Movie review: Avengers Infinity War (zero spoilers)

Marvels newest movie, "Avengers: Infinity War" is finally in theaters! For those of us who are long-time fans of the Marvel's "Infinity Gauntlet" storyline, it's been highly anticipated. One word of warning: the cast of this film is gigantic, so it's a big help to be familiar with the previous Marvel films. Events are happening all over the universe, with evil Thanos squarely in the middle of it all. When Marvel comic books ran this event, it permanently shook up their entire lineup. I won't reveal who is affected, but if "Infinity War" is true to form, the effects are lasting. Why do I mention this aspect? Because great stories have consequences. If those consequences are just a bluff--fixed by a dream, or never actually happened--then it cheapens the story of this movie beyond words.

"Avengers: Infinity War" is a massive movie, combining aspects of plenty of the prior movies. Because of this, the plot hinges quite a lot on what you already know and instead jumps straight into the action. Everything happens in the present (aside from a short flashback scene), and the tension barely takes a break. The set pieces are grand and loaded with atmosphere. Character development is left to Thanos, but equates to: big guy bad. Thanos is a towering figure--powerful and ruthless in his behavior. He's not someone you do a dance-off against, or try to out-bluff.

I loved the movie. There's plenty of heroism, battles lost and won, and tragedy. I can't wait until the next part rolls in. This film is resetting the Marvel universe, preparing the way for a new breed of heroes. It's a gutsy move, just like the story the movie is based upon, and yet it's also sad to see the old and comfortable go away. Yet, listening to the audience reactions throughout the film, I'm happy to say that people were very into the story and hated to see it end. And that is the best sign of a good story.

Yes, I heartily recommend "Avengers: Infinity War." It was fun and engaging. I'm planning on seeing it again soon.

- M

Leadership and disappointment

As the Man in Black from The Princess Bride says, "Get used to disappointment." We all fail, it's inevitable. It's interesting to watch how leaders handle disappointment. For my example, I'm going to use my father. My dad regularly fixes things and judges the success by how many trips to the hardware store it took (such as, "Well, that was a three-trip job. Yuck."). My dad taught me how disappointment is a normal part of life, and not to get bent out of shape by failure. In fact, failure is an excellent teacher, if you allow it to be. The best leaders recognize this, thrive on it, and teach others not to be limited by it. All that from my dad--that's why he's my hero!

Why bring this up? I've seen over and over how petrified some leaders become when faced with disappointment. Leaders are always in an especially focal spotlight, their choices are dissected by underlings, and constantly second-guessed, yet a leader provides not only authority but guidance. Sure, they don't get everything right--they are human after all and not some super-alien--yet good leaders will wring every last bit of potential out of everyone around them. Leaders are needed to push forward activities, direct the flow of energy, and be the person to blame when it all goes wrong...

I believe anyone can be a leader. The thing to remember is to do your best and have confidence in what you're doing. That doesn't imply perfection, expertise, or even competence (I know plenty of great leaders who are incompetent in areas they manage, but due to great delegation are still effective). Yes, you'll mess things up, but hopefully you'll have more successes the longer you work. So, while you'll be "used to disappointment," you'll also be okay with it, and that's a good thing.

- M

Examine all the possibilities before you start. Maybe you'd like to share?

Something that frustrates me as an audience, is when information is hidden for no better reason that to be a whammy surprise. For instance, in the excellent movie, "The Martian," there is a specific point where the astronaut is figuring out how to communicate with Earth. It's engaging, interesting, fascinating, and bewildering. The audience is right there with him, both in thought and action. Then, the astronaut sees something on his computer, goes "Aha!" and scurries away. Immediately, NASA is watching his activity and puzzling over what is going on. All this is a mystery for a good ten minutes, as the NASA guy figures it out and says only, "I know where he's going." Then, there's an airplane trip, some rushing through a warehouse, and finally the big reveal, when they say, "So, this is Pathfinder." Tada! Huh?

The Pathfinder lander, with the little Sojourner wheeled rover, being prepared for launch.

First of all, why couldn't the astronaut have simply said, "Easy, I'll use Pathfinder?" The audience likely doesn't recognize what that means immediately and, even if they do, the information does little to dampen the suspense. Actually, I think the suspense would be greater, since the audience has information NASA doesn't yet possess. Why prevent the audience from knowing? Especially since the reveal of Pathfinder isn't fully understood until the beginnings of actual communications. I believe it's a lost opportunity to raise the level of storytelling.

I'm not sure if this is a trend, but it does pop up frequently. The funny thing is, keeping this information hidden is actually more work for the author, because it's really hard to misdirect an intelligent audience, so authors are forced to omit information and send characters wheeling about in a frenzy of non-explanation. Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express" is a great example of doing it properly. Everything the detective knows is expressed to the audience, and we have the possibility (unlikely as it is) to figure out the solution before him.

Modern audiences are wise to story trickery, jaded by overused clichés, and eager to see anything new. Myself, I long for meaty concepts that stretch my imagination, and to enjoy stories that don't hold my hand and treat me like a grown-up. Don't arbitrarily hide something so there's a "zinger" later. I want to be in on the joke. I want to know what's going on. I want to be an active part of the story!

- M

Movie review: "I Can Only Imagine"

The song, "I Can Only Imagine" is the biggest selling Christian single in history, and this movie tells the story of how it was written. Like so many pieces of great art, it comes from pain and adversity. The author, a man named Bart Millard, bears immense childhood pain and the story of this incredible song is also the story of the redemption of both his pain and his abusive father. It's an emotional journey that will pluck your heartstrings ever more as it rolls along.

While the movies takes its time setting up the necessary characters and conflicts, there is hardly a pause in interest. I was amazed how deeply I cared by the time the movie finished. The best characters by far were Bart and his father, as it should be. And, the interactions between them are completely believable and heartfelt.

Like any kind of art, songs are written with tremendous variety and reasons. Some are simple, some are complex, but this movie makes it clear that the best songs are those coming from truth. You can't fake real emotions, because audiences know immediately. When Bart Millard reached through his life, he discovered a song that touched the world, filled it with hope, and gave us an instant classic. It's an impressive movie, and you should see it.

- M

New book released!

I'm happy to announce the release of my newest book! Woohoo! It is the final book of my Erahsil trilogy.



Buy it at Amazon

Skyfell Liberation

"The thrilling conclusion to the Erahsil trilogy!

 

"Loegaire has won, forcing Phaedra to escape while leaving Craig behind. Now, Phaedra must retake Erahsil, without an army, without a plan, and without any hope. But, since her first hesitant steps as queen, she has found inner strength she never knew before. Buoyed by conviction, she throws herself into the conflict, gaining unexpected allies and confronting the horror that is Loegaire.

 

"Whoever wins this final conflict, one thing is certain: Erahsil will be changed forever."

It's been a thrill to write this trilogy, and I hope you all enjoy it. Happy reading!

- M

The value of opinion

In my opinion, the most beautiful castle in the world (Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany)
image source

Why do we value the opinions of others? Well, when those opinions are from people we know and trust, it makes those expressions very important to us. You don't even necessarily need to personally know them. For instance, newscasters enjoy wide support, celebrities are given points for their fame, and if your best friend tells you to listen to someone's opinion then I'll bet you will. On the other hand, I sure wouldn't care what the fellow down the street thinks about my favorite restaurant, or a passing pedestrian says regarding a new movie.

The fascinating thing about all this, is opinion is a mercilessly personal aspect of life. A food critic may have decades of experience, yet it's still a personal opinion (though based on wide experience). This makes opinion a very dicey proposition. Why do we care so much about what other people think? Well, I believe it's because it's part of the many intricate connections that bind us all together. We deeply want to strengthen those ties, so we let people we know influence our own choices. So, when people grow more important to you, so do their opinions; it's only natural.

This also creates the strange realm of the professional reviewer. Usually, these people have wide experience in their chosen field, and so speak from that background. The rest of us seek out these opinions, in the idea that the reviewer knows what they're talking about. But, it's still just an objective opinion, so isn't something you can measure--kind of like how ice skating and gymnastics are judged. So, it's also an opinion if an opinion is an opinion to be trusted. And, that's my opinion on the matter ...

- M

Sometimes, all you need for a villain is ... yourself.

I've seen two movies recently with incredible stories, marvelous tension, yet distinctly lacking a visible villain: "The Greatest Showman" and "Everest." In the first, the tension comes from dreams and possible failure, while the second is a battle against savage natural forces. I suggest that the villains in these stories are actually the people themselves. We constantly fight ourselves, rage against our failures, and struggle to master our passions. These two movies are totally different genres, one being a musical and the other an  adventure/drama, yet share the quality of the human need to become better than who we initially are.

Tension is necessary for any good story, but there are no limits to the places these tensions arise. I feel that tension the greatest in stories where the main character is at war with themselves, because I face the same thing myself (and I suspect everyone else does too). When I experience stories where the heroes claim victory in this fight, it raises my own hopes and expectations. Isn't it incredible how watching, listening, reading, or otherwise following a story, provides such inspiration? This is the power of stories!

When the fight is against themselves, there's tons of introspection throughout the story. How often do we do this in our own lives? Likely not very often. Stories provide a safe place to carry on brutal reflection, and can shake us up enough to make us change for the better. That's a fantastic power for so simple an art form. This one aspect is what drew me to writing in the first place, even beyond the imagination of fantasy and science fiction, because it can foster real change. Everyone wants to make their mark on the world, and so do I. Stories provide the opportunity and platform. But, as Spiderman reminds us, "With great power, comes great responsibility."

- M