Unorthodox Parental Advice from the Father in Underworld

Viktor, the father in Underworld played by actor Bill NighyViktor, a Vampire Elder in the action fantasy film series Underworld, isn’t exactly the ideal image of parental excellence. He values legacy, domination and the preservation of age old traditions over all else – including family ties. However, there are a few practices he follows that you may want to consider when raising your own children.

Replace the Child You Regret with a the Kid of Your Dreams

Viktor took Selene in as a surrogate daughter, after her entire family was murdered. While this may seem noble of him, it was basically an attempt at a do-over since he treated his own daughter Sonja like she was a major disappointment. Sonja was rebellious while Selene looked up to Viktor for guidance, so it’s no surprise that he gave care and attention to the one who hung around enough to play by his rules. In some sad twisted way, a lot of parents already behave just like Viktor – it’s just called favoritism and their in denial about it.

So if you have children, why not just go all the way and literally devote all of your time to the one that shows more promise in becoming the person you’d be proud to call your own?! Even if you are a parent to just one child, that doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from Viktor’s ways. Just modify it to fit into your situation by adopting another kid and doting on him or her. Don’t want to adopt? That’s fine. Show more interest in the neighbor’s child or someone at your son or daughter’s school who appears to be lacking in quality, or even basic, parental care.

Viktor, the father in Underworld with his biological daughter Sonja, played by actress Rhona Mitra.I once had a conversation with a man who told me he has eight children (hats off to the mother! Wowza!). When my response was something like “that must be overwhelming,” he said something along the lines of “Not all of them will be winners; somebody’s gotta make it.”

Now, I’m not telling you this as a suggestion that you go off on some kind of baby-making spree, building your lineage so large people start mistaking you as the Duggar family. The bottom line is to spend your parenting efforts on kids that are a joy to have under your wing.

Don’t Believe Anything Your Kid Tells You

Selene showed Viktor images of a conspiracy between the Lycans and Vampire leader while also explaining her case. However, Viktor still wasn’t buying any of her claims – especially when he realizes that she has the hots for a member of an opposing species. Make them show you proof. That will teach them researching skills while also improving their ability to back up their words with action. It will also show you how much something means to them, given that their willingness to put in the work necessary, or not, indicates whether a topic of interest really matters.

Reprimand Your Child for Waking You up Earlier than Expected

Viktor informs Selene that she’s in deep trouble for awakening him an entire century ahead of schedule. In an angry rage due to Selene’s disrespect of the coven’s hierarchy, Viktor assures her that these reckless acts will be judged by the vampire council. Although Kraven, a vampire regent, warns Selene that her life is at stake, you need not go this far. Just make sure that whatever the consequences are for waking you up are harsh enough that your son or daughter thinks twice before doing it again (regarding non-emergencies, of course!).

U is for UnorthodoxOf course any sane person knows to take these practices by the father in Underworld with a grain of salt. I mean let’s be real; we’re talking about a guy who is in favor of honor killings. Plus anyone who seeks their parenting advice from vampires has bigger issues to address than how to control his or her children. Ha!

Which of the movie characters in Underworld would YOU hire to babysit YOUR kid(s) for a weekend?

Do YOU know of any unorthodox parenting practices that are effective in the real world?

Do You Understand that the Future of Film is Up to Us? #atozchallenge #IndieFilm

Comedian/Actor Marlon Wayans takes a selfie with fans at the L.A. Premiere of the horror comedy film "A HAUNTED HOUSE 2." Photo courtesy Le Studio Photography, Getty Image, HipHopWired.If you are to take away anything from reading my writings today, understand this:

Shaping the future of film is up to you, me and everyone we know.

• As an audience member, it is up to you to actively seek out, support and watch the kind of movies you want to see.

• As independent filmmakers, it is up to us to not only create and capture stories that resonate with people other than our parents; we must also make our movies accessible to audiences, which include doing our due diligence in letting people know that these motion pictures even exist in a crowded world.

• As citizens living in an ever-changing 21^st century world, we must be open to exploring new ways of how we consume media; we must embrace both the old-world traditions and innovations of live entertainment as well as home entertainment that work for us, while refraining from devoting our time, money and attention to that which hinders the possibility of having a grand user experience. 

When all is said and done, it’s one thing to understand this. It’s another thing to put it into practice.

Of course, I am merely one person who cannot make anyone do anything or convince grown folks to move in one direction or another. My only hope is that more people than none will at least have an understanding of how the power is in all of our hands to decide what the state of the film industry – specifically that of independent films – will be from this day forward. 

By the way, if you missed yesterday's post The Truth is, We're Shooting for that Theatrical Experience, read it will ya?!