Today’s random observation: I really like Matthew Vaughan. I think he’s a really slick producer and director. Also, he’s got screenwriting credit on Kick-Ass, XMFC and Stardust. All things I love. Ah, if only he stayed on to direct X-Men: The Last Stand, what awesome it could have been.
Speaking of directors, apparently Kenneth Branagh will not be directing Thor 2. This seems like a mistake to me. No one really had high hopes for Thor, but it turned out to be great. Why mess with something that works? And it’s supposed to be out in 2013? Sheesh. They’re just churning out Avengers scripts over there. While I’m aware that Marvel really just sees all these films as a giant marketing campaign to sell merch, is it really necessary to keep rushing everything so much? Imagine what a perfect film X-Men: First Class could have been if they’d given them time to refine the script, more time to turn it around and a bigger budget. The fact that they’ve had a pretty good run with these films so far doesn’t mean they can keep tempting fate. One wrong note and you’ve got a Green Lantern on your hands (what Rolling Stone has described as a lesson in “how not to make a superhero film.”) You just need one bad film to lose people. We’re fickle like that.
Also, shouldn’t someone be concerned with saturating the market? If there’s a steady stream of these films every year, won’t people get sick of it? Especially since all the build-up is to next year’s Avengers. Once that has passed…well, I don’t know. Seems a bit much to me. And hey, Chris Nolan’s Batman movies don’t suffer at all for having longer intervals in between. If you tell a good story, people will watch it, regardless of when you release it (well okay, it can’t be too long after the previous, but within five years should be fine.) I can understand that they’re probably worried this superhero bubble is going to burst so they’re trying to cash in as much as they can, but I think that behaviour is what contributes to the bubble bursting. There’ll be The Avengers (first of 3?), Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Captain America 2, all within a year? It’s not like a studio releasing four separate films, after all. This is all the same ‘universe’, the same continuity. Sooner or later, you're going to get fed up. And sure, you don’t have to watch them all, but if you’re an idiot like me who likes seeing how things come together, you’ll feel compelled to.
Goddamn comic books. I can’t believe I got suckered into this. Curse you, Marvel! I hear DC is rebooting its entire universe today. It’s a never-ending cycle! Aaaaah *weeps*
Anyway, forget Thor. Make me some more X-Men movies. How have all these Avengers sequels been announced when XMFC was critically the best received of the lot (excluding the first Iron Man)? I know it didn’t drag in the same amount at the box office, but come on. Look, to help save money, I’ll even graciously offer to write it. I may only have read one comic, but I have wikipedia and I am not afraid to use it. Also I took a screenwriting class at uni once and got a distinction for it. I hated it, but you know, I’ll do it to help out.
PS: Yes, I'm this geeky now. Bear with me.
Music: Synesthesia - AFI
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
All these crazy Hollywood nights
You guys! This is so cute. I can't stand it.
I can imagine what you're thinking. You're thinking, What? They're just sitting in a field. But if you're thinking that, you don't understand how amazingly, brilliantly, perfectly awesome these two are. Awesome (adj): made of win. I mean, come on. I think the fact that they're in a movie together is perhaps both the greatest and the worst cinematic thing to ever happen to me. Brain. Mush.
Also, I'm sleep-deprived and dehydrated. My glee at this is no doubt hugely out of proportion. But I regret nothing! Nothing! A dose of McAvoy and Fassbender is good for whatever ails you.
While on the topic of movies and the people who are in them, I find it a bit disconcerting how Sydney has shifted into 'stalk' mode with The Great Gatsby kicking off filming (has it started? I'm just guessing here.) There was a FP in the paper on Sunday of where the best spots were to catch filming and everything. It included things like Leonardo DiCaprio likes to ride his bike round the park and Tobey Maguire likes to frequent Bourke Street Bakery, and even something about a preferred ice-cream flavour. A real Stalking For Dummies guide. Now, far be it for me to judge the odd bout of stalking, but surely this is a bit excessive. Really? Really? This is what we're doing as a city? We're not going to pretend to have a little class? No? Alright then.
Incidentally, Bourke Street Bakery is very nice, I highly recommend the sourdough. What? Sleep-deprived and dehydrated, remember?
Music: Here's looking at you kid - The Gaslight Anthem
 |
| "And then they made me their chief." |
Also, I'm sleep-deprived and dehydrated. My glee at this is no doubt hugely out of proportion. But I regret nothing! Nothing! A dose of McAvoy and Fassbender is good for whatever ails you.
While on the topic of movies and the people who are in them, I find it a bit disconcerting how Sydney has shifted into 'stalk' mode with The Great Gatsby kicking off filming (has it started? I'm just guessing here.) There was a FP in the paper on Sunday of where the best spots were to catch filming and everything. It included things like Leonardo DiCaprio likes to ride his bike round the park and Tobey Maguire likes to frequent Bourke Street Bakery, and even something about a preferred ice-cream flavour. A real Stalking For Dummies guide. Now, far be it for me to judge the odd bout of stalking, but surely this is a bit excessive. Really? Really? This is what we're doing as a city? We're not going to pretend to have a little class? No? Alright then.
Incidentally, Bourke Street Bakery is very nice, I highly recommend the sourdough. What? Sleep-deprived and dehydrated, remember?
Music: Here's looking at you kid - The Gaslight Anthem
My pockets hurt
Here follows the tale of my odd weekend. Shenanigans kicked off Friday night as I helped a family friend plan her upcoming holiday (with all this trip planning going on I’ll soon be able to start my own touring company.) For some inexplicable reason I was craving a martini but after packing out the entire liquor cabinet, I came to the sad conclusion that we didn’t have vermouth. (I did find a bottle of tequila though – no idea where that came from.) So instead I made kamikazes which is great, yes, but not really what I wanted. First world problems, people. Fell into bed sometime after 1.
On Saturday morning I woke up with that parched, awful feeling in my mouth that I always have when I’ve had too much vodka. I’d have happily slept for another eight hours, but instead I dragged myself entirely unwillingly out of bed and into the city. I’d made plans to go comic book shopping with a uni friend and I definitely couldn’t cancel again (did that the last two Saturdays.) Anyway, after comics were acquired I dragged him along to Darling Harbour so I could stock up at the British lolly shop and then decided that, you know, I could really still do with that martini. Oh dear. A couple of martinis later, we found ourselves laughing our way through Conan The Barbarian (just...don’t. Trust me. All the action in this film is driven by a girl falling down a hole.) What even. I finally got home to more assisted trip planning and rugby. Fell into bed sometime after midnight.
On Sunday morning I woke up with that parched, awful feeling in my mouth that I always have when I’ve had too much vodka. I’d have happily slept for another nine hours, but instead I had to help my mum move all the living room furniture. This took an inordinate amount of time. All I wanted was a nap, do you think I got it? Short answer – no. I shambled my way through some chores, sat in the sunshine and read Deadpool: Suicide Kings (new obsession alert!), took Oreo for a walk until I finally had to concede defeat and drag myself entirely unwillingly out of the house and to the Roundhouse. I honestly kept forgetting about this gig. You Me At Six were co-headlining with We The Kings and I, for one, was rather put out when I discovered YM@6 would be playing last. It’s a Sunday night people, I wanted to go home early! Sigh.
As I waited for my gig buddy to arrive, I watched the crowd massing (doors were late, as per usual), quietly sang ‘Teenagers’ to myself and valiantly resisted the urge to smack at least five of them in the face with a serving tray. Self-control, I have it. I’m getting too old for this stuff. A shared my sentiments so it’s no surprise that we spent most of WTK’s set outside commenting on a) the noise, b) the disturbing demin cut-off shorts trend (especially with the black ankle socks – what the hell is that about?), c) the prevalence of underaged smoking, and d) how easily pleased teenagers are. Would that I were 17 again and just so happy to be at a gig that I didn’t care every song sounded the same or that everyone kept squealing cause the lead singer kept saying he wanted to marry them. Oh wait, no, that’d be horrible. Get off my lawn! Man, I’m so jaded.
Anyway, back on point, I don’t think I’ll be bothering with We The Kings in the future. It felt like the set just dragged on for aaaaaages and while Travis clearly knows how to target his audience, it’s also very clear that I am not that audience. That ship has well and truly sailed. And I’m fine with that, there are plenty of pop-punk bands who do it better. On the other hand, You Me At Six was electric and Josh’s ridiculously adorable smile made up for the fact that we’d spent three hours waiting in some sort of teen purgatory where boys with McAvoy-blue eyes asked if they could kiss me and girls fought over Travis Clark in the bathroom (I wish I was joking).
It’s so easy to get swept away by a band when you can tell that they absolutely love what they do. Every time the crowd sang back, I thought Josh would combust with happiness. It’s enough to make anyone grin like an idiot. They put on a fun, solid set (despite the rather shit sound) and I’m glad A convinced me to go. Even if it does mean I woke up this morning with that parched, awful vodka-induced feeling in my mouth for the third day in a row.
What is my life, seriously. It was meant to be a quiet, uneventful weekend. Now I’m yawning so much I fear I am in danger of swallowing my own head. Something tells me this is not going to be the most productive of work days.
Music: Trade mistakes - Panic! At The Disco
On Saturday morning I woke up with that parched, awful feeling in my mouth that I always have when I’ve had too much vodka. I’d have happily slept for another eight hours, but instead I dragged myself entirely unwillingly out of bed and into the city. I’d made plans to go comic book shopping with a uni friend and I definitely couldn’t cancel again (did that the last two Saturdays.) Anyway, after comics were acquired I dragged him along to Darling Harbour so I could stock up at the British lolly shop and then decided that, you know, I could really still do with that martini. Oh dear. A couple of martinis later, we found ourselves laughing our way through Conan The Barbarian (just...don’t. Trust me. All the action in this film is driven by a girl falling down a hole.) What even. I finally got home to more assisted trip planning and rugby. Fell into bed sometime after midnight.
On Sunday morning I woke up with that parched, awful feeling in my mouth that I always have when I’ve had too much vodka. I’d have happily slept for another nine hours, but instead I had to help my mum move all the living room furniture. This took an inordinate amount of time. All I wanted was a nap, do you think I got it? Short answer – no. I shambled my way through some chores, sat in the sunshine and read Deadpool: Suicide Kings (new obsession alert!), took Oreo for a walk until I finally had to concede defeat and drag myself entirely unwillingly out of the house and to the Roundhouse. I honestly kept forgetting about this gig. You Me At Six were co-headlining with We The Kings and I, for one, was rather put out when I discovered YM@6 would be playing last. It’s a Sunday night people, I wanted to go home early! Sigh.
As I waited for my gig buddy to arrive, I watched the crowd massing (doors were late, as per usual), quietly sang ‘Teenagers’ to myself and valiantly resisted the urge to smack at least five of them in the face with a serving tray. Self-control, I have it. I’m getting too old for this stuff. A shared my sentiments so it’s no surprise that we spent most of WTK’s set outside commenting on a) the noise, b) the disturbing demin cut-off shorts trend (especially with the black ankle socks – what the hell is that about?), c) the prevalence of underaged smoking, and d) how easily pleased teenagers are. Would that I were 17 again and just so happy to be at a gig that I didn’t care every song sounded the same or that everyone kept squealing cause the lead singer kept saying he wanted to marry them. Oh wait, no, that’d be horrible. Get off my lawn! Man, I’m so jaded.
Anyway, back on point, I don’t think I’ll be bothering with We The Kings in the future. It felt like the set just dragged on for aaaaaages and while Travis clearly knows how to target his audience, it’s also very clear that I am not that audience. That ship has well and truly sailed. And I’m fine with that, there are plenty of pop-punk bands who do it better. On the other hand, You Me At Six was electric and Josh’s ridiculously adorable smile made up for the fact that we’d spent three hours waiting in some sort of teen purgatory where boys with McAvoy-blue eyes asked if they could kiss me and girls fought over Travis Clark in the bathroom (I wish I was joking).
It’s so easy to get swept away by a band when you can tell that they absolutely love what they do. Every time the crowd sang back, I thought Josh would combust with happiness. It’s enough to make anyone grin like an idiot. They put on a fun, solid set (despite the rather shit sound) and I’m glad A convinced me to go. Even if it does mean I woke up this morning with that parched, awful vodka-induced feeling in my mouth for the third day in a row.
What is my life, seriously. It was meant to be a quiet, uneventful weekend. Now I’m yawning so much I fear I am in danger of swallowing my own head. Something tells me this is not going to be the most productive of work days.
Music: Trade mistakes - Panic! At The Disco
Friday, August 26, 2011
Link it to the world
I've just discovered this Henry Rollins quote. I thought it rather epic.
Somewhere someone is thinking of you. Someone is calling you an angel. This person is using celestial colors to paint your image. Someone is making you into a vision so beautiful that it can only live in the mind. Someone is thinking of the way your breath escapes your lips when you are touched. How your eyes close and your jaw tightens with concentration as you give pleasure a home. These thoughts are saving a life somewhere right now. In some airless apartment on a dark, urine stained, whore lined street, someone is calling out to you silently and you are answering without even being there. So crystalline. So pure. Such life saving power when you smile. You will never know how you have cauterized my wounds. So sad that we will never touch. How it hurts me to know that I will never be able to give you everything I have.
Music: New Born - Muse
Somewhere someone is thinking of you. Someone is calling you an angel. This person is using celestial colors to paint your image. Someone is making you into a vision so beautiful that it can only live in the mind. Someone is thinking of the way your breath escapes your lips when you are touched. How your eyes close and your jaw tightens with concentration as you give pleasure a home. These thoughts are saving a life somewhere right now. In some airless apartment on a dark, urine stained, whore lined street, someone is calling out to you silently and you are answering without even being there. So crystalline. So pure. Such life saving power when you smile. You will never know how you have cauterized my wounds. So sad that we will never touch. How it hurts me to know that I will never be able to give you everything I have.
Music: New Born - Muse
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Silly conversations at work
Girl 1: I think he’s called Erik.
Me: What? Another one?
Girl 1: But with a ‘k’.
Girl 2 (entering): What you doing?
Me: Talking about Erik.
Girl 2: The vampire?
Girl 1: The penguin.
Girl 3 (entering): Is Eric going to play a penguin?
Me (to Girl 1): You see the problem.
And that’s only with two Eric(k)s – I ‘know’ three others, one of them being my own character. At any one time when someone is talking about an Eric(k), I need clarification on which one. So please, creators of things, pick another name! (And changing it to a ‘k’ clearly does not help.)
Although this did lead to an interesting thought of Eric, or rather Alexander Skarsgard, playing Batman’s The Penguin, but of course he’s a bit too tall for that. Just a bit.
Music: She's a genius - Jet
Me: What? Another one?
Girl 1: But with a ‘k’.
Girl 2 (entering): What you doing?
Me: Talking about Erik.
Girl 2: The vampire?
Girl 1: The penguin.
Girl 3 (entering): Is Eric going to play a penguin?
Me (to Girl 1): You see the problem.
And that’s only with two Eric(k)s – I ‘know’ three others, one of them being my own character. At any one time when someone is talking about an Eric(k), I need clarification on which one. So please, creators of things, pick another name! (And changing it to a ‘k’ clearly does not help.)
Although this did lead to an interesting thought of Eric, or rather Alexander Skarsgard, playing Batman’s The Penguin, but of course he’s a bit too tall for that. Just a bit.
Music: She's a genius - Jet
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Top 10: Things I watched this week
I've been less than consistent with this, I know. The same old excuses, I won't bore you with it. I haven't done anything exciting and I don't have anything terribly creative to contribute, so instead here's a list of ten random things I've watched in the last week (or two).
Music: Holiday - Green Day
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes
- The Fountain
- The Young Victoria
- Jonah Hex
- Band of Brothers
- Brothers & Sisters
- Hex
- Wilfred
- Spirited
The insufferable state of being
My father is frankly being insufferable. So much so that I've actually dreaded coming home. He's been whining about his knee for about three months now, finally went to see a specialist and was informed he's torn his cartilage. Ouch. I know. I'm not denying that it is so not a fun position to be in. But now that he's had his diagnosis confirmed, he wanders around like a war victim. I'd feel sorry for him but he feels sorry enough for himself as it is, my pity would be wasted. Not only is he overcome with self-pity, he's endlessly demanding. And because we can't continually placate his melodramatics, he becomes petulant and grumpy. Mum and I are on the edge. So anyway, he has to have an operation in some point in the future and I shudder to think what he'll be like on crutches.
I've mainly sequestered myself in my room to read and avoid confrontations. Best way to go about it, I feel. I get annoyed though because he'll get on my case for not watching the shows I record on IQ, but then he's constantly hogging the television so I never have a chance to actually watch anything. No win situation. Not that logic enters his arguments - he told me off on Tuesday because there were leaves on my car when I got back from work. Apparently parking under trees is now strictly verboten. I just...I can't.
Besides that, I've taken some time off work to start properly working on my TW chapter. Spent Thursday and Friday researching. I was so looking forward to spending some quality time in the State Library - imagine my disappointment when I got here at 9am on Thursday to find it closed for refurbishment. Woe. The UTS library is a poor substitute, but hey, at least I got work done. I have about ten pages of notes - not sure how relevant it all is but it's a start at least.
Of course I had a total moment of panic about it all. I feel so desperately unqualified to be writing this. I mean really, who cares about what I have to say? I'm just some random person. But I can't really turn my back on the opportunity, as much as part of me just wants to flee. And I do enjoy it - I just doubt the validity of my work.
Anyway, as I am feeling less than well at the moment, I'm just lying about today, trying to make a dent in my disturbingly huge (and continually growing) To Be Read pile. So many books, so little time.
Music: Dark blue - Jack's Mannequin
I've mainly sequestered myself in my room to read and avoid confrontations. Best way to go about it, I feel. I get annoyed though because he'll get on my case for not watching the shows I record on IQ, but then he's constantly hogging the television so I never have a chance to actually watch anything. No win situation. Not that logic enters his arguments - he told me off on Tuesday because there were leaves on my car when I got back from work. Apparently parking under trees is now strictly verboten. I just...I can't.
Besides that, I've taken some time off work to start properly working on my TW chapter. Spent Thursday and Friday researching. I was so looking forward to spending some quality time in the State Library - imagine my disappointment when I got here at 9am on Thursday to find it closed for refurbishment. Woe. The UTS library is a poor substitute, but hey, at least I got work done. I have about ten pages of notes - not sure how relevant it all is but it's a start at least.
Of course I had a total moment of panic about it all. I feel so desperately unqualified to be writing this. I mean really, who cares about what I have to say? I'm just some random person. But I can't really turn my back on the opportunity, as much as part of me just wants to flee. And I do enjoy it - I just doubt the validity of my work.
Anyway, as I am feeling less than well at the moment, I'm just lying about today, trying to make a dent in my disturbingly huge (and continually growing) To Be Read pile. So many books, so little time.
Music: Dark blue - Jack's Mannequin
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
To the ether
I’m reading this book at the moment and I keep having to stop every couple of pages because it’s in your voice, and I can hear you, like you’re sitting right next to me. It’s both oddly disconcerting and tragically wonderful.
Sometimes I think I'm too sentimental for my own good.
Music: Rumour has it - Adele
Sometimes I think I'm too sentimental for my own good.
Music: Rumour has it - Adele
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Tiptoe on a tightrope
Thursday is brought to you by Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under.
I'm not going to bore you with the mundane details that is my everyday life. They're the same they always are, too much writing to do and not enough will to do it, and repeat. My eyes feel permanently heavy and I can't figure out if it's too much sleep or not enough. I'm just off at the moment but I refuse to consider that I may have a cold. Ignorance is bliss after all.
Here are the cliffnotes of my recent past:
> Had a lovely catch up with L on Friday. Wine was consumed. I again put forth the argument that Pinot Grigio is only good if it comes from Italy. All evidence points that way.
> The delightful R had her birthday on the weekend so there was a gathering at her house (although we don't really need an excuse to gather there) to relive our youth through the consumption of Bacardi Breezers, and indulge in our fondness for mocking with Trivial Pursuit. I do not know why we keep playing that. By the end we're always so desperate, wishing it would finish already and not caring who wins. But that in itself is kind of hilarious...which is probably why we keep playing it. We're complicated people.
> Attended a taping of The Gruen Transfer with L last night. It was actually really good fun. And it's free entertainment, the best kind! Unfortunately it meant that I missed my writers group yet again - I always miss it, I feel so guilty. Wednesdays are just not good for me going-out-wise. If I'm not swamped with work and staying late, I'm in the throes of mid-week exhaustion and going out is the last thing I want to do. Lame excuses I know, but that's me for you. I also missed our work Trivia night. Oops.
Anyway, I've got so much on this weekend. I made this promise to myself that I wouldn't plan things on both days of my weekend but for some reason that's fallen apart this week. I'm out Friday night, Saturday during the day and the evening, and all day Sunday. Headdesk. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy hanging out with people but socialness is exhausting. I like having a day where I can just sit around in my pjs all day and do whatever I want. Mainly this involves sleeping until 11am, but you know. I just like my alone time, what can I say.
Music: Australia - Amanda Palmer
I'm not going to bore you with the mundane details that is my everyday life. They're the same they always are, too much writing to do and not enough will to do it, and repeat. My eyes feel permanently heavy and I can't figure out if it's too much sleep or not enough. I'm just off at the moment but I refuse to consider that I may have a cold. Ignorance is bliss after all.
Here are the cliffnotes of my recent past:
> Had a lovely catch up with L on Friday. Wine was consumed. I again put forth the argument that Pinot Grigio is only good if it comes from Italy. All evidence points that way.
> The delightful R had her birthday on the weekend so there was a gathering at her house (although we don't really need an excuse to gather there) to relive our youth through the consumption of Bacardi Breezers, and indulge in our fondness for mocking with Trivial Pursuit. I do not know why we keep playing that. By the end we're always so desperate, wishing it would finish already and not caring who wins. But that in itself is kind of hilarious...which is probably why we keep playing it. We're complicated people.
> Attended a taping of The Gruen Transfer with L last night. It was actually really good fun. And it's free entertainment, the best kind! Unfortunately it meant that I missed my writers group yet again - I always miss it, I feel so guilty. Wednesdays are just not good for me going-out-wise. If I'm not swamped with work and staying late, I'm in the throes of mid-week exhaustion and going out is the last thing I want to do. Lame excuses I know, but that's me for you. I also missed our work Trivia night. Oops.
Anyway, I've got so much on this weekend. I made this promise to myself that I wouldn't plan things on both days of my weekend but for some reason that's fallen apart this week. I'm out Friday night, Saturday during the day and the evening, and all day Sunday. Headdesk. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy hanging out with people but socialness is exhausting. I like having a day where I can just sit around in my pjs all day and do whatever I want. Mainly this involves sleeping until 11am, but you know. I just like my alone time, what can I say.
Music: Australia - Amanda Palmer
Monday, August 8, 2011
Why can't we have nice things?
This post contains spoilers for episode 5 of Torchwood: Miracle Day. If you haven’t seen it, tread carefully.
Okay, forget everything I’ve ever written about Children of Earth on this blog, every bitter little comment I may have made. Forget it. All of it. It’s done, put it aside. While CoE had its flaws (character inconsistencies, failures of logic and [arguably] emotional manipulation), it was still a well-executed piece of television. It was well-acted, directed, written and produced. And it had everyone hooked. The strong response to it is just further proof of its dramatic success, and all of it is so much more striking in comparison to what we have to deal with now.
Seriously, Torchwood. I wish you'd stayed dead.
Harsh, maybe, but Miracle Day is a complete and utter waste of time. It is slow, it is dull and it’s trying so hard to say something important that it’s not really saying anything at all. I’ve been waiting too, giving it the benefit of the doubt, but we’re five episodes in and nothing has really happened.
I only realised how little the show was doing for me when faced with the choice of the latest episode or an episode of White Collar, I chose the latter instead. I’m sad to say that after I did finally watch episode 5, I couldn’t really fault that decision either – the White Collar ep was far more enjoyable. It really disappoints me. On one hand, I didn’t have particularly high expectations for the season but I was really hoping to be proved wrong, to be whipped away again in the joys of Torchwood. I was so sure I would be. Alas, alack, all that.
Thing is, I can’t help but think of Merlin in this situation. See, season 3 of Merlin didn’t really do anything for me either but I still watched every week because there were these flashes of brilliance that reminded me of everything I loved about that show. I didn’t want to miss any of it, and it never crossed my mind to stop watching. There was still enjoyment to be had. With Miracle Day, I actually don’t want to keep watching. I just have no interest in it and, unlike Merlin, it has no spark, no joy in it, to carry me through to the end. The only reason I’ll keep going is because it’s Torchwood and I feel compelled by my fandom to see this through to its pointless conclusion – and I need to watch it for research purposes. So, you know.
There are a couple of reasons why the show isn’t working for me and it all sort of came to a head in the middle of episode 5. Gwen has gone to rescue her dad from one of the overflow camps and stands around beating her chest ineffectively for a couple of minutes until she almost gets arrested. And I just couldn’t help thinking that there was a time when Team Torchwood would have strut into that place, took what they wanted and no one would have stopped them. What have we become?
Useless, that's what. We’ve become completely useless. Torchwood has always been a tad on the incompetent side, but now their incompetence is accompanied by total impotence. I mean seriously. Last season, 3 targeted Torchwood agents brought down this massive conspiracy from a dank warehouse. This season, 4/5 highly trained individuals can’t even execute one simple operation without incident – with the same tech at their disposal, I might add. Sure, Jack’s not immortal anymore, but that doesn’t mean he’s entirely out of action, now does it? What is wrong with him? He has done absolutely nothing of value…except lurk in the scaffolding and stalk media personalities. Which is another thing, this whole parallel between Jack and Oswald Danes – the idea that they’re tormented in the same way because they both killed a child. I don’t know if the writers are trying to draw this comparison for viewers or whether we’re supposed to believe that Jack actually draws the comparison himself, but I don’t like it. Oswald creeps me out and I am not for one minute okay with putting Jack in the same category as a convicted paedophile. I don’t care how much Jack’s beating himself up over his grandson’s death, it is not the same thing. Not even remotely. Not even wracked with guilt do I believe you could make that comparison, or find some “understanding” with a guy like Oswald. I find it all very squicky.
Then there’s Gwen, of course, whose hysterical moments are even more annoying now that they yield absolutely no result. I am so thankful they’ve sent her back to Wales and Rhys – I’ve always thought they were best when together. And it saves Rhys from his demotion to ‘that guy who always calls at inconvenient moments’ because really, he’s earned the right to be more than that by now. Half the time, Gwen sits around with this I’ve-seen-it-all-before expression on her face and exchanges these loaded looks with Jack, like they’re saying ‘bless, these guys have no idea what they’re doing’, but the pair don’t actually do anything. At all. We have effectively had four episodes of practically nothing. I don’t understand why Rex even bothered to bring them back in the first place. So he could have some snazzy contact lenses? Whatever.
The incompetence does not end with the original Team Torchwood members however. If only. No, in fact, I think dear Dr Vera Juarez gives Gwen a run for her money in the ‘beating my chest ineffectively’ stakes. Arguably the most useless character of the lot, which leads her to a suitable end. After all, what did she expect? I found the hook-up between her and Rex to be a bit random as well (don’t think there was much chemistry between them tbh) but I suppose it makes sense now – gives Rex that added my-lover-is-dead angst that Torchwood runs on.
Rex. I don’t know what to say about Rex. I don’t think I really have a feel for his character. It’s all superficial – he’s brash, he has his funny moments, he actually gets things done…he’s the only one that gets things done. Huh. Clearly, the hero of the show. Also very much the hetero alpha male, which is interesting for TW, having never really done that before. Of course, we need Esther (oh hey Esther, you’ve done stuff but I barely remember you) to be secretly enarmoured with him to help enforce that. Ah unrequited admiration, that’s just the Torchwood way. Although actually, even though we’ve had two sex scenes already, I really rather think this series is lacking in sexiness.
Hilariously, I’ve just discovered the second episode of MD was written by someone who usually writes for House so I was totally right when I said it was very House-like. Maybe that’s part of the problem. I just don’t know what MD is supposed to be. At this point, I’m half expecting everyone to turn into zombies. It doesn’t really feel like sci-fi, and it definitely doesn’t feel anything like the show I once loved.
I understand that the ratings in the US are slowly rising while those in the UK are falling. That makes sense. Miracle Day is probably great if you’ve never seen an episode of Torchwood before. That doesn’t mean the old stuff is better by any means, just that there are certain expectations that MD doesn’t meet. The big one being Jack's complete inadequacy.
TW was my first real proper sci-fi tv love. I’d never before gotten into a tv show the way I was into Torchwood. In the intervening years however, I’ve watched a lot more television – especially since its break because suddenly I had this hole in my life that I had never had before, and I needed to fill it with something else. So I watched more shows, and I fell in love with quite a few. Not just sci-fi/fantasy shows like Supernatural, Fringe and BSG (still working on that one), but other things too like Sherlock, HBO shows (True Blood, Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Band of Brothers) and more “mainstream” things (The Big Bang Theory, Spirited, Lie to Me, Life, Burn Notice, White Collar, Castle, NCIS, Hawaii 5O).
Point is, I have a lot of things to watch and since TW is so intent on breaking away from its past, I have no real attachment to it. It needs to keep me interested, to make me want to watch it rather than watch something else. And I’m afraid it’s just not doing that.
Music: A malfunctioning alarm going off every five minutes *twitches*
Okay, forget everything I’ve ever written about Children of Earth on this blog, every bitter little comment I may have made. Forget it. All of it. It’s done, put it aside. While CoE had its flaws (character inconsistencies, failures of logic and [arguably] emotional manipulation), it was still a well-executed piece of television. It was well-acted, directed, written and produced. And it had everyone hooked. The strong response to it is just further proof of its dramatic success, and all of it is so much more striking in comparison to what we have to deal with now.
Seriously, Torchwood. I wish you'd stayed dead.
Harsh, maybe, but Miracle Day is a complete and utter waste of time. It is slow, it is dull and it’s trying so hard to say something important that it’s not really saying anything at all. I’ve been waiting too, giving it the benefit of the doubt, but we’re five episodes in and nothing has really happened.
I only realised how little the show was doing for me when faced with the choice of the latest episode or an episode of White Collar, I chose the latter instead. I’m sad to say that after I did finally watch episode 5, I couldn’t really fault that decision either – the White Collar ep was far more enjoyable. It really disappoints me. On one hand, I didn’t have particularly high expectations for the season but I was really hoping to be proved wrong, to be whipped away again in the joys of Torchwood. I was so sure I would be. Alas, alack, all that.
Thing is, I can’t help but think of Merlin in this situation. See, season 3 of Merlin didn’t really do anything for me either but I still watched every week because there were these flashes of brilliance that reminded me of everything I loved about that show. I didn’t want to miss any of it, and it never crossed my mind to stop watching. There was still enjoyment to be had. With Miracle Day, I actually don’t want to keep watching. I just have no interest in it and, unlike Merlin, it has no spark, no joy in it, to carry me through to the end. The only reason I’ll keep going is because it’s Torchwood and I feel compelled by my fandom to see this through to its pointless conclusion – and I need to watch it for research purposes. So, you know.
There are a couple of reasons why the show isn’t working for me and it all sort of came to a head in the middle of episode 5. Gwen has gone to rescue her dad from one of the overflow camps and stands around beating her chest ineffectively for a couple of minutes until she almost gets arrested. And I just couldn’t help thinking that there was a time when Team Torchwood would have strut into that place, took what they wanted and no one would have stopped them. What have we become?
Useless, that's what. We’ve become completely useless. Torchwood has always been a tad on the incompetent side, but now their incompetence is accompanied by total impotence. I mean seriously. Last season, 3 targeted Torchwood agents brought down this massive conspiracy from a dank warehouse. This season, 4/5 highly trained individuals can’t even execute one simple operation without incident – with the same tech at their disposal, I might add. Sure, Jack’s not immortal anymore, but that doesn’t mean he’s entirely out of action, now does it? What is wrong with him? He has done absolutely nothing of value…except lurk in the scaffolding and stalk media personalities. Which is another thing, this whole parallel between Jack and Oswald Danes – the idea that they’re tormented in the same way because they both killed a child. I don’t know if the writers are trying to draw this comparison for viewers or whether we’re supposed to believe that Jack actually draws the comparison himself, but I don’t like it. Oswald creeps me out and I am not for one minute okay with putting Jack in the same category as a convicted paedophile. I don’t care how much Jack’s beating himself up over his grandson’s death, it is not the same thing. Not even remotely. Not even wracked with guilt do I believe you could make that comparison, or find some “understanding” with a guy like Oswald. I find it all very squicky.
Then there’s Gwen, of course, whose hysterical moments are even more annoying now that they yield absolutely no result. I am so thankful they’ve sent her back to Wales and Rhys – I’ve always thought they were best when together. And it saves Rhys from his demotion to ‘that guy who always calls at inconvenient moments’ because really, he’s earned the right to be more than that by now. Half the time, Gwen sits around with this I’ve-seen-it-all-before expression on her face and exchanges these loaded looks with Jack, like they’re saying ‘bless, these guys have no idea what they’re doing’, but the pair don’t actually do anything. At all. We have effectively had four episodes of practically nothing. I don’t understand why Rex even bothered to bring them back in the first place. So he could have some snazzy contact lenses? Whatever.
The incompetence does not end with the original Team Torchwood members however. If only. No, in fact, I think dear Dr Vera Juarez gives Gwen a run for her money in the ‘beating my chest ineffectively’ stakes. Arguably the most useless character of the lot, which leads her to a suitable end. After all, what did she expect? I found the hook-up between her and Rex to be a bit random as well (don’t think there was much chemistry between them tbh) but I suppose it makes sense now – gives Rex that added my-lover-is-dead angst that Torchwood runs on.
Rex. I don’t know what to say about Rex. I don’t think I really have a feel for his character. It’s all superficial – he’s brash, he has his funny moments, he actually gets things done…he’s the only one that gets things done. Huh. Clearly, the hero of the show. Also very much the hetero alpha male, which is interesting for TW, having never really done that before. Of course, we need Esther (oh hey Esther, you’ve done stuff but I barely remember you) to be secretly enarmoured with him to help enforce that. Ah unrequited admiration, that’s just the Torchwood way. Although actually, even though we’ve had two sex scenes already, I really rather think this series is lacking in sexiness.
Hilariously, I’ve just discovered the second episode of MD was written by someone who usually writes for House so I was totally right when I said it was very House-like. Maybe that’s part of the problem. I just don’t know what MD is supposed to be. At this point, I’m half expecting everyone to turn into zombies. It doesn’t really feel like sci-fi, and it definitely doesn’t feel anything like the show I once loved.
I understand that the ratings in the US are slowly rising while those in the UK are falling. That makes sense. Miracle Day is probably great if you’ve never seen an episode of Torchwood before. That doesn’t mean the old stuff is better by any means, just that there are certain expectations that MD doesn’t meet. The big one being Jack's complete inadequacy.
TW was my first real proper sci-fi tv love. I’d never before gotten into a tv show the way I was into Torchwood. In the intervening years however, I’ve watched a lot more television – especially since its break because suddenly I had this hole in my life that I had never had before, and I needed to fill it with something else. So I watched more shows, and I fell in love with quite a few. Not just sci-fi/fantasy shows like Supernatural, Fringe and BSG (still working on that one), but other things too like Sherlock, HBO shows (True Blood, Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Band of Brothers) and more “mainstream” things (The Big Bang Theory, Spirited, Lie to Me, Life, Burn Notice, White Collar, Castle, NCIS, Hawaii 5O).
Point is, I have a lot of things to watch and since TW is so intent on breaking away from its past, I have no real attachment to it. It needs to keep me interested, to make me want to watch it rather than watch something else. And I’m afraid it’s just not doing that.
Music: A malfunctioning alarm going off every five minutes *twitches*
Sunday, August 7, 2011
I traced away the fog
People who expect things to just happen for them endlessly frustrate me. Stop complaining, get up and do something, if you so desperately want to. I don't have the patience for sitting around listening to it all the time.
Anyway. Lots has happened. Fun was had. Too tired to really talk about any of it. Hopefully, I'll get around to it tomorrow or else it'll be another week of blog radio-silence. In my defense, I've been super busy at work and that's not going to slow down any time soon.
Parting thought, this man is one of my favourite people.
Music: I woke up in a car - Something Corporate
Anyway. Lots has happened. Fun was had. Too tired to really talk about any of it. Hopefully, I'll get around to it tomorrow or else it'll be another week of blog radio-silence. In my defense, I've been super busy at work and that's not going to slow down any time soon.
Music: I woke up in a car - Something Corporate
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
I need to sleep
I’m going through Supernatural withdrawal and for some reason I’ve been thinking about this episode a lot. It’s one of my favourites, particularly because of this scene. It’s quite an intense episode and then as it’s all going to hell, Castiel just pulls Dean back. It feels like it carries so much weight considering what Dean’s just been through – what we saw of the future, of Sam, and of what Cas became. And Cas just stands there, and says such a simple line, and just knows. Oh, show. My heart.
Castiel: We had an appointment.
Dean: Don't ever change.
'The End' - Ep 4, S 5
Music: Casanova, baby! - The Gaslight Anthem
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Lessons I never learned
I'm working from home today. I really wish I could do this all the time - it's just gone 11am and I've already written 1200 words of editorial. More productive than I ever am at work. I think this is mostly because I just don't work well in "monitored" situations. Like at school - I never wrote essays in class. My brain doesn't respond well to being told "you will write now" or something. I don't know.
Another plus is that I am on a computer that actually works. Imagine that! I was nearly in tears of frustration yesterday afternoon when my computer restarted for the third time, yet again corrupting the word doc I was working on, meaning I had to re-write an article for the fourth time. I had plans to work late to catch up on everything, but in the end I just came home and did it here. Much less painful.
I still have a frightening amount of work to do today though. I need to write 15 half page profiles (a total of 3,750 words) as well as another full page article. Then tomorrow, I have to catch up on all my SB editorials (2,500 words). Le sigh.
Another pro to working from home though - unlimited access to chocolate and proper coffee. Let productivity commence!
Music: Time turned fragile - Motion City Soundtrack
Another plus is that I am on a computer that actually works. Imagine that! I was nearly in tears of frustration yesterday afternoon when my computer restarted for the third time, yet again corrupting the word doc I was working on, meaning I had to re-write an article for the fourth time. I had plans to work late to catch up on everything, but in the end I just came home and did it here. Much less painful.
I still have a frightening amount of work to do today though. I need to write 15 half page profiles (a total of 3,750 words) as well as another full page article. Then tomorrow, I have to catch up on all my SB editorials (2,500 words). Le sigh.
Another pro to working from home though - unlimited access to chocolate and proper coffee. Let productivity commence!
Music: Time turned fragile - Motion City Soundtrack
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