“I don’t know karate, but I know kar-azy, and I will use it!” – Owen Wilson as Roy O’Bannon in Shanghai Noon
This is an exerpt from a spontaneous email I sent out to my current REDDY TO LIVE Group, an introduction that was a silly digression that turned into a message that more or less wrote itself. So I thought I would share it here … I am a fan of many a movie, but for the love of Pete nothing gets my gander more than over anticipating and being disappointed by a sequel to an originally good movie.
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If ever there was a Chinese Cowboy movie … I’d be all over it … oops, there was, it was called Shanghai Noon with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson. It was pretty darned funny too, and then they made a sequel (Shanghai Knights), and like most sequels, it pretty much stunk.
Like most movie sequels, they took what they thought made the first movie any good … all the “funny” parts, the action sequences, the quips back and forth between characters and/or pretty much anything that received crowd reaction during a test screening. They took these snippets and somehow jammed a whole lot of this stuff into 85 minutes of blah while totally leaving out any character development, any cohesive story line and ultimately, well, it just doesn’t seem to flow. The story isn’t there, more like a bad high light reel of past bits and pieces that may have worked in the original movie, but without the undercurrent story of characters you actually care about. There is no riveting storyline that gets your attention so much from the beginning you will stick with it as it slowly unfolds into a fun climax and finale.
You know what I am talking about? In the original, you still get the high lights, you still get the dramatic moments that matter, some intense action scenes (this is nearly Jackie Chan in his prime) that leave you breathless, some hilarious exchanges between main characters (and again, Owen Wilson in his prime), but it also has a consistent, persistent, unwavering theme throughout. A good movie is a memorable experience that takes years to develop, to consider, plan, prepare to mindfully and artfully produce an effort that is so valuable you will plunk down $10 a pop to go sit in a theater for 2 hours to enjoy it. Do you know what I am talking about? Are you hearing me? Are you tastin the eggs I’m scamblin? Are you drinkin my Kool Aid?!?!
So anywho, how is your weight loss journey coming along? How is that gettin (back) into shape stuff going these days? Are you mindfully developing your own awesome movie? Do you have a blockbuster on your hands you can’t wait to show your friends and family and tell your kids about? A valuable experience you will literally be living and will truly be proud of? Are you going to journal this story and keep it on the shelf so you can pull it out any time on a moment’s notice and turn it on the TV for all to see? What is your movie’s Rotten Tomato’s rating?
Or … are you producing a sequel? Throwing in a few workout high light reels here and there, showing up for a group exercise class once a week or maybe eating an occasional baby carrot thinking that will do the trick?
Are your characters well thought out? Are ALL of the characters involved, communicating, supporting and playing off of one another? Who is your Best Supporting Actor/Actress? Who is Directing your story? Who is the Executive Producer?
Is there rhyme and reason to the flow of your day? Do you have today’s shoot planned?
The Yin & The Yang & The Bang Bang Baby!
So get on it, fire up your left brain, live in the past, hop back into your “weight loss routine” and make your story a sequel. What the heck, sequels still bring in a few bucks at the box office, right? It usually takes half the effort, you see a few results and you can always plan to redeem yourself with another go around and market it as a trilogy (though have you seen the new Star Wars Trilogy? Yes, people (umm, calling George Lucas) can take what once was a masterpiece, you know, like the day you were born, and turn the franchise into utter silliness) … OR …
Do it differently this time … commit to getting stronger and believe this will be your kick in the butt, this will be your momentum starter and this will be when and where the tides turn.
If you need help creating your screenplay, write up a few story boards or communicating with your cast of characters in your own personal movie of health, fitness and weight loss, email me today to set up a consultation … in the meantime, remember, you were born to be a star baby!!
*And for full disclosure, I don’t believe Shanghai Noon is Oscar Worthy, but it was a pretty funny and fun ride for a Western/Kung Fu genre loving guy like myself … and yes, the sequel was quite disappointing.
