My thoughts on the things people have been telling me to see lately.
I've been pleasantly surprised by some of the shows/movies that have been suggested to me by others lately. Honestly, some I hadn't expected to like at all have left me pretty impressed.
Veronica Mars
Yes, I finally finished watching them all. Took a lot longer than expected, but it seems to be the way things have been working out for me lately. (Thank you again, _jems_. My decision to watch the series probably would have been endlessly on the back-burner if not for you. *hug*) On the whole, I liked it, and while it may not rank among my 'favoritest, bestest evah,' I was definitely getting more and more into it by the end. After going back and reading much of the commentary on my flist, which I'd avoided so as not to become more spoiled than I already was, I was probably one of the few who were actually surprised at the big murderer reveal. (Most likely because I missed out on a lot of the between-episode speculation.) Though I was fairly certain it wouldn't be Logan by the time all the finger-pointing started (it was just too early in the episode for that to be "it"), I really didn't think it would be Aaron. Though in retrospect it seemed rather fitting.
I'm not going to delve way into any big-time analysis -- so many of you have done that already -- but here were a few memorable points for me:
- After watching more of the episodes, I can definitely see why no one jumped to answer this post. (Hee!) They really drew that incest thing out to the bitter end, didn't they? Duncan's big blow-up in 1x21 after Veronica found out what happened that night was very intense. The best part about that arc, however, was Keith revealing the results of the paternity test. Such a lovely scene. In the whole show, I probably love his character the most, and I simply adore Enrico Colantoni. (His father/daughter chemistry with Kristen Bell is wonderful.)
- I *heart* Wallace. I'm pretty sure he had to be the one at Veronica's door at the end. I'm not sure she would be that happy to see anyone else at this point (maybe Duncan, though I doubt it). However, with his mom at the hospital he'd have to tote along younger sibling, wouldn't he?
- I'd hoped to see more of Cultist!Casey throughout the series, so I was happy to see him show up for a scene in the finale. Perhaps more showings next season?
- The final sequence between Veronica-Aaron-Keith at the end was terrifically dynamic. Definitely my favorite episode of the series. (Too bad not every episode can be as exciting, though it's understandable why they can't.)
- I found myself really feeling for Logan, though I still can't say he's a truly favorite character. The development of his relationship with Veronica (when it actually became a relationship) seemed a bit rushed. (Which was probably due mostly to the fact that I watched those last few episodes in one sitting, so it's probably just me.) Poor guy is shattered, though. If he becomes an outcast like Veronica had been and doesn't even have a family member (a la Keith Mars) to turn to, I can't imagine how hard it's going to be for him. (Thinking back, does anyone else think Aaron may have killed his wife too? I was under the initial impression, from the way episode 12 had been filmed, that she'd run directly from the school to the bridge. But subsequent episodes gave hints that there was a longer lapse in between.)
- Lilly was certainly very lucky to have a friend like Veronica. I found her likable as a character because she was so quirky, but in real life...with all the stuff she pulled she'd be lucky to have friends at all.
- As for Lianne, major be-yoch!
All in all, I'd like to thank the people who insisted that I watch the show. It was definitely time enjoyed and well-spent.
And, yeah, I know. Talk about polar opposites....
Alien vs. Predator
This one was insisted upon by my Dad. I honestly expected it to be layers upon layers of badness to the nth-degree. (Because, you know, when people start messing with a movie's formula to put out the novelty of a "Versus" flick, a lot of respect for the original series can suffer.) You get a hammy script, B-Grade acting, and an overall disappointing two hours that you can never get back. But Dad doesn't usually steer me wrong, being the sci-fi connoisseur that he is, so I decided to watch it last night.
I've never seen all the Predator movies. I'd watched the first one more times than I can guess, mostly because my brother liked it so much and if Tommy was watching it, I would too. The Alien films, on the other hand, I've seen several times each - while I'd have to say only the first two were worth those several viewings. (Aliens, in particular, had one of my favorite quotes in cinema: "Get away from her, you bitch!" Sigourney is teh coolest! *G*)
On the whole, I thought the movie was extremely well done and, most importantly, well conceived. (I found out later that the only way the movie was allowed to be made was if there were definite logical tie-ins to all the previous films. I also learned that all the former directors gave input into the movie's premise.) It showed, it really did.
The idea that the Predators would breed the Aliens specifically to be prey for the ultimate hunt was really perfect. I liked the Weyland tie-in (the company Ripley worked for in Alien) as well as the Bishop connection. At the end, I thought if it was the Predator ship which ended up to be the same one found in the first Alien movie, that would have been the ultimate in cool.
Overall, the movie was yet another very pleasant surprise!
Veronica Mars
Yes, I finally finished watching them all. Took a lot longer than expected, but it seems to be the way things have been working out for me lately. (Thank you again, _jems_. My decision to watch the series probably would have been endlessly on the back-burner if not for you. *hug*) On the whole, I liked it, and while it may not rank among my 'favoritest, bestest evah,' I was definitely getting more and more into it by the end. After going back and reading much of the commentary on my flist, which I'd avoided so as not to become more spoiled than I already was, I was probably one of the few who were actually surprised at the big murderer reveal. (Most likely because I missed out on a lot of the between-episode speculation.) Though I was fairly certain it wouldn't be Logan by the time all the finger-pointing started (it was just too early in the episode for that to be "it"), I really didn't think it would be Aaron. Though in retrospect it seemed rather fitting.
I'm not going to delve way into any big-time analysis -- so many of you have done that already -- but here were a few memorable points for me:
- After watching more of the episodes, I can definitely see why no one jumped to answer this post. (Hee!) They really drew that incest thing out to the bitter end, didn't they? Duncan's big blow-up in 1x21 after Veronica found out what happened that night was very intense. The best part about that arc, however, was Keith revealing the results of the paternity test. Such a lovely scene. In the whole show, I probably love his character the most, and I simply adore Enrico Colantoni. (His father/daughter chemistry with Kristen Bell is wonderful.)
- I *heart* Wallace. I'm pretty sure he had to be the one at Veronica's door at the end. I'm not sure she would be that happy to see anyone else at this point (maybe Duncan, though I doubt it). However, with his mom at the hospital he'd have to tote along younger sibling, wouldn't he?
- I'd hoped to see more of Cultist!Casey throughout the series, so I was happy to see him show up for a scene in the finale. Perhaps more showings next season?
- The final sequence between Veronica-Aaron-Keith at the end was terrifically dynamic. Definitely my favorite episode of the series. (Too bad not every episode can be as exciting, though it's understandable why they can't.)
- I found myself really feeling for Logan, though I still can't say he's a truly favorite character. The development of his relationship with Veronica (when it actually became a relationship) seemed a bit rushed. (Which was probably due mostly to the fact that I watched those last few episodes in one sitting, so it's probably just me.) Poor guy is shattered, though. If he becomes an outcast like Veronica had been and doesn't even have a family member (a la Keith Mars) to turn to, I can't imagine how hard it's going to be for him. (Thinking back, does anyone else think Aaron may have killed his wife too? I was under the initial impression, from the way episode 12 had been filmed, that she'd run directly from the school to the bridge. But subsequent episodes gave hints that there was a longer lapse in between.)
- Lilly was certainly very lucky to have a friend like Veronica. I found her likable as a character because she was so quirky, but in real life...with all the stuff she pulled she'd be lucky to have friends at all.
- As for Lianne, major be-yoch!
All in all, I'd like to thank the people who insisted that I watch the show. It was definitely time enjoyed and well-spent.
And, yeah, I know. Talk about polar opposites....
Alien vs. Predator
This one was insisted upon by my Dad. I honestly expected it to be layers upon layers of badness to the nth-degree. (Because, you know, when people start messing with a movie's formula to put out the novelty of a "Versus" flick, a lot of respect for the original series can suffer.) You get a hammy script, B-Grade acting, and an overall disappointing two hours that you can never get back. But Dad doesn't usually steer me wrong, being the sci-fi connoisseur that he is, so I decided to watch it last night.
I've never seen all the Predator movies. I'd watched the first one more times than I can guess, mostly because my brother liked it so much and if Tommy was watching it, I would too. The Alien films, on the other hand, I've seen several times each - while I'd have to say only the first two were worth those several viewings. (Aliens, in particular, had one of my favorite quotes in cinema: "Get away from her, you bitch!" Sigourney is teh coolest! *G*)
On the whole, I thought the movie was extremely well done and, most importantly, well conceived. (I found out later that the only way the movie was allowed to be made was if there were definite logical tie-ins to all the previous films. I also learned that all the former directors gave input into the movie's premise.) It showed, it really did.
The idea that the Predators would breed the Aliens specifically to be prey for the ultimate hunt was really perfect. I liked the Weyland tie-in (the company Ripley worked for in Alien) as well as the Bishop connection. At the end, I thought if it was the Predator ship which ended up to be the same one found in the first Alien movie, that would have been the ultimate in cool.
Overall, the movie was yet another very pleasant surprise!