![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redfiona99[Error: unknown template qotd]
A pit of non-poisonous snakes would be no problem. A bit of spiders would give me a heart attack so I'd be dead whether or not they were poisonous. This is the problem with being a card-carrying arachnophobe. But I am quite fond of our friends in the suborder Serpentes.
~~~~
I have been knitting my girl cousin's Christmas present. I was about to transfer between balls of cotton and realised I dropped a stitch. Cue me unknitting 5 rows and not messing that up and re-knitting them and then switching balls. Score one for vague competence. Now I just have to knit the remaining 2/3rds of the item. In time for Christmas. Argh!
~~~~
I have been watching the Fencing World Championship. Vezzali is wonderful, isn't she.
~~~~
Other than that, some brief film thoughts, not entirely brought about by Revolver but definitely related.
So I watched Revolver, and I still don't get it. I also don't think it particularly worked, because were were a little too removed from Green's plight. That being said, I commend Guy Ritchie for at least trying. It's a film that does it's own thing, and does it it's own way, and that's something you've got to admire.
In a similar vein, a few weeks ago I saw New Jack City (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102526/). Now, in terms of its content, it was a pretty basic hard ass crime action drama. But, and this is the thing, it had a message. Now, whether it got it's point across is a matter of opinion, I think it did, but YMMV. The thing that got me about it was that it did have a message. It was refreshing. There's so many major action pics that don't have that or an idea, I'll accept either. They don't seem to be making films like that any more, not action films anyway (honourable exception, rather wierdly, to the comics films, good or bad, they tend to have messages, even if they're cribbed straight from whichever comic, and to the films of Christopher Nolan). It's annoying, because I like films where things explode but I want some solidity there as well.
Revolver makes my annoyance with the 'Tinker, Tailor, ...' spoilers even worse, because as Sorter, Mark Strong shows he can do both the utterly determined ruthless efficiency that is Prideaux's trademark, and that, inner decency is the wrong word, but holding to his own code thing that Prideaux does. And, if what I've heard is right, the way they've re-jigged the TTSS plot will undercut at least half of that.
I'm also amused that they appear to have unstraightened one character whose love affair with a woman is one of his character parts in the book. I suppose they wanted to avoid the overtones of impotence attached to the same character in the books, because action-orientated young (having been made horribly younger by the rejigging) men aren't ever impotent (see also the film version of 'The Ninth Gate'). It's very odd. Not complaining, mind, it makes a change from the opposite.
~~~~
Caught part of Newsnight - James Rubin is looking old. This is not a good sign re: my own age.
~~~~
Human Target - Why is Indira Varma not on all the programmes. Any programmes. In short, damn it Fox, don't give an actress I like a role and then cancel the programme.
And Guerrero has the same problem with dressing smartly that I have. The man is naturally crumpled. And the sinisterly fun evil. Especially when he comes out with 'I'll give you a choice, because I believe in every human being's right to be tortured democratically'.
~~~~
Book Meme - Day 11 - A Book I Hate
Again, going with something I've said before - The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson.
I now realise why our year 6 teacher made us read it rather than the infinitely more fun books we had read, like George's Marvellous Medicine or Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Because Tracy Beaker was more realistic and more 'grown up' and we obviously needed to read those kinds of books if we were going to grow up and be good little teenagers at high school. I take it you can hear my eyes rolling.
Unfortunately, it's kind of difficult to interest me in a 'realistic' books. It gets worse when it's an unsympathetic lead character, who we're supposed to feel sorry for because she's had a shitty life. And by the by, she has, she has a mother who reminds me somewhat excessively of my Auntie Jackie, and she's been let down by her once too often. The problem is, the people Tracy is horrible to are people who have had equally if differently shitty lives. And, yes, part of the story of 'Tracy Beaker' is that she learns this and vows to stop being quite such a cow. But, and this is the important part, I don't care about it. There are no horrible grannies being poisoned, there are no hyper-intelligent rats, what is my angle of interest? Apparently, just because there is a female lead character of around my age I'm supposed to be interested. It was annoying, and the kind of wooly-headed thinking my year 6 teacher specialised in. So yes, some part of my dislike of the book may be tied up with my dislike of the way my year 6 teacher did her thing.
But even beyond that, it's a bit of a boring book, and I don't get why people go cockahoop over it.
Day 1 - The best book you read last year
Day 2 - A book that you've read more than 3 times
Day 3 - Favourite series of books
Day 4 - Favourite book in your favourite series
Day 5 - A book that makes you happy
Day 6 - A book that makes you sad
Day 7 - Most under-rated book
Day 8 - Most over-rated book
Day 9 - A book you never expected to love
Day 10 - Favourite classic book
Day 12 - A book you used to love but don't anymore
Day 13 - Your favorite writer
Day 14 - Favorite book of your favorite writer
Day 15 - Favorite male character
Day 16 - Favorite female character
Day 17 - Favorite quote from your favorite book
Day 18 - A book that disappointed you
Day 19 - Favorite book turned into a movie
Day 20 - Favorite romance book
Day 21 - Favorite book from your childhood
Day 22 - Favorite book you own
Day 23 - A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven't
Day 24 - A book that you wish more people would've read
Day 25 - A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 - A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 - The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 - Favorite title
Day 29 - A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 - Your favorite book of all time
A pit of non-poisonous snakes would be no problem. A bit of spiders would give me a heart attack so I'd be dead whether or not they were poisonous. This is the problem with being a card-carrying arachnophobe. But I am quite fond of our friends in the suborder Serpentes.
~~~~
I have been knitting my girl cousin's Christmas present. I was about to transfer between balls of cotton and realised I dropped a stitch. Cue me unknitting 5 rows and not messing that up and re-knitting them and then switching balls. Score one for vague competence. Now I just have to knit the remaining 2/3rds of the item. In time for Christmas. Argh!
~~~~
I have been watching the Fencing World Championship. Vezzali is wonderful, isn't she.
~~~~
Other than that, some brief film thoughts, not entirely brought about by Revolver but definitely related.
So I watched Revolver, and I still don't get it. I also don't think it particularly worked, because were were a little too removed from Green's plight. That being said, I commend Guy Ritchie for at least trying. It's a film that does it's own thing, and does it it's own way, and that's something you've got to admire.
In a similar vein, a few weeks ago I saw New Jack City (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102526/). Now, in terms of its content, it was a pretty basic hard ass crime action drama. But, and this is the thing, it had a message. Now, whether it got it's point across is a matter of opinion, I think it did, but YMMV. The thing that got me about it was that it did have a message. It was refreshing. There's so many major action pics that don't have that or an idea, I'll accept either. They don't seem to be making films like that any more, not action films anyway (honourable exception, rather wierdly, to the comics films, good or bad, they tend to have messages, even if they're cribbed straight from whichever comic, and to the films of Christopher Nolan). It's annoying, because I like films where things explode but I want some solidity there as well.
Revolver makes my annoyance with the 'Tinker, Tailor, ...' spoilers even worse, because as Sorter, Mark Strong shows he can do both the utterly determined ruthless efficiency that is Prideaux's trademark, and that, inner decency is the wrong word, but holding to his own code thing that Prideaux does. And, if what I've heard is right, the way they've re-jigged the TTSS plot will undercut at least half of that.
I'm also amused that they appear to have unstraightened one character whose love affair with a woman is one of his character parts in the book. I suppose they wanted to avoid the overtones of impotence attached to the same character in the books, because action-orientated young (having been made horribly younger by the rejigging) men aren't ever impotent (see also the film version of 'The Ninth Gate'). It's very odd. Not complaining, mind, it makes a change from the opposite.
~~~~
Caught part of Newsnight - James Rubin is looking old. This is not a good sign re: my own age.
~~~~
Human Target - Why is Indira Varma not on all the programmes. Any programmes. In short, damn it Fox, don't give an actress I like a role and then cancel the programme.
And Guerrero has the same problem with dressing smartly that I have. The man is naturally crumpled. And the sinisterly fun evil. Especially when he comes out with 'I'll give you a choice, because I believe in every human being's right to be tortured democratically'.
~~~~
Book Meme - Day 11 - A Book I Hate
Again, going with something I've said before - The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson.
I now realise why our year 6 teacher made us read it rather than the infinitely more fun books we had read, like George's Marvellous Medicine or Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Because Tracy Beaker was more realistic and more 'grown up' and we obviously needed to read those kinds of books if we were going to grow up and be good little teenagers at high school. I take it you can hear my eyes rolling.
Unfortunately, it's kind of difficult to interest me in a 'realistic' books. It gets worse when it's an unsympathetic lead character, who we're supposed to feel sorry for because she's had a shitty life. And by the by, she has, she has a mother who reminds me somewhat excessively of my Auntie Jackie, and she's been let down by her once too often. The problem is, the people Tracy is horrible to are people who have had equally if differently shitty lives. And, yes, part of the story of 'Tracy Beaker' is that she learns this and vows to stop being quite such a cow. But, and this is the important part, I don't care about it. There are no horrible grannies being poisoned, there are no hyper-intelligent rats, what is my angle of interest? Apparently, just because there is a female lead character of around my age I'm supposed to be interested. It was annoying, and the kind of wooly-headed thinking my year 6 teacher specialised in. So yes, some part of my dislike of the book may be tied up with my dislike of the way my year 6 teacher did her thing.
But even beyond that, it's a bit of a boring book, and I don't get why people go cockahoop over it.
Day 1 - The best book you read last year
Day 2 - A book that you've read more than 3 times
Day 3 - Favourite series of books
Day 4 - Favourite book in your favourite series
Day 5 - A book that makes you happy
Day 6 - A book that makes you sad
Day 7 - Most under-rated book
Day 8 - Most over-rated book
Day 9 - A book you never expected to love
Day 10 - Favourite classic book
Day 12 - A book you used to love but don't anymore
Day 13 - Your favorite writer
Day 14 - Favorite book of your favorite writer
Day 15 - Favorite male character
Day 16 - Favorite female character
Day 17 - Favorite quote from your favorite book
Day 18 - A book that disappointed you
Day 19 - Favorite book turned into a movie
Day 20 - Favorite romance book
Day 21 - Favorite book from your childhood
Day 22 - Favorite book you own
Day 23 - A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven't
Day 24 - A book that you wish more people would've read
Day 25 - A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 - A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 - The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 - Favorite title
Day 29 - A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 - Your favorite book of all time
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-10-12 05:27 pm (UTC)Holy crap that's a lot of run-ons.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-12 06:39 pm (UTC)I think the main problem with Revolver is a lack of coherence in the middle bit, but I do have a respect for it because it did try something different.
Statham in the elevator scene!!
no subject
Date: 2011-10-12 06:41 pm (UTC)There's a lack of coherence EVERYWHERE.
al;fdjsaflkd;sajflkdjas;lfdjlkdfjslka that elevator scene omfg yes.