Spontaneous Musings

It's been an unproductive weekend. Too much time spent arguing with annoying Optimum customer reps. ( methinks it may be time to switch to Verizon? )

***

Talked to Wales today, who informed me that her sister is now a prison guard. I'm guessing at Leavenworth, Penitentiary - since to my knowledge that's the only prison in Kansas.

***

Been watching:

1. A Complete Unknown - the bio-pic about Bob Dylan. It's by no means the first or last one. Bob Dylan is like Elvis, the subject of multiple bio-pics and documentaries. For a bio-pic, this one is actually pretty good. It made me want to watch the Joan Baez documentary, I am the Noise to get her side of things. ( Read more... )

2. I Am the Noise - the Joan Baez documentary clarifies the Dylan/Baez romance. ( Read more... )

Baez had mental health issues that prexisted Dylan - and had nothing to do with him. ( Read more... )

The end of the film has Baez closing her farewell tour, and dancing in the sunshine of the California valley with her dog.

While slow in places - it is an inspiring documentary, and can be found on Hulu and I think Disney Plus.

3. Somebody Somewhere S3 - this is the final season of the series on HBO MAX, it's a lovely hyper-realistic series about a middle-aged woman who had left school to care for her sister (who died of cancer), and is now trying to find her way in Manhattan, Kansas. She does it via her friendships with various people, a gay man, a transgender man, her sister, and others. It's a heartwarming story with a cast of folks who don't look alike and look like most of us. Not like they jumped off the cover of Vogue magazine.

4. Daredevil Born Again - it's an uneven season? One episode has Matt defeating a bank heist, the next he's going after and defeating a serial killer. I could have done without the serial killer. (Honestly, why does Hollywood feel the need to insert serial killers into all noir detective stories? Isn't Fisk enough.) Weirdly the folks in the fandom preferred the episode about the serial killer. Makes me wonder about folks mental health.

5. The Pitt - this is this seasons' The Bear. The critics can't stop talking about it. It's by far the best medical drama that I've seen, and Noah Wylie (of ER and Falling Skies fame) blows the roof off, with a powerful performance as Doctor Robby, who is running an ER during a difficult and somewhat traumatizing fifteen hour shift. Each episode is another hour of the shift. There are fifteen episodes in all. The first thirteen are intense moments of drama. It takes hyper-realism to the next level. The drama never leaves the ER. It's focused in the ER. We don't go elsewhere in the hospital or follow the doctor's home. All we see of their lives is in the ER.

Outside of Wyle, the cast is rounded out with Dr. King (portrayed by Bryan Cranston's daughter), and Doctor McKay (portrayed by Brad Douriff's daughter, and Dourif is scheduled to appear as the character's father).

If you like medical drama's and hyper-realism? I highly recommend.

***

I can't seem to read a book at the moment. I try and give up halfway through. I can do audio books and graphic novels. Mother thinks it is because I'm reading dry material at work, and editing, and analyzing and keeping track of a lot of information, so my brain is tired. Possible.

I gave up on Station Eternity. It kept jumping around, and I didn't care about anyone. I need a good action/romance/thriller. That doesn't require a lot of thought and has good banter. I don't know if I can find it.

Having more success with audio books. Currently listening to Leah Bardoch's Six of Crows. Heavy with Russian mythology, and language. I'm enjoying it.
It's part of the source material for the Netflix series Shadow and Bone, which I wish had continued. I'd have preferred a Six of Crows series to Wheel of Time or Rings of Power or additional seasons of the Witcher, but alas that's just me.

The audiobook has five different narrators, and is kind of fun.

***

RIP Richard Chamberlain, the King of the 1970s-1990s television miniseries. Chamberlain was in: Centennial, Shogun, The Thorn Birds, Bourne Identity...

RIP Richard Chamberlain who dies at 90

He was known for his range and an excellent actor, with a large body of work behind him. I actually preferred him as Jason Bourne to Matt Damon.

***

I'm taking a break from the insane political tug of war in the US and the world at the moment. Death to Fascists! Sigh, don't worry, they won't die, they are like cockroaches...but hope springs eternal that a killer meteor strike will wipe them out.

Avengers Doomsday Cast includes...

The Avengers are assembling again for Avengers: Doomsday, and Marvel is confirming the actors and superheroes appearing in the next installment.
( cast announcements below the cut )

And.. Doomsday Casting News

" The biggest news is that the announcement made it certain that stars from 20th Century Fox/Marvel’s X-Men part of the franchise are coming back, read Patrick Stewart aka Charles Xavier (didn’t he die in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness?), Ian McKellen aka Magneto, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, James Marsden aka Cyclops and Kelsey Grammer as Beast from the Fox Marvel movies. Oh, and Gambit himself, meaning Channing Tatum, also is in for the fun. We saw him last in Deadpool & Wolverine.

These names today are just confirmations.

Among those confirmed already are Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Wyatt Russell as John Walker, Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Kelsey Grammer, Florence Pugh, Lewis Pullman, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Winston Duke and the list keeps going.

The Russo Brothers who were behind Infinity War and Endgame are reuniting and doing Secret Wars and Doomsday.

James Marsden Returns as Cyclops

Also.. Go Here -they unveiled at the Comic Con.

"Marvel Studios has revealed the star-studded cast of Avengers: Doomsday. The film, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, is slated to premiere on May 1, 2026, with its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars, following on May 7, 2027.
The star-studded cast of Avengers: Doomsday was announced on Wednesday.

The highly anticipated cast was unveiled during a livestream event on Wednesday, showcasing a lineup that unites iconic stars from previous Avengers and X-Men films, as well as standout performers from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and the forthcoming Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Robert Downey Jr. appeared towards the end of Marvel’s livestream, confirming his return to the MCU—not as Iron Man, but as the infamous Victor Von Doom, better known as Doctor Doom.

However, the announcement left fans buzzing about notable absences, including Tom Holland (Spider-Man) and Chris Evans (Captain America), who were not mentioned in the lineup.

( Cast Unveiled on Wednesday )

( Big Names Absent from Wednesday’s Announcement )

Russo Brothers Explain Why They Came Back and Tease New Avengers Films

( article excerpt beneath the cut )


I'm excited. The Russos did an excellent job integrating multiple character stories across multiple films - that's hard to do well.

It's nice to have something to look forward to. Even if it's just a comic book movie. ;-) [These movies and the comics are my comfort food, which I need more than ever these days.]

1. Discovered purely by accident, a podcast series with James Marsters and Mark Devine entitled Schmactors, which is basically two theater, television and screen actors riffing on their careers and various topics. ( Read more... )

2. Binged all six episodes of the new HBO Max medical procedural series The Pitt yesterday. Each episode is one hour in a busy inner city Pittsburgh, PA, emergency room. Stars Noah Wyle as the head or Chief of the ER, and follows the medical interns, residents, attendings, nurses, etc under his leadership. Starts at the beginning of his shift.

I found it compelling. It also made me want to rewatch ER. Wylie has aged well, and is almost unrecognizable as the lead, with a beard. The Pitt is also by John Wells, who did ER, and produced The West Wing.

I enjoyed it. I tried the first episode and just kept going.

3. Dune Part II direct by Denis Villeneuve, and the second part of the massive book. Actually this is the more interesting portion of the story - the first part is when everything falls apart, the second is where both Paul and his mother figure out how to survive and lead the Fremen. This is the portion in which Paul falls for Chani and comes of age. I liked this film better than the first - in part because it was filmed in daylight and not mainly at night-time. So I could see it. It's a stunning film in regards to cinematography and score alone. I can see why it's gotten various nominations and did so well. It held my interest and I stuck with me long after the finale credits rolled.

Best things in it? The female cast. Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Zendaya as Chani, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, and Lady Margot are stellar. So too is Chani's friend. The male cast stands out less - which I found interesting. I forgot how strong the female characters were in Dune.
Although the casting is pitch perfect, Timothy Chalmat fits the role of Paul Atredies, as does Austin Butler's unrecognizable casting as Fe-ayd Harkonnon, who Butler manages to bring sultry and dangerous vulnerability to the role. It's a well cast film. No miscasts here.

Dune was the science fiction book that caused me to fall fully in love with sci-fi. The world-building in it is phenomenal. Also, the writer subverts the hero trope completely - and kind of points out all the problems within it, along with the inherent problems of prophecy and hero worship on everyone involved.

The movie is a very good adaptation of the novel - a novel that I thought was impossible to adapt. Curious to see what he does with Dune Messiah - which is Dune Part III.

Among the best films I've seen this year.

Trashed the Cillian Murphy GQ Cover watercolor - I kept screwing it up in attempts to fix sections of it. Watercolor is not a flexible or forgiving medium, to say the least. Also was haunted by an old woman who had to pee at the back of the Carnival food store about two weeks ago. We had passed the pharmacy, she was behind me, and was muttering - I have to pee, I have to pee, they wouldn't let me - oh I know, I'll go over here. She had white hair stained with green, and a green tye dyed skirt and a jacket, with two bags in her hands, and in her green boots went over to the back of the stalls, pulled up her skirts and squatted. I looked away embarrassed and guilty for not being able to assist her.

It's not that the city doesn't have restrooms so much as it is reluctant to share them? I understand why - but, it is an issue. They are trying to correct it - there are usable restrooms in some of the subways now - Church has them, and some areas in the city have public restrooms. But it is also harder - Barnes and Nobel no longer has public restrooms and a lot of churches no longer permit access - mine doesn't, for safety reasons.

After reading "Small Things Like These" - I decided to watch the film adaptation starring Cillian Murphy via AppleTV (rented for $5.99), in some respects I prefer the novella. On the other hand, the film is admittedly less heavy handed, and some characters come across a bit more sympathetic in the film than the book - such as Eileen, who is portrayed by the marvelous Eileen Walsh. It did make me angry at the Catholic Church once again. I totally understand why Sinead O'Connor was literally screaming at it from the top of her lungs in the 1980s and 90s. People said she was crazy - she wasn't crazy.

That said? It's not really about any of that. The story is about a man's crisis of conscience and how he resolves it, and basically questions how we the reader or viewer would handle it in similar situations. Basically how far are we willing to go to help another? To what risk? And when? And should we? All are interesting questions, particularly now.

I met someone who took a homeless person in off the streets to live with them - then couldn't get rid of them, and ended up becoming estranged from their own family and negatively impacted both physically and mentally by their act of kindness. So...there are limits, I guess.

Neither the movie nor the book provide any answers on that score and I don't have any. At the end of the day, I think we all can only do what we can, no more no less than that.

Thought about renting Wicked as a palate cleanser - but it's $19.99 to rent, and $29.99 to buy, and just no. I'll wait until it either comes down in price or pops up free, which will be a while since Peacock has first dibs.

1. Books

* Gave up on or DNF (Did not Finish) Live Long Evil (Time of Iron - Book 1) - I may come back to it, but I don't know. The writing is sloppy for a traditionally published book and very YA, even though it feels like it is slanted towards an adult audience? It's an interesting idea - I just wish it was executed a bit better. (I'm wondering if Illona Andrews who is executing a similar idea, will fare better? They are good at world building and you kind of have to be for this to work?)

The set-up is that Rae has just turned 21 and is dying of some sort of cancer. I can't remember what it is or if I was told what it is. (Which is a problem right there. Shows the writer isn't interested in certain details.)She's stuck in a hospital, visited mostly by her younger sister, who is absolutely stunning, who is in love with a fantasy series entitled Time of Iron. To the extent that she does cosplay, and attends fantasy conventions. Each of the characters in the story have multiple names and titles..like the Lady Dipped in Blood, the Lady of Hope, The Emperor, etc and so on. Rae never really read the books, and only later editions. Her sister is reading them to her in the hospital, and she pokes fun at them.
Then one night, a woman comes to her and offers her a way to live - she just has to choose to pass through a door to the fantasy realm in her sister's favorite series and pick a flower from the Emperor's Gardens, the flower will cure her cancer or all her ills. The series's realm was made real by all the fans love of it and belief in it. She'll take on the body of one of the fictional characters best suited to her - one recently left vacant. And has such and such limited time to complete her task. (I think it is 48 hours?)

I like the idea, but the execution is on the sloppy side and a bit ridiculous? At any rate, I was bored by it. I tried to read it on the way down to Hilton Head, but found myself staring out into space most of the time. Did not hold my attention at all. The blurbs say it has great banter - I'm wondering about the source of the blurbs and the editor? Because the banter is falling flat. Also it doesn't have an interesting world or characters - too Game of Thrones light. Reminds me of what various folks tried with Harry Potter and Narnia. Not a trope I particularly like. It's rarely executed all that well.

I may come back, but not certain.

* Finished Bayou Moon by Illona Andrews - [I did it as an AudioBook via a credit. I basically get free audio books for a monthly subscription price. And since I get a lot of audio books - it's worth it. You can get these for free via other sources and the library, I've just not figured it out as of yet. Without the subscription - they would cost close a bundle a shot. So worth it.]

This is more horror novel than romance. It's urban fantasy, with a heavy dose of body horror, biological science fiction/fantasy, and mad scientist worked in. The antagonist fuses the protagonist's mother with a magical tree like creature, with tentacles and vines - it's horrific. And the sort of thing that can give nightmares. The villain is something out of a horror film. There is a romance, and because the romance is the central focus not the horror aspects - it ends happily and not with the emphasis on the horror.

It's also really long-winded. I kept thinking it was over, only to have another problem or cliff-hanger that kept it going. There are way too many characters for one person to lend their voice too - so I got confused occasionally, because some of them sounded a like. The narrator is good, but not that good. (I may be spoiled with the Graphic Audio Full-Cast Dramatizations. Because this narrator is better than most.)

Overall? I enjoyed it. It had a lot interesting side-characters. The writers are really good at writing and developing side or supporting characters. Not everyone is. It's hard to do well. I love these writers for that ability alone, that and their ability to write good dialogue. A lot of novelists suck at dialogue. They need to read more plays. (That's how you learn to write dialogue - read and see plays, not musicals, plays.)

* Currently reading two things:

- 1) Home Before Dark by Riley Sager - this is the horror novel that Joe Hill (Stephen King's kid, and the writer of the Lock & Key series, among other things) recommended on Twitter a few weeks back - and I read the synopsis on Good Reads and grabbed it.

It's selling point? It will appeal to fans of the Haunting of Hill House series by Mike Flanagan - since it has a similar vibe. (That was hands down the best ghost series that I've seen - it scared me, and I still can't forget certain images from it. Also it was endlessly fascinating.)

It is set up as your run of the mill - Haunted House book, but after about the first chapter or prologue, I realized it wasn't at all. It's two books or a book within a book - told in two separate first person points of view. ( vague spoilers )
It's the first book that has held my attention in a while - in regards to reading. And that isn't a comic book.

[Comic books are easy, they are about 30 pages, sometimes 50 if that, and mostly art. Not everyone can read them of course (folks think differently) - for some the art or visuals makes no sense at all. They don't think visually or in pictures. But I can read art well - it's actually easier for me than words. I think in visuals. So reading a comic is akin to reading a story-board, which is why comics make great films. You don't have to do all that much. The dialogue is there, along with the visual setups.]

-2 Currently listening to Fate's Edge by Illona Andrews - this is book three in their Edge series, which I'm thinking they wrote prior to the Kate Daniels and Innkeeper series, which are a whole lot better. I like it though - these stories focus on down on their luck people, with little to no money, and are struggling to make things work. This one has potentially the most interesting hero - a con artist and gambler, and an interesting heroine, who is trying to distance herself from a family of grifters. They are going after something valuable in a Pyramid in this world's version of Egypt. So it's more of an adventure story and less of a horror novel like the previous two books were. Or so it seems at this point.

Like the others it is a romance/sci-fantasy/urban fantasy hybrid. And it is the third book in the series. You don't really have to read them in order? But it helps - to understand the hero in each book and what his motivations are. I mean, the hero in book two, is in book one. And the one in book three, is featured prominently in book two and the two kids (that I'm thinking come with him but not certain) are introduced in book one.

If you've read The Innkeeper Series - this is in the same world as that series with the same sci-urban fantasy hybrid. ( Read more... )

2. Television

* Watched a lot of Dancing with The Stars (DWTS) ("Hulu") with my eighty-two year old mother (she turned 82 last Friday). Mainly because we couldn't find anything else to agree to watch together. (I have the same problem with Wales - we scroll forever and you can scroll forever on these streaming channels now. Plus they are badly indexed. The suggestions for me from Netlix are not the same as for my mother.)

Anyhow, this season is kind of fun. We even watched an episode from last season - but mother wasn't that enthralled - she's more interested in Pommel Horse guy.

We are alike in this way? We both love to watch dance. Prefer it to watching concerts. Although mother likes to watch the classical concerts and choirs, and perform herself in choirs. I need the dance element. Watching people sing kind of bores me. Listening to them on the other hand - I adore and can do endlessly. I tend to see stories or people dancing when I listen to music, or pictures. See? I think visually.

[Also watched our soap, where we agree on all the characters and storylines. It's why we watch it - because we agree. We only have a handful of shows. And with streaming - we rarely watch shows at the same time, one of us is ahead of the other. We can rec stuff to each other. But our tastes tend to vary per mood. But when it comes to GH, we agree on everything. I've watched soaps all my life for the same reasons some people watch sports or play board games - it gives me something to discuss and do with my mother, and when my grandmother was still alive - and in her right mind - it gave me something to do with her. When it comes to family? Life is easier if you can find common denominators.]

* Finished (after I got home) The Perfect Couple (Netflix) starring Nicole Kidman and Liv Schrieber finally. It's okay. It's based on a Elin Hibbrand (sp?) beach book. Wales read it and said it was similar to the series, except the book was told in the first person pov or the pov of the bride. The series kind of is too, but makes the mistake of jumping to various other points of view - and veering away from the Bride, to the point in which we kind of lose track of her and don't care all that much. I think she's more of a focal point character in the novel.

This has too many characters. And too many twists and turns (some bordering on outlandish and poorly developed). I lose a lot of characters in it, and my attention span wandered. It's also harder to figure out the murder - because of the lack of development of various integral to the plot side characters. I barely know Thomas's wife, the mistress, or the younger brother, or even Thomas. I also barely know Amelia, or her parents. It jumps around too much and doesn't develop them enough. I don't know if the book did a better job or not - haven't read it. But it reminded me, as did the Illona Andrews novels and Live Long Evil - that character development of side-characters and world building are kind of crucial. If you don't want to develop a lot of side-characters, get rid of a few or combine them.
But don't leave hanging out there like stock characters with no real purpose outside of a plot point here or there.

* Also watched three more episodes of The Great British Baking Show -(Netflix) after I got home. It's fun, they fixed the problems they had in S8-10. This season (12) is better. I think the new host really helped make the show a little warmer, like it had been previously. It's my comfort show.


* Tracker - which is now on Hulu. It's about a guy who was raised by a mentally ill survivalist father in the woods, with his mother and two siblings. His estranged older brother may or may not have been responsible for his brother's death. At any rate, Colt, played by Justin Hartley of This is Us fame, tracks down missing people or people who have been kidnapped or lost in the woods. He works with two women in an RV. One may or may not be his sister. The two women are Lesbians and very likable.
There's also a lawyer, who he previously had a relationship with, and reluctantly took his cases. She's not in the next two episodes - so this may be a one time thing. Nor is the rookie cop that he appeared to be having a romantic hook up with - but doesn't pop up again. Instead the focus is on his mother and estranged family, and what went down with his Dad. Romance is thrown out the window. (Wise move. It works better without it.)

It's set up as a kind of "help/save someone" once a week, A plot line, with
the family character centric B plot-line in the background. ( Read more... )

* Two more episodes of Season 2 of Sullivan's Crossing - it's similar to Virgin River (adapted from a series of contemporary family drama/romances by Robyn Carr. Carr appears to write contemporary family drama novels...which kind of fall somewhere between Lifetime and Hallmark. They have more edge than Hallmark (not as boring and better actors/scripts/dialogue), but not quite the edge of Lifetime (about the same in actors, better scripts/dialogue). I kind of enjoy it? I like family relationship dramas. This one takes place in Nova Scotia. Big City Doc returns to her father's lodging/campground business to see him, and deal with issues she's running away from. Think Norther Exposure and Gilmore Girls - but not quite the same level of writing. She falls for the local handyman (Chad Michael Murray of One Tree Hill), struggles with her Dad (Scott Patterson of Gilmore Girls), and has an odd-sibling/romantic rivalry with Lola. Add to the mix, the Native Canadian couple running her father's campground, the Black diner owner and his ex-model sister (and Doc's best friend), the owner's son, and the local Fire/Rescue group - and we have a series, with quirky or not-so-quirky residents, and family drama. It kind of makes me miss Gilmore Girls and Northern Exposure which did all of this ever so slightly better?

* On the plane - I watched over half of IF - the Ryan Renyolds film with I think the little girl from The Last of Us? It's much better than I expected. The Imaginary Friends are interesting and innovative, and it is heartwarming in places. I thought about going back to it on the way home on the plane, but decided against it. It made me cry. I really don't want to cry on the plane again. Also laugh in places.
( vague spoilers )

It's kind of musical, but not at the same time. It has a few - dance and song numbers which fit the story, and are realistically rendered. Very imaginative. And works well for children or families. I watched it on the plane - because when I selected Hacks (R rated raunchy LGBTQA adult comedy), it told me that this had adult "visual" content that may not work for kids or the people around me. I looked around me, and thought, okay, Hacks is so not worth the trouble, I'll pick something else. I had a small child on one side of me, a couple of kids behind, and an older gentleman next to me. He was falling asleep to a horror film, that he couldn't hear. No one could really see it. I was sitting on the aisle.

I may have to hunt for it on Prime or Hulu, to see if I can see all of it uninterrupted. It exceeded expectations. I heard it was awful, it wasn't. Helped by the fact that we're really following and in the little girl's pov not Ryan Renyolds (who I like well enough - but a little can go a long way).

1. Saw Boys on the Boat - via $3.99 on Prime, at Mother's recommendation. This is the George Cloony directed/produced film adapted from the non-fiction novel of the same name. It's about the epic quest of nine working class crew members to win Olympic Gold in 1936. Rowing was big back in the 1930s, folks listened to it on the radio. And Hitler was going all out for Germany's 1936 Olympics - with various lavish venues, to demonstrate how great Germany was under his rule. The book jumps between the working class boys training for the Olympics in Seattle, Washington, and Germany preparing for the Olympics. The movie, wisely, just focuses on the boys. Unfortunately it's only an hour and a half movie - so we don't really get much on the "boys". We only get the main point of view - Joe Rantz, who is the one who is telling the story to his grandson, or remembering it. We also get a bit of the lead coach.

It's an uplifting film which my Mother enjoyed more than I did. I felt it was lacking in character development, and didn't quite give us enough of various characters to truly care if they won or lost or how they became a team? This may have worked better as an Apple TV costume drama? Although I agree that it would be difficult to get viewers invested in a series about a bunch of men taking up rowing to compete in the 1936 Olympic Games.

The book is excellent and I highly recommend it. The movie is okay, it's worth $3.99. Not sure it's worth more than that - though.

2. Started watching Outlander again on Netflix. I fast-forwarded over most of the rape sequence in S1. ( may be triggering? )This is a difficult topic to do well. But again, I did fast-forward over most of it, and I'd given up on Outlander because of the sexual violence. Both Ron Moore and Diana Galbandano rely way too heavily on it for my sensibilities. However, I can get around it to some extent. (And I've seen worse.)

I started again - because I like the actors, and find the twin time line trajectories interesting. One is 1945-1970, and the other is 1500s through early 1700s, with early Scottish Settlers (which is part of my ancestory actually). Two periods of history that aren't done that often. And - the lead female character is a nurse, who becomes a doctor and surgeon, who works with people in the War. Also, the guy playing the male romantic lead is ...hot. And a good actor. I honestly wish they'd do the Chronicles of Lymond and have him play that role. May be too old now.

Anyhow, I've finished S1, and will start on S2 soon. Mother and brother are rec'ing Shogun, which I may do next. We'll see.

3. I wonder sometimes why other people read books? I've figured out why I do. It's to be in someone else's head. To see the world through another lens or point of view.

It's why I like social media actually - I get to see the world through various points of view. I'm curious. I want to understand why people do what they do, and how they see things?

It took me a while to realize that people did not perceive things the same way I did. Nor did they necessarily understand how I perceived things. And definitely didn't think the same way. Be nice if they did, but they don't. And actually it's probably more interesting that they don't.

Writing, stories, art, music are ways to express how we view the world or think to others, and help us understand each other, and get inside each other's heads? Not perfect, but it helps?

Along these same lines ...I've noticed a recurring theme in various television shows, books, and other things of late - which is, that most people want to save the earth or world they live in, and make it a better place to live, they just disagree on how to go about it. And in some respects vehemently so.

4. Is there any genre you haven't tried?

No.

I've literally tried all of them. I don't understand people who haven't. Aren't you curious? I mean, when I figured out how to read - I devoured whatever I could find. Maybe that's why? It took me forever to figure out how to read - so once it happened, I considered it this marvelous gift? I sometimes wonder if we take the things we do easily for granted? I took drawing for granted, so as a result am not as good as I could have been?

Granted I don't like all the genres. Biography, Memoir, Role-Playing Games or Interactive, True Crime, and Self-Help - I could do without.

Someone on Twitter said they felt that Science Fiction and Fantasy should be allowed to mutually co-exist in the same genre or book. That was okay.

And I did a double-take. Okay, does this person not realize that there is a genre entitled sci-fantasy, and actual books and films that fit in both and are hybrids? Did they skip over the whole Star Wars thing?

5. I am still watching Fallout on Prime. I've made it through about five episodes now? It's very satiric. I'm not a huge fan of satire for satire's sake, and it kind of falls into that category? Also there's the video game aspect (and as you all already know I'm not really much of a gamer, I tried, I don't have the coordination or the mental aptitude for it. It may very well be genetic? Since absolutely no one in my immediate family does either? The most I'll do is play a matching Redecor game. I like the puzzle games, I played those at the video game company that I worked for.) It's okay, just kind of slow and reminds me of a lot of other dystopian satires that I've seen.

Also still plan to watch Gentleman in Moscow - which is dropping slowly on Showtime and I keep forgetting its on. I gave up on Under the Bridge -it's True Crime, and I find True Crime to be icky. And it began to irritate me in that way that True Crime tends to after a bit. (It's why I couldn't become an investigative journalist - after flirting with it in college - that ick factor.)

Baby Reindeer (very popular on social media outlets) - I can't watch for multiple reasons - I tried and didn't get past the first ten minutes of it. I can't watch "You" either, which is a similar idea, albeit as fictionalized satire - I tried. The trailer alone turned me off of it. It's cringe and I can't do cringe. I don't care if its comedy or horror - cringe and me are unmixy things.

6. I've started reading "The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies" based on an old college friend's recommendation. She said it made her think of me and she loved it. It's actually pretty good, the lead character, Augusta ("Gus") is tall and unmarried. She's just not found anyone who fit with her. And can't understand really why anyone would want to marry or the whole deep romantic love thing. She's dated, but never been overtaken by passion apparently. She's very logical and rationale. Her sister, who is recently widowed, has breast cancer, and her brother is a bit of a pest. Anyhow, in an attempt to distract her sister from her ills - they've launched on an ill-advised campaign with their manservant to save a mutual acquaintance from her abusive husband. En route, highwaymen try to rob them - Gus accidentally shoots one of them, and takes the injured highwayman (who they recognize as a former disgraced Marquis) to the bad guy's residence - stating they require medical attention for their brother, and gain entry as a result.

That's as far as I've gotten.

While I can see the resemblance between myself and Gus, I also see the differences. ( Read more... )

So, as you all know (because I keep posting about it), I've been listening to the forty-six hour audio book version of Barbra Streisand's Memoir. I told mother it was forty-six hours, and she reacted much as you'd expect. "Oh my god, that book must be huge - and it can't be doing well?" (Actually it's doing very well. She doesn't hold back. And in the audiobook - she includes snippets of her songs - and sings them, also bits from movies. Hence the forty-six hours.)

What Streisand says about the Entertainment Business (note the Business itself, not the creation of the art) is not good, although nothing that I didn't already know from various sources personal and otherwise. My brother's worked and interacted with it, and has close friends in it. I've had various actor friends who've worked within it. And my sister-in-law's family was closely involved within it. Plus every memoir I've listened to or read about it - says the same things. Without exception they all state how Fame nearly destroyed them, and how they tried to cope with it.

What's interesting about the Streisand memoir - is she doesn't speak ill of anyone who is a)currently alive (at least not so far), or b) hasn't spoken ill of her, or didn't gossip about her. Anthony Newly hurt her - but she doesn't explain how or go into details. And she's relatively vague about her divorce and marriage to Gould (just stating what is already known and dispelling any rumors about cheating). She does explain and speak ill of those who did attack her when they were alive and tried to destroy her career and feed the media gossip machine. I kind of respect her for that?

1. Anthony Newley and the pitfalls of holding a grudge. It took a minute or two to remember who he was. He was a popular British singer/song writer/composer and actor in the 1960s and early 70s. A triple threat - so to speak. Kind of like Burt Bacharach? Or similar musical style - just not quite as successful. Died sometime in the 1990s. You may know him for the musical scores to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (the musical version with Gene Wilder), and Doctor Dolittle.

Here - Anthony Newley and Sammy Davis Jr singing Newley's song "The Candy Man"

Apparently Streisand had a brief fling with Newley in 1971, after divorcing Gould.( Read more... )

2. Hello Dolly and the pitfalls of the White Male Boys Club

This was fascinating. Some back story? For years, it had been bandied about in various unauthorized biographies (which are basically gossipy works by so-called journalists who acquire tidbits from other people about the person whose life they are chronicling) and gossip columns that Streisand was a terror on Hello Dolly. That she was trying to direct the film, was a perfectionist and control freak, and Walter Matthau had a blow up, and hated each other. And Matthau believed she was trying to play director, and had pushed to get into the picture and pushed for someone else to star opposite, etc. And Gene Kelly had issues with her.

Here's a 1969 interview with Streisand from Good Housekeeping that pushed back against the rumors at the time, and discusses the jealousy, envy and resentment of the gossip columns which hated Streisand for not playing along with them.

( excerpt )

The truth is more complicated, of course. Per Streisand's memoir - Streisand was signed to Dolly long before either Matthau was cast or Gene Kelly was set to direct. She didn't want to do it. And tried to get out of it, but was informed by both her manager and Ernest Lehman, the producer, that it would be a serious breach of contract. She'd read the play, and seen it - and felt at 23 that she was too young for the part. It was for a much older woman (she still feels that way). But they said a young woman could be a widow. She also felt that Mathau was wrong for the romantic male lead - but she had not control. However, she got along famously with the producer - Ernie.

* Gene Kelly - Kelly was signed to direct after Barbra was signed to star. Barbra grew up with a huge crush on Gene Kelly (and had seen him in Marjorie Morningstar the year before - and had fallen for him in that film, it was dream of hers to be in a film with him). Anyhow - Kelly had issues directing women. ( Read more... )

Walter Mathau - Mathau didn't want to do the film either - but got signed on for it. Streisand first met Mathau backstage in Piper Laurie's dressing room in the early 1960s. He popped his head in and looked at Streisand. "Oh, Barbara Harris, nice to see you. Did you get a nose job? Could have done better." And left. Streisand didn't know what to make of the comment. Years later she's acting opposite him in a movie and having a terrible time of it.

( why Mathau and Kelly had issues with her - and you'll never guess why? )

3. Platonic Friendship with Marlon Brando and the Movie Business

Streisand first met Brando in the early 1960s when she was pregnant with her son Jason, then again in 1972. Streisand said she had two huge crushes on movie stars growing up - one was on Gene Kelly, the other was Marlon Brando, who she considered to be the Greatest Actor who ever lived.
( Streisand, Brando and the film business )

ETA: Streisand talks a bit more about Brando - how much like Streisand, he did not return to the stage or theater after his early runs of I Remember Mama and Streetcar Named Desire (and wanted to be let out of the role).
He like her - struggled with the press. ( Read more... )

I saw several flicks with mother via streaming and television during my visit. I also completed The Devil Takes You Home and started Starling House.

Movie Reviews

1. Air - direct by Ben Affleck, staring Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, and Ben Affleck.
( mild spoilers )

Currently Streaming on Amazon Prime. (It's worth a view.)

2. The Phantom Thread [ETA : I accidentally called it the Phantom Menace previously - it is a lot better than that film by the way.] - starring Daniel Day Lewis, Lesly Mansville..directed by Paul Wesley Anderson. It's Day Lewis's last film.
( Read more... )

3. The Wonderful Life of Henry Sugar - directed and adapted by Wes Anderson, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Ben Kingsley, and Ralph Fiennes. It's adapted from a Ronald Dahl short story - they've been adapting his short stories on Netflix, where it is currently streaming.

Eh, it is Wes Anderson - which means it is slow and kind of boring, and told in Anderson's surrealistic style. People don't talk to each other, they talk to the camera, and narrate their portions of the story - as opposed to telling it or having dialogue. There is some interaction but not a lot. It's really made for filmophile's or film fanatics.

I find Anderson arty for art sake. But it does kind of work here - in a 30 minute format. Anything longer - not so much. That said, our attention wandered during it.

The story is about a gambler, who learns how to see with his eyes closed in order to win at cards.

4. The Little Mermaid - Live Action Version - Disney +

Better than I expected. Held both of our attention for the most part. Neither of us remembered the animated film that we'd seen in theaters in the 1990s. They updated it a bit. And shortened it.

The casting worked very well, and I was rather impressed with the young actors playing Ariel and Eric. Also it featured all the key songs.
The changes - such as they were - were minor and worked. Better than expected.

Little Mermaid was during the Disney Princess era. Before Frozen kind of changed all of that.

***

We also watched bits of old movies on TCM, which is my mother's go-to station, that and CNN, and PBS for news, also ABC National News. Mother is a news, old movie, and sports junkie.

I've seen more national news this past week than I've seen in the last year. One of the many reasons I can't live with mother.

***

Book reviews

1. The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias - this is a noir horror novel, which is kind of gory in places. It won the Stoker and Shirley Jackson awards. And was rec'd to me by a social media friend.

I've mixed feelings about it. ( cut for mild spoilers )
Overall, an interesting book. I recommend, but with a few caveats, if you are an impatient reader who doesn't link linguistical hurdles, or has issues with gore - you may want to skip? Does it end happily? Well it is a horror noir and not subversive in that context, actually I'd say outside of one or two things - it's pretty much straight up horror noir - so...

2. Started reading Starling House by Alix E. Harrow - which is a gothic haunted house novel, about a Latino or POC woman and her brother, and a house in an old Kentucky coal mining town, that calls to her.
It's written in a post-modern style - with wikipedia pages created and put into the novel, and references to her brother's videos. Also has illustrations. And heavily references a horror children's book or nightmare book, entitled The Underland - which was written by the first owner of the house, a recluse, who died in it.

My favorite horror genre is haunted houses.

3. And on audible... Slayers : a Buffyverse Story by Amber Bensen and Christopher Golden - it stars James Marsters, Emma Caulfield, Amber Bensen, Juliet Landau, Anthony Stewart Head, James Cleary, and Daniel Strong.

It's actually surprisingly good. I was surprised by it. I don't usually like play style novels on audible - because I can't tell folks apart, but the voices in this are distinctive. They are all excellent voice actors - voice acting is hard.

Emma Caulfield does multiple voices - Anya, Anyanka, and Anyanka as a dog.

The set-up? Spike is undercover - when a new slayer pops up and blows it.
With Clem in tow, Spike is trying to find a watcher for the new slayer, Indira, when Cordelia Chase whizzes in from an alternate reality courtesy of that reality's Anya. In the alternate reality, Cordelia is the one and only slayer, Buffy and Willow never existed, and Dru is the Big Bad. As is Tara McLay, who got tricked into touching a grimoire or dark magic, and has become possessed by it - and as a result is now the paramour of Dru. Tara got seduced by dark magic. Apparently Cordelia killed off that verse's Spike. She's coming into this one to get Spike to pose as her reality's Spike because he always had a calming effect on Dru and may be able to pry her from Tara and help them save Tara and the world.

Of course things go wonky.

It's a lot of fun - particularly if you were more of a Spike, Tara, Giles, Anya, Cordelia and Clem fan than well, a Xander, Willow, Buffy, and Angel fan. (I was - I got bored of the other four eventually.) It also reclaims all the characters who were killed off in S6, S7, (Buffy) and S4 (Angel).

I'm enjoying it more than the other two. It works in the verse. (Let's face it everything written post Angel S5 is probably fanfic at this point. And this is really good fanfic or it's fanfic created by the actors on the series.)

1. R.I.P Twitter Logo...it's now well, X. (As if we didn't already know Musk was a stupid wannabee super-villain with a really bad marketing firm. Honestly these tech billionaires - you'd think they'd hire better marketing firms - considering they created marketing platforms.)

Musk has officially changed it to "X" now, and well..John Scalzi details what the idiot is up to fairly well HERE - in a post stating Preparing My X-it.

( excerpt )

Well, I deleted Twitter from my phone. Not sure how to delete the account. It's a lot harder to get rid of social media than it is to get on social media platforms. I'll probably not entirely delete the account. Just not spend time on it.

I'm jumping off - because it's become an increasingly toxic platform. It's back to where it was from roughly 2016-2018, before they kicked the Doofus off the platform.

There's a lot of toxic people on this planet. Unfortunately we can't get rid of them, so I just try to avoid them as much as possible.

2. Mother and I have decided that its best that I avoid trying to visit her during the big holidays, Christmas and Thanksgiving, and try to do it at other times instead. Take the monkey off my back. ( Read more... )

3. Last night the Sunday Scaries were getting to me, but I listened to this little Wake Up Mediation on my phone - admittedly at the wrong time (11:30 pm as opposed to 11 AM, but whatever). It got across to me that instead of striving to meet multiple goals and impossible tasks, I should just set one goal to accomplish. And focus on one goal for today. Finish that one, do the next. Focus on one at a time. And feel a sense of accomplishment when I finish each one.

It worked. I got two things done today, and felt accomplished. Also work wasn't so bad. And the task I was worried about completing - was easier than I expected and I completed it in three hours.

4. Making my way through the oral narrative Blood, Sweat, and Chrome - the Making of Mad Max Fury Road - which is told by pretty much everyone on the film. The author interviewed all these people, then wisely hired a bunch of voice actors to play them. I do get confused as to who is talking sometimes, but other than that, it works.

* The reason Mel Gibson wasn't cast as Mad Max in Fury Road - is he was told old for the part. ( Read more... )

* The film was kind of horrific to make - everything went wrong. ( Read more... )

* Also the Broken Hill - the desert in Australia they were going to film in - got flooded. So they couldn't film there. ( Read more... )

Listening to this book makes me kind of want to re-watch the film.

5. Barbieheimer

According to NY1 this morning - both were sold out in theaters, and people dressed up as Barbie and Oppenhiemer for the films. It was considered event viewing.
( more on Barbie and Oppenheimer...for the curious. )

1. Casa Grande, by Lauren Swickard and Ali Afshar. (James Marsters newest television appearance, although he's a special guest star and has a relatively minor role as an antagonist rival landholder who wants the protagonist family's land).

This is good, folks. I was surprised. I did not expect it to be. Swickard is known for the California Christmas films with her attractive hubby, Josh Swickward, on Netflix (kind of a Hallmark style series of rom-coms). And Afshar is unknown.

But the series was a surprise, and I ripped through it quickly. It's just five episodes, with ads, on Amazon Freezee. It's streaming for free with ads. So no need to subscribe or pay anything. Although to find it - I had to go my Amazon App. I'm not sure if you can access it another way or not?

The series is rather dark, and kind of twisty. It's a bilingual series about migrant workers on ranches in Fresno, California. Shown from both the perspective of the ranch holders and the migrant workers, and the characters are all fully developed. You understand why they do what they do. The only ones that aren't really - are the ICE operatives - but the series is only in its first season, that could change.

The set-up? An upper-middle class rancher and his wife are trying to get ahead. But a few rash and self-serving actions to get "ahead", decimate their family and impact the lives of those around them.

It wasn't predictable, the characters weren't stock, it went in a direction I did not expect at all. And it ends on a bitter-sweet cliff-hanger, that could also wrap up the series as a cautionary tale. Very noirish ending.

I was impressed by it. And Marsters role is subtle and works, one of his better performances. Possibly the best series he's done in a long while.

Some of the dialogue could be improved, but overall a solid effort. Credits are good. Production is good. Acting is good. Casting is strong. I particularly love the actress who plays Hunter.

The ending is kind of haunting.

Overall? B+/A-

[Oh in the battle between Casa Grande (Marster's latest) and Wolf Pack (SMG's latest)? Watch Casa Grande. I've yet to get through Wolf Pack and I binged Casa Grande fast - and wanted more.]

2. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 3 - weirdly I found Casa Grande more interesting. I don't know why. I was kind of bored and a touch disappointed by this outing. Movie Buddy liked it better than I did. Granted - I'm not exactly the demographic that Gunn and Marvel were shooting for. (I'm a woman in my mid-late 50s, they were aiming for 12-35 year old men, who play video games and argue about which pop song is better.)

It works well for what it aims to be - which is a character-centric, fast action, comedy driven, space-opera adventure flick, with a moral message at the center. I wouldn't call it a superhero flick - more of a comic book/space opera.

I tend to like these - so for the most part I was entertained. But some of the jokes went on for a bit too long. Or were repeated one too many times. (Yes, Gunn, I get it - it sucks to work with idiots. Enough already.) Also there's a lot of annoying bickering disguised as banter, but is in reality just bickering. I was over-identifying with Nebula who every once and a while would smack a few of them upside the head. Everyone in this movie bickers with each other endlessly. And the jokes are...crude and kind of nerdy to the extreme. It's a nerd fest. (If you aren't nerdy, and prefer a more subtle, dry wit - this will get on your nerves.)

If you are not a fan of the Suicide Squad flicks or the Guardians flicks, and can't stand Pratt - this baby is not for you. Also if nerdy banter and bickering gets on your nerves - look elsewhere. If you tried the first two flicks and think this film will be better? It's not. This film does not improve on the other Guardians of the Galaxy films. If you think - oh, if I didn't see the other films, I can still see this? No, you really can't. And yes, you really need to be a Guardians of the Galaxy fan to enjoy it and/or watch it. (This film is for Guardians of the Galaxy fans - there's a lot of fan-service bits, along weird actor cameos...such as Nathan Fillion, Michael Rosenbloom (Martinex - the silver headed Ravager), and Sly Stallone.

If you haven't watched the previous films - you'll be lost. If you didn't watch Endgame or Infinity War? You'll be lost. So you have to watch Guardians Vol 1, Guardians Vol II, Infinity War and Endgame - to figure out what is going on. They don't really help you that much. There's a little expository help - but it is just few sentences of dialogue here and there. (Thor: Love and Thunder isn't necessary - Movie Buddy didn't see that one and really all that one did was show why Thor was no longer with the Guardians, and why Quill was less full of himself. Spending any length of time with Thor would do that to any white guy, with the possible exception of Captain America.)

So no - this film is not for everyone. And if any of the above applies to you? Skip, you can thank me later.

If however, you do love this sort of thing, watched the other films, are ambivalent about Pratt or like him well enough or love him (I'm personally somewhere between ambivalent and like well enough) - then yes, this is enjoyable and worth watching if only to see all the character's arcs wrapped up in a neat little package and tied with a bow.

Gunn does a very good job of juggling multiple character arcs, and wrapping up all of them, without losing track of the plot.

It helps that the plot is fairly simple and the villain, interesting, but also irredeemable and somewhat one-dimensional. So he doesn't have to spend too much time on him. This film is not quite as convoluted or busy as Thor: Love and Thunder. Gunn managed, somehow, to convince Marvel to let him do a movie that did not connect to the rest of the Marvel verse (that much) and could stand outside of it (for the most part). Marvel likes to re-use villains and characters - so do not be surprised if these show up in other films. But it's unlikely you'll need to see this one to follow those. Because he was able to disconnect it from the rest of the verse (at least for the most part), it's not quite as convoluted. And the plot could be kept relatively simple.

The plot? ( spoilers )

Overall? a Solid B+ effort, for the character arcs, and plot, if nothing else. Also definitely not for everybody.

3. The Company We Keep - this is the Confidence/Spy Caper on ABC and Hulu. Well cast, well produced, but most important? Well written. Not predictable at all - and not like any of the others that I've seen to date.

The set-up a confidence man on the rebound hooks up with a CIA agent on the rebound at a nifty hotel. One catch? They don't know what each other do for a living, and both are "professional" liars. Add that this is an ensemble cast and not a rom-com, and you have a fascinating show.
( vague spoilers )

Overall? Enjoyable, gets the job down and a solid A for what it wants to accomplish. Should still be available on Hulu and On Demand on ABC. Aired on ABC.

4. Queen Charlotte - Shondra Rhimes Bridgerton Mini-series about Queen Charlotte and King George III's romance. Airs on Netflix.

Better than expected. It's not a rom-com or soap. It's not really a historical either, so much as a commentary on it? But it works. And it does a good job of exploring both racist themes and mental illness in Britain during a certain time period - or rather using Britain as a stand-in for our modern times.
( spoilers )
So far it's rather enjoyable, more so than the first Bridgerton - it is witty, and charming, and deep. Also bittersweet. Freed from the confines of the traditional historical romance, it has a nice sardonic feminist edge that keeps me coming back for more.

Solid A for now.