Bart Scantlin

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Lessons that the movies are trying to teach me:


  Movie makers want us to be entertained, but they also want us to learn various lessons. Here are a few things we should be learning.

It doesn't matter if the alien girl is sexy. You shouldn't have sex with her.

You know you want to cuz she’s abnormally hot. She can even have blue skin and talk in a language you’ve never heard before. But why would you assume sex would work? I've never seen anything good come of it.

Bazooka is the weapon of choice. I.e. when in doubt, use a bazooka.

Small guns are good for some back and forth shootouts, but a bazooka can really settle the score.

Alien’s never come in peace. 

This is most likely self explanatory. Although, since we've never actually had aliens visit our planet, it’s probably a good reminder for some people out there. Be careful; those aliens want to use us like an energizer battery. They just don’t care for our quick wit, our good looks or our denim jeans. Politicians and sarcastic jocks will be killed off first. National monuments will be blown up in interesting ways. The only cities that matter are New York, Los Angeles and Paris.

The US President is always much more honorable, liberal and heroic than in real life.

He (or she) is young and handsome. Preferably black (unless they can get Morgan Freeman.  If he’s a republican he’s sure to be a real prick, and he’s most likely going to die an absurdly gruesome death. People act shocked, but no one is really bothered by it for long. The Vice President is the wildcard; he (or she) is either really noble or an even bigger prick than the former President. One more thing, if there’s a French man in one of these films; he’ll be the comic relief for the evening.  

Fat Dorky guy’s can get hot chicks. But Fat, dorky girls can’t get “hot” guy’s.

This is probably the biggest cause of male depression in the world, today. The fact that our reality doesn't match up with would could be a really sweet fantasy, well let’s just say it causes some drastic disillusionment in our youth today. I too feel the sting of this large, wooly fabric that has been pulled over our collective eyes.

Fat dorky girls know they can’t get hot guys so there really isn't a market for trying to sell that fantasy in films. There is however, a big clichéd market for fat, nerdy girl transformations into hot, skinny chicks. They’re usually too smart for their own good, so they tend to return to their former selves.
   
Just be “good”. The likelihood that you’ll get hit by gunfire is 78% less than if you are “bad”.

I don’t know if the percentage of 78% is accurate, it’s sort of a guesstimation. It’s probably higher. Heck, you might get shot, but most likely it will only be in the shoulder. So be good, help the little guy. You’ll not only “get the girl” but you will most likely live a long happy life. Unless there’s a sequel. Then all bets are off.

If you are contemplating being bad, as in robbing banks or taking hostages, there’s a strong likelihood your life will end by being thrown off a roof or shot between the eyes. Yes, its cliché at this point, but no one is really bothered by it. The audience is just glad you’re dead.

The Hero will resist an initial offer to join ‘the Mission’, but one way or another, they’ll get dragged in.


The hero is just trying to live a ‘normal life’ and wants his past to remain in the rear view. He’ll say no deal first time around, but it will be a big mistake. His family will soon die, his house will blow up and he’ll be framed for all of it. He really has no choice now but to go on an ass-kicking mission to get revenge, from the people who did the thing. You know how it is, it’s nothing new.

       I've probably learned more lessons than the ones I listed above. But for now, those are the main ones. 


Monday, December 09, 2013




The Daily Write: 

A few submissions from November, 2013:



A measure of mass without any weight, on a paper scale, burned to ashes and summed up to nothingness, amounts to a wide open, clear sky without any onlooker.

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Do you feel it? The warm sun is ready to reflect upon you. Do you see it? How could you. Your eyes have been closed for fear of being outshined.

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A tick tock sound rings through the empty space and makes me ponder the reality of ghosts, real or imagined.

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The myth is what we imagine when we’re young. When we’re old, our imaginings are filled with ambiguity.
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Sunday, April 08, 2012

Status Update, An original story by Bart Scantlin

Beginning on April 1st through April 30th, I’ll be unfolding a fictional online story. The story will consist of 30 segments (One segment per day, lasting the entire month of April). 

This story is dedicated to my Mother, Grace Scantlin (whom we lost last year, on April 14).

The story will be available exclusively via my Facebook page & my Blog