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Feb. 27th, 2013 07:22 pm1.) Day 16 – Favorite female character
At the moment, it is Rachel Morgan from Kim Harrison's The Hollows series.
She's a bad-ass demon, who saves the world. Somewhat subversive in places. The writing isn't great. But again in it for the characters.
Others? Eh. Trying to think...hmmm...there's not a lot of kick-ass female characters in fiction, unfortunately. Whiny and pathetic, yes, kick-ass no.
Hazel Grace...from Fault in Our Stars, I rather liked. Also the female Captain in the CJ Cherryh series Pride of Chanur. Others? Phillipa in Lymond Chronicles was interesting.
Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. Not a whole lot that strike me as memorable. It's a sad, sad, sad thing, folks.
( rest of the days )
3.Day 19 - Best TV show cast
Assuming this is cast not characters, or the actors playing the roles, which sort of makes things a heck of a lot easier. Of the Whedon series, I agree with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
selenak ironically, Dollhouse had the best cast, but the weakest lead and the weakest writing and direction. You can't help but wonder what would have happened if the execution, ideas, and lead had been the same level as the rest of the cast. Ah well.
Of the tv shows I've seen to date? I'd say that the following have the best overall casts, I can't really choose between them but will try:
* The Wire - this show was a true ensemble, without a lead or main character. Dominic West's Detective McNulty may have gotten prime billing, but he's barely in the 4th and 2nd Seasons. The series also had the most racially diverse cast that I've seen on television. Utilizing non-actors and actors, it managed to encapsulate every aspect of the city of Baltimore. There really were no weak links. Even the grating Ziggy delivered.
* Game of Thrones - perhaps the best cast series since the Wire, it too has a truly ensemble cast. Most series focus on a lead character, like the Whedon series did, and if the lead is weak...it falls apart. Game of Thrones like the Wire is a wonderful place for the journeyman character actor. It's filled to the brim with them.
* Breaking Bad and Justified - also excel at casting talented character actors in ensemble roles. As does the brilliant The Good Wife which much like The West Wing before it, excels at both ensemble casting and guest casting with barely a misstep.
But of the three The Wire is the one that continues to leap out at me. No missteps here. And it's been at least two years since I marathoned it, and those actors characters still resonate on a deep level. All of them do. Often in tv series, only a couple of characters grab you, it's rare that an entire cast does.
( the rest of the days )
3. Watched both episodes of Arrow last night. So am all caught up. Rather impressed with the series. And have realized something...while I always thought of myself as more of a Marvel comics fan, I prefer DC's films and television adaptations to Marvel's. Marvel is too pop-corn/bubble-gum, 12 year old boy violence. Oh violence is fun. More. Please. While DC's films and television series seem to question violence and are grittier. I actually think DC has something to say with its films and tv shows, while I'm not sure Marvel wants anything other than a quick buck? There's not much to Marvel's films. I tend to forget them immediately after I saw them - memorable to me, personally, they aren't. For example? I've seen The Avengers and The Dark Knight once. The Dark Knight I saw five years ago, I think, but I still remember it vividly. The Avengers I saw this summer, and I barely remember it at all. Same with Superman - I remember all those films. Can't remember Captain America.
And the Batman films? Remember all of them. Iron Man in one eye and out the other.
I don't know why this is. I'm thinking it's because DC takes it's verse and mythos more seriously than Marvel in the films and movies? Or it wants to add a level of realism to the proceedings?
Arrow...definitely has a lot to say about vigilantism, gentrification, and how our best intentions can not always turn out well. Interesting series. Not at all what I expected.
And the addition of Felicity to the cast, the IT girl...is excellent, adds just the right note of humor.
At the moment, it is Rachel Morgan from Kim Harrison's The Hollows series.
She's a bad-ass demon, who saves the world. Somewhat subversive in places. The writing isn't great. But again in it for the characters.
Others? Eh. Trying to think...hmmm...there's not a lot of kick-ass female characters in fiction, unfortunately. Whiny and pathetic, yes, kick-ass no.
Hazel Grace...from Fault in Our Stars, I rather liked. Also the female Captain in the CJ Cherryh series Pride of Chanur. Others? Phillipa in Lymond Chronicles was interesting.
Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. Not a whole lot that strike me as memorable. It's a sad, sad, sad thing, folks.
( rest of the days )
3.Day 19 - Best TV show cast
Assuming this is cast not characters, or the actors playing the roles, which sort of makes things a heck of a lot easier. Of the Whedon series, I agree with
selenak ironically, Dollhouse had the best cast, but the weakest lead and the weakest writing and direction. You can't help but wonder what would have happened if the execution, ideas, and lead had been the same level as the rest of the cast. Ah well.Of the tv shows I've seen to date? I'd say that the following have the best overall casts, I can't really choose between them but will try:
* The Wire - this show was a true ensemble, without a lead or main character. Dominic West's Detective McNulty may have gotten prime billing, but he's barely in the 4th and 2nd Seasons. The series also had the most racially diverse cast that I've seen on television. Utilizing non-actors and actors, it managed to encapsulate every aspect of the city of Baltimore. There really were no weak links. Even the grating Ziggy delivered.
* Game of Thrones - perhaps the best cast series since the Wire, it too has a truly ensemble cast. Most series focus on a lead character, like the Whedon series did, and if the lead is weak...it falls apart. Game of Thrones like the Wire is a wonderful place for the journeyman character actor. It's filled to the brim with them.
* Breaking Bad and Justified - also excel at casting talented character actors in ensemble roles. As does the brilliant The Good Wife which much like The West Wing before it, excels at both ensemble casting and guest casting with barely a misstep.
But of the three The Wire is the one that continues to leap out at me. No missteps here. And it's been at least two years since I marathoned it, and those actors characters still resonate on a deep level. All of them do. Often in tv series, only a couple of characters grab you, it's rare that an entire cast does.
( the rest of the days )
3. Watched both episodes of Arrow last night. So am all caught up. Rather impressed with the series. And have realized something...while I always thought of myself as more of a Marvel comics fan, I prefer DC's films and television adaptations to Marvel's. Marvel is too pop-corn/bubble-gum, 12 year old boy violence. Oh violence is fun. More. Please. While DC's films and television series seem to question violence and are grittier. I actually think DC has something to say with its films and tv shows, while I'm not sure Marvel wants anything other than a quick buck? There's not much to Marvel's films. I tend to forget them immediately after I saw them - memorable to me, personally, they aren't. For example? I've seen The Avengers and The Dark Knight once. The Dark Knight I saw five years ago, I think, but I still remember it vividly. The Avengers I saw this summer, and I barely remember it at all. Same with Superman - I remember all those films. Can't remember Captain America.
And the Batman films? Remember all of them. Iron Man in one eye and out the other.
I don't know why this is. I'm thinking it's because DC takes it's verse and mythos more seriously than Marvel in the films and movies? Or it wants to add a level of realism to the proceedings?
Arrow...definitely has a lot to say about vigilantism, gentrification, and how our best intentions can not always turn out well. Interesting series. Not at all what I expected.
And the addition of Felicity to the cast, the IT girl...is excellent, adds just the right note of humor.