Day 11: I've had better days...

There was a lot of flailing around yesterday, as I tried to work on several stories that are due in the coming days, but had little success. That, in turn, deepened my depression. That, in turn, made it harder to work. Agghh. Brain, please help out. (I can say that this morning has been better: both stories I needed to complete are turned in. Deadlines can be your friends.)

The sour mood wasn't helped by watching the first half of In Bruges, Martin McDonagh's film about hitmen waiting for orders in an idyllic Belgian town. As a playwright, McDonagh is a tough customer, merging black humor with even blacker drama, often centered on his native Ireland. I only made it halfway through the film, after main character Ray - minutes after it was revealed that his last hit included a priest (the target) and a young boy (an innocent bystander) - coldcocks a woman after she tries to defend her date.

Without an overwhelming reason for it, that kind of violence is a red flag for me. Actually, a lot of on-screen violence is becoming a red flag for me. Our culture is soaked with bad asses, vigilantes and those who think violence first. I'm not against the portrayal of this, but it often feels like the reasons are meant as a joke, while the consequences are shoved under the carpet. (And back to the movie: wouldn't a murder like the one mentioned above be international news? The murder of a priest and a boy in a church?)

Then again, I have to run these emotions against the type of games, video and "real," that I like to play. I do shy away from real-world depictions - I'm not a Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto player, for example - but I have certainly decapitated, shot, incinerated with magic untold hordes of creatures over the years. Is it OK because I am in control, and thus am making the decision, rather than being prodded by an outside writer?

Back to the movie. I think hitmen are going to join serial killers on my list of "stories I'd rather not watch." I've avoided most serial killer-centric movies and shows in recent years (which cuts off about 40 percent of broadcast television). Maybe I'm just tired of being force fed villains as my main characters. I don't mind journeys into the dark, but the glib banter and lack of consequences is grating on my nerves.