1. If you love Winnie the Pooh, this is just...adorable ... Christopher Robin Trailer -- it's a live action version of Winnie the Pooh, where the animals from Christopher Robin's childhood come and save the adult. Sort of similar to the "Hook" concept, but different. Also it's adorable, and touching, and I want to hug it. (It should be noted that I know nothing about AA Milne or his son's real life, nor do I want to know or particularly care. I just loved the Winnie the Pooh books and Disney Cartoons.
2. I was listening to a Q&A the other day, and the actor said something that...was rather interesting.
There's something to that age-old quote: "The road to hell is paved with the best of intentions."
After listening to that, I started re-watching Angel episodes from S5 on Hulu and it hit me clear as day...that was a major theme of the series and what it was about, you can't be a "Champion" or a "Hero" by saying your a hero and you're going to save the world -- your ego is dictating the show. If anything, you are a bit of jerk. You have no humility. It's your pride and vanity that is running things. And Angel demonstrated the consequences of that rather well -- depicting the problem with "playing" at being a hero or "thinking" you are one.
It's also shown in The Avengers 1 and The Avengers - Age of Ultron, where the writer undercuts the whole hero thing -- showing how the heroes are as destructive as the villains they fight. In fact all of the Marvel movies question what it is to be a hero. In Avengers:Infinity War --the bad guy, Thanaos, sees himself as "the hero", he's doing what must be done, what is needed to save the Universe. No one else has the strength of character, the resolve to do this thing! This in a way is an echo of the characterization of Angel, who shares a lot in common with Thanaos. It's my destiny to save the world. Only I can do this thing. I was prophesied to do it. Or if not, if prophecies aren't true, then I need to the right thing, the thing no one else can do, because I'm the best choice, I'm the vampire with a soul. I can't accidentally become human and be happy with Buffy -- no, because I haven't earned it with great deeds, I have to save the world! I have a greater purpose. I can't save her otherwise! It's a subversion of the hero trope. Those who set out to be heroes, often destroy what they think they can save, in order to save it, and themselves in the process. Their ego has taken over the show. Most villains see themselves as heroes. From their perspective, they are the hero of the piece. A true hero doesn't see themself as a hero at all.
Also Angel unlike Buffy was a series about regret. And if we can ever quite forgive ourselves for the things we've done that we've regretted. Angel's problem isn't whether other's will forgive him, but whether he can ever forgive himself. Forgiving oneself isn't the same thing as not feeling remorse. Or justifying the acts. It's saying, I did these horrible things. I regret that I did them. I cannot take them back. I forgive myself for being horrible and strive to do better tomorrow. Not forgiving yourself ...tends to land you in a depressive hole, of moping and brooding. The guilt overwhelms and either you fall back on old habits, or just disappear. If you don't forgive others...your hate and need for justice which can easily slide into vengeance takes over and eats away at you, until you very well may become the person you hate. The trick is to let go of both emotions...and that can only be done by forgiving the person, not the act, and letting it go.
Humans are horrible at doing this, because we can't often see past the act and how it feels, and as a result we let the emotions and pain of the act destroy us.
3. Hee...![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cjlasky decided to expand on my musical meme. This is for music geeks only, if you aren't a music nerd or geek, it will annoy or irritate you. I'm pretty much an all-around cultural nerd. And I find discussing this stuff relaxing and comforting.
*.Sinatra or Bing Crosby
( Read more... )
*. Johnny Cash or Ray Charles
( Read more... )
*. Hendrix or Clapton
( Read more... )
[Leaving the rest of it for another time.]
2. I was listening to a Q&A the other day, and the actor said something that...was rather interesting.
Question: What do you think about the fact that Buffy, as a hero, always lied to her friends?
Actor: Well, heroes often are jerks if you think about it. When you go out with the idea that "you" will "save" someone or can save someone. Humility goes out the window. You're a bit on the wrong path right there. In Buffy, the hero was being forced to save people, she didn't want to be a hero, she didn't think she could be one, so she lied to the people around her -- hoping they'd never know, and the show was dealing with the problematic nature of that. How to be humble and be a "hero".
There's something to that age-old quote: "The road to hell is paved with the best of intentions."
After listening to that, I started re-watching Angel episodes from S5 on Hulu and it hit me clear as day...that was a major theme of the series and what it was about, you can't be a "Champion" or a "Hero" by saying your a hero and you're going to save the world -- your ego is dictating the show. If anything, you are a bit of jerk. You have no humility. It's your pride and vanity that is running things. And Angel demonstrated the consequences of that rather well -- depicting the problem with "playing" at being a hero or "thinking" you are one.
It's also shown in The Avengers 1 and The Avengers - Age of Ultron, where the writer undercuts the whole hero thing -- showing how the heroes are as destructive as the villains they fight. In fact all of the Marvel movies question what it is to be a hero. In Avengers:Infinity War --the bad guy, Thanaos, sees himself as "the hero", he's doing what must be done, what is needed to save the Universe. No one else has the strength of character, the resolve to do this thing! This in a way is an echo of the characterization of Angel, who shares a lot in common with Thanaos. It's my destiny to save the world. Only I can do this thing. I was prophesied to do it. Or if not, if prophecies aren't true, then I need to the right thing, the thing no one else can do, because I'm the best choice, I'm the vampire with a soul. I can't accidentally become human and be happy with Buffy -- no, because I haven't earned it with great deeds, I have to save the world! I have a greater purpose. I can't save her otherwise! It's a subversion of the hero trope. Those who set out to be heroes, often destroy what they think they can save, in order to save it, and themselves in the process. Their ego has taken over the show. Most villains see themselves as heroes. From their perspective, they are the hero of the piece. A true hero doesn't see themself as a hero at all.
Also Angel unlike Buffy was a series about regret. And if we can ever quite forgive ourselves for the things we've done that we've regretted. Angel's problem isn't whether other's will forgive him, but whether he can ever forgive himself. Forgiving oneself isn't the same thing as not feeling remorse. Or justifying the acts. It's saying, I did these horrible things. I regret that I did them. I cannot take them back. I forgive myself for being horrible and strive to do better tomorrow. Not forgiving yourself ...tends to land you in a depressive hole, of moping and brooding. The guilt overwhelms and either you fall back on old habits, or just disappear. If you don't forgive others...your hate and need for justice which can easily slide into vengeance takes over and eats away at you, until you very well may become the person you hate. The trick is to let go of both emotions...and that can only be done by forgiving the person, not the act, and letting it go.
Humans are horrible at doing this, because we can't often see past the act and how it feels, and as a result we let the emotions and pain of the act destroy us.
3. Hee...
cjlasky decided to expand on my musical meme. This is for music geeks only, if you aren't a music nerd or geek, it will annoy or irritate you. I'm pretty much an all-around cultural nerd. And I find discussing this stuff relaxing and comforting.*.Sinatra or Bing Crosby
( Read more... )
*. Johnny Cash or Ray Charles
( Read more... )
*. Hendrix or Clapton
( Read more... )
[Leaving the rest of it for another time.]