Well, I took a break for a while…ok, a long while. But I’m back at it with chapter 13. So here is the complete book thus far. Hope you enjoy.
Why is the Villain Always More Interesting?
I went back and watched The Dark Knight a few weeks ago and was, once again, absolute mesmerized by Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker. In fact I’m always tempted to just go through and watch his scenes.
Between Nolan’s writing and Ledger’s interpretation of the character, it made for one of the most interesting characters I’ve ever seen – every line, inflection of his voice, mannerism and facial tick completely riveting. It would have been a good movie anyway, but it would be hard to disagree that the Joker was what made it great.
So what is it that makes him so intriguing? Why do characters like this capture us?
For me, I think it’s that he is completely uncompromising. Everything about him is wrapped up in his purpose. It’s as if he built his entire persona – his look, mannerisms, decisions, his mental energy and resources – around what he wanted to accomplish. He has a singular focus. He has an ideal, albiet a twisted one, and refuses to let anything stop him from bringing it to reality. Think of the scene where he was standing on top of a mountain of money, slid down, then lit it on fire. He didn’t need the money. It was a distraction.
In a world where I am easily distracted, where I am repeatedly pulled toward compromise, and where I constantly live in the tension between the person I am and the person I really want to be, a figure like this, while absolutely disturbing, can actually be, in an odd sort of way, inspiring.
What if I could be that focused? What if I refused to settle for less than the ideal?
The Union – Chapters 11 & 12
Hello again. I know, it’s been a while. I missed you too.
I think the important thing to focus on is that I am posting 2 chapters today. Crazy, right? That’s just how I roll.
So here it is, for your reading enjoyment, the first 12 chapters of The Union, my science fiction novel.
The Union – Chapter 10
Chapter 10 of The Union is here!
Also, I wanted to simplify things, so I have combined chapters 1-10 into a single PDF. Hopefully that will make it easier to go back and review previous chapters or to catch up if you aren’t ready for chapter 10 yet. Enjoy!
I Know That Guy – James Frain
Welcome to the latest installment of ‘I Know That Guy’, a series of posts putting the spotlight on actors or actresses that aren’t quite household names, but are often vaguely recognized and usually steal whatever scene they are in.
This time we’re taking a look at James Frain.
I first took notice of Frain in the movie The Count of Monte Cristo in which he played Villefort, the chief prosecutor that imprisons Dantes in order to protect himself. Even though he wasn’t the main character, and only appeared in a portion of the movie, he just brought a weight to the role that stole my attention.
Since then he began making the rounds on television, appearing in quite a few shows and TV movies, some more temporary than others, including 24, Fringe, The Tudors, Grey’s Anatomy, Fringe, and True Blood. Among all those, the one that truly impressed me most was Grey’s Anatomy, where he played schizophrenic patient in need of surgery, but refuses because of voices in his head and crushing paranoia. I am always impressed when an actor takes on a role of someone dealing with a disability (Edward Norton in Primal Fear comes to mind). James Frain absolutely owns this role on Grey’s Anatomy. He led you to believe you weren’t looking at an actor at all, but rather someone really dealing with these issues. But that’s what he does. He brings a tremendous reality to whatever role he is in.
Most recently, he appeared (almost unrecognizably) in the science fiction action/adventure Tron:Legacy as Jarvis, the sycophantic assistant to Clu. While he is accustomed to playing the villain, this time he added a bit of comic relief to the role, which ironically brought a sense of humanity to his role of a computer program.
James Frain as Jarvis in 'Tron:Legacy'
It would seem as if Frain is now gaining some notoriety, as he has been cast in the upcoming TV show The Cape, where he will appear as the billionaire/psycho killer Peter Fleming aka Chess. The show is about a cop that was framed for a crime he didn’t commit and chooses to become a masked vigilante. Even though The Cape will have no superpowers, and appears to be similar to Batman (both in its premise and dark, gritty mood), it is still a TV show about heroes and villains, which makes me instantly skeptical, given the recent failure of so many shows of that kind (Heroes, No Ordinary Family). However, the fact that James Frain will be a main character is enough to make me optimistic and give it a chance when it premieres Sunday, January 9 on NBC.
I honestly don’t see James Frain ever being the star and main protagonist of any movie. He’s not Matt Damon. But it’s not for a lack of talent. The truth is that he’s not the Matt Damon. He has a different niche. His roles seem to always have an edge of some kind. He’s a great supporting actor and an even better villain. I could easily see him winning an Oscar for best supporting actor at some point in his career. To me it seems like it’s just a matter of time.
So there you have it. I hope you’ve had the pleasure of seeing him work. If you haven’t I would highly recommend it. Doesn’t really matter what. I haven’t seen him in anything where I wasn’t impressed.