I have to say today has been like a full time job. I created a MySpace page for my website ( http://www.myspace.com/popcultureasylum ) so I could network with some of the independent companies and creators. At the moment my friends list is almost 40 with almost 80 pending. The kewl thing is that a few of the creators are almost as excited about the website as I am. I've been offered interviews, artwork and pretty much whatever is needed to help eachother out. To get the site's name out there as well as to get their comic books known.

The only thing is I lost track of time and I think I spent almost eight hours networking. My how time flies.

5 - Bridge to Terabithia - 2006 - Family

Bridge to Terabithia is based on a young adults novel from the early seventies or late sixties. The movie is very well done without getting to heavy handed with death or fantasy. Well worth sitting down with some hot buttered popcorn and watching. Just bring plenty of napkins.
 

It has been no secret from anyone who has read my BLOG that I have battled against depression since I was twelve. It something that comes and goes and often appears at the most unoppurtune of moments. It has been quite a few months now that the depression has not reared it's ugly head. I'm sure it will resurface but at the moment I am enjoying the fact that I am depression free. It's amazing the differance it makes.

Anyway more companies have added me to their mailing lists and a few of them are even mailing me preview copies of their comics for review for the site. Today I started emailing all of the gaming companies to get them added to the site. I hope they work out as well as the comic companies have.

On to the movies;

4 - Yojimbo - 1961 - Martial Arts

This film bt acclaimed director Akiro Kirosawa is reportedly based on the Dashell Hammett novel Red Harvest. The movie has inturn inspired a few movies; Clint Eastwoods "A Few Dollars More" and Bruce Willis' "Last Man Standing".

The movie stars frequent Kirosawa actor Toshirô Mifune. Mifune plays a ronin who wanders into a small town and over time manages to turn to rival gangs against eachother, playing both sides against the other, until the climactic battle at the end.

Yojimbo is not as good as Seven Samurai, nor is it as long with Samurai coming in at near three hours. Both movies, like many of Kirosawa's movies have greatly influenced western cinema. Once you see Yojimbo check out the Eastwood and WIllis movie to see the similarities and "directly stolen" scenes in both movies.
 

Seven is a magic number, and today I heard back from a record seven comic companies. Most of which will not only send me news, but will also provide creators for interviews. That's just great news and it is forcing me to stop dickering around and get the html code done so the site can get published. This is really going much better than I expected it to go.

When I get the site up I will post a link here so's everyone can see the fruit of my labors. lol.

So I've done Noir and Mystery/Thriller today I will post something up for my buddy TOR. I think this is a movie he would really enjoy.

3 - Open Range - 2003 - Western

This is one of the little movies that could. Kevin Costner struggled for years, with production company after production company backing out and paying for most of the movie with his own money, before the film was finally finished. It has wonderful performances from Costner, Robert Duvall, Annette Benning and in his final role before passing away from Cancer, character actor Micheal Jeter.

Costner and Duval play "freegrangers" who are passing through the pasture country near a small town that doesn't look kindly on their profession. After attacking one of their hands in town and locking him up, the two men go in search of him. Costner plays a role that he normally doesn't play, much like in Noir movies, he is the anti-hero. There are things in his past that he is not proud of.

A great movie with wonderful dialogue, great performances and a realistic portrayal of the old west, much like that of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven.

If anyone has a category they would like to see a movie posted for let me know and I will see what I can come up with.

 

It's been real peaceful today. I got a few more comic companies lined up to the website. I'm kind of worried that things are going so well. lol.

That's really all I have to say about that, so we will movie on to Movie number 2

2. Memento - 2000 - Mystery/Thriller

This is a great movie with awesome performances by Guy Pierce, Joe Pantoliano, and Carrie-Anne Moss. The story is told forward and backward ending in the middle of the story. Sound a bit confusing doesn't it. I'll try to simplify it a bit. All of the scenes in color are telling the story in reverse, from the end of the story backward. The black and white scenes are telling the story in the correct order, from the begining of the story.

Guy Pierce plays the main role in the movie. His character has a memory loss problem, he can only remember things for five or ten minutes at a time, so he writes everything down, takes pictures of people and writes notes on the back of them, and even goes to the extreme of tatooing clues to finding his wifes killer on his body. He is trying to find the person who murdered his wife. Joe Pantoliano plays his friend who is helping him find the killer. Carrie-Anne Moss is a woman using Guy Pierce's character for her own means.

I know this sounds confusing and it can be unless you pay a lot of attention to what is happening. The end of the movie (middle of the story) is awesome and telling alot about Pierce's character. It's a strange premise for a movie, but well handled.
 

Sometimes things are just awesome. I am hearing back from more and more of the independent comic companies now. At first I wasn't getting much of a response for the site, but after I changed tactics and mentioned that we would be focusing more on the Independent Comics than the mainstream Marvel and DC the response has picked up greatly. A few companies have even gotten a mail address to send me free preview copies of comics for review on the site. Now, incase you don't know, that frikkin rocks.

The comic side of things are going smooth, now if the gaming side of it would pick up that would be great. The kewl thing is another friend of mine works for an online gaming magazine that will be starting up soon. We are discussing posting one or two reviews from their site on my site with a link back to them. Not all their reviews, just one or two every week, or month depending on how many "issues" they do a month. So that's cool.

On top of everything else, I've had this idea for a Noir style story. I tried it with my Werewolf story, but it didn't quite fit. I have the beginning of the story with the detective awakening after being hit on the head and knocked unconscious, when he wakes up the woman who came to him for help is dead. The story would be about him finding her killer and of course getting in over his head. The problem is I am not happy with the start, it doesn't feel right. Maybe I need to just write through it and come back to fix it later, who knows.

I think I will start something new here in Casa De Solitary. With the AFI top 100 movies coming out soon, I thought I would list my own TOP 100 movies 1 movie at a time and in no particular order. I see alot of movies and I will try to only list the movies that need to be seen. I will list the movie, release year and category, then review I guess. First up.......

1. Brick - 2005 - Noir

I categorized this movie as Noir, even though most sites and lists put it as Neo Noir, or New Noir. That's bull, this movie is classic Noir. Moody direction and lighting, classic femme fatale, anti-hero, the Police man threatening to take him in (in this case the Asst. Principal), the thug, the beatings, the dialogue.

This is a true homage to Noir, taking place in a high school. Gordon Joseph Levitt plays a school outsider trying to find out what happened to his ex-girlfriend and he gets pulled into the shady side of things with drugs and kingpins. Excellent movie with great 1940's style dialogue, at first you have to listen closely until you get used to the speed of the reporte and the older slang terms.

If you love the classic Noir Movies like Out of the Past and Double Indemnity and Maltese Falcon this is a great movie to check out.


 

It's true I swear it. Someone keeps taking my time. I turn around and another day or two has passed. I don't understand it. It seems that all my days are swallowed up with my website, PopCultureAsylum.com, (shameless plug no.1), and it's not even up and running yet. Jeez, how is it going to be when I get PopCultureAsylum.com (shameless plug no.2) up and going. I will have no more freetime.

I mean look how time flies, it seems like just yesterday that I stumbled onto the world of Writing.com and I am quickly coming up on my second birfday. Although I have been a bit negligent of my portfolio this past year, WDC is never far from my heart, nor are the friends I have made here. Hopefully once things calm down a bit I will be able to appear a bit more frequently. Here's hopin, Good Lord Willing, and the Creek Don't Rise.

See around the ol' homestead.
 

Next time I have a brilliant idea shot me.

I've heard back from a few more comic companies, mostly independent smaller companies. I've come to them with the reasoning that I would like to focus a good deal more on the independent comics out there than the comics from the "Big Two" companies. That seems to be bringing a better response from companies.

I've approached a few people about writing deck strategies for Magic and World of Warcraft card games. I've even talked with a guy about atricles for Hero Clicks, and he directed me to someone else.

Things seem to be going along smoothly. Now I just have to force myself to stick with it. Hero Con is just a few short weeks away and I have a lot of things to do to get ready. My business cards are on order and I am working on a "business statement" letter to give to writers and artists as well as any companies that might be at the convention.

It's a big undertaking and there are moments when I just feel swamped and almost pulled under in the muck and the mire, but I made my bed and all that jazz. Me and my bright ideas...........

Quote;

Neither do I, baby, but if I have to die, I'm gonna die last.

Jeff Markum - Robert Mitchum Out of the Past (film noir at it's best.)

 

There just don't seem to be enough hours in the day. I've been spending alot of time working on my new website; trying to find a good template, but most likely I will write my own HTML. Trying to decide on a forum, maybe I should have a blog set-up, chat room. Decisions, decisions.

I've been in tough with a few comic companies about recieving issues for review as well as news and possible interviews with talent. The website will most likely be up just after Father's Day. The annual HeroCon in Charlotte, North Carlonina is that weekend and I will be attending with business cards in tow to talk to writers, artists, and company people about my site. I'm hoping that by the time I go to the convention I will have a few more comic companies on board and I will have my advertising rates ironed out.

I've decided to pull back from everything Pop Culture and just start out focused on Comic Books and Card Games. As things pick up speed, I will branch slowly into other Pop Culture fields.

I just have to make myself stay on top of things, but for right now there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day.......




Oh yeah, by the way, if anyone here reads comics or plays card games, mainly Magic or Warcraft drop me a line if you would be interested in writing reviews for comics or strategy/deck articles for card games let me know. I can't pay you anything, but I can use all the help I can get.

 

I feel a little nervous and a little pressured. I looked into the domain name, popcultureasylum.com and it is available. I've found a host for the website. Now I have to do the html and create the site. I need to decide on how I want to go about things. I'm thinking that I will focus on comic books and card games first and slowly branch out into other arena's of pop culture. I would love to eventually become a full service site for all news and reviews of movies, books, tv, music and all that jazz. I think I will start small and build bigger.

I've already heard from Marvel Comics, Image Comics and a few smaller comic companies. I have been added to their press packets. Meaning I will get emails with information of upcoming events and comics before everyone else. I will also be sent advance issues for upcoming stories to review.

It's happening kind of fast and I am surprised to hear back so fast from two of the big three comic companies, and positively at that. Well as they say I've taken the first step and I can't back out now.

Wish me luck, I think I'm gonna need it. lol.

Quote;

You can't sit around waiting your whole life, for your life to happen. You have to go out and live it.

--Unknown
 

Well the job is still going good, except for the bad sunburn I got from working outside all of Friday. The sun came out at 8 am. and stayed out the entire day. Most of my arm has already started to brown (thank you Native American blood, lol).

I have decided to embark on a most excellent adventure. I am taking my love of all things pop culture; movies, books, tv, music, comics, and games and creating a website. I am waiting on return emails from most of the comic companies about receiving review materials. Next I will work on advance "screenings" for books, movies, and music. I have wanted to do it for a long time and I figured, you know for once in my life instead of talking about doing something I am going to do it.

I have lined up a group of people to write articles for the site on games, and comics. Since I see almost every movie that comes out, lol, I should be able to handle movie reviews. I am working with a friend of mine who sells card game singles about running a store for them through the website. I'm talking with another friend who owns the best comic shop in the area about selling comics through the site. Mainly linking to his website to sell supplies and subscriptions.

A massive undertaking. I just need to buckle down and do it. Who knows I could be the next AintItCoolNews.com. Maybe. Hey, it could happen.

Pieces everyone.