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Positive things, book meme and mini-tv review (Marvel Agents of SHIELD)
1. Three positive things (I'm trying to do this each day)
* Another beautiful day in the neighborhood...crisp and sunny.
* Managed to work out two work headaches on same day in a positive manner. One just required a very positive and proactive email to my boss. Made D's day, she was so happy with me - she stayed late to finish the work that I needed done. Yay team.
* Lost five pounds. (Hey, it's something...)
2. TV...so the poll thing is sort of working. Will do more. Mainly because I want to know what everyone else thinks of the show. What? I adore reading tv, book, and film reviews. Always have. Next best thing is discussing them.
3. While I'm admittedly still on the fence regarding Sleepy Hollow (ie. mildly enjoy, do not love - and find biblical stuff and gore a bit much at times), it is, however, more compelling than Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D which frankly reminds me a wee bit too much of a comic book. Quick dialogue balloons, lots of action, cryptic asides.
If you liked The Avengers or follow the comic books or even, gasp!, have read them - you may enjoy it, possibly love it. If, however, you didn't like the Avengers flick or skipped it, because frankly you could care less about the Avengers, and have never read the comic books- it's unlikely you will like it. Considering the series focuses on the Avengers' government handlers who even the Avengers don't like and think are a wee bit on the shady side, it's unlikely fans of the Avengers or Superheros will like this. It would sort of be like having a series slotted around the lawyers working for Angel at WRH, except Angel is never seen. (Personally, I found myself thinking during it - why couldn't Whedon do a series about the X-Men hunting new talent? That comic book series was so much more interesting. The Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D are sort of old hat, I found them sort of boring in my 20s, my opinion has not changed. (I have a feeling MARVEL and Whedon would be doing The X-Men if they could grab the film and television rights back from whichever studio they stupidly gave them away to.) )
That said, it had its moments. And is light and fluffy. And you can tell Whedon had a hand in creating it (either that or I've personally watched far too many Whedon series for my own good) because it has all the Whedon stock characters and ahem, gimmicks. (ie. rebellious 20 something gal with a tough attitude (guess Eliza Dusku was unavailable?), female kickass ninja warrior (Ditto Summer Glau), square jawed brooding hero type who rarely talks and is silly when he's drunk (I'm starting to appreciate David Boreanze, the guy who played Helo on BSG, and Paul Wesley's acting on this one), geeks who like gadgetry, and mysterious boss with a dark secret (Sigh. I miss Anthony Stewart Head.) Also he likes to bring lead characters back from the dead and make it a huge plot arc. (What's up with that?)
Three things you need to know if you have not seen the movie: 1) Agent Coulson was Iron Man and Thor's handler in the past two films. He was also the Avenger's handler - or contact with SHIELD. 2)Agent Coulson died in the Avengers - his death was a major plot point and brought them all together. 3) The Avengers basically destroyed NYC while saving the world from Loki and his aliens, which Loki sort of lost control of. (And yes, Loki is the Norse God of Lies that Marvel swiped from Norse mythology. ie. Their version of Satan, every mythology must have one after all - although Loki is admittedly more interesting in some respects than the Christian version and Greek versions, hence the reason Marvel swiped him along with his far less interesting counterpart - Thor, the God of Thunder. Lighting Bolts are reserved for Odin, I think, it's admittedly been awhile since I studied this stuff.)
BTW two things you should know about this series before you take the plunge or rather public viewing advisories:
1) J. August Richards was just a guest star, he's not part of the cast. This means he's not recurring and that it is highly unlikely that you will see him after the pilot episode. (Unless, of course, there's something out there that says otherwise, which is possible. But the character really wasn't established as a cast member.) So if you are planning on watching this series just for J. August Richards (aka Gunn from Angel) - you are going to be really disappointed.
2) Whedon isn't running or writing this series, he's producing along with about ten other big-time guys or comic book rock stars (Joe Quesda (editor-in-chief of Marvel comics, Jeff Loeb (Heroes and comic book writer at Marvel), Jeffrey Bell (Angel co-showrunner), Stan Lee (yes, he's still alive, shocking, I know and if you don't know who he is...hint, he created the X-men, Avengers, and Marvel), and someone else I forget the name of. Whedon's brother and sisinlaw are running and writing it. They wrote the pilot. Whedon directed it. Whedon may direct from time to time. So if you are watching for Whedon's trademark writing - (much like the comic books) you are going to be disappointed. (Although, I admittedly caught various Whedonisms during the episode - such as the naming of the car. You can bet he taught his bro how to write comedic dialogue.)
I should also mention that it won't please anyone sensitive to racial casting choices. Yes, that means it has ahem, somewhat racist casting choices - which unfortunately are far too common with this particular genre/trope. Comic books and comic book superhero films aren't exactly known for their colorblind casting or sensitivity in that regard. It's not sexist though. At least not yet. So progress? Because they aren't exactly known for that either. (Don't blame Whedon for the casting - keep in mind, he is working with Stan Lee and Joe Quesada here... who do get a big say in the matter.)
Also... it has one too many executive producers who have insanely large cult fandoms - ie. Stan Lee, Joe Quesada, and Joss Whedon. This generally speaking does not tend to bode well for tv shows. Too many chefs in the kitchen, yada, yada, yada.
But when all is said and done, it's not bad. It entertained me - just as the Avenger's movie did. Light and Frothy. Reminds me a little bit of Dollhouse, except...a legit organization fighting for the common good and no rape or mindwiping (at least not yet, it is early still). Or Firefly, except the leads are a Union agent team hunting down people like River and her friends to ensure they don't hurt anyone or themselves. Also seems a bit more procedural/adventure oriented than serial - so far.
Sure it focuses on afacist covert government op that kidnaps saves bewildered human science experiments wannabe superheros, but hey - it's not torturing anyone, at least not yet, they have truth serum - so its unnecessary. A step up from about 60% of the rest of these shows. Does make me miss Buffy and Angel though.
I'll keep watching for now.
4. Book Meme -
Almost done Swordspoint, which I've stuck with because I like Richard St. Vier and Alec Campion. Richard is a swordsmen who lives and dies by the sword. He's fallen in love with the self-loathing scholar Alec Campion, who is in reality the grandson of the Duchess of Tremontain, a major and ruthless power-broker. We're not quite sure why Alec despises himself or how they ended up together...just they did. The author is mostly interested in political wrangling and the comedy of manners or melodrama of manners. The book is more thematically focused than character focused, and the writer spends a lot of time satirizing romantic tropes and subverting traditional ones. This does drag down the story at times, and I felt was a bit heavy-handed, possibly explaining the book's limited appeal. That said, Alec Campion and Richard St. Vier are marvelous characters. As is the Swordsman Vincent Applethorp, which I wanted more of. Lord Ferris is also somewhat interesting. But alas, we are stuck with the somewhat silly and stereotypical Michael Goodwin, who is in the Artesmia role. Far too much time is spent with him.
I wish it was tighter, less meandering. And the dialogue was a bit crisper. There's a chapter - where they are watching a play, and the writer feels the need to quote the play and summarize it - completely unnecessary. Took away from the story.
That said, it does have good bits. The swordfights are well-done. And all the scenes between Alec and St. Vier are captivating. Actually much like the last book, whenever either character is on the page - the story takes off.
Next up Ready Player One, then possibly The Lies of Lock Maroon or Darwin's Elevator. I don't know yet. I'm a moody reader. Half tempted to read the biography of St. Teresa.
* Another beautiful day in the neighborhood...crisp and sunny.
* Managed to work out two work headaches on same day in a positive manner. One just required a very positive and proactive email to my boss. Made D's day, she was so happy with me - she stayed late to finish the work that I needed done. Yay team.
* Lost five pounds. (Hey, it's something...)
2. TV...so the poll thing is sort of working. Will do more. Mainly because I want to know what everyone else thinks of the show. What? I adore reading tv, book, and film reviews. Always have. Next best thing is discussing them.
3. While I'm admittedly still on the fence regarding Sleepy Hollow (ie. mildly enjoy, do not love - and find biblical stuff and gore a bit much at times), it is, however, more compelling than Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D which frankly reminds me a wee bit too much of a comic book. Quick dialogue balloons, lots of action, cryptic asides.
If you liked The Avengers or follow the comic books or even, gasp!, have read them - you may enjoy it, possibly love it. If, however, you didn't like the Avengers flick or skipped it, because frankly you could care less about the Avengers, and have never read the comic books- it's unlikely you will like it. Considering the series focuses on the Avengers' government handlers who even the Avengers don't like and think are a wee bit on the shady side, it's unlikely fans of the Avengers or Superheros will like this. It would sort of be like having a series slotted around the lawyers working for Angel at WRH, except Angel is never seen. (Personally, I found myself thinking during it - why couldn't Whedon do a series about the X-Men hunting new talent? That comic book series was so much more interesting. The Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D are sort of old hat, I found them sort of boring in my 20s, my opinion has not changed. (I have a feeling MARVEL and Whedon would be doing The X-Men if they could grab the film and television rights back from whichever studio they stupidly gave them away to.) )
That said, it had its moments. And is light and fluffy. And you can tell Whedon had a hand in creating it (either that or I've personally watched far too many Whedon series for my own good) because it has all the Whedon stock characters and ahem, gimmicks. (ie. rebellious 20 something gal with a tough attitude (guess Eliza Dusku was unavailable?), female kickass ninja warrior (Ditto Summer Glau), square jawed brooding hero type who rarely talks and is silly when he's drunk (I'm starting to appreciate David Boreanze, the guy who played Helo on BSG, and Paul Wesley's acting on this one), geeks who like gadgetry, and mysterious boss with a dark secret (Sigh. I miss Anthony Stewart Head.) Also he likes to bring lead characters back from the dead and make it a huge plot arc. (What's up with that?)
Three things you need to know if you have not seen the movie: 1) Agent Coulson was Iron Man and Thor's handler in the past two films. He was also the Avenger's handler - or contact with SHIELD. 2)Agent Coulson died in the Avengers - his death was a major plot point and brought them all together. 3) The Avengers basically destroyed NYC while saving the world from Loki and his aliens, which Loki sort of lost control of. (And yes, Loki is the Norse God of Lies that Marvel swiped from Norse mythology. ie. Their version of Satan, every mythology must have one after all - although Loki is admittedly more interesting in some respects than the Christian version and Greek versions, hence the reason Marvel swiped him along with his far less interesting counterpart - Thor, the God of Thunder. Lighting Bolts are reserved for Odin, I think, it's admittedly been awhile since I studied this stuff.)
BTW two things you should know about this series before you take the plunge or rather public viewing advisories:
1) J. August Richards was just a guest star, he's not part of the cast. This means he's not recurring and that it is highly unlikely that you will see him after the pilot episode. (Unless, of course, there's something out there that says otherwise, which is possible. But the character really wasn't established as a cast member.) So if you are planning on watching this series just for J. August Richards (aka Gunn from Angel) - you are going to be really disappointed.
2) Whedon isn't running or writing this series, he's producing along with about ten other big-time guys or comic book rock stars (Joe Quesda (editor-in-chief of Marvel comics, Jeff Loeb (Heroes and comic book writer at Marvel), Jeffrey Bell (Angel co-showrunner), Stan Lee (yes, he's still alive, shocking, I know and if you don't know who he is...hint, he created the X-men, Avengers, and Marvel), and someone else I forget the name of. Whedon's brother and sisinlaw are running and writing it. They wrote the pilot. Whedon directed it. Whedon may direct from time to time. So if you are watching for Whedon's trademark writing - (much like the comic books) you are going to be disappointed. (Although, I admittedly caught various Whedonisms during the episode - such as the naming of the car. You can bet he taught his bro how to write comedic dialogue.)
I should also mention that it won't please anyone sensitive to racial casting choices. Yes, that means it has ahem, somewhat racist casting choices - which unfortunately are far too common with this particular genre/trope. Comic books and comic book superhero films aren't exactly known for their colorblind casting or sensitivity in that regard. It's not sexist though. At least not yet. So progress? Because they aren't exactly known for that either. (Don't blame Whedon for the casting - keep in mind, he is working with Stan Lee and Joe Quesada here... who do get a big say in the matter.)
Also... it has one too many executive producers who have insanely large cult fandoms - ie. Stan Lee, Joe Quesada, and Joss Whedon. This generally speaking does not tend to bode well for tv shows. Too many chefs in the kitchen, yada, yada, yada.
But when all is said and done, it's not bad. It entertained me - just as the Avenger's movie did. Light and Frothy. Reminds me a little bit of Dollhouse, except...a legit organization fighting for the common good and no rape or mindwiping (at least not yet, it is early still). Or Firefly, except the leads are a Union agent team hunting down people like River and her friends to ensure they don't hurt anyone or themselves. Also seems a bit more procedural/adventure oriented than serial - so far.
Sure it focuses on a
I'll keep watching for now.
4. Book Meme -
Almost done Swordspoint, which I've stuck with because I like Richard St. Vier and Alec Campion. Richard is a swordsmen who lives and dies by the sword. He's fallen in love with the self-loathing scholar Alec Campion, who is in reality the grandson of the Duchess of Tremontain, a major and ruthless power-broker. We're not quite sure why Alec despises himself or how they ended up together...just they did. The author is mostly interested in political wrangling and the comedy of manners or melodrama of manners. The book is more thematically focused than character focused, and the writer spends a lot of time satirizing romantic tropes and subverting traditional ones. This does drag down the story at times, and I felt was a bit heavy-handed, possibly explaining the book's limited appeal. That said, Alec Campion and Richard St. Vier are marvelous characters. As is the Swordsman Vincent Applethorp, which I wanted more of. Lord Ferris is also somewhat interesting. But alas, we are stuck with the somewhat silly and stereotypical Michael Goodwin, who is in the Artesmia role. Far too much time is spent with him.
I wish it was tighter, less meandering. And the dialogue was a bit crisper. There's a chapter - where they are watching a play, and the writer feels the need to quote the play and summarize it - completely unnecessary. Took away from the story.
That said, it does have good bits. The swordfights are well-done. And all the scenes between Alec and St. Vier are captivating. Actually much like the last book, whenever either character is on the page - the story takes off.
Next up Ready Player One, then possibly The Lies of Lock Maroon or Darwin's Elevator. I don't know yet. I'm a moody reader. Half tempted to read the biography of St. Teresa.