What I’m Watching
I'm always watching something because my brain is wired for story.
Let me ask you this.
Do you start to feel edgy if you haven't heard a good story in a while?
I do.
This is what motivates me to become the best storyteller I can be.
I love and I mean love as in I'm transported, transfixed, transmuted and all those other trans words by a good story.
But if I hear a bad story?
My brain gets all gunked up trying to figure out what went wrong.
What I'm about to say may very well be highly controversial and if you have an opposing viewpoint, that's great.
Surfer Boy and I went to see the Aretha Franklin documentary Amazing Grace at our local theatre yesterday.
When we walked out, he said, "Wow. What a piece of history!"
And I said, "That was absolutely the worst documentary I've ever seen."
Now don't get me wrong.
I love the Queen of Soul just as much as the next person. Ms. Franklin is one of those rare individuals who was gifted with a singing voice sent straight down from the angels.
But would it have killed the documentary filmmakers to give us a story?
I wanted to know who Aretha was, why she decided to record a live gospel album in a Los Angeles church in the 70s, what motivated her, what her hopes, dreams, goals, and desires were.
I wanted to know if Mick Jagger, who was in the audience, would get up there and sing alongside Aretha. (he did not.)
I would've at the very least loved to hear her speak.
But no.
The movie was basically filmed in a herky-jerky camera style as though you, the participant were sitting in the church listening to Aretha sing these admittedly heart-wrenching songs of faith.
The singing was stupendous.
The storytelling was zilch.
So, when we got home, my storytelling hungry brain was going crazy in need of its next fix.
I pawed through Netflix until I found this charming movie: The Perfect Date.
The story was a rom-com with every teenage movie trope you could imagine and more.
Was it predictable? Yes.
Was it formulaic? Check.
Was it trite? Probably.
But none of that matters because the movie was flat out FUN!
I went to bed last night, storytelling endorphins happily firing and dreamed of happy romcom situations, including a dream of me giving birth to my hero's baby.
And that, my friends, is good storytelling.
Let me ask you this.
Do you start to feel edgy if you haven't heard a good story in a while?
I do.
This is what motivates me to become the best storyteller I can be.
I love and I mean love as in I'm transported, transfixed, transmuted and all those other trans words by a good story.
But if I hear a bad story?
My brain gets all gunked up trying to figure out what went wrong.
What I'm about to say may very well be highly controversial and if you have an opposing viewpoint, that's great.
Surfer Boy and I went to see the Aretha Franklin documentary Amazing Grace at our local theatre yesterday.
When we walked out, he said, "Wow. What a piece of history!"
And I said, "That was absolutely the worst documentary I've ever seen."
Now don't get me wrong.
I love the Queen of Soul just as much as the next person. Ms. Franklin is one of those rare individuals who was gifted with a singing voice sent straight down from the angels.
But would it have killed the documentary filmmakers to give us a story?
I wanted to know who Aretha was, why she decided to record a live gospel album in a Los Angeles church in the 70s, what motivated her, what her hopes, dreams, goals, and desires were.
I wanted to know if Mick Jagger, who was in the audience, would get up there and sing alongside Aretha. (he did not.)
I would've at the very least loved to hear her speak.
But no.
The movie was basically filmed in a herky-jerky camera style as though you, the participant were sitting in the church listening to Aretha sing these admittedly heart-wrenching songs of faith.
The singing was stupendous.
The storytelling was zilch.
So, when we got home, my storytelling hungry brain was going crazy in need of its next fix.
I pawed through Netflix until I found this charming movie: The Perfect Date.
"A high school student creates an app to offer his services as a fake date to make money for college. When he develops feelings for someone his life gets complicated."
The story was a rom-com with every teenage movie trope you could imagine and more.
Was it predictable? Yes.
Was it formulaic? Check.
Was it trite? Probably.
But none of that matters because the movie was flat out FUN!
I went to bed last night, storytelling endorphins happily firing and dreamed of happy romcom situations, including a dream of me giving birth to my hero's baby.
And that, my friends, is good storytelling.
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