The Roundup and Straightforwardness

I watched a South Korean movie called “The Roundup” starring Don Lee over the weekend. It was a sequel to “The Outlaws,” and The Roundup is just a lot of fun. Don Lee plays a detective who does not always play by the rules, but nonetheless, has a strong sense of justice. There was no messaging, but the movie had a lot of action and comedy and was relatively straightforward. Asian cinema lately has been destination viewing, as I have just been fond of watching good, fun movies that were not trying to sell me on something else. While the U.S. will have a movie like Top Gun: Maverick that I must see on occasion, regularly, I seek out Asian movies in the theater.

I want to go back to that type of story just to entertain with my books. The protagonist and antagonist are clearly defined with one being good and the other being evil. There is hardship with the protagonist that he must overcome and become stronger and wiser for it. I do not feel that the formula has to be tweaked or diluted so much, as it works with the basis of any story and reveals something about people and the human condition in general.

Right now, I am working on making my works longer, and it has produced good results. These new chapters needed to be in The Land of the Wooden Statues and The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom, but it was my own impatience that did not see it. I am actually growing impatient as these stories are almost completely done.