When I was a kid, my grandma would make sure that all our family members in our local cemetery had flowers on their graves. So, for a long time that's what I thought Memorial Day was - remember family members who have passed on - whether you knew them personally or not. And to a certain degree, that's part of it. But then I got older (and grandma passed away) and I learned that it's meant to honor those in the military who were killed in action. The greatest lesson on this for me came when I was in 8th grade and on a school trip to Washington DC. There are two things we visited there that made a significant impact on me and that I remember vividly even 14 years later - one is the National Holocaust Museum, the other is the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. If you are ever in DC for a significant length of time, these are the two places you absolutely MUST see. Not because they are fun, but because they put so much into proper perspective.
Since it's Memorial Day, I want to focus on the Tomb of the Unknowns (I'm sure I'll get to talk about the National Holocaust Museum another time). With all the selfishness that I see in the world, it is good to step back and recognize people who lived through horrific things and people who willingly gave up a great portion of their lives to keep the rest of us safe (some who gave up their lives, full stop). And since I can't go to Arlington today, I can at least take ten minutes of time and blog space to pay tribute to these heroes.
Also, courtesy of The Right Fangirl, here is President Reagan's speech at the National Funeral for the Unknown Solider of the Vietnam Conflict. Seems appropriate -
On Friday (or maybe Thursday - I get my days mixed up sometimes), this little gem was spotted floating around Facebook and elsewhere. And if it doesn't make you laugh and/or cry, you have no soul.
From what I've been able to glean from the comments, Amy and Isaac are both in theater (Amy is a choreographer and Isaac's currently in a production of something-or-another) and that's how they met. So OF COURSE, he's going to propose in full-on Broadway fashion! This is totally what I love about theater people - it's no-holds-barred, over-the-top fun - not just for the people putting on the production, but for the people watching.
- I'm pretty sure the lyrics isn't "dancing Jews," but those guys totally cracked me up. Them and the marching band.
- Speaking of the marching band, I almost lost it when the people in band uniforms came in. The only thing that would have made this any better is if they had instruments and were playing the song. But this loses nothing by that omission.
- Loved the little kid in the Oregon Ducks jersey with the Dancing Jews. Also, the older couple with the flowers. Too cute. There was nothing about this that I didn't completely love.
- The girl in the front with the red dress? I want that dress.
- And this just may be my own preferences, but Amy is one lucky girl. Not just because her fiance staged this whole production for her (and props to him for doing so), but he is quite the good-lookin' guy (it could be the suit, but - damn!)
- Finally - just want to add my congrats to Amy and Isaac and all the best wishes. Thanks for sharing your special moment with all of us - it certainly made my week!
Here's a quick and dirty "I saw it posted on Facebook and wanted it to count for a blog post" review -
Knee-jerk reaction: a version of "Napoleon Dynamite" that my literary-snob creative writing professors in college would love.
There is just enough "What the hell...?" in this trailer to make me want to see this. But probably at the dollar theater. With a date. Who's paying for my ticket. Or maybe I'll just borrow the DVD from the library.
(And I'm not a cinephile by any stretch of the imagination, so bear with me when I say - Who the crap is Wes Anderson?)
I freely admit, I'm not an expert on what constitutes "good" music (actually, I'm not an expert on what constitutes "good" anything. At least, not according to what industry big wigs say). I also freely admit that I'm not much of a gamer. I have my favorite games that I play and I don't venture too far out of that sphere. However, when I was a kid I played the snot out of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. Hands-down, my most favoritest game! (sadly, I never completed the whole thing - I never could find those last few Bonus Rounds for the two or three Kremcoins (Kremkoins?) I lacked to finish the Lost World).
All that being said, I have long thought that Donkey Kong Country 2 had some of the best darn video game music EVER! I recently found the soundtrack for a decent price and I've been playing it almost nonstop (just to show how much of a non-gamer I am: They have soundtracks for VIDEO GAMES? That you can BUY???) One day while I was fooling around on YouTube, I came across this piano medley. And it is GLORIOUS:
Ah, childhood. I've got to find my copy of DKC2 now!
(This version of "In a Snow-Bound Land" sounds like it ought to be played at a wedding).
1985 was a freaking awesome year. To illustrate, here are a few things that highlight such greatness:
- The first Back to the Future is released
- Ronald Reagan sworn in for a second term as president
- San Francisco 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX
- The Utah Jazz selects Karl Malone in the NBA Draft
- Nintendo releases their first home entertainment system along with the Super Mario Bros. video game
- In that vein, Tetris is released as well
- The wreck of the RMS Titanic is discovered
- Pete Rose becomes the all-time record hitter in Major League Baseball
- Disney releases The Black Cauldron (shut up - it's a great movie!)
- I was born (May 17)
I had to see it twice, but I finally have thoughts to share on The Avengers. Spoilers below the decidedly NOT spoilery (but very funny) video.
I have a fun little story to tell. Actually no, it's not that fun. But it explains a great deal.
The one movie theater that I love going to is the Jordan Landing Cinemark. This place is a pretty spiffy theater while still being fairly reasonbly priced - the seats are roomy, the staff are friendly and they make their snack bar hot dogs out of unicorn tears. No, really - they are that good (it's the one time I can justify paying $4 for movie theater food). This theater is also attracts - shall we say - more higher-class clientele. I have never had a bad experience going to a movie at Jordan Landing.
Until last Monday night and The Avengers.
I've talked about this before - In the lead-up to this movie, I was as excited as anybody (excepting, perhaps, the people who grew up reading Marvel comics. But that’s a whole ‘nother ballpark). I have thoroughly enjoyed the Marvel superhero movies and I’ve loved all the continuity that’s gone into these stories. But most of all, I love the characters and seeing where these superheroes come from. It's a real treat for me, as someone who isn't steeped in Marvel Comics lore, to have a glimpse into these stories and feel like I can be welcomed into the universe and know what's going on without the burden of having to know the source material inside-and-out (which I would love to do, but there's a crapton to read through - never mind having to get it all in the right order).
Sadly, I was delayed in seeing The Avengers, but I had a good reason. My aunt passed away last week and her funeral was on Saturday in Nevada. I spent Friday traveling, Saturday at the funeral and with family and coming back home, Sunday passed out on the couch in a pile of travel-worn goo with no desire to go anywhere or do anything. But I figured I could go see it Monday night after I got off work at 9:00 at night - hopefully the audience would be small and I could enjoy my experience.
Well, turns out the late Monday night showing was a horrible idea. In short, this is what I had to endure:
- The idiot teenagers who had probably sneaked out of the house so they could canoodle with their boy- or girl-toys in the back of a darkened theater while alternately snickering “OMG his boots r sooo gay!” (meaning Captain America in the dressed-down version of his uniform). Oh, and they kept laughing even after the jokes were over and done with. Do you know how maddening it is when you are trying to watch an incredibly intense battle sequence and you've got the cast of Degrassi behind you giggling over Odin-knows-what?
- The married fanboys who finally convinced their extremely skeptical wives to go see it with them. The wives then start clucking to each other about some goofy housewifey thing and how ridiculous their hubbies are being but said hubbies wouldn't give them a moment's peace until they counted this as date night... ALL DURING THE FRIGGING MOVIE!! *headdesk*
- This one doesn’t bug me as much because at least this audience member is interested in the movie. Still irritating, though. But there was also that one kid who was sugared-up on candy and Coke and keeps asking “Why’d Loki stab that one guy?” “How did [insert character] do that one thing?” “I wanna fly!” Love your enthusiasm, kid, but can you wait until you get to the parking lot?
So, when I walked out of the theater, I was not happy about the movie. I was too distracted by my very rude and annoying fellow movie-goers and I didn't get the experience that other people got when they tweeted how wonderful this movie was. And I was extremely annoyed by this because I honestly wanted to love this movie. In fact, last night I came home and wrote up a whole big thing about how I was so disappointed in the movie and how could they screw it up and what is everyone else thinking and I'm so pissed about this... but then I thought that maybe a second viewing would help. I then decided to go again after work today and see if I liked it better a second time.
(Don't worry - I did end up liking this movie. Quite a bit, actually. I later went back during a matinee to see it again and ended up in a much more amenable audience and figured out that was most of my problem the night before).
At first, I blamed it on the fact that I am not familiar with director Joss Whedon at all. At the risk of having my geek-cred called into question, I have to confess that I have never been on the Whedon bandwagon. It’s not a matter of me not liking his stuff; it’s a matter of me never actually watching anything of his. The most I know about Whedon is that he created Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and a great swath of the sci-fi/fantasy fandom thinks he’s God (I am not being critical here, mind you. I'm just saying that I don't have enough experience with Whedon to make that assessment for myself).
One thing I learned here is that Whedon has a very distinct method of storytelling and it's something I had to be prepared for and I wasn't. He's like Neil Gaiman in that regard - if I hadn't read at least some of Gaiman's work before seeing "The Doctor's Wife," I would not have know what was going on in that story and I probably would have been similarly disappointed. However, once I understood how Whedon does things, I was totally on board. One thing I had difficulty with was the humor - more specifically, the timing of the jokes. Like Agent Coulson quipping "So that's how it works" after he shoots Loki with the Big Ass Gun after Loki's fatally stabbed Coulson. That was just one of many mood whiplash moments that had me going "Wait - WHAT?" during my first viewing.
But the second go-round, I was expecting the humor so I was able to better pay attention to the characters and story (helped that the audience wasn't guffawing for five minutes at every little deadpan snark). In fact, the humor actually enhanced Tony Stark's character, which I did not think was possible. Tony is hands-down my favorite of the Avengers because he does possess a dark sense of humor and he can pull-off snark in a very natural way. Plus, his brand of snark actually serves a purpose - I loved the scenes with him and Bruce Banner (the Hulk) looking for the Tessaract and Tony just keeps poking the proverbial bear with the stick (all the while knowing exactly what he's doing). That's the other thing I love about Tony Stark - he's the scientific genius who can rattle off equations and technobabble, but still keep his "Mr. Cool" billionaire persona. Also, Tony's interactions with Steve Rogers (Captain America) are pure gold. Tony and Steve are near-perfect foils to each other - Tony's the dark, sarcastic genius of the bunch while Steve is the All-American Boy Scout who follows orders yet still commands respect, which I love (he is the legendary First Avenger, after all). It would have been so easy to relegate Cap to be the idealistic idiot wearing spangly Spandex, he became the leader of the Avengers almost by accident and it worked so well.
Also - I have to give mad props to Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner. I tried watching both Hulk movies prior to seeing The Avengers - yeah, I couldn't do it. They were both kind of long and boring and I just couldn't care. I'm going to try to Edward Norton movie again, but really, I don't think I need to. I think I know enough of the Hulk's backstory and his personality just from watching The Avengers. Really, this movie did for the Hulk as a member of a team what two whole movies of the Hulk as a solo-act did not do. That either speaks volumes in favor of Ruffalo and Whedon or it speaks to the incompetence of the guys in the other movies (personally, I like to keep things positive, so I'm going with the first one).
Chris Hemsworth is an awesome Thor and Tom Hiddleston is a fantastic Loki. I am such a fantasy geek - you tell me something's magic and I will buy it (as long as there are set rules and you stick to them). Everything for me doesn't have to be totally grounded in hard-core, proven science (or even plausible science fiction). My opinion from when I saw Thor has not changed - the concept of Asgard and the demigods is such a treat. I get that Thor is a very different hero from any of the others and it takes a certain kind of writer to bring that to bear in this ensemble cast and this is another area where Whedon gets it right. I love that Thor and Loki are given opportunities to explore their family relationship - Thor gives Loki a chance to quit his Earth-domination crap and come home. Thor also feels a responsibility to the Earth and wants to stop Loki from causing problems. But Loki's been slighted and he's going to cause as much havoc and mayhem and he's going to have fun doing it (Hiddleston's performance when he's yanking everyone's chain while being held prisoner on the SHIELD aircraft carrier is wonderful. He's another one who does the deadpan snarker very well).
I want to touch briefly on Black Widow and Hawkeye - I want their origin stories. I don't know if those movies are in the works (or maybe just one for the both of them, since it's made evident that their paths cross early-on), but that is something I dearly want. Maybe it's a tad unnecessary at this point, but I don't care - I WANTS IT, PRECIOUSSSS!! They are both fantastic characters - either apart or together and I want to see more of that.
(Oh, and every single time someone said “Tessaract,” I kept thinking of the Tessalecta from Doctor Who. Which is completely different).
This is getting insanely long, but here are some of my favorite moments that deserve special mention (there were so many good ones that it was hard to keep this a reasonable length):
- The Hulk beating the ever-loving snot out of Loki. Especially after Loki started in on his "I'm a god and you will bow to me you stupid human-thing" speech.
- The old man in Germany standing up to Loki when everyone else has bowed down.
- Iron Man patching "Shoot to Thrill" by AC/DC into Black Widow's jet's PA system.
- Loki in a suit. I know he's the bad guy and all but... damn...
- Agent Coulson explaining to Thor that he got Jane Foster somewhere far away from all the bad stuff happening and Thor being appreciative about it (okay, my little sappy female heart got a little mushy there)
- Anything Agent Coulson does or says (his total fanboying over Captain America was really sweet)
- Nick Fury telling the shadowy SHIELD board of committee director-leader-people that their idea to nuke Manhattan is a "stupid-ass decision."
- And I'm sure I forgot a few, but I'm sure someone else will point them out.
Anyway, Whedon did a pretty good job with this movie (though to be perfectly honest, I would have seen this no matter who the director was - but Whedon was an excellent choice). The cast was great and the story was put together well and I don't know what else to say about it other than I want another one. Like, right now. Because that was way too much awesome to be confined to one movie. There must be more. MOAR, I say!
PS - I still would recommend seeing a movie at Jordan Landing if you're ever in town. It's not their fault a bunch of ninnies all went and saw the same movie on the same night and ruined my initial experience. But if I find out who those kids were, I would not be opposed to toilet-papering their houses.
I'm having to go out of town this weekend for some family things and I'll be out of commission for a while - and all these awesome things are happening!!! ARGH!
Real quick - here's what's going down -
1. The Avengers movie is kicking ass and taking names. I hope to see it next week sometime (but if I can sneak away to a movie theater today or tomorrow, I will jump on that opportunity).
2. May the 4th Be With You - Happy Star Wars Day, y'all! (The first of two, since the Star Wars release day anniversary is May 25 and is also considering Geek Pride Day).
4. The cover for A Memory of Light, the 14th and final Wheel of Time book, was released yesterday. I'll have further analysis later, but suffice it to say that this is the first cover of this series (that isn't an ebook re-release) that actually says to the potential reader "READ ME! I'M AN AWESOME BOOK!" (too bad it took until the END OF THE FREAKING SERIES to finally get such a cover /rant)
5. The Vortex Boys are watching "The Mark of the Rani" tonight for Friday Night Who. Seeing as this is one of my favorite Doctor Who stories (not just a favorite Colin Baker story - a favorite Doctor Who story in general), I'm miffed that I have to miss it. I'll certainly watch it on my own before they review it on the podcast, but Friday Night Who is my ritual. *sadface*
Universe - next time I have to attend to personal stuff, try not to do anything new and exciting while I'm gone. Just... make it a boring "Everyone go do yardwork" weekend, mmkay?
I've been a little antsy about the Gallifrey One convention next February. Not in the least because this is my first convention EVER and I want to have a good time, but I know very little about actually going to conventions. I've asked other con-goers about the logistics and I've read about others' experiences in hopes that I can benefit from something they've learned (Note: Neowhovian has an excellent post with some Gally attendance advice that's well worth a look). But being the travel-dunce that I am, I'm stressing out about plane tickets, hotel rooms, getting from the airport to the hotel and all that jazz (oh, who am I kidding? I stress out about everything. Especially things that really aren't a big deal).
The one thing I've heard over and over is how fast the discounted hotel rooms go. And that was something that I started to fret about. The basic idea I got was that if you're not sitting at your computer with your credit card in hand when they announce the hotel room code (and it'll be somewhere like Twitter or Facebook that ends up getting buried under all the other crap that people pile on your wall), you are S.O.L. and you have to book a room elsewhere. That's probably not entirely true, but I want to have all my travel and accommodations and what-have-you taken care of as soon as possible and just be able to enjoy the experience.
So last night, I'm sitting at my desk and I notice I have a new email. Turns out, it's from the lovely folks at Gallifrey One announcing that the discounted hotel block is open for people who've pre-registered and here's the code and go get 'em, kid!
First thought was: "Oh, they sent me an email! That's awesome!" Second thought was: "GO BOOK YOUR HOTEL ROOM NOW!!"
So, I did. Then, I left for a while then come back to find a SECOND email announcing that the original hotel block was completely booked WITHIN ONE HOUR of the emails being sent out.
You mean - I actually got in under the gun and got my hotel room booked?
I know this is a weird thing for me to be posting about, but THIS KIND OF STUFF NEVER HAPPENS TO ME!! I fully expected to be one of those newbies who can't get a place to stay in LA and is scrambling the week before to find a couch or the backseat of a car to sleep on during Gally. Please allow me this victory lap.
Right now, I'm chalking this up purely to beginner's luck. I'm certain that if I decide to go to Gally in 2014, I will be one of those poor schlubs whose emails got lost in limbo and completely misses the first run of hotel bookings. But for now, I'm going to enjoy this victory with a herd of Daleks chasing a turtle at what I assume was a past Gally.
Everyone - I'M GOING TO GALLIFREY! (It still hasn't completely sunk in that I'm doing this).
I'm back! And this post's offering is "Brave" from Disney and Pixar -
Question - Has Pixar done any kind of story involving magic? Disney's done a boatload throughout the years of course, but I believe this is the first Pixar movie to do a story with actual magic (correct me if I'm wrong). So, between magic being used, a female main protagonist and the setting in Scotland (WHEE! SCOTLAND!) and by virtue of it being a Pixar film, I preemptively love, love, LOVE this movie!
... as long as Merida doesn't give a heaping big monologue about "I am Woman and OMG Girl Power!" because that's just stupid. As I have said before. But I trust Pixar can tell a story without getting annoyingly preachy (unlike various reviewers I've encountered online).
But I digress - LOVE THIS MOVIE!!
(And Craig Ferguson is in it! This thing keeps getting better and better!)
PS - How in the name of all that is good and holy would Merida get all that hair stuffed up into that fancy-head-hair-hiding thing? I mean, I have much shorter curly hair and I have the hardest time keeping it in line. Just observing.
Today's the day for banana daquiris and 3D glasses as we all give a rousing Happy Birthday to everyone's favorite skinny boy in a suit - David Tennant!
SPOILER ALERT! The following post contains obscene amounts of SPOILERS for the following Big Finish "Doctor Who" stories: #133 - City of Spires, #134 - The Wreck of the Titan, #135 - Legend of the Cybermen. Not to mention scattered SPOILERS for all of the Second Doctor's era (especially from "The War Games" and "The Mind Robber") and maybe a few other minor things. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!
I love all the Doctor's companions, though some I love more than others. It's just the way things happen. One of my absolute favorites is Jamie McCrimmon, the lovable Scottish highlander who was a mainstay of the Patrick Troughton era. The Second Doctor had a good handful of companions, but Jamie was THE companion in the late 1960s. He was brave, if a little naive, but definitely a quick learner and always eager for adventure. He could roll with the changes in the Doctor's traveling lifestyle with ease and the most adorable smile you've ever seen. Jamie's story arc is one major reason I often bemoan the fact that so little of the Troughton era remains complete - how cool would it be to watch Jamie's character progression from an 18th century Scotsman with little knowledge of anything outside his own circumstances to someone who fully accepts and embraces time-and-space travel? But there's no point in lamenting what you can't control, I suppose. But I can get annoyed that Jamie and Zoe Heriot's memories of traveling with the Doctor were taken away by the Time Lords at the end of "The War Games" because - ARGH! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO A COMPANION??? WHY WHY WHY??
Yes, I'm side-eyeing you, RTD. SO HARD! (poor, poor Donna...)
So, when I discovered Big Finish had produced a trilogy of audio stories with the Sixth Doctor with Jamie as the companion, I wondered "How in the name of Gallifrey is this going to work?" How are they going to justify Jamie meeting the Doctor again and how will he remember the Doctor and what will the Doctor have to do to bring Jamie along on these adventures?
(Before I go on - I'm blaming/crediting Traveling the Vortex for my renewed binge on Big Finish. Last week, they had a Companion Archive for Evelyn Smythe, who is a Big Finish-only companion. And we're watching "The War Games" for Friday Night Who last week and this week. So, this is their fault).
Long story short (and spoiler-free) - Big Finish did all of that. And more. You owe it to yourself to seek out these three stories and listen to them (and there is a Companion Chronicle that goes with them - "Night's Black Agents" - but I haven't bought it yet. I will soon, though).
Short story made longer - Let's just take this one story at a time:
(SPOILERS really begin here, so if you're looking to remain unspoiled on the Big Finish stuff, this is where you ought to stop. Seriously - stop now.)
"City of Spires" - This starts out where you'd expect Jamie to be, given how "The War Games" ended. The highlanders are at war with the Redcoats (though Jamie doesn't show up until later). The Sixth Doctor sort of stumbles into the middle of the fighting (you know, like the Doctor always does) and eventually meets up with Jamie, who is now much older and doesn't remember the Doctor at all. This story is pretty straightforward - your standard Doctor-meets-new-companion (or former companion who's about to get re-recruited) story. I won't lie - it's a little odd to have Jamie with the Sixth Doctor at first, but the decision to write Jamie as someone older and with more life experience (and not all of it positive) helped make the reunion work. Plus, there's a mystery for the Doctor to solve that directly relates to Jamie. Recall that, at the end of "The War Games," when the Time Lords erased Jamie and Zoe's memories, they were allowed to keep the memories of their first adventure with the Doctor, but they never left in the TARDIS. The mystery here is this: Jamie doesn't remember anything about the Doctor. Not even his very first meeting (which would have taken place in "The Highlanders"). So, there's that to figure out on top of the other, more pressing weirdness of anachronistic oil drilling in 18th century Scotland.
"The Wreck of the Titan" - This is where things get really odd. It starts with the title and the trailer for this story. The trailer mentions the Doctor and Jamie have landed on the Titanic - which is all the trailer could really talk about without giving away the entire thing. And as similar as the two are, Titanic is NOT Titan. BUT - and this is where serendipity comes in because I listened to this the weekend all the Titanic centennial commemoration was going on - there is a book called "The Wreck of the Titan" that was published 14 years before the actual Titanic sank (go here to read about the uncanny similarities between the fictional Titan and the real Titanic). So, I'm wondering where in the world this is going. This isn't going to be the movie Titanic with Jack and Rose being replaced with the Doctor and Jamie? Because that would be cool on one level, but totally bizarre on another level.
Luckily, they kept James Cameron away from this one and brought in the fictional Titan. And that's where things start getting interesting (and where I had my AHA! moment). Right before the Titanic is due for her date with the iceberg, everything shifts and turns into the story of the Titan. Even the characters change. And instead of falling into the ocean, the Doctor and one other character wind up on the iceberg being chased by hungry polar bears (it's a lot cooler in the audio, believe me). In the meantime, Jamie hooks up with Captain Nemo and the Nautilus and it's about here that my absolute favorite Troughton-era story comes into play.
My friends - Big Finish actually revisted "The Mind Robber." And the fandom rejoiced. (don't click that link if you value your free time).
By "fandom," I mean one crazy fangirl that's bouncing up and down in her seat while driving down to visit her folks for the weekend. Amazing that I didn't careen into the ditch.
"Legend of the Cybermen" - And we're back to the Land of Fiction. Oh and Zoe's back!! (HOLY CRAP - IT IS ZOE!) And the White Robots! And the Karkuss! And the unicorns! And the - and the - *squee!*
(And there is an absolutely hilarious scene where the fictional characters start narrating their own stories - but Jamie thinks he's in a booth in a sound studio recording for a radio play. Complete with Nicholas Briggs directing and the Doctor/Colin Baker tapping the window of Jamie/Frazer Hines' sound booth and referring to them being trapped in meta-fiction. It's downright brilliant).
All right, all right - not everything is a fantastic trip down memory lane. For one thing, the Cybermen have invaded the Land of Fiction. For another, the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe discover that the oil that was being drilled clear back in "City of Spires" isn't oil. It's ink. And what do you do with ink? You write stories with it. Stories like "Alice in Wonderland" and "Dracula" and "Oliver Twist." Oh, and you bring an old traveling companion to life in the Land of Fiction so you can call on the Doctor to come help you get rid of the clunky old aliens that you inadvertently dragged into this place when they attacked your home.
Translation: Zoe became is the Mistress of the Land of Fiction when the Cybermen attacked her home, she created a fictional Jamie from her memories of him, fictional!Jamie took on a life of his own to the point of getting older, the Doctor got pulled into the Land of Fiction by Zoe and I'm a pile of goo because "What? Jamie's not real???"
(That was FOREVER HEARTBREAK when Jamie realizes he's not a real person and even goes so far as to berate the Doctor for never going back to check in on the real Jamie back in Scotland. I mean, Jamie does have a point - but does he have to be so mean about it? Well... yeah, he kind of does... Doesn't mean I have to like it, though).
In the end, the Cybermen are defeated. Jamie sacrifices his own life to allow the Doctor to escape with Zoe. The Doctor gets Zoe back to her home on the space station, but not before Zoe forgets the Doctor again. And the end theme tune plays - with the Troughton-era tune melding into the Colin Baker tune and I want to crawl into a corner and sob.
(On a lighter note - I can't help but think that there was someone at the Big Finish studios that, in a fit of boredom fueled by whimsy, doodled various mythical creatures like fairies and mermaids as partially-converted Cybermen. On the surface, the idea sounds terrible, but it really works and it's even worth a good laugh).
On the whole, I loved this entire trilogy (I'm not even sure what to call it. The Jamie Trilogy? The Mind Robber sequel?) It's Big Finish doing what they do best - creating new stories for well-loved characters and putting them in physical and emotional situations that were unheard of Back in the Day (and probably couldn't be done on TV anyway). I love that Jamie gets another chance to shine and underneath all that life experience as a jaded war hero, he's still that lovable and endearing traveling companion that I absolutely adore. This aspect of Jamie meshes well with the Sixth Doctor - where Jamie isn't 100% sure of this goofy-looking "Frenchman" and the Doctor is able to handle it with grace and appeal to that part of Jamie that never really forgot his friend (I maintain that the companions who are made to forget the Doctor still retain a bit of remembrance deep in their subconscious because an experience like the Doctor is too wonderful and precious to ever truly erase. Sure, it's sentimental and goopy but I don't care).
Bottom Line: I need a Jamie marathon now. (I don't care that it's 12:30 in the morning - where is my "Mind Robber" DVD???)
On this lucky Friday the 13th, let's raise our celery sticks to the air, my friends, and wish the wonderful Peter Davison (the Fifth Doctor) a very happy birthday! To celebrate, here's the very special Children in Need "Doctor Who" short where the Tenth Doctor meets up with my good friend Fivey - "Time Crash."
Wait - there's a Confidential for this thing too? *squee*
On that note - Happy Birthday Peter Davison and best wishes for many, many more!!
Seeing as how I recently saw The Hunger Games in theaters, it follows that I also saw a new crop of trailers for upcoming movies. And, Dear Readers, I have reviews to share:
1. What to Expect When You're Expecting
First Thought: You're making a comedy based solely on a non-fiction book that tells pregnant women that a little foot swelling is normal?? (That's as much as I can mention on this blog. I try to keep things PG around here).
Poor Lionsgate. They have this utterly awesome and incredibly popular franchise in The Hunger Games, yet they have provide advertising for their crappier offerings in the name of - what? Fairness? More money? Chris Rock trying to credibly explain how to parent a child? Honestly, we've done the whole Pregnancy-Baby-Is-Coming-Life-Is-Changing-And-It's-Gonna-Suck-For-You-And-Your-Selfish-Social-Life thing already (Look Who's Talking comes to mind - though the addition of the baby's inner monologue made this a worthwhile and original comedy). The only thing What To Expect... could possibly add is the obligatory raunchiness to the poop jokes (I don't know how and I certainly would prefer never to find out). And I've never liked Jennifer Lopez anyway.
I preemptively hate this movie (though I wish that Jeff Vice was still writing for the Deseret News. He'd have something entertaining to say for this pile of diaper goo).
2. The Avengers
Okay, this is an easy one. Marvel has done an excellent job with this franchise to this point and everything's coming together in this gigantic superhero team-up flick. The leads are all going to be fantastic, but one thing this trailer shows is that Loki is one badass villain (which is surprising, given that many interpretations of Loki and other trickster-type characters over the years have portrayed a goofy prankster. A clever prankster, to be sure, but still goofy). Personally, I like the direction they're taking Loki in this movie - and credit certainly goes to Tom Hiddleston's performance. Even this brief trailer shows just how conniving and evil he is, while still staying true to his traditionally tricky personality.
When the Summit logo came up, I actually felt my insides shrivel in disgust. But that line spoken like a romantic sentiment by Edward "Shovel Face" Cullen was the funniest thing I heard in that movie theater (including Effie Trinket's "That is mahogany!" outburst. Certainly funnier than that horse turd of a baby-movie trailer).
I preemptively hated this movie before I even saw the trailer... but I now preemptively love the RiffTrax version.
Time to come clean - I'm not really engaged. I'm not even going out with anybody. Dave doesn't exist (well, there are many Daves in the world, but I made this particular one up). I certainly have a lot of gullible friends (and family too, but I already knew they were sponges. Funnily enough, it was my dad and my brother that believed it the most, with the latter threatening to punch me for it. My mom and sisters totally saw through it). And - most importantly - that post was my most-viewed post ever! (What, you people aren't interested in my movie reviews? It's time to rethink your priorities, folks!)
Anyway, Happy April Fools' Day everyone! Thank you all for being good sports about it :)
(I'm just floored that I pulled that one off so well. I'm going to be laughing about this all week!)
I've kind of kept quiet about my personal life lately, with good reason. I have family and friends who tend to go overboard with certain types of expectations and I never wanted to get my hopes up. But now things are official and it's kind of pointless to keep this quiet and everyone's going to hear about it, so they probably ought to hear it from me first.
I'm engaged.
No, seriously! You laugh, but a few months ago I met this really awesome guy named Dave. I'd taken a lot of sub shifts at the Whitmore Library one week and he came in while I was working the front desk. It was really slow (like, pretty much dead) and he started talking to me - found out that he's really into science fiction and fantasy, but he's really cool about it. The next day, he was back at the library. I saw him a few times from the backroom, but I didn't think anything of it and just assumed that he lived close by. The third day I was there, he was there again and he asked me out! A bunch of his friends were going to watch some movies and he invited me to come, so I did. And we really hit it off! Before I went home, he asked me out again - this time, it would just be me and him. He said he'd make dinner and then we'd go to a movie (he's actually quite a good cook - he made the most fabulous pulled pork BBQ in the world!)
Since then, we've become the best of friends - he's pretty much the most wonderful man in the entire world (though he's not much of a Doctor Who fan. He likes it well enough, but I have some convincing to do to get him to come to Gallifrey with me next year. We might be able to trade off - if I go to a Star Trek convention for him or something. We're working on that) and I am the luckiest girl right now!
Oh yes, you'll all want to hear how he proposed (sorry, not used to all the ~*~girly~*~ flutters - it's really surreal). He called me Friday night, but I was at work so he left a message. He called to tell me that he was stranded in downtown Salt Lake (he's got the worst beater Hyundai. I think it's more chicken wire and rubber bands than actual car) and he needed a lift. He'd made it as far as the new City Creek mall, but *ahem* "Old Reliable" wasn't going anywhere else. So, I drove clear into downtown, found a parking meter (bear in mind, it is General Conference weekend, so there's a lot of out-of-towners taking in the sights), put in some change and called him. He said that he was at the fountain next to the South Visitors Center on Temple Square, which I thought was a little odd, considering that's somewhat out of the way from where I thought he'd be. But if you have to wait somewhere after dark, you could certainly do a whole lot worse than Temple Square. I walked over to the fountain and I saw him sitting there in a nice suit. By now, I wondering what the heck is going on. But then he got down on one knee and proposed (rather loudly - again, this is Temple Square the night before General Conference and there are TONS of people around). Long story short - I said yes and we hugged and he kissed me and people applauded and took pictures and there was lots of crying (I told Dave I'd say I did most of the crying - but he has a little something-something stuck in his eye too).
So, yep - I'm engaged and I'm totally thrilled by it. We haven't settled on a date (honestly - I just got used to the idea of ever getting married!), but it will be at the Salt Lake Temple and just look for the details when the come out, okay?
SPOILER WARNING for "The Hunger Games" movie. Read at your own risk. This is your ONE and ONLY warning!
I've made it no secret that I am eternally impressed by "The Hunger Games" book series by Suzanne Collins. In fact, all of the dystopian fiction I've consumed since reading this trilogy has been held up against the story of Katniss Everdeen and her rise from poor, starving girl from the backwoods of District 12 to inadvertently inciting a rebellion against the Capitol of Panem. When news came that this series would be made into a movie, my only hope was "Please don't screw it up, Please don't screw it up." And I am happy to report that they did NOT screw it up.
From the trailer, this movie looks like any flashy, showy, big-time summer blockbuster (even though it was released at the beginning of spring - eh, nit-pickiness there). Vivid effects, awesome background music, intense voice-overs - the whole enchilada (oh, and that little issue of playing up the love-triangle that every young adult novel MUST have that is truly only secondary in this story). But the movie opens up with stark white lettering on a black background that briefly describes the point of Panem's Hunger Games. Then, they cut to a seemingly innocuous interview of Seneca Crane (head Gamemaker) conducted by Caesar Flickerman (oh, Caesar Flickerman - how you amuse me so). That part's flashy and self-important - all the smugness that the Capitol has to offer and prides itself on.
And then - cut to the absolutely bloodcurdling scream of a young girl.
District 12 - Katniss Everdeen comforts her little sister, Prim, who is about to endure her first Reaping - where her name is entered for the first time as part of the selection of the Tributes for the Hunger Games. No music, no effects, no flash - just a terrified twelve-year-old girl waking from a nightmare and being reassured by her older sister. That is where "The Hunger Games" works so well - in the emotional, gut-wrenching punch of the premise. And they go for it right from the start.
I'm not going to give a play-by-play account of the movie, but that opening scene struck me very hard. Maybe it's because I have younger sisters and a niece now, but the entire sequence in the lead-up to the actual Reaping was something I won't soon forget. It was so simple in the storytelling - just showing the humble people of District 12 trying to get by with what they have, with a special focus on Katniss and Prim. It makes the moment when Effie Trinket draws Prim's name out of the Reaping bowl so much more. Because we love Prim and we know that Katniss loves Prim and we see how much Prim depends on Katniss for physical needs and emotional support and this is not going to be an easy movie to sit through.
Keep in mind - almost no background music in about the first twenty minutes of this movie. It doesn't need it. At all.
I want to say a few things about the casting of this movie. First of all - whoever got Donald Sutherland to play President Snow needs a bonus. In the books, President Snow is the creepiest, freakiest guy ever (and with all the creepy, freaky stuff in the Capitol, that is saying something) and Sutherland plays him to the hilt. There is a little bit of an attempt at being the kindly grandfather of the Capitol, relishing the festivities surrounding the Games, but underneath that exterior is something cold and menacing - especially toward anyone who mucks about with the Games. You know how Alan Rickman totally owned the role of Professor Snape? Donald Sutherland does the same thing for President Snow.
I also enjoyed the addition of the scenes between Snow and Seneca Crane where Snow berates Crane for certain things that happen in the Games (mostly things that Katniss does out of sheer human decency). Those things didn't happen in the books because the books are 100% told from Katniss' POV, but the movie pulled them off well.
Speaking of additions to the movie - the scene where Haymitch is in the Capitol and sees a boy chasing a girl with a toy sword was wonderful. Because there's a boy in the Hunger Games arena who has a real sword and uses it to cut down other Tributes (even gets Peeta with it at one point). So many things in this movie hearken to a line in the book, after Katniss volunteers to take Prim's place. Speaking of the people of District 12 - "They take the boldest form of dissent they can manage. Silence. Which says we do not agree. We do not condone. All of this is wrong." (The Hunger Games, chapter 2, page 21, Nook version). The Districts may have to take part in the Games, but they don't have to like it. Many of them wish for another way.
Oh yeah - I was talking about casting. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss was absolutely fantastic. Of course, Katniss carries the story (being as it is her POV most of the time) and Lawrence is certainly able to do that. She comforts Prim, she stands up to her mother, she mourns Rue (I'll come to that in a minute), and she is certainly a strong person. I've seen her described as a strong female character, which is true, but I don't see the need to denote her gender in this case. If Katniss was a male character, but with similar experiences and personality, I don't think the story would be one bit different. One of my favorite parts was during Katniss' interview - this whole time Katniss is shown as a strong, capable young woman. She's good with a bow and arrow and she doesn't take anyone's crap if she doesn't want to. But she has some little slip-up in the interview where she doesn't hear what Caesar Flickerman asks her and she goes "What?" and the Capitol audience laughs. I loved how that showed that Katniss was still nervous and scared and very unsure of herself, in spite of all the skills she has. That is a realistic character - male or female.
The rest of the cast was good as well, though I was a little miffed that Gale got so little screentime, yet he was one of the top-billed characters in the marketing (again, lame love-triangle - got to put butts in the seats, I guess). Good grief, Rue got more screentime and was a much more memorable character. Granted, Gale will probably have more to do in "Catching Fire," so I can't get too upset. Though, I'm not entirely sure about Peeta yet. Although, this may have more to do with the fact that, at this point in the books, Katniss isn't sure about him either (and by extension, neither is the reader). I did think the cave scenes were done very well, though.
I was going to talk about Rue and her death (yeah, the cute little girl who climbs trees and whistles to mockingjays dies. Sorry). That scene - holy cow, THAT SCENE. If you haven't seen the fan-created film of this scene, go watch it now and come back. I'll wait (yes, yes - Rue in the YouTube video is white when she should be black. Let's all whine, carp and complain about a fan-made clip). While I was seeing the scene in the movie, I did have that video in my head and, truly, I started to cry. Like, actually shaking and sobbing in the movie theater. I knew it was coming, but it still kicked me in the face. And the fact that there was no music in the movie version almost made it worse. Because, let's face it, real life doesn't have a grandiose soundtrack. This was really like watching someone in the real world mourn the death of another person (and Katniss' near-hysterical breakdown a few scenes later did nothing to stop me crying). I also loved that they showed District 11 in riots after Rue's death and Katniss' reaction because it helps to set up what's coming in "Catching Fire." Even though in the book, District 11 thanks Katniss for honoring Rue by sending her bread into the arena and that's one of my favorite scenes from the book, this is a change for the movie that I am okay with.
Few more things:
- It's a good thing I went to a matinee showing and there weren't a whole lot of people in the theater. Because I screamed a rather loud swearword when the muttations came leaping out of the forest at Katniss and Peeta. Then again, I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one.
- I've seen a few articles about how parents aren't sure about taking their young children to see this movie and how it's too violent. Well, if you're going to take your seven-year-old, what kind of freaky weirdo are you? Seriously, it's got a PG-13 rating for a reason. The books themselves are marketed to teenagers, for crying out loud! That being said, the violence was portrayed in a way that I found to be very tasteful, given the circumstances. Anytime characters get into a fight and die, the movement is so fast that you don't see it. It's like one big blur and then it's over. You do see the Tribute lying dead on the ground and there is quite a bit of blood, but it's not gratuitous (this isn't Braveheart, folks).
- With all the viral marketing and what-have-you, something very vital is missing - why isn't anyone selling mockingjay pins? I have combed the stores and the internet and all I can find are half-assed homemade things on Etsy that really aren't worth it. I don't want a pink wig or a skin dye job like those nutty Capitol people - I just want a freaking little pin!
Bottom Line: Books and movies are two different mediums. What works in one will not do so well in the other. "The Hunger Games" movie kept to the spirit of the book while still telling one of the most compelling stories for young adults I've read in a long time. In fact, when I got home I started reading Catching Fire and I actually saw the actors in the movie in the scenes from the book. I seriously cannot wait to see how the next one turns out.
Bottom-Bottom Line: Book-to-Movie Adaptation: You're Doing It Right.
The news broke earlier today (or may have been yesterday - I was away from the computer for a substantial amount of time). And, really, that's all we know about her. She's been in "Captain America," which is I recognized her from, though I couldn't recall her character (it was just a bit-part). Here's video of her being interviewed by Lizo Mzimba of the BBC -
Personally, I think she's adorable. She's evidently got good chemistry with Matt Smith. If Steven Moffat is excited about her, then that's good enough for me. (Tangentially - HOORAY FOR "DOCTOR WHO" NEWS!!!!)
A quick word - As with many announcements concerning "Doctor Who," this change-up has been met with, shall we say, immaturity, hatred and blatant stupidity. People, we don't even know the new companion's name, let alone what kind of character she is, how she's being written, her backstory - hell, we don't even know what planet the girl's from! So, everyone who's getting their G-strings in a knot and carping about how she's going to be horrible for Reasons X, Y and Z, may I respectfully request that you bug off? If you're upset about how the Moff has hinted that Amy and Rory are going to depart, that's one thing (Spoilers: It doesn't look good for Team Pond - but that could be Moffat messing with our heads. Again). But don't take it out on the lady that's coming in after them before she's even filmed a single scene!
For a laugh - here's something someone put together a while ago in response to people bemoaning how various changes had "killed" Doctor Who in the past. I think we're going to be okay.
Back when I was doing my undergrad at Utah State University, I wrote a bi-weekly column for The Utah Statesman (it wasn't anything too special - social commentary on current events. Kind of boring). A small group of my colleagues also wrote a column to go in the Entertainment section called "The Preemptive Critics." This column reviewed movies on the basis of having only seen the trailers, TV spots, posters and other advertising - but without having actually seen the movies or any other kind of reviews. It was touted as a purely knee-jerk reaction to the movie, but it was a clever (and cheap) way to provide content for the newspaper.
Now, you've probably noticed how anemic my postings have been of late. In my defense, I'm too broke to go see movies in the theaters (and I have zero time), there are no TV shows worth reviewing (wait - this just in - Doctor Who is still not on) and I'm not delving into politics here (nope, none of those shenanigans, thank you). But I've had a couple of ideas lately and bringing back "The Preemptive Critic" is one of them (just the one Critic, mind you. This blog has always been a one-girl operation). I have a few other ideas, but I will go into them another time. So, for today, I present
The Preemptive Critic: Snow White and the Huntsman
Okay, so my initial reaction to hearing that Kristen "Bella the Emotionless Sea Cucumber" Stewart was in this movie put me off of ever seeing it. However, in this trailer she actually came off as being invested in her character and I'm actually willing to give her the benefit of the doubt in this case (in her performance in "Twilight," it could be a case of the original source material being complete and utter crap). Plus, I have a fondness for classic fairy tale retellings and I think "Snow White" could pull off the Epic Badass Action Fantasy schtick much better than "Alice in Wonderland" did (though why the costume department insists on putting a female action hero in plate armor is anyone's guess. Maybe it's to appease the militant feminists or something, but I think it looks stupid. She's a princess, for cripes' sake! They didn't shove Susan and Lucy Pevensie into armor and they went into battle just fine).
Oh, and Chris Hemsworth's in this movie. YES, PLEASE!
I am preemptively intrigued by this movie and will likely see it at the dollar theater. If I have nothing better to do with myself.
With that said - there is another "Snow White" retelling being released this year (how 'bout that?), so it makes sense to also bring you
The Preemptive Critic: Mirror Mirror
By definition, Julia Roberts is annoying. And she's never the character she's playing. She's always Julia Roberts in some fancy get-up playing alongside a bunch of people who are actually in-character. While this tries to put Snow White into the action girl hero-mode, but whenever you have to explicitly state "I'm not a typical fairy-tale princess because I'm not going to wait around for a prince to save me," you've pulled me out of the story and into some After-School Special Message and I really hate that. If you really are the lady-action-hero, don't sit around and lecture me about it - GO DO SOMETHING! (argh!) Oh and the slapstick takes away from any kind of serious credibility I was willing to lend to your story. "The Princess Bride" and "Shrek" can do fairy tale comedy - but those are original stories taking elements of fairy tales and putting them into a comedy. Making an already-established fairy tale funny just doesn't work. Sorry.
I preemptively hate this movie.
(Huh, I favor the movie with the Emotionless Sea Cucumber over the movie with the Established Beautiful Person Who Happens to Be An Actress That Everyone Loves. Go figure.)
Now, I'm no licensed professional (re: people who majored in music and drama in college and who have been in cat food commercials since they were in diapers and Who Know Everything There Is To Know About Performing Arts And Their Expertise Must Not Be Questioned By The Unwashed Rabble), but since I found Tiffany Alvord on YouTube, I've made it a point to seek out the rest of her stuff. One reason is that when I was in high school, I dabbled in music a bit and took voice lessons. Now, I wasn't as good as those people who were musically inclined from the womb, but I did all right. But I remember one thing my voice teacher told me - I could not practice a song that was originally sung by a male singer because of octaves and pitch and something else that I don't remember.
My problem with that - most female singers sing songs about romantic mush-crap or about breaking up and killing the guy that broke their heart. That may be fine for a while, but it gets old. Fast. Plus, the songs I like tend to be things like OneRepublic and Coldplay and The Killers - alternative music that has some pretty unique lyrics and are just fun to sing. Take "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay - it's about the monarchies of the past (mainly European) becoming obsolete because historical events have made them so. "Human" by The Killers is about taking off from what you've known all your life and deciding what kind of person you're going to be. The the second verse is actually quite profound (and the music video has so much pretty in it - pretty kitties, pretty Monument Valley, pretty Brandon Flowers...) Those are just a few examples of songs that I like to sing and it'd be cool to see a female singer or group do something like that. Tiffany Alvord's starting to do that with her covers of various artists and I like it and I hope she keeps doing it. Maybe she'll get her own record deal and do original songs. You never know.
