The Great...Romance?
Got some good news on the writing front—Polkadots & Moonbeams is a finalist in a contest. Yippee and hooray and all that, but the thing that I’m most excited about is that my MS will be seen by an editor from a pretty big publishing house. So far P&M has been looked at (and courteously rejected) by agents but no editor has eyeballed it. It’ll be interesting to see what happens and what place the MS will take (of course I have to wait 3 months, but I guess that’s fast in the publishing world!).
Went to see a good movie over the weekend. No, not the “Dukes of Hazzard.” I said a good movie, not a cinematic crapfest. The movie I’m talking about is “The Great Raid.” Now, anyone who knows me knows if it’s got WWII in it, I’m there, so when I heard about this movie, I had my ticket and popcorn money ready. Dragged my oldest son along, too. Well, didn’t have to drag actually. He’s a bigger WWII nut than me (yes, I created a monster!).
Anyway, “The Great Raid” is based on a harrowing TRUE event in the Philippines near the end of the war. Faced with the real fear that the Japanese would execute POWs, the US sent a squad of Rangers in to liberate Carbanatuan POW camp—deep behind enemy lines. A suicide mission that turned out… Well, I won’t give it away, only to say the story is TENSE.
I read an interview with “Raid’s” director who said he tried to keep true to the story instead of “Hollywooding” it up. He failed in only one aspect—a female character who risks her life in a city near the camp to smuggle food and medicine to the prisoners is motivated in great part by…love. Yup, a pre-war romance with one of the prisoners. Now, I read one of the books the story is based on, “Ghost Soldiers,” and though the brave heroine was real, and even got captured and tortured by the Japanese, there was no love story involved. She did it because she was, well, brave. Courageous. And knew what had to be done. Like the soldiers.
But Hollywood can’t have a woman whose actions are motivated by anything but her heart so… In one ludicrous scene, after she’s been chased by the enemy, seen her comrades murdered, and been tortured in prison, she tearfully confesses to a priest, “I can’t stop thinking about him…nothing else matters.” With the Japanese breathing down your neck, suspecting you’re a spy? I don’t think so.
Why was this bullcrap introduced in what was already a pretty riveting story? Is it because Hollywood doesn’t think women will go see a movie like “The Great Raid” without some romance? Probably—Hollywood doesn’t think women will go to ANY movie without romance. Maybe there’s some truth in it for some, but take it from someone who reads and writes romance—a good story is a good story whether there’s nooky involved or not. So, go see “The Great Raid” for a good story.
Janet – No power in the ’verse can stop me! (Only 44 days until Serenity…)
Went to see a good movie over the weekend. No, not the “Dukes of Hazzard.” I said a good movie, not a cinematic crapfest. The movie I’m talking about is “The Great Raid.” Now, anyone who knows me knows if it’s got WWII in it, I’m there, so when I heard about this movie, I had my ticket and popcorn money ready. Dragged my oldest son along, too. Well, didn’t have to drag actually. He’s a bigger WWII nut than me (yes, I created a monster!).
Anyway, “The Great Raid” is based on a harrowing TRUE event in the Philippines near the end of the war. Faced with the real fear that the Japanese would execute POWs, the US sent a squad of Rangers in to liberate Carbanatuan POW camp—deep behind enemy lines. A suicide mission that turned out… Well, I won’t give it away, only to say the story is TENSE.
I read an interview with “Raid’s” director who said he tried to keep true to the story instead of “Hollywooding” it up. He failed in only one aspect—a female character who risks her life in a city near the camp to smuggle food and medicine to the prisoners is motivated in great part by…love. Yup, a pre-war romance with one of the prisoners. Now, I read one of the books the story is based on, “Ghost Soldiers,” and though the brave heroine was real, and even got captured and tortured by the Japanese, there was no love story involved. She did it because she was, well, brave. Courageous. And knew what had to be done. Like the soldiers.
But Hollywood can’t have a woman whose actions are motivated by anything but her heart so… In one ludicrous scene, after she’s been chased by the enemy, seen her comrades murdered, and been tortured in prison, she tearfully confesses to a priest, “I can’t stop thinking about him…nothing else matters.” With the Japanese breathing down your neck, suspecting you’re a spy? I don’t think so.
Why was this bullcrap introduced in what was already a pretty riveting story? Is it because Hollywood doesn’t think women will go see a movie like “The Great Raid” without some romance? Probably—Hollywood doesn’t think women will go to ANY movie without romance. Maybe there’s some truth in it for some, but take it from someone who reads and writes romance—a good story is a good story whether there’s nooky involved or not. So, go see “The Great Raid” for a good story.
Janet – No power in the ’verse can stop me! (Only 44 days until Serenity…)
posted by Janet at 10:44 AM
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