Perhaps I need a "Jys watches too much TV" tag.
Fandom - that is to say, Alexander Siddig fandom - has found A Dangerous Man, and is at least on Tumblr all atwitter about it. You literally do not know how happy this makes me. There were almost tears, and I am not joking. Lawrence is one of the few subjects that I still go full-on, let-me-tell-you-everything-about-this-ever special interest for, and this film is amazing. It was a TV movie with two relatively at-the-time unknown actors, and is rather hard to find (last time I looked on Amazon the used DVD went for over $100), which in my opinion is a crying shame. The writers did their research - and, yes, they may have fudged some things for plot or dramatic effect (this is the part where I admit that my interest lies in Lawrence as a person, not necessarily the events around him), but they have an amazing amount of little character details. And Peter O'Toole is an amazing actor who will always define the role, and I'm okay with that, but Fiennes practically is Lawrence - he the restrained intensity, the brazenness, even the annoying laugh. The whole time you get the sense of a man who is keeping himself together with forward momentum - and taking risks and not slowing down, because if he does, he'll fall apart. Also, I'm delighted that they kept him ace/gay/otherwise nonsexual. I'm not denying the ho yay with Faisal here, because it is there and really quite enjoyable, but people have written dissertations on the real Lawrence's sexuality. I tend to fall on the side of "gay or ace," though. And speaking of Faisal! It was the first time I had (well, when paying attention) seen Alexander Siddig on film, and honestly a bit of me is always going to think of him in this role before anything else. Again with the intensity, but much more calm and earnest, and again with all the little character details (yes, he did smoke all the fucking time). I feel like his character arc was a little wonky storytelling-wise, but that's a writing thing - I have no problems with the acting. It's true that the story may be anticlimactic - because, come on, everyone knows there was no way the European powers were going to hand over control of the Middle East, Sykes-Picot agreement nonwithstanding - and the real hashing-out, involving oil interests and power struggles and the brilliant idea of "Let's draw a box, call it Iraq, and put Faisal in it to get him out of the way," happens in Cairo a few years later. It's actually quite interesting, involving Lawrence and Gertrude Bell (did I mention how delighted I was that she was in that movie?) as well as Winston Churchill. If anyone is interested in some fiction about it, Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russel is a great book, if a bit a product of its times. This whole business is one of the reasons that area is so screwed up - and I am fully-aware of imperialism and how much of a role that played, but I do think that Lawrence was doing his best. If you look at the map he proposed at Versailles, it has some areas carved up, yes, and it wouldn't have avoided the situation with Israel, but there is a line beyond which it basically says, "Give this to the people who live here and let them sort it out." A lot of people see the film and come away with the conclusion that he's a raging imperialist - and yes, he had Britain's influence in mind, he was a goddamn British solder. But it was influence, not power - I think that he genuinely respected the people who he had fought with, both leaders like Sharif Hussein and Emir Faisal, and the people in general. He was a man who took his promises very seriously, and I think that in the end having them broken by his own government was one of the things that sent him so far down. Anyway, I have officially reached the point where I'm tired and rambling, and will shut up.
Short version: People love the thing I love and I love this! :P Anyone who has actually suffered through that paragraph and wants to suffer through more should feel free to ask for book recs - I'll gladly give them. :)
I must say that recent Deep Space Nine has been extremely high caliber, with the exception of Sons of Mogh, which I am just going to try to wipe from my memory. I wonder if this is RDM's natural tendency towards complicated things tempered by Star Trek's refusal to be all dark dark darkity dark all the time. If so, it's a good thing, because he needs someone to rein him in, if you ask me. I love that we can have an issue where there are "good guys" on both sides of the argument, and neither is a strawman nor just deluded. I'm speaking primarily of the blood screenings for Starfleet officers' families - though I was wondering how it would be written if it were done today, since the nature of and attitude towards security in this country has changed so much. I feel that in some ways DS9 is A Product Of Its Time, like how Kira can acknowledge the fact that she was a essentially a terrorist - and even use that word to refer to herself - and not be particularly guilty or unequivocally condemned. Her position is that she might have hit civilian targets, but her damn planet was occupied and she did what she had to do to free it. I know the notion of "doing what you have to do" in a war, and whether that's a good thing or a bad thing or both is going to be explored more later on, and I'm looking forward. That, and plots that have sympathetic characters doing bad things with all the right intentions, is something I find very interesting. Overall I am going "Oooh, tasty tasty plot shaping up, and new characters!" and thoroughly enjoying the whole thing.
More specific thoughts: Aforementioned Sons of Mogh - either the Federation has a really horrible code of ethics or Bashir just violated the shit out of it, and I really don't want to consider either possibility. :/ In conclusion, Klingons make everything worse. Ziyal is more proof that my maternal instinct only kicks in for non-humans, I finally know what my friend means by Dollface, and I can't for the life of me figure out what I think about Leeta, but Dax seems like she's getting more individual character development this season, or maybe I'm just noticing her more. For most of the show thus far... I've liked her when I noticed her. She just didn't stand out for me very much. I think I may have gotten more out of Our Man Bashir thanks to having watched all the Sean Connery James Bond movies when I was about twelve, but that aside it was still prime "grab sedvictacatoni and squee" material. Also, how does anyone sit and listen to Gul Dukat be in love with his own voice and not feel embarrassed on behalf of everyone present. Really. I might point at the screen and yell things like "war criminal" when he's on, but it cannot be denied that he adds +100 entertainment value to any episode he appears in. Because even if it's a really crappy episode, his bulletproof ego and general conceit will carry the day.
In other "too much TV" news, Doctor Who is shaping up amazingly. The more I think about the aliens in question the more I think they're a Weeping Angels ripoff, which makes me disappointed, but at the same they are genuinely very scary, and I'm really looking forward to next week's. Since it's a two-parter, detailed thoughts held until then. Detailed thoughts on A Game of Thrones also held until I can see how they develop the plot and characters more. It's slow-moving enough that I really think you can't judge it accurately from just one episode - although I will say that I like the woman playing Catelyn, and was extremely pissed at the addition of non-con where there had been no non-con - I speak of Kal Drogo and Daenerys. When I was reading the book I got to that scene and went "Oh boy, here we go, the tender young maiden is going to be forcibly deflowered by the big rough barbarian," and was actually considering putting the book down if it went that way, since I hate that trope and couldn't decide if she was being sexualized because the plot or the author demanded it, and that was making me a little uncomfortable. But the way that they played it out managed to... make it okay without being some kind of "she says no but really means yes" type of thing, and it really made me interested in their relationship, as opposed to being repulsed. BUT the TV makers had to go and do some non-con. Nice going there, guys. :/ Speaking of sexualization, I do understand why they aged Sansa up, because there's the kind of creepy an audience is going to understand and the kind that's just going to make them turn it off, and talking about an eleven-year-old girl like that is probably going to be the latter. Even if that is how it would be in that time period.
I was going to go to church this morning, but ended up sleeping in instead. (I keep meaning to go to church... but also tend to stay up really late on Saturday nights, so when the crunch comes down I usually choose sleep. ^^;). Easter isn't a huge deal given that I'm not actually Christian, it just seemed like a nice thing to do. However, we have nice weather - just about as hot as is comfortable for me, but with a breeze and a nice blue sky. So I really enjoyed walking and sat out on the library steps for a while. Speaking of the library, I am now BFF with the guy who mans the security desk when they close - he's actually very nice, and wants to have conversations with me. Last time we talked about the Inquisition, I do not joke! I'm not sure if the reference librarians known me - but I kind of suspect they see me coming and think "Ohhhh crikey, here we go again." Because I can't go into the stacks I have to request books, have them brought up by some poor minion with a trolly, then read them in the reading room and return them. I feel really guilty, as I have to ascertain how useful the book will be from its catalog information, which doesn't always tell me enough, so sometimes I get books and only read them for a few minutes before figuring out that they're not what I'm looking for. And I tend to have long lists because I don't want to waste time (mine and theirs) going back and forth and back and forth. Anyhow. It's that time of year when sleep is for the weak and the dead. :P I'm keeping going on forward momentum and caffeine, because otherwise I'm just going to sit here going "Nergh nergh nergh, nonexistent relationship, no money, completely and totally uncertain future, nergh nergh hergh I WANT A NAP."
ETA, "Shut up about Star Trek already Jys" edition: At the beginning of Return to Grace when they were talking about the Cardassian public health system or lack thereof I basically pointed at the TV and yelled "See? See? What do I keep talking about!" And what with all these various governments getting together and discussing mutually beneficial solutions I'm sure they could use a MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGIST or so. *strokes chin* That's right, I do sit around thinking about interstellar health, when I'm not sitting around thinking about how to apply the International Covenants on Human Rights in a multi-species society. I had an extended spiel on the subject that involved the line "You think Bajor has a public health system? The Cardassians didn't give a damn about public health!" (this was back in the first season or so). When we take to the stars you're gonna need more than just a bunch of scientists to fly the ships, you're gonna need someone well-versed in the study of culture and interacting with different peoples. Think about it, guys.
Short version: People love the thing I love and I love this! :P Anyone who has actually suffered through that paragraph and wants to suffer through more should feel free to ask for book recs - I'll gladly give them. :)
I must say that recent Deep Space Nine has been extremely high caliber, with the exception of Sons of Mogh, which I am just going to try to wipe from my memory. I wonder if this is RDM's natural tendency towards complicated things tempered by Star Trek's refusal to be all dark dark darkity dark all the time. If so, it's a good thing, because he needs someone to rein him in, if you ask me. I love that we can have an issue where there are "good guys" on both sides of the argument, and neither is a strawman nor just deluded. I'm speaking primarily of the blood screenings for Starfleet officers' families - though I was wondering how it would be written if it were done today, since the nature of and attitude towards security in this country has changed so much. I feel that in some ways DS9 is A Product Of Its Time, like how Kira can acknowledge the fact that she was a essentially a terrorist - and even use that word to refer to herself - and not be particularly guilty or unequivocally condemned. Her position is that she might have hit civilian targets, but her damn planet was occupied and she did what she had to do to free it. I know the notion of "doing what you have to do" in a war, and whether that's a good thing or a bad thing or both is going to be explored more later on, and I'm looking forward. That, and plots that have sympathetic characters doing bad things with all the right intentions, is something I find very interesting. Overall I am going "Oooh, tasty tasty plot shaping up, and new characters!" and thoroughly enjoying the whole thing.
More specific thoughts: Aforementioned Sons of Mogh - either the Federation has a really horrible code of ethics or Bashir just violated the shit out of it, and I really don't want to consider either possibility. :/ In conclusion, Klingons make everything worse. Ziyal is more proof that my maternal instinct only kicks in for non-humans, I finally know what my friend means by Dollface, and I can't for the life of me figure out what I think about Leeta, but Dax seems like she's getting more individual character development this season, or maybe I'm just noticing her more. For most of the show thus far... I've liked her when I noticed her. She just didn't stand out for me very much. I think I may have gotten more out of Our Man Bashir thanks to having watched all the Sean Connery James Bond movies when I was about twelve, but that aside it was still prime "grab sedvictacatoni and squee" material. Also, how does anyone sit and listen to Gul Dukat be in love with his own voice and not feel embarrassed on behalf of everyone present. Really. I might point at the screen and yell things like "war criminal" when he's on, but it cannot be denied that he adds +100 entertainment value to any episode he appears in. Because even if it's a really crappy episode, his bulletproof ego and general conceit will carry the day.
In other "too much TV" news, Doctor Who is shaping up amazingly. The more I think about the aliens in question the more I think they're a Weeping Angels ripoff, which makes me disappointed, but at the same they are genuinely very scary, and I'm really looking forward to next week's. Since it's a two-parter, detailed thoughts held until then. Detailed thoughts on A Game of Thrones also held until I can see how they develop the plot and characters more. It's slow-moving enough that I really think you can't judge it accurately from just one episode - although I will say that I like the woman playing Catelyn, and was extremely pissed at the addition of non-con where there had been no non-con - I speak of Kal Drogo and Daenerys. When I was reading the book I got to that scene and went "Oh boy, here we go, the tender young maiden is going to be forcibly deflowered by the big rough barbarian," and was actually considering putting the book down if it went that way, since I hate that trope and couldn't decide if she was being sexualized because the plot or the author demanded it, and that was making me a little uncomfortable. But the way that they played it out managed to... make it okay without being some kind of "she says no but really means yes" type of thing, and it really made me interested in their relationship, as opposed to being repulsed. BUT the TV makers had to go and do some non-con. Nice going there, guys. :/ Speaking of sexualization, I do understand why they aged Sansa up, because there's the kind of creepy an audience is going to understand and the kind that's just going to make them turn it off, and talking about an eleven-year-old girl like that is probably going to be the latter. Even if that is how it would be in that time period.
I was going to go to church this morning, but ended up sleeping in instead. (I keep meaning to go to church... but also tend to stay up really late on Saturday nights, so when the crunch comes down I usually choose sleep. ^^;). Easter isn't a huge deal given that I'm not actually Christian, it just seemed like a nice thing to do. However, we have nice weather - just about as hot as is comfortable for me, but with a breeze and a nice blue sky. So I really enjoyed walking and sat out on the library steps for a while. Speaking of the library, I am now BFF with the guy who mans the security desk when they close - he's actually very nice, and wants to have conversations with me. Last time we talked about the Inquisition, I do not joke! I'm not sure if the reference librarians known me - but I kind of suspect they see me coming and think "Ohhhh crikey, here we go again." Because I can't go into the stacks I have to request books, have them brought up by some poor minion with a trolly, then read them in the reading room and return them. I feel really guilty, as I have to ascertain how useful the book will be from its catalog information, which doesn't always tell me enough, so sometimes I get books and only read them for a few minutes before figuring out that they're not what I'm looking for. And I tend to have long lists because I don't want to waste time (mine and theirs) going back and forth and back and forth. Anyhow. It's that time of year when sleep is for the weak and the dead. :P I'm keeping going on forward momentum and caffeine, because otherwise I'm just going to sit here going "Nergh nergh nergh, nonexistent relationship, no money, completely and totally uncertain future, nergh nergh hergh I WANT A NAP."
ETA, "Shut up about Star Trek already Jys" edition: At the beginning of Return to Grace when they were talking about the Cardassian public health system or lack thereof I basically pointed at the TV and yelled "See? See? What do I keep talking about!" And what with all these various governments getting together and discussing mutually beneficial solutions I'm sure they could use a MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGIST or so. *strokes chin* That's right, I do sit around thinking about interstellar health, when I'm not sitting around thinking about how to apply the International Covenants on Human Rights in a multi-species society. I had an extended spiel on the subject that involved the line "You think Bajor has a public health system? The Cardassians didn't give a damn about public health!" (this was back in the first season or so). When we take to the stars you're gonna need more than just a bunch of scientists to fly the ships, you're gonna need someone well-versed in the study of culture and interacting with different peoples. Think about it, guys.