As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been watching Masterpiece’s Victoria. I really love the Victorian era as a historical period, so I ought to love this. But I don’t. It’s not…bad, but it’s not very good either. The actors are good and very well-cast in general, the characters are mostly fairly enjoyable (I especially like the … Continue reading What’s Wrong with ‘Victoria’
Author: DBreitenbeck
Our Lady of Perpetual Grievance
So, some friends linked to this article the other day and I had some thoughts. Fair warning, if you liked this article, you probably won’t like my response, because quite frankly, this article was repulsive. On Facebook yesterday, a number of Catholic friends were sharing around an image of Mary the Mother of Jesus, modeled … Continue reading Our Lady of Perpetual Grievance
Another Quick 1950s Thought
I'm a little amazed that no one seems to remember that the most popular and influential television show of the 1950s centered around an interracial couple: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Or does that not count? If so, are Cubans considered 'white' now? Then I guess Hispanics don't count for 'diversity' purposes, right? You know, … Continue reading Another Quick 1950s Thought
Brief Thoughts on ‘Duck and Cover’
Being the 1950s aficionado that I am, I can't help noticing some, to me, odd things about our subsequent perspective on the era. Briefly, there's a strange, vitriolic hatred for the time period that leads people to characterize it in a way that really doesn't fit what I see myself in relics from the era. … Continue reading Brief Thoughts on ‘Duck and Cover’
Establishing Morality
In addition to establishing setting, character, and plot, it is important, when writing a story, to establish morality. That is, to make sure the audience will consider your protagonists to be on the right side and your antagonists on the wrong. It needs to feel that the protagonists deserve to win. Obviously, this is not … Continue reading Establishing Morality
YouTube Recommendation
I'm not often seriously impressed by YouTube channels. They can be fun, but apart from Ross's Game Dungeon, they tend not to strike me as very interesting. Certainly very few are worth writing about. Now, though, I want to draw your attention to MauLer; a British gentleman who gives incredibly thorough critiques and dissections, mostly of video … Continue reading YouTube Recommendation
Multilevel Motivation:
Today I want to talk about a characterization trick I’m going to call multilevel motivation. This is where a character’s actions are driven by several different and often conflicting motives at the same time, creating a more psychologically complex and realistic storyline. Let me explain with an easily understood, but very well done example: the … Continue reading Multilevel Motivation:
Thought
There comes a point where, if your arguments are true, they disprove your position as thoroughly as if they weren't. For instance, you sometimes hear socialists claiming that 'real' socialism has never been implemented, meaning that the track record of Marxist politics shouldn't be taken as an indictment of the idea itself. But if that's … Continue reading Thought
Doofenshmirtz and Identity Politics
Phineas and Ferb is one of those shows that, though simple on the surface, lends itself to endless fascinating interpretations. Like so many great works of fiction, it tells the truth merely by trying to tell a good story. One of the chief themes of the show is the balance between childhood and maturity: Phineas … Continue reading Doofenshmirtz and Identity Politics
Thoughts on the Greatest Showman
The other day I got out to see The Greatest Showman before it left theaters, which I’d been meaning to do for a little while. I’d known almost nothing about the film before, except that it was about P.T. Barnum and the founding of his circus. Then a month or so into its release I … Continue reading Thoughts on the Greatest Showman
Serpent's Den 