Some babble and a question
Nov. 29th, 2003 03:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ealgyldenLittle Sister is exiled back to civilization (well, Philadelphia), the fridge is bursting with more food than I'll ever eat, and I had a choice among three kinds of pie for breakfast. Plus, we've had our first real snowfall of the season, and the woodstove has been fired up. We've been having flurries here and there with no accumulation for weeks, but now we have a couple of lovely, fluffy inches, perfect for the kitties to romp in (and I can still be happy about it, because there isn't enough to shovel yet). Life is good. I'm terribly sleepy and I have mountains of dishes to wash, but life is good.
And the mail is good! No RotK soundtrack or Making of M&C yet (alas), but the new EW has a too-short-but-better-than-nothing article on Paul Bettany, with a sidebar on Max Pirkis (the cutie who played Lord Blakeney). With luck they'll be up at Murph's Place soon, since they don't seem to be on EW's page (though that could change). There's also a short review on the new Hornblower movies, with a wee pic of Ioan looking nautical and earning himself a B+ ("our hero still looks pretty close to flawless"- aw, that's nice). I dread the introduction of Maria, though it sounds like Julia Sawalha has nailed the character. The wretched, pathetic, unbearable-yet-pitiable character. Ugh. Can we just fast-forward to Barbara? She's not perfect by any means, but she's vastly preferable to Maria.
Better than that, though, was the review of the Firefly DVDs, which garnered themselves an A. It's short, sweet, and spoiler-free, so here it is: "Firefly: The Complete Series Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres. Unrated; 11 hrs., 15 mins., 4 discs; 2002 (Fox). Blame it on the theme song. See, audiences don't mind sci-fi Westerns as long as they don't really push the Western part (you rarely saw any horses on Star Trek). But Buffy mastermind Joss Whedon had to go and open his show with an ambling country ditty... and it was canceled 13 episodes in. Too bad, because Firefly was a smart, satisfying genre reinvention, about a mismatched band of hired guns flitting from outpost to outpost looking for honest (or dishonest) work. The cast was strong, led by Fillion's roguish captain, the writing renegade-tight; Whedon was trying something new- it's a shame he didn't get to finish. Extras A fan's treasure trove: Three never-aired episodes will go over like crack with the Firefly faithful, as will the many commentary tracks (advice: Focus on the ones that feature Whedon- they're funny and pervasively knowing). The docs and deleted scenes are worthwhile too, but the set's bittersweet vibe is at its most affecting on the gag reel. It was made for the cast and crew's Christmas shindig, which ultimately ended up being the series' wrap party instead. A. Marc Bernadin." My only problem with the DVDs is that they come out on December 9th... and Chanukah doesn't start until the 19th. That's no good.
The other thing that arrived today was a pile of videos from the fantabulous![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
castalianspring with a variety of fun things including a bunch of the late lamented (by a few of us, anyway) Secret Adventures of Jules Verne. Michael Praed is just as beautiful as Phileas as he was as Robin Hood (and is happily unencumbered by unfortunate 80's hair), the supporting cast is fest of familiar faces, and Rebecca Fogg is one of my all-time favorite TV characters. I mean, a steampunk Emma Peel with a sword, how could I resist? And she's a redhead, which is always a plus.
The funny thing is that I was chatting with Dearest Friend B. about female secret agents/spies on TV shows just last night, as a tangent from a discussion about fictional women who play chess (we thought that Rebecca and Emma both probably did, but neither of us could really remember). Problem was, we were having a tough time coming up with a list of characters. There's Rebecca Fogg. There are a bunch from the 60's: Emma Peel, Cathy Gale and Tara King, April Dancer, Honey West, Cinnamon Carter, Agent 99. And there's Sydney Bristow currently. It seems like we're forgetting some, though. Anyone know who?
And the mail is good! No RotK soundtrack or Making of M&C yet (alas), but the new EW has a too-short-but-better-than-nothing article on Paul Bettany, with a sidebar on Max Pirkis (the cutie who played Lord Blakeney). With luck they'll be up at Murph's Place soon, since they don't seem to be on EW's page (though that could change). There's also a short review on the new Hornblower movies, with a wee pic of Ioan looking nautical and earning himself a B+ ("our hero still looks pretty close to flawless"- aw, that's nice). I dread the introduction of Maria, though it sounds like Julia Sawalha has nailed the character. The wretched, pathetic, unbearable-yet-pitiable character. Ugh. Can we just fast-forward to Barbara? She's not perfect by any means, but she's vastly preferable to Maria.
Better than that, though, was the review of the Firefly DVDs, which garnered themselves an A. It's short, sweet, and spoiler-free, so here it is: "Firefly: The Complete Series Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres. Unrated; 11 hrs., 15 mins., 4 discs; 2002 (Fox). Blame it on the theme song. See, audiences don't mind sci-fi Westerns as long as they don't really push the Western part (you rarely saw any horses on Star Trek). But Buffy mastermind Joss Whedon had to go and open his show with an ambling country ditty... and it was canceled 13 episodes in. Too bad, because Firefly was a smart, satisfying genre reinvention, about a mismatched band of hired guns flitting from outpost to outpost looking for honest (or dishonest) work. The cast was strong, led by Fillion's roguish captain, the writing renegade-tight; Whedon was trying something new- it's a shame he didn't get to finish. Extras A fan's treasure trove: Three never-aired episodes will go over like crack with the Firefly faithful, as will the many commentary tracks (advice: Focus on the ones that feature Whedon- they're funny and pervasively knowing). The docs and deleted scenes are worthwhile too, but the set's bittersweet vibe is at its most affecting on the gag reel. It was made for the cast and crew's Christmas shindig, which ultimately ended up being the series' wrap party instead. A. Marc Bernadin." My only problem with the DVDs is that they come out on December 9th... and Chanukah doesn't start until the 19th. That's no good.
The other thing that arrived today was a pile of videos from the fantabulous
castalianspring with a variety of fun things including a bunch of the late lamented (by a few of us, anyway) Secret Adventures of Jules Verne. Michael Praed is just as beautiful as Phileas as he was as Robin Hood (and is happily unencumbered by unfortunate 80's hair), the supporting cast is fest of familiar faces, and Rebecca Fogg is one of my all-time favorite TV characters. I mean, a steampunk Emma Peel with a sword, how could I resist? And she's a redhead, which is always a plus. The funny thing is that I was chatting with Dearest Friend B. about female secret agents/spies on TV shows just last night, as a tangent from a discussion about fictional women who play chess (we thought that Rebecca and Emma both probably did, but neither of us could really remember). Problem was, we were having a tough time coming up with a list of characters. There's Rebecca Fogg. There are a bunch from the 60's: Emma Peel, Cathy Gale and Tara King, April Dancer, Honey West, Cinnamon Carter, Agent 99. And there's Sydney Bristow currently. It seems like we're forgetting some, though. Anyone know who?
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(no subject)
Date: 2003-11-30 05:05 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-01 01:35 am (UTC)Apparently there are talking Kim and co. toys at Walmart- now I just need to work up the nerve to go in there at this time of year. Scary, scary place.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-01 06:23 pm (UTC)Wish I could walk in there without feeling like I need a shower when I get home. It's the height of the aisles (not smart in earthquake country) and okay, the great unwashed. One or two is one thing, but as you say, the crowds are scary.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-03 03:34 am (UTC)Never. Again. shudder. Scary people, scary store, and not one bit of Shego merchandise. Plus, all the batteries on the talking toys were running down, which made them sound really weird (but funny). Hmph.
On a happier note, I like your icon. Very snazzy.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-01 03:58 am (UTC)So glad the tapes arrived safely. I hope you're enjoying the SAJV, with the very pretty indeed Mr. Praed. Did the quality turn out ok?
I'm having a hard time coming up with any modern female spies or agents. Scully's FBI, but that's not really secret agent stuff. Could Alias be the only recent spy show with females?
(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-03 03:19 am (UTC)SAJV, ah man. It's been ages since I'd seen it (and the quality is beeeeautiful! Thank you thank you!), and I remembered a lot of stuff, but not how amusing Phileas and Jules can be. Phileas is always either brooding, sulking, saying something mean, being wonderfully heroic but self-destructive, or all of the above, and Jules is always either pouting, storming off in a huff (and getting kidnapped), wandering off distractedly (and getting kidnapped), or looking like a cute, hapless little bunny in a nature show (while getting kidnapped). And they're both so pretty. I love it!
Alias is the only one I could think of, yeah, but it feels like I'm forgetting someone. I guess I could count Kim Possible, couldn't I? Hm. Obviously I need to watch even more tv.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-06 04:59 am (UTC)Oh good! Glad the tapes turned out ok. Hee! I love your summations of Phileas and Jules - right on target. Poor Phileas, in such a constant state of angst. Did you watch "The Victorian Candidate"? Such suffering in that one, and a stammer! Lovely stuff.
Kim Possible is a cartoon, right? Little redheaded girl?
(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-07 05:02 am (UTC)Yep, Kim Possible is a little redheaded cartoon girl. Very, very fun show. I'm totally addicted (surprise!). The writing is really fun and clever, though, and the characters are very cool, especially Kim. Good villains, too.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-14 03:50 am (UTC)Jules was such a brat in LoA&D. And that awful blue uniform he had to wear...*g*
Poor Phileas! The stutter is just... aw, and then there's all the "I killed my friends!" angst, and Rebecca trying to convince him it's really her... sniff.
Yes, yes! Michael Praed does vulnerable very well, and I loved how he did the stutter. That's a hard thing to pull off and make it sound convincing.
There should be more SAJV fic (heh, I say that a lot). There's a little, but not nearly enough.
ITA. There are a few archives, but too many of the fics are het, shipping Phileas and Rebecca, which squicks me. I mean, cousins...bit of incest there. There are a few good gen stories, but slash is really really rare.
Aw, it sounds like a cute cartoon. I'll have to see if any of my stations are showing it.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-17 05:19 am (UTC)Hee! Perfect word for him. A brat in a bellboy's uniform (gorram Alliance! Oh wait, wrong show). Jules does "petulant" really well. So does Phileas, come to think of it. Poor Rebecca and Passepartout.
There are a few archives, but too many of the fics are het, shipping Phileas and Rebecca, which squicks me. I mean, cousins...bit of incest there.
Well they are English aristocrats, after all. Heh. And ew. You'd think more slashers would be drawn to the pretty, angsty guys in gorgeous period clothes, but maybe not enough people saw the show. Seems like a waste, doesn't it?
Kim Possible is a Disney show, so it's not without guilt that I watch it (or have
(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-20 04:21 pm (UTC)Well they are English aristocrats, after all. Heh. And ew. You'd think more slashers would be drawn to the pretty, angsty guys in gorgeous period clothes, but maybe not enough people saw the show. Seems like a waste, doesn't it?
Oh yes, quite a waste. I think it was an easy show for people to miss. I know when I first saw the adverts for it, I saw they were doing something strange to Jules Verne and shunned it in my horror. But then Willow made me watch it and I was all "OMG, this is good!"
Kim Possible is a Disney show, so it's not without guilt that I watch it (or have kathlaw tape it for me, actually), but I figure as long as I keep the merchandise buying to a minimum, I'm not helping them conquer the world any more than they already have.
I'm sort of lukewarm about Disney - I don't love it, but it was a part of my childhood and I love some of the old movies, so I can't hate it either. I think I could watch the show without guilt :)