Dedication!

Last Saturday I went on a 600 mile journey from New York to Baltimore to Washington, DC and back, walking around until my feet ached in 95+ degree weather.  The blistering sun loomed overhead, making me feel like a rotisserie chicken.  I wasn't feeling well that week, having called off work two days prior so I could get some rest.  I slept on a friend's hard couch (thank you Dave) and surprisingly felt well enough to meet dear friends for dinner where I shared my busy day.  All of this done because I feel the passion, the love, the desire to make my longtime dream of being a successful writer and business owner a reality.

Every day I wonder if this was meant to be.  I wonder am I on a path that will allow me to fully become the person that God meant for me to be.  Through prayer, self-discovery and sheer will (not to mention help from caring people) I'm slowly beginning to realize how lucky I am, how I believe I'm mean to do great things.  I may not become the greatest writer or the smartest or most successful businessman, but if there's one thing I hope to gain from all of this, it's the ability to inspire others to do big things.  With my business, besides printing and selling my work (and eventually the work of others), writing contests and other typical "literary stuff" my hope is to set up scholarships and conduct seminars for young minorities who are interested and love to read and write.  Success without service is hollow, and I plan on really doing something special that's well-rounded and worthwhile.

But it all starts here, right now, with me hustling around in 95 degree weather, sometimes in shaky health, sleeping on hard surfaces and logging heavy miles. And I'll do it gladly out of love for the written word.

Stay tuned, readers.  Good times are on the way.

The "Devil" made me do it: A Review of M. Night Shyamalan's latest work.

About two weeks ago I watched Trilogy of Terror, a 1974 collection of three short suspense/horror tales all starring Karen Black, whose virtuoso performance introduced us to Julie, Millicent, Therese and Amelia - all very different but compelling characters.  The film was directed by the legendary Dan Curtis of Dark Shadows and The Night Stalker fame.  The stories were penned by Richard Matheson (I Am Legend, What Dreams May Come, Stir of Echoes, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet).  While watching this movie I remember thinking how the genre seemingly has lost its way into the twenty-first century and wondered if this kind of "Poe-ish" style of writing would ever make a comeback.  The days of watching fun TV shows like The Outer Limits, One Step Beyond, Night Gallery and The Twilight Zone (which Matheson wrote numerous scripts) would forever be lost or the stories themselves uninteresting. 

Evidently someone has heard my prayers.

This afternoon I went to see Devil, the first of three short tales in the The Night Chronicles series based on ideas by Writer/Director M. Night Shyamalan.  Given his track record of late, I was hesitant about spending my hard earned money on anything related to Night, but after reading an interview with Bokeem Woodbine, who starred in the movie, and watching the trailers I decided to give it a shot.  The performances were great and the action kept my eyes glued to the screen until the end.

The main plot of Devil surrounds five seemingly random people who become trapped in an elevator of a large office building in Philadelphia.    Being stuck in a crowded space by itself can be nerve-wracking, but there's another problem: one of them is The Devil.  Yes, THAT Devil.  Outside the elevator there are additional issues: no one knows the identity of those trapped inside, the building staff and the fire department have found themselves unable to rescue the passengers with any degree of simplicity, one of the security guards is a devout Catholic whose passed-down tale about how the Devil "works" is unfolding before his eyes, the lead detective has a past that haunts him to this day.  And, oh yeah - every time the lights go out in the elevator something really bad happens.  You can't see it, but the presence of evil is clearly there.  I know all of that seems like a lot to digest at once, but that's actually the point.  These people seem to not be related to one another, but as time passes the truth, and the Devil, both come forth.  I won't give anything away, but as a fan of old school horror, I thought the timing and the implied "frights" that were all over this movie worked well, even down to little details like everyone wearing "red."  Night did the right thing in trusting someone else to expound upon his ideas and I hope it's something he does from now on.

The second film of The Night Chronicles is called Twelve Strangers.  There is no release date as of yet, but it appears to be well on its way.  I look forward to seeing it, and based on what I've seen today, this series could be a throwback to the great horror flicks of the past. 

Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come!

David T. Boyd gives Devil: *** and 1/2 Stars.

Related articles by Zemanta

• On elevators, purgatory, and the devil (psychologytoday.com)