Books, Movies, and Aaack ...TV

[shadowkat]

Not sure I like that last post I did. May or may not delete it. [Deleted, didn't like it. It's gone.] Cable is out and to entertain myself I've re-watched my DVD of Bride and Prejudice and a rented DVD of the Russian Fantasy film Night Watch which amused me greatly with its reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer - in the middle of the film, a little boy who is being stalked by a hungry female vampire is watching the episode Buffy vs. Dracula on the tv, specifically Buffy confronting Dracula in the graveyard. The film is a tad cluttered and confusing in places but overall interesting. The story is about a paralle universe similar to our own - except in this world there are "Others" people with supernatural abilities. They either choose to be part of the forces of light or forces of darkness. Years ago, they had a war, and were on the verge of mutual destruction until the commander of the forces of light screamed halt and suggested a truce. During the night - the forces of light ensure the forces of darkness don't break the truce. During the day - the forces of darkness ensure the forces of light don't break the truce. There is a prophecy that a child or other will emerge who is more powerful than all the others combined and the side he chooses will disrupt the balance. It's not bad. Worth a rental.

Sigh, what a lame movie review. Falling down on the job. Sorry.

Night Watch is a Russian film and was originally intended as a television mini-series based on a series of popular fantasy novels by a Russian novelist. There are three films in the triology. The first two are Night Watch and Day Watch. Critics in the US were less than thrilled by it.

The film focuses on a man named Anton and his struggles being a member of the NightWatch. He discovers he's an other, when he has inadvertently been set up as bait to catch a witch dabbling in black magic. The story deals heavily with his relationship with a small boy who is being tracked by a vampire. The boy who may or may not be his son by his-ex wife Irina, who may or may not be the same boy that he tried to kill to get back at his ex-wife for leaving him for another man via black magic, and may or may not be the other who could change the course of history. He's drunk, down on his luck, depressed and struggling. And has an owl or former owl as a partner. The mythology is more innovative than it sounds and the special effects intriguing for a low budget independent film. It does feel jarring at times, and the lead character is not very charismatic, he's not pretty, but you do feel for him. Dubbed in English - they have used Russian actors to do the dubbing, so the accents aren't jarring. It's a fantasy film that also feels a bit like an art film.

The other thing I've amused myself with today was finishing Kim Harrison's Dead Witch Walking - which may be the best supernatural detective book I've read in a while.
It's certainly as innovative as Butcher's Dresden Files. Harrison much like Butcher has created her own universe based on our own. In Harrison's world or the world of her heroine -Rachel Mariana Morgan - an earth witch - and former IS Runner - the world changed when a bunch of scientists figured out the DNA strand way back in 1950's and as a result created all sorts of biological weaponery. Instead of going to the moon, they focused their energies on genetics and biological manipulation - creating a virus that mutated and attached itself to a tomato and via the tomato became airborn and killed over half the human population. When this happened, the Inderlanders or non-humans, who had been hiding up until this point emerged and made themselves public - there was a bit of conflict at first but after a while the humans made a truce with them - when they realized the witches, pixies, fairies, trolls, vampires, and werewolves were the ones keeping the peace after the disease struck. Two orgainizations emerge - FIB - to destroy all biodrugs and biological weaponary and IS - to police Inderlander (witch, vampire, etc) activities. The book deals with such complex issues as racism, classism ( a MAJOR issue in the US right now - even more so than race in my opinion since the gap between the rich and poor is getting even wider), alienation, prejudice, and the ethics of biological tampering. Is it for example better to let someone die of cancer or risk the possibility of coming up with a biological weapon? The ethics of black magic. Etc. In some aspects Harrison's novels delve a bit deeper than Butchers do and the writing is denser.

The heroine has serious Daddy issues. And is one tough chick. She has roomed/teamed up with a hot female living vampire - living vampires are living children of vampires. They aren't undead. And when they die - automatically became undead. Innovative idea. This vamp seems to be attracted to our heroine (who is not inclined in that direction) although this vamp could be attracted to anyone. And a funny pixy named Jenks.

I recommend to anyone who likes dark urban fantasy, stories about witches/vampires, father issues, and strong female characters.

Still thinking about the TV season that just ended. And my god did I watch far too much of it. Won't bore you by listing all the shows. But I will note the ones that had memorable season finales for later reference, reviewing:

(This is not in any particular ranking or order.)

1. Heroes
2. Lost
3. Supernatural
4. Grey's Anatomy
5. The Office
6. Ugly Betty
7. Veronica Mars
8. Gilmore Girls
9. BattleStar Galatica
10. Desperate Housewives
11. Friday Night Lights

Shows that disappointed me with their season finales:
1. How I Met Your Mother
2. Brothers & Sisters
3. Dresden Files
4. 30 Rock

Shows that I've re-evaluated based on the flist recommendations:

Friday Night Lights, Doctor Who, How I Met Your Mother, Smallville, Criminal Minds, Blood Ties, Bones, Boston Legal, Studio 60, The Tudors, and Supernatural. Also tried Dexter when it popped up on my free Showtime for a bit. Jury is still out on Bones and Supernatural - I rant at them, I swear I'll never watch again, I DVR and watch, change my mind, then back again. Frigging shows. Will state, after having re-watched several episodes of Remington Steele - that Bones is actually better written and acted. Who would have thunk it? Although, I still prefer Pierce Bronsan to David Boreanze in looks. And I'm beginning to get all the squeeage over Supernatural - that opening bit for the season finale was intriguing.

Current guilty pleasure? sigh...too many to count.

I'm actually looking forward to going back to work tomorrow...what's with that? Probably a good thing. Be a bad thing to be dreading it, right? Oh, does anyone have any good *Beginning* Yoga DVD rec's - I just bought myself a Yoga mat to do exercises on.

Comments

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Outside of possibly the "urban legend" bits - there isn't anything I've seen either. Not that I've seen every episode - so it is possible I missed it. But so far everything I've seen reminds me of something I've seen elsewhere. Even the premise is a take off of a film that I saw a while back entitled Fraility. And it reminds me a great deal of Koljack the Night Stalker at times.

No, Alan Ball's series based on the Charlain Harris novels actually sounds more interesting.

I've been intrigued by the urban legends mostly. And the idea that these guys are willing to die for each other. But that's hardly innovative.
Seen that elsewhere. And the lack of a strong female is worrisome for me.

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

I've never had much interest in urban legends.

And the whole blue-collar thing? Would be really interesting, if it was girls.

What amuses me is a whole sub-class of Supernatural fanfic that turns the Winchester brothers into the Winchester sisters. Clearly, even some fans of the show feel they missing something.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Hee. Yes, scroll mentioned that in response to a post I deleted a while back, she said how many fans were writing fic with women in the leads. Which was fascinating. I think, much like you, I'd be more interested if it were two sisters and their gun-toting Linda Hamilton Terminator Mom.
That would be different. BSG intrigued me when it turned the hot-shot macho rogue pilot with the million dollar smile into a woman, flipped the cliche. I think it would have been fun if Supernatural had done the same thing.

What it currently reminds me of is the old John Carpenter films - Vampires, Assault on Presceint 17 (I always get that title wrong), where we have two tough guys, usually brothers or partners going after monsters in their car. A shout out to the B Westerns that I used to watch as kid.
Which may be the attraction - for me, but it is also what turns me off, because I've seen it done to death and it is sooo macho, to the point of almost being laughable - even in those old B Westerns and John Carpenter films. I ache for something newer.

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

That John Carpenter film about macho guy vampire-hunters came out during the height of BtVS, and looked almost laughable in comparison, like a bunch of dweeby guys trying to "restake out their territory from those st00pid slayer beeaches!"

*yawn*

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Had a similar reaction to it - the James Woods hamfest. Remember having a weird argument with Silveragent on the BC&S and Angel Soul boards about it back in the day. His view was the BTVS writers were copying Carpenter - as opposed to Carpenter responding to BTVS. The scene in which Willow is standing on top of the truck in Two to Go? That's one of the sequences he quoted. And yep it is similar, and yep the writers Fury, Whedon and Petrie admitted to watching it - they loved B horror flicks. Never been crazy about them myself, but I did like how Mutant Enemy poked fun at them. Buffy was in some ways a send up of tv shows like Supernatural and those old Carpenter films - he even copies bits from them, but instead of the girl being the victim - it's the guy. Or see Welcome to the Hellmouth - where the pretty girl being set up as the victim, turns out to be the vampire (Darla) - or in the Gift, where the damsel running into the alley is a boy, not a girl. Those sequences are direct commentaries on Carpenter's films, Supernatural, and other horror films.