One Paragraph 6
by V.E. on March 6th, 2012
filed under entertainment, one paragraph
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (viewed as part of AMC’s Best Picture Showcase 25 February 2012)
Two difficult movies in a row. The main character (the child) reminded me of Bennett. I didn’t like seeing the towers fall again, though at least this time it wasn’t over and over again like it was on “The Worst Day”… I liked the idea of a Sixth Borough, but it hurt my heart to see so much of New York City that I miss so desperately. I felt sick afterward. I don’t know what that means for someone else, but I think for me it’s still too soon.
The Help (viewed as part of AMC’s Best Picture Showcase 25 February 2012)
Oh man, The Help was a hard movie for me. Racism sucks no matter the era, and I’m still having a really difficult time being okay with the agent of change being a Southern white woman rather than the main characters themselves. As a young white woman writer myself, I identified with Emma Stone’s character and cringed at the bleach-blonde racism of the other white (women) characters. I think part of the reason it’s so hard for me is because I don’t I’m that much better. When was the last time I stood up against racism? Is it a regular thing for me, or do I hide behind my privilege just like most other white people in this country? I fear/suspect/know it’s the latter, not the former. And I hate that. And I hate being confronted with it even though I know I should willingly do so.
Hugo in 3D (viewed as part of AMC’s Best Picture Showcase 25 February 2012)
This was the first film my sister and I saw on the second day (of two) of AMC’s Best Picture Showcase. It was in 3D! We spent the first five minutes swatting the air because we kept thinking it was snowing on us. Obviously, we (1) see a lot of snow, and (2) see a lot of movies in 3D. >_> Obviously. Anyway, it was a cute story, and I liked the lesson I got from it, which was “if all the Earth is a machine, and machines only come with exactly the number of parts they need (and not any extra), then each of us an important part of the Earth since we can consider ourselves all necessary parts.” Although I’m not so mechanically inclined as Hugo, I think someone telling me that when I was feeling desperate in high school and college might’ve helped. I don’t know, but it made me think of my younger self and wonder what someone else could’ve done to better reach out to me. As a side note, I went into the film thinking it was a cartoon, but it isn’t, so just be aware of that if you watch it for yourself.
The Descendants (viewed as part of AMC’s Best Picture Showcase 18 February 2012)
Sister and I actually arrived late for this film because I miscalculated how long it would take to eat dinner. Turned out it didn’t matter much that we were around 15 minutes late because it was thankfully nothing like The Tree of Life and we were able to pick up the story after a short while. George Clooney was really good, actually, and I liked the story. In the end, though, I at first thought the plot was too realistic (if I wanted real life, I wouldn’t go to the movies, after all, right?) and then that it wasn’t realistic enough (because of the way the family predictably ended up handling the sale of their inherited land).
The Tree of Life (viewed as part of AMC’s Best Picture Showcase 18 February 2012)
Holy sheesh what is this movie I don’t even. Seriously. Also, Brad Pitt again? Really? I mean, it was billed as an imppresionistic… and it most definitely is. It’s allegedly about a son’s relationship with his father but it has the beginning of the world and dinosaurs and everything I mean what. It was Art with a capital ‘a’, If you know what I mean. It was good, I guess, but it felt like one of those movies that rich snobs talk about. Wing better than the others over expensive glasses of wine and I’m standing there with a root beer and totally out my depth. I didn’t understand it and it was exhausting to watch.
One Paragraph 5
by V.E. on March 6th, 2012
filed under entertainment, one paragraph
Moneyball (viewed as part of AMC’s Best Picture Showcase 18 February 2012)
Part of the first day of AMC Theaters’ Best Picture Showcase. It was all right, but I don’t particularly care about Brad Pitt or the Oakland As (or baseball at all, for that matter), so it didn’t blow me away or anything. Based on a true story, for what that’s worth. Sister taught me about tasks (something an actor does so that his or her character seems more human/relatable/realistic/credible) and then expressed her frustration with Pitt because all his characters seem to have the same one: eating. I didn’t notice until she pointed it out, but yeah.
War Horse (viewed as part of AMC’s Best Picture Showcase 18 February 2012)
Saw this as part of AMC’s BPS (first day of two) with my sister. Decent film. Epic panning cinematography and depictions of war, as one expects from Steven Spielberg. Il liked the boy’s mother the best, I think, and her statement to her husband when asks if she’ll leave him if he loses the farm: “I may hate y’more, but I’ll never love ye less.” It was nominated for an Academy Award, after all, but I mean… it’s about horse, soo…
17 Again (viewed at home 2 February 2012)
Stupid movie with an unoriginal plot, but one I’d probably watch again if I didn’t want to think too much. Perfect for my mom because—although she’s not stupid—she dislikes violence and movie sex and likes happy endings. Corny through and through. The kid dresses as “K-Fed” and subsequently (of course) gets made fun of, so the next day he shows up dressed as… Tom Cruise. I’m not kidding. Also, the puns. OMFG. I thought it was cute that he kept forgetting he was 17 again, though. Yeah, I’d probably watch it again, even if it was just to show it to my mom. Such a dumb movie, though. Uuuuuugh.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (viewed in theaters 29 January 2012)
I chose this film because it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor (among other nominations) but then realized that it also has in it one of the actors I follow. (Yes, I follow some actors’ careers, okay? Don’t judge me.) Went to see it with Bobby, and it was okay, but it wasn’t what I was expecting (I don’t know what I was expecting), and I don’t think it really turned out to be my cup of tea. I mean, it’s a war movie, but with no actual war. (That’s the Cold War for you, I guess.) It’s set in the ’70s, so while I understand the rampant sexism, I still didn’t like it. I did like the hush-hush insider names for everything, though: Control, Circus, etc.
the Alice stories (read 17-25 January 2012)
And by that I mean Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, which I finally made the point of reading myself after having seen quite a few TV and movie adaptations of said. Here’s the thing. It really pissed me off that in every single adaptation I’ve ever seen the Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen are combined into one character, so I thought that reading the original stories would help deflate some of that anger. Unfortunately, it only made the anger righteous instead of tamed, so. Really, though, I would honest-to-gods love to see just one screen version of the Alice stories that doesn’t conflate the two. They’re not even from the same game! Grr argh /knashing of teeth.
Tin Man
by V.E. on February 28th, 2012
filed under entertainment, recap/review
So I finally watched Tin Man, which has been on the list at least since last Ferbruary. T_T How come it takes me an entire year to do anything I want to do? Jesus, it’s no wonder I can’t keep a hold on anything important and mostly just end up putting out “this is urgent!” fires. Ugh.
All right, so. Tin Man is a science fiction, steampunk-ish, very much not-for-children retelling of L. Frank Baum’s Oz books, most notably (but not completely) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It’s in three parts, each part a little over an hour and twenty minutes long, and as each part progresses, it moves progressively away from the original stories.
I liked the tin woodsman character—Cain. As the title character (in the foreground in this first image), I expected his backstory to be the most interesting, and I wasn’t disappointed. I liked the scarecrow character—Glitch. I even liked the cowardly lion character—Raw. DG, though, is… well, she felt like the weak link, except that she was the only reason the others were hanging out together, since they certainly wouldn’t have on their own. Hell, I even liked Akadelia, though I admit she was pretty much a cut-and-dried, run-of-the-mill villain. Her costuming was the most elaborate, but if you’re a sorceress/empress ruling all of the O.Z. (the Outer Zone), why not indulge a little and wear whatever the hell you want?
Speaking of Azkadelia: her character became simultaneously more complex and simpler as the story was revealed. I liked that I didn’t understand at first why she was conversing with herself, but I didn’t like that her motivation was, in my opinion, pretty spectacularly classic villainy “I’m going to blot out the sun and rule the world O.Z. bwahahaha BECAUSE I CAN” nonsense. I mean, her motivation wasn’t… very complicated. (Well, that’s not quite true, but the true villain of the story actually isn’t that complicated, and Azkadelia is that person for most of the proceedings, so. Like I said, Azkadelia’s character becomes simultaneously more complicated and less as the story goes on.)
One thing I thought was unfair was Azkadelia’s name compared to DG’s. I mean, seriously; they’re sisters: how can the elder be named Azkadelia, of all things, and the younger not feel inferior with a name like DG? That’s not really even a name; it’s just initials, for christ-sakes. Yes, yes; I know why she’s called that (and in case you don’t figure it out yourself, it’s revealed near the end of the third episode), but come on. I kept thinking someone would slip and finally call DG “Ozma” but my hopes were in vain. Ozma isn’t the grandest name in the book but you have to admit that it’s a better fighting name when it comes up against something like Azkadelia than DG is. Really, now.
I already mentioned my annoyance/discomfort with Neal McDonough, so let me just say that Tin Man in its entirety at least passed the Bechdel Test, but I’m not sure enough about the interactions between female characters that I can safely say that each episode passes. I’m pretty sure each ep. passes since Azkadelia speaks with the lavender-eyed woman about DG a lot, but I’m not 100%. If someone wants to double-check that for me, I’d be grateful.
The first episode was basically a rehashing of The Wizard of Oz we know and love, but with less singing. If you can get through that (maybe even enjoy Dorothy a’la the modern day—who knows?), the other two episodes are much more interesting, I think. Mostly, I just wanted more. I wanted more backstory, more scenic history, more complications, and more complicated characters. Two-dimensional characters are boring, and of the group, DG and Azkadelia were the most two-dimensional. DG just acted like a petulant child most of the time (and it usually worked out in her favor, so I guess that’s fine…) and Azkadelia, as I mentioned, is strange.
This mini-series is on par with Alice, another of SyFy’s retellings; not completely unforgettble, but at least worth my time. Of the recent SyFy miniseries, though, I still have to say Battlestar Galactica is the absolutely the best, with Dune coming in second place.
St. Valentine’s Day 2012
by V.E. on February 14th, 2012
filed under entertainment
Last year, it was Sailor Moon Zoicite. This year, it’s Sherlock, courtesy of Sherlock NYC (tumblr). Thanks, Holmies! (tee hee hee) Art by Robbicide.
Haha; I just realized that I put the sticker upside down compared to the others. Oh well… lol. The other stickers are: fanart by P.L. Nunn of Gundam Wing‘s Duo Maxwell (left) and an official NaNoWriMo sticker from 2010 (center).
In any case, happy St. Valentine’s Day. May the spice always flow; may you live long and prosper; and may the big bosses always drop major loot. And remember, believe in me who believes in you!
Quick hit (pun intended) on Neal McDonough
by V.E. on February 6th, 2012
filed under entertainment, wtf
All right, so I’m watching Tin Man (finally) and the title character is played by Neal McDonough… I knew I recognized him from somehwere else, but I couldn’t place it. So, I looked ‘im up (thank gods for Wikipedia, seriously). I read the info and noticed that he was fired for refusing to do sex scenes, which I’m like… kudos, man, kudos for sticking up for yourself. According to Wikipedia,
McDonough was set to star in the ABC dramedy Scoundrels but was fired for refusing to do sex scenes for the show. He credits his family and his Catholic faith for his decision.
So, good for him. Whatever. But that didn’t tell me where I’d seen him before, so… I’ve seen Minority Report (which is mentioned in the opening couple of paragraphs) but not in a long time, but I have seen it, so at first I thought it was that, but then I scrolled down the filmography and (re-)discovered that he played Bison in The Legend of Chun-Li. Which I was like, “Oooooooohhhhhhhhhh, that’s where I remember him from, for sure.”
But then I remembered that Bison (played by McDonough) at one point uses a woman for a punching bag—literally. And it was the most difficult part of the film for me. Here’s what I wrote in 2009 (links in original):
There’s a serious women-in-refrigerators moment when Bison and Balrog are in the weight room using the punching bags. The camera pulls back on Bison and we see that his punching bag is actually Cantana, Bison’s black widow of a woman who gives up important information about “The White Rose” to Chun-Li in the bathroom of a dance club. Luckily (I guess), Cantana is already dead by the time Bison uses her for a punching bag (literally), but that didn’t make it any easier to swallow.
And so I was sitting here thinking, “You won’t do sex(y) scenes on screen, but you will beat up a dead woman/desecrate a corpse/be an overall misogynist asshole?” What the fuck is that about? What happened to “family and Catholic faith” for that decision? Seriously, in what fucked up world is it okay to decline work because of sex (which is fine by itself, by the way), but not decline it because of violence towards women?
Oh, wait.
Martin Freeman and all the BAFTAs
by V.E. on January 30th, 2012
filed under entertainment, words, wtf
Yes, so here’s my contribution to The “Gee, Martin Freeman should probably have all the BAFTAs” Postcard Project.
All the information you want for this project is in that link, so don’t come running to me if you need help. (Well, I could probably help you, actually, but don’t come running until you’ve checked that page at least, will you?)
(ie: unassuming front)
(on left)
Dear Mr. Freeman,
ALL THE BAFTAS, SIR.
ALL OF THEM.Very sincerely yours,
VE Duncan
(on right)
Martin Freeman
c/o Creative Artists Mgmt
4th Floor
111 Shoreditch High Street
London
E1 6JN
United Kingdom
Honest to gods, guys; I don’t think I’ve ever sent anyone fanmail in my whole entire life, not even a postcard. Oh, okay there was that one letter of gratitude to the writers of L&O: SVU for a line they wrote for Elliot Stabler in the episode “Mask“, but other than that… never.
In any case, if you like Martin Freeman’s work in BBC’s Sherlock, please consider sending him a postcard yourself, too!
One Paragraph 4
by V.E. on December 24th, 2011
filed under anime/manga, entertainment, one paragraph
The Immortals, Book 1: Wild Magic (finished 24 December 2011)
I started this book on a trip to San Francisco in late October—there’s still a plane ticket sticking out of it, actually—and didn’t actually read it until later in the year. A friend of mine recommended this book to me as a good introduction to Tamora Pierce’s writing. I remember when the Circle of Magic books were published around the time I was in junior high; they were popular but I never read them. Wild Magic isn’t bad; I can find nothing glaringly wrong with it, at least, except that it is—quite obviously—simply an introduction. (There are three other books in “The Immortals” series.) I’d read the others (or, at least, the second) if they showed up on my desk somehow, but I probably won’t seek them out.
Red Riding Hood (viewed at home 10 December 2011)
A retelling of the ancient fable that’s part drama, part mystery—with a dash of romance for flavor. I was pleasantly surprised to see Galactica‘s Tigh in the film, though I wish he’d played a bigger part. The film itself was all right—I didn’t immediately figure out who the werewolf was, but I’m not adept at mysteries, so there’s that. I wasn’t really surprised when it was revealed. Definitely a fantasy, but not in an overt kind of way, which I liked. Also, I kind of liked the ending; romantic, in a strange sort of way, though I can see why it wasn’t well-received at the box office. Whatever. It was all right. Not “super awesome you must see this right now”, but okay.
Twilight: Breaking Dawn, part 1 (viewed in theaters 26 November 2011)
I don’t care enough about this series (the books or the movies) to give it more than a mention here. It wasn’t a good movie. In fact, it was pretty spectacularly bad—bad characterization (there is none), bad for women (are you kidding me, S.Meyer?), and a non-existent plot—and this is still the only series that involves vampires that has ever made me root for someone not the vampires. I mean, really. It’s just pathetic. This is the first movie in the series that I didn’t (attempt to) read the book beforehand. I’m pretty sure reading the book was unnecessary, since the very first Twilight movie was actually an improvement over the book upon which it was based. Just… ugh, Twilight; ugh.
Sleeping With Money (finished at home early November 2011)
I’ve said I’m not really one for yakuza/gangster stories, and yet recently I’ve read a few without even seeking them out. I don’t know why that keeps happening. Either way, this novel was… eh: so so. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible. That might have been the translation (it was translated from the original Japanese), but I just… didn’t really get into it. I finished it, but the most it had going for it was the pictures (seck-say woo woo) and my desire to finish things I start. Otherwise, meh.
This Film Is Not Yet Rated (viewed at home 14 November 2011)
Made me want scream. I realize the documentary is slanted against the MPAA, but seriously… it wasn’t like these guys had to try very hard to make the Association look bad. If the stuff in this documentary is true, the MPAA rating system—and its implicit censorship and the use of complete secrecy—is complete bullshit. Also, way to go, sexist/anti-gay/anti-sex movie industry… of which the MPAA is only a symptom. Made me want to just strangle someone. You think violence is okay and sex somehow isn’t? Not going to lie: that’s pretty fucked up. I’ll give you some violence. /garrrrrrr /tears out hair
