Alex Hilhorst

A while back I wrote what is, to date, alexhilhorst.com's most popular article, entitled "Mass Effect 2 May Be The Greatest Game Ever Made" and I stand by that hyperbolic statement. If you were to ask me to rate my Top 10 Games right here, right now, ME2 would be right up there with Resident Evil 4 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It's an amazing game, so amazing that I was determined to replay it in anticipation of the release of Mass Effect 3, which as it so happens, hits shelves today.

I'm a little obsessive when it comes to my favorite pop culture gems. Whenever a new season of LOST premiered, I would rewatch all the previous episodes in succession, right up to the premiere date. After watching the first season of Game of Thrones, I promptly read the first four books in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series as fast as my brain and eyeballs would allow (I'm stuck in the fifth one right now- it's great but I have no time to read it). When I fell in love with L.A. Noire last summer, I went on a film noir rampage, watching every noir film Instant Netflix had to offer, as well as reading Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep. I'm like that. I take pop culture seriously, probably more seriously than anyone else I know. If you want to know what I really love, you only need to ask me what I'm obsessing over. Keep in mind I don’t obsess over everything. While I really liked The Grey, watching it didn't make me want to rush home and wipe the dust of my Jack London novels. But with masterpieces like Mass Effect it's a different story, and what happened to me recently is proof of just how much of a nutjob I truly am.

When the release of ME2 was approaching I decided to replay the first game and tailor-make the story so that it was absolutely perfect for the kind of Shepard I was trying to craft, the Shepard I was going to import into the threequel. My Shepard was a Han Solo type- dashing and charming, he was also a bit of a badass, threatening people and murdering baddies in cold blood when necessary (Greedo shot first), but generally made the morally right decision, the "Paragon" option if you will. I often chose the neutral option from dialogue trees, which while not granting the player a Paragon or Renegade bonus, led to some interesting story decisions. For example, I ordered the Alliance Navy to "focus on Sovereign but save the Council if you can" during the climax of ME1, as opposed to the black and white choices of "Save the Council" or "Let the Council Die." My Shepard, like Han Solo and the very Joseph Campbellian archetype that is the anti-hero, sees the world in shades of grey, and that dialogue option seemed like the choice I would make were I put in that position. Of course, the game just interpreted that as "let the council die" and now every alien in ME2 fucking hates me. (more...)

Sorry it's been so long since I last updated the site. I've been really busy with work, my new internship and other writing projects. I've been working on a new spec/pilot that I'm hoping to submit to the network fellowships next month, so that's been taking up a lot of my writing time. And then of course there's the various movies, TV shows, videogames, board games, books, albums and comics that take up my time. I'm a busy guy, okay?

Anyways, this is a few weeks late but I figured better now than never, so here's my review of crime comic Damaged's penultimate issue:

Things come to a head in issue 5, with Henry and Isaac's partnership falling apart and Frank finally taking the law into his own hands, after so many years of stellar, by-the-books police work. Point of view shifts a bit to Cassidy, who has heretofore been relegated mostly to the background, but now emerges as the series' true hero. Though they started off as rivals, Cassidy and Frank are now friends, sharing dinner and deep personal secrets. Their relationship has had a very nice progression over the course of the last five issues and I appreciated that not only did the two start to work together, but that they developed a bond as well. Writer David Lapham thankfully avoided any sort of buddy cop cliche, instead painting a friendship that is rich and believable. (more...)

Since everything on here is technically "Copyright Alex Hilhorst 2012," I decided to upload full versions for all of my scripts. Why the hell not? Besides, most of them are already registered with the WGA. Maybe this will help me finally get a screenwriting gig. Who knows.

Full versions of the following scripts have been uploaded. Click the links to read:

The Collective

A horror script in which a secret artist collective in the Parisian catacombs is set upon by an amphibious monster.

The Dead of Night

My Best feature script, about a photographer, former SAS helicopter pilot and Mestizo guide crash land in the Belize rainforest and have to contend with natural dangers as well as mysterious creatures that hunt them.

Drywall

One of my few, non sci-fi/fantasy works, a feature screenplay about a love triangle between a grieving young man, his weird, West Village neighbor and his girlfriend.

Portal- "Pilot"

My first TV pilot, about an amnesiac from another dimension trying to regain his memories and evade mysterious men in black. One of my favorite works, but unfortunately a bit too similar to the plot of Fringe. May rewrite and tweak in the near future.

A Presence

A short screenplay (15 pages) based on the H.P. Lovecraft story "A Colour Out of Space." Intended to be part of a "Lovecraft trilogy" of short films, starting with the short film version of "Portal," which I will be uploading to the video page in the near future. If you know how to secure finances for a short and want to direct, let me know and maybe we can make this together.

The Walking Dead- "Refractions"

My first TV drama spec script. An alternate version of the AMC drama's second season premiere, penned by yours truly.

****************

Right now I'm working on my second spec script, for the FX show American Horror Story, which could also probably act as an original pilot. I've got a lot of other things in the pipeline as well, including a psychedelic neo noir novel, a sprawling, epic  sci-fi book series based on stories I wrote as a kid, a comic book, a new TV pilot and a new feature film. I've also got more content incoming to this website in the next few days, so stay tuned.

Recently I’ve jumped back into the world of comic books. I was inspired to pick it back up again after learning that DC planned to reboot their entire line in a company-wide initiative dubbed “The New 52.” You can read reviews of some of the New 52 #1 issues here.

The relaunch was a great idea, and the numbers prove it: last year DC beat out Marvel in sales; the latter company’s universes have become so convoluted of late, and rely on so many cheap tricks (Avengers vs. X-Men anyone?) that it’s no wonder the more accessible DC universe has become the favorite. There’s a lot of superb comics in the New 52, particularly among the Batman books Batwoman is a particular favorite of mine), but something I’ve begun to notice is how ridiculous Batman's appearances are throughout the DCU. Batman is the company’s most popular hero—hell, he’s the most popular superhero, period— so it makes sense that DC would put him at the forefront of their new line and put a lot of emphasis on the character. That being said, if we are to believe that most of the DC comics are taking place at roughly the same time (with obvious exceptions like Demon Knights, Justic League, Action Comics and All-Star Western), then nothing about the New 52 makes any sense.

There’s four series alone that focus on Batman exclusively: Batman, Detective Comics, Batman and Robin and the completely extraneous Batman: The Dark Knight, as well as the two team books in which he is a member- Justice League and Justice League International, respectively. That’s not to mention all the other Bat books in which the Dark Knight makes frequent appearances: Batgirl, Batwoman, Batwing, Birds of Prey and Nightwing. On top of that, perhaps fearing no one will buy one of their more obscure comics if Batman isn’t in it, DC has decided to give him cameos in nearly every single one of their other series.

At first, I had no problem buying into this proliferation of the Bat. Bruce Wayne is a busy guy, and there’s a lot of crime to fight so it stands to reason that he would be doing a whole bunch of stuff every month. Let’s say one night he’s off investigating the Court of Owls on his own, wanting to keep it secret from his son Damian, and then the next evening he’s going on patrol with the Boy Wonder. I can buy that. But this month things started to get out of hand. (more...)

Durr... I haz a TV show.

It's been a while since I wrote for the Seattle-based website Culturemob- I had been writing recaps of Terra Nova for them but literally begged them to let me stop because I couldn't stand to watch another second of it- but I've now returned with a review of Bad Robot's new TV series, Alcatraz. Comparisons have already been made between this new J.J. Abrams show and LOST and they are not unwarranted. It centers on a mysterious island, involves sci-fi concepts like time travel, stars Jorge Garcia, and even has flashbacks that are transitioned with a sound effect. It's also not very good. It feels cheap and half-assed, and redundant considering there are already two much better Bad Robot shows on TV right now: Fringe and Person of Interest.

You can read the review here.

Good news, everyone! Radical Comics has sent over another preview of their excellent comic series Damaged, written by David Lapham! Here's an exclusive look at the first eight pages of Damaged #5, on sale February 1st!

(more...)

From the moment I made the decision to pack up my life and lug it across the country to the West Coast, one thought dominated my brain for every waking moment of my existence: have I made the right choice? The reasoning behind my decision was sound: I wanted to be a screenwriter and the industry was in Los Angeles, but that fact didn't help assuage my doubt. I was leaving the city of my birth, all of my friends and everything I'd ever held dear, for a wholly uncertain future, and to top it all off I was bringing my girlfriend with me as well, separating her from her family and dragging her to a city that being an urban design major, she wasn't so sure she was going to even like.

Was I making the right decision? Or was I ruining my life, and more importantly the life of one of the few people I truly love?

As we began our road trip and passed through the Poconos mountains with the sun setting behind them, my doubt evaporated like mist. The sheer adrenaline-fueled thrill of a road trip made me feel alive and hopeful. The possibilities of my future seemed as endless as the road itself, and in all honesty I had rarely felt as alive as I did during those twelve days.

I never wanted it to stop, but it had to, and as we crossed the Nevada/California border and stopped at an In n' Out Burger in the shithole that is Barstow, the doubt returned and settled in my gut like a rock. Our sadness was palpable as we approached Los Angeles, and the week we spent in a Korea Town hostel didn't help much either. Alison was miserable, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get that nagging doubt out of my brain:

Did I make the right decision? Did I ruin Alison's life? (more...)

1. M83- "Midnight City"

A lot of what makes M83’s music so moving is that sense of nostalgia that nearly every one of their songs evokes. Nostalgia is an incredibly powerful emotion and one that is very difficult to describe with words. It’s a feeling that you can’t quite shake and can’t remember where it came from. It's familiar, but elusive. It’s no wonder M83 frontman Anthony Gonzalez wrote an entire album inspired by John Hughes films (2008’s Saturdays = Youth) and generally composes lyrics focusing on the difficulties of growing up, the pains of adolescence. Hell, he even has a song called “Teen Angst.”

The man understands the potency of nostalgia and in Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming he boils it down to a science. I can’t explain exactly why listening to “Midnight City” is such a moving and monumental experience for me, but such is the intangibility of M83. Gonzalez’s music feels both familiar and fresh, meshing so many different styles and ideas together that you feel like you’re discovering something entirely new from your childhood.

It’s also a really appropriate song for where I am right now in my life. It’s an ode to the metropolis, a love letter to not any one city in particular, but the idea of the city in general. Once, while driving down the 405 at 6 in the morning on my way to work, I hit the “looking at the mutated skyline” lyric just as I descended from the Valley. The sun was cresting over two lonely skyscrapers, refracting through L.A.’s infamous smog cloud, creating an eerie, unnatural red gleam that blanketed the skyline.

It was so beautiful I almost cried. And as the saxophone solo kicked in I flashed back to my childhood, remembering the way things used to be and the city I loved so dearly, the one I had left for this new, strange place. That’s the magic of music, and that’s what makes M83 one of the best bands around today. (more...)

As I'm posting this almost a week before this issue actually hits stands, I'm going to make efforts not to spoil anything, but damn is it hard. This was a great issue, perhaps the best yet. To me, what made it such an outstanding installment was the places it took one of its characters, Jack Cassidey. When I read issue #1 I immediately disliked Cassidy. He was too idealistic, too cocky and didn't realize he was nothing more than a pawn for a corrupt system. He had a very black and white moralistic view, and I hate people who look at the world in two disparate shades. But in issue #4 we delve into his mind with some surprising narration, and as he learns more about what befell Frank and Henry when they were young patrolmen, he starts to question his beliefs. His view starts to grey.

I'm also impressed by writer David Lapham's ability to balance so many different lead characters. Though Frank is arguably the protagonist, the past few issues have focused on some of the other players. Last issue turned a minor and heretofore insignificant character, Isaac Lordsman into a major force, with a sizable portion of the issue spent delving into his backstory and turning him into a youthful mirror to Henry. This issue focuses primarily on Cassidy, which is a good thing as before he was somewhat hard to relate to. But here we meet his wife and enter his home and watch as the ideals he's always upheld as police officer come under his scrutiny. An interesting motif in this issue is the badge, which is spoken about in a figurative way by more than one character, almost like a symbol, and not a tangible object. Henry discusses Frank's belief in the "badge," and one begins to realize that though these two brothers are at odds, they still hold a deep love and respect for each other. (more...)

The good folks over at Radical Comics have been kind enough to give me an eight page preview of the next issue of the awesome crime comic Damaged! Check it out below, and then head back tomorrow for my advanced review of the new issue!

Click on the images to enlarge:

(more...)