The writer of th script says in an interview that people of all kinds of religions and backgrounds write to him and say, “that’s just what I believe.” True love. “Is there anything I can do for you today?”

Hey, and also, has anyone mentioned the Japanese (and first) version of “SHALL WE DANCE?” It is awesome — and the cultural issues IMO are so much more poignant that this could be in the United States, because there is nothing considered unsavory about ballroom dancing here, or at least by no means to the extent is apparently is in Japan. Beautiful film, beautifully done.

Thank you, neo-neocon, for your cultural, artistic, heart-centered blogging. It is wonderful to read.

One reason why I like Japanese anime is the number of interesting and sometimes outrageous settings and plots that are created to test the decisions and judgment of the numerous interesting characters in that world.

In Groundhog day, the element was time manipulation. A sci fi notion, if anything else. But not about science or even science fiction. It was about what humans valued, not what technology needed to work (techno babble).

If you download Brandon Sanderson’s podcast about all things writing, which has gone on for several years now at a certain website, you can hear many interesting conversations about what makes good writing vs bad. Good writing that comes from focusing on characters and how they grow to become heroes or fall to become villains, is always going to be more interesting than some dry description about the world and its elements. While some people appreciate dry dissertations on the elements common and different to species of the world, other people just don’t care. And those other people compose the majority of the human market.

Btw, I have always heard about the title “Groundhog Day” but the title seemed so um, what’s the word, insipid, that I never really looked into it. I thought Groundhog Day was about… Groundhog Day, you see. Some thing about golf, holes, and animals digging holes. That’s why I hadn’t seen this movie, until the last few years or so. Also, I was feeling a distinctively anti-Hollywood bias then, which blew up into a full blown anti-Hollywood containment procedure these days.

My suggestion to Art is to write everything he wants in a notepad or memo pad, then reread and cut out all the parts that were just fluff or tangents that weren’t important to the central issue. This is a rewriting skill authors either like or hate, but they learn it if they write enough.

Neo’s blog has progressed to the point where she no longer has a “small” loyal following where everyone’s comments are unique and interesting. Thus it takes a substantial amount of time to go through the comments, and many people simply only want to read certain people’s comments or subject matters. Because there’s no way to simply collapse a person’s name, they can’t simply scroll through your comment, Art, because it’s long. If they scroll too fast down, they can skip even reams of shorter comments left by others.

In that line, Davis BR has a useful point to make. Both in reference to the karmic cycle as well as to the issue concerning Art.

I’ve said before that I’ve been in Art’s situation before, so I know the difference between people who complain just because, and people who are able to offer up something that can help the problem. They’re not just complaining, they actually have an idea on how to solve the problem they are pointing out. I don’t tolerate the former, the people who think others exist to give them stuff for free. I do encourage the latter, however.

My other recommendation for people who wish to make a lot of points and have “a lot” of references is to do one of two things. Either state the premise and then all the conclusions, first, and don’t bring up the sources at all unless somebody asks about it.

Or, make a synopsis for each source link, that’s like 1-4 lines. Then make a conclusion based upon that, at the end. Then you can title each comment based upon which source you wish to discuss or describe further. All the sources should be at the front or the end. Not in the middle interspersed everywhere. For citations and sources to be in the middle of a “paper”, that requires things like foot notes and bibliographies. The internet isn’t cut out for formal writing of that nature.

Going back to karmic cycles and GH Day, my analysis is that change is one thing, positive change is another. It’s one thing for a male romance involved character to go from stupid to beta male, than it is for that person to go from stupid to alpha male. The protagonist in GH Day exhibits many of the traits found in alpha male positions. Basically, he has the respect and trust of those in a community. He has personal connections to many people, and thus is not out to try to buddy up to get a “sex friend” with one girl, while ignoring everybody else. This is why women often find men who are confident, but married and not available, more interesting than men who are still young, obviously interested, and not married. Basically, if you have a woman, that at least shows somebody thought you were worth it. But if you have no one and you’re trying to get close to a girl, and the girl sees you as a stranger, then to her you have either unknown worth or zero worth. But anyways, not a thing to bet on.

Alpha male positions, thus, provide many different pieces of evidence for other people to see and say “yeah, that guy has value and social status”. Many people part of the “hook up” scene may perhaps try to ape alpha male personal traits, such as hiring a wing man (or girl) so that they go into a social place having an attractive woman on his arm. That woman then goes off and perhaps talks to other women that may be interested in you, or you do the talking, but she may or may not come back to give you any advice, depending on how well you are doing on the dating scene. This is then hiring an “escort”, but not for sex, just as a status boost to make other women pay attention to you. But it’s still illusionary, aping the qualities of a true alpha. A true alpha already comes to parties having every woman, married or not, around them following him around trying to make conversation, asking for favors, talking about fun things, etc. He doesn’t need to “stage” it.

And with that, we’ll end it on this note. If you haven’t seen GH Day. Go and buy/rent/download it from some place.

It’s been years since I’ve seen Children of a Lesser God too …oddly enough, I was describing the movie to my wife a couple of weeks back, but couldn’t recall the title.

So: I thank you very much.

The film whose-title-I-could-not-recall at the time, had come up during a conversation we were having about Mexican food (don’t worry, it will eventually make sense).

We were driving around while conversing and searching Yelp & Urban Spoon and trying to find a good Mex’ eatery (me driving, her searching, both talking) in our newly adopted hometown of Spokane (fruitlessly, as it turned out: good Mex’ cuisine wasn’t apparent, that day at least, as I’m a[n ex-] Californio with nuanced chile tastes LOL).

The indirect gambit to the film was my relating to my wife an old anecdote of an [equally] older friend of mine – Jack S_ – who had formerly been head chef at a wonderful local Mexican restaurant – Garcia’s – in Arcata CA, in its heyday. And though years before we formally met, my wife knew the restaurant well also.

Jack’s wife was deaf, and she’d been my introduction, as it were, to the concerns and mores of the deaf community (I still recall her answer when Jack asked her about a visit she’d just returned from …she signed “My fingers are so tired from talking” …I was having dinner with them that evening, and 30 years later I can still – almost – taste Jack’s chile relleno …Jack had also tried – in vain, sad to say – to teach me its rudiments).

From the faint memory, I related to my wife how very good Marlee Matlin – an actress my wife was not familiar with – had been in the film, and that I recalled it had been her premier performance.

Hence the round-about conversational connection to the film through a deaf actress, Mexican cooking, and William Hurt …as we’d only recently seen his film The Accidental Tourist (which is also an example of a male character changing) …and as I’ve been a huge Bill Hurt follower since seeing first seeing him in Paddy Chayefsky’s Altered States, Body Heat with Kathleen Turner, and The Big Chill – and many others, including Children’ – from so many, many years ago).

And you’re correct: Children of a Lesser God certainly is a sterling example of a both male & female character development.

…and as for When Harry Met Sally, of course! Another of the Davis’s favourites of the genre, and one I’d meant to include but forgot while editing.

…and yet another thank you, as I’ve added your suggestion Green Card to our viewing list (and from the trailer, Andie McDowell seems particularly suited to her role in this movie).

On a more serious note, you asked earlier about stories in which both characters must evolve toward one another, and I thought of “Children of a Lesser God.” I haven’t seen it in years and may be remembering more than was there, but I seem to recall that the point of the story was that both partners had to leave behind their own worlds — his, the world of the hearing, hers that of the deaf — in order to find each other.

And Neo, thanks.

Notting Hill (Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant) …official trailer 1 …and official trailer 2.

…yeah, I probably could go on for hours.

[from neo-neocon: fixed!]

I’m gonna step off the cliff and say it’s pretty much untrue to suggest that men are the only ones who have to change to win the girl within this movie genre.

(I do understand that if you’re a guy who is pretty much allergic to romantic comedies, or “chick flicks”, you might not be conversant enough with the genre to be aware that reliance on self-change to win the other person, is pretty much gender neutral in movies of this category …and that it’s the script which is the basis for whether the guy, or the girl, or BOTH have to go through some changes for the story’s development.)

…like these (favorites of my wife and myself), and presented in no particular order (and as I’ve provided links, I’m not including a synopsis):

The Holiday (Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jake Black) …trailer.

The Lake House (Sandra Bullock, Keenau Reeves) …trailer.

Must Love Dogs (Diane Lane, John Cusack) …trailer.

Life or Something Like It (Angelina Jolie, Ed Burns) …trailer.

Mostly Martha (Martina Gedeck, Maxime Forste)…foreign, subtitles …clip …and trailer.

No Reservations (Katherine Zeta Jones, Aaron Eckhart) …trailer. (English version of Mostly Martha)

Overboard (Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell) …trailer.

The Proposal (Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds) …trailer.

Runaway Bride (Julia Roberts, Richard Gere) …trailer.

Somethings Gotta Give (Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson) …trailer.

You’ve Got Mail (Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks) …trailer.

Two Weeks Notice (Sandra Bullock, Hugh Grant) …trailer.

Shall We Dance (Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon) …trailer.

Ramen Girl (Brittany Murphy, Toshiyuki Nishidi) …trailer.

Under the Tuscan Sun (Diane Lane) …trailer.

In most of the above movies, the story was either primarily about changes the female character had to undergo, or where it was necessary for both characters to change).

…and actually, as I was compiling this list (which is pretty much made up of movies that my wife and I both enjoy), I came to the conclusion that it’s more rare within the genre for the movie to be about the guy winning the girl, rather than either the girl changing, or both changing.

I can pretty unequivocally say that it’s a very rare “the guy is the only one who has to change” movie, that makes it to the Davis’ favorites list.

…and this is just a short list. I could easily add maybe 50 more movies to this list where it was the primary female character, or both characters, who experienced change as an essential part of their characterization and/or of the storyline (and it’s almost always a prominent back-story).

(Also, within this genre, I would find it much more difficult to come up with an equivalent number of movies where the story line was about the main male character being the only one who had to change. That said, A Good Year with Russell Crowe(…trailer), is a personal favourite where the man changes.)

Hmm. Actually, thinking on it as I write, I’m pretty convinced that the common feature isn’t about “necessary” character development at all …but rather a successful story-line is more likely to be about “endearing” character development. And the primary thing that both my wife and I enjoy about this genre, is whether when all is said and done, the story has impressed us as being endearing.

…and last, I’d add that any of the above movies makes for fine, light entertainment of an evening.