My Annual "Half-a-moon" Vid Rec Post

[fallingtowers]

Since I'm addicted to fanvids and love finding new ones via recs on LJ, I thought I'd share my enthusiasm for a few favourites of 2009/2010 with the other vid lovers around here.

Bionic Woman:

* I Want What I Want by dualbunny: So take me to an angel / Who has seen it all before -- A vid for an extremely cheesy show of which I haven't even made it through one single episode in its entirety, but which I just FUCKING ADORE (the vid, not the show, that is). It's got a classic (fem)slash vibe, full of dramatic foils and sexual tension with the archnemesis, and, of course, two hot women of the "tough warrior" variety (Michelle Ryan! Katee Sackhoff! ♥), with some serious chemistry and some serious issues. I would have watched that series in a second.

Battlestar Galactica:

* I'm Not Dead by dualbunny: We only spun the web / To catch ourselves / So we weren’t left for dead -- This is the vid I had been waiting for since 2007 as it's the last part of the vidder's "Starbuck/Pink/Awesomeness" trilogy, and despite my ridiculously high expectations, it did not disappoint in the slightest. It's an excellent retrospective that makes more sense of Kara's character arc than the show did in the end; and via great shifts and transitions in the characters that the lyrics (and the visuals of the "sunlight" metaphor) might refer to, it brings Starbuck's emotional journey to a very satisfying and touching conclusion.

* Wicked Game by obsessive24: The world was on fire and no one could save me but you / It's strange what desire will make foolish people do -- At long last, Anastasia Dualla gets the tribute she deserves. This is another BSG character study that is a clever, deft and succinct way of making sense of a woman's journey and actions and choices during the show, even though those choices may not be pleasant and the end is certainly bitter. But I love how the vid uses Dee's romantic relationships to illustrate her search for a saviour, no, for salvation, in a world that's anything but safe and where barely anyone seems to get saved. The opening montage uses new film material from The Plan and its snippets of the Cylon Apocalypse to great effect, and the closing montage is a brilliant example of subtle foreshadowing through intercutting and colour symbolism.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

* Bachelorette by obsessive24: I'm a fountain of blood / In the shape of a girl -- In many ways, BtVS could be read as a fantasy of female power, of literally reclaiming the night (even though it was neither subtle nor entirely successful in conveying that message, but that's another can of worms). This vid takes this theme and runs with it, constructing out of similar shots and motions and other visual parallels a narrative of girls' and young women's struggle against violence, patriarchal authority, emotional dependence and their assigned role of sacrificial lambs to the slaughter. Kudos also for choosing some of the slightly less obvious scenes for this purpose (e.g. Buffy & Warren's first bot, April; Riley & the gun in the "coffeemakers that think" convo from Restless).

Dollhouse:

* It Depends on What You Pay by giandujakiss: The rape by coach; it's little in request. / The rape by day, but the rape by night is best. -- For me, this vid was very much the 2009 equivalent to the SPN meta classic "Women's Work". Both are highly critical of shows that I haven't even watched, so it's not for me to judge whether they portray them fairly or malign them polemically. However, they do both work very well in clarifying the (allegedly?) highly problematic subtext in both shows (physical violence, demonization of female sexuality, eroticization of fear in SPN, sexual assault and mind-rape becoming literal rape in DH) and in driving the point home over and over again. This vid does it in a nauseatingly hilarious, grimly sarcastic manner, where depersonalization, female objectification, and the stripping away of all consent from the show's women (and the odd man) are skeevy entertainment to ironic lyric interpretations and catchy show business tunes. Olé! (Trigger warning for sexual assault!)

Multi-Fandom:

* Take It Off by greensilver: 'Cause I get what I want and I like what I see -- This lovely vid, however, should help to make the potential bad taste from Dollhouse go away. It's about boozing and partying, about kickin' ass and takin' names, about showing some very enthusiastic consent to the idea of sexing and about celebrating (straight) women's sexuality and their love for the good-lookin' menfolks. Gotta shake it, baby, for me!

Sarah Connor Chronicles:

* Over the Rainbow by chaila43: Somewhere over the rainbow / skies are blue... -- This is what Sarah Connor would like to dream about: the Land of Oz without the Wicked Witch, blue skies without nuclear fires, and little children full of innocence. But even her dreams are filled with prisons and paranoia, death and destruction, and fear for her son. The vid emphasizes this contrast in stark, haunting simplicity.