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shadowkat1. Caught up on the following:
* Legacies - this series surprised me. A lot better than expected, with likable and relatable characters. That didn't fall heavily into established tropes or cliches.
These writers are really good at world-building. The monster is an interesting one, and not one I've seen done before. Also the series has done a rather good job of building on the prior series, without relying or being dependent on them. It expands on the mythology.
The finale surprised me. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. And the reveal on Landon's father was rather clever and unexpected -- it wasn't Agent Clark (whose actually his brother) but the Malvoire itself -- the mudman. And Hope had the power to destroy it -- because she was made up of the power combination that originally created it.
Nice.
I rather like Hope. Also liked the development and wrap up on MG, Kaleb, Rafe and Jed. Also Josie and Lizzie were more interesting at the end.
As were Dorian and Alaric -- who come together again, while Emma takes the sabbatical -- she needs to return as does Hope, we have a shortage of female characters as it is.
And I loved the idea of the golem who was built to eat or devour dragons and monsters, yet leave vampires, witches and werewolves alone. And that the vampires, witches and werewolves created him to get rid of the monsters destroying the world and killing humanity. But hadn't counted on humanity using the Golem to get rid of them...or the Golem becoming sentient and wanting to reproduce and not be alone.
The fact that Landon is the son of the Golem, and that's how he's the Phoneix. Is also interesting. He's the product of Triad Scientist and the Golem -- basically the two villains in the story. But he himself is a monster of sorts -- immortal.
Very good couple of episodes. Actually this series has been a pleasant surprise all around and among the better offerings this season.
* This is Us
It's bugging me. Beth's character arc doesn't quite work and she comes across as a bit whiny. I agree with Randall, she's playing the victim, when she's anything but.
And she resents the fact that he's got to shine and she hasn't -- ignoring everything else.
The writers are making the women the bad guys in this -- and it's irritating. Very much a male viewpoint series. A problem I have with television in general over the years -- is a heavy male centric gaze.
In the last episode, Beth comes across as a narcissitic, egotistical nitwit. The writers made her want to be a dancer seemingly out of the blue. And in the rehash of their history -- we're shown how when Randall first meets Beth, he asks if she's into a dance and a dance major. She completely denies it and shrugs dance off as unimportant. Also she's very closed off to him and upset that he's over-shared. Making it clear that romantic date isn't what she wants and she doesn't want to be wined and dined. Basically she tells him he's horrid and she's not into him. He decides he is going to marry her. And I'm like - REALLY?
Later, when they are living together (which is somewhat jarring) -- and he keeps proposing, and she keeps turning him down -- they go take his mother out for dinner at a mini-golf park. She obviously doesn't want to do it -- instead of saying, no, I don't want to do it -- she goes along. And then gets pissed about it -- tells him off. Then when he says that he's not going to propose any longer. She freaks and takes him to a place where she has greasy nachos, a ginger beer, and then he can propose.
Now, she's upset that he won't let her pursue her dream as a dance instructor. Yet at no point in the series -- are we shown that Beth can dance let alone has an interest. Also, I may not know a lot about dancing -- but I know this, from having been friends with professional dancers. You can't give up dancing at the age of 15 and then take it up again at the age of 40, as if no time has passed and teach. It's not like riding a bike. Also, it takes a toll on the body -- you have to be in shape. Whoever is writing this knows zip about dance -- it's obvious. And no dance studio is going to hire someone as a teacher when they have zero experience teaching and haven't danced in twenty years. I mean come on.
Add to this -- it's not like she's asking Randall to give up a hobby or scale back on his work hours, but to resign a position that he was elected to by other people, who are counting on him. Who trusted him. Who she stood up in front of and said she supported. To ask him to resign his councilman position so she can teach dance at night and during the days, and follow her dream is ludicrous. Of the two, she's the one who should be able to find a compromise.
Also he's absolutely right when he states that she never once mentioned this -- she didn't. Instead she suffered in silence and "played the victim", oh poor me, Randall is the star and I'm always behind the scenes. This is all Randall's fault.
Honey, you were living with the guy for seven years -- you knew who he was when you married him and decided to have kids. Also, what he's been doing is to help others.
He brought his "dying" father into his home. He took over his father's decrepit building, he was unemployed at the time -- you were working in urban development, you didn't indicate you were into dance. He told you he wanted to make a difference and run for city council -- you supported him, until the polls looked negative and you wanted him to call it quits, but he pushed forward and when you realized he was going to win -- you agreed to support him. Now, you are flipping again? Because you want to be the center of attention? You have to feel important? You feel a sudden desire to dance -- after twenty years?
Please. I don't know if I can continue with this series, the only characters I don't want to smack are Toby and Kate.
* Grey's Anatomy -- that was just painful. I could have done without that episode. I felt really sorry for Alex and Joe.
The episode did do a good job of getting across why trying to relate to someone else's experience through your own doesn't always work. Joe does it twice, it works with a patient, but not with the person she most wants to relate to. The other person has to be open to listening to your experience and not be isolated in their own.
But I really wish they'd get rid of the voice over-narrative device, it can be incredibly annoying at times -- I found it annoying in this episode.
Also it occurred to me during this episode how ironic the Meredith/Deluca relationship is -- considering the outcome of the Deluca/Alex/Joe relationship.
* Rosewell, New Mexico
Well, that was predictable and a touch disappointing.
I sort of figured out several episodes ago that someone was possessing Isabel and various people in town. Some sort of body swapper. And he'd been jumping into Isabel for a while now. I was hoping I was wrong. Because it sort of let's Isabel off the hook and takes away her agency.
I did find the Alex/Michael/Maria love triangle interesting. The fact that Michael is interested in both of them -- and can go either way, and Maria feels horrible for betraying Alex. Michael, interestingly enough, really doesn't. Mainly because Alex has never committed to him one way or the other -- nor trusted him. So why should Michael? And Alex is STILL keeping stuff from him, after they both come clean.
I can see where Michael is coming from. Maria on the other hand is pretty up front with him about how she feels. (Michael by the way is hot, I have a crush on Michael.)
Alex is also interesting -- I'm not sure what he's going to do. He has kept the spaceship piece from Michael, but it appears to be because he doesn't want Michael to recreate the spaceship and leave.
Then there is Max/and his partner -- whose relationship is less clear cut and far more interesting to me than Liz/Max. She seems to accept his alien status pretty easily -- mainly because she has bigger worries and has decided he's more or less harmless.
The characters are interesting in this series as are the relationships. Also much like Legacies and Vamp Diaries -- the writers are rather good at world building and character relationship dynamics. I'm enjoying the series far more than I expected.
*Station 19 -- well it put me to sleep. Never a good sign. I think I've decided to give up on it. Outside of maybe one or two characters, the show isn't good at developing characters -- nor does it seem to know what to do with its characters. They leap from bed to bed, relationship to relationship, with some fire adventures in between -- but no dire consequences. I don't really feel much commitment from the writers to any one plot-line or character arc. So it's hard to commit myself or care. As a result, I'm bored. Nor do I find it believable as a fire house. I can't believe half these people are firemen or women.
*9-1-1 is the exact opposite of Station 19. It's believable. There's a sense of danger. There are consequences. And the characters have definitive arcs. Also they are well-developed, complete with detailed back stories -- that the writers will convey. In addition they struggle as firemen. It's not easy to become one or be accepted. And they are always aware that they could lose someone at any time.
Best procedural on television -- and by far the best one about firemen and paramedics.
This episode delved into Howard "Chiminey" Han's background. His difficulty becoming a fireman, how he lost a friend, etc. It's a moving episode and well-done. Although it comes right after a mean cliff-hanger, and leaves us with another one.
* Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
The season finale is next week. I liked this week's episode better than usual. This season has been doing a good job referencing previous seasons and commenting on them through another perspective, showing how the characters have all evolved and moved past their one-dimensional craziness. This episode satirized the dating game, the Bachelor, and pretty much romantic dates in general -- showing how exhausting they are. Rebecca starts the series craving romantic attachment, convinced it will make her happy, by series end -- she's realized, eh, no, if anything it stresses her out and makes her miserable. She bonds with Greg a bit over their mutual dislike of the romantic date, and being fed up with constantly having to live up to the romantic ideal.
When Greg, Nathan and Josh are forced to take penalties to make the date a fair and even playing field. Greg admits he has nothing to give up. He's neither rich nor physically built. He just makes snarky comments.
And when the other two go out of their way to create the perfect romantic date -- which blows Rebecca away, but also exhausts her and makes it harder to decide and makes her feel crazier...because each date resides somewhere outside the real world...Greg tries to do the same, but gives up and they end up at the car shop waiting for his car to be repaired. Greg also is the only one who doesn't appear to know that everyone is betting on them, anymore than he knew about Rebecca's white board or that the other two were actively pursuing her and it had become a competition -- until he's told. Rebecca much like Greg is tired of playing love as a game -- neither appear to enjoy games that much and neither really want to play this one, even though all their friends are invested in it.
There's a couple of good songs here -- one that "Love isn't a Game" sung to the tune and dance styling of "Luck be a Lady Tonight" -- obviously they are satirizing Guys and Dolls. And the other, Love is a Game and how sick she is of it. And a bit of a funny bit on Hot Air balloons not having a bathroom and please don't urinate or poop in the balloon. (I found myself wondering how people handle a couple of hours or more in them, and okay another reason not to do it.)
Crazy Ex is at it's best when it is lampooning romance or rather our societal view of it. It's at it's worst when it lampoons mental illness, which I still find in bad taste -- mainly because my former BFF reminds me a wee too much of Rebecca Bunch.
2. Aquaman -- saw this "On Demand" on Saturday night. And..eh, it's not that good. I'm very glad I didn't pay $16 to see it in the theaters or drag an unsuspecting friend to it. It's not exactly awful, but it isn't exactly good either.
The special effects are nice and the ocean bits are rather pretty at times. Reminded me a little of Avatar, which is not necessarily a good thing. But, it's also obviously CGI and not very good CGI at that. Did Marvel get the better CGI? Warner Brothers needs to up its game if it wants to compete with the Disney Juggernaught.
Also, while I understand the appeal, digitizing the human face to that degree in order to make them look younger -- doesn't work for everyone. Makes some actors look rather like plastic dolls. Too much photoshop and people look like dolls. While this sort of worked with Nicole Kidman, who let's face it, sort of looks like she's been photoshopped anyhow, it didn't work for her male co-star (Aquaman's Daddy). What they did with the human faces reminded me of Avatar and not in a good way.
The sea life was pretty though -- I'm guessing this would have been cool to watch in 3D on an Imax screen? If you are willing to fork up the cash for such a cheesy plot and horrid dialogue.
There were some nice moments. I rather liked Jason Momoa (the guy who played the lead) -- he has a great sense of humor and excellent comic timing. He clearly wasn't taking this all that seriously (how could he?). Everyone else was...sigh. William Dafoe -- I felt sorry for, along with Jason Issacs. Princess Amera had some great action sequences...she kicks ass in the film and is rather witty in places.
The music choices...eh, didn't work. They'd pop in out of nowhere, and I'd think.."Why? And you couldn't find a better song than this..really? You need to fire you music coordinator."
DC has figured out that it needs to put nifty bits after the first credits -- so that's there. But has not realized it should do it after the final credits. Apparently it thinks we will have a sequel to Aquaman? And alas, the boring villain, Mantis, is not dead. Sigh.
It's fun in places, but drags, and I rolled my eyes a lot. Shame, DC really isn't putting out the good superhero flicks the way they used to. My advice? Fire Zack Synder and find someone a bit better at plotting and dialogue. Snyder is good at big pretty animated pictures...but that's about it. Maybe they should Patty Jenkins in charge -- to date she's done the best movie of the franchise.
3. To follow up on most impactful television series of my life. Outside of Buffy and Angel, there have been too many to count. Really, there have been too many. Embarrassingly so. (What can I say? I like television. A lot.) So I'll narrow it down to the stuff that is completely and utterly in the WTF are you thinking category, and willing to bet very few people were fans of these shows. In sort? Wackadoodle television series. Basically, proof that I like weird stuff. ;-)
* 1) The Monkees -- I had to watch it. I made up stories about it. I rushed home from school to see the Brady Bunch rerun where Davy Jones visits the Brady clan and sings "Daydream Believer". I was in love with him at the age of 7. (He's four feet tall. But at that age, so was I.) My parents punished me by not permitting me to watch it. I literally saw every episode fifteen times.
* 2) Kimba - the White Lion. (this is the Japanese anime series that really was only available on the East Coast, because no one in the Mid-West appeared to have heard of it and for a while, I wondered if I dreamed it up. It also is the story that Disney ripped off to make the Lion King. Yes, the Lion King is completely based on my favorite childhood show. Go figure. Matthew Broderick who also grew up on the East Coast and watched it, picked up on it. The only thing the changed from the original was the color of Kimba's fur -- it was white in the original series.)
* 3) Battle Star Galatica (version 1) -- most people go on and on about Star Trek.
I loved Battle Star Galatica. Why? Characters. Keep in mind a few things here, by the time I was 12, I'd seen every Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Lost in Space, Night Gallery, Godzilla Movie, Batman and Robin episode, also was exposed to Space 1999, various and sundry sci-fi alien invasion films, Star Wars, and Star Trek (including the animated version). I didn't like Star Trek until I got to college and ended up watching it again. As I kid -- I saw it as a male centric adventure series with monsters. I was 9 when I saw it, maybe younger. It was in reruns in the 1970s. I was born in 1967.
But I loved Battle Star -- it had relatable female characters, who even became fighter pilots. Also, it sort of combined Westerns with WWII movies...was very similar to a space version of Wagon Train. It was about survival in space and how to build community in space, and interpersonal politics, and relationship building, and had a diversity of characters. Not to mention delved into Greek and Egyptian Mythology.
I am also among the few fans who loved the original Battle Star and the reboot, equally. They have different strengths and different weaknesses. I loved the characters and their emotional arcs. How the shows delved into tricky emotions.
* 4) Fame -- a musical series about outsiders in high school. Everyone else at school was watching Magnum PI, I was watching Fame. I liked the musical numbers. My favorite episode was a musical version of Othello -- which was incredibly clever. I even had the cast album.
* 5) Battle of the Planets -- I adored this for some reason. IT's a Japanese Anime about a bunch of orphans who have the ability to operate giant robots. It spun off into various rebooted series afterwards, one of which was Gundam Wing, I think.
*6) Farscape -- a space opera with puppets, co-produced with the Jim Henson company. It's an insane series, and possibly the most innovative sci-fi series that I've seen. It's about a rag-tag team of prisoners taking over a living space ship and fleeing the authorities -- while trying to survive. Sort of the anti-Star Trek.
In fact, Farscape is in some respects a commentary on Star Trek and expresses all the reasons why I could never fall in love with Trek. It breaks all of Trek's rules, and pretty much all the rules of the sci-fi space genre and then some.
*7) General Hospital -- only other television series that I've actively discussed on a fanboard and hunted spoilers on, picked up mags on. I don't think I have to explain why my love of it is wackadoodle. I love the character arcs. This series continually comments on social issues, and has done the best depiction and critique of an abusive romance to date -- the Luke and Laura relationship is literally deconstructed over time, depicting how both character romanticized each other and brought out the worst in one another. It's an amazing character arc. And it is just one of so many. The long-running serial can examine characters much better than anything else on television. And the emotional arcs of the characters are fully and completely explored. It also delves into social issues -- often better than its prime time counterparts. Right now it is discussing gender biasis bullying of young children -- and doing a marvelous job of looking at all the angles. It has a Doctor that is transgender. And a gay couple who have adopted a son. Often soaps jump into social issues before anyone else does. And they like to look at the tricky emotions. And they show how vengeance doesn't work and it's important to find a way to forgive. Oh I love them. But I know people think I'm wacky for doing so.
*8) Batman and Robin (the 1960s version with Adam West) -- I watched it in reruns as a child in the 1970s. We even drove to a gas station about 2 hours away to see the two in person, a friend's family drove us there to see them. I vividly remember being annoyed that Robin had an Afro -- a White Afro. It did not fit with the tv show, where his hair was slicked back. I was in love with Robin aka Dick Ward in the series -- I've no clue why. It was my introduction to superheros. And I loved the action and the campiness. We watched it at my best friend's house on her big color television set. My parents had a small black and white television for a long time. Finally they got a color. But they didn't let me watch Batman and Robin.
*9) Xenia - about a warrior princess wandering about the Greek Isles, who fights her attraction to the Greek War God and her traveling companion, Gabrielle. I adored the musical episode, most people hated it. I also preferred it to Hercules, which I found unwatchable.
* 10) This one is hard...so many come to mind. I did love Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Mystery Hour, also adored Remington Steel, and Moonlighting all about equally, none hold up well now. And all were a bit wacky. So going with those. I was going to put Firefly -- but it's not really that wacky -- a lot of people online adore it. Or Veronica Mars -- again not that Wacky.
* Legacies - this series surprised me. A lot better than expected, with likable and relatable characters. That didn't fall heavily into established tropes or cliches.
These writers are really good at world-building. The monster is an interesting one, and not one I've seen done before. Also the series has done a rather good job of building on the prior series, without relying or being dependent on them. It expands on the mythology.
The finale surprised me. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. And the reveal on Landon's father was rather clever and unexpected -- it wasn't Agent Clark (whose actually his brother) but the Malvoire itself -- the mudman. And Hope had the power to destroy it -- because she was made up of the power combination that originally created it.
Nice.
I rather like Hope. Also liked the development and wrap up on MG, Kaleb, Rafe and Jed. Also Josie and Lizzie were more interesting at the end.
As were Dorian and Alaric -- who come together again, while Emma takes the sabbatical -- she needs to return as does Hope, we have a shortage of female characters as it is.
And I loved the idea of the golem who was built to eat or devour dragons and monsters, yet leave vampires, witches and werewolves alone. And that the vampires, witches and werewolves created him to get rid of the monsters destroying the world and killing humanity. But hadn't counted on humanity using the Golem to get rid of them...or the Golem becoming sentient and wanting to reproduce and not be alone.
The fact that Landon is the son of the Golem, and that's how he's the Phoneix. Is also interesting. He's the product of Triad Scientist and the Golem -- basically the two villains in the story. But he himself is a monster of sorts -- immortal.
Very good couple of episodes. Actually this series has been a pleasant surprise all around and among the better offerings this season.
* This is Us
It's bugging me. Beth's character arc doesn't quite work and she comes across as a bit whiny. I agree with Randall, she's playing the victim, when she's anything but.
And she resents the fact that he's got to shine and she hasn't -- ignoring everything else.
The writers are making the women the bad guys in this -- and it's irritating. Very much a male viewpoint series. A problem I have with television in general over the years -- is a heavy male centric gaze.
In the last episode, Beth comes across as a narcissitic, egotistical nitwit. The writers made her want to be a dancer seemingly out of the blue. And in the rehash of their history -- we're shown how when Randall first meets Beth, he asks if she's into a dance and a dance major. She completely denies it and shrugs dance off as unimportant. Also she's very closed off to him and upset that he's over-shared. Making it clear that romantic date isn't what she wants and she doesn't want to be wined and dined. Basically she tells him he's horrid and she's not into him. He decides he is going to marry her. And I'm like - REALLY?
Later, when they are living together (which is somewhat jarring) -- and he keeps proposing, and she keeps turning him down -- they go take his mother out for dinner at a mini-golf park. She obviously doesn't want to do it -- instead of saying, no, I don't want to do it -- she goes along. And then gets pissed about it -- tells him off. Then when he says that he's not going to propose any longer. She freaks and takes him to a place where she has greasy nachos, a ginger beer, and then he can propose.
Now, she's upset that he won't let her pursue her dream as a dance instructor. Yet at no point in the series -- are we shown that Beth can dance let alone has an interest. Also, I may not know a lot about dancing -- but I know this, from having been friends with professional dancers. You can't give up dancing at the age of 15 and then take it up again at the age of 40, as if no time has passed and teach. It's not like riding a bike. Also, it takes a toll on the body -- you have to be in shape. Whoever is writing this knows zip about dance -- it's obvious. And no dance studio is going to hire someone as a teacher when they have zero experience teaching and haven't danced in twenty years. I mean come on.
Add to this -- it's not like she's asking Randall to give up a hobby or scale back on his work hours, but to resign a position that he was elected to by other people, who are counting on him. Who trusted him. Who she stood up in front of and said she supported. To ask him to resign his councilman position so she can teach dance at night and during the days, and follow her dream is ludicrous. Of the two, she's the one who should be able to find a compromise.
Also he's absolutely right when he states that she never once mentioned this -- she didn't. Instead she suffered in silence and "played the victim", oh poor me, Randall is the star and I'm always behind the scenes. This is all Randall's fault.
Honey, you were living with the guy for seven years -- you knew who he was when you married him and decided to have kids. Also, what he's been doing is to help others.
He brought his "dying" father into his home. He took over his father's decrepit building, he was unemployed at the time -- you were working in urban development, you didn't indicate you were into dance. He told you he wanted to make a difference and run for city council -- you supported him, until the polls looked negative and you wanted him to call it quits, but he pushed forward and when you realized he was going to win -- you agreed to support him. Now, you are flipping again? Because you want to be the center of attention? You have to feel important? You feel a sudden desire to dance -- after twenty years?
Please. I don't know if I can continue with this series, the only characters I don't want to smack are Toby and Kate.
* Grey's Anatomy -- that was just painful. I could have done without that episode. I felt really sorry for Alex and Joe.
The episode did do a good job of getting across why trying to relate to someone else's experience through your own doesn't always work. Joe does it twice, it works with a patient, but not with the person she most wants to relate to. The other person has to be open to listening to your experience and not be isolated in their own.
But I really wish they'd get rid of the voice over-narrative device, it can be incredibly annoying at times -- I found it annoying in this episode.
Also it occurred to me during this episode how ironic the Meredith/Deluca relationship is -- considering the outcome of the Deluca/Alex/Joe relationship.
* Rosewell, New Mexico
Well, that was predictable and a touch disappointing.
I sort of figured out several episodes ago that someone was possessing Isabel and various people in town. Some sort of body swapper. And he'd been jumping into Isabel for a while now. I was hoping I was wrong. Because it sort of let's Isabel off the hook and takes away her agency.
I did find the Alex/Michael/Maria love triangle interesting. The fact that Michael is interested in both of them -- and can go either way, and Maria feels horrible for betraying Alex. Michael, interestingly enough, really doesn't. Mainly because Alex has never committed to him one way or the other -- nor trusted him. So why should Michael? And Alex is STILL keeping stuff from him, after they both come clean.
I can see where Michael is coming from. Maria on the other hand is pretty up front with him about how she feels. (Michael by the way is hot, I have a crush on Michael.)
Alex is also interesting -- I'm not sure what he's going to do. He has kept the spaceship piece from Michael, but it appears to be because he doesn't want Michael to recreate the spaceship and leave.
Then there is Max/and his partner -- whose relationship is less clear cut and far more interesting to me than Liz/Max. She seems to accept his alien status pretty easily -- mainly because she has bigger worries and has decided he's more or less harmless.
The characters are interesting in this series as are the relationships. Also much like Legacies and Vamp Diaries -- the writers are rather good at world building and character relationship dynamics. I'm enjoying the series far more than I expected.
*Station 19 -- well it put me to sleep. Never a good sign. I think I've decided to give up on it. Outside of maybe one or two characters, the show isn't good at developing characters -- nor does it seem to know what to do with its characters. They leap from bed to bed, relationship to relationship, with some fire adventures in between -- but no dire consequences. I don't really feel much commitment from the writers to any one plot-line or character arc. So it's hard to commit myself or care. As a result, I'm bored. Nor do I find it believable as a fire house. I can't believe half these people are firemen or women.
*9-1-1 is the exact opposite of Station 19. It's believable. There's a sense of danger. There are consequences. And the characters have definitive arcs. Also they are well-developed, complete with detailed back stories -- that the writers will convey. In addition they struggle as firemen. It's not easy to become one or be accepted. And they are always aware that they could lose someone at any time.
Best procedural on television -- and by far the best one about firemen and paramedics.
This episode delved into Howard "Chiminey" Han's background. His difficulty becoming a fireman, how he lost a friend, etc. It's a moving episode and well-done. Although it comes right after a mean cliff-hanger, and leaves us with another one.
* Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
The season finale is next week. I liked this week's episode better than usual. This season has been doing a good job referencing previous seasons and commenting on them through another perspective, showing how the characters have all evolved and moved past their one-dimensional craziness. This episode satirized the dating game, the Bachelor, and pretty much romantic dates in general -- showing how exhausting they are. Rebecca starts the series craving romantic attachment, convinced it will make her happy, by series end -- she's realized, eh, no, if anything it stresses her out and makes her miserable. She bonds with Greg a bit over their mutual dislike of the romantic date, and being fed up with constantly having to live up to the romantic ideal.
When Greg, Nathan and Josh are forced to take penalties to make the date a fair and even playing field. Greg admits he has nothing to give up. He's neither rich nor physically built. He just makes snarky comments.
And when the other two go out of their way to create the perfect romantic date -- which blows Rebecca away, but also exhausts her and makes it harder to decide and makes her feel crazier...because each date resides somewhere outside the real world...Greg tries to do the same, but gives up and they end up at the car shop waiting for his car to be repaired. Greg also is the only one who doesn't appear to know that everyone is betting on them, anymore than he knew about Rebecca's white board or that the other two were actively pursuing her and it had become a competition -- until he's told. Rebecca much like Greg is tired of playing love as a game -- neither appear to enjoy games that much and neither really want to play this one, even though all their friends are invested in it.
There's a couple of good songs here -- one that "Love isn't a Game" sung to the tune and dance styling of "Luck be a Lady Tonight" -- obviously they are satirizing Guys and Dolls. And the other, Love is a Game and how sick she is of it. And a bit of a funny bit on Hot Air balloons not having a bathroom and please don't urinate or poop in the balloon. (I found myself wondering how people handle a couple of hours or more in them, and okay another reason not to do it.)
Crazy Ex is at it's best when it is lampooning romance or rather our societal view of it. It's at it's worst when it lampoons mental illness, which I still find in bad taste -- mainly because my former BFF reminds me a wee too much of Rebecca Bunch.
2. Aquaman -- saw this "On Demand" on Saturday night. And..eh, it's not that good. I'm very glad I didn't pay $16 to see it in the theaters or drag an unsuspecting friend to it. It's not exactly awful, but it isn't exactly good either.
The special effects are nice and the ocean bits are rather pretty at times. Reminded me a little of Avatar, which is not necessarily a good thing. But, it's also obviously CGI and not very good CGI at that. Did Marvel get the better CGI? Warner Brothers needs to up its game if it wants to compete with the Disney Juggernaught.
Also, while I understand the appeal, digitizing the human face to that degree in order to make them look younger -- doesn't work for everyone. Makes some actors look rather like plastic dolls. Too much photoshop and people look like dolls. While this sort of worked with Nicole Kidman, who let's face it, sort of looks like she's been photoshopped anyhow, it didn't work for her male co-star (Aquaman's Daddy). What they did with the human faces reminded me of Avatar and not in a good way.
The sea life was pretty though -- I'm guessing this would have been cool to watch in 3D on an Imax screen? If you are willing to fork up the cash for such a cheesy plot and horrid dialogue.
There were some nice moments. I rather liked Jason Momoa (the guy who played the lead) -- he has a great sense of humor and excellent comic timing. He clearly wasn't taking this all that seriously (how could he?). Everyone else was...sigh. William Dafoe -- I felt sorry for, along with Jason Issacs. Princess Amera had some great action sequences...she kicks ass in the film and is rather witty in places.
The music choices...eh, didn't work. They'd pop in out of nowhere, and I'd think.."Why? And you couldn't find a better song than this..really? You need to fire you music coordinator."
DC has figured out that it needs to put nifty bits after the first credits -- so that's there. But has not realized it should do it after the final credits. Apparently it thinks we will have a sequel to Aquaman? And alas, the boring villain, Mantis, is not dead. Sigh.
It's fun in places, but drags, and I rolled my eyes a lot. Shame, DC really isn't putting out the good superhero flicks the way they used to. My advice? Fire Zack Synder and find someone a bit better at plotting and dialogue. Snyder is good at big pretty animated pictures...but that's about it. Maybe they should Patty Jenkins in charge -- to date she's done the best movie of the franchise.
3. To follow up on most impactful television series of my life. Outside of Buffy and Angel, there have been too many to count. Really, there have been too many. Embarrassingly so. (What can I say? I like television. A lot.) So I'll narrow it down to the stuff that is completely and utterly in the WTF are you thinking category, and willing to bet very few people were fans of these shows. In sort? Wackadoodle television series. Basically, proof that I like weird stuff. ;-)
* 1) The Monkees -- I had to watch it. I made up stories about it. I rushed home from school to see the Brady Bunch rerun where Davy Jones visits the Brady clan and sings "Daydream Believer". I was in love with him at the age of 7. (He's four feet tall. But at that age, so was I.) My parents punished me by not permitting me to watch it. I literally saw every episode fifteen times.
* 2) Kimba - the White Lion. (this is the Japanese anime series that really was only available on the East Coast, because no one in the Mid-West appeared to have heard of it and for a while, I wondered if I dreamed it up. It also is the story that Disney ripped off to make the Lion King. Yes, the Lion King is completely based on my favorite childhood show. Go figure. Matthew Broderick who also grew up on the East Coast and watched it, picked up on it. The only thing the changed from the original was the color of Kimba's fur -- it was white in the original series.)
* 3) Battle Star Galatica (version 1) -- most people go on and on about Star Trek.
I loved Battle Star Galatica. Why? Characters. Keep in mind a few things here, by the time I was 12, I'd seen every Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Lost in Space, Night Gallery, Godzilla Movie, Batman and Robin episode, also was exposed to Space 1999, various and sundry sci-fi alien invasion films, Star Wars, and Star Trek (including the animated version). I didn't like Star Trek until I got to college and ended up watching it again. As I kid -- I saw it as a male centric adventure series with monsters. I was 9 when I saw it, maybe younger. It was in reruns in the 1970s. I was born in 1967.
But I loved Battle Star -- it had relatable female characters, who even became fighter pilots. Also, it sort of combined Westerns with WWII movies...was very similar to a space version of Wagon Train. It was about survival in space and how to build community in space, and interpersonal politics, and relationship building, and had a diversity of characters. Not to mention delved into Greek and Egyptian Mythology.
I am also among the few fans who loved the original Battle Star and the reboot, equally. They have different strengths and different weaknesses. I loved the characters and their emotional arcs. How the shows delved into tricky emotions.
* 4) Fame -- a musical series about outsiders in high school. Everyone else at school was watching Magnum PI, I was watching Fame. I liked the musical numbers. My favorite episode was a musical version of Othello -- which was incredibly clever. I even had the cast album.
* 5) Battle of the Planets -- I adored this for some reason. IT's a Japanese Anime about a bunch of orphans who have the ability to operate giant robots. It spun off into various rebooted series afterwards, one of which was Gundam Wing, I think.
*6) Farscape -- a space opera with puppets, co-produced with the Jim Henson company. It's an insane series, and possibly the most innovative sci-fi series that I've seen. It's about a rag-tag team of prisoners taking over a living space ship and fleeing the authorities -- while trying to survive. Sort of the anti-Star Trek.
In fact, Farscape is in some respects a commentary on Star Trek and expresses all the reasons why I could never fall in love with Trek. It breaks all of Trek's rules, and pretty much all the rules of the sci-fi space genre and then some.
*7) General Hospital -- only other television series that I've actively discussed on a fanboard and hunted spoilers on, picked up mags on. I don't think I have to explain why my love of it is wackadoodle. I love the character arcs. This series continually comments on social issues, and has done the best depiction and critique of an abusive romance to date -- the Luke and Laura relationship is literally deconstructed over time, depicting how both character romanticized each other and brought out the worst in one another. It's an amazing character arc. And it is just one of so many. The long-running serial can examine characters much better than anything else on television. And the emotional arcs of the characters are fully and completely explored. It also delves into social issues -- often better than its prime time counterparts. Right now it is discussing gender biasis bullying of young children -- and doing a marvelous job of looking at all the angles. It has a Doctor that is transgender. And a gay couple who have adopted a son. Often soaps jump into social issues before anyone else does. And they like to look at the tricky emotions. And they show how vengeance doesn't work and it's important to find a way to forgive. Oh I love them. But I know people think I'm wacky for doing so.
*8) Batman and Robin (the 1960s version with Adam West) -- I watched it in reruns as a child in the 1970s. We even drove to a gas station about 2 hours away to see the two in person, a friend's family drove us there to see them. I vividly remember being annoyed that Robin had an Afro -- a White Afro. It did not fit with the tv show, where his hair was slicked back. I was in love with Robin aka Dick Ward in the series -- I've no clue why. It was my introduction to superheros. And I loved the action and the campiness. We watched it at my best friend's house on her big color television set. My parents had a small black and white television for a long time. Finally they got a color. But they didn't let me watch Batman and Robin.
*9) Xenia - about a warrior princess wandering about the Greek Isles, who fights her attraction to the Greek War God and her traveling companion, Gabrielle. I adored the musical episode, most people hated it. I also preferred it to Hercules, which I found unwatchable.
* 10) This one is hard...so many come to mind. I did love Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Mystery Hour, also adored Remington Steel, and Moonlighting all about equally, none hold up well now. And all were a bit wacky. So going with those. I was going to put Firefly -- but it's not really that wacky -- a lot of people online adore it. Or Veronica Mars -- again not that Wacky.
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Date: 2019-04-01 01:18 pm (UTC)