There is large hole in my heart left by the Masterpiece: Mystery! series Inspector Lewis, or rather, the end of the series. I loved watching Hathaway try not to run circles around Lewis intellectually while he chain smoked, and Lewis shake his head at people. The score was super great, and I love solving the mystery!
And then bam! It's over. I never went back and watched Inspector Morse, which Inspector Lewis is a spin off of. I have it in my netflix queue, but I decided since there was no more Lewis, I should catch up on Endeavour, which is the prequel to Inspector Morse and is returning this June on Masterpiece.
It has filled the hole in my heart. I am on a 1960's Great Britain kick, and this fits in so nicely. It's set in mid-sixties Oxford, and the score is composed by none other than Barrington Pheloung, who also composed for Inspector Lewis and Inspector Morse.
I got Enchanted from the library, and let me tell you, I think that it is one of the best Disney movies of all time. Seriously. Not only does it have James Marsden, we learn that maybe it is not such a great idea to marry someone you've just met, and there are big musical numbers and it's super funny and cute. I want to have a big musical number with singing and dancing and clapping and snapping and general joy and magic. I would also very much like for small rodents and other assorted creatures to do my housework.
Mr. Burge recently found some copies of Catch-22 that last years seniors left behind. These are nice, 50th anniversary copies. Burge asked if anyone wanted one, and I said if there's one without too much writing in it, I'd take it. He found one in nearly pristine condition for me. I got asked "don't you already have a copy?" later that day. I do. But that copy is held together by packing tape and is highlighted to high heaven. It's an annotated copy. I like to have a vanity copy as well. I have one for East of Eden as well. One copy has my scribley notes and highlights, and one copy is the fancy centennial edition. I like to have a copy to read without puzzling over why I wrote something or doodled a dead cat in the margins.
"I guess this makes you the damsel in distress, huh, handsome?" - Enchanted
-D.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
Post #48: Lost in the Darkness
Never in my life has a book left me wondering what the heck just happened, even though I totally understood what happened. Until Heart of Darkness. So they got attacked and the guy died, and Marlow has to get his shoes off? Right, I got that. But why am I still so darn confused? And then he finds Kurtz and Kurtz dies so Marlow goes to talk to the widow? Why is he even telling this story to the guys on the boats? Why hasn't someone said "shut up, I wanna play dominoes. No one cares about your FUBB trip up the river."
I even watched Apocalypse Now in hopes of it being put into an adapted, different point of view. Nearly three hours later, I am even more confused. Cowboy Curtis died, and they're in Vietnam and Han Solo and the Doors are there? What? And then Stanley gets brutally murdered by Queenan? Back up. I'm so lost. Burge keeps saying that we aren't supposed to understand the book because it's a juxtaposition, but that doesn't make me feel any better. Am I just supposed to let it wash over me in waves of arrows and fog and explosions? I feel like I'm lost in the white fog.
Mr. Burge says we can use this on the AP test, if it fits the prompt, but I don't think that's going to work unless the prompt says "Write a well organized essay about a book that made no sense and left you feeling confused, dumb, and a little uncomfortable." Because I could make that work.
"This is the end, beautiful friend." - The Doors
-D.
I even watched Apocalypse Now in hopes of it being put into an adapted, different point of view. Nearly three hours later, I am even more confused. Cowboy Curtis died, and they're in Vietnam and Han Solo and the Doors are there? What? And then Stanley gets brutally murdered by Queenan? Back up. I'm so lost. Burge keeps saying that we aren't supposed to understand the book because it's a juxtaposition, but that doesn't make me feel any better. Am I just supposed to let it wash over me in waves of arrows and fog and explosions? I feel like I'm lost in the white fog.
Mr. Burge says we can use this on the AP test, if it fits the prompt, but I don't think that's going to work unless the prompt says "Write a well organized essay about a book that made no sense and left you feeling confused, dumb, and a little uncomfortable." Because I could make that work.
"This is the end, beautiful friend." - The Doors
-D.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Post #47: Captain America: The Winter Soldier MOVIE EDITION
THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS SPOILERS ABOUT THE MOVIE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
The first words out of my mouth after the final post credits scene were: wait, what? I was worried about Bucky, but now I'm worried about the Maximoffs, and their "Miracle Powers" (because we can't say mutant.). Where was Falcon's suit? Who was agent 13, besides not Sharon Carter?
I enjoyed the movie overall, however. I liked the Nick Fury twist, The scene at base in New Jersey scared the crap out of me, oh, and Hail, Hydra! I really loved that this movie was more of a political thriller than a shoot-em-up-Cap-and-Black-Widow-kick-everyone's-butt movie. It made the fight scenes much more impacting and fun. I love love LOVE that they had Gary Sinise do the voice over for the Smithsonian. It added a nice layer of reality to the movie (If you didn't know, Gary Sinise is very active in doing voice overs for military advertising, VA advertising, and hosts the Memorial DaySobfest Special on PBS every year). I think they did well with Bucky's back story as the Winter Soldier.
I had an...interesting encounter with some acquaintances of the friend I went with when we went to Target and I told them I was sad that they hadn't used any of the original back story, but I understood why they changed things, because I don't think they would really want to touch the Civil War saga, and also, who could possibly play Deadpool? The man looked at me over his glasses and said "Us purists know the truth. We are the nerds. I believe they will, especially because Chris Evans is only signed on for two more movies after Age of Ultron."
The words 'purists' and 'nerds' make me uncomfortable. I prefer Geek, because, yes, there is big difference between Geeks and Nerds (this is a good article about the differences). And also no one is a "purist" when it comes to Marvel, or DC. I don't know anyone who has ONLY read the comics and never watched a movie or a tv show. And also, I don't claim to have read a ton of comics. I read the ones that look good, and I really specialize more in X-Men. And there are over 75 years worth of comics to get through (both Marvel and DC).
IMAX is not worth seventeen dollars. Especially because you can't switch seats if you end up next to a talker. And also, I was not impressed by the 3D IMAX magic. It was not magic, and if I didn't look at the screen right, the image wasn't in 3D, it was in the pre-glasses double vision.
"Comics are a gateway drug to literacy." - Art Spiegelman
-D.
The first words out of my mouth after the final post credits scene were: wait, what? I was worried about Bucky, but now I'm worried about the Maximoffs, and their "Miracle Powers" (because we can't say mutant.). Where was Falcon's suit? Who was agent 13, besides not Sharon Carter?
I enjoyed the movie overall, however. I liked the Nick Fury twist, The scene at base in New Jersey scared the crap out of me, oh, and Hail, Hydra! I really loved that this movie was more of a political thriller than a shoot-em-up-Cap-and-Black-Widow-kick-everyone's-butt movie. It made the fight scenes much more impacting and fun. I love love LOVE that they had Gary Sinise do the voice over for the Smithsonian. It added a nice layer of reality to the movie (If you didn't know, Gary Sinise is very active in doing voice overs for military advertising, VA advertising, and hosts the Memorial Day
I had an...interesting encounter with some acquaintances of the friend I went with when we went to Target and I told them I was sad that they hadn't used any of the original back story, but I understood why they changed things, because I don't think they would really want to touch the Civil War saga, and also, who could possibly play Deadpool? The man looked at me over his glasses and said "Us purists know the truth. We are the nerds. I believe they will, especially because Chris Evans is only signed on for two more movies after Age of Ultron."
The words 'purists' and 'nerds' make me uncomfortable. I prefer Geek, because, yes, there is big difference between Geeks and Nerds (this is a good article about the differences). And also no one is a "purist" when it comes to Marvel, or DC. I don't know anyone who has ONLY read the comics and never watched a movie or a tv show. And also, I don't claim to have read a ton of comics. I read the ones that look good, and I really specialize more in X-Men. And there are over 75 years worth of comics to get through (both Marvel and DC).
IMAX is not worth seventeen dollars. Especially because you can't switch seats if you end up next to a talker. And also, I was not impressed by the 3D IMAX magic. It was not magic, and if I didn't look at the screen right, the image wasn't in 3D, it was in the pre-glasses double vision.
"Comics are a gateway drug to literacy." - Art Spiegelman
-D.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Post #46: Captain America: The Winter Soldier COMIC BOOK EDITION
Heads up: I'm devoting the following post to the Captain America: The Winter Soldier comic book, Captain America: The First Avenger movie, The Marvel Civil War saga, and various animated specials and TV episodes. This post contains spoilers. Big ones.
I just finished reading The Winter Soldier saga by Ed Brubaker, and I'm a little concerned about the movie. In the comics, Bucky is a.) a kid they get off a military base at age 16,
b.) Captain America's partner
and, most importantly and blatantly ignored in First Avenger,
c.) is killed when he and The Cap escape being held prisoner by Nazis. He is blown up with the ship because his arm gets stuck and he can't fall off into the ocean with The Cap.
HE DOES NOT FALL OFF A SPEEDING TRAIN INTO AN ICY ABYSS! THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENS!
The Russians find him, missing his left arm and frozen, and go "awesome we found Captain America's partner! He probably has super serum we can replicate! Yay!" Bucky is 100% human. No super soldier here. So, instead, they make him a (bad ass) prosthetic arm and brainwash him, which isn't hard, because he doesn't remember who he is, but remembers all of his combat skills (because Bucky was more than an icon. He was a legitimate soldier with intense training.) and becomes Codename: Winter Soldier, an assassin for the KGB.
This story arc is part of a much larger saga, and is also part of the Marvel Civil War storyline, in which Steve Rogers/Captain America is killed in cold blood, and Bucky takes his place as Captain America.
I looked at the Age of Ultron cast list and Chris Evans is there as Cap. Also, I can't imagine that Marvel Studios wants to touch the saga that pits Captain America against Iron Man in the battle against/for superhuman registration and being forced to work for the government. It's a constant theme in X-Men comics and movies, but not so much in the rest of the mainstream Marvel Universe.
Black Widow is nowhere to be found in the Winter Soldier comics. Falcon plays a pretty minimal role. Important, but minimal.
More to come after I see the movie.
-D.
I just finished reading The Winter Soldier saga by Ed Brubaker, and I'm a little concerned about the movie. In the comics, Bucky is a.) a kid they get off a military base at age 16,
b.) Captain America's partner
and, most importantly and blatantly ignored in First Avenger,
c.) is killed when he and The Cap escape being held prisoner by Nazis. He is blown up with the ship because his arm gets stuck and he can't fall off into the ocean with The Cap.
HE DOES NOT FALL OFF A SPEEDING TRAIN INTO AN ICY ABYSS! THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENS!
The Russians find him, missing his left arm and frozen, and go "awesome we found Captain America's partner! He probably has super serum we can replicate! Yay!" Bucky is 100% human. No super soldier here. So, instead, they make him a (bad ass) prosthetic arm and brainwash him, which isn't hard, because he doesn't remember who he is, but remembers all of his combat skills (because Bucky was more than an icon. He was a legitimate soldier with intense training.) and becomes Codename: Winter Soldier, an assassin for the KGB.
This story arc is part of a much larger saga, and is also part of the Marvel Civil War storyline, in which Steve Rogers/Captain America is killed in cold blood, and Bucky takes his place as Captain America.
I looked at the Age of Ultron cast list and Chris Evans is there as Cap. Also, I can't imagine that Marvel Studios wants to touch the saga that pits Captain America against Iron Man in the battle against/for superhuman registration and being forced to work for the government. It's a constant theme in X-Men comics and movies, but not so much in the rest of the mainstream Marvel Universe.
Black Widow is nowhere to be found in the Winter Soldier comics. Falcon plays a pretty minimal role. Important, but minimal.
More to come after I see the movie.
-D.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Post #45: Out Among The Stars, $16.25, and Nashville 2.0
I was not disappointed by Out Among The Stars, the new Johnny Cash album. It is not at all like classic Johnny Cash, i.e. "Folsom Prison Blues", "Man In Black", "Ring of Fire", etc. There were some additions made by his son, John Carter Cash, and the CD I bought has an bonus track, a remix of one of the tracks by Elvis Costello. My favorite song off the album is "Baby Ride Easy", a duet with his wife June Carter Cash. The album definitely reflects the time period in which it was recorded (the early 1980's). It reflects that it's 1984, and nobody likes country anymore. But it's still a pretty good album.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier came out yesterday. I am halfway through the comic book, so I haven't seen it yet. I really love Marvel, and I am super excited for the lineup this summer. I really want to see it in 3D, and a new IMAX theater just opened up down the street, so I figured I'd ask my best freind if she would like to go see it with me, but I checked the ticket price first. It's sixteen frelling dollars and twenty-five cents. There are no matinees. I could go see almost THREE movies at the century 14 theater for what it costs to see CA:TWS at the IMAX. But I really do want to see it in IMAX. But $16.25 is an awful lot for a movie. But, Chris Evans in stunning IMAX 3D Hi-Def magic.... That, my friends, sounds like a party.
Last night on PBS was a rerun of Nashville 2.0. The show was about up-and-coming Americana acts, and some already well established acts. They talked about The Avett Brothers and Mumford and Sons. The whole show was mostly about people going back to the roots of country music, and that was all well and good, but what they failed to talk about was the intelligence of some of the songs. I am not a huge fan of country music. In my car there will be no country music radio stations ever. But I do like folksy alternative bands, like The Avett Brothers and Mumford and Sons. I like them because A: they sound really good and they have a cool vibe; and B: They write intelligent music. Mumford and Sons wrote a song about East of Eden! Their music is rife with biblical and literary references! I love that. The people they talked to seemed to be astonished that "The mainstream" public liked Mumford and Sons, that it was unprecedented. Well, no, it's not. I think that sometimes the listening public is underestimated in their ability to appreciate things. It wasn't unprecedented when the general public loved The Avengers, because it was a well written, well directed, and well put together movie, in addition to having serious destruction and the fabulous Chris Evans, and I think that's how it is with music. I like The Avett Brothers because they write well, they sing well, and their music is well put together.
"One little song, give me the strength to leave the sad and the wrong, bury safely in the past where I've been living, alive but unforgiving." - "Souls Like The Wheels"
-D.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier came out yesterday. I am halfway through the comic book, so I haven't seen it yet. I really love Marvel, and I am super excited for the lineup this summer. I really want to see it in 3D, and a new IMAX theater just opened up down the street, so I figured I'd ask my best freind if she would like to go see it with me, but I checked the ticket price first. It's sixteen frelling dollars and twenty-five cents. There are no matinees. I could go see almost THREE movies at the century 14 theater for what it costs to see CA:TWS at the IMAX. But I really do want to see it in IMAX. But $16.25 is an awful lot for a movie. But, Chris Evans in stunning IMAX 3D Hi-Def magic.... That, my friends, sounds like a party.
Last night on PBS was a rerun of Nashville 2.0. The show was about up-and-coming Americana acts, and some already well established acts. They talked about The Avett Brothers and Mumford and Sons. The whole show was mostly about people going back to the roots of country music, and that was all well and good, but what they failed to talk about was the intelligence of some of the songs. I am not a huge fan of country music. In my car there will be no country music radio stations ever. But I do like folksy alternative bands, like The Avett Brothers and Mumford and Sons. I like them because A: they sound really good and they have a cool vibe; and B: They write intelligent music. Mumford and Sons wrote a song about East of Eden! Their music is rife with biblical and literary references! I love that. The people they talked to seemed to be astonished that "The mainstream" public liked Mumford and Sons, that it was unprecedented. Well, no, it's not. I think that sometimes the listening public is underestimated in their ability to appreciate things. It wasn't unprecedented when the general public loved The Avengers, because it was a well written, well directed, and well put together movie, in addition to having serious destruction and the fabulous Chris Evans, and I think that's how it is with music. I like The Avett Brothers because they write well, they sing well, and their music is well put together.
"One little song, give me the strength to leave the sad and the wrong, bury safely in the past where I've been living, alive but unforgiving." - "Souls Like The Wheels"
-D.
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