The Writer's Lens

The Ninja Turtles are still - to some degree - a cultural phenomenon. A story about humanoid, mutant turtles who just so happen to know ninjitsu. But did you ever consider that it's a story about two fathers and how they run their households? I'm sure you didn't. So in this episode, I will attempt to lay out my argument as to why that is. And why the Turtles' story continues to be relative to each new generation that gets to know them.  

The film "Remember the Titans" is mostly known for its brilliant way of portraying cultural race relations surrounding high school football in the 1970s. And though it's a very well-told and appropriate, the film is also a great example of what leadership can look like. What it takes to be a great leader and what sorts of intangibles are necessary. 

And for the sake of discussion, I do reference Michael Jordan's quote from "The Last Dance" also. 

What does a Dreamwork's movie have to do with dating and marriage? Or rather, what do dragons and vikings have to do with courtship? Well, here's my attempt to marry, uh, combine these two items into a singular episode. Enjoy. 

It's the Christmas season. And in the spirit of Christmas, I'm doing a Christmas-themed episode by talking about A Christmas Story. This one is a bit jumbled in its approach, but in this holiday episode, I talk briefly about the infamous bully encounter within A Christmas Story and why overcoming our biggest detractors is a pertinent message for this time of year. 

Enjoy and Merry Christmas everyone! 

Godzilla is an international icon in monster movie cinema. Recognizable by millions and adored by multiple generations. His inception - to those unaware - was Japan's response to the first, and only time, nuclear weapons were used in modern warfare. The bombs that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki devastated the country and its people. And simultaneously gave rise to all manner of "what if?" scenarios about what could happen next should the bombs ever be used again in combat. 

Today's episode looks back at the horrors of war, the destructive nature of the bombings, and the movie monster that was birthed out of it. 

SIDE NOTE: There is a bit of static towards the end of this episode. I trust it doesn't detract too much from the content so hang in there till the end! 

Parenting is an easy task, isn't it? I mean, even a caveman could do it. 

Dreamworks' "The Croods" features a family of cavemen struggling to survive in a world that is drastically changing. And in order to survive, the family's patriarch - and leader - must adapt to the changing world around them. 

It might seem a stretch to use cartoon cavemen as a proper medium to discuss parenting, but this is The Writer's Lens, and by gosh, we're gonna do it. This episode is all about parenting and the many thoughts, techniques, and teachings on how to do it. 

The Super Mario Bros. franchise is beloved from the east to the west. Its longstanding run in the video game industry has spanned nearly four decades and as of 2023, appears to have never been stronger. 

Today's episode takes a brief dive into what I think helped to make Mario a household name in our culture. And it all started with jumping over barrels to save a princess. 

The dystopian genre has grown exponentially in the Western world over the years. Book series like "The Hunger Gams" and "Divergent" have made people reconsider if the power structures in play are there for the betterment of all mankind - or to keep the masses in line. 

Today's episode looks at dystopian storytelling - one of my favorites. Reason being how it pings the West's spirit of rebellion and its desire to be "free" from restrictive human governments. We'll talk some of the heavy hitters in this genre before talking culture towards the end as always. 

"The best way to predict the future is to create it." - Abraham Lincoln. 

Writers have been trying their best to predict the future for generations. Hundreds upon hundreds of imagined worlds await within the pages of acclimated sci-fi and fiction authors around the globe. But of those who take a stab at humanity's future, who has been right? Who has been wrong? But more importantly, who has the most troubled outlook? 

Today's episode is all about the future. The good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between. 

Aliens. 

You hear the term and you instantly get an image of something otherworldly. Be it little green or gray men with giant eyes or terrifying insect-like beasts with acid for blood, the "alien" in most of the stories we know is exactly that: a creature we cannot define because we are unfamiliar with what - or who - it is. 

This edition of "Stories I Like, Love, and Hate" features the little green men from Mars and what I am always sad to see missing from a good alien story.