3 Questions I Am Struggling With

Posted on July 19, 2016 by Scott D. Southard

Question 1: Is it wrong to judge a person for supporting a racist candidate? Does that make me questionable as well for my own judging?

First off, I’m not going to go into a long discussion about who Trump is and his history. If you don’t know about him, well, I don’t know what to say. Personally, I’m a big fan of how the Huffington Post ends every article about him, listing that he is a racist, liar, etc. (All undeniably true.) The fact is we have NO idea how he would govern; all we have to go by on what he would do is his words. And his words are bat-shit crazy.

But Trump’s craziness is not my struggle. I can wrap my brain around that. There has always been crazy in this world.

The thing is I am I judging people when they say they support him. I hide friends left and right on Facebook, drop people on Twitter. Because I immediately think they are crazy and racist too. I mean, who you support says a lot about you, right? Continue reading →

Five Things I Loved About The Avengers

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Scott D. Southard

I have a new film review/editorial up at GreenSpotBlue.com today. This time it is on The Avengers.

Here is the beginning of the article:

While I would probably not let my son see The Avengers until he is eight, the film definitely awakened the kid in me. I can’t remember the last time I came home with such a buzz from a show. (Maybe seeing The Fellowship of the Ring for the first time?)

Everyone in the world is reviewing this film right now, all finding their own things to praise and critique; that is all right and I wish them the best (I would be surprised if any negative review would keep anyone away from this event). I am going to take a different approach and give you my five takeaways from the film. It is like me pressing the “like” button on Facebook but for a film. (I’ll do my best to avoid spoiling the newbies too much.)

1. The HULK

To be honest, as a kid I never got the Hulk. I was more a Batman/Superman kind of kid. I liked the idea of Superman’s power when I was young (and flight, of course; who doesn’t want to fly?); Batman came later when I realized Batman was just like me. Okay, me with a heck of a lot of money, less parents, and a lot of fighter training, but still, overall human.

You can read the rest of the article (and more on my five points) here. I hope you enjoy it.

Joss Whedon: Our Outsider Makes Good

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Scott D. Southard

I became a fan of Joss Whedon around the sixth season of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. I’m sure that honest admission at the start might already turn off some readers, but let me add that after getting hooked I bought all of the boxsets of the other seasons and used them to help draw in others, while using all of my skills at peer pressure and bribery (and sometimes even blackmail).

I was living in LA at the time, studying writing at the University of Southern California, and I was startled by the news story that his show was able to jump stations. Now, I remembered the movie and couldn’t believe that this was the same thing we were talking about. That idea? Really? All I remembered about the film was that it starred PeeWee Herman. Yet, the idea, and the accomplishment of such a TV production feat impressed me and led to me turning on the show and giving it a shot.

That old blind Scott feels like a very different person from the Scott writing this. I want to shake my head in annoyance at him, throw something at him or even bitch slap him. In the least, there should be some ridicule and taunts. Continue reading →

10 Best Superhero Films

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Scott D. Southard

A new film editorial is up at Green Spot Blue! It is on superhero films, so grab a towel, make a homemade cape with a pin and enjoy.

Here is the introduction to the article:

I have never drunk the kool-aid, but I have sipped it.

That is my experience with comic books.

I did some occasional collecting when I was 12; and from time to time may read a graphic novel. Oh, I can do pretty well on some trivial pursuit questions when they come up, but I am no avid fan and I admit it. What I do love about superheroes and comic books is the mythology and when I am around my friends who are more in tune with that “world,” I will usually ask a hundred questions, trying to discover the new imaginative twists and turns (good and bad) the characters have taken. (Did you know they had zombie superheroes a few years ago!?)

The thing is that now I have a toddler; a toddler with a Superman picture on his wall, Batman bed sheets, and a Flash T-shirt. While he can not see any of these movies until he is much older, I am going to put my film critic hat on and share my opinion on this still evolving meeting of the artforms.

You can read the rest of the article (and my list) here- http://www.greenspotblue.com/world/2011/8/12/movies-10-best-superhero-films.html