The important shit
So, I'm leaving the country for a month tomorrow.
I've sort of been flapping about this all over for months (mostly because of the amazing problems with getting a Russian visa) but I haven't actually made an officialish announcementy post here, so now I am:
26th July - 3 August: Moscow, including two-day wedding shenanigans in Suzdal
3rd-6th August: Novgorod
6th-10th August: St Petersburg
10th-13th August: Amsterdam
13th-15th August: The Hague/Delft
15th-19th August: FUCKING BRUGES
Before we left, though, the most important thing we had to do was see Inception, because I was not missing that shit, yo.
Pants off, Christopher Nolan. I'm not sure what impressed us more - the welter of originality, the stellar cast, or the masterful conceptual execution (such as never having that clunky, horrible scene where the tech/procedure is explained in faux-science that throws you out of the world). I loved it. From the grand design to the tiny details (Cobb catching his shell casings as they leave the silenced gun, omgYES) it was just confident and delightful. JGL's wirework fightscenes were magnificent, all the more so because at no time did it get all Matrixy-holy-shit-look-how-cool-we-are about it. (Even if the Male described the movie as "Matrix meets Ocean's 11 - all the best bits" and is absolutely right on that.)
Nothing is ever perfect, right? This is no exception. Both the Male and I were convinced instantly - when Mal talked about the dream Cobb had had before proposing to her - that Mal had incepted him into marrying her. I'm still not sure that wouldn't have been better. I do get that it's a slightly troubling evil-woman option, and that it's really strong when Cobb's worst enemy is himself, but in my moment of (incorrect) conviction on that point, my stomach dropped out because it's just gutting. Anyway.
I was going to make a comment about Shutter Island here, but I won't, because drastically ruining two movies in the one post is probably overdoing it. People in the know get what I'm talking about, anyway.
Speaking of drastically ruining - the fact that I'm pretty sure Ariadne is a construct (not sure of whom, wondering about Michael Caine's character, since he was the key and catalyst, but I wouldn't put it past Arthur - I don't think Cobb has the classical education to be naming her from his own subconscious, unless his brain is much twistier than we even saw... which I could buy)... where was I? Oh yeah, not even being pretty sure that she's invented (because Ariadne? Leading him out of the labyrinth? For serious) stops me wanting to write fic from her perspective.
I'm pretty damn fond of Ariadne and Arthur. I'm pretty damn fond of Arthur, full-stop. (At various points, I felt a little like JGL had just turned to me personally and gone, "I can fulfil all those roles you were mentally saving for Keanu Reeves, and I can do it with greater range. How's that?") Much like Eames, I could watch Arthur get pushed over all day. Yeah, I'm pretty damn fond of Eames and Arthur as well. Hell, I could even get on board with Cobb/Arthur. Basically, Arthur is the little black dress and a great big messy fic that's about all of that and possibly also Cobb and Eames's history? That would be DELISH. Just saying. Don't look at me, I'm going to Russia.
And you know it's damn impressive movie when Cillian Murphy was Australian and I haven't even mentioned that yet. (I still loved you though, baby.)
OK folks! Rock on, take care, have fun, and fling me an email if you like - there are internet cafes in Russia, right? We'll see. MWAH.
I've sort of been flapping about this all over for months (mostly because of the amazing problems with getting a Russian visa) but I haven't actually made an officialish announcementy post here, so now I am:
26th July - 3 August: Moscow, including two-day wedding shenanigans in Suzdal
3rd-6th August: Novgorod
6th-10th August: St Petersburg
10th-13th August: Amsterdam
13th-15th August: The Hague/Delft
15th-19th August: FUCKING BRUGES
Before we left, though, the most important thing we had to do was see Inception, because I was not missing that shit, yo.
Pants off, Christopher Nolan. I'm not sure what impressed us more - the welter of originality, the stellar cast, or the masterful conceptual execution (such as never having that clunky, horrible scene where the tech/procedure is explained in faux-science that throws you out of the world). I loved it. From the grand design to the tiny details (Cobb catching his shell casings as they leave the silenced gun, omgYES) it was just confident and delightful. JGL's wirework fightscenes were magnificent, all the more so because at no time did it get all Matrixy-holy-shit-look-how-cool-we-are about it. (Even if the Male described the movie as "Matrix meets Ocean's 11 - all the best bits" and is absolutely right on that.)
Nothing is ever perfect, right? This is no exception. Both the Male and I were convinced instantly - when Mal talked about the dream Cobb had had before proposing to her - that Mal had incepted him into marrying her. I'm still not sure that wouldn't have been better. I do get that it's a slightly troubling evil-woman option, and that it's really strong when Cobb's worst enemy is himself, but in my moment of (incorrect) conviction on that point, my stomach dropped out because it's just gutting. Anyway.
I was going to make a comment about Shutter Island here, but I won't, because drastically ruining two movies in the one post is probably overdoing it. People in the know get what I'm talking about, anyway.
Speaking of drastically ruining - the fact that I'm pretty sure Ariadne is a construct (not sure of whom, wondering about Michael Caine's character, since he was the key and catalyst, but I wouldn't put it past Arthur - I don't think Cobb has the classical education to be naming her from his own subconscious, unless his brain is much twistier than we even saw... which I could buy)... where was I? Oh yeah, not even being pretty sure that she's invented (because Ariadne? Leading him out of the labyrinth? For serious) stops me wanting to write fic from her perspective.
I'm pretty damn fond of Ariadne and Arthur. I'm pretty damn fond of Arthur, full-stop. (At various points, I felt a little like JGL had just turned to me personally and gone, "I can fulfil all those roles you were mentally saving for Keanu Reeves, and I can do it with greater range. How's that?") Much like Eames, I could watch Arthur get pushed over all day. Yeah, I'm pretty damn fond of Eames and Arthur as well. Hell, I could even get on board with Cobb/Arthur. Basically, Arthur is the little black dress and a great big messy fic that's about all of that and possibly also Cobb and Eames's history? That would be DELISH. Just saying. Don't look at me, I'm going to Russia.
And you know it's damn impressive movie when Cillian Murphy was Australian and I haven't even mentioned that yet. (I still loved you though, baby.)
OK folks! Rock on, take care, have fun, and fling me an email if you like - there are internet cafes in Russia, right? We'll see. MWAH.