at least in terms of writing. There are so few female-driven superhero films, and even less that have been written and directed by women, that I found this to be...

Why Russia Shouldn’t Matter to Tulsi Gabbard

Ah, February 5th – only 637 days until the 2020 election. We arguably should not already be in the midst of a primary season…but here we are. Not only is an election happening, but all of the politics (read garbage) right along with it. Unfortunately, the dark side of our political contest seems centered around one person right now, Tulsi Gabbard.

When congresswoman Gabbard abruptly left the DNC in 2016 to campaign for Senator Bernie Sanders, she certainly made a lot of enemies in high place...

Why Writers Should Watch Bad Movies

While it may sound strange to say, there is a whole part of our culture who enjoy watching bad movies. I should know: I’m one of them. Heck, I even go so far as to make it a social activity. Bad movie nights are a regular event in my household. So, the obvious question is: Why do I (and many others) do it?

Well, I can’t speak for everyone but, for myself, watching bad movies offers multiple advantages. For starters, it’s a chance to laugh with my friends – and people should always make time...

What Writers can Learn from Netflix’s Godzilla Trilogy

When you’re a writer, every and any piece of writing can serve as a lesson for how to write (or in this case not write) a story. We often think of books as natural learning tools – after all, a common message for writers is that every writer must do two things: write a lot and read a lot. That said, lessons come from every form of storytelling, including comics and screenplays.

The Godzilla franchise is the longest running major motion picture series in existence. With a current 34 movies rel...

Why Political Correctness was Weaponized Against Tulsi Gabbard

There are 653 days before the 2020 election in the United States but several candidates from the Democratic Party have already announced their intentions to run. So far, each candidate’s announcement has been treated with a collective “that’s nice” from the party establishment, with one exception. When Hawaiian Congressional Representative Tulsi Gabbard announced she was throwing her hat into the ring, the response was more of a “WHAT?! NO!”

Within days, articles were circulating multiple jo...

Writing Challenges: Storytelling Voice vs. Plot

For today’s post, I wanted to share some writing challenges I am currently having with you, the reader. I’ve learned a lot from teaching The South Shore Writing Initiative, and one of the biggest lessons is that personal anecdotes can be helpful when relevant. Well, given that this is an issue I’m having with my current novel-in-progress – I’d say it’s relevant enough.

I recently taught a class about the importance of finding voice. Specifically, the difference between the narrative voice and...

Let the Past Die: Examining She-Ra

I’ve been thinking a lot about nostalgia lately. Those who have read my recent posts on The Last Jedi or Halloween (2018) know that I’m growing less and less found of big budget Hollywood’s desire to look back. In a world of rapid change, audiences seem to love a heavy dose of nostalgia in their entertainment – but is this a good thing? Setting aside the toxic behavior going on in some fandoms, I want to examine things from a purely writing perspective. So, let’s talk about Netflix’s She-Ra a...