APOLOGIES TO WARREN and A SNIPPET FROM KATO
First, I must offer my apologies to Warren Beatty. I chastised him for reading the wrong movie, but it wasn’t his mistake! First, in replay, it was clear that he recognized there was a problem and so DIDN’T read the name on the card, but then Faye Dunaway grabbed it from him and read “La La Land.” So that’s on her. But now, of course, we all know that the accountant responsible for handing them the wrong envelope was too busy texting pictures of Emma Stone to pay attention to HIS JOB!
I (and a few million others) saw Logan this weekend. So, what did I think? If I had to pick one word to describe this movie, it would be . . . “depressing.” I understand where the writers were coming from. I understand that this is supposed to be (Hugh Jackman’s version of) Wolverine’s final movie. I even applaud Jackman’s excellent acting in an immensely emotional and downbeat role. Also Dafne Keen was terrific as the young Laura in a role that was mostly conveyed without words. But other than the veeeeeerrry end of the movie, there is no light for the future, no hope. I will say that the bad guys were simply an endless line of idiots waiting to be killed, so it’s not as if Wolverine faced any tough competition. But then the film focuses more on the relationship between the Professor and Logan, and what he wants Logan to learn before he (the Professor) dies. Except that the Professor has some form of dementia … “the most dangerous brain in the universe” is crumbling and it’s a threat to everyone in his vicinity, not to mention fucking depressing for the rest of us. Also, the Professor’s willingness to put completely innocent and kind-hearted people in danger simply to teach Logan a life lesson was disheartening to say the least. Was that lesson worth the price paid??
Anyway, I won’t be watching this one again, and I really can’t recommend it. It’s definitely an R rated film, just because there’s nothing for anyone younger to enjoy, despite this being in the X-men franchise.
And now, as promised, a longish snippet from KATO. Disclaimer: This is from the unedited manuscript, and may vary somewhat from what eventually gets published.
———————–
“Okay, okay,” she said, raising her hands in surrender. “I get it. Let me think.” She tapped her fingers on the tabletop, staring into the near distance without seeing for several minutes, and then finally flattening her hand on the table to look over at him. “You’re going to need different clothes.”
Kato blinked. All that thinking and she came up with clothes? He glanced down at himself, comparing his clothing to hers, and to his memories of the males who worked with her. She had a point. Not the most important point, but, yes, he would need different clothing if he was to blend in.
She pursed her lips. Apparently Grace required physical stimulus when thinking—tapping fingers, flattened hands, pursed lips. He was sure there were more. She stood suddenly. “Stand up,” she ordered.
He raised an amused eyebrow at the idea of her giving him orders, but he went along with it, wanting to see how she intended to proceed.
She eyed him critically up and down, then turned her face away so he wouldn’t see the lovely blush coloring her cheeks. Kato smiled to himself, careful to blank his expression before she turned back.
“What you’re wearing will do, at least for a run to the mall to get something better. But the sword—”
“Goes where I go,” he said flatly. “It won’t be a problem.”
“Not a problem? You mean, no one will notice the big, pointy thing sticking out over your shoulder as we walk through the mall?”
He didn’t know what a mall was, but he knew his blade. “Precisely. No one will notice unless I draw the blade, which would mean I want them to notice it.”
“Ack! No drawing the sword, okay? If there’s a need for violence, I’ll have my gun.”
Kato scoffed privately. Yes, certainly, if a demon popped up, he’d simply stand back and let her handle it with her gun. It was an effort not to roll his eyes. “When do we retrieve the scrolls?”
“I’m working on it,” she said impatiently. “Okay, look. First, we go to the mall and get you some clothes. And while we do that, I’ll make some discreet inquiries on my cell. That’ll tell us where we stand with the museum. If everything’s okay, or if they at least don’t think I’m the one who trashed the place, then we can go directly there. I work all kinds of hours, so no one will think anything of it. But when we get there, you have to act surprised at the mess . . . wait, scratch that. I’ll be surprised. You’ll be my supportive boyfriend who consoles me when I’m confronted with the obvious vandalism of my office. And then, while I check to see if anything’s missing from my desk or whatever, I’ll grab the scrolls from the filing cabinet.” She gave him a satisfied smile. “Okay?”
Kato regarded her steadily. He’d stopped listening after the word “clothes,” still not knowing what a mall was, or a . . . cell. In his time, a cell was a place where monks lived, or maybe your enemies if you were kind or foolish enough to leave them alive. On the other hand, he was confident that he could handle whatever scheme she had planned.
“Certainly,” he agreed. “When do we leave?” That was the only information he really needed.
She tsked irritably. “I need shoes, and then we’ll go.” It was her turn to roll her eyes, and she did it far less discreetly than he had. But as long as it got them moving, he didn’t care. Grace didn’t seem to recognize the danger she’d unleashed on a population that he was beginning to think didn’t at all believe in magic, and knew even less about it. And there was nothing more deadly than a demon running free among the ignorant.
———————–
And that’s it! I hope it whetted your appetite for more KATO. I’m going to finish my final few pages of edits, and then I’ll be sending my latest baby off into the wild.
Happy March, and I’ll see you next week!
xoxo
DBR