The Odyssey: The Original Road-Trip-Gone-Wrong (and It's Modern Echo in O Brother Where Art Thou?)

I just finished listening to the audiobook of The Odyssey, and honestly, it’s wild how this ancient epic poem, written nearly 3,000 years ago by Homer, still reads like the ultimate “road trip gone wrong.” Odysseus’s journey home after the Trojan War lasts ten years, and along the way, he encounters gods with grudges, monsters with big appetites, shipwrecks, curses, temptations, and, let’s be honest, a whole lot of consequences for pride.

At its heart, The Odyssey is the story of a man trying to get back home to his wife, Penelope, and his son Telemachus. But every time he gets close, something gets in the way. Sometimes the obstacles come from petty gods. Sometimes from Odysseus himself. And sometimes from his crew, who seem constitutionally incapable of making good choices.

Here is a quick run-through of Odysseus's very bad travel itinerary.

The Cicones
Right after leaving Troy, his crew raids a city, overstays their welcome, and gets attacked. This is our first sign that Odysseus cannot control his men, and that their bad decisions will be a recurring theme.

The Lotus-Eaters
They land in a place where eating the lotus flower makes you forget everything you care about. Odysseus has to drag his zoned‑out sailors back onto the ship.

The Cyclops (Polyphemus)
A giant one‑eyed monster eats several of Odysseus’s men. They escape by blinding him, but Odysseus, being Odysseus, can’t resist bragging as he sails away. Unfortunately, Polyphemus’s dad is Poseidon, who hears the boast and curses him.
This is why the trip takes ten years. Pride: 1, Odysseus: 0.

Circe
A witch-goddess turns the men into pigs. Odysseus outsmarts her, and she ends up being a helpful host… and his lover… for an entire year.

The Underworld
Odysseus consults the prophet Tiresias, who basically tells him that things will get worse before they get better and that trouble awaits him at home, too.

The Sirens
Their haunting singing drives sailors mad, so the crew plugs their ears with wax and ties Odysseus to the mast so he can safely listen without leaping to his doom.

Scylla & Charybdis
A six‑headed monster on one side, a deadly whirlpool on the other. Odysseus navigates between them and loses more men in the process.

The Cattle of the Sun God
Odysseus warns his crew not to touch the sacred cattle. They do it anyway. Zeus punishes them by destroying the ship and killing everyone except Odysseus.

Calypso
A nymph falls in love with him and keeps him captive for seven years. He eventually gets released, but only because the gods intervene.

The Phaeacians
They find Odysseus washed up on the shore, listen to his whole story, and finally bring him home to Ithaca.

Meanwhile, back in Ithica...

Odysseus’s home is falling apart: Over 100 suitors have moved into the palace. They’re eating all the food and demanding Penelope pick a new husband. Telemachus, now grown, is trying to hold things together but is outnumbered.

When Odysseus returns, he disguises himself as a beggar. He reunites with Telemachus and a few loyal servants, then, in true epic fashion, slaughters every suitor in an unforgettable dramatic showdown. Peace is restored. The family is reunited. The kingdom is his again.

Hollywood loves The Odyssey, and one of the smartest, funniest adaptations is the Coen Brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou?

It’s not set in ancient Greece at all; it takes place in 1930s Mississippi during the Great Depression, but it mirrors the epic so closely that once you see the parallels, you can’t unsee them.

The core setup is the same. A man wants to return home to his wife. He travels with companions who cause trouble. He encounters strange, magical-feeling characters. Monsters become folk figures. Gods become mysterious forces, fate, and coincidence.

Everett = Odysseus
Smooth talker, clever but flawed, way too proud, obsessed with his hair (a modern stand‑in for heroic vanity).

Penny = Penelope
She has suitors courting her, and as Everett tries to get home, he must prove himself to win her back.

Delmar & Pete = Odysseus’s crew
Loyal, impulsive, and constantly causing detours.

Here are some of their adventures as they try to get Everett home.

The Sirens: Three women washing clothes in the river hypnotize the men with singing.
The Cyclops: A one‑eyed, violent Bible salesman (John Goodman) robs them and beats them.
The Lotus-Eaters: Everett’s companions get baptized, lose sight of the mission, and forget their purpose, just like Odysseus’s men.

It’s not a literal adaptation, but it brilliantly transforms the mythic structure into American folklore, blues, and rural Southern storytelling. Gods and monsters become con men, sirens, corrupt politicians, and religious movements.

At its heart, The Odyssey is about longing for home, facing trials, battling your own flaws, and fighting to reclaim your place in the world. That’s why it still resonates with filmmakers, with writers, and with any of us who’ve ever felt lost, off‑course, or determined to rebuild our lives.

And maybe that’s why modern retellings like O Brother, Where Art Thou? feel so timeless. They remind us that every journey, whether across the sea or across the American South, is about finding your way back to yourself.

aB . All Rights Reserved . 2026

Walking into Dystopia: Comparing Stephen King’s The Long Walk to Its Movie Adaptation

This post contains reflections on the plot and ending of The Long Walk by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman), as well as thoughts on the movie adaptation. If you haven’t read the book or seen the movie, you may want to return later.

In July of this year, I read The Long Walk by Stephen King, technically, it is by his alter ego Richard Bachman, and it left me haunted. I had seen that a movie adaptation was going to be released, and I wanted to read the book first. This was my first time reading anything under King’s Bachman persona, and I am glad I did.

The book is a relentless journey into the heart of dystopia, where psychological tension builds with every step. The story slowly unravels its characters, especially Ray Garraty. The emotional weight of the walk, the shifting dynamics between the characters, and the creeping dread of the inevitable end for most of them made it impossible to put down.

The ending of the book left a deep impression on me. I had to ponder it for a while, but I finally realized that I interpreted the final figure that Garraty sees as death itself. This reinforced to me that no one makes it out of the Long Walk alive. Even the so-called winner is just the last one to die. That bleak inevitability gave the story a chilling resonance that stuck with me even after it ended.

I saw the movie adaptation with my daughter, who had not read the book, and I loved most of it. I was okay with the smaller changes the movie incorporated as they made sense for the medium and pacing, but the ending left me feeling jaded.

In the movie, Garraty’s motives for the walk change from curiosity and a desire for wealth to revenge on the Major, whom he blames for his father’s death. Garraty’s girlfriend from the book is completely left out, and his mother becomes his emotional anchor instead. Scramm, a character who develops pneumonia and has a pregnant wife, is completely cut from the movie, and his traits are instead split between Olsen and Stebbins, two other participants. The number of walkers in the book, 100, is cut to 50 in the movie. This makes a lot of sense for production reasons.

Peter McVries also has a different backstory, which changes his entire narrative. In the book, he is sarcastic, philosophical, and emotionally raw. He serves as a moral compass for Garraty while he contemplates death and knows the futility of the walk. He is not trying to win the race but openly questions it. Eventually, he decides to sit down, as a symbolic act of defiance, which leads to his death. In the movie, McVries is more emotionally stable and supportive. The bond Garraty and he develop is central to the movie’s emotional arc. McVries becomes a co-lead in the movie and ends up winning the walk after Garraty sacrifices himself. McVries becomes the heart of the story, and his survival is framed as a victory not just over the walk but over the system itself.

The completely different ending of the movie is what left me baffled, as that was the most powerful part in the book for me. In the book, Garraty wins the walk, but he is mentally broken. He sees a dark figure and continues to walk even after his win. King leaves you to interpret the ending yourself, as you can draw many different conclusions from its meaning. As I mentioned earlier, the ending of the book left a deep impression on me as I interpreted the figure Garraty sees as death itself. The inevitability of no one surviving the walk gives off dystopian vibes, as the walk is just there to keep people in line and away from revolting against the suppressive regime they live in. Spectators of the walk are forced to watch and cheer. Knowing that they also cannot escape death, but instead need to remain obedient. There is a line in the movie from Garraty that stands out in this instance:

“The only guarantee you have as a human being is that you are going to die. And, if you're lucky, you get to choose how you spend those last moments.”

It is a poignant quote that captures the existential weight of the story as told in the book and the movie.

I listened to the audiobook of The Long Walk, narrated by Kirby Heyborn. His performance brought the characters to life in a way that made the emotional intensity more intense. His voice carried the exhaustion, fear, and fleeting hope that the walkers exhibited, leaving me contemplating King’s meaning of the story for a long time afterwards.

The Long Walk is more than a dystopian thriller; it’s a meditation on morality, obedience, and the cost of survival. Whether through the slow unraveling of Garraty’s psyche in the book or the emotional arc of McVries in the film, the story leaves a lasting impression. While I preferred the book’s haunting ambiguity, I appreciated the film’s emotional clarity. Both versions offer something powerful, and together they deepen the impact of King’s chilling vision.

Book Published: July 1979
Read: July 30, 2025

Movie Premiere: September 12, 2025
Seen: September 16, 2025

aB . All Rights Reserved . 2025

One Battle After Another - Movie Review

 

This review contains plot details and character analysis that may reveal key moments from One Battle After Another. Read at your own discretion if you haven’t seen the film yet.

I really enjoyed this nearly 3-hour movie. It maintained great pacing throughout and never felt boring. The storyline combines unsettling and complex themes that are highly relevant today, including white supremacy, immigration, racism, and trauma. These social and political topics were addressed thoughtfully, without coming across as preachy. The film included a few well-executed jump scares that were unexpected but added to the tension. A gripping car scene early in the movie and another spectacular one near the end were definite highlights for me. The dialogue felt real, raw, heightened, and eccentric – adding depth to the characters and their relationships. Action, suspense, and comedy were seamlessly blended by a brilliant cast, making this an epic rollercoaster ride of a movie. The music score was terrific, setting the tone and amplifying the paranoia and emotional tension in every scene. I also really enjoyed the cinematography as the scenery was beautiful and added visual depth to the story.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays a revolutionary fighter turned father, trying to do his best, and he shines in the role - you can’t help but root for him. Benicio Del Toro brings a calm, collected energy, appearing disinterested yet unwavering in his fight. He balances DiCaprio well, and together they add moments of unexpected humor. Regina Hall is powerful and captivating - I wish she had more screen time. Chase Infiniti brings quiet strength to her role, and I am excited to see more of her in future projects. Teyana Taylor plays a revolutionary fighter who is not yet ready to be a mother; her performance is intense and unforgettable – you want to hate her, but you can’t look away. The standout performance comes from Sean Penn. He is unrecognizable, spectacular, and legendary. His portrayal of the villain is chilling and precise, delivering a performance that feels like an Oscar-worthy one.

This film contains a moderate amount of sex, nudity, violence, gore, alcohol, drugs, smoking, fighting, and intense scenes. The profanity is severe.

Viewed in Theater: October 7, 2025
Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson
Written by: Paul Thomas Anderson, inspired by Vineland by Thomas Pynchon
Music by: Jonny Greenwood
Cinematography: Michael Bauman
Release Date: September 26, 2025

aB . All Rights Reserved . 2025