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Jun. 5th, 2018 09:47 pm1. Finished watching Killing Eve this week, which is a fun BBC thriller about an American analyst working for MI5 who stumbles upon a conspiracy involving a Russian Assassin, code named Villenelle. It's based on a series of books entitled the Villenelle mysteries. The leads are Sandra Oh (Eve) and Jodi Comer (Villenelle) and it's great fun. Also character-centric. It is however, not, plot-centric. So if you are plot fiend, it may irk you a bit. (ie. There's a few things here and there that don't quite work, but I hand-waved.) Watch this unspoiled, it's more fun.
2. Am working my way through The Resident -- which is hits a few of my buttons, so we'll see if I make through it. At least it doesn't end on a complete cliff-hanger. (I googled the plot.)
I'll spoil myself on stuff that rises my blood-pressure.
3. Music face-offs...or just blurbs
* Judy Collins vs. Joni Mitchell -- I was introduced to Judy first, and I like her voice better. She's the better singer, I think. Not that I'd know. However, Joni is the better song-writer, with some excellent songs out there -- my favorite of Joni's is "Playing Real Good For Free". I was introduced to Joni Mitchell by a college boyfriend, who in the looks department was sort of a cross between Keanu Reeves and James Marsters. I couldn't watch Kenu Reeves or listen to anything by Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead, plus two Beatles songs for about ten years after we broke up. (He ruined a couple of Bob Dylan songs for me -- because he played them to taunt me, such as Don't Think Twice It's Alright. And he was a Dead Head of epic proportions. ) In his opinion Joni was better than Judy, and he introduced me to Joni's far superior rendition of Both Sides Now. Sigh, moral? Don't date music critics with a penchant for philosophy and psychoanalysis. They will drive you insane. Also, may put you off Bob Dylan.
Did however help me foster a great love for all things by Joan Baez. She sings a lovely rendition of her own song, One Tin Solider.
* Stephen Sondheim vs. Andrew Lloyd Webber...which is royally unfair, I know. Totally different styles. Both also, in my humble opinion have only created two great works of art, and in Webber's case both were with Tim Rice, Sondheim with Bernstein and on his own. So I guess, Sondheim gets the edge?
Sondheim - West Side Story with Leonard Bernstein, and Into the Woods.
Webber - Jesus Christ Superstar with Rice and Evita with Rice.
Eh, Webber gets the edge on JCS, because WSS is sort of dated. But Sondheim gets the edge with his own songs and story on Into the Woods, also bonus, Sweeny Todd.
* Billy Joel vs. Elton John -- saw this on cjlasky's journal. I prefer Billy Joel's songs to Elton's.
I just do. I find Elton a bit over the top and melodramatic in his lyrics at times, and very sentimental. There's a lighter truer note to Joel. Even though John has the thicker song book.
But let's compare songs...Piano Man vs. Rocket Man...Piano Man tells a story and you can see each character perfectly. It reminds me a little of Harry Chapin, the guy behind Cat's Cradle. John is more lyrical but less story.
Norma Jean vs. Uptown Girl/Innocent Man...eh, Norma Jean wins a bit there...
But...I don't really remember John's songs outside of those, while Joel's I do...and have listened to over and over. What can I say, I'm just in that New York State of Mind...
* Nina Simone vs. Billy Holiday -- both challenged racism in their songs, Simone won and had more chutzpah, but she also did it from France. There's a toughness in Simone that I always found lacking in Holliday, who whenever she sings...you feel she's broken and will be gone all too soon.
4. Conversation
Co-worker: Saw both Solo and Dead Pool, went to sleep during both of them.
Me: How'd you go to sleep during Dead Pool, isn't it a bit loud?
Co-worker: Oh it wasn't hard -- we go to these theaters near me with reclining chairs, I get a throw and I just pull out and nod off.
Me: When was the last movie you went to that you didn't sleep through...
Co-worker: I think Black Panther, and possibly that one with Ryan Gosling, the remake of another movie -- the sci-fi one, that was really long..
Me: Blade Runner 2044.
Co-worker: That's it.
Me: I'm surprised you didn't go to sleep during that one.
Co-worker: Well, it probably had to do with Ryan Gosling being in it.
(I don't get the appeal of Ryan Gosling and Leo DiCaprio.)
Co-worker: Sometimes you just want to go all Thanos on their ass.
Me: Yes, I've been having Thanos moments myself. Actually that's what I found reassurring about the film, apparently I'm not the only person who has thought about this.
Co-worker: No, I admit, there are days in which I go into a meeting and snap my fingers just to see what happens.
Me: Do you remember the original comic?
Co-worker: Oh yeah!
Me: When they killed off half the universe, far more people than in the movie -- including various X-men.
Co-worker: And Thor.
Me: Then we had a bunch of comics without them for a while. Trying to figure out how to deal with them being gone and maybe bringing them back. They do that a lot in Marvel, they decide they have too many superheros and need to get rid of half of them to tighten up the story, so they kill them off in a big cross-over comic. The fans get really upset. And they do another big cross-over comic to bring them all back again.
2. Am working my way through The Resident -- which is hits a few of my buttons, so we'll see if I make through it. At least it doesn't end on a complete cliff-hanger. (I googled the plot.)
I'll spoil myself on stuff that rises my blood-pressure.
3. Music face-offs...or just blurbs
* Judy Collins vs. Joni Mitchell -- I was introduced to Judy first, and I like her voice better. She's the better singer, I think. Not that I'd know. However, Joni is the better song-writer, with some excellent songs out there -- my favorite of Joni's is "Playing Real Good For Free". I was introduced to Joni Mitchell by a college boyfriend, who in the looks department was sort of a cross between Keanu Reeves and James Marsters. I couldn't watch Kenu Reeves or listen to anything by Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead, plus two Beatles songs for about ten years after we broke up. (He ruined a couple of Bob Dylan songs for me -- because he played them to taunt me, such as Don't Think Twice It's Alright. And he was a Dead Head of epic proportions. ) In his opinion Joni was better than Judy, and he introduced me to Joni's far superior rendition of Both Sides Now. Sigh, moral? Don't date music critics with a penchant for philosophy and psychoanalysis. They will drive you insane. Also, may put you off Bob Dylan.
Did however help me foster a great love for all things by Joan Baez. She sings a lovely rendition of her own song, One Tin Solider.
* Stephen Sondheim vs. Andrew Lloyd Webber...which is royally unfair, I know. Totally different styles. Both also, in my humble opinion have only created two great works of art, and in Webber's case both were with Tim Rice, Sondheim with Bernstein and on his own. So I guess, Sondheim gets the edge?
Sondheim - West Side Story with Leonard Bernstein, and Into the Woods.
Webber - Jesus Christ Superstar with Rice and Evita with Rice.
Eh, Webber gets the edge on JCS, because WSS is sort of dated. But Sondheim gets the edge with his own songs and story on Into the Woods, also bonus, Sweeny Todd.
* Billy Joel vs. Elton John -- saw this on cjlasky's journal. I prefer Billy Joel's songs to Elton's.
I just do. I find Elton a bit over the top and melodramatic in his lyrics at times, and very sentimental. There's a lighter truer note to Joel. Even though John has the thicker song book.
But let's compare songs...Piano Man vs. Rocket Man...Piano Man tells a story and you can see each character perfectly. It reminds me a little of Harry Chapin, the guy behind Cat's Cradle. John is more lyrical but less story.
Norma Jean vs. Uptown Girl/Innocent Man...eh, Norma Jean wins a bit there...
But...I don't really remember John's songs outside of those, while Joel's I do...and have listened to over and over. What can I say, I'm just in that New York State of Mind...
* Nina Simone vs. Billy Holiday -- both challenged racism in their songs, Simone won and had more chutzpah, but she also did it from France. There's a toughness in Simone that I always found lacking in Holliday, who whenever she sings...you feel she's broken and will be gone all too soon.
4. Conversation
Co-worker: Saw both Solo and Dead Pool, went to sleep during both of them.
Me: How'd you go to sleep during Dead Pool, isn't it a bit loud?
Co-worker: Oh it wasn't hard -- we go to these theaters near me with reclining chairs, I get a throw and I just pull out and nod off.
Me: When was the last movie you went to that you didn't sleep through...
Co-worker: I think Black Panther, and possibly that one with Ryan Gosling, the remake of another movie -- the sci-fi one, that was really long..
Me: Blade Runner 2044.
Co-worker: That's it.
Me: I'm surprised you didn't go to sleep during that one.
Co-worker: Well, it probably had to do with Ryan Gosling being in it.
(I don't get the appeal of Ryan Gosling and Leo DiCaprio.)
Co-worker: Sometimes you just want to go all Thanos on their ass.
Me: Yes, I've been having Thanos moments myself. Actually that's what I found reassurring about the film, apparently I'm not the only person who has thought about this.
Co-worker: No, I admit, there are days in which I go into a meeting and snap my fingers just to see what happens.
Me: Do you remember the original comic?
Co-worker: Oh yeah!
Me: When they killed off half the universe, far more people than in the movie -- including various X-men.
Co-worker: And Thor.
Me: Then we had a bunch of comics without them for a while. Trying to figure out how to deal with them being gone and maybe bringing them back. They do that a lot in Marvel, they decide they have too many superheros and need to get rid of half of them to tighten up the story, so they kill them off in a big cross-over comic. The fans get really upset. And they do another big cross-over comic to bring them all back again.