Monday, November 15, 2004
Movies, TV, Politics and More
Okay, I've been slacking. The nuts and bolts of daily life are flying about at top speed. In an effort to catch up a bit, I present: The Dumping Ground.
Movies
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - This was fun, but make sure you see the first one before heading to this sequel. Most (okay, all) of the storyline and jokes are entirely dependent on your knowing what happened in the original. They provide a teeny tiny bit of exposition, but not enough to fill you in if you're a complete blank on the first one.
My one issue with The Edge of Reason is the gratuitous lesbian kiss (possible minor spoiler ahead). I kept reading all these press release based articles on how Renee and the other actress performed this kiss over about eight takes in an attempt to get it just right, and how the (impliedly male) crew were very enthusiastic about this. I expected it to be part of some integral plotline, and with some meaning behind it. Not. Shock value, pandering, gratuitous. And not even steamy. Just kind of a surprise peck on the lips. Who cares? Was it important to the storyline? Not particularly? Was it effective - well, yeah, you should have heard the gasps in the suburban audience. Then the follow up questioning among audience members regarding the other character ("She's a lesbian? Really?" Can you believe that?"). Yeah, I was feeling really comfortable sitting in the theater with my girlfriend while the rest of the crowd was apparently aghast at the lesbo action on screen, which consisted of about 3 seconds of closed mouth lip contact.
Shark Tale: A fun animated feature, but it never surpassed being just an extended cartoon. Lots of gags, lots of cultural references, movie quotes, big name voices, good music. But really just a long cartoon. Most of the characters didn't really have much development, and I didn't really come to care about them. For the most part I continued picturing the voiceover actors rather than watching the characters.
The Incredibles: Fabulous movie. This is a film that just happens to be animated. The artwork was great, the characters were multifaceted and developed over time, the writing was clever and witty and fun. Adolescent angst, middle age ennui, longing for the good old days, rebellion and second chances are all subjects. Go see it.
Television
Joan of Arcadia: Enough with the tear fests!!!! Why oh why did they kill off Judith? Why couldn't they have killed off Friedman? I need some lighthearted storylines. And I don't think this coming week's re-examination of the night of Kevin's accident is going to bring it. But I still love this show.
Enterprise: I can't even begin to tell you how immensely joyous I am that they've finally moved away from the freaking temporal cold war/hot war storyline. Now that they've moved back into character driven stories, I'm enjoying it a lot more. But why does T'Pol get to wear custom Vulcan/Starfleet hybrid jumpsuits instead of the official uniform that everyone else wears? She's added some subtle shoulder stripes, an arm patch and rank insignia, but that's about it. Plus the material is more satiny than velvety. I wonder if the rest of the crew are jealous?
Charmed: What-fucking-ever. I didn't even watch it this week. The Girl and I went to the movies, and I told Tivo to record Cold Case instead.
Lost: ROCKS!!!!!!!!!
Politics
Ashcroft out, Gonzeles likely in. Grab hold of your civil rights, you're going to need a stronger grip.
Powell out, unknown in. I have a great fear of Condi Rice as Secretary of State. Start stockpiling your emergency supplies.
School
Busy, busy, busy. Exams, papers, oral arguments are all rapidly approaching.
Life
The Girl is the best.
|
Movies
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - This was fun, but make sure you see the first one before heading to this sequel. Most (okay, all) of the storyline and jokes are entirely dependent on your knowing what happened in the original. They provide a teeny tiny bit of exposition, but not enough to fill you in if you're a complete blank on the first one.
My one issue with The Edge of Reason is the gratuitous lesbian kiss (possible minor spoiler ahead). I kept reading all these press release based articles on how Renee and the other actress performed this kiss over about eight takes in an attempt to get it just right, and how the (impliedly male) crew were very enthusiastic about this. I expected it to be part of some integral plotline, and with some meaning behind it. Not. Shock value, pandering, gratuitous. And not even steamy. Just kind of a surprise peck on the lips. Who cares? Was it important to the storyline? Not particularly? Was it effective - well, yeah, you should have heard the gasps in the suburban audience. Then the follow up questioning among audience members regarding the other character ("She's a lesbian? Really?" Can you believe that?"). Yeah, I was feeling really comfortable sitting in the theater with my girlfriend while the rest of the crowd was apparently aghast at the lesbo action on screen, which consisted of about 3 seconds of closed mouth lip contact.
Shark Tale: A fun animated feature, but it never surpassed being just an extended cartoon. Lots of gags, lots of cultural references, movie quotes, big name voices, good music. But really just a long cartoon. Most of the characters didn't really have much development, and I didn't really come to care about them. For the most part I continued picturing the voiceover actors rather than watching the characters.
The Incredibles: Fabulous movie. This is a film that just happens to be animated. The artwork was great, the characters were multifaceted and developed over time, the writing was clever and witty and fun. Adolescent angst, middle age ennui, longing for the good old days, rebellion and second chances are all subjects. Go see it.
Television
Joan of Arcadia: Enough with the tear fests!!!! Why oh why did they kill off Judith? Why couldn't they have killed off Friedman? I need some lighthearted storylines. And I don't think this coming week's re-examination of the night of Kevin's accident is going to bring it. But I still love this show.
Enterprise: I can't even begin to tell you how immensely joyous I am that they've finally moved away from the freaking temporal cold war/hot war storyline. Now that they've moved back into character driven stories, I'm enjoying it a lot more. But why does T'Pol get to wear custom Vulcan/Starfleet hybrid jumpsuits instead of the official uniform that everyone else wears? She's added some subtle shoulder stripes, an arm patch and rank insignia, but that's about it. Plus the material is more satiny than velvety. I wonder if the rest of the crew are jealous?
Charmed: What-fucking-ever. I didn't even watch it this week. The Girl and I went to the movies, and I told Tivo to record Cold Case instead.
Lost: ROCKS!!!!!!!!!
Politics
Ashcroft out, Gonzeles likely in. Grab hold of your civil rights, you're going to need a stronger grip.
Powell out, unknown in. I have a great fear of Condi Rice as Secretary of State. Start stockpiling your emergency supplies.
School
Busy, busy, busy. Exams, papers, oral arguments are all rapidly approaching.
Life
The Girl is the best.
|
Posted by Rogueslayer at 11:42 AM 
