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ealgyldenBeowulf and Grendel: just a crew update for my own edification. The score is being done by Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, an Icelander who's scored a bunch of Icelandic films that I can't get my hands on, and In the Cut. Hm. Okay, there wasn't a score release for that one, but I could always watch the movie itself... well, no, I doubt I could. So looks like the composer will have to remain a mystery to me for now. How exciting! *g*
I meant to join in on that movie recommending meme yesterday, but it was too hard. Too many choices, and my decision-making skills weren't up to snuff. And then I was awake all night thinking about it anyway! Argh. Nothing like trying to sleep, while the movie elves sit by your ears, whispering, "I Know Where I'm Goooooooing... Miiiiiiidnight... Easy Liiiiiiiving... Better Off Deeeeeaaaad... The More the Meeeerrier... Swing Kiiiids... Infinityyyyyy..." Stupid movie elves. If only I weren't so susceptible to their wiles. If only insomnia didn't make people... strange.
So I skipped that meme out of jellyfishitude. I've gotten a mountain of DVDs recently, though, so going memeless did not deprive me of blather. Yay? Heh. So let's see, I've gotten Without a Trace S1, Keen Eddie, Bliss S1, Uncovered, The Worst Witch, and The Storyteller: Greek Myths. Gee, that's not a strange mix at all.
Without a Trace S1: If I hadn't preordered them, I probably wouldn't have gotten them. I couldn't even manage to get excited about them as I was opening the package, and opening the mail is one of the high points of my day (sad, I know, but hey, I'm pretty isolated around here). I don't regret getting them, though, however much I regret what's happened to the show since. So far I've only rewatched "Silent Partner" and "Clare de Lune" (okay, and the vampire conversation in "Victory for Humanity." So, so cute!), but that was enough to help me I remember why I fell for these characters in the first place. Now maybe I can bring myself to read some fic after an entire summer without (especially since my "to read" folder is stuffed with new AM from Alethia and Neko's finished "Seasons Present, Seasons Past" and the next part of Aithine and Veronica's baseball series from, oh, months ago. Eeee, so many goodies! I haven't read any Nick/Greg in months either, not even Caroline's manifesto. Such a bleak, crimeslash-free summer). I miss that show, that show that had so much potential and so much goodness right out of the gate. Too bad that won't be the show that starts up again next week. Anyway, the DVDs. I like the see-through slipcase (neato!) but I hate hate hate the fact that they're flipper discs. Flippers that I can barely get out of the damn packaging, in the case of Disc Two. Aiiee, paranoia about wrecking them! And to think I thought the pretty-but-scary overlapping disc packaging for Xena S4 was unnerving. The episodes themselves look awfully shiny, though, even if the set didn't get the royal treatment (and it could have been far worse, grr to you Paramount). And I was pleased to see that, since they only had one missing person on the menus, they picked Clare. Yay, bonus Amber pic! Heh. Bring me JoA DVDs, universe! But in the end, I'm glad I preordered. I would have hated to let my current unhappiness ruin past pleasures.
Keen Eddie: Okay, bearing in mind that something is better than nothing, I still have to say: Paramount, you cheap, cheap bastards. Those nice slim line cases for the discs except they're made of mega-cheapo plastic, not so much as a trailer in the way of extras, episodes in the crackhead broadcast order (or semi-broadcast, anyway) instead of the logical progression of the production order, and worst of all, Muzak instead of the original songs. Curses! In some shows, music changes wouldn't matter much overall. Keen Eddie is not one of them, any more than Wiseguy was or Joan of Arcadia will be (just thinking ahead on that one, because yeah, I want a release of that show, but not at this price). Something is better than nothing, but it's also a long way from good. I'm with Aithine on this one- this show keeps getting screwed, and it just isn't fair.
Bliss S1 and Uncovered: Yay, Peter Wingfield skin! I haven't watched Uncovered yet, and I've heard nothing but bad things about it. Apparently it's not a great adaptation of The Flanders Panel, and La Beckinsale is irritating, and PW's character is a slime (which I knew already). I don't care much, though. He's playing a gigolo, and I'm easy. And besides, John Wood's in it, too- the Ladyhawke connection earns the flick one more bonus point. As for Bliss- yay, Canadian porn! Hee. Good god, Adam Beach seducing Torri Higginson in a prison? Now that's wacky. Meh, Callum Keith Rennie, that'd be more exciting for someone not me. Ah ha, "Guys and Dolls," there's the good Mr. Wingfield. Gracious, he's pretty. Eyelashes! Looooong eyelashes. And he bottoms so very nicely, too. Yes, he's decorative enough to make up for the general dubiousness of the rest of it. So where's S3, Bliss-people? Bring me "Tying Up Gerald"! More Wingfield-smut must be had!
The Worst Witch: Yaaay! I love this movie, in all its glorious terribleness. And the DVD's such a nice change from my taped-off-TV-fifteen-years-ago copy. Ooooh, keen, all the clunky bluescreening jumps off the screen. And that talking blur in the corner, that's Maud! I'd forgotten after so long. As for Tim Curry's big song, well, it's so... very. Very very. Seriously, for all of its cheese, I still think parts of this movie are legitimately good. Or at least sentimentally touching, which is close enough. And I'll always love the theme song- it still speaks to the pre-teen in me. Extras aren't really the point when you have a movie this wonderful (hee!), but there are some cast profiles and trivia, and, interestingly, "Elements of Witch Potions & Spells," which looks like it was cribbed from a Scott Cunningham book. I guess it'll be helpful if you want to brew up some love potions at your next slumber party (oh yeah, my friends and I totally did that. Bonfires and everything. Good thing I live in the country). Who do I write to to get Teen Witch released next? I'll wear out Worst Witch more slowly if I have something to alternate it with.
The Storyteller: Greek Myths: I was right; I hadn't seen these episodes before. Cool. It struck me as a much darker show than the original Storyteller, which was hardly light and fluffy to begin with. Even the theme song is darker, the original version stripped down to its bones. Michael Gambon is wonderful, of course, as the runaway slave who takes over for John Hurt's original, Hobbity storyteller (the Muppet dog's the same, though). Greek Myths has fewer big names than the other, too. Where the first had Sean Bean, Jonathan Pryce, Miranda Richardson, Natasha Richardson, Jennifer Saunders, Brenda Blethyn, and so on, Greek Myths has Derek Jacobi, brilliant as usual, and some H!ITGs, and that's about it. Not that the "name" actors are the only bright lights in either case; the casts on both shows are uniformly impressively talented. The look of the show is considerably different as well. The first series had a more stylized, fairytale look (fittingly, I suppose)- a scene might end with the characters being seen as silhouettes moving across painted screens or as paper cut-outs, like the pages of a book come to life. Greek Myths has a bit of that sort of thing, with the characters appearing as figures on vases and the like, but in general it sticks to a more naturalistic style, with scenes appearing to have been filmed outside, in the natural light. It's a very different feel, and it makes the fantastic elements that much more striking. And yeah, dark, with a shortage of happy endings. Again, hardly surprising for Greek myths. The series begins with Daedelus and ends with Theseus, and throughout Gambon's slave is threading through the labyrinth, which is a nice unifying touch. There was so much potential in this series, and it breaks my heart to know that television wasn't quite ready for it, and that television might never have been quite ready for it. I wish I'd written Jim Henson a fan letter when I had the chance. Anyway, it's a slightly less wonderful series than the original, but since that's like saying one star is less beautiful than another star, it hardly matters. I heartily recommended it.
The only extra is a trailer for Mirrormask, which looks... odd. I dunno, man. I'm far more excited about the possibility of a stop-motion animated Coraline than I am about Mirrormask, I think.
I really need to get off this 80's music nostalgia kick I've been on for the past week. It's just making me sentimental. No one needs that. Plus it's making me want Blaine/Steff slash, but there is none, and I don't even like that movie.
Seriously, though, I crave shiny new special editions of so many not-great 80's movies, it's unhealthy. Not Pretty In Pink, maybe (unless it inspired people to write slash), but Some Kind of Wonderful? Oh yeah, big time. And Adventures in Babysitting- go on, pick on me, I can take it. And The Sure Thing, and Better Off Dead, and dipping into kids' movies for a sec, The Journey of Natty Gann, and how is it fair that Region Two gets a SE of Dead Poets Society and we don't?, and Ferris Bueller, and My Bodyguard, and The Big Easy, and there is a SE of Lost Boys, I just haven't gotten it yet, and... yeah. I'm all over the map, and I want them. So very much.
On the other hand, I've decided that I can live without the Star Wars set. Don't get me wrong, I love the movies. When I was a wee chicklet, I could never decide if I wanted to marry Han Solo or be him, but I knew he was incredibly cool, and Leia was fabulous, even with the various unfortunate outfits. But George Lucas doesn't know when to stop talking and insulting his fans, or when to stop messing with things, and apparently no one can tell him "no!". Pity. Still, the Star Wars movies were never as huge and influential to me as they were to a lot of others. The Indiana Jones movies got their genre hooks in me much more strongly, and all those 80's fantasy flicks- Ladyhawke, Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Neverending Story, Last Unicorn and the rest- were far, far more influential. I would buy the SW movies I loved when I was a kid if they were released, but I'm not addicted enough to buy the bastardized, sorry, improved versions. Sorry, George.
To end with a pet peeve, which I try to avoid doing but thinking about 80's movies reminded me. No one's pulled it on me yet, but I've seen it numerous times- I hate it when someone expresses their affection for the movie version of Neverending Story only to be told dismissively, "The book is so much better. The movie's awful in comparison." Well gee, that's a great way to make people want to read it. Sheesh. (For the record, I enjoyed the book, but I love the movie. How plebian of me.)
I meant to join in on that movie recommending meme yesterday, but it was too hard. Too many choices, and my decision-making skills weren't up to snuff. And then I was awake all night thinking about it anyway! Argh. Nothing like trying to sleep, while the movie elves sit by your ears, whispering, "I Know Where I'm Goooooooing... Miiiiiiidnight... Easy Liiiiiiiving... Better Off Deeeeeaaaad... The More the Meeeerrier... Swing Kiiiids... Infinityyyyyy..." Stupid movie elves. If only I weren't so susceptible to their wiles. If only insomnia didn't make people... strange.
So I skipped that meme out of jellyfishitude. I've gotten a mountain of DVDs recently, though, so going memeless did not deprive me of blather. Yay? Heh. So let's see, I've gotten Without a Trace S1, Keen Eddie, Bliss S1, Uncovered, The Worst Witch, and The Storyteller: Greek Myths. Gee, that's not a strange mix at all.
Without a Trace S1: If I hadn't preordered them, I probably wouldn't have gotten them. I couldn't even manage to get excited about them as I was opening the package, and opening the mail is one of the high points of my day (sad, I know, but hey, I'm pretty isolated around here). I don't regret getting them, though, however much I regret what's happened to the show since. So far I've only rewatched "Silent Partner" and "Clare de Lune" (okay, and the vampire conversation in "Victory for Humanity." So, so cute!), but that was enough to help me I remember why I fell for these characters in the first place. Now maybe I can bring myself to read some fic after an entire summer without (especially since my "to read" folder is stuffed with new AM from Alethia and Neko's finished "Seasons Present, Seasons Past" and the next part of Aithine and Veronica's baseball series from, oh, months ago. Eeee, so many goodies! I haven't read any Nick/Greg in months either, not even Caroline's manifesto. Such a bleak, crimeslash-free summer). I miss that show, that show that had so much potential and so much goodness right out of the gate. Too bad that won't be the show that starts up again next week. Anyway, the DVDs. I like the see-through slipcase (neato!) but I hate hate hate the fact that they're flipper discs. Flippers that I can barely get out of the damn packaging, in the case of Disc Two. Aiiee, paranoia about wrecking them! And to think I thought the pretty-but-scary overlapping disc packaging for Xena S4 was unnerving. The episodes themselves look awfully shiny, though, even if the set didn't get the royal treatment (and it could have been far worse, grr to you Paramount). And I was pleased to see that, since they only had one missing person on the menus, they picked Clare. Yay, bonus Amber pic! Heh. Bring me JoA DVDs, universe! But in the end, I'm glad I preordered. I would have hated to let my current unhappiness ruin past pleasures.
Keen Eddie: Okay, bearing in mind that something is better than nothing, I still have to say: Paramount, you cheap, cheap bastards. Those nice slim line cases for the discs except they're made of mega-cheapo plastic, not so much as a trailer in the way of extras, episodes in the crackhead broadcast order (or semi-broadcast, anyway) instead of the logical progression of the production order, and worst of all, Muzak instead of the original songs. Curses! In some shows, music changes wouldn't matter much overall. Keen Eddie is not one of them, any more than Wiseguy was or Joan of Arcadia will be (just thinking ahead on that one, because yeah, I want a release of that show, but not at this price). Something is better than nothing, but it's also a long way from good. I'm with Aithine on this one- this show keeps getting screwed, and it just isn't fair.
Bliss S1 and Uncovered: Yay, Peter Wingfield skin! I haven't watched Uncovered yet, and I've heard nothing but bad things about it. Apparently it's not a great adaptation of The Flanders Panel, and La Beckinsale is irritating, and PW's character is a slime (which I knew already). I don't care much, though. He's playing a gigolo, and I'm easy. And besides, John Wood's in it, too- the Ladyhawke connection earns the flick one more bonus point. As for Bliss- yay, Canadian porn! Hee. Good god, Adam Beach seducing Torri Higginson in a prison? Now that's wacky. Meh, Callum Keith Rennie, that'd be more exciting for someone not me. Ah ha, "Guys and Dolls," there's the good Mr. Wingfield. Gracious, he's pretty. Eyelashes! Looooong eyelashes. And he bottoms so very nicely, too. Yes, he's decorative enough to make up for the general dubiousness of the rest of it. So where's S3, Bliss-people? Bring me "Tying Up Gerald"! More Wingfield-smut must be had!
The Worst Witch: Yaaay! I love this movie, in all its glorious terribleness. And the DVD's such a nice change from my taped-off-TV-fifteen-years-ago copy. Ooooh, keen, all the clunky bluescreening jumps off the screen. And that talking blur in the corner, that's Maud! I'd forgotten after so long. As for Tim Curry's big song, well, it's so... very. Very very. Seriously, for all of its cheese, I still think parts of this movie are legitimately good. Or at least sentimentally touching, which is close enough. And I'll always love the theme song- it still speaks to the pre-teen in me. Extras aren't really the point when you have a movie this wonderful (hee!), but there are some cast profiles and trivia, and, interestingly, "Elements of Witch Potions & Spells," which looks like it was cribbed from a Scott Cunningham book. I guess it'll be helpful if you want to brew up some love potions at your next slumber party (oh yeah, my friends and I totally did that. Bonfires and everything. Good thing I live in the country). Who do I write to to get Teen Witch released next? I'll wear out Worst Witch more slowly if I have something to alternate it with.
The Storyteller: Greek Myths: I was right; I hadn't seen these episodes before. Cool. It struck me as a much darker show than the original Storyteller, which was hardly light and fluffy to begin with. Even the theme song is darker, the original version stripped down to its bones. Michael Gambon is wonderful, of course, as the runaway slave who takes over for John Hurt's original, Hobbity storyteller (the Muppet dog's the same, though). Greek Myths has fewer big names than the other, too. Where the first had Sean Bean, Jonathan Pryce, Miranda Richardson, Natasha Richardson, Jennifer Saunders, Brenda Blethyn, and so on, Greek Myths has Derek Jacobi, brilliant as usual, and some H!ITGs, and that's about it. Not that the "name" actors are the only bright lights in either case; the casts on both shows are uniformly impressively talented. The look of the show is considerably different as well. The first series had a more stylized, fairytale look (fittingly, I suppose)- a scene might end with the characters being seen as silhouettes moving across painted screens or as paper cut-outs, like the pages of a book come to life. Greek Myths has a bit of that sort of thing, with the characters appearing as figures on vases and the like, but in general it sticks to a more naturalistic style, with scenes appearing to have been filmed outside, in the natural light. It's a very different feel, and it makes the fantastic elements that much more striking. And yeah, dark, with a shortage of happy endings. Again, hardly surprising for Greek myths. The series begins with Daedelus and ends with Theseus, and throughout Gambon's slave is threading through the labyrinth, which is a nice unifying touch. There was so much potential in this series, and it breaks my heart to know that television wasn't quite ready for it, and that television might never have been quite ready for it. I wish I'd written Jim Henson a fan letter when I had the chance. Anyway, it's a slightly less wonderful series than the original, but since that's like saying one star is less beautiful than another star, it hardly matters. I heartily recommended it.
The only extra is a trailer for Mirrormask, which looks... odd. I dunno, man. I'm far more excited about the possibility of a stop-motion animated Coraline than I am about Mirrormask, I think.
I really need to get off this 80's music nostalgia kick I've been on for the past week. It's just making me sentimental. No one needs that. Plus it's making me want Blaine/Steff slash, but there is none, and I don't even like that movie.
Seriously, though, I crave shiny new special editions of so many not-great 80's movies, it's unhealthy. Not Pretty In Pink, maybe (unless it inspired people to write slash), but Some Kind of Wonderful? Oh yeah, big time. And Adventures in Babysitting- go on, pick on me, I can take it. And The Sure Thing, and Better Off Dead, and dipping into kids' movies for a sec, The Journey of Natty Gann, and how is it fair that Region Two gets a SE of Dead Poets Society and we don't?, and Ferris Bueller, and My Bodyguard, and The Big Easy, and there is a SE of Lost Boys, I just haven't gotten it yet, and... yeah. I'm all over the map, and I want them. So very much.
On the other hand, I've decided that I can live without the Star Wars set. Don't get me wrong, I love the movies. When I was a wee chicklet, I could never decide if I wanted to marry Han Solo or be him, but I knew he was incredibly cool, and Leia was fabulous, even with the various unfortunate outfits. But George Lucas doesn't know when to stop talking and insulting his fans, or when to stop messing with things, and apparently no one can tell him "no!". Pity. Still, the Star Wars movies were never as huge and influential to me as they were to a lot of others. The Indiana Jones movies got their genre hooks in me much more strongly, and all those 80's fantasy flicks- Ladyhawke, Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Neverending Story, Last Unicorn and the rest- were far, far more influential. I would buy the SW movies I loved when I was a kid if they were released, but I'm not addicted enough to buy the bastardized, sorry, improved versions. Sorry, George.
To end with a pet peeve, which I try to avoid doing but thinking about 80's movies reminded me. No one's pulled it on me yet, but I've seen it numerous times- I hate it when someone expresses their affection for the movie version of Neverending Story only to be told dismissively, "The book is so much better. The movie's awful in comparison." Well gee, that's a great way to make people want to read it. Sheesh. (For the record, I enjoyed the book, but I love the movie. How plebian of me.)
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(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-18 08:07 pm (UTC)What else, what else... I love Neverending Story. I found it so very fascinating as a kid, but I haven't seen it in a long time. Also, I've never read the book. I should do that. Oh yeah, and my boyfriend had me watch Better Off Dead, which I also thought was great, especially the two Japanese kids and the fake sports commentary.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-18 08:45 pm (UTC)Eeeeeeeeeeeee! I know, first thing I did. Season one D/M is like the best thing ever. Ever.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-18 08:45 pm (UTC)The Worst Witch! I must have that. Loooove that movie. Very cheesetastic, but a staple of my childhood.
Will definitely not be buying the SW DVDs. No way. Not with all the crappy changes. Lucas is such an ass. He just can't leave those movies alone for anything.