things you do on airplanes
Amazing how much media you can consume when you're stuck on planes for 20-some-odd hours. Mostly off the cuff because I should be sleeping right now.
Ancillary Justice
I started this last year during Christmas break but couldn't quite get into it. When I first read it, I was only good at following one storyline at the time, and the present-day stuff was easier to follow, even if it was slower and less interesting. This time around, I was more able to track what was happening in the flashbacks, and the story started pulling together. I enjoyed it quite thoroughly, though I think I'm less enraptured with it than some of the other people I know. Definitely willing to continue reading the series. Not sure when I'll have a chance.
I think my favorite bit of this story was trying to intuit the way the other characters relate to and feel about Breq through Breq's POV.
The gender stuff didn't quite work for me the way it did for a lot of other people. I didn't care about gendering characters because the POV character didn't.
Spy
As advertised, a fun, feminist tweaking of James Bond films. I just wish it was smarter. Jason Statham's casting was inspired, and he got the biggest laughs out of me.
Pitch Perfect 2
Pleasant enough and hits the usual story beats for a sequel to an underdog sports movie. Still feels like it's trying to be Glee, over-the-top offensive humor and all.
Mr. Robot
Only saw the first 4 eps, because those were the only ones available.
This show is interesting to me because I am still trying to figure out if I want to watch the rest of it. It's definitely one of the most accurate shows about computers/technology/hacking that I've seen. It's also definitely a kind of wish fulfilment show for socially awkward nerd-dude hackers.
But it's a lot more nuanced and sharp than it needs to be. It's a show that is incredibly deliberate about the compositions of its shots and calls attention to it. Rami Malek is riveting to watch in his stillnesses, which is always impressive. The Robin Hood story at the center is a lot more complex than it first appears.
The treatment of the women bothers me a lot. With a few exceptions, they're forced to the outside, where things are done to them and they aren't allowed to do anything besides be emotional support for Elliot.
Masters of Sex
Only watched one episode of this (episode 3), and I enjoyed it? There's a lot of stuff tossed into the mix here, and it's serialized enough that I feel like I barely got a taste of it. Even with how up-front it is about its subject matter, it feels more prurient and voyueristic than, say, Sense 8. I think I'll have to give it a few more episodes before I can draw a real conclusion about that.
This entry was originally posted at http://thedeadparrot.dreamwidth.org/588805.html. You can comment there using OpenID or you can comment here if you prefer. :)
comments there
Ancillary Justice
I started this last year during Christmas break but couldn't quite get into it. When I first read it, I was only good at following one storyline at the time, and the present-day stuff was easier to follow, even if it was slower and less interesting. This time around, I was more able to track what was happening in the flashbacks, and the story started pulling together. I enjoyed it quite thoroughly, though I think I'm less enraptured with it than some of the other people I know. Definitely willing to continue reading the series. Not sure when I'll have a chance.
I think my favorite bit of this story was trying to intuit the way the other characters relate to and feel about Breq through Breq's POV.
The gender stuff didn't quite work for me the way it did for a lot of other people. I didn't care about gendering characters because the POV character didn't.
Spy
As advertised, a fun, feminist tweaking of James Bond films. I just wish it was smarter. Jason Statham's casting was inspired, and he got the biggest laughs out of me.
Pitch Perfect 2
Pleasant enough and hits the usual story beats for a sequel to an underdog sports movie. Still feels like it's trying to be Glee, over-the-top offensive humor and all.
Mr. Robot
Only saw the first 4 eps, because those were the only ones available.
This show is interesting to me because I am still trying to figure out if I want to watch the rest of it. It's definitely one of the most accurate shows about computers/technology/hacking that I've seen. It's also definitely a kind of wish fulfilment show for socially awkward nerd-dude hackers.
But it's a lot more nuanced and sharp than it needs to be. It's a show that is incredibly deliberate about the compositions of its shots and calls attention to it. Rami Malek is riveting to watch in his stillnesses, which is always impressive. The Robin Hood story at the center is a lot more complex than it first appears.
The treatment of the women bothers me a lot. With a few exceptions, they're forced to the outside, where things are done to them and they aren't allowed to do anything besides be emotional support for Elliot.
Masters of Sex
Only watched one episode of this (episode 3), and I enjoyed it? There's a lot of stuff tossed into the mix here, and it's serialized enough that I feel like I barely got a taste of it. Even with how up-front it is about its subject matter, it feels more prurient and voyueristic than, say, Sense 8. I think I'll have to give it a few more episodes before I can draw a real conclusion about that.
This entry was originally posted at http://thedeadparrot.dreamwidth.org/588805.html. You can comment there using OpenID or you can comment here if you prefer. :)
comments there