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Jul. 27th, 2019 10:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. Well, best laid plans go awry again...turns out I'm not doing the movie thing with Wales after all...good thing we didn't buy tickets ahead of time. (Actually that's why I don't buy the tickets ahead of time.)
Friday
Wales: Can we do the movie on Sat?
ME: Yeah, but we should meet around 11:15 AM, because it takes forever to get through the line. Everyone has to reserve their seat as they purchase the tickets.
Wales: That sucks. Okay we can meet at 11:15Am. But maybe we should purchase our tickets online first?
Me: Not unless we want to sit together. Or you could buy them online if you want to.
Wales: Whatever you decide.
Me: Let's meet at 11:15 AM.
Separate conversation with coworker, Chidi.
Chidi: I'm seeing Once Upon a Time in Hollywood on Saturday. Got my tickets and everything.
ME: I'm seeing it too with a friend. But we're not purchasing it ahead of time.
Chidi: Why not?
ME: Well, this friend isn't reliable. She has a tendency to cancel at the last minute or blow me off. I can't do anything with her that requires a reservation ahead of time or tickets ahead of time.
Chidi: Oh I hate people like that.
ME: I've gotten used to it. The way to deal with it, is to accept that she's not reliable and work around it. Also to set clear boundaries. So, we'll see if I see the movie this Saturday. Up in the air. Best to be a little flexible about it.
Saturday
I've put the makeup on. Found the right clothes for the movies. My hair looks great for once. (First time it looked good all week). I'm ready to go, and checking the weather. (I'm not dressing for Wales, I'm dressing for Cobble Hill and the restaurant after.)
The phone rings. It's Wales.
Turns out she's sick, coughing up a storm, and begs off. Apologizes profusely. Can't make it. Doesn't want to get me sick.
Me: Okay. That's fine. Don't need to see the movie today.
Wales: Are you sure? I'm so sorry. (Hack. Hack. Cough. Cough. Sneeze.)
Me: Oh yeah. Get better. But see? This is why I didn't think it was a good idea to buy the tickets online ahead of time.
Wales: You're so smart! That's so true.
ME: Yep.
The last time -- which was about a month ago, she also claimed she was sick, and it turned out she just didn't want to go out. So she's been known to lie. Although I think she's really sick this time.
At any rate, not seeing the movie this weekend. Which is okay. I'm somewhat ambivalent about it anyhow.
2. Reading We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix -- which I got for $1.99 during a Kindle Daily Deal. (It's current price is $12.99 for Kindle, which frankly is too high -- that's higher than most paperbacks. I'm about 20% of the way through and no, it's not worth $12.99, although I have bought and been unable to finish books that were that amount and higher, so don't go by me.)
Description below:
In this hard-rocking, spine-tingling supernatural thriller, the washed-up guitarist of a ’90s heavy metal band embarks on an epic road-trip across America and deep into the web of a sinister conspiracy.
Every morning, Kris Pulaski wakes up in hell. In the 1990s she was lead guitarist of Dürt Würk, a heavy-metal band on the brink of breakout success until lead singer Terry Hunt embarked on a solo career and rocketed to stardom, leaving his bandmates to rot in obscurity.
Now Kris works as night manager of a Best Western; she’s tired, broke, and unhappy. One day everything changes—a shocking act of violence turns her life upside down, and she begins to suspect that Terry sabotaged more than just the band. Kris hits the road, hoping to reunite Dürt Würk and confront the man who ruined her life. Her journey will take her from the Pennsylvania rust belt to a celebrity rehab center to a satanic music festival. A furious power ballad about never giving up, We Sold Our Souls is one woman’s epic journey to reclaim her life—and save her soul.
The description is good. Gives you a clear picture, without losing you in wasted metaphor. The protagonist is pushing 50, about forty-seven, female, a rarity in books these days. People like writing about twenty-somethings, teens, and kids for some reason.
At any rate it's holding my attention for the most part.
3. Watched The Boys or the first episode of it on Amazon Prime last night. This is the new series written by Eric Kripke (Heroes and Supernatural), and based on the Garth Ennis graphic novels of the same name. Garth Ennis, Seth Rogan, and Kripke all write for it and developed it.
It's about an underground vigilante group called "The Boys" who seek justice for victims of superheroes. In the world of the Boys, the superheroes are a bit psychotic and overseen/managed by a big corporation (sort of like Disney) named Voight. It has all these cross-marketing bits -- movies, action figures, television shows, and amusement park rides associated with the superheroes, who are shareholders in the corporation. The superheroes are largely based on DC Comics superheroes -- with Homelander (he's Superman), The Deep (Aquaman) A-Train (The Flash), etc. In this world there are 200+ superheroes, and only a select group get to become The Seven.
In the first episode, we discover the Seven are a wee bit on the psychotic side.
And this is a very adult, very crass, and very black comedy. Our hero, Wee Hughie (in the comics) loses the love of his life because of a sup. (Basically A-Train runs through her. He's so fast, that the only thing left are the hands Hughie had been holding. It would be funny, if it wasn't so graphic and gross.) Also A-train apparently enjoyed it and saw her as little more than a bug he wiped off his windshield. The first episode apparently covers the first five comics.
Not a kids show. There's nudity. At one point The Deep takes his dick out and masturbates for Star Fire, and informs her that she should go down on him. He sexually harasses her. Honestly I think she should have taken him out with the Star Fire. Also the Vanisher...turns invisible when he's naked. So he hangs out in the bathroom and every once in a while becomes visible in the all together.
Is it any good? I'm on the fence. It slants towards "hyper-realism" which can unfortunately be boring. And lacks the witty banter of Supernatural or the compelling leads of either it or Heroes. Also the production value isn't as shiny for some reason, but gritty. I found it slow, and hard to care about any of the characters. There is one or two compelling scenes -- actually anything with Star Fire is compelling. But I also have only seen one episode, so far.
It feels very "meta" and I find "meta" to be boring after a bit. Also somewhat self-congratulatory and indulgent. Yes, yes, we all know that Disney and the Marvel superhero stories dominating the box office and DC's melodramatic supes can be annoying -- and aren't dark and gritty enough. But I'm sorry, Breaking Bad fans, we have Trump in office and Brexit, and Climate Change -- we're living in the dark gritty satire. Also, it's hard to care about any of these people. And that is a problem with a lot of dark, gritty, hyper-realistic shows...the characters aren't likable or even all that interesting, they are your annoying next door neighbor, the guy at the comic store, or the guy selling weed down the block...eh, I want to escape that when I watch a tv show, not be immersed in it.
I'm thinking of re-watching Iron Man 2 as an antidote. OR Shazam. Actually maybe Shazam.
Friday
Wales: Can we do the movie on Sat?
ME: Yeah, but we should meet around 11:15 AM, because it takes forever to get through the line. Everyone has to reserve their seat as they purchase the tickets.
Wales: That sucks. Okay we can meet at 11:15Am. But maybe we should purchase our tickets online first?
Me: Not unless we want to sit together. Or you could buy them online if you want to.
Wales: Whatever you decide.
Me: Let's meet at 11:15 AM.
Separate conversation with coworker, Chidi.
Chidi: I'm seeing Once Upon a Time in Hollywood on Saturday. Got my tickets and everything.
ME: I'm seeing it too with a friend. But we're not purchasing it ahead of time.
Chidi: Why not?
ME: Well, this friend isn't reliable. She has a tendency to cancel at the last minute or blow me off. I can't do anything with her that requires a reservation ahead of time or tickets ahead of time.
Chidi: Oh I hate people like that.
ME: I've gotten used to it. The way to deal with it, is to accept that she's not reliable and work around it. Also to set clear boundaries. So, we'll see if I see the movie this Saturday. Up in the air. Best to be a little flexible about it.
Saturday
I've put the makeup on. Found the right clothes for the movies. My hair looks great for once. (First time it looked good all week). I'm ready to go, and checking the weather. (I'm not dressing for Wales, I'm dressing for Cobble Hill and the restaurant after.)
The phone rings. It's Wales.
Turns out she's sick, coughing up a storm, and begs off. Apologizes profusely. Can't make it. Doesn't want to get me sick.
Me: Okay. That's fine. Don't need to see the movie today.
Wales: Are you sure? I'm so sorry. (Hack. Hack. Cough. Cough. Sneeze.)
Me: Oh yeah. Get better. But see? This is why I didn't think it was a good idea to buy the tickets online ahead of time.
Wales: You're so smart! That's so true.
ME: Yep.
The last time -- which was about a month ago, she also claimed she was sick, and it turned out she just didn't want to go out. So she's been known to lie. Although I think she's really sick this time.
At any rate, not seeing the movie this weekend. Which is okay. I'm somewhat ambivalent about it anyhow.
2. Reading We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix -- which I got for $1.99 during a Kindle Daily Deal. (It's current price is $12.99 for Kindle, which frankly is too high -- that's higher than most paperbacks. I'm about 20% of the way through and no, it's not worth $12.99, although I have bought and been unable to finish books that were that amount and higher, so don't go by me.)
Description below:
In this hard-rocking, spine-tingling supernatural thriller, the washed-up guitarist of a ’90s heavy metal band embarks on an epic road-trip across America and deep into the web of a sinister conspiracy.
Every morning, Kris Pulaski wakes up in hell. In the 1990s she was lead guitarist of Dürt Würk, a heavy-metal band on the brink of breakout success until lead singer Terry Hunt embarked on a solo career and rocketed to stardom, leaving his bandmates to rot in obscurity.
Now Kris works as night manager of a Best Western; she’s tired, broke, and unhappy. One day everything changes—a shocking act of violence turns her life upside down, and she begins to suspect that Terry sabotaged more than just the band. Kris hits the road, hoping to reunite Dürt Würk and confront the man who ruined her life. Her journey will take her from the Pennsylvania rust belt to a celebrity rehab center to a satanic music festival. A furious power ballad about never giving up, We Sold Our Souls is one woman’s epic journey to reclaim her life—and save her soul.
The description is good. Gives you a clear picture, without losing you in wasted metaphor. The protagonist is pushing 50, about forty-seven, female, a rarity in books these days. People like writing about twenty-somethings, teens, and kids for some reason.
At any rate it's holding my attention for the most part.
3. Watched The Boys or the first episode of it on Amazon Prime last night. This is the new series written by Eric Kripke (Heroes and Supernatural), and based on the Garth Ennis graphic novels of the same name. Garth Ennis, Seth Rogan, and Kripke all write for it and developed it.
It's about an underground vigilante group called "The Boys" who seek justice for victims of superheroes. In the world of the Boys, the superheroes are a bit psychotic and overseen/managed by a big corporation (sort of like Disney) named Voight. It has all these cross-marketing bits -- movies, action figures, television shows, and amusement park rides associated with the superheroes, who are shareholders in the corporation. The superheroes are largely based on DC Comics superheroes -- with Homelander (he's Superman), The Deep (Aquaman) A-Train (The Flash), etc. In this world there are 200+ superheroes, and only a select group get to become The Seven.
In the first episode, we discover the Seven are a wee bit on the psychotic side.
And this is a very adult, very crass, and very black comedy. Our hero, Wee Hughie (in the comics) loses the love of his life because of a sup. (Basically A-Train runs through her. He's so fast, that the only thing left are the hands Hughie had been holding. It would be funny, if it wasn't so graphic and gross.) Also A-train apparently enjoyed it and saw her as little more than a bug he wiped off his windshield. The first episode apparently covers the first five comics.
Not a kids show. There's nudity. At one point The Deep takes his dick out and masturbates for Star Fire, and informs her that she should go down on him. He sexually harasses her. Honestly I think she should have taken him out with the Star Fire. Also the Vanisher...turns invisible when he's naked. So he hangs out in the bathroom and every once in a while becomes visible in the all together.
Is it any good? I'm on the fence. It slants towards "hyper-realism" which can unfortunately be boring. And lacks the witty banter of Supernatural or the compelling leads of either it or Heroes. Also the production value isn't as shiny for some reason, but gritty. I found it slow, and hard to care about any of the characters. There is one or two compelling scenes -- actually anything with Star Fire is compelling. But I also have only seen one episode, so far.
It feels very "meta" and I find "meta" to be boring after a bit. Also somewhat self-congratulatory and indulgent. Yes, yes, we all know that Disney and the Marvel superhero stories dominating the box office and DC's melodramatic supes can be annoying -- and aren't dark and gritty enough. But I'm sorry, Breaking Bad fans, we have Trump in office and Brexit, and Climate Change -- we're living in the dark gritty satire. Also, it's hard to care about any of these people. And that is a problem with a lot of dark, gritty, hyper-realistic shows...the characters aren't likable or even all that interesting, they are your annoying next door neighbor, the guy at the comic store, or the guy selling weed down the block...eh, I want to escape that when I watch a tv show, not be immersed in it.
I'm thinking of re-watching Iron Man 2 as an antidote. OR Shazam. Actually maybe Shazam.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-27 06:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-07-27 06:31 pm (UTC)The problem with the hyper-realistic, meta, anti-hero gritty comedic satires and/or dramas which worked really well about six or seven years ago...is right now, they pale in comparison to what is actually happening.
I'm having troubles watching "The Good Fight". And I'm not sure I'd enjoy either The Good Wife or Breaking Bad right now.
There's a reason people flocked in droves to see Avengers: Endgame and love the Marvel movies right now. It's the same reason they like musicals. And ballgames. They want to escape into a happy place.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-27 07:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-07-27 10:08 pm (UTC)Just watched "Shazam" which is by no means brilliant, but I adored the last twenty minutes...it made me happy and feeling positive about humanity.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-27 10:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-07-27 10:17 pm (UTC)It is definitely a kids movie. So, not sure. About a bunch of foster kids in a kind and loving group home coming together as a family. And how the best thing to do with power is to share it.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-27 10:20 pm (UTC)But I'm weird. I own pretty much all the Ernest movies.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-27 10:31 pm (UTC)Yeah, I'd think you'd love it then. It's about a foster boy who ends up with powers, finding his way to a family, after his own biological one has forsaken him.
The polar opposite of The Boys -- which made me just hate people.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-27 10:33 pm (UTC)Yeah, I'm going to skip The Boys. It doesn't sound like it will work for me at all.