Iron Man vs. Dr. Horrible
It's Y2K week here at lpsmith central, which means we post nothing but links! First up, an absolutely astonishing Iron Man (the movie) fanfic, The Kids Aren’t All Right", written as a Vanity Fair article by that reporter woman. Well-written, insightful, funny, and pretty long. Highly recommended.
On the other end of the superhero spectrum, we have Joss Whedon's "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog", Act I and Act II. Saturday should see the posting of Act III, and it's all going away again Sunday, at which point you'll have to buy it on iTunes or the inevitable DVD or something if you want to watch it.
I was pretty meh about Act I. The great thing about the Buffy musical was that all the characters were established already and the songs were really insightful. Act I had to introduce everyone, and the songs were all surface-level. While there were some funny bits, it mostly left me flat. But maybe it's just that Joss isn't that good at introductions, because Act II was much, much better. Now we know what's going on, the songs are more layered, the dialogue is snappier (and more trademark Joss, somehow), and everything is working together much more smoothly. From the opening shot on, I was hooked.
Just to check, I went back and re-watched Act I after seeing II to see if there was any foreshadowing or something that would make me appreciate it more. But no, still left me flat. Act II rewatches have been interesting every time. (Also, pay attention or rewatch Act II 1:30-2:00; there's an extra bit in there that both nothings and I totally missed the first time.)
On the other end of the superhero spectrum, we have Joss Whedon's "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog", Act I and Act II. Saturday should see the posting of Act III, and it's all going away again Sunday, at which point you'll have to buy it on iTunes or the inevitable DVD or something if you want to watch it.
I was pretty meh about Act I. The great thing about the Buffy musical was that all the characters were established already and the songs were really insightful. Act I had to introduce everyone, and the songs were all surface-level. While there were some funny bits, it mostly left me flat. But maybe it's just that Joss isn't that good at introductions, because Act II was much, much better. Now we know what's going on, the songs are more layered, the dialogue is snappier (and more trademark Joss, somehow), and everything is working together much more smoothly. From the opening shot on, I was hooked.
Just to check, I went back and re-watched Act I after seeing II to see if there was any foreshadowing or something that would make me appreciate it more. But no, still left me flat. Act II rewatches have been interesting every time. (Also, pay attention or rewatch Act II 1:30-2:00; there's an extra bit in there that both nothings and I totally missed the first time.)