A Review of Stuff.
Because I want to at least get something on my list done before I go to sleep for the night.
On Milk: I liked it.
I think if I'd gone in there with any kind of Grand Expectations, I would have been disappointed. I wasn't really sure what to expect. What I got was less the cookie-cutter paean to tolerance that "gay movies" are supposed to be and more a series of vignettes illustrating the turbulent yet vital relationship between the political and the personal.
The acting was terrific; I hope Sean Penn gets an Oscar nod. Not that it's likely he won't. I think everyone did a pretty good job of bringing humanity to their roles, which was essential to at least my interpretation of the film.
I would have liked to see more done with Anne Kronenberg and how the reactions to her illustrated the misogyny of the gay rights movement of the day; I think it would have fit nicely into the themes of the movie. But, well. You win some, you lose some. I am resigned to Hollywood's "you only need one woman per film, and she just needs to stand there" attitude for now (although that doesn't mean I have to like it, dammit).
I think my favorite parts were probably the bits with the kid in the wheelchair. Big movies so rarely address intersectionality, and while it might have been predictably emotional, the idea of a gay disabled person is just so unusual (although, of course, there are tons of them in real life) that I was glad to see it. I think they made some other nods to the concept of intersectionality elsewhere in the film, but these scenes were where they addressed it most openly.
Now, with a jarring lack of segue, I'm going to talk about the manga I've been reading: Fruits Basket. Yes, one of the most famous and cheesiest shoujo out there.
I actually kind of like it. It's silly, and I have to turn much of my brain off to read it, but for all that it's fun enough as brain candy. I'm not all that interested in the main three, save for a few sparks of interest in the Kyou/Tohru dynamic (first when Tohru was sick and Kyou brought her food, later when his true form was revealed), but I certainly don't outright dislike any of them. I really enjoy the supporting cast; for now, Momiji is my favorite (not only is he cute yet burdened with an angsty past which haunts him even as he struggles to overcome it, he also crossdresses just because he thinks he looks better that way). I can see Shigure usurping that position as we learn more about him, though.
I love the way the male characters' gender roles get fucked with regularly. I just wish I could find more manga that did that to both male and female characters (without also annoying me; I wasn't too fond of Ouran when I tried it).
Regardless of my feelings on the manga itself, though, I can't help but like Takaya Natsuki from the notes she writes in the volumes. She talks about video games constantly. In reply to an interview question about what kinds of game character she likes, she said, "I really love cute and strong girls with a bit of a dark side. I have more trouble finding male characters I like."
She's mentioned she's obsessed with Final Fantasy, too, so I bet she's a huge Selphie fan.
Edit: Oh yeah, and I absolutely adore Hanajima and Uotani. They're so tough and quirky and protective of Tohru, and badass in their own ways.
On Milk: I liked it.
I think if I'd gone in there with any kind of Grand Expectations, I would have been disappointed. I wasn't really sure what to expect. What I got was less the cookie-cutter paean to tolerance that "gay movies" are supposed to be and more a series of vignettes illustrating the turbulent yet vital relationship between the political and the personal.
The acting was terrific; I hope Sean Penn gets an Oscar nod. Not that it's likely he won't. I think everyone did a pretty good job of bringing humanity to their roles, which was essential to at least my interpretation of the film.
I would have liked to see more done with Anne Kronenberg and how the reactions to her illustrated the misogyny of the gay rights movement of the day; I think it would have fit nicely into the themes of the movie. But, well. You win some, you lose some. I am resigned to Hollywood's "you only need one woman per film, and she just needs to stand there" attitude for now (although that doesn't mean I have to like it, dammit).
I think my favorite parts were probably the bits with the kid in the wheelchair. Big movies so rarely address intersectionality, and while it might have been predictably emotional, the idea of a gay disabled person is just so unusual (although, of course, there are tons of them in real life) that I was glad to see it. I think they made some other nods to the concept of intersectionality elsewhere in the film, but these scenes were where they addressed it most openly.
Now, with a jarring lack of segue, I'm going to talk about the manga I've been reading: Fruits Basket. Yes, one of the most famous and cheesiest shoujo out there.
I actually kind of like it. It's silly, and I have to turn much of my brain off to read it, but for all that it's fun enough as brain candy. I'm not all that interested in the main three, save for a few sparks of interest in the Kyou/Tohru dynamic (first when Tohru was sick and Kyou brought her food, later when his true form was revealed), but I certainly don't outright dislike any of them. I really enjoy the supporting cast; for now, Momiji is my favorite (not only is he cute yet burdened with an angsty past which haunts him even as he struggles to overcome it, he also crossdresses just because he thinks he looks better that way). I can see Shigure usurping that position as we learn more about him, though.
I love the way the male characters' gender roles get fucked with regularly. I just wish I could find more manga that did that to both male and female characters (without also annoying me; I wasn't too fond of Ouran when I tried it).
Regardless of my feelings on the manga itself, though, I can't help but like Takaya Natsuki from the notes she writes in the volumes. She talks about video games constantly. In reply to an interview question about what kinds of game character she likes, she said, "I really love cute and strong girls with a bit of a dark side. I have more trouble finding male characters I like."
She's mentioned she's obsessed with Final Fantasy, too, so I bet she's a huge Selphie fan.
Edit: Oh yeah, and I absolutely adore Hanajima and Uotani. They're so tough and quirky and protective of Tohru, and badass in their own ways.