(no subject)
Well it certainly looks like I'm going to have a LOT of shows to watch this autumn. It's weird to think we'll be going from a total drought of shows because of the strike into a big onslaught of awesome ones. I will of course be watching Heroes (lets hope it doesn't suck so much this time), Pushing Daisies (an entire season of its brilliance now), Ashes to Ashes, Ghost Whisperer, Stargate Atlantis, Supernatural, The Sarah Connor Chronicles and *takes a breath* can't think of anymore at the moment.
And of course, the new shows - know for definite I'll be watching Dollhouse, not because it looks particularly interesting to me, but because it's from Joss obviously. I now also am completely intrigued by Fringe. It's another JJ Abrams spawn. I'm weary of his stuff though, because like with Alias and LOST I fear he'll lose interest, and just go off directing another batch of films and creating another batch of shows and forget all about it like he appears to have done with the aforementioned two other. In any case, seeing Denethor, son of Ecthelion, in a FOX show gives me much mirth, and Pacey off Dawson's Creek is a huge favourite of mine, so it's got those two YAY! factors going for it. Here's a trailer or two. The shorter one has some different footage to the longer.
Fringe promo 1 (3.28)
Promo 2 (2.02)
Spoilers....
Is it true that the majority of the Life on Mars / Ashes to Ashes fandom hates the character of Alex Drake and thinks Keeley Hawes is a terrible actress? I ask because I'm not in the fandom, but from comments I've happened to read, people seem to despise Alex, saying she's arrogant, irritating and condescending, and that Keeley cannot act to save her life.
I'm really bewildered by this. I guess everything is a matter of opinion, but I can't find fault with Keeley's acting in Ashes to Ashes, not one second of it. I found her so engaging in fact that I went in search of other things she's been in, just so I can see more of her - I now have Our Mutual Friend ready and waiting to be watched, and I also watched Ashes to Ashes in its entirety a second time because I liked her so much.
As for what's been said about Alex's character... I'm experiencing from deja vu here. It seems to be similar to the backlash Martha got when she replaced Rose in Doctor Who. Alex, though the time frame is different, the series is different, is in effect replacing Sam. Some folks seem so enamoured with him that no one can possibly compare, character or actor wise.
Of course, Alex having a much sharper tongue, being more off-hand and over all, very ironical and sarcastic about her situation, has made people contrast all this to what Sam was like - compassionate, thoughtful, principled. I think it's unfair to slate Alex for her personality versus Sam's personality. Sam had no idea what the hell was going on when he woke up in 1973, he's totally blind to what's going on until he wakes up from his coma.
However, Alex has his case file in her car right before she's shot. She's been studying it closely. So when she in turn wakes up in a similar world to the one he did, with the same people, of course she's not going to ask the same questions Sam did. Is this real? Am I mad? Where am I? Because of what she's read Sam going through, she believes for certain Gene and co. are all in her head, she takes that utterly for granted. And why the hell wouldn't she?
She thinks it's all a very long bloody dream and that's why she often acts erratic - telling people they're creations, muttering to herself, doing out-of-character things. But this is one of the reasons I love her so much - because her reaction to her world jump is so very different to Sam's. I'm glad there was no 'what's happening?' question this time round (although the revelation about Gene in the finale puts everything we thought we knew into question). I thought it was highly entertaining the way Alex, trained in psychology of course, analyses every person and situation around her and lines it all up in relation to what she's going through and why it's there and how it affects her attempt to return to 2008.
I also love how Alex, the woman, is often very straight-forward, clinical and blunt in her detective work - and her personality - while the man, Sam, was very emotionally involved and sympathetic. Not that Alex doesn't have these traits, but they're Sam's most prevalent traits. I like how they didn't write Alex automatically as weepy and emotional, or an uptight feminist. She holds her head up and gets on with things, she also doesn't freak out over Gene and co's sexism, she just rolls her eyes and gets over it.
All of the things I've recently read people slating Alex for are the very reasons I love her. She's the one who's made me love Ashes to Ashes so much. When I originally heard about the spin-off I wasn't interested because I thought nothing could top Life on Mars, but I was proven wrong. I love Ashes to Ashes so much more than LoM and that's mostly because of Alex and her story. I think the crux of the problem is Alex isn't Sam, and Keeley isn't John... and thank God. Life on Mars was great while it had its' time but Ashes to Ashes is a most refreshing new take on the whole thing.
There have been hints too that the 'it's all a dream' fact established in LoM, and continued in A2A isn't so facty afterall. And I've read recently that one of the creators has said there's a larger thing at work here, bigger than Sam and Alex's minds creating these worlds. Very excited for series 2. Oh yeah.
I have also seen the absolutely brilliant BBC adaptation of Bleak House. I was blown away entirely by the excelllent pacing of what I believe is a very long and arduous book - I was hooked, racing through each episode. The acting was phenomenal, every actor embodied their character entirely. Even Dana Scully herself, Gillian Anderson, didn't overshadow my belief in her character Lady Dedlock, not one bit. She, along with John Jarndyce, Esther, Ada, Mr Tulkinghorn and many more totally astounded me in how well they played their characters. I'm completely excited for the next Dickens adaptation Little Dorrit now, especially because Freema Agymen's going to be in it.
I've also seen North and South. Many in the Robin Hood fandom have fainting fits following each episode over how gorgeous and manly Richard Armitage is. I thought that his character was appalling and disgusting (as we're supposed to, because he's the villain) and I had no interest in him. But the actor - the actor is very good. The aren't-I-so-evil-yet-troubled thing didn't work it for me, but in North and South, playing that Mr Darcy type character his talents really shone through. Robin Hood, a family adventure, is frankly beneath him. Far, far beneath him. I don't know why people haven't paid more attention to his talents and screen presence yet. He deserves his own series, a nice big lead role. I'm mostly hoping he leaves Robin Hood, because it's a waste of his talents. North and South was excellent anyway, just excellent, I loved it as much as Bleak House.
And of course, the new shows - know for definite I'll be watching Dollhouse, not because it looks particularly interesting to me, but because it's from Joss obviously. I now also am completely intrigued by Fringe. It's another JJ Abrams spawn. I'm weary of his stuff though, because like with Alias and LOST I fear he'll lose interest, and just go off directing another batch of films and creating another batch of shows and forget all about it like he appears to have done with the aforementioned two other. In any case, seeing Denethor, son of Ecthelion, in a FOX show gives me much mirth, and Pacey off Dawson's Creek is a huge favourite of mine, so it's got those two YAY! factors going for it. Here's a trailer or two. The shorter one has some different footage to the longer.
Fringe promo 1 (3.28)
Promo 2 (2.02)
Spoilers....
Is it true that the majority of the Life on Mars / Ashes to Ashes fandom hates the character of Alex Drake and thinks Keeley Hawes is a terrible actress? I ask because I'm not in the fandom, but from comments I've happened to read, people seem to despise Alex, saying she's arrogant, irritating and condescending, and that Keeley cannot act to save her life.
I'm really bewildered by this. I guess everything is a matter of opinion, but I can't find fault with Keeley's acting in Ashes to Ashes, not one second of it. I found her so engaging in fact that I went in search of other things she's been in, just so I can see more of her - I now have Our Mutual Friend ready and waiting to be watched, and I also watched Ashes to Ashes in its entirety a second time because I liked her so much.
As for what's been said about Alex's character... I'm experiencing from deja vu here. It seems to be similar to the backlash Martha got when she replaced Rose in Doctor Who. Alex, though the time frame is different, the series is different, is in effect replacing Sam. Some folks seem so enamoured with him that no one can possibly compare, character or actor wise.
Of course, Alex having a much sharper tongue, being more off-hand and over all, very ironical and sarcastic about her situation, has made people contrast all this to what Sam was like - compassionate, thoughtful, principled. I think it's unfair to slate Alex for her personality versus Sam's personality. Sam had no idea what the hell was going on when he woke up in 1973, he's totally blind to what's going on until he wakes up from his coma.
However, Alex has his case file in her car right before she's shot. She's been studying it closely. So when she in turn wakes up in a similar world to the one he did, with the same people, of course she's not going to ask the same questions Sam did. Is this real? Am I mad? Where am I? Because of what she's read Sam going through, she believes for certain Gene and co. are all in her head, she takes that utterly for granted. And why the hell wouldn't she?
She thinks it's all a very long bloody dream and that's why she often acts erratic - telling people they're creations, muttering to herself, doing out-of-character things. But this is one of the reasons I love her so much - because her reaction to her world jump is so very different to Sam's. I'm glad there was no 'what's happening?' question this time round (although the revelation about Gene in the finale puts everything we thought we knew into question). I thought it was highly entertaining the way Alex, trained in psychology of course, analyses every person and situation around her and lines it all up in relation to what she's going through and why it's there and how it affects her attempt to return to 2008.
I also love how Alex, the woman, is often very straight-forward, clinical and blunt in her detective work - and her personality - while the man, Sam, was very emotionally involved and sympathetic. Not that Alex doesn't have these traits, but they're Sam's most prevalent traits. I like how they didn't write Alex automatically as weepy and emotional, or an uptight feminist. She holds her head up and gets on with things, she also doesn't freak out over Gene and co's sexism, she just rolls her eyes and gets over it.
All of the things I've recently read people slating Alex for are the very reasons I love her. She's the one who's made me love Ashes to Ashes so much. When I originally heard about the spin-off I wasn't interested because I thought nothing could top Life on Mars, but I was proven wrong. I love Ashes to Ashes so much more than LoM and that's mostly because of Alex and her story. I think the crux of the problem is Alex isn't Sam, and Keeley isn't John... and thank God. Life on Mars was great while it had its' time but Ashes to Ashes is a most refreshing new take on the whole thing.
There have been hints too that the 'it's all a dream' fact established in LoM, and continued in A2A isn't so facty afterall. And I've read recently that one of the creators has said there's a larger thing at work here, bigger than Sam and Alex's minds creating these worlds. Very excited for series 2. Oh yeah.
I have also seen the absolutely brilliant BBC adaptation of Bleak House. I was blown away entirely by the excelllent pacing of what I believe is a very long and arduous book - I was hooked, racing through each episode. The acting was phenomenal, every actor embodied their character entirely. Even Dana Scully herself, Gillian Anderson, didn't overshadow my belief in her character Lady Dedlock, not one bit. She, along with John Jarndyce, Esther, Ada, Mr Tulkinghorn and many more totally astounded me in how well they played their characters. I'm completely excited for the next Dickens adaptation Little Dorrit now, especially because Freema Agymen's going to be in it.
I've also seen North and South. Many in the Robin Hood fandom have fainting fits following each episode over how gorgeous and manly Richard Armitage is. I thought that his character was appalling and disgusting (as we're supposed to, because he's the villain) and I had no interest in him. But the actor - the actor is very good. The aren't-I-so-evil-yet-troubled thing didn't work it for me, but in North and South, playing that Mr Darcy type character his talents really shone through. Robin Hood, a family adventure, is frankly beneath him. Far, far beneath him. I don't know why people haven't paid more attention to his talents and screen presence yet. He deserves his own series, a nice big lead role. I'm mostly hoping he leaves Robin Hood, because it's a waste of his talents. North and South was excellent anyway, just excellent, I loved it as much as Bleak House.