Author: JW Moore

Random Thoughts on Recent Pop Entertainment

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to test the patience of the best of us, we’re left with little to do except light exercise, heavy eating, and distracted binge-watching.

With streaming stalwarts Netflix and Amazon Prime joined by newer players like Disney+, Crave, Paramount Plus, and HBO Max, there’s never been a better time to sign up for a free trial, binge the crap out of the things you like, and then cancel the service before their billing department gets the better of your credit card.

In that spirit, and for lack of anything positive to write while Ontario enjoys its worst daily Covid-19 case count ever, here are some random thoughts on recent pop entertainment I’ve consumed as part of my pandemic depression avoidance strategy, or PDAS.

Wandavision (Disney+) – A surprisingly thoughtful meditation on grief, Wandavision stars Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprising their titular roles as Marvel superheroes Wanda Maximoff and The Vision as they live together through decades of television tropes in small-town America. It’s weird and heartwarming; menacing and melancholy. Come for Kat Dennings as Doctor Darcy Lewis, stay for scene-stealing Kathryn Hall as the nosey neighbour (and something more, because of course), and try not to toe-tap to the catchy theme songs crafted by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. (B+)

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+) – Taking a page from the best and most grounded Marvel film (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, in case you are ill-informed), writer Malcolm Spellman and director Kari Skogland explore the post-Endgame world of former Cap sidekicks Sam “Falcon” Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky “Winter Soldier” Barnes (Sebastian Stan) as they struggle to uphold the spirit of Cap’s legacy while a government-endorsed replacement Captain America (Wyatt Russell) takes care of business with ruthless ambition. I’m four episodes in and completely impressed by the world-building and well-rounded, relatable characters. When you find yourself able to agree with the show’s villains, you know the creative team has done something right.  (A-)

Zack Snyder’s Justice League (HBO Max, Crave + HBO) – When writer/director Joss Whedon (Buffy, Angel, The Avengers) took over for director Zack Snyder back in 2017, it was in part due to a death in Snyder’s family. The other reason, once only gossip and now well-established fact, was that studio Warner Bros. wanted significant changes to Snyder’s vision for his third DC Comics-inspired film following the lukewarm reviews of 2015’s Batman V. Superman. When Whedon’s cut was released later that year, the film was greeted with a collective “meh” and Snyder fans began an energetic (often toxic) social media campaign to #ReleaseTheSnyderCut. Four years later, the fruits of that labour arrived in the form of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, a four-hour assembly cut packed with everything Zack Snyder could say about superheroes while expecting to never direct another DC film again.

The verdict? It’s good. Really good. Each of the six superheroes that form the league (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg) get great moments of character growth and super-powered setpieces, but I also get why the studio execs balked at the film in the first place. Somewhere between the two-hour mess we got in theatres and the four-hour epic we got on HBO Max (Crave + HBO for the Canucks) is a three-hour movie that could have been superhero cinematic perfection. Let’s hope the latest pack of studio execs at Warner Bros. have learned their lesson. (B+)

Godzilla vs. Kong (Streaming Rental) – A giant lizard that exists as a stabilizing force of nature starts attacking random cities. When no one can understand why, stupid humans decide to drug and kidnap a giant ape from his home to fight said giant lizard in the hope of saving humanity.

They fight.

And fight.

And fight and fight and fight.

Make no mistake, Godzilla vs. Kong delivers on its promise, but Shakespeare this ain’t. Tune in, turn off your brain, and enjoy the king-sized stupidity. (C+)

-JW

How To Survive the Continuing Misery

The thing has happened. Again.

Here in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford announced a province-wide shutdown to curb the spread of Covid-19 and its variants. This is the third province-wide pseudo-lockdown in a year, and if you think people were done with lockdowns after the second one in December/January, you bet your ass they are done now.

I get it. No one’s happy. We should have had this sorted after the first lockdown, and then certainly after the second.

Yet here we are again, starting another half-hearted shutdown to curb case numbers enough to maybe enjoy a semi-normal summer. But for now, no gyms, no restaurants, no bars, no parties, no family dinners with aunts or uncles, no concerts, no shopping malls, and no activities at the local community centre.

I understand how this can be exhausting and frustrating and depressing, especially if you’ve been craving greater human contact or a simple hug from a family member. Every time it feels like we’re getting over this pandemic, it roars back. Nothing crushes a fighter’s spirit like an enemy that won’t stay down.

We’re all tired, and the more we’re fed up with the situation, the more we’re likely to take it out on each other. So for all our sakes, we need to pick our next battles to preserve both our collective and individual sanity.

Resisting the shutdown is pointless. Trolling politicians and the media over a year of poor communication is a waste of time. Arguing about the efficacy of the previous two shutdowns is an academic exercise we’ll be debating for the next decade. All of this, no matter how easy to do or satisfying it feels in the moment, will only further wear down your mental health if you’re already close to breaking.

So what is there to do?

Make a commitment to yourself.

Pick something—anything—that you’ve always wanted to do and make it your new daily habit.

Feel out of shape? Find a bodyweight exercise program and do it every day.

Own a book you’ve never read? Crack open that tome and read a certain number of pages or chapters every day.

Want to learn something new? Go online and search for free courses on a topic of your interest and start studying. Yes, every day.

The world has been slightly more fucked than normal these last sixteen months, and while you can’t control the world, you can control your world.

Pick something that will leave you better for doing it. And then do it.

Every. Damn. Day.

If you can’t be happy, be productive.

And when this bullshit is really and truly over, you’ll have even more to celebrate.

-JW

The Moore-nifesto

Hello again.

Or perhaps this is our first time. In that case, something more straightforward:

Hello.

I am JW Moore. I am a writer.

This home of mine is where, over the years, I have experimented with writing on and off between the demands of my job, my family, and will-crushing existential dread.

After much hard work to build personal stability and security, I am at last committing myself full-time to building a professional career as a writer, author, and entrepreneur.

This name I have taken was not originally my own. There is another author using my real name to write books about horny angels and shirtless vampires. There is also a hockey player, a politician, and yet another writer that also share my name, so I’m avoiding the crowd with a new moniker.

The intention is for JWMoore.ca to grow with me in this new adventure. I will be posting here at least weekly for the foreseeable future as I work on my first novel.

My promise to you? That I will be honest, forthright, and present. This is a no-bullshit zone.

My focus? Primarily on novels and short stories at present, but I’ll be writing on a variety of topics here at JWMoore.ca as well, including my thoughts on publishing, politics, pop culture, and my personal life (please pardon the problematic periodicity).

My goal? To grow as a writer in making enjoyable, entertaining, thought-provoking works worthy of your attention and yes, your money. I want to make a living at this, and I’m not going to dress up my intentions with falsehoods. I have bills to pay, and I’m here to write because I love it and because I want to pay those bills doing what I love.

This is a new adventure. As such, I expect many bumps and struggles along the way. To quote songwriter Bruce Cockburn, “Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight.”

I intend to fight.

And I hope you come along with me on the journey.

-JW