All the things I've watched
Things accomplished this weekend:
Went to see rollerderby for the very first time. It was a lot of fun! It took me a bit to figure out what was going on (even with the program explaining what was going on), and I'm still not clear on how the points system works, but it was a good time, and just the right length.
Movies watched this weekend:
Jupiter Ascending: The non-spoilery version is that it was much better than I was expecting. My expectations had become low: pretty effects with pretty Channing Tatum, and hey, Sean Bean! But the writing was actually kind of clever, and while it was a wee bit...odd, it was interesting. I even liked Mila Kunis, who I've not been particularly enamored of in the past. Yes, it's still a ridiculous movie in a lot of places, but it's got imagination and a level of "Yeah, people would do that" reactions to things. I'm actually kind of sad most people won't get a chance to see it, as it seems to be speeding out of the theaters. (Okay, because apparently people aren't going to see it: details!)
* The big spoiler is that SEAN BEAN DOES NOT DIE! I actually like Sean Bean death scenes--he's excellent at them--so it wasn't something I needed, but kind of fun all the same. I was spoiled for this fact, though, and there were several points in the movie where I was thinking, "Hey, in most movies, he would have died THERE!" And he got to fight with Channing Tatum, and that works for me.
* SEAN BEAN IS A BEE MAN! Okay, not REALLY. But kinda he is. Which is kinda hilarious.
* Caine (Channing Tatum) has his shirt off for much of this movie for no real reason. I'm okay with that.
* There is more than one element that is OTT fanfic--that not only is Caine part-wolf, but has WINGS at the end!, just as a for instance--and Jupiter herself could have come across as the most annoying Mary Sue style character. Instead, I really liked her. Some of it just because she seems so non-plused by EVERYTHING. And they keep putting her in these fancy dresses and shoes and she's so uncomfortable in them.
* During the scenes where Jupiter is trying to do the paperwork of being a royal,
feochadn leaned over and said, "And we've taken the left turn into Brazil!" This was about five seconds before I got to say, "And there's Terry Gilliam to prove it!" Loved that whole thing.
* I just...liked them. I liked the characters and how they interacted. I liked that they're practical. I liked the various relationships and that I wouldn't mind seeing more of them.
On Netflix, I had myself a little movie marathon, which started with The Last Days on Mars. My general impressions: while I wouldn't mind spending a couple of years in enclosed spaces with Liev Schreiber, I would not go on any mission involving Elias Koteas. It's just a bad idea. In fact, he moves into my neighborhood, I'm moving out. Elias Koteas is sign number one that Things Will Not End Well!
That said, it wasn't a bad thriller about a doomed exhibition. A little arty, your same basic concept of "We should have stayed home" as Apollo 18 (and many, many others before it). But with Liev Schreiber.
That was followed by Europa Report, which was somehow the more serious, less horror-y version of "We should have stayed home" trope. This time it's about the first manned expedition to one of Jupiter's moons (as the title indicates), and while they certainly find Something once they get there, the whole thing feels far more like "This is never going to be easy. This is not going to be safe" than a monster movie. Death isn't necessarily from an alien evil; sometimes it's just an accident. And the things you give up, the things you have to deal with aren't always life and death, sometimes it's just life.
My last movie from Netflix was 2010's Monsters, which is a "Shit, home ain't that safe, either!" movie. Specifically, it postulates that a number of aliens crashed to Earth 6 years ago. They inhabit "Infected Zones," (which they do not always stay in), a major one of which is in South America up through Mexico, with the US having finally built a great big border fence to keep those aliens out. The movie is about two Americans: a rich young woman and the journalist her father pays to get her back home around the infected zone.
It's an interesting movie: it's an art house monster horror film, character-driven and low budget without seeming to be. It's got very little violence and some truly scary moments throughout as they make their way through the infected zone and the areas around it. Mostly, you see people living their lives the same as always. But when you finally see a monster--all of it--it's both terrifying and oddly beautiful.
(The trailer for the sequel makes it look very different and equally interesting. I'll be excited to see what is done with it, since it has a completely different writer/director, as well.)
Escapade is just a couple of weeks away!
Originally posted at Dreamwidth. There are currently
DW comments. Please comment at Dreamwidth if possible.
Went to see rollerderby for the very first time. It was a lot of fun! It took me a bit to figure out what was going on (even with the program explaining what was going on), and I'm still not clear on how the points system works, but it was a good time, and just the right length.
Movies watched this weekend:
Jupiter Ascending: The non-spoilery version is that it was much better than I was expecting. My expectations had become low: pretty effects with pretty Channing Tatum, and hey, Sean Bean! But the writing was actually kind of clever, and while it was a wee bit...odd, it was interesting. I even liked Mila Kunis, who I've not been particularly enamored of in the past. Yes, it's still a ridiculous movie in a lot of places, but it's got imagination and a level of "Yeah, people would do that" reactions to things. I'm actually kind of sad most people won't get a chance to see it, as it seems to be speeding out of the theaters. (Okay, because apparently people aren't going to see it: details!)
* The big spoiler is that SEAN BEAN DOES NOT DIE! I actually like Sean Bean death scenes--he's excellent at them--so it wasn't something I needed, but kind of fun all the same. I was spoiled for this fact, though, and there were several points in the movie where I was thinking, "Hey, in most movies, he would have died THERE!" And he got to fight with Channing Tatum, and that works for me.
* SEAN BEAN IS A BEE MAN! Okay, not REALLY. But kinda he is. Which is kinda hilarious.
* Caine (Channing Tatum) has his shirt off for much of this movie for no real reason. I'm okay with that.
* There is more than one element that is OTT fanfic--that not only is Caine part-wolf, but has WINGS at the end!, just as a for instance--and Jupiter herself could have come across as the most annoying Mary Sue style character. Instead, I really liked her. Some of it just because she seems so non-plused by EVERYTHING. And they keep putting her in these fancy dresses and shoes and she's so uncomfortable in them.
* During the scenes where Jupiter is trying to do the paperwork of being a royal,
feochadn leaned over and said, "And we've taken the left turn into Brazil!" This was about five seconds before I got to say, "And there's Terry Gilliam to prove it!" Loved that whole thing.
* I just...liked them. I liked the characters and how they interacted. I liked that they're practical. I liked the various relationships and that I wouldn't mind seeing more of them.
On Netflix, I had myself a little movie marathon, which started with The Last Days on Mars. My general impressions: while I wouldn't mind spending a couple of years in enclosed spaces with Liev Schreiber, I would not go on any mission involving Elias Koteas. It's just a bad idea. In fact, he moves into my neighborhood, I'm moving out. Elias Koteas is sign number one that Things Will Not End Well!
That said, it wasn't a bad thriller about a doomed exhibition. A little arty, your same basic concept of "We should have stayed home" as Apollo 18 (and many, many others before it). But with Liev Schreiber.
That was followed by Europa Report, which was somehow the more serious, less horror-y version of "We should have stayed home" trope. This time it's about the first manned expedition to one of Jupiter's moons (as the title indicates), and while they certainly find Something once they get there, the whole thing feels far more like "This is never going to be easy. This is not going to be safe" than a monster movie. Death isn't necessarily from an alien evil; sometimes it's just an accident. And the things you give up, the things you have to deal with aren't always life and death, sometimes it's just life.
My last movie from Netflix was 2010's Monsters, which is a "Shit, home ain't that safe, either!" movie. Specifically, it postulates that a number of aliens crashed to Earth 6 years ago. They inhabit "Infected Zones," (which they do not always stay in), a major one of which is in South America up through Mexico, with the US having finally built a great big border fence to keep those aliens out. The movie is about two Americans: a rich young woman and the journalist her father pays to get her back home around the infected zone.
It's an interesting movie: it's an art house monster horror film, character-driven and low budget without seeming to be. It's got very little violence and some truly scary moments throughout as they make their way through the infected zone and the areas around it. Mostly, you see people living their lives the same as always. But when you finally see a monster--all of it--it's both terrifying and oddly beautiful.
(The trailer for the sequel makes it look very different and equally interesting. I'll be excited to see what is done with it, since it has a completely different writer/director, as well.)
Escapade is just a couple of weeks away!
Originally posted at Dreamwidth. There are currently
DW comments. Please comment at Dreamwidth if possible.