Movies, TV, and all the things
21) Nanking--Documentary on the Rape of Nanking (currently on Netflix). Fascinating and harrowing first-hand counts, mostly from those who were there when they were children, as well as from accounts of people who were there as adults--mostly western missionaries--who tried to help the people of Nanking. It's an odd mix of a documentary, since actors are actually talking to the cameras as those who were there as adults (taken from letters, journals, and testimony from the human rights tribunal held after WWII), but still very effective.
22) The Visit--M Night Shyamalan's latest, this is not-quite-found footage horror about two kids (young teens) who go to visit the grandparents they never met for a week. The grandparents, though, seem kind of strange. Honestly creepy and well done. Worked well as both a horror movie and dealing with abandonment.
23) Captain America: Civil War--Short version: I LOVED it.
Longer version of why there isn't a longer version: The main reason I haven't posted in quite a while is that I've had a post opened with all of these thoughts in it about this movie. I wanted to write essays about CA:CW and why I love it and the comics-verse version of Civil War. How they are both based on the metaphor of liberty vs safety, as well as the ideals and thoughts of Steve and Tony and their friendship, and how the differences in both the scale of the MCU v comicsverse and the difference in Steve and Tony's relationship in the two necessarily changed that story. I wanted to talk about how the non-existence of mutants within the MCU (and their increasingly obvious MCU stand-ins, the Inhumans) changes the fundamental background of the story.
I wanted to talk about how Team Cap v Team Tony is not an easy question for me, because the ideals Steve's fighting for are something far more important to me, but I understand Tony, too. I wanted to talk about how while Tony in both 616 and MCU share a fundamental personality strength/flaw ("I can fix that!"), MCU!Tony is also far more motivated by sheer terror and mistrust of himself. (Something which, I don't think, comes to 616 Tony until after the conclusion of the CW storyline, and specifically Steve's death. And there's a whole essay on the alteration of the Extremis storyline for the MCU, and how that fundamentally changed both the universe and Tony in particular.)
I wanted to talk more about how I've always seen CW as a philosophical argument gotten horribly out of hand, and how CA:CW actually makes that true 10x more so. How the change in focus of CA:CW being Bucky and what Steve is willing to do for him makes some truly fascinating shifts in the dynamics of the whole thing.
BUT.
I kept forgetting about the essays and all my thoughts. Or I couldn't find that magical moment of having 1) time, 2) inclination, and 3) my computer in order to write them all down. And then my brain was swallowed by pirates (more on that in a bit).
So: Next year at Escapade maybe. Or I'll actually get around to doing a series of essays on the MCU and all the various comic movies/shows around in general over the summer when I have time.
24) X-Men: Apocalypse--I love the MCU, I truly do, but there's always been something about the X-Men, and especially Erik and Charles, that gets me on an emotional level. XM:A totally hit most of those buttons in a big way, and made me very happy.
*
So...pirates.
feochadn has been mentioning Black Sails to me since it premiered, and I'd just not got around to it, with one obsession or another. Recently, we sat down to watch the first half of the 3 (aired) seasons. Then I got sick and was home for most of a week on my couch in front of my TV.
Aaaaaand an obsession was born.
It's a great show. I love all the characters and how complicated they are. I love the attention to both the historical people and literary characters (since it is, in essence, a very pre- prequel to Treasure Island). I love the varied queer and poly relationships (some of which: historical!). I love that I don't think I've ever seen a show--especially one which is likely labeled as an "action" show--that has characters, especially male, spend so much time analyzing themselves and each other.
Really, though, you have me with the little ball of leather-wrapped rage and resentment that is Captain James Flint. Oh, Flint.
Originally posted at Dreamwidth. There are currently
DW comments. Please comment at Dreamwidth if possible.
22) The Visit--M Night Shyamalan's latest, this is not-quite-found footage horror about two kids (young teens) who go to visit the grandparents they never met for a week. The grandparents, though, seem kind of strange. Honestly creepy and well done. Worked well as both a horror movie and dealing with abandonment.
23) Captain America: Civil War--Short version: I LOVED it.
Longer version of why there isn't a longer version: The main reason I haven't posted in quite a while is that I've had a post opened with all of these thoughts in it about this movie. I wanted to write essays about CA:CW and why I love it and the comics-verse version of Civil War. How they are both based on the metaphor of liberty vs safety, as well as the ideals and thoughts of Steve and Tony and their friendship, and how the differences in both the scale of the MCU v comicsverse and the difference in Steve and Tony's relationship in the two necessarily changed that story. I wanted to talk about how the non-existence of mutants within the MCU (and their increasingly obvious MCU stand-ins, the Inhumans) changes the fundamental background of the story.
I wanted to talk about how Team Cap v Team Tony is not an easy question for me, because the ideals Steve's fighting for are something far more important to me, but I understand Tony, too. I wanted to talk about how while Tony in both 616 and MCU share a fundamental personality strength/flaw ("I can fix that!"), MCU!Tony is also far more motivated by sheer terror and mistrust of himself. (Something which, I don't think, comes to 616 Tony until after the conclusion of the CW storyline, and specifically Steve's death. And there's a whole essay on the alteration of the Extremis storyline for the MCU, and how that fundamentally changed both the universe and Tony in particular.)
I wanted to talk more about how I've always seen CW as a philosophical argument gotten horribly out of hand, and how CA:CW actually makes that true 10x more so. How the change in focus of CA:CW being Bucky and what Steve is willing to do for him makes some truly fascinating shifts in the dynamics of the whole thing.
BUT.
I kept forgetting about the essays and all my thoughts. Or I couldn't find that magical moment of having 1) time, 2) inclination, and 3) my computer in order to write them all down. And then my brain was swallowed by pirates (more on that in a bit).
So: Next year at Escapade maybe. Or I'll actually get around to doing a series of essays on the MCU and all the various comic movies/shows around in general over the summer when I have time.
24) X-Men: Apocalypse--I love the MCU, I truly do, but there's always been something about the X-Men, and especially Erik and Charles, that gets me on an emotional level. XM:A totally hit most of those buttons in a big way, and made me very happy.
*
So...pirates.
feochadn has been mentioning Black Sails to me since it premiered, and I'd just not got around to it, with one obsession or another. Recently, we sat down to watch the first half of the 3 (aired) seasons. Then I got sick and was home for most of a week on my couch in front of my TV.
Aaaaaand an obsession was born.
It's a great show. I love all the characters and how complicated they are. I love the attention to both the historical people and literary characters (since it is, in essence, a very pre- prequel to Treasure Island). I love the varied queer and poly relationships (some of which: historical!). I love that I don't think I've ever seen a show--especially one which is likely labeled as an "action" show--that has characters, especially male, spend so much time analyzing themselves and each other.
Really, though, you have me with the little ball of leather-wrapped rage and resentment that is Captain James Flint. Oh, Flint.
Originally posted at Dreamwidth. There are currently
DW comments. Please comment at Dreamwidth if possible.