A Scanner Darkly/Men I Love/White Man's Burden
Alex has been in DC for the last few days as part of his summertime Northeast tour, so I've actually been getting out of the house for reasons not having to do with car insurance. Thursday I went to meet him, Ruth and her boyfriend to see a matinee showing of A Scanner Darkly. It was okay. Not bad, but not particularly impressive in terms of how the story unfolded. Not a scratch on the Phillip K. Dick novel, I'm sure, even though I haven't read it. (But I've read some of his other things, and know how they go.) They didn't quite get the mood right, and couldn't pull off the plot twists with enough finesse. The ending wasn't really a surprise (not least because they were feeding us way-too-obvious "clues" from the beginning). In fact, not much of anything was that much of a surprise. But I did appreciate some of the motifs and thematic interludes they wove throughout, even if these same things ended up giving away all the plot in the end.
And man, Robert Downey Jr. I love him. I mean, I don't love him, but I have to say that any time he's on the screen, I can't take my eyes off his character. I don't care that he's allegedly a messed-up druggie--he has amazing screen presence and charisma. In fact, in my opinion he probably has the most magnetism of any current film stars. I find Johnny Depp very interesting in many of his roles, but I'll admit that this interest has to do with his sex appeal as much as his acting (though it's the acting that lends him the sex appeal, as I care not a whit for him off-screen). And Sharukh Khan is deeply engaging and charismatic, but the way he's cast, it's obvious he's supposed to win the audience over. With Robert Downey Jr., however, I find myself watching him without ever intending to, and it has nothing to do with his looks. That is, he's never been on my "radar" as someone to watch, and he's not usually the main character in the stuff I see him in, and I often don't even know he's in the movie when I go to watch it: but over and over again lately, I find myself thinking, "Wow, I love watching this character. This character is great. Oh look, it's Robert Downey Jr. playing him. Well, damn."
So yes, Robert Downey Jr. is wonderful as per norm in A Scanner Darkly. Keanu Reeves on the other hand, is... uh... well, he is on my radar as someone to watch, though more in the sense that I try to avoid most movies that he's in. As such, I suppose he isn't too bad here, especially given that the director aptly casts him as someone mostly given to being blank and detached. And I can say that to his credit, Keanu shuffles about dully well enough. But "not too bad" is all I can say really, since he certainly isn't good. And of course any point in the film where he's required to give an emotionally resonant monologue/voice-over fails miserably, at times descending into laughable territory. I will give him his due at the end, where he does manage to make his character rather pathetically appealing. Mind you, his character's a soulless dead husk at that point, but you know.
Everyone else was okay. The art style was lovely, though. I almost feel like all sci-fi films should be shot in this style, as it's a pitch-perfect blend of realism and fiction. It's not cartoonish, but since it is drawn, it allows a lot of leeway in what can be depicted convincingly. My problem with the atmosphere of most sci-fi movies is that they get bogged down in the "sci-finess." The "futuristic" technology almost never manages to seamlessly integrate itself--it looks out of place and silly, and way too conspicuous, distracting one from the characters and plot. With this style though, the director can tap into our general acceptance of sci-fi technology/imagery as portrayed in anime and comics, and introduce it quietly, without drawing undue attention to itself. This is the only medium where you can have a multi-eyed alien thing not look out of place, and where flat-screen computers with shiny red buttons and holographic projections don't strike one as looking fake.
After the movie, Alex and I just kind of walked around and got dinner at his favorite vegan-friendly place at Georgetown. Oh, speaking of Georgetown, I ran into a former coworker there, who now works for the university. It was rather a surprise. I was also dressed like a Catholic schoolgirl stereotype that day (short plaid skirt, knee socks, a t-shirt and a tie), so yeah, I felt a bit awkward.
Friday I met up with Alex at the Mall and we had a picnic lunch, then tried to entertain ourselves by walking around museums, it being unbearably hot out. That didn't really pan out. The American History Museum is interesting enough, but hardly in the way it's meant to be. All the potentially good exhibits--the African American Migration, the First Ladies exhibit, the Trail of Tears--are closed. But you can definitely go and see "American Presidency: A Glorious Burden."
A Glorious Burden.
Yeah.
(White Man's, of course.)
Anyway, the Alex went off to meet his friend Brendon, and I went home to make soup and watch "Psych." Which I think I like, though I won't be so quick to declare my allegiance to it as I was to "House." (I gave up on "House" when it started focusing on gimmicky illnesses rather than character interaction for its drama--they had an episode with the fuckin' black plague!--and ramped up the tension by putting the patients through more and more pain per episode.) Anyway, "Psych" is definitely cute and charming, rather like its main character, but I'm kind of more interested in how they're handling his best friend. I saw a snippet of an interview with the actor playing the Best Friend, who said he took the role because he wanted to play a black man who wasn't dumb or a criminal. That's well and good, but... man... why is the black character always the Best Friend, and always-always second fiddle to the main character? (I know why; rhetorical question.) Still, would it really be that hard to at least reverse the formula? Have a main black character with a white best friend in a primetime, mainstream-aimed show? Has there maybe been such a show and I missed it? Most shows have a Black Secondary Character nowadays, but, well, Secondary. In this case, he's the Stable Practical One who keeps trying to keep his friend in check, but our sympathies are of course with the rouguish and puckish White Main Character. I guess it could be said that by having the white character be the fool-jester type, they're kind of casting the two opposite from the usual White Smartypants and Black Comic Relief/magic negro type, but... meh.
Jumping from one media product to another, I'm just gonna mention Clerks II here. Or rather, not the movie itself (not much interest in seeing it, looks like another crap sequel that just recycles gags from the original and ramps them up painfully--no, I'm not bitter at all, PotC II), but Jason Mewes aka Jay. I know that dangermousie and most everyone makes fun of me for this, but I just find him really attractive, ok? I'm pretty sure from what I've seen of him online that I couldn't bear actually having a conversation with him or even interacting with him in any way in real life, but thankfully I don't have to. But am I really the only one who finds him hot? Because, really, he's pretty damn cute when not pulling faces or maintaining really questionable personal grooming.
He has a pretty nice profile.
And he's just pretty! Especially young-Jay. He's started working out more now and getting much more... uh, macho-looking, I suppose, and we all know how I feel about that.
But he looks very sweet when he puts his hair back like that. So sad that this was all when he was younger. And look at this photo of little wee Jay! Not a great photo per se, but, weeee.
Kay, I'm done now. Just sayin', I don't think it should be that weird that I find him kinda cute.
(Yeah, he kinda looks like Alex sometimes. Gee, can it be that I find similar facial features attractive in different people? Say it isn't so!)
P.S. When he has his hair like this, he looks just like Sephael, the blushing prim-and-proper angel from my Lizzie story. I find that very amusing. Now, I actually based Sephael off Caesar of From Eroica with Love, but I think from now on, I think I shall say that Jason's my inspiration.
And man, Robert Downey Jr. I love him. I mean, I don't love him, but I have to say that any time he's on the screen, I can't take my eyes off his character. I don't care that he's allegedly a messed-up druggie--he has amazing screen presence and charisma. In fact, in my opinion he probably has the most magnetism of any current film stars. I find Johnny Depp very interesting in many of his roles, but I'll admit that this interest has to do with his sex appeal as much as his acting (though it's the acting that lends him the sex appeal, as I care not a whit for him off-screen). And Sharukh Khan is deeply engaging and charismatic, but the way he's cast, it's obvious he's supposed to win the audience over. With Robert Downey Jr., however, I find myself watching him without ever intending to, and it has nothing to do with his looks. That is, he's never been on my "radar" as someone to watch, and he's not usually the main character in the stuff I see him in, and I often don't even know he's in the movie when I go to watch it: but over and over again lately, I find myself thinking, "Wow, I love watching this character. This character is great. Oh look, it's Robert Downey Jr. playing him. Well, damn."
So yes, Robert Downey Jr. is wonderful as per norm in A Scanner Darkly. Keanu Reeves on the other hand, is... uh... well, he is on my radar as someone to watch, though more in the sense that I try to avoid most movies that he's in. As such, I suppose he isn't too bad here, especially given that the director aptly casts him as someone mostly given to being blank and detached. And I can say that to his credit, Keanu shuffles about dully well enough. But "not too bad" is all I can say really, since he certainly isn't good. And of course any point in the film where he's required to give an emotionally resonant monologue/voice-over fails miserably, at times descending into laughable territory. I will give him his due at the end, where he does manage to make his character rather pathetically appealing. Mind you, his character's a soulless dead husk at that point, but you know.
Everyone else was okay. The art style was lovely, though. I almost feel like all sci-fi films should be shot in this style, as it's a pitch-perfect blend of realism and fiction. It's not cartoonish, but since it is drawn, it allows a lot of leeway in what can be depicted convincingly. My problem with the atmosphere of most sci-fi movies is that they get bogged down in the "sci-finess." The "futuristic" technology almost never manages to seamlessly integrate itself--it looks out of place and silly, and way too conspicuous, distracting one from the characters and plot. With this style though, the director can tap into our general acceptance of sci-fi technology/imagery as portrayed in anime and comics, and introduce it quietly, without drawing undue attention to itself. This is the only medium where you can have a multi-eyed alien thing not look out of place, and where flat-screen computers with shiny red buttons and holographic projections don't strike one as looking fake.
After the movie, Alex and I just kind of walked around and got dinner at his favorite vegan-friendly place at Georgetown. Oh, speaking of Georgetown, I ran into a former coworker there, who now works for the university. It was rather a surprise. I was also dressed like a Catholic schoolgirl stereotype that day (short plaid skirt, knee socks, a t-shirt and a tie), so yeah, I felt a bit awkward.
Friday I met up with Alex at the Mall and we had a picnic lunch, then tried to entertain ourselves by walking around museums, it being unbearably hot out. That didn't really pan out. The American History Museum is interesting enough, but hardly in the way it's meant to be. All the potentially good exhibits--the African American Migration, the First Ladies exhibit, the Trail of Tears--are closed. But you can definitely go and see "American Presidency: A Glorious Burden."
A Glorious Burden.
Yeah.
(White Man's, of course.)
Anyway, the Alex went off to meet his friend Brendon, and I went home to make soup and watch "Psych." Which I think I like, though I won't be so quick to declare my allegiance to it as I was to "House." (I gave up on "House" when it started focusing on gimmicky illnesses rather than character interaction for its drama--they had an episode with the fuckin' black plague!--and ramped up the tension by putting the patients through more and more pain per episode.) Anyway, "Psych" is definitely cute and charming, rather like its main character, but I'm kind of more interested in how they're handling his best friend. I saw a snippet of an interview with the actor playing the Best Friend, who said he took the role because he wanted to play a black man who wasn't dumb or a criminal. That's well and good, but... man... why is the black character always the Best Friend, and always-always second fiddle to the main character? (I know why; rhetorical question.) Still, would it really be that hard to at least reverse the formula? Have a main black character with a white best friend in a primetime, mainstream-aimed show? Has there maybe been such a show and I missed it? Most shows have a Black Secondary Character nowadays, but, well, Secondary. In this case, he's the Stable Practical One who keeps trying to keep his friend in check, but our sympathies are of course with the rouguish and puckish White Main Character. I guess it could be said that by having the white character be the fool-jester type, they're kind of casting the two opposite from the usual White Smartypants and Black Comic Relief/magic negro type, but... meh.
Jumping from one media product to another, I'm just gonna mention Clerks II here. Or rather, not the movie itself (not much interest in seeing it, looks like another crap sequel that just recycles gags from the original and ramps them up painfully--no, I'm not bitter at all, PotC II), but Jason Mewes aka Jay. I know that dangermousie and most everyone makes fun of me for this, but I just find him really attractive, ok? I'm pretty sure from what I've seen of him online that I couldn't bear actually having a conversation with him or even interacting with him in any way in real life, but thankfully I don't have to. But am I really the only one who finds him hot? Because, really, he's pretty damn cute when not pulling faces or maintaining really questionable personal grooming.
He has a pretty nice profile.
And he's just pretty! Especially young-Jay. He's started working out more now and getting much more... uh, macho-looking, I suppose, and we all know how I feel about that.
But he looks very sweet when he puts his hair back like that. So sad that this was all when he was younger. And look at this photo of little wee Jay! Not a great photo per se, but, weeee.
Kay, I'm done now. Just sayin', I don't think it should be that weird that I find him kinda cute.
(Yeah, he kinda looks like Alex sometimes. Gee, can it be that I find similar facial features attractive in different people? Say it isn't so!)
P.S. When he has his hair like this, he looks just like Sephael, the blushing prim-and-proper angel from my Lizzie story. I find that very amusing. Now, I actually based Sephael off Caesar of From Eroica with Love, but I think from now on, I think I shall say that Jason's my inspiration.
